7 Things I’d Do Immediately to Balance Blood Sugar and Lose Fat

Your gut health impacts far more than digestion. From inflammation and blood sugar balance to your immune system, hormones, skin, and mood, your gut microbiome plays a powerful role in how you feel every day. So, what can you actually do to support it? In this episode of The BeingBrigid Show, Brigid shares seven research-backed habits to improve gut health, support a diverse gut microbiome, and reduce chronic inflammation. Learn how to build an anti-inflammatory diet with more plant diversity, fiber, and fermented foods, plus practical ways to improve digestion without unnecessary food restrictions or overwhelming routines. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: Why your gut microbiome influences inflammation, immune function, blood sugar, hormones, and mental health. Four key markers of a healthy gut microbiome, including microbial diversity and a healthy gut lining. Why eating 30 or more different plant types each week can support gut health. How smoothies, fermented foods, chia seeds, and fiber can nourish beneficial gut bacteria. How chewing slowly, managing stress, and spacing meals three to four hours apart can support digestion. What your bowel movements may reveal about your digestive health. Why increasing fiber too quickly can cause bloating and how to make adjustments. When persistent digestive symptoms may warrant working with a dietitian or exploring further testing.

Could your blood sugar be influencing your long-term health in ways you've never considered? In this powerful episode of The BeingBrigid Show, Brigid sits down with Dr. Dawn Mussallem, a double board-certified physician in hematology, oncology, and lifestyle medicine who spent more than 20 years at Mayo Clinic and founded its integrative breast oncology program. Together, they explore the connection between insulin resistance and breast cancer, why fasting insulin deserves more attention, and how everyday nutrition choices can support metabolic health, cancer prevention, and healthy aging. Dr. Dawn also shares her remarkable personal journey through stage four lymphoma, heart failure, and a heart transplant—and how it shaped her mission to help people prioritize aliveness, not just survival. This conversation is a reminder that food is medicine, personalized nutrition matters, and taking care of your health doesn't have to mean following restrictive rules or striving for perfection. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: The connection between blood sugar, insulin resistance, and breast cancer risk. Why fasting insulin may reveal important information about your metabolic health. How sleep, exercise, and balanced meals influence blood sugar regulation. The role of fiber, protein, healthy fats, and colorful plant foods in an anti-inflammatory diet. What the research says about plant-based diets, animal protein, soy, and breast cancer. How personalized nutrition and advanced testing can help identify individual nutrient needs. Why berries, purple sweet potatoes, green tea, turmeric, and other plant foods offer valuable phytonutrients. How Dr. Dawn's experience with cancer and heart failure transformed her perspective on healthy aging, gratitude, and living fully.

What if the exhaustion, bloating, inflammation, and afternoon crashes you’ve learned to live with aren’t “just aging”? Hallie Abrams spent years feeling exhausted, struggling with sleep, bloating, thyroid antibodies, blood sugar concerns, and inflammation while searching for answers. In this episode, she shares the functional medicine journey that helped her make meaningful changes to her health—including the Blood Sugar Reset, improving her gut health, supporting her hormone health through menopause, and making small, sustainable lifestyle shifts that added up over time. Hallie is the founder of The Wardrobe Consultant and a personal stylist known for helping women over 40 feel confident in their clothes. She joins Brigid to talk about both sides of her transformation: the nutrition and lifestyle changes that helped her feel significantly better and the practical styling strategies she uses to help women feel confident in their bodies. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: Hallie’s journey from chronic exhaustion, afternoon crashes, bloating, and inflammation to feeling significantly better Why her thyroid antibodies became an important part of her functional medicine journey How the Blood Sugar Reset changed the way she approached breakfast, fiber, protein, and satiety Why Hallie’s blood sugar-friendly smoothies became one of her go-to tools for staying full and energized The role of gut health, fiber, probiotics, and personalized testing in her health journey How menopause, sleep, circadian rhythm, and hormone health intersect with overall well-being Why sustainable health changes don’t have to mean completely overhauling your life overnight Hallie’s approach to creating a healthier relationship with food after years of dieting Her five wardrobe staples every woman should consider How to dress for your body, lifestyle, budget, and personal taste Hallie’s advice for building confidence through clothing—and having more fun with your closet

What if the advice to "lift heavy" is actually hurting more women than it's helping? Lindsey Bomgren, certified personal trainer, mom of three, and founder of the 1M-subscriber fitness brand Nourish Move Love, returns to The BeingBrigid Show for a raw, honest follow-up conversation. A year after nearly landing in the hospital from overexertion, Lindsey shares how she rebuilt her health, her training, and her business from the ground up. Brigid and Lindsey talk pelvic floor conditioning, the connection between strength training and blood sugar, and why "doing it all" quietly breaks so many high-achieving women, plus what actually changed once Lindsey asked for help. What You'll Learn In This Episode: Why your body needs to be conditioned, not just motivated, to lift heavy The pelvic floor breathing cue that changed Lindsey's training for good How under-sleeping raises your injury risk Why muscle-building doesn't automatically fix insulin resistance How Lindsey's progesterone journey improved her sleep, anxiety, and cycle Why following a plan beats chasing random workouts or recipes The real, unfiltered story behind running a fitness business Why hiring help at home was Lindsey's hardest, and best, decision

What if you didn’t have to do it all to start changing your health? When Kathy Hawkins first joined the Blood Sugar Reset, her kitchen was literally down to the studs. She was exhausted, struggling with sleep, experiencing inflammation, hair loss, brain fog, and other health challenges—and she felt completely overwhelmed by the idea of changing her nutrition. So she did about 30% of the plan. And then she kept going. Now, after participating in 11 rounds of the Blood Sugar Reset, Kathy joins Brigid to talk about what she’s learned about blood sugar balance, consistency, nutrition accountability, community, and creating a healthier lifestyle without falling into the all-or-nothing trap. Her story is a powerful reminder that your health journey doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. Sometimes, the most important thing you can do is simply start with one thing—and keep coming back to it. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: Why overwhelm can make it harder to take the first step with your health How Kathy went from feeling like she was “falling apart” to creating sustainable nutrition and lifestyle habits Why consistency can be more powerful than trying to do everything perfectly What Kathy learned about blood sugar balance and why cutting out carbohydrates wasn’t the answer for her How meal planning and simple food frameworks helped make healthy eating feel more manageable Why community and accountability became such an important part of Kathy’s journey How Kathy shifted from focusing on a goal weight to thinking about health as a lifelong process The mindset shift that helped her move away from “all or nothing” Why staying curious can change the way you approach food, symptoms, and your health How food can become a source of nourishment, energy, and enjoyment—not another thing to obsess over