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#LiveWellBeWell
Copyright: © Sarah Ann Macklin
Your gut isn't just about what you eat.
It’s about how you live, love, feel, and breathe.
In this episode of Live Well Be Well, I sit down with Emily Leeming, PhD, gut-brain researcher at King's College London and registered nutritionist whose work bridges the gap between cutting-edge microbiome science and practical wellness, to uncover the hidden forces shaping your microbiome. We go far beyond food and supplements to explore how hormones, intimacy, stress, and human connection are quietly reshaping your gut health every single day.
Emily reveals why men and women have fundamentally different gut microbiomes, how a 10-second kiss transfers 80 million microbes between partners, and why stress, trauma, and even loneliness might impact your gut health more than any probiotic.
This isn't about achieving perfect gut health. It's about understanding that your microbiome is alive, responsive, and deeply interconnected with how you feel, relate, and move through the world.
In this conversation, we explore:
• Why men and women experience gut health differently
• How estrogen fluctuations and menopause alter women's gut diversity
• Why testosterone and sperm quality are linked to gut health in men
• The surprising ways sex and cohabitation change your microbiome
• How stress, loneliness, and trauma can shrink your microbiome
• The emerging connections between ADHD, autism, and gut-brain signaling
• Why breathwork is one of the most underrated tools for gut health
• The truth about commercial gut testing versus listening to your body
• What stool reveals that gut tests don’t
• The role of polyphenols, fibre & fermented foods in microbial diversity
• How gardening, touch, and community naturally diversify your microbes
You'll leave with a completely reframed understanding of gut health. One that honors the emotional, social, and hormonal dimensions of wellness alongside the nutritional ones.
Love,
Sarah Ann 💛
***
This episode is sponsored by Spatone – the No.1 iron-rich water supplement.
This is a product I genuinely believe in — one I’ve used personally and recommended in the clinic for years. Spatone is a natural iron-rich water that’s incredibly gentle on the stomach. No harsh tablets, no digestive upset — just one naturally sourced ingredient that works.
If you’re looking for iron support that actually feels good to take, this is the one I trust. You can pick up Spatone at Boots or buy it online at Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/bV0IKft
***
If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like:
How to Heal IBS, Improve Gut Health & Fix Digestive Issues | Sarah Macklin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC2KP3FaZZk
The Gut-Mind Doctor: The Mind & Food Strategies That Can Heal Your Gut Microbiome | Dr. Emeran Mayer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL5ZtoJAUBs
The No.1 Oral Microbiome Expert: How Your Mouth Could Be Causing Infertility! | Dr. Katie Lee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3BCy4e5co4
***
Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter:
Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/
***
Highlights:
Introduction (0:00:00)
Do Men and Women Have Different Microbiomes? (0:00:39)
How Menopause Reshapes The Gut (0:03:31)
Gut Health, Testosterone & Sperm: What Men Should Know (0:09:17)
Can Sex and Intimacy Change Your Microbiome? (0:15:27)
How Loneliness and Stress Affect Gut Health (0:21:41)
Are Gut Tests Worth It? What Your Stool Can Tell You (0:27:26)
Neurodiversity, ADHD & the Gut-Brain Axis (0:37:01)
How Food, Mood & Microbes Interact (0:47:27)
5 Science-Backed Tips for a Healthier Gut (0:52:33)
What Living Well Means to Dr. Emily Leeming (1:06:13)
***
Let’s be friends!
📷 Instagram: / sarahannmacklin
📹 Subscribe: / @livewellbewellsarah
🐦 Twitter: / sarahannmacklin
📱 TikTok: / sarahannnutrition
💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/
What if failure isn’t the problem, but the solution? In this video, we unpack the neuroscience of fear, failure, and self-compassion. We explore how small changes like a single cup of greens or taking the first uncomfortable step can rewire the brain. This isn’t about hacks. It’s about mindset, values, and learning to see failure as information, not identity.
The Brain Docs
Listen to the full episode here.
Watch the full episode on YouTube here.
***
If you enjoyed this episode you might also like:
How to Prevent Alzheimer’s and Boost Your Brain Health with These PROVEN Foods | The Brain Docs
https://youtu.be/HKEvPm11R3o
***
Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter:
Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/
***
Let’s be friends!
📷 Instagram: / sarahannmacklin
📹 Subscribe: / @livewellbewellsarah
🐦 Twitter: / sarahannmacklin
📱 TikTok: / sarahannnutrition
💌 Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3rUbHyS
#SelfCompassion, #Neuroscience, #MindsetShift
What if inflammation didn’t just come from your diet but from your digital habits? In this clip, Professor Dan Nicolau shares the overlooked connection between attention, immune response, and the subtle biological cost of modern screen use.
