← Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark
Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark
How to Prepare Your Body for Pregnancy and Enjoy Motherhood | Alexandra Radway
01:11:45
Loading summary
Transcript134 lines
- [00:00]
Alexandra Radway
My birth ended up being traumatic. His heart rate decelled. They had to do an emergency episiotomy and basically pull him out. He wasn't breathing. They tried to resuscitate him. They failed. I never saw him take his first breath. What was missing is I wasn't prepared. I would have done things differently. I didn't know that it mattered. The woman that's prepped for pregnancy is just a healthy woman, has pain free periods. Her skin's glowing, her hair's thick, she's got a high libido, she's enjoying her husband. Pregnancy isn't inherently painful. Pregnancy is a gift woman's body and is meant to be pleasurable. Women who've experienced it, they're like, there is no better feeling foreign.
- [00:58]
Alex Clark
Your body for pregnancy is an investment. And ideally you should start six months to two years before you're ready to conceive. And that includes your husband too, by the way. The state of your hormones, gut health, drainage pathways and circadian rhythm before pregnancy can have a significant impact on symptoms of morning sickness, pregnancy, insomnia, heartburn, and so much more. Today, MIT graduate turned functional nutritional therapy practitioner Alexandra Radway is joining us. She is the founder of Holistic Pregnancy Prep. If you prefer to watch interviews instead of listen, you can do that on the real Alex Clark YouTube channel or culture Apothecary on Spotify. Don't forget to join the cute servative Facebook group to make friends around the country who share similar beliefs and interests to you. Please welcome Alexandra Radway, creator of the Baby Ready Body program to Culture Apothecary. You are a high achieving MIT grad who changed all of your career plans to focus on helping women get pregnant. So why did that become your life's mission?
- [02:03]
Alexandra Radway
Actually what happened was my freshman year at mit, I went to see the Dalai Lama. He came to campus, my mom got me the tickets. For some reason she's like, this is cool, like you should go. And so I went. It's like Kresge Auditorium, you know, a few thousand people there. It was a big deal. And I wasn't expecting my life to change like in this, you know, two hour thing, but it did. And so what happened was there was this panel of women and not actually girls, high school girls. And the reason they are on this panel, they had won an award like sustainability or community, some sort of award. And their reward for winning was to be able to ask the Dalai Lama questions on this panel. And so there's this girl and she asked the Dalai Lama what is Your advice for young women today? He's a very sweet man, but he smiles and he tells this story. He's like, you know, I. I never got to spend very much time with my mother. I was taken away from her at a very young age because they, like, take him away and take him to the monastery and, you know, do all the things. But I have this one memory, and it's such a special memory. And he tells about. I have this memory of being a little boy and, like, little toddler riding on her shoulders and, like, using her ears to steer. And he did that. Like, showed it exactly like that. And he said, my advice for young women today is to spend more time with their children.
- [03:27]
Alex Clark
And that's probably very countercultural and controversial at mit.
- [03:31]
Alexandra Radway
It was the look on that young girl's face, and it was a look of complete disgust, essentially. And in that moment, when I saw the look on her face, I saw the own hardness in my heart towards my womanhood and towards motherhood. Like, it was a reflection on that. And in that moment, for the first time in my life, I felt God calling me, like, very clearly, like, your purpose in life is to be a mother. At that time, I was. I didn't want to have kids. I always believed in God. But you know how if you, like, believe in your second cousin twice removed, that doesn't mean you have a relationship with them. Like, he was just kind of this distant figure. It's funny, because the Lord provided because I met my now husband three weeks later.
- [04:14]
Alex Clark
Three weeks after that, you felt like God was telling you to be a mom, and then you met your husband.
- [04:17]
Alexandra Radway
Yeah. And on our first. Our first actual conversation, he told me, I want to have five kids. And, like, usually that would be, like, a red flag for some, you know, like, freshman in college. I'm like, okay, Hope. But I was like, yes, like, you're the one. Eventually, what led me to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Because I started to pursue God. And originally I pursued God by trying to do more in. In the workspace religion I grew up in. And I realized, wait, like, one. I started to see, like, the holes in that and that what I thought I believed. Like, I didn't really believe genuinely. And ultimately, one night, I was reading the book of Revelation with my husband, and the Holy Spirit came into my heart. And I realized that I was trying to save myself through a workspace religion. And I repented of that. And my heart was changed. And I went from someone who, like, couldn't stand if Christian music came on the radio and my husband, like, had taken me to a Protestant church, and I'd heard the word preached. I was like, never take me there again. Like, that was the worst place ever take me to after this moment. Like, within a week, like, when can we go to church? Like, when can we go back there? When can I hear the word again? So I was completely changed. That really changed how I approached mit. Like, I knew motherhood was the plan, so it was like, let's get through MIT as quick as I can. And I did. I graduated in three years. I became a mother quite quickly after mit, I'll just put it that way. Eventually, what happened is that I went into motherhood. It was a surprise. It all happened very quickly. Obviously, I'm like, this is my life's purpose. I mean, I put my whole heart into it. Like, organic everything. I mean, like, I like baking soda and vinegar on my hair to avoid the chemicals. And, like, I ordered, like, these Kamut grains online so I could, like, make my own pillows. Like, I was trying to be so low toxin, like, do all the things. And I had, like, the super crunchy midwives. I was gonna have this beautiful birth center of Earth. And I was, you know, trying to do all the things because I wanted, you know, the best for this child and the best for their development. And I had done all this research about, like, what needed to happen for that to happen. My pregnancy came along. My digestive system completely shut down, like, halfway through. So I couldn't eat any fat. I didn't gain any. Any weight. Like, my third trimester onward. Like, my baby kept growing, but I was just like. Like, I couldn't absorb nutrients from my food. My birth ended up being traumatic. Like, his heart rate decelled. They had to do an emergency episiotomy and basically pull him out because I was in a birth center, and he. He wasn't breathing. They tried to resuscitate him. They failed. Paramedics came in. They tried to take, like, they almost grabbed him, but while the cord was still attached, I was, like, there. I'm like, wait, he's still attached to me. And then they, like, cut the cord. He went off. I never saw him take his first breath. It was over an hour before I knew if he was alive.
- [07:02]
Alex Clark
Oh, my gosh.
- [07:03]
Alexandra Radway
I had to get, like, stitched up, like, put in a car, put in a wheelchair, sat in a wheelchair, like, on fresh stitches for the next four hours. Like, we were reunited. It was. It was. He cried, I cried. It was beautiful. What that experience left me with. Was really a lot of, like, confusion. Like, I felt like I had done the things. Like I knew there was probably some things I could have done or, you know, in, in retrospect, but as a high achieving woman, as a woman who was used to setting a goal and, and getting there, it was really, really difficult because I felt like this was the most important goal I had ever set for myself, the way that I would, the capacity that I had to show up for my son. And I just felt like I didn't have the tools to get there.
- [07:47]
Alex Clark
But it sounds to me like you were doing everything, you know, quote unquote, right? So what happened, what was missing is.
- [07:52]
Alexandra Radway
I wasn't prepared, right? And so the, the story I give is, you know, the metabolic output, the energy output it takes to go through nine months of pregnancy. It's the equivalent to running a marathon every single day for nine months. What happened was that instead of, you know, thinking about, okay, I have to go run a marathon every day for nine months, what am I going to do? I'm going to start training, I'm going to, you know, maybe get a really good coach. I'm going to get the best possible, like, shoes, so that when you go out and do it, like, you're not throwing up, you're not going to injure yourself, you're not going to cause like long term internal organ damage, which are like all things that can happen to people that show up to marathons unprepared. And so as I was recovering from that experience, I really, I mean, I began to learn about the body. You know, I supposedly have the best education that money can buy, but I didn't even know I had a gallbladder until mine, like gave out on me. I was like, this is like, my back hurts all the, like I eat and it hurts really bad for a few hours. Like, is this like normal pregnancy back pain? Right? And they're like, oh, that's like, maybe your gallbladder. Like, yeah, we might look up some stuff for you on things you can try. And they, like, didn't really have any answers for me and they're just like, oh, just eat less fat. And so, so that's what I did for three months, is ate less fat. And unfortunately a side effect that my baby started eating my brain. Like, I. What, he grew, right? And I shrunk. So something was getting mobilized. And I went from being like acing a Diffie q test like two years prior, you know, at MIT, to being like 17 plus 8. Okay, let me get out my Calculator. Like, I, I just. And that was, that was also really hard too, because I'm like, what? What happened? Yeah, you know, and it was my, my body did the best it can to help him grow, but it did come at the cost of me. When I went on to see and learn, none of that was necessary. Right? Just like some people, like, if you prepare and you train like you can, the human body is capable of running a marathon every single day for nine months. Like, not a ton of people do it, but plenty of people do it. And if you go to more like a traditional, you know, people group where they're really in line with their environment, they get super nourishing foods from their whole life. I mean, they're just like super strong people. You could probably pick any one of them and like have them go a marathon and they'd be fine. But for me, I know that I can't show up tomorrow and run a marathon and be fine. Like, I'd be injured, I'd be throwing up, I would feel awful. And that's exactly what happened to me during my first pregnancy. And that's what I see happening to women everywhere, is that we're showing up.
