Overwhelmed by the college planning process? Meet Gerna Benz, founder of Bay College Planning and one of the country's top college planning experts. He has helped countless families navigate the college journey, working directly with students to find their ideal college fit while showing parents how to make it affordable.

In this episode, Gerna helps navigate the waters of higher education. Want to know when to kick off your college planning? Curious about how grandparent gifts affect financial aid? We're covering it all! From special considerations for divorced families to insider tips that'll give you the biggest bang for your buck, Gerna breaks down what you really need to know about the college planning process.

Episode Highlights:

- When to start the college planning process
- The do's and don'ts of grandparent contributions
- How divorce impacts financial aid eligibility
- The single most impactful strategy for maximizing your college investment
- Smart approaches to paying for college (aka where to find the money!!)
- And more!

Tune in for straight talk and practical advice that will make your college planning journey smoother and smarter.

About Gerna Benz
Gerna Benz is the owner and founder of Bay College Planning. He established the company in 2005 after recognizing the critical need to help parents and students navigate the complex college funding landscape. As owner and senior partner of Hawaii College Planners, Benz coaches, counsels and mentors students in finding their ideal college fit while helping parents discover the most effective way to pay.

Set up a complimentary college planning call by filling out the contact form on either of his websites
https://www.bayareacollegeplanners.com/        https://www.hawaiicollegeplanners.com/

Let's be honest, a lot of us would rather not think about Alzheimer's. But here's the thing - statistics show that over 6 million people are living with Alzheimer's and that number is projected to grow at staggering rates. 

This episode isn't about scaring you. It's about sharing some pretty amazing research that's changing how we look at memory loss. We're not just talking about preventing it anymore - we're talking about actually turning it around. Wild, right? We're going show you what's really possible for our brains as we get older.

Dr. Heather Sandison is going to walk us through some game-changing ideas about Alzheimer's. She'll show how patients and their families can take back some control from this tough disease. 

Get ready to rethink everything you thought you knew about getting older and staying sharp. This isn't just about dodging Alzheimer's - it's about making your whole brain work better and enjoying life more. We're going to swap out worry for action, confusion for clarity, and feeling stuck for feeling empowered.

We'll cover:

• Steps to improve brain health for the long haul
• A look at what medications can (and can't) do
• How combining (aka "stacking") lifestyle changes shows measurable improvement in cognitive function
• Why sleep apnea matters more than you might think
• The most important thing caregivers should do each week

About Heather Sandison, ND
Dr. Heather Sandison is a renowned naturopathic doctor specializing in neurocognitive medicine and the founder of Solcere Health Clinic, San Diego’s premier brain optimization clinic, and Marama, the first residential memory care facility to have the goal of returning cognitively declined residents to independent living. She has dedicated her career to supporting those suffering with dementia and is the primary author of the peer reviewed research “Observed Improvement in Cognition During a Personalized Lifestyle Intervention in People with Cognitive Decline” published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. 

Dr. Sandison's New York Times Best-Selling Book, Reversing Alzheimer's: The New Toolkit to Improve Cognition and Protect Brain Health is revolutionary and a much-needed exploration of Alzheimer’s and how patients and their caregivers can take back control from this insidious disease.

Learn more about Dr. Sandison https://www.drheathersandison.com/
Learn more about her book Reversing Alzheimer's https://reversingalzheimersbook.com/

As we enter our 40s, 50s, and beyond, many of us find that our tried-and-true exercise routines no longer yield the same positive results. Instead, we may face unexpected setbacks and a frustrating plateau in our fitness journey.

Enter kinesiologist Robbie Stahl, who sheds light on why simply adding more weight, increasing cardio intensity, or adopting a "push through it" mentality might be doing more harm than good. Stahl reveals the biggest pitfalls that can derail our fitness goals and lead to injuries as we navigate the second half of life.

Whether you're feeling stuck in your current routine or looking to start a new fitness regimen, this episode offers invaluable insights for anyone seeking to stay fit and injury-free in their middle years and beyond.

Tune in to discover how to adapt your approach and thrive in your fitness journey, no matter your age.

Episode Highlights Include:
- How most people in midlife are approaching fitness in a very dysfunctional way.
- Find out what's more important than nutrition.
- Two key steps to support mobility.
- What tight tissue and muscles says about you.

💪🏼 Get Your Gift -- 5-Part Full Body Fix Series
-->> https://bodyfix.thefitnessdoctor.com/?ref=zjhkmjjj
These classes have been designed exclusively for men & women over the age of 50 and focus on being fit & injury-free in the second half of life.

About Robbie Stahl
Robbie is an exercise physiologist, biomechanist, nutritionist, researcher, fitness instructor, and fitness tribe leader since 1998.

Often considered an afterthought, mouth health is actually mission-critical to overall health, influencing everything from cardiovascular health to immune function. This goes way beyond the traditional brush-floss directive we have all been taught.

