Hit Play Not Pause
- Folgen
- 330
- Erscheint
- wöchentlich
- Letzte Folge
- 11. Nov. 2026
Über den Podcast
Perimenopause and menopause hit active women differently. We have a different lifestyle and different goals. And we know our bodies. Whether you run and hike or do CrossFit and ski (or a little of everything!), you’ve had a way of eating and exercising that worked…until the menopause transition, when it all goes out the window as body composition changes, fatigue, body aches, sleepless nights, hot flashes, brain fog, mood swings, and low mojo blindside you out of the blue—despite doing everything right. Your doctor may (or may not) help with hormone replacement therapy. But what about all the active stuff you love? You’re already exercising and eating well. What you want is to feel and perform like you used to. That doesn’t mean fasting, swearing off carbs for life, or just slowing down. It means adjusting your nutrition, training, recovery, and mindset to work with your changing physiology as you hit this phase of life. And we’re here for it. At Hit Play Not Pause, we know the potential of women in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond, because we talk to elite athletes and everyday active women who are still hitting personal bests along with world-renowned sports dietitians, researchers, medical and menopause specialists to help you understand what’s happening under the hood during the menopause transition and more importantly, what you can do about it—from hormone therapy to heavy lifting and everything in between—to feel and perform your best. Host Selene Yeager is a health and science journalist with 30 years’ experience and more than two dozen books to her name. She also lives an active life as a former Ironman triathlete and professional mountain bike racer who still rides, runs, paddles, hikes, lifts, and through her work at Feisty Menopause helps others do the same.
Folgen 330
What If My Body Isn't Something I Need to Fix? with Lisa Congdon (Episode 300)
Artist, author, and gravel racer Lisa Congdon is back for the first time in more than three years, and a lot has happened. She had both knees replaced seven weeks apart, raced the Unbound 50 five months later …
Shownotes
Artist, author, and gravel racer Lisa Congdon is back for the first time in more than three years, and a lot has happened. She had both knees replaced seven weeks apart, raced the Unbound 50 five months later, and got her power numbers back. Then she decided to stop chasing them. Lisa talks about her 2026 goals, "chase adventure instead of power numbers" and "stop hating your body," and about the five-day, 270-mile Tour of the Giants bikepacking trip that put both goals to the test. Lisa opens up about the years she spent restricting carbs to stay small, gaining weight once she started fueling properly, and the secret fight with her body that followed. She also shares what it's like to manage hot flashes without hormone therapy after estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer, why cycling pulls her out of hormonal low points, and why saying your shame out loud is the first step to letting it go. Finally, we dive into the menopause industrial complex, GLP-1 pressure, and the joy of having a body that can do more at 58 than it ever has.
Lisa Congdon is an internationally known, award-winning fine artist, illustrator, and writer based in Portland, Oregon. She is self-taught, started making art in her thirties, and has written ten books, including Art, Inc. and Find Your Artistic Voice. Her clients include the Library of Congress, the U.S. Postal Service, MoMA, REI Co-op, Brooks Running, and Velocio Cycling Apparel. She found cycling in her fifties and now races gravel as a masters athlete, rides centuries, and bikepacks, and much of her art work is in the cycling industry. A breast cancer survivor, Lisa writes candidly on her Substack about being a menopausal endurance athlete, fueling, and making peace with her body.
Resources:
What if my body isn’t something I need to fix? Lisa Congdon’s Substack
https://livefeisty.com/training/
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Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 35% off
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Bonus: Train Smarter, Not Just Harder — Meet the Feisty Winter Training Experts
In this special Hit Play Not Pause bonus episode, Selene introduces some of the expert educators behind Feisty Winter Training, a 16-week program designed to help women build fitness, strength, and knowledge …
Shownotes
In this special Hit Play Not Pause bonus episode, Selene introduces some of the expert educators behind Feisty Winter Training, a 16-week program designed to help women build fitness, strength, and knowledge through the winter months.
Through highlights from Feisty's Hit Play Not Pause, The Women's Performance Podcast, and Another Mother Runner, you'll hear conversations about athletic burnout, perfectionism, menopause, injury prevention, fueling, and why more training isn't always better.
Meet the featured experts:
- Dr. Erin Ayala – Licensed psychologist, certified mental performance consultant, and host of The Women's Performance Podcast, specializing in athlete mental health, motivation, performance, and burnout.
- Dr. Carla DiGirolamo – Double board-certified OB/GYN and reproductive endocrinologist specializing in the health and performance of active women across the lifespan, including perimenopause and menopause.
- Dr. Kim Hollingdale – Licensed psychotherapist and certified mental performance consultant who helps athletes navigate performance anxiety, injury recovery, and the mental challenges of training and competition.
- Dr. Kate Mihevic Edwards – Physical therapist and board-certified orthopedic specialist specializing in running medicine, injury prevention, rehabilitation, and the unique needs of female runners.
The big takeaway? A great training plan isn't just about checking boxes. It's about understanding when to push, when to recover, how to fuel, and how to adapt your training to your body and your life.
Feisty Winter Training kicks off November 16, with four 16-week programs: Running, Cycling, Strength, and Hybrid. Each includes progressive training, expert coaching, live educational sessions, and a supportive community of women.
$349 for coach written plans, live training sessions, a robust community of like-minded women, and access to expert-led education sessions.
Don't just follow a plan this winter. Learn how to OWN your training.
Register for Feisty Winter Training: https://livefeisty.com/training/feisty-winter-training/
The Surprising Truth About Tight Hips, Cranky Backs, and Menopause with Heidi Prather, DO (Episode 299)
Does it feel like your back is always cranky or your hips are chronically tight? Your problem might not be where it hurts…or what it seems. As Dr. Heidi Prather, a sports medicine and hip preservation …
Shownotes
Does it feel like your back is always cranky or your hips are chronically tight? Your problem might not be where it hurts…or what it seems. As Dr. Heidi Prather, a sports medicine and hip preservation physiatrist at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), explains this week, back pain can start in the hips, and “tight” hips can be a sign of instability—which stretching can make worse. We also cover estrogen and inflammation in the menopause transition, plus fascia, angry nerves, frozen shoulder, how sleep and anxiety affect pain, and her best advice for staying out of her office.
