Hormones influence far more than reproductive health. They play a role in energy, mood, sleep, metabolism, thyroid function, appetite, skin, hair, bone health, and many of the subtle signals our bodies give us every day.

In Episode 238 of Wellness in Every Season, Autumn takes a closer look at everyday environmental exposures that may interfere with normal hormone signaling—and, more importantly, how to reduce those exposures without trying to overhaul your entire life overnight.

The conversation starts with plastics and expands into some of the commonly discussed categories of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including BPA, phthalates, PFAS, parabens, and certain pesticides. Autumn walks through ordinary places these exposures may show up: food storage containers, cutting boards, cookware, water bottles, cosmetics, fragrances, personal-care products, clothing, household materials, and even the products used around our lawns and food supply.

Rather than turning this into another overwhelming list of things you should be doing, the episode focuses on a much more realistic question:

What is one thing you can change when it naturally makes sense to change it?

Maybe that’s replacing a scratched plastic cutting board. Maybe it’s transferring hot leftovers into glass instead of plastic. Maybe it’s reconsidering heavily fragranced products when the bottle runs out. Maybe it’s choosing different cookware the next time yours needs replacing.

Autumn also explores some of the many symptoms that can prompt a conversation with a healthcare professional about hormones—from menstrual and reproductive changes to fatigue, sleep disruption, unexplained weight changes, mood shifts, skin changes, libido changes, temperature sensitivity, and other changes that feel unusual for your body.

And because environmental exposures don’t stop with humans, the conversation expands to children and household pets, encouraging listeners to become curious about the environments the entire family lives in without jumping to conclusions about the cause of any individual symptom.

The goal isn’t perfection.

It’s awareness.

Our modern environment contains a lot of plastic, chemicals, fragrances, coatings, packaging, and convenience products. Trying to eliminate everything at once would be expensive, exhausting, and nearly impossible. Instead, this episode is an invitation to notice what surrounds you, make thoughtful replacements over time, and create a home environment that supports your long-term wellness a little better than it did yesterday.

Related Episode

Episode 224: How to Research Your Wellness — a deeper look at how to evaluate health information and research wellness questions more carefully.

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Episode Tags:
hormone disruption, hormone disruptors, endocrine disruptors, endocrine disrupting chemicals, hormone health, hormonal health, hormone imbalance, hormones, perimenopause, menopause, estrogen, testosterone, thyroid health, cortisol, reproductive health, fertility health, BPA, bisphenol A, phthalates, PFAS, forever chemicals, parabens, pesticides, microplastics, plastic exposure, reducing plastic, plastic free living, environmental toxins, environmental wellness, environmental health, healthy home, non toxic living, low tox living, food storage, glass food storage, plastic cutting boards, cookware, nonstick cookware, personal care products, fragrance, fragrance free, cosmetics, household chemicals, water filtration, organic food, pesticide exposure, children’s hormone health, pet health, preventive wellness, lifestyle medicine, healthy habits, intentional living, wellness education, Wellness in Every Season, Autumn Carter

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings."

Childhood neglect often leaves invisible wounds. There may not be bruises or obvious signs, but the absence of emotional connection, safety, encouragement, or support can shape how we see ourselves, build relationships, and move through the world for decades.

In Episode 237 of Wellness in Every Season, Autumn sits down with Severin Lang—artist, hairstylist, coach, director, and writer—to have an honest conversation about growing up with emotional neglect, addiction, trauma, recovery, and the lifelong journey of healing.

Severin shares his deeply personal story of being raised by a father living with schizophrenia, losing his brother at a young age, surviving abuse, developing autoimmune disease, and eventually struggling with alcoholism before finding sobriety. Now more than a decade into recovery, he reflects on how childhood neglect shaped his sense of worth, relationships, emotional expression, and identity.

Together, Autumn and Severin explore why neglect is a form of abuse, how trauma is stored in the body, the connection between childhood experiences and chronic illness, and why healing rarely happens through one single approach. They discuss therapy, EMDR, meditation, somatic healing, recovery groups, spirituality, self-awareness, and learning to recognize the patterns that no longer serve us.

The conversation also explores how trauma affects our ability to trust, connect, communicate emotions, and believe we are worthy of love. Rather than offering quick fixes, this episode reminds listeners that healing is a journey of layers—one that becomes possible through curiosity, support, self-compassion, and a willingness to keep taking the next step.

If you’ve ever wondered why certain emotional patterns keep repeating, why your body reacts before your mind understands, or why childhood experiences continue to influence adult relationships, this episode offers hope that awareness can become the beginning of healing.

Connect with Severin Lang

Website: https://www.severinlang.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/severinlang/

Follow Severin for conversations about recovery, healing from childhood neglect, personal growth, creativity, addiction recovery, and emotional wellbeing.

Books & Resources Mentioned

• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
• Vipassana Meditation
• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings."

High-stress seasons can make it feel like your nervous system has forgotten how to slow down. You may still be functioning, working, parenting, helping other people, and checking things off your list—but underneath it all, your body can be carrying a constant hum of tension.

In Episode 236 of Wellness in Every Season, Autumn talks with Harmony Slater, somatic business coach, mentor, breathwork practitioner, yoga teacher, and energy-based coach, about practical tools for staying grounded when life feels relentlessly busy.

Harmony shares how decades in yoga, meditation, spiritual wellness, and entrepreneurship eventually taught her an unexpected lesson: even people who teach wellness can lose connection with their own wellbeing. After experiencing significant burnout and an autoimmune flare, she had to rethink the way she worked, rested, and listened to her body.

Together, Autumn and Harmony explore simple ways to interrupt the stress cycle before it becomes burnout, including using longer exhales to calm the nervous system, building short breathing practices into transition points throughout the day, recognizing when productivity has turned into pushing, and using movement to counteract the effects of hours spent sitting.

They also discuss yoga poses and movements that can help open areas commonly tightened by modern life, including the hips, psoas, chest, shoulders, and spine; why spending time in nature can act as a nervous-system reset; and how everyday waiting periods—traffic lights, long lines, slow technology, or the few minutes between meetings—can become opportunities to reconnect with yourself instead of automatically reaching for your phone.

You do not necessarily need another hour-long wellness routine. Sometimes the most powerful changes begin with a few intentional breaths, a stretch while you wait for your coffee, five minutes outside, or simply noticing that your body is asking you to slow down.

Connect with Harmony Slater

Website: https://harmonyslater.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harmonyslaterofficial/

Learn more about Harmony’s work with breathwork, somatics, energy healing, spinal energetics, yoga, mentoring, and creating a life and business that work with your energy rather than constantly draining it.

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings."