The Midlife Mom Edit: Redefining Health & Wellness Over 40

If you've ever felt like you were holding it all together on the outside while quietly falling apart on the inside as you navigate midlife, this episode is for you.

This week, I sit down with trauma and grief specialist Jill McMahon, who has spent over 25 years working with individuals through some of life's most devastating experiences.

Together we unpack something that you may have never considered — that the chronic stress of everyday midlife life may actually be living in your body as trauma.

This enlightening and informative conversation will validate what you have been feeling and give you real, practical tools to start healing. Even if you don't think you have trauma in your past, I promise this is an episode you can't miss.

In This Episode:

📌 How your body responds to chronic stress the same way it responds to a catastrophic event
📌 The connection between unresolved trauma and amplified menopause symptoms
📌 Why high-achieving women are especially vulnerable to carrying an invisible load that quietly damages their health
📌 What the research says about trauma and cognitive decline in menopausal women

More Support For You

🙋‍♀️ Work with Me
⭐️ Connect on Social
🥑 How I Cook Just 3 Nights/Week
🧠 Change your mindset and thrive in perimenopause with this unique approach

What if the best way to lose weight in midlife was to change the way you THINK? I know it sounds too good to be true, but it works! 

Register here for this free workshop on October 13th at 11 am MT, and learn how to THINK your way to a lower number on the scale! (Replay available, but you have to register!)

Resources & Ways To Connect

⭐️ FREE Guide: Five Easy Steps to Lose 1 lb a Week in Perimenopause
⭐️ 3-minute FREE GLP QUIZ to see if GLP-1s are right for you
⭐️ A 21-Day Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan to get you started the easy way
⭐️ Work with Me inside the Perimenopause Weight Loss Method
⭐️ My FAVORITE library of workout programs (that I use every day!)
⭐️ Connect with me on Instagram

How in the world do you stay consistent and "motivated" long enough to lose 65 lbs?

As I reflect on my 50th year (which I hoped would be my healthiest year ever), I recognized that the health lessons I really needed, I learned when I lost 65 lbs in my late 40s.

When people ask me how I stayed consistent, it all came down to three big lessons, which I unpack here.

In this episode:

📌 Learning how to work with your brain instead of fighting against it's natural wiring, allows you to stay consistent whether you have motivation or not.

📌 Find small wins, because motivation and discipline don't show up everyday. Finding excitement in the small wins can help you keep moving toward your bigger goal.

📌 The truth is that sustained weight loss is long and boring...but you can train you brain to celebrate all the victories along the way!

If you're struggling with your weight loss journey, or you want to be more resilient in midlife and beyond, this is the episode for you!

More Support For You

🙋‍♀️ Work with Me
⭐️ Connect on Social
🥑 How I Cook Just 3 Nights/Week
🧠 Perimenopause Weight Loss Method

What if the best way to lose weight in midlife was to change the way you THINK? I know it sounds too good to be true, but it works! 

Register here for this free workshop on October 13th at 11 am MT, and learn how to THINK your way to a lower number on the scale! (Replay available, but you have to register!)

Resources & Ways To Connect

⭐️ FREE Guide: Five Easy Steps to Lose 1 lb a Week in Perimenopause
⭐️ 3-minute FREE GLP QUIZ to see if GLP-1s are right for you
⭐️ A 21-Day Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan to get you started the easy way
⭐️ Work with Me inside the Perimenopause Weight Loss Method
⭐️ My FAVORITE library of workout programs (that I use every day!)
⭐️ Connect with me on Instagram

Do you feel like you're exhausted and dragging through every single day? Between the invisible load of managing a career, a family, aging parents, and shifting hormones, it’s no wonder you feel like you’re running on empty.

In this episode of The Family Fork, I’m getting real about why you lose energy in perimenopause and how to get it back without spending a fortune (like a week at the spa!)

We’re talking about simple, low-friction shifts that turn into habits—habits that quickly give you energy back!

I'll walk you through the biological "why" behind your fatigue, from the way stress locks your body in fight-or-flight mode, to how hidden inflammatory ingredients make your exhaustion worse.

Midlife or not, you deserve to feel vibrant, excited about your life, and powerful enough to handle whatever the day throws at you.

In this episode:

📌 Discover why your body holds onto fat when you’re stuck in high alert, plus three tools to signal "safety" to your nervous system.

📌 Why systemic inflammation makes you feel heavy and foggy, plus simple food swaps that can clear brain fog in just three days.

