hol+ with Dr. Taz MD | The Future of Medicine is Holistic

Concerned about your heart health, high cholesterol, or changes during menopause? Explore hol+ cardiovascular health services to learn about personalized care, advanced cardiovascular testing, and preventive support for your long-term heart health.
Heart disease kills more women than all cancers combined, yet many women still consider breast cancer their greatest health threat. Why is the leading cause of death among women so frequently overlooked? Dr. Taz welcomes preventive cardiologist and women's heart health advocate Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum to explore why cardiovascular disease remains underrecognized in women, how symptoms can be missed or dismissed, and what women need to know to protect their hearts.
Drawing on more than two decades of experience in preventive cardiology, Dr. Steinbaum shares the patient encounter that changed the direction of her career: a 53-year-old woman whose symptoms were initially diagnosed as a stomach illness before she suffered a heart attack. She explains how decades of cardiovascular research focused primarily on men have contributed to gaps in understanding women's heart disease, and why conventional risk assessments may not capture the full picture.
Their conversation explores how heart disease can develop differently in women, particularly in the smaller blood vessels of the heart. Dr. Steinbaum explains coronary microvascular disease, why symptoms such as chest discomfort, palpitations, and shortness of breath may be mistaken for anxiety, and how certain cardiovascular conditions can be difficult to detect through conventional testing. They also discuss emerging diagnostic technologies, including AI-assisted coronary CT imaging, and the importance of looking beyond standard cholesterol numbers.
Dr. Taz and Dr. Steinbaum examine the connection between menopause, declining estrogen, and cardiovascular health. As women transition through perimenopause and menopause, changes in cholesterol, insulin resistance, and blood vessel function can influence their risk. They discuss why hormone therapy alone is not necessarily the answer, and how pregnancy complications, autoimmune conditions, family history, and inflammation can provide important clues about a woman's cardiovascular health.
The conversation also turns to chronic stress and the invisible load many women carry. Dr. Taz shares her husband's experience of having a heart attack at 41, while Dr. Steinbaum explains how stress hormones can influence blood pressure, inflammation, and arterial function. Together, they explore why high-achieving women often normalize exhaustion and physical symptoms, the importance of managing stress, and how practices such as meditation and movement may support cardiovascular well-being.
Dr. Steinbaum offers practical guidance on becoming a better advocate for your heart health, including which risk factors to discuss with your doctor, when further evaluation may be appropriate, and why cardiovascular exercise remains essential alongside strength training. Her message is that protecting your heart starts with understanding your personal health history, recognizing changes in your body, and taking an active role in prevention.
IN THIS EPISODE
Why heart disease remains the leading cause of death among women
How decades of male-focused cardiovascular research have affected women's care
The differences between heart disease in men and women
Why women's heart symptoms can be mistaken for anxiety
Coronary microvascular disease and why it can be difficult to detect
The limitations of conventional heart screenings and risk assessments
How menopause and declining estrogen affect cholesterol, metabolism, and arterial health
Pregnancy complications, autoimmune conditions, and other overlooked cardiovascular risk factors
The role of inflammation, chronic stress, and cortisol in heart health
Why high-achieving women often overlook their own physical symptoms
AI-assisted cardiovascular imaging and emerging diagnostic technologies
Blood tests and cardiovascular markers, including ApoB and Lp(a)
How to advocate for yourself when symptoms persist despite normal test results
The relationship between stress, emotional health, and heart disease
Why cardiovascular exercise is still important alongside strength training
Practical steps women can take to support lifelong heart health
EXPLORE HOL+ SERVICES
Learn about hol+'s approach to cardiovascular health, preventive testing, and personalized care:
https://holplus.co/services/cardiovascular-health/

ABOUT DR. SUZANNE STEINBAUM
Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum is a preventive cardiologist, author, and women's heart health advocate with more than two decades of clinical experience. She has served as Director of Women's Cardiovascular Prevention, Health and Wellness at Mount Sinai Hospital and Director of Women and Heart Disease at Lenox Hill Hospital. She is the author of Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum's Heart Book: Every Woman's Guide to a Heart-Healthy Life and has appeared on Good Morning America and the Today Show. Her work focuses on prevention, lifestyle medicine, and helping women better understand their cardiovascular health.
CONNECT WITH DR. SUZANNE STEINBAUM
Official website:

Learn more about her approach to preventive heart health:
https://www.drsuzannesteinbaum.com/about

