If you’ve been told to “just take iron” for low ferritin and it either didn’t work or made you feel worse, this episode is for you.

In this episode, I’m sharing my personal postpartum ferritin story and walking through why iron alone wasn’t the answer for me… or for so many of the clients I work with.

Low ferritin is one of the most misunderstood labs I see. And for most people, it’s not about iron intake. It’s about whether the body is actually ready to absorb, use, recycle, and store iron.

In this episode, we zoom out and talk about the systems that control ferritin, including digestion, motility, minerals, and liver support.

I also cover:

• Why ferritin often stays low even when you’re taking iron
• How postpartum depletion changes how the body handles iron
• Why iron can worsen constipation, bloating, and nausea
• The role of digestion, motility, and mineral balance in ferritin
• Why constipation is often a cause, not a side effect
• How the liver influences iron storage and regulation
• Why ferritin is usually a signal, not the root problem

This episode is especially for you if:

• You’re postpartum or have a history of heavy periods
• You struggle with constipation or slow digestion
• You don’t tolerate iron well
• Your labs are “normal” but you still feel exhausted
• Ferritin only improves while you’re actively taking iron

I’m hosting a free training called Why Iron Isn’t Enough

👉 Learn more and register here

Connect + Next Steps

Want daily education, stories, and gut-friendly support?
Follow along on Instagram

Ready for personalized 1:1 support and a clear plan?
Apply for gutTogether®

Exhausted, bloated and wondering why your ferritin won't budge, even while taking iron? Join me for a live training covering the exact reasons why you're stuck and how to improve your energy, hair loss, gut and ferritin.

Why Iron Isn’t Enough: The Truth About Low Ferritin

Sign up for the webinar here! (early bird pricing ends Feb 7th!)

If you’re wondering whether food sensitivity testing will finally explain your bloating, constipation, or GI reactions, this episode is for you. We talk through why food sensitivity lists often keep growing, what those results are actually reflecting, and why eliminating more foods doesn’t always lead to lasting relief. 

You’ll learn how digestion, stress, and immune signaling influence food reactions, why many people feel worse after doing “everything right,” and what question to ask instead if you want real progress.

If you have ever been curious about food sensitivity testing and what it actually measures or shows related to your gut health, make sure to listen in! 

In this episode, Dr. Heather covers:

• Should you do food sensitivity testing to fix bloating and GI issues?
• Why “safe food” lists often keep shrinking
• What food reactions can signal beyond the food itself
• Why cutting out more foods doesn’t always improve digestion
• What to focus on if food sensitivity testing hasn’t helped

Connect + Next Steps

Want daily education, stories, and gut-friendly support?
Follow along on Instagram

Ready for personalized 1:1 support and a clear plan?
Apply for gutTogether®

Exhausted, bloated and wondering why your ferritin won't budge, even while taking iron? Join me for a live training covering the exact reasons why you're stuck and how to improve your energy, hair loss, gut and ferritin.

Why Iron Isn’t Enough: The Truth About Low Ferritin

Sign up for the webinar here! (early bird pricing ends Feb 7th!)

Let's be real: eating healthy was the answer, you’d already have relief from your bloating and constipaiton. 

Most of the women we work with are already doing the “right” things including: eating whole foods, avoiding junk, taking supplements, and yet, they are still dealing with bloating, constipation, and a gut that feels unpredictable.

In this episode, I break down why that happens and what’s actually missing.

You’ll learn why clean eating alone doesn't fix GI issues, how mineral depletion quietly impacts digestion and stress tolerance, why healthy foods can feel worse when digestion is weak, and how stress, gut bacteria, and infections can all interfere with your ability to absorb and tolerate food.

This episode is especially for you if:

• You feel worse eating “healthy” foods
• Your symptoms flare on busy or stressful days
• You’ve been told your labs are normal, but you don’t feel normal
• You’re tired of guessing and piecing things together

Connect + Next Steps

Curious what’s actually driving your symptoms?
Take the free 2-minute Gut Root Cause Quiz

Want daily education, stories, and gut-friendly support?
Follow along on Instagram

Ready for personalized 1:1 support and a clear plan?
Apply for gutTogether®

Connect + Next Steps

Want daily education, stories, and gut-friendly support?
Follow along on Instagram

Ready for personalized 1:1 support and a clear plan?
Apply for gutTogether®

Exhausted, bloated and wondering why your ferritin won't budge, even while taking iron? Join me for a live training covering the exact reasons why you're stuck and how to improve your energy, hair loss, gut and ferritin.