Dr. Heidi Prather is a Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS)/Weill Cornell Medicine and the Founder and Medical Director of the HSS Lifestyle Medicine Program. The program helps people with musculoskeletal pain reduce pain and function better through behavior change. Before HSS, she spent more than 20 years at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where she founded the Living Well Center, the first standardized musculoskeletal health program of its kind built on lifestyle medicine. She is board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sports Medicine, and Lifestyle Medicine. She was the first female president of both the North American Spine Society and the Physiatric Association of Spine, Sports and Occupational Rehabilitation. Her research focuses on hip and spine disorders, sex differences in musculoskeletal injuries, and lifestyle medicine, and she has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers.
https://livefeisty.com/training/
Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/
Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-40/
Follow Us on Instagram:
Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause
Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099
Support our Partners:
Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 35% off
Previnex: Get 15% off your order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/
Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr
"I Run, I Lift, and I've Gained 10 Pounds": The Midlife Metabolism Shift with Michelle Gordon, DO (Episode 298)
You run (or bike or swim or hike…), you lift, you've got the training logs to prove nothing has changed. You eat the same as you always have. And you’ve still gained 10 pounds…or more. Obesity medicine …
Shownotes
You run (or bike or swim or hike…), you lift, you've got the training logs to prove nothing has changed. You eat the same as you always have. And you’ve still gained 10 pounds…or more. Obesity medicine physician Dr. Michelle Gordon is here this week to explain why. She covers the metabolic slowdown of perimenopause, the drop in fat burning, why the new fat lands around your middle, and why "calories in, calories out" doesn't cover it. She also talks about her own experience with tirzepatide as a lifelong athlete: losing 30-plus pounds, running out of motivation to run, and figuring out what exercise means to her now.
Michelle E. Gordon, DO, DABOM, DACLM, FACS, FACOS, is board certified in obesity medicine, lifestyle medicine, and general surgery, and is a fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons. She spent 15 years as a surgeon before switching to women's metabolic health, because she kept seeing the downstream complications of disease that had started years earlier. Today she runs a telehealth practice to help high performing midlife women feel like themselves again. Her approach is rooted in physiology and incremental behavior change. She treats obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease that calls for long-term care from a physician. You can learn more about her at drgordon.me and on her Substack.
Resources
Trajectory of weight regain after cessation of GLP-1 receptor agonists: a systematic review and nonlinear meta-regression here
Continued Treatment With Tirzepatide for Maintenance of Weight Reduction in Adults With Obesity: The SURMOUNT-4 Randomized Clinical Trial here
https://livefeisty.com/training/
Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/
Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-40/
Follow Us on Instagram:
Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause
Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099
Support our Partners:
Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 35% off
Previnex: Get 15% off your order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/
Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr
BONUS: Live at FeistyFest: Open Mic on Menopause (Episode 297)
Recorded live at FeistyFest, the week Hit Play Not Pause turned six, this bonus episode hands the mic to you.Selene starts with how the show began, including her own experiences with 2 a.m. wake-ups and …
Shownotes
Recorded live at FeistyFest, the week Hit Play Not Pause turned six, this bonus episode hands the mic to you.
Selene starts with how the show began, including her own experiences with 2 a.m. wake-ups and sleepless nights, performance decline, anxiety, the urge to pull back from people, and the changes she didn't see coming. She and longtime producer Carrie walk through their hormone therapy journeys and where they are today. Then they hand the mic to the crowd for a wide-ranging discussion including managing menopause after breast cancer, the cost of HRT, symptoms that don’t seem to stop, getting brushed off by doctors, GLP-1s, and much more.
https://livefeisty.com/training/
Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/
Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-40/
Follow Us on Instagram:
Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause
Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099
Support our Partners:
Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 35% off
Previnex: Get 15% off your order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/
Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr
Iron for Active Women: Ferritin, Hepcidin, and What Your Blood Work Is Really Saying with Kristen Arnold, MS, RDN, CSSD (Episode 296)
Iron is one of the most-requested topics in the Hit Play Not Pause community, and it's one of the most confusing. Sports dietitian Kristen Arnold, who works with pro teams and everyday athletes, returns to …
Shownotes
Iron is one of the most-requested topics in the Hit Play Not Pause community, and it's one of the most confusing. Sports dietitian Kristen Arnold, who works with pro teams and everyday athletes, returns to explain what iron does and why you can have symptoms from low iron long before you're anemic. She also covers how our needs change after menopause and how new ferritin thresholds from the American Society of Hematology reset the old, far-too-low targets. We get into the full iron panel, hepcidin, heme vs. non-heme foods, every-other-day supplementing, when an IV makes sense, and why altitude calls for a bigger buffer. We also look at what the popular Iron Protocol gets right and where it goes beyond the evidence.
Kristen Arnold, MS, RDN, CSSD, is a board-certified sports dietitian, cycling coach, and retired professional athlete. She has practiced sports dietetics since 2015 through her private practice, Sports Nutrition for Women, where she and her team of qualified, compassionate practitioners work with athletes and teams ranging from recreational to professional and Olympic-level. Kristen’s work centers on empowering active women across the lifespan through evidence-based sports nutrition education and individualized coaching. She has worked with hundreds of athletes and teams and currently serves as a team nutritionist for EF Pro Cycling, a UCI WorldTour team. She is also a first author on peer-reviewed research examining targeted nutrition strategies to support the health of postmenopausal women. Kristen regularly speaks on podcasts and contributes to publications on sports nutrition, with a particular focus on women’s health, endurance performance, and nutrition across the lifespan.
Resources:
New guidelines for iron deficiency
https://livefeisty.com/training/
Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/
Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-40/
Follow Us on Instagram:
Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause
Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099
Support our Partners:
Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 35% off
Previnex: Get 15% off your order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/
Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr
Menopause, Trauma, and Learning to Breathe with Clara Hughes (Episode 295)
As an Olympic cyclist and speed skater with scores of medals, Clara Hughes thought she knew how to breathe. Then came menopause, along with a catastrophic knee injury, COVID, and months stuck in stillness. All …
Shownotes
As an Olympic cyclist and speed skater with scores of medals, Clara Hughes thought she knew how to breathe. Then came menopause, along with a catastrophic knee injury, COVID, and months stuck in stillness. All of it broke open what she'd spent a lifetime outrunning. In this conversation about her new memoir, Learning to Breathe, Clara opens up about her dark journey through the menopause transition, being offered antidepressants instead of hormone therapy, finally getting care from a women's health specialist, and how somatic therapy, psychedelic-assisted therapy, breathwork, and long days on trail helped her face childhood trauma she had pushed down for decades. We also cover why menopause can feel like a betrayal to athletes, how her relationship with movement has changed from punishment to love, and the two questions she hopes every woman will ask herself.
Six-time Olympic medalist Clara Hughes became the only athlete to win multiple medals in both the Summer and Winter Games. She is a member of the Order of Manitoba and an officer of the Order of Canada, has received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, and was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. Clara was Canada’s flag bearer for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. She was the founding spokesperson for Bell Canada’s Let’s Talk initiative, a campaign dedicated to breaking down the stigma of mental health. In 2014, she was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross, which recognizes those whose outstanding personal commitment has brought honour to Canada. In 2022, she was named an Olympian for Life in recognition of her making the world a better place by promoting the Olympic Values at every stage of her life. Clara lives with her husband, Peter, on Vancouver Island, and continues to enjoy bike touring and hiking.
Resources
Learning to Breathe by Clara Hughes
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Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/
Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-40/
Follow Us on Instagram:
Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause
Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099
Support our Partners:
Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 35% off
Previnex: Get 15% off your order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/
Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr
Breast Cancer in Active Menopausal Women: Treatment, Recovery, and Symptom Relief with Amy Comander, MD (Episode 294)
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So, this week breast oncologist and lifestyle medicine physician Dr. Amy Comander returns to explain what comes after a diagnosis: why breast cancer isn't one disease …
Shownotes
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So, this week breast oncologist and lifestyle medicine physician Dr. Amy Comander returns to explain what comes after a diagnosis: why breast cancer isn't one disease, how treatment decisions get made, and why cancer guidelines tell oncologists to talk about exercise. We cover training through treatment (including when to postpone the race), how chemo and aromatase inhibitors can bring on "menopause 2.0," and the non-hormonal options for hot flashes and aching joints. We also get into the harder question of hormone therapy after hormone-sensitive breast cancer, why "estrogen doesn't cause breast cancer" leaves a lot out, and what the research on vaginal estrogen, Duavee, and women with BRCA mutations shows so far.
Amy Comander, MD, DipABLM, FACLM, MSCP, is a breast oncologist and Medical Director of the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute in Waltham. She also directs the Cancer Institute's Lifestyle Medicine Program and is an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. With Dr. Beth Frates, she launched the PAVING the Path to Wellness program for breast cancer survivors and co-authored "PAVING Your Path Through Breast Cancer and Beyond." She was the first oncologist to serve on the Board of Directors of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and the first oncologist named a Fellow of the College. She's also a marathoner who has run 13 consecutive Boston Marathons.
Resources
Link to the PAVING workbook
Menopausal hormone therapy for breast cancer patients: what is the current evidence? Here
Menopausal Hormone Therapy After Breast Cancer: Personalization, Not Prohibition Here
Menopausal hormone therapy and the risk of breast cancer in women with a pathogenic variant in BRCA1 or BRCA2 Here
https://livefeisty.com/training/
Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/
Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-40/
Follow Us on Instagram:
Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause
Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099
Support our Partners:
Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 35% off
Previnex: Get 15% off your order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/
Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr
The Identity Grief No One Talks About with Leka Fineman (Episode 293)
It's been three years since Leka Fineman last joined the show — and in that time she won the CrossFit Games at 56, retired from competition, took up surfing for the first time in her 50s, started menopause …
Shownotes
It's been three years since Leka Fineman last joined the show — and in that time she won the CrossFit Games at 56, retired from competition, took up surfing for the first time in her 50s, started menopause hormone therapy (including testosterone), and lost her partner to cancer just seven months ago. Leka pulls back the curtain on the “identity grief” she experienced after working so hard to meet her goals and so hard to take care of her partner that she no longer knew who she was when it was all over. Physically and emotionally drained, Leka looked past her usual pursuits and turned to yoga, equine therapy, and a community of surfer women to pull her through. She shares what her hormone therapy journey has looked like, how she fuels and trains now compared to her competitive days, and how turning 60 this October is inspiring her to quiet her mind, connect with her inner self, and embrace what comes next.
Leka Fineman is a health, wellness, and mindset coach, CrossFit Games champion, and lifelong athlete based in Southern California. A three-time CrossFit competitor turned five-time CrossFit Games athlete, she won the world title at age 56 before retiring from competition to focus on coaching, surfing, and yoga. Leka works with clients on strength, nutrition, and mindset — building personalized plans that help people identify their motivation and values, and using meditation, visualization, and breathwork to help them show up from a strong, calm center in any part of life. Since stepping away from competitive CrossFit, she's become an avid surfer, a certified yoga teacher, and an equine-therapy volunteer, and she continues to coach women on strength training, hormone health, and midlife reinvention. Learn more about Leka and her coaching at lekafineman.com.
https://livefeisty.com/training/
Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/
Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-40/
Follow Us on Instagram:
Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause
Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099
Support our Partners:
Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 35% off
Previnex: Get 15% off your order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/
Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr
Your GLP-1 Game Plan: Eating, Lifting, and Training Smart on Weight-Loss Meds with Heidi Skolnik, MS, CDN (Episode 292)
When people go on GLP-1 medications, part of the treatment plan is to encourage them to exercise. But what about all the already active–even athletic–women who are layering them onto serious training? That’s …
Shownotes
When people go on GLP-1 medications, part of the treatment plan is to encourage them to exercise. But what about all the already active–even athletic–women who are layering them onto serious training? That’s less clear…and far less researched. Performance nutritionist Heidi Skolnik, author of the new book Your GLP-1 Game Plan, returns to break down how these medications really work, the side effects you may be prepared for (as well as some important ones nobody warns you about), and how to protect your muscles and bones and build a fueling strategy that actually works. We also get into hydration, supplements, eating-disorder red flags, and whether serious performance and GLP-1s can coexist. This one is filled with real talk, no shame, and no easy answers.
Considered a thought leader in nutrition, Heidi Skolnik, MS, CDN, is a NY Times best-selling co author, part of The Women’s Sports Medicine Center at Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC and oversees the Performance Nutrition program at The Juilliard School. She started the Performance Nutrition program at the School of American Ballet and worked as team nutritionist for the WNBA NY Liberty, NBA Knicks, NFL Giants and MLB Mets. Heidi sits on the medical advisory board of the National Menopause Foundation and The NYRR (New York Road Runners) and sat on the board of The National Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation for 10 years. Heidi has earned two Master’s degrees (exercise physiology and human nutrition) and is a Fellow with the American College of Sports Medicine. Heidi began her career in corporate fitness and wellness at Morgan Stanley for the Sports Training Institute. As a realist, Heidi believes M&M’s can fit into a healthy eating style along with red peppers, red meat, broccoli, and fresh fruit. You can learn more about her work and get the book at www.heidiskolnik.com
https://livefeisty.com/training/
Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/
Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-40/
Follow Us on Instagram:
Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause
Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099
Support our Partners:
Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 35% off
Previnex: Get 15% off your order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/
Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr
Estrogen, Interrupted: Real Talk on New Meds, Old Myths, and What to Do When You Can't Take Hormones with Drs. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Amy Voedisch (Episode 291)
Today's menopause conversation is dominated by hormone therapy, which leaves many women who can't use it feeling left out and worried about their current and future health and well-being. This week's guests …
Shownotes
Today's menopause conversation is dominated by hormone therapy, which leaves many women who can't use it feeling left out and worried about their current and future health and well-being. This week's guests, Drs. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Amy Voedisch — co-authors of Estrogen, Interrupted and hosts of the OvaryActive podcast — are here to bring some evidence-backed hope. Because no HT doesn't mean "sorry, you'll just have to suffer." Together we map out who actually shouldn't use hormone therapy versus outdated "rules" that no longer apply. The doctors break down the new NK3/NK1 "candy neuron" blockers Veozah and Lynkuet, the underrated combo drug Duavee, why vaginal estrogen is nearly contraindication-free, and how CBT, clinical hypnosis, and old-school options like gabapentin fit into the non-hormonal toolbox. Plus: bone health, DEXA scan timing, and why perimenopause — not menopause — is often the hardest stretch. Check out their book Estrogen, Interrupted and their podcast OvaryActive to learn more.
Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su is a board-certified OB-GYN and Menopause Society-certified practitioner. She is the chief medical officer at Gennev, a telemedicine platform specializing in perimenopause and menopause, medical director at Seattle Clinical Research Center, and an associate clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Washington State University. She holds a Masters of Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Amy Voedisch is a board certified OB-GYN and certified menopause practitioner through The Menopause Society. She is an associate clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford University and board-certified in Complex Family Planning. She holds a Masters of Epidemiology and Clinical Research from Stanford University.
https://livefeisty.com/training/
Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/
Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-40/
Follow Us on Instagram:
Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause
Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099
Support our Partners:
Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 35% off
Previnex: Get 15% off your order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/
Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr
Anxiety, Rage, Fear & More: A Psychiatrist's Guide to Perimenopause's Mental Health Risks with Allie Sharma, MD (Episode 290)
Anxiety, rage, depression, 3am wake-ups, fear that freezes you in your tracks — psychiatrist Dr. Allie Sharma joins us this week to explain why perimenopause is a real window of mental health risk. We unpack …
Shownotes
Anxiety, rage, depression, 3am wake-ups, fear that freezes you in your tracks — psychiatrist Dr. Allie Sharma joins us this week to explain why perimenopause is a real window of mental health risk. We unpack how shifting and declining estrogen and progesterone levels drive mood, sleep, and anxiety changes (and why anxiety is often the first symptom, even before hot flashes), plus how hormone therapy, medication, testosterone, acupuncture, and CBT can help, often in combination. We close with a guided breathing and full body-scan exercise to help calm the nerves during this often emotionally-fraught time.
Dr. Allie Sharma (Sonali Sharma, MD) is a Cornell-trained, board-certified adult psychiatrist who ran a private Manhattan practice for over a decade. She's currently Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Being Health, a Women's Health Advisor for menopause care startup Evernow, and an advisor to Kenneth Cole's Mental Health Coalition, following a role as Associate Medical Director at Cityblock Health. Her background spans emergency and student psychiatry at Columbia, mental health work with NYC's homeless population, and global public health leadership, including advising post-conflict countries and the World Health Organization (Libya, Ethiopia, mhGAP guidelines) and directing a ThriveNYC workforce initiative. She earned her MD from Weill Cornell, trained at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and UCSF, and holds a master's from the London School of Economics. She is a mother of two and lives in Brooklyn, NY. You can learn more about her and her work at sonalisharmamd.com and Beinghealth.co.
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Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-40/
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Welcome to Your Back Nine Era: Menopause, Muscle, and Making Every Year Count with Jenn Sherman (Episode 289)
Anyone who's played a full 18 holes of golf knows you need to reset, refuel, and refocus before heading into the back nine. Well, midlife works the same way, says this week's guest, OG Peloton instructor Jenn …
Shownotes
Anyone who's played a full 18 holes of golf knows you need to reset, refuel, and refocus before heading into the back nine. Well, midlife works the same way, says this week's guest, OG Peloton instructor Jenn Sherman, who calls this stage of life her "Back Nine Era." Jenn opens up about her perimenopause-to-menopause journey and what it was like navigating it on camera, in front of a Peloton community that's watched her age in real time. We also dig into how her training has shifted — ditching calorie counting, embracing strength training, taking plenty of daily walks, and leaving the BS behind. Jenn also explains why she's not on hormone therapy but encourages every woman to talk to her doctor about it, and why joy, connection, and recovery matter just as much as any training plan at this stage of life.
Jenn Sherman is Peloton’s original cycling instructor and a trusted voice for women navigating midlife. A former stay-at-home mom who didn’t become a spin instructor until her early 40s, and didn’t join Peloton until age 45, Jenn’s career is a testament to reinvention at every stage of life. As Jenn began sharing more openly about the physical, mental, and emotional changes she experienced in her 50s, she recognized a growing need for honest conversations about this stage of life. That led to the creation of The Back Nine Era, a lifestyle platform and mindset shift focused on longevity, strength, cognitive health, fueling the body in midlife, and the power of human connection. Jenn continues to teach at Peloton while building The Back Nine Era as a space for women who want to live fully, move confidently, and approach the next decades of life with intention, strength, and clarity. You can follow her on Instagram at pelotonjenn and her collaboration with her best friend Sunny at sunnyandjenn.
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Why Women Leak: The Truth About Incontinence, Menopause, and Sport with Lauren Siff, MD (Episode 288)
Recent research shows that between 40 and 60% of women either change or quit their sport due to bladder leaks. That’s 100% too many in our book. So this week we sat down with Dr. Lauren Siff, a double …
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Recent research shows that between 40 and 60% of women either change or quit their sport due to bladder leaks. That’s 100% too many in our book. So this week we sat down with Dr. Lauren Siff, a double board-certified urogynecologist to demystify one of women's health's most under-discussed issues: urinary leakage. We break down the differences between stress and urge incontinence, why athletes and active women are prone to leaking, and how the menopausal transition can worsen the situation through declining estrogen, shifting vaginal pH, and rising UTI risk. Dr. Siff walks us through the full range of solutions, from pelvic floor exercises and support devices to Botox, bladder stimulators, and the game-changing role of vaginal estrogen, plus how to know when it's time to seek care. Her message is loud and clear in this one: no matter how small or severe the symptoms, there's help available — and you never have to stop doing what you love.
Dr. Siff is a double board-certified urogynecologist and Chief of Gynecology and Urogynecology for the Central Virginia VA Health Care System and Associate Professor at VCU School of Medicine and VCU Institute of Engineering. A dedicated innovator and surgical educator — with a Distinguished Educator certificate from the Cleveland Clinic and founder of SurgicalEd VR, which uses VR and haptic technology to improve the quality, safety, cost-effectiveness, and accessibility of surgical training. She also serves board and committee roles with the Society for Gynecologic Surgeons, American Urogynecologic Society, and American Association of GYN Laparoscopists. She is Central Virginia Site Lead for the National VA Women's Health Research Network, and chairman of the U.S. National Surgery Office's Surgical Advisory Board for GYN. Philanthropically, she directs surgeon training for Global Surgical Expedition, driven by a mission to democratize access to surgical training and vital surgical procedures worldwide.
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GLP-1 Shot or Not: The Weight Health Hormone Playbook Every Midlife Woman Needs with Ashley Koff, RD (Episode 287)
People often think of weight loss drugs like GLP-1 and related agonists (e.g., Wegovy and Mounjaro) as “medications”--which they are, but they work because they mimic our own natural gut hormones to lower blood …
Shownotes
People often think of weight loss drugs like GLP-1 and related agonists (e.g., Wegovy and Mounjaro) as “medications”--which they are, but they work because they mimic our own natural gut hormones to lower blood sugar, slow digestion, blunt appetite, and ultimately reduce weight. In that way, they’re weight health hormone replacement therapies much like estrogen and progesterone are sex hormone replacement therapies, says this week’s guest best-selling dietitian Ashley Koff, RD. We dig into weight-health hormones (GLP-1, GIP, PYY, CCK) that regulate appetite and metabolism, why digestion and hydration have to be optimized before nutrition even enters the picture, and how GLP-1 medications and hormone replacement therapy can work together in perimenopause and menopause. Plus: Ashley's own story of Everesting Mount Rainier at 52.
Ashley Koff, RD, is the USA Today bestselling author of Your Best Shot (HarperOne). With more than 25 years as a practitioner and educator, she's helped redefine the conversation from weight loss to weight health — a science-based framework focused on metabolic function and hormonal regulation. She's been named one of CNN's Top 100 Health Makers and "Hollywood's Leading Dietitian" by InStyle. You can learn more about her and her work at her practice, The Better Nutrition Program.
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Saving Muscle in Midlife Menopause: The Case for Blood Flow Restriction with Ashley Selman, CSCS (Episode 286)
Can’t lift heavy loads but still want the benefits of heavy lifting? Blood flow restriction (BFR) training—using cuffs to partially restrict venous blood flow so you can get heavy‑lifting‑like gains with much …
Shownotes
Can’t lift heavy loads but still want the benefits of heavy lifting? Blood flow restriction (BFR) training—using cuffs to partially restrict venous blood flow so you can get heavy‑lifting‑like gains with much lighter loads—could be just what you need, says this week’s guest, veteran strength coach Ashley Selman, CSCS. In this episode, we dig into what BFR training is, how it’s done in real‑world workouts, who it’s for, and why it can be a powerful option for midlife athletes who can’t tolerate traditional heavy lifting but still want to build and maintain muscle, strength, bone health, and even VO₂ max.
Ashley Selman, MA, CSCS, is a veteran strength coach with 30+ years’ experience working with elite athletes, collegiate programs at Stanford and the University of Oregon, and clients at every level. She was named one of the Top 100 Trainers in the U.S. by Men's Journal and founded Evolution Trainers in Mountain View, California, voted the number one health club in Silicon Valley. After a difficult hip replacement and early menopause at 43 left her losing muscle despite “doing everything right,” discovering blood flow restriction (BFR) training allowed her to rapidly regain strength she hadn’t felt in over 15 years, which inspired her to create Seli Strength, a virtual BFR program now serving hundreds of midlife women. She recently developed "Coaching Blood Flow Restriction Training: The Future of Fitness" with the American Council on Exercise (ACE), for fitness professionals who want to bring BFR training to their clients. You can learn more about her and her work at www.selistrength.com
Resources
Get $50 off BFR bands with the code Feisty50 at Selistrength.com/bfr-bands
Blood Flow Restriction Training for Athletes: A Systematic Review here
Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of blood flow restriction training on bone health in older adults here
Vascular occlusion for optimising the functional improvement in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomised controlled trial here
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Land Your Way to Stronger Bones: Impact Done Right with Tracey Clissold, PhD (Episode 285)
We’ve all heard jumping can help build our bones. But here’s the catch: the gains don’t come from the jumps; they come from how you land. This week we break down the mechanics of bone-building and how to make …
Shownotes
We’ve all heard jumping can help build our bones. But here’s the catch: the gains don’t come from the jumps; they come from how you land. This week we break down the mechanics of bone-building and how to make your skeleton stronger no matter what your age with bone health researcher Tracey Clissold, PhD. Tracey explains what it really takes to turn bone “on” with impact—and why just walking, running, or weight-bearing exercise is not enough for midlife women who want stronger skeletons. We unpack why bones respond to how you land, not just that you jump; what “bone-jarring” stiff, flat-footed landings are, and why they need to happen quickly to stimulate bone remodeling. You’ll also hear success stories, including one woman who went from a hip/spine T-score of –3.8 at age 65 to out of the osteoporotic range at 70 using impact, food, and vitamin D—without medications.
Tracey Clissold, PhD has over 30 years of academic experience as a lecturer and researcher in Exercise Science, Sports Nutrition and Women’s Health. She is currently a lecturer at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology in New Zealand and is a nutrition consultant for national and international athletes and coaches. Tracey completed a PhD at Auckland University of Technology on ‘The effects of an osteogenic jump-landing programme on bone health in premenopausal women,’ and her research is ongoing. She and the OSTEO-GAINS team have created a Women’s Bone Health Phone App which is receiving incredible attention in NZ and worldwide. Tracey is the mother of two and has previously represented New Zealand in distance running, winning several national and international marathon titles, including winning the Auckland Marathon four times. For more information about the OSTEO-GAINS Bone Health Program, please visit osteo-gains.com and on Instagram.
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When BRCA1 Means Young, Surgical Menopause: Relief, Grief, and Starting Over with Sara Aranda (Episode 284)
Trail runner, writer, and BRCA1 gene carrier Sara Aranda grew up watching breast and ovarian cancer devastate the women in her family and ultimately lost her mom while she was in college. This week, she brings …
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Trail runner, writer, and BRCA1 gene carrier Sara Aranda grew up watching breast and ovarian cancer devastate the women in her family and ultimately lost her mom while she was in college. This week, she brings us her story–what it was like choosing prophylactic mastectomy and bilateral salpingo‑oophorectomy in her mid‑30s, going from FKT‑strong to surgical menopause overnight, and the collision of relief and grief that follows. Sara shares how she used a massive “lowest to highest” FKT and a prayer run for missing and murdered Indigenous women as both metaphor and preparation, how she’s navigating hormone therapy, sleep, body composition, bone worries, and shin splints, and why she wants other medically and/or surgically menopausal athletes to know they are not alone.
