Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD Podcast

This is the season seven finale—and it's a personal one. In this solo episode, I explore what freedom actually feels like in the body: not the rush, not the grand gesture, but the quieter, more powerful kind that's available to us in any moment of everyday life.
From harvesting arugula on an unexpected free morning to catching myself measuring tamari in my own fried rice recipe, I get honest about how easy it is to forget the freedom we already have—and how tiny acts of remembering are what bring us back.
I also introduce Cook Free, a new summer series that invites you to step away from the recipe and trust yourself in the kitchen.
In this episode:
* What freedom actually feels like in the body (and why it's quieter than you'd expect)
* The micro-moments that crack the door open
* A kitchen story about tamari, fried rice, and agency
* A sneak peek at the Cook Free series
* A love letter to you before the summer break
LINKS AND RESOURCES
* Subscribe to the Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/
*Listen to the full season of the podcast here: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/podcast
* Mind, Body, Spirit, Food Cookbook: https://fromscratchfast.com/nicki-sizemore/
* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe

What happens when you hand a stranger all your savings in cash, buy a restaurant in the middle of the Mojave desert on a feeling, and build something extraordinary from scratch? You get La Copine.
This week I sat down with Nikki Hill and Claire Wadsworth — the couple and creative duo behind one of the most talked-about destination restaurants in the California desert and authors of the new cookbook by the same name, La Copine. We talk about the deeply intertwined worlds of food, love, intuition, and what it actually takes to build something magical.
This conversation goes everywhere — from a vision quest in Bryce Canyon to ancient aquifers beneath the desert floor, from writing wedding vows as a song to the genius of rice flour on eggplant. One of my favorites yet.
Links and resources mentioned in the show
* Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD Newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/
* Order Nicki's new book: https://fromscratchfast.com/nicki-sizemore/
* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore
* La Copine Cookbook: https://bookshop.org/a/114665/9781419778223
* La Copine restaurant: https://www.lacopinekitchen.com/
* Follow La Copine on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lacopinekitchen/
* Claire’s music: https://cestclairemusic.com/
* The Songs of La Copine: https://open.spotify.com/album/7CZ35vOl9PzzLkgnS2r8PA?si=Z_JVtnTrQ46xoiGHWHMh_Q
* Italian Wannabe documentary (Claire’s stepdad): https://italianwannabe.com/
* Integraton: https://www.integratron.com/
* Matais de Stephano: https://matiasdestefano.org/en/frontpage/
* Hungry for more? Listen to all of the season 7 episodes here: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/podcast


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe

This week's intention is a carry-over from Sunday's post on inner power — and it's one I needed deeply this week: I will get grounded.
Getting grounded isn't a wellness buzzword. It's a felt sense in the body. A root system for real, lasting inner power. And in this short episode, I explore what that actually looks like — in the chakra system, in the kitchen, in the way we move through an ordinary evening.
In this episode:
*The difference between ego-driven power and true inner power — and why it matters right now
*Why the root chakra is the foundation of real confidence (and what happens when we skip it)
*The foods and drinks that help me feel steady and grounded — including beets, nettle tea, and why protein matters more than we think
*How the body is a portal: movement, cooking, barefoot mornings, and yes — an 80s dance party
*Something new and a little vulnerable that I'm exploring, and how getting grounded is helping me navigate it
LINKS AND RESOURCES
* Subscribe to the Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/
* Mind, Body, Spirit, Food Cookbook: https://fromscratchfast.com/nicki-sizemore/
* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore
* Sunday’s newsletter about inner power: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/power-in-a-dressing-so-good-you-can
* Newsletter about how niceness blocks our power: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/green-socca-flatbreads
* Roasted Beet & Halloumi Salad Recipe: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/bonus-recipe-roasted-beet-and-halloumi
* The power of play intention episode: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/intention-13-i-will-play
* Get rooted intention episode: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/weekly-intention-5
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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, I sit down with Jerrelle Guy—author of the James Beard Award finalist Black Girl Baking, the newly published We Fancy, and creator of the newsletter The Dinner Ritual—for a conversation about ego death, creative burnout, body trust, and the radical freedom of letting yourself be exactly who you are.
Jerrelle and I kept talking long after we stopped recording. This one goes deep—pour yourself something warm and settle in.
In this episode:
How Jerrelle's deep-South, Pacific Island, and Caribbean upbringing shaped the way she cooks and craves
How we both discovered cooking as creative play, and the unlikely spark that started it all
The fear-driven hustle that led Jerrelle to a full creative collapse, and why she now sees it as a necessary reckoning
On going quiet and doing "nothing productive," and why that's sometimes the most powerful creative act
Learning to speak to your body the way you would a child you deeply love
The stillness meditation that reconnected Jerrelle with her playful, curious inner self
What watermelon sushi and shiitake bacon have to do with true creative freedom
Why personal style—in art and in life—can't be forced, only uncovered
Links and Resources:
* Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD Newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/
* Order Nicki's new book: https://fromscratchfast.com/nicki-sizemore/
* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore
* Jerrelle's new book, We Fancy: https://bookshop.org/a/114665/9781668012840
* Jerrelle's newsletter, The Dinner Ritual: theddinnerritual.substack.com
* Find Jerrelle on Instagram: @chocolateforbasil



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe

In this week’s intention episode, Nicki reflects on a recent retreat in Ireland and the reminder that joy, creativity, and play are not frivolous—they’re essential. In a world that can feel heavy and overwhelming, play becomes a way to reconnect to ourselves, access deeper wisdom, and return to a sense of lightness.
This episode is an invitation to loosen the grip, step out of survival mode, and bring more curiosity and creativity into everyday life—especially in the kitchen.
In this episode, we explore:
* Why play is a powerful tool for shifting out of overwhelm
* The connection between joy, creativity, and intuition
* How lightness can help us reconnect to our purpose
* Bringing more playfulness into cooking and daily rituals
* Letting go of perfection and embracing experimentation
* A simple cookie ritual from Mind, Body, Spirit, Food
LINKS AND RESOURCES
* Subscribe to the Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/
* Order Nicki's book, Mind, Body, Spirit, Food: https://fromscratchfast.com/nicki-sizemore/
* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe