Tag Archives | perimenopause

786: Doing Everything Right for Your Hormones but Still Feel Terrible? Here’s What You’re Missing with Jessica Kane Berman

October 29, 2026 in Podcast, Women’s Health 0

Listen to the Episode Here

Episode Summary

You’re eating more protein, taking your supplements, prioritizing sleep, working out, and managing your stress. Maybe you’ve even started HRT. And yet you’re still exhausted, your brain feels foggy, and none of it is making the difference you hoped for.

In this episode, Dr. Mariza sits down with Jessica Kane Berman, Co-Owner and Chief Brand Officer of BodyBio, to look past your hormone levels to the cells those hormones are trying to reach.

Jessica explains that hormones are messengers, and their message lands on the cell membrane. When that membrane is disrupted, even the right hormones, or the right HRT, can fall flat. And as women head toward menopause, they lose some of their ability to make the phospholipids that build those membranes from food.

They unpack what “leaky cells” are and how microplastics, heavy metals, and environmental toxins get inside, why the brain and the lining of the gut both depend on phosphatidylcholine (PC), and why so few women get enough phospholipids from their diet.

They also explore why fish oil may not be the answer it’s sold as, why a supplement’s quality and form decide whether it ever reaches your cells, the simple foundation Jessica would start with, and how the liver and bile flow fit in. Dr. Mariza also shares why BodyBio has been part of her own protocol since back-to-back concussions left her fighting to get her brain back.

Listen now to learn what your cells may be missing, and how to build a foundation that helps everything else you do for your hormones actually work.

JESSICA KANE BERMAN

Jessica Kane Berman is Co-Owner and Chief Brand Officer of BodyBio, the third-generation, family-owned cellular health company founded by her grandfather, Ed Kane. She leads BodyBio’s brand strategy, education, and global growth, translating the science of cell membranes, phospholipids, and mitochondrial health into practical steps people can use to feel their best.

BodyBio’s approach starts at the cell membrane, with phospholipids, essential fatty acids, and minerals that support how cells communicate, make energy, and clear toxins. Its products are trusted by more than 40,000 healthcare providers across the U.S. and U.K., and the company supports ongoing clinical research with institutions including the NIH.

In this conversation, Jessica shares her own hormonal history, from polycystic ovaries and being told she’d need Clomid and metformin to get pregnant, to three healthy babies and the shift she felt after her last pregnancy, and why she now looks at her hormones and her cells together.

IN THIS EPISODE

Why the health of your cells matters as much as your hormone levels
How a hormone’s message lands on the cell membrane, and why a disrupted membrane can leave HRT falling flat
Why women lose some of their ability to make phospholipids from food as they head toward menopause
What “leaky cells” are, and how microplastics, heavy metals, and environmental toxins get in
Why phosphatidylcholine (PC) matters for brain health, mom brain, and the lining of your gut
Why fish oil may not be giving your cells the fats they need, and better ways to get DHA
How a supplement’s quality and form decide whether it ever reaches your cells
The foundation Jessica would start with: healthy fats, minerals, and B vitamins
How the liver, bile flow, and TUDCA help your body process hormones and clear toxins

QUOTES

“Hormones are messengers, essentially. And the message lands on the cell membrane.”

“Everything ties back into how it functions on a cellular level.”

“They’re not supplements. These are essential nutrients that we need.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Use code DRMARIZA for 20% off BodyBio Hormone Essentials: The Hormone Health Stack

Find inspiration, connection, and meaningful reads. Join the Book Club now!

BodyBio Website

Jessica Kane Berman Instagram

BodyBio Instagram

BodyBio TikTok

BodyBio Facebook

RELATED EPISODES

779: How Did We Get Hormones So Wrong? The HRT Story Every Woman Should Know with Dr. Louise Newson

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

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

736: Why Women Over 40 Feel So Drained (The Mineral Deficiency No One Talks About) with Caroline Alan

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!

785: We Were Warned About Hot Flashes. Nobody Prepared Us for the Rest of Perimenopause

October 27, 2026 in Podcast, Women’s Health 0

If you’ve started to feel blindsided (and totally frustrated!) by energy crashes, brain fog, or mood swings in midlife, you’re not alone.

784: How to Feel Like Yourself Again When Life Won’t Let Up, Or Slow Down with Mona Sharma

October 22, 2026 in Podcast, Women’s Health 0

Listen to the Episode Here

Episode Summary

What happens when the version of you who could always push harder suddenly isn’t available anymore?