- [10:24]
Alex Clark
To pregnancy the day we get the positive pregnancy test. And then we think, okay, now it's time to get my hormones ready, my body ready, prepared to have this baby, when in reality, we should be starting to prepare for birth when?
- [10:36]
Alexandra Radway
Six months before? At least.
- [10:38]
Alex Clark
At least.
- [10:38]
Alexandra Radway
Yes.
- [10:39]
Alex Clark
Six months to two years. Ideal.
- [10:40]
Alexandra Radway
Yes.
- [10:41]
Alex Clark
And so what does that look like, preparing your body two years in advance for when you'd want to have a baby?
- [10:46]
Alexandra Radway
The woman that's prepped for pregnancy is just a healthy woman. Like, it's a woman who has pain free periods. Her skin's glowing, her hair's thick, like, you know, she's got a high libido, she's enjoying her husband. It's all good things. It's like all things we want now anyway. You know, she just wakes up with the sunrise naturally, like, doesn't need a cup of coffee. It's not as big as people make it out to be. And a lot of the most essential habits are really, really simple. But I think people make it a lot more complex than it needs to be. And I think a lot of times it's more about knowing the things that are really going to shoot you in the foot and like, cause more harm than good. That's what I would say. But there's, you know, simple things like electrolytes and morning sunshine and, you know, protein first, and these all are things that, you know, can reduce your risk of things like preeclampsia or gestational diabetes. Like, the big things that will, you know, if you want to have a natural birth. And I'm. I'm very, very pro. Natural birth, because I think.
- [11:44]
Alex Clark
Did you do that after the traumatic experience?
- [11:46]
Alexandra Radway
My first birth was a natural birth. It was unmedicated. I just needed intervention in the pushing stage. Okay, so it's still a natural birth.
- [11:53]
Alex Clark
But I'm saying when you had. Because you have had kids since. Right.
- [11:56]
Alexandra Radway
I have two boys.
- [11:56]
Alex Clark
Okay, so then for the second baby, because of the traumatic first experience, were you like, I don't want to do that again, or. And opted for hospital or.
- [12:04]
Alexandra Radway
What did you end up doing with my second baby? And really what I set out with that pregnancy is I had this. It sounds very, very simple, but it was a big realization for me is I actually know, like, my gym teacher in 10th grade that's like, you're gonna get pregnant and die. It's gonna be the worst thing ever. Like, he was actually wrong and that pregnancy isn't inherently painful. And actually, pregnancy is a gift to women's body and is meant to be pleasurable.
- [12:30]
Alex Clark
Yeah. You say that pregnancy should be orgasmic, start to finish. What the heck is that?
- [12:37]
Alexandra Radway
I mean, motherhood should be orgasmic, start to finish.
- [12:39]
Alex Clark
Motherhood should be orgasmic.
- [12:41]
Alexandra Radway
Yes, obviously. Hopefully, the way it starts, that's part of it. You know, I know that's not true for a lot of women, but, like, there's a reason we have certain organs. We have. Like, that's all part of God's design. It's meant to be this picture of, you know, our walk here with the Lord, and we're wrestling with him and trying to understand Him. I mean, that's why, like, it's why you don't. Just. Sex is active. Right. It's. There's. There's things to it. And at the end, both parties, there's this, like, blessing that comes and that mirrors our walk with the Lord and how at the end, we're blessed in heaven. So I'm forgetting the author, but the book is called Heaven in youn Home, and it's about Christian intimacy. And it's.
- [13:16]
Alex Clark
It's not Francie Winslow, is it?
- [13:18]
Alexandra Radway
It is. It's her book. It is. Yes.
- [13:19]
Alex Clark
Okay. She's. She was on the show way back when. My show is called the Spillover. I interviewed her. She's fantastic.
- [13:24]
Alexandra Radway
Yes. So I. And just, like, having that picture for me, it really explained, like, why does this exist? Why is it important? But the, the bigger point is that that's, that's how it starts. And giving birth is really the, the culmination of the female sexual experience. And I think that's why it is a little bit problematic when it's medicalized. Because if you imagine, you know, if you're trying to, you know, for the married woman out there, like, if you're imagining, you know, if you like. And some people make a baby this way, but if you're trying to make a baby and you go to the doctor's office and then they're like, do all these things. And then they like, put your husband together and say, okay, go do it. That's not going to be very fun. Like, I'm sure you could do it. If it's not going to be very fun, it's not going to feel very good. Like, you're probably not going to have that orgasmic experience. I know for me, that would be very tough. If you're in an environment where you're comfortable, where you feel safe. Like, these things feel really good. And I believe birth was meant to be that way as well. I mean, it is the biggest oxytocin boost of your entire life. Like, it is significantly better when you have an undisturbed oxygen, unmedicated natural birth. It is the biggest oxytocin boost of your life. Like, it is better than any orgasm you could possibly have. Women who've experienced it, they're like, there is no better feeling. And then you go into motherhood and breastfeeding continues. That. And it's not just, I mean, breastfeeding. You get like more oxytocin boost, right? And these, it's not sexual, but it's orgasmic. Doesn't have to mean sexual, but it's about the hormone, right? The oxytocin, the feel good hormone, like the hormone of love. And that's what I'm talking about, is that you are just on this wave of oxytocin, especially every time you care for your baby, every time you love your baby. Careful, you know, feed them, change them, soothe them, like help them. And it works. Your brain, gives you an oxytocin boost and it tells you, do that again. I mean, we're designed that way because, right, we need, we need encouragement to. I'm not going to say it's effortless to care for a newborn, right? It's not. It's also not effortless to have a good time in the bedroom, right? Like, they both take activity and work prep. But it's fun. It's pleasurable.
- [15:31]
Alex Clark
All right, let's talk about something that I never considered until recently. Packing the perfect go bag. Whether you're having a baby, taking a weekend getaway, or just staying in a friend's place, there are a few must have items in that bag, right? One thing that's definitely made it to the top of my list, non toxic deodorant. Because let's face it, when you're getting up close with someone, whether it's a baby or a friend who just wants to cuddle on the couch or give you a hug, you don't want to be slathering on products filled with chemicals. And believe me, most deodorants out there are packed with artificial fragrances and other nasties. Honestly, I've learned the hard way that some of that stuff could even be worse for you than perfume. Not to mention they can mess with your skin and your health long term because you're putting it right there in your lymphatic system. That is why I love Zebra deodorant. It's clean, it's simple, it's effective. No toxic chemicals, just natural, non toxic ingredients that keep you feeling fresh all day long. And I live in Arizona, people in Phoenix in the desert. It's already like 90 degree here. Plus Zebra has a new lip gloss. Absolute game changer for anyone dealing with dry chapped lips. Once you try it, you're going to wonder how you ever lived without it. So if you're looking for a non toxic, no chemicals deodorant that works, check out Zebra. Go to yay zebra.com use code Alex for 10 off. The scents are amazing. They're all unisex and there's also a non scented one if you prefer no scent at all. That's yay zebra.com code Alex for 10 off. Ladies, are you ready to be part of something bigger than yourself? The Young Women's Leadership Summit is the largest conservative women's conference in the country and it's happening this June in Dallas. Imagine walking into a room full of like minded women who share your values, faith, family and freedom. You'll hear from incredible speakers like Ginny Urich from A Thousand Hours Outside or Riley Gaines and many more. It's a place where your beliefs are celebrated and you'll find a sisterhood that's been waiting for you. So come, make new friends, bring your mom, bring your sisters, or even come alone. Register today@ywls2025.com Use code ALEX for 25% off. See you there. The first birth did not go how you wanted it to go. You also did not know to be prepping your body beforehand. By the time you were ready to have your second baby, how much prep work did you put in and then how did that labor go?