Dan Nicolau
Listen to the full episode here.
Watch the full episode on YouTube here.
***
If you enjoyed this episode you might also like:
The Brain Immune Expert: ALERT! Social Media Is Reprogramming Your Immune System | Prof Nicolau
https://youtu.be/2zNw6pzv8qk
***
Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter:
Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/
***
Let’s be friends!
📷 Instagram: / sarahannmacklin
📹 Subscribe: / @livewellbewellsarah
🐦 Twitter: / sarahannmacklin
📱 TikTok: / sarahannnutrition
💌 Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3rUbHyS
#DigitalWellbeing #ChronicInflammation #MentalHealth
⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of grief, trauma, death, childhood illness (including cancer), and environmental toxins. Listener discretion is advised — particularly for parents and caregivers of children affected by illness.
If you’ve been navigating your health through routines, biohacks, or supplements but still feel disconnected, burnt out, or unwell, this conversation may shift everything.
True healing is rarely about control. And it’s almost never linear.
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Zach Bush, a triple board-certified physician in internal medicine, endocrinology, and hospice care, and founder of regenerative health company Farmer's Footprint, to rethink everything we’ve been told about medicine, longevity, and what it means to feel whole. Dr. Zach's research reveals how the human gut microbiome contains more biodiversity than any other ecosystem on Earth, including rainforests and coral reefs, and how this internal garden directly influences our capacity for creative thought, emotional resilience, and physical healing.
This isn’t just about symptoms or protocols. It’s about connection to nature, to others, and most of all, to yourself.
We explore how modern health has become more fragmented than ever, and why the root of healing might be much quieter, much simpler, and much more human than we’ve been led to believe. Dr. Zach explains how your body regenerates your entire gut lining every three days, why stress hormones function as internal antibiotics that destroy beneficial bacteria, and how forest bathing measurably shifts your nervous system from sympathetic overdrive to parasympathetic healing, which is why Japan now prescribes it as first-line treatment for depression.
Together, we explore:
• Why the body is always healing at rates we can barely comprehend, unless we get in the way
• How the gut’s biodiversity mirrors the richness of our inner and outer environments
• What real nourishment means (and why food prepared with love heals differently than nutrients consumed alone)
• The specific physiological changes that occur during forest bathing and why biodiversity exposure enhances creativity
• How to practice presence in your body as medicine
• Why multi-generational living is the only consistent factor across all Blue Zones for longevity
• And why stillness, beauty, and presence are not luxuries but essential medicine
You’ll come away with a deeper understanding of your body not as a project to manage, but as an ecosystem to listen to. Plus practical tools for reconnecting with the healing intelligence that's been with you all along. And maybe, like me, you’ll find yourself exhaling, softening, and remembering what it means to live well and be well.
Love,
Sarah Ann 💛
***
If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like:
Simon Sinek: The ADHD Superpower - Why It’s My Greatest Advantage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fnTHiI8oY0
***
Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter:
Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/
***
Highlights:
Introduction (00:00)
Birth in Poverty vs. Conventional Medicine (05:45)
Why the Body Is Always Healing & How Disease Begins (10:50)
How Major Life Crises Trigger Healing and Personal Growth (18:46)
How Nature Heals the Body & Restores Microbiome Diversity (23:47)
Why Human Connection Is Key to Longevity in Blue Zones (31:26)
Why Nourishment Matters More Than Nutrition or Supplements (35:59)
Why Intelligence Without Compassion Disconnects Us from Nature (41:57)
Why True Compassion Begins with Grief, Not Emotion (43:54)
What Living Well Means to Dr. Zach Bush (49:58)
***
Let’s be friends!
📷 Instagram: / sarahannmacklin
📹 Subscribe: / @livewellbewellsarah
🐦 Twitter: / sarahannmacklin
📱 TikTok: / sarahannnutrition
💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/
What if the key to a longer, more meaningful life isn’t another optimization, but knowing when to pause? In this clip, Dan Buettner unpacks five essential reflections: small decisions with big consequences, success beyond output, and what Vipassana taught him about regret, behavior, and real peace.
Dan Buettner
Listen to the full episode here.
Watch the full episode on YouTube here.
***
If you enjoyed this episode you might also like:
3 NEW Science-Backed Blue Zone Strategies To Increase Your Lifespan & Happiness: Dan Buettner
https://youtu.be/PA4ZCWsS05U
***
Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter:
Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/
***
Let’s be friends!
📷 Instagram: / sarahannmacklin
📹 Subscribe: / @livewellbewellsarah
🐦 Twitter: / sarahannmacklin
📱 TikTok: / sarahannnutrition
💌 Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3rUbHyS
#Longevity #DanBuettner #LiveWellBeWell
We often blame the wrong things when love doesn’t work, timing, chemistry, the other person. But what if the real pattern is internal? In this clip, we explore how your dating archetype, emotional pacing, and inner readiness quietly shape who you choose, and what you allow.
Listen to the full episode here.
Watch the full episode on YouTube here.
***
Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter:
Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/
***
Let’s be friends!
📷 Instagram: / sarahannmacklin
📹 Subscribe: / @livewellbewellsarah
🐦 Twitter: / sarahannmacklin
📱 TikTok: / sarahannnutrition
💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/
#datingpatterns #relationshipadvice #emotionalintelligence
If you've been managing IBS by avoiding certain foods but still experiencing unpredictable flare-ups, you're not alone. Emerging science shows that IBS is a complex condition involving multiple body systems: your nervous system, immune response, and gut microbiome all influence how and when symptoms appear.
For something so physical, IBS is rarely just about the gut.
I created this IBS Masterclass podcast episode to help you finally understand what's really driving your symptoms. And it's not just about food. Stress, sleep, movement, and even your gut-brain connection can all play a role in making IBS worse.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, affects nearly 1 in 10 people worldwide, yet it's still so often dismissed as "just a sensitive gut." The reality? IBS sits in that quiet, complicated space between physical and emotional. And we don't need more elimination diets or shame. We need understanding, compassion, and space to heal.
To give you the clearest answers, I've brought together the world's leading gut health experts:
Dr. Will Bulsiewicz – gastroenterologist and NYT bestselling author of Fiber Fueled, helping us understand the role of fiber, fermentation, and plant diversity in long-term digestive health
Dr. James Kinross – colorectal surgeon and author of Dark Matter, exploring how gut bacteria influence inflammation, immunity, and disease risk
Dr. Emeran Mayer – gastroenterologist & neuroscientist, author of The Mind-Gut-Immune Connection, bringing over four decades of research into how emotions, microbes, and immunity shape the IBS experience
Professor Felice Jacka – Director of the Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University, pioneer in nutritional psychiatry, uncovering how food and mental health are deeply connected through the gut
We explore:
• How stress and trauma shape gut-brain signalling
• Why the vagus nerve is a key player in digestion
• The misunderstood link between emotional health and IBS
• Whether FODMAP diets help or simply mask deeper issues
• And how to create a sense of calm in your body that supports long-term healing
This isn't just a masterclass. It's a myth-busting, life-affirming conversationthat every person with IBS deserves to hear. You'll discover why your body reacts the way it does and learn how to listen with more compassion. Because sometimes, what looks like bloating or discomfort is your nervous system saying, "I don't feel safe."
If IBS has made you feel frustrated, alone, or disconnected from your own body, I hope this episode brings you clarity and relief. You deserve to feel at home in your body again.
Love,
Sarah Ann 💛
***
If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like:
The Gut-Mind Doctor: The Mind & Food Strategies That Can Heal Your Gut Microbiome | Dr. Emeran Mayer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL5ZtoJAUBs
How to FIX Leaky Gut, Improve Health and Stop Cravings | Dr. James Kinross https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvupSI_S7_Q
How To Instantly Crush Stress And Find Serenity: Professor Felice Jacka How Food Affects Your Brain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AQNADbFTCs
***
Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter:
Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/
***
Highlights:
Introduction (00:00)
Definition of a Healthy Gut (01:46)
Symptoms of Gut Dysfunction (04:00)
Can You Eat Fibre if You Have IBS? (11:04)
How Reliable Are Microbiome Tests? (21:39)
How Antibiotics Affect Your Gut (26:51)
Impact of Diet and Nutrition on Microbiome Health (31:58)
How the Microbiome Affects Drug Metabolism (37:58)
Gut-Brain Connection (40:49)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for IBS (55:42)
***
Let’s be friends!
📷 Instagram: / sarahannmacklin
📹 Subscribe: / @livewellbewellsarah
🐦 Twitter: / sarahannmacklin
📱 TikTok: / sarahannnutrition
💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/
We all feel the pressure at some point. Marriage, motherhood, career, are they really what you want, or just what’s expected of you? This conversation opens up the difficult, sometimes uncomfortable questions many of us are afraid to ask out loud.
