If you’re ending the day feeling six months pregnant even though you started the morning fine, listen up. Occasional bloating can happen, but daily, uncomfortable, end-of-day bloating is not normal. And it’s not something probiotics or cutting more foods will fix. Bloating is a signal that digestion, minerals, stress, or blood sugar are out of sync, and once you understand the real cause, relief becomes much more attainable.

In this episode I’m breaking down:

• Why low stomach acid is one of the most common (and overlooked) causes of bloating, especially if it happens soon after meals
• How H. pylori suppresses stomach acid, why bloating won’t resolve until it’s addressed, and how it’s often passed back and forth
• The role of minerals like sodium and zinc in digestion, and why electrolytes sometimes help bloating
• How bitters support both stomach acid and bile flow, and exactly how to use them before meals
• Why poor fat digestion and sluggish bile flow cause rapid bloating, right-sided fullness, and floating stools
• How constipation (even if you’re going daily) leads to fermentation, pressure, and bloating
• The connection between blood sugar crashes, fatigue, anxiety, and bloating after meals
• Why nervous system dysregulation shuts digestion down, especially postpartum or during busy, high-stress seasons

Bloating isn’t something to silence, it’s information. Restricting food, cutting carbs, or piling on probiotics often makes it worse. When you support stomach acid, bile flow, minerals, hydration, blood sugar, and your nervous system, digestion can finally work the way it’s supposed to. This episode will help you understand what your body is asking for, and where to start so you can end your day feeling comfortable again.

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

—

I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

If you’ve tried cycle syncing before and felt overwhelmed, confused, or unsure if it was actually doing anything, this episode is for you. Cycle syncing isn’t meant to be another rigid protocol or checklist, it’s meant to help you work with your body, not against it. In this episode I’m chatting with Eversio Wellness Co-Founder Brandi Garden, and Dr. Desiree Caruso, Naturopathic Physician, who are breaking down how to use medicinal mushrooms to support each phase of your cycle in a simple, intuitive, and hormone-supportive way that actually feels nourishing instead of stressful.

In this episode we’re sharing:

• Why cycle syncing with mushrooms works so well for hormone balance
• How medicinal mushrooms act as adaptogens to stabilize stress, blood sugar, and energy throughout the month
• Exactly which mushrooms support each phase of your cycle (menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal) and why
• Why Reishi is so powerful during your period for rest, immune support, and nervous system regulation
• How Lion’s Mane supports brain function and creativity during your follicular and ovulatory phases, even when taken at night
• Why Cordyceps can reduce caffeine dependence, improve energy, and ease PMS during the luteal phase
• How Maitake supports blood sugar and insulin sensitivity when cortisol naturally runs higher
• What to do if your cycle is irregular, unpredictable, or you’re not currently bleeding
• How to start cycle syncing without buying everything at once, and why it’s more cost-effective than you think
• Why symptoms aren’t something to fix, but feedback your body is giving you—and how cycle syncing helps you respond

Cycle syncing is not about perfection, timing everything down to the day, or doing “one more thing” to fix your hormones. It’s about listening, responding, and giving your body the support it’s asking for in each phase. This episode will help you simplify cycle syncing, feel more grounded in your body, and use mushrooms as a tool to support hormones, energy, mood, and resilience, without turning your wellness routine into another source of stress.

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

🙏 Thank you to Paleovalley for sponsoring this episode!

👉 Go to https://paleovalley.com/leah and enter code LEAH at checkout for 15% off.

—

I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

If you’re stressed, exhausted, struggling to lose weight, or feeling like your nervous system is constantly “on,” this episode is for you. Cortisol doesn’t just rise because of emotional stress—it spikes when blood sugar is unstable, minerals are depleted, and your gut isn’t supported. The good news? You don’t need another supplement. Some of the fastest ways to lower cortisol are already sitting in your kitchen.

In this episode I’m sharing:

• Why cortisol stays elevated when blood sugar isn’t stabilized, and why food works faster than supplements
• The most underrated cortisol-lowering fruit and how its vitamin C supports your adrenals and progesterone
• How prebiotic foods directly improve stress resilience by feeding calming gut bacteria like lactobacillus
• Why potassium is a “stress mineral” and how avocados help break the stress/depletion cycle
• How omega-3s from wild-caught salmon reduce inflammation-driven cortisol
• Why zinc and magnesium are essential for calming the nervous system, and the best food-based sources
• How skipping protein at breakfast drives cortisol higher all day long
• Why pasture-raised eggs act like a natural multivitamin for your nervous system
• Simple food swaps that support your HPA axis without adding more supplements

Cortisol issues aren’t just about stress, they’re about depletion. When your body doesn’t feel nourished or safe, it stays in survival mode. This episode will help you understand how to lower cortisol naturally with food, stabilize your blood sugar, support your gut, and give your nervous system the signals it needs to finally calm down.

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

—

I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

If you’re getting two periods in one month, spotting constantly, or bleeding every couple of weeks and being told birth control is the only solution, this episode is for you. Bleeding twice a month is not random, and it’s not something you have to “just live with.” It’s your body signaling that ovulation, progesterone, stress hormones, minerals, or your thyroid are out of sync. In this episode I’ll break down the real reasons this happens and how to start addressing it at the root.

In this episode I’m sharing:

• The difference between true bleeding vs. ovulation spotting, and how to tell which one you’re experiencing
• Why bleeding every two weeks often means you’re not ovulating (or your luteal phase is way too short)
• How low progesterone causes early, frequent, or breakthrough bleeding
• The connection between stress, postpartum, breastfeeding, and perimenopause and irregular cycles
• What estrogen dominance actually means and why estrogen can be “normal” but still cause symptoms
• How copper imbalance can amplify estrogen and trigger spotting or heavy early bleeding
• Why mineral depletion (sodium, potassium, magnesium, and more) disrupts ovulation
• How thyroid dysfunction, especially high reverse T3, can shorten cycles and suppress progesterone
• Why electrolytes alone don’t fix mineral imbalances
• When and why tracking ovulation is the first step to understanding what’s happening

Irregular bleeding isn’t something to cover up, it’s information. This episode will help you understand what your cycle is trying to tell you, why birth control doesn’t correct the underlying issue, and how to start becoming a confident advocate for your hormone health so your cycle can finally regulate again.

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

🙏 Thank you to Paleovalley for sponsoring this episode!

👉 Go to https://paleovalley.com/leah and enter code LEAH at checkout for 15% off.

—

I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

If your period leaves you exhausted, bedridden, or bleeding through tampons and pads every couple of hours, this episode is going to be a game changer. Heavy periods aren’t “just part of being a woman” — they’re a message from your body that something deeper is going on. Whether you’ve been told your only option is a hysterectomy or you’ve simply accepted misery as normal, there are root causes you can actually address… and that’s what we’re diving into today.

In this episode, I’m breaking down:

• The real reasons behind heavy bleeding, from low progesterone to fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis, thyroid issues, and even copper IUDs
• How to tell if your bleeding is truly “heavy” (and what the color, duration, and flow say about your hormones)
• The foundational nutrition shifts that help every category of heavy periods, like protein-forward meals, low-glycemic carbs, and 30+ plants per week
• The lifestyle and supplement supports that actually move the needle, like magnesium, B6, liver support, reducing endocrine disruptors, and herbs such as shepherd’s purse and beef organs for blood rebuilding

Heavy periods aren’t a diagnosis, they’re a symptom. When you support the systems that regulate your hormones (blood sugar, minerals, liver detox, gut health, inflammation), your cycle can change dramatically. I’ve watched women go from bleeding through products hourly to hiking, traveling, and living their lives again, without surgery. This episode will help you understand what your body is trying to tell you and what actionable steps you can take to finally find relief.

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

—

I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

If you’ve been told you have PCOS and walked out of the doctor’s office feeling like infertility is your future, this episode is for you. PCOS isn’t a life sentence—and you absolutely can get pregnant naturally. The key is understanding what’s actually driving your symptoms. Infertility, irregular cycles, weight gain, cravings, and androgen issues all trace back to a few core root causes that you can influence. This episode breaks down the exact steps I use with clients who go from “I don’t even ovulate” to regular cycles—and positive pregnancy tests.

In this episode I’m sharing:

• Why insulin resistance and excess androgens create a vicious loop that shuts down ovulation, and how to break it
• How to build balanced blood sugar meals (and why breakfast is the #1 predictor of hormone stability for the day)
• The egg-quality upgrades that matter most: seed cycling, removing endocrine disruptors, and supporting the brain–ovary connection
• The supplements actually shown to help PCOS, such as myo-inositol, maitake mushroom, omega-3 food sources, apple cider vinegar, and mineral support
• Why minerals and depletion matter more than you think, and how HTMA testing reveals what bloodwork can’t

Ovulation brings your period and ovulation brings your fertility. When you support blood sugar, egg quality, and mineral balance, your body becomes safer to ovulate and conception becomes possible. This episode gives you clear, doable steps to finally move toward the healthy, predictable cycle you’ve been chasing.

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

🙏Thank you to Eversio Wellness for sponsoring this episode!

👉 Go to https://www.eversiowellness.com/discount/LEAH or enter code LEAH at checkout for 15% off.

—

I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

If you’ve ever stood in front of the mirror criticizing your body, stepped on the scale to decide whether you’re “good” or “bad” for the day, or punished yourself with food rules and workouts, this episode is for you. You cannot hate your body into health, and shame will never create lasting weight loss, hormone balance, or confidence. True transformation starts with how you talk to yourself, what you believe about your body, and the nervous system state you’re living in every single day.

In this episode I’m sharing:

• Why shame, negative self-talk, and scale obsession actually block weight loss and hormone balance
• How using the scale as a “daily worth meter” keeps women stuck in a stress–cortisol–fat storage loop
• The powerful mindset shift that helped a client lose 30 pounds and keep it off after a decade of struggle
• How joy, movement, community, and oxytocin directly support your hormones and metabolism
• The hidden ways we punish our bodies with food, workouts, and restrictions without realizing it
• A simple awareness exercise to catch and break self-sabotaging thought patterns
• How to rewire your brain using neuroplasticity so your thoughts start working for you instead of against you
• The exact practice I use with clients to replace destructive self-talk with sustainable, motivating beliefs

Sustainable health is built from self-respect, not self-loathing. When you start choosing nourishment, movement, and rest because you love your body, not because you’re trying to punish it, everything changes. This episode will help you break the shame cycle, rebuild trust with your body, and finally create results that last.

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

—

I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

If you’ve ever felt amazing one week and completely depleted the next and wondered why your energy, cravings, mood, and workouts feel so inconsistent, this episode is for you. Your cycle is not just your period. It’s a four-phase hormonal rhythm that governs your metabolism, insulin sensitivity, stress response, digestion, and even your confidence. When you learn how to work with these hormonal shifts instead of fighting them, everything gets easier, from weight loss to PMS to energy.

In this episode I’m sharing:

• Why your menstrual cycle is your fifth vital sign and what your blood color, length, and flow reveal about estrogen and progesterone
• Exactly how to eat, train, and recover during your menstrual phase for lower inflammation and better iron levels
• How to fuel your follicular phase for better workouts, creativity, insulin sensitivity, and egg quality
• What to focus on during ovulation to support liver detox, hormone clearance, confidence, and peak energy
• How to stabilize cravings, sleep, and mood in your luteal phase with potassium, magnesium, B6, and progesterone-supportive foods
• How seed cycling works and exactly when to use pumpkin, flax, sesame, and sunflower seeds
• The biggest mistake women make when trying to “fix” estrogen or progesterone without addressing blood sugar and minerals
• Why blood sugar balance is the #1 biohack for better cycles, easier weight loss, and stable hormones
• How minerals, electrolytes, and protein front-loading change your energy across every phase
• What it means when none of these phases feel recognizable, and why that’s a sign of deeper hormone imbalance

Your hormones are not the problem, they’re responding to your foundation. When blood sugar, minerals, stress, and nourishment are supported, your cycle becomes predictable, your symptoms fade, and your body finally feels like it’s working for you instead of against you. This episode will show you exactly how to start syncing your lifestyle to your biology for better energy, fewer cravings, and easier hormone balance.

🙏 Thank you to Paleovalley for sponsoring this episode!

👉 Go to https://paleovalley.com/leah and enter code LEAH at checkout for 15% off.

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

—

I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall 

of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

If you’ve been told your painful periods are “normal,” or you’ve spent years missing school, work, or events because you’re doubled over in cramps, this episode is for you. Pain is not the price of womanhood, it’s a sign your hormones, minerals, liver, or inflammation pathways need support. As someone who spent over a decade with three cycles a year and vomiting from cramps, I’m breaking down exactly what causes painful periods and the simple steps you can take to finally change them.

