The Functional Aesthetician

Join licensed esthetician and student of functional medicine, Samantha Dench, to explore the deeper connection between your skin, gut, and hormones. The mission is to help you get to the root cause of your skin problems so you understand what your skin is trying to tell you.

The Functional Aesthetician is a health podcast hosted by Samantha Dench, with 42 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Samantha Dench hosts The Functional Aesthetician, a health show with 42 episodes published.

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  Episode #42

  Gut Dysbiosis, Toxic Overload & Autoimmune Disease: The Root Cause Your Doctor Keeps Missing

  Aug 18, 202620 min

  Your labs come back "normal" You've eliminated junk food You're doing everything right, yet you still don't feel like yourself. In this episode, Samantha breaks down why the gut is the root cause behind symptoms that look completely unrelated: skin flare-ups, fatigue, mood swings, autoimmune disease, and perimenopause chaos. She walks through what gut dysbiosis is, how the gut-skin and gut-brain connections work, and the reasons your gut is struggling: from antibiotics and processed food to mold, glyphosate, heavy metals, and forever chemicals hiding in your everyday products. Samantha also shares what she does with her own clients to safely detox, heal the gut, and address the root cause instead of managing symptoms forever. ➡️ In this Episode, You’ll Learn: Why "gut health" is about more than bloating and bathroom habits What is gut dysbiosis How dysbiosis affects your hormones, immune system, skin, brain, and energy What's behind acne, rosacea, eczema, and psoriasis Why healing doesn't stick if your nervous system is dysregulated Cortisol's direct impact and why stress feels harder to manage after 40 The hidden causes of gut damage Mold, mycotoxins, glyphosate, heavy metals, and forever chemicals, where they hide and how they damage your gut Your gut is your body's first line of detox, and what happens when that pathway gets blocked Why detoxing can make you sicker, not better What functional gut and toxin testing reveals One simple, doable first step to start healing today ➡️ Connect with Samantha Website Instagram YouTube TikTok

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  Episode #41

  Stop Wearing the Superwoman Cape: Healing Trauma & Emotional Eating

  Aug 11, 202631 min

  Darcie Burtch, NLP practitioner, clinical hypnosis coach, and trauma toolbox creator, opens up about compound trauma, losing her dad, and the "superwoman cape" every woman needs to take off. Darcie Burtch has turned every bit of her traumatic life into a toolbox for healing. In this episode, Darcie and Samantha talk about what trauma does to the body, why women are conditioned to "push through" instead of feel, and the practical tools to move through grief without getting stuck in it. Darcie shares techniques from her Trauma Toolbox Workshop, from using music to contain a hard moment, to a surprising movie-replay trick that clears traumatic images from her mind. We dig into emotional eating, the childhood roots of comfort food, and why "no" is a complete sentence. Darcie shares her ongoing journey to release weight and why reframing failure as accountability changed everything. If you've ever worn the superwoman cape, kept the peace at your own expense, or wondered why you can't stop replaying something painful, this conversation is your permission slip to slow down and heal. In this Episode, You’ll Learn: Darcie's path from trauma to NLP practitioner, clinical hypnosis coach, and trauma workshop creator What happens in the body and brain when trauma goes unprocessed Inside the Trauma Toolbox: music, prayer, and the movie-replay technique to interrupt traumatic images Why old, familiar movies help the brain recover focus during grief What is NLP, how it works, and who it can help The link behind emotional eating Mission 87: Darcie's approach to sustainable weight loss through accountability, not restriction Taking off the "superwoman cape" and why doing everything for everyone isn't healthy The 100/100 rule for relationships How to set boundaries without over-explaining yourself Darcie's advice for finding your "missing piece" and starting your self-love journey ➡️ Connect with Darcie: Website Book an NLP session, apply to be a podcast guest, or join her newsletter

