This week’s guest would like to apologize. Like many of us before perimenopause hit, Shawna Norton admits she used to quietly doubt—even judge—women who said their bodies changed overnight despite doing nothing differently. Then it happened to her. Now she gets it. And she’s genuinely sorry. In this wide-ranging, sometimes raucous, and brutally honest conversation, we dig into her own experience with rapid weight gain, joint pain, brain fog, and the unsettling feeling of living in a body that suddenly feels unfamiliar. We talk cortisol, stress resilience, inflammation, blood sugar management, the complexities of HRT, sleep strategies, and the emotional whiplash of navigating so many unknowns at once. Most of all, we talk about validation—because sometimes the most powerful thing you can hear in this chaotic time of life is: you’re not alone.

Shawna Norton, M.S., is a kinesiology specialist, strength coach, and nutrition coach dedicated to helping women build resilient, high-performing bodies. She holds a Master of Science in Kinesiology and is a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer as well as a Level 1 Certified Nutrition Coach through Precision Nutrition. Shawna is the founder of Competitive Female Training, a women-only coaching program where she guides athletes in fueling their training, optimizing performance, and focusing on what their bodies can do. She also coaches with Deep End Fitness, integrating stress-resilience and breath-driven performance strategies into athletic development. Learn more about her work at competitivefemaletraining.com

Resources

www.precisionnutrition.com/nutrition-calculator

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As women, we’re told our bodies are wrong almost from the moment we become aware of them—and that messaging hits hyperdrive when the body composition changes of menopause arrive. Those changes are often framed as urgent health risks, even when the picture is far more nuanced and the steps taken to “fix” them can carry risks of their own. This week we sit down with dietitian and public health nutrition specialist Diana Reid to dig into what actually drives midlife weight gain, what belly fat and BMI do (and don’t) mean for your health, and where GLP-1 medications fit into the picture. We talk muscle and bone loss, under-fueling, weight regain, and how to protect your health if you choose to use weight loss medications.

Diana Reid is a Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist licensed in both the United States and Luxembourg. She’s originally from Seattle, but has been living in Europe since 2016. Diana has a masters degree in Public Health & Nutrition and specializes in nutritional counseling and support for patients with eating disorders; food allergies, intolerances and gut disorders; and the unique challenges related to women’s health, especially during midlife and the menopause transition. She is a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and follows a non-diet, weight-neutral approach to health and wellness, focusing on habit building, lifestyle behaviors and balanced nutrition. She believes in practicing with compassion, understanding, and a personalized approach to nutrition and well-being. Diana is a married midlife menopausal mom of three teens and a clingy dog, and loves cycling, weight lifting, hiking and traveling. You can find her on social media at @theglobalrd or via her website at www.theglobaldietitian.com

Resources:

Weight Cycling as a Risk Factor for Low Muscle Mass and Strength in a Population of Males and Females with Obesity, here

Full resource list for this episode here

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Sports nutrition is confusing. Sports nutrition for endurance athletes is even more confusing. And sports nutrition for midlife female endurance athletes? That’s where a lot of women end up working incredibly hard… and getting nowhere, because they’re trying to outtrain a fueling problem. This week we sat down with sports dietitian and endurance athlete Meghann Featherstun of Featherstone Nutrition to talk about the fueling mistakes that women often struggle with the most: iron status, energy availability, carbohydrate fueling, hydration, and GI distress, along with the emerging complications of GLP-1 medications.

Meghann Featherstun, MS, RD, CSSD Owner and founder of Featherstone Nutrition ltd, Meghann has been working with endurance athletes as a board certified sports dietitian for the last 10 years. Passionate about helping runners, triathletes, and active individuals crush their biggest, baddest performance goals through solid daily & performance nutrition. A 3:58 to 2:49 marathoner herself, she knows what it takes to use solid nutrition to elevate potential as an athlete. You can learn more about her and her work at featherstonenutrition.com

Resources

Carbohydrate Ingestion on Exercise Metabolism and Physical Performance, here.

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Up in the middle of the night at 2:37 a.m. like clockwork? Toss and turn, desperately trying to slip into slumber? Eyes pop open at 4 a.m. though you’d really love to sleep in till at least 6? Are you just tired all the time? Welcome to the sleep syndrome of menopause–a common cluster of midlife sleep problems this week’s guest Dr. Andrea Matsumura treats every day. We break down what’s behind women’s sleep woes, including sleep apnea, lifestyle factors, and of course menopause. She also shares her DREAM Method as a practical framework for getting a solid night’s rest.