In this episode I’m sharing:

• The two types of painful periods: primary and secondary dysmenorrhea, and how to know which category your symptoms fall into
• Why excess prostaglandins (inflammation) make cramps unbearable and what you can do this month to reduce them
• How to use omega-3 rich foods like salmon (and chlorella if you need a supplement) to lower inflammation before your period
• Why blood sugar spikes make period pain worse, and how focusing on fiber + protein can immediately calm your hormones
• The plate method I use with clients to stabilize blood sugar and reduce PMS, cravings, headaches, and mood swings
• How to tell the difference between high-fiber foods that help your hormones vs. “healthy” grains that actually spike blood sugar
• The simple liver-supporting foods that make a huge difference: dandelion tea, bitter greens, lemon water, milk thistle, and castor oil packs
• The most effective supplement for painful periods

Remember: debilitating periods are not something you’re meant to just live with. They’re communication from your body, not a life sentence. This episode will help you understand the real reason behind your pain and give you clear, realistic steps to reduce inflammation, stabilize blood sugar, support your liver, and finally experience a calmer, more predictable cycle.

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

—

I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall 

of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

This week I'm sharing an interview I did with the Eversio Wellness Podcast, who were gracious enough to let us use my interview here for you all. You'll hear a myriad of topics, including:

• The real reason postpartum depletion lasts years and why it isn’t your fault
• How chronic under-eating, skipping meals, and relying on caffeine keep your nervous system locked in fight-or-flight
• The minerals most women burn through during pregnancy and breastfeeding
• Why stress + mineral depletion = low progesterone, anxiety, hair loss, and blood sugar instability
• What 2–3am wakeups actually mean 
• The truth about postpartum weight loss resistance and why walking + strength training beats over-exercising
• How balancing your meals with protein, fiber, and carbs stabilizes your metabolism so you don’t crash by noon
• Why your nervous system must feel safe before your hormones can regulate
• The small, repeatable daily habits that rebuild energy, mood, metabolism, and hormonal resilience

Of course we all touch on how mushrooms play into all of these factors, as well as our favorite mushrooms. Thanks again to Eversio.

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

🙏Thank you to Eversio Wellness for sponsoring this episode!

👉 Go to https://www.eversiowellness.com/discount/LEAH or enter code LEAH at checkout for 15% off.

—

I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

If the holidays always leave you bloated, exhausted, stressed, or convinced you “messed everything up,” this episode is for you. Between skipping meals, sugar overload, late nights, and nonstop plans, it’s no wonder your blood sugar, digestion, and hormones take a hit. But it doesn’t have to be that way. With a few simple shifts, you can enjoy the stuffing, apple pie, and Christmas cookies without the burnout, guilt, or metabolic crash.

In this episode I’m sharing:

• Why skipping meals before a holiday dinner is the #1 mistake women make, and how it guarantees overeating, cravings, and bloat
• The exact hormone supportive plan for the day: high-protein breakfasts, fiber-rich meals, stabilizing snacks, and avoiding the hangry spiral
• How apple cider vinegar, digestive bitters, and digestive enzymes help control blood sugar, reduce bloating, and improve digestion before the big meal
• Why enjoying the holiday meal is not the problem, and how balancing your other meals actually keeps your body calm and stable
• How to build your plate: find your protein, find your fiber, and then savor the stuffing, squash, rolls, and pie
• The mindset shift that stops the “I already ruined it, so whatever” spiral and helps you enjoy food without guilt
• Easy ways to use movement to support blood sugar
• What to do the next day to reset your system
• How to keep stress low through the season with simple daily practices like breathwork, legs up the wall, EFT tapping, and morning grounding

The holiday meal isn’t what derails your hormones - under-eating, stress, blood sugar crashes, and all-or-nothing thinking are. This episode gives you simple, realistic strategies so you can enjoy every part of the season while still supporting your digestion, mood, blood sugar, and hormones.

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

—

I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

If you're doing “all the right things” for weight loss but still feel bloated, inflamed, or stuck, this episode is for you. Most women trying to lose weight are unknowingly eating three everyday foods that quietly spike blood sugar, wreck gut health, and send hormones into chaos. These aren’t the obvious junk foods. You’ll find them hidden in “healthy” snacks, gluten-free products, condiments, protein bars, and even your favorite zero-sugar items. Once you learn what they are, you will never look at your pantry the same way again.

