Below Her Surface

Lily Cook

Below Her Surface hosted by Lily Cook, founder of Metaphysical Wellness, dedicated to unpacking the clinical and human realities of health. Cut through the noise and guesswork with conversations that feature health experts, women in business and lifestyle, and individuals with lived insight - delivering accessible, science-grounded information you can actually use. From hormones to mindset to biology - no trends, no fluff, just what works.

  1. Endometriosis, IVF & The 50% Statistic: What Most Women Are Never Told About Fertility

    6d ago

    Endometriosis, IVF & The 50% Statistic: What Most Women Are Never Told About Fertility

    In part two of this special series, Lily is rejoined by her mum and clinical naturopath Amanda Haberecht to tackle the second round of community questions, this time focused entirely on the intersection of endometriosis and fertility. Amanda runs Darling Health, a multidisciplinary clinic with a significant endometriosis and fertility caseload, and brings clinical pattern recognition that most women never get access to. This conversation moves beyond the binary of "endo means infertility" to look at what the data actually says, what specialists disagree on, and which testing pathways shorten a woman's road to answers. Lily and Amanda cut through the noise on surgery, supplementation, oestrogen detoxification, and the mental load of being told everything wrong with you starts and ends with one diagnosis. In this episode, Lily and Amanda explore: The 50% statistic — why half of women presenting to IVF clinics have endometriosis, but only 20 to 30 percent of women with endo will struggle to conceive.Why the severity of disease doesn't predict the fertility outcome — and why a woman with widespread endo can have four children while another with stage one struggles for years.The seven and a half year diagnosis delay — what's behind it, and why so many women still leave their GP being told "it's just period pain."Surgery, IVF, and the specialist tightrope — when laparoscopy helps fertility, when it creates more scar tissue, and how to navigate conflicting advice between an endo surgeon and an IVF doctor.AMH and the shorter fertility window — why women with endo should be testing AMH early, what egg freezing decisions look like with this information, and what can actually stabilise the number.Omega-3s, NAC, and the supplements with real evidence — including the data on NAC shrinking endometriomas and supporting embryo implantation rates.MTHFR, COMT and the oestrogen detox pathway — why every woman with endo who runs a Dutch or endo map test shows blocks, and what that means for protocol design.The estrobolome — how the gut and vaginal microbiomes determine how effectively oestrogen is detoxified and cleared.When all roads stop leading to endo — why miscarriage, low energy, and conception delays in a woman with endometriosis are sometimes Hashimoto's, methylation issues, or male factor in disguise.This episode is a grounded, science-led continuation of Part 1, reminding us that an endometriosis diagnosis is the start of the investigation, not the end of the conversation. Amanda Haberecht Instagram:⁠ ⁠@darlinghealth_sydney Connect with Lily Instagram:⁠⁠ @lilycook⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Apply to work with Lily⁠⁠ DisclaimerThe content in this episode is for educational purposes and reflects the clinical experience of the host and guest. It is not a substitute for individualised medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Specific supplements (including NAC and methylated B-vitamins), functional medicine tests (Dutch, endo map, vaginal microbiome panels), and fertility decisions should be discussed with your treating clinician before making any changes.

    36 min
  2. A Body Running on Cortisol: Overtraining, Amenorrhoea & the Protocol That Got Ella Pregnant

    6d ago

    A Body Running on Cortisol: Overtraining, Amenorrhoea & the Protocol That Got Ella Pregnant

    In this episode of Below Her Surface, Lily sits down with long-time client and friend Ella Iskander: founder of a fast-growing content and marketing agency, and someone who spent the better part of a decade overtraining, undereating, and running on cortisol while her body quietly shut down the systems that matter most. This conversation moves beyond surface-level wellness and pulls back the curtain on what chronic overtraining and undereating actually does to a woman's hormones and what it takes to reverse it. In this episode, Lily and Ella explore: Not having a cycle and thinking it was fine. Why young women normalise amenorrhoea, when that stopped being okay, and what hitting breaking point actually looked like.Fight or flight as a lifestyle. How overtraining, undereating, and chronic stress compounded into a body that couldn't regulate, sleep, or function.Twelve years of calorie tracking. What finally broke it, why an overseas trip felt lighter than home, and the relationship between head noise and body composition.Why nutrients can't outwork a calorie deficit. The iodine, B12, iron problem: what you're actually doing when you optimise micronutrients on an insufficient base.Pre-conception blood work as standard. Why Lily insists on full visibility before conception, and what that process looked like for Ella.Pregnancy nutrition myths. What maintenance calories actually look like, why most women aren't hitting them, and why "eating for two" is not the brief.Training through pregnancy. Going from five to six sessions a week to four, learning to use rest days, and what recovery actually produces.Building a business that moves fast. From corporate media agency to running her own marketing studio and elevated merch label.Family and ambition together. Why pregnancy gave Ella more drive, not less, and what she'd say to women who think they have to choose. The north star: a body that couldn't conceive isn't a broken body. It's one that needed the right protocol, not more willpower. Ella Iskander Instagram:⁠ @ella.iskander Connect with Lily Instagram:⁠ @lilycook⁠ ⁠Apply to work with Lily⁠ Disclaimer: The content in this episode is for educational purposes and reflects the clinical experience of the host and guest. It is not a substitute for individualised medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified practitioner before making changes to your nutrition, training, or medication.

    36 min
  3. May 25

    High Achievers, Burnout & Body Transformation: When the Traits That Built Your Career Start Breaking Your Body

    In this episode of Below Her Surface, Lily sits down with Rachel Godfrey: strength coach, founder of Chase Life Consulting and The House of Onyx, and a clinician's clinician on female fat loss. After 13 years in the industry working with high-achieving women over 35, Rachel's built a model that refuses to treat the body as separate from the woman living in it. This conversation moves beyond the fitness industry's "track your calories and try harder" template to interrogate why the same traits that made you successful in your career are now sabotaging your body. Lily and Rachel cut through the noise on identity work, the real mechanics of cravings, and why most women are running a short-term tool against a long-term problem. In this episode, Lily and Rachel explore: Why fat loss is an identity problem, not a willpower problem. What changes when you lead with who you want to become rather than what you want to lose. The high-achiever trap. How perfectionism, completion addiction, over-analysing, and people pleasing accelerate your career and then break your body. The myth of the "perfect" diet plan. Why personalised macro plans are mostly a story women tell themselves and basic principles get the result. Tracking calories as a short-term tool. When it earns its place, when it stops working, and why using it to manage long-term behaviour creates perfectionism and disordered patterns. The 3 PM craving rule. Why afternoon cravings aren't an afternoon problem, and how to read them as a 24-hour signal. Snacking, grazing, and the constant-eating culture. What's actually driving the obsession with eating every two hours. GLP-1s in clinical practice. Where they help, where they're overused, and what happens when you pair them with real identity work versus when you don't. Burnout as the body's verdict on your identity. Rachel's own story of mercury toxicity, adrenal dysfunction, and a torn hamstring as the universe's invoice. Why "size 12 with abs" exposes what women actually want. How conditioning yourself to play small shows up in the goals you're willing to name out loud. This episode is a grounded look at what happens when a strength coach and a clinician stop being polite about the gap between what the fitness industry promises and what actually produces a lasting body. Rachel Godfrey Instagram: @therachelgodfrey Connect with Lily Instagram: @lilycook Apply to work with Lily Disclaimer: The content in this episode is for educational purposes and reflects the clinical experience of the host and guest. It is not a substitute for individualised medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified practitioner before making changes to your nutrition, training, or medication.

    44 min
  4. Redefining the "Athlete": From Teenage Performance to Menopausal Health

    May 18

    Redefining the "Athlete": From Teenage Performance to Menopausal Health

    In this episode of Below Her Surface, Lily sits down with her former lecturer, sports nutritionist, and naturopath, Kia Sutherland. With decades of experience working with everyone from elite world athletes to teenagers and women navigating perimenopause, Kia brings a wealth of clinical insight into what it truly takes to support a female body under physical stress. This conversation moves beyond the "quick fix" to explore the intersection of metabolic health, hormones, and high-performance nutrition. Kia and Lily unpack the common traps women fall into - such as chronic under-fuelling (REDs) and the psychological toll of rigid dieting - and offer a refreshing, science-backed approach to eating for both performance and longevity. In this episode, Lily and Kia explore: In this episode, Lily and Kia explore: *The Reality of REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport) - Why "overtraining" is often just under-fuelling and how to recover a lost cycle without stopping exercise. *Endurance Nutrition & Troubleshooting - Navigating the "extra 1%" of performance, from sweat rate testing to managing gastrointestinal distress during a marathon. *Cyclical Dieting vs. Cyclical Training - Why it’s beneficial to loosen nutritional restrictions in the week before your period while maintaining a consistent strength protocol. *The Perimenopause Shift - How declining oestrogen and progesterone impact sleep, stress management, and insulin sensitivity. *The Protein Hyper-Focus - Why most women are under-eating protein and how to use it to support glycemic control and muscle maintenance. *Alcohol & Metabolic Health in your 40s - The physiological reasons why alcohol becomes harder to process during the menopausal transition. *Muscle Mass as Longevity - Why holding muscle is the number one predictor of living a long, healthy life and why strength training is vital for bone density. *Individual Body Types & Beauty Standards - Moving away from "one size fits all" body fat percentages and embracing the genetics you were born with. This episode is a masterclass in female physiology, providing a grounded guide for any woman wanting to feel "badass" in her training while respecting the complex biological signals of her body.

