Episode 17: How to Keep Going When You’re Running on Fumes
with Alina Calinescu, C-IAYT, E-RYT500, Ayurvedic Health Counselor
In this episode, I sit down with the brilliant and joy-soaked Alina Calinescu to talk about burnout, joy reclamation, and what it really takes to rebuild your energy from the ground up. From her engineering past to her current work as a yoga therapist and Ayurvedic counselor, Alina walks us through her path of curiosity, depletion, grief, and healing—and how she finally found her way back to herself through the rituals of Ayurveda, walking meditation, and music.
Whether you're overworked, joy-deficient, or feeling like your spark is flickering, this conversation is a balm. And a bit of a kick in the butt, too.
🎧 Subscribe, rate, and review if this resonates. It means the world and helps get this healing into more hands.
Connect with Alina:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alivebyalina
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinacalinescu/
Website: alivebyalina.com
Work with Veronica or learn more: veronicawolffcasey.com
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 – “I didn’t know who I was anymore”
02:20 – From engineer to yogi: Alina’s origin story
04:26 – Burnout, fitness, and opening door #2
05:32 – A skeptical start with Ayurveda
07:45 – Neti pot miracles & deviated septums
09:58 – Discovering Mona Warner & studying with Dr. Anusha
12:51 – Insomnia, shift work, and running on fumes
17:41 – Sleep scores and gut healing
19:44 – Why hot yoga worked for Alina
21:42 – Ayurveda makes sense
23:22 – “I wish I had found this sooner”
25:59 – Alina’s non-negotiables: walking, rest, and rhythm
29:12 – Losing touch with joy
31:35 – The lie of “doing more”
33:11 – Rediscovering music as medicine
38:21 – Making room for play again
40:25 – Grief, depletion, and pacing the comeback
41:06 – Alina’s advice for beginners
46:01 – Joy as immune medicine
48:14 – Nature: the universal prescription
49:02 – How to work with Alina + new chant album
50:57 – Favorite season + what food is teaching her
54:48 – Final reflections