In this episode I’m sharing:

• The sneaky reason gluten-free packaged foods (even the “healthy” brands) spike blood sugar, cause inflammation, and overload your system with fillers, gums, and almond flour
• Why high-fructose corn syrup is one of the most hormone-disruptive ingredients on the shelves, and how it affects estrogen, liver health, mood swings, cravings, and stubborn weight gain
• The hidden sugar bomb inside everyday condiments like ketchup, barbecue sauce, and salad dressing, and how serving sizes trick you into consuming 30–70 grams of sugar without realizing it
• How artificial sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame damage the gut microbiome, disrupt insulin sensitivity, increase cravings, and train your body to store fat
• Why “no sugar added” products are often worse for your hormones than the real thing
• The real reason women who are barely eating still struggle with weight loss
• Simple, realistic swaps so you can ditch inflammatory ingredients without feeling deprived

Weight gain is a symptom, not the root issue. If you’re constantly on a blood-sugar and cortisol roller coaster, your hormones simply can’t regulate, no matter how little you eat. This episode will help you understand what’s actually sabotaging your metabolism, how to remove the biggest 

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

—

I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

If you’re already stressing about holiday shopping or you’re trying to find the perfect gift for the “non-toxic friend” in your life, this episode is for you. Whether you want thoughtful stocking stuffers, clean beauty upgrades, wellness splurges, or treats for yourself during Black Friday, this guide breaks down exactly what’s worth buying, and what’s not. No overwhelm. No scrolling for hours. Just curated, clean, non-toxic picks at every price point.

In this episode I’m sharing:

• Gifts under $25 that actually land: non-toxic deodorant, clean candles, coffee + collagen pairings, perfume samplers, and toxin-free teeth whitening
• Gifts under $50 that feel luxe without breaking the bank, like mini body oils, organic cotton basics, Paleo Valley meat sticks for snack lovers, and elevated stocking stuffers
• Gifts under $100 including clean makeup staples, Crunchi must-haves, RMS glow products, and my go-to wellness picks for friends, moms, and yourself
• Gifts under $300 like curated wellness baskets, full skincare routines, serums, and the perfect beauty + wellness combos
• Splurge-worthy items that are actually worth it: red light therapy, sauna gear, air purifiers, and home upgrades that make daily life healthier
• The brands with historically amazing Black Friday sales, and what to wait to buy
• The exact products I reorder year after year and which ones my husband loves too

Gifting doesn’t have to be stressful or wasteful. This episode gives you thoughtful, non-toxic gift ideas at every budget so you can shop intentionally, save money during the best sales of the year, and fill your home—and the homes of the people you love—with clean, high-quality products that make everyday life healthier.

Find all of my recommendations here: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/blog/non-toxic-gift-guide

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

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I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

To sign up for the free training on November 18th, head here: https://bit.ly/bhn-nov25

If you’ve been told that painful cramps, heavy bleeding, mood swings, or PMS are “just part of being a woman,” this episode is for you. Your period isn’t supposed to be miserable, it’s supposed to be painless, balanced, and predictable. In fact, your cycle is your monthly report card for overall health, giving you valuable clues about your hormones, thyroid, and metabolism.

In this episode I’m sharing:

• Why period cramps aren’t normal and what excess prostaglandins have to do with it
• The difference between primary and secondary dysmenorrhea (and when to suspect fibroids, endometriosis, or low progesterone)
• What your period’s color, length, and flow reveal about your estrogen and thyroid function
• How to spot the red flags: light pink flow, brown spotting, large clots, or super heavy bleeding
• Why your period headaches and low iron may point to gut issues or parasites
• A simple breakdown of your full menstrual cycle, from follicular phase to luteal phase and what each hormone is doing
• Why ovulation is the main event, not your period, and the key to strong progesterone and stable moods
• How birth control, stress, and endocrine disruptors interfere with your brain-ovary communication
• The hidden reason you feel worse before your period: low progesterone and inflammation
• How to naturally support hormone balance with nutrition, stress regulation, and gut healing

Your hormones aren’t out to get you, they’re your body’s messengers. This episode will help you understand what your cycle is really telling you, why your period is a vital sign, and how to finally create the painless, balanced cycle you deserve.

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

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I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

To sign up for the free training on November 18th, head here: https://bit.ly/bhn-nov25

If you’ve been told to skip breakfast or fast until noon to lose weight, this episode is for you. Research actually shows the opposite. Women who eat breakfast have better blood sugar, lower inflammation, fewer cravings, and a reduced risk of metabolic syndrome. But here’s the catch: what you eat for breakfast will make or break your hormones, appetite, and weight loss results for the entire day.

In this episode I’m sharing:

• Why eating breakfast is one of the easiest ways to support weight loss and hormone balance
• The exact protein target you need to hit for stable energy, cravings, and metabolism
• My go-to breakfast proteins: eggs, chicken sausage, salmon, Greek yogurt, and more
• Why fiber is essential for blood sugar balance, and the best morning sources of fiber
• How to build a satiating breakfast bowl with reheated resistant-starch potatoes, veggies, and protein
• The low-glycemic carbs that keep cravings away
• Why smoothies often fail women, and how to build one that’s blood-sugar friendly and actually filling
• Whether you should drink coffee before breakfast
• How to create 2–3 easy breakfasts you can rotate without feeling bored or overwhelmed

The first meal of your day sets your metabolism, mood, and cravings in motion. This episode will show you how to build a breakfast that stabilizes blood sugar, supports hormones, and makes weight loss feel effortless, not punishing.

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

—

I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

To sign up for the free training on November 18th, head here: https://bit.ly/bhn-nov25

If you’re dealing with mood swings, hot flashes, weight gain around your midsection, worsening PMS, or feeling like your body is suddenly working against you, this episode is for you. You’re not losing your mind. You’re in perimenopause, a long transition (not a two-week phase) where your hormones are shifting, your metabolism is changing, and your body is asking for support, not punishment.

In this episode I’m sharing:

• Why perimenopause is a “second puberty” and what’s really behind the mood swings, cravings, and thicker waistline
• The labs every woman should run during this transition: a full thyroid panel, metabolic panel, fasting insulin, A1C, and more
• How dropping estrogen and progesterone create relative androgen excess, and why this changes your fat distribution and energy
• What your adrenals have to do with worsening PMS, exhaustion, irritability, and sleep
• The blood sugar strategies that stabilize hormones
• The supplements that actually help
• Why phytoestrogen foods (like flaxseed) can help, but only if your gut microbiome and detox pathways are supported
• The role of minerals like boron, sodium, and potassium in smoothing the transition
• How oxytocin improves insulin sensitivity, plus daily ways to build more joy, connection, and calm
• The workouts that support your metabolism now: heavy strength training + zone 2 walking, not more HIIT
• How to create a personalized, sustainable plan by supporting adrenals, thyroid, gut, minerals, and metabolic health

Remember: perimenopause isn’t something to fear, it’s a phase your body can thrive in when you give it targeted support. This episode will help you understand what’s changing, take control of your symptoms, and move through this transition with energy, confidence, and ease.

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

—

I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

If you have a cabinet full of half-used supplements you bought with hope, but abandoned because they didn’t actually do anything, this episode is for you. The wellness industry has convinced women that there’s a pill for every problem. But most of what you’re taking is doing nothing for your hormones, and some of it may even be making things worse.

In this episode I’m sharing:

• The real reason multivitamins are a waste of money
• Why “hormone balance blends” with maca, Vitex, ashwagandha, and rhodiola often backfire
• How to identify low-quality supplements — hidden fillers, fake transparency, and lack of third-party testing
• The supplements that should always be heavy-metal tested, like magnesium and protein powder
• The truth about probiotics and why most refrigerated ones never survive your stomach acid
• Why detox kits and liver cleanses don’t work unless your drainage pathways are open
• The difference between detoxing and actually supporting your body’s ability to eliminate toxins
• Why testing, like HTMA, is cheaper in the long run than guessing and buying trendy supplements
• The one supplement that actually does work for most women
• How to read supplement labels like a pro and spot useless dosages instantly

Supplements should support your healing, not drain your wallet or overload your system. This episode will help you clear the clutter, stop wasting money, and choose only the products that actually move the needle for your hormones.

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

—

I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

If you’ve ever felt burned out, ignored by the medical system, overwhelmed by symptoms, or terrified of menopause because of what everyone says about it, this episode is for you. Brandi Garden, co-founder of Eversio Wellness and author of Healing Your Body, Mind, and Soul, shares how she went from autoimmune disease, burnout, and skin cancer to sailing through perimenopause without a single symptom. She’s here to show you how to become the CEO of your own health.

In this episode we’re sharing:

• Why waiting for the perfect time to take care of your health keeps you stuck in the same cycle  
• How Brandi went from psoriatic arthritis, chronic inflammation, and emotional burnout to genuine joy, energy, and balance  
• The mindset shift that changed everything: moving from identifying with symptoms to seeing them as signals of imbalance
• Why women avoid running labs or making changes, and the surprising payoff of staying in the comfort zone
• How mushrooms like reishi, cordyceps, lion’s mane, tremella, and maitake help regulate stress, blood sugar, inflammation, and hormones
• How maitake supports ovulation, insulin sensitivity, immune function, and even A1C levels 
• Why balancing foundational hormones makes perimenopause and menopause easier 
• What it actually means to “co-regulate,” ask for help, build emotional resilience, and stop living in survival mode 
• The story behind Brandi’s new five-mushroom blend, and how to use it for perimenopause, energy, mood, and metabolic health 
• How her new book blends memoir, mindset, actionable exercises to help you create real change 

You’re not your diagnosis, your symptoms, or your past. This episode will help you trust your intuition, regulate stress, nourish your hormones, and take the small, courageous steps that create the future you actually want without waiting for rock bottom to force you there.

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

🙏Thank you to Eversio Wellness for sponsoring this episode!

👉 Go to https://www.eversiowellness.com/discount/LEAH or enter code LEAH at checkout for 15% off.

—

I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

If you’ve spent years feeling exhausted, bloated, moody, or dismissed by doctors who keep telling you your labs are “normal,” this episode is for you. You’re not broken, your body is begging you to listen. Healing your hormones doesn’t start with perfection or another extreme detox. It starts with one simple thing: taking action before you feel ready.

In this episode I’m sharing:

• Why waiting for the “perfect time” keeps you stuck in the same cycle of frustration and burnout
• How to start healing your hormones without having it all figured out (and why messy action beats waiting every time)
• The truth about the “boring basics” that actually fix your hormones, like sleep, nourishment, minerals, and nervous system safety
• Why your body can’t heal if you keep jumping from cleanse to cleanse or diet to diet
• The power of consistency and joy in your healing process and how to stop treating it like punishment
• The orchestra analogy: how every part of your body works together and why restoring harmony starts with safety and nourishment
• How to use your symptoms as communication, not condemnation, and finally trust your body again
• My favorite first step for most women: balancing blood sugar with 30 grams of protein at breakfast

Healing doesn’t begin when everything’s perfect. It begins the moment you decide to start. This episode will help you stop waiting, stop doubting, and start taking the small, powerful steps that lead to real hormone balance and lasting change.

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

—

I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

—

The recommendations presented in this podcast are not a substitute for medical advice from a qualified doctor. Before making any changes to your diet and lifestyle, please consult with your healthcare provider.

If you’ve ever stood in your kitchen staring at your fridge wondering what to eat for your hormones—or felt like every grocery trip ends in confusion—this episode is for you. You don’t need another restrictive meal plan or complicated recipe list. You need a pantry that works with your hormones, not against them. Whether you’re managing PCOS, insulin resistance, or just want to balance blood sugar and feel better, this episode breaks down exactly what to stock so every meal supports your energy, mood, and metabolism.

In this episode I’m sharing:

• The biggest PCOS myth about carbs (and why you shouldn’t cut them out completely)
• How to build your plate for stable blood sugar and balanced hormones—without restriction
• The best low-glycemic carbs to keep on hand: potatoes, berries, squashes, and resistant starches
• My go-to protein staples that make hitting 30g per meal easy (and fast!)
• The veggies and fibers that boost gut health and keep cravings under control
• Why batch cooking beats traditional meal prep (and how to make it simple)
• The mineral-rich foods that power your thyroid and adrenals
• How to stock hormone-supportive snacks, from homemade protein balls to clean meat sticks
• The seed cycling staples that help naturally regulate hormones and support ovulation
• Hidden sugar traps in sauces and dressings (and how to swap them for clean versions)

Eating for your hormones isn’t about perfection,it’s about preparation. When your pantry is stocked with real, nourishing staples, every meal becomes a step toward better energy, balanced blood sugar, and thriving with PCOS, not fighting against it.

Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

🙏 Thank you to Paleovalley for sponsoring this episode!

👉 Go to https://paleovalley.com/leah and enter code LEAH at checkout for 15% off.

—

I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.

Let’s connect:

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/

🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/

🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/

📧 Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

—

The recommendations presented in this podcast are not a substitute for medical advice from a qualified doctor. Before making any changes to your diet and lifestyle, please consult with your healthcare provider.