In this milestone episode of Resilience Radio, Jeremy Lesniak interviews Irvin Eisenberg to reflect on reaching 100 episodes of the podcast.

They discuss what it takes to sustain a long-form show over time, why most podcasts fade out early, and how consistency, pacing, and curiosity matter more than chasing trends. Irvin shares how the podcast has evolved, what themes have stayed central, and how future episodes may expand into panels, practitioner conversations, and movement-informed discussions.

This episode is less about celebration and more about reflection — taking stock before moving forward.

🎧 Listen on Libsyn:
https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/resilience

📍 Book an Appointment with Irvin (Montpelier & Northfield, VT):
https://patients.betterhealthcare.co/booking/facilities/9222/appointment-type

🎵 Music Credit:
https://aaronmarcus.bandcamp.com/track/finlays-menopausal-fridge-some-biological-process

Episode 100 of Resilience Radio continues a core theme of the show: rethinking health, movement, and ergonomics beyond simplistic metrics.

In this conversation, Irvin Eisenberg sits down with Turner Osler, founder of QOR360, to explore why counting steps, standing more, or "fixing posture" often misses the deeper issue. They discuss movement as exploration, variability as nourishment for the nervous system, and why ergonomics should support curiosity rather than control.

Key topics include:

• Why "more steps" isn't the same as better movement

• The limits of standing desks and static posture fixes

• Movement as exploration, not correction

• Variability, nervous system safety, and adaptability

• How active sitting changes the relationship between work and movement

This episode is for clinicians, desk workers, athletes, and anyone interested in a more nuanced, humane approach to ergonomics and health.

🔗 QOR360 chairs (affiliate): https://tinyurl.com/QOR360
💸 Use code RESILIENCE for 5% off

🎧 Listen on Libsyn: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/resilience
📺 Watch on YouTube: Resilience Radio - YouTube
📍 Book an appointment with Irvin: https://resiliencevermont.com

Music Credit:
Finlay's Menopausal Fridge (Some Biological Process) — Aaron Marcus
https://aaronmarcus.bandcamp.com/track/finlays-menopausal-fridge-some-biological-process

In this episode of Resilience Radio, Irvin Eisenberg sits down with Tara Cariano (she/they) to explore the origin and evolution of The Sanctuary in Northfield, Vermont — a space built around wellness, co-working, movement, and community connection.

Tara shares how the Sanctuary grew organically from a shared back room into a full storefront offering yoga, meditation, co-working, and healthcare services. The conversation weaves through themes of non-attachment, accessibility, small-town entrepreneurship, and what it means to integrate wellness into daily life rather than treating it as an escape from work.

Irvin reflects on bringing his occupational therapy practice into the space and how environment, posture, and nervous-system regulation shape how we work, heal, and connect.

Topics include:

• Building a community-centered wellness space

• Non-attachment as a guiding principle

• Co-working as part of self-care

• Accessibility and community support

• Long-term vision in a small Vermont town

🎶 Music Credit:
Some Biological Process by Aaron Marcus
https://aaronmarcus.bandcamp.com/track/finlays-menopausal-fridge-some-biological-process

🎧 Listen to Resilience Radio on Libsyn:
https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/resilience

📍 Resilience Occupational Therapy
Montpelier & Northfield, Vermont

Episode 98: From School Counseling Burnout to Integrative Mental Health – with Tara Cariano

In this episode of Resilience Radio, Irvin Eisenberg talks with Tara Cariano about her journey from Vermont school counselor and COVID-era wellness leader to integrative mental health counselor and founder of The Sanctuary in Northfield, VT.

Tara shares how burnout, chronic illness, and building school-based wellness centers pushed her to rethink what genuine support and prevention look like—for students, educators, and now adults in private practice.

Key topics include:
✅ What "integrative mental health" really means in practice (mind, body, and spiritual care in one room)
✅ Burnout in public education and what Tara learned leading school counselors through COVID
✅ How school-based wellness centers in Vermont and San Francisco shaped her vision
✅ The transition from school counseling to private practice and founding The Sanctuary
✅ Supporting mostly middle-aged women navigating identity shifts, parenting, careers, and chronic stress
✅ Using movement, meditation, and somatic practices alongside traditional mental health tools
✅ Why Tara chose to take insurance and offer a sliding scale to keep care accessible in Vermont

If you're curious about how mental health, movement, and community can live under one roof, this conversation offers both a personal story and a model for what more humane support can look like.

Music Credit: "Finlay's Menopausal Fridge (Some Biological Process)" by Aaron Marcus
👉 Bandcamp: https://aaronmarcus.bandcamp.com/track/finlays-menopausal-fridge-some-biological-process

Watch on YouTube (podcast channel): https://www.youtube.com/@ResilienceOTRadio

Learn more or book an appointment with Irvin:
👉 https://resiliencevermont.com (see the Book Appointment tab)

Title
Martial Arts Saved His Life — Tommy on Fear, Diabetes & Resilience

Description
In this episode of Resilience Radio, Irvin Eisenberg sits down with Tommy — a lifelong martial artist who was diagnosed with juvenile Type 1 diabetes in the 1970s and told he wouldn't live to age 30. Nearly 50 years later, Tommy credits martial arts, qigong, tai chi, curiosity, cultural roots, and service to others as the foundation of his survival.

Tommy shares how movement, mindset, and practical health decisions helped him live far beyond the expectations placed on him as a teenager — and how he now teaches others through the philosophy of turning fear into curiosity.

Key topics include:
✅ How martial arts shaped his discipline, identity, and resilience
✅ Transforming fear into curiosity using real-world examples (skunks, bears, and real danger)
✅ The role of Native American cultural roots and traditional medicine
✅ Food choices, herbs, and inflammation management from a Type 1 diabetic's lived experience
✅ Tai Chi, Qigong, and cultivating harmonious movement
✅ Why he prefers the title "Uncle" and what that means in martial arts culture
✅ Service, giving back, and building a healthier community
✅ What balance really means — physically, emotionally, and spiritually

00:00 — Intro: Why health matters to Tommy
01:05 — Diagnosed in 1976: "You won't live past 30"
02:05 — Martial arts as survival & daily discipline
03:20 — Food, inflammation, and choosing what helps your body
04:55 — Native American roots & knowing what grows around you
06:20 — Traditions, stories, and what Thanksgiving means to him
08:00 — Fear → Curiosity: The skunk/bear analogy
09:20 — Understanding emotion without being controlled by it
10:40 — "Choose joy"—and what that actually means (not toxic positivity)
12:05 — Kung Fu, good hard work, and learning outside the dojo
13:30 — Advice to younger self: "Don't give up"
14:40 — Titles & identity: Why people call him "Uncle"
16:25 — Teaching for free, community work, and helping families
18:05 — Real-world healing moments: Massage, movement, listening with your hands
19:40 — Aikido & harmonious self-defense
21:05 — What he continues to learn & how he keeps growing
22:40 — Service, compassion, and making the world better
24:10 — Closing thoughts: "Kung Fu made me a better me"
24:55 — Outro & credits

Tommy
A martial artist with decades of experience in Kempo, Qigong, Tai Chi, Aikido, tournament fighting, and real-world security work. Known for his philosophy of turning fear into curiosity, compassionate teaching, and service to Vermont families, diabetics, and martial arts communities.

Aaron Marcus — Some Biological Process
https://aaronmarcus.bandcamp.com/track/finlays-menopausal-fridge-some-biological-process

Book an Appointment with Irvin:
https://www.resiliencevermont.com/book-online

Resilience Radio YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@ResilienceOTRadio

Main Website:
https://www.resiliencevermont.com

Watch on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/MBOXNgXcD2A

In this episode of Resilience Radio, Irvin Eisenberg talks with Uncle Tommy, a lifelong martial artist who was told at 14 years old that he wouldn't live past 30. Nearly 50 years later, he's still training, teaching, and proving the medical predictions wrong.

Tommy shares how martial arts, qigong, tai chi, disciplined eating, and self-education shaped his survival. We talk about juvenile diabetes in the 1970s, fighting with insurance companies, navigating outdated medical advice, and why movement has kept him alive and functional despite arthritis and a lifetime of health challenges.

Key topics include:
✅ Being diagnosed with juvenile (Type 1) diabetes in the 1970s
✅ Why martial arts became central to Tommy's survival
✅ Qigong, tai chi, and slow movement for circulation & blood sugar regulation
✅ Using herbs and nutrition to stabilize energy and glucose
✅ How outdated medical guidelines pushed him toward independence
✅ The role of mindset, discipline, and continuous monitoring
✅ What Tommy teaches others today about movement and long-term health

Guest Bio — Uncle Tommy:
Uncle Tommy is a multi-disciplinary martial artist with backgrounds in kenpo, kung fu, qigong, and tai chi. Living with Type 1 diabetes for nearly 50 years, he attributes his longevity to consistent movement, internal arts, and a self-directed approach to health. He teaches and mentors martial artists across generations.

Music Credit:
Finlay's "Some Biological Process" by Aaron Marcus
(https://aaronmarcus.bandcamp.com/track/finlays-menopausal-fridge-some-biological-process)

Listen on Libsyn:
https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/resilience)

Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/KogdLCFnypI?si=EwzGh-Y9PwVsJ7uH

Book an Appointment with Irvin:
https://www.resiliencept.com/booking

In this episode of Resilience Radio, host Irvin Eisenberg sits down with Turner Osler, a trauma surgeon turned innovator behind the QOR360 chair. They discuss the journey from medicine to designing a chair that promotes movement, upright posture, and active sitting as an alternative to conventional ergonomic solutions.

Key topics include:
✅ The science behind the Core 360 chair's design
✅ Health risks of prolonged sitting
✅ Why standing desks and yoga balls may not be the answer
✅ The importance of movement and active sitting for overall health
✅ How cultural practices influence posture and well-being

Affiliate Link: Check out the QOR360 Chair (Irvin's affiliate link)
Music Credit: "Some Biological Process" by Aaron Marcus (Bandcamp)
Book an Appointment with Irvin: resiliencevermont.com/book
Watch on YouTube: Resilience Occupational Therapy YouTube Channel
Listen on Libsyn: Resilience Radio on Libsyn

The Hidden Depths of Tai Chi: Martial Art, Healing Practice, and Life Philosophy

In this episode of Resilience Radio, Irvin Eisenberg and Rich Marantz delve into the multifaceted nature of Tai Chi and Qigong, exploring their roles as martial arts, healing practices, and philosophies for living. Rich shares his personal journey from a tough upbringing to embracing Tai Chi as a means of self-defense and peace. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding the internal aspects of martial arts, the interplay between Tai Chi and Qigong, and the significance of respecting individual paths in health and personal growth.

Key topics include:
✅ Tai Chi's role as martial art, healing, and life philosophy
✅ Body mechanics and energy flow in Tai Chi practice
✅ How Tai Chi enables defense without causing harm
✅ The relationship between Tai Chi and Qigong
✅ Internal martial arts principles in external styles like karate and kung fu
✅ Respecting personal health and martial arts paths
✅ Avoiding rigidity and embracing personal growth
✅ The value of exposure to Qigong for everyone

Episode Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Tai Chi and Rich Marantz's background
04:49 Tai Chi and Qigong: Relationship and distinctions
09:41 Internal vs. external martial arts explained
14:52 Finding your true nature through practice
19:52 Respecting individual paths in health and martial arts
22:29 Final thoughts and reflections

Quotes from the episode:

"We can just not get hurt."
"Live in that, wherever you are."
"Choose your next action."

Listen on Libsyn: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/resilience
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/y-E5yduHfek
Book an Appointment with Irvin: https://resilienceot.com/book-appointment/
Music Credit: Aaron Marcus – Some Biological Process