Strength With Michelle | Start Strength Training, Perimenopause, Women Over 40, Build Muscle

Do you talk about how you "need" to strength train, but you just haven't gotten to it yet? 

In this episode we’re talking about why strength training matters during perimenopause and how to get started when the weight room feels confusing, uncomfortable, or downright scary.

You’ll learn how resistance training supports your strength, muscle, bones, and long-term independence, and why walking alone does not provide the same benefits.

I’ll also share practical ways to make the gym feel less overwhelming.

If you are a woman over 35 who wants to begin lifting weights, support weight loss in perimenopause, and feel stronger without gym intimidation or overwhelm, this episode will help you stop waiting and finally get started.

Next Steps: 

💬 Come join and share in my free community what part of strength training feels the most intimidating to you: 

📚 Apply for Grace Over Guilt Method 1-1 Coaching:

🌐 Visit Website:

School is starting, schedules are changing, and life is about to get busy again. Do you have a plan to keep your weight-loss goals from getting pushed aside?

In this episode, we’re talking about how your food environment can either support your perimenopause weight-loss goals or make healthy eating feel harder than it needs to be.

You’ll learn how to clear pantry clutter, organize food around your family’s real-life routines, create easy breakfast and snack options, plan simple backup meals, and stop buying food for an imaginary “healthy” version of yourself. This is not about creating a Pinterest-perfect pantry. It’s about making nourishing choices easier when school, sports, work, and family life get busy.

If you struggle with meal planning, dinner overwhelm, buying healthy food you never eat, or starting over every time your schedule changes, this episode will help you simplify your space and prepare for the season ahead, without strict rules, guilt, or perfection.

Next Steps: 

💬 Come join and share in my free community one area you will reset before school starts:

📚 Apply for Grace Over Guilt Method 1-1 Coaching:

🌐 Visit Website:

You hear that you need to eat fiber, but do you know how much you actually take in regularly?

In this episode, we’re breaking down how to get enough fiber in perimenopause without eating salad all day, completely changing your meals, or obsessively tracking every gram.

Fiber has a lot of health benefits, but many common fruits and vegetables contain less fiber per serving than you may realize. That means simply adding a few vegetables to dinner may not be enough to help you reach your daily fiber needs.

You’ll learn which high-fiber foods can make a bigger difference. We’ll also talk about fiber stacking, a simple way to add stronger fiber sources to meals you already enjoy.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

You do not need a perfect meal plan or an enormous bowl of vegetables at every meal. You need a few practical, higher-fiber foods that fit your real life and help your meals keep you nourished and satisfied.

If you are working toward weight loss in perimenopause, struggling with constipation or digestion, feeling hungry soon after meals, or simply trying to improve your nutrition after 40, this episode will give you a realistic four-step plan you can begin using today.

Next Steps: 

💬 Come join and share in my free community one food you will add to this week:

📚 Apply for Grace Over Guilt Method 1-1 Coaching:

🌐 Visit Website:

Are you waiting to lose the weight before you start feeling confident, consistent, and in control around food?

In this episode, we’re talking about the identity shift that makes weight loss last in perimenopause, and how to start becoming the woman you want to be before the scale reaches your goal.

You’ll learn how to look beyond a goal weight, decide what your future self believes, picture how she handles an ordinary busy day, and choose one small action you can begin practicing now. We’ll also talk about why immediate comfort can sometimes pull you away from what you want long term, how to make more intentional choices without becoming restrictive, and why lasting weight loss is built through self-trust, not perfection.

This episode will help you create a realistic vision for the woman you are becoming and turn that vision into a simple action plan you can use this week.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

You do not have to wait until you lose the weight to become her. You are becoming her through the choices you practice today.

Next Steps: 

💬 Join my free community:

📚 Apply for Grace Over Guilt Method 1-1 Coaching:

🌐 Visit Website:

What does starting a podcast have to do with losing weight in perimenopause? More than expected.

In this episode, Michelle shares the surprising lessons podcasting taught her about the importance of getting started. 

If you have been waiting to feel ready, expecting immediate results, or believing you need to do everything perfectly to succeed, this episode will help you approach your perimenopause weight loss journey with more patience, confidence, and grace.

