To Make a Mother

kate holm.
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Weekly

Motherhood doesn’t come with a recipe. But it does have ingredients. I’m Kate Holm, naturopath, nutritionist, and mum of three. For 15 years I’ve been helping women understand their bodies, their babies, and themselves. Each week I bring you my recipe for motherhood… the good stuff, the things that get spilled on the floor, and those weird ingredients you keep hearing are good for you but have no idea what to do with. New episodes every Thursday. Find me at kateholm.com or on Instagram at @kate__holm.

Episodes

  1. Jul 22

    Your Iron Is "Fine." But Is It Actually Fine?

    More than a third of women under 50 are iron deficient. Most of them have been told their blood results are normal. This episode is about the gap between those two things. Iron deficiency without anaemia is the stage most women are in when they come to see me, and the stage that standard blood testing isn't quite looking for. It's also the stage where women are experiencing very real, measurable symptoms and being told everything is fine. This week's question comes from my lovely friend Sarah on parenting children differently - and yes, Immy does get away with everything as the third child. My recco this week is a podcast that is technically for children but that I am just as obsessed with as they are. In this episode: Why iron deficiency without anaemia is chronically missed and what that means for youWhat iron actually does in the body - it's a lot more than most people realiseThe three stages of iron depletion and why most women aren't found until stage threeHepcidin - the master iron regulator most people have never heard ofThe fascinating relationship between hepcidin and your menstrual cycle and why having a period isn't inherently going to make you deficientWhy the body's clever iron regulation system gets overwhelmed and what tips the balance toward deficiencyThe full symptom picture including the neurological symptoms that get dismissed most oftenThe ferritin reference range problem and what number you're actually aiming forWho is most at riskExactly what to ask your GP to test and why CRP matters What to request from your GP: Serum ferritinSerum ironTotal iron binding capacity (TIBC) / transferrinTransferrin saturationFull blood countCRP (C-reactive protein) Links mentioned: In My Clinical OpinionBook a 1:1 consultDreaming with Mikki podcast New here? Find me on Instagram (@kate__holm) or at kateholm.com. Thanks for listening!

  2. Jul 15

    Ear Infections, Antibiotics, and What's Actually Driving the Pattern

    Most children with ear infections are given antibiotics. Most don't need them. This episode explains what's actually going on and what you can do about it. Ear infections are the single most common reason children receive antibiotics worldwide, yet most parents are never told that the majority of uncomplicated cases resolve without them, and that gut health, diet, and a few simple lifestyle changes play a significant role in how often they occur. This week's question comes from a listener - my first one that isn't a friend or family member, which I'm quietly (ok not so quietly!) very excited about. And my recco this week is for the Newcastle and Hunter Valley locals - a farm delivering grass-fed, grass-finished beef that I cannot recommend highly enough. In this episode: Why children are anatomically prone to ear infections and why most grow out of itThe role of the adenoids, tongue ties, and the Eustachian tubeWhen antibiotics are and aren't indicated and the red flags to knowThe gut-ear axis and why recurrent antibiotic use can drive recurrent infectionsFood sensitivities as a driver, particularly dairy, and what an elimination diet actually involvesWhat to do in the acute phase to support your child's comfortLifestyle factors you can start todaySupplements with the most evidence for prevention and immune support Links mentioned: In My Clinical Opinion - paediatricBook a 1:1 consultSubmit a question or topicAllynview FarmNSW Healthdirect: 1800 022 222Silicon chewing device like Myo Munchee New here? Find me on Instagram (@kate__holm) or at kateholm.com. Thanks for listening!

  3. Jul 8

    It's Not the 4pm Witching Hour. It's Your Blood Sugars.

    If you've ever hit that 4pm wall, snapped at your kids, and then felt terrible about it this episode is for you. Spoiler: you're not a bad mum. It could be your biochemistry. This week I'm talking about blood sugar stability, and why it's one of the most important and most overlooked things mothers can pay attention to fairly easily. This isn't a diabetes conversation. This is about the unglamorous, practical stuff that actually makes a huge difference to how you feel day to day. I talk through why sleep deprivation does more damage than just making you tired, what's actually happening to your blood sugar when you're breastfeeding, and why skipping breakfast is the thing that makes everything harder. Plus this week's question comes from my sister Ally, my recco is a Newcastle local I think you need to know about, and as always practical things you can actually do starting today. In this episode: Why the 4pm witching hour might be your blood sugars, not your kidsHow sleep deprivation creates a metabolic state that looks a lot like pre-diabetesThe cortisol-glucose-progesterone triangle and why it matters for your hormonesWhat breastfeeding does to your blood sugar (and why hunger signals can't be trusted postpartum)No naked carbohydrates, what that means and why it is importantTwo supplements worth knowing about Links mentioned: Book a one-on-one appointmentIn My Clinical OpinionArtefact Jewellery (and the gold recycling program)Some overnight oats recipes: Baked brown butter oatsApple pie bircherHigh protein oats with flavour combinations New here? Find me on Instagram (@kate__holm) or at kateholm.com. Thanks for listening!

  4. Jul 1

    You're Not Running From a Tiger: Stress, the Nervous System, and Small Shifts for Mothers

    Welcome to episode one. We're really diving straight in with this one. I'm Kate Holm, naturopath, nutritionist, and mum of three, and this podcast is about the parts of motherhood that taste amazing, the parts that make a mess, and the parts you keep hearing are good for you but have no idea what to do with. This week I'm talking about something that comes up in almost every appointment I have with my patients - stress and the nervous system during motherhood. Not in a "just meditate more" way. In a real, physiological, "this is what's happening in your body" way. A lot of women come to me chasing a diagnosis, whether that's perimenopause, IBS, food sensitivities, thyroid issues, and a lot of the time, the nervous system is sitting underneath all of it. Sometimes causing it. Sometimes just making everything worse. I also answer a deeply personal question from my friend Liz about how my own experience of being raised has shaped the mother I'm trying to be. We go there on episode one. Plus a recco this week that I did not expect to love as much as I do. In this episode: Why your body can't tell the difference between a stressful email and actual dangerHow chronic stress quietly depletes progesterone and starts to look like other conditionsThe gut-nervous system connection and why it matters more than most people realiseThree things you can start doing today that don't require extra time or childcareA conversation about estrangement, re-parenting yourself, and the repair that matters mostLinks: Book a one on one appointment with meIn My Clinical Opinion - the consult without the consultSubmit a question or topic for the podcastHiild (my sister's handknitted clothing label)This YouTube channel for knitting tutorialsBoob to Food podcast episode about Immy's birth! New here? Find me on Instagram at @kate__holm or at kateholm.com

  5. Jun 10

    To Make a Mother - Trailer

    Welcome to To Make a Mother. I'm Kate Holm, naturopath, nutritionist, and mum of three. This is a show about motherhood - the clinical, the personal, and everything in between. New episodes every Thursday starting July 2nd. Find me at kateholm.com or on Instagram at @kate__holm

Trailer

About

Motherhood doesn’t come with a recipe. But it does have ingredients. I’m Kate Holm, naturopath, nutritionist, and mum of three. For 15 years I’ve been helping women understand their bodies, their babies, and themselves. Each week I bring you my recipe for motherhood… the good stuff, the things that get spilled on the floor, and those weird ingredients you keep hearing are good for you but have no idea what to do with. New episodes every Thursday. Find me at kateholm.com or on Instagram at @kate__holm.

Information

  • Creator
    kate holm.
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © kate holm.
  • Show Website
    To Make a Mother