Graced Health: Perimenopause and Menopause Wellness for Christian Women

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This is my final episode of the Graced Health podcast after more than 500 episodes. On the podcast today, I'm sharing the personal journey that led to this decision — including the sudden loss of my dad, a season of grief, and a growing sense that God is calling me toward stillness, presence, and closer connection with the people in my life (especially my mom). Listen in to hear where I'll be focusing my energy next. 

There will be a few more things coming from me. I'll be sending periodic thoughts by email — reflections on sabbath, on trust, on what it means to practice shalom in a noisy world. If you want to stay connected, the link to subscribe is below.

And if you haven't listened to the Cool-Down series — the guest episodes leading up to this one — please go back and do that. I handpicked these women. I trust them. Their voices are ones I want in your ear going forward.

To every woman who has ever hit play on this podcast: thank you. Thank you for letting me be part of your commute, your morning walk, your kitchen cleanup. Thank you for trusting me with the tender questions. It has been one of the greatest honors of my life.

❤️ If you're feeling generous, I'd love to hear a favorite message or takeaway from the last ten years. I've often shared it's a little lonely in this strange one-to-many space and it would mean so much to know how this has impacted you. Big or small, it's all meaningful. Simply click on "Text to send thoughts on todays episode." ❤️

Main Points Today:

• Gratitude for the Community 
• When a Shift Began
• Seeds Planted Over a Year 
• The Biggest Reason I'm Ending the Show
• Origin Story: How Graced Health Began 
• A Sabbath Conversation 
• Wrestling with Identity
• The Joshua 3 Parallel 
• From "One to Many" to "One to Few" 
• A Closing Challenge
• Coaching & Training 

Episode Links

How I heard from God without spending time in prayer or worship

5 Uncomfortable Lessons from 500 Episodes

Sign Up to Receive Periodic Updates on Stillness and Sabbath

https://www.gracedhealth.com/nourishing-notes/

My latest recommended ways to nourish and move your body, mind and spirit: Nourished Notes Bi-Weekly Newsletter

30+ Non-Gym Ways to Improve Your Health (free download)

Connect with Amy:
GracedHealth.com
Instagram: @GracedHealth
YouTube: @AmyConnell

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As part of the Graced Health Sunset Series, I sit down with Shaela Daugherty — certified personal trainer, nutrition coach, and host of the Simple Fitness Habits podcast, where she helps Christian women simplify their health and fitness without the guilt or the overwhelm.

Shaela's story took an unexpected turn in late 2025, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at 33 and thrust — almost overnight — into permanent, treatment-induced menopause. In this conversation, she shares how that diagnosis reshaped her approach to health, why simplicity became a matter of survival, and how she's helping women return to consistency again and again, even in the messiest seasons of life. We also talk about her Stronger Collective community, the tools she's built to make workouts realistic on hard days, and the one episode she'd point you to first.

Topics Discussed Today:

• Shaela's sudden journey into medical menopause at 33
• Why simplicity became her lifeline through treatment
• The real skill behind lasting health: learning to return
• Inside the Stronger Collective and the new Weekly Reset tool
• "Fitness snacking" and making room for messy days
• Shaela's one episode to start with

Episode Links:

Simple Fitness Habits Podcast ​

​Shaela's Website ​

​The Stronger Collective 

My latest recommended ways to nourish and move your body, mind and spirit: Nourished Notes Bi-Weekly Newsletter

30+ Non-Gym Ways to Improve Your Health (free download)

Connect with Amy:
GracedHealth.com
Instagram: @GracedHealth
YouTube: @AmyConnell

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As part of the Graced Health Sunset Series, I sit down with Kate Lyman — nutrition coach, Master of Public Health, Certified Health Education Specialist, and owner of Kate Lyman Nutrition. Kate also co-hosts the How to Fitness podcast alongside Michael Ulloa, where the pair bring an evidence-based, ad-free lens to trending wellness and nutrition topics.

In this conversation, Kate breaks down how she and Michael research and script their deep-dive episodes, why the menopause transition is a hotbed for health misinformation, and why "it depends" might be the most honest (and most frustrating) answer in wellness. We also swap stories on episodes that surprised us, the sketchy side of the supplement industry, and how to think clearly about GLP-1 medications.

Topics Discussed Today:

• Behind the scenes of a research-heavy podcast 
• Why the menopause transition attracts so much misinformation 
• The pull of hot takes 
• Framing health advice as experimentation 
• Navigating GLP-1 medications 
• Kate's one takeaway for listeners

Episode Links

How To Fitness Podcast

https://www.katelymannutrition.com/how-to-fitness-podcast

My latest recommended ways to nourish and move your body, mind and spirit: Nourished Notes Bi-Weekly Newsletter

30+ Non-Gym Ways to Improve Your Health (free download)

Connect with Amy:
GracedHealth.com
Instagram: @GracedHealth
YouTube: @AmyConnell

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As Graced Health winds down its final season, I'm introducing listeners to podcasters I trust to carry them forward — like Brittany Braswell, RD, and host of the Faith-Filled Food Freedom podcast (formerly the Joy-Filled Eater Podcast). Brittany is a registered dietitian, public speaker, and creator of the Joy-Filled Eater course, where she helps Christian women break free from food guilt, body image struggles, and diet culture through a faith-centered, practical approach to food freedom.