Sara Aranda is a creative writer, trail runner, and coach who is passionate about craft, community, and challenging perceived notions of language and body, notably what it now means for her to be an athlete in surgical menopause. From adventure storytelling to posting too much on Strava to sweeping run club runs to attempting FKTs, she is both young and menopausal, and still very much full of dreams. Past accomplishments include receiving a Notable Mention in the Best American Essays 2019 anthology, placing 1st Female at the Colossal Vail 50/50 55K, setting 22 FKTs, and receiving the Spirit of No Man's Land Award at No Man's Land Film Festival for her 2025 film, Ofrenda.
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Rethinking All the “Shoulds” of Menopause with Maria Luque, PhD (Episode 283)
In this episode, we welcome back exercise scientist Maria Luque, PhD, to talk about her new book New Moves in Menopause: A Fearless Guide to a Stronger, Healthier, Saner Midlife and the mindset shift it asks of …
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In this episode, we welcome back exercise scientist Maria Luque, PhD, to talk about her new book New Moves in Menopause: A Fearless Guide to a Stronger, Healthier, Saner Midlife and the mindset shift it asks of midlife women. Maria explains why she moved beyond traditional “fix your body” fitness narratives to focus on helping women feel better in their bodies through movement and create their own personalized “map” for midlife. She shares how becoming a mother to her daughter Charlie forced her to confront her own body image struggles and led to the “Charlie Test,” a practical filter women can use to reframe negative self-talk and diet culture messages. We explore how to untangle fitness from aesthetics, bring joy and play back into movement, and build a baseline of daily activity that supports real-life adventures, quality of life, and menopause-specific needs.
Dr. Maria Luque is a fitness expert, menopause coach, Air Force veteran, former health science professor, and founder of Fitness in Menopause. With a PhD & MS in Health Sciences and over two decades of expertise, she's one of the most credentialed and trusted voices in women's midlife fitness—and the menopause coach to Halle Berry. Her book, New Moves in Menopause – A Fearless Guide to a Stronger, Healthier, & Saner Midlife, offers practical information as well as transformational explorations that help women understand what's happening in their bodies, build mental and physical strength and engage with midlife as a time of freedom, rather than a collection of symptoms. You can check out her new book at NewMovesInMenopause.com
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PCOS to PMOS: Metabolism, Menopause, and GLP‑1s in Active Midlife Women with Carla DiGirolamo, MD, PhD (Episode 282)
Could you have PCOS and not know it? You sure can, says reproductive endocrinologist and menopause specialist Dr. Carla DiGirolamo, who is hopeful that the recent renaming of the condition from “polycystic …
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Could you have PCOS and not know it? You sure can, says reproductive endocrinologist and menopause specialist Dr. Carla DiGirolamo, who is hopeful that the recent renaming of the condition from “polycystic ovary syndrome” (PCOS) to “polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome” (PMOS) will help raise awareness—and improve care. This episode breaks down what PMOS actually is, why the new name matters, and how this androgen‑driven metabolic condition shows up across the lifespan, from irregular cycles and fertility struggles to increased cardiometabolic risk, especially once you hit the menopause transition. We also cover treatment options including metformin, inositol, and compelling new research on GLP‑1 receptor agonists, plus what all of this means for active midlife women when it comes to fueling, Reds/LEA risk, resistance training, and long‑term glucose control.
Carla DiGirolamo, MD, PhD, is a Double Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist and Obstetrician/Gynecologist specializing in women’s performance and menopausal medicine. She is also a Crossfit Level 1 trainer, Certified Nutrition Coach, and member of CrossFit Medical Society. She is a MedFit Care provider and provides weekly workouts and medical updates at her Substack Athletic Aging. She is an Endocrine Consultant for Wild Health and Women’s Health Director at Eternal Health. Dr. DiGirolamo is now seeing patients for virtual consultations for menopausal care and performance optimization. Visit her website drcarlad.com to learn more about her services and schedule an appointment.
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Frozen Shoulder, Cranky Tendons, and the Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause with Tara Findlay, RMT (Episode 281)
Registered massage therapist and athlete Tara Findlay nearly lost her life to fibroids, was thrown into chemical menopause, developed a “cranky” shoulder that threatened her career, and watched a long-quiet …
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Registered massage therapist and athlete Tara Findlay nearly lost her life to fibroids, was thrown into chemical menopause, developed a “cranky” shoulder that threatened her career, and watched a long-quiet autoimmune condition roar back to life. This week, she shares how hormones, inflammation, and tissue capacity collide in midlife—and how massage, eccentric loading, “movement snacks,” and better recovery can help active women heal, prevent injury, and keep moving through and beyond the menopause transition.
Tara Findlay is a BC Registered Massage Therapist with 26 years of experience, a menopause educator, and a certified menopause coach. After navigating chemical menopause and a hysterectomy, she became passionate about helping women and healthcare practitioners understand the often-overlooked musculoskeletal effects of perimenopause and menopause. She co-created two online, self-paced courses—The Comprehensive Guide to Perimenopause & Menopause for RMTs and The Comprehensive Guide to Perimenopause & Menopause for Healthcare Practitioners—which help providers support midlife women through a perimenopause-informed lens. Known for translating evidence-based research into engaging, relatable teaching, Tara empowers practitioners to bring clarity and confidence to perimenopause care. She lives in Whistler, BC, and is committed to helping women stay active, resilient, and in the game through midlife and beyond. Learn more about her work at perimenopausewhisperer
Resources
Free Symptom Checklist here
Watch on YouTube
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Midlife Fueling 101: Essential Sports Nutrition Advice for Peri & Postmenopausal Women with Kristen Arnold, MS, RDN, CSSD (Replay)
Muscle and bone loss. Inflammation. Bloating, diarrhea, and other GI issues. Peri and postmenopausal active women can face myriad training and performance challenges. But the good news is that a lot of them can …
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Muscle and bone loss. Inflammation. Bloating, diarrhea, and other GI issues. Peri and postmenopausal active women can face myriad training and performance challenges. But the good news is that a lot of them can be helped with proper nutrition practices. This week we dive into the basics on how to fuel your active midlife body, including what to know about carbohydrates, ultraprocessed foods, energy availability, protein, anti-inflammatory foods, supplements, and more with sports dietitian Kristen Arnold.
Kristen Arnold MS, RDN, CSSD is a board-certified sports dietitian, cycling coach, retired professional athlete, and team sport director for USA Cycling and professional cycling teams. Her private practice is centered around empowering women through evidence-based sports nutrition coaching and information, and she has done research on improving postmenopausal women's health through nutrition strategies and counseling. You can learn more about her and her work at sportsnutritionforwomen.com.
