The Hormone Genius Podcast

What if one of the most powerful tools for gut healing, immune resilience, and hormone balance has been hiding in plain sight?

In this episode of The Hormone Genius Podcast, we’re joined by Erica Diepersloot, co-founder of WonderCow Colostrum, to dive deep into the science and real-world benefits of bovine colostrum — a functional food that’s quickly gaining attention in the gut-health and hormone space.

Colostrum is the nutrient-dense “first milk” produced after birth, rich in immunoglobulins, growth factors, lactoferrin, and bioactive compounds that support intestinal repair and immune regulation. Erica breaks down why this ancestral superfood is having a modern comeback — and how it can be especially impactful for women dealing with gut dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and hormone imbalances.

In this conversation, we explore:

How gut health directly influences hormones, including cortisol, estrogen metabolism, and immune-driven inflammation

The role of colostrum in supporting the gut lining, microbiome balance, and immune cell signaling

Emerging research showing colostrum’s effects on immune response, including studies examining how bovine colostrum influences immune cells when exposed to bacterial stressors

Why colostrum may be beneficial for conditions like SIBO, infectious diarrhea, and gut permeability, based on in-vitro and clinical research

How colostrum works differently than probiotics, and why it may help create a healthier environment for beneficial bacteria to thrive

Erica also shares insights from published research highlighted through PubMed/NIH and peer-reviewed journals, including studies on colostrum’s interaction with the microbiome and its protective effects against bacterial-induced intestinal damage.

Whether you’re navigating hormone imbalance, stubborn gut symptoms, or simply looking to strengthen your immune foundation, this episode offers a grounded, science-forward look at why colostrum is becoming a staple in functional health.

🎧 Tune in to learn how healing the gut may be one of the most overlooked keys to hormone balance — and why colostrum could be the missing piece.

Sponsors
💛 We Heart Nutrition

Thoughtfully formulated supplements designed to support women’s health at every stage of life.

🎁 20% off with code: GENIUS

🐄 Wonder Cow Colostrum

Supports gut health, immune function, inflammation balance, and tissue repair — especially valuable during postpartum recovery.

🎁 30% off your subscription with code: HORMONEGENIUS

🔗 www.wondercow.com/hormonegenius

🧬 Tiny Health Gut Testing

Advanced stool microbiome testing for moms and babies that evaluates beneficial bacteria levels, inflammatory markers, digestive function, and overall gut balance. Their testing helps guide personalized nutrition, probiotic choices, and lifestyle strategies during the postpartum period when both maternal and infant microbiomes are rapidly developing.

🎁 $50 off with code: HORMONEGENIUS

The information presented in The Hormone Genius Podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for actual medical or mental health advice from a doctor, psychologist, or any other medical or mental health professional.

The postpartum period is one of the most dramatic hormonal transitions in a woman’s life, yet it is rarely explained in a clear or compassionate way. In this episode, Teresa and Jamie walk through what is actually happening inside the body and brain after birth, why so many women say they don’t “feel like themselves,” and how much of this experience is rooted in biology , not personal weakness or failure.

They begin by unpacking the role of prolactin, the hormone responsible for breast milk production. While prolactin supports bonding and nurturing behaviors, it also suppresses ovulation and lowers dopamine, the brain’s motivation and reward chemical. This helps explain why many postpartum women feel more emotionally flat, less driven, or disconnected from activities they once enjoyed, even while deeply loving their baby.

Next, they discuss the massive drop in estrogen and progesterone that occurs within the first 24–48 hours after delivery. During pregnancy, these hormones are higher than at any other time in a woman’s life. Their sudden withdrawal can contribute to mood swings, anxiety, tearfulness, sleep disruption, and the baby blues, and in some women may play a role in postpartum depression or anxiety. Progesterone’s calming effect on the nervous system and estrogen’s support of serotonin help explain why this shift can feel so emotionally intense.

The conversation then turns to dopamine and how its suppression during breastfeeding affects motivation, pleasure, focus, and emotional resilience. Teresa and Jamie emphasize that it is possible to feel grateful, bonded, and deeply loving toward your baby while also struggling internally , and that these experiences can exist at the same time.

They also explore why postpartum is uniquely demanding when you combine hormonal changes with sleep deprivation, physical healing, and identity shifts. Together, these factors create one of the most neurologically and hormonally vulnerable seasons of a woman’s life.

The episode then transitions into the topic of fertility after birth. Many women are told that breastfeeding prevents pregnancy, but ovulation always occurs before the first postpartum period, meaning pregnancy is possible before cycles return. Prolactin levels vary widely depending on nursing frequency, nighttime feeds, pumping, stress, and individual biology, making fertility unpredictable during this time.

Finally, Teresa and Jamie discuss how natural family planning and fertility awareness methods can be used postpartum, but require special education and realistic expectations. Cervical mucus patterns can be irregular, estrogen may rise multiple times before true ovulation, and the body may have several “practice runs” before releasing an egg. With proper instruction and postpartum‑specific guidance, natural methods can be used effectively to avoid pregnancy while respecting the body’s recovery process.

Sponsors
💛 We Heart Nutrition

Thoughtfully formulated supplements designed to support women’s health at every stage of life.

