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This week we bring you a special live show from UNBOUND Gravel in Emporia, KS, where we sat down with two legends in the sport of gravel cycling, UNBOUND Gravel co-founder Kristi Mohn and seven time world champion Rebecca Rusch to have an open, honest conversation about midlife and menopause, how we view things today, and what we want for the future. Spoiler alert: We’re not hanging it up anytime soon. Kristi Mohn is one of the founders of UNBOUND Gravel and is an integral member of the Life Time offroad team. She is also a Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame inductee, and is the cohost, along with Kathryn Taylor, of the Girls Gone Gravel podcast. Rebecca Rusch is an adventure athlete, seven time World Champion, two time Hall of Fame inductee, keynote speaker, best-selling author of Rusch to Glory, founder of Rebecca’s Private Idaho, and an Emmy award winner for the film Blood Road. Enter to win a Liv Devote - Be Good™ Edition gravel bike and an entry to Rebecca’s Private Idaho gravel event this summer! Head on over to feistygiveaway.com by June 16 for your chance to win. (You must be based in the U.S. to win.) Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

As active menopausal women, we get outright bombarded with ads for nutritional supplements. But what do we really need? This week, we take it down to brass tacks and hit the basics with registered dietitian nutritionist Katie Linville. We break it down on what we should know about calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, iron, and the other vitamins and minerals we’re often told to take as a matter of course. While we’re at it, we also venture into cholesterol, blood sugar, and CGMs. You may be surprised to learn that there’s more to these metrics than what you eat. Katie Linville is a registered dietitian with 11+ years of experience, who received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Florida State University. Katie specializes in nutrition for women’s health, and has experience supporting women in menopause to optimize mental health and their relationship with food and their bodies. Additionally, she holds a specialty certification in oncology nutrition (CSO) and has experience working with cancer survivors through treatment and for prevention. In her spare time, Katie enjoys running, hiking, and spending time at the beach with her family. You can learn more about her and her work at www.gennev.com/providers/katie-linville Resources: https://www.webmd.com/diet/foods-high-iron-vegans Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

We talk a lot about the importance of lifting heavy for our muscle, bone, brain, and heart health. But that’s just the beginning! Being stronger makes us feel more capable and opens the door to all kinds of new adventures that we might not otherwise try because we have more confidence in what our bodies can do. Nobody knows that better than this week’s guest, BASE jumper and all-around active badass Shawn Brokemond, who not only lives her own adventurous life, but also trains other midlife women to get strong and do the same through her company Sports Adventure. This week we talk all about midlife adventures as well as Shawn’s 23-year struggle with menopause. Shawn Brokemond’s life has always been a whirlwind of activity from swimming and gymnastics to mountain biking and BASE jumping. At 46, after 25 years as a kindergarten teacher, Shawn decided it was time for a change and put her passion for sports and fitness center stage and transitioned into personal training, with a focus on adventure. Now 56, having navigated the challenges of a midlife career shift firsthand, she’s proof that it's never too late to chase your dreams. You can learn more about her and her work at www.sportadven.com. Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

Sally “Sal” Edwards, now 76, is a pioneer in women’s sports. She qualified for the first women's marathon Olympic Trials in 1983 and is one of the original founders of USA Triathlon. She also brought heart rate and zone training to the mainstream. For 22 years, Sal served as the national spokeswoman for the Danskin Women's Triathlon Series volunteering to finish last as a professional triathlete so that no other woman would have to. This week Sal reflects back on her past and shares her insights into where training technology is taking us in the future. We also talk about menopause, what it means to have a great life, and how we “shouldn’t let the old woman in.” Sally “Sal” Edwards, MA, MBA, an American best-selling author, professional athlete, entrepreneur, teacher and coach is one of America's leading experts in business, exercise science, and lifestyle living. She is the author of 25 books on health, fitness, and weight loss. Her passion is to get America fit. Her company, Heart Zones® is a fitness and health technology and wearable devices company. Sally is the co-founder of Fleet Feet. She is the developer of the Heart Zones patented group technology used in over 2,500 schools in 10 countries plus health clubs and individual fitness enthusiasts around the world. https://www.heartzones.com/schools/methodology/threshold-training/#1538596814280-1c88a01f-2303 Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

Be smaller. Be lighter. For our entire lives those messages have been drilled into us from every angle, including very often from those in our sports. We hear we need to be at “race weight.” We’re shown “idealized” images of what female athletes “should” look like. It’s all incredibly damaging, especially as we hit menopause and midlife and our bodies start to change. It’s also based on BS. Women with cellulite and extra body fat win races. Women who are well-fueled outperform those who are not. There is no one magic number on the scale or body fat percentage that makes us a success. All the destructive messages that make us hate our bodies feed the diet culture machine. This week we sat down with coach and sports dietitian Marni Sumbal to dismantle that machine and help us find body peace, so we don’t spend the next chapters of our lives in an endless war with ourselves. Marni Sumbal MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N is the 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 and holds a master of science in exercise physiology. She is a 19x Ironman finisher, 2x XTRI finisher, and 6x Ironman World Championship finisher. You can learn more about her and her services at trimarnicoach.com. Resources: Marni Sumbal’s latest book: Athlete to Triathlete: The Ultimate Triathlon Training Plan for Sprint and Olympic Races Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

If there’s anything we’ve learned, it’s pelvic floor health is a whole lot more than doing Kegel exercises. In fact, sometimes Kegels are the last thing you need. This week we look at pelvic floor health through the lens of Postural Restoration with pelvic floor physical therapist and Postural Restoration Certified (PRC) practitioner Hayley Kava, who talks us through anatomical and structural issues that can contribute to leaking, aches and pains, and even propensity to injuries that become more common in the menopause transition. Hayley Kava PT, MPT, PRC is a pelvic floor physical therapist and Postural Restoration® Certified (PRC) provider. A former collegiate athlete and sports medicine physical therapist, Hayley was shocked at the lack of integrative education, information and support for pelvic floor specific concerns when she became a mother in 2017. In 2018, Hayley started her pelvic floor education to complement her PRI training and in 2020, she started her own business working exclusively with people with pelvic floor disorders, taking an “outside in” approach to pelvic health. Her mission in this work is to ensure that no person feels alone in dealing with pelvic floor problems. You can learn more about her and her work at hayleykavapt.com Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

At 49, this week’s guest Sarah Max is the oldest rider in the Life Time Grand Prix, the biggest, hardest gravel and mountain bike race series on the planet. That was something Sarah didn’t always want to talk about. She didn’t want to be defined by her age and didn’t always love the attention it attracted. But she’s realized that while her age isn’t her “brand,” it is part of her story–and an important part that inspires others and helps them see their own potential. And it most certainly doesn’t get in her way, as she embraces the challenges and opportunities of the professional cycling life while also working full time as the Managing Editor at Morgan Stanley Research and being the mom of twin college-age girls. Sarah Max’s professional cycling highlights include a 3rd place finish at 2019 Unbound (formerly DK200), 2nd place in the notoriously competitive Belgian Waffle Ride in Southern California in 2019 and 6th in 2023, 4th at Steamboat Gravel in 2022, and 13th overall in the Life Time Grand Prix series last year. She started her editorial career covering investing and personal finance as a staff writer for Money Magazine and, later, as a senior writer for CNNMoney. With the mountains calling, Sarah moved to Bend, Oregon where she worked as a contributing editor to Barron's and contributing writer to publications including Entrepreneur, The New York Times, Time Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal before taking her current job at Morgan Stanley. Resources https://www.lifetimegrandprix.com/ Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

