Everyday Wellness: Midlife Hormones, Menopause, and Science for Women 35+

Today, I had the honor of connecting with Ashley Koff. She is a leading voice in personalized nutrition and the founder of the Better Nutrition Program. With over 25 years of experience and the groundbreaking GLP-1 Optimization System to her name, she’s helped redefine how we approach sustainable weight health.

In our conversation, we dive into how her book reframes the concept of healthy weight. We explore integrative perspectives on digestive health and GLP-1s, why many women blame themselves when they struggle to lose weight, and how Ashley’s framework helps them remove that self-blame. We also discuss issues surrounding info-besity and the “less is more” approach, natural ways to support appetite regulation and satiety signaling, key areas of digestive health, and the importance of detoxification. Ashley also shares the red flags she sees in women who are undernourishing themselves or over-fasting, things to consider when you want to stop taking GLP-1s, and her opinions on new drug therapies.

Join us for today’s thought-provoking and insightful conversation around metabolic health and weight-loss resistance for women in middle age, perimenopause, and menopause.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:


The interconnection that exists between digestion, hormones, and metabolic signaling


How the hormonal fluctuation that occurs in perimenopause disrupts women's digestion


What drives satiety? 


How GLP-1 medications simply amplify, extend, or mimic an existing communication loop within the body rather than creating new pathways


Why do women blame themselves when they cannot lose weight?


How info-besity blocks the body from doing what it is naturally designed to do 


Why detoxification is essential for supporting natural digestive and metabolic processes


The red flags that indicate undernourishment or over-fasting in women


What you need to think about before stopping GLP-1s

Bio:

Ashley Koff, RD, is the USA Today bestselling author of⁠ Your Best Shot⁠ (HarperOne) and founder of⁠ The Better Nutrition Program⁠ (BNP).

An acclaimed weight-health expert and practitioner for more than 25 years, Koff is leading a transformative movement in personalized nutrition, turning “better, not perfect” choices into practical, sustainable strategies that deliver real outcomes. Your Best Shot introduces weight-health hormones (GLP-1, GIP, CCK, PYY) as the regulators of weight health, offering the first-ever assessment of their function and a personalized optimization system—shot or not.

A trusted expert featured across major media and a sought-after educator for health professionals, Ashley has been recognized as one of CNN’s Top 100 Health Makers and featured in InStyle as “Hollywood’s Leading Dietitian.”

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow  


Follow on ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ & ⁠LinkedIn⁠


Check out Cynthia’s ⁠website⁠


Submit your questions to ⁠[email protected]⁠


Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community:⁠ The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow⁠ 


Cynthia’s⁠ Menopause Gut Book⁠ is on presale now!


Cynthia’s⁠ Intermittent Fasting Transformation⁠ Book


⁠The Midlife Pause Supplement Line⁠

Connect with Ashley Koff


⁠The Better Nutrition Program⁠ 


On ⁠Instagram⁠ and⁠ Substack⁠


On other social media: @Ashley Koff

Today, I am honored to connect with a friend and fellow nurse practitioner, Marcelle Pick! Marcelle is passionate about transforming how women experience healthcare through an integrative approach. She has successfully treated thousands of women through her unique approach to wellness.

Marcelle is currently a faculty member of The Institute of Functional Medicine and has served as a Medical Advisor to Healthy Living Magazine. She has written countless articles and multiple books, including Is It Me or My Hormones?

I always think of Marcelle as a pioneer in the women’s health/nurse practitioner space. In this episode, we dive into her background and the impact of the Women’s Health Initiative. We discuss the limitations of the traditional allopathic model regarding hormones, common misconceptions about adrenal health, perimenopause, and menopause, adverse childhood events and adrenal health, how lifestyle affects our sex hormones, fibroids, endometriosis, PMS, PMDD, and contraception for perimenopause. We speak about endocrine disruptors, mold, and micro toxins. We also get into ways to think about hormone replacement therapy and ways to address intimacy and low libido.

I love connecting with other nurses and nurse practitioners! I hope you will love today’s conversation with Marcelle as much as I did!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:


Marcelle was part of the first all-women practice in the country.


How the Women’s Health Initiative has impacted health care for women.


The limitations of the traditional allopathic model are particularly in terms of perimenopause, menopause, and hormones.


The less-common labs Marcelle likes to look at for her patients


Marcelle shares her approach to unraveling the symptoms of perimenopause.


Some unique ways in which Marcelle deals with problems like fibroids and endometriosis.


How childhood trauma could lead to adrenal and autoimmune issues, weight-loss resistance, and various other health problems.


Many of the things Marcelle recommended for treating PMS and PMDD back in the day (1985) have now become the standard of care.


Contraceptive options for women in perimenopause.


The impact of stress on adrenal function during perimenopause and menopause.


Marcelle dives into liver health and detoxification, chemicals and other factors that could impact our health, and changes we can make to avoid problems and feel better.


What Marcelle does to help women with low libido.

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow


Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn


Check out Cynthia’s website


Submit your questions to [email protected]


Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community (The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow) 


Cynthia’s Menopause Gut Book is on presale now!


Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book


The Midlife Pause supplement line

Connect with Marcelle Pick

On her ⁠website⁠   

⁠Facebook

⁠Instagram⁠

All of Marcelle’s books are available on ⁠Amazon

I am delighted to reconnect with Dr. Jason Fung today. He is a trained nephrologist and world-leading expert on intermittent fasting and metabolic health. He has authored multiple books, including the New York Times best-seller, The Obesity Code, The Diabetes Code, and, more recently, The Hunger Code.  

