When the Enhanced Games were announced, most people expected one thing:

Enhanced athletes dominating the competition.

The concept was simple. Allow athletes to openly use performance-enhancing drugs under medical supervision and finally discover what the human body is capable of when the restrictions are removed.

Many expected records to be shattered.

Many expected natural athletes to be left behind.

What actually happened was far more interesting.

One of the most talked-about athletes going into the Games was Australian swimmer James Magnussen, who openly documented his transformation and famously declared that he was going to "juice to the gills." His physique changed dramatically, and many assumed he would dominate.

Instead, he finished last.

Meanwhile, athletes such as Tristan Evelyn, Hunter Armstrong, and Fred Kerley competed without enhancement and walked away with major victories and prize money.

So what happened?

Did enhancement fail?

Not at all.

Performance-enhancing drugs work. That's not really up for debate.

The more interesting question is whether enhancement alone is enough.

As someone who has spent more than 30 years around elite athletes, professional bodybuilders, Olympians, and world-class performers, I've seen firsthand that the public often misunderstands what creates excellence.

Drugs don't create champions.

They enhance champions.

The foundation still matters:

• Talent

The Enhanced Games may have been designed to showcase the power of enhancement, but for me they highlighted something far more powerful:

The fundamentals still win.

In this episode we explore:

🔹 What the Enhanced Games actually are

🔹 Why so many people were fascinated by them

🔹 James Magnussen's transformation and surprising result

🔹 How Tristan Evelyn and other natural athletes changed the narrative

🔹 Why we are all searching for shortcuts in one form or another

🔹 The similarities between elite sports, GLP-1s, HRT, peptides, biohacking, and modern health optimization

🔹 Why the boring stuff—sleep, training, nutrition, discipline, and consistency—still produces the biggest results

My biggest takeaway?

Tools can amplify effort. They cannot replace it.

And honestly, I think that's incredibly good news.

Because while most of us can't control our genetics, we can control whether we continue showing up long after everyone else gets distracted by the next shiny shortcut.

If you're interested in supporting body composition, fat loss, muscle preservation, energy production, and healthy aging, my current favorites are:

5-Amino-1MQ

Unlike the athletes at the Enhanced Games, you won't be banned from anything for using them 😄

These aren't shortcuts. They're tools designed to support the work you're already doing.

🎁 Use code PODCAST for 10% OFF exclusively for podcast listeners.

🌐 www.joanneleestore.com

This week’s podcast is a very personal one for me.

We’re talking about Parkinson’s disease — but far beyond the “shaky hand” most people picture when they hear the word.

Because Parkinson’s is often much more complex than that.

My dad had Parkinson’s, but he didn’t have the classic tremor people associate with it. He became rigid. Stiff. Slower. His posture changed. His voice softened. His body slowly stopped cooperating with the sharp, intelligent mind inside it.

And one of the most heartbreaking things for me was realizing years later that many of the signs may have been there decades earlier.

Long before the diagnosis… my dad had severe digestive issues. Constipation. Bloating. Distension. Pain. At the time, nobody was talking about gut health, microbiomes or the gut-brain connection. Today, researchers are heavily exploring whether Parkinson’s may actually begin in the gut for some people before progressing toward the brain.

In this episode, we discuss:

✔️ Why Parkinson’s is NOT just a movement disorder

One of the most important takeaways from this episode is understanding that Parkinson’s can affect far more than movement.

It can influence:

And often, the person suffering is trying far harder than those around them realize.

We also dive into something many people have never heard discussed: the relationship between levodopa (Parkinson’s medication) and protein intake. Timing protein incorrectly can sometimes interfere with medication absorption and dramatically impact mobility and symptom control — something that can completely change day-to-day quality of life for some patients.

This is one of those episodes that I hope brings understanding, compassion and awareness to families navigating Parkinson’s — because frustration often comes from simply not understanding what’s happening neurologically.

🎧 Listen now on Midlife Mayhem wherever you get your podcasts.

You can also find all programs, educational resources and coaching information at:

🌐 joannelee.com

🇺🇸 MEMORIAL DAY SALE 🇺🇸

Use code MEMORIAL at checkout for savings on products at:

🛒 joanneleestore.com

Quick question…

When your doctor says, “Let’s just do a scan,”

Because most people don’t.

And as we get older, scans start stacking up:

This episode breaks it down so you can actually understand what you’re saying yes to.

Not all scans are the same (even though we treat them like they are):

👉 Same word. Completely different impact on your body.

