The Midlife Feast

Is it perimenopause, or are you just finally fed up with the world? Honestly, it might be both.

In this listener Q&A, I'm answering the questions so many of you have been sending me, and they're the kind that probably sound familiar. We start with mood, because so many of us feel more irritable, less patient, and a lot less willing to tolerate things we used to put up with. I'll walk you through what's happening with your hormones and neurotransmitters, and why your reasons for feeling done are still valid even when biology is part...

What is acceptance is the requirement for growht? What would life look like if you just stopped trying to fix yourself? 

That's the question at the heart of this conversation with returning guest Alli Spotts-De Lazzer, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Eating Disorders Specialist who has spent nearly 20 years working with people around eating, body image, and the experience of living in a body.

We dig into why self-esteem is a shaky foundation in midlife, when opinions of ourselves rise and fall with every hormonal shift and identity change. Alli's working definition o...

I sat down with Cadence Dubus, founder of Brooklyn Strength, host of the Busybody Podcast, and we talked about why midlife movement gets so complicated when you’ve been trained to chase fitness rules, perfect routines, and a specific body. We unpack how to rebuild trust so movement supports real life, not a pass-fail scoreboard.

I'm bringing back one of my favourite conversations this week because May is Osteoporosis Awareness Month, and this topic is too important to let it gather dust in the archive.

If you've ever left a bone density scan feeling more confused than when you walked in, or got a result that said "osteopenia" and weren't quite sure whether to panic or carry on as normal, this episode is for you.

In this conversation, I'm joined by Rebekah Rotstein, Pilates instructor, movement educator, and founder of the Buff Bones method. Rebekah was diagnosed with osteoporosis at 28...

If you're feeling confused by all the menopause fitness advice, this episode will clear that up for you!

I am so glad to welcome Dr. Maria Luque back to The Midlife Feast. Maria is a menopause fitness expert with a literal PhD in this space, and she is one of the very few people I trust to cut through the noise in the increasingly crowded menopause fitness world. And there is a lot of noise. Self-proclaimed experts, clickbait advice, "you must lift heavy four times a week or your bones will crumble" fear-mongering. No wonder so many...

I noticed a three-year stretch where I’m barely in family photos, even though I was there., and I don’t want that for you. In this episode, I share 3 practices to shift away from chasing "flattering" and choosing presence instead, so you can be visible in midlife and stop letting pictures decide how you feel about your body.

I talk about:

I'm joined by Dr. Helen Wall, a GP and registered menopause specialist from England, and author of the new book ADHD and Menopause (May 14th, 2026). Dr. Wall speaks out about the intersection of ADHD, neurodivergence, and hormonal changes in women.

In this episode, we get into the science behind why estrogen fluctuations destabilize dopamine signaling in the brain, and why that matters so much more for women with ADHD (diagnosed or not). We talk about masking, the hidden costs of over-functioning, why women and girls are still being missed for decades, and how progesterone sensitivity can make...

Have you ever talked yourself out of wearing something, going somewhere, or simply being seen because of what your body looks like? This episode is one you're going to want to save and share!

I sat down with Lise Thorne, who you might know as @walking_this_way on Instagram, after one of her reels stopped me mid-scroll. In it, she walked into the ocean in a bikini on a family vacation, no filter, no preparation, no waiting for a "better" version of herself. That video went around the world because women everywhere saw themselves in it.<...

Have you ever been having a perfectly good day, feeling comfortable in what you're wearing, and then caught a glimpse of yourself in a mirror and you suddenly feel the floor fall out from under you? That moment of being yanked out of your body is something I hear all the time.

Meet the comparison lizard, the part of our brain wired for social comparison. It used to be a survival skill. Now it's a make-work project that fuels body dissatisfaction, especially in menopause when both the scale and the shape are changing in ways that feel...

What if the dreams you thought you missed the deadline on are the ones you're meant to follow now?

Becca Kidwell spent her 30s teaching high school English, convinced it was too late to pursue a creative career. She'd learned what so many of us Gen X women can relate to: if you didn't lock in your path by 30, the door was closed. But then something shifted and she started noticing older artists who were just beginning their careers and thriving. She met her now-husband, who encouraged her to move to New York and start a theater...

You know that moment when you catch your reflection unexpectedly and think, "Who is that?" Not in a curious way, but in a way that feels like you don't recognize yourself? If you've had that moment, this episode is for you.

In this episode, we're talking about the evolution of body positivity and acceptance, the challenges of embracing body diversity in a culture that's currently shrinking, and how we can find peace with ourselves right now, in the bodies we're in today.

Kristina brings such clarity to the difference between body positivity and body acceptance...

If your cravings feel more intense than ever, you're not alone. 

