Hormones & Heroines
Hormones & Heroines
4.9from 12 ratings
- 11
- Episodes
- 12
- Ratings
- Bi-weekly
- Cadence
- 2026
- First episode
About Hormones & Heroines
Hormones & Heroines is the podcast for women who look effortless on the surface while their legs are kicking furiously beneath it. Hosted by broadcaster and Mum-trepreneur Sarah-Jane Crawford, it was born from a simple but rarely spoken truth: women are constantly showing up — to the boardroom, the school run, the studio, the startup — while quietly navigating fertility treatments, perimenopause, crippling period pain, pregnancy loss, and everything in between. We are biologically different to men, and yet we’re expected to perform as though we’re not. Honest, warm, and unflinching conversations with heroines who’ve mastered the art of the mask, and who are finally ready to talk about what’s underneath.
- Publisher
- Hormones & Heroines
- Category
- business · health & fitness · health & fitness
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 6 Mar 2026
- Latest episode
- 3 Aug 2026
Latest episodes
11 episodes in the feed.
3 Aug 2026
Test, don’t guess: Fertility Q&A with Liberty Mills
Disclaimer: this ep is for information purposes, please consult your doctor who knows your history best, before taking any medical action. Fertility is unpredictable at the best of times, but there’s one thing that you DO have control over - finding out as much information about your body as possible! In today’s episode, author, health, nutrition coach and fertility expert Liberty Mills, chats with me to take a deep dive into why it’s best to “Test, not guess”. Both Liberty and I are chomping at the bit, as we have plenty of life experience that has shaped our passion for this topic. Ar 43 Liberty was given 0.7% chance of having another baby with her own eggs, even with IVF. She turned to integrative medicine, overhauled her lifestyle, conceived naturally and gave birth two weeks before her 45th birthday. For me personally, I had my two girls aged 39 and 40 after being told I a very slim chance of conceiving due to my age and endometriosis diagnosis. In this episode I press Liberty to share with me the key diagnostic tests that she believes women should have to understand how to move forward most efficiently on their fertility journey, given that time is of the essence. She also offers a huge insight into ways to boost fertility health for men AND women, and all whilst not losing the love and intimacy for one another whilst trying to conceive. From AMH tests, to Vaginal microbiome. Testosterone to thyroid panels, we discuss it all. For my TTC community, this one’s for you xx YouTube - Subscribe: https://youtube.com/@hormonesandheroines?si=g15A8Z8_Un-Q49my Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hormones-heroines/id1883079342 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4VslYQLfnf0qoXdlGed9SH?si=pbj-- WoHQAikecZfnFiQcg&utm_source=copy-link IG: https://www.instagram.com/hormonesandheroines Site: Hormonesandheroines.co.uk Host - Sarah-Jane Crawford : https://www.instagram.com/sarahjanecrawford Sponsor - Safer, Cleaner Curl-care for health conscious women and families. https://cleancurls.co.uk/
20 Jul 2026
Olympian Michelle Griffith Robinson: The Domestic Abuse, Misdiagnosis & Shame No One Saw
As women of colour, we often look in the mirror and see a much younger woman looking back but what’s really going on underneath? And we’re not the only ones who see it. Healthcare professionals see it too. Add the “strong Black woman” trope into the mix, and you get delayed diagnoses, dismissed symptoms, and research that shows women of colour are consistently under-treated for the same conditions. In this week’s episode of Hormones & Heroines, we sit down with Olympian and midlife icon Michelle Griffith Robinson; life coach, mentor, mother, and one of the most honest voices in the menopause space. We have the conversation about what, as women, we hide in the name of shame. Michelle talks about what it was like to be the athlete the world saw, Nike and Lucozade-sponsored, an Olympic triple jumper at the top of her game, while behind the scenes, she was in an abusive relationship she didn’t dare tell her own family about. She opens up about the first time she went to the doctor, convinced something wasn’t right as she entered perimenopause, and was told, without a single test, “you’re too fit to be diabetic.” She was, in fact, pre-diabetic. More than anything, Michelle has a way of talking to you like the best friend you never met, one who pushes you to advocate for yourself, whatever you’re hiding behind closed doors, symptomatic or otherwise. Because pride is the antidote to shame. She talks about: Being sponsored by Nike and Lucozade while privately in an abusive relationship The doctor who dismissed her pre-diabetes because she “looked too fit” Why she believes pride is the antidote to shame The red flags of coercive control - and the moment at her 30th birthday that made her leave Why she’s now an ambassador for Women’s Aid Rebuilding her identity, her finances, and her voice after leaving The importance of advocating for yourself Follow Michelle Griffith Robinson: Website https://michellegriffithrobinsonoly.co.uk/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/michellegriffithrobinson/ YouTube - Subscribe: https://youtube.com/@hormonesandheroines?si=g15A8Z8_Un-Q49my Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hormones-heroines/id1883079342 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4VslYQLfnf0qoXdlGed9SH?si=pbj--WoHQAikecZfnFiQcg&ut m_source=copy-link IG: https://www.instagram.com/hormonesandheroines?igsh=MWo5Nmlra3lxb2xrMQ== Site: Hormonesandheroines.co.uk Host - Sarah-Jane Crawford : https://www.instagram.com/sarahjanecrawford?igsh=ZmplMzhxMDY5Z3Iw&utm_source=qr
8 Jul 2026
Sober Club Founder: Women's Wake Up Call To Quit Drinking
