Well Considered

Can faith and modern medicine coexist in the same exam room? In this heartfelt episode, Alexandra sits down with Madison Brown , PA-C, a family medicine clinician who isn’t afraid to pray with her patients and embrace her faith into clinical care. Madison shares how her medical practice has been anchored in her journey through faith, from quietly whispering “Jesus, help me” before hard conversatio...

Could financial peace actually be the health goal we’re all overlooking this season? Explore how overspending and financial stress can quietly impact your nervous system, hormones, and overall health. From dopamine-driven “retail therapy” to the way debt fuels chronic anxiety and sleep loss, we unpack the biology behind emotional overspending. And, how to reclaim your peace before the season begin...

If there’s one moment when informed consent should be crystal clear, it’s birth. Yet too many women describe feeling silenced, pressured, or rushed when bringing life into the world. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Nicole Rankins . She’s a board-certified OB-GYN, podcast host, and advocate for respectful, evidence-based birth. And, together, we answer “What should true informed consent look...

Conventional medicine saved Dane Johnson’s life, but it didn’t heal him. At just 23, Dane was living the dream as a model and actor in Los Angeles when his body began to unravel from severe Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. Years of hospitalizations, medications, and near-death complications kept him alive, but not well. When doctors ran out of options, Dane had to reimagine healing from the ground...

Why do doulas sometimes make doctors and nurses uneasy? And what does their presence reveal about the way our medical system handles birth? In this episode, we talk with HeHe Stewart, founder of The Birth Lounge and a doula with more than 10 years of experience. She shares about the politics of presence to explore why doulas sometimes make providers uncomfortable and why their role matters more th...

In Part Two of Hannah Morgan ’s journey, the story moves from despair to resilience. With faith as her compass, Hannah navigated years of setbacks, new therapies, and near-death moments that tested her resolve. Today, as a mother and author of The Vile, she shares how hope and advocacy transformed her hardest chapters into sacred beginnings. Inside this episode: The turning point that helped Hanna...

What happens when medicine doesn’t have the answers you need, but your faith calls you to keep going? In this first half of Hannah Morgan ’s story, you’ll hear how a young woman’s health unraveled after a routine vaccine, and how she and her family fought to be heard. Inside this episode: Hannah’s sudden health collapse at age 17 after the HPV vaccine The maze of specialists, dismissals, and a sys...

What if the biggest influence on your medical decisions isn’t what’s said out loud, but what’s happening silently in the background? This episode is the final part of our 5-part series, The Empowered Mom’s Guide to Medical Advocacy. We uncover the subtle “nudges” built into the medical system that can steer your decisions without you even realizing it. These influences aren’t always malicious, but...

We're pressing pause on our current podcast series, because millions of us witnessed something we never thought we’d see in real time; a political assassination streamed straight to our phones. No matter your views, moments like this leave behind a shared weight of shock, grief, and disorientation. For moms especially, it can feel impossible to stay grounded while caring for our families and holdi...

What do you do when two “experts” give completely different answers about your health (or your child’s health)? Do you follow the credential, the confidence, or your own gut? This episode of Well Considered is Part Four of our 5-part series, The Empowered Mom’s Guide to Medical Advocacy. We tackle one of the hardest parts of medical decision-making: navigating conflicting advice. Because in today’...

Ever felt like your doctor was speaking another language? You’re not alone. Medical jargon can feel intimidating, but here’s the truth: not knowing those words doesn’t make you less capable, less informed, or less worthy of clear answers. This episode of Well Considered is Part Three of our 5-part series, The Empowered Mom’s Guide to Medical Advocacy. We break down why jargon shows up in every pro...

Have you ever felt pressured to make a quick medical decision for yourself or your child only to regret not slowing down? This episode is Part Two in our 5-part series, The Empowered Mom’s Guide to Medical Advocacy. We go more in depth on a simple but powerful tool: The 10-Second Pause. By taking just ten seconds before responding, you create space for clarity, calm, and true informed consent even...

Ever felt your heart race before asking a doctor a question wondering if you’ll be brushed off or labeled “difficult”? You’re not the only mom who’s been there. This is the first episode in our 5-part series, The Empowered Mom’s Guide to Medical Advocacy. In this kickoff episode we share The Confidence Blueprint; a step-by-step guide to speaking up for your family with calm authority and clarity....

