Ep. 324: Marlene Skiver and Dr. Laurie Marbas - After a Lifetime of Caring for Others, She’s Finally Caring for Herself

PLANTSTRONG Podcast

Rip Esselstyn

Health & Fitness, Alternative Health, Medicine, Nutrition

4.8 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 23 October 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this powerful before and after episode, Rip and Dr. Laurie Marbas introduce us to, Marlene Skiver, who’s goal is to reclaim her health through the power of plants.

Marlene has faced her share of challenges — from pre-diabetes, high cholesterol, and Hashimoto’s disease, to the stress that followed retirement and the loss of loved ones. But instead of giving in, she’s choosing to fight back — fork in hand.

Together, Marlene and Dr. Marbas explore the root causes of her chronic disease, including insulin resistance, and what really happens when you stop treating symptoms and start addressing the foundation: food, stress, and lifestyle.

Dr. Marbas reviews Marlene’s current labs and we get a front-row seat to her early progress after adopting a more whole food, plant-strong approach. With every plant-powered meal, she’s already seeing her blood sugar and blood pressure start to drop.

This episode is more than just numbers — it’s about resilience, self-care, and rediscovering joy through food that loves you back. Tune in to hear how small, consistent changes can create big-time results, and get ready to follow along as we see what happens next on Marlene’s plant-strong journey.

Episode Webpage: https://www.plantstrongpodcast.com/blog/marlene-skiver

Watch the Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EeaiaKEPoDI

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Ray Besselston, and you're listening to the Plan Strong podcast.
0:05.2	What do you think happens when you go all in? I'm talking whole kale on a Plan Strong diet.
0:15.4	Well, in this week's episode, I sit down with Dr. Lori Marvis, who introduces us to Marlene Schuyver, a remarkable
0:24.8	woman who is dedicated to finally taking control of her health after years and years of stress,
0:32.8	pre-diabetes, elevated blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol with the menopause transition.
0:41.1	Marlene's story is very common.
0:45.2	Who hasn't faced the pressures of caring for others, navigating illness, or juggling
0:51.9	life's relentless stresses, all while struggling to prioritize your own health.
0:59.6	Marlene is the quintessential, put everyone first type, but now it is taking a toll.
1:07.3	So with guidance from Dr. Lori Marbus and the Planned Strong meal bundle, Marlene is learning what it truly means to put herself first and reclaim her health in ways that she never thought possible.
1:23.3	So let's meet Marlene Skyber.
1:26.9	Okay.
1:28.9	Lori Marvis, MD, and Marlene Skyver, I want to welcome you both to the Plan Strong podcast.
1:37.3	For those of you that are familiar with the Plan Strong podcast, you know Dr. Lori Marbus.
1:42.5	She's been a frequent guest of the podcast. But this is
1:47.2	Marlene's first time. And this is going to be a special two-part episode. And what happened is
1:54.1	Dr. Lori Marbus basically reached out to us to say, I think I have a really good candidate
2:00.2	for somebody for a
2:02.7	kind of before and after transformation in a few weeks. And so, Lori, can you tell us a little bit
2:09.3	about Marlene as one of your patients and why you feel she'd be a good candidate?
2:17.7	Well, I know Marlene for a while now, a couple years probably, and certainly had seen her
2:23.6	struggle with a lot of life stressors, and she can tell you more of her story.
	...

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