The Modern Ancestral Mamas Podcast

🌿 Earthley creates truly natural, non-toxic herbal remedies made with simple, real ingredients you can trust. Use code ancestral10 for 10% off → https://www.earthley.com

 

The fourth trimester is a lie, and your body knows it.

 

In this episode, Corey and Christine sit down for a long-overdue catch-up after Christine's maternity leave from the podcast. Now six weeks postpartum with baby #4, Christine shares the realization that's reshaped how she thinks about motherhood: humans aren't built to bounce back. We're "carrier mammals," biologically wired to hold our underdeveloped babies for months after birth, and the cultural expectation to return to "normal" in 12 weeks is working against every instinct our bodies have.

 

Together, they unpack the three types of mammals (and why it matters for new moms), why Christine says it took her three full years to feel like herself after her last baby, and how doing postpartum #4 with real support, including family, a postpartum chef, and extra help in the home, opened her eyes to what previous postpartums had cost her. Corey and Christine also push back on mommy wine culture, talk about why the most chill moms they know are the ones with the biggest families, and reflect on six years of doing this podcast together.

 

✨ *Topics Covered in This Episode:*

✔️ The three types of mammals (nesting, carrier, and follower) and why humans are carriers

✔️ Why babies are essentially "born three months early" and need to be held

✔️ Christine's six-week postpartum update with baby #4

✔️ Why the fourth trimester is closer to two or three years than three months

✔️ What it's like to do postpartum with a real village vs. completely alone

✔️ Hiring a postpartum chef and why nourishment matters more than restriction

✔️ Why big-family moms are often the most joyful and relaxed

✔️ Pushing back on mommy wine culture and motherhood-as-drudgery

✔️ Corey's new cookbook *What Do I Feed These Kids?*, a real food cheat sheet

✔️ The launch of the Modern Ancestral Mamas website

✔️ Upcoming conferences in 2026, including Need Your Cure in Oxford, MS and Weston A. Price in DC

✔️ Why women were never meant to do postpartum alone

 

🧠 *More About This Episode:*

This episode is for any mom in the trenches of postpartum, any mother who has ever wondered why she didn't feel like herself for years after having a baby, and anyone who needs the reminder that motherhood is a calling worth celebrating, not a chore to survive. It's warm, honest, and a little nerdy about mammal biology.

📚 *Resources & Links Mentioned:*

📍 *What Do I Feed These Kids? A Real Food Cheat Sheet* by Corey – https://www.fornutrientssake.com/shop/p/4xp1fet4qsg0260nqneem6ahlpkq54

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

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

📍 *Knead Your Cure Conference* (August 14-15, 2026 in Oxford, MS) - https://www.kneadyourcure.com/ 📍

*Weston A. Price Foundation Conference* (October 2026, Washington DC) - https://www.westonaprice.org/get-involved/conferences/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=415527510&gbraid=0AAAAADiY3lq80cXhgOfdh2V-vU5CtgjOj&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlLDQBhDjARIsAPlIefHdvKOKIxAO69qxYuEjEKK1IvRjeA0k2V-qnS4C5pnW3p4Y8IOy3pIaAoxHEALw_wcB#gsc.tab=0

📍 *Masienda* – nixtamalized masa for homemade tortillas - https://masienda.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoq1OGBPk3ti3xPzBeHk167J8DKl1hBkJa4H0xcWfFPQNUm-sNCz

📍 *Vitamin T* cookbook by Masienda - https://masienda.com/products/vitamina-t?srsltid=AfmBOop82fVnQmXWMFdXjoehRWzJm_m68M8jT74Zf1R-2qUb6lWUzaYC

📍 *Earthley* – https://www.earthley.com (code: ancestral10 for 10% off)

 

✨ *Support the Show!*

👍 Like & Subscribe for more ancestral motherhood conversations

⭐ Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

💬 Comment below: What's one thing you wish someone had told you about postpartum?

 

#postpartum #fourthtrimester #carriermammals #AncestralLiving #MotherhoodWellness #ModernAncestralMamas #RealFood #PostpartumSupport #MomLife #NewMom

📲 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

🌿 Earthley creates truly natural, non-toxic herbal remedies made with simple, real ingredients you can trust. Use code ancestral10 for 10% off → https://www.earthley.com

 

The generation raised on ultra-processed food is starting to fight back.

