Many of us going through menopause at the moment were the latchkey kids of Generation X, who came of age without a whole lot of supervision and (though it certainly wasn’t all bad!), more than our share of angst, body image issues, eating disorders, and cultural BS about how women were supposed to look and behave. It wasn’t always easy, but it also taught us how to fend for ourselves, be resilient, and forge our own way–qualities that are very helpful as we navigate the menopause transition and beyond. This week’s guest, Jody Trostler, owner of Just Train, has been through all of it and is committed to helping women get fit and strong, find their power, advocate for themselves, and be the best version of themselves right now. She also walks her talk, competing in her first CrossFit event at age 48, and is still hitting PRs in the weight room at 55.

Jody Trostler, owner of Just Train Personal Training, is a Certified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor, Certified Online Coach and Master Health Coach and has completed Stacy Sims Menopause For Athletes course. Her practice features a 16-week Online Group program called Ignite the Fire! for women entering their perimenopause years and beyond. Her current personal fitness passion is Obstacle Course Racing and trail running with friends and her dog Charlie. You can learn more about her and her work at justtrain.net.

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Many of us grew up with implicit–and sometimes explicit–messages to be small, both in our physical selves and in our power. Now, as we hit midlife, we’re increasingly rejecting those BS limitations and seeing just how powerful we can be. That’s exactly what two-time Olympian Gabrielle Rose did in her mid-40s when she set her sights on the 2024 Olympic Trials, were she achieved personal bests in both the 100- (1:08.32) and 200-meter breaststroke (2:30.13), advancing to the semifinals as the oldest competitor on deck at age 46, exactly 20 years after her last Olympic Trials in 2004. We talk all about her history in the sport and how her training has evolved over the decades, as well as what led to her comeback and how it has completely lit a fire for her future.

Gabrielle Rose competed in the 1996 games for Brazil. In 2000, at the age of 22, she swam for Team USA at the Games in Sydney. She pursued her Olympic dreams through 2004, but unfortunately was struck by mononucleosis and missed a spot on the US team, leaving her swimming dreams on the table, until 20 years later. Rose is a mom of a 9-year-old daughter and coaches swimmers in California where she resides. She is the executive director of The Rose Foundation, which invests in athletic facilities and educational opportunities in her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, particularly aimed at benefiting at-risk populations in the city. 

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Menopause can be challenging. Menopause for women who have been through trauma can be exponentially harder. Few know this better than political refugee and abuse survivor, Mirella Russell, one of the “House Wives” of Hip Hop who found hip hop dance when she was 40 and has used it to bring joy through her grief and struggles for the past 10 years. She’s joined this week by fellow team manager, Alexa Uhrich, who along with the rest of their midlife squad has been dancing through sleepless nights, nagging injuries, anxiety, and the many challenges menopause can bring. They also give back to their community and raise funds for causes near and dear to their hearts, including Battered Women’s Support Services. We talk all about it and the myriad physical, mental, and emotional benefits hip hop and house dance can have for midlife and menopausal women.

The “House” Wives of Hip Hop is an adult dance crew of women 35+ yrs. Inspired by a love of “House” music and Hip Hop, this non-professional diverse team was formed in 2016 and since then we have been creating magic on and off the dance floor through commitment to hard work, friendship, laughter, and spreading joy and positivity through dance. They were recently honored to perform as the opening act for Grammy Award winning American singer Mya. In addition to dancing, the team supports women’s organizations to help end gender based violence. You can follow them @thehousewivesofhiphop on Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok.

Resources 

Donate to their team raising funds for Battered Women’s Support Services

Women and girls have historically been overlooked when it comes to ADHD. Now experts understand that many girls and women do indeed have ADHD. It just looks different, and estrogen has a big role in how it plays out and in how we treat it, which becomes especially important once we hit the menopause transition. For women with ADHD–and many are just being diagnosed for the first time in midlife–the fluctuation and decline of estrogen levels can make their condition much harder to manage, which is something that has historically been completely overlooked. This week we dive into it all with internationally recognized authority on ADHD, Kathleen Nadeau, PhD. 

