What if inflammation—not genetics, not aging, not bad luck—was the common thread behind most chronic disease?

In this expansive and thought-provoking conversation, physicist, inventor, and engineer Samuel Shepherd shares his extraordinary personal journey after being diagnosed with a rare, terminal bone marrow cancer in 2003. Given no viable medical options, Sam turned to decades of scientific expertise to investigate inflammation, free radicals, and cellular breakdown—ultimately leading him to study astaxanthin, one of the most powerful antioxidants found in nature.

We explore the science of oxidative stress, PD-L1 immune signaling, cellular transport, and why conventional antioxidant delivery often fails. Sam explains how he developed a patented glycosidic form of astaxanthin designed to improve absorption and target inflammation more effectively—and how this work reshaped not only his health, but his entire understanding of disease, aging, and resilience.

This episode also dives into:

• Why inflammation may be the root driver of many chronic and neurodegenerative conditions

• The role of free radicals in cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and metabolic disease

• How modern diets—especially fructose exposure—impact inflammation over time

• What HS-CRP can reveal about long-term health risk

• Why curiosity, self-trust, and asking better questions matter more than blind compliance

  
  

This is not medical advice. It is an invitation into inquiry, responsibility, and deeper self-education—especially for those who sense that healing requires more than symptom management.

If you’re someone who values science, autonomy, and understanding your body rather than outsourcing it, this conversation will expand how you think about health, inflammation, and what’s truly possible.

Connect with Samuel:

Website: https://valasta.net/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ValAsta

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ValastaHome

Connect with Kelly:

⁠⁠⁠drkellykessler.com⁠⁠⁠

Free Guide: Sacred Boundaries:

⁠⁠⁠http://drkellykessler.com/sacredboundaries⁠⁠

Self-Respect Reset is a guided, body-based experience for women who struggle to set boundaries—not because they don’t know what they need, but because it hasn’t felt safe to honor it.

Inside, you’ll learn how to rebuild inner safety, strengthen self-trust, and create boundaries that actually protect your peace—without guilt, over-explaining, or self-abandonment.

👉 Learn more and join Self-Respect Reset here:

⁠⁠⁠⁠http://drkellykessler.com/selfrespectreset⁠⁠⁠⁠

Milk and Butterflies:

Get free shipping on your order with this link:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://milkandbutterflies.com/discount/DRKELLY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What happens when life changes your body, your identity, and your sense of safety overnight?

In this powerful conversation, I’m joined by John Kippen: Entrepreneur, professional magician, speaker, and resilience coach, who shares his extraordinary journey of self-acceptance after adversity.

After surviving brain tumor surgery that left him with permanent facial paralysis, John spent over a decade in hiding. What ultimately brought him back wasn’t “fixing” himself—but reclaiming joy, breath, creativity, and the courage to live his own dream.

In this episode, we explore:

• How self-acceptance becomes a nervous-system practice—not a mindset shift

• Why doing what you love is often the most healing thing you can do

• How breath anchors safety when life feels overwhelming

• What it means to stop waiting to be “whole” before living

• Why adversity can become an unexpected initiation into purpose

• • The power of daily presence, compassion, and creative expression

  John also shares incredible moments from performing magic for Alex Trebek to being featured in a documentary with Jamie Lee Curtis, and how those experiences reinforced a deeper truth:

  
  

  Being different isn’t something to overcome. It’s something to honor.

  This conversation is a reminder that healing doesn’t mean returning to who you were.
  Sometimes, it means finally becoming who you are.

• Connect with John:

  
  

  https://kippencoaching.com

  
  

  
  

  Connect with Kelly:

  ⁠⁠drkellykessler.com⁠⁠

  
  

  Free Guide: Sacred Boundaries:

  ⁠⁠http://drkellykessler.com/sacredboundaries⁠

  
  

  Self-Respect Reset is a guided, body-based experience for women who struggle to set boundaries—not because they don’t know what they need, but because it hasn’t felt safe to honor it.

  Inside, you’ll learn how to rebuild inner safety, strengthen self-trust, and create boundaries that actually protect your peace—without guilt, over-explaining, or self-abandonment.

  👉 Learn more and join Self-Respect Reset here:

  ⁠⁠⁠http://drkellykessler.com/selfrespectreset⁠⁠⁠

  
  

  
  

  Milk and Butterflies:

  Get free shipping on your order with this link:

  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://milkandbutterflies.com/discount/DRKELLY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

  
  

  
  

  
  

If you’ve been trying to build confidence but still don’t trust yourself, you’re not broken and you’re not alone.

In this episode, we explore how to build self-trust without forcing confidence, especially if you’re a high-achieving woman who struggles with self-doubt, people-pleasing, or second-guessing your decisions. You’ll learn why traditional confidence advice often falls short, how self-trust actually gets rebuilt, and why safety—not certainty—is the real foundation for lasting change.

This conversation is for you if you:

• Feel confident on the outside but disconnected inside

• Struggle to trust your decisions, boundaries, or inner voice

• Feel exhausted from overthinking and self-doubt

• Want to stop abandoning yourself just to keep the peace

  
  

We’ll talk about self-trust as a nervous-system experience, not a mindset trick—and how small, grounded shifts can help you reconnect with yourself in a way that feels sustainable and real.

You don’t need to be confident to start trusting yourself.
You just need a safer way back to you.

If you’ve spent years keeping the peace at the expense of yourself—softening your needs, swallowing your truth, or saying yes when your body says no—this masterclass is for you.

The Cost of Keeping the Peace explores why people-pleasing and boundary struggles aren’t personal flaws, but learned survival patterns—and what it actually takes to create change without guilt or self-betrayal.

Inside the masterclass, you’ll learn:

• Why awareness alone isn’t enough to stop over-giving

• How inner safety creates lasting boundaries

• What it looks like to choose yourself without fear of fallout

If you’re ready to stop paying for peace with your energy, voice, and self-trust, you’re invited to join.

👉 https://drkellykessler.com/rebuildboundaries