EP 17: Decoding Your Period, Hormones, Birth Control and Fertility and Women's Health RD Kaely McDevitt

Women’s Health RD Kaely McDevitt breaks down the phases of our cycle and how to use that data to not only prevent or get pregnant, but also to align what’s happening in your life based on what’s happening in your body. We take a deep dive into tracking your cycle using basal body temperature, cervical fluid and positioning, as well as all of the different options for hormonal or non-hormonal birth control. Kaely explains some of the pros and cons of different methods through a non-judgmental and informative lens.  She shares tips for monitoring your hormone health and addressing any imbalances. At the time of recording Kaely is 35 weeks pregnant and shares what she did to prepare for pregnancy and get ready for postpartum.  

We discuss:

-How to align your life with the different phases of your cycle

-Tracking your cycle with basal body temperature, cervical fluid, cervical positioning and ovulation tests, known as the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM)

-Birth control methods including the differences between hormonal and non hormonal options

-The roles of hormones in our body like progesterone, estrogen and cortisol

-Detecting and addressing common hormone imbalances

-Common diet and lifestyle mistakes to avoid when balancing your hormones

-How Kaely prepped her body for conception, her pregnancy self-care and what she’s doing to get ready for postpartum

-Kaely’s tips for getting enough protein and protein packed breakfast ideas

If you’re overwhelmed by, but want to understand and optimize your hormone health, this episode is for you!

Connect with Helene and the Mind Body Mother Community!

Download your free Mind Body Mother Guided Relaxations

Connect with Kaely @KaelyRD and KaelyRD.com

Sign up for Kaely’s Pregnancy Prep Email Sequence here

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice.

EP 14: Navigating Infant Food Allergies, FPIES, CMPA and Breastfeeding with Free to Feed Founder Dr. Trill

Dr. Trill, the founder of Free to Feed, is the go to resource for infant food reactivity including FPIES, CMPA and food protein allergies while breastfeeding and introducing solids. She breaks down the exact symptoms to look out for if you suspect your baby may be reacting to food proteins including secondary symptoms that are not always talked about such as colic and sleep disturbances. She also explains the science of protein transferability while breastfeeding, which there is a lot of mixed and confusing information about out there.

Dr. Trill explains FPIES, CMPA and the differences between IGE and non-IGE mediated allergies. She also shares why a long term elimination diet is not recommended and which types of allergies are typically grown out of and when. We discuss the mental struggle of going through elimination diets while breastfeeding, as two moms who have been through it, and she gives some specific suggestions for how to manage.

Dr Trill shares her story of experiencing a nightmare situation of trying to figure out why her 3 week old wouldn’t stop crying and was covered in infected eczema with bloody diapers. When she was told that her daughter was reacting to food proteins in her breastmilk, even as a molecular biologist who was a protein expert, she was shocked. When she had her second daughter who also had food protein allergies, she knew she needed a community and founded Free to Feed.

We discuss the root cause of why there is such lack of knowledge, resources and awareness around infant food reactivity, which is the lack of research on women’s and children’s health issues and funding sources. We discuss what it’s like to be a female founder and researcher competing for funding in a mostly male dominated space with male investors.

Whether you are suspicious your baby may be experiencing food reactivity, are in the trenches of your elimination diet or just curious about infant food reactivity, breastfeeding and introducing solids, this episode is for you!

Connect with Helene and the Mind Body Mother Community!

Get 30% off and a free $60 gift at Thrive Market here

Connect with Dr. Trill and Free to Feed on Instagram and Facebook

Subscribe to the Free to Feed newsletter here

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice.

EP 13: Surviving Addiction, Abuse and Unplanned Pregnancy to Find Light and Thrive with Jaydee Graham

Jaydee shares discovering she was pregnant while actively taking and snorting pills, abusing alcohol and surviving a toxic relationship. The positive pregnancy test was her wake up call that things in her life needed to change and quick. She describes her real and raw experience of being pregnant out of wedlock while estranged from her family and longing for a tribe to support her in the unexpected challenges of pregnancy and postpartum.

Jaydee is a bestselling author and certified social worker who is helping to create an innovative in home addiction program. She takes us back to witnessing her Father addicted to opioids and trying them out and becoming addicted herself at a young age. Jaydee explains how she took ownership of her blackout days, arrest, rehab and other hardships with self-compassion as part of the healing process.

We discuss how she has brought up tough topics like drugs and alcohol to her 12 year old son and how and when parents should initiate these conversations. Jaydee shares great tips that we can implement at all ages to create a safe space for our kids to bring up uncomfortable topics.

If you are curious about how to heal past traumas, talk to kids about drugs and alcohol or just be inspired by an incredible motherhood journey this episode is for you!

Connect with Helene and the Mind Body Mother Community!

Get 10% off Helene’s Pre+Postnatal Yoga Series here with code: MOTHER

Connect with Jaydee on Instagram, Facebook and her website

Read Jaydee’s first book here and second book here

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice.

EP 12: Letting Go of Stress About Food with Eating Psychology and Nutrition Expert Elise Museles

If you’ve ever felt stressed about food and what you’re feeding yourself and kids, Elise Museles has some life changing wisdom for you. As an eating psychology and nutrition expert and seasoned mom of two now grown boys, Elise shares her firsthand experiences with diets, orthorexia, perfectionism and mom guilt. She takes us back to vulnerable moments like being put on her first diet at age 9 and almost losing her now husband due to her obsession with healthy eating.

Elise is the creator of the food story method and platform and has been an NIH grant recipient for the last 5 years. She has so much knowledge around the interplay between the stress of food and the role of cortisol in the body that can self sabotage our goals around diet and eating. We discuss how our relationship with food and behaviors not just influence our own wellness, but the well-being of our kids and how they will grow up viewing food.

Elise gives specific tips for cultivating a healthy relationship with food for both ourselves and our kids from an early age. She explains what “food freedom” is and how to feel nourished through the different seasons of motherhood. Elise is the author of Food Story: Rewrite the Way you Eat, Think and Live and hosts the Once Upon a Food Story Podcast. Her work has been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, Forbes, Health, Self, ELLE, Well+Good, The Chalkboard and mindbodygreen.

If you want actionable tips for letting go of stress around food, while also creating healthy habits for yourself and family, this episode is for you!

Connect with Helene and the Mind Body Mother Community!

Get 10% off Helene’s Pre+Postnatal Yoga Series here with code: MOTHER

Connect with Elise and check out her book and podcast

Learn more about Elise’s Food Mood Bundle here

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice.

EP 11: How to Recover your Pelvic Floor and Core with Holistic OB Rebecca Cohen

Today I am talking to holistic OB Dr. Rebecca Cohen about how to recover your core and pelvic floor at any point after having babies. She explains common postpartum issues like diastasis recti, vaginal tears, prolapse, incontinence, painful sex and how to resolve them. Rebecca gives nuanced responses to questions about when to work out or have sex after having a baby that go beyond what we often hear at our postpartum check ups.

From days to months or even years after birth, this conversation gives tips for how to heal using individualized approaches that are not always talked about. Rebecca shares modalities like vaginal self-massage, vaginal steaming and other ways to practice self-care “down there”. She gets into the anatomy of our pelvic floor and some specific suggestions that can be life-changing postpartum.

Rebecca is a mom of nine who has spent the last 30 years dedicated to working with women and has a wealth of knowledge and experiences in obstetrics, midwifery, family medicine, energetic and physical modalities and traditional healing practices from throughout the world.

If you are eager to understand and learn how to resolve issues with your core and pelvic floor after having babies, this episode is for you!

Connect with Helene and the Mind Body Mother Community!

Get 10% off Helene’s Pre+Postnatal Yoga Series here with code: MOTHER

Connect with Rebecca here and learn about Full Circle Holistic here

Check out Rebecca’s Your Postpartum Pelvis course here

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice.

EP 10: Work Life Balance, Paid Parental Leave + Reproductive Rights: Coffee Date with Senator Cassie Chambers Armstrong

Coffee date episodes are conversations with friends who share powerful experiences and inspiring perspectives on motherhood, life and how they’re navigating their own physical and mental well-being. Cassie Chambers Armstrong is a mom to two young boys, state senator, bestselling author and faculty member at the University of Louisville Law School. She shares her experience of filing the official paperwork to run for city council after a sleepless night, covered in spit up, when her firstborn was 5 months old. At two weeks after her second son’s birth she had the not so picture perfect moment of official portraits still in maternity pants and juggling the chaos of the early postpartum days with two under two. She shares never imagined herself running for office, but felt called to do so after having kids and wanting to do something for the next generation.

Cassie opens up about the struggles of balancing work and motherhood and the feeling of imperfect parenting many of us experience guilt around. She shares what has helped her to both follow her passions and enjoy this season of life with her kids. We discuss the first law she successfully worked on for paid parental leave, motivated by her very different experiences with leave after each of her babies. Cassie explains why more women, especially moms of young kids are not represented in politics and why it’s critical to have those voices at the table now more than ever. She lays out specific ways we can help move the needle on issues we care about like reproductive rights at both the state and national level.

If you struggle with work life balance or want to know how to take action on the important issues that affect us moms, this episode is for you!

Connect with Helene and the Mind Body Mother Community!

Get 30% off and a free $60 gift at Thrive Market here

Connect with Cassie on Instagram, Facebook and X

Learn more about Cassie and sign up for updates here

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice.

EP 09: How to Improve Sleep, Milk Supply and Mental Health while Breastfeeding with IBCLC Bonnie Logsdon

Prioritizing your physical needs and mental health while breastfeeding can be a challenge. IBCLC, Doula and Registered Dietician Bonnie Logsdon has creative tips for getting more sleep, staying nourished and maintaining your milk supply postpartum. She shares her 4 hour sleep method that is a game changer for getting longer sleep stretches in the fourth trimester while breastfeeding. Bonnie discusses the interplay between the stress of common situations like birth trauma, your relationship with your partner and adjusting to life with multiple kids can have on your mental health and milk supply. She gives specific tips like how to ask for help from your support system as well as tactical guidance for optimizing pumping.

This episode is the real talk and guide to breastfeeding that you won’t find in pregnancy and lactation books. We discuss painful nipples and getting a better latch as well as the mind-blowing reality of discovering your perfect fit flange size and what to lube your nipples up with for comfort. Helene asks Bonnie about low milk supply and combo feeding with formula, as well as evidence based tips for boosting milk supply.

Whether you are currently breastfeeding or anticipating breastfeeding for the first time or again in the future, this episode is packed with must know tips for your feeding journey.

Connect with Helene and the Mind Body Mother Community!

Get 30% off and a free $60 gift at Thrive Market here

Connect with Bonnie here and book an in person or Telehealth visit here

Check out Bonnie’s Breastfeeding Basics and Starting Solids courses here

Find an IBCLC near you here

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice.

EP 08: Hacking Meal Prep + Healthy Eating for Moms and Kids with Holistic Nutritionist Stephanie Niemis

Meal prep, healthy eating and balancing blood sugar can feel like impossible tasks for a busy mom, but Holistic Nutritionist Stephanie Niemis breaks down specific tips that make it fun and easy in this episode. Stephanie is a mom of 3 who understands the need to keep it realistic. She gets super specific with meal ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks that both moms and kids can enjoy and feel good eating. Stephanie demystifies sugar alternatives and explains how to pick the right ones for your family. She also discusses food dyes and how the industry is changing due to consumer demand shifting.

This episode also highlights Stephanie’s journey to becoming a mom, which included Hypothalamic Amenorrhea between her second and third child. She shares how the stress of motherhood and being a marathon runner contributed to undesired weight loss and not having a cycle. After countless doctor visits and 3 failed attempts at IUI, Stephanie was finally able to get to the root of the issue. She details both the physical and mental struggles and how she overcame them to get her cycle back and conceive her third child.

Stephanie is inspiring and uplifting to listen to. Her ideas to get kids involved in the kitchen and meal planning from an early age are fun and unusual. This episode is packed with much needed motivation and actionable steps to finally start eating healthier as a family and have fun doing it.

Connect with Helene and the Mind Body Mother Community!

Get 30% off and a free $60 gift at Thrive Market here

Connect with Stephanie here and purchase ‘Eat Dessert First’ here

Check out Stephanie’s free recipe guides here and favorite cooking products here

Link to the resource Stephanie mentions No Period Now What?

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice.

EP 07 SOLO: How I Healed my Anxiety and Depression Postpartum and Post-Weaning with SSRI Medication and EMDR Therapy

Mind Body Mother host Helene Kusman opens up about her debilitating anxiety and depression that she experienced after having her first baby. Unlike the PPA/PPD symptoms she had read about while pregnant, she was caught off guard by the “slow boil” to being 8 months postpartum and post-weaning when things spiraled out of control. Helene was able to get her mental health back to a good place with a combination of SSRI medication, EMDR therapy and some lifestyle changes that she details in this episode.

Helene shares finally going to her primary care doctor and describing symptoms of feeling anxious all the time, not having an appetite and being exhausted even when she got good sleep, to have the doctor explain that her anxiety had compacted over time resulting in depression. She discusses the SSRI meds (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) that she was prescribed and slowly weaned onto that helped her feel better. She also shares her challenges with eventually coming off of the drug when she felt better and dealing with the side effect of vertigo.

This episode also covers the EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy that Helene did for years for anxiety before this diagnosis and continued to do throughout and after. She describes how the therapy addresses trauma and and why it worked for her.

Helene describes feeling anxious from the start after birth which worsened after her son's feeding issues, tongue tie revision, failure to thrive diagnosis and hormone drop after weaning from exclusively pumping. She also shared her feelings of lost identity when becoming a mom and how she felt like she needed an energy shift resulting in signing up for a Reiki Healing Training and Yoga Teacher Training that led her to becoming a Reiki Healer and Yoga Teacher.

If you have experienced anxiety or depression or have supported a loved one through mental health struggles, this episode is relatable, comforting and packed with inspiration, hope and helpful ideas

Connect with Helene and the Mind Body Mother Community!

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice.

EP 06: Navigating Infertility, IUI, IVF, Recurrent Miscarriage and Ectopic Pregnancy PLUS Conception and Birth Tips with Midwife Bianca Weaver

This episode is a full circle moment as I sit down with Midwife Bianca Weaver who I first met during the hardest days of my recurrent miscarriage journey. When I called my OB office emergency line during my second pregnancy loss, Bianca was the provider who answered. It was the weekend, the office was closed and she told me she’d meet me there on Sunday morning for an ultrasound. Unfortunately she had to break the news to me that our 11 week baby was measuring small and there was no heartbeat. It was a devastating moment. I was alone, as my husband was with our 2.5 year old at home, but being with an empathetic and warm provider made me feel anything but alone. I can still remember Bianca’s hug, words of true understanding and welcomed encouragement for next steps.

I knew right away that Bianca was a special provider who had the unique lens of experience and expertise when it came to the challenges of fertility and conceiving. We kept in touch and while she was not on call when I had my double rainbow baby, I did get to see her for a few of my prenatal visits. I am so excited to get to share her knowledge and inspiration in this emotional and powerful Mind Body Mother episode.

Bianca shares her story of an accidental pregnancy while using natural family planning that resulted in a miscarriage followed by an eventual long road of infertility, continued miscarriages, chemical pregnancies, fertility drugs, IUI, IVF and an Ectopic pregnancy resulting in emergency surgery. She details her holistic approach to infertility combining ideas from the popular book “It Starts with the Egg”, receiving acupuncture, taking supplements and ridding her house of toxic plastics. She also opens up about the difficult to hear medical advice to lose weight before IVF and her journey on Weight Watchers to losing 35 pounds. All of which led to getting a regular cycle back before IVF after irregular ongoing bleeding.

Bianca is not afraid to get into specifics like who her doctors were (helpful if you’re in Louisville!), what meds she was taking, details of her fertility treatments and more. She explains the play by play of her miscarriages and Ectopic pregnancy including the emergency procedure resulting in an oopherectomy (removing her ovary and tube).

There was no way I was going to pass up a chance to get her Midwife expertise on conception (especially after losses), pregnancy, labor and birth. I ask her the difference between a Midwife and OB and the different kinds of Midwives and their respective training, misconceptions people have about midwives and her labor “secrets” She gives us her tips on stalled labor and fetal malpositioning with her go to resource Spinning babies.

If you love hearing inspiring stories and actionable advice on all things infertility, pregnancy loss, TTC, labor and birth, this episode is right up your alley! Whether you have been through any of this before, are going through it now or are curious to learn more and perhaps support a family member/friend through it, this episode is for you!

Connect with Helene and the Mind Body Mother Community!

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice.



EP 05: Exploring Alcohol, Mental Health and your Motherhood Experience with Bestselling Author and Sober Living Advocate Samantha Perkins

Is alcohol affecting your mental health, physical wellness goals and motherhood experience? This week I sit down with bestselling author Samantha Perkins who shares her story and that you don’t have to “hit rock bottom” to recognize that alcohol is causing issues in your life. Her book, Alive AF- One Anxious Mom’s Journey to Becoming Alcohol Free was part of my own journey of becoming more aware of my drinking habits and changing my relationship with alcohol. Samantha encourages us to get curious about the role alcohol plays in our lives and pay attention to how it makes us feel and why we may be grabbing our next drink.

Unlike the “drunks” and people engaging in “cringeworthy” behavior she observed in her life, Samantha considered herself a normal drinker until her anxiety spiraled after becoming a mom. She noticed that alcohol was contributing to unpleasant physical and mental health symptoms that diet, supplements and other wellness detoxes just couldn’t help her overcome. Without any support or knowing exactly how long it would last, she cut out alcohol and felt so good that she never looked back.

Samantha helps women examine their relationships with alcohol through events, workshops and women’s circles. She brings that same lens to the Mind Body Mother Podcast, with her judgement free approach to figuring out what works for us. We discuss the Mommy wine social media culture and motherhood and alcohol knick knacks that are constantly marketed to us during some of our toughest parenting days. Do we actually need that drink to get through these hard times? Samantha says that she feels like a badass being able to tackle the challenges of being a mom of two without using alcohol to “numb out”.

If you feel like crap after drinking, are less present with your kids, losing quality sleep or sabotaging your wellness goals with alcohol, you’ll love hearing Samantha’s practical tips for cutting back or even cutting it out altogether. Whether you’ve been sober curious for years or would like to take take a peek at what drinking less could look and feel like, this episode is for you!

Connect with Samantha here and Helene here!

Learn more about Samantha and purchase her book here

Check out Samantha’s workshops and women’s circles here

This episode is not medical advice and is not intended to help diagnose or treat alcohol, drug addiction or any other health issues.

EP 04: The Truth About Poop: Hormones, Stress, Exercise, Diet and Figuring Out What's Normal with Gut Health RD Erin Kenney

Is your poop normal? Your hormones, mental health, diet and exercise all play a role in your gut health including constipation, diarrhea, inflammation and other common digestive issues. Nutrition Rewired Founder Erin Kenney gets into the need to know specifics of the gut brain and gut hormone connection through different phases of motherhood with Helene on today’s episode.

Why do we get constipated during pregnancy and menopause? What causes loose poops on your period? Could your acne be connected to your constipation? You may chuckle when you hear Erin describe the size of a healthy bowel movement, but it’s one of those taboo topics that we are totally going to dig into here!

Erin shares her story of growing up with a parent with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder, being in a toxic relationship, abusing stimulants, body image issues and how it all affected her digestive health and led her down the path of wanting to help others with gut healing. She also shares her preconception and TTC journey of fertility focused weight gain including having to buy a larger wedding dress and tracking ovulation with body basal temperature and cervical mucus.

Erin goes over so many actionable lifestyle, nutrition and supplement tips to consider when healing digestive issues. Forget the TMI label and discover what you can do to prioritize your gut health in whatever season of motherhood you’re in!

Learn more about Erin here

Find Erin on social media @NutritionRewired

Schedule with Erin here

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice.