Hormone Health Podcast

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) has had a recent name change to Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) - talk about a name glow up!

We welcome the new name change as its a shift to a whole-body health and medical perspective. PMOS doesn't just impact the hormones, it impacts multiple body systems, including hormones, metabolism, and mental health, rather than just the ovaries.

This episode is dedicated to discussing the details of the new name change as-well as recapping the diagnostic criteria, PMOS phenotypes (spoiler alert, you can be more than one phenotype), and what treatment...

If you're a local parent in Newcastle or Lake Macquarie, chances are you've already heard of Amy Chatburn Stevens, she's a bit of a legend around here when it comes to supporting new parents and their bubs on the feeding journey. We're so thankful to have her join us today to chat about what it takes to set yourself up for a positive breastfeeding journey.

Topics covered with Amy

The nervous system is running the show and influencing our mood, hormones, digestion, recovery and relationships. And most of us were never taught how it actually works.

In this episode, we break it all down with our ultimate nervous system Naturopath - T'Keyah (TK).

TK explains the difference between your sympathetic (fight/flight) and parasympathetic (rest/digest) states, and why your body responds the way it does under stress. She also discusses the fawn response, a learnt behaviour and survival state that is often missed. Did you know the nervous system is a real-life, tangible...

Something is shifting. The way we talk about Herpes in 2026 looks nothing like it did ten years ago.

This episode is dedicated to changing the way we speak about this very, very common virus - Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV). Because HSV affects an enormous proportion of the global population, yet it remains one of the most stigmatised, misunderstood, and under-discussed diagnoses in sexual health.

Today we're joined by Jessie, Naturopath and founder of Botanical Abundance, who specialises in hormonal, vaginal, and sexual health.

In this episode, we're going more than skin deep. We're...

Sorry we ghosted you, but here's the tea on where the bloody hell we've been!

Also, this weeks episode we're exploring the gut–brain axis, and a program called Nerva that we've been recommending to clients for a few years now with some genuinely incredible results.

We're joined by Amy Coen, Accredited Practising Dietitian at Nerva, a clinically validated gut-brain therapy program for IBS and other disorders of gut-brain interaction. Amy brings firsthand clinical experience as well insight into her role educating healthcare practitioners across Australia to deepen their understanding of the gut-brain axis and it...

In this episode, we are speaking with Renée Grandi all about "Endometriosis Brain"

Renee is a Neuroscience Researcher with a Master’s in Neuroscience and a clinical background as a Naturopath and Clinical Nutritionist. She is also the founder of the Women’s Integrative Health Clinic, where she focuses on complex conditions such as endometriosis, autoimmune disorders, and chronic fatigue, particularly their effects on the brain and nervous system.

- When we talk about endometriosis, it’s usually framed around pelvic pain and reproductive health. But the impact of endometriosis goes far beyond the pelvis—...

In this weeks episode we’re exploring why women’s bodies respond differently to diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes compared to men — and why the same strategies for weight loss don’t always work.

Women’s physiology is different, not defective - and understanding those differences is the key to creating real, sustainable results

Here's a little sneak-peek into some of the topics we discuss:

If you’ve ever felt frustrated that the usual approaches j...

Period pain is experienced by 90% (yes! 90%!!) of tweens and teens — but how much is “normal,” and when should you seek help?

In this episode, we explore what period pain actually is, why it happens, and how common it really is among our teens and teens in Australia. We’ll unpack the difference between mild, manageable cramps and severe pain that could signal conditions like endometriosis, plus introduce the PIPPA tool — a simple way to screen whether period pain needs further medical attention.

You’ll also learn about both conventional and natural approaches for managing pain and heavy bl...

Today we’re joined by Madeline Longrigg, founder of Body Lane, a Brisbane-based clinic specialising in myotherapy, C-section scar release, and pregnancy and postpartum support. Madeline is also the creator of the C-Section Release Method, a hands-on training course that equips practitioners to support post-surgical healing and recovery.

In this episode, Maddie takes us on a deep dive into C-section scars - the physical and emotional healing journey, how a scar should feel, symptoms that manifest from poor scar healing and how you can start improving your scar right now in the comfort of your home.

Ma...

In this episode, we delve into a recent study published Dietary Modification and Supplement Use For Endometriosis Pain (March 2025) that investigates the role of dietary modifications and supplement use in managing endometriosis-related pain. The research, conducted by a team from the University of Edinburgh and University College Cork, explores how certain dietary patterns and supplements may influence pain levels in individuals with endometriosis.

