The Real A$$ Word
Hosted by Ali, founder of TheCheekyClean, a wellness brand championing intentional living, RAW dives into the meaningful journey of detoxing your mind, body and spirit.
A juicy little podcast for conscious living in a toxic world.
Resources & Show Notes
The Body Keeps Score: Trauma, Autoimmune Disease & the Path to Nervous System Healing ft. Jess Patz
Jess Patz survived years of domestic violence, a lupus diagnosis, and a stroke — and has since built a life's work around helping others understand why healing starts in the nervous system, not the medicine cabinet. In this episode, she and Alison Hite have a raw, unflinching conversation about survival, the body's biological response to danger, and what it actually takes to move from chronic stress into sustainable healing. If you've ever wondered why your body holds onto pain long after the danger has passed, this episode is for you.
Healthy Made Simple: Functional Medicine & Root-Cause Healing with Dr. Jeremy Watson
What if healthy living didn't have to be complicated? In this LIVE recorded episode of RAW, Alison Hite sits down with Dr. Jeremy Watson — chiropractic physician, functional medicine doctor, and community health advocate — to explore how real food, movement, sleep, stress reduction, and purpose work together to build lasting wellness. This is root-cause healing without the overwhelm.
Hard Launch: Love, Healing & TheCheekyClean Lifestyle Detox Course
In this vulnerable solo episode, Alison Hite steps into a new chapter — hard launching both her relationship with functional medicine doctor Dr. Jeremy Watson and the highly anticipated TheCheekyClean Lifestyle Detox Course. Ali explores why fear is often the doorway to transformation, and why detox isn't about restriction — it's about reclaiming the version of you your body was designed to be.
Local Food, Farmers Markets & Real Wellness: A Conversation with Kawai Bitto
What if the most powerful thing you could do for your health had nothing to do with a supplement — and everything to do with where you buy your groceries? In this episode, Kawai Bitto, Director of Market Operations at North Union Farmers Market, joins Ali to break down why local food often surpasses certified organic, how farmers markets are more accessible than most people think, and what it really means to build a life rooted in intentional food choices.
Why Real Food Brands Are Hard to Build — and Why They Matter ft. Rawia Abdel Samad of Beituti
Real food behaves like real food — it separates, solidifies, shifts, and requires far more care than a food system built on shortcuts was designed for. Rawia Abdel Samad, founder of Beituti, left her corporate consulting career to bring authentic, clean-label Lebanese flavors into everyday American kitchens. In this episode, she and Alison Hite unpack the honest reality of building a mission-driven food brand, the pressure to compromise on ingredients, and why the brands you buy send a message the entire food industry hears.
The War on Women’s Health: The Truth About Women's Hormones ft. Emily Sadri, NP
If you've ever been told your labs are normal, your symptoms are just stress, or that feeling exhausted, anxious, and unlike yourself is simply part of getting older — this episode is your answer. Nurse midwife and hormone specialist Emily Sadri, founder of Aurelia Health, joins Alison Hite to explain exactly why women's symptoms are not random, what's actually happening hormonally in midlife, and why so many women deserve far better care than they've been given.
What the Fitness Industry Gets Wrong About Your Health ft. Adrienne Smith
Most people think fitness is about what happens in the gym. Human engineering specialist Adrienne Smith says that's exactly where the fitness industry gets it wrong. In this episode, Adrienne and Alison unpack the real drivers of long-term health — gut function, food quality, muscle mass, mineralization, circadian rhythm, and recovery — and why true wellness has nothing to do with how you look and everything to do with how you function.
The Truth About GLP-1s: How to Lose Weight Sustainably Without Sacrificing Your Health
GLP-1 medications like semaglutide are changing the weight loss conversation — but they're not a magic fix. In this episode, registered dietitian Gretchen Spetz breaks down what your body actually needs to lose weight sustainably, protect your muscle and metabolism, and build habits that last well beyond the medication. If you're navigating midlife health, hormones, or metabolic changes, this one is essential listening.
Healing Chronic Illness and Finding Purpose
Drew Kanaba didn't choose integrative wellness — it chose him. After spending years as a prisoner to his own body, battling a severe childhood autoimmune diagnosis with no real answers from conventional medicine, he made a decision: find the root cause himself. In this episode of RAW, Drew shares how that relentless pursuit of answers led him to build Root Cause Integrative Wellness in Berea, Ohio — and how he's helping others do what he once thought was impossible.
You Are What You Eat — Food Sourcing & Health Truths
In this episode of RAW, Alison Hite and Jenn Rudolph unpack a simple but often overlooked truth: what we eat is shaped by how it is grown, sourced, and produced. From processed meat and misleading labels to regenerative farming and smarter local shopping, this conversation offers practical ways to make more informed food choices.
The Foundation for Lighter Living
Ceci Roman of Bronze & Beauty joins RAW to talk about clean beauty, detox habits, faith, and building a lighter, purpose-driven life from the inside out.
Behind the Label: What Beauty Brands Don’t Tell You ft. Laura Ashley
Chemist-turned-CEO Laura Ashley joins RAW to uncover what beauty brands don’t tell you — and why clean, educated consumerism is the future.
The Recipe for Building a Dream ft. Jonida Preka Morelli
From communist Albania to MasterChef, Jonida Preka Morelli shares her inspiring story of resilience, simplicity, and building a dream with authenticity.
How to Get Healthier As We Age — Chiropractic, Hormones & Holistic Health with Dr. Mary Teague
Chiropractor and co-founder of Code Chiro, Dr. Mary Teague joins Alison to talk all things healthy aging: hormones, inflammation, movement, pregnancy pain, and strength for longevity.
![The Toxic Tea: Ingredient Red Flags [January]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65ef57834920c9406deff41c/1769713214779-ZVW46I3EXFXI4B6HV2VA/RAWxTCC-cover-photos-S2E5-REEL%2BCOVER.png)
The Toxic Tea: Ingredient Red Flags [January]
In this solo episode of RAW, Alison Hite (Thacker) spills The Toxic Tea — a new monthly segment unpacking the sneaky ingredients lurking in your everyday products. From fragrance and formaldehyde to BPA and maltodextrin, she breaks down what to avoid, what to embrace, and how to shop smarter. This episode is your crash course in conscious consuming for a cleaner, healthier life.
Healing Disease Intuitively: Astrology, Wellness & Self‑Trust with Lisa Turner
Astrologer and yoga teacher Lisa Turner joins RAW to share how medical astrology, intuitive healing, and self-trust can illuminate the path through disease and transformation.
Choices that Prevent Disease — ft. Green Farm Juicery
In this episode of The Real A$$ Word (RAW) podcast, Ali Hite, founder of The Cheeky Clean, interviews Melissa Roddy, founder of Green Farm Juicery. Together, they explore how conscious consumer choices — especially when it comes to food — can serve as powerful tools in preventing disease and supporting long-term wellness.
This inspiring conversation covers everything from clean juicing processes and food as medicine to ditching wellness trends that don’t serve everyone. It’s a refreshing, grounded look at how local business, education, and integrity can support both health and purpose.
Shop Smart — Tips for Cutting Toxins from your Cart
In this episode, Ali (founder of The Cheeky Clean) discusses the importance of conscious consumerism, particularly in the context of grocery shopping. She emphasizes the need for consumers to be informed about food production, health implications, and the sourcing of everyday staples like nut milk, eggs, bread, and meat. The conversation highlights the dangers of processed foods and the significance of choosing high-quality, ethically sourced products to improve overall health and well-being. Alison provides practical tips for reducing toxic load and making healthier choices in the grocery store.
WTF is in our Food?!
In this episode of The Real Ass Word, Ali the founder & CEO of The Cheeky Clean dives deep into the hidden dangers of the food industry, focusing on the alarming lack of regulations in the U.S. compared to other countries. She discusses the importance of understanding food labels, identifying red flag ingredients, and making conscious choices to improve health. The episode also covers the dangers of fillers, artificial additives, and sweeteners, while providing practical shopping tips for consumers. Additionally, Alison answers listener questions about supplements and health recommendations, emphasizing the importance of clean eating and awareness in today's food landscape.