Episodes

  • EP 296 Is this Normal? Menstrual Cycle Edition

    EP 296 Is this Normal? Menstrual Cycle Edition
    Jul 30 2024
    In this episode of the Wholesome Fertility Podcast, Michelle addresses common questions about menstrual cycle symptoms, discussing what is considered normal and what might require more attention. Michelle breaks down the phases of the menstrual cycle and explains various factors that can influence cycle regularity and health. Key Points: Understanding the Menstrual Cycle Normal Menstrual Cycle Range Irregular Menstrual Cycles Common Causes of Irregular Menstrual Cycles Seeking Medical Advice Tips for Supporting Menstrual Cycle Health Resources for the episode: Check out my free ebook: The Best Kept Secrets to Harmonizing Your Mooncycle: https://www.michelleoravitz.com/hackyourcycle Mira: CLICK HERE AND USE COUPON CODE WHOLESOMEFERTILITY FOR 15% OFF! Tempdrop: CLICK HERE AND USE COUPON CODE AFWHOLESOMELOTUS FOR A DISCOUNTED PRICE! Check out Michelle’s latest book here: https://www.michelleoravitz.com/thewayoffertility Follow Michelle on Instagram @thewholesomelotusfertility and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thewholesomelotus/ for more tips and updates. For more information about Michelle, visit: www.michelleoravitz.com The Wholesome FertilityFacebook group is where you can find free resources and support: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2149554308396504/ Transcript: Is this normal? Menstrual cycle symptoms [00:00:00] Welcome to the Wholesome Fertility Podcast. I'm your host, Michelle Orbitz, and today I'm going to start a new type of series that is going to come every once in a while. And it starts out with, is this normal? Because oftentimes I do get questions, is this normal from my patients? Or sometimes people DM me on Instagram when it comes to their menstrual cycle. So I thought that would be actually a really good thing to do. Idea for the podcast because there are many things that can be normal and there are many things that. might require more attention. So on today's episode, I'm going to talk about what is normal and what is not when it comes to irregular menstrual cycles. So a menstrual cycle in general is not just the period. Sometimes when people hear menstrual cycle, they think of menses or menstruation. And the menstrual cycle itself [00:01:00] starts out from day one, which is the moment a person has a bleed, but not just spotting, but like a full bleed. And so once they have a full bleed that is considered day one of their menstrual cycle. And typically how you would know how long your menstrual cycle is, is because you would mark the first day of a real bleed to the next day of the next cycles full bleed. So whatever time that is, That is the days between your menstrual cycle and so you start out with the bleed and that is the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle where the follicle grows to be ready for ovulation. So typically about mid cycle is when ovulation usually occurs, but of course it's different with every person. And then after ovulation from that point until the first day of the [00:02:00] next cycle or continuous if there's hopefully pregnancy, but that is considered the luteal phase. And typically if you were doing a BBT charting, Just to kind of give you an image in your mind, the follicular phase, the first part of the cycle is about 97 degrees of basal body temperature. And of course it can fluctuate a little up and down. And then the second half is 98 degrees. And. Usually it increases. That's kind of like more of when you look at the yin and the yang. That's more of the yang phase versus the beginning, which is the yin phase. And if you see that the temperature is a little too low or too erratic, those are things that might want to get your attention, maybe to check your thyroid. And go to an OB just to kind of get general labs drawn or a reproductive endocrinologist, which I always recommend anyway, just to kind of get your baseline. [00:03:00] So that being said, that is the menstrual cycle. That's typically, , the different phases of the menstrual cycle. And today I am going to mention what might not seem like a textbook cycle, but it's still within the normal range. So, typically, a textbook menstrual cycle is 28 days between the first day of the first period, and To the second day of the second period, the next period, and that is textbook. And the reason why I say textbook is most of the time people do not follow what is in the textbook. It is the majority of people are around 28 days and usually they will ovulate. Around the middle, like, so about 12 to 14 days is usually when ovulation happens, but that can, that can also shift a little bit depending on the person and within a normal range. So a normal [00:04:00] range of a menstrual cycle can actually be between 21 and 35 days. Although I would say 21 days is short in my book, I would definitely try to extend it a little bit. For me personally, as an acupuncturist, I would like to have it 24 days or more. 35 days can ...