Strengths

Samantha Payne founded The Pink Elephant Support Network 9 years ago, on the back of her own personal experience with pregnancy loss. We are excited to chat to Sam today about her tenacity for change and her passion for driving awareness and support for women, couples, and individuals who experience early pregnancy loss in Australia.

Sam shares: "if one of my children in 20 years time had to face the journey of miscarriage, it better bloody be different to what it is now".

Pink Elephant's is a platform that offers tiered support for your individual needs at...

Husky, sniffly voices from Chloe and Georgia in their timely episode covering all things sickness, in particular Winter viruses.

Some topics covered in this episode include:

A bite sized ep (actually closer to a full meal) but this week's episode is all about protein! And in particular, why protein is so incredibly important for us as women and those with a menstrual cycle.

Protein directly influences how our hormones function, as it's protein thats responsible for the synthesis of oestrogen and progesterone which regulate our menstrual cycle AND the hormone insulin that regulates our appetite, energy and cravings.

Learn how how much protein you should be eating, take a deep dive into the protein leverage hypothesis and hear Chloe's analogy to...

Another birth story to kick off season three of Hormone Health Podcast. For this week's episode we hear from Georgia who welcomed her third baby, little Lottie into the world via a beautiful home birth experience in August 2024.

Georgia talks us through her decision to try for a Vaginal Birth After Caesarean (VBAC) at home after her second birth resulted in an emergency caesarean due to breech position. If you have experienced a VBAC before, you may resonate with Georgias feelings of increasing anticipation, doubt and excitement as labour and birth approach, these feelings only intensifying as...

We're back for our third season after a mini (maxi) hiatus from the microphones. During this time away, Georgia and Chloe both welcomed their beautiful baby girls into the world, adding to the ever growing Hormone Health Studio girl gang.

So thanks for being here, for welcoming us back into your ears, and we hope you stick around for what will be an awesome next chapter in the Hormone Health Podcast series.

To mark the month of April being caesarean awareness month, today's episode is Chloes recount of her birth story to her daughter Olive...

This episode is a must for those preparing for labour and birth and for those, including birth partners, who will be present during a labour and birth. We were lucky enough to speak with well-known, Rhea Dempsey, who over the last 40 years has attended thousands of births.

This was such a fascinating chat about:

What can you do to thrive through peri-menopause?

Today we chat with the amazing Kimberly Vucurovic, also known as The Menopause Psychologist. This podcast episode is a must for every woman - whether you are currently in the journey of peri-menopause or whether it feels years away.

We talk about the negative thoughts associated with peri-menopause, the overwhelm, and how we can work to shift our mindset on such a journey.

Download! Share! DM us on Instagram! Flick us an email at hello@hormonehealthstudio.com! We'd love...

Lucy Lines is an Embryologist, Fertility Educator and IVF Advocate and she runs @twolinesfertility instagram page where she shares so much valuable information.

We were lucky to speak to Lucy all about how to prepare for IVF when that's been your recommended next step on your fertility journey.

A must listen to all on the IVF journey! Be sure to let us know your thoughts - send us a DM on Instagram or email at hello@hormonehealthstudio.com.

Bernadette Lack, or more colloquially known as B, is a midwife, PT, mum of 2 and fellow prolapser.

Our conversation with B was delightfully multilayered, like a fresh croissant. We spoke about her personal experience with incontinence and prolapse, and her current work supporting women through pregnancy, postpartum and motherhood through her businesses Core & Floor Restore, and Motheration.

B's work and dedication to the pelvic floor is undeniable and in this episode she provides such useful information on how we can all support our pelvic floor health throughout the varying stages of life.

"The...

This short and sweet episode touches on one of the most common complaints we see at Hormone Health Studio - urinary tract infections (UTIs).

We talk about exactly what UTIs are, who is most at risk, how the vaginal microbiome plays a role, same goes with hormones, and of course what you can start doing to get on top of recurrent UTIs.

As always, we'd love to hear from you. Send us a DM on Instagram or email us at hello@hormonehealthstudio.com.

*Please note that ehen...

Seed Cycling - a bit of "woo woo" or a useful approach to using food as a nutritional tool for improving menstrual cycle symptoms?

