What the HORMONES

Summer mornings hit different. No school lunches to pack, no mad dash out the door — and suddenly that one cup of coffee you used to grab on autopilot has turned into two or three, slowly sipped on the deck. In this episode, I break down what's actually happening in your body when your coffee habit expands this summer — and why it matters more than you might think if you're entering midlif...

Most of us were taught that disease is just something we manage with a pill, but Dr. Ann Hester is here to flip that script. Double board certified in Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine, she breaks down the six pillars that can actually prevent, treat, and reverse hormone related symptoms and chronic disease, no prescription required. Kate and Dr. Hester get into why women are so often dismi...

Summer looks like sprinklers and popsicles on the outside — but if you're the one holding the camp waitlists, the snack rotation, the sunscreen, and your actual job, it's the invisible load on steroids. This episode breaks down exactly what the invisible load is, why summer cranks it up without you even noticing, and what's actually happening hormonally when you're white-knuckling...

That rage the week before your period? It's not a malfunction — it's a message. In this episode, we're breaking down why so much of what gets labeled "PMS" is actually burnout wearing a hormonal costume, and why your luteal phase might be the only week of the month your body is finally honest with you. We get into why your capacity isn't supposed to stay the same all mont...

Most of us go to our annual checkup, hand over our arm for blood work, and wait to hear "everything looks normal." But what if normal isn't the same as optimal — and what if the tests your doctor ordered aren't even telling the full story? In this episode, Kate sits down with functional medicine practitioner and nutritionist Cindy Dupuie to break down exactly what blood work wome...

What if starting over as a mom wasn't a sign of failure — but the most powerful thing you could do? In this episode, Kate sits down with returning guest Wendy Snyder, Certified Positive Parenting Educator and founder of Fresh Start Family, for a raw, honest conversation about breaking generational cycles, rewriting the parenting playbook, and why humility might be your greatest superpower as a...

Your cycle doesn't just affect you — it affects everyone in your orbit. Pharmacist and cycle syncing advocate Dr. Tiffany Ruder is back, and this time we're handing the playbook to the partners, the dads, the brothers, and the coworkers who want to show up better but just don't know how. This isn't about special treatment — it's about understanding that women operate on a 28-da...

If you've tried everything — the supplements, the protocols, the appointments, the late-night research spirals — and you still don't feel better, this episode is for you. Healing burnout is real, it's rampant, and it's one of the most overlooked reasons women stay stuck. Today we're naming what's actually happening when your healing journey becomes another source of exhaust...

What if your anxiety, mood swings, and exhaustion aren't signs that something is broken—but signals that your body is working exactly as designed, just under the wrong conditions? In this episode, Kate sits down with Alex Mufson, founder of Canary House and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in high-functioning women, to explore how burnout, chronic stress, and over-functioning rew...

We're diving deep into the shame spiral so many midlife women face: the moment your body stops cooperating with the hustle, you start blaming yourself. But here's the truth—what feels like a personal failure is actually your body asking for something different. In this episode, we explore why high-functioning, hyper-independent women are often the most blindsided by perimenopause, what&#39...

You built a beautiful life. And somehow disappeared in the architecture. This episode explores the identity eclipse that happens when you spend a decade (or two) becoming everything to everyone else. It's about the woman who sits in the doctor's office and realizes she has no idea what brings her joy anymore. The marriage that became a logistics partnership. The body that started screaming...

Welcome to  Asking for a Friend  — the monthly segment where I ditch the script and pull up a chair with one of my favorite girlfriends for the kind of conversation that usually only happens in group chats, parking lot debriefs, and late-night kitchen tables. She brings the questions. I bring the honesty. And together we go there — no filter, no fluff, just real talk about hormones, health, and th...

Being strong got you here. But it's also what's keeping you stuck. This episode dives into the difference between resilience and adaptation—and why high-functioning women are often blindsided by burnout, hormonal chaos, and resentment. If you've ever created a four-page document just to leave your house for four days, or felt rage bubbling up every luteal phase, this one's for you....

Melatonin isn't just a supplement you grab at the drugstore—it's a hormone. And it's doing so much more in your body than just making you drowsy at bedtime. From supporting ovulation and progesterone production to reducing menstrual migraines, helping with perimenopause sleep issues, and even promoting hair growth, melatonin is essential for women's hormonal health. In this episode...

You're exhausted but wired at bedtime. Or you fall asleep fine, but jolt awake at 3 AM with your mind racing. If you're waking up at the same time every night and can't figure out why, this episode is for you. I'm breaking down the midnight triangle—the intricate relationship between sleep, cortisol, and blood sugar that's keeping you awake. Spoiler alert: it has nothing to do...

We say "I'm so busy" without realizing we're actually burned out. There's a massive difference between having a full schedule and being in full-blown hormonal burnout—and most of us don't recognize it until we're deep in it. In this episode, I'm walking you through the five hormone clues your body has been waving at you, trying to get your attention. Because burno...

It's mid-January and you might be feeling like you should be hustling hard on those New Year goals—but what if your body is telling you something different? In this episode, I'm sharing why traditional January planning might be setting you up for burnout and how to plan your entire year in a way that honors BOTH the environmental seasons around you and your menstrual cycle within you. I&#3...

Welcome to Season 4! We've got a new name, a new energy, and the same real talk you've come to expect. In this premiere episode, I'm breaking down why your January or February period might feel completely off—and it's all because of what's happening  right now  during the holidays. Even if you don't feel stressed, your body might be struggling behind the scenes. And most of...

We're back for Season 4 with a new name, a new energy, and the same real talk you've come to expect from this show. Welcome What the HORMONES podcast.

GLP-1 medications are everywhere right now—but the real conversation isn’t just  whether  they work. It’s how to use them wisely, especially for women navigating perimenopause, hormone shifts, and burnout. In part two of my conversation with clinical pharmacist Dr. Katashia, we slow things down and get honest about the side effects women are actually experiencing on GLP-1s—and, more importantly, w...

You've seen it all over social media. Everyone's talking about GLP-1’s. Maybe you've heard the brand names—Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro—and wondered, "What exactly is this, and why are so many women suddenly using it?" If you're in perimenopause and noticing weight gain despite doing everything "right," battling constant cravings, or feeling like your body is worki...

What if the season you dread the most — your inner autumn, your PMS week, that “burn-it-all-down” phase — is actually your greatest source of clarity? In today’s episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of my own inner autumn and sharing how this misunderstood season has become my favourite time  in my life and in my business . We’re talking PMS, perimenopause, mood spirals, imposter syndrome, th...

If you've been dealing with bloating, constipation, PMS, or hormonal chaos—your gut might be trying to tell you something. And here's the truth: you can't fix your hormones without fixing your gut. In this episode, I sit down with Brandee Hommerding, Certified Nutrition Therapy Practitioner and host of the Healthy Buzz podcast, to talk about the powerful connection between gut health a...

What happens when your body forces you to stop ignoring the signs? Mary Tibbetts joins me for a raw, honest conversation about her journey with Multiple Sclerosis—from dismissing extreme fatigue and seizures to finally getting diagnosed and completely transforming how she lives. This isn't your typical health story. Mary brings humor, heart, and zero apologies as we talk about the reality of a...

This conversation dives into the nitty-gritty of sexual wellness, hormone health, and the intimate connections that so many of us struggle to talk about—even with our partners. Dr. Diane Mueller joins me to unpack how our menstrual cycles influence libido, why stress and cortisol wreak havoc on desire, and the profound difference between arousal and desire (spoiler: most women experience arousal b...