Listen to the full episode here.
Watch the full episode on YouTube here.
***
Thank you to my wonderful sponsors!
VivoBarefoot | 'If you can’t be barefoot, be Vivobarefoot’
For 20% off, use code LWBW20
www.vivobarefoot.com
***
Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter:
Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/
***
Let’s be friends!
📷 Instagram: / sarahannmacklin
📹 Subscribe: / @livewellbewellsarah
🐦 Twitter: / sarahannmacklin
📱 TikTok: / sarahannnutrition
💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/
#ModernWoman #MotherhoodChoices #BreakingStereotypes
Food addiction isn't about willpower.
It’s about biology.
This week’s guest, Dr. David A. Kessler, pulls back the curtain on GLP-1 drugs, the medications everyone's talking about but few truly understand. As a former FDA Commissioner, bestselling author of Diet, Drugs, and Dopamine, and someone who has personally used Ozempic, Dr. David reveals what pharmaceutical companies aren't telling you about how they actually work.
David shares his own journey with GLP-1 medications, the science behind why they're so effective, and the critical conversations we're not having about safety, proper use, and what happens when you stop taking them.
Through science, candor, and vulnerability, he explains:
Why food addiction is real, and how it rewires the reward circuits of the brain
How GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are changing the conversation about obesity and self-blame
Why “just eat less” doesn’t work… and never did
How visceral fat creates an invisible storm of inflammation, starting in childhood
And what it means to actually change your relationship with food for good
Dr Kessler doesn’t offer a magic solution. He offers tools: from nutritional rewiring to behavioral insight, from emotional honesty to policy change.
Ultimately, he reminds us that health isn’t about being perfect. It’s about understanding what drives us, learning how to interrupt the cycle, and reclaiming agency in a world designed to overwhelm it.
Real healing isn’t about restriction. It’s about relief.
It’s not about weight. It’s about freedom.
Love,
Sarah Ann 💛
***
If you enjoyed this episode you might also like:
Dr. Chris Palmer: How Ultra-Processed Foods Impact Your Brain and Mental Healthhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XwRdDU1PCY
Dr. Chris Van Tulleken: How Ultra-Processed Foods Are Making Us Sick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SxK9MFmH4c
3 Foods to END Cravings, Sugar Addiction & Get Your Energy Back | Glucose Goddess Jessie Inchauspé
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdfNy_UCqng
***
Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter:
Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/
***
Introduction: Why Is It So Hard to Lose Weight and Keep It Off? (00:00)
Dopamine, Cravings, and the Science of Food Addiction (10:12)
How GLP-1 Drugs Like Ozempic Actually Work for Weight Loss (15:14)
How to Change Your Relationship with Food (20:06)
GLP-1 Drug Risks, Malnutrition & Eating Disorders (23:37)
Is Ozempic Being Misused? The Dangers of Microdosing (27:07)
How to Safely Use GLP-1s and Maintain Weight Loss After Stopping (31:53)
Which Diet Is Best? Low-Fat vs. Mediterranean vs. Low-Carb (33:43)
How to Lose Visceral Fat Without GLP-1 Drugs (40:55)
Root Cause of Obesity Crisis (42:44)
Living Well: A Redefinition of Health and Self-Acceptance (51:49)
***
Let’s be friends!
📷 Instagram: / sarahannmacklin
📹 Subscribe: / @livewellbewellsarah
🐦 Twitter: / sarahannmacklin
📱 TikTok: / sarahannnutrition
💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/
Did you know your mouth bacteria could be preventing pregnancy? Discover the groundbreaking connection between oral health and fertility that even top fertility clinics ignore! For men, oral infections can cause "bacterial spermarima," reducing sperm quality and causing erectile dysfunction. Plus, learn the shocking link between oral bacteria and endometriosis that's changing women's health forever.
Listen to the full episode here.
Watch the full episode on YouTube here.
***
Thank you to my wonderful sponsors!
VivoBarefoot | 'If you can’t be barefoot, be Vivobarefoot’
For 20% off, use code LWBW20
***
Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter:
Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/
***
Let’s be friends!
📷 Instagram: / sarahannmacklin
📹 Subscribe: / @livewellbewellsarah
🐦 Twitter: / sarahannmacklin
📱 TikTok: / sarahannnutrition
💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/
#hiddeninfertilitycause #fertilitybreakthrough #oralmicrobiomefertility
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