High Performance Health

Sarah Kennedy of Calocurb explains why food noise spikes in perimenopause: falling estrogen raises cravings while the hindbrain overrides forebrain willpower under stress or poor sleep. She contrasts natural appetite hormones (GLP-1, GIP, CCK, PYY) with pharmaceutical GLP-1 agonists, which run at roughly 3,000% physiological levels versus the body's natural 300% rise - explaining rebound hunger after stopping injectables. Calocurb, a hops-derived bitter compound, stimulates a 600% natural hormone rise for an 18% average calorie reduction.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN


Why food noise isn't a willpower problem, and what's actually happening in your hindbrain versus your forebrain when cravings take over


How declining estrogen in perimenopause changes your calorie needs even as cravings increase


What GLP-1, GIP, CCK, and PYY actually do in your body, and how they differ from each other


How pharmaceutical GLP-1 agonists compare to your body's own natural hormone levels, and what that gap means for nutrient intake


Why coming off a GLP-1 medication can trigger intense rebound hunger, and what's happening hormonally during that transition


How bitter taste receptors throughout your gut influence appetite signaling, and why this evolutionary mechanism matters


What role the luteal phase, travel, and sleep deprivation play in cravings, and how timing strategies can offset them

TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 

00:58 - Willpower vs. Biology: The Hindbrain-Forebrain Battle Driving Cravings 

04:58 - GLP-1 Explained: How Natural Appetite Hormones Actually Work 10:21 – Supraphysiological Dosing on GLP-1 Drugs and Nutrient Sufficiency Risks 

14:03 – Bitter Taste Receptors: The Gut-Brain Mechanism Behind Appetite Suppression 

16:58 – Managing Mindless Snacking, Grazing, and the "Licks, Sips, and Dips" Problem 

22:06 – Using Appetite Support Strategically During Weight Loss Plateaus 

26:26 – Onboarding, Dosing, and Managing Digestive Side Effects 

28:13 – Blood Sugar Regulation and New Clinical Research on Weight Loss Outcomes 

30:51 – Why You Must Transition Off GLP-1s Strategically to Avoid Rebound Weight Gain 

36:53 – Mood, Motivation, and the Liberating Effect of Quieting Food Noise 

39:44 – Closing Thoughts

VALUABLE RESOURCES• Take the BioSyncing Quiz to help you understand what’s actually happening in your body — and how to fix it.

👉 https://biosyncing.scoreapp.com/

***

This episode is brought to you by Calocurb a natural appetite control supplement that helps you feel fuller, longer, without the jitters or crash of stimulant-based options. Head to calocurb.com/angela and use code ANGELA for 10% off your order.

Follow Calocurb:


Website: Calocurb.com


Instagram: @calocurb


YouTube: Calocurb


LinkedIn: Calocurb

ABOUT THE GUEST

Sarah Kennedy is the Founder and CEO of Calocurb, a natural appetite-management company built around years of scientific research and clinical trials that brought Amarasate, a natural GLP-1 activator derived from New Zealand bitter hops, to market. She brings more than 20 years of experience leading health, nutrition, and consumer products companies, including executive leadership roles at Fonterra and Healtheries/Vitaco NZ. In 2010, she completed a Sloan Fellowship Program in Global Leadership and Innovation at MIT. Sarah's own lifelong struggle with weight and complicated relationship with food became the personal driving force behind Calocurb — when the product worked for her where nothing else had, she made it her mission to bring that option to others looking for a natural, non-injectable way to manage cravings and support healthy weight management.

Most of us have heard that we need to exercise more, but today, exercise physiologist Dr Stacy Sims digs into what kind of training actually moves the needle for women — and why longer, slower workouts may be leaving results on the table.

We get into the real difference between high-intensity interval training and sprint interval training, why the Norwegian 4x4 is one of the most efficient tools for building VO2 max, how to structure a full week of training across just three days, and why your wearable's heart rate zones are probably misleading you more than helping you.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

Why high-intensity and sprint interval training are not the same thing — and why the distinction matters

What the Norwegian 4x4 actually is and why it's so effective for VO2 max

How to combine strength, sprint, and cardio work into just three sessions a week

Why resistance training and high-intensity work should be prioritised over Zone 2 if you're short on time

The truth about BDNF, brain health, and why you need both a seed and the miracle grow

Why wrist-worn heart rate monitors consistently fail during high-intensity efforts

What Zone 2 actually is — and why most people are training too hard to be in it

Why 10,000 steps is a marketing figure, not a science target

Why "Zone Zero" has no basis in exercise physiology

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Watch the full podcast here: https://youtu.be/2SWU8_KDFmc

Take the BioSyncing Quiz to help you understand what’s actually happening in your body — and how to fix it.
👉 https://biosyncing.scoreapp.com/

A BIG thank you to our sponsor who makes the show possible:
• MitoQ - Support your cells at the source with MitoQ NAD+ Dual Action, designed to boost NAD levels and help your cells actually use them for steady energy and sharper focus
👉 https://www.mitoq.com and use code ANGELA for 10% off your first order.