Women’s brains are finally getting the research attention they deserve! While we sort out the role hormones play in our current and future cognitive health, it’s important to remember that estrogen is just one player in a lifelong host of factors impacting your brain, including education, intellectual engagement, diet and nutrition, exercise and fitness, hearing loss, head injuries, sleep, stress levels, community, purpose, and much more! Hormones are part of the picture, but don’t outweigh everything else. There are many actions we can take to improve cognitive function and brain health, whether or not we also use hormone therapy. We dive into it all this week with neuroscientist Dr. Sarah McKay. Dr. Sarah McKay is an Oxford University-educated neuroscientist and educator. She is the director of The Neuroscience Academy and author of The Women’s Brain Book: The Neuroscience of Health, Hormones and Happiness. Dr. McKay teaches coaches, therapists, teachers and other professionals how to thoughtfully apply insights and tools from neuroscience to their work. You can learn more about her and buy her book at drsarahmckay.com Resources Menopause impacts human brain structure, connectivity, energy metabolism, and amyloid‑beta deposition study here. Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of menopause hormone therapy on risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia study here. Sex-specific associations of serum cortisol with brain biomarkers of Alzheimer’s risk study here. Hormone Replacement Therapy Could Ward off Alzheimer’s Among At-Risk Women research here Trends in Intracranial and Cerebral Volumes of Framingham Heart Study Participants Born 1930 to 1970 study here. Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

Cultural messages glorify youth as the best time of our lives. But that’s not what this week’s guest, Caroline Paul found while researching her wonderful book Tough Broad: From Boogie Boarding to Wing Walking―How Outdoor Adventure Improves Our Lives as We Age. Instead, she found active, adventurous women praising their postmenopausal lives and the enjoyment they found in the now. For this project, Caroline spoke with women around the country about their aging journeys and the activities that have changed their lives – including BASE jumping, wing-walking, flying, swimming, orienteering, walking, scuba diving, boogie boarding and BMX riding – and examined the different ways that activity and the outdoors can help you age better and make you happier as well as improve your spirit, mind, body, and heart. We talked about all that and more this week. Caroline Paul is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Gutsy Girl: Escapades for Your Life of Epic Adventure and Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology, which has been translated into fifteen languages. She is also the author of the memoir Fighting Fire, the middle-grade book You Are Mighty: A Guide to Changing the World, and the novel East Wind, Rain. Her TED Talk, “To Raise Brave Girls, Encourage Adventure,” has been viewed over 2 million times. A longtime member of the Writers Grotto, she lives in San Francisco. You can learn all about her and Tough Broad at www.carolinepaul.com Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

Women’s ultrarunning is on fire right now with powerhouses like recent Barkley Marathons finisher Jasmin Paris, 40, and Lululemon FURTHER 6-day record smasher Camille Herron, 42, showing the world what midlife women can do. This week, we sat down with ultrarunning legend Pam Reed, who broke ground for women in the sport decades ago, winning races like Badwater 135 outright in 2002 and 2003, and talking about menopause at a time when athletes rarely uttered the word. Now 63, Pam is still blazing trails, most recently finishing the Hardrock 100, Badwater 135, and Western States Endurance Run–that’s 337.5 miles total–in a span of 22 days. We talk all about how she gets it done, the hurdles she’s faced, and what the future holds. Pam Reed has been a prolific ultrarunner since she entered the sport in 1992. She quickly excelled and won on the track, road, and trails. She is most well-known for her back-to-back Badwater 135 overall wins in 2002 and 2003. Over her career, she has at least 30 ultra wins, including 13 wins in races of 100 miles or more. In 2021, she became the 19th known person in the world to achieve 100 100-mile finishes with at least 45 podiums in those 100-milers. She has finished 65 full Ironmans, including 10 at Kona, Hawaii. In 2005, Pam authored the book, The Extra Mile: One Woman’s Personal Journey to Ultra-Running Greatness. She was also the race director for the Tucson Marathon for 28 years. Resources Follow Pam at Tor des Géants Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