In this second helping (my creative take on replay 🤣) of episode 117, I'm tackling one of the most-asked questions in my inbox: why do cravings feel so out of control in perimenopause and menopause, and what can you do about it? Spoiler alert: it's not about cutting out sugar or having more willpower.

I break down the three types of hunger (physical, taste, and emotional), explain why perimenopause symptoms like sleep disruption and hot flashes amplify emotional hunger, and share a framework for decoding your crav...

Food freedom is permission to say yes to cake, but it's also permission to say no to dessert because you're full, satisfied, and know you can have it anytime you want. That's the level of trust and attunement I'm talking about in this conversation with Sam Previte, registered dietitian and founder of Find Food Freedom.

Sam is one of those dietitians whose passion for intuitive eating comes through in everything she does. From her popular social media accounts to her private practice, Sam has built her career on helping people make peace with food and their bodies...

Almost every day, someone tells me they're exhausted, tired, or completely burnt out. But burnout isn't just another word for tired - it's a medical diagnosis with real science behind it. It relates to your capacity, your ability to recover, and importantly, it's deeply impacted by your environment and your hormones.

In this conversation with Dr. Ashley Margeson, a naturopathic doctor and burnout expert, we dive into what burnout really is, how it's different from everyday stress, and why women in midlife are especially vulnerable. If you've ever felt like you're carrying a backpack that gets heavier...

Laughing, coughing, sneezing... if these everyday moments have started feeling a little less carefree and a little more leak-prone, you're not alone. And despite what you've been told, the answer isn't just "do more Kegels."

In this conversation, movement teacher and pelvic floor expert Lauren Ohayon shares why the pelvic floor doesn't just "squeeze." It dances, responds to gravity, and works as part of a whole-body system involving your breath, core, and nervous system. We talk about why menopause brings new pelvic floor challenges (spoiler: it's not just estrogen), how belly-gripping and chronic tension patterns create downstream...

Decision fatigue isn't about willpower - it's about how many decisions you're being asked to make when your capacity is already maxed out. And if you've been caught in the diet cycle for years (or decades), you know exactly what I'm talking about. After 25 different diet plans competing for space in your head, every meal becomes another minefield of "am I doing this right?" questions that leave you exhausted before you even start cooking.

In this solo episode, I'm sharing Sarah's story (with her permission), who spent the last year working with me to finally break free...

If you've ever hidden in the back of a family photo, skipped a headshot session, or cringed when you saw a candid picture of yourself, this episode is for you.

I sat down with Kristen Vallejo, a portrait and branding photographer based in upstate New York, who has made it her mission to help women feel comfortable and confident being seen. 

In this conversation, we unpack why so many of us (especially women navigating midlife) have such a complicated relationship with being photographed. We talk about the role social media has played in making us f...

Feeling overwhelmed by conflicting advice about menopause and HRT? You're not alone, and you're not imagining it.

In this eye-opening conversation, journalist and author Fiona Clark (MenoWars: Why Menopause's Moment Has Gone Horribly Wrong) joins me to unpack why the menopause conversation has become so polarizing. What started as a grassroots movement of women advocating for better care has evolved into a confusing battlefield of conflicting claims, FOMO-inducing headlines, and monetized advice that leaves women more overwhelmed than empowered.

Fiona brings her unique background, which includes a degree in anatomy and physiology, decades...

Ever feel overwhelmed by conflicting nutrition advice? One influencer swears by seed oils while another demonizes them. Your feed is flooded with "80 grams of protein" meal challenges, and you're left wondering: what should I actually believe?

In this episode, I sit down with Colleen Christensen, registered dietitian, recovering perfectionist, and the compassionate voice behind the wildly popular @No.Food.Rules Instagram account. Colleen shares her personal journey from competitive dietetics student to her struggle with eating disorders, and ultimately to becoming one of the leading voices helping people unlearn decades of diet culture programming.

This...

If you’ve been told you should get more fiber but feel confused by the fiber-maxing trend and don’t want it to become a full-time job, this episode is for you.

In this episode, I explain why fiber matters in midlife and menopause, how it truly supports digestion, energy, heart health, and satisfaction, and why you don’t need to count every gram or chase perfection.

This episode offers clear, practical ways to think about soluble and insoluble fiber, bust common myths, and add more fiber to your eating in ways that feel doable, not ov...

Perimenopause can feel unpredictable, emotional, and deeply disorienting, especially when your body changes quickly and nothing seems to work the way it used to. In this story session, I'm joined by Britney, a 49-year-old therapist navigating late perimenopause, who shares her honest experience with weight changes, fatigue, mood swings, and the fear that often shows up alongside them.

Together, we talk about what it’s really like to move from panic and food rules into trust, attunement, and food freedom in midlife. This episode explores how stepping out of diet culture, wearing clothes that fit your today bo...