- [17:47]
Alexandra Radway
I didn't have holistic pregnancy prep labeled and named in the baby ready buddy, baby ready body method. Like, that wasn't all ready to go, you know, because I was developing it and learning. And a big part that actually led me to prep was I dealt with secondary infertility at 23 years old, over a year. Like, there was the aspect. It took a really long time for my cycles to return. And then once they did return, so excited. Cause, like, as hard as that first birth experience was, I love being a mom. I love my baby more than anything. Just having him was the best experience. And I even say, like, the happiest memory of my life is being in the hospital and watching my husband care. After that first, you know, like, worst day of my life turned to best day of my life just watching my husband care for our son. But what had happened was I wasn't. I wasn't getting pregnant. My first intention was to simply heal from my first pregnancy because I had a lot of these pregnancy side effects that I, you know, I told you, just deal with them because they're just pregnancy side effects. They'll just go away once baby's here and I had baby and things got a little bit better, right? Because you're. They're not it. You got a little more space and like, you, you know, you feel a little bit better. But then all these side effects, like, came back and some new things came up and, you know, I could have thrown a bunch of diagnoses and labels on myself. I didn't. But it was, it was, I was not healthy. I was honestly struggling, especially with energy. Like, I just really spent a lot of my time, like, I could get my kid maybe do one activity, and then, like, rest of the day I was just like, on the couch. We would watch something together. I'd like, breastfeed him. Just, like, didn't really have the capacity to do much with my life because of where my health was. After that first pregnancy, what I really set out to do was to heal from that. And when I tried to go to a naturopath or, like, tried to find someone to help me, like, no one gave me a good answer. Like, no one seemed to know what to do. And so that actually eventually led me to go back to school. For nutrition. I eventually found the nta, which I became a nutritional therapy practitioner. That kind of was the journey. And it was all in the frame of, well, like my last pregnancy. Like, looks the way it looked. Like, I can't imagine bringing another child into this. Like, I'm not the version of myself that I want to show up for. Like, I'm, I'm barely able to show up for my first son right now. Like, it doesn't feel responsible to bring, like, intentionally bring another child in. And I did have some success and like started to feel better, but then I wasn't getting pregnant. So that did lead me to, you know, it was about two years of work and preparation. But the crazy thing is, like, some of, when I talk about some of these changes that really, I call it the leverage effect. But like low effort, really high impact changes. One of those is circadian rhythm balance. Because, you know, I was eating organic, clean, like taking all the best supplements. Like, because I ntps, we use professional grade supplements. Like, I thought I was doing everything. And I went to work with another like nutritional therapy practitioner and he just looked at my day and like when I woke up, when I ate and he's like, your circadian rhythm is totally off. Like, you're, you're sleeping in too late. You're like, you're eating dinner super late. You're not getting the morning sun.
- [20:46]
Alex Clark
And so now with it being right, what time do you wake up and go to bed?
- [20:50]
Alexandra Radway
Oh, I wake up with the sunrise every single day.
- [20:52]
Alex Clark
Which is what, 6:30 here?
- [20:54]
Alexandra Radway
I mean, yeah, it shifts throughout the year, but that is either like right before or right with the sunrise. I don't set an alarm. I usually wake up a little. That's usually a little bit before my kids. I naturally wake up. My ideal bedtime is around 9, 9:30. Um, I try to not let it go past 10. Occasionally it does, but I still, even if I stay up later, I always wake up with the sunrise.
- [21:15]
Alex Clark
When you wake up, what are you doing? How are you going outside?
- [21:18]
Alexandra Radway
Yes.
- [21:18]
Alex Clark
And how soon after waking up do you go outside?
- [21:20]
Alexandra Radway
I try immediately. So I usually go downstairs, I get my water, I do, you know, warm water and electrolytes. First thing, actually grab my like toothbrush caddy because I like to brush my teeth before I drink water. So I grab my toothbrush caddy, go into my backyard. Luckily, I live in beautiful Arizona and it's, it's a clear, beautiful day. Almost always brush your teeth outside. Yeah, brush my teeth facing the mountains. What? Yes.
- [21:42]
Alex Clark
Oh, I love this it's like, it's.
- [21:44]
Alexandra Radway
About doing that that changed my life and that actually was more recent. I started that probably a year and a half ago. And that literally like, that literally changed my life.
- [21:53]
Alex Clark
Okay. I love this life hack. Wake up, brush your teeth outside, like face the sun or whatever, wherever you live.
- [21:59]
Alexandra Radway
Yeah, because usually we're like under our like our gross like flickering bathroom light full of like not, none of the near infrared we want and a bunch of blue light and we're just looking at like our face in the mirror. And you don't need to look in your, at yourself in the mirror when you brush your teeth. You can go out, look at God's beautiful creation. You feel so much gratitude. I mean it's just such a better way to start your day.
- [22:18]
Alex Clark
And so when this doctor looked at your stuff and said your circadian rhythm is whack, you got that under control. And then did you get pregnant quickly.
- [22:24]
Alexandra Radway
After I got pregnant, the next cycle.
- [22:26]
Alex Clark
Whoa.
- [22:26]
Alexandra Radway
I couldn't believe it.
- [22:27]
Alex Clark
Okay. That's a game changer. That really could be what is hindering a lot of women getting pregnant.
- [22:32]
Alexandra Radway
There's so much science behind why and it goes beyond just. And this is the beautiful thing about preconception prep is that it's not just improving your fertility, but it's, it's, it's going to improve your lifelong health. Right. Because we don't want to just be healthy, energized moms, like we want to be healthy, energized grandmas like that are there like carrying your grandkids and the toddlers and like really can be there to help our sons or our daughters like with their children. Right. At least for me, the way that it works is that when you see the near infrared light that you get from early morning sunlight and it has to be before around 8 or 9am you know, depending on the time of year and all of that. But basically the first hour or two that the sun is rising, that spectrum of light when it enters your eyes, and it's important, we don't want to be wearing glasses or contacts, cuz that will, that will hinder how much we're absorbing. That actually tells your, it stimulates your mitochondria to produce subcellular melatonin. There's the melatonin that we make in our brain that acts more like a hormone that helps us sleep. And we can talk about that. But this subcellular melatonin is basically the most powerful antioxidant. And it, you're, you're, you're producing it at the cellular level in every single one of your cells. And so for free, every single morning, you can go out and tell your body to produce more antioxidants. Like you could take bottles of vitamin C. It's a leading cancer special out of the uk is the article I got this from, based on his work. Dr. It's Muneeb Khan, if anyone wants to look it up. But he's like, this is the same as eating 2,500 bananas or a kilogram of Brazil nuts in terms of the antioxidant capacity. And he also, he estimates that this just this one practice, a few minutes of early morning sunlight can reduce your cancer risk from 1 in 2 to 1 in 10. And for me, that's huge, right? Because it's true. In the US right now, our cancer risk is 1 and 2. And if I look at my family like, that's me or my husband, that's not something I want our kids to have to deal with. Like, when they're in this beautiful season of their life and they've got their kids and all of a sudden, oh, you know, mom has cancer or dad has cancer. Like the fact that something so simple as just getting out of bed, it's free. Anyone can do it. Seeing the sun. And so why does that matter for fertility? Because egg quality is everything, right? So you don't have bad periods, you have bad eggs, you don't have low progesterone, you have bad eggs. The reason for that is the corpus luteum, which is like the egg sac. That is what directs your progesterone production. And the quality of that corpus luteum is dictated by the quality of those eggs. And the quality of those eggs is dictated by the energetic capacity of your mitochondria. And like the levels of toxicity within the egg. The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, if you remember sixth grade science. And it's very, very, very easily damaged by cellular toxicity. And so if you have this morning sunlight, if you have this antioxidant protection at the cellular level, and it's not just in your ovaries, but that's where you have the most mitochondria, you're going to have better quality eggs, you're going to have better progesterone production, and you're going to get pregnant.
- [25:34]
Alex Clark
Okay, interesting, because I was telling you how last time I took a Dutch test was July 2024, my estrogen progesterone were in the tank.
- [25:41]
Alexandra Radway
Sure.
- [25:42]
Alex Clark
And you were like, oh, well, I have an idea about that. I'm doing my next Dutch test coming up soon, and then I'll see where I'm at. Now that it's been like six months or whatever. I thought it was a protein problem, that I wasn't getting enough protein, which maybe that contributed. But also, I do suck at really being disciplined on getting that morning sun within, like, 30 minutes of waking up.
- [26:04]
Alexandra Radway
So can we talk about discipline real quick?
- [26:06]
Alex Clark
Yeah.