CONNECT WITH HOL+
Follow the podcast for new episodes, and leave a review to help others discover the conversation.
This episode is for educational purposes and does not replace individualized medical, mental health, or financial advice.
Dr. Taz: https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/
Hol+: https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/
Hol+ Show: https://www.instagram.com/holplushow/
Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe
Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@HolPlusShow/podcasts
Get your copy of ➡️ The Hormone Shift: https://amzn.to/44yYhZd
Produced by https://ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Feeling overwhelmed by stress, financial pressure, or the demands of everyday life? Explore hol+ mental health services to learn about personalized support for your emotional well-being.
You’re working, providing, caring for your family, and thinking about what comes next. But somewhere in the middle of holding everything together, have your own needs disappeared from the conversation?
In this solo reflection, Dr. Taz revisits her conversation with Mandi Woodruff-Santos, co-host of Brown Ambition, to explore the invisible load women carry and how money, ambition, caregiving, and health intersect.
Whether you’re pursuing a demanding career, supporting your household, or considering a pause during pregnancy, postpartum, or menopause, these decisions deserve more than pressure and guilt. They deserve preparation, honest conversations, and room for your own well-being.
Dr. Taz shares the personal question that made her reconsider her priorities, reflects on Mandi’s idea of a mental health emergency fund, and explores what it means to advocate for yourself without continually taking a back seat.
IN THIS EPISODE
• The invisible load of earning, caregiving, and managing everyone’s needs
• Financial self-advocacy and the challenges women face
• Navigating work decisions during major life transitions
• Why a mental health emergency fund belongs in the conversation
• Planning for a career pause and a possible return
• Recognizing when ambition is outpacing your capacity
• Making room for yourself alongside your work and family
• Moving through shame and uncertainty around money
EXPLORE HOL+ SERVICES
Your emotional well-being deserves care, too. Explore hol+ mental health services.
Discover holistic, integrative, and functional care, educational resources, health quizzes, and a curated wellness shop at holplus.co.
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
This episode features Dr. Taz’s reflections following her interview with Mandi Woodruff-Santos. Listen to their full conversation for more on women, money, breadwinning, and financial confidence.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Explore the Brown Ambition book and preorder information:
https://brownambitionbook.com
CONNECT WITH HOL+
Explore more episodes, watch the podcast, and find listening options:
holplus.co/podcast
Follow hol+ by Dr. Taz MD on your favorite podcast platform for more conversations about health, relationships, and whole-person well-being.

Feeling overwhelmed by stress, financial pressure, or the demands of everyday life? Explore hol+ mental health services to learn about personalized support for your emotional well-being.
She built a successful career, started her own business, and became a mother. So why did everything start to feel overwhelming? Dr. Taz welcomes award-winning financial journalist, career coach, and Brown Ambition podcast host Mandi Woodruff-Santos to explore how financial stress, career pressure, and the expectation to hold everything together can affect women's mental and physical health.
Mandi shares what she's learned from helping women navigate money challenges, career transitions, and the pressure to succeed. Together, they discuss why women often struggle to ask for what they need, how financial shame can undermine confidence, and the additional challenges women of color face when advocating for themselves at work.
Dr. Taz reflects on the stress she sees among women who carry financial responsibility for their families, as well as her own experience growing up around money anxiety. Their conversation explores the pressure to be the strong one, the connection between financial security and emotional well-being, and why success doesn't always protect us from burnout.
Mandi also opens up about her personal experience with postpartum depression and anxiety, the challenges of building a business while raising young children, and the circumstances that led her to seek inpatient mental health treatment. She introduces the idea of a mental health emergency fund, explaining why having trusted people and professional support in place matters before a crisis occurs.
Drawing from her upcoming book, Brown Ambition: How to Reboot Your Money and Career When Life Throws You Off Track, Mandi shares how women can move beyond shame, navigate unexpected setbacks, and pursue financial success without losing sight of their health and happiness.
IN THIS EPISODE
How financial stress affects mental and physical well-being
The hidden pressure of being the family breadwinner
Money shame and the expectations placed on women of color
Three common thought patterns that hold women back in their careers
Asking for raises, negotiating, and advocating for yourself
Recognizing when it's time to make a career change
Financial transparency and independence in relationships
Mandi's experience with postpartum depression and anxiety
Recognizing when old coping mechanisms stop working
Building a mental health emergency fund
The importance of rest, community, and asking for help
Redefining ambition and finding fulfillment beyond financial success
EXPLORE HOL+ SERVICES
Learn about hol+'s approach to mental health and emotional well-being:
https://holplus.co/services/mental-health/
ABOUT MANDI WOODRUFF-SANTOS
Mandi Woodruff-Santos is an award-winning financial journalist, career and negotiation coach, and host of the Brown Ambition podcast. She is the founder of MandiMoney Makers, a coaching community helping women of color advance their careers and build wealth. Her debut book, Brown Ambition: How to Reboot Your Money and Career When Life Throws You Off Track, is scheduled for release on June 15, 2027.
CONNECT WITH MANDI
Check out the Brown Ambition Book:
https://brownambitionbook.com
Website and career coaching:
https://www.mandimoney.com/
Brown Ambition podcast:
https://brownambitionpodcast.com/
Book information and preorders:
https://www.mandimoney.com/book
CONNECT WITH HOL+
Follow the podcast for new episodes, and leave a review to help others discover the conversation.
This episode is for educational purposes and does not replace individualized medical, mental health, or financial advice.
Dr. Taz: https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/
Hol+: https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/
Hol+ Show: https://www.instagram.com/holplushow/
Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe
Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@HolPlusShow/podcasts
Get your copy of ➡️ The Hormone Shift: https://amzn.to/44yYhZd
Produced by https://ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

What if experiences you thought you'd moved past are still influencing how you feel, react, and connect with others?
In this episode, Dr. Taz reflects on her recent conversation with trauma expert Dr. Gillian O'Shea Brown and shares what stood out most about the connection between emotional trauma, physical health, and the nervous system.
Dr. Taz explores how past experiences, including smaller, often overlooked microtraumas, may shape our stress responses and relationship patterns. She also discusses EMDR, somatic healing, attachment styles, and why learning to recognize our emotional patterns can be an important part of healing.
Drawing from her own life, Dr. Taz opens up about the time she spent alone in her twenties and how that period of self-reflection helped her better understand herself, break old patterns, and prepare for healthier relationships.
This mini solo is a reminder that understanding your personal story can be just as important as looking ahead. Sometimes the patterns we want to change begin with experiences we haven't fully understood.
In this episode, Dr. Taz reflects on:
The connection between trauma, stress, and physical health
EMDR, somatic healing, and the nervous system
Microtraumas and attachment patterns
Why old emotional and relationship patterns can resurface
The importance of self-reflection and personal growth

EXPLORE HOL+ SERVICES
Learn about hol+’s approach to mental health and emotional well-being:
https://holplus.co/services/mental-health/
ABOUT DR. GILLIAN O'SHEA BROWN
Dr. Gillian O’Shea Brown is a psychotherapist, complex trauma specialist, and EMDRIA Approved Consultant. She is the author of Psyche’s Awakening: A Guide to Emotional and Somatic Healing Through the Wisdom of Greek Myth.
CONNECT WITH DR. GILL
Website and book information:
https://www.drgillianosheabrown.com/
Newsletter:
https://drgillianosheabrown.substack.com/
CONNECT WITH HOL+
https://holplus.co/
Follow Dr. Taz:
https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/
Follow the podcast for new episodes, and leave a review to help others discover the conversation.
This episode is for educational purposes and does not replace individualized medical or mental health care.
STAY CONNECTED
Dr. Taz: https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/
Hol+: https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/
Hol+ Show: https://www.instagram.com/holplushow/
Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe
Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@HolPlusShow/podcasts
Get your copy of ➡️ The Hormone Shift: https://amzn.to/44yYhZd
Produced by https://ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

(00:00) - Intro

(00:43) - How trauma can affect physical health

(01:25) - The body's response to unresolved trauma

(01:45) - EMDR and somatic healing

(03:00) - Microtraumas and attachment styles

(03:50) - Why understanding yourself matters

(04:05) - Dr. Taz's personal journey

(04:45) - Breaking old relationship patterns

(05:50) - The mind-body-spirit connection

Different person. Same painful pattern. Why does it happen? Dr. Taz welcomes psychotherapist and complex trauma specialist Dr. Gillian O’Shea Brown to explore how unresolved experiences can shape our relationships, our reactions, and the beliefs we carry about ourselves.
Dr. Gill describes trauma as the past intruding on the present. Together, they discuss how childhood coping strategies can follow us into adulthood, why familiar dynamics can influence attraction, and what it can mean to recognize yourself as the fixer, the caretaker, or the person who puts their own needs last.

Dr. Taz shares her experience of taking responsibility for others’ emotions as the eldest child. Their conversation explores parentification, people-pleasing, emotionally unavailable partners, and the courage involved in expressing your needs.
They also introduce EMDR therapy, the importance of preparation and professional support, and Dr. Gill’s perspective on emotional and somatic healing.
Drawing from her book, Psyche’s Awakening, Dr. Gill brings together psychology and Greek mythology to explore self-compassion, psychological safety, and the possibility of choosing differently.
IN THIS EPISODE
• Recognizing when the past is influencing the present
• How painful experiences can shape core beliefs
• What EMDR therapy involves
• Childhood self-blame and adult coping patterns
• Repetition compulsion and familiar relationship dynamics
• Parentification and becoming “the fixer”
• People-pleasing, self-abandonment, and boundaries
• Noticing how relationships affect your sense of self
• The guest’s perspective on somatic healing
• Finding support and developing self-trust
EXPLORE HOL+ SERVICES
Learn about hol+’s approach to mental health and emotional well-being:
https://holplus.co/services/mental-health/
ABOUT DR. GILLIAN O'SHEA BROWN
Dr. Gillian O’Shea Brown is a psychotherapist, complex trauma specialist, and EMDRIA Approved Consultant. She is the author of Psyche’s Awakening: A Guide to Emotional and Somatic Healing Through the Wisdom of Greek Myth.
CONNECT WITH DR. GILL
Website and book information:
https://www.drgillianosheabrown.com/
Newsletter:
https://drgillianosheabrown.substack.com/

CONNECT WITH HOL+
https://holplus.co/
Follow Dr. Taz:
https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/
Follow the podcast for new episodes, and leave a review to help others discover the conversation.
This episode is for educational purposes and does not replace individualized medical or mental health care.

STAY CONNECTED
Dr. Taz: https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/
Hol+: https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/
Hol+ Show: https://www.instagram.com/holplushow/
Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe
Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@HolPlusShow/podcasts
Get your copy of ➡️ The Hormone Shift: https://amzn.to/44yYhZd
Produced by https://ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)