🎁 20% off with code: GENIUS

🐄 Wonder Cow Colostrum

Supports gut health, immune function, inflammation balance, and tissue repair — especially valuable during postpartum recovery.

🎁 30% off your subscription with code: HORMONEGENIUS

🔗 www.wondercow.com/hormonegenius

🧬 Tiny Health Gut Testing

Advanced stool microbiome testing for moms and babies that evaluates beneficial bacteria levels, inflammatory markers, digestive function, and overall gut balance. Their testing helps guide personalized nutrition, probiotic choices, and lifestyle strategies during the postpartum period when both maternal and infant microbiomes are rapidly developing.

🎁 $50 off with code: HORMONEGENIUS

The information presented in The Hormone Genius Podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for actual medical or mental health advice from a doctor, psychologist, or any other medical or mental health professional.

Health insurance can feel overwhelming, confusing, and, let’s be honest, downright frustrating. In this episode of The Hormone Genius Podcast, Teresa Kenney sits down with Jamie to break down what no one ever taught you about how health insurance really works.

Together, they unpack the fine print and translate industry jargon into real-life, practical guidance you can use immediately.

In this episode, we cover:

How health insurance actually works behind the scenes

The real meaning of deductibles, coinsurance, copays

Common mistakes that cost patients thousands of dollars each year
How to decide when cash pay makes more sense than using insurance
Insider tips to stretch your healthcare dollars further
How to advocate for yourself with providers and insurance companies
Strategies for navigating denials, surprise bills, and confusing coverage rules

Whether you’re self-employed, insured through work, or managing healthcare costs for your family, this episode will give you tools to become a smarter, more empowered healthcare consumer.

Second, our brand-new Perimenopause Course is officially live. For just $97, women can dive into a simple, science-backed approach to navigating hormonal shifts with clarity, confidence, and peace.

🤍 Podcast Sponsor: We Heart Nutrition

Your hormones deserve clean, effective, practitioner-formulated support.

We Heart Nutrition offers high-quality supplements designed to support hormone balance, metabolic health, gut health, inflammation, and overall wellness—without unnecessary fillers or low-grade ingredients.

If you’re working on optimizing your health from the inside out, this is one of Teresa’s trusted supplement brands for patients and listeners alike.

🎁 Get 20% off your order
Use code: GENIUS

🐄 Podcast Sponsor: Wonder Cow Colostrum

Colostrum is one of the most powerful natural tools for gut repair, immune support, inflammation reduction, and metabolic health—and Wonder Cow Colostrum delivers it in its purest, most bioavailable form.

Benefits may include:

Supporting gut lining repair and digestion

Strengthening immune function

Reducing inflammation

Supporting skin health and recovery

Enhancing nutrient absorption

Perfect for anyone dealing with leaky gut, autoimmune concerns, chronic inflammation, frequent illness, or high physical stress.

🎁 Get 30% off your order
Use code: HORMONEGENIUS

🧬 Podcast Sponsor: Tiny Health Gut Support Testing

Your gut microbiome impacts hormones, immunity, mood, metabolism, fertility, and inflammation—and most people are guessing what’s happening inside.

Tiny Health offers advanced, easy-to-use microbiome testing that gives you a clear picture of:

Beneficial vs harmful bacteria

Inflammation patterns

Digestive efficiency

Gut diversity and resilience

Personalized recommendations for improvement

This is one of the most actionable tools for patients looking to move beyond trial-and-error supplements.

🎁 Get $50 off your test
Use code: HORMONEGENIUS

The information presented in The Hormone Genius Podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for actual medical or mental health advice from a doctor, psychologist, or any other medical or mental health professional.

Stephanie Weinert is a Catholic wife, mother of four, convert to the Catholic faith, and founder of Mother & Home Ministries (motherandhome.co), a motherhood collective created to refresh the hearts and minds of women navigating the sacred, demanding, and beautiful vocation of motherhood.

But her path to this work was forged through profound suffering, loss, and ultimately, redemption.

Before motherhood reshaped her life, Stephanie considered herself deeply health-conscious and wellness-minded. She valued nutrition, movement, and intentional living. Yet nothing could have prepared her for the moment in 2019 when her son Beckett’s birth made her a special-needs mother overnight. The complexity of his medical needs, the emotional weight of caregiving, and the daily fight to keep him safe transformed her understanding of motherhood, dependence, and faith.

Eighteen months later, Beckett died.

His death shattered Stephanie’s world.

In the aftermath of trauma and grief, her own health began to unravel. Hormonal dysfunction, exhaustion, anxiety, and physical decline pushed her into what she describes as “a pit I didn’t think I would ever climb out of.” The woman who once felt vibrant and capable now struggled to recognize herself.

But this was not the end of her story.

Stephanie began searching for answers — first medically, then holistically, and eventually spiritually. What she discovered was that true healing could not exist in only one dimension.

It wasn’t just about labs.
It wasn’t just about supplements.
It wasn’t just about diet or sleep.

