Dr. Anjali Dsouza, a board certified integrative and functional medicine doctor who specializes in women’s health and hormones joins the show to discuss optimizing metabolic health from the reproductive years to perimenopause and beyond.

We get into why only 12% of Americans are metabolically healthy and how even those at a “normal” weight may be unknowingly dealing with insulin resistance or chronic inflammation. If you’ve ever felt confused about cholesterol, intermittent fasting, or how to prevent metabolic disease, this conversation will give you clarity, confidence, and action steps you can start using today.

We cover:

• • Optimal metabolic health through the phases of motherhood
  • What you need to know about biomarkers like glucose, insulin, triglycerides, HDL ratio, A1C, and hsCRP
  • What to eat to stabilize blood sugar and lower inflammation
  • The truth about intermittent fasting, low-carb diets, high-protein intake and fiber
  • How stress, sleep, and HRV impact metabolic and hormonal balance
  • Supplements that support metabolic health goals
  • Understanding cholesterol, LDL particles, ApoB, and genetic risk markers
  • How community and relationships support long-term well-being
  • Dr. Dsouza’s personal self-care practices using habit stacking to maximize time as a busy physician and mom

• This conversation is your complete guide to taking proactive control of your metabolic health as a woman—through every stage of the motherhood journey.

  Join the waitlist for a free health coaching session with Helene here

  Connect with Helene and the Mind Body Mother Community

  Follow Dr. Dsouza on Instagram @anjalidsouzamd, and send her a DM to join her free monthly newsletter—a practical, action-oriented resource for women ready to take charge of their health.

  Episode show notes here

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

In today’s episode, we’re diving into a topic that so many busy moms struggle with—how to build a consistent workout routine, stay motivated, and finally start seeing real results. Whether your goals are physical, mental, or a combination of both, this episode will guide you through practical steps to create a routine that actually sticks and leads to change.

From battling exhaustion and self-doubt to finding time in your unpredictable schedule, we cover it all—plus the mindset shifts, strategies, and accountability tools that will support your wellness journey long-term. You’ll leave this episode feeling empowered to build a fitness routine that works for your life, body, and goals.

What you’ll learn in this Episode:

-How to define your personal fitness goals—without self-judgement or external pressures

-Why motivation must come first, how to cultivate it and feel excited to workout

-How to determine if a new workout or fitness routine is a good fit for you

-Practical strategies for creating a workout schedule that works with mom life

-How to overcome common consistency hurdles like childcare, exhaustion and hectic schedules

-The role of mindset and real talk about how to move through self-doubt

-Guided exercise and journaling practice for how to set authentic and aligned workout goals

-How to track your progress and know if your routine is working

-Troubleshooting consistent workout routines that are not leading to results

-How to tweak your workout routine to improve your results

This episode will help you to hit the ground running with a workout routine that can help you finally achieve the results you both desire and deserve!

Join the waitlist for a free health coaching session with Helene ⁠here⁠

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.

In today’s episode, Psychodynamic Therapist, Friendship Educator and toddler mom Blake Blankenbecler joins me for an honest conversation on all things friendship in motherhood. We discuss how to both maintain existing friendships and cultivate new aligned relationships as a busy mom. Blake shares her journey of moving around a lot, going through infertility and how to navigate friendships through challenging seasons of life.

Whether you struggle with balancing time for friends with the overwhelm of motherhood or are desperately craving building community and connection with other moms, this episode is packed with valuable insights and next steps!

We discuss:

• Tips for balancing time for your primary relationships and friendships

• How to find aligned friends in motherhood

• Blake’s top two criteria for identifying healthy, supportive friendships

• What research says your “inner circle” should look like

• How to figure out when a friendship is worth the effort

• Navigating conflict and hard conversations

• Handling unsolicited advice and comparison

• The truth about vulnerability in friendships

• Finding friends in a new city or new season of life

• Friendship through infertility, grief, and challenging times

This conversation is full of insight on cultivating and nourishing relationships with the friends who are truly aligned with your most authentic self!

Skip the waitlist and become a Function Health member testing 100+ biomarkers and receiving interpreted results from top doctors, use code: HTRAGERKUSMAN10 or click here.

Connect with Helene and the Mind Body Mother Community!

Learn more about Blake and Fig Holistic Therapy

Check out Blake’s friendship deck and gather friends to play together!

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

In today’s episode, Lisa Hendrickson-Jack breaks down how to understand and optimize your overall health using your menstrual cycle as a vital sign. We discuss how to use cycle charting to both get pregnant when it’s desired and avoid pregnancy when it’s not. Lisa is a certified Fertility Awareness Educator, Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner, and the author of The Fifth Vital Sign and Real Food for Fertility. She also hosts the Fertility Fridays podcast with over 4 million downloads. This conversation dives deep into the practical tools behind tracking your cycle to optimize your health, hormones and fertility.

In this episode, you'll learn:

-Why your menstrual cycle is a powerful window into your overall health

-The link between your cycle and conditions like PCOS, Endometriosis, Osteoporosis and Hypothalamic Amenorrhea

-How to understand your cervical mucous, cycle charting and the Sympto-Thermal Method

-Practical ways to identify your fertile window and time sex based on your goals whether you’re trying to conceive or avoid pregnancy

-How Fertility Awareness compares to other forms of birth control

-Debunking myths we were taught in sex ed—and what the science really says about your body

-How often to have sex during your fertile window for conception based on the research

-Nutrition and lifestyle tips for preconception and hormonal optimization

-Lisa’s personal journey through miscarriage, motherhood, and having three children

-Lisa's self-care including nourishing herself and family with nutrient dense organ meats and home cooking inspired by her Caribbean roots

Whether you're looking to better understand your cycle, support your fertility, or move away from hormonal birth control, this conversation is full of practical insight and wisdom you won’t want to miss.

Connect with Helene and the Mind Body Mother Community!

Full episode webpage here

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

Connect with Lisa @fertilityfriday and fertilityfriday.com

Read Lisa’s books The Fifth Vital Sign and Real Food For Fertility

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

The tens of thousands of chemicals we are surrounded by impact our hormones, nervous systems, gut health, weight, metabolism and countless health outcomes. They also of course impact our children's health and development from the time they are in utero, so there is a lot of motivation as moms to really understand and avoid them. Listen to 3 women's health doctors on what you need to know about environmental toxins, endocrine disruptors and forever chemicals. You’ll hear how they impact our health and action steps from MBM host Helene Kusman on how to realistically and affordably avoid or eliminate them.

Listen to today’s episode for:

-Family Physician and Midwife Dr Aviva Romm’s breakdown on how to understand the chemicals in our environment, their impact on our health and realistic advice for moms on a budget

-OBGYN/Reproductive Endocrinologist Dr Natalie Crawford’s explanation of environmental toxins like forever chemicals and specific steps we can take to avoid them

-Naturopathic Doctor Corina Dunlap on finding non-toxic personal care products and how she selects cleaner options with her daughters.

-How to balance finding both clean and effective personal care products like shampoo and laundry detergent for the whole family

-Non-toxic kitchenware swaps and how to transition affordably over time

-Tips for food prep and storage to reduce toxin exposure from baby bottles to cups, lunchboxes and beyond

-How to figure out what’s in your local water

-How to shop for meat, seafood, produce and processed foods that are cleaner without breaking the bank

-Tips for transitioning to non-toxic cleaning supplies including hacks for DIY and getting your moneys worth

If you want to better understand environmental toxins and how to realistically and affordably eliminate or avoid them as a busy mom, 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

Shop for Helene’s favorite non-toxic stainless steel lunch/snack boxes and kids cups here

Access the Environmental Working Group’s databases here

Connect with Dr. Aviva Romm, Dr. Natalie Crawford and Dr. Corina Dunlap

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

Erica Djossa is the founder and CEO of Momwell, a Registered Psychotherapist and mom of 3. You may know her from her viral motherhood graphics on Instagram or book, Releasing the Motherload. In today's conversation, Erica gives practical tools for avoiding burnout and reducing the overwhelm of motherhood by managing the mental load. She breaks down how to work with your partner, set boundaries and get support to finally stop struggling and enjoy motherhood more.

