For years, I thought parts of my life were random, wasted, or things I should be ashamed of.

Now I’m starting to see something different.

The struggles, the wrong turns, the relationships, the survival patterns, the lessons, the faith, the teaching, the podcast — maybe they were never as disconnected as I thought.

In this episode, I’m talking about surrender, regret, purpose, and what happened when I finally stopped trying to control the outcome of one of the hardest seasons of my life and handed it over to God.

I’m also talking about why your failure does not disqualify you from usefulness in God’s kingdom, and what it means to let your past shape you without letting it define you.

I never started this podcast thinking I would talk this openly about Jesus. But the more my faith has grown, the more I’ve realized that helping women rise, rebuild, find their voice, step into purpose, and stop letting their past define them was never separate from my faith.

Maybe the message wasn’t changing.

Maybe I was finally seeing how all the pieces fit together.

And maybe none of it was wasted.

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You were never meant to carry it all alone.

For a long time, I thought empowerment meant becoming stronger, more independent, more confident, and more capable of handling everything life threw at me.

And I still believe women should have a voice.
I still believe we should advocate for our health.
Build strong bodies.
Set boundaries.
Lead our families well.
Walk away from unhealthy patterns.

But I’m realizing something deeper.

The goal was never to become so strong that we need nobody.

Some of the hardest seasons of my life taught me that when I stopped trying to control everything and started laying it at the feet of Jesus, something changed.

Because I finally understood where my strength was coming from.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:13

This week on Rise Before You’re Ready, I’m sharing why Jesus is becoming a more intentional part of this podcast, what surrender has taught me, and why I believe we were never meant to carry life by ourselves.

If faith isn’t part of your life right now, you’re still welcome here.

Stay curious.

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After taking a few weeks away from the podcast, I’m back with an honest update about where I’ve been, what has changed, and where this season is going next.

This season began with women’s health, hormones, and my experience with BHRT. But as my sleep, energy, focus, mood, and strength began to improve, I realized that women’s health is about so much more than symptoms, lab results, or a prescription.

It’s about what becomes possible when we finally feel well enough to participate fully in our own lives again.

In this episode, I’m sharing how BHRT has affected my energy, anxiety, focus, organization, and ability to follow through. I’m also talking about losing almost ten pounds in less than a month through heavy strength training, sprint interval training, nutrition, and discipline—and why that progress means so much more to me than a number on the scale.

I also share how my Christian faith has moved from the background of my life to the centre. Through prayer, studying God’s Word, returning to church, and learning to surrender my plans to His will, I’ve found a kind of peace and fulfillment that success, relationships, money, and personal achievement could never provide.

This episode marks a widening of the conversation. We’re still talking about women’s health, but we’re going deeper into strength, nutrition, identity, faith, purpose, and the lie that life begins shrinking after 40.

Hormones may have been the doorway into this season, but they are not the whole conversation.

Because maybe this chapter isn’t where your story ends.

Maybe this is where it finally begins.

In this episode:

• Why I stepped away from the podcast for a few weeks
• The physical and emotional changes I’ve experienced with BHRT
• How small changes can gradually erode your sense of self
• Why losing weight represents possibility, not perfection
• Heavy lifting, sprint interval training, nutrition, and discipline
• The damaging messages women receive about aging
• Why my relationship with Christ is becoming central to my life
• My vision for helping women rebuild their health, faith, confidence, and purpose
• Why I’m returning to the message that started everything: Move first. Clarity will follow.

Listener Question

What feels hardest for you in this stage of life—your health, energy, confidence, faith, identity, relationships, or sense of direction?

Send me a message and tell me what you’re navigating. Your answers will help shape the conversations, resources, and support I create next.

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Most women are taught to think of perimenopause as hot flashes, night sweats, and irregular periods.

But what if the signs are not always that obvious?

In this episode, I’m talking about the symptoms women don’t always realize could be connected to hormonal changes — the weird, frustrating, confusing symptoms that can creep in slowly and make you feel like your body is becoming unfamiliar.

I also share a personal update about my own experience with burning tongue, severe itching, low estrogen, and what happened after I advocated to add estrogen into my HRT plan.

This episode is not medical advice, and it is not about assuming every symptom is hormonal. It is about learning to pay attention, noticing what is new for you, and understanding that perimenopause can be a whole-body transition — not just a reproductive one.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why hormones are chemical messengers that affect so much more than periods and hot flashes
• How symptoms can creep in slowly before you ever think “perimenopause”
• Burning tongue, itchy skin, sleep changes, anxiety, brain fog, joint pain, libido changes, and more
• Why women often dismiss symptoms until their body gets louder
• The fear of bringing symptoms up and being dismissed
• The emotional side of entering a new chapter and leaving behind the childbearing years
• Why “this is new for me” is an important sentence to start using
• How to stop making your symptoms mean something bad about you

This episode is for the woman who keeps saying, “I don’t feel like myself,” but doesn’t know where to put that feeling.

Your body is not being dramatic.

It may just be trying to get your attention.

For decades, women were taught to fear hormone replacement therapy.

Many of us didn’t know where that fear came from. We just knew the message: hormones are dangerous.

In this episode of Rise Before You’re Ready, I continue my BHRT journey by talking about the fear I carried around hormone therapy, the Women’s Health Initiative study that shaped public opinion, and why so many women have suffered because they were never given the full conversation.

This episode is not about convincing every woman to take hormones. It’s about education, self-advocacy, asking better questions, and understanding that women deserve more than fear when it comes to their health.

I also shares what I learned about estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA, and why understanding what these hormones actually do can help women have better conversations with their practitioners.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• Why so many women are afraid of hormone replacement therapy
• How the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative shaped the conversation around HRT
• Why headlines created fear that lasted for decades
• How women’s symptoms are often brushed aside as stress, aging, or “normal”
• Why perimenopause and menopause education matters
• What estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA can affect in the body
• Why women need to research, ask questions, and advocate for themselves
• The difference between making decisions from fear and making decisions from information
• Why no one knows your body better than you do

Women should not have to suffer in silence because they were never educated about their bodies.

Hormones are not right for everyone, but every woman deserves current information, real conversations, and the ability to make informed decisions about her own health.

Disclaimer

This episode is for educational and personal storytelling purposes only and is not medical advice. Always speak with a qualified healthcare provider about your own symptoms, risks, medical history, and treatment options.

A few months ago, I developed an itch so severe it hurt to wear clothes.

I thought it was a dairy allergy, or a detergent allergy.

Then I thought it was stress.

Then I started wondering if something was seriously wrong with me.

What I never considered was perimenopause.

In this first episode of Season 2, I'm sharing the story that started everything—the symptom that sent me searching for answers, the book that changed the questions I was asking, and the rabbit hole that completely changed how I think about women's health after 40.

This episode isn't about having all the answers.

It's about asking better questions.

If you've ever struggled with symptoms that didn't seem connected, felt like your body was changing, or wondered why the things that used to work no longer do, this conversation is for you. In this episode I'll talk about:

• The mysterious itch that took over my life

• Why I thought I had developed an allergy

• The frustration of having symptoms without answers

• The fitness struggles that led me to Stacy Sims' book Next Level

• The moment I realized some of my symptoms might be connected

• Symptoms such as burning tongue, heart palpitations, itchy skin, sleep issues, and more

• Why women deserve better education about perimenopause and menopause

• The beginning of my hormone health journey

This season is about connecting the dots, reclaiming our health, and learning together in real time.

Because there is still so much life left to live.

And maybe... there's more to the story.

After a short break from the podcast, I'm back—and Season 2 is taking us in a direction I never expected.

What started as one unexplained symptom has turned into a journey of asking bigger questions about women's health after 40, perimenopause, menopause, hormones, strength, energy, and the things nobody seems to talk about until you're living them.