For Mona Sharma, perimenopause arrived in a way she never expected. After navigating mold exposure, long COVID, gut issues, disrupted sleep, hair loss, and an experience with testosterone pellet therapy, an unexpected frozen shoulder became one of the clues that made her finally consider declining estrogen and perimenopause.

But this conversation goes much deeper than hormones.

Mona and Dr. Mariza explore the emotional reckoning that can happen when your old capacity changes, the routines that once worked stop working, and the high-functioning woman you’ve known for decades starts asking for a completely different way of living.

They talk about HRT, stress, gut health, morning rituals, embodiment, intuition, sisterhood, aging, self-criticism, and the grief that can come with letting go of an earlier version of yourself.

Most importantly, Mona reframes perimenopause as a metamorphosis: a season that asks for more grace, deeper self-trust, and the courage to come home to the body you’re in now.

MONA SHARMA

Mona Sharma is a nutritionist, wellness practitioner, entrepreneur, and host of the Rooted in Wellness podcast.

Her approach blends nutrition and lifestyle practices with mindfulness, embodiment, Eastern traditions, and a deeply personalized approach to healing.

In this conversation, Mona shares her own experience navigating perimenopause while raising children, growing businesses, supporting aging parents, healing her gut, managing significant stress, and learning how to listen to a body that no longer responds the way it once did.

IN THIS EPISODE

The unexpected symptoms that first made Mona realize she might be in perimenopause
What her experience with testosterone pellet therapy taught her about individualized hormone care
Why HRT is not a cookie-cutter solution and may require patience, experimentation, and self-awareness
How chronic stress and gut health can complicate the way you feel during perimenopause
Why protecting one grounding ritual can matter more than creating a perfect wellness routine
How to approach prevention from possibility and purpose instead of fear
Why embodiment and intuition can become powerful tools when your mind feels scattered or overwhelmed
The grief of letting go of the high-capacity woman you used to be
How perimenopause can become a rite of passage into deeper wisdom, self-trust, and a new identity

QUOTES

“Finding the practice or the ritual every day that brings you home to your body is key.”

“This transition is metamorphosis.”

“It’s okay to drift, it’s part of life, but you always have to remember how to anchor yourself home in your body.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

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

Mona Sharma Website

Rooted in Wellness Podcast

Join Rooted Academy with Mona Sharma

Mona Sharma Instagram

RELATED EPISODES

777: What We Know Now: The Midlife Lessons No One Taught Us with Jenn Pike

776: What Changes When Your Body Can’t Keep Pushing Like It Used To? with Dr. Taz Bhatia

774: Training for Your Grandma Self: How to Build a Body That Lasts with Dr. Stephanie Estima

717: “I Don’t Feel Like Myself Anymore”: The Mental & Emotional Reality of Perimenopause

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!

783: Why Your Vaginal Health Changes After 40 (And What You’re Missing) with Wendy Strgar

October 20, 2026 in Podcast, Women’s Health 0

Listen to the Episode Here

Episode Summary

Recurring UTIs. Vaginal dryness. Burning. Painful sex. BV that comes back again and again.

So many women are dealing with these symptoms, especially during perimenopause and menopause, yet vaginal health remains one of the least discussed areas of women’s healthcare.

In this episode, Dr. Mariza sits down with Good Clean Love founder Wendy Strgar for a candid conversation about the vaginal microbiome, what can disrupt it, and why declining estrogen can leave vaginal and urinary tissues more vulnerable to dryness, irritation, pain, and recurrent symptoms.

Wendy shares how her own experience with painful sex and severe irritation after pelvic surgery led her to begin investigating the ingredients in common personal care products and eventually build Good Clean Love.

They unpack the importance of vaginal pH, protective bacteria, the vaginal epithelial barrier, and why simply treating every recurrence as another yeast infection or prescribing the same medication repeatedly may not address what is actually happening.

They also explore what happens as estrogen declines, why symptoms can become especially severe after cancer treatment or chemical menopause, and why women deserve better language, education, testing, treatment options, and clinicians willing to take vaginal pain seriously.

Because vaginal discomfort, recurrent infections, painful sex, and dryness should never simply be dismissed as the inevitable price of getting older.

WENDY STRGAR

Wendy Strgar is the founder of Good Clean Love, a women’s intimate and vaginal health company that grew out of her own search for products she could comfortably use after experiencing significant pain and irritation following childbirth and pelvic surgery.

Over the years, Wendy has focused her work on vaginal microbiome health, product formulation, education, clinical research, and expanding access to vaginal healthcare.

In this conversation, she shares what she has learned from working with researchers, clinicians, and women struggling with chronic vaginal symptoms and why she believes vaginal microbiome health deserves a much larger role in women’s healthcare.

IN THIS EPISODE

How Wendy’s own experience with painful sex and irritation led to the creation of Good Clean Love
Why the vaginal microbiome deserves the same attention we increasingly give the gut microbiome
How declining estrogen can contribute to dryness, irritation, pain, and changes in vaginal and urinary health
Why recurrent BV, yeast symptoms, and UTIs may require a deeper look at what organisms are actually present
The role vaginal pH and the epithelial barrier play in maintaining a healthy vaginal environment
Why some personal lubricants and vaginal products may aggravate already-sensitive tissue
What women should know about vaginal changes during perimenopause, postpartum, and chemical menopause
Why recurrent symptoms deserve more than another round of the same treatment
How better language, testing, and access to knowledgeable clinicians could transform vaginal healthcare

QUOTES

“The problem is that you need to create the environment for that healthy bacteria to survive.”

“We like to say restore and maintain.”

“Quality of life after you go through something like that, we deserve that.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Find inspiration, connection, and meaningful reads. Join the Book Club now!

Use code DRMARIZA and get 10% off on your Womeness Order

Improve your Vaginal Health: Subscribe to Wendy Strgar Substack

Good Clean Clinical Care: Use code MARIZA for 20% off

Good Clean Love: Use code MARIZA for 15% off

Good Clean Love Instagram

Wendy Strgar Instagram

RELATED EPISODES

779: How Did We Get Hormones So Wrong? The HRT Story Every Woman Should Know with Dr. Louise Newson

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

661: When “Normal” Isn’t Normal: How to Be Heard (and Taken Seriously) at the Doctor’s Office

572: How to Know You Are in Perimenopause Including the 40+ Symptoms Associated with Declining Hormones

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!

781: What If It’s Not Anxiety, Burnout, or “Just Your Hormones”? The Hidden Signs of ADHD in Women with Dr. Jolene Brighten

October 13, 2026 in Podcast, Women’s Health 0

Listen to the Episode Here

Episode Summary

What if the brain fog, overwhelm, time blindness, racing thoughts, and shorter emotional fuse showing up in your 40s aren’t just perimenopause?

For many women, ADHD has been hiding in plain sight for decades.

In this episode, Dr. Mariza sits down with women’s hormone expert and author Dr. Jolene Brighten to unpack why ADHD looks so different in women, why so many girls learn to mask their symptoms, and why changing estrogen levels during perimenopause can make those coping strategies suddenly stop working.

Dr. Brighten explains how ADHD in women may look less like the stereotypical hyperactive child and more like people-pleasing, perfectionism, constantly running mental lists, interrupting because you’re afraid you’ll forget your thought, chronic overwhelm, and appearing completely put together while internally struggling.

They also dive into the fascinating overlap between ADHD, perimenopause, PMDD, sleep, mitochondrial function, glucose metabolism, neuroinflammation, and emotional regulation.

And perhaps most importantly, they discuss what women can actually do: how movement can support brain energy, why sleep matters so much for the ADHD brain, how to build habits that work with your executive function instead of against it, and exactly how to advocate for a proper evaluation when your concerns are dismissed.

Because if your brain suddenly feels harder to manage in midlife, there may be more going on than “just hormones.”

DR. JOLENE BRIGHTEN

Dr. Jolene Brighten is a board-certified naturopathic endocrinologist, women’s hormone expert, educator, and bestselling author whose work focuses on helping women better understand the relationship between their hormones, brain, and overall health.

Her newest book, ADHD and Women: A Guide to Optimizing Your Hormones and Thriving with ADHD, explores how female hormones can influence ADHD symptoms throughout puberty, the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, postpartum, and perimenopause.

In this conversation, Dr. Brighten brings both clinical expertise and personal experience to the complicated intersection of ADHD, hormonal transitions, PMDD, emotional regulation, sleep, and women finally receiving answers after decades of believing they simply needed to try harder.

IN THIS EPISODE

Why ADHD in women can hide behind people-pleasing, perfectionism, and looking “high-functioning”
How declining estrogen in perimenopause can make masking ADHD symptoms much harder
Why girls with ADHD are often diagnosed with anxiety or depression instead
The connection between ADHD, mitochondrial function, brain glucose metabolism, and neuroinflammation
Why movement can temporarily improve focus and cognitive performance in the ADHD brain
How sleep disruption can compound brain fog, emotional dysregulation, and ADHD symptoms
Why ADHD and PMDD so often overlap and may worsen during perimenopause
How hormones may influence impulsivity, mood, executive function, and premenstrual ADHD symptoms
What to track and say to your doctor if you suspect ADHD but keep getting dismissed