Resources
Black Cohosh review here
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Build a Strong Body for a Messy Life: Training Through Menopausal Chaos with Hailey Babcock (episode 280)
This week’s guest, renowned midlife trainer Hailey Babcock, wants you to know one thing: No one is crushing it 100%. Not the celebrities or big names she trains; not the tens of thousands of women she works …
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This week’s guest, renowned midlife trainer Hailey Babcock, wants you to know one thing: No one is crushing it 100%. Not the celebrities or big names she trains; not the tens of thousands of women she works with, and certainly not herself. Hailey is currently going through it with brain fog, joint pain, 2 a.m. wake ups, migraines, MIA libido, raw emotions, and low motivation and mojo. That’s before you layer on the stress of running a business and parenting three kids. We dig into how she’s navigating her onslaught of symptoms while she keeps showing up for herself and her clients; why being “fit for your life” matters more than chasing perfection, and how building a strong body matters when life gets messy.
Hailey Babcock is the founder of Hailey Happens Fitness, an online fitness and nutrition brand dedicated to empowering women over 35 to feel strong, confident, and energized through every stage of midlife. A former gymnast, runner, and triathlete, Hailey has been a certified classical Pilates instructor for over 20 years and holds multiple certifications including TRX, kettlebell, barbell, foundational training, and ACE Certified Personal Trainer. Drawing on more than two decades in the fitness industry, she has guided over 50,000 women through online programs focused on fat loss, strength training, and sustainable nutrition, with a special mission to convert women in their 40s and beyond to the miracle of strength training. Committed to evidence-based practice, Hailey collaborates with renowned experts like Dr. Vonda Wright and Dr. Stacy Sims to ensure her methods reflect the latest in women’s health and aging science, helping women from all walks of life—high-profile leaders to everyday midlife women—find more health, happiness, and resilience through smart, supportive, science-backed fitness and nutrition strategies. You can learn more about Hailey and her work at haileyhappensfitness.com
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The Brain on Pain: Why Women Hurt More—and What to Do About It with Rachel Zoffness, PhD (Episode 279)
When you’re in pain, the first question someone asks is “Where does it hurt?” The answer—as anyone with phantom limb pain can tell you—is not always as straightforward as it seems. This week, pain psychologist …
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When you’re in pain, the first question someone asks is “Where does it hurt?” The answer—as anyone with phantom limb pain can tell you—is not always as straightforward as it seems. This week, pain psychologist and author Dr. Rachel Zoffness breaks down the “big fat lie” we’ve been sold about pain: it’s not just a signal from damaged tissue, it’s a brain-driven experience built from a mix of ingredients, including your nerves, thoughts, emotions, memories, and environment. She explains how the same brain regions that process emotions also construct pain, why that matters so much for women—who go through menstruation, childbirth, and menopause and are still disproportionately told their pain is “all in their heads”—and how understanding brain-based biology is the first step in changing how much you hurt. She also shares practical, evidence-backed strategies for active women to retrain their nervous systems, along with tools to help you advocate for care that goes beyond pills and procedures and actually reflects the modern science of hurt.
Rachel Zoffness, PhD, is a pain psychologist and thought-leader revolutionizing the way we understand and treat pain. She's an assistant clinical professor at UCSF, lectures at Stanford, and consults on the development of pain management programs around the world. Dr. Zoffness’s new book, Tell Me Where It Hurts, is out now and is being translated to more than 25 languages. You can learn more about her work and find her book at www.zoffness.com
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I’m Doing Everything Right…So Why Are My Labs Worse? Heart Health and Menopause with Michelle Routhenstein, MS, RD, CDN (Episode 278)
Most of us have had that moment where we get our bloodwork back and shake our heads. We’re still our active, health‑minded selves and out of nowhere—rising LDL, ApoB, A1C, and maybe blood pressure and Lp(a) …
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Most of us have had that moment where we get our bloodwork back and shake our heads. We’re still our active, health‑minded selves and out of nowhere—rising LDL, ApoB, A1C, and maybe blood pressure and Lp(a), too. This week, preventive cardiology dietitian Michelle Routhenstein joins us to unpack the cardiometabolic chaos and what’s really driving it. She explains estrogen’s protective role in lipids and blood pressure, why standard risk calculators and even calcium scores can miss women’s disease, and which advanced labs are worth asking for. We also dig into how under‑fueling and low‑carb diets can worsen cardiometabolic health and plaque; why complex carbs, fiber, fermented foods, and gut health matter so much; and how to approach protein, red meat, electrolytes, nitric oxide, and statins in a personalized, empowering way—remembering that 80–90% of heart disease remains preventable when women get the right information and advocate for themselves.
Michelle Routhenstein, MS, RD, CDCES, CDN is a preventive cardiology dietitian and founder of Entirely Nourished, a virtual practice focused on personalized, science-based nutrition for heart health. With over 14 years of experience, she helps people improve cardiometabolic risk and manage conditions like atherosclerosis, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation using a whole-person approach. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Clinical Nutrition from New York University, serves on the Forbes Health Advisory Board and the Medical Advisory Committee for the National Menopause Foundation, and is the author of The Truly Easy Heart-Healthy Cookbook and Simple Meal Solutions for High Blood Pressure. Her work has been featured in outlets including Forbes Health, Fox News, Prevention, Women’s Health, and Good Housekeeping, and she works with clients virtually from New York via www.entirelynourished.com
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Take the Leap: Kate Veronneau on Adventure and Trying Something New at FeistyFest
In this bonus episode, Selene welcomes longtime friend, cyclist, and women’s sports powerhouse Kate Veronneau to the show for a preview of the first-ever FeistyFest in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.For Kate …
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In this bonus episode, Selene welcomes longtime friend, cyclist, and women’s sports powerhouse Kate Veronneau to the show for a preview of the first-ever FeistyFest in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.
For Kate, the location is personal. The Valley Preferred Cycling Center is where she first fell in love with bike racing, found her cycling community, and eventually launched a career in the sport. She shares how a casual Friday night trip to watch track racing turned into an entry-level “try the track” class, a relocation to the Lehigh Valley, and years immersed in one of the most magical cycling communities around.
Selene and Kate talk about what makes the Lehigh Valley so special: quiet roads, covered bridges, gravel before gravel was “gravel,” beautiful trails, and a deep community of people who love to ride, run, explore, and support one another.
They also dig into what attendees can expect at FeistyFest: track riding, gravel, trail running, lifting, swimming, pickleball, community, laughter, and the kind of grown-up summer camp energy that reminds women how good it feels to try new things.
Kate also shares why women-only spaces can be so powerful, especially when women feel safe, supported, and encouraged to step outside their comfort zones. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or brand new to an activity, there is something magical that happens when women come together, lift each other up, and give each other permission to live a little bigger.