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  Episode #40

  Perimenopause, Cortisol & Burnout: Stop Chasing Balance, Start Finding Harmony

  Aug 4, 202637 min

  Most women are told their labs are "normal" right before they fall apart. K Miller, the Harmony Coach, serial entrepreneur, mother of five, and homeschooler, spent years bouncing between doctors before an oncologist finally caught a severe iron deficiency, followed by a thyroid disorder and SIBO. But this didn't fix the exhaustion. It took slowing down, syncing with her natural rhythms, and ditching the "push through it" mentality to actually feel better. In this episode, K and Samantha unpack why women are taught to operate on a 24-hour clock instead of their own 28-day cycle, why the 90-minute focus window matters more than the 8-hour workday, and why chasing "balance" is quietly burning women out. We get into emotional eating, the mental load of motherhood, mindset sabotage, and K's five pillars of free health care. We even dive into a topic most of us are terrified of: the sun. In this Episode, You’ll Learn: Why "your labs are fine" is the most dangerous sentence in women's healthcare K's health crisis and the iron IV that offered a band-aid fix The difference between a male’s hormonal cycle and a female’s The 90-minute focus cycle you're ignoring (and what it's costing your energy) Why women crave chocolate on their period, and the mineral your body is asking for Burnout and the invisible mental load moms carry alone The #1 way women self-sabotage their own goals Why "done is better than perfect" changed K's business The gut-brain connection and depression K's 5 Pillars of Health: light, hydration, sleep, movement, and nourishment Why women are afraid of fat, and why your brain needs it The morning habit K says can be life-changing ➡️ Connect with K Website Social Media Special Gift PROMO CODE: RGGUEST26 The first 5 people to download her guide get a COMPLIMENTARY one-on-one Recharge Session with K!

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  Episode #39

  From Vegan to Carnivore: How a Doctor Reversed Her Autoimmune Disease (And What It Means for Your Metabolism)

  Jul 28, 202642 min

  If you're over 40, stuck in perimenopause, and doing everything "right" by cutting calories, avoiding butter, choosing low-fat, and still not losing weight, this episode is for you. Samantha sat down with Dr. Jocelyn Foran, an anesthesiologist, who reversed her own decades-long battle with ulcerative colitis by ditching the food guide and going carnivore. We talk about why insulin is the real driver of stubborn weight gain, fatigue, and inflammation in midlife. We dig into the flawed science behind the "saturated fat is bad" myth, why cholesterol is a firefighter and not the enemy when it comes to heart disease, and how eating protein and fat first, cutting dairy, ditching ultra-processed food, and timing meals with your body's natural rhythms can help you break free of insulin resistance for good. Whether you're curious about keto, carnivore, or just want to understand why your metabolism feels broken, this conversation will change how you think about food. In this Episode, You’ll Learn: Why the "saturated fat causes heart disease" theory was built on manipulated science The truth about cholesterol: why it's essential for your hormones, brain, and cell membrane What's really happening in your arteries and why inflammation and insulin are the true culprits How insulin resistance shows up differently in every body, as weight gain, acne, depression, high blood pressure, or even infertility Why chronic stress spikes insulin just as much as sugar does How your body makes all the glucose it needs without eating a single carb What ketones do for your brain A step-by-step transition into low-carb, keto, or carnivore eating Why 1,200-calorie diets backfire for women in perimenopause, and what to eat instead to protect your metabolism Simple tricks to blunt a blood sugar spike if you do eat carbs Why meal timing matters and how eating close to bedtime disrupts sleep and blood sugar How to navigate social eating, food pushers, and restaurant menus without falling off track ➡️ Connect with Dr. Jocelyn: Website Instagram YouTube Channel TikTok

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  Episode #38

  Thyroid, Perimenopause & HRT: Why "Normal" Labs Don't Mean You're Fine

  Jul 21, 202621 min

  If your labs keep coming back "normal" but you still feel exhausted, foggy, and nothing like yourself, this episode is for you. In this week’s solo episode, Samantha breaks down the confusing overlap between thyroid dysfunction and perimenopause, why Hashimoto's goes undiagnosed in women 40+, and why a standard thyroid test isn't giving you the full picture. She unpacks why so many doctors aren't trained to run the right labs or prescribe HRT, busts the outdated fear around hormone replacement therapy, and reveals what your skin has been quietly trying to tell you about your hormones all along. In this Episode, You’ll Learn: Why thyroid symptoms and perimenopause symptoms overlap Why doctors and women default to blaming "just hormones" Why your TSH can look "normal" while you're still living in hypothyroidism Hashimoto's is the most common autoimmune disease in women 40+, and why it's so often missed The medication mistake most doctors make Why Levothyroxine alone often isn't enough to make you feel better What functional lab testing actually checks beyond a standard panel The exact labs to ask your doctor for at your next appointment, and what it means if they say no Why an entire generation became afraid of HRT and what the research actually shows now Why it's not too late to start HRT, even after menopause What your skin is trying to tell you about your hormones, gut, and thyroid Connect with Us Website Instagram

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