Livelong Media

Many women move through life carrying anxiety, burnout, grief, or trauma without realizing how much those experiences shape their bodies. Holistic health coach and author Dina Saalisi argues that healing isn't only about treating symptoms. It's also about rebuilding a sense of safety, connection, and resilience.

Drawing from her work with women in midlife, Saalisi explains why nature has become one of her most powerful therapeutic tools. Time outdoors doesn't just feel restorative. Research suggests it can lower stress, activate the parasympathetic nervous system, and create moments of awe that help calm an overactive brain. She believes reconnecting with the natural world also helps people reconnect with themselves and with others, something increasingly important in an age of chronic isolation.

The conversation also explores why emotional overwhelm can become especially intense during menopause, how community protects both mental and physical health, and why practices like journaling, regular movement, and simple breathing exercises can make a meaningful difference. Rather than chasing a return to youth, Saalisi makes the case for building daily habits that support well-being through every stage of life.

Most people think healthcare starts when something goes wrong. Dr. Nicki Byrne believes that's exactly backwards.

In this episode of the Livelong Podcast, Dr. Nicki Byrne, Clinical Director at Optispan and a board-certified internal medicine physician, explains why the future of medicine is proactive—not reactive.

We discuss the difference between lifespan and healthspan, why so many people spend the final decades of life managing chronic disease, and the daily habits that have the greatest impact on healthy aging.

Drawing on Optispan's Four Pillars framework—Eat, Move, Sleep, and Connect—Dr. Byrne shares what actually matters when it comes to staying strong, independent, and cognitively healthy as we age.

If you're interested in longevity science without the hype, this conversation offers a practical roadmap for adding life to your years—not just years to your life.

What You'll Learn

• The difference between lifespan and healthspan

• Why proactive medicine is replacing reactive healthcare

• The Four Pillars of healthy aging: Eat, Move, Sleep, Connect

• The biggest drivers of chronic disease and decline

• Why muscle, mobility, and social connection matter more than most people realize

• The habits that have the greatest impact on long-term health

If a gynecologist with more than 20 years of experience didn't recognize her own perimenopause, what chance does the average woman have?
In this episode of the Livelong Podcast, Dr. Ghazaleh Afshar shares how symptoms she struggled to make sense of—including anxiety and other subtle shifts—led her to rethink not only her own health, but the way women navigate midlife care.
Afshar explains why perimenopause often looks very different from the hot flashes and irregular periods women are told to expect. Instead, hormonal changes may show up as anxiety, depression, insomnia, joint pain, bladder issues, or the nagging feeling that something simply isn't right. She also explores why women are frequently sent from specialist to specialist without anyone connecting the dots—and how a more holistic approach can help identify what's really going on.
The conversation also dives into lifestyle medicine, metabolic health, and the five markers every woman should understand as she approaches menopause. But perhaps the larger takeaway is that perimenopause isn't something women should have to diagnose on their own. If even an expert can miss the signs, it's time for a healthcare system that does a better job recognizing them.

Most longevity conversations focus on muscle, protein, and cardio fitness. But according to orthopedic surgeon and bestselling author Vonda Wright, the real foundation of healthy aging is bone-deep. 

In this episode of the Livelong Podcast, Wright introduces the concept of “skeletal longevity”—the idea that bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and connective tissue work together to determine whether we remain active, independent, and resilient as we age.

The conversation explores why mobility is often the gatekeeper to every other longevity habit. After all, it’s hard to build cardiovascular fitness, maintain muscle, or stay socially engaged when knee pain, arthritis, back pain, or injury make movement difficult. Wright explains why bone is far more than a structural tissue, how body composition scans can reveal hidden risks long before symptoms appear, and why our 30s largely establish peak bone density and muscle mass.

The discussion also dives into the often-overlooked musculoskeletal effects of perimenopause and menopause, and Wright outlines the negative effects of declining estrogen on joint pain, frozen shoulder, back pain, and more.

Perhaps the episode’s most practical takeaway is that stronger bones are built through a combination of habits, not a single intervention. Though aging may be inevitable, frailty is not.

“Natural remedies” were dismissed as folklore for years, but researchers are discovering that many of the herbs, mushrooms, and plant-based practices we've used for generations may genuinely support sleep, cognition, hormones, inflammation, and healthy aging.

In this episode of the Livelong Podcast, founder and historian of medicine Iasmine Abdennabi explains why the future of longevity may actually require looking backward. 

Raised in southern Brazil, Abdennabi grew up with plants as part of everyday life—not “alternative medicine.” Later, her studies in the history of science and medicine led her to explore how traditional remedies are now being validated by modern research.

The conversation dives into adaptogens like Lion’s Mane mushroom, phytoestrogens, red clover, and Siberian rhubarb—and what they may reveal about menopause, brain fog, mood, sleep, and healthy aging. But one of the episode’s biggest takeaways is that longevity is rarely about one miracle supplement. Instead, healthy aging comes from the accumulation of daily habits: nutrient-dense foods, electrolytes, movement, gut health, gardening, hot meals, and meaningful rituals around food and community.

It’s a grounded conversation about what modern wellness gets right, what it oversimplifies, and why some of the most powerful longevity tools may be hiding in plain sight.

Why do women experience periods, menopause, and why are sexual relationships so complicated? 

The answers may lie deep in our evolutionary past.In this episode of the Livelong Podcast, Rachel Lehmann-Haupt speaks with Dr. Deena Emera, an evolutionary biologist and researcher at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, about how female biology evolved — and what that means for women’s health today.

Drawing on her research in reproductive biology, Dr. Emera explains why certain features of the female body exist, including menstruation, breast development, pregnancy, and menopause — and how evolutionary tradeoffs continue to shape modern health outcomes.

We also explore how biology and culture intersect in topics like relationships, gender, and parenting, and why understanding evolution can help us better understand women’s health across the lifespan.

If you’ve ever wondered why the female body works the way it does, this conversation offers a fascinating, science-backed perspective

What You’ll Learn:

✅ Why humans are one of the only species that menstruate

✅ The evolutionary mystery of breasts and female anatomy 

✅ Why pregnancy involves biological conflict 

✅ The science behind menopause and longevity

✅ How evolution shapes modern women’s health 

✅ The intersection of biology, relationships, and culture

Women spend decades navigating the healthcare system — yet many leave appointments feeling dismissed, unheard, or misdiagnosed.

In this episode of the Livelong Podcast, Rachel Lehmann-Haupt speaks with Dr. Somi Javaid, board-certified OB/GYN and founder of HerMD, about the systemic gaps in women’s healthcare — and what needs to change.

Drawing from both her clinical experience and personal story, Dr. Javaid shares why so many women’s symptoms — from pain to menopause to sexual health — are often overlooked, and how those gaps are rooted in medical training, research, and healthcare systems that were not designed for women.

We also discuss how women can better advocate for their health, what good care should actually look like, and why the future of women’s health requires both better data and better systems.

If you’ve ever felt dismissed by a doctor — or want to better understand how to navigate your health with confidence — this conversation will resonate.

What You’ll Learn:

✅ Why women’s symptoms are often dismissed in healthcare

✅ The gaps in menopause and sexual health care

✅ How medical research has historically overlooked women

✅ What better, more comprehensive care should look like

✅ How women can advocate for themselves in medical settings

What if one of the most powerful longevity habits isn’t a supplement, workout protocol, or biohack — but dancing?

In this episode of the Livelong Podcast, we talk with Kate Wallich, founder of Dance Church, about why joyful movement may be one of the most sustainable ways to support long-term health.

Dance Church began as an experiment in making dance accessible to everyone — not just trained dancers. Today, it has grown into a global movement community where people of all ages come together to move, sweat, and reconnect with their bodies.

We explore the science behind dance and longevity, including how rhythm, coordination, and social connection can benefit brain health, cardiovascular fitness, and emotional well-being.

If you’re looking for a form of movement you’ll actually want to keep doing for decades, this conversation may change how you think about exercise.

What You'll Learn

✅ What Dance Church is and how it started

✅ Why dance may support brain health and cognitive longevity

✅ The connection between rhythm, coordination, and neuroplasticity

✅ Why joyful movement improves long-term exercise adherence

✅ How social connection influences health and lifespan

✅ Why dance may be one of the most sustainable forms of movement

Women are living longer than ever before — and that’s one of the greatest opportunities of our time.

In this episode of the Livelong Podcast, longevity expert Maddy Dychtwald, co-founder of Age Wave and author of Ageless Aging, explains how women can thrive in a world where many will live well into their 80s and 90s.

Drawing on decades of research on aging populations, Maddy explains why women are at the center of the longevity revolution — and how they can extend not just their lifespan but also their healthspan and brainspan.

We discuss the habits, decisions, and mindset shifts that help women stay healthy, purposeful, and financially secure throughout a longer life.

If you want to age with strength, clarity, and optimism, this conversation will change how you think about the future.

What You’ll Learn

✅Why women are leading the longevity revolution

✅ How to increase healthspan and brainspan

✅The opportunities of the “100-year life.”

✅ Why purpose and social connection matter for longevity

✅The decisions women should make earlier to age well

What is traditional medicine missing for women who want proactive longevity care?

In this episode of the LiveLong Podcast, host Rachel Lehmann-Haupt talks with Dr. Krista Ramonas, a double board-certified physician and surgeon and founder of LabXMD, a San Francisco concierge practice focused exclusively on female longevity.

Together, they unpack the real gaps in women’s healthcare—and what women can do right now inside the traditional system to get better outcomes.

In this conversation, you’ll hear:

 ✅  Why medicine has historically been built on data from the “70kg white male”—and how that skews everything for women (from vital signs to lab ranges)

 ✅  The shift from “evidence-based” to evidence-informed medicine so women can make decisions now

 ✅  The biggest barrier in traditional care: time (and why fragmentation hits women hardest)

 ✅  The long-term cost of missed care in midlife—and Dr. Ramonas’ headline: dementia

 ✅  Why the perimenopause transition can trigger accelerated brain aging, and how estrogen fits into the conversation

 ✅  What’s overhyped in longevity right now: biologic age testing (and why it’s “too much too soon” clinically)

 ✅  The testing priorities Dr. Ramonas wants women to focus on first—like cancer genetic testing (BRCA) before “inflammaging” scores

 ✅  What proactive care looks like without concierge medicine: be your own activist

 ✅  Dr. Ramonas’ personal longevity shifts: CGM insights, cutting back alcohol, moving exercise outdoors, reclaiming agency—and why she ditched the white coat for “white leather” to reduce distance in the doctor-patient relationship

This episode is a clear-eyed, empowering look at women’s longevity: less hype, more foundations, and a better partnership with your clinicians.