Nourishing Menopause: Food, Stress, Sleep, Supplements & More with Andrea Donsky, RHN
There’s a lot of advice out there on how to fix, cure, hack, medicate, and manage menopause. Often, what we really need is nourishment, says this week’s guest Andrea Donsky, RHN, author of Nourishing Menopause …
Shownotes
There’s a lot of advice out there on how to fix, cure, hack, medicate, and manage menopause. Often, what we really need is nourishment, says this week’s guest Andrea Donsky, RHN, author of Nourishing Menopause: Powerful Nutrition and Lifestyle Strategies to Feel Your Best. Andrea’s 14‑year journey through perimenopause led her to blend naturopathic and conventional medicine into a complementary approach that focuses on gut health, nervous system regulation, blood sugar management, and other strategies that give your body, mind, and spirit what they need to thrive through and beyond the menopause transition. We dig into all of it—plus midlife identity, the power of community, and much more.
Andrea Donsky is a menopause nutritionist, 7X published menopause researcher, certified perimenopause and menopause health coach, and author known as the “Menopause Researcher” to her 350,000+ TikTok followers. She founded Morphus, hosts the Menopause Reimagined podcast, and is the author of Nourishing Menopause: Powerful Nutrition and Lifestyle Strategies to Feel Your Best. You can learn more about her and her work, and find her book at andreadonsky.com
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Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/
Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-40/
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Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause
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Support our Partners:
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Unraveling Menopause: From Chasing Fixes to Finding Your Own Way with Sara Larson (Episode 276)
This week we sat down with menopause and mental fitness coach Sara Larson to cut through the noise around midlife, from quick‑fix promises and supplement stacks to rigid “shoulds” about how we’re supposed to …
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This week we sat down with menopause and mental fitness coach Sara Larson to cut through the noise around midlife, from quick‑fix promises and supplement stacks to rigid “shoulds” about how we’re supposed to look, feel, and age, and offer better solutions for navigating this challenging transition. Drawing on her own brutal perimenopause—crushing joint pain, brain fog so bad she joined an Alzheimer’s study, suffocating anxiety and depression—Sara shares how she went from feeling like everything was coming apart to becoming a menopause navigator, helping women walk into the doctor’s office “ready,” advocate for themselves, and understand their treatment plans. We dig into grief, weight gain and body image, the spiritual and identity unraveling of menopause, and the grounding power of outdoor experiences that reconnect you with strength and embodiment. This is a conversation about gentleness as strength and learning to ask for something different in the second half of life.
Sara Larson is a menopause life coach, educator, and speaker who helps women cut through misinformation and access evidence-based menopause care. She specializes in advocacy, education, and community-building, supporting women through perimenopause and postmenopause with clarity, confidence, and a healthy sense of humor. You can learn more about her and her work at www.saralarsoncoaching.com and follow her on Substack at saralarsoncoaching.substack.com.
https://livefeisty.com/training/
Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/
Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-40/
Follow Us on Instagram:
Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause
Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099
Support our Partners:
Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 35% off
Previnex: Get 15% off your order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/
Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr
Mindset Mastery for Midlife Athletes with Sonya Looney (Episode 275)
What happens when a world class athlete and mindset coach meets the menopause transition? We find out this week with champion mountain bike racer and mental performance coach Sonya Looney, who dug deep into her …
Shownotes
What happens when a world class athlete and mindset coach meets the menopause transition? We find out this week with champion mountain bike racer and mental performance coach Sonya Looney, who dug deep into her positive psychology toolkit to navigate her compressed midlife journey through pregnancy, postpartum, motherhood, miscarriage, perimenopause, and the performance/identity challenges they bring. She shares hormone therapy insights, nutrition shifts, powerlifting gains, training for who you are now, acceptance without resignation, and much more.
Sonya Looney is a World Champion (24-hour racing) mountain biker and 4x National Champion, a positive psychology researcher, and internationally recognized performance expert. She holds a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she won an award for her research on meaningful accomplishment. Sonya is a sought-after keynote speaker, performance coach, and podcast host, whose work bridges elite sport, science, and human insight. Her ideas have appeared in major media from The Washington Post to Outside Magazine , and she has been featured in a New York Times Best-selling book. Passionate about helping high performers find lasting fulfillment, Sonya integrates evidence-based strategies and personal experience to redefine what it means to truly matter, and she is a forthcoming author on that subject! Learn more about her and her work at sonyalooney.com
https://livefeisty.com/training/
Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/
Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-40/
Follow Us on Instagram:
Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause
Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099
Support our Partners:
Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 35% off
Previnex: Get 15% off your order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/
Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr
Why Even Active Women Lose Bone—and How to Build It Back with Belinda Beck, PhD (Episode 274)
Active women are often blindsided by an osteopenia or osteoporosis diagnosis. This week, we explain why—and, more importantly, what to do about it—with Professor Belinda Beck, PhD, investigator on the …
Shownotes
Active women are often blindsided by an osteopenia or osteoporosis diagnosis. This week, we explain why—and, more importantly, what to do about it—with Professor Belinda Beck, PhD, investigator on the groundbreaking LIFTMOR trial, which found that high-intensity resistance and impact training was both effective and safe for postmenopausal women with low bone density. This episode is a deep dive into how bone remodeling works and why mechanical loading—especially the right combination of impact exercise and progressive heavy strength training—is essential for building and maintaining bone strength. We also cover peak bone mass, estrogen, menopause, and the foundational role of nutrition, including calcium and vitamin D, in supporting stronger bones for life.
Dr Belinda Beck is a Professor of Exercise Physiology at Griffith University (Gold Coast, QLD) and Director of The Bone Clinic in Brisbane. Her work, primarily related to the effects of mechanical loading on bone, includes a series of clinical trials (the LIFTMOR and MEDEX-OP trials) that changed the way osteoporosis is managed with exercise. In 2015, she established The Bone Clinic, a translational research facility and clinical practice in Brisbane providing the ONERO® exercise program for osteoporosis which has been licensed for delivery around the world. She has been awarded almost $8M in research funding and has published over 150 papers and chapters in the field. She is a Fellow of numerous bone and exercise societies (including ACSM, ASBMR, ESSA and SMA), is on the Board of the Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society, Sports Medicine Australia, the SOS Fracture Alliance, the International Osteoporosis Foundation Capture the Fracture Governance Committee, and the Healthy Bones AustraliaMedicine and Science Advisory Committee.
Resources:
High-Intensity Resistance and Impact Training Improves Bone Mineral Density and Physical Function in Postmenopausal Women With Osteopenia and Osteoporosis: The LIFTMOR Randomized Controlled Trial here
The Bone Clinic & ONERO® program
https://livefeisty.com/training/
Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/
Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-40/
Follow Us on Instagram:
Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause
Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099
Support our Partners:
Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 35% off
Previnex: Get 15% off your order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/
Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr
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