About Health and Hormones

Ever find yourself looking for a snack even though you ate lunch a couple of hours ago?

In this solo episode, I’m talking about the difference between eating because you’re hungry and reaching for food out of habit, boredom, stress, or a need for a break. Snacking can be a helpful way to fuel your body.

The key is noticing what you need and making a choice that supports it.

Listen in to hear me share:

• When a snack can help, especially if your meals are far apart, you’re exercising, or you’re pregnant or breastfeeding
• Simple snack ideas that offer more lasting nourishment
• How afternoon grazing and late-night snacking can affect your appetite, sleep, and health goals
• A way to pause and identify what you need before reaching for food
• How to find other ways to rest, connect, or enjoy yourself when hunger isn’t the reason
• A seven-day challenge to notice your snacking patterns—without judging yourself or having to change what you eat
• +so much more

Connect with Lauren:

Get my FREE PCOS Guide here

Join the Empowered Path to Pregnancy here

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Thank you so much for listening to the About Health and Hormones Podcast! If you loved today’s episode, I would love to know! Please leave a rating and review so I can make this podcast even better for you all. I would love to connect with you.

I’m so glad you were here today, and I wish you all health and happiness!

This episode was edited and produced by Intent Media.

Dr. Carrie Carda is a board-certified OB-GYN with nearly 30 years of experience. After realizing that conventional medicine often focuses on managing symptoms rather than identifying their underlying causes, she earned a master’s degree in nutrition and metabolic medicine from the University of Florida and pursued additional training in functional and integrative medicine at Georgetown University. Today, she combines traditional medical care with a whole-body approach to help women better understand their hormones, fertility, and overall health.

Listen in to hear Dr. Carda share:

• Why “normal” lab results don’t always mean your body is functioning optimally
• The importance of comprehensive hormone testing before fertility or perimenopausal symptoms become severe
• Why vitamin D, ferritin, thyroid hormones, blood sugar, sleep, and gut health all matter for hormonal balance
• What peptides are, how they signal the body, and their potential role in fertility and women’s health
• Why peptides remain investigational and should only be used with qualified medical supervision
• How poor blood-sugar regulation can interfere with ovulation, conception, and pregnancy
• Why women should address perimenopausal symptoms early rather than waiting until menopause
• How flaxseed, soy, colostrum, glutamine, and zinc carnosine may support gut and hormone health
• The importance of active forms of nutrients such as folate and vitamin B12
• How women can become more informed and proactive participants in their healthcare
• +so much more!

The Jewish holidays can be meaningful and joyful, but they can also feel incredibly overwhelming. Between cooking, cleaning, hosting, traveling, disrupted routines, heavy meals, and children being home from school, many women feel like they have to choose between enjoying the Chagim and taking care of their health.

In this episode, I share how I’m approaching the holiday season without expecting myself to maintain a perfect routine. Instead, I’m focusing on realistic ways to support my health while remaining present for my family, my faith, and the experiences that make this season special. I also speak to anyone navigating infertility or pregnancy loss, acknowledging how emotionally difficult this time of year can be when prayers from the previous year still feel unanswered.

Listen in to hear me share:

• Taking care of yourself during the Chagim is not selfish
• Adjust your health goals without abandoning them
• Why I avoid thinking of the holidays as being “on track” or “off track”
• Practical ways to enjoy special foods without feeling restricted or physically uncomfortable
• How to build balanced meals that leave you satisfied without feeling overly heavy
• The importance of hydration and electrolytes, especially before Yom Kippur
• Simple ways to prioritize movement when regular workouts aren’t realistic
• Sleep should be treated like medicine during busy seasons
• Ways to simplify menus, repeat dishes, prepare easy meals, and reduce unnecessary pressure
• Why you don’t need to wait until “after the Chagim” to begin prioritizing your health
• Let go of perfection and create a holiday experience that feels healthy, meaningful, and joyful for you
• +so much more!