Dr. Andrea Matsumura, MD, MS, FACP, FAASM is a board-certified sleep medicine physician, menopause expert, speaker, and founder of the D.R.E.A.M. Sleep Method™. Known as Sleep Goddess MD, she specializes in helping women optimize sleep, circadian rhythm, and health during midlife. She is board-certified in Internal and Sleep Medicine, trained at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and Oregon Health & Science University, and previously built a women-focused sleep consult service at The Oregon Clinic. Dr. Matsumura currently serves as Medical Director at Cascadia Health, is a Fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, co-founder of the M/Power Menopause Collective, and a leader in the Sleep Is Good Medicine™ campaign. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, SHAPE, SELF, and CNN Underscored. You can learn more about her and her work at andreamatsumuramd.com

Resources

You Deserve to Get Good Sleep with Andrea Matsumura, MD (Episode 91)

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Midlife and menopause can bring real physical and psychological changes that affect libido, arousal, and pleasure—but that doesn’t mean desire or a satisfying sex life are destined to disappear. This week we sat down with registered nurse and Permission for Pleasure author Cindy Scharkey to unpack what actually happens to desire, arousal, pleasure, and our bodies as we move through perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. We explore why so many women stop wanting sex in midlife, how hormones, stress, body image, and long-term relationships play a role, and why waiting to be “in the mood” often doesn’t work anymore (and more importantly, what does).

Cindy Scharkey, RN, BSN, PHN, is a healthcare professional with almost 4 decades of experience. Throughout her career as a Certified Childbirth Educator, OB/GYN nurse and speaker, she has been consistently exposed to the taboos and silence surrounding women’s sexuality. Cindy is passionate about providing women with the content and self-confidence they need to find freedom on their own sexual wellness journey. As the author of Permission for Pleasure: Tending Your Sexual Garden, and Host of the Permission for Pleasure podcast, Cindy offers education and conversations about expressing, experiencing and enjoying your sexuality. You can learn more about her, her book, and her work at www.cindyscharkey.com

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This week we welcome back our resident reproductive endocrinologist and menopause specialist, Dr. Carla DiGirolamo, for another candid conversation. We pull back the curtain on Carla’s own menopause experience—how she navigates her symptoms, what she’s learned, and what she practices herself. We also dig into the hard conversations so many of us are having as we navigate this ever-evolving space, and how years of working closely with active midlife women have shaped her thinking on hormone therapy, GLP-1 medications, testosterone, hormone testing, and what actually moves the needle for athletic women in the transition.

Carla DiGirolamo, MD, PhD, is a Double Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist and Obstetrician/Gynecologist specializing in women’s performance and menopausal medicine. She is also a Crossfit Level 1 trainer, Certified Nutrition Coach, and member of CrossFit Medical Society. She is a MedFit Care provider and provides weekly workouts and medical updates at her Substack Athletic Aging. She is an Endocrine Consultant for Wild Health and Women’s Health Director at Eternal Health. Most recently, she has launched her own private practice specializing in helping active and high-performing women reach their performance potential from puberty through menopause. Dr. DiGirolamo is now seeing patients for virtual consultations for menopausal care and performance optimization. Visit her website www.drcarlad.com to learn more about her services and schedule an appointment.

Resources

Athletic Aging with Dr. Carla DiGirolamo on Substack

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In this special episode, your Feisty Women's Performance podcast host Dr. Erin Ayala brings together a group of experts on mental health to talk about the science and psychology of stress and collective trauma.

Along with being a sports psychologist & therapist in her own right, Erin also lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota — which has been at the center of the news over the last month since it became the target of the largest immigration enforcement action to date in the U.S. Thousands of federal agents have patrolled the streets and detained residents, and, over this past weekend, shot and killed a second bystander — leading to hundreds of thousands of people protesting in Minneapolis and around the country.

In this tense environment, how do we show up as athletes, as members of our community, as our best and healthiest selves?

Join Dr. Tess Kilwein, Dr. Quincy Guinadi, and Christine Bright as they discuss how these experiences shape mental health and performance, and how you can respond to stress and trauma — whether you're going through it right now with the news or you're dealing with your challenges.

Key Takeaways:

• What is collective trauma? Learn how collective trauma impacts communities and individuals, and why this understanding is crucial for athletes and coaches.

• Recognize that intentional rest in times of stress can be essential for long-term sustainability.

• Know that movement and sport can be powerful tools in community healing.

• Get tips on how to navigate the complexities of wanting to help without feeling performative or overwhelmed, and how to effectively engage in difficult conversations without shame or guilt.

Don't be perfect. Be brave.

Guest Introductions:

• Dr. Tess Kilwein: A board-certified clinical, health, and sport psychologist with expertise in mental performance and athlete wellness.