This this episode we chat with Sarina Coventry, a Nutritionist who uses Seed Cycling in her clinical practice with great results. She gives us a thorough insight into:

If you are interested in starting seed cycling or keen to learn more about how...

Natalie Kringoudis has an impressive bio...and it's no surprise considering she is THE Hormone Revolutionist.

With over 20 years of experience supporting women as a TCM Practitioner, herbalist and Acupuncturist, Nat has gained a deep understanding of how and why we can experience particular symptoms and how to manage them.

In this episode, Nat shares with us how she started her career and the many individuals she has supported over the years, as well as her own very recent experience of an extended fast. An episode full of great insights and one not to be...

On average, around 80% of us with a period will experience Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS).

PMS symptoms can vary from one individual to another, and can be broken in subtypes such as physical, psychological, cognitive and behavioural.

Can you believe that there were Canadian researchers in 2012 who tried to conclude that there wasn't a valid explanation for PMS and that it could be a "made up" condition?

Anyway - this episode Chloe and Georgia take a deep dive into understanding PMS and touch on these questions:

Do you have golden poo? Or, are you like the majority of us and have reduce microbial diversity in our guts?

In this episode we chat to self regarded Gut Nerd, Dr Brad Leech all about the complexity of the gut microbiome. Since graduating from his Health Science Degree in Naturopathy, Brad has gone on to further his education regarding gut health - so we had some questions for this gut expert....

Elle Brown is a Clinical Nutritionist with a special interest in the Nervous System. In this episode we discuss with Elle how what we think and feel on a daily basis can have a physical impact on us in the form of symptoms.

Elle mentions that every client she see's, no matter what health concern they are coming in with can benefit from learning how to support their Nervous System, which may also look like introducing practices such as Clinical Emotional Freedom Technique, also known as EFT. She even walks us through a quick example of how...

In this weeks episode, we chat to Dr Melanie Jackson, home birth midwife and host of The Great Birth Rebellion Podcast.

Melanie kindly talks us through her personal journey of birthing her two children at home with her learnt experiences as a midwife. Such a powerful birth story, with a sneak peak quote from Mel:

"and I started hysterically laughing like a mad women, and I remember thinking maybe to myself, maybe I should tone this down, and then immediately telling myself ""no Mel, you're amongst friends here and you need to just let out...

Content Warning: this episode discusses pregnancy and pregnancy loss which may be triggering for some listeners.

This short and sweet episode touches on a few exciting topics. Georgia has an announcement, we have an update on what's happening at Hormone Health Studio in 2024, and Chloe shares a third trimester pregnancy update.

Thank you for joining us for another year of Hormone Health Podcast and following along on our work and personal journeys. We have so much planned for 2024 and, as always, we'd love to hear from you. Send us a DM on Instagram or email...

"PCOS- what a stupid, pompous title that is." - Dr Soji Swaraj

Imagine having a hour with an Endocrinologist to ask them all there is to know about PCOS? Well we did, and we couldn't wait to release this episode.

There is so much confusion and shame around PCOS - it's diagnosis; its true effect on fertility; its management. So we got none other than expert in the field, Endocrinologist Dr Soji Swaraj, on the podcast to understand exactly what PCOS is, why it happens, who it happens to (hint: Olympians and Netballers get a...

You may have already heard of Lauren, she is the face of One Mama Midwife whose highly regarded Antenatal and Birth Classes are offered across Sydney, Central Coast and Brisbane.

Lauren is a mum of four, and has experienced four cesareans, all with a differing reasons and experiences. In this episode, we chat to Lauren about cesareans (of course)- her personal experiences, how she supports her clients through planned or emergency C-sections, and the journey of a maternally-assisted cesarean section.

Whether you are currently pregnant, are planning on becoming pregnant, are booked for a...

Seven in ten people will experience some degree of nausea and vomiting in their pregnancy. Was that you, or were you one of the lucky ones who didn't feel unwell?

Unfortunately 1-3% of people will be diagnosed with a serve form of pregnancy sickness known as Hyperemesis Gravidarum (AKA HG).

HG can be completely debilitating and negatively influence almost all aspects of your health and life as you knew it - even proving to be fatal to foetus and mum if not managed correctly.

So when we say we are very excited about...

This week’s episode is for you if you are embarking on an assisted reproductive technology (ART) journey to conceive as a same sex couple, or going it alone using donor sperm.

Sam and Lauren are two of our lovely clients at Hormone Health Studio who have kindly shared their personal IVF and health journey with us, and all we can say is WOW - what a couple!

We ask them how they navigated the more technical side of having a baby from the referrals, appointments and sperm donor decisions to deciding who will undergo eg...

This weeks episode we are chatting with our very own Hormone Health Studio Naturopath, T'Keyah all about her home birth.

Before we get into the juicy details of her birth, T'Keyah talks us through her preconception planning, fertility journey and how she decided that homebirth with a private midwife would be her chosen model of care throughout her pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

T'Keyah shares practical advice on how she prepared her body for birth, and more importantly, how she created her desired environment during the early postpartum period.

So whether you are interested...

You may have heard about the gut microbiome and its influence on digestive concerns, anxiety, energy, weight. But have you heard about the vaginal microbiome

This is a fascinating new area of research that is providing valuable insight into how the vaginal microbiome might be affecting common concerns including thrush, bacterial vaginosis, vaginal dryness or burning, different discharge colours and smells, as well as fertility outcomes.

In this episode we chat about the common vaginal concerns our team of Naturopaths see at Hormone Health Studio as well as the testing we often order for our...

We hear a lot about the harmful effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on our hormones. For example, there is a link between exposure to phthalates, parabens, bisphenols (and other EDCs) on fertility, egg and sperm quality, IVF outcomes, and also conditions such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, thyroid disorders, weight, the list goes on.

So one of the first (and simple) steps we can take to avoid the harmful effects of EDCs is by reducing our exposure to such chemicals in our skin care products. That's why this week we got Anna Mitsios on the podcast. Anna...

All too often, our clients at Hormone Health Studio first present to us with period pain. The number one question we ask is: What is causing the period pain? Is it related to the food they are eating? Is it related to their lifestyle? Or is it something more serious such as Adenomyosis or Endometriosis?

In this week's episode we dive into the complexity of period pain. This is an episode to be shared with all of your girlfriends.

It's time we create a path to pain-free periods.We'd love to hear your journey with...

In this week's episode we chat about Matrescence - the process of becoming a mother.

Similar to adolescence, matrescence is a time of enormous transition. Something we often disregard as people enter parenthood.

So today we speak with counsellor, psychotherapist, founder of Mind Momentum, and mum of 2, Wendy Gilroy all about this process and how mother's can support themselves through such transformative years.

Georgia also speaks about her experience with 'Mum rage' and how she was not prepared for such a change in her mental health.

An episode not to be...

Whens launching Hormone Health Podcast, it was a goal to interview everyday people who have undergone extraordinary health journey's. Kate's is one such example. In today's episode we chat with Chloe's ex-boss all about her journey with abnormal cervical screenings and amidst the concern that she may never be able to conceive, she is nearing 39 weeks of her uncomplicated pregnancy.

It is through stories like these that we can truly normalise the conversation about fertility difficulties and unite in the comfort that we each have hurdles to face. Hurdles to jump over. And hurdles to look back...

There has been a lot of interest in the gut microbiome of recent years. We know the health of our gut is linked with digestive systems such as bloating, constipation, diarrhoea and flatulence. But it is also linked with brain health.

In today's episode we are talking all about how the gut microbiome influences neurotransmitters and feelings of anxiety. This episode is a reflection of a recent seminar Georgia hosted at Elysia Health Retreat and is a breakdown of how anxiety presents in the body; how gut health influences the brain; and how to start modulating the...

Understanding hormonal fluctuations throughout the menstrual cycle allows us to make sense of not only our fertile window but also how our mood, energy, gut health, endurance and resilience may be related to hormones.

In this weeks episode we dive deep into the phases of the menstrual cycle and how to track it properly using the tools of basal body temperature and cervical mucus. You will hear Georgia talk about an interesting study showing that only 13% of people ovulate on Day 14 of the cycle. And Chloe mention 'ferning'.

An episode not...

This week we chat with mum of two and founder of Female Focus Physiotherapy, Erin Cuskelly, all about the pelvic floor.

Before we jump into this insightful chat, we speak about our upcoming fundraiser - Pink Elephants Phunking Epic Fundraiser which is going to be held at Earp Bros Distillery in Carrington NSW on Saturday 14 October 2023. Click here to purchase your ticket - we'd absolutely love and appreciate your support.

Understanding the pelvic floor is important for women of all ages to ensure we can prevent and manage any unwanted symptoms. We speak with Erin...