In this conversation, Brittany and I catch up as longtime friends and colleagues, and Brittany shares who she works with, what surprised her most in her own podcasting journey, and where new listeners should start if they want to dig into her back catalog.

Main points discussed:

The real problem isn't the information — Brittany argues nutrition facts themselves aren't usually the issue; it's how they're delivered

Listening to your body without letting it "drive the bus" — Brittany's framework: combines body awareness, faith/discernment, and basic nutrition knowledge rather than following rigid rules or oversimplified mantras.

The messy middle — There's rarely a single "right" answer in nutrition; it takes trial and error, curiosity over judgment.

A surprising fan-favorite topic on Brittany's podcast — An episode on sex and body image got huge listener response, leading to a follow-up ("The Secret Sex Lives of Christian Wives") about how body image affects intimacy and marriage.

Listen to the Faith Filled Food Freedom Podcast

Connect with Brittany

https://www.brittanybraswellrd.com/

https://www.instagram.com/brittanybraswellrd

My latest recommended ways to nourish and move your body, mind and spirit: Nourished Notes Bi-Weekly Newsletter

30+ Non-Gym Ways to Improve Your Health (free download)

Connect with Amy:
GracedHealth.com
Instagram: @GracedHealth
YouTube: @AmyConnell

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As part of our Sunset Series, I'm introducing you to podcasters I know, trust, and love — so you'll have somewhere to turn when Graced Health wraps up. Today I'm talking with my friend Heather Creekmore, host of the Compared to Who podcast and author of several books, including Aging Gratefully. Heather and her husband Eric live in Austin with their four teenagers, and she's spent years helping women stop comparing and start living through a faith-based approach to body image.

Main Points Today:

1. Who Compared to Who is for

2. Heather's own story with body image
 

3. Body image in perimenopause and menopause

4. Value and worth don't erode with age
 

5. The "Gaining W.A.I.T." concept
 

6. Rethinking "love your body" language
 

7. Everyday language that reinforces diet culture
 

8. Where to start with Compared to Who
 

9. A note of hope
 

Listen to the Compared to Who Podcast

Connect with Heather

www.improvebodyimage.com

My latest recommended ways to nourish and move your body, mind and spirit: Nourished Notes Bi-Weekly Newsletter

30+ Non-Gym Ways to Improve Your Health (free download)

Connect with Amy:
GracedHealth.com
Instagram: @GracedHealth
YouTube: @AmyConnell

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After more than five hundred episodes, the Graced Health podcast is coming to an end. Before we get there, we're slowing down intentionally — because every good workout deserves a cool-down.

Over the next several weeks, I'll be introducing you to podcasters I know personally and trust deeply. And on August 11th, I'll share the full story of why I'm stepping away and what I'm stepping toward.

Subscribe now so you don't miss a single Cool-Down episode.

My latest recommended ways to nourish and move your body, mind and spirit: Nourished Notes Bi-Weekly Newsletter

30+ Non-Gym Ways to Improve Your Health (free download)

Connect with Amy:
GracedHealth.com
Instagram: @GracedHealth
YouTube: @AmyConnell

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The wellness industry will always have something new to sell you — red light masks, cold plunge tubs, vagus nerve stimulators, hydrogen water bottles, sleep maxing gadgets. And honestly? Some of them might even be worth it. But how do you know?

In this final episode of the Common Sense series, I'm giving you something more valuable than a product review: a framework for thinking. Seven questions to ask yourself before you buy anything — so you can move forward with clarity, confidence, and yes, a little healthy skepticism.

In this episode:

• The one question that cuts through almost any wellness trend: does this claim actually make sense?
• How to spot "magic wand" language — and why no single product will ever fix your sleep, your energy, or your hormones
• Who's really behind the recommendation, and why that matters more than the testimonial
• What the research actually says about popular trends like vibration plates, infrared saunas, and vagus nerve stimulators
• Why the right tool isn't always the best tool — and how to match a product to your actual needs and lifestyle
• A honest conversation about privilege, economics, and what else that money could do for your health
• How to make sure your wellness choices align with your values and what God is calling you to right now
• A quick-start research guide: how to use AI, Perplexity, Consensus, and PubMed to go deeper than a Google search

Resources mentioned:

• Why Now is the Perfect Time to Integrate the Blue Zones Lifestyle — Season 18, Episode 13
• Sleep Better in Midlife: 16 Common Sense Tips that Actually Work
• Inhale Calm, Exhale Stress: A Common Sense Guide to Breathing
• Perplexity
• Consensus
• PubMed
• How To Fitness Podcast with Kate Lyman and Michael Ulloa

My latest recommended ways to nourish and move your body, mind and spirit: Nourished Notes Bi-Weekly Newsletter

30+ Non-Gym Ways to Improve Your Health (free download)

Connect with Amy:
GracedHealth.com
Instagram: @GracedHealth
YouTube: @AmyConnell

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I made up a breathing technique involving a clock face. Yes, really. And it works. That's just one of 10 tools in this week's episode on mindful breathing for stress — perfect timing if your nervous system has felt a little extra "on" lately.

