Balancing Hormones Naturally

If you keep starting over every Monday, if you have a graveyard of supplements you tried for two weeks and abandoned, if you've bought planner after planner looking for the one that finally makes you consistent, you have not been lacking discipline. Your nervous system doesn't feel safe changing, and once you understand why, everything about how you approach your goals is about to shift.
In this episode:
Why you're great at starting something new but keep hitting a wall in the middle, right when it's time to maintain or finish.

The real reason your brain treats a new habit, a new food, a new boundary, like a threat, and why that triggers procrastination, cravings, and mindless scrolling without you even realizing it.

Why saying affirmations for ten seconds a day does nothing if the other ninety percent of your self talk is "I hate this, I can't do this, I'm so frustrated".

The study on people with split personality disorder whose bloodwork changed depending on which personality they were in, and what that reveals about how much your thoughts actually control your body.

Why "just calm down" and "just breathe" can backfire completely if you're in fight or flight, and what to do with that energy instead before you try to regulate.

The exact order for nervous system regulation, moving the energy first, then calming the body, and simple ways to do both.

Why identifying as someone who's "all or nothing" or who "always falls off" keeps you proving that belief right, and how to start rewiring it.

A simple mindset shift you can use today: asking what the version of you who already has this goal would decide to do in this exact moment
You cannot hate your body into health, and you cannot white knuckle your way into lasting change either. If your nervous system is stuck in fight or flight or shutdown, no amount of willpower is going to make consistency feel easy. 
This is the piece almost nobody talks about, and once you start working with your nervous system instead of against it, everything else gets so much easier. If you want to go deeper on this work, book a consult call and ask about VIP.
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 long-term 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: leahbcoaching@gmail.com
The recommendations presented in this podcast are not a substitute for medical advice from a qualified doctor. Before making any changes to your diet and lifestyle, please consult with your healthcare provider.

If you’ve been told you have PMOS and walked out of the doctor’s office feeling like infertility is your future, this episode is for you. PMOS 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 it
How 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 connection
The supplements actually shown to help PMOS, such as myo-inositol, maitake mushroom, omega-3 food sources, apple cider vinegar, and mineral support
Why minerals and depletion matter more than you think, and how HTMA testing reveals what bloodwork can’t

Ovulation 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.

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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: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

If you've ever thought "I could never leave my kids for that" when you hear someone talk about a retreat or a workshop, this episode is for you. Leah sits down with her sister-in-law Katie, a coach in the Hormone Reset Program, to talk about what brain rewiring and nervous system work actually looks like in real life, not as a concept, but as the reason you stop having a full-body panic response when your toddler spills his plate across the floor and just... smile.
In this episode:
Why the first seven years of your child's life are shaped more by your nervous system than by anything you consciously do as a parent, and what that means for the mom who wants to break the cycle
How overstimulation is different from not enjoying your kids, and why so many moms are white-knuckling through the day instead of actually being present in it
What it actually looks like to rewire a pattern, why it feels awkward at first, and why the old path just quietly grows over once you've made a new one
How to stop identifying as "an anxious person" and start separating yourself from the moments where anxiety shows up, because that one shift changes everything
Why so many women use their husband as an excuse not to invest in themselves, and what actually happens when they finally have the conversation
The real reason it feels so hard to say yes to something for yourself when you're building a house, raising kids, and watching every dollar, and how Katie talked herself through it across three emails in one weekend
What neuroplasticity actually means in daily life, from stopping the panic attack when plans change last minute, to asking a question in a room full of people without apologizing for taking up space
Why getting out of your day-to-day environment is the thing that makes breakthroughs happen faster, and why waiting for a retreat to come to your state means waiting to feel better
You don't have to have it all figured out before you say yes to something. The discomfort right before the breakthrough is always the loudest part. If you're ready to reset your nervous system in real life, Katie and Leah want to see you at the Reset Retreat.
Join the reset retreat here! 
Thank you to Eversio for sponsoring this episode, you can save at Eversiowellness.com with code LEAH
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 long-term pharmaceutical prescription.
Let's connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/
Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leahbrueg/
Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/
Email: leahbcoaching@gmail.com

The recommendations presented in this podcast are not a substitute for medical advice from a qualified doctor. Before making any changes to your diet and lifestyle, please consult with your healthcare provider.

