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Following menopausal athletes on Instagram can be inspiring. But if we’re honest, it can also be deflating. You see the podium smiles and the highlights of their lives, which can leave you feeling alone in your own struggles. That’s why it’s so wonderful when one of these athletes like this week’s guest, multisport athlete Nicole Sin Quee pulls back the curtain and shares the real, more nuanced picture of their life. Nicole is a math teacher and mother who lives in Bronx, NY. She is also an accomplished athlete, earning a podium spot in all six of her attempts at the National and World Championship triathlons and duathlons. She recently won the Off-Road Triathlon 50-54 age group title and finished third female overall. She also finished top 25 in her bike racing debut at SBT GRVL this year where she represented Ride For Racial Justice. But those highs have been interspersed with her share of lows. Nicole has worked through myriad struggles during her perimenopausal years, which required her to give herself grace and time and space to find her athletic self again--something we can all learn from. You can follow her at https://www.instagram.com/sinquee/ **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Previnex: use code hitplay for 15% off your first order at https://www.previnex.com/

Juggling training by itself is hard. Juggling training along with real life obligations is even harder. Add the physical and psychological changes that come with menopause and midlife? Oh boy. Better call Cirque du Soleil for some tips. Or you can call a lifelong athlete, veteran coach, and exercise physiologist like this week’s guest, Lenita Anthony, who provides sound, science- and life-based advice on planning your exercise sessions, balancing intensity with recovery (especially when it comes to high intensity intervals), and setting exciting new goals during this time of life. Lenita is a longtime fitness industry presenter, author, and master educator for Stages Cycling. She is a National Board Certified Health Coach, and has over 25 years experience in clinical exercise physiology and fitness education. A former IDEA contributing editor board member, her expertise includes program design for special populations and sports performance. A lifelong athlete, Lenita raced triathlons of all distances, including the Ironman Hawaii World Championships in Kona. In more recent years, she has put her competitive focus into track cycling, where she has won National and World Championship titles, and set 4 age-group World Records in Individual Pursuit and Team Pursuit. Her passions include volunteering as a Ride Leader for the Challenged Athletes’ Foundation, strength training, and surfing with her sons near her home in San Diego, California. **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code HITPLAY

Medical menopause can be intense. If you’re a cancer survivor, you may have multiple rounds with menopause. You may go through premature menopause or have menopause symptoms related to chemotherapy and/or other drug treatments and then go through it again either naturally or should you need surgery or other treatments later on. It can all be complicated, confusing, challenging, and scary. Being an active woman helps with symptom management, but there’s more you can do to get through and manage your symptoms (as well as future risk) to live your fullest life. This week’s guest Dr. Corinne Menn is an expert in all of that, having been diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just 28 and in the middle of her OB/GYN residency. We talk about how to manage medical and/or surgical menopause, as well as genetic testing for breast cancer; finding active, supportive communities like the Young Survival Coalition; managing menopause when you’re at risk for breast cancer, and more. Now a 19 year survivor, Dr. Menn has dedicated her practice to gynecology only, with a focus on wellness and preventative care. You can learn more about her and her practice at drmenn.com and the Young Survival Coalition at ysctourdepink.org. **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code HITPLAY Velorosa Cycling: 15% off at https://velorosacycling.com with code HITPLAY

As women we hear a lot about “breaking the ceiling,” whether it’s the glass one that has hovered over us for so long or the self imposed one that we sometimes put overhead, limiting our potential. Well if you want to crack that ceiling, it helps to raise the floor—elevate the platform from which you’re starting by taking the best care possible of your body where it is right now, something that is especially important during our menopausal years. That’s where this week’s guest Tracey Jacobs comes in. Tracey is an elite bike racer, a certified massage therapist at her company Pure Massage Boulder, a cycling coach, and a nutrition consultant. Tracey, 54, has seen the top step of the podium, including winning the 2019 Masters Colorado State Championship Road Race and Criterium events and being awarded Best All Around Rider for Master’s 50+ in Colorado in 2019…all after breaking her neck in a fluke accident in 2018. She talks all about her journey and how she helps others reach their potential through bodywork, mindset, and finely tuned training. You can learn more about her at puremassageboulder.com **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code HITPLAY Velorosa Cycling: 15% off at https://velorosacycling.com with code HITPLAY

We often talk about menopause as puberty in reverse. Remember puberty? You sprouted breasts and grew hips and maybe got curvier all the way around. Nobody ever said to you, “What have you done?” You were obviously going through this very natural process. When those hormones reverse course, your body also starts changing. Only now, we beat ourselves up and feel like we’ve somehow failed if we have a belly when we didn’t before…even though maybe our body is adding that padding to help protect us. We go into all of that and much more with this week’s guest, Diana Reid of The Global Dietitian. Diana is licensed as a dietitian in both the US and Luxembourg and works with clients who are seeking to improve their health and quality of life through balanced eating and a more peaceful relationship with food and their bodies. She is also 53, lifts weights, runs, rides bikes, and has written about her own journey with body changes and weight gain after going through early menopause at 42 due to surgery from PCOS and endometriosis. You can learn more about her and her work at theglobaldietitian.com. **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause Velorosa Cycling: 15% off at https://velorosacycling.com with code HITPLAY

Cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and other psychological practices come up a lot on this show as ways we can quell anxiety, manage menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats, and get some quality sleep during this time of life. But what exactly is it? How do you do it? How does it work? We tackle all these questions and more with this week’s guest, Dr. Alisha Brosse. Alisha Brosse, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and founding partner of the Boulder Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies. She specializes in behavioral therapies for mood, anxiety, and sleep disorders. She is the co-author of End the Insomnia Struggle: A Step-By-Step Guide to Help You Get to Sleep and Stay Asleep. You can learn more about her and her work at www.bouldercbt.com **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause Velorosa Cycling: 15% off at https://velorosacycling.com with code HITPLAY

