Wellness by Designs - Practitioner Podcast

A client complaint can hit like a shockwave, but the truth is most legal trouble starts long before that with tiny “it’ll be fine” decisions that slowly blur your boundaries. I’m joined by lawyer and mentor Michelle Whitehead from Carefree Counsel to talk about the real legal risks that show up in everyday clinical practice, especially for health and wellness practitioners who were never taught how to protect their business, their energy, or their intellectual property. We break down Michell...

Brain fog, anxiety, low mood and memory slips are often brushed off as “stress” or “menopause” until life starts shrinking. We sit down with degree-qualified functional nutritionist Jo Grabyn to challenge that story and unpack a more useful lens: brain health as a bioenergetic problem where mitochondria, inflammation and fuel supply shape how well we think, feel and sleep. Jo shares what pulled her into dementia prevention and cognitive optimisation, including the impact of family history, b...

Ferritin looks “fine” on your blood test, yet you still feel wiped out, breathless, flat, and foggy. Or you take iron faithfully and nothing moves. That gap between symptoms and pathology is where iron gets genuinely confusing, so we brought in naturopath Laura Taylor, who specialises in gut health and iron deficiency, to explain what’s actually happening beneath the numbers. We walk through iron absorption in plain language, then zoom in on inflammation and hepcidin, the hormone that ...

Is perimenopause a hormonal breakdown or a redirection of power? In this episode, we sit down with naturopath and feminine wisdom teacher Brenda Rogers to reframe menopause through a neuroadrenal lens. Rather than chasing fluctuating sex hormones, we explore what truly moves the needle in clinic: stabilising the nervous system, anchoring blood sugar, restoring sleep depth, and helping women discern what is normal in midlife change. Brenda shares the lived journey behind her book Dragon Time a...

Want your patients’ brains to feel younger for longer? In this episode, we explore neuro longevity through a practitioner lens with chiropractor and naturopath Damien Kristof - challenging the idea that better brain health comes from adding more hacks. Instead, Damien unpacks a clear hierarchy: heal the nervous system from the top down and inside out, remove interference, and let the body do what it’s designed to do. Drawing on decades of clinical practice and lessons from Blue Zones like Ica...

Why isn’t your acne responding, no matter how “clean” your skincare routine is? In this eye-opening episode, skin specialist nutritionist Jacinta Barbagallo shares why stubborn breakouts rarely start on the skin’s surface—and why real solutions lie far deeper. Together, we explore the three root causes of acne: retention keratosis, hypersebum secretion, and skin pH imbalance, and the surprising internal drivers behind them, from nutrient deficiencies and cortisol surges to gut dysfunction and...

In this episode, Dr Brad Leech shares the exclusive results of his PhD research, which produced the first comprehensive clinical practice guidelines for intestinal permeability. Dispelling common myths about "leaky gut syndrome," Dr Leech explains why intestinal hyperpermeability is a legitimate physiological reaction—not a syndrome—and how his meticulously developed, evidence-based guidelines can transform clinical practice. This episode provides invaluable insights into the following:...

Is Ubiquinol the Missing Nutrient for Lifelong Heart Health? In this eye-opening episode of Wellness by Designs, Dr Ross Walker, a renowned cardiologist with 25 years dedicated to preventative medicine, challenges the conventional approach to heart disease, statins and cholesterol management. Central to the discussion is ubiquinol, the active form of CoQ10, essential for mitochondrial energy production and a powerful antioxidant. Dr Walker explains how our natural production of ubiquinol begi...

What if the key to calming autoimmunity isn’t stronger suppression, but a clearer conversation between your gut and your immune system? In this episode, we sit down with integrative and functional medicine nutritionist Vanessa Vanderhoek to explore how microbiome shifts, barrier breakdown, and nervous system stress converge into autoimmune flares, and how the GI-MAP can transform complexity into a clear, safe plan. We unpack the clinical significance of dysbiosis patterns such as ...

What if adult acne isn’t hormonal after all, but an inflammatory signal from the gut asking for help? In this thought-provoking episode, naturopath Asha Evertsz unpacks the gut–skin–brain axis and reveals why most adult acne is less about hormones and more about systemic inflammation, microbial imbalance, and stress. Drawing on years of clinical experience treating complex female acne, Asha reframes the condition as a terrain issue, not a topical one, where digestion, bile flow, and microbial...

What if the very nutrient celebrated for preventing neural tube defects is now tipping into excess, disrupting biochemistry, fuelling anxiety, and shaping the health of the next generation? In this thought-provoking conversation, clinician–researcher Carolyn Ledowsky - now nearing the end of a four-year PhD - shares her evidence-based re-evaluation of folic acid, methylfolate, and the overlooked role of men in preconception care. Carolyn unpacks why folic acid isn’t the villain, but why unche...

Feeling buried in admin when all you want is to focus on your patients? You’re not alone. The naturopathic profession has long struggled with burnout as practitioners juggle clinical work, business management, marketing, and ongoing education—often single-handedly. In this groundbreaking conversation, Amy Skilton and business mentor Tammy Guest explore how artificial intelligence is creating unprecedented opportunities for naturopaths to reclaim their time, amplify their unique gifts, and ult...

Could one overlooked mineral be the missing link in cardiovascular care? Magnesium might just be the most critical yet underutilised nutrient for heart health, according to naturopath and former heart failure nurse Gina Robertson. In this compelling episode, Gina draws on her years in cardiac wards and naturopathic practice to uncover magnesium’s profound impact on cardiovascular disease, particularly in conditions like hypertension, arrhythmias, and post-operative recovery. From reversing li...