Healing required addressing the whole person:

the physical body and hormonal systems,

the nervous system and trauma stored within it,

the emotional wounds of grief and identity loss,

the psychological toll of caregiving and chronic stress,

and ultimately, the spiritual surrender of a heart learning again how to trust.

“For in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)

Stephanie speaks candidly about the reality that healing is rarely linear. There were setbacks. Plateaus. Relapses. Moments of despair. And then small breakthroughs that slowly compounded into stability, clarity, and renewed strength. Through hormone balancing, root-cause medicine, nervous system regulation, faith, prayer, and intentional living, she began to rebuild not only her health — but her sense of purpose.

Second, our brand-new Perimenopause Course is officially live. For just $97, women can dive into a simple, science-backed approach to navigating hormonal shifts with clarity, confidence, and peace.

Today’s episode of The Hormone Genius is brought to you by WonderCow Colostrum.

WonderCow uses high-quality, thoughtfully sourced bovine colostrum that’s easy to use daily and fits well into a foundational, root-cause approach to health.

✨ Exclusive Listener Discount
Hormone Genius listeners get 15% off a one-time purchase or 30% off your first subscription.

Use code HORMONEGENIUS or visit:
👉 wondercow.com/HORMONEGENIUS

A big thank-you to our episode sponsor, We Heart Nutrition, a company we love for clean, effective supplements that support whole-body hormone health. Visit www.weheartnutrition.com
and use code GENIUS for 20% off your first order.

Tiny Health’s Gut Health Test gives you powerful insight into your microbiome so you can understand digestion, immunity, inflammation, and even hormone balance at the root cause level. It’s an easy at-home test with personalized results you can actually use. Get $50 off with code HORMONEGENIUS.

Disclaimer: The views expressed by our guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Hormone Genius Podcast. This content is for information is not intended to be a substitute for actual medical or mental health advice from a doctor, psychologist, or any other medical or mental health professional.

In this episode of The Hormone Genius, we are joined by expert OB/GYN Kristina Pakiz, founder of Vivify Women’s Health and Fertility, for an honest, evidence-based conversation about fertility testing, specifically AMH (Anti-Müllerian Hormone), and what it does and does not tell women about their ability to conceive naturally.

Dr. Pakiz brings years of clinical experience caring for women across the reproductive lifespan, with a special focus on restorative, patient-centered fertility care. Her approach emphasizes education, individualized evaluation, and empowering women with accurate information rather than fear-based lab interpretations.

What Is AMH?

AMH is a hormone produced by the granulosa cells of small, developing follicles in the ovaries. Clinically, it is often described as a marker of ovarian reserve, meaning it gives an estimate of how many recruitable follicles remain—not how well those eggs function, and not whether a woman can conceive naturally.

Because AMH levels tend to decline with age, they are frequently used in fertility clinics to help predict response to ovarian stimulation in assisted reproductive technologies like IVF.

Why AMH Is Not a Good Marker of Natural Fertility

One of the most important takeaways from this episode is that AMH is often misunderstood and over-applied, especially in younger women.

Dr. Pakiz explains that:

AMH does not predict whether a woman can get pregnant naturally

Women with low AMH can and do conceive spontaneously

Women with high AMH may still struggle with ovulation, cycle irregularity, or other fertility barriers

AMH does not assess egg quality, ovulation timing, uterine health, cervical mucus, or hormonal balance

In other words, AMH reflects quantity, not function, and fertility depends on far more than follicle count.

The Harm of Over-Interpreting AMH

Dr. Pakiz also addresses the emotional and clinical harm that can occur when AMH is presented as a “fertility score.” Many women are told they are “running out of time” or that pregnancy is unlikely based on AMH alone, messages that are often inaccurate and unnecessarily distressing. Dr. Pakiz describes the alternative of NaproTechnology/Restorative Reproductive Medicine.

Exciting NEWS!!! The Fertile Hive is a Buzzing Community designed for women interested in boosting their natural fertility through restored health. Dr. Kristina Pakiz and Naomi Davis, PA-C provide this guidance through education. The Fertile Hive is the ONLY membership community of its kind- a truly safe space where women with infertility can thrive. We are launching this membership community with a contest! The top 20 contestants win a free membership for a year! Each submission includes a short video clip answering a few simple questions. Submit your entry by January 16, 2026 at thefertilehive.com and look for the Queen Bee.

Second, our brand-new Perimenopause Course is officially live. For just $97, women can dive into a simple, science-backed approach to navigating hormonal shifts with clarity, confidence, and peace.

Today’s episode of The Hormone Genius is brought to you by WonderCow Colostrum.

WonderCow uses high-quality, thoughtfully sourced bovine colostrum that’s easy to use daily and fits well into a foundational, root-cause approach to health.

✨ Exclusive Listener Discount
Hormone Genius listeners get 15% off a one-time purchase or 30% off your first subscription.

Use code HORMONEGENIUS or visit:
👉 https://wondercow.com/HORMONEGENIUS

A big thank-you to our episode sponsor, We Heart Nutrition, a company we love for clean, effective supplements that support whole-body hormone health. Visit www.weheartnutrition.com
and use code GENIUS for 20% off your first order.

The information presented in HGP is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for actual medical or mental health advice from a doctor, or any other medical or mental health professional.