Healthy As A Mother

Why does modern motherhood feel so hard — even when you’re doing everything “right”?

In this episode of Healthy As A Mother, we explore a powerful lens for understanding hormones, fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, and burnout: humans are animals — and modern life is not designed for our biology.

From nervous system dysregulation and chronic stress to fertility struggles, postpartum depletion, and emotional overwhelm, this conversation reframes modern motherhood as a biological mismatch, not a personal failure.

We cover:
The “human animal in captivity” concept
Why community is essential for mothers
Sunlight, sleep, movement, and hormonal health
Nervous system overload, modern stress, and burnout
Why self-care isn’t indulgent — it’s biological necessity

This episode is for women and mothers who feel like something about modern life, health, and motherhood just isn’t working — and want a deeper, root-cause understanding.

00:00 Introduction: The Human Animal
02:05 Humans as Animals
05:10 Animals in Captivity
09:15 The Continuum Concept
14:05 Biohacking vs Nature
18:20 Hormones, Detox & Toxic Load
22:45 Genetics & Sensitivity
27:10 Evolution or De-Evolution
31:30 The Loss of the Village
36:20 Reciprocity & Support
40:55 Parenting, School & Disconnection
44:35 Sunlight, Sleep & Circadian Rhythm
48:40 Men, Women & Biological Roles
53:10 Food, Nutrient Depletion & Seasonality
57:45 Sensory Overload & The News
1:03:10 Warriors, Nurturers & Purpose
1:08:40 Living Like an Animal Again
1:12:30 Final Thoughts

👉 New episodes every Wednesday

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
I Am Documentary
Continuum Concept
The Red Tent
Ishmael

Find more from Dr. Leah:
Dr. Leah Gordon | Instagram
Dr. Leah Gordon | Website
Womanhood Wellness | Website

Find more from Dr. Morgan:
Dr. Morgan MacDermott | Instagram
Dr. Morgan MacDermott | Website

Use code HEALTHYMOTHER and save 15% at Redmond
For 20% off your first order at Needed, use code HEALTHYMOTHER
Save $260 at Lumebox, use code HEALTHYASAMOTHER

Our culture and systems have failed many women who want to be mothers, not through malice, but through neglect, misalignment, and outdated priorities.

In this episode, we explore how education, feminism, medicine, and career culture shaped a generation of women who were never truly prepared for motherhood. This is a nuanced, honest conversation about how our culture and systems have failed many women who want to be mothers.

We want to say this clearly up front: this conversation reflects our lived experiences and what we see in our work. It is not meant to invalidate women who had supportive, empowering paths to motherhood, nor does it represent every experience across different socioeconomic or cultural backgrounds.

What we explore here is a pattern. For decades, women were encouraged to prioritize education, career, and productivity, often with little to no preparation for health, fertility, or motherhood. Feminism brought women freedom, opportunity, and choice, and we honor that deeply. But like all cultural movements, there were unintended consequences that many women are only now grappling with.

In this conversation, we discuss:
• Why motherhood was treated as an afterthought rather than a life path
• How feminism empowered women — and where systems failed to evolve alongside it
• The lack of reproductive and health education for young women
• How birth control often masked dysfunction instead of addressing root causes
• Why so many women feel blindsided by fertility struggles in their 30s
• The cost of prioritizing weddings, careers, and productivity over preparation for motherhood
• Maternal burnout, postpartum strain, and the lack of systemic support
• What a more integrative, honest, and compassionate approach could look like

This is not about blame. It’s about awareness because we can’t change what we don’t acknowledge. Our hope is that by having these conversations openly, we can support women now and create better systems for future generations. If this episode resonated with you, please consider subscribing, sharing, or leaving a review. These conversations matter.

00:00 — Why We’re Having This Conversation
02:45 — This Isn’t Everyone’s Experience But It’s a Real Pattern
05:30 — Feminism Gave Women Choice... And Then the Pendulum Swung
09:45 — When Motherhood Became an Afterthought
13:20 — Career First, Motherhood “On the Side”
17:40 — The Lie We Were Sold About Fertility & Birth Control
22:10 — Why So Many Women Are Struggling to Conceive in Their 30s
27:15 — “Our Society Is Not Set Up for Women to Become Mothers”
31:00 — We Prepare for College & Sports — But Not Health
34:30 — Imagine a World Where Girls Are Taught About Their Bodies
38:20 — The Cost of Ignoring Motherhood (Burnout, Infertility, Trauma)
42:45 — Weddings, Nurseries & Misplaced Priorities
47:30 — What the Medical System Gets Wrong About Fertility
52:10 — How This Could Change for the Next Generation
56:00 — This Isn’t About Blame, It’s About What’s Broken
59:00 — Final Thoughts, Hope & Why These Conversations Matter

👉 New episodes every Wednesday

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Join Womanhood Wellness
Social Studies Docuseries
The Time Machine Movie

Find more from Dr. Leah:
Dr. Leah Gordon | Instagram
Dr. Leah Gordon | Website
Womanhood Wellness | Website

Find more from Dr. Morgan:
Dr. Morgan MacDermott | Instagram
Dr. Morgan MacDermott | Website

Use code HEALTHYMOTHER and save 10% at Fond
Use code HEALTHYMOTHER and save 15% at Redmond
For 20% off your first order at Needed, use code HEALTHYMOTHER
Save $260 at Lumebox, use code HEALTHYASAMOTHER

In this life update episode, we’re sitting down for an honest, unfiltered conversation about what’s really been going on behind the scenes: from pregnancy and health updates to sleep deprivation, motherhood challenges, and big life decisions.

Dr. Morgan shares a deeply personal pregnancy update, including navigating pregnancy while being sick, fertility considerations, and what it feels like to prepare for another baby while holding space for uncertainty. Dr. Leah talks candidly about postpartum sleep struggles, co-sleeping, teething, and the emotional toll of chronic sleep deprivation, alongside the sweetness and perspective that comes with motherhood.

We also dive into the realities of running a business while parenting, navigating children’s health concerns, making hard decisions around fertility and family planning, and learning how to hold both gratitude and exhaustion at the same time.

This episode is a real, grounded conversation for anyone who wants honest motherhood talk — no filters, no pretending, just real life.

What We Discuss
Pregnancy life updates and preparing for a new baby
Pregnancy after health issues and navigating early pregnancy anxiety
Fertility differences and conversations around IVF and family planning
Postpartum sleep struggles, co-sleeping, and chronic sleep deprivation
Teething, illness, and children’s health worries
Motherhood emotions: gratitude, overwhelm, fear, and joy
Running a business while parenting young children
Making peace with uncertainty and big life decisions
Holding opposites in motherhood — exhaustion and sweetness at once

00:00 – Welcome & why we love life update episodes
02:15 – Social media, sharing updates, and being more offline
06:30 – Deciding whether to have another baby
12:45 – Pregnancy after health issues & fertility considerations
20:30 – Getting sick in early pregnancy & managing anxiety
27:40 – Progesterone, fertility differences, and early symptoms
33:50 – Finding out the baby’s gender & family reactions
39:45 – Emotional shifts, energy changes, and pregnancy differences
45:30 – Sleep deprivation, teething, and postpartum struggles
52:10 – Children’s health worries, co-sleeping, and mental load
57:00 – Gratitude, perspective, and closing thoughts

👉 New episodes every Wednesday

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Araza Makeup - Use code DRLEAH for 10% off!

Find more from Dr. Leah:
Dr. Leah Gordon | Instagram
Dr. Leah Gordon | Website
Womanhood Wellness | Website

Find more from Dr. Morgan:
Dr. Morgan MacDermott | Instagram
Dr. Morgan MacDermott | Website

Use code HEALTHYMOTHER and save 15% at Redmond
For 20% off your first order at Needed, use code HEALTHYMOTHER
Save $260 at Lumebox, use code HEALTHYASAMOTHER

Breastfeeding is often framed as natural, yet so many mothers struggle, feel overwhelmed, or are told their bodies are failing them. In this episode, we break down five major factors that can sabotage breastfeeding and why women are rarely prepared for them.

We explore how birth interventions, IV fluids, epidurals, misinformation, lack of postpartum support, and unrealistic expectations around sleep and feeding can deeply impact milk supply, confidence, and the breastfeeding relationship. We also unpack why phrases like “fed is best” can sometimes shut down honest conversations about the real challenges mothers face.

This conversation is not about shame or blame. It’s about education, context, and holding nuance. Tools like formula, C-sections, and IVF can be life-saving and necessary, but they should not be treated as the first or only option without addressing root causes and the systemic gaps in maternal care.

Episode Chapters
00:00 Introduction & Why this conversation matters
02:15 How birth influences breastfeeding
07:10 IV fluids, engorgement & supply panic
12:30 Epidurals & interventions
18:45 The worst breastfeeding advice
24:10 Bottles, pacifiers & nipple confusion
30:05 Where “fed is best” falls short
36:40 Systemic gaps in breastfeeding education
43:20 Formula, IVF & C-sections
51:10 Sleep pressure & breastfeeding
58:30 Compassion, context & informed choice
1:03:30 Final reflections

In This Episode, We Cover:
• How birth experiences influence breastfeeding success
• Common breastfeeding myths and harmful advice
• Why supply-and-demand is rarely explained clearly
• How sleep pressure disrupts maternal instincts
• Why breastfeeding struggles are not a personal failure

🎧 Listen in for a grounded, honest discussion that gives mothers the information they deserve, and the permission to hold compassion, nuance, and informed choice.

👉 New episodes every Wednesday
👉 Explore related conversations in our Pregnancy, Birth & Postpartum playlists

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Dr. Morgan’s Mastitis Manual
Dealing with mastitis? Get Dr. Morgan’s comprehensive Mastitis Manual and learn how to identify which type of mastitis you have, whether antibiotics are necessary, and how to support healing naturally. - https://milkmedicine.com/mastitis-manual/

Find more from Dr. Leah:
Dr. Leah Gordon | Instagram
Dr. Leah Gordon | Website
Womanhood Wellness | Website

Find more from Dr. Morgan:
Dr. Morgan MacDermott | Instagram
Dr. Morgan MacDermott | Website

Use code HEALTHYMOTHER and save 10% at Fond
Use code HEALTHYMOTHER and save 15% at Redmond
For 20% off your first order at Needed, use code HEALTHYMOTHER
Save $260 at Lumebox, use code HEALTHYASAMOTHER

In this episode of Healthy As A Mother, we’re joined by Dr. Leah Gordon to explore why so many women struggle with fertility, even when their labs look “normal.”

We discuss how hormonal birth control, chronic stress, gut health, inflammation, and nervous system dysregulation can quietly block conception and implantation.

Dr. Leah explains why ovulation alone doesn’t always equal fertility, how the body’s stress response impacts reproductive hormones, and what it really means to support the body before pregnancy.

This is a compassionate, root-cause conversation for women navigating unexplained infertility, coming off birth control, or preparing their body for pregnancy, and a reminder that the body isn’t broken, it just needs the right support.

RESOURCES MENTIONED
Womanhood Wellness Membership: Where functional medicine meets feminine wisdom—guiding you to balance hormones, awaken libido, and prepare for pregnancy with intention. 👉 Join today
The Birth of the Pill — A deep dive into the origins and long-term implications of hormonal birth control 👉 https://amzn.to/4slrNfw\
Episode #4 - Preconception: What It Is and Why It Matters 👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/healthy-as-a-mother/id1663942916?i=1000593847905

In this episode, we cover:
00:00 Coming Off Birth Control & Preconception Overview
02:55 Why Preconception Matters More Than We’re Taught
06:10 What Really Happens When You Stop Hormonal Birth Control
10:55 Why “Wait and See” Isn’t Enough After Birth Control
14:45 How Birth Control Disrupts Hormone Communication
19:05 Post-Pill Hormone Surges & Acne Explained
22:20 Why Your Cycle May Not Return Right Away
25:05 The Hidden Nutrient Depletions From Birth Control
29:45 Birth Control as Symptom Masking (The Fire Alarm Analogy)
34:50 The Key Nutrients Needed for Fertility & Pregnancy
40:20 Why Most Prenatals Aren’t Enough
43:30 Liver Health, Detox & Hormone Clearance
48:35 How Birth Control Impacts the Gut & Microbiome
53:10 Inflammation, Stress & Fertility Challenges
57:40 Nervous System Regulation & Preparing for Pregnancy
01:02:10 Final Thoughts on Healing Before Conception

Find more from Dr. Leah:
Dr. Leah Gordon | Instagram
Dr. Leah Gordon | Website
Womanhood Wellness | Website

Find more from Dr. Morgan:
Dr. Morgan MacDermott | Instagram
Dr. Morgan MacDermott | Website

Use code HEALTHYMOTHER and save 15% at Redmond
For 20% off your first order at Needed, use code HEALTHYMOTHER
Save $260 at Lumebox, use code HEALTHYASAMOTHER