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    27 mins
  • EP 295 The One Thing I Suggest to Everyone I Work With

    EP 295 The One Thing I Suggest to Everyone I Work With
    Jul 23 2024
    This solo episode delves into the profound impact of meditation on fertility and overall health. Highlighting the often overlooked aspect of mindset, Michelle explains how stress and the resulting cortisol levels can negatively affect reproductive health. She shares her personal insights from over 20 years of meditation practice and references ancient wisdom as well as modern research, including Dr. Joe Dispenza's work on the mind-body connection. Key Points Discussed: Introduction to Meditation Mind-Body Connection: Practical Meditation Tips: Overcoming Common Meditation Challenges: Protecting Energy and Boundaries: Meditation Techniques and Benefits: Check out Michelle’s latest book here: https://www.michelleoravitz.com/thewayoffertility Follow Michelle on Instagram @thewholesomelotusfertility Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thewholesomelotus/ for more tips and updates. For more information about Michelle, visitwww.michelleoravitz.com The Wholesome FertilityFacebook group is where you can find free resources and support: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2149554308396504/ Transcript: Meditation and fertility [00:00:00] Welcome to the Wholesome Fertility Podcast. I'm your host, Michelle Orvitz, and it's been a while since I have done my solo podcast episode. And today I wanted to talk about the role of meditation and enhancing fertility. And I've talked about meditation before, but it is such an important topic that I want to talk about it again. And so today I'm going to talk about the benefits of mindfulness or just meditation, many different types of meditation. And why it's so important when it comes to overall health and fertility health. It is often one of the things that is really missed and taken off the list. Many people who come to work with me, whether it's online or in person, they share with me that they're eating the right things, taking the right supplements, they did everything. And most of the time when I ask about the mindset aspect, it is not the same. That really [00:01:00]priority. So it is something that I find myself really taking like a session or two just discussing because it's something that can be very abstract. And of course it's invisible. Our mindset, how we think is often something that runs in the background. And it's kind of like this programming that we have that's in the background of our life. And we often don't pay attention to it. We often actually get distracted and don't even realize that our reaction to things that are outside of us. comes from our mindset. And there are many different ways that we can react. There's many different ways that we can take it in. And so there are aspects of our mindset that we don't even realize are happening. And we may not even realize that they can impact our hormones, they can impact our sleep, and they can even impact our cravings and what we [00:02:00] eat. So this is why. I say that although it's invisible and although it is very abstract to really look at, it is so important. And it's probably, if anything, the number one priority that I usually try to address when I work with patients and when I work with my patients. Customers online. So I know that there's also a debate on stress and fertility, and there's always the argument that people at war times are really, really stressful events, get pregnant. And while this is true and a valid argument. That doesn't take away from the fact that when people stress, that increases cortisol, and cortisol is a hormone, and that can impact many different things for both men and women, and we know that men's nervous system can impact male [00:03:00] reproductive health. And for women, cortisol competes with progesterone, and it can impact progesterone. It can also impact sleep, which has a cascade of events. It can impact hormone production and hormone regulation. So all of these things are very important and stress does impact the body and how , the state of mind is impacts physiology. And we're seeing that. And slowly by slowly we're starting to get a bigger picture through modern research on just how much The mind can, in fact, impact the body and impact reproductive health. So these are just some examples, but I also have my theory. So my theory is this. is that we have an incredible intelligence, this divine intelligence that programs our body. We have [00:04:00] blueprints in every single cell in our body, and that is the DNA, and it has instructions, it has information, and it can turn on and off. This is called epigenetics. It can turn on and off to be healthy or not healthy, and it can go into a state of health or dis ease, and And this really is something that happens based on our environment and our environment or our internal environment, our blood can have stress hormones or it can have hormones that are more beneficial for growth. And this responds to our state of mind. So we have this ...
