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Of all our hormones, cortisol might be the most misunderstood and maligned. We’re told this stress hormone is the culprit behind excess belly fat, high blood sugar, accelerated aging, and a host of menopausal and midlife woes. Menopausal and midlife women sometimes are afraid to exercise too much because they’ve been told it will raise their cortisol, which can already be elevated during this time of life. The problem with this narrative is that it’s one-sided. It paints cortisol as a demon to be avoided at all costs, when actually cortisol is essential to maintain and improve fitness, and frankly for human life. This week we sat down with endocrinologist Dr. Carla DiGirolamo to dive into what cortisol is, what it does, and how menopausal women can manage–even befriend it–to optimize their health, performance, and well-being.Carla DiGirolamo, MD, PhD, is a Double Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist and Obstetrician/Gynecologist specializing in infertility and menopausal medicine. She is also a Crossfit Level 1 trainer, Certified Nutrition Coach, and member of CrossFit Health. She is a MedFit Care provider and provides weekly workouts and medical updates at her Substack Athletic Aging. She has most recently become an Endocrine Consultant for Wild Health. Dr. Carla DiGirolamo’s Athletic Aging blog post on cortisolSign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Nutrisense: Go to nutrisense.io/hitplay and use code: HITPLAY to get 30% off Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy

At this point, you may have been doing your sport for a decade, maybe two…or more. It’s easy to fall into a rut or lose your spark. The hormonal changes that come with the menopause transition also can make training more challenging and put a dent in your motivation. Trying a new challenge and/or working with a new coach can help you find your why and feel fired up again. This week, we pull back the curtain and talk about what that coaching process looks like as host Selene Yeager sits down with triathlon coach Marni Sumbal to talk through how they got Selene Ironman 70.3 ready after a 15-year hiatus from triathlon. Marni Sumbal is co-owner of Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition, a coaching and nutrition company based in Greenville, South Carolina, which she runs with her husband and RETUL bike fit expert, Karel Sumbal. Marni is a 3x author, board-certified sports dietitian, master of science in exercise physiology, 19x Ironman finisher, and 5x Ironman World Championship finisher. She was 5th in her age group at the 2021 Ironman World Championships in St. George and was 2017 Ironman Chattanooga First Place Overall Female Amateur. You can learn more about her and her work at trimarnicoach.com. Resources:Marni Sumbal’s latest book: Athlete to Triathlete: The Ultimate Triathlon Training Plan for Sprint and Olympic Races Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Nutrisense: Go to nutrisense.io/hitplay and use code: HITPLAY to get 30% off Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy

When we’re in our 20s and 30s, we see ourselves everywhere in sports marketing and branding. Then, somewhere along the way, we vanish, as though women past 40 or 50 don’t run, ride, hit the weights, or live active, vibrant lives. This week’s guest, Velocio Cycling Apparel ambassador Joan Swain, is on a mission to change that. As she says, “We are athletic. We are beautiful. We are intelligent. We live full lives and we wear your clothes, your shoes, your accessories and ride your bikes. I challenge all to make this as attractive and marketable as it actually is.” We talk about all that and the importance of improving our visibility and changing the narrative around aging this week.Along with being an ambassador for Velocio and World Bicycle Relief, Joan Swain is a senior leader in the Professional Services technology sector with a track record of business and culture transformations including change management, people management/operations, project/program management, resource management, data migration, internal coaching, customer service advocacy, partner management and onboarding, driving strategic direction, and sales enablement. You can follow her journey at instagram.com/joanlswain. Check out her photo spread with Velocio here. Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Nutrisense: Go to nutrisense.io/hitplay and use code: HITPLAY to get 30% off Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy

CrossFit Games athlete Leka Fineman didn’t start the sport until she was 40. She learned to walk on her hands at age 50. Now at 56, she is competing in her fifth CrossFit Games competition as this episode airs. And she’s done it all while going through the menopause transition. We talk all about how she does it and why she believes that once you toss out your self-limiting beliefs, you can continue to grow and make progress at any stage of life.Leka Fineman is a 5 time CrossFit Games Athlete, and is a certified CrossFit, Weightlifting, Gymnastics, Nutrition, and XPT Performance Breathing Coach. Leka specializes in helping her clients feel mentally and physically strong to navigate through and enjoy a long, healthy life. Her expertise is in providing women with tools to handle stress, balance hormones, and optimize the body’s natural ability to recover. She is dedicated to helping women feel strong, confident, and empowered in their lives and bodies- through all stages of life. You can learn more about her and her work at lekafineman.comWatch Live: https://www.youtube.com/@CrossFitGamesTV?mibextid=Zxz2cZSign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Nutrisense: Go to nutrisense.io/hitplay and use code: HITPLAY to get 30% off Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy

Whether it’s waking up at 2 a.m. with feelings of impending doom, fighting off a sudden freakout about driving on the freeway, or becoming paralyzed on a tricky trail you’ve ridden, hiked, or climbed dozens of times before, anxiety can hit seemingly out of nowhere during the menopause transition. In fact, because it can be one of the earliest symptoms of perimenopause, some women suffer for months or years without connecting the dots to their hormones. The good news is there’s help–and understanding the root cause of menopause-related anxiety is the first step. This week we break it all down with Dr. Clare Spencer, Clinical Director at My Menopause Centre, a menopause clinic based in England and Wales. Dr Clare Spencer is a registered menopause specialist and an NHS GP. Along with her role as Clinical Director at My Menopause Centre, she currently runs an NHS menopause service and is a GP partner in a practice in Leeds. She is also a British Menopause Society menopause trainer and is involved in educating GPs about the menopause transition through talks, lectures, and seminars. Dr Spencer has written menopause training modules and pathways for doctors.net, the Primary Care Women’s Health forum publication, Her Life Her Health, and the Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust. She is passionate about educating, empowering, and supporting all women through all stages of their menopause transition. You can learn more about her and her work at mymenopausecentre.comResources:Dr. Spencer’s post on menopause-related anxietySelene Yeager’s post on menopause-related fearMy Menopause Centre’s “Am I Menopausal?” Questionnaire https://www.mymenopausecentre.com/https://www.mymenopausecentre.com/symptoms/anxiety/My fear piecehttps://www.feistymenopause.com/blog/menopause-increasing-fear The checklisthttps://www.mymenopausecentre.com/menopause-questionnaire/Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Nutrisense: Go to nutrisense.io/hitplay and use code: HITPLAY to get 30% off Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy

*Note - This episode originally dropped on January 27, 2021*Time for “the talk.” Seriously, we get sex ed when we go through puberty to know what to expect. But then we hit the other end of the hormonal spectrum and...crickets. Loss of libido and painful sex are real issues during menopausal years and, all too often, women suffer in silence. Issues like vaginal dryness don’t just hurt your sex life (though that’s bad enough!), they also just plain hurt when you’re trying to live an active life. None of that is particularly conducive to feeling and performing your best.This week’s guest Dr. Lauren Streicher, author of Sex Rx- Hormones Health and Your Best Sex Ever, is one of the top authorities on the topic of menopause and sexual health. Dr. Streicher is the founder and medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Menopause and the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Health, which includes programs on Sexual Medicine and Vulvar and Vaginal Health. She’s been featured on Oprah, Good Morning America, Nightline, 20/20, Today, and the Meredith Vieira Show, just to name a few. She dishes out straight talk on sex solutions to help improve your “SexAbility” through menopause and the rest of your life. You can learn more about her and check out her work at: DrStreicher.comSign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Nutrisense: Go to nutrisense.io/hitplay and use code: HITPLAY to get 30% off Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy

*Note - This episode originally dropped on February 24, 2021* Menopause and midlife can send dueling wrecking balls straight into your sleep architecture, leaving you tossing and turning unable to get to sleep, waking up with racing thoughts at 3 a.m., and generally depriving you of the rest and regeneration you need. This week’s guest, Dr. Sophie Bostock, the sleep scientist—and self-proclaimed sleep evangelist—is here to help you pick up the pieces of your broken sleep and get a good night’s rest.Dr. Bostock has recently spent 5 years working on Sleepio, an award-winning digital sleep improvement program. She also has published sleep research in collaboration with the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute in Oxford and other international researchers showing the impacts of better sleep on mental health and performance. She has developed a systematic approach to improving sleep hygiene and getting your circadian rhythms back in sync so you can enjoy sound, uninterrupted sleep. You can learn more about her work at:https://www.thesleepscientist.com/Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Nutrisense: Go to nutrisense.io/hitplay and use code: HITPLAY to get 30% off Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy

Sandra Bueckert started bodybuilding when she was just 16. Now, 40 years later, she’s still in the strength and fitness game, but she’s made a few changes. Sure, she still wants to look her best, but that’s no longer her driving force. These days she’s training to be part of the resistance—specifically to defy what people assume a midlife, menopausal, and eventually “old” woman should be able to do. Sandra doesn’t sugarcoat reality. Some stuff is harder now. No doubt. But there are ways to keep on keeping on, and we talk about all of that and more on this week’s show.Sandra Bueckert is the owner, founder, and trainer at One on One Fitness in Calgary, Alberta Canada, which has been in operation for 33 years. Sandra has been interviewed by QR77 Radio, CBC Radio, Breakfast Television, The Globe and Mail, the Calgary Herald, Cityscope magazine, Avenue magazine, IMPACT Magazine, LA Times, and the Calgary Sun. One On One was also featured in a 12-week series by the Calgary Herald. Most people recognize Sandra from the X-weighted television series on the Slice Network. You can learn more about her and her work at oneononefitness.caSign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Nutrisense: Go to nutrisense.io/hitplay and use code: HITPLAY to get 30% off Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy

Hormones bring your DNA to life. They drive your training adaptations, help build muscle and bone, modulate your immune system, and much, much more. As peri and postmenopausal women we often focus on estrogen and progesterone (and maybe testosterone), but others like human growth hormone, vitamin D, and cortisol deserve our attention, too. And though hormone therapy is one tool for optimizing your hormonal health during this time of life, it’s not the only one. This week we dive into it all with Dr. Nicky Keay, author of Hormones, Health and Human Potential: A Guide to Understanding Your Hormones to Optimise Your Health and Performance.Dr. Nicola “Nicky” Keay is an Honorary Clinical Lecturer in Medicine at University College London. She lectures and researches in areas of exercise endocrinology, with publications in this field. Her clinical endocrine work is mainly with exercisers, dancers and athletes, with a focus on relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) and athletes navigating perimenopause/menopause. She authored the British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine (BASEM)’s Health4performance.co.uk online resource. She is also the medical advisor to Scottish Ballet and a keen dancer herself taking four ballet classes per week. You can learn more about Dr. Keay and her work at nickykeayfitness.comResources:Dr. Nicky Keay’s book: Hormones, Health and Human Potential: A Guide to Understanding Your Hormones to Optimise Your Health and PerformanceSign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Nutrisense: Go to nutrisense.io/hitplay and use code: HITPLAY to get 30% off Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy

Healthcare as we know it (especially in the U.S.) is mostly sickcare. Instead of working with us to keep us healthy, it treats us when we’re on the verge of disease or are outright unwell. There’s a growing movement to change that approach, which would be especially beneficial for menopausal women, who are at a time of their lives when the risk for many diseases can begin to rise. This week, we sat down with Julie Foucher, MD, who provides precision, personalized medicine with Wild Health to talk about the potential benefits of this type of healthcare for women in and beyond the menopause transition. This far-reaching conversation also includes her thoughts on fasting, inflammation, stress, mindset, and much more.Dr. Julie Foucher is a former four-time CrossFit Games athlete and family physician practicing precision medicine. She launched the Pursuing Health podcast back in 2015 while transitioning from CrossFit competition to being a full-time medical trainee. Based on what she saw in her medical training and CrossFit career, she realized her passion and unique position to help patients maximize their health through lifestyle, and she's committed to transforming primary care delivery to achieve this mission. You can follow her on Instagram here. You can learn more about her work at Wild Health here.ResourcesPursuing Health with Julie Foucher Pursuing Health podcast Wild Health personalized healthcareSign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners:Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Nutrisense: Go to nutrisense.io/hitplay and use code: HITPLAY to get 30% off Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy