S2:E16 – Dawn Westrum: How to Stay Healthy, Athletic & Forever Young (No, Really)
Episode Teaser – Rick performs Sara Smile & Sound of Silence for Special Guest Nutritionist Dawn Westrum
See the FULL Episode on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0TurUqagYOOQGmIwAZfFXR
And APPLE podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jazz-for-peace-podcast-featuring-rick-dellaratta/id1771220129
In this high-energy episode, we sit down with Dawn Westrum—ultra-marathoner, paraglider, and unapologetic health rebel—who’s been cracking the nutrition code since 2004. Dawn shares the do’s, don’ts, and “what-were-you-thinking?” truths about staying fit, sharp, and biologically young. We dive into her upcoming book on the OligoScan (spoiler: your minerals are screaming for attention) and how she helps people fire their meds and feel amazing again.
Plus, Rick drops a one-of-a-kind musical mashup that blends Simon & Garfunkel nostalgia with a dash of Hall & Oates, all wrapped around a spontaneous, soulful jam that’ll leave you smiling.
A must-listen if you like your health advice bold, backed, and a little badass
Find out more about Dawn at: https://www.vigeohealth.net/
Dawn Westrum is a health enthusiast and has been studying nutrition since 2004. Incidentally that’s also the year she ran her first marathon, and came to realize just how important nutrients were to optimize performance. Those first 26 miles were completed on a dare, with only 3 days notice!
Dawn completed her Health Coaching Certificate in 2023, at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN).
She completed her Emotion Code and Body Code certifications in 2024 and the Belief Code Certification in 2025. Dawn is listed at https://discoverhealing.com/practitioners/ Dawn is also Square 1 System certified.
Dawn never stops learning, and is always looking to add knowledge to help clients with esoteric piece of their health puzzle. Expect VIGEO Health to grow and change as she learns more about all facets of health, including relationships, communication, exercise, fresh air and nature, faith, finances, and joy.
Dawn has now run over one hundred ultramarathons, as well as 100-mile runs, 5-day adventure races, Spartan Obstacle course races, and Ironman Triathlons. She races her paraglider, too, and was the top woman over twelve days in the 2015 Red Bull X-Alps, completing 300 miles on foot and 500 in the air. Check out her book Racing to the Sky on Amazon.
Dawn spent ten years in the United States Army, and worked in Satellite Communications. She was stationed in Washington D.C., Germany, and England. It was partly due to her military training that she learned to have confidence in her choices and decision making process. Dawn won Soldier of the Year several times, at multiple levels of the Army command structure. She also spent a year living in a small village in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, learning how the indigenous Mayan people live such simple yet apparently happy lives. In 2009, she spent a year traveling around the world, visiting all corners of the globe, and traveling to 43 countries. The perspective she gained from her travels abroad have given her additional feedback on how there are multiple ways to accomplish goals, but that hard work and focus are always part of success.
Dawn has optimized her nutrition for athletic competitions, and is now faster in her 40s than she was in her 20s. She credits this to knowing what and when to eat and how to supplement, both before and during her races. Just as importantly, she knows how to recover quickly afterward from soreness and injuries. In 2022, Dawn ran her fastest 100 miler, completing a coveted goal of finishing in less than 24 hours. Dawn is also the reigning Age Group Champion at the Spartan Ultra Worlds! In 24 hours, she completed 62 miles and 15,000 feet of elevation gain, while failing only one obstacle the entire race.
Dawn and her husband Jim love to throw pool parties in their backyard, and hang out with their Cattle Dog named Spot. They have 15 friendly chickens and love eating eggs. If you don’t hear from Dawn much in October, it’s because she is back on her family farm in Iowa, driving the corn combine, getting back to her roots, and enjoying a change of scenery.