📌 Why eating more frequently (but strategically!) stops the blood sugar roller coaster and banishes "hangry" afternoons.

📌 My favorite trick to help you drink water faster

More Support For You

✅ Download your FREE 21-Day Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan
✅ My go-to online workout library (Use code ASHLEYS1BODI for an extra 15% off!)
🙋‍♀️ Work with Me
⭐️ Connect on Social
🥑 How I Cook Just 3 Nights/Week
🧠 Mindset Framework to Stop Relying On Willpower or Motivation 

What if the best way to lose weight in midlife was to change the way you THINK? I know it sounds too good to be true, but it works! 

Register here for this free workshop on October 13th at 11 am MT, and learn how to THINK your way to a lower number on the scale! (Replay available, but you have to register!)

Resources & Ways To Connect

⭐️ FREE Guide: Five Easy Steps to Lose 1 lb a Week in Perimenopause
⭐️ 3-minute FREE GLP QUIZ to see if GLP-1s are right for you
⭐️ A 21-Day Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan to get you started the easy way
⭐️ Work with Me inside the Perimenopause Weight Loss Method
⭐️ My FAVORITE library of workout programs (that I use every day!)
⭐️ Connect with me on Instagram

When was the last time you looked in the mirror without counting your flaws? In midlife, it’s so easy to view your body as a project that needs constant fixing—less belly fat, less bloating, less brain fog.

But the reality is that you get what you look for. If you spend your day hunting for evidence that your body is falling apart, your brain will find it.

In this week's episode, I'm sharing how I moved from a place of frustration with my body, to a place of genuine appreciation.

I'm serving up 7 simple, low-cost "love letters" you can give to your body today...not because you’ve reached your goal weight, but because you deserve to feel good right now.

Inside this episode:

📌 The Brain-Boosting Power of Creatine: Why this isn't just for "gym bros" and how it finally lifted my perimenopause brain fog.

📌 Anti-Inflammatory Indulgence: How to satisfy your sweet tooth without spiking your cortisol or derailing your progress.

📌 The 23-Minute Nap: The science behind the perfect power nap that resets your nervous system and let's you feel refreshed.

📌 Affordable Skincare Secrets: How I use Amazon Pharmacy to get the gold standard in midlife skincare without the med-spa price tag.

📌 Productive Escapism: Why scheduling your Netflix binge is actually a high-level wellness priority for your "tired brain."


More Support And Ways To Connect

👉 1st Phorm Creatine (Flavorless)
👉 ThriveOn Creatine (Citrus Flavor) Use code ASHLEY25 to get 25% off!
👉 FREE shopping list for all your anti-inflammatory snacks
🙋‍♀️ Work with Me
⭐️ Connect on Social
🥑 How I Cook Just 3 Nights/Week
🧠 Mindset Framework to Stop Relying On Willpower or Motivation 

What if the best way to lose weight in midlife was to change the way you THINK? I know it sounds too good to be true, but it works! 

Register here for this free workshop on October 13th at 11 am MT, and learn how to THINK your way to a lower number on the scale! (Replay available, but you have to register!)

Resources & Ways To Connect

⭐️ FREE Guide: Five Easy Steps to Lose 1 lb a Week in Perimenopause
⭐️ 3-minute FREE GLP QUIZ to see if GLP-1s are right for you
⭐️ A 21-Day Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan to get you started the easy way
⭐️ Work with Me inside the Perimenopause Weight Loss Method
⭐️ My FAVORITE library of workout programs (that I use every day!)
⭐️ Connect with me on Instagram

Struggling to get your partner on board with your healthy eating? Is your spouse "mostly" supportive of how you feel in perimenopause, but you wish he knew more?

Juggling perimenopause and midlife health challenges is hard enough on your own, but when you’re in a marriage or long-term partnership, your health journey isn't just yours—it's a shared experience that impacts your relationship, your social life, and your family dinner table.

In this very special episode I’m joined by my husband, Asim. He has been by my side since the very beginning of my health journey, back when I was first diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and severe nutrient deficiencies at 38. From the "What on earth is a nightshade?" phase to navigating my breast cancer treatment and now full-blown menopause, Asim has seen it all.

We chat about the friction points, like how my decision to stop drinking alcohol changed our "party friend" dynamic, and how we managed the transition to an anti-inflammatory household without him feeling like he was living on water and air.

My hope is that this episode serves as a conversation starter for you and your partner. Whether you need more "buy-in" on healthy meals or you're struggling to explain why your energy levels have tanked, this behind-the-scenes look will show you that while the journey is long, it pays massive dividends in the end.

