How Your Daily Habits Shape Longevity and Fertility | Dawn Mussallem, DO

As a Woman

Natalie Crawford

Medicine, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 24 February 2026

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Life can really catch us off guard, and for many people, cancer teaches us about the uncertainty we all face. In this episode of the As a Woman podcast, Dr. Natalie Crawford chats with the inspiring Dr. Dawn Mussallem, a double board-certified physician, stage four cancer survivor, and heart transplant recipient. Dr. Mussallem shares her incredible journey through these challenges and how they inspired her mission to promote longevity. She highlights that true health goes far beyond just working out; it’s about nourishing our bodies with the right food, building resilience, and creating strong connections with others. What You’ll Learn: Why your mindset and "spiritual core" might matter more for your health than how much you work out at the gym. How your brain’s internal signals can actually change the way your body handles stress and heals from illness. A simple mental trick to help you stay grounded and keep your sense of purpose when life feels totally out of control. The one major change to your diet that science proves can lower inflammation and protect your long-term health. Why eating simple, real food, is still the best way to fight disease and feel your best. The surprising link between your current health habits and your future fertility, even when the odds seem stacked against you. How a "near-death" perspective can shift your daily habits from a place of restriction to a place of true nourishment. The biological reality of "miracles" and how the body can thrive even after a diagnosis that seems final. Find Dr. Dawn Mussallem Instagram: @drdawnmussallem Resources: Pre-Order The Fertility Formula ⁠https://www.nataliecrawfordmd.com/book⁠ Newsletter: nataliecrawfordmd.com/newsletter Instagram: @nataliecrawfordmd Youtube Channel: Natalie Crawford MD Interested in becoming a patient?: Fora Fertility Earn FREE CE/CME: Learn at Pinnacle App This episode is brought to you by The Pinnacle Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Because there's moments in life that you can't control it all.
0:02.0	Cancer for me became this massive teacher of life.
0:04.0	Uncertainty, it cultivates passion. Not all or nothing. Every little change matter. We are so quick to go to the gym to work our muscles. I think we need to work more on our spiritual core. We're the sum of the decisions we make, but we can't make decisions on data we don't know. It's such a gift to be able to have a child when I shouldn't have been able to.
0:23.0	Life is so incredibly precious. we make, but we can't make decisions on data we don't know. It's such a gift to be able to have a child when I shouldn't have been able to.
0:22.9	Life is so incredibly precious.
0:25.6	We work so hard not to judge others.
0:29.0	And we are so quick to judge ourselves.
0:35.8	Welcome back to the As a Woman podcast.
0:38.0	I'm your host Dr. Natalie Crawford, and today I'm joined by the incredible Dr. Don Musalum,
0:42.9	a double board certified physician, stage four cancer survivor, and heart transplant recipient,
0:47.7	who is now the global chief medical officer of found life.
0:51.0	Don is going to talk about what really drives inflammation and the evidence behind
0:54.3	lifestyle medicine and nutrition in improving your health and longevity. But more than that,
0:59.4	Don's story is nothing short of extraordinary. Her view on resilience and mindset will change
1:03.8	how you think about your own health. Dawn, thank you so much for being here today.
1:07.7	Dr. Crawford, thank you. Dear friend, and I just admire your work so much.
1:12.5	Recently got to connect and spend time together in person, which was so special and meaningful to me.
1:16.4	And I came home saying, just being with you changed how I looked at so many different aspects of what we're doing, where we spend time, how we prioritize the different things in our life.
1:27.3	And I just want to thank you for coming on and sharing everything that we're going to talk about today. It's such an honor. And I left the same way. You know, in life, the number one thing is love and connection. And it gives me chills to say that. But when I came home, I felt so energized. And it's so important for us as women to have those safe spaces to go and to have that time with you. So thank you. And it feels so good being here to that. I know. I'm so energized and it's so important for us as women to have those safe spaces to go
1:44.2	and to have that time with you. So thank you. And it feels so good being here today. I know. I'm so excited. Well, for my audience, you may not be as familiar with your story. You want to walk through a little bit of your background because I know a lot of where you sit today stands from your own personal experience of getting diagnosed with cancer back in medical school. You know, it was so interesting when I was born, you know, this is how I want to start this off.
2:04.3	I am... of getting diagnosed with cancer back in medical school. You know, it was so interesting when I was born, you know, this is how I want to start
2:03.6	this off.
	...

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