The Well Nourished Mama

Have you ever been told your labs are “normal,” yet you still don't feel your best? What if the answers you've been looking for require looking beyond the standard blood work your doctor typically orders?

In this episode, we're diving into functional testing and what it can reveal about your health, from mineral imbalances to gut health. I'm sharing a peek into my own recent experience with Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA), the additional testing I use with clients, and why these deeper insights can make such a difference when creating a personalized nutrition and wellness plan.

We'll also talk about why these tests aren't typically part of routine primary care, how I use them to guide my 1:1 coaching clients, and why there's no need to wait for the “perfect” season of life to start prioritizing your health.

Plus, this episode kicks off my Black Friday coaching promotion! For a limited time, I'm including complimentary advanced functional testing in my 1:1 coaching package. If you've been looking for answers and want a more personalized approach to your health, this may be the opportunity you've been waiting for.

Ready to learn more? Book a Discovery Call to see if 1:1 coaching is the right fit for you and get your questions answered!

Click HERE to access the full show notes for this episode. 

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show sparked plenty of conversation this year, especially after model Barbara Palvin walked the runway just six weeks postpartum. While some people celebrated her, others criticized the image she might create for postpartum moms. I didn’t watch the show, but I have some thoughts on the controversy—and as a prenatal and postpartum nutritionist, I think we’re missing a much bigger conversation about postpartum recovery, body expectations, and what’s possible after having a baby.

I believe we can celebrate what’s possible for the postpartum body without expecting every woman to follow the same timeline. Your recovery is unique, and postpartum deserves to be recognized as its own maternal phase, with different challenges and needs for every mom. In this episode, I’m sharing why I want us to believe in the results without holding ourselves to someone else’s timeline—and why I hope we can create a culture where moms feel safe sharing their postpartum experiences, whether they’re thriving, struggling, or somewhere in between.

Click HERE to access the show notes and get direct links to any of the resources I mentioned in this episode. 

Trigger warning: This episode discusses fertility challenges, recurrent pregnancy loss, and infertility. Please listen with care if these topics feel sensitive for you.

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing three recent client success stories that highlight the complex relationship between Hashimoto’s, thyroid health, and fertility. From recurrent pregnancy loss and secondary infertility to navigating health challenges before trying to conceive, each woman came to me with a different story, and each experienced a positive pregnancy test after working together. I’m walking through their journeys, the testing and results that helped guide our approach, and how we individualized their protocols to support their health.

I’m also sharing why I look beyond symptoms alone when supporting fertility, including the role of mineral status, thyroid function, and cellular health. These stories are a reminder that every fertility journey is different and that preparing for pregnancy may involve looking at the bigger picture of your health. If you’re navigating Hashimoto’s, infertility, or recurrent pregnancy loss, I hope this episode encourages you to keep asking questions, explore your options, and advocate for personalized support.

Click HERE to access the show notes and get direct links to any of the resources I mentioned in this episode. 

What happens when you're doing everything you think you should be doing to support your health, but you're still not feeling your best?

In this short, solo episode, I'm sharing a personal health discovery from my fourth pregnancy in five years. Although this pregnancy has felt relatively easy overall, I've needed significantly more nutritional support than I initially realized. After struggling to pinpoint the cause of some persistent symptoms, an unexpected trip out of town helped me connect the dots: I wasn't eating enough.

I share what I noticed about my blood sugar, why my symptoms seemed to improve when I was eating more, and how I'm adjusting my nutrition to better support my body without abandoning my values around nutrient-dense foods. From being more generous with fats and incorporating convenient, processed foods to rethinking how I distribute my meals throughout the day, I'm learning that sometimes the answer isn't another supplement, another test, or a more complicated protocol.

This experience is also a reminder that our nutritional needs can change throughout pregnancy, postpartum, breastfeeding, and other seasons of life. What works for one person—or even for you in a previous season—may not be enough for you now.

If you're navigating persistent symptoms, struggling to eat enough, or feeling overwhelmed by the pressure to make every food choice perfectly, this episode is an invitation to look at the bigger picture. Because sometimes, the missing piece isn't doing more. It's recognizing what your body needs more of.

In this episode, we're talking about pregnancy nutrition, reactive hypoglycemia, under-eating, blood sugar regulation, and the importance of adjusting your approach as your body changes.

Click HERE to access the show notes and get direct links to any of the resources I mentioned in this episode. 

A recent conversation with one of my clients got me thinking about the way we talk about sugar, added sugar, processed foods, and making “healthy” food choices — especially as moms trying to navigate an endless stream of nutrition information.

In this solo episode, I’m recapping some of the takeaways from that conversation and sharing how I think through food choices in real life. We talk about something as simple as coconut yogurt with added sugar and how worrying about whether a food is “healthy enough” can sometimes lead us to skip eating altogether. I share why I wouldn’t bat an eyelash at that added sugar in the context of the entire snack, and why I think there’s a bigger nutrition lesson hiding underneath that decision.

I’m also sharing some of the food choices I personally make that don't always fit neatly into the “perfectly healthy” box you see on social media — including how I approach sugar-free products, whole foods, processed foods, dairy, food dyes, convenience, and feeding my family.

My goal isn’t to give you another list of foods you should or shouldn’t eat. It’s to help you think more critically about the entire picture — including nutrition, time, accessibility, mental load, consistency, and what your body needs right now — so you can make food decisions with confidence instead of fear.