Most of us assume that if we look healthy on the outside, our heart is fine on the inside, but today, preventive cardiology dietitian Michelle Routhenstein explains why that's exactly the assumption that gets women into trouble, especially through perimenopause and beyond.
We get into the two numbers your doctor probably isn't checking, ApoB and Lp(a), the first five diet changes Michelle makes with clients to bring down high cholesterol numbers, why stretching may be doing as much for your arteries as it does for your joints, and why blood pressure, not HRV, deserves far more of your attention as you move through this life stage.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

●      Why heart disease can silently progress in women who look and feel healthy

●      What ApoB and Lp(a) actually measure, and why they matter more than LDL and HDL alone

●      The first five diet changes to lower high ApoB or non HDL cholesterol

●      Why saturated fat, fiber, and gut health all influence your cholesterol numbers

●      Why blood pressure, not HRV, deserves more of your attention in perimenopause

●      How menopause hormone therapy really affects your cardiovascular risk

●      The minerals your heart needs to keep beating and pumping properly

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Heart Disease Risk in Women: ApoB, Lp(a), and the Tests Your Doctor Isn't Running
10:18 The Hidden Inflammation Driving Your Heart Disease Risk (And How to Test for It)
19:29 The Truth About Saturated Fat and Cholesterol After 40
22:19 The First Five Diet Changes to Lower High ApoB or Non HDL Cholesterol
29:24 Bloating, Gut Health and Thyroid: The Hidden Heart Disease Risks in Perimenopause
39:41 Why Stretching Might Be Protecting Your Arteries, Not Just Your Joints
51:48 Does Menopause Hormone Therapy Actually Protect Your Heart?
VALUABLE RESOURCES
• Take the BioSyncing Quiz to help you understand what’s actually happening in your body — and how to fix it.

👉 https://biosyncing.scoreapp.com/

 

A BIG thank you to our sponsor who makes the show possible:

• MitoQ - Support your cells at the source with MitoQ NAD+ Dual Action, designed to boost NAD levels and help your cells actually use them for steady energy and sharper focus

👉 https://www.mitoq.com and use code ANGELA for 10% off your first order.

 

ABOUT THE GUEST

Michelle Routhenstein, MS, RD, CDCES, CDN, is a preventive cardiology dietitian and the founder of Entirely Nourished, a nutrition counseling practice specializing in the prevention and management of heart disease. She holds a master's degree in clinical nutrition from New York University and has spent over a decade helping clients improve markers like ApoB, Lp(a), blood pressure, and inflammation through personalized, science-based nutrition. She sits on the medical advisory board of the National Menopause Foundation and works with clients at every stage, from prevention to recovery after a cardiac event.

Website: https://entirelynourished.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heart.health.nutritionist/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellerouthenstein/

In this episode, Angela is joined by Brad Currier from Timeline to explore why mitochondrial health may be a missing piece of the puzzle for women struggling with energy, recovery and performance in perimenopause. They discuss the role of mitophagy, the process of clearing out damaged mitochondria, and how exercise and Urolithin A work to support cellular renewal.

The conversation also reviews research showing improvements in muscle power, strength, endurance and recovery with Urolithin A supplementation, alongside Angela's personal experience of noticing a decline in energy when she stopped taking it and improvements when she restarted.

Key Takeaways

Exercise naturally supports mitochondrial renewal and mitophagy.

Mitophagy helps remove damaged mitochondria that can impair energy and recovery.

Urolithin A is the only clinically validated supplement currently shown to specifically support mitophagy.

Studies have shown improvements in muscle power, strength and endurance with Urolithin A supplementation.

Research suggests it may help reduce muscle damage and improve recovery.

Benefits develop gradually over weeks and months rather than being felt immediately.

Mitochondrial support may be particularly valuable during perimenopause when recovery often becomes slower and energy less reliable.

VALUABLE RESOURCES
•  Take the BioSyncing Quiz to help you understand what’s actually happening in your body and how to fix it.
👉 https://biosyncing.scoreapp.com/

Most women think poor sleep is inevitable as they get older. It isn't. It is your stress hormones, your cortisol cycle, and a specific stage of deep sleep called N4, and all three can be addressed. 

I sit down with Dr. Juliane Hellhammer, a psycho-neuro-endocrinologist specialising in stress and sleep, and what he shares will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about rest and recovery. If you have ever woken at 2am with your mind racing, struggled to feel recovered no matter how much sleep you get, or wondered whether your wearable is actually telling you the truth about your sleep quality, this episode gives you the science and the solutions. Because what if the sleep stage that matters most is the one no one is talking about?

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Why perimenopausal women wake up at 2am and what is actually driving it

• What N4 deep sleep is and why it matters after 40

• What destroys deep sleep quality in perimenopausal women and how to fix it

• Can wearables accurately measure deep sleep stages

• What poor sleep does to brain fog and fatigue in perimenopause

• Why trying too hard to sleep is keeping you awake

• What genuinely high quality sleep looks like

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Why Deep Sleep, Stress & Sleep Duration Matter in Perimenopause

07:48 Why Trying Too Hard to Sleep Is Destroying Your Deep Sleep

13:26 What High Quality Sleep Really Looks Like and The Ancient Ingredient That Improves It

23:20 Why You Wake Up at 2–4am in Perimenopause and How to Fix It

27:34 Top 3 Evidence-Based Upgrades for Sleep and Recovery

30:25 How to Use the Sleep Well Supplement for Best Results

VALUABLE RESOURCES
•  Take the BioSyncing Quiz to help you understand what’s actually happening in your body and how to fix it.
👉 https://biosyncing.scoreapp.com/

 

ABOUT THE GUEST
Dr. Juliane Hellhammer is a psychoneuroendocrinologist, PhD researcher, and Founder and CEO of daacro, a specialist clinical research organisation based in Trier, Germany, focused on stress, sleep, and psychobiology. With decades of experience running clinical trials on how chronic stress and cortisol impact health, she is one of Europe's leading experts on the physiological relationship between stress and sleep disorders.

Try Sleep Well Dissolvable Granules: https://www.avogel.co.uk/herbal-remedies/sleep-well/
Website: http://www.daacro.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliane-hellhammer-phd-38865232/