Read the full episode + resources here:

Becoming Natural website

https://becomingnatural.com/l-theanine-benefits

If your body feels tired but your mind refuses to settle, this episode will help you understand why — and what may gently support your nervous system.

Today we are exploring L-theanine benefits, an amino acid widely studied for its role in promoting calm focus without sedation. Rather than forcing the brain to slow down, L-theanine appears to encourage a more regulated state — one where clearer thinking and emotional steadiness become easier to access.

You’ll learn:

✔ what L-theanine is and how it crosses the blood–brain barrier

✔ how it supports alpha brain waves linked to relaxed alertness

✔ why many people report feeling calm yet mentally sharp

✔ who may benefit most from this type of support

✔ how to choose a high-quality supplement

✔ simple safety considerations

We also talk about the growing reality of overstimulation in modern life — not only for adults, but for our children — and why supporting the nervous system is becoming increasingly important.

This episode invites you to approach your body with curiosity instead of pressure and reminds us that sometimes the smallest physiological support can create space for the deepest exhale.

Listen in and discover whether L-theanine might be one helpful piece of your rhythm toward calm.

Book:

The Anxious Generation by by Jonathan Haidt

https://amzn.to/4aB5w6I

If you’re looking for a high-quality L-theanine, I’ve linked the one our family trusts below.

Thorne L-Theanine:

https://amzn.to/4qkJry4

Integrative Therapeutics L-Theanine:

https://amzn.to/4r4H6bE

Hosted by Penelope Sampler

Natural Wellness • Chronic Illness Journey • Faith & Wellness

📩 Join the Email List

🛒 My Trusted Resources Contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting the show.

📌 Note: I share what I’ve learned on my own journey — the things that have supported me in hard seasons. I offer personal experience, thoughtful research, and lots of encouragement. This podcast isn’t medical advice, and it shouldn’t replace care from a qualified professional. Always talk to someone you trust before making changes to your health routine.

© Becoming Natural Podcast.

Mentioned in this episode:

Lumebox Portable Redlight

https://becomingnatural.com/redlight

More Than Enough Outro

Penelope read an excerpt from the book More Than Enough: The Silent Struggle of a Woman’s Identity and shares her chapter, “My Intestine-mony.” https://becomingnatural.com/books/

Read the full episode + resources here:

Becoming Natural website

https://becomingnatural.com/oregano-oil-benefits

Oregano is more than a supplement trend—it’s a leaf with a long history of everyday use. In this episode of Becoming Natural, we explore oregano oil benefits through a food-first, faith-centered lens, separating what science actually supports from modern hype.

You’ll learn how oregano has traditionally been used as daily nourishment, when oregano oil can be helpful as a short-term tool, and why digestion, bile flow, and bitters matter more than most people realize. We also talk about safe ways to use oregano—as food, tea, steam, topical support, or oil—along with important red flags and quality markers to look for when choosing a product.

This conversation isn’t about replacing doctors or fearing medicine. It’s about remembering that God built quiet support into creation and that prevention often begins with consistency, not intensity.

Island Oregano Oil

Young Living Oregano Oil

Gaia Oregano Oil Capsules

Garden of Life Oregano Oil Drops

Asakuki BPA-FREE Essential Oil Diffuser

Ceramic Essential Oil Diffuser

Glass Essential Oil Diffuser

Size 0 Vegan Capsules

Hosted by Penelope Sampler

Natural Wellness • Chronic Illness Journey • Faith & Wellness

📩 Join the Email List

🛒 My Trusted Resources Contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting the show.

📌 Note: I share what I’ve learned on my own journey — the things that have supported me in hard seasons. I offer personal experience, thoughtful research, and lots of encouragement. This podcast isn’t medical advice, and it shouldn’t replace care from a qualified professional. Always talk to someone you trust before making changes to your health routine.

© Becoming Natural Podcast.

Read the full blog post + resources here:

https://becomingnatural.com/fresh-milled-flour-benefits

Bread was never the problem — modern processing is.

In this episode of Becoming Natural, Penny explores the surprising benefits of fresh milled flour, why store-bought bread affects the body so differently, and what we lost when wheat was stripped of its germ, bran, enzymes, and healthy fats.

You’ll learn why labels like “enriched” and “fortified” are actually red flags, how freshly milled wheat behaves differently in the body, and why intact grains were designed to last through famine, drought, and generations — until they’re broken open to nourish.