Why Iron Isn’t Enough: The Truth About Low Ferritin

Sign up for the webinar here! (early bird pricing ends Feb 7th!)

How often do you say no to plans because you don’t know how your stomach will feel?
Have you ever checked a menu days in advance, chosen clothes based on bloating, or left an event early just so you could be comfortable?

Living with gut symptoms affects so much more than digestion. It quietly shapes your decisions, your energy, and how present you feel in your own life.

In this episode of Love Your Gut, I share my own story of navigating bloating and gut issues in my 20s, including how symptoms once dictated what I said yes to and no to. We talk about why gut symptoms steal mental space, why they often keep coming back, and what actually changes when digestion is supported at the root.

If your stomach has been running the show lately, this episode will help you understand why and how to take action so you no longer have to let your GI issues run the show!

Connect + Next Steps

Curious what’s actually driving your symptoms?
Take the free 2-minute Gut Root Cause Quiz

Want daily education, stories, and gut-friendly support?
Follow along on Instagram

Ready for personalized 1:1 support and a clear plan?
Apply for gutTogether®

Connect + Next Steps

Want daily education, stories, and gut-friendly support?
Follow along on Instagram

Ready for personalized 1:1 support and a clear plan?
Apply for gutTogether®

Exhausted, bloated and wondering why your ferritin won't budge, even while taking iron? Join me for a live training covering the exact reasons why you're stuck and how to improve your energy, hair loss, gut and ferritin.

Why Iron Isn’t Enough: The Truth About Low Ferritin

Sign up for the webinar here! (early bird pricing ends Feb 7th!)

Do you feel like you’re always starting over when it comes to your gut health?

Every January (or month, Monday, etc), you might decide this will be the year you finally fix your digestion. You start strong… and then a few weeks later, everything falls apart.

In this episode, Dr. Heather explains why that happens and why it has nothing to do with willpower or discipline (you might be surprised what it is that actually holds you back!) 

This episode is a conversation about nervous system regulation, realistic expectations, and how to create gut healing that actually lasts.

If you’re tired of starting over every January (or every Monday), this episode will change how you think about consistency and gut health.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why consistency is actually a nervous system skill
• Why gut healing isn’t linear (and why that’s normal)
• How to interpret symptoms as information
• Why trying to fix everything at once backfires
• How a slower, phased approach to your gut health leads to lasting relief

Links & Resources

• Follow Dr. Heather on Instagram
• Learn more about gutTogether® programs

Leave a review + enter our monthly giveaway

Leave a 5-star rating and written review of the podcast, take a screenshot, and email it to:

📩 [email protected]

Each month, one reviewer is randomly selected to receive an HTMA test and consult

Connect + Next Steps

Want daily education, stories, and gut-friendly support?
Follow along on Instagram

Ready for personalized 1:1 support and a clear plan?
Apply for gutTogether®

Exhausted, bloated and wondering why your ferritin won't budge, even while taking iron? Join me for a live training covering the exact reasons why you're stuck and how to improve your energy, hair loss, gut and ferritin.

Why Iron Isn’t Enough: The Truth About Low Ferritin

Sign up for the webinar here! (early bird pricing ends Feb 7th!)

I love trying new things and this episode is my annual roundup of the products that actually earned a spot in my real life this year.

In this episode, I’m sharing my Favorite Things of 2025, including gut-friendly staples to nervous system supports, mineral must-haves, mom life helpers, and business tools that genuinely make life easier.

Here’s the important part:
You don’t need gadgets or a ton of products to heal your gut. The foundations matter most: sunlight, nervous system regulation, laughter, and solid routines. These products simply support that work.

To keep it simple and not overwhelming, I gave awards in each category:

• a Gold Medal if you only choose one
• a Runner-Up
• and Honorable Mentions for everything else that made the list

If you’re someone who loves trying new things (like me), or you just want a short list of what’s actually worth it, this episode is for you.

Quick note on links

This episode is not sponsored. Some links on the product page are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase through them. Thanks for supporting the podcast and my small business.

Links

• View my Favorite Things of 2025 (all products linked here)
• Follow me on Instagram

Grab a walk, a coffee, or your favorite mineral mocktail and listen in.

