Tag Archives | metabolism

EP 772

772: The Cost of Holding It All Together: How Overfunctioning Changes Your Hormones, Brain & Metabolism with Dr. Mariza

September 10, 2026 in Podcast, Women’s Health 0

Listen to the Episode Here

Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Stitcher | Spotify | Pocketcasts

Episode Summary

Have you ever looked at the same life you were managing a year ago and wondered, “Why does everything suddenly feel so hard?”

You’re still ambitious. You’re still capable. You’re still the woman everyone depends on. But the stress you once brushed off gets under your skin. Your brain doesn’t feel as sharp. Sleep is changing. Your patience is shorter. And keeping all those plates spinning suddenly requires far more energy.

In this solo episode, Dr. Mariza explores what happens when the profound hormonal and neurological changes of perimenopause collide with decades of over-functioning.

She introduces what she calls the midlife capacity gap: the disconnect between the enormous load many women are carrying and the biological capacity they currently have to sustain it.

You’ll learn why simply pushing harder may widen that gap, how Dr. Mariza is redefining resilience, and why supporting your hormones, brain, metabolism, muscle, and sleep is only part of the conversation.

Because the goal isn’t to make your life smaller. It’s to build a body capable of sustaining the life you actually want while becoming far more discerning about what deserves your energy.

Listen now to rethink what resilience looks like in midlife and start protecting your capacity for what truly matters.

IN THIS EPISODE

  1. Why high-functioning women can feel blindsided by perimenopause
  2. What happens when the woman who always handles everything suddenly has less capacity
  3. How estrogen and progesterone shifts can affect your brain, sleep, mood, and stress response
  4. What over-functioning looks like and why it often gets rewarded
  5. The midlife capacity gap between the load you carry and your biological capacity
  6. Why pushing harder and becoming more disciplined may not be the answer
  7. How to redefine resilience around adapting, recovering, restoring, and thriving
  8. The question Dr. Mariza wants you asking: “Is this actually mine to carry?”

QUOTES

“Perimenopause doesn’t arrive in a vacuum.”

“Endurance is not resilience.”

“Doing less isn’t the same as caring less.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Order my newest book: The Perimenopause Revolution

Stop surviving and start thriving, join Midlife on Fire Collective now

The High Functioning Woman on Substack

RELATED EPISODES 

771: Beyond Hot Flashes: The 103 Symptoms of Perimenopause No One Talks About with Andrea Donsky

769: Is It Perimenopause or Something Else? How to Finally Connect the Dots with Dr. Mariza

764: Why Your Nervous System Feels Dysregulated (Even When You’re Doing Everything Right) with Roseann Capanna-Hodge

750: The Underlying Cellular Cause of Midlife Fatigue, Brain Fog & Low Motivation with Andrew Salzman

Free Download: Easy, Practical Tips to Get More Energy!

Download the free Energy-Boosting Cheat Sheet now to learn how to unlock abundant health and energy that lasts—in only seconds every day!

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EP 756 (1)

756: What Low-Grade Inflammation Is Really Doing to Your Hormones, Brain & Metabolism with Dr. Mariza

June 18, 2026 in Podcast, Women’s Health 0

Listen to the Episode Here

Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Stitcher | Spotify | Pocketcasts

Episode Summary

What if inflammation is the missing link behind so many of the symptoms women experience after 40?

In this solo episode, Dr. Mariza breaks down the powerful connection between low-grade chronic inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, hormone changes, brain health, energy production, and accelerated aging. She explains why inflammation is far more than an immune system issue and how it silently influences nearly every aspect of health during perimenopause and menopause.

Many women assume that fatigue, brain fog, stubborn belly fat, poor sleep, anxiety, joint pain, cravings, and declining energy are separate issues requiring separate solutions. But Dr. Mariza reveals how these symptoms are often interconnected through one common underlying process: inflammation.

