Have you ever been told "everything looks normal" while knowing, deep down, that something in your body has changed?
Welcome to the very first episode of Rise Above. In this introduction, I share a little about my story — including the unexpected path that led me here. Before functional medicine, I studied meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, became a licensed private pilot, and spent years flying into storms to collect research data. What I learned chasing weather is that storms never appear out of nowhere — there are always signals and pressure changes long before the storm arrives. The human body works the same way.
This episode is an introduction to why I created this podcast, what "Rise Above" means to me, and what you can expect from the episodes ahead.
Listen & Learn:
Your body is always communicating. This podcast is here to help you understand what it's saying.
Welcome to Rise Above. I'm Dr. Emily Wheeler, and I'm so glad you're here. For years I've had the privilege of helping women make sense of symptoms that often feel confusing, frustrating, and sometimes even a little scary.
The woman I meet every day is often doing all the right things. She's busy, she's responsible, she's taking care of everyone else — and yet her body suddenly feels different. Maybe her energy isn't what it used to be. Maybe she's waking up at 3am (been there). Maybe she's anxious, overwhelmed, exhausted, dealing with digestive issues, relationship struggles, hormone changes, migraines, histamine symptoms, brain fog, or simply feeling like she doesn't recognize herself anymore. And perhaps the most frustrating part is that she's often told, "everything looks normal."
This podcast was created for that woman — the woman who knows something has changed, but hasn't been given a clear explanation.
So, a little about my story. Before I became a functional medicine practitioner, I actually studied meteorology at the University of Oklahoma. It was a lifelong dream of mine — since I was seven years old, playing in the backyard, I wanted to be a meteorologist. And I accomplished that. I earned my degree in meteorology with an aviation emphasis, became a licensed private pilot, and participated in weather research. I spent years learning how to understand complex systems, identify patterns, and anticipate changing conditions.
At the time, I had no idea how much that education would shape the way I'd eventually practice medicine. Because what I learned from weather forecasting is that conditions rarely change all at once. Storms don't appear out of nowhere. There are signals, patterns, and pressure changes — all the data and shifts that occur long before the storm arrives. And in many ways, the human body works the same way.
Over the last 20 years, I've worked with thousands of patients, repeatedly finding myself asking: what patterns are forming? What is the body trying to communicate? What's going on here? Let's connect the dots. What happens if we continue on the current path? That systems-based thinking became the foundation of how I practice today.
So why did I create this podcast? One of the things that has always bothered me about healthcare is that people are often given information without interpretation. They're handed lab results, or told over the phone, "you'll hear from me if anything's wrong — otherwise, everything's fine." That's not okay.
They're handed the lab results, told nothing is going on, maybe given a diagnosis or a recommendation, and then left trying to connect the dots on their own. I believe people deserve more than that. They deserve understanding. My goal is to help you understand what your body is communicating to you — connecting the dots across all the systems in the body. I want to help you see the bigger picture, recognize patterns instead of chasing symptoms, and most importantly, feel less alone in this process.
So the name of the podcast — Rise Above — what does it mean? Honestly, it's deeply personal to me. I believe women deserve to rise above so many things: confusion, dismissal, fear, overwhelm, and the gaps in healthcare. I believe women deserve clarity. They deserve to understand what's happening in their body. And they deserve guidance that helps them move forward with confidence, instead of guessing and hopping from doctor to doctor who isn't willing to test or to listen.
My personal mission is simple: I help women 40 and up rise above the gaps in healthcare by understanding their body, restoring their vibrance, and elevating their health. That's exactly what this podcast is here to do.
Outside of work, I'm a mom of two amazing teen boys who are growing up fast. I love being outdoors, I love sunshine, and — of course — I love the weather. I'm a science nerd who loves learning, aviation, and weather science. I also love ducks — Muscovy ducks in particular — and I'm sometimes a foster duck mom for ducks in my community.
I love asking questions and understanding how things work. I've rebuilt a motorcycle, worked around storm research vehicles, flown into storms aboard proper weather research aircraft, and spent much of my life fascinated by systems and patterns — which probably explains why functional medicine felt like such a natural fit for me. At its core, functional medicine isn't about treating isolated symptoms. It's about understanding the entire system, putting it together, making your story matter, and coming up with a plan that gives you results.
So what can you expect here? On this podcast, we'll talk about things like hormones, perimenopause, menopause, histamine intolerance, thyroid health, methylation, MTHFR, fatigue, gut health, stress and resilience, sleep, functional medicine testing, women's health, and the everyday habits that help us feel vibrant and strong. I'll also interview some amazing people who have yet to be uncovered and discovered — people who can help you make your life better.
Some episodes will be short, some will be deeper dives, and some may include guests. I'm excited to give you bite-sized chunks of audio you can listen to anywhere — on a walk, driving to work, in the pickup line, at the gym, or just cleaning the house. I want to be someone you can lean on. It's not going to be super heavy, but I want it to be genuinely transformative for you. Every episode will have one goal: to help you better understand your body.
Thank you for joining me for this very first episode of Rise Above. If today's conversation resonated with you, I'd love for you to subscribe, share it with a friend, and join me for future episodes. I'll be here regularly, in bite-sized chunks, to help you understand your body and make sense of it.
Remember — your body is always communicating. The goal isn't to fear those signals. The goal is to understand them. Until next time, I'm Dr. Emily Wheeler, and together, we will rise above.
Dr. Emily Wheeler
Dr. Emily Wheeler is a functional medicine practitioner, speaker, educator, and host of the Rise Above podcast. With nearly 20 years of clinical experience, she helps women uncover the root causes of chronic symptoms through personalized, science-based care. Her mission is to help women understand their bodies, restore their vibrance, and rise above the gaps in healthcare.
Learn how Dr. Emily currently works with patients and where to begin.