Episode 286: What Happened to My Ovulation? Why It Gets Delayed, Late, or Goes Missing
with Leah Brueggemann, FDN-P

Okay, so you usually ovulate somewhere around day 13 to 16, and now you are sitting on day 30 going, where did my ovulation go? This one is for you. In this episode I am breaking down what ovulation actually is, why it can show up late or disappear altogether, and what your delayed ovulation is trying to tell you about your health.
How interesting, right? Because ovulation is not just about getting pregnant. It is your monthly report card. It is how your body produces progesterone, your keep calm and carry on hormone. So when ovulation goes off track, it is a yellow flag we want to pay attention to before it turns into a red flag. Grab a beverage, check your step count, and let's dive in.
What You'll Learn
•        What ovulation really is, and why day 14 is just an average (a 26 to 36 day cycle is totally normal)
•        Why your follicular phase length is what actually determines your cycle length
•        The hard truth about ovulating after day 21, and why irregular ovulation is a health signal worth listening to
•        Why you cannot get pregnant without ovulating, even when it feels like you skipped your period
•        Why "hyper fertile" is not a real thing, and the myth that you ovulate multiple times in one cycle
•        What cervical mucus is telling you, from thyroid clues to low vitamin A, dehydration, and low estrogen
•        The most common reasons ovulation gets delayed: stress, nutrient deficiencies, blood sugar and insulin resistance, PCOS, thyroid, and over-exercising or under-eating
•        How to figure out which category you fall into, and simple, doable first steps to support your ovulation
Key Takeaways
•        Ovulation is what brings your period. When you ovulate, the follicle forms the corpus luteum, which produces progesterone. When that progesterone drops, your period comes. No ovulation, no true period.
•        Your cycle length is normal anywhere from 26 to 36 days. The range comes from how long your follicular phase is. Ovulation to period should stay in that 12 to 14 day window to support enough progesterone.
•        Stress is the number one cause of delayed ovulation, and it is not just emotional. Internal stress like inflammation, food sensitivities, heavy metals, and parasites all count. You cannot out-supplement a full stress bucket.
•        Nutrient deficiencies matter. Magnesium, B vitamins, zinc, and selenium all support ovulation and egg quality. When minerals are tanked, testing helps you see it, and then we ask why they got depleted in the first place.
•        Blood sugar and insulin resistance can shut down ovulation, and this is especially true with PCOS, where blood sugar spikes drive up testosterone.
•        Both an underactive and overactive thyroid can delay ovulation, and stress, gut, and liver health all impact your T4 to T3 conversion. Birth control can deplete the nutrients and disrupt the microbiome you need for this.
•        Over-exercising and under-eating send a famine signal to your body, and ovulation is one of the first things it shuts down to conserve energy.
•        You ovulate once per cycle. You can release a second egg within 24 hours, but progesterone then suppresses any further ovulation. "Hyper fertile" is not multiple ovulations.
Resources & Links Mentioned
•        Free Hormone Training, learn Leah's three secrets to balancing hormones naturally: freehormonetraining.com

•        Book a free consult call for the Hormone Reset Program: bit.ly/HRPfreecall
•        Follow Leah on Instagram: @leah_brueg

Ready to Get to the Root of Your Cycle?
If you are tired of guessing whether it is stress, your thyroid, nutrient deficiencies, or PCOS behind your delayed ovulation, this is exactly what we do inside the Hormone Reset Program. We run your testing, hand you a step-by-step map, and pair you with an accountability coach so you are never wondering "is this me?" again. You just implement and trust the process. Book your free consult call at bit.ly/HRPfreecall to see if it's a good fit.
And if you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and post it to your stories. You never know who in your circle is praying for this exact information right now. Tag @leah_brueg so we can keep getting this message out.

Disclaimer

The information shared in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. It is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition. Please consult your qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet, supplements, exercise, or wellness routine.