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    31 mins
  • EP 294 Does Our Relationship with Our Bodies Impact Fertility? | Kathryn Bregman

    EP 294 Does Our Relationship with Our Bodies Impact Fertility? | Kathryn Bregman
    Jul 16 2024
    Kathryn Bregman Ed.S. struggled for years to become pregnant. She tried every diet, lotion and potion she could find. She endured two rounds of failed egg retrievals until she realized her body was pristine, but her mind did not feel balanced. She was suffering from stress and information overload. She was exhausted, defeated and depressed. Even though she was already in therapy, Kathryn hired a fertility mindset coach, which changed everything. Within 6 months she got pregnant naturally and gave birth to a healthy baby girl at 40. After that, Kathryn made it her mission to spread the word of what she learned to completely transform her outcome. Today she is a Certified Life Coach and a Certified Miracle Minded Master Coach. She's also the only fertility coach in the world who trained directly under Marianne Williamson learning exclusive and cutting-edge coaching techniques. She works with private clients across the globe and runs online group programs where women find the authentic support that they need to become the moms they are meant to be. You can find out more about Kathryn at: www.badassfertility.com Instagram: @BadassFertility Free ebook: https://badassfertility.com/fb-ad-habits/ For more information about Michelle, visit: www.michelleoravitz.com Check out Michelle’s latest book here: https://www.michelleoravitz.com/thewayoffertility The Wholesome FertilityFacebook group is where you can find free resources and support: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2149554308396504/ Instagram: @thewholesomelotusfertility Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewholesomelotus/ Transcript: Michelle (00:00) Welcome to the podcast, Catherine. Kathryn Bregman (00:02) Hi, thank you so much. I'm so happy to be here. It's an honor to be on your show and speak with you today. Michelle (00:10) I'm so happy you're here as well, Catherine, and I'd love for you to share your inspiring story and how you got to do this work. Kathryn Bregman (00:13) Thank you. Absolutely, I would love to share I became inspired to be a fertility coach and work with women who are on the journey to their babies because when I was struggling to become pregnant with my daughter, who I had at 40, after struggling for about four years to conceive, after being advised to use donor different things like that, I realized that a huge, part of my struggle in my journey was, well, there were physical things that I'll talk about in a moment. There was a lot going on in my head space that was a huge block for me because when I first started trying to conceive with my husband, I was 36. We got married, you know, 36, and I was like, already felt behind, you know, was super concerned about. whether or not we'd be able to conceive. I'd always had like heavy periods, but never been diagnosed with anything in particular. So I felt like nervous and a little wary. And after about trying for just two months or so, we decided to use an ovulation kit. We used an ovulation kit and I got pregnant right away. And I remember thinking, my God, why do people struggle to conceive? Just use an ovulation kit. Michelle (01:33) Mm -hmm. Kathryn Bregman (01:41) Like it's so simple, hello, right? And then a couple of weeks later, we lost that pregnancy. And I did not get pregnant again for several years, no matter how hard I tried, no matter what we did. And I'll talk kind of briefly about that as And so it was like a famous last words kind of a And... So after trying for about another year, you know, we did acupuncture, which I love. I'm a huge fan of acupuncture, a huge fan of herbs. I think it was really integral on my journey, but there was more blocking me that I had to get through, right? And so after about a year of trying, you know, naturally and using acupuncture, we were advised to do IVF. And when we went to do IVF, I got like a laundry list of physical ailments that... were in my way, including a lot of stuff that I'm sure from a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, you would say is like inflammation and gut health, right? But at that point in time, I didn't know that. I just knew like, you have elevated natural killer cells, you have endometriosis, you're pre -diabetic, even though I considered myself like very healthy, very healthy eater, exercised, all those things. It was like I didn't have the right quote unquote health for fertility, right? And so, Michelle (03:01) Mm -hmm. Kathryn Bregman (03:02) We were advised to go straight to IVF and we did two rounds of egg retrievals. retrieved about three embryos in each, but none of them came back genetically normal after we did genetic testing. So I was pretty devastated at that point, as you can imagine, as anyone who's been on this journey can imagine. We'd been trying at that point for about two years and... Michelle (03:17) Mm -hmm. Kathryn Bregman (03:27) I was really, I'm ...
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    44 mins
  • EP 293 Ozempic Babies, Miscarriages, & All Things IVF with Dr. Armando Hernandez-Rey

    EP 293 Ozempic Babies, Miscarriages, & All Things IVF with Dr. Armando Hernandez-Rey
    Jul 9 2024
    Dr. Armando Hernandez-Rey is Conceptions Florida’s medical director and triple-board certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility; Obstetrics and Gynecology; and Surgery. Dr. Armando Hernandez-Rey has over 24 years of experience in the medical field. He graduated from Universidad Autonoma de Ciencias Médicas de Centro America in 1998. He attended medical school at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine for his specialization in Obstetrics and Gynecology. He specializes in treating patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), recurrent pregnancy loss (miscarriage), and severe endometriosis. He is especially interested in fertility preservation (eggfreezing) for patients who must delay childbearing for personal or medical reasons, including cancer and systemic lupus erythematosus. Dr. Hernandez-Rey is an assistant clinical professor at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University and serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for the prestigious peer-reviewed journal, Fertility and Sterility. He has also published several articles and chapters in medical literature. Website https://www.conceptionsflorida.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/conceptionsflorida/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/conceptionsfl Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@conceptionsflorida For more information about Michelle, visit: www.michelleoravitz.com The Wholesome FertilityFacebook group is where you can find free resources and support: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2149554308396504/ Instagram: @thewholesomelotusfertility Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/thewholesomelotus/ Transcript: Michelle (00:00) Welcome to the podcast, Dr. Hernandez -Ray. Armando Hernandez-Rey MD (00:04) Thank you, Michelle. Thanks for the invitation. It's really an honor and a privilege to be on your show, on your podcast. Michelle (00:09) Yes, well, I've heard a lot about you over the years because I've had a lot of patients go to you. And one of the things that I've heard is that you do really well with surgeries and fibroids and you're able to in and but in a way that still preserves fertility. So that was one of the things that I've learned. Armando Hernandez-Rey MD (00:32) Well, reproductive endocrinology and infertility as a subspecialty is a surgical subspecialty as is OB -GYN, which is a mandatory path to get to the infertility route. Unfortunately, a lot of the newer generation is not operating because they're not taught, not through no fault of their own, they're not taught. The reality is that it is... Michelle (00:47) Mm -hmm. Armando Hernandez-Rey MD (00:55) for a myriad of reasons this phenomenon has happened. Number one, the minimally invasive surgery tract has been developed where you have the person who's really just really perfected their obstetrical skills. And then you have the gynecologic oncology route and the pelvic urogynecology or pelvic reconstruction route and the minimally invasive surgical route. And a lot of the reproductive endocrinologists, have said, you know what, I'm going to forego surgery and I'm going to refer it out. My personal philosophy, and this is in no way critical to absolutely anybody, it's just my own, is that I went into medicine to be a surgeon, I actually wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon. I ended up not liking it, I had a very bad fracture when I was in my teens playing competitive soccer, and I really had some PTSD from that fracture, so I just couldn't see myself doing orthopedic surgery, but I somehow found my way towards OBGYN, absolutely loved it. And eventually towards the reproductive endocrinology route, which encompasses a lot of surgery, should you allow it. And so yes, like you said, fibroids are an important part of fertility. you, tubal reconstruction used to be much more important than it is now. People are more, are bypassing that route and going directly to in vitro fertilization. Endometriosis, as I said, I was running a little bit late today. I was in a very, very complex endometriosis case with a patient with bilateral endometriomas and complete frozen pelvis and scar tissue. And, you know, just a little bit longer, I had to work with the colorectal surgeons to do some resection of the colon because it was, you know, endometriosis is such an awful, awful disease. So yes, to answer your question, I... Michelle (02:41) Yeah. Armando Hernandez-Rey MD (02:44) Absolutely love surgery. I think it's an integral part of the infertility journey to get a patient from being infertile to getting them to a high level of success with any sort of treatment. And hopefully it's more conservative than having to resort to artificial insemination or in vitro and with just surgery and corrective surgery, we can help the couple achieve a pregnancy. Michelle (03:07) Yeah, and I think it's important because I think that a lot of people might not ...
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    43 mins
  • EP 292 Sleep, Melatonin, & Sperm health | Dr. Kelsey Duncan

    EP 292 Sleep, Melatonin, & Sperm health | Dr. Kelsey Duncan
    Jul 2 2024
    After being told at a young age that she might struggle getting pregnant, without receiving adequate support or guidance, Dr. Kelsey embarked on a mission to offer better healthcare to women. She firmly believes women deserve the information to make quality decisions, the support they need to be successful, and the confidence in knowing they are doing everything within their power to make a baby. Through her 3 pillar Fertility Success System, Dr. Kelsey and her team have helped bring hundreds of babies into the world using evidence-driven medicine and supporting couples regardless of where they are in their fertility journey. When she’s not helping couples reach their fertility goals, you can find Dr. Kelsey spending time with her 2 kids, watching trashy reality tv when they go to bed, and enjoying time up north by the water. Free Webinar: Five Strategies to Build Fertility Confidence: https://kelseyduncan.com/ondemand/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fertilityconfidencemethod/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.kelseyduncannaturopathi9750 Fertility Confidence Podcast Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2xctPYL5cxoI1zFwSZJUmf?utm_medium=share&utm_source=linktree Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fertility-confidence-podcast/id1553380342?itsct=podcast_box_link&itscg=30200 Website: https://caredforwellnessclinic.com/podcast/ For more information about Michelle, visit: www.michelleoravitz.com The Wholesome FertilityFacebook group is where you can find free resources and support: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2149554308396504/ Instagram: @thewholesomelotusfertility Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/thewholesomelotus/ Transcript: Michelle (00:01.572) So welcome to the podcast, Kelsey. Dr. Kelsey (00:04.43) Thank you so much for having me. It's nice to see you again. Michelle (00:07.236) Nice to see you as well. So I was on your podcast. Now you're on my podcast. Dr. Kelsey (00:11.566) Yeah, getting very familiar, which is always good. Michelle (00:16.26) Yeah, for sure. So I'd love to have you share your story, your background story, which I always love hearing how you got into the work that you're doing today. Dr. Kelsey (00:23.346) That's it. Yeah, amazing. Well, it started with an acne journey, which I feel is very common as a young woman, but I had really horrible cystic acne. And I went through all the traditional medical route of what can you do to help me? It was a 14, 15, 16 year old girl. I was really looking at anything to make my skin clear. So, I was really just routinely offered various forms of birth control and some different antibacterial creams. And anytime I went on birth control or any of the birth controls they switched me on to, I never felt great. I was incredibly nauseous for a good portion of the month. It was really impacting my quality of life. But like I said, my skin felt like my number one priority. So I just sort of like suffered through that for many, many years. Michelle (01:07.812) Mm. Dr. Kelsey (01:22.158) And then I actually saw a naturopath in my journey once I was probably 19 or 20. And I just had one appointment with her. And it was like finally being heard after so many years of feeling like no one was taking me seriously of, you know, she's just another. that doesn't like her skin, like nothing crazy. And it wasn't, you know, this huge, profound like skin clearing experience either, but it was something that made me really start to question my journey and route in terms of how, what I wanted to do with my life. I knew, I always knew I wanted to be in medicine and help people. I just wasn't fully sure at that point what that really looked like. And so it was my first introduction to naturopathic medicine. And it felt really lovely. And I just kind of kept going through I thought I was going to be a pharmacist kept going through the motions of like going through that journey. And when that didn't work out, I had this like light bulb moment of like, well, I really liked that. Like, why don't I see you know what that's all about. And the stars sort of aligned that I had all the prerequisites to apply the applications were open, it all kind of worked out really well. And I landed myself. Michelle (02:18.788) well. Dr. Kelsey (02:41.038) in naturopathic college very shortly after I graduated. And fast forward a few years, I then had another experience in the medical community that pertained to my fertility. And it was my like last ditch effort in my hormonal birth control phase of again, trying to figure out my skin. And I was told that we would likely struggle, I'd likely struggle to get pregnant whenever the time came. Here's another. you know, birth control prescription, like, see you later. And that was sort of the breaking point for me of like, okay, at that moment, it wasn't like, hugely about the ...
