The Modern Ancestral Mamas Podcast

📍 Unsifted Freshly Milled Flour: Enjoy $10 off your first purchase of $100 or more (Code: MAM10) https://unsifted.com

 

In this conversation with Bob Quinn, a plant biochemist, organic farmer, and founder of the Quinn Institute in Big Sandy, Montana, we get the farmer’s side of the grain story. Bob grew up on a wheat and cattle ranch, earned his PhD at UC Davis, and came home to turn his farm into a laboratory. After a trade show visitor thanked him for growing food for her family, he stopped growing commodities and started growing food. That shift led him to Kamut, the ancient grain he brought to market and spent decades researching.

 

This is the “farmer” episode in our new grain series, where we look at wheat through the eyes of the farmers, the millers, and the bakers. Bob shares why so many people struggle with modern wheat, how breeding for yield changed the grain, what the difference is between ancient, heirloom, and modern grains, and why he believes the whole system, from seed to soil to processing to the bread aisle, shapes what ends up in our bodies. We also talk about sourdough, glyphosate, fresh milling, the true cost of cheap food, and what it takes for farmers to transition to regenerative organic practices.

 

📚 Resources & Links Mentioned:

📍 Unsifted (freshly milled flour): $10 off your first purchase of $100 or more https://unsifted.com

📍 The Quinn Institute: https://quinninstitute.org/

📍 Bob’s book, Grain by Grain (co-authored with Liz Carlisle): available at bookstores and online

📍 Kamut brand grain, pasta, cereal, and flour: Bob’s Red Mill https://www.bobsredmill.com

📍 The Food Nanny (Kamut flour and grain): https://thefoodnanny.com

📍 Montana Flour & Grains (bulk orders): Fort Benton, Montana

📍 Our first grain series: episodes with Unsifted, Sue Becker of Bread Beckers, Courtney Queen of Butter for All, and Bill Schindler of the Modern Stone Age Kitchen

📍 Join our Patreon Community (extended episode with more of this conversation): https://patreon.com/modernancestralmamas

📍 Website: https://www.modernancestralmamas.com

 

✨ Topics Covered in This Episode:

✔️ Bob’s path from Montana wheat ranch to PhD scientist to organic farmer

✔️ The “rainbow trail” to good health: seed, soil, harvest timing, minimal processing, and honest labeling

✔️ The story of Kamut, from a county fair handful of giant grain to a 100,000 acre crop

✔️ Ancient grains vs. heirloom grains vs. modern wheat

✔️ What changed in modern wheat after World War II, and why nutrition was never part of the breeding goal

✔️ Why flavor and aroma are clues to nutrient density

✔️ Why Kamut contains gluten but is often tolerated better, and the role of glyphosate, processing, and fast-rise yeast

✔️ How long fermentation with sourdough breaks down gluten

✔️ What Bob’s research found, including the rat study on inflammation and the human clinical trials

✔️ Fresh milling and how quickly flour loses nutrients after grinding

✔️ The high price of cheap food for farmers, rural communities, the environment, and our health

✔️ Whether regenerative organic farming can feed America

✔️ Advice for new and transitioning farmers

✔️ How a large bread manufacturer could make better bread, from hard white wheat to golden whole grain flour

✔️ The Noah’s Ark legend behind “the prophet wheat”

 

📲 Stay Connected:

Patreon Community | https://www.patreon.com/c/ModernAncestralMamas

@fornutrientssake | https://www.instagram.com/fornutrientssake/

@nourishthelittles | https://www.instagram.com/nourishthelittles/

@modernancestralmamas | https://www.instagram.com/modernancestralmamas/

YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ModernAncestralMamas

📍 Unsifted Freshly Milled Flour: Enjoy $10 off your first purchase of $100 or more (Code: MAM10) – https://unsifted.com

In this conversation with Jen, a registered nurse of nearly 40 years, we hear her story of chronic illness and how she came back to bread. After years of microscopic colitis, psoriasis, and a long list of autoimmune diagnoses, Jen tried nearly every protocol out there, including carnivore, GAPS, and low FODMAP, and stayed gluten-free for close to a decade. Then she felt led to eat bread again, and what happened next surprised her, her doctors, and her family.

