Healing, Health, and the Stories We’re Told (with Matt Michaels)
Podcast Recap: Do You Feel Heard? – Episode 38
Guest: Matt Michaels
Host: Ian Mychal
Theme: Healing, critical thinking, and the courage to listen to your body
What if healing begins with curiosity instead of control?
What if listening—to your body, your emotions, and your intuition—is the most radical act of trust you can take?
In this episode of Do You Feel Heard?, Ian Mychal sits down with Matt Michaels, a holistic health practitioner whose personal journey through chronic illness, addiction, and recovery led him to reimagine what true health really means.
Together, they explore how to question the stories we’re told about health and healing, how to trust your body’s intelligence, and how to return to a sense of grounded awareness in a world overloaded with information.
Healing as Remembering
Matt’s journey began in pain—physical exhaustion, chronic symptoms, and a growing sense of frustration with systems that offered only temporary relief.
After years of medications and unanswered questions, he started experimenting with nutrition, fasting, and emotional work. Within days, his symptoms began to change.
“Everyone told me I’d have to manage it for life. But when I gave my body a chance, it knew what to do.”
That experience changed everything. For Matt, healing stopped being about fixing and became about remembering—the process of trusting the body’s natural intelligence again.
Questioning Without Rebellion
Ian and Matt discuss how questioning dominant systems—especially medicine—often gets labeled as rebellious or conspiratorial. But curiosity, they argue, doesn’t mean rejection. It means care.
“We’ve been taught that questioning means you don’t believe,” Ian reflects. “But sometimes, questioning is how belief evolves.”
Matt agrees that Western medicine has its place—especially in emergencies—but chronic health, emotional well-being, and vitality require a deeper approach. One that honors the body as a teacher, not a problem to solve.
Listening to the Body
Throughout the episode, Matt and Ian return to one central truth: the body is always speaking.
Pain, fatigue, cravings, and emotions aren’t random—they’re signals. When we learn to listen without judgment, we begin to understand what balance actually feels like.
“If a test says I can eat something but my body says otherwise,” Matt says, “I’m going to listen to my body. It’s the one that has to live with the outcome.”
The conversation highlights how healing requires slowing down—becoming aware of subtle sensations, patterns, and emotions that often go unnoticed in a culture that glorifies distraction.
Truth, Media, and Modern Misinformation
The discussion expands beyond health into how modern media and technology shape perception.
Matt and Ian talk about how easily truth gets distorted in the digital age—how algorithms feed us what we already believe, creating echo chambers that amplify fear or certainty instead of curiosity.
“Everyone’s being shown a world that confirms what they already think,” Matt says.
“And the scariest part,” Ian adds, “is that it feels good. It’s dopamine disguised as truth.”
Their shared reminder: discernment is an inside job. The more we practice self-awareness, the less easily we’re manipulated by fear-based narratives.
Healing by Example
Matt shares that the most powerful way to inspire others isn’t by convincing them, but by embodying your truth.
“When your family sees you heal, you don’t have to argue about it. Your results speak louder than any debate.”
Ian reflects that emotional growth works the same way—when we model healthy communication and boundaries, others begin to feel what safety sounds like.
Healing, they agree, is relational. When one person chooses authenticity, it gives others permission to do the same.
Favorite Quotes from Episode 37
- “The body has its own intelligence. It heals itself if we let it.”
- “Questioning isn’t rebellion—it’s care.”
- “Healing isn’t about control; it’s about trust.”
- “If it’s not happening right in front of me, I’m not sure it’s real.”
- “When you live your truth, you don’t have to prove it.”
Listen to the Full Episode
This episode is for anyone who’s:
- Rethinking what health really means
- Feeling frustrated by traditional systems of care
- Learning to trust intuition and body awareness
- Overwhelmed by conflicting information
- Ready to explore healing through curiosity, not fear
Final Reflection
Healing isn’t a destination. It’s a conversation—between body and mind, truth and discernment, curiosity and care.
In a world full of noise, Ian and Matt remind us that the most trustworthy voice is often the quietest one—the one within.
When you slow down enough to listen, your body always answers.