Radiation isn’t something you “carry around” or need to detox.

But it can create small amounts of cellular damage that your body has to repair.

So the real issue isn’t one scan…

It’s:

This is the pattern I see all the time:

👉 And no one is tracking it.

Not because anyone’s doing anything wrong…

Instead of automatically saying yes, just pause and ask:

That’s it.

You don’t need to challenge your doctor…

This isn’t about avoiding scans.

Some scans are life-saving—no question.

This is about using them with a bit more awareness, especially when they start adding up over time.

👉 Scan smarter, not scared.

If this is something you’ve never really thought about before, this episode will give you a completely different perspective.

You can listen here 🎧

In this episode of Midlife Mayhem, Joanne breaks down a growing issue affecting thousands of women right now—the estrogen patch shortage—and why it’s not as simple as “just a supply problem.”

This isn’t about insurance games or pharmaceutical conspiracy. It’s a classic case of demand exploding faster than the system can handle. After the FDA removed the black box warning on hormone therapy, more women and doctors felt confident using HRT—and demand surged almost overnight.

But here’s the catch: estrogen patches aren’t simple products. They’re complex drug-delivery systems requiring specialized manufacturing, meaning production can’t just be ramped up quickly.

This isn’t just inconvenient—it directly affects:

In short, your entire hormonal environment.

Joanne gets straight to what matters—how to stay stable even if your patch isn’t available:

Your body doesn’t care about the delivery method—it cares about consistent hormone levels.

Most people are overly attached to how they take estrogen.

But the real goal is simple:

If you’re affected by the shortage, don’t sit back and wait.

Call your doctor. Ask your pharmacist questions. Explore alternatives.

Because when estrogen drops, you feel it—and so does everyone around you.

For more education, coaching, and programs, visit:

This episode is a bit different.

I’m pulling straight from my week, because what shows up in coaching isn’t random—it’s patterns. And most of the time I’m sitting there thinking…

👉 this didn’t need to happen.

Three situations stood out this week. Different on the surface, but all pointing to the same thing: a gap between what people are doing and what their body actually needs.

Let’s start in the gym.

The rotary torso machine—the one where you sit down, lock yourself in, and twist side to side with resistance.

It looks targeted. It feels effective.

👉 That’s exactly why it’s misleading.

Your spine is not designed to repeatedly twist under load. Your upper back can rotate, but your lower back is built for stability. Its job is to transfer force, not generate it through rotation.

And the SI joint? It barely moves at all.

So when you’re locked into a machine and forced to rotate, you’re pushing movement into areas that are supposed to resist it.

That caught up with one of my clients this week. She trains consistently, does everything right—but added this into a run of hard sessions.

👉 Result: irritated SI joint and a miserable few days.

Not just the machine—but very likely the tipping point.

What I hear all the time is, “but it helps with golf.”

No, it doesn’t.

A golf swing is a coordinated, full-body movement. This machine removes that coordination entirely. It isolates something that shouldn’t be isolated.

And then there’s the real reason most people are on it…

👉 they want to lose fat around their waist.

That’s not how fat loss works.

You can’t target it. And ironically, overloading the obliques can actually make the waist look thicker.

So you’ve got a movement that doesn’t match the body, doesn’t match sport, doesn’t achieve the goal—and quietly increases injury risk.

The second situation is completely different—but just as frustrating.

A client working in an environment where food is constantly available. Breakfast, lunch, snacks, drinks—everything is provided.

Sounds like a perk.

But when you look closer…

👉 it’s a setup.

This client is trying. They’re training, engaged, sending me photos of what they think are solid choices.

And I can see the effort.

But the options?

“Healthy” snacks loaded with sugar. Nuts coated in maple. Jerky with sugar as a main ingredient. Meals that sound clean but aren’t doing what they think.

So now you’ve got someone doing the work…

👉 but stuck in an environment pulling them backwards.

And then comes the question:

“Why would I bring my own food when it’s all here for free?”

And I get that.

But at some point, you have to call it what it is.

👉 It’s not free if it’s costing you your progress.

The third situation is the one that really stayed with me.

A client who’s been in and out of hospital repeatedly with severe digestive issues. Ongoing pain, disruption, and now surgery being discussed.

We were talking after a call, and she casually mentioned:

👉 “It got worse after my gallbladder was removed.”

And that stopped me.

Because no one had explained what that actually means.