Connect + Next Steps

Want daily education, stories, and gut-friendly support?
Follow along on Instagram

Ready for personalized 1:1 support and a clear plan?
Apply for gutTogether®

Exhausted, bloated and wondering why your ferritin won't budge, even while taking iron? Join me for a live training covering the exact reasons why you're stuck and how to improve your energy, hair loss, gut and ferritin.

Why Iron Isn’t Enough: The Truth About Low Ferritin

Sign up for the webinar here! (early bird pricing ends Feb 7th!)

If the holidays always feel like the hardest time of year for your gut with the bloating, the constipation, the fatigue, the heaviness after meals then this episode will feel like a deep breath.

The truth is… the holidays aren’t the problem.
Restriction, stress, poor digestion, and an unsupported gut foundation are.

In today’s episode, Dr. Heather breaks down exactly how to support your gut through the holidays without eliminating foods, micromanaging your plate, or white-knuckling your way to January.
You’ll learn what your symptoms are really trying to tell you and the simple things you can do right now to feel more grounded, nourished, and supported.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why minerals are your holiday superpower
• Digestion habits that actually move the need
• What your bloating timing reveals
• Sticky stool and bile support
• Travel-friendly gut support
• Why December is actually the best time for testing

Ready to stop guessing and start supporting your gut for real?

For December only, when you apply to gutTogether® this week, you’ll receive 3 extra weeks inside the program so that you can tart January with answers and not another quick fix that doesn't work

Apply for 1:1 support inside gutTogether®

Connect with Dr. Heather

Connect + Next Steps

Want daily education, stories, and gut-friendly support?
Follow along on Instagram

Ready for personalized 1:1 support and a clear plan?
Apply for gutTogether®

Exhausted, bloated and wondering why your ferritin won't budge, even while taking iron? Join me for a live training covering the exact reasons why you're stuck and how to improve your energy, hair loss, gut and ferritin.

Why Iron Isn’t Enough: The Truth About Low Ferritin

Sign up for the webinar here! (early bird pricing ends Feb 7th!)

So many women do everything right — eat well, exercise, get their labs checked — and still feel tired, puffy, bloated, or frustrated when their skin flares and their energy crashes. And when bloodwork comes back “normal,” it’s easy to feel confused or even dismissed.

This conversation brings so much clarity to what your body may actually be asking for: mineral support.

In Part 2 of Heather Brown’s HTMA review, we unpack her real mineral test results and explore how hidden imbalances — like high calcium, low sodium + potassium, a high magnesium burn rate, and iron–copper issues — can quietly contribute to symptoms like low energy, stubborn acne, difficulty recovering from workouts, and feeling like your usual habits just aren’t working anymore.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why “normal” bloodwork often misses mineral imbalances — and how HTMA fills the gaps
• What a high magnesium burn rate tells us about stress and adrenal load
• Why low sodium and low potassium matter for energy, blood sugar, and overall resilience
• How long-term fasting can become a stress when your system is depleted — and the signs to look for
•  Why acne may be connected to mineral imbalance vs. food triggers alone
•  The role of sleep, morning sunlight, circadian rhythm, and joy in restoring your adrenals

If you’ve been wondering why your energy is low, your skin isn’t cooperating, or your usual routine isn’t giving you the results it used to, this episode will help you understand what your minerals might be trying to tell you — and where to go from here.

Listen to Part 1 of this episode with Heather Brown on the Healthy by Heather Brown podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mineral-deficiency-is-it-the-root-of-your/id1638763905?i=1000738241297 

Want to understand your own mineral patterns like Heather did?

Join the waitlist so you are the first to know about our Black Friday Sale! 

You’ll get your own mineral test, personalized interpretation, and a customized plan to support metabolism, stress, digestion, and energy.

 (Last year it sold out fast! Once the 50 spots are gone, they’re gone.)

Connect with Dr. Heather:

• 💻 Website
• 📸

Connect + Next Steps

Want daily education, stories, and gut-friendly support?
Follow along on Instagram

Ready for personalized 1:1 support and a clear plan?
Apply for gutTogether®

Exhausted, bloated and wondering why your ferritin won't budge, even while taking iron? Join me for a live training covering the exact reasons why you're stuck and how to improve your energy, hair loss, gut and ferritin.

Why Iron Isn’t Enough: The Truth About Low Ferritin

Sign up for the webinar here! (early bird pricing ends Feb 7th!)