- [26:07]
Alexandra Radway
This is something. We don't need discipline. We need intuition training. Our bodies have an innate intelligence. And your body's innate intelligence, it wants you to thrive. Right. And your innate intelligence, if it's poorly trained, right, it's going to give you cravings for things. So if it's poorly trained, it's going to crave sleeping in. Or, you know, if, maybe if you're fatty acid deficient, it's going to crave French fries. Because you can't actually get the fatty acids from those French fries. They're all seed oils. It's all rancid. But that's all your body knows, right? Because that's most people. That's the only place we get fat from our diet is from those seed oils. So you drive by the McDonald's or something, you smell it, and you're like, I would never eat there, but that smells good. It's because your innate intelligence is poorly trained. And it's kind of grasping at straws on how to bring you into balance, how to bring you into homeostasis. And so what happens when you train your innate intelligence? And this takes a little bit of work in the beginning, but it's not crazy. But when you just understand, okay, let me just bite the bullet and actually do the sunrise thing, you know, for, you know, say, say 21 days for a habit, but a significant enough amount of time that your body knows what that feels like. Oh, maybe let's add something else on. Like, we're going to wear blue light blockers as soon as the sun goes down. So I can actually feel what normal human melatonin production would look like, because we weren't designed to live under artificial light, especially after dark, right? And then all of a sudden you're like, oh, it's 9:00. Like, I can't keep my eyes open. I'm so sleepy. And that's. That's just what it's supposed to be like to be a human. And most of us have never experienced this. And once you give a little bit of input, and that's just one area of many. I'm not disciplined to wake up at 6:30 in the morning. That's just never me. I was a night owl. I always like, I would sleep in as much as I can. Like, it's not discipline that gets me out. It is, I crave it as much as, you know, someone might crave a chocolate bar or binge watching Netflix late at night. Like that's just what my body inherently craves and inherently does. And so it's not about discipline. I mean, a little bit in the beginning, when you can follow a process where you really utilize the leverage effects, you start with the easiest possible thing that can give you a win essentially. And then your body starts craving that and then you got a little bit more energy and then you can do like the next easiest possible thing. You get a bigger win. And then you can start taking on some of these harder things, you know, like cooking properly prepared, nutrient dense meals, which, you know, it's not, it's not effortless.
- [28:26]
Alex Clark
Geez, the way you're putting this is like taking such a weight off my shoulder. It's, it's such a beautiful way to put it that it's not discipline. It's just training your body to kind of crave these things intuitively.
- [28:39]
Alexandra Radway
Yes.
- [28:40]
Alex Clark
That is so encouraging and hopeful, I think. And just like, wow, like the way you say it's like, okay, I can do this. Like it makes it seem more possible and like within our reach to be able to kind of live this wellness life or whatever, if you will. We love our dude servatives. Yes, we do. My friend's husband was at the gym at the beginning of the year looking like an absolute disaster. Okay. I mean, this is his words, right? Sweating more than a middle aged man trying to get a tan on a treadmill. He had good ambitions, you know, to get New Year's fit. He thought that the right thing to do would be to just grab any fancy powder off the shelf that promises to give him muscles. Well, guess what? Stuff was trash plus wrecked his gut with all the fillers and junk. But then my friend told him to try cowboy colostrum because I rave about it. He said it was a completely different experience for him. Muscles are growing, energy is up, hasn't been sick once all year, and is skin is glowing. In fact, her husband has been looking so hot, my BFF said it's like ovulation time all the time. Hey O, that doesn't sell you. I don't know what will. Cowboy Colostrum is packed with the good stuff. Immunoglobulins, growth factors, antimicrobial peptides. Basically, nature's first food that works for immunity, gut health and even that radiant skin and hair everyone's always posting about on Instagram. It's a full fat grass fed first milking colostrum. No stripped down weak stuff like other brands. It's like whole raw milk versus skim. It's just better. If you're serious about getting healthy, you need to get on the Colostrum kick. Head to cowboy colostrum.com use the code ALEX for 25% off your first order. Get it for you. Get it for your husband, the whole family. That's 25% off your first order at cowboy colostrum.com use code Alex. There's unflavored vanilla or chocolate. You're going to thank me later when your hubby's biceps start looking less like a marshmallow. I recently had someone come test my home for toxin exposure and they check everything okay from cleaning products to candles. When they looked at my candles they were seriously impressed. My home got an A for overall toxin load and they said that my beeswax candles from Natural Sloth made a huge difference. Not only do they safely scent my home, but beeswax actually purifies the air. So now every time I light one I feel good knowing I'm making my home cleaner and healthier. Natural Sloth Beeswax candles are the real deal. They're made with non toxic natural ingredients, just beeswax, pure essential oils and a wooden wick for a long lasting clean burn in glass jars. No synthetic fragrances, no hormone disruptors, no toxic chemicals. These candles not only smell amazing, but also release negative ions which can help reduce stress, improve mood and create a relaxing vibe almost like you're sitting by the ocean. Handcrafted in Texas by a proud veteran owned business, each candle is made safe certified so you can trust that it's been rigorously tested to be free of harmful chemicals and with the crackling sound of the wooden wig, it's like having a cozy little fireplace in your home. Plus they offer other products like soaps and room sprays, all made with organic ingredients and scented with only pure essential oils. Very Ready to upgrade your space with non toxic purifying candles? Head over to naturalsloth.com use my code Alex for 15% off your first order. That's Alex for 15% off at naturalsloth.com trust me, your home and your lungs will thank you. You say just having a baby isn't enough. We also need to teach women how to enjoy motherhood yes. And you say in particular, the pro life movement does a bad job of this.
- [32:10]
Alexandra Radway
What I would say is, I really see holistic pregnancy prep or just using. Using the tools that allow women to thrive in motherhood. And what you talked, like, it blows me away. Like, my. The baby ready body method. Because I see women do the, like, lowest possible effort. Like. Like, they do just the core strategies, like, the bare basics of it, and they go on to have these incredible pregnancies. I just heard from a client this morning. She again, got pregnant a little bit before she was ready. Like, there's nothing but, you know, we all have this idea. It's like, we have to do it perfect and to the T and get, like, every exact little thing in the line that didn't happen for her second baby pregnant, but before she was ready. But she's like, yeah, I'm 10 weeks already. I'm already coming out of the nausea. Like, last pregnancy, I was vomiting daily for seven months. And this is from like. And she's like. Like a little bit of nausea, but, like, three weeks, and that's it. And now she's like, and I'm good. I'm gonna go on. I can play with my toddler. Like, it's gonna be a great time. And this was just like, from the bare. The bare minimum. And we can do even. Like, there's so much more that's possible. But what I see is that motherhood isn't. Isn't made to seem desirable. And I think that's a real shame because it really, really is. And I am in the best health of my life. Because of motherhood. I spend maybe four hours a week in the gym. Like, in ninth grade, I had to quit soccer and, like, switch the golf team because, like, it hurt too bad for me to run. Like, I am not anything crazy or anything special, but because of my desire to have the most possible capacity for my children and because of how enjoyable pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, motherhood is when you feel good and when you have the capacity for it and when you can go through it in the way that it is meant to be experienced, just how beautiful that is. That is such a strong motivator to. To care for yourself. And I think most women struggle in motherhood because, you know, you look at the woman with maybe the baby has colic or doesn't feel well, and it's like, well, I don't know what to do with this baby. It's so hard. It's like, well, do you know how to make yourself feel better? When you don't feel well without a substance, without staring at your phone, without watching a show. Right. And if you don't have those skills, yes, it makes sense that you're struggling to give that to your child. What I see or what the. The future that I envision would be a future where women so thoroughly enjoy their pregnancies that it would be mind blowing that that would be something that a woman would want to kill her child to like, free herself from or to escape from. It's not necessarily the fear of motherhood. It really is the fear of pregnancy. How painful it's gonna. How painful giving birth is gonna be, how, like, how bad, like, how much impact it's gonna have on your body, like, how much you'll be throwing up. And none of that is necessary to have a baby. And I think that is the message that, like, if more and more women actually equipped themselves to experience. Experience motherhood in that way. And I. I honestly think it's not selfish. It's our responsibility. It's our responsibility. Especially, you know, as Christian women, as women that value family, it's your responsibility to set yourself up to thrive, to put you in a position where you actually aren't just saying you believe children are a blessing, you are experiencing it.
- [35:32]
Alex Clark
You say that morning sickness isn't a mystery.
- [35:36]
Alexandra Radway
No.
- [35:36]
Alex Clark
What is it?