The gallbladder stores bile. Bile helps digest fat. When it’s removed, that system changes completely—there’s no storage, no controlled release.

Now layer a higher fat diet on top of that…

👉 and you’ve got a problem.

And yet, she was eating exactly that—higher fat meals, foods that would be completely normal with a gallbladder.

No one had told her otherwise.

So now you’ve got repeated hospital visits, serious discomfort, and discussions about removing part of her colon…

…and no one has stepped back to ask:

👉 what is your diet doing in this situation?

I’ve seen this before. Very closely. And when it shows up again like this, it’s hard not to feel frustrated.

I’m not saying this explains everything.

But I am saying:

👉 this should have been part of the conversation from day one.

Different scenarios. Same underlying issue.

👉 A gap in understanding.

The body is being asked to do something it’s not designed to do.

And that’s where people get stuck.

Or hurt.

Or exhausted trying to do the right thing without the right information.

If there’s one thing to take from this, it’s this:

👉 The more you understand your body, the less you leave to chance.

And the fewer of these situations you’ll find yourself in.

If you want guidance—training, nutrition, or just clarity on what your body actually needs—I work with clients both in person and online.

🌐 joannelee.com

Carbohydrates have become one of the most misunderstood—and frankly, feared—nutrients in the world of body composition.

And I get it.

If fat loss has been your focus, cutting carbs works. It lowers insulin, improves insulin sensitivity, and often unlocks fat loss that felt impossible.

But here’s the problem…

👉 The strategy that helps you lose weight

And that’s where people get stuck.

Do you need carbs to build muscle?

👉 No.

But if your goal is to:

👉 Then carbs go from “optional” to strategic.

Muscle isn’t free tissue. Your body doesn’t just hand it out.

To build muscle, you need:

Low calories + low carbs + high cardio?

That’s not a growth signal.

That’s a survival signal.

Carbs are stored as glycogen in muscle—your high-output fuel.

More glycogen =

Less glycogen =

Carbs increase insulin…

…and insulin is not the villain people think it is.

👉 It’s a transporter

It helps:

Without effective insulin signaling?

Think of mTOR as the “on switch” for muscle growth.

Without carbs, you can still build muscle…

👉 But not as efficiently, and not as consistently.

If you don’t eat carbs, your body will make glucose anyway.

How?

👉 By breaking down protein (including muscle) through gluconeogenesis

So yes…

👉 Carbs are protein-sparing

You can maintain muscle on low carbs.

But building new muscle?

That’s where it gets harder.

Why?

👉 You’re pushing your body toward survival… not growth.

Carbs are not the problem.

Poor timing + poor structure = the problem.

👉 That’s how people gain fat and blame carbs.

If carbs go up…

You cannot run:

That’s the fastest way to stall progress.

👉 Flat muscle = softer look

Carbs are not something to fear.

👉 They’re something to respect and use properly

When they have:

They become one of the most powerful tools for body composition.

This is where coaching matters—because timing, structure, and individual physiology all play a role.

👉 Explore programs and coaching:

Until May 5th (Cinco de Mayo):

👉 Buy 5-Amino-1MQ or SLU-PP-332

No code needed—just order before the deadline.

Make sure you:

You think you “caught a cold”… but that’s not actually what happened.

In this episode of Midlife Mayhem, I’m recording this in real time—full head cold, blocked nose, zero taste, and all—because it’s the perfect opportunity to break down what’s actually happening inside your body.

And trust me… most people get this wrong.

It’s a label, not a specific disease.

What you’re experiencing is a collection of symptoms caused by different viruses—most commonly the rhinovirus.

➡️ You didn’t “catch a cold”

Not alive in the way you think.

A virus is:

👉 It’s basically an instruction packet that hijacks your cells to make more copies of itself

This is where people go wrong.

Viruses (like a cold):

Bacteria (like strep throat):

👉 Taking antibiotics for a cold?

Here’s the twist:

👉 The virus is NOT what makes you feel awful

Your body releases cytokines (chemical messengers) that:

➡️ All the symptoms you hate?

Viruses love cooler environments

Your nasal passages = perfect entry point

So your body responds with:

Annoying? Yes.

It’s not your taste buds—it’s your sense of smell.

When your nasal passages are blocked:

➡️ That’s why everything tastes like cardboard

Let’s be honest about what actually works:

Vitamin C:

Zinc:

👉 Miss that window? You’re just chasing it.

If you’re healthy → usually faster.

