UPLEVEL: Real Health, Real Talk with Dr. Jenna Blasi

Appetite is not the enemy; it is a communication system! Welcome to another segment of UPLEVEL’s March Metabolism Month! Today, Dr. Jenna is talking about one of the strongest signals your metabolism sends: your appetite. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about how appetite and metabolism work together, a few examples of what may cause your hunger to increase, how your system adapts to changes in appetite in midlife, and so much more! We delve into the two main types of hunger signals, fuel hunger and regulation hunger, what they look like, and what they need before discussing why suppressing appetite is dangerous. Dr. Jenna goes on to explain how safety in the body and nervous system actually stabilizes appetite and touches on the importance of understanding your body. We even talk about how these issues can be resolved and why hormone therapy can never replace the basics of health (diet, movement, sleep, etc.) Finally, Dr. Jenna leaves listeners with a question: if appetite is protective, what happens when we quieten it medically? Thanks for listening, and be sure to stay tuned for next week’s episode on GLP-1s!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Today’s topic: appetite as a sign. 
• Why your appetite isn’t failing, it’s responding. 
• How metabolism and appetite work together. 
• What causes hunger to increase: physiology. 
• How your appetite and hunger adapt in midlife. 
• Two types of hunger signals: fuel and regulation. 
• What each type of hunger looks like and what they need. 
• Why suppressing appetite always backfires. 
• A breakdown of what appetite regulation looks like. 
• How understanding your body builds trust and consistency. 
• Going back to the basics to solve appetite issues. 
• The danger of hormone therapy when the system is stressed. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Episode 64: Why Your Metabolism Isn’t Broken in Midlife

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So many women in midlife feel like their metabolism is broken, but what if the body is actually responding exactly the way it was meant to? Today on UPLEVEL, Dr. Jenna is breaking down why you may feel like your body is betraying you in midlife and what is really happening! Tuning in, you’ll hear why aging doesn’t have to equal decline, what your metabolism actually is, how your body responds to estrogen decline, muscle as your metabolic engine, and so much more! We delve into the danger of long-term restrictive diets and chronic stress before discussing why sleep is a metabolic regulator. Dr. Jenna also touches on how a changing midlife body defends itself against weight loss and how to achieve weight loss during this time. She talks about how you can support your body in midlife, and you’ll be reminded that these symptoms are not caused by just one thing. Finally, Dr. Jenna drives home the importance of striving to understand your body so that you can work with it, not fight against it. Thanks for listening! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Today’s topic: metabolism in midlife. 
• Why many women feel like their metabolism is broken in midlife. 
• What your metabolism actually is. 
• A breakdown of what happens when your estrogen gets too low. 
• The key role muscle plays in metabolic health. 
• How the body responds to long-term restriction. 
• The danger of chronic stress to the metabolism. 
• Dr. Jenna explains sleep as a metabolic regulator. 
• How energy scarcity actually increases hunger. 
• Why the body really ‘crashes’ in midlife and how to support it. 
• When hormone therapy can be helpful to solve these issues. 
• The importance of nuanced, specialized healthcare. 
• Why you need to understand and work with your body. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Menopause and Hormone Therapy: What Every Woman Needs to Know

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Capacity is not talked about often enough when it comes to heart health, and today on UPLEVEL, Dr. Jenna is diving deep into what your body can actually sustain and how to protect the female heart in real life. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about why your heart doesn’t need you to be calm all the time, it just needs you to recover well, why emotional labor is physical labor, and why the heart isn’t only a pump, it is also a metabolic organ that demands large amounts of energy. Dr. Jenna goes on to explain why chronic self-control is a stressor and shares some examples of that before discussing why patterns over time are what define your heart health. Dr. Jenna challenges us to ask ourselves what support we can give our bodies to lower cardiovascular load. Finally, Dr. Jenna reminds us that heart health isn’t about perfection and encourages us to examine our self-talk. Thanks for listening!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Today’s topic: how to actually protect your heart. 
• Why your heart cares more about variability than perfection. 
• The importance of being able to recover from stress. 
• Why emotional labor has the same effect as physical labor. 
• Seeing the heart as a metabolic organ, not just a pump. 
• Why chronic self-control is actually a stressor. 
• Dr. Jenna briefly shares her opinion on GLP-1s. 
• What truly defines your heart health. 
• A challenge: lower your cardiovascular load. 
• The power of self-talk in heart health. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