- [35:37]
Alexandra Radway
Your bile's not flowing. This is the key. This is the key of everything. I call this the mother of all problems in the baby. Ready, Betty Method. What is bile? Firstly, you have a liver here, right? We all know about our liver. Breaks down talk, does something like that, right? Breaks down your toxins. There's three phases of liver detox, but phase three is your bile flow. So what is bile? It is produced in your liver. It's stored in your gallbladder. It's like a little sac, and it's released when you consume a meal containing fat. And it acts like an emulsifier. So if you pick. If you ever had, like, oily dishes in the sink and you put in some soap and all the oil bubbles, like, turn into these tiny little bubbles, that's basically what it does to your fat. And when you consume fat, it breaks it into these tiny little bubbles because you need to be able to. Can't just eat the healthy fats. You have to be able to break them down and absorb them through your small intestine. And you can't do it if they're like that. They have to be very, very tiny. So that's the role of the bile, but the Other thing that's important about bile, it is your fat soluble toxin elimination pathway. So all fat soluble toxins have to get eliminated through bile. Ideally, it's released to the bile, it binds to fiber in your gut and then you poop it out. If you don't have fiber, your body just recirculates it because it's actually takes a lot of energy to produce bile. But that's it. So why does that matter for morning sickness? Well, what are symptoms of your bile being sluggish? Nausea, fatigue, even vomiting? Why does your body do that? It's not some evolutionary thing to protect you from food poisoning. Like, that's not what it is. And I know this to be true because when you look at traditional cultures, they don't experience morning sickness. A lot of things. When you see like different cultures eating different foods all over the world, experiencing the same things like that, that to me is a marker of truth. And what you see when you look at those cultures, their women don't have morning sickness. Their pregnancy is like a joy for them. It's invigorating. If it's possible for some woman that, like, she doesn't know how to read, she doesn't have any, you know, financial means of her own, like she has, like, she doesn't have this, why is it not possible for me, like a person who has the best education of money can buy? What happens is that during pregnancy, your body is producing a lot more hormones, right? And that's necessary to grow, like you need those hormones to, to grow a baby. And these hormones are blamed for morning sickness. But some women have morning sickness and some women don't. So what is this? You know, maybe they have higher hormone levels. That does play a role. But it's, it's clear it's not actually necessary. And the problem is that it's not a hormone problem, it's an elimination problem. Your body is producing all these hormones, it's struggling to break them down because you're not producing, producing enough bile and you're not eliminating things. Well. And when that happens, once your bile becomes sluggish, your digestive function becomes sluggish because it, it doesn't just have one purpose, it's there to break down food and also eliminate these hormones. It does two things. And when you don't have enough bile, you also lower your stomach acid production, because stomach acid is really acidic, bile is really basic. And they combine in the small intestine, which is good because your stomach acid, your stomach's got all these mechanisms, so you don't burn a hole through your stomach. Like if I put stomach acid on this table right now, it would burn a hole through that table. Like it's, it's intense, right? And so we don't want that going straight into the stump, into the small intestine without something to neutralize it, which is why bile flow is so important.
- [38:59]
Alex Clark
And so how do you fix this issue?
- [39:01]
Alexandra Radway
This is why preconception prep is really helpful. Right. It's not the only option. Like you can, you can use tools like you can supplement your stomach acid or you can take things like ox bile. That can, can really help. I mean, you can also. There's other ways. I mean, that's why I gave, you know, I brought in electrolytes for everyone because you need electrolytes to produce bile and you need hydration to produce bile.
- [39:20]
Alex Clark
Okay.
- [39:21]
Alexandra Radway
So there's like some really simple things. There's like toxic burden overall. Like it can be really simple and then it can get quite complex. But essentially one of the most important things you can do, especially in the preconception period, is opening that bio flow pathway. And I was so blessed with my first pregnancy because that's the pathway that shut down on me. Right. So when I started really researching this, that was the first thing I discovered. And that led me to like, that is honestly like the centerpiece of my work and my method is understanding that this is the root cause of so many problems. Yes. And it's so great because it's like we can fix, we can focus instead of like trying to chase down all of these symptoms, I'm like, no, we just need to focus on one thing. I don't actually care like what the label is, what the diagnosis is, what the symptoms are. We get to the root cause and then everything's operating, then everything works.
- [40:09]
Alex Clark
We're told that we need folic acid during pregnancy. You think that this is the worst advice given to pregnant women, period. Why?
- [40:18]
Alexandra Radway
Let's start with the fact that for certain women, folic acid can triple their rate of miscarriage. So there's a study done in, in Egypt, small study, but I'll talk about why they're not. So just looking at it here in the US but they looked at women that were MTHFR positive and one trial group, they gave them high dose folic acid. The other trial group, they gave them methylated folate. Now note, these women had had a previous miscarriage. They had some risk for this. But the, the women in the folic Acid group had 3.3 times the rate of miscarriage. So 54 of those women miscarried again in the, in the methylated folate group, only April 18% of the women miscarried. Why would that happen? We have to understand that folic acid is a synthetic nutrient. It's not the form of folate that your body needs. Folate is really important for your body's methylation processes, which everything your body's trying to do, methylation's involved somewhere. But it's really important for like cell division and growth. And it's also really important for toxin elimination. Basically start from fat soluble toxins, they have to go to be water soluble and they turn it back. And at each stage you need certain nutrients to, to make those processes happen. And if things get stuck in the middle, they're actually more, they become more toxic before they become less toxic. So it's really important that you are targeting all three stages. Basically. If we talked about egg quality is everything. If you're in an environment where you're not eliminating toxins, well, it's going to impact your eggs. And if you don't have a good quality egg, your baby won't grow and develop properly. And your baby and you, you may not have enough progesterone. Like so many things can happen and then you will miscarry. Miscarriages, the vast majority of them aren't a mystery. This angers me because ACOG is only allowed to recommend folic acid. Also for these women, they had a third of chance of, even the ones that did get pregnant, they had a third of the a chance of carrying that baby to term compared to the control group. They had twice the risk of things like preeclampsia, premature rupture of membranes and preterm labor. And why, why is this the case? The tricky thing about folic acid is that it does work for some people. So it is a man made version of folate. Your body needs the active form. It's a six step enzyme driven process to turn folic acid into methylated folate that your body can use. About 30% of people can, can maybe do that for the other 50 to 70% of people actually taking folic acid, you cannot convert it. So you get all this unmetabolized folic acid in your system. And what that unmetabolized folic acid does, it blocks your folate receptor sites. So now you actually, even if you're getting folate from foods, your body can't utilize it. So it's stopping you from using folic acid. And so this is why when you look at the research on folic acid, it can be like, really mixed. Like, some say you say it's helping, some say you say it's hurting. And it's because for. It could be helping 30 to 50% of people, but it could be hurting the other 50, 30 to 50.
- [43:19]
Alex Clark
The people that folic acid is hurting, are they the ones that have the MTHFR gene mutation?
- [43:24]
Alexandra Radway
Yes, for the, for the most part. And it, like. Yes, that's what this study have shown. Now, ACOG says folic acid is fine even for mthfr. But what I want people to understand about folic acid, where did it come from? Like, why is it here? You know, I tried to dig into this. I'm not an investigative journalist. I'm like, into the science. I'm not into like, the powers that be and like, why things happen or like, financial motivations behind things. But I looked at, you know, reports of doctors at the time that folic acid was coming out, and they're like, we don't really know why this is a big thing. And that is the only tool your ob GYN has for pregnancy prep. And why do they recommend folic acid? Because they did research back in like 86. There's a few in the early 80s. Like, the big study was in 86, and it showed that folic acid reduced the risk of spina bifida, right. Which is an other neural tube defects, which are very, very rare, but they are, you know, they can be catastrophic. And so they found something folic acid, that they looked and they compared it. Significantly reduced incidence of neural tube defects in this study. So that led ACOG to make it, you know, 400 milligrams of folic acid, the default recommendation for all women. And then they ran into, okay, well, not enough women are actually, like, taking this. Like, women don't even know women. You know, women are irresponsible. They don't prepare for pregnancy, they don't plan. Let's just add it to all grains in the food supply. Like, let's give folic acid to everyone, right? And so that's what they do. So any conventional, mostly breakfast cereal, you know, not organic white flour, some. Some rices. They're all enriched with folic acid. The thing is, like, once they instituted this, they mandated, they're putting in all the foods for everyone. The, the incidence of spine of these neural tube defects, it went down by like 10. Like, for a hundred thousand babies, it was reduced by 10, which, I mean, that's, it's. It's A reduction. It doesn't reduce all some, some defects. People take folic acid, they still have these default defects in their child and it's because not everyone can use it, right? What's also crazy, and this is correlation, not causation, but if you look at the like the autism rate curve and you pinpoint like when they started recommending folic acid and when they added it to everything, it's right before it just shot off, that's when they added it to everything.