 

In this episode, Corey and Christine welcome Bishaka Chowdhury, a Gen Z health advocate and content creator behind @foodlicious444, for the third installment of their series: Gen Z and How One Generation Is Changing the Future of Food. Born in Bangladesh and raised in the U.S., Bishaka shares how growing up between two food cultures, going vegan and watching her health crash at 80 lbs, and finally returning to nutrient-dense, ancestral eating shaped her mission to wake up her generation to what's really in their food.

 

Together, they unpack why Gen Z is fed up with ultra-processed everything, how Bishaka's parents developed diabetes after moving to the U.S., and why her mom still drives hours to source real ingredients from her home country. Bishaka gets honest about the cultural pressure to grab fast food on every corner, the "cheat day" mindset that keeps her peers stuck, and why she thinks millennials were "the guinea pig generation" — raised on the food experiment Gen Z is now refusing to continue.

✨ Topics Covered in This Episode:

✔️ Bishaka's journey from vegan health crash to nutrient-dense eating

✔️ Growing up between Bangladeshi food culture and the standard American diet

✔️ How her parents developed diabetes after moving to the U.S.

✔️ Why traditional fats like ghee are being replaced with seed oils — even in cultural cuisine

✔️ The Seed Oil Scout app and finding real food when you eat out

✔️ Why Gen Z is "fed up" and demanding better food quality

✔️ How millennials became the guinea pig generation for ultra-processed food

✔️ Why convenience culture and fast food on every corner keep Gen Z stuck

✔️ The "cheat day" mindset and why it's keeping people sick

✔️ How to date and find like-minded partners outside the club scene

✔️ The rise of Botox, fillers, and plastic surgery in girls as young as 18

✔️ Practical first steps for parents and teens transitioning to real food

 

🧠 More About This Episode:

Bishaka Chowdhury is a Gen Z health advocate and content creator who shares nutrition and ancestral eating content with her growing community on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook under the handle @foodlicious444. Born in Bangladesh and raised in the U.S., Bishaka studied health sciences in college and quickly realized how little emphasis is placed on real nutrition in mainstream education. After a vegan diet left her depleted and underweight, she returned to nutrient-dense, whole-food eating and now uses her platform to help others — especially her peers — reclaim their health through real food.

 

This episode is for any parent raising Gen Z or Gen Alpha kids, anyone curious about how the youngest generation is reshaping food culture, and anyone who needs a reminder that whole food living doesn't require a degree — just the willingness to start. It's honest, hopeful, and a little bit feisty.

 

📚 Resources & Links Mentioned:

📍 Follow Bishaka – @foodlicious444 on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube & Facebook

📍 Seed Oil Scout app – for finding restaurants that don't cook with seed oils

📍 Earthley – https://www.earthley.com (code: ancestral10 for 10% off)

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

 

✨ Support the Show!

👍 Like & Subscribe for more ancestral motherhood conversations

⭐ Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

💬 Comment below: What's one ancestral food tradition from your family or culture that you want to bring back?

 

#genzhealth #RealFood #AncestralLiving #WholeFood #AntiProcessedFood #MotherhoodWellness #ModernAncestralMamas #SeedOilFree #GuineaPigGeneration #NutrientDense

 

📲 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

🌿 Earthley creates truly natural, non-toxic herbal remedies made with simple, real ingredients you can trust. Use code ancestral10 for 10% off → https://www.earthley.com

 

The generation raised on ultra-processed food is starting to fight back. In this episode, Corey and Christine welcome Penelope, a Gen Z health advocate and co-founder of both the MAHA Girls account and the Step It Ups natural weight loss program, for the second installment of their series: MAHA Girls Gen Z and How One Generation Is Changing the Future of Food. From weighing 320 lbs at 15 and hiding pizza boxes from her health-conscious mom to losing 160 lbs naturally without Ozempic, surgery, or starvation, Penelope's story is a raw look at what ultra-processed food addiction really does to a teenager's body, mind, and family.

 

Together, they unpack how doctors and therapists told a 320 lb teenager she was "totally fine and healthy," why her therapy sessions served Swedish Fish and gummy bears to kids with anxiety and depression, and what it actually took to break free. Penelope gets honest about stealing money for DoorDash binges, the friends who enabled her eating, and the moment during lockdown when she looked in the mirror and didn't recognize herself. She also shares the simple but powerful approach that changed everything: cut the sugar and flour, make your favorite junk food at home with real ingredients, and move your body every day.

 

✨ Topics Covered in This Episode:

✔️ Penelope's journey from 320 lbs and pre-diabetic at 15 to losing 160 lbs naturally

✔️ How ultra-processed food addiction mirrors drug and alcohol addiction

✔️ Why her doctors, therapists, and friends all told her she was healthy at 320 lbs

✔️ The role body positivity culture played in keeping her stuck

✔️ How therapy sessions fed junk food to kids with anxiety and depression

✔️ The hidden dynamics of friends enabling food addiction

✔️ What withdrawal from sugar and flour actually looks like

✔️ How her PCOS, pre-diabetes, and depression disappeared with whole foods

✔️ Why moms speaking negatively about their own bodies deeply impacts daughters

✔️ The Ozempic Chronicles: concerns about GLP-1s being given to children

✔️ Practical advice for college students eating in campus cafeterias

✔️ How to teach kids to read ingredient labels and cook with what they have

✔️ The founding of MAHA Girls and what gives her hope for Gen Z

 

🧠 More About This Episode: Penelope is a Gen Z health advocate who lost 160 lbs naturally after years of ultra-processed food addiction. Born in Switzerland and raised in California, she went from being unable to walk up stairs at 15 to becoming a passionate voice for whole food living and natural weight loss. Alongside her mother Helen, a nutritional psychology expert, Penelope co-founded the Step It Ups program, helping women lose weight naturally and titrate off GLP-1 medications. She is also a co-founder of the MAHA Girls account alongside Grace and Lexi Noel, where they empower young women to ditch processed food and reclaim their health. Penelope has testified before the Arizona legislature to ban ultra-processed foods from public school lunches.

 

This episode is for any mom navigating a child's relationship with food, any parent wondering what the body positivity movement is really teaching their daughter, and anyone who needs to hear that dramatic health transformation is possible without drugs or deprivation. It's deeply personal, brutally honest, and full of hope.

 

📚 Resources & Links Mentioned:

📍 Follow Penelope & Step It Ups – @stepitups on Instagram, TikTok & YouTube

📍 Follow MAHA Girls – @mahagirls on Instagram & TikTok

📍 Book – Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon Morell

📍 Upcoming Series – The Ozempic Chronicles on the Step It Up Podcast

📍 Earthley – https://www.earthley.com (code: ancestral10 for 10% off)

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

 

✨ Support the Show!

👍 Like & Subscribe for more ancestral motherhood conversations

⭐ Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

💬 Comment below: Have you or your kids ever experienced what it feels like to cut out processed food? What changed?

 

#genzhealth #MahaGirls #RealFood #AncestralLiving #WholeFood #AntiProcessedFood #MotherhoodWellness #ModernAncestralMamas #NaturalWeightLoss #NoOzempic #ProcessedFoodAddiction #StepItUps

 

📲 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

🌿 Earthley creates truly natural, non-toxic herbal remedies made with simple, real ingredients you can trust. Use code ancestral10 for 10% off → https://www.earthley.com

 

The generation raised on ultra-processed food is starting to fight back. In this episode, Corey and Christine welcome Lexi Noel, a 19-year-old Gen Z health advocate, baker, and co-founder of the MAHA Girls account, for the first installment of their new series: MAHA Girls Gen Z and How One Generation Is Changing the Future of Food. From being diagnosed with anorexia at 13 to healing through real, whole foods, Lexi's story challenges everything we've been told about what "healthy" looks like for young people.

 

Together, they explore what Gen Z actually grew up eating, why protein greenwashing is the new fat-free era, and how a generation glued to social media is both the problem and the solution when it comes to nutrition education. Lexi gets honest about navigating social events with her own food, the accusations that promoting real food "creates eating disorders," and what it's actually like to be the only one in your friend group who cares about ingredients.