Connect with Lauren:

Get my FREE PCOS Guide here

Join the Empowered Path to Pregnancy here

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Work With Me

Thank you so much for listening to the About Health and Hormones Podcast! If you loved today’s episode, I would love to know! Please leave a rating and review so I can make this podcast even better for you all. I would love to connect with you.

I’m so glad you were here today, and I wish you all health and happiness!

This episode was edited and produced by Intent Media.

Dr. Kayla Smith is a holistic women’s health expert who helps women uncover the root causes behind hormonal and reproductive health challenges.

After receiving an unexplained infertility diagnosis at 36, she began exploring factors that conventional testing had overlooked—including being very thin and possibly experiencing hypothalamic amenorrhea. She later became pregnant twice and now uses both her personal experience and professional expertise to help women optimize their health and fertility.

Listen in to hear Dr. Kayla Smith share:

• Why “unexplained infertility” often means the root cause simply hasn’t been identified yet
• Her personal journey from an infertility diagnosis at 36 to becoming pregnant twice
• How thyroid function, hormone metabolism, adrenal stress patterns, and mineral status can affect fertility
• What DUTCH testing and hair mineral analysis may reveal beyond conventional testing
• How gut and vaginal microbiome imbalances—including issues affecting a partner—may influence conception
• Commonly overlooked basics like timing intercourse correctly, tracking ovulation, and evaluating luteal phase length
• Ways to reduce inflammation through nutrition, cleaner products, stress reduction, and better sleep
• How gratitude, visualization, and healthy circadian habits can support the fertility journey
• Why optimizing overall health may improve the chances of both natural conception and IVF success
• How peptides and hormone replacement therapy may be used as additional tools
• Perimenopause strategies, including eating more protein and prioritizing strength training
• Dr. Smith’s clinic, book, podcasts, and additional women’s health resources
• +so much more!

Connect with Lauren:

Get my FREE PCOS Guide here

Join the Empowered Path to Pregnancy here

Instagram

Work With Me

Thank you so much for listening to the About Health and Hormones Podcast! If you loved today’s episode, I would love to know! Please leave a rating and review so I can make this podcast even better for you all. I would love to connect with you.

I’m so glad you were here today, and I wish you all health and happiness!

This episode was edited and produced by Intent Media.

Today, I’m sharing my personal breastfeeding journey across all three of my children—and how dramatically different each experience has been. After relatively smooth breastfeeding experiences with my first two babies, I went into my third postpartum journey assuming breastfeeding would be the easy part. Instead, it became one of the most challenging and humbling parts of my postpartum experience.

I share how my third baby suddenly stopped latching during the day at just three weeks old, despite continuing to nurse perfectly at night. I tried lactation consultants, different nursing positions, craniosacral therapy, pediatric physical therapy, stretches, courses, and more, but nothing seemed to fix the problem. Eventually, I transitioned to pumping throughout the day and nursing at night—and lived that way for months. Then, completely unexpectedly, around nine months old, she began nursing normally during the day again.

Throughout this journey, I’ve developed so much more compassion for how complicated and emotional feeding a baby can be. I’m passionate about breastfeeding and incredibly grateful I was able to continue, but I also believe a mother’s mental health matters tremendously and that there is no single “right” way to feed or bond with your baby.

Listen in to hear me share:

• How I prepared for breastfeeding before becoming a mom and why I think prenatal education can make such a difference
• What my relatively easy breastfeeding experiences with my first two children looked like
• How infertility affected my ability to trust my body during early motherhood
• Why my third breastfeeding journey completely humbled me
• What happened when my baby suddenly refused to latch during the day—but continued nursing normally at night
• The lactation consultants, therapies, positions, stretches, and other approaches I tried
• Why I eventually stopped trying to force daytime nursing and created a pumping routine instead
• The mental and logistical load of pumping multiple times every day while caring for three children
• How a wearable pump gave me back some freedom and allowed me to leave the house
• Why my baby unexpectedly started nursing normally again around nine months
• My mixed emotions around breastfeeding, formula, pumping, weaning, and protecting a mother’s mental health
• How this experience changed the way I soothed and bonded with my third baby
• Why motherhood continues to humble me—and why sometimes you can do everything “right” and still have a completely different experience than you expected
• Why I’m ready to wean, take a real break, and finally have my body and time back after years of pregnancy and breastfeeding
• +so much more.

Connect with Lauren:

Get my FREE PCOS Guide here

Join the Empowered Path to Pregnancy here

Instagram

Work With Me

Thank you so much for listening to the About Health and Hormones Podcast! If you loved today’s episode, I would love to know! Please leave a rating and review so I can make this podcast even better for you all. I would love to connect with you.

I’m so glad you were here today, and I wish you all health and happiness!

This episode was edited and produced by Intent Media.

Dr. Sahar Wertheimer is a fertility specialist and double board-certified OB-GYN and reproductive endocrinologist practicing in Beverly Hills, California. She also serves as chair of the Women’s Health Committee for the Jewish Orthodox Women’s Medical Association. Her research and publications cover topics including placental epigenetics and markers of androgen excess in PCOS and hirsutism. Dr. Wertheimer completed four years of OB-GYN training followed by a three-year fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility.

Listen in to hear Dr. Wertheimer share:

• How to prepare for egg freezing, egg retrieval, IVF, and embryo transfer
• What fertility statistics can—and cannot—tell women about egg freezing and future family building
• Why male fertility deserves greater attention and how sperm health can affect treatment outcomes
• The connection between insulin resistance, PCOS or PMOS, ovulation, egg quality, and implantation
• How nutrition, sleep, exercise, and evidence-supported supplements may help optimize fertility
• Her perspective on GLP-1 medications for some patients with insulin resistance
• When advanced testing such as sperm DNA fragmentation analysis and PGT-A may be helpful
• Potential causes and evaluations following recurrent pregnancy loss
• Why IVF, donor-assisted conception, and surrogacy should be discussed without shame
• Encouragement for anyone navigating the emotional challenges of fertility treatment
• +so much more

Connect with Lauren:

Get my FREE PCOS Guide here

Join the Empowered Path to Pregnancy here

Instagram

Work With Me

Thank you so much for listening to the About Health and Hormones Podcast! If you loved today’s episode, I would love to know! Please leave a rating and review so I can make this podcast even better for you all. I would love to connect with you.

I’m so glad you were here today, and I wish you all health and happiness!

This episode was edited and produced by Intent Media.

I’m rating popular health and wellness trends as worth it, not worth it, or somewhere in between—based on the evidence, the cost, and whether they actually move the needle for your health.

In this episode, I share my honest thoughts on fads we find on the internet; intermittent fasting, detoxes, wellness retreats, seed cycling, lymphatic drainage, cold plunges, protein snacks, red light therapy, cycle tracking, and cycle syncing.

Listen in to hear me discuss:

• 10–14-hour overnight fasting
• Detoxes and juice cleanses
• Your body’s natural detoxification pathways
• Wellness retreats
• Seed cycling
• Lymphatic drainage
• Cold plunges
• Red light therapy
• Cycle-tracking devices
• Wellness trends you can confidently skip
• +so much more!

Connect with Lauren:

Get my FREE PCOS Guide here

Join the Empowered Path to Pregnancy here

Instagram

Work With Me

Thank you so much for listening to the About Health and Hormones Podcast! If you loved today’s episode, I would love to know! Please leave a rating and review so I can make this podcast even better for you all. I would love to connect with you.

I’m so glad you were here today, and I wish you all health and happiness!

This episode was edited and produced by Intent Media.

Alexa Greenblatt is a certified health coach and the founder of Alexa Plan My Diet, where she helps women lose weight and build sustainable habits through personalized nutrition coaching.

She specializes in practical nutrition for busy women, including kosher eating, postpartum recovery, and breastfeeding. Alexa is also a mother of three—including twins—and pumped exclusively for her twins for more than 10 months.

Listen in to hear Alexa share:

• Her personal journey from struggling with her weight to becoming passionate about nutrition
• The realities of breastfeeding, exclusively pumping, and nourishing twins
• Simple, satisfying meal and snack ideas for busy postpartum mothers
• How to support gradual, healthy weight loss without compromising milk supply
• Why consistent meals, carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, and hydration matter while breastfeeding
• How stress, lack of sleep, returning to work, and missed feedings can affect appetite and milk production
• The truth about lactation foods, electrolytes, vitamins, and milk-supply supplements
• Why some women lose weight while breastfeeding while others experience a plateau
• How to manage increased hunger and sugar cravings with realistic, healthier alternatives
• Giving yourself grace, releasing comparison, and accepting that every breastfeeding journey looks different
• Why breastfeeding and formula do not have to be viewed as an all-or-nothing decision
• Practical ways to care for yourself while caring for a newborn
• Finding flexibility with feeding, routines, motherhood, and postpartum recovery
• +so much more

Connect with Lauren:

Get my FREE PCOS Guide here

Join the Empowered Path to Pregnancy here

Instagram

Work With Me

Thank you so much for listening to the About Health and Hormones Podcast! If you loved today’s episode, I would love to know! Please leave a rating and review so I can make this podcast even better for you all. I would love to connect with you.

I’m so glad you were here today, and I wish you all health and happiness!

This episode was edited and produced by Intent Media.

In this episode, I explore how understanding your menstrual cycle, hormones, and changing life stages can help you make sense of shifts in libido—and prevent those changes from creating unnecessary conflict in your relationship. Libido is about more than sex drive; it is also connected to energy, vitality, confidence, and feminine energy.

Listen in to hear me share:

• The many factors that can influence desire, including stress, sleep, mental and physical health, medications, body image, and relationship quality
• The difference between spontaneous and responsive desire
• My “finish line and obstacles” analogy for understanding why desire sometimes feels closer or farther away
• How the menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal phases can affect mood, energy, and libido
• How desire may change during pregnancy, postpartum, breastfeeding, and menopause
• Why changes in libido should not automatically be taken personally by either partner
• Practical ways to track your cycle, communicate your needs, prioritize your health, and build greater emotional and physical intimacy
• +so much more

Connect with Lauren:

Get my FREE PCOS Guide here

Join the Empowered Path to Pregnancy here

Instagram

Work With Me

Thank you so much for listening to the About Health and Hormones Podcast! If you loved today’s episode, I would love to know! Please leave a rating and review so I can make this podcast even better for you all. I would love to connect with you.

I’m so glad you were here today, and I wish you all health and happiness!

This episode was edited and produced by Intent Media.

Rebekah Pearlman is a birth and postpartum doula who supports families through pregnancy, birth, and the early weeks of parenthood. She spent more than a decade working in Israel’s high-tech industry at companies including Moovit, startups, and Guesty before leaving tech to pursue meaningful work supporting mothers and families.

Rebekah trained as both a birth and postpartum doula, and is passionate about helping parents feel informed, supported, and confident throughout their journey.

Listen in to hear Rebekah share:

• Why she left a successful career in high-tech after October 7 to become a doula
• How addressing fear and expectations can transform the birth experience
• Why a healthy mom, baby, and dad matter more than rigid birth plans
• Practical ways postpartum support—including meals, organization, and feeding guidance—can make recovery easier
• Her perspective on work-life "symbiosis," setting healthy boundaries, and letting go of guilt as a mother
• +so much more

Connect with Lauren:

Get my FREE PCOS Guide here

Join the Empowered Path to Pregnancy here

Instagram

Work With Me

Thank you so much for listening to the About Health and Hormones Podcast! If you loved today’s episode, I would love to know! Please leave a rating and review so I can make this podcast even better for you all. I would love to connect with you.

I’m so glad you were here today, and I wish you all health and happiness!

This episode was edited and produced by Intent Media.