In this episode — Céline Hovette, a naturopath and hormone-health coach from Northern France, joins to talk about polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which affects roughly one woman in ten, most of whom don’t know they have it. Céline lays out the five areas she works on with clients (nutrition, movement, stress, sleep, and chemical exposure), they compare what they eat, and Richard explains the food diary that cost him his morning croissant.

Guest: Céline Hovette — naturopath, nutrition consultant (Institute for Integrative Nutrition), aromatherapy consultant; based in Northern France, consulting in France and abroad; author of Take Control of Your PCOS: Naturally Balance Your Hormones, Restore Intestinal Flora, and Boost Fertility (Inner Traditions, 2026) celinehovette.com

Nothing in this conversation is medical advice. If you think you may have PCOS, see a physician for a diagnosis.

Chapters

00:00 — Cold open: a symptom of a sick society

01:04 — Welcome: community as the antidote for anxiety and depression

04:11 — Céline Hovette from Northern France, and one woman in ten

05:40 — What PCOS is, and why it may get a new name

07:41 — Most women who have it don’t know

08:34 — A diagnosis by exclusion

10:13 — Fertility, insulin, and the wider metabolic picture

11:40 — No definitive test: room for misdiagnosis

13:09 — No cure, and no one answer for every woman

14:16 — Dense breast tissue and California’s 2013 notification law

17:19 — The symptoms, and where to get a good diagnosis

22:03 — Which androgens: testosterone and DHEA

22:33 — Can a partner’s testosterone gel cause PCOS?

24:35 — Since 1936: family history and the missing gene

25:16 — Endocrine disruptors: bisphenol, cosmetics, 300 chemicals a day

28:49 — What brings a woman to her practice

30:46 — Referrals, and naturopathy in France

32:10 — Five priorities: nutrition, movement, stress, sleep, disruptors

33:58 — What Céline eats: cook once, eat twice

36:44 — Slow down: egg whites, arugula, and bison

38:43 — The food diary and the 47-minute croissant

41:33 — Obesity in the US and France

45:10 — Reading from the book’s conclusion

48:10 — Fifteen minutes with a cardiologist: “our medical system is broken”

49:24 — The Ten Commitments, and a ripple effect

50:40 — “Patient” means to wait

52:41 — Lifting weights after fifty

54:14 — Break, and the free archive

56:02 — Closing: your diagnosis is not your destiny

57:24 — One last question: are the cysts real?