
Advertise on podcast: Empowered Hormones with Sheradyn Dekker
Rating
5from
This podcast has
204 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
Sheradyn DekkerExplicit
No
Date created
2021/01/20
Latest episode
2026/07/09
Average duration
25 min.
Release period
11 days
Description
Living with IBS, digestive pain and hormonal imbalances are considered “normal” for many females. But as a former sufferer, I (Sheradyn) am here to break the trend and educate you on what is actually causing your symptoms. Leading you beyond pills, painful periods & parasites, I will be sharing interviews & conversations with women’s health experts as well as inspiring you with real-life stories. If you’re looking to use nutrition & a natural approach to heal your body and want real talk, with real women, hit that subscribe button now.
Unlock Empowered Hormones with Sheradyn Dekker podcast Email contact info,
Listeners & Audience details
Email contact information
Direct podcast contact details

Listeners
Audience numbers & engagement insights

Audience details
Podcast Insights

Social media
Check Empowered Hormones with Sheradyn Dekker social media presence
Podcast episodes
Check latest episodes from Empowered Hormones with Sheradyn Dekker podcast
EP #205 Best and worst probiotics for IBS
2026/07/09
Best and worst probiotics for IBS
One of the questions I get asked all the time is…
“What’s the best probiotic for IBS?”
And honestly? It’s one of the hardest questions to answer. Not because probiotics don’t work. But because IBS tells me almost nothing.
Two women can both be told they have IBS, both experience bloating every single day, and both be taking the exact same probiotic… yet need completely different treatment plans.
That’s where so much of the confusion comes from.
We’ve been taught to think probiotics are a one-size-fits-all solution. Find one with enough strains, enough CFUs, and eventually your gut will sort itself out.
Sometimes that works. A lot of the time it doesn’t. And when it doesn’t, most women assume they simply haven’t found the “right” probiotic yet.
But before you spend another $80 on a supplement, I think it’s worth understanding why probiotics help some people, make other people feel worse, and why choosing one has far less to do with the brand than it does with what’s actually happening inside your gut.
That’s exactly what we’re unpacking in today’s episode.
In this episode, we cover:
Why IBS isn’t enough: Why the label tells us what you’re experiencing but not what’s causing it. How probiotics actually work: What they’re designed to do inside the gut—and why that differs depending on your symptoms. The strains with the strongest evidence: Which probiotics have research behind them for constipation, diarrhoea, bloating, abdominal pain and post-infectious IBS. When probiotics backfire: Why feeling worse after taking one is often valuable information instead of something to ignore. What to look for in a probiotic: Why strain selection, formulation and quality matter much more than the biggest CFU count on the label. Why testing changes everything: Why I always want to understand what we’re treating before we decide what your gut actually needs. The goal isn’t to convince you to take probiotics. It’s to help you stop guessing. Because sometimes probiotics are exactly what your gut needs.
Sometimes they’re not. Knowing the difference is what gets people better.
LINKS TO SHERADYN:
Assess your gut health in 3min HERE Follow me on Instagram HERE. Join my Private Gut Health Facebook group HERE. Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
EP #204 How to heal your gut after antibiotics (prevent thrush, IBS & bloating)
2026/07/01
How to heal your gut after antibiotics (prevent thrush, IBS & bloating)
If you’ve ever finished a course of antibiotics and thought, my gut has never been the same since… this is for you.
Because I know what you’ve probably been told. Finish the antibiotics. Maybe take a probiotic. Give it time. And while the infection clears… the bloating starts. Your digestion changes. You develop thrush. Your bowel habits aren’t the same. Food suddenly doesn’t agree with you anymore.
So you assume that’s just part of taking antibiotics. But let’s be clear. Antibiotics save lives. Sometimes they’re exactly what you need.
The problem isn’t the antibiotics.The problem is nobody tells you how to rebuild your gut afterwards.
Because antibiotics don’t just kill the bacteria causing the infection. They also wipe out many of the beneficial bacteria that support digestion, hormone metabolism, immune function, and a resilient microbiome.
Research shows that a single course of antibiotics can reduce microbiome diversity by up to 30%. Some bacteria recover within weeks. Others take months. And some may never fully return without the right support.