In this episode of Too Cool for Midlife, oral hygiene meets holistic health.  Barbara Tritz, biological dental hygenist, shares about the often-overlooked role the mouth plays in our overall health, diving into many important facets, from what bleeding gums say about you to steps to minimize your risk of neurotoxin exposure, the connection between airways and menopause, and so much more.

Episode Highlights Include:
- Why brushing is only HALF the battle (and why not all toothpaste is created equal)
- To floss or not to floss
- The benefits of ozone therapy
- Importance of nose breathing at night and how to mouth tape
- The menopause, sleep, and airway connection
- The three things that contribute to dental disease

About Barbara Tritz
Barbara is a biological dental hygienist in the office of Green City Dental in Edmonds, WA. She is also an orofacial myofunctional therapist as well as a writer, international speaker, and key opinion leader in the field os dental health.  Her blog, Queen of Dental Hygiene.net offers non-traditional dental health information- going beyond  the regular "brush-floss" information  to give you unique dental health information. 

You can read Barbara's blog at www.queenofdentalhygiene.net.

We all know about the connection between the Moon and the tides, influencing the ebb and flow of the ocean. Well, it turns out that this celestial body is also influencing our own biological rhythms. In this episode Masami Covey discusses how the lunar cycle impacts women from perimenopause to postmenopause, discussing everything from mood swings to sleep, dreaming, and more.

Episode Highlights Include:
-  The Moon's influence on your biology
-  Lunar rhythms and women's health
-  Circadian vs. Circalunar rhythm
- How the Moon can support fluctuations during perimenopause
- Honoring the Dark Moon phase (especially during menopause and postmenopause)
- Dreams and Moon cycle connections

About Masami Covey
Masami leads women in rediscovering the Wisdom of Lunar Cycles—through menopause and beyond—applying a blend of Japanese Moon Medicine, physiology, nutritional science, and 25+ years of clinical experience.  Masami was born and raised in Japan in a bi-cultural family, and she draws from her East-West blend of culture, language, science, and energy medicine. Masami holds an M.S. in International Business, and her professional training includes Functional Nutritional Therapy (FNTP), Yoga Therapy (C-IAYT), Positive Neuroplasticity, Ayurveda, and Applied Linguistics.

You can learn more about Masami at www.MasamiCovey.com.

Bonus Webinar:
Navigating The Year of the Dragon (call recording) 
Featuring:  
-  Wisdom, insight and guidance for the Year of the Dragon.  
-  Transitioning from Rabbit to Dragon mode
-  Dragon Year strengths and pitfalls to watch for
-  Outlook on 2024 with Health Support tips
-  Guided Somatic Meditation and Reset
Use this link to listen to the full recording https://masamicovey.com/lunar-new-year-2024-call

In this episode Dr. Tessier shares the often overlooked and intriguing connection between mold exposure and its potential effects on sexual health. Mold isn't just a household nuisance; it could be the unseen third wheel in your bedroom, silently dampening the flames of desire.

Episode Highlights Include:
- What are mold and mycotoxins?
- How (and why) does mold impact people living in the same environment differently?
- How can mold and mycotoxins cause relationship and intimacy issues?
- Mold and its connection to autoimmunity and hormones.
- Menopause symptoms that could be a mold issue (think hot flashes and frequency of urination).

About Dr. Tessier
Dr. Lauren Tessier, of Life After Mold, is a mold illness expert who has been treating mold-related illnesses for over 10 years. She is also a writer, speaker, and international educator on the topic and is the current Vice President and former President of ISEAI.

She currently helps those with mold illness and associated complex chronic illness conditions such as Lyme, EBV, MCAs, MCS and more.  Check her out on social media using the handle Life After Mold, or check her website for the free e-book “Mold Prevention: 101." www.LifeAfterMold.com

Midlife years are anything but "over the hill" and ought to be the prime time of life physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. 

In this episode, anti-aging expert Brian Vaszily uncovers the destructive triggers that speed up aging and shares ways to shield yourself against these offenders.

Episode highlights include:
- The art of making choices
- Understanding how what is consumed in your head and heart directly affects aging
- The #1 health and longevity habit 
- The importance of revisiting "the big questions" at different stages of life

About Brian Vaszily
Brian Vaszily (Vay-Zlee) is a popular and outspoken advocate, author, and researcher with over two decades of experience in natural health who opposes the widespread perception that likens getting older to getting a disease and who instead supports the truth that your 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond can and should be the best years of your life.

Brian is the founder and host at TheArtofAnti-Aging.com, where he’s already amassed a following of well over 500,000 supporters for his mission and where in his own words…

“We’re changing the very definition of ‘anti-aging’ to mean you’re against all the lies commonly associated with getting older, such as that hitting your 40s and beyond means becoming increasingly undesirable, incapable, and doomed to suffering and disease.”

Instead, so many people have embraced https://theartofantiaging.com/anti-ag... because Brian shares a very positive message – in terms of your physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being, your middle years and Golden years are truly meant to be your “best years.”

And he and his team provide people a wide range of heavily research-based solutions, along with a healthy dose of inspiration, to help ensure your middle and Golden years ARE your best years.

Midlife is when most of us start to really focus and concern ourselves with the aging process and turn to cosmetic treatments such as Botox. An estimated 11 million people worldwide have used Botox, making it one of the most common nonsurgical cosmetic procedures.

In this episode of Too Cool For Midlife, Dr. Summer Beattie shares a cautionary tale about what led her to discover that a commonly used aesthetic injection - botulinum toxin could cause a severe and debilitating condition that is rarely, if ever, discussed before offering this service - Iatrogenic Botulism Poisoning (or IBP).

Episode highlights include:

• Understanding the Black Box warning on Botox and other botulinum toxins
• Symptoms of Iatrogenic Botulism Poisoning
• What to do if you have experienced an injury after Botox injections
• Potentially adverse side effects to botulinum toxin use that are maybe not obvious
• Other more natural and safer solutions to treating and preventing facial aging

About Summer Beattie, ND
Dr. Summer Beattie is a graduate of Bastyr University in Seattle and has been seeing patients for nearly 20 years.  Her practice has a strong focus on regenerative medicine in the areas of orthopedics, aesthetics, sexual health, and optimal aging.  In addition, she offers curated solutions and support for people facing chronic complex illness, neurodegenerative conditions, and oncology care.  

Get a discount for SNiP Nutrigenomics and learn more about Dr. Beattie's practice, visit www.OneLivingClinic.com

Follow Dr. Beattie on Instagram @dr_summer_beattie

So, you’ve heard about the pelvic floor before, you might have tried Kegels a few times but weren’t sure if you were doing them right … you heard how giving birth can damage your pelvic floor muscles, and afterward, you might pee a little bit when you laugh or sneeze. Friends might have even told you about their jade egg …

But when you get down to it, what’s the deal with the pelvic floor?

Well, this group of muscles may just be the unsung hero of your body, often under-appreciated and misunderstood.

The pelvic floor plays a critical role in bladder control, bowel function, childbirth, orgasms, and more, so having a healthy pelvic floor is a pretty big deal for your health and your sex life, especially in midlife.
 
In this episode, pelvic floor specialist Jana Danielson shares her immense knowledge and drops some pelvic floor bombs on us about how we can start to support our pelvic floor health (right now).

Episode highlights include:
- Peeing your pants, lackluster sex, and waking multiple times a night to go to the bathroom are NOT normal and can be improved in 30 days with the proper knowledge and action.
- Symptoms of a hypertonic and hypotonic pelvic floor.
- The framework of how body position (posture), breathing, and blood flow can transform the health of the pelvic floor from the inside out.
- Why 90% of pelvic floor dysfunction is a movement/fitness issue and NOT a medical issue.
- How our energy centers (root chakra) interact with this part of our body.
- Going beyond the kegel.
- Pelvic floor myths busted ...

About Jana Danielson
Jana is an award-winning wellness entrepreneur who, through her experience with physical pain, turned her mess into her message, which has now become her mission.  She is a best-selling author and founder of Lead Pilates, Lead Integrated Health Therapies, and the Metta District online wellness community.

Jana is also the creator of the Cooch Ball, the world’s first patented pelvic floor fitness tool for women.  Jana has coached and consulted with tens of thousands of women from all over the world to help improve their quality of life, their confidence, and their impact in this world.

Learn more about the Cooch Ball at www.CoochBall.com.

Download Healthy Pelvic Floor eBook https://www.darciepurcell.com/pelvicfloor

If you are a midlife woman grappling with understanding what the f*@# is going on in your body in this new season of life, and/or you know of a woman who is, do not miss this episode.

From hair thinning to brain fog, anxiety, depression, an overall lack of zest for life, or a non-existent sex drive, in this jam-packed episode, Dr. Sharon Stills shares critical information on what you need to be doing to support your hormone health for all stages of midlife ... from perimenopause through post-menopause.

Episode highlights include:
- What is actually going on with your hormones as you age.
- How to choose a doctor to support your hormone health.
- Checklist of questions you need to ask your doctor.
- The difference between bioidentical hormones and synthetic hormones.
- Understanding why bioidentical hormones are NOT all created equal.
- The best hormone tests available.
- Why it is never just about your hormones.
- Answering the big hormone questions such as ... Should women take testosterone? Does estrogen cause cancer?

Join Dr. Stills for the Mastering Meno(pause) Transition Summit live September 4th - 12th.  Learn more and register at no charge at www.DrTalks.com.

About Dr. Sharon Stills
Dr. Sharon Stills is a Naturopathic Medical Doctor with over two decades of clinical practice.  She is passionate about changing the conversation around meno(pause) and the aging process.  Her RED Hot Sexy philosophy has helped thousands of women become educated, empowered, and naturally healthy.

Follow Dr. Stills on Instagram @drsharonstills
Check out her website at www.DrStills.com

The contents of this podcast is for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This podcast does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.