What You’ll Learn:

📌 Getting Partner Buy-In: How to bridge the gap when one partner is "all in" on health and the other is skeptical or overwhelmed.

📌 Navigating Social Shifts: The reality of how relationships change when you ditch the happy hours and prioritize energy levels over social expectations.

📌 The Ripple Effect: How a health crisis can actually become the catalyst for a stronger, more vibrant marriage and a healthier future for your children.

This episode is a must-listen, and if it resonates, I encourage you to share it with your spouse/partner. It will give them a better understanding of what you're going through, and how they can be supportive every step of the way!


More Support And Ways To Connect

🙋‍♀️ Work with Me
⭐️ Connect on Social
🥑 How I Cook Just 3 Nights/Week
🧠 Mindset Framework to Stop Relying On Willpower or Motivation

What if the best way to lose weight in midlife was to change the way you THINK? I know it sounds too good to be true, but it works! 

Register here for this free workshop on October 13th at 11 am MT, and learn how to THINK your way to a lower number on the scale! (Replay available, but you have to register!)

Resources & Ways To Connect

⭐️ FREE Guide: Five Easy Steps to Lose 1 lb a Week in Perimenopause
⭐️ 3-minute FREE GLP QUIZ to see if GLP-1s are right for you
⭐️ A 21-Day Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan to get you started the easy way
⭐️ Work with Me inside the Perimenopause Weight Loss Method
⭐️ My FAVORITE library of workout programs (that I use every day!)
⭐️ Connect with me on Instagram

Raise your hand if your cravings have gotten worse in perimenopause?

Like finding yourself standing in front of the pantry at 9:00 PM, wondering how you ended up halfway through a bag of Hershey’s Kisses or chips after a perfectly healthy day? If you’ve been beating yourself up for a "lack of discipline," it's not your fault, and I need you to listen to this!

In this episode of The Family Fork, we are diving deep into cravings during perimenopause. I’m pulling back the curtain on why those intense, out-of-the-blue cravings hit so hard during this stage of life. We’re moving past the "mean girl" inner dialogue of guilt and shame and getting curious about what’s actually happening under the hood.

We’ll explore how fluctuating estrogen and progesterone are taking your blood sugar on a roller coaster ride, making your brain scream for fast-acting fuel like sugar and carbs. I also share my personal journey with gut health—specifically Candida overgrowth—and how those "microbes" in your belly might actually be the ones calling the shots. This episode helps you figure out how to stop restricting and start stabilizing.

In This Episode:

📌 Mindset First: How to swap guilt for curiosity, and identify the feelings you’re trying to avoid with food.

📌 Cravings Intensified: Why hormonal shifts make your hunger signals turn up to max volume.

📌 The Cortisol Connection: How your "invisible load" as a busy mom keeps your cravings running high.

📌 Gut Health SOS: Signs and symptoms of bacterial imbalance that drives that insatiable need for sugar

📌 Eat More Food: Why the "eat less, exercise more" mantra is actually triggering your body to panic and crave calorie-dense foods.


More Support For You

Free Guide: Get Started With Anti-Inflammatory Meals
Free Guide: Quick and Easy Anti-Inflammatory Snacks
🙋‍♀️ Work with Me
⭐️ Connect on Social
🥑 How I Cook Just 3 Nights/Week
🧠 Mindset Framework to Stop Relying On Willpower or Motivation

What if the best way to lose weight in midlife was to change the way you THINK? I know it sounds too good to be true, but it works! 

Register here for this free workshop on October 13th at 11 am MT, and learn how to THINK your way to a lower number on the scale! (Replay available, but you have to register!)

Resources & Ways To Connect

⭐️ FREE Guide: Five Easy Steps to Lose 1 lb a Week in Perimenopause
⭐️ 3-minute FREE GLP QUIZ to see if GLP-1s are right for you
⭐️ A 21-Day Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan to get you started the easy way
⭐️ Work with Me inside the Perimenopause Weight Loss Method
⭐️ My FAVORITE library of workout programs (that I use every day!)
⭐️ Connect with me on Instagram

Feel like a lightweight when you drink in perimenopause? Does that nightly glass of Cabernet pack more of a punch than it used to (and you find it's harder to recover in the morning?)

In this episode, we're digging into the relationship between alcohol and midlife, but it's a different take than you're used to.

Because you already know the science. You’re a smart, driven, professional woman. The struggle isn't a lack of knowledge.

