Ep 107: Start the Year with Resilience: Ayurvedic Wisdom for Tough Times with Dr. Avanti Kumar-Singh

Welcome to this episode of the Mother’s Quest Podcast—the first of 2025 and the final episode of Season Nine before I take a winter break and prepare to launch Season Ten in the spring.

As I sat down for this conversation with Dr. Avanti Kumar Singh just before the holiday break, I had no idea of the enormity of the challenges we would face as we began this new year. The toxins we’re navigating—from the CA wildfires to the impact of this new presidential term —are overwhelming. 

This makes Avanti’s wisdom feel especially vital right now.

In this episode, Avanti shares intentional practices for protection and healing especially in the midst of adversity, and she invites us to honor this month as a season for slowing down and resting, rather than leaping into the pressure of a “new year, new you” mindset.

My own desire to take a pause this winter led me to invite Avanti back to the podcast. If you didn’t catch our first conversation, I encourage you to go back and listen—it’s an incredible exploration of her journey from ER doctor to an Ayurveda wellness expert, bridging Eastern and Western medicine to help people live healthier, more intentional lives. She’s the host of The Healing Catalyst podcast, the author of The Health Catalyst, and her latest book, The Longevity Formula: Ayurvedic Principles to Reduce Inflammation, Increase Cellular Repair, and Live with Vitality was just released. Through all these vehicles, she translates ancient healing principles into accessible practices for modern living.

During our conversation, you’ll hear how, while writing Longevity Formula, Avanti was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. She was confronted with the humbling truth that even as a healer dedicated to healthy living, she couldn’t prevent this diagnosis—or the aggressive treatments it required. Yet, through her journey, she found that Ayurveda, while not a cure-all, provided powerful tools to support her body’s healing, resilience, and ability to navigate such adversity. By sharing her story along the way through her treatment, she became a beacon of hope for others.

This episode left me with a renewed commitment to start this year with a slower, more reflective pace. It reminded me to follow nature’s rhythms and embrace this season as a time for pause and reconnection. This isn’t about resolutions or quick fixes to the challenges—it’s about giving ourselves the space to breathe and protective practices that will build our resilience for whatever lies ahead.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• Dr. Avanti Kumar Singh’s journey to writing The Longevity Formula.

• Avanti’s quest to help people tap into their inner wisdom for healing. 

• How Ayurveda principles align with modern science.

• The transformative power of reflection during milestone moments.

• The humbling lesson Avanti learned through her breast cancer journey. 

• Practical longevity practices: fasting, morning light exposure, and meditation.

• How Ayurveda protects and prepares us for life’s unexpected challenges.

• The health benefits of connection and combating loneliness.

• The idea of shared moments of awe as a source of healing.

• Redefining New Year’s resolutions by aligning with nature’s cycles.

• The role of ancient wisdom in navigating modern challenges.

• Slowing down and prioritizing health during the holiday season and new year.

 

About Dr. Avanti Kumar-Singh

Dr. Avanti Kumar-Singh, is an Ayurveda Wellness Expert on a mission to show how Ayurveda is a health catalyst to achieve optimal wellness in modern life.

After receiving her Bachelor's in Art History from the University of Chicago, she went on to receive her medical degree from Rush University Medical College. While working as an ER physician, she experienced first-hand the limitations of Western medicine. To learn more, Avanti began a 10-year wellness journey during which she studied energy healing and yoga the