• Dr. Quincy Guinadi: A postdoctoral resident specializing in identity, mental health, and the experiences of marginalized communities.

• Christine Bright: Lead consultant at the Center for Healing and Justice through Sport, focusing on trauma-informed coaching and community support.

Resources Mentioned:

• Center for Healing and Justice through Sport

• Nothing Heals like Sport Playbook

• "What Happened to You" by Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah

• Beyond Ally by Dr. Maysa Akbar

• Find ways to help at standwithminnesota.com

Exercise is supposed to be healthy—but when does dedication cross into compulsion? In this episode, we sat down with sports psychologist and new host of the Feisty Women’s Performance Podcast, Dr. Erin Ayala to explore the murky, often misunderstood concept of exercise addiction. We unpack why it’s not an official diagnosis, how it overlaps with perfectionism, anxiety, body image, and control, and why endurance athletes—especially midlife women—can be uniquely vulnerable. We also dive into identity, boundaries, training culture, and how to tell whether exercise is supporting your life—or quietly running it.

Erin Ayala, PhD, LP, CMPC is a Licensed Psychologist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) offering virtual mental health therapy for athletes aged 14 and above. She provides one-on-one performance coaching, CMPC mentorship, clinical supervision, and group workshops for teams and sport organizations. She supports athletes in injury recovery, managing performance anxiety, depression, pre-competition stress, confidence, and self-criticism. Located in Minnesota, she is licensed to work with athletes in 40 states. You can learn more about Dr. Ayala and her work at www.skadisportpsychology.com.

Follow the newly launched The Feisty Women’s Performance Podcast here.

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This week we welcome back protein and fat-loss researcher Dr. Bill Campbell to unpack early findings from what may be the largest menopause fitness survey to date, designed to finally study women who actively train. We dive into what thousands of fit midlife women report about calorie and protein intake, hormone therapy use, and the widely felt—but poorly studied—experience of weight-loss resistance during peri- and postmenopause. The conversation also explores why hormone therapy use appears far higher in fitness-engaged women than in national estimates, how muscle quality and power may decline even before we notice muscle loss, and why high-intensity interval work appears especially promising for reducing visceral fat.

Bill Campbell, PhD is a Professor of Exercise Science and Director of the Performance and Physique Enhancement Laboratory at the University of South Florida. He is also a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist from the National Strength & Conditioning Association and former president of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (where he is also 1 of 35 individuals to be recognized as a ‘Fellow’ of the organization—an honor reserved for those individuals who have outstanding contributions to the field of sports nutrition). He has published over 200 scientific papers and abstracts, three textbooks, and 20 book chapters in areas related to physique enhancement, sports nutrition, resistance training, and dietary supplementation. You can learn more about him and his work at www.billcampbellphd.com

Resources

Investigating weight loss resistance across the menopausal transition: a preliminary quantitative survey of resistance-trained women here

Insufficient sleep undermines dietary efforts to reduce adiposity here

Why the Calories In/Calories Out Equation Can Fail Women with Jody Dushay, MD here

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When the first signs of menopause hit, the temptation can be strong to throw everything we have at it–all the supplements, all the hacks, all the hormones. But not everything is right for everyone, and doing too much at once can backfire, leaving you feeling worse, lighter in the wallet, or both. This week, we take a more measured, targeted approach with pharmacist, nutritionist, and certified menopause lifestyle practitioner Sarah Gray, author of It’s Not You, It’s Perimenopause. A marathon runner herself, Sarah explains how incremental, sustainable changes—matched to your body, goals, and real life—can help you feel better now while protecting your health for the long run.

Sarah Gray is one of Australia’s few dual-qualified health professionals in pharmacy and nutrition, and a Certified Menopause Lifestyle Practitioner. She takes a practical, science-based, whole-person approach to helping women thrive through perimenopause and beyond—blending nutrition, movement, mindset, and the smart use of supplements and medications. A trusted Australian health expert and social media thought leader, Sarah has appeared on Channel 10’s My Market Kitchen for four seasons and regularly contributes across radio, print, online media, and podcasts. In her debut book, The Australian Perimenopause Action Plan, she draws on 25+ years across pharmacy, private practice, public health, and the supplements industry to give women a clear, actionable roadmap for midlife. You can learn more about her and her work at thenutritionpharmacist.com

Resources

Book: It's Not You, It’s Perimenopause 

Collagen studies: 

Specific collagen peptides benefit the biosynthesis of matrix molecules of tendons and ligaments

Collagen supplementation augments changes in patellar tendon properties in female soccer players

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