Today’s episode breaks down what antibiotics actually do to your gut, why symptoms like bloating and thrush happen afterwards, and how to rebuild your microbiome properly instead of simply hoping it recovers on its own.
In this episode, we cover:
What Antibiotics Really Do: Why antibiotics reduce beneficial bacteria alongside harmful ones, and how that impacts digestion, immunity, hormones, and recovery. Why Thrush Happens: How wiping out protective bacteria allows Candida to overgrow, why this is so common after antibiotics, and what you can do to prevent it. The Gut-Brain Connection: How antibiotic use affects communication between your gut and brain, influencing digestion, mood, and overall recovery. The Five R Framework: How removing ongoing stressors, replacing depleted nutrients, repairing the gut lining, reinoculating beneficial bacteria, and rotating foods helps rebuild a healthy microbiome. Choosing the Right Probiotics: Which probiotic strains actually support recovery after antibiotics, when Saccharomyces boulardii is helpful, and why more probiotics aren’t always better. Feeding Your Microbiome: The role of fermented foods, prebiotic foods, and dietary diversity in helping your microbiome recover instead of simply masking symptoms. Antibiotics aren’t the enemy.
But assuming your gut will automatically bounce back can leave you dealing with bloating, thrush, IBS symptoms, and hormone issues long after the infection has gone.
You don’t need to fear antibiotics.
You need to understand how to rebuild your gut afterwards—and give your microbiome the support it actually needs to recover.
Your gut isn’t broken. It just needs the right environment to heal.
LINKS TO SHERADYN:
Assess your gut health in 3min HERE Follow me on Instagram HERE. Join my Private Gut Health Facebook group HERE. Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
EP #203 The top 10 causes of IBS (that your GP hasn't told you about)
2026/05/20
The top 10 causes of IBS (that your GP hasn’t told you about)
You’ve been told it’s IBS. Maybe you were given a low FODMAP handout, told to manage your stress, eat more fibre, or “just avoid trigger foods.” And maybe some of that helped for a bit.
But if you are still bloated, constipated, gassy, reacting to foods, or thinking about your gut all day — something has been missed. Because IBS is not a root cause.
It’s a label doctors use when your gut symptoms are real, but no one has properly figured out why they’re happening.
And that’s where women get stuck.
They spend years cutting foods, trying supplements, managing symptoms, and blaming themselves. Thinking they need more discipline. More restriction. More probiotics. But there is always a reason your gut is struggling.
And no — it is not “just stress.”
Today’s episode breaks down the most common root causes I see driving IBS symptoms in clinic, why generic IBS advice keeps women stuck, and what actually needs to be investigated if you want to fix your gut properly.
In this episode, we cover:
SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth): Why bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine causes bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhoea, and food reactions — and why low FODMAP only masks symptoms. Methane-Dominant IMO: How methane-producing organisms slow gut motility and drive chronic constipation. Low Stomach Acid: Why poor digestion leads to fermentation, bloating, reflux, and bacteria thriving where they shouldn’t. Parasites & Infections: Why hidden infections are more common than women realise and can quietly drive symptoms for years. Dysbiosis: How imbalances in your microbiome affect digestion, hormones, inflammation, immunity, and overall gut function. H. pylori: Why this common infection contributes to reflux, nausea, bloating, and poor digestion. The Nervous System Connection: How chronic stress and nervous system dysregulation directly affect gut motility and digestion. Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: Why some women are not dealing with a gut issue at all — but a muscular coordination issue affecting bowel movements. Food Fear & Restriction: How years of cutting foods and under-eating can make gut function worse over time. The Testing Gap: Why standard testing often misses the real drivers behind IBS symptoms — and why proper testing changes the whole treatment approach. You are not failing because you ate broccoli, and you are not “bad” at gut health because another probiotic didn’t work.
If you’ve been stuck bloated for years, reacting to foods, planning your day around your gut, and feeling like nothing is helping… that is not something you just ignore and manage forever.
Something underneath is driving it, and until you figure out what that is, you’ll keep going in circles trying random diets and supplements hoping one finally fixes it.
You don’t need more guessing. You need proper investigation, proper testing, and a plan that actually matches what is going on in your body.