Kathleen Nadeau, PhD, is founder of The Chesapeake Center and is a frequent lecturer on topics related to ADHD. She is the author or co-author of over a dozen books related to ADHD, including her latest on older adults, Still Distracted After All These Years. The Chesapeake Center - ADHD, Learning and Behavioral Health (www.thechesapeakecenter.com) is now one of the largest private ADHD specialty centers in the US. Dr. Nadeau is now focused on the development of the Chesapeake Advanced ADHD Training Institute (ChAATI) to provide master classes for mental health professionals in the diagnosis and treatment of complex ADHD. The introductory seminar series featuring Dr. Nadeau will be available in the coming months through www.chaati.com. 

Resources

https://www.additudemag.com/menopause-symptoms-adhd-survey/

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The New York Times recently called Ozempic a “new match for menopausal weight gain”. But is it? These drugs can be a godsend for those who need them. But there's a lot we need to understand. How do they work? How well do they work? Who benefits from them? What are their risks? What impact do they have on muscle, bone, and performance? How do they affect training and racing? We dig into all of that and more this week with endocrinologist and Ironman triathlete Dr. Jody Dushay who has been researching these drugs for more than a decade. 

Jody Dushay, M.D., MMSc, is an endocrinologist at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is also the founder and director of Well Powered, a comprehensive wellness and weight management program. Dr Dushay has studied the effect of pharmacotherapies and dietary interventions on body weight for years, including a large single-site study examining the effects of a glucagon-like peptide receptor agonist on body weight in obese women without diabetes. As a triathlete, she has qualified for Kona 3 times and came in 2nd in her age group at the 2020 Ironman World Championship in St George. You can learn more about her and her work at wellpowered.org.

Resources:

Dr. Jody Dushay’s research:

Short-term exenatide treatment leads to significant weight loss in a subset of obese women without diabetes

Weight Loss Outcomes Among Early High Responders to Exenatide Treatment: A Randomized, Placebo Controlled Study in Overweight and Obese Women

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*This episode originally dropped on January 3, 2024*

As we roll into a brand new year filled with goals and aspirations, this week’s guest, fan-favorite Peloton Cycling instructor Christine D’Ercole would like to remind us that we are bigger than a smaller pair of pants, and the most powerful thing anyone can say to us is what we say to ourselves, and we have agency in that conversation. Now 52, Christine has started using her enormous platform to share her experiences with the menopause transition and to defy and rewrite the story that we’ve been told about what menopause means when it comes to what we’re capable of and how we see ourselves. When she’s not putting power into her pedals, she’s helping women empower themselves by changing their self talk and helps guide them with her signature mantra: I Am I Can I Will I Do. We cover Christine’s menopause experience, her body image battles, and how she uses self talk in her own life and you can too. You can learn more about her and her work at christinedercole.com.

Christine D’Ercole is a speaker, writer, decorated competitive cyclist, and original Peloton Cycling Instructor who inspires thousands daily with her work on and off the bike. She is also the founder of WORDSHOP: a workshop in self-talk that is a practical and profound tool for change, centered on the four prompts that make up the root of all our self-talk: I am... I can... I will... and I do. Over the past ten years she has provided wordshops for major corporations, youth organizations and Employee Resource Groups. When she is not writing or speaking, Christine is racing her bike at Velodromes across the country. She is a Masters World Champion, holds 15 National titles, and is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University.

Check out her CDE Menopause Playlist here on Spotify.

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Midlife and menopause can be the perfect time to try something new (like as we talk about this week, mountain biking!...but also surfing, skiing, you name it). It frees you from the endless self comparison that can come after years (even decades) in the same sport and infuses you with the confidence that comes with tackling new challenges. And it’s never too late and you are never too old. With skills training, you can learn from the ground up at whatever pace is comfortable for you. You also don’t have to be a newbie to benefit. Brushing up on the fundamentals of sports like mountain biking can help ease the anxiety that many of us experience as our hormones swing during this time of life. This week’s guest, mountain bike coach Karen Brooks knows all about all of it, as she helps women of all ages and abilities (as well as her perimenopausal self) learn, grow, and conquer physical as well as mental obstacles.

Karen Brooks has had a varied career in the bike world: mechanic and manager of bike shops, editor of Dirt Rag and Bicycle Times magazines, bike consultant for Carnegie Mellon University, and professional mountain bike skills coach. She has been helping people find confidence and have fun on two wheels for ten years with PMBIA Level 2 and BICP mountain bike certifications, and teaches street biking skills through the League of American Bicyclists. Karen is also on the board of Bike Pittsburgh and advocates for safer walking and biking conditions. Her bike racing history is not all that distinguished, but she did finish the Trans-Sylvania Epic mountain bike stage race on a singlespeed, didn’t hate it, and went back to do it again the next year. She currently coaches locally through Full Psych Adventure Team and nationally with Ladies AllRide and other organizations. You can learn more about her and her work at Full Psych Adventure Team. 