Let food be thy medicine, they say. But don’t stop there. Let exercise and stress management and sleep and friendships and your whole lifestyle be thy medicine, too. That’s the basic tenet of the type of Lifestyle Medicine this week’s guest, Dr. Melissa Sundermann practices. It’s grounded in research showing how we live our lives has a profound impact on our health, performance, well-being, and for the purposes of this discussion, our menopausal transition. At a time when everything can feel out of control, it helps to “control your controllables” as they say. Dr. Sundermann tells us how. Dr. Sundermann is double-board certified in both Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine and currently practices with IHA in Ann Arbor, Michigan where she is helping to launch the IHA Lifestyle Medicine Institute. She enjoys running, biking, hiking, skiing and spending time outdoors with her husband, 2 college-age children and 2 dogs. She is a 9x Boston Marathon finisher, 3x Full Ironman Triathlon finisher and currently training to run her 10th Boston Marathon this October at the age of 51. You can learn more about her at IHAcares.com **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause Velorosa Cycling: 15% off at https://velorosacycling.com with code HITPLAY

Hormone therapy for menopause is rife with confusion, fear, misunderstanding, and outright misinformation. Even doctors, who are often relying on long debunked research, can be at a loss to help women make educated choices for their health, well-being, and performance during this time. This week’s guests, Drs. Avrum Bluming and Carol Tavris, authors of Estrogen Matters go to great lengths to describe the real risks (or lack thereof) and myriad benefits of hormone therapy for women in their menopausal years, as well as how to choose among the various formulations. Their goal: Arm every woman with all the information she needs to make an informed, educated decision for her personal menopausal needs. You can learn more about them and their work and buy their book at estrogenmatters.com. Avrum Bluming, MD, is a hematologist and medical oncologist, and a Master of the American College of Physicians, an award bestowed on fewer than 500 of the 100,000 board-certified internists in the United States. He is Emeritus Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Southern California and a former senior investigator for the National Cancer Institute. Carol Tavris, PhD, is a social psychologist who has written widely about psychological science. Her trade books include Anger; The Mismeasure of Woman; and, with Elliot Aronson, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me). She has won numerous awards for her science writing and contributions to skepticism and gender equity. **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause Velorosa Cycling: 15% off at https://velorosacycling.com with code HITPLAY

This show is all about working with your changing physiology to optimize performance. This week’s guest, Masters 50-54 Cyclocross World Champion and Masters 50-54 XC and Masters 50-54 Marathon Mountain Bike National Champion, Libbey Sheldon embodies that ethos as well as anyone we know. After struggling with mountain bike stage racing in 2013, Libbey went back and worked on her limiters to maximize her performance and nearly won the women’s elite overall at the Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic stage race at age 55 this year. And she feels like she’s just getting started. We talk about maintaining strength, managing symptoms, and how to make gains everywhere you can. Libbey is an everyday athlete with a busy life. She’s a lawyer by profession and is a mom to four boys. Her positivity, determination, and work ethic are absolutely inspirational. You can follow her adventures at https://www.instagram.com/libbeysheldon/ **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause Velorosa Cycling: 15% off at https://velorosacycling.com with code HITPLAY

Everyone needs a little summer break, even podcast hosts! So this week we are re-posting this excellent episode with physical therapist Chloe Murdock from fall 2020. Enjoy! It happens. You sneeze, cough, or laugh…and leak. Or you can barely get your key in the door without wetting yourself. It’s common, but not normal…or necessary. This week, pelvic floor specialist Chloë Murdock, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS offers solutions to the incontinence that can happen during menopause. And, spoiler alert, there’s more to it than Kegels—in fact, in some cases they can make it worse. Chloë explains that there’s more to your core than your abs and obliques and how muscle imbalances and weaknesses in key parts of your core, which includes your pelvic floor, can lead to leaking, especially in active women. She talks about the importance of deep breathing and other exercises to improve pelvic health, decrease stress, and help stop incontinence. She is a doctor of physical therapy, a Slowtwitch and BikeFit certified bike fitter, as well as a Board Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and USATF level 1 and RRCA certified running coach based in Zurich, Switzerland. You can find out more about her work at https://www.chloemurdockpt.com/meet-chloe

60 percent of people with thyroid disease go undiagnosed. And if you’re a menopausal woman, you may be mistaking thyroid disease symptoms for menopause symptoms—and suffering from both. The North American Menopause Society calls the thyroid a “touchy gland,” as it becomes imbalanced in about 1 in 8 women. And when it does, it can trigger a cascade of symptoms and, if it goes unchecked, health issues such as fatigue, forgetfulness, mood swings, weight gain, irregular menstrual cycles, high cholesterol, heart disease, and more. This week’s guest, Ingrid Anderson, RD, RDN, CDN, founder of Simply Confident nutrition and co-founder of Core Strength Fitness, specializes in treating women with thyroid conditions like hypothyroidism (low thyroid) and Hashimoto’s Disease (an autoimmune disease that attacks the thyroid). She is also a wealth of knowledge about how estrogen (or lack thereof) and thyroid hormone interact and what that means for all of us. You can learn more about Ingrid and her work at https://www.ingridrd.com/ **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause Velorosa Cycling: 15% off at https://velorosacycling.com with code HITPLAY

Recent research using brain imaging analysis shows our brains physically change during perimenopause. So our brains are clearly—sometimes substantially—impacted by our hormones. But those hormones are part of a larger chorus that includes nature, nurture, culture, society, lifestyle, and our thoughts and emotions, which can have a profound impact on how we experience the changes that come during the menopause transition. Experts are still uncovering all the hows and whys. Neuroscientist Dr. Sarah McKay, author of The Women’s Brain Book: The Neuroscience of Health, Hormones and Happiness, is one of those experts. We dive into all of that as well as hot topics like hormone therapy and brain health on this week’s show. Dr. McKay is an Oxford University-educated neuroscientist, educator, presenter, media commentator, and director of The Neuroscience Academy. She 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 **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause Velorosa Cycling: 15% off at https://velorosacycling.com with code HITPLAY

If you’re looking for just one piece of equipment that can help you get strong and fit AF, look no further than kettlebells. If you’re looking for one woman who can tell you everything you want to know about kettlebell training and why it’s the ideal training tool for menopausal women, look no further than this week’s guest Andrea Du Cane, of Andrea Du Cane Kettlebell Fitness. Andrea is Director of Certifications for Dragon Door Publications. She is a Master Kettlebell Instructor, an ACE-certified group fitness and senior fitness specialist, a TRX-certified trainer, and a Kettlebell-Functional Movement Specialist. She is also trained in Stott Pilates and has over 25 years of aerobics, weight training, and fitness experience, with an additional background in classical ballet, jazz dance and Argentine tango. She has also trained in a number of Eastern health and martial arts disciplines including kung fu, yoga, tai chi and qigong. You can learn more about her at https://kettlebellfitness.com/ InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause Velorosa Cycling: 15% off at https://velorosacycling.com with code HITPLAY

“Maybe it’s time to slow down.” That’s the message menopausal women often get from their friends, family, and yes, even physicians when they have joint pain and nagging injuries like Achilles tendonitis or “menopause arthritis” that are preventing them from running, riding, and hitting the weights without pain. This week’s guest, active aging expert Vonda Wright, MD, is simply not having it. Instead, she’s using her 20 years of medical acumen and wisdom to help others optimize aging, maximize mobility, and enjoy vital, healthy, active lives. Dr. Vonda is a double-boarded orthopedic surgeon, elite sports doc, public speaker, multiple time published author, bio tech consultant and health innovator. Her mission is to understand the causes of joint pain, ways we can improve joint health, and stay active and fit as we age. You can learn more about her work and practice at drvondawright.com. **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause Velorosa Cycling: 15% off at https://velorosacycling.com with code HITPLAY

Why is there so much misinformation about menopause? What really helps? What doesn’t? What the heck are “bioidentical hormones”? And why do we go through menopause anyway? We dig into all this and much, much more this week with none other than renowned (and oh, so feisty) OB/GYN and pain medicine physician, Dr. Jen Gunter, author of The Menopause Manifesto, as well as the New York Times bestselling The Vagina Bible. Jen Gunter, M.D., is an internationally bestselling author and OB/GYN with more than three decades of experience as a vulvar and vaginal diseases expert. Her TED talk was one of 2020’s Top Ten, and The Guardian calls her “the world’s most famous—and outspoken—gynecologist.” The recipient of the 2020 NAMS Media Award from the North American Menopause Society, she is a columnist for The New York Times and star of the CBC/Amazon Prime series Jensplaining, which humorously debunks medical myths and misinformation. She also hosts a new podcast, Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter. For more on Dr. Gunter, follow her at @DrJenGunter or visit DrJenGunter.com. You can buy The Menopause Manifesto wherever you get your books, including popular retailers here: https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/9780806540665/the-menopause-manifesto/ **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause Velorosa Cycling: 15% off at https://velorosacycling.com with code HITPLAY

Ever wonder how we got here? How is it that in 2021 billions of women are still largely in the dark about menopause? That many of us still feel kind of ashamed to talk about it? This week’s guest, historian Elinor Cleghorn, Ph.D., author of Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World tells us exactly how we’ve gotten here--our androcentric Western medical system that dates back to Ancient Greece is how. It’s why women have suffered misdiagnosis and mistreatment throughout history. It’s also undoubtedly why that even in modern times, a 2019 survey found that 20 percent of residents in family medicine, internal medicine, and even ob/gyn received zero lectures on menopause during their training and fewer than 7 percent reported feeling prepared to help manage the care of women through their menopausal years. We talk about all of that...and importantly what we can all do right now to advocate for ourselves in the present and make the future better on this week’s show. Elinor has a background in feminist culture and history. She has given talks and lectures at the British Film Institute, where she has been a regular contributor to the education program, Tate Modern, and ICA London, and she has appeared on the BBC Radio 4 discussion show The Forum. In 2017, she was shortlisted for the Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize, and she has since written creatively about her experience of chronic illness for publications including Ache (UK) and Westerly (AUS). She now works as a freelance writer and researcher. Unwell Women is out June 8th, but you can preorder it now at https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/646468/unwell-women-by-elinor-cleghorn/ **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause Velorosa Cycling: 15% off at https://velorosacycling.com with code HITPLAY

What can you do today to make yourself better tomorrow? The best answer to that question is based on you and you alone. Not what other women are doing. Not what you think you should be doing. Not what you used to do. But what you need to do—how to learn and improve—today based on where you are right now. This week’s guest, coach Julie Young lives, breathes, and, of course, teaches that philosophy to help her clients optimize personal performance, no matter their age or menopausal status. Julie’s personal accomplishments include winning 2019 Single Speed US National championships and the singlespeed category at the Leadville 100 mountain bike race in 2018, both of which she accomplished over the age of 50. She had a 12 plus year cycling racing career as a National team rider, racing in Europe and for pro teams like Saturn and is considered one of America’s most dominant European stage racers of her era. As a “retired” pro, Julie continues to push herself, competing and winning in gravel, cyclocross, mountain bike, X-terra, and trail running events, including a win at the 50k Trail National Championships. Julie works as the Sports Science Specialist at the Kaiser Sports Medicine Endurance Lab, where she does a wide range of physiology testing. She is a certified Specialized Body Geometry Bike Fit Technician and a certified Medicine of Cycling Bike Fitter. She is also the owner of Julie Young Training, where she provides individual coaching. You can find more about her services at www.julieyoungtraining.com **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause Velorosa Cycling: 15% off at https://velorosacycling.com with code HITPLAY