We discuss:

-How to work with your partner and support system to effectively help with the mental load

-Tips for releasing the load to others including finding “tolerable common standards”

-How to spot mental health red flags for yourself and your partner

-When to choose individual versus couples therapy to work through relationship issues

-How therapy can help through motherhood from TTC to birth trauma, pregnancy, postpartum, returning to work and parenting challenges

-Understanding mom guilt and how to avoid shame spirals

-Misconceptions about parenting that cause unrealistic expectations

-How to build self-compassion and trust as a mom

-Erica’s experience with postpartum depression and anxiety, undiagnosed ADHD and parenting a neurodivergent child

If you feel overwhemed with the mental load of motherhood and know it’s time to make a change to create more time and energy for your family and yourself, you will love this conversation with Erica!

Connect with Helene and the Mind Body Mother Community!

Episode webpage here

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

You can find Erica Djossa on Instagram, Facebook and listen to her Podcast

Visit Momwell.com for courses, therapy and Erica’s book Releasing the Motherload

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

Co-Owner of Bluegrass Doulas, Rebecca Mercer shares intimate details of the surrogacy journey from her perspective as a gestational carrier. From the serendipitous moment of connecting with the intended parents on Facebook to multiple rounds of IVF, miscarriage, and a D and C, the path was anything but linear on the road to a healthy baby. Rebecca opens up about the unexpected challenges of surrogacy including the traumatic birth that was far from the dream she had spent her entire life romanticizing. If you’ve always wondered what happens behind the scenes of surrogacy, this episode is for you!

We discuss:

-The process of connecting with the intended parents, selection, paper work and initial logistics working with a fertility clinic

-Rebecca’s conversations with her husband and kids about surrogacy

-Unexpected steps such as psychological evaluations for Rebecca and her husband, as well as the medical tests required for both Gestational Carriers and Intended Parents

-Details of the IVF journey including a failed transfer, miscarriage, hysterectomy and second retrieval for the intended parent and successful transfer and pregnancy that led to a live birth

-An inside look at the Gestational Carrier/Intended Parent relationship throughout the process and how it evolved over time

-Having a breech baby and switching providers to have an External Cephalic Version (ECV)

-Rebecca’s traumatic birth experience being left in the OR and disrespected by medical providers

-Rebecca’s favorite self-care practices and the advice she shares with her postpartum clients

-Reflections on the surrogacy journey and if Rebecca would do it again

Rebecca shares a real, honest view on being a Gestational Carrier without shying away from any details. Listen to an insider perspective on surrogacy and hear a truly inspiring story of strength, compassion and the ultimate gift of a healthy baby in today’s episode!

Connect with Helene and the Mind Body Mother Community!

Receive 25% off all Integrative Institute for Nutrition programs and trainings, use code: HELENETRAGERKUSMANXIIN or click here.

Connect with Rebecca on social media here

Learn about the Bluegrass Doulas here and connect on social media here

Full episode webpage here

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

On her 36th birthday and the one year anniversary of the podcast, MBM host Helene Kusman shares her experience managing blood sugar, cholesterol and becoming the CEO of her own health. She gets into how she tested 100+ biomarkers to uncover hidden health issues without having to visit a doctor or go through insurance. Helene addresses questions she has gotten from the audience about wearing a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) and the metabolic health results that led her to do so. She also shares about her Integrative Nutrition training as a component of taking control of her health. If you feel the call to better understand and take back your power in managing and optimizing your health, this episode is for you!

In this episode:

-How Helene has shifted from a passive to active role in taking control of her wellness

-Healthspan versus Lifespan and why it matters as moms

-Helene’s experience using the Function platform to test and understand health biomarkers

-Using Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGM) and the Levels app to individualize blood sugar balance

-Blood sugar balancing discoveries Helene had from wearing a CGM

-Helene’s hacks for starting meals that blunted glucose spikes even when eating dessert

-The “healthy” foods that had the worst glucose spikes for Helene

-The protein bars and crackers that had the most stable glucose responses for Helene

-Typical cholesterol blood panels vs. the Lipoprotein Fractionated test that uncovered Helene’s hidden cholesterol issues

-Exercise, diet and lifestyle changes Helene has made to optimize blood sugar balance and improving cholesterol

-Why Helene has started to prioritize and how she makes time for both cardio and meditation

Skip the waitlist and become a Function Health member testing 100+ biomarkers and receiving interpreted results from top doctors, use code: HTRAGERKUSMAN10 or click here.

Receive 25% off all Integrative Institute for Nutrition programs and trainings, use code: HELENETRAGERKUSMANXIIN or click here.

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.