LINKS TO SHERADYN:
Assess your gut health in 3min HERE Follow me on Instagram HERE. Join my Private Gut Health Facebook group HERE. Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
EP #202 The perfect poop, laxative use & overcoming constipation
2026/05/13
The perfect poop, laxative use & overcoming constipation
You have been pooping your entire life… and I would bet nobody has ever actually told you what a healthy one looks like, how often you should be going, or what it means when you’re not.
And honestly? That is a problem.
Because what happens when nobody talks about bowel movements is that women start normalising symptoms that are not normal. Going every three or four days becomes “just how you are.” Straining becomes normal. Living on laxatives becomes normal.
And the medical system has not helped.
You go to your GP, say you’re constipated, and get told to eat more fibre, drink more water, and take Movicol. But nobody explains why you’re constipated in the first place.
Because constipation is not a diagnosis.
It’s a symptom.
And treating all constipation the same way is exactly why so many women stay stuck.
Today’s episode breaks down what a healthy bowel movement actually looks like, what your poop tells you about your hormones and gut health, the different types of constipation, and why laxatives are not fixing the root cause.
In this episode, we cover:
What a Healthy Poop Actually Looks Like: The bowel frequency, consistency, colour, and ease of passing that actually tell us your gut is functioning properly — including how to use the Bristol Stool Chart.
Why Constipation Affects Your Hormones: How slow bowel transit impacts oestrogen clearance, contributes to PMS, bloating, painful periods, and leaves your body literally reabsorbing hormones it was trying to eliminate.
Why Pooping Matters for Detoxification: How your bowel movements help remove hormones, waste products, and endotoxins from the body — and what happens when that process slows down.
The Different Types of Constipation: Why slow transit constipation, pelvic floor dysfunction, IBS-C, and methane-dominant IMO are completely different problems that require completely different solutions.
Methane-Dominant IMO: How methane-producing organisms chemically slow gut motility, why fibre can actually make symptoms worse, and why breath testing matters.
Laxative Dependency: What actually happens when stimulant laxatives are used long-term, why dependency develops, and why the laxative becomes the management strategy instead of fixing the problem.
What to Do Instead: Simple, practical strategies to support motility naturally, including toilet posture, magnesium, meal spacing, nervous system regulation, and supporting your migrating motor complex.
You are not constipated because your body is lazy.
And you are not “bad at digestion.”
There is always a reason your gut is slowing down — whether that is methane overgrowth, stress, pelvic floor dysfunction, nervous system dysregulation, or impaired motility.
Big difference.
You don’t need to keep cycling through fibre supplements and laxatives hoping something finally works.
You need to understand what type of constipation you actually have — and what is driving it underneath.
LINKS TO SHERADYN:
Assess your gut health in 3min HERE Follow me on Instagram HERE. Join my Private Gut Health Facebook group HERE. Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
EP#201 IBS or IBD? What's the difference & how do I test
2026/04/29
IBS or IBD? What’s the difference & how do you test?
You’ve been told it’s IBS. Maybe you’ve had tests done. Maybe you’ve even had a colonoscopy that came back “clear.” And then… you’re sent home and told to manage it. But if you’re still dealing with bloating, urgency, diarrhea, constipation, or pain — and no one has properly explained what’s going on — something isn’t adding up.
Because IBS and IBD get confused all the time. And when that happens, women either get over-medicalised… or completely dismissed. Same symptoms. Completely different problems. And that’s where things start to fall apart.
Because here’s the reality. The symptoms overlap — cramping, bloating, bowel changes, food reactions, fatigue. So it’s easy to assume it’s “just IBS,” especially when nothing serious shows up on initial testing. But let’s be clear.
IBS is not a diagnosis.IBD is.
One is a structural, inflammatory disease. The other is a label for symptoms when no one has found the cause. Big difference.
Today’s episode breaks down what IBS actually means, what IBD actually is, why they get confused, and what testing should be done if you actually want answers — not just another label.
In this episode, we cover:
IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease): What conditions like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis actually involve, how inflammation damages the gut lining, and why proper diagnosis requires colonoscopy and biopsy.
Key Inflammatory Markers: How tools like faecal calprotectin, CRP, ESR, and blood markers help identify inflammation and distinguish IBD from IBS.
The IBS Label Problem: Why IBS tells you what is happening — your gut is irritated — but tells you nothing about why.
What Gets Missed in Standard Testing: Why colonoscopies don’t show bacterial overgrowth, parasites, stomach acid issues, or microbiome imbalances.
