The Metabolism, Muscles, and Mindset Podcast

In this episode, Dr. Ali Novitsky, triple-boarded physician, Master Coach, and founder of The FIT Collective, continues her deep exploration of stress — this time focusing on how different stress types influence relationships, team dynamics, and emotional regulation.

Dr. Ali revisits the origins of her company, MindBodyMarriage, as she lays the groundwork for a series on how stress types interact in pairs, families, and professional teams.

Key Points Discussed:

1. Why Stress Types Matter in Relationships

Dr. Ali explains that interactions between stress types can be complex and deeply influential. By understanding:

• What each type does when stressed, and

• What each type contributes when regulated,

We can accurately predict team behavior, decrease conflict, and strengthen relationships. This awareness becomes essential when multiple people—and multiple stress types—interact at once

2. A Review of The Six Stress Types:

Assertive – Stressed: takes over; Regulated: decisive leader.

Isolation – Stressed: avoids vulnerability; Regulated: productive, independent.

Control – Stressed: rigid, inflexible; Regulated: organized, structured.

Validation – Stressed: seeks reassurance; Regulated: creates harmony.

Impulsivity – Stressed: reacts quickly; Regulated: creative, executes well.

Catastrophizing – Stressed: fears worst-case; Regulated: strong problem-solver.

3. Real-Life Application: Team Dynamics

Dr. Ali illustrates a medical code scenario with two possible outcomes:

Dysregulated Team

• Assertive type takes over abruptly

• Isolation type withdraws

• Control type panics over broken expectations

• Validation type doubts themselves

• Impulsive type fires off ideas without follow-through

• Catastrophizing type spirals into worst-case thinking

The team technically achieves the outcome—but experiences burnout, fear, and dysfunction.

Regulated Team

• Assertive type leads with clarity

• Isolation type stays focused and productive

• Control type keeps structure

• Validation type creates calm

• Impulsive type supports with creativity

• Catastrophizing type anticipates needs and supports problem solving

Same patient outcome—entirely different team experience.

Dr. Ali emphasizes that true success includes psychological safety, teamwork, and emotional regulation.

3. The “Leaky Valve” Analogy

Dr. Ali introduces the concept of a leaky emotional valve:

When we are chronically dysregulated, stress “leaks” into every system in our lives—relationships, work, communication, and health. Regulation closes the valve, making all downstream healing easier.

Takeaways

• Understanding your stress type increases self-awareness and compassion.

• Daily regulation practice—not occasional effort—is necessary for real change.

• Healthy teams are built on regulation, not perfection.

• You can always choose to become the “regulated member” of your team.

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction & why this series matters

00:27 – MindBody Marriage → The FIT Collective

00:38 – Stress & relationships: the “relationship matrix”

02:03 – Different stress scenarios in relationships and teams

02:24 – Overview of the 6 stress types

05:06 – Assertive stress type

06:11 – Isolation stress type

07:09 – Control stress type

08:51 – Impulsivity stress type

10:06 – Catastrophizing stress type

11:22 – Validation stress type

12:22 – Dysregulated team code scenario

18:29 – Regulated team code scenario

26:01 – How do we measure team success?

27:29 – Why whole-team training and daily regulation matter

28:43 – Transform 10 & the leaky valve

29:26 – Private coaching with The FIT Collective

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Podcast Episode Synopsis

Episode Title: Distress' Impact on Your Body

Host Introduction

In this episode, Dr. Ali Novitsky, expert in obesity medicine and founder of The FIT Collective, continues her series on stress—this time focusing on how stress impacts the body. Dr. Ali keeps this episode concise and reflective, encouraging listeners to pause and connect with how stress shows up physically.

Key Points Discussed

1. Physical Impacts of Stress

• Joint Pains and Muscle Recovery: Dr. Ali explains that elevated cortisol during stress can delay recovery and increase joint or muscle pain.

• Heightened Irritability and Tension: Stress raises irritability and muscle tightness. Dr. Ali suggests a quick body scan—especially noticing how high the shoulders are—as a simple stress check.

• Perimenopause and Stress: Stress can amplify perimenopausal symptoms such as night sweats and hot flashes. Dr. Ali references research showing that gentle, low-impact exercise (like walking or stretching) can lessen these effects.

• Immunity and Hormones: Chronic stress impacts immune function through cortisol and insulin dysregulation. High insulin promotes water retention and inflammation, increasing risk for long-term conditions such as heart disease and cancer.

2. Personal Reflection and Daily Practice

Dr. Ali invites listeners to notice the specific ways stress manifests in their own bodies. She shares that for her, stress often looks like:

• Speaking rapidly

• Poor sleep

• Emotional eating

• Digestive issues

• Headaches or muscle soreness

She encourages creating a daily “body check-in” practice—noticing tension, breath, and posture throughout the day. Awareness is the first step to release.