This surprises people:

👉 You’re most contagious before you even know you’re sick

And in the first few days of symptoms.

It doesn’t “move.”

It’s about where inflammation is strongest:

Muscle isn’t just for aesthetics.

It’s:

👉 When you’re sick, your body pulls from reserves

This is why people with more muscle tend to be:

Kids:

Adults:

Parents?

Colds happen all year.

But winter creates the perfect setup:

➡️ More opportunity for viruses to spread

You’re not “weak” when you get sick.

👉 You got caught off guard

And those symptoms?

They’re not the problem…

If you enjoyed this episode and want deeper dives into metabolism, fat loss, and cutting-edge strategies:

👉 Head over to YouTube and search Joanne Lee Cornish

Weekly Insulin, Testosterone & a Lesson I Should Have Known

A new insulin, Insulin icodec, has just been approved.

👉 One injection per week

That’s a major shift in how diabetes can be managed—and more importantly, how well people actually stick to it.

This is where most people get confused.

Type 2 diabetes starts with too much insulin…

…but over time, the pancreas burns out.

👉 Insulin drops

At that point:

👉 Insulin isn’t the problem—it’s the missing piece

Without enough insulin:

This episode also dives into a bigger theme:

👉 The best plan only works if you follow it

I share:

Same tool—different outcomes.

I also share something I should have caught sooner:

👉 Histamine

From foods I was eating daily (tomatoes + leftovers)

Once removed:

👉 The goal isn’t perfection

📩 [email protected]

How Much Protein Do You REALLY Need? (And Why I’m Not Changing My Mind)

Everyone’s talking about protein again… and now the narrative is shifting.

“Studies say you don’t need that much.”

Sounds convenient, doesn’t it?

In this episode of Midlife Mayhem, I break down exactly why I’m not changing my stance—and why aiming for 1 gram of protein per pound of goal weight still stands strong.

Because this isn’t just about muscle. Not even close.

Yes — research shows that around 0.7–0.8g per pound can support muscle protein synthesis.

But here’s the problem:

And I don’t coach for just one outcome.

You want results from your training — protein delivers that.

But that’s just the baseline.

If you only eat:

Where are the rest of your calories coming from?

👉 Carbs and fats.

And that’s exactly where most people:

Protein isn’t just a target — it’s a control mechanism.

When protein goes up:

This isn’t theory — I see it every single time.

Within 2–3 days, people go from:

That’s physiology, not willpower.

Let’s be clear:

There’s no efficient pathway for it.

So if you're going to “overeat” something?

👉 Protein is the safest place to do it.

If you’re 40+:

A 25-year-old and a 55-year-old do not play by the same rules.

So those studies?

👉 Who were they testing?

Because it matters.

People don’t struggle with protein because they can’t eat it.

They struggle because:

And those are very different things.

That’s the goal.

The studies aren’t wrong.

They’re just incomplete.

And I’m not coaching for “just enough.”

👉 Programs & Coaching:

👉 Supplements (5-Amino-1MQ & SLU-PP-332):

👉 YouTube (Live every Sunday):

📩 Questions: [email protected]

Leptin: The Hormone That Can Make You Hungry… or Not

Hello Midlife Mayhem—

Today we’re talking about something that explains a LOT when it comes to fat loss and appetite:

👉 Leptin

And I’ll start with this—

I recently did a podcast on appetite, and while the information was solid…

👉 Hungry all the time

This episode fixes that.

Leptin is your body’s appetite regulator, produced by your fat cells.

👉 More fat = more leptin

And your brain responds like this:

High leptin:

Low leptin:

👉 Perfect in theory… frustrating in real life.

As you lose weight:

👉 This is why those last pounds feel so difficult.

It’s not you. It’s physiology.

This is where it really matters.

👉 You have plenty of leptin… but your brain doesn’t recognize it.

So instead of saying:

Your brain says:

And the result:

👉 This is not a willpower issue.

These medications reduce appetite—and for many people, that’s life-changing.

But then comes a fork:

👉 Same tool. Completely different outcome.

Strategically increasing calories (especially carbs) can signal:

👉 “We’re not starving”

This can help:

And yes—

👉 It needs carbs to work properly.

Leptin can:

So if you’ve ever thought:

👉 “Why am I always hungry?”

There may be a real physiological reason.

If appetite has ever felt like a constant battle—

I go live on YouTube every Sunday—

👉 Subscribe here: @joanneleecornish

👉 www.joannelee.com

👉 [email protected]