🤗 What if healing doesn’t require more striving - but more safety?

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Cristal DuBois, Christian Health Practitioner (CHP) and Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner (PRCFMP), and one of the health coaches in my practice, Nurture Functional Medicine. While Cristal has previously joined the podcast to discuss biochemical mental health and financial stewardship, today’s conversation is different.

This episode focuses on the support side of healing - the nervous system, emotional regulation, and what it actually looks like to feel safe enough for healing to take root.

Together, we discuss why coaching is such a vital part of functional medicine care, how nervous system dysregulation can keep patients stuck even when labs are improving, and how gentle, relational support can change the trajectory of healing entirely.

💛 RESOURCES & LINKS

For full resources related to this podcast, check out the show notes at https://www.carlybayless.com/podcast/35

🤔 Ever wondered… Why does walking calm anxiety?Why do babies settle when we move? And why does stillness sometimes feel worse than motion?

In this episode, I discuss the science of the vestibular system - a foundational sensory system that plays a powerful role in nervous system regulation, emotional safety, sleep, and stress resilience.

Grounded in neuroscience, sensory-integration research, and trauma-informed physiology, this conversation explores how rhythmic, predictable motion helps signal safety to the brain - for babies, kids, and adults alike.

You’ll learn why movement isn’t a sleep crutch or a bad habit, but biological nourishment, and how to practically incorporate vestibular input into everyday life in gentle, intuitive ways.

For full show notes and resources associated with this episode, check out my website at https://www.carlybayless.com/podcast/34

🔥 🏋🏻‍♀️ Today, I am joined by Cheryl Montgomery - Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach and a specialist in metabolic optimization — to talk about the REAL drivers behind weight loss and how modern tools like peptides can support the process.

Check out the resources mentioned in today's podcast as well as full Show Notes at https://www.carlybayless.com/podcast/33

😅 If weight loss has felt frustrating or confusing, this episode will bring you some much needed clarity!

Today, I’m breaking down why weight loss resistance is rarely a willpower issue and is more often driven by hormones, stress physiology, blood sugar regulation, inflammation, and metabolic adaptation. Using a functional medicine lens, I explain how lab patterns often reveal the real barriers to progress.

This episode also includes an important note on seasons when weight loss is not appropriate - such as postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, or active healing - and why pushing for fat loss during these times can backfire.

You’ll also learn when adding pharmaceutical tools may be helpful (and when they’re not), setting the stage for next week’s guest episode on GLP-1s and other peptides with Cheryl Montgomery, a functional medicine certified health coach specializing in peptides and metabolic health.

For full episode show notes & links/resources related to this episode, visit my website at https://www.carlybayless.com/podcast/32

🔋 Today’s episode (the final installment of our HRT series!) focuses on DHEA — a hormone that often goes unnoticed but can make a huge difference in how you feel day-to-day.

☀️ DHEA supports adrenal health, stress resilience, immune function, and is a key building block for other hormones like estradiol and testosterone.

Check out the show notes and other episode resources online at https://www.carlybayless.com/podcast/31

💪🏼 Today’s conversation focuses on testosterone — a hormone women absolutely produce and NEED, even though it’s often dismissed as a “male” hormone. In this episode, I explain how testosterone supports muscle tone, fat loss, drive, motivation, mood stability, cognitive sharpness, and sexual wellness. ❤️‍🔥

🤓 Inside this episode, we cover:

The myth that testosterone is only for men

How testosterone supports metabolism and motivation

Symptoms of low testosterone

Why women lose testosterone in midlife

Pellets vs transdermal vs injections (and why we avoid supraphysiologic doses)

How I test and monitors levels for safety

Optimal physiologic ranges for women

What to expect when testosterone is repleted

💛 RESOURCES & LINKS

Visit our website at https://www.carlybayless.com/podcast/30 for full episode show notes and resources!

🦋 Our HRT Series’s next installment is all about the thyroid - the butterfly-shaped gland with massive influence over the entire body.

We cover topics including:

*Why thyroid is the body’s metabolic thermostat

*Symptoms of low thyroid that often go missed

*Why women are frequently undertreated

*The limitations of TSH-only testing

*Why “normal” ranges are not the same as optimal

*The importance of Free T3 and Free T4

*How thyroid affects mood, hair, digestion, weight, and energy

*How I approach thyroid optimization

*The role of combination therapy (T4 + T3)

* Why individualized dosing matters more than numbers alone

* Who tends to benefit from thyroid optimization

For full episode resources and show notes, visit https://www.carlybayless.com/podcast/29

🧠✨ Today’s episode in the HRT Series focuses on estrogen - the hormone that often defines how alive, energetic, and vibrant a woman feels.

👩🏻‍🏫 Inside the episode, we cover:

-The 3 types of estrogen- and why estradiol is the “queen” of them all!

- Estradiol’s foundational role in health

- How estradiol influences the brain, heart, bones, mood, metabolism, and skin

- What happens when estradiol begins declining in perimenopause

- Common symptoms of low estrogen

- Why it’s not “just aging” — it’s hormonal depletion

- Oral estrogen vs. transdermal estrogen

- The truth about estradiol and breast cancer

And so much more!

💞 This episode shines light on estradiol as the foundational hormone that can dramatically impact quality of life — and helps women feel energized, mentally clear, emotionally balanced, and physiologically supported.

For full episode resources and show notes, visit https://www.carlybayless.com/podcast/28

🕊️ 💛 In today’s episode, we’re discussing progesterone - the hormone often dismissed as “the pregnancy hormone,” but in reality, it’s one of the most soothing and essential hormones for women’s wellbeing.

For full episode info and show notes, visit https://www.carlybayless.com/podcast/27

👩🏻‍🏫 In this episode, I break down the real risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) from an evidence-based perspective.

We discuss the myths that created fear around hormones, what the data actually shows, who may benefit from HRT, and how I monitor hormones safely for my patients using regular labs and DUTCH testing. 📊

This episode will help you understand HRT with clarity and confidence - and decide whether it may be right for you.

For full episode show notes and links to recommended resources, visit https://www.carlybayless.com/podcast/26