This is the "healed" episode in our new series on grains, where we look at wheat through the eyes of the farmer, the miller, the baker, and the healed. Jen shares why sourdough made with store-bought flour didn't work for her, what changed when she started milling her own grain, how her labs and digestion responded, and what she experienced in the first few weeks. We also talk about choosing a grain mill, how she bakes six loaves a week, and why she believes the real issue is not gluten but what has been stripped from our flour.

 

📚 Resources & Links Mentioned:

📍 Unsifted (freshly milled flour): $10 off your first purchase of $100 or more – https://unsifted.com

📍 Jen Mama Hen –  ⁨@Jenmamahen⁩   "Jen Mama Hen" on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok

📍 Bread Beckers (Sue Becker) – https://breadbeckers.com/

📍 Sue Becker's Essential Homegrown Flour cookbook – available on Amazon

📍 Alex Clark's Culture Apothecary podcast, episode with Sue Becker: "What If Gluten Isn't the Enemy?" – search on your podcast app

📍 NutriMill grain mills – https://nutrimill.com/

📍 WonderMill grain mills – https://wondermill.com/

📍 Join our Patreon Community – https://patreon.com/modernancestralmamas

📍 Website – https://www.modernancestralmamas.com

 

✨ Topics Covered in This Episode:

✔️ Jen's health journey, from a root canal and a colitis diagnosis to a head-to-toe psoriasis flare

✔️ Why she tried carnivore, GAPS, low FODMAP, and herbal protocols, and what each one taught her

✔️ How she came to eat bread again after nearly a decade without it

✔️ Why sourdough, einkorn, and spelt didn't work for her, and what did

✔️ Discovering freshly milled flour through Sue Becker and the Culture Apothecary podcast

✔️ What she experienced in the first weeks of eating freshly milled bread, including the detox-like reaction she pushed through

✔️ Changes she saw in her digestion and her lab work, including her cholesterol

✔️ How freshly milled bread has affected blood sugar for people in her family with type 1 diabetes

✔️ Her take on gluten, food fear, and why the wellness world is still skeptical of bread

✔️ Choosing a grain mill, why she skipped the cheap options, and why she warns against using a KitchenAid attachment

✔️ How she bakes six loaves a week, and how she freezes and stores them

✔️ The role of peace and quiet time in her healing

 

📲 Stay Connected:

Patreon Community | https://www.patreon.com/c/ModernAncestralMamas

@fornutrientssake | https://www.instagram.com/fornutrientssake/

@nourishthelittles | https://www.instagram.com/nourishthelittles/

@modernancestralmamas | https://www.instagram.com/modernancestralmamas/

YouTube |  ⁨https://www.youtube.com/@ModernAncestralMamas

📍 Baja Gold Signature Minerals: use code MAM10 for 10% off – https://bajagoldminerals.com/

📍 Vintage Traditions Whole-Food Skin Care: use code MAM10 for 10% off – https://www.vintagetradition.com

 

Your period is not just an inconvenience. It is a vital sign.

 

In this conversation with Lisa Hendrickson-Jack of Fertility Friday, we break down why your menstrual cycle deserves the same attention as your blood pressure or heart rate, and why so much of what we were taught about birth control leaves out the parts that matter most. Lisa shares the history behind the pill's 28-day design, what hormonal contraceptives actually do to your ovaries and nutrient stores, and why "unexplained infertility" is so often a knowledge gap rather than a mystery.

 

We get into the recent PCOS to PMOS rebrand and what it reveals about the real root of the condition, why you are only fertile a handful of days each cycle, and what couples trying to conceive need to know about both her cycle and his sperm. Lisa also walks through the nutrient depletion of pregnancy and breastfeeding, and why preparing your body beforehand matters as much as the pregnancy itself.