Have you ever walked out of a doctor’s office with more questions than answers? Today, we sit down with Chloe Harrouche, founder and CEO of The Lanby, a patient-led concierge primary care practice in New York City that’s reimagining what healthcare could (and should) look like. At just 23, Chloe faced a breast cancer diagnosis that exposed the cracks in conventional medicine. While treatment saved...

Tired of the same old “pro-vax” vs. “anti-vax” debate? In this pivotal episode, we introduce a groundbreaking tool to move beyond the binary: The Vaccine Perspective Spectrum™. It’s a 13-point framework designed to move the vaccine conversation beyond extremes and into clarity, compassion, and truth. Created after thousands of conversations with parents, providers, and professionals, The Vaccine P...

Are you pro-vax? Anti-vax? Somewhere in between? No matter where you land, this episode will challenge you. In part one of this powerful two-part series, we take an unflinching look at the extremes on both sides of the vaccine debate. Drawing on years of research including product inserts, scientific literature, medical ethics, and firsthand conversations with experts and affected families, we bre...

Are you a first-time mom craving more confidence and clarity as you step into motherhood? You’re not alone. In this uplifting episode, we sit down with Laila from Learning To Mom™, a Gen Z mother who's reshaping the early motherhood experience with joy, preparation, and informed perspective. Together, we explore how new moms can avoid the fear-based overwhelm so common on social media, and instead...

Looking for a way to feel more confident before your next medical decision or doctor’s appointment? In this episode, we walk through the foundational framework of Informed Consent is CLEAR™. It’s a simple, but powerful tool to help you recognize whether informed consent is truly happening in your healthcare encounters. Developed after years of listening to parents, patients, and providers, the Inf...

Looking for a way to feel more confident before your next doctor’s appointment or medical decision? In this episode of Well Considered, we explore how guided visualization can help you stay grounded, clear, and calm in high-pressure healthcare situations. Inspired by last week’s conversation with Dr. Beth Westie, this episode walks you through three immersive visualizations designed to help you: P...

What if your exhaustion or overwhelm isn’t just “mom life”, but a biological alarm your body’s been ringing for years? In this powerful and grounding episode, Dr. Beth Westie joins us to talk about a silent epidemic affecting millions of women (especially moms): chronic stress and cortisol dysregulation. Dr. Beth shares her unique perspective as a functional medicine practitioner and hormone speci...

What happens when the system you trusted harms you (or the people you love most) and you're left questioning what it means to be a “good mom,” a “good wife,” or a “good patient”? Dr. Abigail Powell, a licensed clinical psychologist in Texas and a listed provider in the Pro-Informed Consent Provider Directory , shares her family's story of medical coercion, injury, and identity upheaval in this gri...

What does it look like when a nurse chooses to honor patient autonomy even when the system makes it difficult? In this honest and deeply thoughtful conversation, we’re joined by Rita Rogers, a former Cardiovascular ICU nurse who spent 15 years working at a Level 1 trauma center. Rita shares her personal journey from pursuing emergency medicine out of a desire to help others, to navigating the chal...

Have you ever walked out of a medical appointment wondering, “What just happened?” In this powerful solo episode, we explore the subtle psychological tactics, often invisible and unintentional, that shape medical decisions in the exam room. From time pressure and authority bias to fear appeals and social shaming, Alexandra unpacks how informed consent often gets engineered rather than earned. This...

Why are so many parents leaving conventional pediatric care behind and what would it take to restore their trust? In this candid and deeply honest episode, integrative pediatrician Dr. Joel Gator joins us to explore the rising mistrust between parents and providers. Together, they unpack the root causes: from industry constraints and pharmaceutical pressure to the medical community's resistance to...

If you questioned the COVID-19 response, not to be rebellious, but because you genuinely cared, you’re not alone. Maybe you were one of the many who stayed up late researching, who cited credible sources, only to be called misinformed. Maybe you said “this doesn’t feel right” long before the headlines began to shift. Maybe your intuition was loud, and the cost of listening to it was high. In this...