The Nervous System Eats First: Autism Spectrum, Menopause & Beyond
The Nervous System Eats First is the podcast for neurodivergent, high-functioning women navigating menopause, fatigue, emotional numbness, and intimacy loss. Created especially for Black women, women of color, and others whose nervous systems were never centered — each episode blends science, sensory rituals, and story to help you reset energy, reclaim emotional clarity, and restore intimacy without shame. Hosted by Dr. Stacey Denise — The Neuroaesthetic MD™ — this show offers candid conversations, evidence-based insights, and embodied rituals designed for sensitive, creative women in midlife. Because regulation isn’t a reward — it’s the requirement.
Episodes
Episode summary
Temple Grandin and Dr. Stacey Denise outline digital-hygiene rules for autistic adults: what the algorithm rabbit hole does to mental health, the one-hour screen rule, how to curate your feed, and simple swaps for real-world connection that lowers anxiety and improves sleep—vital during perimenopause/menopause.
Key takeaways
- Algorithms pull you into overload; design friction
- One-hour/day is enough ...
Welcome to The Nervous System Eats First — a podcast where science, story, and sensory wisdom meet to help neurodivergent women in midlife and menopause reclaim energy, intimacy, and emotional clarity.
I’m Dr. Stacey Denise, a physician-artist and Neuroaesthetic MD. After years of bridging medicine, neuroscience, and color psychology, I created the Neuroaesthetic Reset™ to support women who feel “tired but wired,” emotiona...
Have you ever said, “I don’t even recognize myself anymore” — but your labs come back “normal”?
That gap between how you feel and what you can explain isn’t weakness. It has a name: interoception — the body’s hidden sense that helps you feel safe, centered, and alive. When menopause, neurodivergence, or trauma mutes that internal signal, your nervous system loses its compass. The result? Alexithymia, shutdown, and emotion...
🎧 Episode 8: Beyond the Bowl — How Flexibility, Flavor & Feeling Your Way Through Food Can Reset Your Brain
Host: Dr. Stacey Denise
Guest: Dr. Nina Cherie Franklin
Duration: ~85 minutes
Listen on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Audible, iHeart Radio
✨ Episode Summary:
What if the way you build a salad could help rebuild your nervous system?
In this soulful and science-woven episode, Dr. Stacey Denise sits dow...
Can lighting a candle be a form of healing? In this episode of The Neuroaesthetic MD™ Podcast, Dr. Stacey Denise sits down with TEDx speaker and Meltdown Candle Bar founder Tameka Tate for an immersive conversation on ritual, scent, and sensory care for the overwhelmed nervous system.
Whether you’re neurodivergent, menopausal, or just tired of "wellness performance," this episode is a soft place to land.
💡 What You’...
What if your nervous system didn’t need words to heal—but color, texture, and ritual instead?
In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Ann Yakimovicz, an Austin-based abstract artist whose work gently unravels the threads between art, nature, and emotional regulation. Her background in landscape architecture adds a unique layer to how she creates—not just for the eye, but for the body. Each piece in...
Hey love,
What if color wasn’t just pretty—but a quiet medicine for your nervous system?
In this gentle episode, we explore how certain hues can soothe, restore, and reconnect you to yourself. You'll learn how to discover your reset color, create small rituals for real-life healing, and remember: you don’t have to earn your rest.
Share your color with me on Instagram or let it quietly guide your day. Whether it’s a po...
Can you really digest kale if your body is in survival mode?
In this truth-telling episode Dr. Stacey Denise sits down with movement educator and mindset coach Nadia Murdock to unpack how stress, body image, and emotional eating are connected through the Organ-Mind-Body Axis (OMBA).
This conversation goes beyond food, it’s about how your nervous system receives nourishment. Because when you’re in fight-or-flight, eve...
In the final episode of our AI & identity series, Dr. Stacey Denise speaks with Douglas Moore Jr. data scientist and responsible AI advocate about how machines are trained to see beauty, emotion, and culture. From bias in datasets to the ethics of design, this is a conversation for anyone who wants tech to feel more human.
Topics We Explore:
- How AI models learn bias — and how it feels when they get you wrong
- The chall...
What happens when the mirror doesn’t reflect you and the algorithm doesn’t recognize you?In this episode, Dr. Stacey Denise explores how artificial intelligence, beauty standards, and racial bias intersect to shape not just our digital presence, but our nervous systems. Through a rich blend of personal narrative, neuroaesthetic insight, and an illuminating dialogue with Dr. Monique Akassi, we unpack the emotional toll of b...
In this episode, Dr. Stacey Denise explores how biased AI, distorted imagery, and aesthetic misalignment impact emotional safety especially for neurodivergent women. From erasure in digital portraits to the healing power of color and design, this episode reveals how beauty can become medicine. Tune in to reclaim your sensory truth and reshape how you're reflected in the world.
Subscription, links & Email List
Welcome to The NeuroaestheticMD, where design meets healing, and science meets story.
I’m Dr. Stacey Denise, board-certified physician, lifestyle medicine specialist, and sensory wellness futurist.
This podcast is where we reimagine emotional well-being—not just as something we feel, but as something we shape.
Each episode explores how our environments, identities, and everyday choices influence the nervous system. From symbo...
Popular Podcasts
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.