The Forties Formula

Why do so many women stay quiet… even when they don’t agree?

In this 5-minute clip from The Forties Formula, we explore how early conditioning, cultural norms, and workplace dynamics shape the way we communicate — and why so many of us hold back, even when we have something important to say.

Featuring global communication expert Heather Hansen, this conversation breaks down the hidden patterns behind confidence, voice, and visibility — especially for women navigating midlife and leadership.

What you’ll learn:

• How childhood conditioning shapes the way we use our voice • Why confidence...

Most women are told they’re “cleared” at six weeks postpartum. But according to sports medicine physician Dr. Morgan Lee, that clearance has very little to do with true recovery.

In this episode of The Forties Formula, Dr. Morgan explains why so many women continue to struggle with pelvic floor dysfunction, diastasis recti, back pain, weakness, injuries, and exercise setbacks years after having children—and why these symptoms are often dismissed as “just getting older.”

Drawing on her experience working with elite athletes, Dr. Morgan shares why mothers should be treated like athletes during recovery, how pregnanc...

The Power of Hormones, Lifestyle & Self Compassion in Women's Health in Their 40s This is a clip from The Forties Formula in Focus with hosts Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim with @drolivialesslar .

It focuses on navigating women's health in midlife, especially addressing hormonal changes during perimenopause, the influence of lifestyle, and the importance of self-compassion. Challenge outdated narratives and highlight practical strategies to thrive in your 40s and beyond.

In this episode:

- How hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has evolved and its neuroprotective benefits

- Common misconceptions around HRT and breast...

In today’s episode of The Forties Formula, Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim sit down with counselor, walk-and-talk therapist, and self-described "Dad in Progress," Simon Parkin.

Motherhood isn't just exhausting because of sleepless nights. It's exhausting because of the invisible load—the planning, organizing, remembering, and emotional labor that keeps families running behind the scenes. While many fathers are showing up more than ever before, many mothers still find themselves carrying responsibilities that often go unseen and unacknowledged.

In this honest Father's Day conversation, Simon shares what emotionally available fatherhood really looks like, why communication ofte...

content type

Interview

primary goal

Educational

summary

In this episode, we explore the critical health risks women face during menopause and how lifestyle medicine can help prevent and manage these issues. Our expert discusses the six pillars of health—nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management, social connections, and reducing harmful substances—and provides practical tips for women in their forties.

keywords

menopause, women's health, lifestyle medicine, bone health, heart health, mental health, nutrition, menopause symptoms, aging, wellness

key topics

Health risks of meno...

In today’s episode of The Forties Formula, Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim sit down with attorney, healthcare privacy expert, entrepreneur, and mother of three, Lauren.

In this conversation, we explore:

• The hidden risks women should understand before starting birth control in midlife

• Why women's health research still leaves many unanswered questions

• The emotional impact of chronic illness and losing your former identity

• How Lauren went from a wheelchair to rebuilding her independence

• Integrative medicine, recovery, and finding answers beyond conventional care

• The role of therap...

If you’ve been relying on melatonin or considering sleeping pills, this episode challenges everything you think you know about fixing insomnia. We dive into Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), a science-backed, first-line treatment recommended by leading sleep organizations.

You’ll learn why sleep issues in midlife aren’t just about hormones and why most women are never told about this powerful alternative. This episode breaks down how your thoughts, habits, and behaviors may be keeping you awake and how to reset them.

If you’re tired of being tired, this is where things change.<...

In today’s episode of The Forties Formula, Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim sit down with fitness coach and ProCoach Gym co-founder Sara Mae Garcia.

If you've ever blamed hormones, age, or a slowing metabolism for your lack of progress, this conversation might challenge everything you think you know. Sara shares the simple habits that have helped her stay strong and healthy at 47, why most women don't need more cardio, and what it really takes to build muscle, lose fat, and feel confident in midlife.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why cons...

Metabolic health, muscle health, strength training for women over 40, menopause metabolism, insulin resistance in women, and why muscle is critical for longevity.

In this clip from The Forties Formula, hosts Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim speak with Associate Professor Reshma Merchant, Head and Senior Consultant of Geriatric Medicine at the National University Hospital Singapore.

Many women believe metabolism slows simply because of age. But emerging research shows that muscle plays a much bigger role in metabolic health than most people realise.

Professor Merchant explains why muscle is actually an endocrine organ, how it...

In today’s episode of The 40s Formula, we sit down with Caroline Warren, founder of Supporting Eve, Singapore’s specialist bra fitting boutique. Caroline is a UK-trained professional bra fitter with certifications in bra fitting, sports bra fitting, and post-surgery fittings for breast cancer survivors. She also holds a certification in sports bra fitting and breast biomechanics, drawing on research from the University of Portsmouth.

Most women are walking around in the wrong sized bras, not a little off, but significantly off. In this eye-opening conversation, we unpack the real reasons why 80-95% of women wear ill...

If you are in your 40s and noticing changes in your body that nobody warned you about, this clip from our THE FORTIES FORMULA IN FOCUS on women's health is for you.

Dr. Jesshirin Sidhu, GP and sexual health specialist at InSync Medical, breaks down exactly what happens to vaginal health during perimenopause and menopause — and what you can actually do about it. From why you get low estrogen and how it causes vaginal dryness, to which lubricants are safe, to emerging treatments like vaginal lasers and hyaluronic acid, this is the conversation most women never get to...

Leadership advisor and author Sally J Clarke joins the Forties Formula to explore the strategic — not emotional — decision to walk away from a role, title or career that no longer fits. Drawing from her book Walk Away: Step Out to Step Up, Sally shares real stories of women who rebuilt careers and companies by first stepping out of the wrong ones. The conversation covers the moment you know it's time to leave, how to use fear as a growth signal, what integrity capital means for your career and relationships, and why your health is always the variable that wins.

If you are in your 40s and feel like something has shifted — your energy, your body, your recovery — there is a scientific reason for it. And it started long before you noticed.

In this episode, Professor Andrea Meyer, a leading researcher in healthy ageing, breaks down the difference between your chronological age and your biological age, and why that gap matters more than most women realise. You might be 42 on paper. But your body could be ageing at a rate that puts you five years ahead of that — or five years behind. The difference comes down to what i...

Why High-Achieving Women Burn Out in Their 40s (And What to Do Instead)

If you've spent years achieving, delivering, and pushing through — and you're now hitting a wall in your 40s — this episode is for you.

Yi-Mei Lai (Mei), founder of Alchemei Healing and a Feminine Power & Self-Worth Coach, joins us to talk about what's really happening when high-achieving women hit burnout in midlife. It's not a failure of discipline or drive. It's the cost of running entirely on masculine energy for decades — and the body eventually refuses to keep up.

Mei works with p...

In this powerful 9-minute highlight from The Forties Formula, we uncover why your "normal" blood test results might be gaslighting you.

Dr. Tash breaks down the critical difference between surviving and thriving when it comes to iron. If you’ve been told your fatigue is "just burnout" or "part of aging," but you know deep down something is wrong, this clip explains the biology behind your exhaustion. We discuss why Iron Deficiency is the silent epidemic for women over 40 and why your Hemoglobin levels are lying to you about your actual energy reserves.

⚠️ Want the full p...

There’s a version of motherhood many women are quietly trying to live up to.

The calm mother.

The grateful mother.

The woman who somehow keeps her career, body, marriage, friendships and identity perfectly intact… while raising a child.

But what happens when becoming a mother changes you in ways nobody prepared you for?

In this episode of The Forties Formula, Amanda Lim and Jasmin Dhillon sit down with author, workplace advocate and matrescence expert Sara Pantry to unpack the invisible emotional, hormonal and identity shifts women experience after havi...

What does it feel like to think you’re dying… while fully conscious? In this Forties Formula In Focus clip, Dr. Sarah Nami Ahn — a UCLA-trained neuroscientist and brain tumor survivor — shares the most terrifying moment of her journey.

From hallucinating walls on fire… to believing the nurses were trying to harm her… to a final thought: “God… my kids.” This is the raw, unfiltered reality of what happened inside the ICU — and the moment everything shifted.

🎙️ Hosted by Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim, The Forties Formula In Focus brings you powerful, unedited moments from our most impactful conver...

There’s a moment, as a mother, when you look at your daughter and realise something is changing.

She’s quieter. More emotional. More critical of herself.

And you’re left wondering… is this normal, or is something deeper going on?

In this episode, we sit down with psychologist Dr. Emma Waddington and physician Dr. Gina Hel to unpack what’s really happening beneath the surface for girls today.

From earlier puberty and hormonal shifts to the impact of social media, friendships, and identity, this is a conversation every parent needs to hear.<...

What happens when you realise the life you built wasn’t fully yours?

In this Forties Formula in Focus clip, Uma Thana Balasingham shares the moment everything cracked — and what it really means to start again.

In this Forties Formula in Focus episode, we revisit a powerful conversation with Uma Thana Balasingham on what she calls a “career quake.”

From building a high-performing career in tech to walking away from a marriage rooted in fear, Uma opens up about the quiet realisations that many women experience but rarely say out loud.

This isn...

Are you high-functioning, successful — and completely exhausted? In this episode of The Forties Formula, hosts Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim sit down with mindset coach Krystal Clavier-Choo to unpack the hidden emotional load carried by high-achieving women in their 40s.

We explore why burnout in women goes deeper than workload — rooted instead in conditional self-worth, societal caregiving pressure, and an achievement-driven identity that never lets you rest. If you constantly feel like you're performing your life instead of actually living it, this conversation is for you. What we cover:

Why high-functioning women feel permanently "on" — and wh...

If you’ve ever felt lonely despite having a full life, a career, a family, and people around you… this conversation will land.

In this Forties Formula in Focus clip, we revisit one of the most powerful moments from our full episode with Mimi Nicklin, where we explore why so many women in their 40s feel disconnected — and why it’s not your fault.

Reclaiming Body Confidence in Midlife with Amanda & Jasmin

Why do so many women in their 40s feel like their body has suddenly become a problem?

In this episode, Amanda and Jasmin unpack how diet culture, societal pressure, and years of conditioning shape the way we see ourselves — especially as our bodies change. From the emotional attachment to old clothes to the reality of navigating a different body, this conversation goes deeper than weight.

This is about identity, confidence, and learning how to feel like yourself again.

In this episode:

What if your body already knows how to heal — it just needs someone to help it remember?

In this clip from The Forties Formula in Focus, Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim sit down with two certified BodyTalk practitioners based in Singapore: Rieke Hartwell and Sufen Paphassarang.

Together, they explore how BodyTalk — a holistic healing modality that addresses the whole person rather than isolated symptoms — has helped women reverse autoimmune conditions, recover from chronic pain, and navigate perimenopause without drugs.

Rieke shares her extraordinary personal story of healing a 7cm ovarian abscess without needing surger...

Struggling with poor sleep, night wakings, or feeling exhausted no matter how long you stay in bed? Wondering why sleep gets harder in your 40s, even when you’re doing everything “right”? In this episode, we sit down with sleep expert and CBT-I researcher Dr. Susan McCurry to unpack why sleep often worsens for women in midlife and what healthy sleep actually looks like. From hormonal shifts during perimenopause to stress, lifestyle habits, and environmental disruptions, we break down the real reasons your sleep feels off and why most advice doesn’t work long-term.

We also dive deep int...

In this clip from The Forties Formula Podcast, Hosts Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim sit down with @DrLowChaiLing to explore the common skin changes women experience in their 40s, noting a shift from oily to combination skin as cell turnover slows. We discuss essential skincare tips to maintain glowing skin and address concerns for women over 40.

Learn how to adapt your skin care routine for healthy, anti aging results.

key topics

- Skin changes in women in their 40s

- Effective skincare ingredients and routines

- Myths and facts...

What if building a business didn’t take you away from your family… but actually gave you more time with them?

In this episode of The Forties Formula, we sit down with Michelle Hon — entrepreneur, mum of three, and the woman behind the “Chill Mom” philosophy — to challenge everything we’ve been told about ambition, motherhood, and what it really takes to build a successful business.

Michelle shares how she went from being a stay-at-home mum and blogger to building multiple businesses, all while working from home and staying present for her children. Her approach isn’t about do...

Embracing Motherhood: Breaking the Myths and Finding Balance

In this episode, Claire Jedrek, Singapore's first female racing car driver, shares her raw and honest journey through motherhood, mental health, and personal growth. She discusses the importance of self-compassion, confronting societal expectations, and redefining what it means to be a successful mother. This is a powerful reminder for mothers everywhere to prioritize their well-being and embrace the complexities of balancing identity and responsibility.

Key Topics

Have you ever gone quiet in a meeting when you knew you had the right answer? Or softened your tone to avoid being "too much"? You were muted — and it wasn't your fault.

This week we're joined by Heather Hansen, global communication specialist, TEDx speaker, author of Unmuted, and PhD candidate in Linguistics. Her viral TEDx talk "2 Billion Voices: How to Speak Bad English Perfectly" has sparked a global conversation about how we judge, silence, and underestimate voices.

We unpack:

Struggling with weight loss after 40? Perimenopause weight gain, hormonal shifts, and a slower metabolism after 40 make midlife weight loss feel impossible — but it's not just your metabolism. In this clip from The Forties Formula in Focus, Laura Phillips joins Amanda & Jasmin to break down why weight loss for women over 40 requires a completely different approach — and what actually works.

☕ Buy us a coffee — buymeacoffee.com/thefortiesformula

🎧 Watch the full conversation: https://youtu.be/7tUjPyn8Dz8

Or search for Laura Phillips and The Forties Formula wherever you get your podcasts.

keywords

menopause...

Midlife health, perimenopause symptoms, anxiety, sleep issues, burnout and hormone imbalance — why women in their 40s feel “off” even when tests are normal.

In this episode of The Forties Formula, hosts Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim sit down with Dr Olivia Lesslar to unpack why so many women in their 40s feel like something has shifted in their body — yet struggle to get clear answers.

If you’ve experienced lighter sleep, rising anxiety, unpredictable energy, weight changes, or a sense that your body isn’t responding the way it used to, this conversation connects the dots.

...

Have you spent years thinking you're "too emotional," "too lazy," or "just anxious"… only to wonder if it might actually be ADHD?

You're not alone. ADHD in women is massively underdiagnosed — especially for women over 40 who've spent decades masking their symptoms just to keep up. In this episode, clinical psychologist Dr. Emma Waddington breaks down WHY women's ADHD looks so different, how it gets mistaken for anxiety and depression, and what the connection between ADHD and perimenopause really looks like.

If your mind feels like a popcorn machine, if you swing between "meerkat mode" and "slot...

What really happens to a woman’s body, mind, and identity in her 40s?

The answers are rarely discussed openly.

Hosted by Jasmin Dhillon, an Integrated Health Strategist specialising in gut health, hormones and midlife wellbeing, and Amanda Lim, director of Lift Clinic and a leading expert in female strength and metabolism, The Forties Formula explores the real shifts women experience in midlife.

From metabolic health and muscle loss to career transitions, relationships, and redefining purpose, this podcast brings together leading experts, doctors, entrepreneurs and thought leaders to unpack the science and the li...

Struggling with metabolism, belly fat, or low energy in your 40s? Wondering if your protein intake is actually helping — or making things worse? In this episode we unpack how protein influences metabolism, hormones, muscle, and body composition in midlife.

Many women in their 40s are unknowingly under-eating protein, eating it at the wrong times, or relying on “high-protein” marketing that doesn’t actually support muscle health, metabolic health, or fat loss. We explore what’s really happening in your metabolism during perimenopause, why the popular “30g of protein per meal” advice isn’t always a magic fix, and how to eat i...

What if the fear you keep avoiding is actually the clearest sign you are meant to grow?

In this episode of The Forties Formula, we sit down with Bhavna Toor to explore the power of conscious choice and why you are only one decision away from a new direction. From leaving a secure corporate career to starting over in a new country, Bhavna shares how choosing courage over comfort reshaped her life and leadership.

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CHAPTERS

00:00 – Episode Snippet

00:17 – Leaning into fear and taking the leap

02:08 – Courage vs fearle...

Is your 40s a crisis… or the most powerful reset of your life?

In this milestone Episode 100 of The 40s Formula, we flip the script and answer the question we’ve asked every guest: What actually works in your forties? After 100 episodes and countless expert insights, we distill everything into one clear roadmap: the Body Fix, the Mind Fix, and the Life Fix.

We cut through diet culture, burnout, people-pleasing, and overwhelm to focus on what really builds strength, resilience, and clarity in this decade. If you’re tired of doing too much of the wrong...

Is the "Tiger Mom" approach actually damaging, or is Western parenting too permissive? In this episode of The Forties Formula, we sit down with conscious parenting coach Cornelia Dahinten and Anabel Chew to dismantle the myths surrounding Asian parenting versus Western styles.

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CHAPTERS

00:00 – Episode Snippet

03:38 – Traditional vs Modern Parenting Styles

13:48 – Sponsor Break: Cozy Earth

18:49 – What “Tiger Mom” parenting really means

25:10 – Sponsor Break: Love, Indus

32:14 – Letting kids be kids

42:47 – Fuel Your Forties

43:40 – The 40s Formula: Strong relationships and clarity

🎙️ ABOUT OUR GU...

Most women in their 40s are told their fatigue, brain fog, and low energy are “just hormones,” but iron deficiency is often the missing piece. In this episode, we explain why iron status plays a critical role in energy, focus, and overall performance in midlife.

Family physician DR. TASH MIRANDO joins us to unpack how iron functions as the body’s oxygen transport system, why low ferritin can look like perimenopause, and how to interpret blood tests beyond “normal” ranges. We discuss when nutrition and supplements are enough, when medical treatment is appropriate, and how to build sustainabl...

Most women are judged within seconds of entering a room—before saying a single word. In this episode, we reveal the science of nonverbal communication and how to be confident instantly without faking it.

Nonverbal specialist Pamela Puja Kirpalani joins us to unpack why body language shapes authority more than words. We discuss the psychology of first impressions, why "confidence" isn't enough, and the specific communication skills you need to command respect at work and in social settings.

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CHAPTERS

00:00 – Episode Snippet

00:55 – Introducing our guest, Pamela Puja Kirpalani

14:3...

Are you dealing with bladder urgency, urinary incontinence, or painful sex in your 40s? You are not alone.

In this episode of The Forties Formula, we dive deep into pelvic floor dysfunction—the invisible health crisis affecting women in perimenopause and beyond.

Most women prepare for wrinkles and hot flashes, but few are taught about pelvic health. We sit down with PREET SINGH, a pelvic health physiotherapist, to discuss the symptoms women rarely talk about: leaking when sneezing, constipation, and changes in sexual health. We break down why kegel exercises aren't always the answer and ex...

In this episode of The Forties Formula podcast, hosts Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim sit down with AMY KUNROJPANYA, a global executive and multilingual leader, to talk about the parts of professional success most people do not see. They explore how women manage ambition, leadership and motherhood while contending with chronic pain and women’s health concerns such as endometriosis. Amy shares practical approaches to setting boundaries, improving work-life balance expectations, navigating nonlinear career progression and advocating for medical care. Listen to understand success without performance culture and leadership without outdated expectations.

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