In this episode of the Common Sense series, I tackle a topic that's simple, free, and easy to overlook: breathing. A coaching client's request sparked this deep dive into how intentional breathing can help regulate stress — especially as cortisol and stress resilience shift during perimenopause and menopause.

In this episode:

• Why stress resilience changes in perimenopause/menopause
• The sympathetic vs. parasympathetic nervous system, explained simply
• Why a longer exhale than inhale is the strongest signal of safety to your body
• The vagus nerve's role in calming your system
• A simple 4-minute daily practice I love to use

Episode Links

The underlying reasons you are chronically exhausted (Hint: all roads lead to gut health) with Halley Brooke

Meditation Myths Busted: A Guide to Everyday Mindfulness with Ann Swanson

Exhausted, Overwhelmed, and Over 40? Here's Why Your Body's Stress Response Has Changed with Marcyline Bailey

Sleep Better in Midlife: 16 Common Sense Tips That Actually Work

Rewrite your Food Story to change the way you eat, think and live with Elise Museles

3am Insomnia: When Hormones Hijack Your Sleep in Midlife with Kathleen Saucier

Melt Vagus Nerve YouTube Video

Products Discussed (Amazon Aff)

Melt Soft Body Foam Roller

Meditation for the Real World by Ann Swanson

Breath as Prayer by Jennifer Tucker

My latest recommended ways to nourish and move your body, mind and spirit: Nourished Notes Bi-Weekly Newsletter

30+ Non-Gym Ways to Improve Your Health (free download)

Connect with Amy:
GracedHealth.com
Instagram: @GracedHealth
YouTube: @AmyConnell

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Were you constantly told to "stand up straight" growing up? In this common sense episode, we're taking a fresh look at posture—not as a matter of appearance, but as an important part of strength, mobility, balance, and healthy aging. Learn what's really happening to posture during midlife, why it's so common to find yourself hunching forward, and what you can do to improve it.

In This Episode

•  Why posture changes during midlife 
•  How estrogen loss affects muscle mass, connective tissue, and bone density 
•  The impact of modern life (phones, screens, driving) on posture 
•  What "upper crossed syndrome" is and why it matters 
•  The connection between posture, balance, falls, and longevity 
•  Understanding kyphosis ("dowager's hump") and when to seek medical advice 
•  The easiest posture habit you can start today 
•  Strength exercises that support better posture 
•  Key stretches to open tight muscles 
•  How foam rolling fits into a posture routine 
•  The truth about posture correctors and weighted vests 
•  Special considerations for osteoporosis and osteopenia

Episode Links

Weighted Vest: A Common Sense Approach

YouTube Videos

Strengthen Your Spine Without Pull-Ups | 4 Proven Exercises

Strong Back Without Pull-Ups? Here's How

My latest recommended ways to nourish and move your body, mind and spirit: Nourished Notes Bi-Weekly Newsletter

30+ Non-Gym Ways to Improve Your Health (free download)

Connect with Amy:
GracedHealth.com
Instagram: @GracedHealth
YouTube: @AmyConnell

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We are living in a supplement era — and it's overwhelming. Between Instagram reels, podcast ads, and influencer recommendations, it can feel like you need an entire shopping cart of pills and powders just to function. But do you?

In this episode, I'm zooming out and taking a common-sense approach to supplements: no hype, no magic wands, just practical guidance to help you figure out what your body actually needs.

In this episode:

• Why food always comes first — and what "bioavailability" actually means for you
• The questions to ask yourself before buying any supplement
• Why blood work is your best friend (and how to advocate for the panels you want)
• What to look for on the label — and the red flags that should make you pause
• Third-party testing explained: NSF, USP, and Informed Choice
• The 5 supplements most commonly recommended for women in perimenopause and menopause: protein, creatine, vitamin D, magnesium, and omega-3s
• Why more is NOT always better (a cautionary tale about B6)
• The truth about chia seeds and omega-3s (spoiler: it's not apples to apples)
• How to choose where to start based on your own goals

Episodes Discussed:

5 Things You Need to Know Before You Take Supplements

How to Choose Seafood and Avoid the Rare Ciguatera Poisoning I Contracted

Protein: A Common Sense Guide for Women in Perimenopause & Menopause

Creatine, Brain Fog, and Muscle Loss: What Every Woman in Perimenopause Should Know

Muscle cramps, fatigue, headaches and stressed? This natural mineral may help.

My latest recommended ways to nourish and move your body, mind and spirit: Nourished Notes Bi-Weekly Newsletter

30+ Non-Gym Ways to Improve Your Health (free download)

Connect with Amy:
GracedHealth.com
Instagram: @GracedHealth
YouTube: @AmyConnell