{"podcast":{"title":"Rooted in Wellness with Mona Sharma","slug":"rooted-in-wellness-with-mona-sharma-6941932","podcast_index_feed_id":6941932,"rss_url":"https://rss2.flightcast.com/iefa8pe618nydqg68b8ursda.xml","website_url":"https://www.monasharma.com/podcast","image_url":"https://assets.flightcast.com/workspaces/nj5rbclgma2a0f107f5bhe2v/podcasts/iefa8pe618nydqg68b8ursda/proybulcdzz0jjnj100l0xll.jpg","author":"Mona Sharma","episode_count":119,"summary":"Welcome to \"Rooted in Wellness\" with me, Mona Sharma, your guide and celebrity holistic nutritionist. Embark on a transformative journey from imbalance to harmony, where ancient wisdom meets modern scientific insights. Growing up on an ashram, I embraced the philosophy that food is medicine and your kitchen is your health sanctuary. After navigating heart surgeries, anxiety, and weight challenges, I realized that common symptoms don't equate to normalcy. Join me as we unlock the power of our mind, body, and soul connection, and journey back to our roots to reclaim our authentic selves.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-10T18:17:18.176837+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/rooted-in-wellness-with-mona-sharma-6941932"},"episode":{"title":"104. How Light Shapes Hormones with Sarah Kleiner","slug":"104-how-light-shapes-hormones-with-sarah-kleiner","published_at":"2026-03-04T09:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/rooted-in-wellness-with-mona-sharma-6941932/104-how-light-shapes-hormones-with-sarah-kleiner","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/rooted-in-wellness-with-mona-sharma-6941932","url":"https://episode.flightcast.com/01KJ410SJSTEG7YXGYDSCAZPFR.mp3","audio_url":"https://episode.flightcast.com/01KJ410SJSTEG7YXGYDSCAZPFR.mp3","summary":"Perimenopause can feel like your body is sending mixed signals. Appetite shifts. Sleep changes. Stress tolerance shrinks. And when labs come back “normal,” it can leave you feeling unheard in your own experience. In this episode, I sit down with Sarah Kleiner to explore circadian rhythm as a foundational regulator of women’s hormones. We unpack leptin as a master safety signal that influences thyroid function, reproductive hormones, metabolism, and appetite. We also discuss how artificial light, screens, chronic stress, and restrictive dieting can blunt this signaling, especially in midlife when resilience narrows. This conversation reframes hormone imbalance through the lens of rhythm and nervous system regulation rather than quick fixes. You’ll walk away with simple, practical ways to begin restoring amplitude to your day, starting with light, timing, and nourishment. Sarah Kleiner is the founder of Sarah Kleiner Wellness and the creator of My Circadian App. What's Discussed: (00:00) Midlife as recalibration and why hormones reflect circadian rhythm and safety (07:30) Leptin as a master signal and how it informs thyroid, metabolism, and fertility (15:00) Cortisol, melatonin, and the hormonal cascade shaped by morning and evening light (23:00) How artificial light, screens, and late eating disrupt hormone signaling (31:00) Restrictive dieting, fasting, and why low leptin states keep women stuck (39:00) Nervous system regulation and how chronic stress blunts metabolic communication (47:00) Fertility, perimenopause, and why resilience narrows in midlife (55:00) Practical circadian shifts for busy women and families (1:03:00) Rhythm as root healing and returning to biological coherence Thank You to Our Sponsors: Ancient + Brave: Visit ancientandbrave.com and use code MON…","meta_description":"Perimenopause can feel like your body is sending mixed signals. Appetite shifts. Sleep changes. Stress tolerance shrinks. And when labs come back “normal,…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3825,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/rooted-in-wellness-with-mona-sharma-6941932/episodes/104-how-light-shapes-hormones-with-sarah-kleiner/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/rooted-in-wellness-with-mona-sharma-6941932/104-how-light-shapes-hormones-with-sarah-kleiner.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}