Your metabolism is broken. You need to stop eating carbs. All weight gain is bad! If you’re a woman in menopause, you’ve been on the receiving end of a steady stream of overwhelmingly negative messages about your midlife body. Many of them are simply not true. That’s why we wanted to have a more nuanced conversation about the body composition changes many of us experience during this time of life. And this week’s guest, midlife health and nutrition specialist Val Schonberg was just the woman to have it with. This week, Val walks us through a lot of the myths, misunderstandings, and maybe even outright misinformation swirling around menopause metabolism, and much, much more. Val Schonberg RDN, CSSD, is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition science from the University of Minnesota. She is Board Certified as a Specialist in Sports Dietetics, a Certified Menopause Practitioner with The Menopause Society, and a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Val owns a private practice in Atlanta, Georgia where she specializes in midlife health and menopause, recreational and professional sports nutrition, all types of eating disorders and helping individuals break free from dieting and disordered eating. She is the consulting dietitian for Emory Sports Medicine, Orthopedics, Atlanta Ballet, and the Atlanta Dream Women’s NBA team. Val is passionate about providing nutrition care to populations vulnerable to disordered eating and promoting positive nutrition messages that help people make informed decisions about their health and live a life where they are at peace in their relationship with food and their body. You can learn more about her at valschonberg.com. Resources: Sex Differences in the Association of Body Composition and Cardiovascular Mortality here The effect of menopause on the relation between weight gain and mortality among women here Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

Wear and tear on our active joints is inevitable, and the menopause transition can make them more vulnerable. But there are some simple, and often overlooked, ways to support our joint health that include proper nutrition, recovery, strength and mobility practices, footwear and more, which can help us stay active and pain free through and beyond menopause. This week we break it all down with sports medicine physician Dr. Ashley Austin. Ashley V. Austin, MD, is Assistant Attending Physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery. She graduated cum laude from the University of Evansville where she played Division I basketball and was an all-conference offensive and defensive player. Dr. Austin completed her family medicine residency at the University of Virginia and completed a fellowship in primary care sports medicine at the University of Washington (Seattle, WA). After fellowship, she remained on faculty at the University of Washington as an Assistant Professor. She also served as the Co-Director of Musculoskeletal Anatomy and Physiology for the School of Medicine and Faculty Liaison for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Department of Family Medicine. Dr. Austin has covered sports at all levels including high school, National Ski Patrol, the WNBA and MLB. Her hobbies include high-altitude mountaineering and hiking, playing tennis, basketball, and soccer, snowboarding, and learning to surf. You can learn more about her and her work at www.hss.edu. Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

Women’s sexuality, especially older women’s, is often overlooked or dismissed by the medical system. When men get procedures that may impact their erections, they’re informed. When women get treatments that may affect their ability to have an orgasm? Crickets. Too few women’s doctors talk about women’s sexual satisfaction, including how well their clitoris is responding or if they’re having orgasms. That’s got to change. It’s normal to want to be sexual and experience sexual pleasure throughout your life. We don’t question it for men. We shouldn’t for women either. This week we dig into all of that and more (including how it’s high time to change how menopause itself is defined) with sexual medicine and menopause expert Dr. Lauren Streicher. Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause, and the current Medical Advisor at Midi Health Care. She is a certified menopause practitioner of The Menopause Society (formerly NAMS), the host of Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information: THE Menopause Podcast, and the author of four best-selling books on women’s health, as well as the upcoming title, Put the O Back in Mojo, available for pre-order now. You can learn more about her and her work at www.drstreicher.com Resources Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information: THE Menopause Podcast here Hit Play Not Pause: Sex Solutions with Dr. Lauren Streicher here Menopause editorial: Is it time to rethink how menopause is defined? here The State of the Union on Sex after 60 Kinsey Institute Survey with Cosmopolitan here Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

From being burned as witches to being barred from attending medical school, from being dismissed as hysterical to well, just being dismissed, from being shamed to being sexualized, the medical system has a long, sordid history in how it treats women and women’s health. And those toxic roots still poison the waters we have to navigate to this day. If you’ve ever wondered why we’re so far off the back with regards to our understanding of women’s health and wellness and treatment, this week’s guest Dr. Elizabeth Comen, author of All in Her Head: The Truth and Lies Early Medicine Taught Us About Women’s Bodies and Why It Matters Today has some answers. Prepare to have your head explode as we dig into it in this episode. Elizabeth Comen, MD, has dedicated her medical career to saving the lives of women. An award-winning, internationally sought-after clinician and physician-scientist, Dr. Comen works as a medical oncologist with a specialty in breast cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and is an assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. She earned her BA in the history of science from Harvard College and her MD from Harvard Medical School, then completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital and her fellowship in oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She lives in New York City with her family. You can learn more about her and her work and buy her book at www.drelizabethcomen.com Resources All in Her Head at Amazon Cover photo credit: Deborah Feingold Photography Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

