Everyday Wellness: Midlife Hormones, Menopause, and Science for Women 35+

Today, I’m honored to reconnect with Dr. Tommy Wood. He is a neuroscientist, a performance coach, and an elite-level professional nerd. He's also currently an associate professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at the University of Washington. He received his bachelor's in biochemistry from the University of Cambridge, a medical degree from the University of Oxford, and a PhD in physiology and neuroscience from the University of Oslo.

In our conversation, we discuss his new book, The Stimulated Mind, and he explains how dementia is a confluence of factors that accumulate over decades, important contributors to dementia, and ways we can help prevent it. We explore the concept of headroom, specific risk factors for neurocognitive decline, brain fog in midlife, the 10-year HRT timing window, and the evidence supporting these concepts. Dr. Tommy shares what we can learn from his work with elite-level athletes, along with some of the biggest misconceptions in the brain health space, and his 3s model of stimulation, sleep, and nutrient supply. He also explains why nutritional status matters for neurocognitive function.

Stay tuned for today’s insightful conversation with Dr. Tommy Wood. I loved his new book, The Stimulated Mind, and it will definitely be part of my must-reads for 2026!

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

Why dementia is not one single disease but a clinical outcome with multiple causes

How sleep, oral health, nutritional status, and chronic inflammation may all influence dementia risk

What headroom is, and the factors that help maintain it and protect cognitive function

How the disease processes leading to dementia often begin decades before symptoms appear

What the research suggests about the best time to start hormone therapy for brain health

How Formula One drivers and elite athletes tend to prioritize sleep, nutrition, recovery, and focused work over chasing perfection

How frequent notifications and interruptions train the brain to expect distraction, making sustained concentration more difficult

How both overeating and chronic under-fueling can impair brain health

How lifestyle changes can reduce dementia risk, even in people with APOE4

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow

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Check out Cynthia’s website.

Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com

Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow.

Purchase Cynthia’s book, The Menopause Gut.

Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book

The Midlife Pause Supplement Line

Connect with Dr. Tommy Wood

On his website

On Instagram

The Stimulated Mind

Substack

I’m delighted to reconnect with my dear friend Ben Azadi today, in honor of his newly revised book, Keto Flex.

Ben is a leading authority on metabolic health, an international Keystone speaker, and the New York Times best-selling author of Metabolic Freedom.

In today’s conversation, we discuss why women fail on keto. We examine how women’s menstrual cycles and various life stages influence both the ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting, and the importance of coming out of ketosis and incorporating feast days. We explain what the Randall cycle is, why we need to be finely tuned to it, how to support healthy cortisol regulation, particularly the HPA axis, and tools to determine whether we are balanced within the autonomic nervous system, including heart rate variability, sleep, and whether our glucose and ketones are within range. We also explore the effects of anti-nutrients and elimination diets, and Ben shares his approach for women who feel keto hasn't worked for them, explaining why keto should be viewed as a process rather than a diet.

This is, as always, a truly invaluable conversation with my dear friend Ben Azadi. Stay tuned, as we will also be offering giveaways to listeners of Ben's new book, Keto Flex.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

Various factors that could influence how women respond to a ketogenic diet

How women need to adjust keto and fasting according to their menstrual cycle, perimenopause, and postmenopausal years, rather than continuously following the same approach

Why Ben encourages women to have intentional feast days instead of remaining in ketosis indefinitely

What a feast day looks like, and how it differs from a cheat day

Why fasting should be adapted to how well your body tolerates stress

Factors that can help to determine whether fasting is working for you

Why you should adjust your training intensity and focus more on recovery as you get older

How a temporary carnivore elimination diet can help identify foods your body doesn't tolerate

Why Ben views keto as a metabolic process rather than a diet, and why he prioritizes lifestyle before medication

Bio: Ben Azadi

Ben Azadi, FDN-P, is a leading authority on metabolic health, an international keynote speaker, and the New York Times bestselling author of Metabolic Freedom.

After facing his own health challenges, Ben transformed his life in 2008—losing 80 pounds and stepping into metabolic freedom. That turning point sparked a global mission: to help 1 billion people break free from physical and mental obesity through education, not medication.

With 18+ years in the health and wellness space, Ben is now leading a bold 10-year initiative to naturally reverse type 2 diabetes in 1 million people.

Through his work, Ben has reached millions worldwide and personally coached thousands to reclaim their health. His audience includes nearly 3M+ on digital platforms, more than 1M YouTube subscribers with over 100M views, and his top-ranked podcast, The Ben Azadi Show, which has surpassed 100 million downloads.

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow

Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn

Check out Cynthia’s website.

Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com

Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow.

Purchase Cynthia’s book, The Menopause Gut.

Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book

The Midlife Pause Supplement Line

Connect with Ben Azadi

On his website

Pre-order a revised-version copy of Keto Flex and claim your bonuses

I am thrilled to connect with my friend and colleague, Dr. Anthony Youn today.

Dr. Youn is a nationally recognized board-certified plastic surgeon and the author of many best-selling books. He has a massive social media presence and hosts the widely acclaimed podcast The Holistic Plastic Surgery Show.

In our conversation today, we dive into Dr. Youn’s new book, Younger for Life, and he offers valuable insights on skin health and overall well-being. We explore the aging process and address oxidative-free radical damage, chronic inflammation, autophagy, and the impact of processed foods. We also get into helpful supplements for skin support, examine the concept of greenwashing, and discuss sunscreen, exfoliation, in-office treatments, breast implant illness, and the power of lifestyle choices.