3. Self-Compassion Over Criticism

Dr. Ali emphasizes that judgment and self-criticism amplify stress, while self-compassion lowers it. She reminds listeners that it’s normal to feel stressed and that progress, not perfection, is the goal. Replacing inner criticism with phrases like “I’m doing my best right now” supports both emotional and physical resilience.

4. Actionable Steps

Dr. Ali closes with three takeaways listeners can begin today:

1. Acknowledge Stress: Recognize how stress physically shows up in your body—fatigue, muscle tension, or irritability.

2. Daily Check-In: Build a brief daily practice to notice posture, breath, or areas of tightness.

3. Self-Compassion Plan: Practice kindness toward yourself—affirm that stress is a human experience and that rest and recovery are productive.

Conclusion

Dr. Ali concludes by reminding listeners that acknowledging stress is the first step in managing it. The body keeps the score, but with awareness, movement, rest, and self-compassion, we can heal and thrive. She encourages listeners to be gentle with themselves and to prioritize recovery just as much as performance.

Timestamps

00:00:06 – Introduction & Overview

00:01:10 – Physical Impact of Stress

00:01:20 – Joint Pain & Delayed Recovery

00:02:13 – Perimenopause & Stress

00:02:24 – Exercise & Menopause Symptoms

00:03:17 – Immunity & Hormones

00:03:38 – Cortisol and Insulin

00:04:21 – Inflammation & Water Retention

00:05:03 – GLP-1 and Heart Health

00:05:14 – Body Carries Stress

00:05:24 – Personal Stress Symptoms

00:06:09 – Daily Body Check-In

00:06:31 – Exercise as Emotional Regulator

00:06:53 – Personal Experience with Stress

00:07:45 – Managing Stress Strategies

00:08:07 – Daily Awareness Practice

00:09:20 – Rest, Nutrition, Activity

00:09:41 – Self-Compassion Practice

00:11:06 – Movement & Stress Relief

00:12:11 – Transform Program & Stress Quiz

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🧠 Episode Summary

In this solo episode, Dr. Ali Novitsky continues her transformative Stress Series by breaking down how stress hijacks your thoughts — and what to do when it happens.

When your stress level hits a 7 or higher, your brain gets hijacked: the amygdala (fear center) takes over, and the prefrontal cortex (rational thinking) gets shut down. The result? You spiral into distorted thought patterns that feel real but aren’t rooted in truth.

Ali explains the top thought distortions — like catastrophizing, personalization, and all-or-none thinking — and shows how they often align with your dominant stress type. Once you learn how to identify these patterns, you can regulate your stress, pause, and choose a new, more grounded response.

This episode offers a practical, compassionate framework for understanding your stress response and building emotional resilience.

🔍 What You’ll Learn

• What happens in your brain during a “mental hijack”

• The most common thought distortions under stress

• How thought patterns connect to your dominant stress type

• Why we catastrophize, personalize, or spiral when we’re overwhelmed

• How to regulate your nervous system before trying to “fix” your thoughts

• Real-life examples of how Ali applies this work in daily life and coaching

💡 Thought Distortions & Stress Type Pairings

• Validation Type → Personalization: “It must be my fault.”

• Impulsivity Type → Jumping to Conclusions: “I have to fix it now.”

• Assertive Type → All-or-None Thinking: “If I don’t do it perfectly, I’ve failed.”

• Control Type → All-or-None Thinking + Should Statements: “I should have done more.”

• Isolation Type → Should Statements + Self-Blame: “It’s all on me.”

• Catastrophizing Type → Catastrophizing: “The worst is definitely going to happen.”

Ali emphasizes that any person can experience any of these distortions under pressure—but your dominant stress type tends to shape your most common response.

🛠️ Tools to Disrupt the Spiral

• Pause & Regulate before solving: Your best thoughts come when you’re calm.

• Distraction for acute stress (7–10 on the scale): Functional first aid for your mind.

• Cognitive Reframes once regulated:

  
  

  • Personalization → “What if it’s not about me?”

  • Impulsivity → “What if there’s another option?”

  • All-or-None → “Some is better than none.”

  • Should Statements → “I could have…”

  • Catastrophizing → “What’s possible vs. what’s probable?”

  
  

📌 Take the Free Stress Type Quiz

Find out your dominant stress type and start regulating more effectively today.

Episode Title: Developing Resilience in High-Pressure Situations

Summary

Welcome back to the Metabolism, Muscles, & Mindset Podcast with Dr. Ali Novitsky, board-certified obesity medicine physician and expert in stress, strength, and self-regulation.