    54 min
  5. Navigating Hashimoto’s in Pregnancy, Postpartum & Beyond

    May 10

    Navigating Hashimoto’s in Pregnancy, Postpartum & Beyond

    In this episode of Below Her Surface, Lily is joined by content creator Matilda for a raw and insightful follow-up Q&A. Having navigated one of the most complex cases of Hashimoto’s Lily has seen in practice, Matilda shares the reality of her 12-month journey from a "thyroid storm" to achieving regulated blood work for the first time in over a decade. This conversation goes beneath the surface of a standard diagnosis, exploring how under-eating, overtraining, and extreme stress can trigger autoimmune spirals. From the heartbreak of miscarriage to the exhaustion of the postpartum period, this episode offers a science-literate yet deeply human look at what it takes to truly heal when the system feels broken. In this episode, Lily and Matilda explore: *Matilda’s Health Update – Moving from a TSH of 104 to regulated markers through food, supplementation, and reduced training intensity. *Can You Reverse Hashimoto’s? – Understanding how to turn autoimmunity "off" and the difference between managing symptoms and achieving dormancy. *Why You Still Feel "Crap" with Normal Bloods – Why TSH alone doesn't tell the full story and the importance of testing T3, T4, antibodies, and iodine. *The Gluten & Dairy Connection – Why removing inflammatory triggers is crucial during an autoimmune flare to clear brain fog and support digestion. *The Reality of Fatigue – Distinguishing between "normal" mum exhaustion and debilitating physiological fatigue that impacts your personality and libido. *Pregnancy & Postpartum Challenges – Navigating thyroid surges, breastfeeding supply issues, and the emotional toll of miscarriage. *Advocating for Yourself in the Medical System – The role of integrative doctors, private testing panels, and finding practitioners who look at the whole picture. *Nutrition Hacks for Busy Parents – Tips for syncing your eating schedule with your kids and the benefits of "flipping" breakfast and dinner. This episode is a grounded guide for anyone feeling dismissed by standard medical advice, reminding us that while the path to health isn't a quick fix, it is possible to feel like yourself again.

    50 min
  6. Endometriosis, Inflammation & Exercise: Why Intensity Isn't Always Your Friend

    May 3

    Endometriosis, Inflammation & Exercise: Why Intensity Isn't Always Your Friend

    In part one of this special series, Lily is joined by a very special returning guest - her mum, Amanda Haberecht. Amanda returns to the show to tackle the first round of community questions specifically focused on the intersection of endo, fertility, and systemic health. Together, they move "below the surface" of endometriosis, reframing it as a complex condition that sits somewhere between a hormonal imbalance and an autoimmune disease. This conversation cuts through the jargon to explain why endo is so much more than a reproductive issue. Lily and Amanda discuss why the severity of a woman's symptoms often doesn't match her surgical stage and why "powering through" high-intensity workouts might actually be fueling the inflammatory fire. In this episode, Lily and Amanda explore: *Endo as an inflammatory "runaway train" – Understanding why the immune system gets activated but receives mixed messages, leading to chronic systemic inflammation. *The role of Oestrogen – How this growth hormone drives both the disease and the inflammatory response. *The Autoimmune Connection – Why endo may eventually be classified as an autoimmune disease and its link to conditions like Hashimoto’s and Coeliac disease. *Contraception Myths and Realities – Discussing whether the Pill or the Mirena truly "stops" endo or simply provides a necessary reprieve from symptoms. *Why high-intensity training can backfire – How excessive exercise acts as a pro-inflammatory stressor, spiking cortisol and potentially worsening pain. *Supportive Movement – The benefits of being "Miss Moderate" by prioritising weights, walking, and low-intensity Pilates to promote blood flow without exhausting the body. *The Oestrogen-Histamine Link – Why women with endo often struggle with allergies, sinus issues, and headaches. *Dietary Nuance – Moving beyond "blanket bans" to look at the evidence for Mediterranean and Gluten-free diets, and the importance of food quality in dairy and meat. *Gut Health and the "estrobolome" – How your microbiome and liver health dictate how effectively you detoxify oestrogen. This episode is a grounded, science-led guide to navigating endometriosis without extremes, reminding us that managing the condition requires looking at the whole person, not just the symptoms.

