Dr. Mark Sherwood: Becoming a Hope Dealer Through Functional Medicine

What happens when a former pro baseball player, SWAT team officer, and naturopathic doctor turns personal pain into a mission to help others heal? In this powerful conversation, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles sit down with Dr. Mark Sherwood to talk about hope, resilience, functional medicine, grief, mindset, and why healing has to include the whole damn person — body, mind, and spirit.

Trigger Notice + 988 Crisis Reminder

This episode includes discussion of suicide loss, grief, depression, crisis support, and emotional trauma. Please listen with care. If you or someone you love is struggling, call or text 988 in the United States to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You are not alone, and help is available right now.

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Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

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Mental Health Quote

“Just a little glimmer of hope is like light — it can cancel out all levels of darkness.” — Inspired by Dr. Mark Sherwood

Episode Description

In this episode, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles sit down with Dr. Mark Sherwood, a naturopathic doctor, author, speaker, filmmaker, former professional baseball player, and retired Tulsa police officer. And let’s just say, Mark has lived a few lives in one lifetime.

Mark opens up about being adopted, chasing a childhood dream all the way to professional baseball, serving on the SWAT team, and eventually finding his way into functional medicine. But this conversation goes way deeper than career pivots. Mark shares how the suicide loss of his mother became a defining moment in his life, pushing him to become what he calls a “hope dealer” — someone committed to bringing light into the darkest places.

Together, they talk about how physical health and mental health are deeply connected, why our words and thoughts matter, and how people can accidentally start identifying with their diagnosis instead of their humanity. Mark also shares honest wisdom about forgiveness, boundaries, faith, resilience, self-worth, and learning to love yourself in a healthy way.

This episode is raw, hopeful, and packed with reminders that healing is not about pretending everything is fine. It is about getting back up, choosing hope when life gets ugly, and remembering that you are more than your pain, your diagnosis, or the hardest chapter of your story.

Keywords: Dr. Mark Sherwood, functional medicine, mental health podcast, emotional wellness, resilience, hope dealer, suicide loss support, whole-person healing, naturopathic doctor, trauma recovery, mindset healing, faith and mental health, self-worth, forgiveness, body mind spirit healing.

Meet Our Guest — Dr. Mark Sherwood

Dr. Mark Sherwood, ND is a naturopathic doctor, best-selling author, national TV personality, filmmaker, and co-founder of the Functional Medical Institute in Tulsa, Oklahoma, alongside his wife, Dr. Michele Neil-Sherwood, DO. His work focuses on root-cause healing and helping people understand the connection between physical health, mental wellness, mindset, and purpose.

Before medicine, Dr. Sherwood was a professional baseball player, Oklahoma state and regional physique champion, and a 24-year veteran of the Tulsa Police Department, including 10 years on the SWAT team. His story matters because he has lived through pressure, grief, identity shifts, and trauma — and turned it all into a mission of hope and healing.

Website: https://sherwood.tv
Clinic: https://fmidr.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmarksherwood
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marksherwood4E
Additional Website Mentioned: https://drmarksherwood.com

Key Takeaways

• Healing is not just physical. Your emotional, spiritual, and mental health all matter.
• Hope can be small and still be powerful enough to shift the darkness.
• You are not your diagnosis, your trauma, your depression, or your disease.
• Forgiveness is not about excusing someone else. It is about freeing yourself from bitterness.
• Resilience is built through hard things, not by avoiding them.
• Learning to love yourself in a healthy way may be one of the hardest and most important lessons.

Actionable Items

• Watch your words. Notice when you say “my depression,” “my disease,” or “I can’t,” and try shifting that language toward healing and possibility.
• Build one small daily gratitude practice. Start with something simple: sunshine, movement, a good conversation, your breath, or one more chance to try again.
• Check your circle. Surround yourself with people who bring peace, honesty, accountability, and hope — not people who constantly drain your spirit.

References Mentioned

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: https://988lifeline.org
Functional Medical Institute: https://fmidr.com
Dr. Mark Sherwood: https://drmarksherwood.com
Sherwood TV: https://sherwood.tv

Important Chapters

• 00:00:37 – G-Rex and Dirty Skittles welcome listeners into another stigma-breaking conversation about mental health, healing, and real-life resilience.
• 00:01:00 – Dr. Mark Sherwood introduces himself as a naturopathic doctor and shares how his work focuses on root-cause healing for the whole person.
• 00:03:06 – Mark talks about being adopted, childhood determination, and the English teacher who helped him believe he could become a professional baseball player.
• 00:05:54 – Mark reflects on his years as a police officer and SWAT team member, including how first responder wellness became part of his mission.
• 00:07:55 – Mark shares the heartbreaking loss of his mother to suicide and how that tragedy deepened his commitment to bringing hope to others.
• 00:10:00 – The conversation turns toward faith, purpose, community, and the importance of having something bigger than yourself to lean on.
• 00:13:00 – G-Rex opens up about her own crisis moment and reminds listeners that 988 is not just for suicide, but for anyone in emotional crisis.
• 00:14:27 – Mark explains why spiritual, emotional, and physical health are interconnected and why he calls himself a “hope dealer.”
• 00:19:05 – Mark talks about boundaries, emotional pain, forgiveness, and why letting go of bitterness is part of healing.
• 00:23:09 – Mark shares how he moved from SWAT into wellness, police officer health, and eventually naturopathic medicine.
• 00:27:15 – Mark explains the difference between the brain and the mind, and how thoughts, words, and environment can impact the body.
• 00:31:35 – Dirty Skittles and G-Rex reflect on how sleep, self-care, mindset, laughter, and small daily choices affect emotional health.
• 00:36:40 – Mark discusses medication, resilience, and why the body has to be supported instead of only silenced.
• 00:47:01 – Mark answers what he would tell his younger self: be a giver, be a servant, and do not believe the lie that you cannot achieve something.
• 00:47:56 – Mark shares one of his hardest life lessons: learning to love himself in a healthy way and build true self-worth.
• 00:49:51 – Mark reveals that if his anxiety had a theme song, it would be “It Is Well,” because peace within yourself changes everything.
• 00:52:08 – Mark shares where listeners can find him and his work.

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