 

✨ Topics Covered in This Episode:

✔️ Lexi's journey from anorexia to healing through real food

✔️ Why eating disorder clinics may be getting recovery wrong

✔️ What Gen Z actually grew up eating vs. what millennials ate

✔️ The protein greenwashing trend and why labels like "organic" aren't enough

✔️ How to navigate social situations when you eat differently

✔️ Practical swaps for going from standard American to real food

✔️ Budget-friendly tips including Dollar Tree real food finds

✔️ How teens living at home can talk to parents about healthier eating

✔️ Advice for college students in dorms with no kitchen

✔️ Why peer-to-peer health advocacy matters for Gen Z

✔️ The MAHA movement and what gives Lexi hope for the future

 

🧠 More About This Episode:

Lexi Noel is a Gen Z health advocate and the founder of Divine Eats, a paleo and keto bakery rooted in real, single-ingredient foods. After being diagnosed with anorexia at 13 and healing through whole food nutrition, Lexi began sharing grocery store swap videos and ingredient education on social media, building a following across Instagram and TikTok. She is also a co-founder of the MAHA Girls account alongside Grace and Penelope, where they empower young women to reclaim their health through real food and non-toxic living. Lexi and the MAHA Girls were recently featured on CNN.

 

This episode is for any parent raising kids in an ultra-processed world, any Gen Zer trying to eat better on a budget, and anyone who wants to understand what's actually shifting in the youngest generation's relationship with food. It's honest, practical, and full of hope.

 

📚 Resources & Links Mentioned:

📍 Follow Lexi – https://www.instagram.com/lexinoelv

📍 Book – Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon Morell

📍 Book – Deep Nutrition by Catherine Shanahan

📍 Book – Eat Like a Human by Dr. Bill Schindler

📍 Book – Good Energy by Casey Means

📍 Earthly – https://www.earthly.com  (code: ancestral10 for 10% off)

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

 

✨ Support the Show!

👍 Like & Subscribe for more ancestral motherhood conversations

⭐ Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

💬 Comment below: What's one food swap you've made that changed everything?

 

#genzhealth #MahaGirls #RealFood #AncestralLiving #WholeFood #AntiProcessedFood #MotherhoodWellness #ModernAncestralMamas

📲 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

The way we drink is shaping how we feel… more than we realize.

In this episode, Corey and Christine sit down with Blair Horton, creator of Holistic Rendezvous and author of Everyday Elixirs, to explore the growing shift away from alcohol and what’s replacing it. From college party culture to intentional, ingredient-driven drinks, this conversation challenges the assumption that alcohol is the only way to relax, celebrate, or connect.

Blair shares her journey from studying nutrition science to creating herbal mocktails and “elixirs” rooted in real food and seasonal ingredients. Together, they unpack why so many modern drinks are overloaded with sugar, what alcohol actually provides (and what it doesn’t), and how simple ingredients like herbs, citrus, and tea can create depth, ritual, and satisfaction without the crash.

✨ Topics Covered in This Episode:
✔️ Why more people are drinking less alcohol
✔️ The difference between mocktails and intentional beverages
✔️ How alcohol impacts energy, stress, and daily rhythms
✔️ Why most non-alcoholic drinks are still just sugar bombs
✔️ The role of herbs, teas, and bitters in creating depth
✔️ How to build a “drink ritual” without caffeine or alcohol
✔️ Simple ways to elevate drinks using real ingredients
✔️ The surprising audience embracing these drinks (hint: kids)
✔️ Why labeling trends like “sober curious” miss the bigger picture
✔️ How to make drinks that feel special, not restrictive

🧠 More About This Episode:
Blair Horton is the creator behind Holistic Rendezvous, where she shares beautifully crafted, ingredient-focused drinks designed to elevate everyday rituals. With a background in holistic nutrition and a passion for seasonal living, Blair’s work blends wellness, creativity, and practicality, helping people rethink what they reach for in their glass.

This episode reframes the role of alcohol entirely. Instead of asking what to remove, it focuses on what to replace it with. For anyone feeling burnt out, overstimulated, or simply wanting something better, this conversation offers a more grounded, intentional approach to how we drink.

📚 Resources & Links Mentioned:
📍 Blair’s Book – Everyday Elixirs - https://a.co/d/0h83IsxG
📍 Minerals and Chill – Live Healthillie - https://livehealthillie.com/products/live-healthillie-minerals-chill
📍 Follow Blair – https://www.instagram.com/holisticrendevous
📍 Join our Patreon Community – https://patreon.com/modernancestralmamas

✨ Support the Show!
👍 Like & Subscribe for more ancestral motherhood conversations
⭐ Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

📲 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