Rewriting the Narrative

In this episode, Meredith and Sarah discuss the nuances of transitioning off hormonal birth control in women in their 40s and beyond. It’s key to ensure a thorough evaluation of your current systemic health situation and goals before coming off the pill at any age. As women approach later years of perimenopause, there’s more considerations to support health for the long term.

Today’s episode includes the conversations we want to have with any female  looking to take this step, and was inspired by a question from a coach in our Group Mentorship program.   If you have a question about your unique health situation, you can ask here and we will cover it in a future blog or episode. 

For Coaches , check out the Fortify Health Coaching Group Mentorship Program where we have detailed conversations like this all the time to help you confidently guide your clients forward 

Other Birth Control Resources 

• Webinar : Birth Control Master Class
• Episode Preparing for Pregnancy after Birth Control

• Blog What are Potential Benefits of Hormone Therapy ?
• Improving your Hormone Therapy Experience FREE resource
• ⁠Fortify Health ⁠

Instagram @⁠fortify_health_coaching⁠

Meredith ⁠@mere.paci ⁠

Sarah⁠ @sarahfordbishop⁠

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A client was told to "be careful with estrogen." No follow-up question. No real explanation. Just a warning she's carried for years. When a coach brought this case to Sarah and Meredith, they didn't hand back an answer. They handed back more questions: the details of her original diagnosis, what's still being monitored, the full picture behind her hysterectomy. Not to second-guess her doctors, but because a coach can't responsibly weigh in on hormonal health, inflammation, or eye health without first understanding what's actually going on.

This episode is about that instinct: the pause before the answer, the question behind the question, and why "the body isn't a game of checkers." Sarah and Meredith talk through how they coach other coaches to slow down, dig into a client's full history before jumping to solutions, and ask the kind of questions that lead to personalized care instead of generic advice.

The bad questions are the ones you didn't ask. This episode will leave you ready to trust your intuition, ask more questions, and make decisions that actually meet the needs of your body, or your client's.

Learn more about Fortify Mentorship
Fortify Health ⁠

Instagram @⁠fortify_health_coaching⁠

Meredith ⁠@mere.paci ⁠

Sarah⁠ @sarahfordbishop⁠

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In this episode, Sarah and Meredith recap some of the latest happening in their coaching practice right now. From blood work prep best practices to navigating injury recovery with clients, this is a candid, in-the-field conversation covering the nuances that most providers and coaches aren't addressing.  

In this episode:

• Why Sarah and Meredith's blood work guidelines don't change regardless of what labs are being run

• The metabolic demand of injury and why cutting calories during recovery is the wrong move

• How to approach training modifications when you can't do what you normally do

Ready to go deeper? Fortify Core https://www.fortify-health.com/fortify-core  and the group  mentorship program are where Sarah and Meredith work closely with coaches and women who want real answers, not generic advice. 

⁠Fortify Health ⁠

Instagram @⁠fortify_health_coaching⁠

Meredith ⁠@mere.paci ⁠

Sarah⁠ @sarahfordbishop⁠

Sponsored by Legion (Code: FORD to support the show and save on clinically dosed supplements )

If you're a coach working with active females, a woman navigating her own thyroid health, or anyone who's left a doctor's appointment with more questions than answers — this one's for you. Meredith and Sarah built an entire webinar around fixing the misinformation loop created by fear-based social media content, and they're recapping the highlights here. The goal: coaches who build real competency in their clients, and women who walk into appointments with the right language, the right questions, and the right expectations.

In this episode you'll learn:

• Why oversimplified social media claims — like the reverse T3 "blocking" myth — are physiologically wrong and how using that language with your doctor tanks your credibility

• How symptom overlap between thyroid, hormones, and reproductive health makes one-liner diagnoses like "fatigue = thyroid" not just incomplete, but potentially harmful

• Why a full thyroid panel (including antibodies) changes everything — and the real cost of only ever running a TSH

• How to coach clients toward consistent provider follow-up and what "he told me I never have to see him again" actually means for long-term thyroid management

• Why ChatGPT, Dr. Google, and protocol-parroting coaches all share the same problem: they'll confirm whatever narrative you feed them

The thyroid webinar is being scheduled for a second live date due to overwhelming demand! Follow us on socials to catch the date.

 resources
Thyroid Webinar Recording inside Core -

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Instagram @⁠fortify_health_coaching⁠

Meredith ⁠@mere.paci ⁠

Sarah⁠ @sarahfordbishop⁠

If you’re thinking about getting pregnant after birth control, here’s what you need to know!   Hormonal birth control works by preventing ovulation, and it can take time and a little extra health support for your body to restore ovulation and its natural hormonal rhythm. 

In this episode of Rewriting the Narrative, Sarah Bishop and Meredith Paci dive into the important considerations for women transitioning off birth control and planning pregnancy.

Topics include:

• The timeline for restoring ovulation after stopping hormonal birth control
• baseline health assessments and lab work
• How diet, micronutrients, and gut health shift on hormonal birth control and after  
• The role of emotional wellbeing, relationship health, and community during preconception
• Practical steps for lifestyle, including supplements, food choices, and supporting detoxification 
• Strategies for coaches supporting clients on fertility journeys

Feeling overwhelmed by pregnancy nutrition advice? You're not alone! . As a woman navigating pregnancy- whether it’s your first baby or 4th-   you might find yourself overwhelmed by advice from social media and the pressure to make the perfect choices for your health and your baby. 

In this episode, we’ll explore the essential nutrition strategies and mindset shifts that can empower you during this transformative time. We’ll dive into how to prioritize your health without succumbing to the noise and anxiety that often surrounds pregnancy. 