 

📚 Resources & Links Mentioned:

📍 Lisa Hendrickson-Jack / Fertility Friday – https://www.fertilityfriday.com/

📍 The Fifth Vital Sign (Lisa's book) – linked at fertilityfriday.com

📍 Real Food for Fertility (Lisa and Lily Nichols, RDN) – https://realfoodforfertility.com/

📍 Fertility Friday Podcast – search "Fertility Friday" on your podcast app

📍 Lisa on Instagram – instagram.com/fertilityfriday

📍 Fertility Awareness Mastery Mentorship – linked at fertilityfriday.com

📍 Baja Gold Sea Salt, Spice Blends, and Tidal Hydrate/Perform – https://bajagoldminerals.com/

📍 Join our Patreon Community – https://patreon.com/modernancestralmamas

📍 Website – https://www.modernancestralmamas.com

 

✨ Topics Covered in This Episode:

✔️ Why your menstrual cycle counts as a vital sign, and what a "normal" cycle actually looks like

✔️ The real history behind the pill's 28-day sugar-pill week, and why it was never a medical necessity

✔️ What hormonal birth control does to ovulation, uterine lining, and your natural estrogen and progesterone

✔️ The nutrients the pill depletes, from B vitamins to zinc, and why that matters if you plan to conceive

✔️ PCOS's rename to PMOS, and why the root issue is metabolic, not just ovarian

✔️ Why you are not fertile every day, and how to actually identify your fertile window

✔️ What "unexplained infertility" usually leaves out, for both partners

✔️ How long it takes for your cycle to normalize after stopping the pill

✔️ The nutrient "withdrawals" of pregnancy and breastfeeding, and how to prepare for them in advance

✔️ What sperm health has to do with a couple's fertility timeline, and why it is rarely discussed

 

Timestamps:
0:00 The Truth About The Pill
2:05 What High School Health Class Missed
7:28 From Painful Periods To Fertility Advocacy
12:46 The Hidden Reality Of Hormonal Contraceptives
22:49 Nutrient Depletion And The Pill
29:11 Why A Regular Cycle Is A Vital Sign
36:56 Decoding The New Name For PCOS
47:25 Addressing Infertility With Ancestral Wisdom

 

📲 Stay Connected:

Patreon Community | https://www.patreon.com/c/ModernAncestralMamas

@fornutrientssake | https://www.instagram.com/fornutrientssake/

@nourishthelittles | https://www.instagram.com/nourishthelittles/

@modernancestralmamas | https://www.instagram.com/modernancestralmamas/

YouTube |  @ModernAncestralMamas ​

📍 Baja Gold Signature Minerals: use code MAM10 for 10% off – https://bajagoldminerals.com/

📍 Vintage Traditions Whole-Food Skin Care: use code MAM10 for 10% off – https://www.vintagetradition.com

 

Addressing stress is the critical first step for your health.

In this conversation with Dr. Jen Pfleghaar, we break down the reality of using testosterone therapy for women and why it is rarely the first answer for hormonal issues. Dr. Pfleghaar shares her clinical experience with patients who sought out quick fixes, only to face negative side effects when their underlying physiology was ignored. We discuss why focusing on hormone health requires a foundational approach rather than just adding hormones to a stressed system.

True healing often starts with effective stress management. If you feel depleted or are considering hormone replacement, this episode helps you understand what to look for and why your nervous system health is the non-negotiable starting point for natural hormone balance. We get into the risks of aggressive dosing and why slowing down to heal your body is the most sustainable path forward.

 

📚 Resources & Links Mentioned:

📍 Dr. Jen Fleger / Healthy by Dr. Jen – https://healthybydrjen.com/

📍 The Perimenopause Reset (Dr. Jen's book) – https://www.amazon.com/Perimenopause-Reset-Energize-Weight-Peace/dp/1969338911

📍 Healthy by Dr. Jen Podcast – search "Healthy by Dr. Jen" on your podcast app

📍 Dr. Jen on Instagram & YouTube – https://www.instagram.com/integrativedrmom/

📍 Baja Gold Sea Salt, Spice Blends, and Tidal Hydrate/Perform – https://bajagoldminerals.com/

📍 Join our Patreon Community – https://patreon.com/modernancestralmamas

📍 Website – https://www.modernancestralmamas.com

 

✨ Topics Covered in This Episode:

✔️ PCOS's quiet rebrand to "PMOS" and the insulin resistance root cause behind it

✔️ Why blood sugar, not willpower, drives most perimenopause hormone chaos

✔️ What a continuous glucose monitor reveals about your stress, sleep, and food sensitivities

✔️ Cycle syncing: eating differently in your follicular phase vs. your luteal phase

✔️ The patient who overdosed on testosterone outside Dr. Jen's care, and how they recovered

✔️ Why alcohol tolerance crashes in your 40s, and what it's actually doing to your liver

✔️ Topical vs. oral hormones, and the two years before menopause when bone loss accelerates

