Feisty Menopause (2026)

09/04/2026

Many of us find comfort in being who we’ve always been—a triathlete, an ultrarunner, a powerlifter—but we are not defined solely by what we do. The midlife and menopause transition can be an invitation to expand our horizons, our identities, and even our cognitive capacity by learning, growing, and trying new things, says this week’s guest, Dr. Tamsin Lewis ( ), who has evolved through many roles as a former professional triathlete and Ironman champion and now thrives as a performance‑ and longevity‑focused clinician.

This week, we take a deep dive into the menopause transition through the lens of mindset, biology, and how our nervous system experiences it all. Tune in wherever you get your podcasts or watch on YouTube!

02/04/2026

During midlife many of us find ourselves with some level of core dysfunction–unresolved diastasis recti, a weakened or overactive/hypertonic (or both!) pelvic floor, and other issues that can leave us leaking when we jump, lift, or do everyday things like laugh. But we don’t have to live with it. We can strengthen, relax, and coordinate our core and pelvic floor muscles, and, as women’s health trainer Leah Keller ( ) coaches here, manage our intraabdominal pressure so the forces we produce don’t cause unwanted issues while we’re living our active lives.

Learn more about Leah’s medically validated approach to resolving core dysfunctions–and all the benefits that follow–this week wherever you get your podcasts.

01/04/2026

When our deepest abdominal muscles are compromised by issues like unresolved diastasis recti, we can run into trouble down the road, especially when we hit the menopause transition and experience the musculoskeletal and pelvic floor issues that can occur during that time.

Many women experience back pain, incontinence, or even painful s*x, never realizing these issues are rooted in a compromised core.

As this week’s guest, women’s health trainer Leah Keller ( )has found, once you resolve those core issues, many others get better, too.

Learn more about Leah’s medically validated approach to resolving core dysfunctions—and all the benefits that follow—this week wherever you get your podcasts.

26/03/2026

Women in their 50s, 60s, and beyond are crushing courses around the world. At a time when we’ve been preconditioned to believe we’ll slow down, many women are holding strong–or even improving. This week’s guest Anna Troup ( ) who has nailed many of her biggest feats since turning 50, believes stress is a big reason why. As we shift into our later years, sometimes the stress of young kids and career lessens and we can actually more fully focus on ourselves.

This week, Anna shares her journey to ultrarunning along with midlife training strategies like consistent strength, real-food fueling, patient recovery, and more.

Tune in wherever you get your podcasts.

25/03/2026

Signing up for big challenges like ultras builds confidence by staring down fears and showing up. Midlife women often excel at real-life problem-solving, staying calm amid chaos, and adapting when plans fail—skills that shine in progressively tougher events. Ultrarunner Anna Troup, ( ) who’s notched her best feats since 50, says that’s transformative at any age or experience level.

This week, she shares her ultra journey, midlife training strategies (consistent strength, real-food fueling, patient recovery), and more.

Tune in wherever you get your podcasts.

19/03/2026

Birth control pills are at the center of heated online debates. While hormonal contraception isn’t for everyone, the pill still has an important place in the healthcare toolbox for perimenopausal women, says this week’s guest Dr. Alyssa Dweck, ( ) practicing gynecologist at Well by Messer in New York City and Chief Medical Officer at Bonafide Health.

This week we sat down to talk all about perimenopause care, the state of hormone therapy, and much more.

Tune in wherever you get your podcasts.

12/03/2026

Completely relatable. No notes.

This week we sat down and let it all out with Shawna Norton ( ) of Competitive Female Training ( ), who is going through it with perimenopause right now. We talk about menopause symptoms, blood sugar management, how the struggle is real, and much more.

Tune in wherever you get your podcasts.

11/03/2026

Shawna Norton ( ) of Competitive Female Training ( ), like many of us before we hit perimenopause, used to silently doubt women when they would say their bodies changed overnight despite not doing anything different. Then she hit perimenopause. Now, like us, she understands. This week she shares all her perimenopause revelations…and what she’s doing to calm the chaos.

Tune in wherever you get your podcasts or watch on YouTube!

05/03/2026

As midlife women increasingly turn to GLP-1 medications to lose menopause-related weight gain, it’s important to understand the effects of weight cycling—losing and gaining weight over and over again.

Women lose weight—often quite quickly—on these medications.

But research shows that while many women start them, few stay on them long term, and when they stop, they regain weight–generally in the form of fat and not muscle. That can leave us less metabolically healthy than we were to start.

This week on the Hit Play Not Pause podcast, we break down menopausal weight gain–and loss–and how to remain strong and healthy throughout with global dietitian and public health and nutrition specialist Diana Reid, MPH, RDN ( )

Tune in wherever you get your podcasts or watch on YouTube!

04/03/2026

As women, we’re told our bodies are not right pretty much from the time we’re aware of our bodies–that messaging hits hyperdrive when we experience the body composition changes that happen during the menopause transition. This messaging is often veiled as “health concerns”, says this week’s guest global dietitian and public health and nutrition specialist Diana Reid ( ), MPH, RDN, even if a woman’s weight isn’t a health risk…and the steps she takes to lose weight actually are.

This week we break down menopausal weight gain–and loss–and how to remain strong and healthy throughout. Tune in wherever you get your podcasts.

26/02/2026

Female athletes often have special needs that are not captured by “normal labs” and iron is a biggie. Most labs screen for anemia by looking at hemoglobin — but athletes need to look at ferritin, the storage form of iron. Making matters worse, most labs will tell you your ferritin is “fine” when it’s 15 to 30 ng/mL. That’s not fine for female athletes.

Performance often drops weeks to months before anemia shows up, and if your ferritin levels are sub 50 ng/mL you may end up just spinning your wheels unable to improve, says this week’s guest endurance athlete and sports dietitian Meghann Featherstun, MS, RD, CSSD, owner of Featherstone Nutrition ( ).

Hear more about iron, carbs, and female performance this week wherever you get your podcasts.

25/02/2026

Many female athletes are told their labs look “normal”— yet they still feel slow, tired, and stuck.

If that’s you, check your iron.

Most providers screen for anemia by checking hemoglobin, but for athletes the more useful marker is ferritin, the storage form of iron. Ferritin is the tank; hemoglobin is just what’s left in the lines. You can have normal hemoglobin and still feel flat, heavy-legged, and unable to improve because your iron stores are low. And to make it more confusing, lab ranges often label ferritin of 15–30 ng/mL as normal. That’s usually not enough for female endurance athletes.

Performance can decline weeks to months before anemia appears, and when ferritin falls below ~50 ng/mL, training adaptations and fitness gains may stall, says this week’s guest, endurance athlete and sports dietitian Meghann Featherstun, MD, RD, CSSD, owner of Featherstone Nutrition ( )

Hear more about iron, carbs, and female performance in this week’s episode of Hit Play Not Pause wherever you get your podcasts.

Feisty Menopause