Ep. 163- FTB Summer Series | Gut Check: Your Second Brain = Your Belly

In this episode, we dive into one of the most fascinating relationships in your body—the one between your brain and your gut. Often called your “second brain,” your gut is constantly sending messages, nudging you to pay attention to more than just hunger. Let's talk about small, doable ways to support your gut even when time is tight. Whether you have one minute or ten, a few simple shifts can help you feel more grounded, clear, and energized. Because taking care of yourself doesn’t have to be complicated—it just has to be consistent.  

Transcript

Welcome back to the Summer Series where we are going to focus on quick learnings and things that you can do in between the day-to-day doing! Today we’re diving into the gut-brain connection. This is like a two-way street where what you feel in your gut shows up in your head — and vice versa.

I came up with this idea because last week, I was teaching a class on time management and perfectionism — how trying to do it all “just right” actually ends up slowing us down and speeds up anxiety. One woman shared that she gets stomach aches before certain meetings. Another person said that their anxiety shows up on Sunday as they start thinking about work and then they start to get a headache — and then they feel like they’ve lost part of their weekend.

That opened the floodgates, and the group started sharing the ways stress shows up physically in their lives. So today I wanted to spend some time with a little bit on the science and some tips about why this happens.

The Bottom Line on Top of this episode is that your gut is your second brain — and it’s trying really hard to get your attention. You can support both the brain and the gut with quick, simple practices that add up and can really help balance your mood, your focus, and your stress.

Let’s start with a little bit of the Science Behind the Belly-Brain Friendship. There is the gut-brain axis — and that is a superhighway of nerves, hormones, and signals that run between your head and your belly constantly. Here are actually some fun facts:

• Your gut has hundreds of millions of neurons — second only to the brain (which has billions of them). Neurons are your body’s electrical wiring. They carry messages, they control your reflexes, and help your brain interpret internal states — like hunger, hydration, stress, discomfort. 
  • Your gut is part of the enteric nervous system, a self-contained network that oversees digestion, blood flow, and more.
• About 90–95% of serotonin, your mood-regulating neurotransmitter, that is produced in your gut — not your brain. Serotonin serves as a chemical messenger, helping your nervous system regulate how you feel. When serotonin levels drop you’re going to feel that in your mood, motivation, sleep, and digestion.
  
  
• Your brain is made up of about 80% water, and even a 1% drop in hydration can directly and immediately impact focus, memory, mood–all of it. Your gut needs water to keep things moving (literally), and your brain needs it to stay sharp. For more on this correlation, check out Episode 153, called The Wealth of Health.  
  
  
• And another interesting thing coming out of research is about the discovery of a psychobiome. Now there is a community of gut bacteria that influences brain chemistry and a subset of that bacteria is called the psychobiome. Research is still evolving in this space, but it is showing how imbalances in the overall gut can affect everything psychological such as anxiety and attention spans.

That’s a lot of biology nerdiness but here’s something else I want to point out: Not all gut issues are psychological. 

If you're having regular discomfort or ongoing symptoms, it's worth checking in with a healthcare provider. And yes, an actual person not just Dr. Google. They can check for things such as food sensitivities, inflammation, or nutrient deficiencies.

This actually was a surprise for me last summer when I started working with a naturopath and she did a full blood panel that showed I was extremely low on iron (in fact I was almost anemic). I had no idea, getting that insight and treatment made a huge difference. Headlines and podcasts like this are interesting, but real results only come when you explore your unique You-ness.

Let’s look at what can be done, in the real world, to help balance the best of our brain and gut.

You don’t need a fancy wellness retreat or a multi-step supplement stack. Sometimes, you just need a minute.Here’s some things you can do when you find a minute:

⏱️ If you have actually just 1 minute…

• Try the 20-20-20 rule: When you’re spending a lot of time on tech, every 20 minutes or so, look 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This really reduces your eye strain and gives your nervous system a break from constantly being on alert.  
• And while you’re in that same minute since that’s only going to take you 20 seconds–do a quick neck and shoulder stretch. So many of us carry tension in the small space between our ears and ribs — give it a chance to breathe.

💧 If you find yourself with 3 minutes…

• Drink some more water. Not just a sip — a real glass. That’s considered eight ounces which is just the size of an airplane cup. You’ve got time for that.
  
  
• Stretch your spine out. Sitting so much is compressing your gut. Stand up. Reach your arms up. Twist a little bit. Breathe into some space.

🚶 If you have 5 minutes…

• Move. Wherever you are, get up for a commercial break. Go outside or open a window. Refill your water. Walk a slow loop somewhere and let your senses take in the sights and sounds in real life. Even a few minutes of movement like this has been shown to reduce cortisol levels (that’s your stress chemical) and it can kickstart digestion.

🥚 If you find yourself with 10 minutes…

• Grab some protein. Whatever that means for you. A boiled egg, a handful of nuts, a yogurt cup — something with staying power. Your brain and body are going to thank you with better energy and focus.
  
  
• Do something screen-free but physical. Wash a mug. Fold a towel. Clear off your desk. Check the mail–your actual mail not your email. These little micro-accomplishments activate dopamine (that feel-good reward buzz) and it helps your brain think “I just did something” that can really help shake you out of the mid-day blahs or anytime of day blahs. 

Minutes like these matter - more than you think. 

You don’t need to overhaul your life to feel better. Tiny tweaks like these = tangible results.

And these minutes you just spent listening here? That’s less than 10 minutes you just invested in ideas on how to really improve your brain and your body. 

So today, give your gut a little more gratitude. As your second brain it’s always working behind the scenes. It’s time we start listening to it.