Stay tuned for more!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

How to avoid aging too quickly through nutrition and lifestyle changes

How sugar and seed oils impact skin aging

The benefits of collagen supplements for healthier skin

Hormonal changes that affect the metabolism and skin health after menopause

The importance of screening the ingredients in skincare products

How chemical sunscreens differ from physical sunblocks

Using Retinol for anti-aging and skin health

Non-invasive fat reduction treatments and their potential risks

Dr. Youn discusses breast implant illness

What you need to look out for when using Botox

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow

Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn

Check out Cynthia’s website.

Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com

Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow.

Purchase Cynthia’s book, The Menopause Gut.

Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book

The Midlife Pause Supplement Line

Connect with Dr. Anthony Youn

On his ⁠website⁠

⁠Youn Beauty⁠

⁠Instagram⁠

⁠YouTube⁠

⁠TikTok

I am honored to connect with Dr. Sharon Stills today. She is a graduate of naturopathic medical school with extensive training in European biological medicine, bioidentical hormone replacement, and anti-aging therapies.

In our conversation today, we explore terrain-based medicine and strategies to support women in perimenopause and beyond. We talk extensively about gut health, the estroblome, the microbiome, how European biological medicine views these as terrain, disruptive factors, and why they matter for women in midlife. We also examine the influence of the lymphatic system and how castor oil packs support it, bioidentical hormones as a lifelong tool rather than a temporary fix, and why menopause is a sacred second act in women's lives.

Dr. Stills is thoughtful, insightful, and grounded, and I know you will enjoy this conversation with her as much as I did recording it.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

How European biological medicine emphasizes the extracellular matrix (terrain) rather than focusing only on individual cells or mitochondria

How declining hormones during menopause often expose longstanding yet previously hidden aspects of women’s health

Dr. Stills shares what she did to prepare herself for menopause in the preceding years

Dr. Stills encourages women to create meaningful challenges or experiences to mark their major life transitions

How limiting beliefs about aging can influence how you experience midlife and beyond

Factors that could influence the health of your terrain

How supplements can play an important role, but work best alongside lifestyle habits, mindfulness, and supporting your body's natural healing processes

Why Dr. Stills considers the lymphatic system an overlooked contributor to hormone balance, and some practical ways to support healthy lymphatic flow

How simple daily habits often have a greater impact on your health than wellness gadgets

The value of bioidentical hormones, and why hormone therapy should be individualized rather than one-size-fits-all

Bio: Dr. Sharon Stills

Dr. Sharon Stills, a licensed Naturopathic Medical Doctor and graduate of The Sonoran University (2001), has spent over two decades transforming women’s health, with a special focus on guiding women through perimenopause and menopause.

Creator of the pioneering RED Hot Sexy Meno(pause) Program and host of the annual Mastering Your Meno(pause) Transition summit, she combines her expertise in European Biological Medicine, pro-aging therapies, and Bio-identical Hormone Replacement to help women rediscover vitality with natural methods.

A respected voice in her field, Dr. Stills has lectured internationally at the Paracelsus Academy in Switzerland, contributed to Women’s Health Network, and served on the boards of the Bio-Regulatory Medicine Institute and UCLA’s Archive of Healing.

She recently opened the Lasting Wellness Center in Scottsdale, AZ—alongside her son, Dr. Ben Stills—offering advanced diagnostic and therapeutic care for chronic illness and women’s health.

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow

Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn

Check out Cynthia’s website.

Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com

Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow.

Purchase Cynthia’s book, The Menopause Gut.

Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book

The Midlife Pause Supplement Line

Connect with Dr. Sharon Stills

On her website

Welcome to the latest Midlife Minute episode.

Today, we’re talking about elimination diets, iron, and ferritin. I share my personal experience with prolonged antibiotic and antifungal use, clarify what the research actually says about restrictive diets, nutrient deficiencies, fatigue, and brain fog, and highlight why it’s essential to understand your iron status during the menopausal transition.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

Why elimination diets can be helpful in specific situations, but may not be appropriate for the long term

How removing major food groups without a replacement strategy can cause unintended nutrient deficiencies

Why some women become more reactive to certain foods during the menopausal transition

How women’s protein requirements increase during perimenopause and menopause

How low ferritin is often overlooked in women, even when they are experiencing fatigue and brain fog

Why women’s iron status fluctuates during the perimenopause to menopause transition

How some women experience significant symptoms long before anemia appears in their standard lab work

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow

Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn

Check out Cynthia’s website.

Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com

Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow.

Purchase Cynthia’s book, The Menopause Gut.

Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book

The Midlife Pause Supplement Line

Links:

1. The Importance of Nutrition in Menopause and Perimenopause—A Review

2. Weight gain during the menopause transition: Evidence for a mechanism

dependent on protein leverage

3. The gut microbiota in menopause: Is there a role for prebiotic and probiotic

solutions?

4. Cognitive Performance in Relation to Systemic and Brain Iron at Perimenopause

5. Accelerated Increase in Ferritin Levels During Menopausal Transition as a Marker of Metabolic Health

6. Iron and Menopause: Does Increased Iron Affect the Health of Postmenopausal Women?

7. Iron deficiency in peri-menopausal women: Clinical considerations from an expert consensus

8. Cognitive Function in Peri- and Postmenopausal Women: Implications for

Considering Iron Supplementation