We wrap up heart health awareness month with one topic that comes up a whole lot in our community–cholesterol. We hear from scores of athletic, active women who have had perfectly fine lipid levels their whole lives only to see them shoot up, often dramatically, at menopause. If you’re one, you’re not alone. This week we take a deep dive into all things lipids, including what they are, what influences them, and what to do about them, with cardiologist and lipid and women’s health specialist Dr. Samia Mora. Samia Mora, MD, MHS, is a cardiologist and molecular epidemiologist conducting translational research in the prevention of cardiometabolic disease, with a focus on lipid and inflammatory mechanisms of cardiovascular disease. She is the Director of the Center for Lipid Metabolomics and Director of the Biorepository, Divisions of Preventive and Cardiovascular Medicine at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. Mora is also a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. You can learn more about her and her work at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Resources Rethinking Menopausal Hormone Therapy: For Whom, What, When, and How Long? here NAMS 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement here 7 Countries Study here Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

For years, hot flashes and night sweats (aka vasomotor symptoms) were considered just a “bothersome” part of being a menopausal woman: we were to wear layers, buy a fan, and soldier on. Then researchers started making some troubling connections between vasomotor symptoms and chronic disease. This week’s guest, Dr. Rebecca Thurston, is one of those investigators whose work shows that women with severe and/or persistent vasomotor symptoms have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and changes in the brain that are linked to dementia. We dig into those findings and many more during this week’s episode. Rebecca C. Thurston, PhD, FABMR, FAPS, is recognized nationally as a leader in the field of women’s health, particularly in the areas of menopause, trauma, cardiovascular disease, and brain aging in women. Her innovative research focuses on menopause, cardiovascular disease, and dementia risk in women, three prevalent and inter-related health issues that can have a profound impact on women's lives. She is Pittsburgh Foundation Chair in Women's Health and Dementia and Professor of Psychiatry, Epidemiology, Psychology, and Clinical and Translational Science, at the University of Pittsburgh. She also serves as Director of Women's Biobehavioral Health Program at the University of Pittsburgh as well as Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine Research Training Program at the University of Pittsburgh. You can learn more about her and her work at UPMC.com Resources: Trajectories of Sleep Over Midlife and Incident Cardiovascular Disease Events in the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation here Trauma and its implications for women's cardiovascular health during the menopause transition: Lessons from MsHeart/MsBrain and SWAN studies here Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms and White Matter Hyperintensities in Midlife Women here Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms and Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Disease Events in SWAN here Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia here Brief behavioral treatment for insomnia here Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at...

Whether you run, lift, or ride (and especially if you ride), an otherwise great workout can be wrecked by a painful vulva. And lots of issues can crop up during and beyond the menopause transition that can cause pain, discomfort, and even damage to your vulva and vaginal tissues. We address them all this week with Rochelle Bernstein, MD, of Purely Menopause, who focuses her OB/GYN practice on women’s sexual health and menopausal medicine. Dr. Rochelle Bernstein is an expert in menopausal medicine and women's sexual health, as well as an avid skier, hiker, and mountain biker. She is a member of The Menopause Society and the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH). She is board certified and is a fellow of the American Congress of OB/Gyn (ACOG) and the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL). She established Purely Menopause to empower women with the knowledge, tools, and confidence necessary to lead healthy, happy lives. You can learn more about her and her work at www.purelymenopause.com Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