Next Steps: 

📚 Apply for Grace Over Guilt Method 1-1 Coaching:

💬 Join my free community:

🌐 Visit Website:

What if the healthy habits you are trying so hard to follow are doing more for you than just helping you lose weight?

But you can't see it because you have been programmed to see them as weight loss tools only. 

In this episode, we talk about a different way to look at food, movement, strength, support, and recovery, especially when the scale is not moving as quickly as you hoped.

If your looking for weight loss that works for your life then this mindset shift will help you on your way. 

Next Steps: 

📚 Apply for Grace Over Guilt Method 1-1 Coaching:

💬 Join my free community:

🌐 Visit Website:

Have you ever called yourself “good” for eating a salad or “bad” for eating chips?

In this episode, we’re talking about why food does not have the power to determine your worth, and why guilt should never be attached to what you eat.

After a surprising conversation about whether Cheetos have nutrition, Michelle breaks down the difference between saying all foods contain some nutrition and saying all foods are nutritionally equal.

You’ll learn how to stop labeling foods as good or bad, make choices based on how you want to feel, and move on after eating something you enjoy without guilt, punishment or the need to start over.

This episode is especially helpful for women in perimenopause and midlife who want to improve their nutrition, support their energy and health, and build a more peaceful relationship with food without following another restrictive diet.

Next Steps: 

📚 Apply for Grace Over Guilt Method 1-1 Coaching:

💬 Join my free community:

🌐 Visit Website:

Have you ever wondered if the choices you are making for weight loss are actually helping you?

In this episode, we’re talking about a powerful question we should ask ourselves when making choices for weight loss. 

We’ll talk about how this question applies to nutrition, emotional eating, exercise, sleep, stress, and the habits that either support your goals or keep you stuck. You’ll learn why food freedom does not mean every choice is beneficial and how to ask better questions like, “Does this support my body in this season?”

If you want to lose weight in perimenopause without strict dieting, guilt, or starting over every Monday, this episode will help you choose habits that build you up instead of beating yourself down.

Next Steps: 

📚 Apply for Grace Over Guilt Method 1-1 Coaching:

💬 Join my free community:

🌐 Visit Website:

Are you in your late 30s or 40s and wondering why the weight loss strategies that used to work are not working anymore?

In this episode, we’re talking about why weight loss can feel different in perimenopause and why your body is not broken just because it is responding differently.

Maybe you used to cut calories, skip breakfast, do more cardio, or “be good” all week and see results, but now you feel stuck, tired, hungry, and frustrated.

We’ll talk about why what worked in your 30s may not work the same way in perimenopause, including changes in hormones, stress, sleep, recovery, muscle mass, cravings, and daily life demands.

You’ll learn why trying harder, eating less, and doing more cardio may not be the answer, and what to focus on instead.

If you want to lose weight in perimenopause without strict dieting or food guilt, this episode will help you shift from restriction and punishment to nourishment, strength training, consistency, recovery, and grace.

Next Steps: 

📚 Apply for Grace Over Guilt Method 1-1 Coaching:

💬 Join my free community:

🌐 Visit Website:

Do you feel guilty after eating certain foods, missing a workout, overeating on the weekend, or “starting over again” every Monday?

In this episode, we’re talking about how food guilt, diet guilt, and all-or-nothing thinking can keep you stuck in weight loss, especially during perimenopause.

If you are a woman over 35 or 40 trying to lose weight, feel better in your body, and break the diet cycle, this episode will help you understand why guilt is not helping you stay consistent.

We’ll talk about what guilt looks like in weight loss, why dieting often teaches women to feel ashamed around food, and how thoughts like “I was bad,” “I blew it,” or “I’ll start over Monday” can lead to more restriction, overeating, and frustration.

You’ll learn how to stop feeling guilty about food, take responsibility without beating yourself up, and choose your next healthy step with more grace, awareness, and consistency.

If you want to lose weight in perimenopause without strict dieting, food shame, or starting over every Monday, this episode is for you.

Related Episodes: 

1 | Stop Labeling Foods “Good” and “Bad”: The Mindset Shift That Makes Weight Loss Easier 

Next Steps: 

📚 Apply for Grace Over Guilt Method 1-1 Coaching:

💬 Join my free community:

🌐 Visit Website: