EmbraceYou Blog

By Dr. Bollie

Oct 20, 2022
4 min

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

We need to talk about the risks of breast cancer because sadly, it’s too common. 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. These statistics personally hit home for me in the past year. I walked with a dear friend and mentor, Dr. Daphne Bryan, on her breast cancer survivor journey. In April, Dr. Daphne had a virtual/live team for the Monument 10K. I joined her virtually and completed my 8th Monument 10K on her team. Along with our good friend an

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Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

Oct 10, 2022
5 min

12 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health

We should stop treating mental health as if it's different from physical health. The body, mind, and spirit are interconnected. When it comes to your weight, the body-mind-spirit connection is especially seen in the medical disease of obesity. So many people only think about food & movement when it comes to weight issues, but unaddressed emotions, trauma, and mental health issues weigh on you. People with obesity are at higher risk for mental health conditions such as depres

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Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

Sep 29, 2022
6 min

PCOS & Weight: Less Lies; More Truth

Your weight DID NOT cause your PCOS or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It's sad that I still have to say this after all the new science we have about PCOS and weight. But the false belief that being overweight or having obesity causes PCOS continues. For example, I was outraged when a well know functional medicine doctor with over 2 million followers shared that PCOS people needed to simply "change their diet." But I digress. As an integrative obesity specialist and women's

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Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

Feb 11, 2022
4 min

Make Your Body Your Boo

When was the last time you looked in the mirror and said “I love my body.” Or do you only see what you consider your flaws? Many times when you are on our weight and wellness journey, you only focus on your flaws and not your best features. The weight loss industry doesn’t help with this. The weight loss industry markets messaging that suggests “If you just lose weight everything will be great.” or “ With weight loss, you’ll look in the mirror and feel beautiful.” That’s far

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3 Ways to Make It Last Past January: Part II

Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

Feb 1, 2022
4 min

3 Ways to Make It Last Past January: Part II

January 2022 was really eye opening. It showed me the things in my body, mind, and spirit that need to be shifted in 2022. While I was on the Daniel Fast, I found myself asking, “Why can’t I just stick to eating & living mindfully this way forever?” Almost immediately when I asked that question, I started thinking about all the foods I like that I can’t eat. Or even worse, giving up coffee. I love coffee. It’s my thing and I’m sticking to it. I heard God say, “Release “Why C

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Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

Jan 24, 2022
6 min

Embrace Growing Through Grief: Year Two

In year two since losing Dad I’ve learned to: Release: - Emotional Constipation & let my emotions flow as they come. -Grief distractions, the people or circumstances around my loss that kept me from processing my grief. -Superwoman Syndrome. Accepting help on your grief journey is liberating. Embrace: -Holding space for joy & pain simultaneously. -Receiving help & kindness from others. -Emotional release as a gift. Release Reflection Two years. It’s been two years since I hea

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“If Your Doctor Mentions Your BMI, Say this…”

Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

Jan 4, 2022
5 min

“If Your Doctor Mentions Your BMI, Say this…”

You may have read that the most widely used tool to assess weight the Body Mass Index or “BMI” has serious flaws when it comes to assessing your healthy weight. So does that mean we shouldn’t use the BMI anymore? Probably not but for now we're stuck with using the BMI. Especially since our understanding of body fat metabolism and the disease of obesity is still in it's early stages. Do you really know your healthy weight? If your first response was to say, "The BMI chart says

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"50 is the New 25...: How to Embrace Aging with Grace"

Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

Dec 28, 2021
2 min

"50 is the New 25...: How to Embrace Aging with Grace"

Age is a mindset. Sure the physical changes are undeniable but some are avoidable by shifting how you embrace aging. One of my wellness "sheros" is Ernestine Sheppard. Mrs. Sheppard is a 79 year old body builder who didn't begin her fitness journey until age 50. She still runs 10 miles most days. I had the pleasure of contributing to the Eat This! Not that! Article "Over 50? Never Make These Health Mistakes." Here are a few of the mistakes I shared and what to do instead. Ho

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Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

Dec 20, 2021
4 min

Embrace Joy As Your Non-negotiable Gift

No one has to steal your joy if you give it away for free. Church folks say, "Don't let anyone steal your joy." But I realize too often we give away our joy to people, places, and things before they even try to take it. I've learned the hard way that joy is your Divine gift. Once we give it away, we feel discouraged, disconnected, and defeated. The good news is that you get to choose whether or not you give your joy away. Sometimes we don't even realize we're giving our joy a

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Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

Nov 2, 2021
4 min

Be Aware & Know Your Breast Cancer Risk

Forgot your mammogram in 2020? You're not alone. COVID-19 concerns overshadowed a lot of our regular health screening. Let's get back on track. Today we'll discuss what you need to know so you can be aware about your breast cancer risk. 💖 Know Your Risk Factors We all probably know someone who has been impacted by breast cancer. That is because it is the most common cancer in women (other than skin cancer). 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifet

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PCOS Awareness Month—Release Stress, Embrace Wellness

Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

Sep 30, 2021
4 min

PCOS Awareness Month—Release Stress, Embrace Wellness

Chronic stress is toxic. As we wrap up PCOS Awareness Month 2021, let's talk about an essential aspect of PCOS management and life we don't address enough-- the impact of uncontrolled chronic stress. If you're reading this, chances are you've experienced some type of stress in the last 24hrs. Stress is one of the side effects of living. And since 2020, we've been under a lot of stress as we continue to live through the pandemic. When it comes to stress, there are a few things

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Learning to E.M.B.R.A.C.E. Father's Day Without My Father

Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

Jun 21, 2021
5 min

Learning to E.M.B.R.A.C.E. Father's Day Without My Father

Father's Day without your father is hard. Though I've spent a few years without physically seeing my dad on Father's Day while he was living overseas, this time… it's hard to even write it… his being gone is different. I can't pick up the phone and call him. This is probably why I avoid my phone all day on Father's Day and holidays till I acknowledge what I'm doing. But I digress. I know I'm not the only one journeying through grief. People have told me, 'you never get over t

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Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

Jun 8, 2021
2 min

Embrace Your Vacation Recovery Reset

Have you ever returned from vacation glad that you got away but filled with regrets over what you ate or didn’t do? I’ve totally been there. In the past, I would return from vacation feeling happy about the time I spent with my family and loved ones but disappointed with the food choices I made or not exercising. I just returned from two weeks of vacation and family visitation. I had a delicious time. I nourished myself with quality time with myself, my family, friends, and,

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Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

May 17, 2021
7 min

Embrace Your Mental Wellness

For May, Mental Health Awareness Month, I really want the conversation also to include mental wellness. Through the years, it seems as if when we, health professionals, say mental health people often think about mental illness. While it is important to discuss mental illness and destigmatize having a mental health condition, we can't let that overshadow the importance of mental wellness. Mental wellness is key to everyone's overall health because, contrary to how we act, the

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Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

Apr 16, 2021
4 min

Black Maternal Health Week

It’s Black Maternal Health Week. It hits differently because the statistics are very real for me and could have been deadly. I had preeclampsia in my first pregnancy as I shared with Medscape. Being a doctor it was easier to process my pregnancy journey from a factual perspective. It's only recently I've started to process how terrifying it was as the woman walking through the journey. This week I’ve read stories of beautiful Black women who look like me and can’t tell their

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Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

Feb 26, 2021
2 min

American Heart Disease Month

As we wrap up American Heart Month I just want to share these resources to help you improve your heart health. What is Heart Disease and How to Prevent it: Heart disease is the #1️⃣ cause of death in women in the US. February, is Black History Month and American Heart Month. Personally and professionally I’ve seen the impact of heart disease that’s why on today’s #WeeklyEmbrace I’m discussing: What is heart disease What increases your risk? Specifically how does obesity incre

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Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

Feb 8, 2021
4 min

E.M.B.R.A.C.E. Your Grief Process

Black History Month has been special to me as long as I can remember. I grew up in Metro Atlanta (Decatur, not the ‘City of’ or The Dec, to be more specific). So I was introduced to Black history & appreciated its importance early on. On top of that, as a first generation Liberian-American my parents immersed me in my Liberian heritage. Especially my dad, he loved Liberia so much he relocated back to Liberia in 2005. We grew up hearing tales of his childhood village in Nimba

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Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie

Feb 3, 2021
4 min

#EmbraceSelfLove Challenge

Are you in love with you? February is a wonderful month of celebration: Black History Month, American Heart Month, and of course Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. I appreciate the elaborate celebration of love. Often the focus is on showing love for others. While showing love for others is a beautiful thing, too often we do so without a firm foundation of loving ourselves. "Love your neighbor ✅AS yourself" 🚫ABOVE yourself. Here are some signs

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EMBRACE YOU

EmbraceYou Blog

By Dr. Bollie

DR. SYLVIA GONSAHN-BOLLIE, M.D.