You’ll Learn 

• Big and little "Fs"- priorities and mindsets for nutrition and movement

• Practical strategies for managing pregnancy symptoms like nausea and food aversions 

• The impact of nutrition adequacy on maternal health and postpartum recovery

• Debunking myths around exercise safety and individualization in pregnancy

• Building a supportive community for ongoing motivation and reassurance

• Adjusting expectations and honoring personal energy levels throughout pregnancy

Resources & Links:

Book : The Postnatal Depletion Cure

Hero Bagels

Food as Medicine for Digestive Health (Breastfeeding-Friendly)

Legion Protein Powder to support your needs (Code: FORD to support the show and save on clinically dosed supplements )

Connect with us 

⁠Fortify Health ⁠

Instagram @⁠fortify_health_coaching⁠

Meredith ⁠@mere.paci ⁠

Sarah⁠ @sarahfordbishop⁠

What happens when life gives you an opportunity to practice being the woman you want to Become? Mere and Sarah chat today about how women move through hard seasons of life without abandoning themselves. And , how they perhaps FIND themselves through those times. 

  It's not just about building resilience, it's about expressing it. Whether it's showing up for yourself in the chaos or leaning into the discomfort of growth, the power lies in what you decide to do next. 

 They share personal stories, reflect on choices, and  the importance of community- especially as we honor Women's Day.

Chapters

00:00 The Importance of Community

02:22 Navigating the Gap Between Knowledge and Experience

05:20 Choosing Hard Things: Embracing Challenges

07:58 Dealing with Unchosen Hardships

10:44 Finding Balance in Crisis

13:40 The Role of Self-Care and Values

16:32 Learning Through Experience

19:20 The Power of Women Supporting Women

Resources & Links:

Instagram @⁠fortify_health_coaching⁠

Meredith ⁠@mere.paci ⁠

Sarah⁠ @sarahfordbishop⁠

•Sponsored by Legion (Code: FORD to support the show and save on clinically dosed supplements )

Welcome back to Rewriting the Narrative! Today, we dive deep into a topic that has gained significant attention in the health and nutrition community: the low FODMAP diet. While many have heard about it, the nuances surrounding its application and effectiveness are often misunderstood.  

Sarah and Meredith discuss how foods high in these specific types of sugars may impact digestive health- and NOT always in a bad way!

They review the importance of a step wise approach to dietary changes and why any eliminations should be short term, and not a stand alone intervention. 

Chapters

01:42 Understanding FODMAPs and Their Impact

06:28 The Importance of Building Digestive Capacity

10:17 Meal Hygiene for Better Digestion

17:59 When to Consider Testing for Digestive Issues

20:57 The Role of Beneficial Bacteria in Digestion

23:57 Reintroducing Foods After a Low FODMAP Diet

28:51 Favorite FODMAP Foods and Personal Experiences

Free Resources for gut health and beyond

Previous Podcast Stomach Acid 101 

Blog  Low Stomach Acid (Hypochlorhydria): Symptoms, Causes, and How to Fix It

Sponsored by Legion (Code: FORD to support the show and save on clinically dosed supplements )

⁠Fortify Health ⁠

Instagram @⁠fortify_health_coaching⁠

Meredith ⁠@mere.paci ⁠

Sarah⁠ @sarahfordbishop⁠

Today Sarah and Meredith are talking all about the menstrual cycle and why some women notice a shift to energy before ovulation. Some may feel this as a creative surge and improved gym performance. Others, anxious, wired energy and can’t figure why their symptoms resemble PMS when they are several weeks away from the start of their period. 

They discuss the differences between feeling energized and wired, the hormonal fluctuations that occur during the cycle, and how these can impact women's daily lives.

Awareness is always step one, and then it’s about  practical strategies for managing and capitalizing on energy levels through nutrition, training, and lifestyle adjustments. Empowered action backed by education allows for women to listen to their bodies and make informed choices without fear of hormonal shifts.

Chapters

02:57 Understanding the Menstrual Cycle

05:36 Energy Levels and Hormonal Fluctuations

08:34 The Role of Estradiol and LH

11:40 Navigating Hormonal Changes

14:14 Practical Suggestions for Managing Energy

16:23 Wrap-Up and Final Thoughts

Shop Legion with code FORD

⁠Fortify Health ⁠

Instagram @⁠fortify_health_coaching⁠

Meredith ⁠@mere.paci ⁠

Sarah⁠ @sarahfordbishop⁠

Labs come back “normal,” but you still feel hypothyroid? In this episode, Sarah and Mere break down a case from inside the Fortify Mentorship and explain what to do when symptoms don’t match the numbers. 

They cover what “normal labs” actually tell you, which markers matter, how to use a client’s health timeline, and why stress, life load, training history, morning routines, hydration, and meal balance and more all influence thyroid symptoms

You’ll hear how they triage daily habits, assess the full thyroid panel, identify gaps in conversion and production, and make practical, day-to-day shifts that actually move the needle. Because we don’t settle for just getting by. 

Chapters

05:06 Understanding Thyroid Lab Results

09:38 Exploring Hormonal Interactions

13:58 Daily Lifestyle Factors Impacting Thyroid Health

19:15 The Role of Nutrition and Micronutrients

23:37 Supplements for Thyroid Support

28:38 Addressing Stress and Lifestyle Changes

33:49 Expectations and Key Client Conversations

• Links & Resources

  • Fortify Mentorship

  • Professional Strategy Sessions:  Inquire HERE

  • Sponsored by Legion (Code: FORD to support the show and save on clinically dosed supplements )