This season isn't about having all the answers.

It's about learning in real time.

Together, we'll explore:

• Perimenopause and menopause
• Hormones and women's health
• Strength training and muscle after 40
• Sleep, energy, and motivation
• Advocating for yourself in the healthcare system
• The questions women should be asking about their health
• BHRT and my personal journey
• What I've learned—and what I'm still learning

If you've ever felt like your body changed and nobody handed you the manual, this season is for you.

Because there's still so much life left to live.

And maybe... there's more to the story.

💛

Coming Next Week

You Don't Know You're in Perimenopause Until You're in It

The story that started all of this:

• The symptom that sent me searching for answers
• The book that changed the questions I was asking
• The rabbit hole that completely changed how I think about women's health after 40

Connect with Rise Collective:
Facebook: Rise Collective
Private Community: The Rise Room
Instagram: @dawnleblanc_risecollective

#WomenOver40 #Perimenopause #Menopause #WomensHealth #BHRT #HealthyAging #StrengthAfter40 #RiseCollective #RiseBeforeYoureReady #MidlifeWomen #HormoneHealth #ReclaimYourHealth

Falling off doesn’t mean you failed.

It means you’re human.

In the final episode of this 4 part series, we’re talking about the part of growth nobody really prepares you for — the moment when you realize you’ve drifted from the habits, routines, and promises you made to yourself.

Maybe life got heavy.
Maybe you got overwhelmed.
Maybe you stopped showing up for yourself the way you wanted to.

And instead of simply getting back on track, you turned it into proof that you can’t change.

This episode is about changing that pattern.

We’re talking about:

• why falling off is not the same as failing
• the damage caused by all-or-nothing thinking
• how to stop restarting from day one every time life happens
• the importance of having a Plan B
• why returning is more powerful than starting over
• how to rebuild self-trust through small promises
• practical steps to take when you feel off track

The goal isn’t to become a woman who never falls off.

The goal is to become a woman who knows how to come back without abandoning herself.

How many times have you told yourself:

“I’ll start over Monday”?

This episode is about the cycle so many women stay trapped in:
Start. Stop. Restart. Repeat.

And the truth is… starting over can feel productive while actually keeping you stuck.

In part 3 of this 4 part series, we talk about:

• Why constantly restarting destroys self-trust
• The difference between falling off and quitting
• Why women often treat one bad day like total failure
• The hidden comfort in “fresh starts”
• How to stop making setbacks mean something about you
• Practical ways to bounce back faster instead of restarting completely

We also dive into:

• The all-or-nothing mindset
• Why perfectionism fuels inconsistency
• How to build a “bounce back” plan for real life
• The mountain analogy that changes how you look at progress

Because changing your life isn’t about never falling off.

It’s about becoming someone who always comes back.

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Everything in one place, including some free gifts:

linktr.ee/rise_collective

If you’ve ever said “I’ll start Monday”… and didn’t…
If you’ve ever put yourself last without even thinking about it…
If you’ve ever felt like you just can’t stay consistent no matter how hard you try…

This episode is for you.

Because the truth is—this isn’t about motivation.

It’s about trust.

In this episode, we go deeper than surface-level habits and talk about what’s actually happening when you keep breaking promises to yourself—and why it’s so common, especially for women who have spent years putting everyone else first.

In part 2 of this 4 part series, we talk about:

• How self-trust is broken (and why it’s not what you think)
• The hidden pattern of self-abandonment
• Why wives and mothers often put themselves last—automatically
• How “life gets busy” becomes a cycle that keeps you stuck
• The difference between being selfish and finally including yourself
• Practical ways to start rebuilding trust with yourself—without starting over

This episode isn’t about doing more.

It’s about becoming someone who finally does what she says she’s going to do.

One small promise at a time.

Because the goal isn’t perfection.

It’s self-trust.