HYDRATE with Tracy Duhs

What if almost nothing you're putting on your face is actually getting in?This week, I sat down with Madalaina Conti, the New York esthetician behind Synergistic Skincare and the first practitioner to bring Qi Beauty to NYC. She's the one I fly across the country to see. But the skin you see now? That took over a decade. Madalaina spent her teens and twenties in deeply cystic, nodular acne that sat right on her jawbone and gave her toothaches. She almost didn't go to esthetics school at all, because she figured nobody would trust a girl who couldn't fix her own face.Here's what blew my mind. She told me you're only absorbing around 4% of what you apply topically unless you're doing something to drive it deeper. Four percent. Now go look at your shelf.Then she dropped a bomb on half the trends on your feed. Collagen masks — your skin can't decode and use it. LED masks — the wavelengths matter enormously, and some of those lights are the same tech used to hatch eggs. At-home microneedling — you can trigger an immune response that has to be surgically removed.And then we went somewhere I didn't expect at all: sound healing, cranial work, dating in New York, and why getting older might be the most exciting thing happening to us.After this one, you'll never look at your skincare shelf the same way.What we talk about:- Why her cystic acne caused toothaches — and what was actually behind it- Androgen sensitivity vs. "hormonal acne," and why your labs come back normal- Why sound healing and cranial decompression belong in a facial- The zinc "butt cream" trend and what she'd do instead- LED masks, red light, and the wavelengths that actually build collagen- PDRN, salmon DNA, and whether the topical version does anything- Slugging without wrecking your skin — plus the products to skip- Why acne scars and pigment need time, not another serumCheck out the full episode on all platforms: Hydrate With Tracy DuhsEpisode Links & Resources:Website: ⁠https://madalainaconti.comInstagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/madalainaconti/Connect with Tracy:Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://tracyduhs.com/⁠⁠⁠Hydration Shop: ⁠⁠⁠https://sanctuarysd.com/⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/tracyduhs/⁠Flow FAM Community: ⁠⁠⁠https://tracyduhs.com/join-flow-fam/⁠

You have questions, I have answers — and this round is equal parts personal and practical.

This is Hydrate Q&A, where I answer the questions you send in. No single guest, no single topic. Just real talk, back to back.

We open on something a little more personal — one of you asked about what I've been navigating these past couple of years, and I share honestly about self-worth, fear, and how I stopped outsourcing my value to what other people think of me.

Then we get practical. If hydration feels confusing and overwhelming, I share the very first step I tell everyone: stop overthinking it and mimic nature. Filter, re-mineralize, keep it moving.

I also spill my whole skincare routine — the stuff I actually make at home — and why I stopped stripping my skin with lasers and peels after realizing I was wrecking my own barrier.

And I answer the question I get constantly: how I grew my glutes. Spoiler — it's not what you think, and it involves eating more, not less.

Come as you are.

What we talk about:
- Getting honest about self-worth and where real confidence comes from
- The one first step to better hydration (stop overcomplicating it)
- The mini trampoline Tracy swears by
- The DIY skincare routine she makes in her own kitchen
- Why stripping your skin with peels and lasers backfires
- How Tracy grew her glutes — and why muscle is the longevity organ
- Why she eats more now but carries less fat

Connect with Tracy:
Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tracyduhs.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠
Hydration Shop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sanctuarysd.com/
⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/tracyduhs/⁠⁠
Flow FAM Community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tracyduhs.com/join-flow-fam/⁠⁠

Is the "purest" water you can buy actually the worst thing for your body?

This week I sat down with Martin Riese, the world's water sommelier and water advocate, the man behind the very first water menu and the guy Netflix, National Geographic, and Buzzfeed all call when they want the truth about water.

Martin's been studying water since 2005, and he's built his whole career on debunking the myths the rest of us have been sold. He dropped a bomb early on: the viral "water crystal" science everyone loves came from a man with a fake doctorate who refused a million-dollar offer to replicate his findings in a real lab.

Here's what blew my mind: last year, AI data centers used more water than every bottled water company in America combined. And he told me exactly why the "pure" water so many of us chase — the zero-TDS, ultra-filtered kind — can actually strip your body of the minerals it needs to hydrate you at all. He even told me why a Diet Coke can technically hydrate you better than nothing, and unpacked the $5,000 MLM water machine he says has zero proof behind its health claims.After this conversation, you'll never look at your glass of water — or your water bill — the same way again.

What we talk about:
Why "water sommelier" is a real certified job, not a joke
The fake doctorate behind the viral water crystal trend
Why filtered water isn't actually dehydrating you
The zero-TDS trick that's fooling people into buying the wrong water
Why he's against the $5,000 machine everyone's selling online
What Flint, Michigan's tap water actually tasted like
Why AI data centers might be the next water crisis
Why he refuses supplements, creams, and quick fixes

Episode Links:
Website: ⁠https://www.martin-riese.com/⁠
Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/martinriese/
⁠TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@martinrieseofficial⁠
YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/MartinRiese⁠

Connect with Tracy:
Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tracyduhs.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠
Hydration Shop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sanctuarysd.com/
⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/tracyduhs/⁠⁠
Flow FAM Community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tracyduhs.com/join-flow-fam/⁠⁠

Got a question about your health?
I want to hear it — because that's exactly what this new series is all about.
This is Hydrate QnA, where I'm answering the questions you've been sending me. No single guest, no single topic. Just real answers to real questions, back to back.
First up: the scale versus the mirror. If you're 60 and still chasing a lower number, I explain why body composition matters more than weight, and how progressive overload keeps you strong for the long haul.
Then I finally explain the crystals in my fridge — yes, people ask about this constantly — and it's about EMF, not just aesthetics, even though it looks pretty too.
I also share the one biohack I'd spend money on before anything else, the only three supplements I take daily, and the electrolyte mistake that's making you bloated instead of hydrated.
And I get honest about walking away from raw veganism after three years, even after training as a living foods chef.Five questions. Five real answers. This is just the beginning.

What we talk about:
- Why chasing a lower number on the scale can work against you after 60
- The progressive overload trick for building real muscle
- Why there are crystals in Tracy's fridge (it's not just for looks)
- The one biohack Tracy says is actually worth the money
- The only 3 supplements she takes daily
- The electrolyte mistake that's making you bloated, not hydrated
- Why she walked away from raw veganism after 3 years

New episodes of Hydrate Q&A drop regularly — listen now on all platforms.

Connect with Tracy:
Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://tracyduhs.com/⁠
⁠⁠Hydration Shop: ⁠⁠⁠https://sanctuarysd.com/⁠
⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/tracyduhs/⁠
Flow FAM Community: ⁠⁠⁠https://tracyduhs.com/join-flow-fam/⁠

You think you know what's in your beef? You don't.

This week, I sat down with Anthony Thomas — a 15-year professional rodeo cowboy turned direct-to-consumer rancher who's spent his life raising and butchering beef across multiple countries. He ran away from home at 12, landed on a million-acre cattle station in the Australian outback, and learned to source real food straight from the land long before he ever set foot in an American grocery store.

And when he did? He knew something was off. The meat smelled strange. It felt sticky. It left him bloated and foggy. So he started asking why.

Here's what blew my mind: Anthony says the grass-fed-versus-grain debate is a distraction. He argues the real problem isn't what the cow eats — it's what gets pumped into the beef after slaughter. Liquids. Nitrates. Red dye. He claims a single pound of grocery-store ground beef can carry the DNA of over 400 animals.

Then he dropped a bomb: most "grass-fed, grass-finished" beef on store shelves, he says, is mathematically impossible at scale — and a lot of your "Product of USA" beef may never have come from the USA at all.

He also reveals the dead-simple tell that exposes fake grass-fed beef in seconds (hint: look at the fat).

After this conversation, you'll never read a meat label the same way again.

What we talk about:
How running away from home at 12 turned a wild kid into a cowboy
Why your store-bought beef smells sticky and leaves you bloated
The real reason it might NOT be the grain making you sick
Dry-aging vs. wet-aging — and why store beef ferments in plastic
Why "grass-fed, grass-finished" barely exists at grocery-store scale
The one-second fat test that exposes fake grass-fed beef
Where your "Product of USA" beef may actually come from
How to vet a local rancher before you trust your family's food

Listen now on all platforms: Hydrate With Tracy Duhs.

Episode Links & Resources:
Website: https://www.thomascattleandcatering.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/athorsepower/

Connect with Tracy:
Website: ⁠⁠https://tracyduhs.com/
⁠⁠Hydration Shop: ⁠⁠https://sanctuarysd.com/
⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tracyduhs/
Flow FAM Community: ⁠⁠https://tracyduhs.com/join-flow-fam/⁠