- [45:45]
Alex Clark
Venison is one of the healthiest meats out there. And it's a big reason why Paleo Valley's 100% grass fed organic venison sticks stand out. For one, venison is super lean, lower in fat and calories compared to most other meats. But here's the kicker. It's also loaded with essential nutrients that support your health and really big way. Each stick from Paleo Valley is packed with 7G of high quality protein, which is crucial for muscle repair, immune function and keeping you energized throughout the day. But that's not all. Venison in particular is rich in heme iron, the type your body absorbs most efficiently, which helps fight fatigue and supports healthy blood cells. It's also loaded with B vitamins, especially B12, which is important for brain health and energy. And let's not forget about the omega 3 fatty acids. Venison raised on natural pastures has higher omega 3 levels which are great for supporting a healthy inflammatory response and boosting heart health. On top of all that, Paleo Valley's venison sticks are naturally fermented, so they're packed with gut friendly probiotics, unlike most snacks that are full of artificial preservatives and chemicals. Plus and Paleo Valley's venison sticks are raised without pesticides or herbicides, just pure clean protein. So if you're ready to upgrade your snack game with a healthy, nutrient dense option, head to paleovalley.com Alex use code code Alex for 15 off. That's paleovalley.com Alex with code Alex for 15 off. Do not settle for low quality snacks. Snack smarter with Paleo Valley's venison sticks. Okay, let's talk about skin care. And I've got a big disclaimer for you. If you know me, you know I'm extremely picky about what I put on my face. And until recently I had a hard rule. I've talked about it on the show. No beef tallow on my skin. I always believed that beef tallow was a really big no, no. For facial skin care. It clogs pores, it doesn't do much beyond hydration, and honestly, it just didn't seem like a good idea. But there's a huge exception to this rule. And I am humbly coming to you and telling you about Primally Pure. So here's the truth. Primally Pure has changed my perspective on beef tallow completely. They don't just slap any beef fat into their products, okay? Because they're carefully sourcing their tallow from pasture raised, grass fed, regenerative, humanely processed cows. And that makes a very big difference. Also, the unique fatty acid profile of their grass fed tallow is remarkably similar to our own skin's natural oils, meaning it's biocompatible. And it won't clog your pores, it nourishes your skin on a deep cellular level and promotes healthy, glowing skin. Now, I'm just going to tell you, somebody cooking this up in their kitchen, they're not going to get the same thing as Primally Pure. Unlike other tallow based products that leave you with this greasy residue, Primally Pure uses tallow in such a thoughtful, intentional way that it actually heals and regenerates your skin, helping with fine lines, acne and inflammation. It works. I can personally vouch for that. If you're thinking about switching to cleaner, non toxic skin care and you're really obsessed with the beef tallow thing, check out the thousands of five star reviews on primlypure.com from customers just like you. Once you're ready to make some simple swaps, use code Alex Clark to get 15% off your Primally Pure purchase. That's primallypure.com code Alex Clark for 15% off. Do we need to be getting a colonic before we get pregnant?
- [49:00]
Alexandra Radway
I did have thyroid dysfunction. And what was crazy was that I went to get a colonic. It was my birthday. I was like, this sounds fun. For my birthday, that was my birthday gift to myself. I leave and a few minutes I get this rash all over my thyroid. And what I realized, like in, in retrospect, and I can just speak to my own experience, but I release some emotions that were trapped in my colon, right? Because physically releasing them with the colon hydrotherapy release that perhaps also some like pathogens and other things, but it happened so fast. I truly believe it was emotional. And because I released those emotions, my thyroid could then release toxicity that was stored in the thyroid.
- [49:41]
Alex Clark
Whoa.
- [49:41]
Alexandra Radway
And now I have perfect thyroid labs now, which like blows my mind because I don't know Anyone with everything.
- [49:47]
Alex Clark
The one colon, not.
- [49:49]
Alexandra Radway
I've done some other stuff too, but that really, that is when and when I talk about like these. The leverage effect, right? And it's. It's like what I've seen time and time again and where women really get stuck on their health journeys. It's like, oh, I have a thyroid problem. Like, I need a thyroid specialist or I need a thyroid supplement or I need thyroid, thyroid, thyroid. Like, the problem must be the thyroid. But that was such a profound experience of like, no, actually, like, everything goes back to the gut. Everything's interconnected. Like, the body is so much more complex than that. Usually the best way to get to like, get to your issue is to not target the specific thing, but just understand, okay, what's going to put my body in the most robust position and then the body heals itself. So that was like the first experience with colon hydrotherapy. And then I went on to do this different protocol. I don't call deeper detox, but this was. You basically break down your mucoid plaque. Like, and I don't. Some people, it's like, that stuff's not real. But I'm like, I know what left. Something left my body. It was very large. There was a lot of it. Like, I, like, I saw it in the toilet. I saw it in. In colon hydrotherapy. Like it was something. I don't care what you call it. But literally after that, that's when my HRV jumped from an average of 40 to 70 to 113.
- [50:59]
Alex Clark
Whoa.
- [50:59]
Alexandra Radway
Like 1:10 overnight. Literally overnight. When. When that stressor left my body.
- [51:04]
Alex Clark
How often do you think people should be getting colonics?
- [51:06]
Alexandra Radway
For me, I do a form of colon cleansing is a part of my like, weekly kind of monthly routine.
- [51:14]
Alex Clark
Are you doing enemas?
- [51:15]
Alexandra Radway
So, yeah, I do enemas at home. I did enema this morning, actually.
- [51:19]
Alex Clark
Really?
- [51:19]
Alexandra Radway
Yeah.
- [51:20]
Alex Clark
I still haven't done that yet. I'm. I'm scared.
- [51:21]
Alexandra Radway
Don't be. Okay. It's your body, right?
- [51:23]
Alex Clark
I know, but I just don't know what I'm doing.
- [51:25]
Alexandra Radway
Well, something I've seen to be true for my journey and with my clients. A question quality that's really under encouraged in women is bravery. And what I've seen the, the clients that really excel, especially with the baby ready body method or. This is something I admire in my own mother. She was. She's a very brave woman and I think she instilled that in me. And I see in a lot of women that that is something that's. That's holding them back. Like they, it's, it's just not encouraged in women and we don't have to get overwhelmed. But the reality is only 5. If they did a study in California and they looked at, you know, when they surveyed over 2,500 women who had had birth, you know, hospital births there, and only 5% gave birth without major medical intervention, why is that happening? Most people blame the hospital system, right? And yes, you know, there's like the cascade of intervention and all of these things. But I would say it's because women aren't healthy. I did have major, like, I qualified for one. Like, I didn't have pain intervention, but I did have an like, assist. That was a major medical intervention in my birth. And it was because my son wasn't strong enough to bear the stress of being born because my body didn't have the capacity to break down and deliver nutrients to him. He was my responsibility to steward at that time. I didn't have the tools to give him what he needed to be in a position to bear the stress of being born.
- [52:49]
Alex Clark
I think that'll probably help a lot of women. I think. You saying that I. I sure hope so.