    46 min
  7. Authenticity, Body Image & The Reality of Being a Content Creator with Onella

    Apr 19

    Authenticity, Body Image & The Reality of Being a Content Creator with Onella

    In this episode of Below Her Surface, Lily sits down with content creator and model Onella to peel back the layers on what it really looks like to live and work in the digital spotlight. A client of Metaphysical Wellness for several months, Onella shares her evolution from winning a national modelling search to navigating the pressures of being a curve model and living with Vitiligo. This conversation moves beyond the "perfect exterior" to discuss the mental load of social media, the nuances of PCOS, and the courage it takes to work on your health while the world is watching. Onella opens up about the "chaotic" reality of her career - from crying in hotel rooms during glamorous brand trips to the discipline required to treat her personal life as a business. Together, Lily and Onella challenge the stigma surrounding weight loss in the body-positive community, advocating for a "baseline" of health that prioritises internal markers over external opinions. In this episode, Lily and Onella explore: *The shift from modelling to content creation – How PCOS and insulin resistance changed Onella’s body size and why many brands dropped off when she moved from a size 16 to a 20/22. *Living with Vitiligo – Onella’s journey as an ambassador for the Vitiligo Association of Australia and her experience growing up confident despite having a "different" look. *The myth of the "perfect" influencer life – The reality of travel anxiety, emotional burnout, and why long-form YouTube content feels more authentic than 7-second reels. *Health as a trend vs. health as a baseline – Navigating the overwhelming amount of health advice on TikTok and learning to separate "trends" from actual body physiology. *Weight loss and Body Positivity – Why wanting to improve your health or change your body composition doesn’t mean you hate yourself, and how to handle online scrutiny during a transformation. *The "Chaotic Brain" and systems – How to build routines that allow you to function when your natural state is high-energy and non-linear. *Sustainable balance – Learning that balance isn't a 50/50 split, but rather having the capacity to enjoy life (and chocolate) without it derailing your long-term goals. This episode is an honest, refreshing look at the intersection of public image and private health, reminding us that being "visible and valued" starts with how we treat ourselves beneath the surface

    45 min
  8. Vaginal Health, Organic Cotton & The Bamboo Myth: What’s Really Touching Your Skin?

    Apr 5

    Vaginal Health, Organic Cotton & The Bamboo Myth: What’s Really Touching Your Skin?

    In this episode of Below Her Surface, Lily sits down with Sera Delprado, the founder of Fanny Organics, to uncover the hidden impact our choice of underwear has on our hormonal and vaginal health. After battling chronic infections and finding a complete lack of genuine cotton options on the high street, Sera set out to create a brand that fuses high-end design with strict health-conscious standards. This conversation pulls back the curtain on the textile industry, exploring the "greenwashed" reality of bamboo fabrics and why synthetic materials like polyester are essentially like wearing plastic against your most sensitive organs. From the frequency of fabrics to the 36-second window in which our skin absorbs toxins, this episode is a wake-up call for any woman looking to respect her body from the base layer up. In this episode, Lily and Sera explore: -The "Fanny" Origin Story – How recurring health issues and a gap in the market led to the creation of a pH-conscious underwear brand. -The Bamboo Myth – Why bamboo is often a "fad" and the chemical-heavy process required to turn wood pulp into soft fabric. -Chemical Absorption – The reality that skin begins absorbing dyes and fabric chemicals in just 36 seconds. -Fabric Frequencies – The fascinating science of how different materials vibrate and why organic cotton matches the frequency of a healthy human body. -The Synthetic Trap – How petroleum-based fabrics like polyester create a breeding ground for bacteria, UTIs, and thrush. -Design Meets Health – The meticulous process of lengthening gussets and using undyed, raw organic cotton linings for ultimate protection. -Future-Proofing Women's Health – The link between chemical exposure and fertility, and the importance of teaching young women to demand respect for their bodies through the products they use. This episode is a grounded, eye-opening guide to the "bandage" we wear every day, reminding us that true wellness starts with the simple, honest materials we put against our skin.

    29 min

About

Below Her Surface hosted by Lily Cook, founder of Metaphysical Wellness, dedicated to unpacking the clinical and human realities of health. Cut through the noise and guesswork with conversations that feature health experts, women in business and lifestyle, and individuals with lived insight - delivering accessible, science-grounded information you can actually use. From hormones to mindset to biology - no trends, no fluff, just what works.

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