It's the challenge of doing better when your brain and nervous system are wired for belonging.

I'm pulling back the curtain on why your brain views social exclusion as a life-or-death situation and how alcohol often serves as an "off switch" for heavy feelings like inadequacy or frustration.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

📌How to Change Your Identity: Why alcohol becomes an "identity marker" and why your nervous system feels threatened when you change the rules of your social rituals.


📌 Why You're Suddenly a Lightweight: Why your liver prioritizes clearing toxins over processing fluctuating hormones, leading to a "hormonal backup" and worsened hot flashes.


📌 Your Need to Belong: How your primitive brain scans for moments of connection and why saying "no" at a work happy hour feels like a threat to your safety.


📌 Avoiding Tough Emotions: How to identify if you are using alcohol to cover up feelings of apathy, inadequacy, or deprivation on your health journey.


📌 Practical Tools for Change: How to find a "tribe partner," use "anchor habits" with your spouse, and choose your emotions ahead of time so you wake up feeling proud instead of hungover.

More Support For You

🙋‍♀️ Work with Me
⭐️ Connect on Social
🥑 How I Cook Just 3 Nights/Week
🧠 Mindset Framework to Stop Relying On Willpower or Motivation

What if the best way to lose weight in midlife was to change the way you THINK? I know it sounds too good to be true, but it works! 

Register here for this free workshop on October 13th at 11 am MT, and learn how to THINK your way to a lower number on the scale! (Replay available, but you have to register!)

Resources & Ways To Connect

⭐️ FREE Guide: Five Easy Steps to Lose 1 lb a Week in Perimenopause
⭐️ 3-minute FREE GLP QUIZ to see if GLP-1s are right for you
⭐️ A 21-Day Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan to get you started the easy way
⭐️ Work with Me inside the Perimenopause Weight Loss Method
⭐️ My FAVORITE library of workout programs (that I use every day!)
⭐️ Connect with me on Instagram

Juggling perimenopause, family, and weight loss goals can feel overwhelming, especially when it seems like you’ve tried every diet under the sun and nothing sticks. 

In the previous episode, we talked about the nuts and bolts of nutrition and fitness strategy—the "what" of losing weight.

Today, we are digging into the "how," and it has nothing to do with your gym membership.

I’m taking you off the "DIY" treadmill and putting you on my therapist’s couch (metaphorically, of course!). As a certified mindset coach (and a former therapist!), I know that your brain, thoughts, and feelings are the primary drivers of your success or failure. If you feel resentful about cooking separate meals or hopeless because the scale won't budge, those feelings are exactly why you shut down and quit.

In this episode, I’m sharing the exact 5-step framework I use with my private coaching clients in The Method. We’ll talk about why your "primal brain" is wired to keep you safe and predictable (which usually means keeping you stuck and overweight) and how to rewire those neural pathways so healthy habits become your new default.

Grab a notebook and a pen, friend. This is a high-level coaching session designed to help you stop hiding and start healing.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

📌 Why "safe and predictable" thinking is the biggest obstacle to your transformation.

📌 How to identify the specific feelings (like inadequacy and resentment) that are sabotaging your progress.

📌 The 5-step goal-setting framework that puts your mindset at the forefront.

📌 How to redefine failure, and what it looks like

Links Mentioned and Ways To Connect

🙋‍♀️ Work with Me
⭐️ Connect on Social
🥑 How I Cook Just 3 Nights/Week
🧠 Mindset Framework to Stop Relying On Willpower or Motivation

What if the best way to lose weight in midlife was to change the way you THINK? I know it sounds too good to be true, but it works! 

Register here for this free workshop on October 13th at 11 am MT, and learn how to THINK your way to a lower number on the scale! (Replay available, but you have to register!)

Resources & Ways To Connect

⭐️ FREE Guide: Five Easy Steps to Lose 1 lb a Week in Perimenopause
⭐️ 3-minute FREE GLP QUIZ to see if GLP-1s are right for you
⭐️ A 21-Day Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan to get you started the easy way
⭐️ Work with Me inside the Perimenopause Weight Loss Method
⭐️ My FAVORITE library of workout programs (that I use every day!)
⭐️ Connect with me on Instagram

When it comes to midlife weight loss, you probably think you need "more discipline" or "more willpower". Not true!

What is true is that your strategy isn't built for a busy, midlife mom in perimenopause. Most of us try to DIY our way through nutrition, diets, and workouts.

But when it seems like you've tried everything, but nothing is working to help you improve your health, or to lose weight, what are you supposed to do?

I’ve lost 65 pounds in my late 40s, and I can say this with 100% certainty: you don't need a fancy gym membership or a lifestyle overhaul that takes hours of weekend meal prep, in order to lose weight. 

You need a hormone-informed, realistic strategy that fits into your actual life—the one with the meetings, the kids’ sports schedules, and the "invisible load" you're already carrying.

Today is Part 1 of a two-part series. We are digging into the tactical side: the exact fitness and nutrition shifts that support your body when estrogen is on the decline. We’re keeping it simple, straight-forward, and effective.


What you’ll learn in this episode:

📌 The Cortisol Conumdrum: Why your favorite HIIT or intense cardio class might actually be increasing inflammation and stalling your weight loss.

📌 The Home Advantage: Why I recommend starting your weightlifting journey in your living room (plus the 5 sets of dumbbells you actually need).

📌 Your Winning Breakfast: Why changing this one meal first provides the "biggest bang for your buck" in regulating blood sugar and killing cravings.

📌 Time Blocking Success: How to schedule your health so it doesn’t get pushed to the back burner by 3 p.m.

💫 Be sure to follow The Family Fork on your favorite podcast player, so you don't miss next week's episode! Part 2: 5-Step Framework for Success.

Links Mentioned and Ways To Connect:

💪 Start working out at home TODAY with my favorite library of programs
🙋‍♀️ Work with Me
⭐️ Connect on Social
🥑 How I Cook Just 3 Nights/Week
🧠 Mindset Framework to Stop Relying On Willpower or Motivation

What if the best way to lose weight in midlife was to change the way you THINK? I know it sounds too good to be true, but it works! 

Register here for this free workshop on October 13th at 11 am MT, and learn how to THINK your way to a lower number on the scale! (Replay available, but you have to register!)

Resources & Ways To Connect

⭐️ FREE Guide: Five Easy Steps to Lose 1 lb a Week in Perimenopause
⭐️ 3-minute FREE GLP QUIZ to see if GLP-1s are right for you
⭐️ A 21-Day Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan to get you started the easy way
⭐️ Work with Me inside the Perimenopause Weight Loss Method
⭐️ My FAVORITE library of workout programs (that I use every day!)
⭐️ Connect with me on Instagram

Feel like you're already "behind" in the New Year before it’s even gotten off the ground? This episode is for you!

Happy New Year, my friend! If you’re listening and feeling less "reinvigorated and refreshed" and more like "exhausted midlife mom just trying to survive," I want you to take a deep breath. You are exactly where you need to be.

In this episode, I’m scrapping the "how-to" to give us both what we actually need: a real-talk pep talk. I’m sharing how the messages you hear in January can lead you to feeling like a failure, when it comes to your midlife health and wellness.

I'm breaking down the toxic myths that tell you you're "behind" if you didn't start on January 1st. I’ll explain why your body doesn't have an expiration date for health. and how your brain’s "freeze response" is actually what’s stopping you (hint: it's not your lack of willpower!)

We’re moving away from the "all or nothing" mentality and leaning into the "bare minimum" so you can actually start living a vibrant, anti-inflammatory life in the middle of your messy, beautiful, chaotic reality.

Inside this episode:

📌 Why January 1st is arbitrary, and how you can focus on your health anytime

📌 Borrowing from your professional side, let's stop firing yourself from your own wellness goals.

📌 How to identify the "when" stories that give you permission to procrastinate.

📌 The biological reason your nervous system sees big goals as a threat (and how to lower the stakes).


Links Mentioned and Ways To Connect:

🙋‍♀️ Work with Me
⭐️ Connect on Social
🥑 How I Cook Just 3 Nights/Week
🧠 Mindset Framework to Stop Relying On Willpower or Motivation

What if the best way to lose weight in midlife was to change the way you THINK? I know it sounds too good to be true, but it works! 

Register here for this free workshop on October 13th at 11 am MT, and learn how to THINK your way to a lower number on the scale! (Replay available, but you have to register!)

Resources & Ways To Connect

⭐️ FREE Guide: Five Easy Steps to Lose 1 lb a Week in Perimenopause
⭐️ 3-minute FREE GLP QUIZ to see if GLP-1s are right for you
⭐️ A 21-Day Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan to get you started the easy way
⭐️ Work with Me inside the Perimenopause Weight Loss Method
⭐️ My FAVORITE library of workout programs (that I use every day!)
⭐️ Connect with me on Instagram