This conversation weaves together simplified food science, digestive health, blood sugar stability, immune support, and nervous system regulation with Scripture’s repeated emphasis on daily bread — provision that is living, time-sensitive, and meant to draw us into slower, more dependent rhythms.

We also explore:

1. Why freshly milled flour spoils quickly — and why that’s a sign of life
2. How modern bread became shelf-stable but nutritionally empty
3. Why some people tolerate fresh wheat differently than store bread
4. The biblical role of grain storage through famine and drought
5. What Jesus meant when He called Himself “the Bread of Life”

This episode is not about perfection or baking everything from scratch. It’s about returning to food that cooperates with the body, honors God’s design, and invites us to slow down — one simple change at a time.

Hosted by Penelope Sampler

Natural Wellness • Chronic Illness Journey • Faith & Wellness

📩 Join the Email List

🛒 My Trusted Resources Contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting the show.

📌 Note: I share what I’ve learned on my own journey — the things that have supported me in hard seasons. I offer personal experience, thoughtful research, and lots of encouragement. This podcast isn’t medical advice, and it shouldn’t replace care from a qualified professional. Always talk to someone you trust before making changes to your health routine.

© Becoming Natural Podcast.

Mentioned in this episode:

Lumebox Portable Redlight

https://becomingnatural.com/redlight

Read the full episode + resources here:

Becoming Natural website

https://becomingnatural.com/faith-during-chronic-illness/

This episode shares a deeply personal testimony of faith during chronic illness—a story written in waiting, surrender, and survival. Penelope reflects on decades of prayer, unanswered questions, and the quiet ways God works when healing doesn’t come on our timeline. This is a story from the trenches, offered to anyone still praying, still waiting, and still trusting God to finish what He began.

Hosted by Penelope Sampler

Natural Wellness • Chronic Illness Journey • Faith & Wellness

📩 Join the Email List

🛒 My Trusted Resources Contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting the show.

📌 Note: I share what I’ve learned on my own journey — the things that have supported me in hard seasons. I offer personal experience, thoughtful research, and lots of encouragement. This podcast isn’t medical advice, and it shouldn’t replace care from a qualified professional. Always talk to someone you trust before making changes to your health routine.

© Becoming Natural Podcast.

Mentioned in this episode:

Book Mentioned: More Than Enough

Penelope shares the book More Than Enough: The Silent Struggle of a Woman’s Identity and shares her chapter, “My Intestine-mony.” https://becomingnatural.com/books/

More Than Enough Outro

Penelope read an excerpt from the book More Than Enough: The Silent Struggle of a Woman’s Identity and shares her chapter, “My Intestine-mony.” https://becomingnatural.com/books/

Read the full episode + resources here:

https://becomingnatural.com/62-what-is-your-god-given-purpose/

In this first episode of Becoming Natural for 2026, we explore how purpose is rooted in identity—not productivity—and why peace and good health often comes when we live beyond societal and self-imposed expectations. Through Scripture, personal story, and lived wisdom, this episode walks through how God-given purpose remains steady across every season of life, even as roles shift.

Whether you’re navigating motherhood, marriage, singleness, career transitions, health challenges, or quieter seasons you didn’t expect, this conversation offers a proven path toward peace, clarity, and alignment with who God created you to be.

Hosted by Penelope Sampler

Natural Wellness • Chronic Illness Journey • Faith & Wellness

📩 Join the Email List

🛒 My Trusted Resources Contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting the show.

📌 Note: I share what I’ve learned on my own journey — the things that have supported me in hard seasons. I offer personal experience, thoughtful research, and lots of encouragement. This podcast isn’t medical advice, and it shouldn’t replace care from a qualified professional. Always talk to someone you trust before making changes to your health routine.

© Becoming Natural Podcast.

Mentioned in this episode:

EquiLife – At-Home Testing & Supplements

EquiLife: Simple at-home functional lab testing with clear results and action steps, plus clean, tested supplements. 🔗 https://becomingnatural.com/equilife

Read the full episode + resources here:

https://becomingnatural.com/divine-design-of-our-bodies/

This reflective year-end episode explores the powerful, forgotten truth about the divine As 2025 comes to a close, this special reflection episode explores the powerful, forgotten truth about the divine design of our bodies.

This conversation weaves together faith, science, and lived experience to reflect on what we’ve learned together this year — from understanding symptoms as communication, to calming the nervous system, reducing inflammation, and recognizing how the body was created to work in harmony with nature.

Rather than chasing perfection or quick fixes, this episode invites you to slow down and rediscover the wisdom written into the human body. It’s a reminder that our bodies are not random, broken, or working against us — they are intelligently designed, responsive, and capable of restoration when supported well.

You’ll also hear reflections on the growth of the Becoming Natural podcast, lessons learned along the way, and what’s coming in 2026.

🌿 Visit BecomingNatural.com to share topic requests and join the email list as we head into the new year.

Hosted by Penelope Sampler

Natural Wellness • Chronic Illness Journey • Faith & Wellness

📩 Join the Email List

🛒 My Trusted Resources Contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting the show.

📌 Note: I share what I’ve learned on my own journey — the things that have supported me in hard seasons. I offer personal experience, thoughtful research, and lots of encouragement. This podcast isn’t medical advice, and it shouldn’t replace care from a qualified professional. Always talk to someone you trust before making changes to your health routine.

© Becoming Natural Podcast.

Mentioned in this episode:

EquiLife – At-Home Testing & Supplements

EquiLife: Simple at-home functional lab testing with clear results and action steps, plus clean, tested supplements. 🔗 https://becomingnatural.com/equilife

Read the full episode + resources here:

https://becomingnatural.com/nutrient-deficiencies-symptoms/

Nutrient deficiencies are often the hidden reason symptoms linger—fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, digestive issues, and hormonal imbalance.

In this episode of Becoming Natural, Penny walks you through a powerful mindset shift: stop guessing and start understanding what your body actually needs. Instead of chasing symptoms with random supplements or medications, this conversation explores how vitamin and mineral deficiencies quietly drive many of the issues we accept as “normal.”

You’ll learn why nutrients matter so deeply, how deficiencies create cascading symptoms, why testing is an act of wisdom (not overkill), and how targeted nourishment can restore clarity, energy, and resilience. From iodine and thyroid function to magnesium, vitamin D, and iron, this episode connects science, faith, and real-life experience to help you listen to your body with confidence.

If you’re tired of guessing, this episode is your invitation to get answers.

Hosted by Penelope Sampler

Natural Wellness • Chronic Illness Journey • Faith & Wellness

📩 Join the Email List

🛒 My Trusted Resources Contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting the show.

📌 Note: I share what I’ve learned on my own journey — the things that have supported me in hard seasons. I offer personal experience, thoughtful research, and lots of encouragement. This podcast isn’t medical advice, and it shouldn’t replace care from a qualified professional. Always talk to someone you trust before making changes to your health routine.

© Becoming Natural Podcast.

Mentioned in this episode:

EquiLife – At-Home Testing & Supplements

EquiLife: Simple at-home functional lab testing with clear results and action steps, plus clean, tested supplements. 🔗 https://becomingnatural.com/equilife

Read the full episode + resources here:

https://becomingnatural.com/is-seed-oil-worth-it/

Is the seed oil excitement really worthy? That’s the question we’re slowing down with today — not from fear or internet hype, but with clarity, compassion, and grounded science. Seed oils are everywhere in the modern diet, but understanding how they’re made and how they behave in the body helps us make wiser choices without slipping into perfectionism or panic.

In this episode, we break down the truth about omega-6 fatty acids, how extraction methods affect delicate fats, and why the balance between omega-6 and omega-3 matters for inflammation. We also talk about those gorgeous golden “canola fields” (that aren’t actually canola plants…) and how industrial processing transforms these oils long before they reach your kitchen.

You’ll learn the difference between cold-pressed, expeller-pressed, and highly refined oils — and why choosing gentler versions at home supports your body’s natural design for resilience, restoration, and renewal. No shame. No alarm bells. Just simple choices that stack up over time.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you need to panic about seed oils or toss out your entire pantry, this episode brings the peace back into the conversation.

Hosted by Penelope Sampler

Natural Wellness • Chronic Illness Journey • Faith & Wellness

📩 Join the Email List

🛒 My Trusted Resources Contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting the show.

📌 Note: I share what I’ve learned on my own journey — the things that have supported me in hard seasons. I offer personal experience, thoughtful research, and lots of encouragement. This podcast isn’t medical advice, and it shouldn’t replace care from a qualified professional. Always talk to someone you trust before making changes to your health routine.

© Becoming Natural Podcast.