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    39 mins
  • EP 291 Demystifying Non-toxic Living | Sophia Gushee Ruan

    EP 291 Demystifying Non-toxic Living | Sophia Gushee Ruan
    Jun 25 2024
    Sophia Ruan Gushée is a nontoxic lifestyle expert and author of A to Z of D-Toxing: The Ultimate Guide to Reducing Our Toxic Exposures and several detox workbooks. She is praised by experts in both medical and wellness fields for her practical approach to avoiding toxins and cultivating a healthier home environment. Sophia served on the Brown University School of Public Health Advisory Council and Well + Good Council. A graduate of Brown University and Columbia Business School, Sophia has helped thousands of people enjoy healthier lives by simplifying nontoxic living, while protecting the ease and convenience of modern life. https://www.ruanliving.com/nontoxic-cleaning-guide-may Website & Social media links (Facebook, instagram, twitter) - Instagram: @ruanliving, https://www.instagram.com/ruanliving/ - Facebook: Ruan Living, https://www.facebook.com/ruanliving - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/srgushee/ - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ruanliving For more information about Michelle, visit www.michelleoravitz.com The Wholesome FertilityFacebook group is where you can find free resources and support: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2149554308396504/ Instagram: @thewholesomelotusfertility Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/thewholesomelotus/ Transcript: Michelle (00:01) Welcome to the podcast, Sophia. Sophia Gushee (00:03) Thank you for having me. Michelle (00:05) It's a pleasure to have you and to talk about something that I feel is so important. It's definitely like an uphill battle. I think that a lot of people are facing, but can be done in a easier way and approached in easier way. And I'm really happy to have you on to talk about this important topic. But before we get started, I would love for you to introduce yourself and give us a background and what got you into the work that you're doing. Sophia Gushee (00:34) I'd be happy to. I never could have imagined that I would be focused on simplifying non -toxic living. I grew up in upstate New York, always interested in eating healthy. I grew up in a tennis loving family. I exercised a lot since I was really young. And yet I always felt poor energy, felt really bad. And since... People always said to me, you're the healthiest person I know. And I felt really bad. I just thought something was wrong with me. I ended up after graduating from college, working on Wall Street for about 10 years in distressed investing. So I would focus on high risk, high return investments with imperfect information. And my job was to figure out. what are the value creation strategies we can execute to create the most value? And when I became a mom at age 34, I started accidentally learning about toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and radiation from what I was buying for my infant. And since I never heard about this before, my like, highly respected physicians never put it on my radar. My reaction ended up being very similar to what I did professionally with distress investing. I had to figure out are there credible sources to back up what I'm reading? What are the good facts? Why do the physicians not know about this? And what's a reasonable level of concern? always I ended up finding enough information that made me want to make a healthier choice. And I ended up developing a platform and a lifestyle to simplify how to make safer choices with shopping and simple things you do at home. So Ruan Living is based on the easy things you can do to reduce your toxic exposures. I ended up spending about eight years sharing the science that I learned about that I wish I knew sooner in a book that was published in 2015 and that's called A to Z of Detoxing, The Ultimate Guide to Reducing Our Toxic Exposures. But since I never wanted to read a book about this, I just wanted an informed mom to tell me what I should know and what I could do in as little time as possible. And I never found that resource. I've been building offerings to serve that desire of my younger self because learning how to not buy toxic exposures to bring into your home should not be as hard as it's been. Michelle (03:40) Oh my God, when you said simplify, I'm like, yes, that is exactly what we need because I find, and I found this when I first started working with fertility and of course learned about what the impacts were from these endocrine disruptors and the toxins that were exposed to from the chemicals that are in our products to our like healthcare and not healthcare them. I mean, the clean products in our, not clean products, I don't know why I'm getting, I'll delete this part. Cleaning products in our house, you know, there's so many different ways that it sneaks in, but it also in receipts, you know, things that you would never even consider. And then also pesticides and I mean, you can just like, you can keep going and EMFs too. That's another, that's a whole other topic. Sophia Gushee (...
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    52 mins
  • EP 290 The Ultimate Pre-Pregnancy Checklist | Alexandria Devito

    EP 290 The Ultimate Pre-Pregnancy Checklist | Alexandria Devito
    Jun 18 2024
    Alexandria DeVito, MS, CNS, is a functional nutritionist who specializes in fertility and preconception health. She is the author of 9 Months Is Not Enough: The Ultimate Pre-pregnancy Checklist to Create a Baby-Ready Body and Build Generational Health. She is also the founder and CEO of Poplin, the first pre-pregnancy wellness company. Prior to founding Poplin, Alexandria worked in management consulting at McKinsey & Company. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. She also has a master’s degree in nutrition; extensive training as a doula, yoga teacher, and personal trainer; and is an Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner, all of which inform her approach to pre-pregnancy wellness. https://getpoplin.com https://www.instagram.com/getpoplin/ https://www.facebook.com/getpoplin Click here to find out how to get the first chapter of "The Way of Fertility" for free. For more information about Michelle, visit www.michelleoravitz.com The Wholesome FertilityFacebook group is where you can find free resources and support: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2149554308396504/ Instagram: @thewholesomelotusfertility Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/thewholesomelotus/ Summary of this episode: Alexandria DeVito shares her journey from working in the corporate world to becoming a fertility health advocate. She obtained an MBA from Harvard and a master's degree in nutrition while working in healthcare. She then trained in functional medicine and started seeing clients as a nutritionist. Many of her clients were struggling to conceive, which led her to focus on fertility health. The conversation explores the challenges of fertility struggles and the lack of preconception health guidelines in clinical practice. It highlights the emotional, physical, and financial toll of fertility struggles and the need for better preparation and support. The conversation discusses the importance of preconception care and the impact it can have on the health of both parents and future generations. It highlights the challenges faced by females in accessing comprehensive medical care, which often focuses on contraception rather than preconception care. The conversation emphasizes that there is no such thing as starting preconception care too early or too late. Our bodies were designed to conceive, but our modern environments create a mismatch. Factors such as nutrition, supplements, and stress can affect fertility. Transcript: Michelle (00:00) Welcome to the podcast, Alexandria. Alexandria DeVito (00:03) Thank you so much for having me. Michelle (00:05) So we just had a really great pre-talk and we definitely are on the same page on so many things. And what I love about you is that you are here really to empower couples on the fertility journey. I got to look at your book. I was very excited because I feel like I really resonate with the And I just love the fact that you really approach it from such an empowering perspective. Absolutely love that. But for the listeners, I would love for you to share your background, how you got into the work that you do. Alexandria DeVito (00:38) Hmm, you got it. Yes, I mean, I think there's a lot of alignment philosophically about, you know, just how much more agency we have over our reproductive health and all the different ways that we can prepare to conceive, which I'm sure we will talk all about. So I came into the world of fertility actually, initially through the corporate world. So I was doing corporate consulting and was working in healthcare, largely with pharmaceutical companies and medical device companies. So I kind of learned the healthcare landscape from that lens. enjoyed working in healthcare. I thought it was just such an incredibly impactful field. And at some point I decided that I wanted to switch from what I felt was operating in a more reactive model of healthcare to a more proactive one. And so that was the impetus for me to go back to school. I went back and got my MBA from Harvard and then I also did a part-time Masters in nutrition on the side. while I was doing my MBA. And that was my way of adding more tools into my toolkit that were more holistic in nature. And then I finished both of my master's degrees, and I did training and functional medicine, and started seeing clients one-on-one as a nutritionist. And basically what ended up happening was I had a lot of clients that were struggling to conceive, and they had been on fairly long journeys, sometimes a year, two years, three years, and they were being ping-ponged between different providers and they still weren't getting the answers that they so deeply desired and they were not getting pregnant. And it really struck me, why was this happening? And so you know initially they were saying like do you have any other suggestions? Can you tell me what I should be doing? And this was also happening with ...
