Hormones & Heroines

Professor Khalil Answers YOUR Pregnancy Questions

For the first time on Hormones & Heroines, Sarah-Jane sits down with one of the most respected names in maternal and foetal medicine. Professor Asma Khalil. Professor Khalil also delivered Sarah-Jane's two children, so this one is personal. Whether you're pregnant, trying to conceive, navigating a previous loss, or just terrified of doing the wrong thing, this episode is for you. If you've ever wondered whether it's safe to take paracetamol, drink coffee, have sex, fly, exercise, or eat sushi while pregnant, Professor Khalil is here with the science, the straight answers, and the no BS truth on what's a real risk and what's a myth. She doesn't just list the dos and don'ts. She tells you why and what actually happens to your baby when things go wrong. In this episode, you'll learn: The truth about paracetamol and autism and why the viral scare story was wrong Why untreated fever in pregnancy is actually more dangerous than the medicine What alcohol, smoking and recreational drugs actually do to your baby The real risks of flying, saunas and why you should avoid heavy lifting in pregnancy What the research says about aspirin, progesterone and preventing miscarriage The disparity around black women's pregnancy and childbirth outcomes and why studies show black doctors are getting better results for black patients The honest truth about getting pregnant over 40 and what doctors won't always tell you Looking for pregnancy safe hair care? Clean Curls offers safer, cleaner curl care for the whole family. Shop here: cleancurls.co.uk [cleancurls.co.uk] FOLLOW Follow Professor Khalil: Instagram: @profasmakhalil Follow Hormones & Heroines: Instagram: @hormonesandheroines YouTube: @hormonesandheroines Website: hormonesandheroines.co.uk [hormonesandheroines.co.uk] Host — Sarah-Jane Crawford: Instagram: @sarahjanecrawford Subscribe to the Hormones & Heroines YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@hormonesandheroines [https://www.youtube.com/@hormonesandheroines?sub_confirmation=1] Professor Khalil is a licensed medical professional but this episode is intended for general educational purposes only. Every pregnancy is different, so please discuss your own personalised plan with your own doctor or midwife.

Hayley Mulenda: From Suicidal Teen to Six-Figure Speaker — Why You’re Too Broke to Stay Invisible

She grew up in a single-parent household in East London. Nearly stabbed. Nearly recruited by gangs. Ran for Young Mayor of Newham. Then hit rock bottom. She was suicidal, lost, and searching. What pulled her back? Spirituality, love, and an unshakeable belief in her own voice. Hayley Mulenda is now a global speaker commanding six figures per engagement. Her viral talk “You’re Too Broke to Not Be Visible” has reached millions — and her book ‘Speak Up’ is your blueprint for using your voice to make money and impact. This episode will shake you!

How Heartbreak and Failure Built a Peloton Icon: Hannah Frankson

She was supposed to be an Olympian. Then she got engaged. Then it all fell apart. And from the rubble of compounded failure, Hannah Frankson built something none of us saw coming. In this episode, Hannah, one of Peloton’s most recognisable and beloved instructors, sits down with Sarah-Jane Crawford for a deeply honest conversation about what it really takes to rebuild yourself from scratch. Hannah Frankson is proof that failure, shame and embarrassment can be the very foundation of a life built entirely on your own terms. If you’ve ever felt like you’ve fallen short of the life you were “supposed” to have, this one’s for you. In this episode: *Growing up mixed race in Essex and finding your identity *Breaking national records as a teenage triple jumper and why the Olympics felt inevitable *When the athletic dream didn’t go the distance and what happens to your identity when the thing that defines you disappears *An engagement that ended and why admitting it felt like public failure *How hitting rock bottom before the Peloton audition was the thing that finally set her free *The 9 month process to becoming one of the most loved instructors on the platform *Why she chose herself over the relationship timeline society expects and has zero regrets *How financial independence gave her the freedom to ask what she actually wanted rather than what she thought she needed *Why owning being single was the most radical thing she ever did This one will stay with you.

Michelle de Swarte: Career Pivots, Perimenopause & Daring to Try

This week’s heroine is the brilliant Michelle de Swarte, a model turned writer, actor and stand-up comedian whose sold-out comedy tour has been spotlighting perimenopause in the most unexpected and powerful way. We talk about Michelle’s journey back to her natural hair after relaxing it to survive an industry that wasn’t ready for her, and why protecting her hair from inexperienced hands became an act of self-preservation. We get into what it really takes to pivot careers, how she went from the catwalk to the comedy stage, and why trying and failing live, unedited and unfiltered, is something social media has almost robbed us of entirely. We also celebrate being 80s babies and the gift of a childhood before social media. We then we get into perimenopause, the subtle and insidious way its symptoms creep in and how easy it is to resist acknowledging what your body is telling you. Michelle opens up about her own journey from resistance to acceptance, and how embracing HRT became part of embracing a new chapter of her life. What started as a part of life she wanted to avoid, ended up becoming the centrepiece of her tour, and the rapturous response from audiences proved exactly why these conversations need to be had loudly, honestly and without apology. This one is funny, honest, and genuinely moving. Because sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is simply dare to try. In this episode we cover: • From relaxed hair back to natural • Her very first stand-up gig • How perimenopause crept up on her and the symptoms she experienced • Her journey to embracing HRT • How perimenopause went from a subject she avoided to the centrepiece of her sold-out tour • The small film she almost never released and how it quietly launched her acting career

HENRIETTA RIX | RIXO: The Brand, The Breakdown & The Ultimate Juggle

She built one of Britain’s most beloved fashion brands from an IKEA table. No investment. No blueprint. Just vision, grit, and a best friend from university who believed in the same dream. This is Henrietta Rix. And this is the story behind the success. Because while the world was watching Rixo land on Net-a-Porter, appear on the backs of celebrities and become a globally respected British fashion brand, Henrietta was carrying something far more personal. She’d always known she wanted a big family. It was never a question. But getting there was harder than she ever imagined. PCOS, years without regular periods, five years of medication just to ovulate and a quiet fear that the family she’d always pictured might not come easily. Then came her children and the scaling business! which equalled the moment the wheels started to feel like they were coming off. This episode is about all of it. The four years of sacrifice before the breakthrough, the hormonal battles no one talks about in the boardroom, the breakdown that finally forced a reckoning, and the very modern, very honest juggle she’s found on the other side. WHAT WE COVER: • Building Rixo from scratch with zero investment and everything to prove • The four-year grind before the brand finally broke through • The Net-a-Porter moment — and what it actually felt like • How her wedding ended up in both British and American Vogue • Living with PCOS and discovering fertility isn’t guaranteed • Five years of medication to ovulate — and why she didn’t talk about it • Always wanting a big family — and the fear she might not get one • The breakdown that came from never planning for childcare • How she now structures her week to show up for both her business and her babies • Why the juggle isn’t perfect — but it is possible