She also explores why perimenopause is not simply a hormone transition but a metabolic, vascular, and neuroendocrine transition that increases inflammatory burden and changes how the body responds to stress, blood sugar fluctuations, sleep disruption, and hormonal shifts.

Most importantly, Dr. Mariza shares the practical lifestyle pillars she uses to lower inflammation, improve metabolic flexibility, support hormone health, and create the internal environment needed for healthy aging and long-term vitality.

If you’ve been feeling like your body is changing but can’t quite connect the dots, this episode will help you understand what inflammation may be trying to tell you.

IN THIS EPISODE

  • Why low-grade inflammation is one of the biggest drivers of symptoms after 40
  • The connection between inflammation, metabolism, hormones, and aging
  • How perimenopause increases inflammatory burden throughout the body
  • The labs Dr. Mariza recommends to assess inflammation and metabolic health
  • Why blood sugar regulation is one of the fastest ways to lower inflammation
  • The critical role of muscle, movement, sleep, and nervous system regulation
  • How gut health influences inflammation, immunity, and metabolism
  • Practical daily habits that help reduce inflammation and support healthy aging

QUOTES

“The goal isn’t simply to lose weight. The goal is creating an internal environment where the body no longer feels the need to stay inflamed.”

“One workout cannot undo eight hours of sitting.”

“When inflammation comes down, everything goes up.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Use code ENERGIZED and get 10% off on your MitoQ Order

Fix Your Metabolism Masterclass

Order my newest book: The Perimenopause Revolution

Joi & Blokes Lab Testing

Blood Sugar Hacks Guide

RELATED EPISODES 

755: What If Your Body Isn’t Broken, Just Undernourished? The Missing Link Between Nutrients, Hormones & Energy with Ryan Woodburry

753: The Brain’s Hidden Role in Chronic Pain, Migraines & Fatigue with Dr. Howard Schubiner

751: Bloating, Brain Fog & Hormone Chaos? Your Gut May Be the Root Cause with Dr. Cassie Smith

741: Estrogen, Gut Health, Mitochondria, and Cardiovascular Health: What Changes In Perimenopause with Dr. Siobhan Mitchel

Free Download: Easy, Practical Tips to Get More Energy!

Download the free Energy-Boosting Cheat Sheet now to learn how to unlock abundant health and energy that lasts—in only seconds every day!

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EP 751

751: Bloating, Brain Fog & Hormone Chaos? Your Gut May Be the Root Cause with Dr. Cassie Smith

June 2, 2026 in Podcast, Women’s Health 0

Listen to the Episode Here

Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Stitcher | Spotify | Pocketcasts

Episode Summary

“What if your bloating, fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, stubborn weight gain, and hormone symptoms are actually starting in your gut?”

In this episode, Dr. Mariza sits down with Dr. Cassie Smith — dual board-certified endocrinologist, founder of Modern Endocrine, and author of Fix Your Gut, Fix Your Hormones — to unpack the powerful connection between gut health, hormone balance, stress, metabolism, inflammation, and reproductive health.

Together, they dive into how chronic stress, poor gut health, blood sugar dysregulation, inflammation, and lifestyle overload silently impact everything from cortisol and insulin to estrogen, progesterone, thyroid function, and fertility.

Dr. Cassie explains why so many women are told their labs are “normal” while still feeling exhausted, bloated, anxious, inflamed, and disconnected from their bodies — and why gut dysfunction is often the missing piece conventional medicine overlooks.

They also explore the growing metabolic and hormonal crisis happening in younger women, the connection between PCOS, insulin resistance, gut dysfunction, and birth control, and why many women are struggling to restore healthy cycles and fertility later in life.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that hormones do not work in isolation. Your gut, nervous system, metabolism, sleep, stress resilience, and hormones are all deeply interconnected.

If you’ve been feeling like your body is trying to tell you something but nobody has connected the dots yet, this episode will help you understand where healing truly begins.

DR. CASSIE SMITH

Dr. Cassie Smith is a dual board-certified endocrinologist and the founder of Modern Endocrine. After becoming frustrated with the limitations of conventional medicine, she built a practice focused on uncovering the root causes behind hormone dysfunction, metabolic issues, fertility struggles, and gut-related symptoms. She is also the author of the book Fix Your Gut, Fix Your Hormones.

IN THIS EPISODE

  1. Why chronic stress has such a powerful impact on gut health and hormones
  2. How gut dysfunction contributes to fatigue, brain fog, bloating, anxiety, and weight resistance
  3. The connection between estrogen decline, microbiome diversity, and inflammation
  4. Why insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction are rising in younger women
  5. The hidden relationship between PCOS, gut health, cortisol, and fertility
  6. Why birth control is often used as a Band-Aid instead of addressing root causes
  7. The foundational lifestyle habits that support gut and hormone healing
  8. Why slowing down, resting, and reducing nervous system overload matters for recovery

QUOTES

“Your hormones are doing the best they can in the environment you give them.”

“It doesn’t matter how many supplements or hormones we throw at you if the foundations aren’t in place.”

“Your gut is where all healing begins.”

“Your body cannot heal in survival mode.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Get your “Fix Your Gut, Fix Your Hormones” Book by Dr. Cassie Smith

Order my newest book: The Perimenopause Revolution

Modern Endocrine Website

Modern Endocrine Instagram

Modern Endocrine Facebook

Modern Endocrine Tiktok

Modern Endocrine Youtube

Hormones, Metabolism and You Podcast

The Menopause Gut Book by Cynthia Thurlow

RELATED EPISODES 

741: Estrogen, Gut Health, Mitochondria, and Cardiovascular Health: What Changes In Perimenopause with Dr. Siobhan Mitchel

743: Why Your Heart Risk Changes in Menopause (And What You Can Do About It) with Dr. Jayne Morgan

738: The Hidden Link Between Inflammation, Hormones & Fertility with Dr. Natalie Crawford 

740: Why You’re Bloated, Gaining Weight & Feeling Off in Menopause (It Starts in Your Gut) with Cynthia Thurlow

Free Download: Easy, Practical Tips to Get More Energy!

Download the free Energy-Boosting Cheat Sheet now to learn how to unlock abundant health and energy that lasts—in only seconds every day!

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EP735-The-Stress–Metabolism-Connection--Why-You’re-Gaining-Weight,-Craving-Sugar-&-Struggling-with-Energy-Tuesday-Q&A

735: The Stress–Metabolism Connection: Why You’re Gaining Weight, Craving Sugar & Struggling with Energy

April 7, 2026 in Podcast, Women’s Health 0

Listen to the Episode Here

Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Stitcher | Spotify | Pocketcasts

Episode Summary

Feeling like you’re doing everything right… but still struggling with unwanted weight, cravings, and low energy? 

This episode is for you. We’re unpacking why your metabolism may not be broken at all—and how a dysregulated nervous system could be the real reason your body feels stuck. 

For midlife women especially, chronic stress can quietly drive insulin resistance, hormonal shifts, and that frustrating loss of resilience that seems to hit in your 40s and beyond. 

So this conversation sheds light on the powerful connection between stress and your ability to create and sustain energy in your body. 

You’ll walk away with an empowering perspective on how supporting your nervous system can unlock real, lasting change in your health. 

Tune in here to learn how to work with your body—not against it—and start feeling like yourself again!

IN THIS EPISODE

  1. The correlation between stress and your metabolic health 
  2. What’s really happening in your body in a stressful state
  3. The negative impacts of stress-induced blood sugar responses 
  4. How you can experience a blood sugar spike without eating 
  5. Simple tips for calming your nervous system and stabilizing your metabolism and blood sugar levels 
  6. Movement recommendations for getting stress out of your system 
  7. How to take control of your body in my Midlife On Fire Collective 

QUOTES

“This is what’s called a stress-induced blood sugar response, and it’s completely normal in the short term, right? We are built for this…But the problem is, for most of us, this isn’t happening once in a while. It’s happening all the time, and over time research shows that it can lead to higher insulin levels, increased fat storage, especially in the abdomen, and more inflammation and oxidative stress in the body.”

“Your metabolism is deeply connected to your nervous system. So what can you do about this? I want to keep this real simple because this isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing fewer things consistently.”

“If we can start to create more safety in our bodies, it just changes everything. And we deserve that. We deserve to feel safe, because that translates into the safety of the people around us as well.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Join my Midlife on Fire Collective HERE!

Join my 7- Day Metabolism and Hormone Jumpstart HERE!

Order my latest book: The Perimenopause Revolution HERE

Dr. Jason Fung’s book: The Hunger Code

RELATED EPISODES 

729: Why Counting Calories Doesn’t Work (And What Actually Controls Hunger) with Dr. Jason Fung

730: The Metabolic Shift After 40: What’s Really Driving Weight, Energy & Mood Changes

732: The Silent Disruptor: How Chronic Stress Hijacks Perimenopause

698: Food Noise, Cravings, and Midlife Weight Gain: How to Regain Control Naturally with Sarah Kennedy

Free Download: Easy, Practical Tips to Get More Energy!

Download the free Energy-Boosting Cheat Sheet now to learn how to unlock abundant health and energy that lasts—in only seconds every day!

Read More
EP730-The-Metabolic-Shift-After-40--What’s-Really-Driving-Weight,-Energy-&-Mood-Changes-Tuesday-Q&A

730: The Metabolic Shift After 40: What’s Really Driving Weight, Energy & Mood Changes

March 19, 2026 in Podcast, Women’s Health 0

Listen to the Episode Here

Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Stitcher | Spotify | Pocketcasts

Episode Summary

Midlife is the time to measure, understand your body, and take proactive steps to support your future self. 

In this episode, I’m diving into the massive metabolic shift that happens during perimenopause—and why this stage of life is the perfect time to build true metabolic resilience. 

We explore how metabolism doesn’t respond to punishment or extremes, but instead thrives on consistent biological rhythms and supportive daily signals. 

Even small, simple habits can create powerful changes when practiced consistently. Because over time, these small shifts can stabilize energy, reduce inflammation, and help eliminate those frustrating crashes. 

If you’re ready to feel deeply supported in midlife, this episode will give you the roadmap to start today!

IN THIS EPISODE

  1. One of the MOST important upgrades of your life 
  2. Preventing chronic disease and protecting your heart and brain health 
  3. Defining your own habits that bring you energy and clarity 
  4. Navigating hormone shifts and other physiological changes happening in midlife 
  5. Building life-changing habits that you can be consistent with 
  6. What to expect from my new FREE jumpstart program! 

QUOTES

“I am more committed than ever to protecting my metabolic and brain health. Even on the hard days, because at the center of everything, your energy, your mood, your weight, your resilience, is your cellular energy, your cellular capacity is what’s determining the symptoms.”

“I believe a big part of our midlife journey is building daily habits that protect our cellular energy.”

“Perimenopause is the most rapid intervention window for body composition change. A 2020 study showed the greatest decline in lean muscle mass occurs during perimenopause.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Kickstart your Energy in my FREE 7-day Jumpstart Program HERE!

Order my newest book: The Perimenopause Revolution HERE! 

RELATED EPISODES 

728: Why Brain Fog Isn’t Random: The Hormone Shift Behind It

727: The Missing Link in Perimenopause: How to Rebuild Energy, Resilience & Hormonal Harmony with Dr. Deanna Minich

725: Exhausted, Wired & Not Yourself? The Hormone Havoc Causing Midlife Burnout with Dr. Amy Shah

#632: The Secret to Optimal Sleep, Resilience, Performance and Emotional Wellbeing with Dr. Kristen Holmes

Free Download: Easy, Practical Tips to Get More Energy!

Download the free Energy-Boosting Cheat Sheet now to learn how to unlock abundant health and energy that lasts—in only seconds every day!

Read More

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