Ask your doctor about the benefits of high intensity exercise, lifting heavy sh*t, and adaptogens and you may just get a shrug (or worse a patronizing smile). Ask your coach or trainer about medicine and…well, don’t ask your coach or trainer about medicine because that’s not their job. What’s left is a giant chasm where most women in menopause reside, scratching their heads, wondering how to find a wellness prescription that really works. This week’s guest Carla DiGirolamo, M.D., is making it her life’s mission to fill that gap, bridging the lack of knowledge between the medical and wellness communities as an active participant in groups like CrossFit Health, as well as through her own private practice, so menopausal women can avoid meds they don’t need and live their strongest, healthiest, most confident lives. Carla is a double Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist/Obstetrician Gynecologist working as a reproductive specialist at Boston IVF in Waltham, Massachusetts. She is ranked among the Top Doctors in the Boston Area, and is listed as a provider with the North American Menopause Society. She is also a Crossfit Level 1 trainer, Certified Nutrition Coach and Les Mills BodyCombat and BodyPump Instructor. She recently launched an online personal training and nutrition coaching business, FitforLifeMD, which you can check out at fitforlifemd.com, specializing in the care of women in all age groups, but with a special interest in the comprehensive care of peri/postmenopausal women. **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause Velorosa Cycling: 15% off with code HITPLAY at velorosacycling.com

Your big goals don’t have to change with “The Change,” but your training, nutrition, and mindset sure do. This week, long time road and track cyclist Cheryl Osborne, 55, shares how she’s chasing a gold medal and championship jersey at the USA Cycling Masters Track National Championships this fall. Her strategy includes a healthy dose of sprint training and lifting heavy sh*t along with sound nutrition and lots of rest and easy rides. Cheryl, who works as a security specialist for the Department of Homeland Security, started her career in the sport of cycling as one of the sole women--and the sole Black woman at the time--in her region 25 years ago. In 1999, she started Artemis Racing (which now includes a club portion called Artemis Cycling) based in Bethesda, Maryland to help more women find the love of riding and racing. She continues that passion today through Artemis (which is still going strong) and as a board member and mentor at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania.

It’s hard to chase big goals and live your best life when you’re getting sidelined by injuries, which is a struggle many women face during the menopause transition. Research is only beginning to uncover how our sex hormones keep our muscles and connective tissues healthy and resilient and how the menopausal transition can increase the risk for plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis and so many other painful “itises.” This week’s guest, physiotherapist Claire Callaghan, B.Pty MSc, specializes in just that--helping you be pain free and achieve your goals, whatever they may be. Claire has been a Chartered Physiotherapist for over 25 years. Her primary focus is on the physical health and wellbeing of women and their families. She has a particular interest in how the musculoskeletal adapts and changes over the course of women’s lives, and in particular menopausal health. In her clinical work, she supports active women across many sports with management of aches, pains and injuries and maintenance of physical activity and exercise. You can learn more about her and her work at https://www.clairecallaghan.com. **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause

Does your diet make you feel good? How’s your energy? Are you performing and recovering well? How do you really feel? If we’re honest, many of us don’t even really know. Spending so many years on the high carb, low carb, no carb, low fat, high fat, keto, paleo, intermittent fasting Merry-Go-Round, it can be easy to lose sight of how you’re actually feeling and performing. And that’s before you throw the quest for weight loss--and what we think we “need” to weigh--into the picture. Ultimately, many of us end up fueling an idea, not a body. This week, longtime sports dietitian and endurance athlete Dina Griffin digs into all of these issues, as well as many others like fat burning, metabolic flexibility, power to weight and more. Dina Griffin, RDN, CSSD, CISSN is the Owner and Founder of The Nutrition Mechanic, a nutrition coaching company based out of Boulder, Colorado. She works with all levels of adult endurance athletes to optimize health and vitality. She blends science-based and evidence-informed strategies along with “real life” considerations to devise personalized nutrition plans. She has a particular passion for working with women’s health, peri- and post-menopause, masters athletes, ultra athletes, and supporting individuals who have a metabolic condition. You can learn more about her and her services at www.nutritionmechanic.com. **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause

How many times have you pushed back a big goal until you got “fitter” or “leaner”? How many times have you looked at an exciting challenge and thought, “That’s not for me.”? Tania Dalton spent most of her pre-menopausal life battling with body image issues, disordered eating, and crises of confidence, which kept her on the sidelines instead of engaging in the sports and activities she was otherwise eager to try. Now at 52, Tania is taking on those challenges full steam ahead, training for her first ever full Ironman triathlon. At this point in her menopause journey, she is also finally, truly happy with the body she is in. She shares her journey to get to this point on this week’s show. Tania is a personal trainer, healthy aging coach, and one of the original Menopause Feisties. You can learn more about her and follow her journey at https://taniadalton.com/ **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause

Gut health means more than just good digestion—though that’s certainly an important part of it! Your gut microbiome also impacts your overall health, body composition, and athletic performance. It’s also changing all the time and the menopausal transition definitely alters it…and not necessarily for the better. That’s why it’s especially important to build a diverse, healthy gut microbiome through the menopausal transition and beyond. This week’s guest, sports dietitian and clinical exercise physiologist Stasi Kasianchuk RDN, is an expert in all things “guts and glory” and offers great advice for nurturing your healthiest, richest gut microbiome. Stasi works specifically with peri and postmenopausal women as the director of Health Coaching at Gennev.com, an online medical and health resource for menopausal women. You can learn more about her work and gut microbiome testing through her private practice at enrichhealthconsulting.com **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause

The hormonal havoc of menopause can leave us with higher anxiety, less muscle, and a decline in power—all things that are unhelpful for sport in general, but especially if you’re scaling a vertical rock formation a dizzying distance from the ground. This week’s guests, Nancy Feagin and Maggie Odette, both badass rock climbers in their fifties, are not only overcoming the obstacles that menopause can bring to stay in the game, but are actually achieving some of their best climbs ever. They share their journey and best practices on the show this week. Nancy is a climbing legend. She’s been in movies and documentaries and has literally done it all: ice climbing, traditional climbing, sport climbing, bouldering, and mountaineering, including Summiting Everest in 2001 as the 11th American woman. She was also one of two in the first all female team to climb the Nose of El Capitan (Yosemite National Park) in a day, and she climbed her first 5.14 (aka super elite) sport climb at the age of 52. Maggie took up climbing in 1998 and has dedicated herself to consistent improvement. At the age of 44, she claimed her first 5.14a. She quit her job, married her climbing partner and started living on the road with him climbing full time. In 2019, at the age of 49, Maggie redpointed (free-climbing a route in one go from the ground to the finish after practicing it) her first 5.14b, T-Rex, in the Pipe Dream cave of Maple Canyon, UT. She climbed her two hardest routes to date at ages 49 and 50. You can follow Maggie’s adventures at https://gravitychronicles.com/ You can learn more about the blood flow restriction training they reference in the show at https://www.camp4humanperformance.com/, which is owned by strength and conditioning specialist Dr. Tyler Nelson.

Diets do not work. More than 30 years of diet culture has proven that point. Yet, we’re still bombarded day in and day out with books, websites, and fitspo pros promising rapid weight loss and making everyone feel bad about their bodies. Menopausal women are currently a popular target for many of these quick fixes and diet traps. Enough already. This week’s guest Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S has been pushing back against diet culture since 1995, instead offering a systematic approach to tune into yourself and nourish your mind, body and soul with food without all the baggage and stress that many of us associate with eating. No more counting, tracking, and angsting over what should be a natural, enjoyable activity. That’s as liberating as it gets. Evelyn is the author of 9 books and co-author of the best-selling Intuitive Eating, a mind-body self-care eating framework with 10 principles, which has given rise to over 125 studies to date showing benefit. Her brand new book is Intuitive Eating for Every Day: 365 Daily Practices & Inspirations to Rediscover the Pleasures of Eating. You can learn more about Evelyn and buy her new book at evelyntribole.com **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause

Everyone knows chest pain is a symptom of heart trouble. What too many people still don’t know is that women are more likely than men to experience other symptoms like nausea or vomiting, unexplained shortness of breath, profound inexplicable fatigue, jaw or back pain, or no symptoms at all. American Heart Association data from two million people shows that not only are women’s symptoms recognized less readily, but also they are less likely to receive the same preventative care as men, and they get lifesaving procedures less frequently and later during the course of a heart attack than men. When it comes to exercise, our hearts even remodel differently than men’s. Yet many doctors don’t recognize these important differences. Is your head exploding yet? This week’s guest, clinical cardiologist (and long distance runner and cyclist), Tamanna Singh, M.D., helps us cut through the confusion. Tamanna is a sports cardiologist with a specialty interest in female athletes. She is Co-Director of the Sports Cardiology Center at Cleveland Clinic and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. Her research interests include comparing the effects of a plant-based diet vs. an all-inclusive diet on heart health and defining the ideal diet for optimal athletic performance and cardiovascular risk reduction. You can learn more about her at https://my.clevelandclinic.org/staff/23916-tamanna-singh You can find the cardiovascular disease risk calculator here: http://tools.acc.org/ASCVD-Risk-Estimator-Plus/#!/calculate/estimate/ **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause

Tight hips, achy knees, weak glutes, grouchy back, stiff ankles...the list of aches, pains, and niggles that pop up seemingly out of nowhere can feel overwhelming, especially once we hit the menopausal transition and our hormones aren’t keeping our muscles and connective tissues as resilient and supple as they once were. This week’s guest, Dr. Kelly Starrett of The Ready State offers insights and advice for regaining (and retaining) the healthy, pain-free mobility your body was meant to have so you are ready for ache-free action. Kelly is a coach, a doctor of physical therapy, a two-time New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, and is the co-founder along with his wife Juliet of The Ready State, the world's most comprehensive collection of guided movement, mechanics, and mobility instructional videos. His clients include professional athletes in the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB. He also works with Olympic gold-medalists, Tour de France cyclists, world and national record-holding Olympic lifting and power athletes, CrossFit Games medalists, ballet dancers, military personnel, and competitive age-division athletes. You can learn more about his work at TheReadyState.com. **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com with the code FeistyMenopause

Yoga is more than something you do--that one or two classes a week where you attempt a full pigeon pose. It’s a way you live--a strengthening of the tether that connects your mind, body, and soul. Practiced daily, it can improve every aspect of your physical and mental well being, especially when you need that help most, like during menopausal and midlife years. This week’s guest, Carol Krucoff, C-IAYT, E-RYT, shares how yoga quite literally saved her life and how she applies what she’s learned to help others. Krucoff works as a yoga therapist at Duke Integrative Medicine in Durham, North Carolina and has written numerous books, including Yoga Sparks: 108 Easy Practices for Stress Relief in a Minute or Less and Relax into Yoga for Chronic Pain. You can learn more about her work at https://healingmoves.com/ Learn more about the Feisty Womxn's Performance Summit at womxnsperformancesummit.com **Support the Podcast** InsideTracker: 25% off at insidetracker.com/feistymenopause Nuun Hydration: 30% off at nuunlife.com

Dragging yourself through the motions more often than not these days? You’re not alone. The brain chemistry changes that occur during menopausal years can cause your mojo, motivation, and mental game to go MIA. But don’t despair. This week’s guest, psychologist Dr. Lisa Lewis is here to help you get your groove back. Spoiler alert: If you care that you’re not motivated, you’re actually motivated. You just need a little help accessing it from another angle. And she’s here to show you how. Dr. Lewis has a background in sport and exercise psychology and is especially well versed in the topic of motivation and all the many forms it takes—yes there’s way more than one—and how athletes and active women can find the one that works for them at any given time. You can learn more about her work at https://drlewisconsulting.com/ Register for the Feisty Womxn's Performance Summit at womxnsperformancesummit.com **Support the Podcast** Use the code FeistyMenopause at nuunlife.com & nuuncanada.com

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/about

As active women, we use carbs to fuel our training and racing. But there’s a limit to how many are good for our health (as well as performance), especially as we hit menopause and become more insulin resistant. This week’s guest, coach Gale Bernhardt has been on a mission to help her athletes dial in their nutrition and training to be better fat burners while also having the metabolic flexibility to use those sugars when they need them. That plan includes eating a diet filled with whole food fats and carbohydrates, as well as a healthy dose of special sprint sessions she calls Miracle Intervals that every menopausal athlete should try. Gale has been working with athletes since 1974 and is a two-time Olympic cycling and triathlon coach. She is the author of several training books, including Bicycling for Women and is the co-author of Become a Fat-Burning Machine. You can find out more about her work at https://galebernhardt.com/ and check out some Miracle Intervals at https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/all-out-miracle-intervals-to-improve-average-power-for-endurance-events/ **Support the Podcast** Use the code FeistyMenopause at https://nuun.life/feisty-podcast for 30% off your entire order

What keeps you going when the curtains start to fall at mile 19 of a marathon? How do you get up and charge again 3 days into a 6 day stage race? What makes the difference between picking up a kettlebell or a bottle of wine at the end of a long, hard, tiring day? Mental strength. The muscle between your ears is what keeps you going when the going gets hard. The opposite is true, too. When life is kicking your ass, being physically strong helps you muster the mental strength you need to persevere. This week’s guest Lisbeth Darsh, author of Strong Starts in the Mind talks all about mental strength, how to build it, and how to use it, especially when menopause knocks you back on your heels. Lisbeth is a former CrossFit executive and aircraft maintenance officer on fighter jets in the U.S. Air Force. Today, she is a proponent of Street Parking, a new workout system that makes CrossFit type training more accessible to people without access to a gym or a lot of equipment. You can learn more about her at https://wordswithlisbeth.com/ and more about Street Parking at https://streetparking.com/ Hit Play Not Pause is proud to be supported by Nuun Hydration in 2021! Show your support and use the code FeistyMenopause at nuunlife.com for 30% off all of Nuun's amazing products.

Chasing big athletic goals can supercharge your life. But how do you chase and accomplish those goals without dropping the ball on everything else, especially as you’re also trying to navigate all the changes that menopause and midlife can bring? This week’s guest, long time endurance athlete and coach Lynda Rowan is here to help. As a dual citizen of both Australia and the U.S., Lynda has competed in Sprint, Olympic, 70.3 and Ironman triathlons and has represented both countries at ITU World Age Group Championships. She has been coaching sport for 30 years and knows what it takes to get it all done. We talk about how to balance endurance and intensity; how to fit in strength training; how to properly rest and recover, and most importantly, how to do it all without coming undone. Hit Play Not Pause is proud to be supported by Nuun Hydration in 2021! Show your support and use the code FeistyMenopause at nuunlife.com for 30% off all of Nuun's amazing products.

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.com

The words we say to ourselves. The way we look at ourselves. The way we fuel, or often don’t fuel, ourselves. They’re a product of so many things--culture, society, ingrained images and messages. And too often they hurt our health, performance, and general well being. Exercising, playing sports, and being active can help, but they also can be the source of some of these issues, or make them worse. And when we hit our menopausal years and our bodies start taking on a life of their own, seemingly no matter what we do? We can go straight into a tailspin. This week’s guest, Dr. Christy Greenleaf, of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, is here to help. Christy’s research focuses on the psychosocial aspects of weight, physical activity, body image, and disordered eating. As a lifelong figure skater, she knows a thing or two about all these issues on a very personal, as well as professional, level. We dig in on strategies to break the cycle of body shame, disordered eating, and negative self talk for good. You can find out more about her at https://uwm.edu/healthsciences/directory/greenleaf-christy/

Injuries don’t just hurt physically. They can rock you emotionally, as they keep you away from the activity you love, isolate you from your training buddies, and do a number on your self image, especially as we get into our menopausal years and injuries can pop up with increasing frequency. Your doctor or PT help with the physical stuff. But what about the rest? That’s where this week’s guest Heidi Armstrong, founder of The Injured Athlete’s Toolbox comes in. Heidi has more than 10 years of experience dealing with her own injuries following a devastating mountain bike crash, and has conducted hundreds of hours of research with athletes dealing with their own. She is also one of a few experts in the world who helps athletes—many of whom are perimenopausal or menopausal—overcome the mental fallout of injury, regain their confidence, and stop the emotional rollercoaster. You can find out more about her and her services at https://injuredathletestoolbox.com/

Ready to create your menopause adventure? Yes, adventure. Now is the time to shine, says this week’s guest, wellness coach and fitness trainer Kacy Duke, who teaches people how to use the right mindset, motivation, and movement to reach their goals. Named one of New York City’s best trainers, Kacy has been the personal trainer to a long list of A-listers including Gwen Stefani, Kate Beckinsale, Julianna Moore, Dakota Johnson, Bruce Willis, Denzel Washington, and Lenny Kravitz, just to name a few. Now at 65 years of age, she’s growing her business with a health and fitness subscription service called Age Defying Physique, because, as she says, we shouldn’t deny our age—it’s a privilege to live a long life—but we can definitely defy what people think we can do at any given age. Kacy talks about her own journey through menopause and how she helps women navigate this huge transition in their lives, including improving body image and mindset to live proud and out loud. Consider this your pep talk for 2021.

Missing your usual mojo and motivation? Wrestling with body image issues? Want a little help setting meaningful goals that go beyond how fast you can run a 5K? You are not alone! This week, exercise scientist and mental performance expert Dr. Kristen Dieffenbach addresses these topics and more as we take a deep dive into the competitive psyche during menopause and how to cope with the psychological challenges that come at this time of life.Kristen is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology. She is also a Peaks Coaching Group master coach; a USA Cycling Power-certified coach; a USA Track and Field coach, and works as the director of the Center for Applied Coaching and Sport Science at West Virginia University. You can find more about her work at https://appliedcoaching.wvu.edu/faculty/kristen-dieffenbach

Mary Jane is clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the Yale University School of Medicine. She has been a North American Menopause Society Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP) since 2002, and has been in private practice in New Haven, Connecticut for more than 35 years. Mary Jane has won myriad awards for excellence in her field and is an authority on all things related to hormone therapy, which she addresses in detail during this show. She’s super informative, straight shooting, an avid exerciser herself, and often hilarious. Be sure to head over to our Feisty Menopause Facebook or Instagram page to check out the photo on the show tile on. Mary Jane is posing in front of a row of some very interesting old gynaecological instruments… made of glass. For a deeper dive on all things women’s health, check her out at http://madameovary.com/

Recovery, resilience, and injury resistance gets harder as we get older. The harder and longer you go, the harder and longer the recovery process can be. This week’s guest, legendary ultra runner Magda Boulet knows all about what it takes to stay resilient and recover well even after the longest, hardest challenges. Since turning 45, Magda’s won the Marathon des Sables, a six day 156 mile stage race, in Morocco; completed the 172-mile Tahoe Rim Trail in 50 hours and 40 minutes, and won the 2019 Leadville Trail 100 Run. Earlier this year, she completed an “Everesting” run, running up and down the same hill to reach the vertical gain of Mount Everest—more than 29,000 feet. Now at age 47, she’s doing all that and more while going through perimenopause, being a mom to a teenager, and working at GU Energy and Boon as the Vice President of Research and Development. Magda was very open about how she’s had to change her training and lifestyle to stay strong and resilient and recover well during this stage of life and her career. You can learn more about her at https://www.magdaboulet.com/

Studies show women following a plant-based diet have fewer night sweats and hot flashes during menopause. So this week Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, CSSD, LDN, owner of Active Eating Advice digs into the powers, and occasional pitfalls, of a plant-based diet: what it means and what foods to include for optimum muscle, bone, and hormonal health, as well as to sleep, feel, and perform your best. We also delve into the truths and myths surrounding soy, and cover the often overlooked topic of how to be kind to your gut. Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, omnivorous, or mainly carnivorous, piling some plants on your plate is a good move, especially this time of life. Leslie is a sports nutritionist and dietitian and the owner of Active Eating Advice based out of Pittsburgh, PA. She is the author of Sport Nutrition for Coaches and the American Dietetic Association Guide to Better Digestion. She is the nutrition consultant for Carnegie Mellon University athletics and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. She has worked with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Blue Jays, the Washington Nationals, and the WNBA. She is also the sports dietitian to the 2020 super bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs. Leslie is an ambassador for the Produce for Better Health Foundation and has coached countless plant-based endurance and power athletes. You can learn more about her work and services at https://activeeatingadvice.com/

Past trauma can lead to more severe symptoms and a more challenging menopause journey. This week, stress and resiliency expert Pamela Peeke, M.D., M.P.H., explains how stress and trauma can change our DNA and drag us down mentally and physically, especially at midlife. She also serves up a whole lot of hope and no B.S. advice for building your best present and future, no matter your past. Or in her words: “What you’re doing is trying to do everything in your power to inject joy, inject adventure, to inject badass and a sense of empowerment and control in your own life.” Pam is a three-time New York Times bestselling author including Fight Fat after Forty, Body for Life for Women, and The Hunger Fix: The 3 Stage Detox and Recovery Plan for Overeating and Food Addiction. She is a science and health advisor for Apple, developing apps for use in the enhancement of stress resilience and healthy lifestyle habits. She also has her own podcast, HER: Learn the naked truth about HER mind, HER body and HER life. She is a nationally renowned physician, scientist, expert, and thought leader in the fields of integrative, preventive, and lifestyle medicine, and has been named one of America’s top physicians by the Consumers Research Council of America. You can learn more about her work and best selling books at https://drpeeke.com/ Find more information about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) at https://www.acesconnection.com/blog/got-your-ace-resilience-scores

Missing your usual mojo and motivation? Wrestling with body image issues? Want a little help setting meaningful goals that go beyond how fast you can run a 5K? You are not alone! This week, exercise scientist and mental performance expert Dr. Kristen Dieffenbach addresses these topics and more as we take a deep dive into the competitive psyche during menopause and how to cope with the psychological challenges that come at this time of life. Kristen is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology. She is also a Peaks Coaching Group master coach; a USA Cycling Power-certified coach; a USA Track and Field coach, and works as the director of the Center for Applied Coaching and Sport Science at West Virginia University. You can find more about her work at https://appliedcoaching.wvu.edu/faculty/kristen-dieffenbach

