Carly Johnson Brawner

Our little boy joined us last month! 🤍 We love every last ounce of him.

35 weeks 🤍

My world is more internal, slow, I’m saying no to most things outside my bubble, focusing on taking good care of myself and relaxing. Way less time in the online world (all is well, just don’t feel super drawn to IG right now) but lots of podcast recordings to get me through to September. Cooking a lot with Aust and going to bed early and getting up early. Still lots of movement and exercise. To-do list feels a mile long, but doesn’t it always? Listening to lots of positive birth stories and having lots of conversations about the first 40 days for me and for our family. Soaking up the space I’ve carved out for myself, the newness of this experience, and the unknown that we move closer to every day.

Bumpin’ at the beach for our baby moon 🌙 in Tulum. Such a nourishing week of rest and connection (our themes for the trip), good food, sun, swim, sleep and love. 30 weeks today and feeling really good 🤍

Our Q+A is here on the Doing It Different Podcast! and I answer all the questions you submitted on health, wellness and more.

Below are some of the questions we answer (either separately and/or together) and hints at our answers below:

Do you guys have health insurance? Since a lot of alternative medicine isn’t covered? (Yes, but we’ve been particular about type because of its limited natural health coverage- we both share our approach)

How did you pull off starting a business in the midst of cancer treatments> time and all the expenses? (She’s amazzzing, her short answer: necessity)

Carly Brown, what does your current treatment for cancer look like and where are you on the cancer journey? (Lots to say on this, but she heads back to 8 weeks postpartum)

Detox while pregnant or breastfeeding. What can you do or not do (sauna, tinctures, etc.)? (Summarized answer: it depends on your previous routines and provider)

Thoughts on tattoos when it comes to health/toxic load? (Carly Brown won’t be getting anymore, and I explain what’s in tattoo ink)

How and when did you two meet? (6 years ago - and she’s still in my phone as Carly Loves Kale 😹)

Most impactful daily habits for you guys? (Hint: ☀️ 💩 🥗 💤 💧)

What are the first 3 things a person should do when they get a diagnosis of cancer?

How do you approach budgeting for non-toxic products and quality food? (1. Health is our number 1 value 2. It’s not easy and we can’t afford everything we want to)

What do you wish people knew about health and being healthy? (Most people’s “baseline” is subpar but they don’t realize it because it’s their normalized day to day experience)

With Hashimoto’s, is there a higher risk to develop hypothyroid/Hashi flare postpartum? (YES!)

Gestational Diabetes Test, is it good or bad and what did you do? (Carly did an alternative method, I haven’t done mine yet but have been wearing a CGM, more in show)

What are your favorite parenting resources, books?

What is the best pre-pregnancy detox?

Cont. // More questions and hints in comments 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

Let’s normalize active pregnancies🤰🏽

The other day I was at a workout class I go to a few times a week. Halfway through a guy in my pod turned to me and said, “It’s so impressive you’re here and working out while pregnant. How long are you allowed to do this for?” It was a sweet recognition that I fully accepted. AND it made me think…

We need to normalize active pregnancies. Pregnant women working out, moving, or keeping up in a workout class, on their own, or leading an active lifestyle shouldn’t be considered surprising, rare, or out of the ordinary. The sight shouldn’t leave people wondering, “Is that OK?” Yet, so many think that movement while pregnant is unsafe, too much on the body, scary, and harmful. I’m not saying extra rest may not be necessary (it sure is for me!), but a belief that movement isn’t an integral part of a healthy pregnancy isn’t serving anyone.

It’s a really unfortunate mainstream belief that doesn’t benefit the health of mothers (or babies in utero)!

Here are three pieces of information on this topic from 1) The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists(2020) and 2)The Journal of Perinatal Medicine (2021) 3) a systematic review of exercise during pregnancy (2012) - there are SO many articles on this topic on PubMed, check it out!

1. “Observational studies of women who exercise during pregnancy have shown benefits such as decreased gestational diabetes mellitus, cesarean birth and operative vaginal delivery, and postpartum recovery time. Physical activity also can be an essential factor in the prevention of depressive disorders of women in the postpartum period. Physical activity and exercise in pregnancy are associated with minimal risks and have been shown to benefit most women, although some modification to exercise routines may be necessary because of normal anatomic and physiologic changes and fetal requirements. In the absence of obstetric or medical complications or contraindications, physical activity in pregnancy is safe and desirable, and pregnant women should be encouraged to continue or to initiate safe physical activities.” PMID: 32217980

Caption cont. in comments👇🏽
(📸 post workout, pre shower👆🏽)

First Trimester summary is out today on the podcast!

👉🏽086: I’m PREGNANT (pt 2) First Trimester: Finding a Midwife, Testing Options, Lots of Naps, Anxieties & Mental Health with Austin Brawner (my husband)

I am sharing as much as I can to hopefully provide resources, camaraderie, and normalcy in varied experiences, alternative choices, personal advocacy, and a counter culture example of simply experiencing “pure joy and happiness” during pregnancy (I couldn’t really access those emotions in the beginning).

I share as much as I could with y’all:

🤍How I told Austin I was pregnant (he was sick with the vid)

🤍My HCG levels in the beginning and upping my thyroid meds not once but twice in the first trimester

🤍Working with a doctor you trust (SO KEY!), what it’s like working with a midwife, and why I left my OB practice at 8 weeks

🤍How I felt physically and mentally - my anxiety was HIGH and mental health definitely suffered but physically I felt really good

🤍My wellness routine, cravings, supplements, exercise goals, how snacks saved me from feeling nauseous, etc.

🤍Low progesterone and vaginal progesterone suppositories (I’m grateful for them but they definitely made me foggy)

🤍What tests, ultrasounds, exams we did and why or why not (I surprised myself here!)

🤍The s*x of the baby and when/if we plan to find out

You can find episode #86 everywhere podcasts are hosted or via the link in my bio. Thanks for listening, my friends!

Grateful to share that we have a little one joining our family in late spring🤍

📸:

When I first met Allegra a few years ago it was a wake up call to step my game up. We were on a walk and while I was looking at house styles, landscaping etc. she was talking about housing numbers, interest rates, rentability, and spitting financial acronyms I had never even heard of. In the same walk and in a casual way, she shared investing strategies, her salary negotiation techniques, and how she planned to financially reach her dream of buying a ranch 🤯

I literally went home and told Austin how inspired I was by her, how I wanted to learn more about money after a single walk, and how I had never heard a woman so upfront and educated in the financial realm.

This wasn’t always the case for her. In her late 20’s, Allegra, who is the founder of was a living in New York making 6 figures…only to have $0 in savings or investments to show for it (her words not mine). Realizing this was not going to lead to the grand life she envisioned in the future, she started the lonely journey of learning and changing to overhauling her finances. In 3 years, her net worth grew from $-18k to $650k and the seeds of Factora were planted. Allegra created Factora to teach women repeatable steps to growing their net worths alongside an incredible supportive female financial community she didn’t have during her personal money overhaul.

This is why Factora and what it teaches women in SO important:

* Women are 80% more likely to be impoverished in retirement.

* Women, on average, hold 71% of their assets in cash.

* Women make up only 8% of investors.

Over the last 12 weeks I took a Factora Wealth Circle (their signature course) and I love that:

👉🏽It showed me the importance of increasing my current investing rate and how that will greatly impact my finances in the future

👉🏽I was asked to look at my values and alter how and when I spend money based on those values- not just a generic “budget”

👉🏽It opened up so many new conversations about money, goals, and strategy with between Austin and I

More in comments 👇🏽