If the word “selfish” still triggers guilt for you, this episode is the permission slip you didn’t know you needed. I’m joined by the ever-wise Suzy Reading to explore why so many of us in midlife struggle to receive support, set boundaries, and prioritize our own needs — even when we know better.

We unpack the deep roots of people-pleasing, the pressure to be endlessly self-reliant, and how we can start to reclaim selfish as something powerful, not shameful. If you’ve been doing all the “right” self-care things and still feel depleted, this conversation will help you connect...

Welcome to 2026, where it suddenly feels harder than ever to talk about menopause, health, and nutrition without the conversation getting hijacked by weight loss. In this longer-than-usual episode, I’m joined by family physician and writer Dr. Mara Gordon (who proudly describes herself as an “anti-diet doctor”) to talk about the question that's been on my mind lately: Is a weight-neutral menopause still possible?

Mara and I unpack what weight neutrality actually means in real-world healthcare, why the “weight loss fixes everything” narrative has gotten louder again, and whether GLP-1 medications can fit into an in...

What if the loudest voice at your meals isn’t hunger, but an overactive alarm telling you you’re doing it “wrong”? In this episode, I dig into the link between food guilt and relentless food noise, and show how midlife shifts, hormones, sleep, mood, and capacity can crank that alarm even higher. Instead of doubling down on rules, I'll walk you through the 3-step process that replaces food morality with neutrality.

Grab The Food Guilt Decoder here: https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/FoodGuiltDecoder

Episodes mentiond:

Episode 172: https://themidlifefeast.buzzsprout.com/1851576/episodes/18238090

Episode...

Sometimes the routines that feel the hardest to change are the ones that once helped us cope. In this episode, therapist and eating-disorder specialist Signe Darpinian breaks down how those patterns get wired into the brain, why diet culture reinforces them, and how midlife is actually an ideal time to reshape habits with clarity and compassion.

We dig into what it really takes to unwind the patterns that feel automatic, especially the ones that show up at the end of a long day or week. You’ll hear how small, well-timed shifts can loosen the grip of ol...

What if the fear of “looking older” isn’t really about wrinkles at all, but about relevance, visibility, and power? I welcome registered dietitian and author Deb Benfield to dig into internalized ageism and the subtle ways culture teaches us to distrust our future selves. We walk about how it gets tangled up with diet culture, wellness trends, and perfectionism. Together we unpack why compliments like “you haven’t aged a bit” keep youth on a pedestal, how patriarchy and ableism shape appearance pressure, and what it takes to build a truly age-affirming life. We talk about:

I'm answering three questions this week: how to get soy’s benefits if it bothers your gut, what really shifts in metabolism during menopause, and how to quiet food noise. We'll cover:

• Non-soy protein swaps from beans, lentils and pulses
• Flax lignans as a phytoestrogen alternative
• Metabolism as a system of gears, not a dial
• Hormones’ indirect impact through symptoms and routines
• Defining food noise and why it returns after GLP-1s
• Permission-based eating to rebuild trust and satisfaction

Episodes mentioned:

#151 - Is it Hunger, Hormones or Food Noise?

#15...

Feel like your sleep has gone missing in midlife? Join me and my guest Dr Shelby Harris as we break down why sleep changes in perimenopause, how culture has overhyped “perfect sleep,” and the tools that actually help. Dr. Shelby Harris also explains CBTi in plain language so you can stop chasing hacks and start building steady, restful sleep. We talk about:

• The perfect storm of hormones, mood, and social load
• Why sleep hygiene helps but won’t cure insomnia
• Rethinking the “eight hours” rule and normal wakeups
• HRT benefits and limits for midlife sleep
• CBTi b...

We all want to simplify nutrition (and life!) but are we going down the wrong path when it comes to finding "one thing" for nutrition in menopause? Laura Clark RD and I  talk about how real progress in midlife comes from flexibility, self-trust, and simple, satisfying meals. We break down the hype around protein, fiber, and even the microbiome so food feels calmer, kinder, and more doable. In this episode you'll hear:

• why chasing a single fix creates stress not change
• how Laura’s practice shifted from weight-centric targets to nuance
• protein without perfection and what stea...

If your closet feels like a battlefield and getting dressed has turned into a daily reminder that your body isn’t the same as it used to be, you’re not alone. In this episode, I’m joined by personal stylist Jacquelyn Prattipati, who helps women in midlife rediscover confidence and comfort through clothes that fit the body (and the life) they have now.

We’re talking about what “feeling put together” really means, why style has nothing to do with size, and how to stop waiting for a smaller body to wear what you love. You’ll walk away w...

Menopause can scramble your mood, planning, memory, and appetite cues, especially if you’re living with ADHD.  My guest this week is Diana Reid, RD and we dive into how shifting estrogen affects dopamine in the brain and why that can make meal planning feel impossible, grocery stores overwhelming, and evenings vulnerable to emotional hunger and snacking. 

Together, we map the hidden steps that turn “what’s for dinner?” into a 30-step project and show how to lower the cognitive load and decision fatigue. Think forecasts instead of rigid schedules, two to three-day meal windows, and a “nutrition ca...

Midlife brain fog and overwhelm aren’t signs of falling apart. It’s really just your biology getting louder. Dr. Jen Wolkin, a Harvard-trained neuropsychologist, explains how perimenopause can reveal ADHD that’s been there all along and why compassion, not willpower, brings clarity.

We unpack how estrogen shifts dopamine and norepinephrine, why hormone swings magnify time blindness and emotional reactivity, and how perfectionism and people-pleasing crumble under midlife’s mental load.

You’ll walk away with simple tools for clearer focus and steadier mood, including protein-forward meals, grazing stations to beat decision fatigue, and scripts fo...

The words “diet and exercise” often feel like a trap door into diet culture and the diet mentality. Given that the theme for this year's World Menopause Day is lifestyle medicine, I wanted to explore lifestyle medicine through a behavior-first lens and share compassionate, doable choices that actually fit your life. Starting with real stories—a cholesterol scare that triggered a Google spiral and a breast cancer survivor who felt she “failed” exercise—we'll explore why language carries weight and how reframing goals can lift the pressure without losing the science. I reframe lifestyle medicine as behavior change medicine and share pr...

Isn’t it wild that you can do everything “right”-be the devoted mom, caregiver, spouse, or friend, and yet still feel like you’ve lost touch with the “real” you? That’s where our conversation with writer, speaker, and coach Jen Butler begins. It’s a candid look at how midlife cracks open our default scripts around food, alcohol, and identity, and how choosing peace can be much more fulfilling than trying to take up less space in the world. 

Jen shares her early entry into diet culture, the moment a nutritionist prescribed restriction that stole her period and pr...

Feeling lost in a sea of conflicting advice about autoimmune disease? It can be especially tricky during perimenopause and menopause when hormones throw everything off. Dr. Alison Danby, a naturopathic doctor who specializes in autoimmune health, is here to break it all down with clear, science-backed guidance that feels like a sigh of relief.

What you won’t hear is any ideas about cutting out gluten, dairy, or sugar, or following strict AIP protocols. Dr. Danby explains why those extreme diets can actually hurt your gut and why a Mediterranean-style approach supports your microbiome, heart, bones, and ov...

“How could I, an educated scientist married to a doctor, not know this was happening to me?” At 45, Béatrice Séguin was floored to realize she was already in menopause, after years of missing the signs.

In this honest and energetic story session, Béatrice shares how that wake-up call turned her into a menopause advocate and led to her podcast This Time of the Month (TTOM). We talk about why so many women are caught off guard, how old research still shapes today’s care, and the new pressure to “do menopause right” with the perfect diet...

Ever walk into a room and instantly forget why you’re there? Or struggle to find words you know are on the tip of your tongue? I have good news for you! You’re not losing your mind.  Your brain is simply changing.

In this episode, neuroscientist Dr. Sarah McKay reveals what’s really behind midlife “brain fog” and why it’s part of a powerful transformation. From hot flashes and sleep struggles to surprising cognitive strengths we gain in menopause, she shares what’s happening inside the brain, as well as how to support it through the transition...

This week’s episode is extra special for TWO reasons! For one, we are kicking off Season 6, and my sister Friedel is interviewing me! We’re diving into my new book, Eat to Thrive During Menopause, and why I felt called to write it after my own surprising start to perimenopause at 37.

Instead of talking about what to cut out, I share why I focus on what to add, such as fiber, phytoestrogens, and carbs that actually satisfy. We also bust some common menopause myths and talk about how intuitive eating can help you feel at peace with...

What if menopause wasn’t something to endure, but something to embrace? After asking my Instagram community about the unexpected gifts of midlife, their answers revealed just how liberating this season can be. From deeper friendships and renewed creativity to freedom from dieting and people-pleasing, their stories echoed a powerful shift, and one rooted in self-awareness, strength, and permission to live more authentically.

These insights inspired my new book, Eat to Thrive During Menopause, which blends intuitive eating with symptom-supportive nutrition. No tracking, no rules, just nourishment. Even though this is the Season 5 finale, this episode invites yo...

In this story session, April MacKinnon, founder of Anointment Natural Skin Care, opens up about nearly a decade of navigating perimenopause. From the early waves of anxiety and disrupted sleep to the surprising strength she found through resistance training, she shares her very relatable experience. 

We explore how resistance training helped April through anxiety when running no longer worked, how skincare evolved from function to connection, and why saying “no, thank you” with no explanation might be one of the best midlife skills of all.

This honest conversation is a reminder that growing into ourselves doesn...