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Women often stop going to the high mountains when they reach menopause. The reasons why–hot flashes, unpredictable periods, anxiety, and fear, to name a few–will resonate with all of us, whether or not we ever step foot above sea level. This week’s guest, high altitude mountaineer Jeannette McGill is currently navigating the menopause transition herself and is determined to help women manage their menopausal symptoms and continue their journey of exploration in the outdoors and beyond. 

Jeannette is the first South African woman to summit Manaslu and the first-ever South African to climb Dhaulagiri - two of the 14 8,000-meter (26,000 feet) mountains in the world. She is passionate about supporting others to achieve their outdoor goals through her mountain mentoring and leads bespoke adventures in the Australian Alps and Nepal. Her portfolio career also includes industrial technology management, and she has a PhD from the Colorado School of Mines. You can learn more about her and her work as a mentor and guide at https://www.mcgillsmountains.com/

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The menopause transition can throw a lot of obstacles in your path. Training for and participating in obstacle course races can help you overcome them both physically and mentally, as you lift heavy loads, strengthen your grip, and hone your mental toughness and problem-solving skills. Plus, it’s super fun, says this week’s guest, obstacle course race enthusiast Laura McElduff, 52, who credits obstacle course racing with helping her get through perimenopause. 

Since completing her first obstacle course race in 2012 at age 42, Laura has competed at every distance from 3K to 50K ultras, raced in Canada and UAE and throughout the USA, placed top 10 in the F50-54 age group in the 2021 Spartan North American Championship and in the 2021 Spartan World Championship in Abu Dhabi, UAE. She is the mom of a young adult daughter and son and is vice president of a fragrance company in New Jersey. You can follow her OCR adventures on Instagram. 

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As active women, we train our strength and our endurance. But we don’t clean that barbell, we don’t cross that finish line, we literally don’t accomplish anything in life without first having the mental ability that comes from our brain. And as we age, our brains become vulnerable to decline. They physically change during the menopause transition, as our hormones fluctuate and taper off. But there is no point in time that we can’t take concrete action to build a stronger, better functioning brain, which is where this week’s guest, neurophysiologist Louisa Nicola comes in. We talk all about brain health, brain training, and how to maintain your mental acuity for life.

Louisa is the founder, head performance advisor, and CEO of Neuro Athletics, a company designed to optimize mental performance and to help educate, train and unlock human performance through science and data. She consults with some of the biggest names in the NBA and MLB and sits on the scientific advisory board for Tonal. Louisa was a world championship triathlete and raced both nationally and internationally for Australia and competed at London, Beijing and Auckland. After retiring in 2012 Louisa followed her dreams and went to Sydney Medical school for neurophysiology. You can learn more about her and follow her work via Instagram, her Neuro Athletics Newsletter, and her The Neuro Experience Podcast. Check out the research on adult neurogenesis here. And the ketone research here. 

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As women are living longer, pursuing higher education, and chasing athletic goals well into midlife, the decision if, when, or even how to have a baby has become increasingly complex, because the old formula of graduate, get married, have kids just doesn’t work the way it used to. So this week’s guest, Liz Carlson, created her own formula and after her decades-long pursuit of professional and athletic excellence, had her first baby at 43 and her second last year at age 52.

Liz is a former elite bike racer who was setting records and pushing U.S. women’s track cycling to the next level at an age when most track cyclists have long retired or hit the master’s circuit. She made the first-round cuts for the 2008 Olympic team in her late 30s, made the U.S. team again at age 41 and pursued a spot for the women’s team sprint at the 2012 Olympics. The Olympic dream wouldn’t come to fruition, but she broke records and discovered hidden talents and learned life lessons that stick with her to this day. You can read about that journey here. We talk about how our upbringing and adult life trajectory was affected by Title IX and the women’s movement of the 70s and (of course) menopause and what it’s like to have a baby in your fifties!

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Breaking a sweat is generally a good thing–a sign of healthy exertion–unless you’re working out in temperatures more suited to penguins than people. In those conditions, it can quickly lead to hypothermia, frostbite…or worse. So how does a perimenopausal woman (hello, hot flashes) make a 1,130 kilometer trek across Antarctica while pulling a 175-pound sled? That’s exactly what this week’s guest George Gilbert, co-founder and team leader of the Antarctic Fire Angels, a team of 5 female firefighters who are on a mission to ski to the south pole to raise money for charity and to show women that they are limitless, is in the process of finding out. We talk all about how she handled her first hot flash, persistent low moods, erratic periods, and other perimenopausal issues, as well as her adventures in underwater hockey, mountaineering, firefighting, and more.

George has been a firefighter for over 22 years and currently serves with South Wales Fire and Rescue service. She is an ambassador for gender equality and has an ambition to see more women striving to do whatever job they want to do in life; always ensuring she is visible as a role model for girls, young women, and women who are experiencing peri menopause and menopause who may be considering a career that doesn’t fit society’s gender stereotypes. You can learn more about her and follow and support the Antarctic Fire Angels mission at https://antarcticfireangels.co.uk/ Follow them here on Instagram to see photos of their training, including cold plunges and more. 