This episode drops during Alcohol Awareness Week (6 to 12 July 2026), and marks 9 years of my own sobriety on the 7th, so it truly resonated and felt incredibly timely. She toured the world with Wham!, hosted one of the UK's biggest radio shows, and wrote a bestseller 20 years ago. There was also a time in her life when she was drinking every day. Janey Lee Grace, founder of The Sober Club, joins me to talk about the wake up calls she ignored, the GP visit that nearly kept her stuck for another three years, and why nobody ever tells you that life is simply better without alcohol. We cover grey area drinking, mummy wine culture, why "quitting" works better than "giving up," and why so many women are prescribed HRT for mood swings and anxiety without ever being asked about their drinking. Timeline of conversation: Introduction From Wham! to Hay House to The Sober Club The wake up calls that came before the rock bottom Grey area drinking and the "high bottom" drinker Mummy wine culture and the myth of the treat Quitting vs. giving up, why language rewires your mind Keep the ritual, change the ingredients Dopamine, ADHD and chasing the next high Hormones, HRT and the conversation GPs aren't having The Sober Club, coaching and what's next The Sober Club, transforming sobriety through connection, coaching and community: thesoberclub.com (https://www.thesoberclub.com) Follow Hormones & Heroines: instagram.com/hormonesandheroines (https://www.instagram.com/hormonesandheroines?igsh=MWo5Nmlra3lxb2xrMQ==) Host Sarah-Jane Crawford: instagram.com/sarahjanecrawford (https://www.instagram.com/sarahjanecrawford?igsh=ZmplMzhxMDY5Z3Iw&utm_source=qr) Website: hormonesandheroines.co.uk (https://hormonesandheroines.co.uk) Sponsor: Clean Curls: safer, cleaner curl care, for all the family. cleancurls.co.uk (https://cleancurls.co.uk)
22 Jun 2026
Cancer Survivor, Natural Born leader: Leanne Pero MBE, founder of Black Women Rising
Leanne Pero MBE knows what it is to face a devastating diagnosis and then sit in waiting rooms seeing no one who looks like you and be questioned about why you've turned up for the Cancer group.. So after feeling excluded from support, she did what she'd always done since childhood, when home didn't feel safe, she built something. Back then it was a dance class. This time, it was a 7 figure charity movement! Leanne Pero MBE is a cancer survivor, activist, entrepreneur and founder of Black Women Rising, one of the UK's most important charities supporting Black women through cancer diagnosis, treatment and survival. Recognised with an MBE, her work has spent over a decade ensuring Black women are heard, believed and represented in healthcare. Her mission is far from finished. In this episode we cover:- * What Prince William said when she collected her MBE * Her cancer diagnosis, by the same doctor who had diagnosed her mum * The childhood trauma that unknowingly trained her to lead * The stigma inside Black communities around cancer, and why silence is costing lives * Staggering research around black women being miss diagnosed and being told by healthcare professionals they didn't think it was cancer *Being trolled on social media for "race baiting" for simply creating a space *What she needs doctors and decision makers to actually do differently *How she built Black Women Rising, and what she'd tell anyone starting a charity *The gratitude practices and inner work keeping her grounded Follow Leanne: https://www.instagram.com/leanneperoofficial/?hl=en Website: https://blackwomenrisinguk.org/ Hormones & Heroines: Follow on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hormonesandheroines/ Sponsor : Shop safer cleaner haircare at https://cleancurls.co.uk
8 Jun 2026
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.
25 May 2026
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!
11 May 2026
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.
27 Apr 2026
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
13 Apr 2026
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
30 Mar 2026
Eve | 14 Fibroids, 4 Rounds of IVF & Becoming a Mum at 42
In our first episode, we sit down with rapper, actress, global superstar and — her favourite title of all — Mum. This is Eve. And this is the story she hasn’t fully told. Because behind the Grammy, the hits and the iconic status, Eve has been fighting battles that will feel painfully familiar to so many of us. Fibroids. Painful periods. Four rounds of IVF. The desperate, exhausting, hope-and-heartbreak cycle of trying to become a mother while the world only sees the highlight reel. That’s exactly what Hormones & Heroines is here for. The stuff behind the scenes. The stuff we don’t talk about enough. The juggle, the struggle, and the silent fights that so many high-achieving women carry alone.
6 Mar 2026
Hormones & Heroines - Coming Soon
Hormones & Heroines is the podcast for women who look effortless on the surface while their legs are kicking furiously beneath it. Hosted by broadcaster and Mum-trepreneur Sarah-Jane Crawford, it was born from a simple but rarely spoken truth: women are constantly showing up — to the boardroom, the school run, the studio, the startup — while quietly navigating fertility treatments, perimenopause, crippling period pain, pregnancy loss, and everything in between. We are biologically different to men, and yet we’re expected to perform as though we’re not. Honest, warm, and unflinching conversations with heroines who’ve mastered the art of the mask, and who are finally ready to talk about what’s underneath. Coming this March! 3f50d87a23c21c398db4c943dab18c1b5d25fb81
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 5.0 / 5
- 6 ratings
- Spotify
- 4.8 / 5
- 6 ratings
Contact Hormones & Heroines
- Guest appearances
- Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Hormones & Heroines?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show
Podcast research with Pod Engine