In this episode of the Stress Series, Dr. Novitsky explores how to build true resilience — not in serene environments, but in the moments that truly test us. Whether you're navigating life-or-death emergencies or emotionally charged situations, this conversation reveals how to stay centered and in control, even when your nervous system wants to panic.

Using a powerful varicose vein metaphor, she explains how chronic stress is like a “leaky valve” — unless you address the root cause (emotional dysregulation), surface-level fixes like better habits won’t stick. The solution? A simple pause.

Dr. Novitsky teaches how a 2–3 second pause in the heat of stress can stop the brain’s “hijack” and activate the prefrontal cortex: our reasoning center. She breaks down three stress scenarios and guides listeners toward the third, most empowering one: awareness, presence, and intentional breath.

Drawing from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), Dr. Novitsky offers a toolkit for regulating emotions, accessing your “wise brain,” and debriefing after stressful moments to rewire your response. Whether in medicine, sports, family dynamics, or everyday life, this episode shows how resilience can be learned — and why it's the key to long-term transformation.

Key Points

• Beyond the Spa: Real resilience is built in chaos, not calm.
• The Leaky Valve Analogy: Fix emotional dysregulation at the root for lasting stress relief.
• Stress Is Automatic: The fight-or-flight response can’t be stopped—but it can be reshaped.
• The Power of the Pause: A brief, intentional check-in prevents spiraling and restores clarity.
• Three Stress Scenarios:
 1. Hijacked and unaware.
 2. Aware but suppressing.
 3. Aware and present—the goal.
• Tools from CBT & DBT: Learn to regulate emotions and access clear, productive thinking.
• Debrief to Rewire: Reflecting after stress creates new mental pathways for resilience.
• Lifelong Practice: Emotional regulation isn’t a finish line—it’s a daily skill worth mastering.

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Dr. Ali Novitsky, MD, your favorite obesity medicine doctor & fitness guru, continues her exploration of stress management, building on insights from previous episodes. She recaps the physiology of stress and the six identified stress types: Assertive, Control, Validation, Isolation, Catastrophizing, and Impulsivity. Understanding one’s stress type is emphasized as crucial, since it allows individuals to tailor their approach to managing stress more effectively.

Dr. Novitsky introduces a powerful tool: “Name It to Tame It.” By identifying and naming emotions, people can significantly reduce their intensity and regain control over stress levels. She shares a story about a child’s first day at a new school, illustrating how naming feelings of anxiety helped her manage emotions more effectively.

The discussion highlights the importance of noticing where emotions are felt in the body and how describing these sensations can be as effective as naming them. Dr. Novitsky encourages listeners to take 90 seconds to sit with their emotions, breathe, and practice mindfulness as a way to regulate emotional responses.

Breathwork is presented as a simple yet powerful strategy for emotional regulation, and Dr. Novitsky encourages the audience to integrate this practice. As the episode concludes, listeners are reminded to take the stress type test linked in the show notes, which will be helpful for the ongoing series. She also announces the upcoming Transform 10 program — focused on emotional regulation and stress management, beginning in January.

Dr. Ali invites everyone to continue exploring these vital topics together and to discover ways to transform stress into a superpower.

Time Stamps:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Stress Management
An overview of the podcast series on stress, including previous episodes and the importance of understanding stress types.

00:01:11 - The Six Stress Types
Discussion of the six identified stress types: Assertive, Control, Validation, Isolation, Catastrophizing, and Impulsivity.

00:02:05 - Stress as a Health Priority
The significance of stress management and its acceptance compared to physical health issues.

00:03:19 - Name It to Tame It
Introduction of the tool for emotional awareness and regulation, emphasizing the importance of naming emotions.

00:04:11 - Real-Life Application: A Personal Story
A personal anecdote about the host's daughter experiencing anxiety on her first day at a new school.

00:06:00 - The Power of Naming Emotions
Explaining how identifying emotions can reduce their intensity and help in managing stress.

00:08:07 - Describing Physical Sensations
The importance of recognizing and describing physical sensations associated with emotions.

00:10:05 - Emotional Processing and Family Dynamics
Insights into family discussions about emotions and the role of shared experiences in emotional regulation.

00:12:05 - The 90-Second Rule
Explaining the significance of the 90-second timeframe for processing emotions and the role of breathwork.

00:13:43 - Breathwork Techniques
Introduction to breathwork as a tool for emotional regulation and its accessibility in various situations.

00:15:10 - Engaging in Fun Breathing Exercises
A light-hearted approach to practicing breathwork with family to enhance emotional regulation.

00:17:39 - The Superpower of Emotional Awareness
Encouragement to embrace emotional awareness and the benefits of understanding one's feelings.

00:18:31 - Upcoming Programs and Resources
Information about the Transform 10 program and the importance of enrolling for further support in stress management.

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