- [52:54]
Alexandra Radway
My second baby, I had a hospital birth. It was the pandemic. I had had my first, you know, we had those complications, but at the end of the day, it wasn't that bad once he was resuscitated and like, and it could have gone in different ways, but he, he was ultimately fine. Like, we, we were in the hospital like 24 hours. We went home. You know, he's had some developmental issues later that have come up later that I do think attribute to like. And we've had imaging on his brain done. Brain done. It did suffer some amount of hypoxia that has had some impact on his development, like, you know, with some focus things and other things. But he's a beautiful, healthy, happy boy and I love him to pieces. But what I was saying is that had I been in the hospital, the, like, maybe the, you know, neonatal resuscitation unit want to come in, maybe he would have been taken away from me for three, five, you know, 10 minutes and then I would have gotten him right back and I wouldn't have had to been put in the position where I declined postpartum care because they wanted to take me to a different hospital. This was something I never thought about with a out of hospital birth because if they see a baby, they're going to take him to Phoenix Children's, but they can't take A mom to Phoenix Children's, right? We have to. I'd have to go to a different, A different hospital. And so I declined all postpartum care, which, you know, I could have hemorrhaged in Phoenix Children's and like, no one, like, they had stuff there, but they wouldn't have been set up to properly help me. Had I been in the hospital, I would have gotten him right back. You know, it would have been a much less traumatic experience because the hardest part was me not knowing if he was alive and feeling the weight of being convinced that, you know, my baby had died because I hadn't been strong enough to push him fast enough. Ultimately, what happened with my second is I did choose a hospital birth, right? Because I'm like, that was not. Like, I, I just can't put myself in that position again, especially with the pandemic. And like, oh my, like, what if he gets taken and then he gets, you know, quarantined and like, you know, like, it was just a different time. But I was able to have a completely intervention free birth experience in the hospital and it was everything I had dreamed of. And I, like, following up my second pregnancy, I describe as my pain free pregnancy because I just made the silly assumption that, like, hey, pregnancy isn't meant to be painful. And if, I mean, if I don't feel good, it means that something's wrong and my body needs something, right? And now I had the tools to actually understand, oh, this is what my body's asking for. Let me support it. And now I feel great. But the reality was I had a perfectly healthy pregnancy, right? I went into labor on time. My baby's heart rate never decelled, he never decelled, which is like, like in an alarming way. So there was never like, oh my gosh, like, baby's in risk. Like, he was never put at risk by the process of being born. Which means that I was never offered any interventions because I was healthy. And I feel like this is what women don't understand. And I, and I. My heart goes out to the midwives, honestly, like the home births, home birth midwives, free staying midwives, because they're faced with all these women that honestly aren't healthy, that honestly like. And that was me. I was that woman. It's like, they don't want any testing, they don't want any interventions, they don't want any of it, but they're not taking the responsibility, right, of what it looks like to put your body in a position where it can do that safely.
- [55:59]
Alex Clark
What is A prenatal that actually works.
- [56:03]
Alexandra Radway
You want methylated folate and there's other nutrients as well. You probably don't want iron for the most part because long term iron isn't great. There's so much more than a prenatal. Right? A prenatal is one piece. And you have to understand the reason a prenatal is being recommended. It's not like, oh, this is the panacea that's going to give you this healthy, thriving pregnancy. You know, where you're glowing and you have the cute bump picks and like all the things that you're, you want. It's just, it's literally, they recommend it because of this one point. Folic acid and neural tube defects.
- [56:32]
Alex Clark
So honestly, could you just go without a prenatal at all?
- [56:36]
Alexandra Radway
I would not recommend that because it is very difficult to get that level of nutrients from food. ACOG can only recommend folic acid because there's no studies that show that methylated folate prevents neural tube defects. Now why are there no studies that show that methylated folate prevents neural tube defects? Because you would expect it to. It's the actual form of the, of the, the nutrient that we are trying to get from folic acid that you have to go, your body has to go through this laborious process to convert. And it's because they proved in 1986 that folic acid prevents neural tube defects. Do you know, it didn't exist in 1986, a shelf stable form of methylated folate. It hadn't been invented yet. But because, because they had already proved that this is a prevention. It is unethical to test anything else. It is unethical to run a study on pregnant women. Right? Because they're the, the ethics standards are, you know, higher because you, it's like, well, we, we can't. Because you're taking away a known prevention from a pregnant woman. How could you possibly do that? And so what, what we're faced with as modern women is that the best technology that our ob GYN has to offer for our preconception prep is outdated. Is a technology from the 40s for me. I'm not against supplementation, right? Because I understand what it actually looks like to have a nutrient dense nourishing diet. And it's not, it's doable. It's doable, but it's not easy. Like it's not effortless. And even I don't get that done every single day.
- [58:08]
Alex Clark
So who, what do you like to recommend? People? Because that's what my audience is all about, like, what brand, what brand? I'll get a hundred messages. So make it easy for me.
- [58:14]
Alexandra Radway
Needed is a good one. Seeking health is a good one. And full well, really a prenatal is like bare minimum. And I, I have this like seven supplement framework. There's also, it's like very easy, very accessible. And that's. You're actually getting everything you need for a fort, for you to feel well and feel really good and for baby to develop optimally. And so that's what I'm really encouraging women is like, let's go beyond just the prenatal. Cause there's, there's evidence of benefit, but it really is like pretty like myopic just on this like folic acid, neural two defects. Like, that's the only reason we started with prenatals. Beyond that, it's really just a multivitamin. Some of these brands add in other helpful nutrients, but you, you can't really get everything. You definitely can't get everything you need in a one a day capsule. Yeah, the good brands, it's usually six capsules a day. There's more that your body really needs. And when you get everything, it's like chef's kiss. It's magic, right?
- [59:10]
Alex Clark
Are blue inflorescent lights preventing pregnancy?
- [59:14]
Alexandra Radway
Possibly. Possibly. And what I think the biggest thing that you can understand is that the number one toxin, right, you're all about low tox. Like, we're all about low toxin living. And I didn't realize this, like, I was in this for a decade. I never realized the number one toxin is being under blue light when the sun is not down. What blue light does, right? We're. We have this cortisol curve. So we're supposed to have cortisol go up in the morning to wake us up. We want to wake up in the morning and then it goes down in the evening so we can chill out and melatonin goes up so we can fall asleep. What tells your body to do that? Blue light. This pattern is supposed to directly follow the sun. And these are your master driver hormones. Cortisol, melatonin, like insulin's another one. But these are the master driver hormones. And so what we need to understand is that if you are under bright light after the sun is dark, and even if you're in darkness during the day, that is also stressful. It's incredibly stressful for your body. And this changed everything for me. But if we look, there's some really interesting. I mean, there, there are studies that show, like, we can make anovulatory women ovulate by giving them the right light inputs. There's mice studies that show if we either have a mouse with a messed up gene like that messes up their, like a specific gene that messes up their circadian rhythm, or if we put mice like in under light or something 24, 7, the mice will either they'll have longer estrus cycles, it means like takes a longer time to ovulate or they won't ovulate at all. Or if they get pregnant, they miscarry more often or they never go into labor spontaneously. Now when I read that, I thought back to little Alexandra, 41 and 42 weeks pregnant, honestly, with her, her first baby at IKEA at 9:00 at night, right before it closed, under all the blue lights. Like feeling so sorry for myself because I hadn't gone into labor yet and I was all scared of all this Pitocin and all the scary things they were going to give to me because my body hadn't gone into labor on time. And I just wish she would have known that, you know, and known that earlier because I would have stayed home, I would have been, I would have worn my blue light blocking glasses. Like I would have done things differently. I just, just didn't know. I didn't know that it mattered.
- [61:23]
Alex Clark
And that's, I think that's the case for a lot of these women because a lot of them hear this kind of information and they get racked with guilt and they're like, well, this is shaming me. I feel terrible about myself and all this. I'm like, I, I just don't relate to hearing new information and being guilty or feeling guilty. I hear new information of something that I could have done differently and I'm like, wow. I feel empowered that now I have it, I can make something different. And we don't know what. We don't know in the moment. You know what I mean? Exactly. It's like you didn't know. Now you, now you're helping other women. I mean, I think that's a beautiful cycle of how that's kind of gone. Yes, but how did all of this research into just the beauty of birth, the beauty of motherhood and learning to enjoy motherhood lead you to becoming pro life?
- [62:05]
Alexandra Radway
I'm pro life, I mean, primarily because I love Jesus and he loves babies. And to me it is very, it's most obvious. Life begins at conception. We shouldn't intentionally end life. Right. Because were made in the image of God. More practically, I am pro life because my mom is pro life. She didn't just raise me to be pro life with her words. She raised me with her actions. So I saw her go through a surprise pregnancy at 42. I saw her, you know, keep the baby even when members of her own family, like, suggested maybe it's better to just not do that. I saw her decline all of the screenings that her OBGYN said she needed because she was so old and this baby could have all these problems. But then she asked them why, and just like, oh, well, so you can, you know, start over before you start to show or just be done before you start to show. So no one knows. And I saw how blessed my life was because my. Our little brother was in it. And so that. I mean, that is why I am. That is why I'm pro life now. For me, what happened with my. When I got to motherhood. And it's very important to me, a big thing that stands out, you know, when I actually now when I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and he's my Lord, he's my Savior, I am authentic in my faith. And I mean, like, I don't just say I believe stuff. Like, I believe it. Like, and that's. I believe that was a supernatural work that the Holy Spirit did in my heart. And so when I got to motherhood, I truly believe motherhood. Like, I'm like, I know that, like, God's word teaches me that motherhood's a blessing. Children are a blessing. Like, this is a wonderful thing. A lot about that experience. I'm like, I'm not living it. Like, I'm complaining. Like, I'm, you know, spending my days, like, watching. It's like, the silly. But I'm like, here I have my beautiful toddler, and I'm watching these vlogs on YouTube of, like, other people with their happy families and, like, wishing I was. Wishing I was there or watching people, like, outliving, like, van life. And I'm not saying it's. There's never a time, like, we can watch a little bit of escapism. I'm not saying that's wrong. I'm like, I'm not enjoying this. Like, and that wasn't acceptable to me because I'm like, no, this is what I believe. So let me actually figure out how, like, how can I make my experience align in what I believe? And that was a huge motivator for holistic pregnancy prep. Because now, because of these tools, because of the motivation for preparing for pregnancy and the version of myself that I want, like, want and need to be for my children. I have so much capacity and energy and joy and all of these things. Like, my periods. I love my periods now. It's like, they're. They're, like, so pretty pink. I'm like. I'm just so feminine. And like, my p. I literally, like, look at my. I'm like, this is beautiful. And like, I don't have cramps. And they're not super heavy. Like, they just be so bad. And I have all of that. I'm going to be able to enjoy that for the rest of my reproductive life. Not in spite of my children, but because of my children and because of what they needed from me. Like, that's not a bad thing that my children need things from me. It forced me to learn how can I become the version of myself that can give those things to them?
