Practical Nontoxic Living

About Practical Nontoxic Living

How do we make choices we'll feel good about twenty years from now? Sophia Ruan Gushée has asked versions of that question all her life. In 2007, becoming a mother made it specific, starting with the products on her newborn's shelf. It has deepened and widened ever since. On Practical Nontoxic Living™, she explores it with physicians, researchers, and people living it, tracing what shapes the environment around us, the biology within us, and who we're becoming. Conversations move from toxic exposures in our homes and everyday products to the beliefs, habits, and decisions behind how we live, and how we can choose wisely in real life, amid uncertainty. An interdisciplinary researcher drawing on environmental and public health, toxicology, epidemiology, and behavioral science, Sophia is the author of A to Z of D-Toxing and the founder of Ruan Living. If you're curious too, join us in wondering.

Publisher

Sophia Ruan Gushée, Author of A to Z of D-Toxing, Founder of Ruan Living

Category

health & fitness · science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

27 Jul 2016

Latest episode

20 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

155 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   20 Oct 2026

   E136. What Shapes Us—and What Can We Shape?

   How much of who we become is shaped before we ever make a conscious choice? And once we notice what's shaping us, what can we change? Episode 136 begins a new chapter of Practical Nontoxic Living™. For nearly twenty years, Sophia Ruan Gushée has explored how what we buy, own, and do can shape our health. In this season, that inquiry widens: from environmental exposures, fertility, gene expression, cell phone radiation, indoor living, and the spaces around us to habits, expectations, instinct, risk appetite, and the paths we choose through life. This episode is a preview of the questions—and the people—Sophia will be learning from next. You'll hear clips from Dr. John La Puma, Carmen Messerlian, Dr. David Carpenter, Deborah DiMare, Dr. Haley Genovese, Andrew Yang, Cyrus Massoumi, Jill Kargman, and more. Some conversations ask how our homes and everyday exposures may shape our biology. Others ask how family expectations, cultural definitions of success, rejection, courage, and instinct shape the lives we build. They may sound like very different subjects. But they keep returning to the same questions: What has shaped who we are? And what can we do to shape who we want to become? For Sophia, Practical Nontoxic Living isn't about restriction or perfection. It's about learning more, embracing uncertainty, and asking one question again and again: What's the wisest decision? Follow Practical Nontoxic Living™ wherever you listen so the next conversation finds you. For Sophia's writing between episodes, subscribe to Ruan Living on Substack: https://ruanliving.substack.com Want a practical place to begin at home? Join the free Ultimate Home Detox™ Kickstart Series: https://www.ruanliving.com/ultimate-home-detox-kickstart-series

2. 

   18 Nov 2025

   E135. Forever Chemicals Detox (Part 7): 6 Free and Budget-Friendly Ways to Reduce Forever Chemicals (PFAS) Exposure at Home

   Part 7 of season 2's Forever Chemicals Detox series. Protecting yourself from forever chemicals doesn't have to be complicated—or expensive. In this episode of Practical Nontoxic Living, Sophia Ruan Gushée shares six free, practical lifestyle changes that can significantly reduce your lifetime exposure to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). You'll learn how everyday habits can quietly increase or decrease your exposure to these persistent toxic chemicals. These simple, no-cost tweaks can help lower your body's chemical burden and support your long-term health. Whether you're starting your home and lifestyle detox journey or deepening it, this episode offers easy wins that make a lasting difference for you and your family. What you'll learn: Six free ways to reduce exposure at home and on the go How these small actions add up to lifelong protection 🎧 Listen now to start detoxing PFAS—without spending a dime. STEP INTO RUAN LIVING'S HOME DETOX ECOSYSTEM: A to Z of D-Toxing: The Ultimate Guide To Reducing Our Toxic Exposures For access to the detailed slide presentation and workbook mentioned in this episode, check out the Forever Chemicals Detox Crash Course. Explore the 40-Day Home Detox for a step-by-step plan to transform your home into your most powerful wellness ally. Register for the Ruan Living newsletter Check out Practical Nontoxic Living's complete season 2 Forever Chemicals Detox 101 series

3. 

   6 Nov 2025

   E134: When Forever Chemicals Hit Home: Senator Judy Seeberger's Personal Fight for Clean Water

   Season 2 Forever Chemicals Detox 101 series, Part 5 When "forever chemicals" hit home, change begins. Minnesota State Senator Judy Seeberger joined the legislature in 2023—and helped pass the nation's strongest ban on PFAS, or "forever chemicals," found in everything from cookware to dental floss. For Senator Seeberger, this issue is deeply personal: her own home's well water is contaminated with PFAS and she's experienced firsthand how PFAS can harm people in her community. In this inspiring conversation, we talk about how she turned that personal pain into purpose—protecting families across Minnesota and setting a model for other states to follow. You'll learn: How Minnesota became a leader in banning toxic chemicals How Senator Seeberger filters PFAS from her home's well water PFAS regulation that's possible where you live This episode is a reminder that real change begins at home—and that hope can be as practical as clean water. For more resources, visit the Ruan Living blog article "When Forever Chemicals Hit Home: How Senator Judy Seeberger Turned PFAS Contamination into Hope." STEP INTO RUAN LIVING'S HOME DETOX ECOSYSTEM: Ruan Living Newsletter A to Z of D-Toxing: The Ultimate Guide To Reducing Our Toxic Exposures 40-Day Home Detox (https://www.ruanliving.com/40_day_home_detox) program

Who has been a guest on Practical Nontoxic Living

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Alexa Lardieri
• Patty Grossman
• Heather Lilleston
• Dr Robert Kiltz
• Dr Paul Magarelli

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

27,320

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

23 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

11 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 70 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

74

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

90

Contact Practical Nontoxic Living

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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