You’ve probably heard kiwifruit mentioned for constipation, but the real story is bigger and more precise. We’re joined by Ping Ong, product champion for Livaux at Energenics, to explore how a patented New Zealand gold kiwifruit powder is being used as a precision prebiotic to support keystone bacteria and the metabolites that drive real gut function.

We unpack why Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (FPR) keeps showing up in the research as a marker of a healthy gut microbiome, and why it’s so hard to target with standard probiotic approaches (it’s extremely oxygen sensitive). From there, we follow the butyrate trail: how this short-chain fatty acid fuels colon cells, supports mucus and tight junctions, and helps regulate inflammatory signalling pathways that can influence far more than digestion. We also talk about what it means when symptom improvement lines up with measurable microbiome change, and why that combination can give practitioners and patients more confidence than symptoms alone.

If you work with IBS, bloating, or sensitive guts, we get practical about fermentation speed, gas production, and why complex kiwifruit pectin may ferment more slowly across the colon than inulin, FOS, or GOS. We also discuss dose and compliance, supply chain quality control (including sourcing from Zespri-approved orchards), and how Livaux may pair with probiotics to support butyrate production and a more favourable gut environment.

Subscribe for more evidence-informed gut health conversations, share this with a practitioner or friend who’s curious about targeted fibre, and leave a review with your biggest question about precision prebiotics.

To learn more, visit:

• www.livaux.com
• www.anagenix.com

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DISCLAIMER: The Information provided in the Wellness by Designs podcast is for educational purposes only; the information presented is not intended to be used as medical advice; please seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if what you have heard here today raises questions or concerns relating to your health

Weight loss advice is everywhere, yet most people feel more confused than ever and a lot of practitioners quietly avoid the topic altogether. We wanted to change that, so we invited sports nutritionist and naturopath Kira Sutherland to map the real landscape of metabolic health, fat loss and body composition change, with the clinical nuance that generic plans miss.

We dig into the mistakes we see most often, including being too vague, under-prescribing, and forgetting that individual biology changes the rules. Kira shares how she thinks about body type patterns, sex-specific physiology, and chrononutrition, then links that to the realities many women face in perimenopause. We talk thyroid and overall metabolism, sleep disruption, cortisol, and why leptin and ghrelin signalling can make “willpower” feel impossible when the nervous system is stretched.

We also unpack what to prioritise when clients are using GLP-1 medicines: protecting muscle mass, hitting protein targets even with low appetite, building fibre for gut motility, and using movement intelligently. You’ll hear our take on NEAT as a powerful lever for fat loss, why plateaus happen through adaptive thermogenesis, and how mindset, boundaries and coaching keep the plan sustainable. Kira also runs through practical supplements she uses often, including creatine, magnesium, collagen, and OEA for appetite support and “food noise”.

If you want clearer clinical thinking for metabolic health and sustainable fat loss, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a practitioner mate, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Shownotes and references are available on the Designs for Health website


Register as a Designs for Health Practitioner and discover quality practitioner- only supplements at www.designsforhealth.com.au

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DISCLAIMER: The Information provided in the Wellness by Designs podcast is for educational purposes only; the information presented is not intended to be used as medical advice; please seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if what you have heard here today raises questions or concerns relating to your health

Colostrum used to be a staple for gut and immune support, but if you’ve noticed product quality drifting, labels getting vague, or patients reacting poorly, you’re not imagining it. I sit down with Dr Chris Warner from Proliant Health and Biologics to unpack why Immunolin has become one of my preferred tools when I want consistent results and better tolerability, especially for people with fragile digestion.

We break down what Immunolin actually is in plain terms: a serum-derived bovine immunoglobulin protein isolate, manufactured to deliver a standardised, high-IgG powder. From there, we get practical about what matters in clinic, including why raw material consistency changes everything for dosing, and why issues like lactose content and even endotoxin contamination can make some colostrum products a poor fit for patients who are already dealing with bloating, diarrhoea, gut inflammation, or suspected permeability problems.

The most fascinating part is the mechanism. Chris explains how IgG can bind and neutralise antigens like LPS (endotoxin), helping reduce translocation across a “leaky” gut barrier and interrupt the inflammation loop. We also talk through where this may fit across IBS, IBD, SIBO, Crohn’s and other hard-to-treat cases, plus how dosing can shift from a short “get you back on track” phase to longer maintenance. We finish by exploring the gut-brain axis, microbiome modulation, and why Immunolin can work alongside probiotics, prebiotics, and other microbiome strategies rather than replacing them.

