The Luminescence Podcast with Schuyler Grant

Aches, pains, and that mysterious menopause pooch. Is it just aging, or is something else happening in your body?

In this episode of the Luminescence Podcast, Schuyler Grant sits down with Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Sarah de la Torre, and Elena Brower to get into what's actually happening musculoskeletally during perimenopause and menopause — muscle loss, joint pain, shifting metabolism, and why the workouts that used to work have stopped working.

They discuss:


What the musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause actually is — why everything suddenly hurts, and why this collection of symptoms doesn't get talked about enough


Why muscle is your most important glucose sink as hormones shift — and how protecting it changes your entire metabolic picture


The difference between visceral and subcutaneous fat, and why where you gain weight matters more than the number on the scale for heart health


The surprising connections between perimenopause, fibromyalgia, and chronically misdiagnosed pain — including why frozen shoulder peaks in midlife


How modern yoga is adapting to support strength and functional movement — and why flexibility without stability can be problematic

For any woman who's noticed her body changing and wants to understand what's actually happening beneath the surface.

For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health. 

Presented by our sponsors:

Stripes:

Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line.

Genova Connect:

Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net.

LivOn Labs:

Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com.

BiOptimizers:

Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.

Perimenopause can arrive as sudden rage, body composition shifts, sleep disruption, brain fog, and emotional swings that don't match the circumstances.

This is part two of the conversation on perimenopause. Schuyler Grant, Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Sarah de la Torre, and Elena Brower share personal stories alongside evidence-based lifestyle tools that move the needle whether or not you're on hormone therapy.

They discuss:


Why protein timing and strength training stabilize energy and mood in perimenopause and how to structure both for maximum impact


The difference between bioidentical, natural, and synthetic hormones and what these terms actually mean when you're making treatment decisions


When and how to start HRT. The timing considerations, how to make it affordable, and what safety actually looks like


How sleep, hydration, and fiber influence hormones and metabolism. The mechanisms behind why these basics matter more now


Which telehealth clinics offer nationwide menopausal care worth knowing about and how to navigate this new landscape

For any woman who's in it and trying to figure out what to do next beyond being told to exercise more and sleep better.

For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health. 

Presented by our sponsors:

Stripes:

Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line.

Genova Connect:

Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net.

LivOn Labs:

Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com.

BiOptimizers:

Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.

Most women don't recognize perimenopause until they're already deep in it, and their doctors often miss it too.

In this episode, Schuyler Grant sits down with Dr. Somi Javaid, founder of HerMD and women's sexual health expert; Dr. Sarah de la Torre, OB-GYN and functional medicine physician; and Elena Brower, bestselling author and teacher, to talk about what's actually happening hormonally during perimenopause and why so much of it goes unrecognized, minimized, or misdiagnosed.

They discuss:


Why perimenopause often starts in the late thirties and early forties, long before hot flashes or cycle changes appear


The symptoms most commonly missed — sleep disruption, brain fog, anxiety, mood swings, and changes in body composition


Why so many women leave their doctor's office with an antidepressant when what they actually needed was hormone support


How siloed specialties, underfunded research, and undertrained clinicians are failing women at midlife


What it means to be the CEO of your own healthcare — and how to advocate for yourself inside a system that wasn't built with you in mind

If you've ever walked out of a doctor's office with more confusion than you walked in with, this episode is for you.

For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health. 

Presented by our sponsors:

Stripes: Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line.

Genova Connect: Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net.

LivOn Labs: Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com.

BiOptimizers: Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.

Botox. Fillers. Lasers. Red light masks. Geranium oil and gua sha.

If you've wondered about any of these — what they actually do, whether they're worth it, and what two menopause-focused OB-GYNs and a Zen teacher actually do themselves — this is that conversation.

In part three of their conversation on the visible changes of midlife, Schuyler Grant, Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Sarah de la Torre, and Elena Brower get personal about what they actually do, what they recommend, and where they disagree.

They discuss:

Botox: The medical uses most people don't know about, the case for and against, and what happens when you freeze too much of your face

Lasers: How they actually work, the difference between superficial and deeper treatments, and what to look for in a provider

Red light therapy masks: What the data actually says and what to look for before you buy

Fillers: Why one doctor completely changed her position on them

The natural alternatives, geranium oil, gua sha, retinol vs. estrogen, and dermaplaning

Each woman's personal philosophy on aging (which turns out to be the most clarifying part of the conversation)

A lightning round: Face yoga, staying out of the sun, ring lights, shorter haircuts, tweezers in the car, and more

This episode is for any woman who wants real opinions, not just options.

For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit ⁠www.luminescence.health⁠. 

Presented by our sponsors:

Stripes:

Visit ⁠stripesbeauty.com⁠ and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line.

Genova Connect:

Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit ⁠connect.gdx.net⁠.

LivOn Labs:

Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at ⁠LivOnLabs.com⁠.

BiOptimizers:

Go to ⁠bioptimizers.com/luminescence⁠ and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.

You look in the mirror and something's different. Your skin, your hair. And nobody really warned you that this was coming, or that it was hormonal.

This is part two of the conversation on the visible changes of midlife. Schuyler Grant, Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Sarah de la Torre, and Elena Brower get into the biology behind what's actually happening to skin and hair as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone decline. 

They discuss:

What declining hormones actually do to collagen, elastin, and blood flow and why your skin is your largest organ, not just a vanity concern

Topical estrogen for the face. What it is, how it differs from vaginal estrogen, and why even the doctors in this conversation hadn't heard of it

The Women's Health Initiative, the black box warning that just came off vaginal estrogen, and what two decades of misinformation actually cost women

Whether starting HRT earlier makes a visible difference and what the data does and doesn't support

How to tell the difference between a choice that's genuinely yours and one that's been shaped by outside pressure

Most women are handed moisturizer and told to drink more water. This episode goes considerably further than that. 

For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit ⁠www.luminescence.health⁠. 

Presented by our sponsors:

Stripes:

Visit ⁠stripesbeauty.com⁠ and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line.

Genova Connect:

Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit ⁠connect.gdx.net⁠.

LivOn Labs:

Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at ⁠LivOnLabs.com⁠.

BiOptimizers:

Go to ⁠bioptimizers.com/luminescence⁠ and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.