The Midlife Feast

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• Perimenopause Mood Swings, Metabolism Myths, & Fasting - 5 Questions I Get All The Time 15.06.2026 23min

  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 do...
• Menopause and Body Image: How to Accept Your Changing Body with Alli Spotts-De-Lazzer, LMFT, CEDS-C 08.06.2026 45min

  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 opinio...
• How to Know If You're Moving Enough (Without the Rules or the Tracker) with Cadence Dubus 01.06.2026 50min

  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. Why the "one size fits all" fitness world was never designed for bodies that cycle, fluctuate, and change (like ours)How metrics like step counts and Apple Watch data...
• Second Helping: Your Bones Are More Than A DEXA Score with Rebekah Rotstein 25.05.2026 43min

  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 o...
• Menopause Movement Myths and What Actually Helps with Dr. Maria Luque 16.05.2026 38min

  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 c...
• Be in the Photo: A Midlife Body Confidence Practice for Summer 11.05.2026 8min

  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: Why the point of a picture is the moment, not your good sideReframing photos as time capsules rather than auditionsHow to stop letting selfie culture (and t...
• Menopause, ADHD & the Hidden Cost of Masking: What Every Midlife Woman Needs to Know with Dr. Helen Wall 04.05.2026 35min

  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-functio...
• Taking Up Space in Midlife with Lise Thorne 27.04.2026 42min

  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 bec...
• Menopause and Body Image: How to Feel Like Yourself Again 20.04.2026 13min

  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 an...
• Permission to Be Seen: Creativity, Resilience & Recording Your First Album at 50 with Becca Kidwell 13.04.2026 22min

  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 ...
• #188 - Turning Down the Critical Voice: Body Acceptance in Your Midlife Body with Kristina Bruce 06.04.2026 37min

  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 ...
• #187 - Second Helpings - Decoding Cravings & Emotional Hunger in Midlife & Menopause 30.03.2026 27min

  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 disru...
• #186: GLP-1s, Intuitive Eating & Finding Food Freedom: A conversation with Sam Previte RD 23.03.2026 38min

  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 ...
• #185: The Science and Symptoms of Burnout: How to Build Capacity in Midlife with Dr Ashley Margeson ND 16.03.2026 45min

  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 wom...
• #184: Pelvic Floor Freedom: Why Kegels Aren't the Answer & What Works Instead with Lauren Ohayon 09.03.2026 40min

  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 men...
• #183: Decision Fatigue and Menopause: Why "What's for Dinner?" Makes You Want to Scream 02.03.2026 23min

  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 ...
• #182: Visibility As Generosity: Rethinking Photos, Aging, And Confidence With Photographer Kristen Vallejo 23.02.2026 35min

  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....
• #181: The Political Hot Potato of Menopause: Cutting Through Noise with Fiona Clark 16.02.2026 37min

  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 adv...
• #180: Seed Oils, Protein Obsession & Nutrition Misinformation: Cutting Through the Noise with Colleen Christensen, RD 09.02.2026 39min

  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 ...
• #179 - Fiber Without The Fuss in Midlife and Menopause 02.02.2026 21min

  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 yo...