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    44 mins
  • EP 289 Can Psychedelics Play a Role in Mind Body Healing? | Paul Austin

    EP 289 Can Psychedelics Play a Role in Mind Body Healing? | Paul Austin
    Jun 11 2024
    Paul F. Austin is one of the most prominent voices in the world of psychedelics. As the founder of Third Wave, he has educated millions on the importance of safe and effective psychedelic experiences. A pioneer at the intersection of psychedelics, personal transformation, and professional success, his work has been featured in Forbes, Rolling Stone, and the BBC's Worklife. Paul helps leaders, creatives, and pioneers leverage psychedelics for exponential personal growth and professional development. He views psychedelics as a skill refined through mentorship, courageous exploration, and intentional use. According to Paul, learning how to master this skill will be crucial in the story of humanity’s present-future evolution. Note: Psychedelics are not legal in most U.S. states so it’s important to take this episode as educational and not medical or suggestive advice. This is a potent controlled substance and this episode is not intended to recommend or suggest that anyone take it. Website & Social media links (Facebook, instagram, twitter) Social Media Paul F. Austin: - IG: https://www.instagram.com/paulaustin3w/ - X: https://twitter.com/PaulAustin3w?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor - LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-f-austin/ Social Media Third Wave - YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCATHWJYqouqzF3-5GMIaOuQ - FB: https://www.facebook.com/thirdwaveishere - X: https://twitter.com/thirdwaveishere - IG: http://www.instagram.com/thirdwaveishere - LI: http://www.linkedin.com/company/third-wave-psychedelics/ In this conversation, Paul Austin discusses his personal journey with psychedelics and how they have impacted his life. He explains the potential therapeutic benefits of microdosing psychedelics, such as psilocybin and ketamine, and how they can help with mental health issues and even fertility. Paul emphasizes the importance of finding a qualified practitioner and following a safe and responsible approach when using psychedelics. He also shares resources, such as his podcast and coaching program, for those who want to learn more. Takeaways Psychedelics, when used responsibly, may have therapeutic benefits for the mind. Psychedelics can promote neuroplasticity and reduce inflammation in the brain, leading to positive changes in mental health. Finding a qualified practitioner and following a safe approach is crucial when using psychedelics. Resources like podcasts, guides, and coaching programs are available for those interested in learning more about psychedelics. Click here to find out how to get the first chapter of "The Way of Fertility" for free. For more information about Michelle, visit www.michelleoravitz.com The Wholesome FertilityFacebook group is where you can find free resources and support: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2149554308396504/ Instagram: @thewholesomelotusfertility Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewholesomelotus/ For more information about Michelle, visit www.michelleoravitz.com The Wholesome FertilityFacebook group is where you can find free resources and support: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2149554308396504/ Instagram: @thewholesomelotusfertility Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/thewholesomelotus/ Transcript: Michelle (00:00) Welcome to the podcast fall. Paul Austin (00:01) Thank you for having me on, Michelle. Michelle (00:03) I'd love for you to share your background, how you got into this work. And then we'll obviously dive in a little later. Paul Austin (00:10) Well, the topic we're covering today is or has been a fairly taboo one. And the place that I grew up in was raised in that was, I would say particularly so. My family was pretty religious growing up. So we were in church every Sunday. This is, I grew up in Michigan in the Midwest and. at the age of 16, I started to smoke a little cannabis and soon after that tried alcohol for the first time. And then a few years after that started to work with LSD and mushrooms. And early on in that journey, like pretty much right after I started smoking weed, my parents found out that I had been, you know, trying cannabis and they sat me down and Uh, one Sunday after church and my dad looked at me and was like, you know, I haven't been this disappointed since my brother passed away in a car accident 35 years ago, something like that. So it clearly pained my parents. I mean, it clearly impacted them way more than it impacted me. There's this very negative. Mine was very positive. So it just became clear at that point in time that we were just, we were of different perspectives, which I accepted and was fine with. I was much more the rebel and you know, uh, the person who was skeptical of groupthink and was always asking questions and sort of being a little bit of a menace. I was definitely a little bit of a menace growing up as a young kid. But that then...
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    35 mins