SIBO and IMO: How bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine drives bloating, gas, constipation or diarrhoea — and why it requires specific breath testing.
Parasites and H. pylori: Why these are more common than you think, often missed, and can quietly drive chronic gut symptoms.
Dysbiosis and the Microbiome: How imbalances in your gut bacteria affect digestion, immunity, and overall health — and why you need proper mapping to see it.
What to Test Next: The functional tests that actually give you answers — not guesses.
You’re not confused because this is complicated. You’re confused because the explanation you were given was incomplete. You don’t need to keep guessing whether it’s IBS or something more serious. You need to understand what has been ruled out — and what hasn’t even been looked at yet. Your symptoms are not random. This isn’t “just your gut being sensitive.”
And it’s not something you have to manage forever.
Your gut isn’t broken. It just hasn’t been properly investigated.
LINKS TO SHERADYN:
Assess your gut health in 3min HERE Follow me on Instagram HERE. Join my Private Gut Health Facebook group HERE. Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
EP#200 IBS is BS (A personal battle & 4 easy fixes)
2026/04/22
IBS is BS (A personal battle & 4 easy fixes)You’ve been told it’s IBS. Eat more fibre. Drink more water. Try low FODMAP. Manage your stress. And just… manage it.
But if you’re still bloated, constipated, gassy, and uncomfortable — despite doing everything “right” — something isn’t adding up.Because the women I see are not unhealthy. They’re active, they’re eating well, they’re tracking their food, and they are still dealing with symptoms that don’t make sense. So at some point, you start thinking this is just how your body is.But let’s be clear. IBS is not a diagnosis — it’s a label. It simply means your symptoms don’t have a structural cause that can be found on standard testing, not that nothing is wrong. It doesn’t explain what is actually driving your gut issues.Today’s episode breaks down why IBS is one of the biggest dead-ends in the medical system, what is actually causing your symptoms underneath, and what you can start doing differently.In this episode, we cover:
Low Stomach Acid: Why digestion breaking down at the very first step leads to fermentation, bloating, and bacteria feeding where they shouldn’t. SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth): How bacteria in the wrong place create gas, constipation or diarrhoea, and why low FODMAP only reduces symptoms without fixing the problem. Parasites: Why they are more common than you think, often missed on standard testing, and can drive ongoing bloating, fatigue, and gut disruption. Dysbiosis: How an imbalanced microbiome affects digestion, immunity, and even your mood, and why restrictive diets can make it worse over time. The IBS Label Problem: Why being told “everything is normal” doesn’t mean nothing is wrong — it just means no one has looked in the right place. What You Can Start Now: Four practical ways to support stomach acid, digestion, motility, and your microbiome while you investigate properly. You’re not bloated because your body is “just like this.” You’re bloated because something in your gut isn’t functioning properly — big difference.You don’t need to keep managing symptoms or guessing your way through this. You need to understand what is actually driving your gut issues and fix it properly.Your gut isn’t broken. It just hasn’t been properly investigated.
LINKS TO SHERADYN:
Assess your gut health in 3min HERE Follow me on Instagram HERE. Join my Private Gut Health Facebook group HERE. Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
#199 Post Bali Belly - Why you've never quite healed
2026/04/15
Post Bali Belly — Why your gut has never quite healed
You had an infection. You recovered. And yet… your gut has never been the same.
The bloating. The gas. The constipation or urgency. The foods that suddenly don’t sit right.
And no matter how “clean” you eat or how much you try to fix it… it never fully resolves.
Because when your symptoms started after a gut infection — Bali Belly, food poisoning, traveller’s diarrhoea — it’s easy to assume your body just needs time.
But let’s be clear.
The infection being gone does not mean your gut recovered.
Those are two completely different things.
Today’s episode breaks down what actually happens after a gut infection, why your symptoms don’t just “go away”, and what is really driving post-infectious gut dysfunction.
In this episode, we cover:
Post-Infectious Gut Dysfunction: Why your gut not recovering after an infection has a name — and why it’s massively under-recognised in conventional medicine. Gut Lining Damage & Inflammation: How infections disrupt your intestinal lining, increase permeability, and leave your gut more reactive long after the pathogen is gone. Microbiome Disruption: How infections and antibiotics wipe out protective bacteria, allowing opportunistic species to take over and drive ongoing symptoms. The Motility Breakdown: How damage to your gut’s nervous system (the migrating motor complex) allows bacteria to build up in the small intestine — leading to SIBO. The IBS Label Problem: Why IBS is not a diagnosis, but a description — and why it gives you no answers on what to actually treat. The Testing Gap: Why standard GP testing often misses what actually matters, and how SIBO breath testing and microbiome mapping give you real data. You didn’t just “get sick and recover.”
Your gut changed.
And until you understand what changed — and where the problem is — you’ll stay stuck managing symptoms instead of fixing them.
You don’t need another diet.
You don’t need another generic protocol.
You need data.
And a strategy that actually matches what’s happening in your body.
Your gut isn’t broken. It just hasn’t been properly investigated.
LINKS TO SHERADYN:
Assess your gut health in 3min HERE Follow me on Instagram HERE. Join my Private Gut Health Facebook group HERE. Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
#198 Why you're so gassy (& it stinks!)
2026/04/08
Why you’re so gassy (and it stinks!)
You can eat the same foods. Follow the same routine. Do everything “right”… and still end up bloated, uncomfortable, and wondering what just happened.
Because when your gas feels completely unpredictable — no pattern, no trigger, no logic — it’s easy to assume you’re doing something wrong.
But you’re not.
The problem is not your effort.The problem is that you’ve been given symptom-management tools for a root cause issue.
Today’s episode breaks down why your gas feels so random, why nothing you’ve tried has worked, and what is actually driving it underneath.
In this episode, we cover:
Methane-Dominant SIBO: Why gas can be produced by what’s living in your gut — not just what you eat — and how methane slows motility, increases fermentation, and keeps you stuck in bloating.
Dysbiosis and the Gas-Producing Microbiome: How an imbalanced microbiome creates gas regardless of how “clean” your diet is, and why food tracking alone will never give you the full picture.
Impaired Motility: How your gut’s natural clearing system (the migrating motor complex) breaks down, allowing bacteria to accumulate and symptoms to become chronic.
Post-Infectious Gut Dysfunction: Why a past infection — even years ago — can still be driving your symptoms today through disrupted gut function.
Why Nothing Has Worked: The problem with low FODMAP, restriction, and generic protocols that reduce symptoms temporarily but never address the underlying driver.
The Testing Gap: Why standard GP testing often misses what actually matters, and how proper breath testing and microbiome mapping give you the data you need.
You’re not gassy because you ate the wrong food.
You’re gassy because your gut environment is compromised.
Big difference.
You don’t need to keep cutting foods.You don’t need to keep guessing.
You need to understand what is actually driving your symptoms — and fix it properly.
Your gut isn’t broken. It just hasn’t been properly investigated.
LINKS TO SHERADYN:
Assess your gut health in 3min HERE Follow me on Instagram HERE. Join my Private Gut Health Facebook group HERE. Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
#197 Stop taking probiotics (They are making your gut worse!)
2026/04/01
Stop taking probiotics (they are making your gut worse)
One of the biggest mistakes I see in the wellness space is women taking probiotics, hoping they will heal their gut..
Women with IBS, bloating and constipation are told they need more “good bacteria”..So they double down on probiotics.
But so often you’re not lacking bacteria, you have TOO much bacteria!
In this episode, I break down exactly why your “gut healing” protocol isn't working, what's actually happening in your gut, and how to fix it properly.
In this episode, we cover:
The SIBO Reality:Why IBS is not a deficiency problem and how bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine completely changes your strategy.
The Probiotic Mistake:What actually happens when you add billions of bacteria into an already overgrown gut, and why this drives bloating, gas and pain.
The Brain Fog Link:How excess bacterial fermentation produces D-lactic acid, impacting your brain and leaving you foggy, flat and exhausted.
The “Doing Everything Right” Trap:Why clean eating, supplements and probiotics can still make you worse when the root cause hasn’t been identified.
Test, Don’t Guess:Why guessing your way through gut protocols doesn’t work, and the exact testing we use to get real answers.
The Correct Healing Order:Why we remove and treat first, restore motility, then rebuild — not the other way around.
When Probiotics Actually Help:The specific strains and situations where probiotics make sense, and why timing matters more than the supplement itself.
LINKS TO SHERADYN:
Assess your gut health in 3min HERE Follow me on Instagram HERE. Join my Private Gut Health Facebook group HERE. Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
#196 Should active women with IBS avoid intense exercise?
2026/03/23
Should active women with IBS avoid intense exercise?
If you do Hyrox, CrossFit, heavy lifting, boxing, strength training or hard cardio… but your gut flares every time you train, this is for you.
Because I know what you’ve probably been told.
“Stop training so hard.”
“Just walk.”
“Do yoga.”
“Your body is too stressed.”
And look, sometimes pulling back temporarily is part of healing.
But let’s be clear.
Exercise is not the root cause of your IBS.
In fact, the research shows physical activity can reduce IBS symptom severity, improve motility, support your microbiome, and help your gut-brain axis.
So if you’re bloated, crampy, constipated or running to the toilet after training… we need to stop blaming the workout and start looking at what is actually going on.
Because most of the time, it’s not the exercise.
It’s the context.
It’s the fasted training.
The pre-workout on an empty stomach.
The coffee.
The artificial sweeteners.
The underfuelling.
The food fear.
The inflamed gut that was already struggling before you even touched a barbell.
In this episode, I break down:
what the research actually says about exercise and IBS why movement is protective for the gut, not harmful how blood flow shifts during training can trigger symptoms in an already inflamed gut why your pre-training meal timing matters more than you think the problem with fasted training, coffee and commercial pre-workouts how restriction and under-eating slow motility and keep you stuck in bloating and constipation why IBS is a label, not a root cause the deeper drivers I look for in clinic, like SIBO, parasites, dysbiosis and fungal overgrowth when reducing training volume for a short period can support healing, without giving it up completely You do not need to choose between a strong body and a healthy gut.
You should be able to train hard without mapping out bathrooms before a run.
You should be able to lift without looking six months pregnant by the end of the session.
You should be able to fuel your body without being scared of food.
This isn’t normal.
And it’s not something you just have to manage forever.
We fix this properly.
If you’re done guessing and want an actual plan, book your free Gut Health Planning Call.
LINKS TO SHERADYN:
Assess your gut health in 3min HERE Follow me on Instagram HERE. Join my Private Gut Health Facebook group HERE. Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
#195 Under-Eating, Overtraining & the Binge Cycle w/ Elin Grandstrand
2026/03/17
You train hard.
You eat “clean.”
You try to stay disciplined.
So why do you still feel out of control around food?
In this episode I’m joined by Elin Granstrand, founder of one of Australia’s leading binge eating recovery programs for health-conscious women.
And we’re unpacking a truth most of the fitness industry completely misses…
Under-eating and overtraining are two of the biggest drivers of binge eating.
Not lack of discipline.
Not “poor willpower.”
Your biology.
We talk about what actually happens inside the body when restriction, intense training, and chronic dieting collide.
Because when the female body feels deprived… it fights back.
And that’s when the binge cycle begins.
Inside this conversation we cover:
• Why disciplined women who train regularly still struggle with binge eating
• The biological drivers behind binge cycles
• How restriction and overtraining disrupt female hormones
• The role of leptin, ghrelin, cortisol and blood sugar crashes
• Why PMS cravings and IBS flare-ups often follow binge episodes
• What’s actually happening in the body before a binge starts
• Why shame keeps women trapped in the cycle
• How to fuel training properly without triggering binge behaviour
• What food freedom actually looks like for active women
If you’ve ever thought:
“Why can I be so disciplined everywhere else… but not with food?”
This episode will likely hit home.
And more importantly…
It will show you why you’re not broken.
LINKS TO ELIN
@elingranstrand LINKS TO SHERADYN:
Assess your gut health in 3min HERE Follow me on Instagram HERE. Join my Private Gut Health Facebook group HERE. Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
#194 - Your Skin Won’t Heal Until You Test Your Gut
2026/03/05
Your acne might not "just" be hormonal. You can balance your blood sugar, take all the zinc in the world, and track your ovulation until you're blue in the face but if there is a deeper driver impacting your hormones from the gut, your skin will not budge.
Today’s episode is personal. For four years, I struggled with acne. As a practitioner, the identity clash was real. I was doing "everything right" the clean diet, the omegas, the nervous system work yet my skin still wouldn't shift. It wasn't until I stopped guessing and actually looked at my microbiome data that everything changed.
In this episode, we cover:
The Internal Shame: The reality of dealing with acne as an active, health-conscious woman and why "just wash your face" or "cut dairy" is often the most frustrating (and ineffective) advice.
The Microbiome Turning Point: What my comprehensive stool test actually showed methane overgrowth and infections—even though I didn't have "textbook" bloating or constipation.
The "Science" of the Flare: How methane overgrowth and low diversity trigger inflammatory cytokines and endotoxins that show up directly on your face.
The Hormone Recycling Loop: Why estrobolome dysfunction means your gut is literally recycling old hormones back into your system, wrecking your skin and your cycle.
The Targeted Intervention: The exact 8-week herbal protocol, specific probiotic strains, and hormone support I used to finally move the needle.
The "Stress" Trap: Why hand-balling the blame to "stress" is often a lazy way to avoid looking deeper at what is actually going on in the body.
You don’t need more discipline. You don’t need to cut more foods or buy another expensive serum. You need better data. Your skin isn't broken; it's just sending you a signal that your gut-immune-hormone loop is out of sync.
P.S. If you’re done guessing and want an actual plan to fix your skin and gut properly, let’s look at your data. You can book a free Gut Health Planning Call and we'll map out the root cause.
Book here
LINKS TO SHERADYN:
Assess your gut health in 3min HERE Follow me on Instagram HERE. Join my Private Facebook group HERE. Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
#193 - The Nervous System Block: Is Trauma Stopping Your Gut From Healing? with Liz McComish
2026/03/02
If you’ve spent years "doing the work" the diets, the supplements, the protocols but your gut symptoms and anxiety still won't budge, this episode might be the missing piece of your puzzle. We often talk about the gut-brain axis, but we rarely talk about what happens when the body doesn't feel safe enough to heal.
Joining me for this deep dive is Liz McComish, an Integrated Trauma Healing Practitioner and Master of Counselling. Liz’s journey from battling addiction, eating disorders, and years of talk therapy to finding true healing through somatic work is incredibly powerful. We’re unpacking why traditional "talk therapy" often falls short and why your nervous system might be stuck in a survival loop that’s actually blocking your physical recovery.
In this episode, we cover:
The Somatic Shift: Why healing isn’t just a "top-down" process and why we must include the body to resolve deep-seated triggers.
Survival Mode as a Default: How to recognize the signs that you’re living in a constant state of fight-or-flight without even realizing it.
The "Safe Place" Connection: What it actually means to feel safe—mentally, emotionally, and physiologically—and how that safety dictates your digestion and hormone health.
Intergenerational Conditioning: How childhood experiences and family patterns shape your health outcomes and stress responses decades later.
Shadow Work & Health: How suppressed parts of ourselves show up as physical symptoms, burnout, and chronic gut dysfunction.
Healing in the Present: Why you don’t always need to dig through every detail of your past to heal; instead, we look at how your body is reacting now.
True healing isn’t about biohacking your body into submission; it’s about becoming your own safe place. If you feel "broken" or like you’ve tried everything, Liz’s message is a beautiful reminder that your body isn't working against you it's just waiting for safety.
P.S. If you’ve realized that stress and your nervous system are the biggest drivers of your bloating, let's look at your unique case. You can book a free Gut Health Planning Session with me to map out a path to safety and healing. Book here.
LINKS TO LIZ
Website: lizmccomish.com Social links: lizmccomish_somatics LINKS TO SHERADYN:
Assess your gut health in 3min HERE Follow me on Instagram HERE. Join my Private Gut Health Facebook group HERE. Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
#192 - Are You Too Healthy? Unpacking Food Restriction in the Active IBS Female
2026/02/25
Are you hitting your protein targets, training 5 days a week, and avoiding gluten, dairy, and sugar yet you’re still dealing with crippling bloating and unpredictable digestion? If you’ve spent more time worrying about your food than enjoying it, this episode is a major "pattern interrupt."
Today, we’re discussing an uncomfortable truth: for many active women, gut issues aren’t happening despite a healthy lifestyle they’re happening because of how restrictive that lifestyle has become. We’re unpacking the "Healthy Girl" identity trap and how food anxiety is fueling your IBS, not fixing it.
In this episode, we dive into:
The "Healthy Girl" Identity Trap: How the shift from caring about your body to obsessive label reading and social isolation creates a state of chronic "food fear."
The Physiology of Food Anxiety: Why eating a "perfect" meal in a stressed, sympathetic state (fight or flight) guaranteed drops in stomach acid and enzyme output.
Under-Eating & Over-Training: How low fuel and high cortisol send your body into conservation mode, leading to constipation, reflux, and poor motility.
The Restriction-Binge-Bloat Cycle: Why your gut isn’t "broken" when you eat off-plan; it’s simply reacting to the extremes of famine and punishment.
Redefining Health: Why real recovery for the active woman often requires eating more, training smarter, and letting go of perfection to let the nervous system feel safe.
Sometimes the most "functional medicine" thing you can do isn't another supplement or a stricter diet it’s healing your relationship with food. Your gut isn't asking for more rules; it's asking for nourishment and safety.
P.S. If you’re an active woman who is done micromanaging every bite but is still bloated, let’s find out what is actually driving your symptoms. Jump on Zoom with me for a quick call to map out a personalized strategy. Book here
LINKS TO SHERADYN:
Assess your gut health in 3min HERE Follow me on Instagram HERE. Join my Private Facebook group HERE. Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
#191 - If Low FODMAP Didn’t Fix It… This Might Be Why
2026/02/18
If you’ve been "eating clean," tracking your macros, and strictly following a low FODMAP diet but you’re still dealing with bloating, puffiness, and anxiety, this episode is a must-listen. If your "IBS" feels more like full-body inflammation—or if it flares right before your period—it’s time to stop looking at FODMAPs and start looking at histamine.
Today, we are unpacking why low FODMAP isn't a "forever" fix and how a gut-immune-hormone feedback loop might be the real reason you aren't healing.
In this episode, we dive into:
Histamine 101: Why this normal immune chemical becomes a nightmare when your "bucket" overflows and your DAO enzymes can't keep up.
The "Inflammatory Bloat": How to tell the difference between standard gas and a histamine reaction (clue: do leftovers, spinach, or wine wreck you?).
The Estrogen-Histamine Loop: Why your symptoms fluctuate with your cycle and why histamine spikes often mirror PMS and perimenopausal flares.
Beyond Food Restrictions: Why histamine intolerance isn’t a root cause—it’s a symptom—and how stress and SIBO are fueling the fire.
The 4-Step Repair Plan: From "calming the fire" with nervous system regulation to fixing the hormone drivers that allow histamine to build up.
Histamine intolerance isn’t a life sentence of avoiding avocados; it’s a signal that your system needs deep, root-cause support. Your gut isn't broken, it's just over-responsive.
P.S. If you’re tired of the guessing game and want to find out if histamine is the missing piece of your IBS puzzle, let’s jump on Zoom for a quick call and brainstorm how to get to the root cause. Book here.
LINKS TO SHERADYN:
Assess your gut health in 3min HERE Follow me on Instagram HERE. Join my Private Facebook group HERE. Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Podcast reviews
Read Empowered Hormones with Sheradyn Dekker podcast reviews
Kris1012345N 2024/02/21
5/5, 10/10, and more!
Sheradyn is paving the way for women to understand their hormones like never before. Definitely worth a listen!!!
AngelaDB8 2023/06/20
So Knowledgeable
Sheradyn is so knowledgeable about taking care of your gut and healing your body! If you’re feeling tired, imbalanced, or unhappy, it might be gut pro...
Podcast sponsorship advertising
Start advertising on Empowered Hormones with Sheradyn Dekker relevant audience podcasts
You may also like to advertise on these Podcasts

51088171
Middle Children
Jessie Jolles and Chris Burns

4.8265112000
Morning Wire
The Daily Wire

4.518778373
American Scandal
Audible

4.689371215
Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories
Slumber Studios

4.79026375
Life is Short with Justin Long
Audible

4.714118349
Bad Friends
Bobby Lee & Andrew Santino

4.7128971
10 to Life
Annie Elise

4.76752464
Criminology
Emash Digital & Mike Ferguson, Mike Morford

4.87515978
The Dr. John Delony Show
Ramsey Network

4.512621667
RedHanded
RedHanded

