In this deep-dive episode, Ashley and Sarah sits down with Mike Fave — fertility and metabolic health coach — to unpack the overlooked foundations of male fertility and testosterone.
Mike shares how he and his wife are preparing to start a family, the key labs they ran before trying to conceive, and what really drags testosterone down today — plus how to fix it naturally.
They discuss why excess body fat disrupts hormone balance, how gut health secretly affects sperm quality, and why modern dairy isn’t always your friend. They also cover the crucial connection between stress, thyroid health, and male hormones, the hidden dangers of PUFAs and micronutrient gaps, and Mike’s practical approach to losing fat, improving labs, and dialing in nutrition that actually works.
If you or your partner want to raise testosterone naturally, plan for a healthy pregnancy, or just get smarter about men’s health, you’ll love this one.
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Subscribe To The Rooted In Resilience Podcast:
⭐ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCSpofOL75STGMvUUlD5em7g
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⭐ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rooted-in-resilience/id1663060063
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Keep Up With Us!
🖥️ Website: https://www.armstrongsisters.com/
🗞️ Newsletter: https://www.armstrongsisters.com/newsletter-signup
👩🏼🌾 Our Farm CoOp, Nourish: https://nourishcooperative.com/
{The highest quality food you can find, delivered directly to your door. Low PUFA chicken and pork, 100% grass-fed beef and lamb, traditional sourdough, raw dog food, & more}
🥚Waitlist for our eggs: https://angel-acresfarm.com/pages/waitlist-for-eggs
{Low PUFA, corn & soy free, pasture-raised eggs, delivered directly to your door}
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0:00 — Coming Up
0:51 — Welcome Mike Pavone: Male Fertility & Preparing for Pregnancy
2:30 — The Labs Mike & His Wife Ran Before Trying for a Baby
6:14 — Copper Deficiency: Mike’s Surprising Personal Fix
7:39 — High Prolactin: Hidden Roadblock for Female Fertility
10:00 — Early Testing: Why Waiting 6–12 Months Can Waste Time
11:55 — What to Look for in Male Hormone Labs
14:00 — How LH, FSH, and Testicular Function Work
15:30 — Estradiol & DHT: Finding the Hormone Balance Sweet Spot
16:50 — Fixing Low Testosterone: It’s Not Just About TRT
19:14 — Too Much Body Fat: The #1 Testosterone Killer
20:24 — Body Fat: It’s Active Tissue, Not Just Storage
25:10 — How Mike Coaches Clients to Lose Fat & Keep Hormones Healthy
30:30 — Why Body Recomposition Works Better Than Extreme Dieting
32:21 — Carbs, Fats & Protein: How They Impact Hormones
37:05 — Gut Health: Another Silent Testosterone Saboteur
39:20 — Common Foods That Secretly Wreck Your Gut
42:26 — Dairy & Casein: Surprising Hormone Impacts
47:58 — Why Modern Dairy Isn’t Like Ancestral Dairy
53:20 — Low Thyroid: Another Big Testosterone Killer
57:30 — High Cholesterol, Low Carbs & Hormone Confusion
1:03:30 — PUFAs & Bad Fats: Damage Testes & Reduce Sperm Quality
1:08:00 — Micronutrients: Small Deficiencies, Big Hormone Problems
1:10:45 — The Value of Food Tracking & Real Testing
1:16:05 — Why a Coach Can Save You Years of Trial & Error
1:17:30 — Micronutrients & Stress
1:21:50 — Final Takeaway
1:22:30 — Where to Find Mike & How to Work with Him
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