Samantha Stoltz
Mind-Body Research Scientist
At 24, Samantha Stoltz is pursuing a Ph.D. in Integrative Biology and Neuroscience with a question that bridges science and philosophy: how do perception, identity and lived experience shape what happens inside the body over time?
Her work explores how experience becomes physiology. The way we think, the stress we carry and the meaning we assign to events do not simply influence mood; they shape resilience, energy, immune function and even gene expression.
“We may not control the DNA sequence we’re born with,” she says, “but we can influence how our genes are expressed through the signals we send our bodies every day.”
Stoltz is particularly interested in identity and consciousness, and in how the stories people tell about themselves become biological patterns.
“When you change how you interpret your experience,” she explains, “you change your stress response. Over time, that changes your reality.”
Alongside her research at FAU’s Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute, she integrates training in functional medicine and life coaching, translating biology, neuroscience and psychology into accessible language. As a speaker, author, poet and host of the podcast Shine In & Out: Where Science Meets Soul, she aims to bridge rigorous science with practical application to “empower people toward lasting change.”
Her philosophy rests on a simple principle: understanding breeds respect. Many people believe they are broken when their bodies are often doing exactly what they were designed to do: protect and adapt. Patterns like fatigue, anxiety and overwhelm, she says, can be adaptive responses to a modern world that moves faster than human biology evolved to handle.
“So many people are beating themselves up when they’re just overstimulated. And the sooner they understand their system, the easier it becomes to live in coherence.”
To expand access to her work, Stoltz is developing an educational course translating stress biology, identity and nervous system science into practical tools. Her long term vision is to help shape a more preventive model of health, one that integrates scientific rigor with meaning and compassion.
“When you understand your mind and body,” she says, “you stop fighting yourself. And that’s where real change begins.”
Shine In & Out Life Coaching, 561-289-3442, sammy@sammystoltz.com, sammystoltz.com, shineinandoutcoaching.com
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