So many women move through pregnancy feeling exhausted, puffy, bloated, and overwhelmed by symptoms that never quite make sense. And when labs come back “normal,” it’s easy to feel confused or even dismissed. This conversation brings clarity to what your body is actually asking for: minerals and electrolytes.

In this episode, we talk through why electrolytes for pregnancy matter far more than most people realize, how fatigue and bloat are often rooted in mineral depletion, and why supporting minerals can completely change how you feel during pregnancy and postpartum.

We unpack what it looks like to enter pregnancy already depleted, how those symptoms get louder as the months go on, and why simple electrolyte support can improve energy, digestion, hydration, skin, and even hair growth. You’ll also hear how personalized mineral support through HTMA testing can help you understand what your body needs so you can finally feel better.

Inside this episode, you’ll learn:
 • Why normal bloodwork doesn’t always show mineral imbalances
 • How low electrolytes contribute to fatigue, puffiness, and digestive issues
 • The connection between electrolytes and better stomach acid, hydration, and blood sugar
 • Simple ways to support sodium, potassium, and magnesium during pregnancy
 • What a custom mineral blend is and how it can replace multiple supplements
 • How electrolytes support postpartum recovery, milk supply, and hormone balance

If you’ve been wondering why you still feel tired, bloated, or dehydrated no matter how healthy you eat or how much water you drink, this episode will help you understand what your body has been trying to tell you.

Want to understand your own metabolism and mineral patterns?

Join the waitlist so you are the first to know about our Black Friday Sale! 

You’ll get your own mineral test, personalized interpretation, and a customized plan to support metabolism, stress, digestion, and energy.

 (Last year it sold out fast! Once the 50 spots are gone, they’re gone.)

Connect with Dr. Heather:

• 💻 Website
  
  
• 📸 Instagram

Connect + Next Steps

Want daily education, stories, and gut-friendly support?
Follow along on Instagram

Ready for personalized 1:1 support and a clear plan?
Apply for gutTogether®

Exhausted, bloated and wondering why your ferritin won't budge, even while taking iron? Join me for a live training covering the exact reasons why you're stuck and how to improve your energy, hair loss, gut and ferritin.

Why Iron Isn’t Enough: The Truth About Low Ferritin

Sign up for the webinar here! (early bird pricing ends Feb 7th!)

Weight Loss Resistance, Stress, and the Mineral Patterns Behind a “Stuck” Metabolism

Today’s episode features an incredibly relatable story from Lindsay, a marriage and family therapist, military wife, mom of two, and someone who felt like she was doing everything “right”: eating well, following the plan, exercising, pushing herself… and still gaining weight, feeling exhausted, and being told her labs were “normal.”

After pregnancy and years of intense stress, deployments, and living abroad, her body felt completely out of control. Doctors offered restrictive diets, a thousand-calorie meal plan, and no real answers. Even after following those recommendations perfectly, nothing changed.

What did change?
Seeing her HTMA results and finally understanding why her metabolism was struggling and what her body needed to feel safe enough to start healing.

In this episode, Lindsay shares:
• What weight loss resistance felt like when nothing worked
• How chronic stress, postpartum depletion, and metabolism are deeply connected
• Why “normal labs” don’t tell the full story
• The moment she realized she wasn’t crazy and that she was actually depleted
• The difference mineral repletion made in her energy, digestion, mood, and confidence
• How improving her health shifted her marriage, parenting, and work life
• How she maintained her progress months later

Want to understand your own metabolism and mineral patterns?

Join the waitlist so you are the first to know about our Black Friday Sale! 

You’ll get your own mineral test, personalized interpretation, and a customized plan to support metabolism, stress, digestion, and energy.

 (Last year it sold out fast! Once the 50 spots are gone, they’re gone.)

Connect with Lindsay

Find her on Instagram: @marriedafterkids
Website: www.marriedafterkids.com

Her work supports couples navigating the stress and identity shifts that come with parenting and she shares how her own healing journey has made her a better partner and parent.

Connect + Next Steps

Want daily education, stories, and gut-friendly support?
Follow along on Instagram

Ready for personalized 1:1 support and a clear plan?
Apply for gutTogether®

Exhausted, bloated and wondering why your ferritin won't budge, even while taking iron? Join me for a live training covering the exact reasons why you're stuck and how to improve your energy, hair loss, gut and ferritin.

Why Iron Isn’t Enough: The Truth About Low Ferritin

Sign up for the webinar here! (early bird pricing ends Feb 7th!)