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The conversation around hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms is pretty clear. Hormone therapy is the gold standard for treating hot flashes and night sweats and can help with many other common symptoms that come with the menopause transition. It’s very effective and broadly safe. But recently, the conversation has evolved past symptom management and into preventative health with many experts suggesting that hormone therapy may play a larger role in extending a woman’s healthspan, if not lifespan. That maybe we should all start taking hormones to protect our hearts and cognitive health. And there’s promising research in those areas. Yet none of the medical associations recommend hormones for those purposes. Why? That’s what we dig into this week with Professor Susan Davis, AO, who is a pioneer and leading expert in women's health as a clinical endocrinologist, researcher, and educator. She reflects on her decades of research on various forms of hormone therapy and shares what we know–and still don’t know–today regarding traditional hormone therapy as well as testosterone therapy for women’s health post menopause.

Professor Susan R Davis AO, MBBS, FRACP, PhD, FAHMS is a clinician researcher with expertise in the role of sex hormones in women across the lifespan. She is Head of the Monash University Women’s Health Research Program and holds a Level 3 NHMRC Investigator Grant. Susan is a Consultant Endocrinologist and Head of the Women’s Endocrine Clinic, Alfred Hospital Melbourne and a consultant at Cabrini Medical Centre. She is a Fellow and Council Member of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. She is a past President of the Australasian Menopause Society and the International Menopause Society. She has over 435 peer-reviewed publications and has received numerous national and international prestigious research awards. Susan was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for  distinguished service to medicine, to women's health as a clinical endocrinologist and researcher, and to medical education. You can learn more about her and her work at Monash University.

Resources

2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause here

Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Cardiovascular Disease: The Role of Formulation, Dose, and Route of Delivery here

Use of MHT in women with cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis here

Studying Studies: Part I – relative risk vs. absolute risk by Peter Attia, MD, here

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Boy, oh boy, we women can really struggle to find good medical care–especially when we hit the menopause transition. And this week’s guest Erin Ferguson has experienced that firsthand. Erin went through multiple gynecological complications, surgeries, and hormonally-driven symptoms, including panic attacks, anxiety, weight gain, painful periods, severely disrupted sleep, hot flashes, night sweats, and complete lack of mojo for months (and for some symptoms, years) before finally finding a doctor who helped her with hormone therapy. Her message for every woman: If you know something is wrong with you, don't stop looking for help until you find it. Keep searching for help, because there is someone who will help you.

Erin Ferguson is a competitive triathlete, who despite suffering through spells of really awful symptoms and some truly terrible medical care, has managed to succeed in her sport with multiple age group podiums and overall wins and has represented Team USA as a competitor six times in Long Course World Championships. Most recently she has earned a slot to compete in The World Triathlon Multisport World Championships, Long Course in Townsville, North Queensland, Australia this August. 

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Nearly every one of us will go through some mourning with the changes that come with menopause. Even if we go on hormone therapy, which can help a ton, there is some loss that comes at this time. A loss of our reproductive selves. A loss of speed in our sport. A loss of our ability to quickly bounce back after hard workouts. A loss of some aspect of our health, wellness, or appearance. Some are big. Some are small.  But they’re there and they’re real. And that means going through some stages of grief, which is always painful, but also opens us up to a process of discovery and adaptation and transformation, which can take us to some amazing places. This week we explore the process and discuss how to work around the psychological obstacles of menopause with Performance Psychology Consultant, Dr. Kathryn Wilder. 

Kathryn C. Wilder, PhD, is a lifelong Human Performance and Wellness Consultant whose work has been featured in Bicycling, Triathlon, USA Today, The Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, and hundreds of other morning shows, online articles, and podcasts. She has worked with more than 1000 elite athletes, including some of the most successful cyclists in U.S. history, including Laura Van Gilder and Mandy Marquardt. She herself is a collegiate All-American, former Professional Cyclist, ranked top 20 in the United States, and two-time U.S. National Champion.  She has had a thriving professional performance psychology practice since 1999. You can learn more about her and her work at her profile on LinkedIn. 

Resources

Dr. Kathryn Wilder’s ride through cancer, here

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