Click HERE to access the show notes and get direct links to any of the resources I mentioned in this episode. 

Have you ever been told your labs are “normal,” yet you still feel exhausted, foggy, overwhelmed, or like something is just not right? If you’ve been struggling with persistent symptoms despite “normal” bloodwork, this episode is for you.

In this episode, Brooke breaks down 5 reasons your lab results can come back normal even when you feel like garbage. She explains the difference between a standard disease reference range and what may be considered a more functional or optimal range, and why a “normal” result doesn’t always tell the whole story. From not being considered “sick enough” to having the wrong labs ordered, overly broad reference ranges, or simply looking at bloodwork without considering the bigger picture, there are several reasons your results may not be giving you the answers you’re looking for.

Brooke also discusses why comprehensive lab testing and looking at your symptoms as a whole can be important when you're trying to understand persistent health issues—particularly when it comes to thyroid health, Hashimoto’s, hormones, nutrient status, and other root-cause concerns. If you’ve been dismissed because your labs are “fine,” this conversation will help you understand what questions you may want to ask next and why continuing to advocate for answers matters.

Click HERE to access the show notes for this episode and get direct links to any of the resources mentioned. 

From "I'm not ready" to "I'm so glad I did it": What if you’re not actually waiting for the right time to prioritize your health, you’re waiting to feel ready?

In this week’s episode, Brooke shares a full-circle reflection from a current client who is preparing to finish her time inside the program. Just 6–7 months ago, she told Brooke she wasn’t ready and that the timing wasn’t right. Today, she feels dramatically different in her body, the people around her are noticing the changes, and she’s looking back with gratitude that she chose to take action instead of continuing to wait.

Brooke breaks down the simple mindset shift behind that transformation: realizing that “being ready” is a decision, not an arbitrary milestone you have to reach before you’re allowed to prioritize your health. From the what ifs that keep us stuck to the practical process of creating a sustainable routine around a busy life, this conversation is a reminder that your health doesn’t have to wait until everything else falls into place. Sometimes, the biggest barrier isn’t your schedule, it’s the story you’re telling yourself about why now isn’t the right time.

Click HERE to access the show notes for this episode, including direct links to any of the resources mentioned and the link to book a complimentary discovery call. 

What if the reason your healing journey feels so exhausting, expensive, and complicated is because you’ve been taught to believe that healing has to be complicated?In this solo episode, Brooke shares a simple mindset shift that can completely change the way you approach root cause healing—especially if you’ve spent years bouncing between practitioners, trying supplements, chasing symptoms, or wondering why nothing seems to be working. She breaks down the important difference between simple, easy, and lazy, and explains why a simple first step doesn’t mean your practitioner isn’t doing enough.Brooke also shares a real client example of a 46-year-old mom with Hashimoto’s who came into her program wanting to understand the root cause of her symptoms and feel like herself again. Her first recommendations were surprisingly simple: introduce two foods and increase her overall food intake. It felt almost too simple—but that was intentional. Healing is often a layered process, and the first steps may not look as impressive as you expect. Brooke explains why foundational changes need to come before more complex interventions, why 60–65% of her clients with significant diagnoses are unintentionally under-eating, and why trusting the process can be one of the hardest—and most important—parts of healing.

Click HERE to access the show notes for this episode and get direct links to any of the resources or other podcast episodes I mentioned in this show. 

What if the key to understanding your hormones, metabolism, immune system, and overall health isn’t found by looking at each symptom separately—but by looking upstream?

In this episode of The Well Nourished Mama Podcast, Brooke sits down with Deborah to explore the powerful role of the hypothalamus and why this small but mighty area of the brain may be an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to hormone imbalances, autoimmune conditions, reproductive health, metabolism, and chronic symptoms. Together, they discuss why a root-cause approach requires looking beyond individual symptoms and understanding how the body’s systems communicate and work together.

From chronic stress and gut health to sleep, nutrition, mindset, and targeted support, this conversation explores what can happen when we shift from simply managing symptoms to supporting the systems that influence the body as a whole. If you’ve been dealing with complex health concerns, hormonal symptoms, or feel like you’re constantly chasing one issue after another, this episode will give you a new perspective on where to start.

Click HERE to access the show notes for this episode and learn more about Deborah, including where you can connect with her, find out more about Genesis Gold, and get your free Hypothalamus Reset Bundle

Could the changes you’re seeing in your body be more than a matter of diet, exercise, or weight? In this episode of The Well Nourished Mama Podcast, I sit down with my dad, Dr. R. Daniel Haggerty, a surgeon who specializes in lipedema, to break down what lipedema is, who it affects, how it develops, and why so many women go years without an accurate diagnosis. Together, we discuss the physical and emotional impact of lipedema, common symptoms and characteristics, and why hormonal changes — including pregnancy and postpartum — can play an important role in its onset or progression. We also explore what happens after a lipedema evaluation, the medical and surgical treatment options available, why early intervention matters, and how to find a provider who understands this condition. If you’ve experienced disproportionate swelling or heaviness in your legs, easy bruising, or changes in your lower body that don’t seem to respond to traditional diet and exercise approaches, this conversation may give you important questions to bring to your healthcare provider.

Click HERE to access the show notes for this episode and learn more about Lipedema, and even how you can schedule a consult with Dr. R Daniel Hagerty