In our conversation today, we unpack the obsessive focus on the calories-in, calories-out model, which is neither practical nor effective. We explore the root causes behind the narrow-minded thinking that calories alone drive obesity, differences between types of hunger and conditioned responses, how hormones affect other hormones, and lessons about GLP-1s. We examine the critical importance of fiber and protein, and offer clarity around carbohydrates. We also cover the impact of meal timing, sleep, and circadian biology, the fat thermostat and sympathetic tone, nutrition, stress, and mindful eating, and dive into the issue of ultra-processed foods.

Join us for an insightful conversation that challenges conventional wisdom and offers a nuanced and sustainable approach to understanding hunger, metabolism, and long-term health.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:


“Calories in, calories out” framework is technically correct, but practically useless


How the homeostatic, hedonic, and conditioned hunger types differ


Dr. Fung shares his take on GLP-1 medications


How fiber stimulates natural GLP-1 production


Processed and natural carbohydrates produce vastly different glucose and insulin responses.


Avoid eating late-night meals!


Complex relationship between hunger, hormonal regulation, and sleep quality


Hormones that drive body fat regulation 


How bitter foods suppress appetite and enhance satiety

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow  


Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn


Check out Cynthia’s website


Submit your questions to [email protected]


Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow 


Cynthia’s Menopause Gut Book is on presale now!


Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book


The Midlife Pause Supplement Line

Connect with Dr. Jason Fung


On his website


Instagram and YouTube


Dr. Fung’s latest book, The Hunger Code, will come out in March. Pre-order on Amazon!

Most of the questions I’ve been asked lately have been about my current hormone replacement regimen. So I have dedicated this episode to unpacking what I use transdermally, orally, and topically for hormone replacement therapy. As you might expect, my approach includes the basics, along with a few additional strategies. I also share a topical option for facial skin that Dr. Felice Gersh recently recommended.

Stay tuned to find out what I do for hormone replacement therapy.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:


What you need to optimize first, before even considering adding any additional items


Why I might need to increase the dosage of my Dotti transdermal estrogen patch


Why I consider estradiol the most potent estrogen our bodies make before menopause


Factors that influenced my decision to prioritize estradiol therapy


The role of testosterone, beyond libido


Why I use progesterone


The value of intra-vaginal products


Why I use a compounded intra-vaginal product 


What copper peptides, estriol, DMAE, and hyaluronic acid may do for aging skin

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow  


Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn


Check out Cynthia’s website


Submit your questions to [email protected]


Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow 


Cynthia’s Menopause Gut Book is on presale now!


Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book


The Midlife Pause Supplement Line

Research Links

Efficacy of Transdermal Estradiol and Micronized Progesterone in the Prevention of Depressive Symptoms in the Menopause Transition: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Hormone Replacement Therapy

Effects of Ultra–Low-Dose Transdermal Estradiol on Cognition and Health-Related Quality of Life  

Regenerative and Protective Actions of the GHK-Cu Peptide in the Light of the New Gene Data

Treatment of skin aging with topical estrogens

SCF-induced airway hyperreactivity is dependent on leukotriene production

The role of dimethylaminoethanol in cosmetic dermatology

The Missing lnc(RNA) between the pancreatic β-cell and diabetes

Today, I am thrilled to connect with Dr. Sonya Jensen, a naturopathic physician on a mission to transform how women understand themselves and their bodies. She believes women are central to their families and communities, and by supporting women, we create a ripple effect that supports the whole.

In our conversation, we explore the sense of selfishness many women feel when advocating for their needs, and why choosing ourselves, especially in midlife, is essential. We discuss science-versus-soul transformations, gestational silence and trauma, and the physiological effects shaping this generation and those to come. We also unpack how stress impacts the immune system and autoimmunity, why stress reduction techniques are the key to vagus nerve activation, the link between mental health and hormones, womb-wisdom and generational influences, how grief and sadness can influence us profoundly, and the value of trusting our intuition and embracing the gifts of aging.

I know you will enjoy this discussion with Sonya Jensen. She shares a gentle, loving, and kind message for women- one that is well worth reflecting upon. Be sure to keep an eye out for her upcoming book, Heal Your Hormones, Reclaim Yourself, scheduled for release in early 2026, where she connects hormonal chaos, emotional overload, and relationship pain through her integrative method.

After the recording, Dr. Jensen noted a clarification: there were 50 famines in total during British rule in India, not 50 famines in a single year.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:


How awareness practices can help you become more physically regulated when things feel overwhelming


Why friable emotions are not due to personal failure or a faulty mindset


How to reconnect with your body


The benefit of body-based practices for supporting nervous system regulation   


What is womb wisdom?


How womb wisdom influences the way we show up in the world


Some of the biggest obstacles to women’s healing


Why so many women struggle to trust themselves


Why loneliness can surface as women age, and ways to counter it  

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow  


Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn


Check out Cynthia’s website


Submit your questions to [email protected]


Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow 


Cynthia’s Menopause Gut Book is on presale now!


Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book


The Midlife Pause supplement line

Connect with Dr. Sonya Jensen


On her book website: Heal Your Hormones, Reclaim Yourself


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