Florence Williams | What Heartbreak Does to Your Body (and what to do about it)

Florence WilliamsHeartbreak. We all experience it. It’s a horrible feeling, but can it actually, literally, break your heart, along with the other organs and systems in your body? Turns out, the answer is yes. It attacks not just your psychology – your state of mind – but also your physiology; everything from your brain to your cardiovascular, endocrine, immune system, and beyond. It can ravage both body and mind. And, it also turns out, there are things you can do to not only mend your broken heart emotionally but also rebuild your health after it’s taken a major hit.

That’s where we’re going with my guest today, acclaimed science journalist, Florence Williams. Her book The Nature Fix was an Audible bestseller. She is a contributing editor at Outside Magazine and has written for the New York Times, National Geographic, and many other publications. But, that’s not what kicked off her interest in heartbreak and what it does to us. 

For Florence, it was personal. After her decades-long marriage ended, she found herself, not surprisingly, devastated. Not just emotionally, though, but also physically. Ill. Her body and her health started falling apart. And as she began to pick up the pieces, her science journalist’s brain also started wondering how emotional heartbreak was connected to the rash of physical symptoms and illness that had seemed to take over her body. She wondered if there was science behind if and, also, what could be done about it. That curiosity set in motion a quest that led her deep into the rapidly-evolving science of heartbreak, and also to the tools and strategies that culminated in her book Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey.

You can find Florence at: Website | Instagram | Heartbreak Audiobook

If you LOVED this episode:

  • You’ll also love the conversations we had with Frank Lipman about how inseparable the mind and body are when it comes to health.

Check out our offerings & partners: 

  • My New Book Sparked | My New Podcast SPARKED
  • Visit Our Sponsor Page For a Complete List of Vanity URLs & Discount Codes.
  • Indeed: Connect with your talent audience so you can make more quality hires faster. Sign up for Indeed now and get a $75 credit toward your first sponsored job. Plus, earn up to $500 extra in sponsored job credits with Indeed’s Virtual Interviews. Visit Indeed.com/GOODLIFE to learn more. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? You need Indeed.
  • Peloton: Right now is the perfect time to try out Peloton. The Peloton Bike+ is now $500 less, its best price yet! Including FREE delivery and setup. And there are more game-changing prices available on the original Peloton Bike and Peloton Tread. Visit onepeloton.com to learn more.
photo credit: Casie Zalud

Don’t Miss Out!

Subscribe Today.

Apple All Players Castbox Spotify RSS