If you’re a practitioner, or a curious patient who wants the why and the how, this is a grounded, research-informed listen. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave us a review so more people can find the conversation.

For more information or to get in contact with Dr. Chris Warner:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-warner-phd/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/phb1/
https://phb1.com/

Shownotes and references are available on the Designs for Health website


Register as a Designs for Health Practitioner and discover quality practitioner- only supplements at www.designsforhealth.com.au

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DISCLAIMER: The Information provided in the Wellness by Designs podcast is for educational purposes only; the information presented is not intended to be used as medical advice; please seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if what you have heard here today raises questions or concerns relating to your health

Most practitioners don’t burn out because they care too much. They burn out because the business model quietly demands unpaid labour: analysing labs after hours, writing protocols on weekends, replying to emails between consults, and squeezing “deep work” into gaps that were never meant to hold it. We’re talking about the hidden time cost of the hourly consult model and what it looks like to shift into a personalised premium program model without losing the heart of one on one care.

We're joined by Rebekah Jones, a practising dietitian and business educator who helps health professionals build hybrid programs that are clinical, ethical and genuinely personalised. We dig into what “program” really means in private practice: a structured client roadmap that can include consults, education, testing, resources and between session support, designed so clients can revisit the fundamentals while you focus your live time on what only you can do. Rebekah shares her “clinical intentional design” approach, so you stop guessing timelines and start building around evidence, retesting windows and real client outcomes.

We also get honest about pricing, guilt, and ethics. If you’ve ever thought, “I’d give this away for free if I could,” we talk through why sustainable income protects clients too, and how transparency, fit and optional tiers keep premium offers grounded. Amy also shares details of Rebekah’s Premium Private Practice Method workshop, including custom AI tools to help with niche selection and pricing.

If you’re ready to package the care you already provide and get paid for it fairly, listen now, then subscribe, share with a practitioner mate, and leave a review so more clinicians can build practices that last.

Shownotes and references are available on the Designs for Health website


Register as a Designs for Health Practitioner and discover quality practitioner- only supplements at www.designsforhealth.com.au

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DISCLAIMER: The Information provided in the Wellness by Designs podcast is for educational purposes only; the information presented is not intended to be used as medical advice; please seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if what you have heard here today raises questions or concerns relating to your health

Most people think saffron is just a spice, but when you look closely, it’s a surprisingly complex botanical with a real problem in modern supplements: the compounds you can smell, and feel are often the first ones you lose during processing. We sit down with biochemist and Active Inside co-founder Benoit “Ben” Lemaire to unpack why safranal (the signature aromatic molecule) is volatile, why many extracts struggle to retain it, and how Safr'Inside uses a traditional adsorption and encapsulation approach to protect the raw material’s original profile.

We also get practical about what “standardised” should mean. Ben explains why older UV methods mainly measure colour and can misrepresent “safranal”, and why UHPLC testing changes the game for quality control, consistency, and even adulteration detection. From there we explore the clinical implications: chronic stress studies versus the need for acute stress support, and the proposed roles of safranal and crocins across serotonin and dopamine pathways.

Then we widen the lens to the gut-brain axis and published microbiome work (including Akkermansia and indole metabolites), plus where saffron research is heading next, like vision support in type 2 diabetes. If you care about evidence-based herbal medicine, stress supplements, and what actually matters in manufacturing, this chat gives you a clearer framework to assess saffron products.

If you found this useful, subscribe, share it with a colleague, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What question do you want us to tackle next?

IXOM is the exclusive distribution partner for Activ'inside for ANZ. Please reach out to our team to learn more:

Website - Activ'Inside : Your full service nutraceutical partner

Linkedin - IXOM Life Sciences LinkedIn

You can also find out more by searching for IXOM Life Sciences.

Shownotes and references are available on the Designs for Health website


Register as a Designs for Health Practitioner and discover quality practitioner- only supplements at www.designsforhealth.com.au

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DISCLAIMER: The Information provided in the Wellness by Designs podcast is for educational purposes only; the information presented is not intended to be used as medical advice; please seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if what you have heard here today raises questions or concerns relating to your health

Perimenopause can feel like your body has changed overnight, but what if the real problem is that the health system around you is stretched thin and your nearest “next step” is hours away? We sit down with Tamworth naturopath Jane Sharpham to talk about women’s health in rural Australia, where isolation, long travel times, and limited access to gynaecologists and integrative doctors can turn manageable symptoms into months of stress, poor sleep, and feeling dismissed.

We unpack what Jane sees daily in clinic: anxiety and depression that women feel they “shouldn’t” talk about, hot flushes and heavy bleeding, and the extra layer of advocacy required when scans, referrals, or hormone support are hard to access. Jane shares how she approaches clinical case taking to tease apart overlapping drivers like perimenopause, burnout, thyroid issues, and metabolic dysfunction, while still starting with what the patient needs most right now. You’ll also hear how she builds collaborative relationships with local GPs, and how testing choices can be shaped by cost and geography.

Food and environment matter too. We explore rural nutrition realities, from limited fresh seafood and common omega-3 deficiency to the “four Maccas, two KFCs, zero salad bars” problem, plus rural exposures like farm sprays, mould in older homes, and water quality concerns. Jane outlines practical foundations and tools she uses for sleep, mood, oestrogen clearance, and cardiometabolic risk, including magnesium, iodine screening, and evidence-informed options like berberine and OEA when appropriate. She also introduces her Rural Clinic Initiative, a five-day intensive designed to bridge the gap between study and confident clinical practice in regional settings.

If you care about perimenopause support, rural health care, naturopathy, and realistic strategies that work outside major cities, this conversation will land. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs better support, and leave a review to help more rural women and practitioners find the show. What’s the biggest barrier to care where you live?

Shownotes and references are available on the Designs for Health website


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DISCLAIMER: The Information provided in the Wellness by Designs podcast is for educational purposes only; the information presented is not intended to be used as medical advice; please seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if what you have heard here today raises questions or concerns relating to your health

A client complaint can hit like a shockwave, but the truth is most legal trouble starts long before that with tiny “it’ll be fine” decisions that slowly blur your boundaries. I’m joined by lawyer and mentor Michelle Whitehead from Carefree Counsel to talk about the real legal risks that show up in everyday clinical practice, especially for health and wellness practitioners who were never taught how to protect their business, their energy, or their intellectual property.

We break down Michelle’s three-pillar best-practice framework: competence, capacity and connection. You’ll hear how staying within scope of practice protects your duty of care, why capacity is about systems as much as time, and how client fit and clear expectations prevent conflict. We also dig into “contracts that care”, including how to use plain English without losing legal strength, and how to create practitioner contracts and clinic policies you will actually enforce.

Refunds and disputes are a big stress point, so we cover the essentials of Australian Consumer Law: consumer guarantees, what “no refunds” really means, and how to build a structured complaints process that keeps you calm and professional. We then move into intellectual property basics for practitioners who create courses, programs, handouts or content, including copyright, trademarks, business name registration, and protecting trade secrets. If you want practical next steps, we finish with a clear checklist: privacy policy, website terms and conditions, IP awareness, SOPs for “zombie days”, succession planning, and even a refund buffer.

Subscribe, share this with a practitioner mate, and leave a review if it helps. What policy or boundary would make your practice feel safer this week?

Shownotes and references are available on the Designs for Health website


Register as a Designs for Health Practitioner and discover quality practitioner- only supplements at www.designsforhealth.com.au

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DISCLAIMER: The Information provided in the Wellness by Designs podcast is for educational purposes only; the information presented is not intended to be used as medical advice; please seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if what you have heard here today raises questions or concerns relating to your health

If talking about money makes you squirm, your clinic might be paying the price. We sit down with Jabe Brown, practitioner and founder of Melbourne Functional Medicine, to get real about what it takes to build a sustainable naturopath or functional medicine practice in Australia without burning out or undercharging.

We unpack the mindset piece first: the quiet money stories that lead to discounting, overdelivering, and never feeling “ready” to charge properly. Then we move into the practical mechanics that most practitioners were never taught at college, including cash flow vs profit, what “knowing your numbers” actually looks like, and why business skills often matter more than stacking another qualification when your diary is empty.

A big focus is the dispensary and supplement side of clinic revenue. We break down markup vs margin in plain language, why small discounts can smash your margin, and how to treat your dispensary as a convenience-driven growth engine that supports patient adherence and your bottom line. Finally, we talk scalability: what to do when you are fully booked, how supply and demand influences pricing, and how models like practitioner plus health coach support can bridge the implementation gap between appointments.

If you want a clinic that lasts, this is a grounded roadmap for clinic growth, pricing with confidence, and building systems for retention and referrals. Subscribe, share this with a practitioner mate, and leave a review with the one business change you are committing to next.

Shownotes and references are available on the Designs for Health website


Register as a Designs for Health Practitioner and discover quality practitioner- only supplements at www.designsforhealth.com.au

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DISCLAIMER: The Information provided in the Wellness by Designs podcast is for educational purposes only; the information presented is not intended to be used as medical advice; please seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if what you have heard here today raises questions or concerns relating to your health