Cycle Syncing 101: How to Eat, Move, and Live in Sync with Your Hormones

Balancing Hormones Naturally Podcast with Leah Brueggemann

Okay, so here is the thing about cycle syncing: it is not just another wellness trend to add to your already overflowing to-do list. It is the actual tipping point. The thing that finally helps your last bit of stubborn weight come off, your cravings calm down, your moods even out, and your energy stop crashing at 2 p.m. every single afternoon.
In this episode, I am breaking down cycle syncing 101: how to use nutrition, workouts, and lifestyle to support the natural rise and fall of your hormones through every phase of your cycle. Because here is the truth, you are not built to run on a 24-hour male hormone rhythm. You have a beautifully designed 28-ish day rhythm, and once you start working with it instead of against it, everything starts to click.
How interesting, right?
What You'll Learn in This Episode
•        Why cycle syncing is the missing piece for stubborn weight, mood swings, and cravings
•        The four phases of your menstrual cycle and what is happening hormonally in each one
•        Menstrual phase: the iron, mineral, and vitamin C rich foods to prioritize while you are bleeding, plus the Chinese medicine principle of warm versus cold foods
•        Why beef liver is a powerhouse during your period, and the chili hack that makes it taste good
•        Follicular phase: cooling proteins, cruciferous vegetables, resistant starch, and why this phase is a goldmine for insulin sensitivity
•        Ovulatory phase: antihistamine support, chia seed pudding, and the eleganic acid in berries that helps neutralize estrogen quinones
•        Luteal phase: low glycemic carbs, warming proteins, magnesium-rich foods, and why blood sugar balance matters even more here
•        How to adjust your workouts through every phase without sacrificing strength gains
•        Seed cycling 101: the exact seeds, amounts, and timing to support estrogen and progesterone
•        What to do if your cycles are irregular, if you are postpartum, or if you are on hormonal birth control
•        How to actually start cycle syncing without overwhelm (hint: one habit per cycle)
Quick Cycle Syncing Cheat Sheet

Menstrual Phase (Days 1 to 7, bleeding phase)
•        Hormones: at their lowest
•        Vibe: rest, reflect, gentle movement
•        Workouts: yoga, Pilates, stretching, walks, lower weight with higher reps
•        Foods: iron-rich, mineral-rich, potassium-rich, vitamin C, warming foods like stews, chili, bone broth, sweet potatoes, ginger, wild rice, beef liver
•        Skip: ice cold drinks and smoothies (cold brings pain, warm takes it away)
Follicular Phase (post-bleeding, estrogen rising)
•        Hormones: estrogen rising, testosterone starting to climb
•        Vibe: creativity, planning, networking, new projects
•        Workouts: cardio and weight training, this is when you get strong
•        Foods: cooling proteins (chicken, turkey, white fish), cruciferous veggies, sprouts, soluble fiber, resistant starch (cooled potatoes), liver support
•        Bonus tip: finish eating by 6 or 6:30 p.m. to support insulin sensitivity overnight
Ovulatory Phase (estrogen and testosterone peak, LH surge)
•        Hormones: estrogen peaks, testosterone peaks, LH surges
•        Vibe: magnetic, outgoing, empathetic, perfect for hard conversations and big projects
•        Workouts: high intensity, heavy lifting
•        Foods: antihistamine support (vitamin C, nettle), berries (eleganic acid for estrogen detox), colorful peppers, kiwi, citrus, chia seed pudding
•        Non-negotiable: pooping daily heading into luteal
Luteal Phase (ovulation to period, progesterone dominant)
•        Hormones: progesterone rising, estrogen dipping with one mid-phase bump
•        Vibe: reflective, slower, checking things off your list
•        Workouts: strength training continues, lower weights and higher reps, Pilates, walking
•        Foods: low glycemic carbs (lentils, beans, chickpeas), warming proteins (beef, salmon), magnesium-rich leafy greens, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, well-cooked everything
•        Critical: blood sugar balance matters more than ever, especially if you deal with PMS or pre-period anxiety
Seed Cycling Made Simple
Period to ovulation: 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds + 1 tablespoon flax seeds daily
Ovulation to period: 1 tablespoon sesame seeds + 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds daily
Buy them whole and grind before eating (they go rancid fast), or grab them pre-ground from Funk It Wellness, where they are ground right before shipping. Use code LEAH15 to save.

Your Homework
•        Pick ONE habit from this episode and start it this cycle. Just one. That is how this works.
•        Share this episode with a friend and invite her to do it with you. Send it and say, hey, I love you, do you want to do this with me?
Episode Sponsors

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