Low fat. High protein. Low carb. No carb. This week’s guests and authors of The Menopause Diet Plan, Hillary Wright and Elizabeth Ward, have seen diet trends come and go and come around again. And they know what works. Spoiler alert: Yes, you can - and should - eat carbs. We get into why, as well as all the other macronutrients, vitamins. minerals, and foods that menopausal women need for optimum health and performance. Hillary Wright, MEd, RDN, is a registered dietitian and the author of The PCOS Diet Plan and The Prediabetes Diet Plan. She is the director of nutrition counseling for the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health at Boston IVF, a Harvard-affiliated fertility treatment center. She works part-time as a senior nutritionist at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, and is a founding member of the nutrition technology company Good Measures LLC. Elizabeth Ward, MS, RDN, is a registered dietitian with more than 30 years of experience counseling patients and writing about nutrition and health. She is a recipe developer and food photographer and the author or co-author of several books, including Expect the Best, Your Guide to Healthy Eating Before, During, and After Pregnancy. Ward blogs about a healthy lifestyle at www.betteristhenewperfect.com. Learn more about their book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/612208/the-menopause-diet-plan-by-hillary-wright-med-rdn-and-elizabeth-ward-ms-rdn/

Depression, anxiety, bone-crushing fatigue, incontinence, heart palpitations, migraines. What the hell is going on? Shockingly, your family doctor may not know it’s menopause. And you’ll end up feeling like you’re losing your mind like this week’s guest Amanda Thebe, author of Menopocalypse: How I Learned to Thrive During Menopause and How You Can Too. Amanda was so frustrated by her two year odyssey to find out what was derailing her life (spoiler alert: it was perimenopause), she wrote a book to help other women avoid the same fate. It details her experience and offers concrete information about what happens during perimenopause, advice on how to advocate for yourself, and myriad ways to help yourself through the transition. She’s a certified personal trainer with many specialty certifications, a PN1 nutrition coach, and the owner of her own fitness company, Fit n’ Chips. You can find out more about her work and buy her book at https://www.fitnchips.com/

It happens. You sneeze, cough, or laugh…and leak. Or you can barely get your key in the door without wetting yourself. It’s common, but not normal…or necessary. This week, pelvic floor specialist Chloë Murdock, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS offers solutions to the incontinence that can happen during menopause. And, spoiler alert, there’s more to fixing it than Kegels—in fact they can make it worse. Chloë explains that there’s more to your core than your abs and obliques and how muscle imbalances and weaknesses in key parts of your core, which includes your pelvic floor, can lead to leaking, especially in active women. She talks about the importance of deep breathing and other exercises to improve pelvic health, decrease stress, and help stop incontinence. She is a doctor of physical therapy, a Slowtwitch and BikeFit certified bike fitter, as well as a Board Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and USATF level 1 and RRCA certified running coach based in Zurich, Switzerland. You can find out more about her work at https://www.chloemurdockpt.com/meet-chloe

Thirty four years ago, at the age of 42, Cherie Gruenfeld went from lying in bed eating sticky buns and watching the LA Marathon to buying running shoes and a book on how to run a marathon the very next day. She wanted to know what she was capable of. At 76 years old, after completing 28 Ironman races, winning 13 World Ironman titles and setting numerous course records around the world, she still does. Cherie is still eyeing up world records, setting goals, and living life by her philosophy: “I never want to wonder what if.” She also gives back as she pushes forward as a triathlon coach and as the Founder and Director of a non-profit foundation, Exceeding Expectations for at-risk kids in the San Bernardino area, using the sport of triathlon to redirect their lives. Cherie talks frankly about what it takes to stay on top of your game as you get older; how she approaches training and recovery, overcoming adversity, and much more. You can find out more about her race history, coaching services, and non-profit foundation at https://cheriegruenfeld.com/

Heavy periods, hot flashes, vaginal pain, debilitating full body achiness, we’ve got a hit parade of menopausal symptoms, and more importantly, solutions this week with guest Mary Jane Minkin, M.D. Mary Jane is clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the Yale University School of Medicine. She has been a North American Menopause Society Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP) since 2002, and has been in private practice in New Haven, Connecticut for more than 35 years. Mary Jane has won myriad awards for excellence in her field and is an authority on all things related to hormone therapy, which she addresses in detail during this show. She’s super informative, straight shooting, an avid exerciser herself, and often hilarious. Be sure to head over to our Feisty Menopause Facebook or Instagram page to check out the photo on the show tile on. Mary Jane is posing in front of a row of some very interesting old gynaecological instruments… made of glass. For a deeper dive on all things women’s health, check her out at http://madameovary.com/

It’s easy to beat yourself up (and down) with strength training. That’s not Erin Carson’s game. As the strength trainer for endurance athletes like 3x Ironman World Champion Mirinda Carfrae, Erin’s approach is building her athlete’s up to be not just strong, but also energetic, nimble, and fast. She dishes out plenty of thoughts on how we all can achieve those goals in this week's episode. She also practices what she preaches, recently running one of her fastest half marathons at age 54. She’s co-owner and coach at RallySport in Boulder, Colorado where she has worked for 27 years, and the head coach at ECFIT. She is also collaborating with Dr. Stacy Sims to produce training programs designed specifically for menopausal women. Those plans launch November 1st, but Hit Play Not Pause listeners can get early bird access—and discounts! Enter the promo code HITPLAY25 for $25 off Phase One of the Stacy Sims Strength Program at www.ecfitstrength.com and download her app: ECFIT Boulder to get workouts straight to your phone! Follow Erin on Instagram @ecfit_strength

What is happening?! You’ll find out as Selene Yeager talks all things menopause with Dr. Stacy Sims, exercise physiologist, nutrition scientist and the brains behind the women’s training and nutrition book ROAR. The show dives deep on symptoms and solutions, including specific fueling and training techniques and adaptogens that can help women maintain muscle, energy, and performance during their menopausal years. Find the list of adaptogens mentioned in the podcast and recommended doses at https://livefeisty.mykajabi.com/opt-in-587fd3d2-5d3e-4153-b1cf-6221c9cff823 Follow Dr. Stacy Sims on Instagram @drstacysims and visit her website at https://www.drstacysims.com/menopauseiscoming to sign up to join the waitlist for her upcoming Menopause for Athletes course.