What if menopause wasn’t something to endure, but something to embrace? After asking my Instagram community about the unexpected gifts of midlife, their answers revealed just how liberating this season can be. From deeper friendships and renewed creativity to freedom from dieting and people-pleasing, their stories echoed a powerful shift, and one rooted in self-awareness, strength, and permission to live more authentically. These insights inspired my new book, Eat to Thrive During Menopause , wh...
Jun 30, 2025•22 min•Season 5Ep. 160
In this story session, April MacKinnon, founder of Anointment Natural Skin Care, opens up about nearly a decade of navigating perimenopause. From the early waves of anxiety and disrupted sleep to the surprising strength she found through resistance training, she shares her very relatable experience. You'll learn: How anxiety showed up early in perimenopause and how April found ways to manage it Why resistance training helped more than other methods What it means to reconnect with your body throu...
Jun 23, 2025•32 min•Season 5Ep. 159
Have you ever hesitated to open up with other women because you feared judgment, competition, or being labeled as “too much”? If this hits home, I’ve got good news: you are not the problem. In this episode, author and comedian Tova Leigh shares stories from her new book Good Girls Gossip and explains why reclaiming gossip, as deep, truth-sharing connection among women, is revolutionary. We talk about letting go of the “good girl” roles we’ve outgrown and what it means to live more authentically ...
Jun 16, 2025•28 min•Season 5Ep. 158
In this episode, I sat down to chat with our very own Joyful Movement Coordinator in the Midlife Feast. At 49, Christine received an ADHD diagnosis after years of masking. She shares how perimenopause brought long-overlooked symptoms into focus. We unpack how midlife hormonal shifts can amplify ADHD traits and why rigid fitness plans rarely work for neurodivergent brains. As a movement coach, Christine offers a refreshing approach to movement in trading consistency for persistence, flexibility, ...
Jun 09, 2025•39 min•Season 1Ep. 157
If you’ve ever felt guilty for not finishing your plate, even if you’re full, and you’re not 100% sure why, you might be a member of the Clean Plate Club. In this episode, I invited registered dietitian Emily Sucher to explore how messages from childhood are still impacting our food decisions today. Whether you grew up hearing about starving children or just hate the idea of wasting food, this conversation offers a fresh perspective. Emily shares compassionate ways to tune back into your body’s ...
Jun 02, 2025•27 min•Season 5Ep. 156
In this solo Q&A episode, I am tackling some of the most recent questions shared with me about the sneaky ways diet culture creeps in, what protein adequacy really looks like (especially for plant-based eaters), and whether collagen is fact or hype. If you want to get your questions answered in the future, submit them here! Links Mentioned The Substack Article Mentioned: Read it here Try the Midlife Morning Makeover Email Challenge: Join for free Explore the Midlife Feast Community: Start yo...
May 26, 2025•17 min•Season 5Ep. 155
Our bodies change in midlife and menopause, and many times in ways that feel confusing or frustrating. But what if those changes aren’t a problem to fix, but an invitation to reconnect with ourselves? In this conversation, Dr. Charlotte Ord, psychologist and body image expert shares a refreshing take on body appreciation. It’s not about pretending to love every wrinkle or roll. It’s about noticing what your body does for you, and learning to meet it with care, not criticism. We also explore a po...
May 19, 2025•31 min•Season 5Ep. 154
Standing in your closet thinking, "Nothing fits anymore?" It’s not the best feeling, but can I let you in on something? You don’t have to hold onto your “lose weight wardrobe”. In this encouraging conversation, stylist Dacy Gillespie helps us reframe how we think about style in midlife, especially when our bodies, styles, and preferences have changed. Together, we explore why comfort isn’t “giving up,” how style can help you reconnect with who you are now, and why that “lose weight wardrobe” may...
May 12, 2025•33 min•Season 5Ep. 153
In this episode, I get to bring you a very special guest, someone whose work has transformed my whole practice, and who has been helping people heal their relationship with food and their bodies through intuitive eating for three decades! In this conversation, Intuitive Eating co-founder Evelyn Tribole shares why this compassionate, research-backed framework is more relevant than ever—especially during menopause. We explore how symptoms like sleep disruption can throw off hunger cues, why decade...
May 05, 2025•38 min•Season 5Ep. 152
Feeling hungry all the time? Or do you feel like fullness just doesn’t land the way it used to? You’re not imagining things—and it’s not about discipline either. Hormonal changes in menopause can change how you experience hunger, and that can be disorienting. In this episode, we answer a listener’s honest question about feeling constantly hungry, and explore how biology, behavior, and hormones all intersect. We break down the three types of hunger—physical, emotional, and taste—and why food nois...
Apr 28, 2025•21 min•Season 5Ep. 151
Why are we SO drained in midlife? Dr. Sarah Vandeboncoeur returns to unpack the exhaustion so many women feel—not just from perimenopause, but from decades of overgiving. Most of us enter this phase already running on empty, juggling work, family, and endless to-dos. Add hormonal shifts, and let’s be honest- something has to give. That irritability and bone-deep fatigue? They’re signals, not flaws. We break down the "energy budget"—because just like money, energy isn’t unlimited. Sarah shares pr...
Apr 14, 2025•39 min•Season 5Ep. 150
Feeling uninspired with your go-to menu lately? Chef Andrea Buckett is here to bring the joy back to your kitchen. With 20 years of experience, she shares her refreshingly simple approach to food—because cooking should be fun, not stressful! Andrea’s five-ingredient meals, pantry hacks, and creative condiment tips (wait until you hear what mustard can do for salmon!) will help you break free from boring weeknight dinners. Plus, she challenges the guilt we attach to food, reminding us that pleasu...
Apr 07, 2025•27 min•Season 5Ep. 149
Did you know science shows that mindfulness can do more than just help you relax? It can improve sleep, reduce anxiety, and might even slow brain aging? That’s more than just symptom relief! Diana Winston, director of UCLA Mindful, joins me to explore how meditation can support your menopause experience. She makes mindfulness accessible for everyone, even those who feel too busy or think it’s not for them. Diana shares practical tips for beginners, like starting with just five minutes a day usin...
Mar 31, 2025•32 min•Season 5Ep. 148
Do you find yourself vowing to “start fresh” every Monday, only to feel like you’ve fallen off the wagon by the time the weekend (or lunch) rolls around? The Monday reset cycle keeps so many of us trapped in an exhausting loop of restriction, indulgence, and shame—making food feel like a constant battle. But what if Monday was just another day? In this episode, we explore why this cycle gets stuck on repeat and how to break free. Diet culture has convinced us that we need rules and resets, but t...
Mar 24, 2025•24 min•Season 5Ep. 147
After years of dieting, the advice to "eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full" can feel frustrating and oversimplified-especially if you’ve been trying to “get” intuitive eating This week, fellow intuitive eating dietitian Julie Duffy Dillon joins me to help us understand some of the common roadblocks that keep us “stuck" and why reconnecting with your body’s natural cues takes patience. Most importantly, that healing is possible at any age, size, or health condition. We explore why dieti...
Mar 17, 2025•36 min•Season 5Ep. 146
Struggling with binge eating and the endless restrict-crave cycle? You’re not alone. In this episode, dietitian Toni Rudd unpacks the emotional triggers behind binge eating, the impact of dieting, and why willpower isn’t the problem. We also explore how ADHD can influence eating behaviors and share practical tools like mindful eating and food abundance to help you build self-trust and a healthier relationship with food. Join us for an eye-opening, compassionate conversation that offers hope and ...
Mar 10, 2025•36 min•Season 5Ep. 145
Can yoga help us navigate the emotional and physical changes of menopause? Niamh Daly joins me to explore how yoga, when adapted to our changing bodies, can support nervous system regulation, pelvic floor health, and emotional well-being during midlife. We cover the importance of personalized movement, challenging the idea of yoga as a cure-all while highlighting its deeper benefits beyond the mat. Instead of focusing on self-improvement, we explore how yoga can be a path to joy, balance, and fu...
Mar 03, 2025•47 min•Season 5Ep. 144
After years of practicing traditional dietetics, Pia and I found ourselves on a liberating journey—stepping away from diet culture and embracing a weight-neutral, intuitive eating approach. In this episode, we share our experiences, from joyful food-filled retreats in Italy to the challenges of being non-diet dietitians in a weight-obsessed world. What if health wasn’t measured by the scale? We unpack common misconceptions about weight and wellness, highlighting biases in healthcare and the impo...
Feb 24, 2025•39 min•Season 5Ep. 143
There are many reasons why you might want to learn how to manage menopause without hormones, but it definitely can be a confusing terrain to navigate. In this episode, Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz is here to discuss what the options are if you can’t, or don’t want to use hormone therapy. She shares practical, non-hormonal options—from nutrition and supplements to lifestyle changes—that can make a real difference. We also tackle some hot-button topics, like the debate over cognitive behavioral therap...
Feb 17, 2025•38 min•Season 5Ep. 142
Have you ever found an old piece of clothing, slipped it on, and felt a wave of sadness when it no longer fit? That’s body grief—the longing for a past version of yourself and the struggle to accept where you are now. In this episode, I sit down with Body Peace coach Nina Manolson to unpack why these moments hit so hard and how to navigate them with more kindness and less self-judgment. We dive into the emotional weight of body changes, why comparison keeps us stuck, and how shifting from body s...
Feb 10, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 141
What happens when motherhood and perimenopause collide? In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend and doula, and author of Mothershift, Jessie Harrold, to talk about the big identity shifts that come with these life stages. We unpack the messy emotions, the self-doubt, and the cultural pressures that make change feel so hard—and why it’s also a chance to rediscover who we are. Jessie and I explore how small moments of curiosity can spark creativity and self-trust, even in the chaos. Wh...
Feb 03, 2025•38 min•Season 5Ep. 140
Have you ever had the courage to tell a fitness professional that weight loss isn't one of your goals? The confused, blank stares that often follow can make it feel impossible not to just walk right out the door. Weight bias is a major issue in the fitness industry, and we're tackling it head-on with Louise Green, a pioneering fitness professional and advocate for size inclusivity. In this episode, Louise shares her journey of becoming a trainer while challenging outdated norms and fighting for ...
Jan 27, 2025•34 min•Season 5Ep. 139
I'm celebrating a huge personal milestone—10 years of embracing intuitive eating and un-dieting—and I’d love for you to join me as I look back on my journey. In this episode, I’m sharing what it’s really been like to navigate the ups and downs of perimenopause while also unlearning the harmful messages of diet culture. I'll explain why intuitive eating is more than just another set of rules. It’s a mindset shift that can free you from the exhausting cycle of diets and body shame (but one that ta...
Jan 20, 2025•25 min•Season 5Ep. 138
If you’re already drowning in the new year's diet culture and wellness industry noise, I’m here to answer your SOS! Dr. Emma Beckett, an expert food and nutrition scientist and author of You Are More Than What You Eat teaches us what filters to apply when sifting through nutrition information. We dig into the overwhelming health advice on TikTok and social media in general and talk about simple ways to figure out what you can believe. Nutrition science can feel overwhelming, but Dr. Beckett brea...
Jan 13, 2025•49 min•Season 5Ep. 137
If you believe that weight loss is an essential step in improving your health, this episode will explain why that assumption just doesn't hold up. I'm joined by registered dietitian and menopause expert Dr. Val Schonberg who draws on her background in sports nutrition and eating disorders to explain why behavior-based goals—rather than the scale—are key to sustainable well-being. We dive into the myths surrounding weight, BMI, and body composition, especially for women in midlife and beyond. We ...
Jan 06, 2025•52 min•Season 5Ep. 136
It’s December, which can often mean that the spiral begins: parties to attend, nothing in your closet feels right, and you’re stuck thinking, “I hate how I look, I don’t want to go.” Sound familiar? In this episode, I’m joined by Deb Schachter and Whitney Otto, authors of Body Image Inside Out , for a compassionate conversation about breaking free from those “bad body image moments.” They share a refreshing way to see body image as a relationship—one that can be nurtured and transformed—so you...
Dec 16, 2024•34 min•Season 5Ep. 135
Ever have one of those mornings where nothing feels right? Your clothes don’t fit the way you want, or a glance at an old photo sends you into a spiral of self-criticism? If you’re navigating midlife or perimenopause, you’re not alone. In this episode, I sit down with body image expert and coach Summer Inanen to explore how hormonal shifts, societal pressures, and life stressors impact how we see ourselves. Summer shares her journey and offers practical, compassionate strategies to help you embr...
Dec 09, 2024•36 min•Season 5Ep. 134
What if self-care wasn’t a luxury, but a lifeline? Heather Chauvin joins us to share how she turned a stage four cancer diagnosis into a powerful mission to help women redefine self-care. Her energetic time management system has transformed lives, making it easier to prioritize well-being during midlife transitions like menopause and shifting roles. We challenge outdated self-care myths and help shift the focus from external validation and comparison to personal fulfillment. Heather’s fresh pers...
Dec 02, 2024•33 min•Season 5Ep. 133
Navigating your nutrition goals during menopause can be tough any month of the year, and especially around the holidays. But what if you could approach this season with a non-diet mindset focused on balance instead of burnout? Today I want to share practical tips for managing your physical, mental, and emotional needs so you can stay as nourished, satisfied, and present as possible. We’ll focus on why becoming an expert in recognizing your capacity and practicing self-care and self-compassion ne...
Nov 25, 2024•25 min•Season 5Ep. 132
Ever feel like life throws you a curveball (or three) that changes everything? Tune in as we chat with Sarah Dosanjh, who went from being a police officer to a psychotherapist and binge-eating coach after facing early menopause in her 20s. That experience shook up her relationship with food and eventually led her to a dramatically new way of serving others. Together, we dig into the rollercoaster of emotions that come with menopause, the ups and downs of hormone therapy, and how intuitive eating...
Nov 18, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 131