- [65:11]
Alex Clark
How do you help women achieve their dream pregnancy?
- [65:14]
Alexandra Radway
It starts with really establishing the right foundations. And the foundation says, these are the things I almost. I call it the new lowest standard. And this is really helpful because, like, you just have to understand, like, you just need to make your lowest standard enough to meet your goals and then you'll get there. Yeah. And, like, honestly, it's not that much. It's like, we gotta hydrate properly. We have to balance our. It's just like, get outside the right times, Block blue eye at the wrong times. And that will just inevitably, you won't have to be like, oh, I'm so. Like, I wish I would wake up earlier. I wish I would sleep more. It's just like, your body will just sleep more.
- [65:46]
Alex Clark
People are chronically dehydrated and they don't realize it because they think I'm constantly drinking water. No.
- [65:52]
Alexandra Radway
Yeah.
- [65:52]
Alex Clark
Your water has no minerals in it.
- [65:55]
Alexandra Radway
No, we're our.
- [65:56]
Alex Clark
Our soil, our food, our water is totally void of minerals. And so, like, adding electrolytes and minerals to your water, that's so crucial to help really make sure you're actually hydrated.
- [66:05]
Alexandra Radway
And it literally, like, I've seen. I have a client, she's like, my first pregnancy, my doctor told me, no salt. Drink a gallon of water. Or it was like a hundred. No, a gallon of water today. No electrolyte. And she's like, I was so swollen, like, preeclampsia. It was awful. And I'm like, your doctor did that to you with terrible advice. Yeah. And, like, that's not okay. And that's not your body. That's not pregnancy. Like, that is your doctor doing that to you with terrible advice.
- [66:29]
Alex Clark
So how what kind of advice are you giving women? And like, how do you work with women on this?
- [66:33]
Alexandra Radway
Once you learn it, it's really simple, but it's like, okay, we, we want to drink water first thing in the morning. Has to, we want it to have electrolytes. It has to be clean water. This is another big thing. I mean fluoride, like reduces your child's iq. Hopefully we'll be done with that soon. We'll see. I'm optimistic. But we have, you know, birth control residue in the, I mean like so many things, heavy metals, like our water is, our tap water is not safe to drink.
- [66:56]
Alex Clark
Right.
- [66:56]
Alexandra Radway
And if you are like, you're buying low toxin products, like all of these things, clean water is so much cheaper than all of these other stuff. I've had clients, I have, and she's actually one of my best friends, but she had been working with a functional medicine doctor for years, spending like tens of thousands of dollars because she has ulcerative colitis, like autoimmune issues. He had never mentioned her water. And she, she switched the water, like just filtering it, like understanding high quality water filtration and like doing that consistently. And she's like, this has changed everything.
- [67:27]
Alex Clark
So, so what I'm hearing from you is so a woman reaches out to you, she hires you.
- [67:31]
Alexandra Radway
Yeah.
- [67:31]
Alex Clark
To, to coach her and having like an amazing pregnancy. What are you doing? Like, what is the service?
- [67:36]
Alexandra Radway
We work through the baby ready body method. You can access it through my membership and you work, you work through that and, and, and there's like different levels that we can take it. Some women, like we have chronic health issues or autoimmune disease or like we really want to do all the things. We might take it a level deeper with some of that, some detox work that I do, which I love detox work, but that's what it looks like. And it's a three month process and it's, it's, it's, it's so straightforward and it's, it gives you, it's just all the things that it's like so simple to change now and it's going to have such immense benefits later. The place that we actually start is what do you want? Which sounds so simple, but I have so women, so many women come to me and I'm like, okay, what, why do you want to prepare for pregnancy? Oh, well, I don't want this or I don't want this or you know, I don't want to have a lot of interventions. I don't want to have morning Sickness. And I'm like, okay, imagine you go to the ice cream store, and you, like, walk in. It's like, hot day, and you're like, oh, ice cream, great. And you go up to the guy and you're like. He asks you, what do you want? And you say, I don't want rocky road. And he's like, okay, but what do you want? And he's like, you're like, I don't want rocky road. Like. And so he's like, I'm not getting paid enough for this. And he just gives you some vanilla on a cone and hands it to you, and then you walk away, and you're like, okay, but I actually really wanted strawberry, you know? And, like, this vanilla is fine, but, like, I really wanted strawberry. And when I see with so many women, they're scared to ask for strawberry because they're like, oh, you know, whatever. You know, it's just about what God's will is. And I'm like, yeah, like, you can still be grateful if you wanted strawberry and got vanilla. Like, that's honoring God.
- [69:06]
Alex Clark
Yeah.
- [69:06]
Alexandra Radway
But you don't go to the ice cream store and be like, oh, my God. I'm sorry, God, I'm gonna ask for strawberry.
- [69:09]
Alex Clark
Metaphor is like, it's okay to not just ask to just get pregnant, but to have an amazing pregnancy, an amazing labor experience.
- [69:17]
Alexandra Radway
Because if you don't ask for it, if you don't actively plan for it and actively set that up as a goal, you're not gonna like it, you're not gonna achieve it.
- [69:27]
Alex Clark
And so that's what you're offering people. And what's your Instagram for people to find you? Yeah.
- [69:33]
Alexandra Radway
So Alexandra Radway. And that's my Instagram I share. That's. That's my main channel. And if you listen to this, come say hi. I love to chat.
- [69:42]
Alex Clark
If you could offer one remedy to heal a sick culture, physically, emotionally, or spiritually, what would it be?
- [69:48]
Alexandra Radway
It's not about feeling good. It's about getting really good at feeling. For me, it's. It's understanding that when we numb ourselves to grief, to pain, if we're so afraid of that, we never want to go there. We also numb ourselves to joy. And so it's about, like, everything's about stress, capacity. What is our capacity to feel, to experience, to live. Wow.
- [70:10]
Alex Clark
Beautiful.
- [70:10]
Alexandra Radway
Beautiful.
- [70:11]
Alex Clark
Thank you, Alex, for coming on Culture Apothecary.
- [70:14]
Alexandra Radway
Amazing. It was incredible. And I'm just. My prayer is that the Lord will be glorified with what I share and that women will be served because pregnancy can look so different. And really the simplest things can make the biggest changes.
- [70:33]
Alex Clark
That nugget about going outside to brush your teeth in the morning? Kind of love it. Kind of want to try it. Although it's a little weird for me because I live in an apartment right now and that would just be strange. Like I can imagine just like standing on the sidewalk outside my building and brushing my teeth. People might be like, what an absolute freak. But once I'm in my first real house. Now we're talking. Please leave a five star review if you love this podcast. I read every single one of them and so do, by the way, potential guests and other people that we want to learn about the values that we promote through Culture Apothecary. So it matters a lot and it takes like 30 seconds or less. We're on a mission to heal a sick culture. Twice a week, new guests bring their own unique remedy to do just that. You can subscribe to Real Alex Clark on YouTube and follow me on Instagram at Real Alex Clark. Also, if you really want to take it an extra step, you certainly don't have to. But if you are able, you can become a financial supporter of the show. We are able to give tax deductible donations, so that's kind of cool. And we're produced by 501c3 nonprofit, so a lot of people don't know that you can actually help fund the show. All of the show is funded from your donations. So I will see you next time on Culture Apothecary. I'm Alex Clark.