✔️ How postpartum and breastfeeding hormones mimic perimenopause

✔️ The surprising fertility marker Dr. Jen looks for that has nothing to do with weight

✔️ Why Dr. Jen's family now takes a full digital Sabbath every week, and what changed for her

 

📲 Stay Connected:

Patreon Community | https://www.patreon.com/c/ModernAncestralMamas

@fornutrientssake | https://www.instagram.com/fornutrientssake/

@nourishthelittles | https://www.instagram.com/nourishthelittles/

@modernancestralmamas | https://www.instagram.com/modernancestralmamas/

YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ModernAncestralMamas​

📍 Baja Gold Signature Minerals: use code MAM10 for 10% off – https://bajagoldminerals.com/

📍 Vintage Traditions Whole-Food Skin Care: use code MAM10 for 10% off – https://www.vintagetradition.com

 

Please note that we have removed all occurrences of the word v*ccine because of concerns about censorship. You can listen to the full episode without censoring or ads at: https://patreon.com/modernancestralmamas

 

Rethinking vaccine safety with Dr. Bob Sears. We discuss the shifting medical beliefs around pediatric care and infection.

 

This conversation with Dr. Bob Sears, pediatrician and author, digs into how his views on childhood vccination have changed after 30 years in practice, and what he thinks "safe and effective" should actually mean. If you've ever felt confused by conflicting messaging on this topic, or wondered how to navigate it with your own pediatrician, family, or friends, this episode is for you. We talk about Dr. Sears' biggest misconceptions he's since corrected, what he's observed comparing vccinated and unv*ccinated patients over three decades, and how to approach these conversations without losing relationships.

 

Getting clarity on this topic is not about picking a side and shutting down the conversation. It's about asking better questions, understanding what the research can and can't tell us, and giving yourself permission to slow down and think it through. Dr. Sears breaks down the difference between disease risk and v*ccine risk, tackles the transmission question head-on, and gets honest about what he tells his own patients. Subscribe for weekly ancestral motherhood conversations, and comment below with your biggest takeaway from this episode.

 

0:00 Reevaluating Past Medical Beliefs

3:40 Defining Safe and Effective

11:22 A Family Legacy in Pediatrics

24:40 The Reality of Medical Injuries

29:18 Observing Health Outcomes in Practice

33:36 The Misconception of Transmission

48:42 Navigating Prenatal Medical Choices

55:38 How to Talk to Your Pediatrician

1:21:26 Behind the Scenes of the Medical Industry

 

📚 Resources & Links Mentioned:

📍 Dr. Bob Sears – https://www.drbobsears.com/

📍 The V*ccine Book by Dr. Bob Sears

📍 Dr. Sears' Book Companion Podcast

📍 A Tale of Two Sides (novel) – available on Dr. Sears' website

📍 Baja Gold Sea Salt, Spice Blends, and Tidal Hydrate/Perform – https://bajagoldminerals.com/

📍 Join our Patreon Community – https://patreon.com/modernancestralmamas

📍 Website – https://www.modernancestralmamas.com

 

✨ Topics Covered in This Episode:

✔️ Dr. Sears' biggest misconception, corrected: does vccination actually stop transmission?

✔️ His own family history with the polio vccine and his grandfather

✔️ What changed his mind after 30 years of comparing vccinated and unvccinated patients

✔️ How common are severe reactions, really — and why the data is so hard to pin down

✔️ V*ccines during pregnancy: what's actually been studied, and what hasn't

✔️ How to talk to your pediatrician (and actually get a real answer)

✔️ Navigating daycare, school, and travel requirements state by state

✔️ How to stay in relationship with friends and family who see this differently

✔️ What Dr. Sears considers a truly healthy child

 

#MomBurnout #ChristianMotherhood #FaithAndHealth #InformedConsent #ModernAncestralMamas #AncestralWisdom #MomLife #HolisticMotherhood #ChristianWomen #PediatricHealth

 

📲 Stay Connected:

Patreon Community | https://www.patreon.com/c/ModernAncestralMamas

@fornutrientssake | https://www.instagram.com/fornutrientssake/

@nourishthelittles | https://www.instagram.com/nourishthelittles/

@modernancestralmamas | https://www.instagram.com/modernancestralmamas/

YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ModernAncestralMamas