Balancing Hormones Naturally

If you’re stressed, exhausted, struggling to lose weight, or feeling like your nervous system is constantly “on,” this episode is for you. Cortisol doesn’t just rise because of emotional stress—it spikes when blood sugar is unstable, minerals are depleted, and your gut isn’t supported. The good news? You don’t need another supplement. Some of the fastest ways to lower cortisol are already sitting in your kitchen.In this episode I’m sharing:Why cortisol stays elevated when blood sugar isn’t stabilized, and why food works faster than supplementsThe most underrated cortisol-lowering fruit and how its vitamin C supports your adrenals and progesteroneHow prebiotic foods directly improve stress resilience by feeding calming gut bacteria like lactobacillusWhy potassium is a “stress mineral” and how avocados help break the stress/depletion cycleHow omega-3s from wild-caught salmon reduce inflammation-driven cortisolWhy zinc and magnesium are essential for calming the nervous system, and the best food-based sourcesHow skipping protein at breakfast drives cortisol higher all day longWhy pasture-raised eggs act like a natural multivitamin for your nervous systemSimple food swaps that support your HPA axis without adding more supplementsCortisol issues aren’t just about stress, they’re about depletion. When your body doesn’t feel nourished or safe, it stays in survival mode. This episode will help you understand how to lower cortisol naturally with food, stabilize your blood sugar, support your gut, and give your nervous system the signals it needs to finally calm down.Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites—I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.Let’s connect:📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/📧 Email: [email protected]

If you’re getting two periods in one month, spotting constantly, or bleeding every couple of weeks and being told birth control is the only solution, this episode is for you. Bleeding twice a month is not random, and it’s not something you have to “just live with.” It’s your body signaling that ovulation, progesterone, stress hormones, minerals, or your thyroid are out of sync. In this episode I’ll break down the real reasons this happens and how to start addressing it at the root.In this episode I’m sharing:The difference between true bleeding vs. ovulation spotting, and how to tell which one you’re experiencingWhy bleeding every two weeks often means you’re not ovulating (or your luteal phase is way too short)How low progesterone causes early, frequent, or breakthrough bleedingThe connection between stress, postpartum, breastfeeding, and perimenopause and irregular cyclesWhat estrogen dominance actually means and why estrogen can be “normal” but still cause symptomsHow copper imbalance can amplify estrogen and trigger spotting or heavy early bleedingWhy mineral depletion (sodium, potassium, magnesium, and more) disrupts ovulationHow thyroid dysfunction, especially high reverse T3, can shorten cycles and suppress progesteroneWhy electrolytes alone don’t fix mineral imbalancesWhen and why tracking ovulation is the first step to understanding what’s happeningIrregular bleeding isn’t something to cover up, it’s information. This episode will help you understand what your cycle is trying to tell you, why birth control doesn’t correct the underlying issue, and how to start becoming a confident advocate for your hormone health so your cycle can finally regulate again.Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites🙏 Thank you to Paleovalley for sponsoring this episode!👉 Go to https://paleovalley.com/leah and enter code LEAH at checkout for 15% off.—I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.Let’s connect:📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/📧 Email: [email protected]

If your period leaves you exhausted, bedridden, or bleeding through tampons and pads every couple of hours, this episode is going to be a game changer. Heavy periods aren’t “just part of being a woman” — they’re a message from your body that something deeper is going on. Whether you’ve been told your only option is a hysterectomy or you’ve simply accepted misery as normal, there are root causes you can actually address… and that’s what we’re diving into today.In this episode, I’m breaking down:The real reasons behind heavy bleeding, from low progesterone to fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis, thyroid issues, and even copper IUDsHow to tell if your bleeding is truly “heavy” (and what the color, duration, and flow say about your hormones)The foundational nutrition shifts that help every category of heavy periods, like protein-forward meals, low-glycemic carbs, and 30+ plants per weekThe lifestyle and supplement supports that actually move the needle, like magnesium, B6, liver support, reducing endocrine disruptors, and herbs such as shepherd’s purse and beef organs for blood rebuildingHeavy periods aren’t a diagnosis, they’re a symptom. When you support the systems that regulate your hormones (blood sugar, minerals, liver detox, gut health, inflammation), your cycle can change dramatically. I’ve watched women go from bleeding through products hourly to hiking, traveling, and living their lives again, without surgery. This episode will help you understand what your body is trying to tell you and what actionable steps you can take to finally find relief.Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites—I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.Let’s connect:📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/📧 Email: [email protected]

If you’ve been told you have PCOS and walked out of the doctor’s office feeling like infertility is your future, this episode is for you. PCOS isn’t a life sentence—and you absolutely can get pregnant naturally. The key is understanding what’s actually driving your symptoms. Infertility, irregular cycles, weight gain, cravings, and androgen issues all trace back to a few core root causes that you can influence. This episode breaks down the exact steps I use with clients who go from “I don’t even ovulate” to regular cycles—and positive pregnancy tests.In this episode I’m sharing:Why insulin resistance and excess androgens create a vicious loop that shuts down ovulation, and how to break itHow to build balanced blood sugar meals (and why breakfast is the #1 predictor of hormone stability for the day)The egg-quality upgrades that matter most: seed cycling, removing endocrine disruptors, and supporting the brain–ovary connectionThe supplements actually shown to help PCOS, such as myo-inositol, maitake mushroom, omega-3 food sources, apple cider vinegar, and mineral supportWhy minerals and depletion matter more than you think, and how HTMA testing reveals what bloodwork can’tOvulation brings your period and ovulation brings your fertility. When you support blood sugar, egg quality, and mineral balance, your body becomes safer to ovulate and conception becomes possible. This episode gives you clear, doable steps to finally move toward the healthy, predictable cycle you’ve been chasing.Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites🙏Thank you to Eversio Wellness for sponsoring this episode!👉 Go to https://www.eversiowellness.com/discount/LEAH or enter code LEAH at checkout for 15% off.—I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.Let’s connect:📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/📧 Email: [email protected]

If you’ve ever stood in front of the mirror criticizing your body, stepped on the scale to decide whether you’re “good” or “bad” for the day, or punished yourself with food rules and workouts, this episode is for you. You cannot hate your body into health, and shame will never create lasting weight loss, hormone balance, or confidence. True transformation starts with how you talk to yourself, what you believe about your body, and the nervous system state you’re living in every single day.In this episode I’m sharing:Why shame, negative self-talk, and scale obsession actually block weight loss and hormone balanceHow using the scale as a “daily worth meter” keeps women stuck in a stress–cortisol–fat storage loopThe powerful mindset shift that helped a client lose 30 pounds and keep it off after a decade of struggleHow joy, movement, community, and oxytocin directly support your hormones and metabolismThe hidden ways we punish our bodies with food, workouts, and restrictions without realizing itA simple awareness exercise to catch and break self-sabotaging thought patternsHow to rewire your brain using neuroplasticity so your thoughts start working for you instead of against youThe exact practice I use with clients to replace destructive self-talk with sustainable, motivating beliefsSustainable health is built from self-respect, not self-loathing. When you start choosing nourishment, movement, and rest because you love your body, not because you’re trying to punish it, everything changes. This episode will help you break the shame cycle, rebuild trust with your body, and finally create results that last.Leah’s Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites—I’m Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you’ll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a life-long pharmaceutical prescription.Let’s connect:📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/🙋🏻‍♀️ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/🌐 Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/📧 Email: [email protected]