Mirna Valerio, aka the Mirnavator, has never shied away from adversity. As a Black woman in a larger body who is also an ultrarunner, she’s endured her share of harassment and ridicule, both online and in real life. But despite some people trying to put her down, she’s devoted her life to lifting others up, showing those like herself what’s possible, which, for her, includes 11 marathons, 15 50K+ ultras, and a best-selling memoir, A Beautiful Work in Progress. Now, Mirna is facing another challenge we’re all familiar with, perimenopause. This week we talk all about what she’s experiencing, how it’s impacting her running, and what she’s doing to take care of herself through this chapter of her journey. Mirna Valerio is an ultramarathoner, cyclist, skier, DEI professional, and author of the memoir, A Beautiful Work in Progress. She began running in high school, recommitted to the sport after a health scare in 2008 and started her blog Fatgirlrunning—about her experiences as a plus-sized woman in a world of thinner endurance athletes— while training for her first marathon. Mirna has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Runner’s World, on NBC Nightly News, CNN, and in the viral documentary short, REI Presents The Mirnavator. She’s written for Women’s Running, Self, Outside, and Runner's World. In 2018 she was chosen as a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, and since then has appeared on the Kelly Clarkson Show, Access Daily, The Today Show, and Good Morning America. Mirna is one of the Lululemon ambassadors participating in FURTHER, an initiative to show how far women can go when they’re supported with resources and product innovations typically reserved for men. The initiative will culminate in the six-day FURTHER ultramarathon that begins on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2024. You can learn more about her and her work at themirnavator.com Resources Learn more about Lululemon’s FURTHER initiative here Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

As women who’ve grown up steeped in diet culture, we often give away our agency to books, apps, and strict food rules rather than trusting ourselves to know what to eat and what our bodies need. During menopause, when our bodies are changing, we can doubledown on those rules, making life harder. This week we talk about ditching diets and restrictive rules and using our knowledge and intuition to find food freedom and a whole lot more joy with Intuitive Eating Coach Pam Moore. Pam Moore is a journalist and an occupational therapist-turned-award-winning intuitive eating coach. Her writing has appeared in outlets including The Washington Post, Runner's World, SELF, and many others. Also a certified personal trainer, six-time marathoner, and two-time Ironman finisher, Pam is the creator of the Real Nourished newsletter, where she shares evidence-based tips to help women detach their weight from their worth, and the Real Fit podcast, featuring conversations with women athletes about body image, "enoughness", and more. Learn more about her and her work at pam-moore.com. Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

As active, athletic women, we know ourselves better than anyone. We know our pace, our power, and our mindset for training and competing. Perimenopause can make all of that change out of the blue. It can rob us of our confidence and knock us off our game, just when we feel like we’re really hitting our stride. Elite cyclist and coach Jill Patterson, 42, lived that reality for months, wondering if she had just “aged out” of her sport before discovering that the muscle and power loss, low motivation, mood swings, fatigue, and sudden aches and pains were in fact perimenopause. This week, we talk about her experience going into the menopause transition and how she got her power, mojo, and competitive edge back. After graduating college, Jill Patterson moved to Japan to teach English. She ended up staying 10 years, picked up road cycling, and was recruited to race on a Japanese women’s road racing team. After returning to the US 8 years ago, she continued to explore cycling in all forms, including Gran Fondo, criteriums, gravel, mountain bike, and cyclocross. Today she is a full time cycling coach for athletes from all over the world. Jill continues to race and has achieved many notable wins including the 2018 GFNY World Championship, the 2021 Wedu Segment Challenge, and the 2022 and 2023 USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championship titles. You can learn more about her at @jillpattersoncycling on Instagram and at jillpattersoncycling.com. Subscribe to the Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-page Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Feisty Media: @feisty_media Selene: @fitchick3 Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Join Level Up - Our Community for Active Women Navigating the Menopause Transition: Join: https://www.feistymenopause.com/monthly-membership-1 Leave your questions for Selene: https://www.speakpipe.com/hitplay Get the Free Feisty Women's Guide to Lifting Heavy Sh*t: https://www.feistymenopause.com/liftheavy Support our Partners: Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/