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Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr

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The menopause transition can leave a minefield of body image issues in its wake. Some research shows that as few as 12 percent of us are satisfied with our bodies at this time of life. That’s a problem, as poor body image is also linked to mental health issues like depression. We can’t wave a magic wand and make them go away, but we can equip ourselves with tools to make them a whole lot better. This week we build that toolbox with menopause fitness expert Maria Luque, PhD.

Maria is a fitness expert, health science professor, writer, and self-described menopause nerd with over 20 years of experience. She’s the creator of Fitness in Menopause, a company dedicated to helping women navigate the challenges and rewards of menopause. Her course “Menopausal Fitness: Training the Menopausal Client” is a NASM, AFAA, and ACE- accredited continuing education course for fitness professionals. She holds graduate and post-graduate degrees in health sciences and teaches at the College of Health and Human Services at TUI. You can learn more about Maria and her work at https://www.fitnessinmenopause.com/

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Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr

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Hot flashes. Sleepless nights. Mood swings. Divorce. The challenges of menopause and midlife came raining down on this week’s guest, Karen Duff, just a few years after she’d taken up mountain biking and was ascending the ranks quickly with her sights set on world-class competitions. She shares how she persevered through training, racing, and community and ended up getting 2nd place in the women’s division at Israel Epic mountain bike stage race the year she turned 50, and 2nd in her age group at the British Columbia Bike Race at 52.

In addition to her racing, Karen is a personal training specialist, a certified mountain bike and skills and tactics instructor, and a brand ambassador for Specialized, Skratch Labs, and 9Point8. Karen is passionate about helping women thrive during the changes associated with menopause. Her workout programs include HIIT, weights, and core, along with guidance and support to help her clients maintain sanity and strength and reach the summit of the menopausal mountain while enjoying the ride. You can learn more about Karen and her work at her training business’ website: www.Fit4Adventure.ca 

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Your pelvis changes during menopause–inside and out. The vaginal and vulvar tissues become thinner; the pH and microbiome in your vagina can shift; and the scaffolding that supports your pelvic organs can weaken, increasing your risk for pelvic organ prolapse. There’s help for all of that, so you can continue running, riding, lifting, having sex, and enjoying an active life free from pain, infection, and injury. We talk about all that and more this week with urogynecologist Kathleen Connell, MD.

Kathleen is chief of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She is the co-director of Women’s Pelvic Health and Surgery, a multidisciplinary practice at the Anschutz Medical Campus. Her surgical practice focuses on pelvic floor disorders including pelvic organ prolapse, urinary and fecal incontinence, and reconstructive pelvic surgery. She has done research on genital health and bicycling and genital health and saddle selection. You can learn more about her and her work at CU School of Medicine.

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Menopause is not the end of the line. It is not a “deficiency.” It’s a transition to the next phase of your life–a phase that can be positive, empowering, and powerful. But first, we need to understand what menopause really is; what is happening hormonally during this time, and how it is affecting literally every cell in our bodies. That’s where Dr. Stacy Sims and her upcoming book Next Level: Your Guide to Kicking Ass, Feeling Great, and Crushing Goals through Menopause and Beyond comes in. Next Level shines a light on every aspect of menopause and helps performance-minded women work with their changing physiology to optimize performance. We talk about Stacy’s goals for this book to create an active, positive menopause movement and how we can all foster an empowering culture so menopausal women can keep stepping up to starting lines, trying new things, and thriving in their lives.

Stacy T Sims, Ph.D., is an international exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist who aims to revolutionize exercise nutrition and performance for women. She has directed research programs at Stanford, AUT University, and the University of Waikato, focusing on female athlete health and performance. Her first book, ROAR, challenged the existing dogma for women in exercise, nutrition, and health. This paradigm shift is the focus of her famous "Women Are Not Small Men” TEDx talk. She is the creator of the popular Menopause for Athletes course and author of Next Level. You can learn more about the book and pre-order a copy at www.feistymenopause.com/nextlevelbonus

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Your muscles and connective tissues can get “stickier” and feel stiffer during the menopause transition, and you can find yourself with more aches and pains and niggles than you had before. Massage therapy can help with that. But the benefits don’t end with your muscles. Massage is also good for the menopausal mind. It activates your parasympathetic nervous system to lower cortisol and anxiety. It also can provide a safe space for you to release past trauma, reconnect your physical and emotional self, and let your body rest in a totally safe environment. We talk all that and more this week with massage therapist Rosemarie Rotenberger. 

Rosemarie is a Licensed Massage Therapist for 22 years. Her Olympic and World Champion clients span several continents and have competed in every summer Olympics since 2004. She has crewed for the Race Across America (RAAM) record holding team twice. Her work engages both the physical and emotional challenges of higher level sport. She has taught in both entry level and advanced orthopedic massage programs and served on national advisory boards. 

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Previnex: Get 15% off your order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/

Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr

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