‘The Power of Self-Talk and Letting Go of Perfectionism’

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Even when your labs look normal, and you have healthy habits, chronic stress may still be shaping your heart health. As part of the ongoing Heart Health Month series on UPLEVEL, Dr. Jenna explains what stress is actually doing inside the body and why it matters more than most women realize. She breaks down the physiological effects of stress, from sustained fight-or-flight activation to inflammation and metabolic strain, and explains why midlife women are especially vulnerable as hormones shift. Dr. Jenna challenges the idea that willpower fixes everything and shows how recovery, sleep, boundaries, and small reductions in load can meaningfully reduce your long-term risk. She also addresses common misconceptions about hormone therapy in perimenopause and why you don’t have to wait to get support. Tune in for an honest, science-backed conversation on protecting your heart by working with your biology, not against it!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Chronic stress as a major (but overlooked) heart risk in women.
• Understanding resistance from your body as protection, not laziness or lack of willpower.
• Acute vs. chronic stress, and how the body registers external demands.
• Sustained fight or flight and its impact on inflammation and metabolic health.
• How midlife women face higher stress sensitivity due to physiological changes.
• Why doing everything “right” can still fail under high stress load.
• Why recovery, sleep, and consistency matter more than intensity.
• Decreasing chronic pressure, not just adding more healthy habits.
• The good news: your nervous system is trainable and small shifts add up.
• Why hormone therapy does not have to wait until menopause.
• Simplifying your life to reduce load and protect longevity.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

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In this episode of UPLEVEL, Dr. Jenna continues the Heart Health Month conversation by unpacking why heart health isn’t just about cholesterol — even though cholesterol remains an important marker of cardiovascular risk. She helps listeners navigate the noise surrounding heart health, especially for women after menopause, when biological and hormonal shifts reduce the body’s natural buffering capacity. Dr. Jenna explores why nutrition quality and consistency matter, how lifestyle choices influence cholesterol, and the role medication and hormone therapy can play when guided by informed medical decision-making. Grounded in prevention rather than perfection, this episode emphasizes shared decision-making, informed consent, and the importance of staying engaged with your body for the long game of heart health.

Key Points From This Episode:

• What listeners can expect from today’s episode of UPLEVEL.
• Navigating through the noise around heart health. 
• Biological factors that are altered after menopause. 
• Why cholesterol matters in relation to cardiovascular risk.
• Normalizing that hormonal shifts reduce buffering.
• Why nutrition quality and consistency matter.
• Other health principles that have a positive effect on your cholesterol. 
• Dr. Jenna shares her thoughts on medication and its role in cholesterol. 
• Why prevention is not about perfection: the importance of shared decision-making and informed consent. 
• The long game: the importance of being engaged with your body and making informed choices over time. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

EP 51 Finding Joy Again. Why Feeling Good Is Part of Healing

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Self-love is not about superficial acts of ‘self-care.’ Instead, it’s a learned behavior that creates safety in your nervous system. Today, Dr. Jenna is talking about self-love from a physiological standpoint and what it looks like to trust and respect yourself enough to show up! In this discussion, you’ll hear all about why self-love is a skill and learned behavior, the power of asking yourself questions, and observing the answers without judgment. Dr. Jenna goes on to explain what self-respect actually looks like on a practical level before she touches on the kind of consistency that lasts and the importance of self-trust. Lastly, Dr. Jenna asks listeners some questions about what would happen if you listened to your body’s signals and treated it as an ally, not an obstacle. Thanks for tuning in! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Today’s topic: how self-love and self-respect show up in your body. 
• Self-love as a physiological skill: nervous-system safety. 
• The importance of observing results without judgment or shame. 
• What self-respect actually looks like practically. 
• Why consistency is built through self-trust. 
• Food for thought: what would change if your body were an ally, and what ignored signal deserves attention? 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

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True consistency that actually lasts is built through identity changes, not through motivation! In this episode of UPLEVEL, Dr. Jenna is diving into all things momentum and consistency and is explaining why real progress is built through identity changes, not intensity. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about what consistency actually is, why you need to focus on progress instead of results, and so much more. We delve into what identity-based consistency looks like and the importance of self-trust before discussing why success and failure are just habits. Dr. Jenna even gives us a simple, three-step framework to help build identity-based consistency. Finally, you’ll be reminded that momentum is created by trusting yourself and staying true to your identity when motivation fades. Thanks for listening! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Today’s topic: momentum and consistency. 
• Looking at changes in momentum as data. 
• Why consistency is actually about identity. 
• The importance of tracking progress, not results. 
• Returning to your identity instead of starting over. 
• What identity-based consistency looks like. 
• Why success and failure are merely habits. 
• Dr. Jenna gives us a framework to build consistency. 
• Step one: choose one non-negotiable habit to do every day. 
• Step two: choose one flexible habit to start doing. 
• Step three: check in to see if you’re in alignment. 
• When momentum is truly created. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

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Do your goals require you to become more or less? Goals are not about what you get, they’re about who you become. In this episode of UPLEVEL, Dr. Jenna explores how to cultivate a different relationship with goals and achieve true alignment. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about why your goals need to be about improving yourself, not performing for anyone else, why a lack of an identity change will result in failed goals, what happens in the nervous system when goals are resisted, ‘down-goaling’, and much more! We delve into the difference between SMART goals and stretch goals before discussing why you need to ask yourself if your goal is worthy of you, not if you’re worthy of your goal. Dr. Jenna also shares her three-step goal-setting framework and encourages listeners to identify one clear goal that they can work towards this year, determine what identity that goal requires, and ask themselves what belief they need to release to achieve that goal. Finally, we touch on the power of letting your goals shape who you want to become. If you’re ready to step into the person your goals are calling you to be, this episode is for you!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Today’s topic: goals as they relate to your identity. 
• Why goals cannot be about proving something. 
• Dr. Jenna explains why goals are about who you become to achieve them. 
• Why your system will resist your goal if your identity doesn’t change. 
• The nervous system side of resisting goals and ‘down-goaling’. 
• An explanation of SMART goals versus stretch goals. 
• Dr. Jenna breaks down her three-step framework for goal setting. 
• Step one: get clear on one meaningful goal that challenges you.  
• Step two: figure out what the identity is of the person who can achieve that goal. 
• Step three: ask yourself what limiting belief you need to release. 
• Letting your goals shape who you’re becoming instead of chasing something. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

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January is not about fixing yourself, but it can be about vision. Last week, we talked about all the things you’re no longer available for — the patterns and tolerations that are quietly holding you back. During this conversation, we’re talking about what it might look like to take that next step. We address the shame-based messaging we are often faced with in January and offer an alternative that goes beyond quick fixes to create true transformation that lasts. Vision is not a rushed process. It’s all about setting a direction, believing it’s possible, and stepping into the life you are creating for yourself as the woman you are becoming. Join us as we discuss how clarity becomes confidence and how vision turns into transformation. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Stepping into the life you are creating for yourself.
• The real reason life changes fail. 
• Creating true transformation that lasts. 
• Tapping into vision as an internal compass.
• Three questions to help define where you want to go. 
• How vision creates alignment to provide safety for the nervous system. 
• Why internal vision must lead our external vision. 
• The moment vision becomes truly powerful. 
• How awareness can create alignment. 
• Feeling into a fuller vision for your life.
• What it might look like to take that next aligned step. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Napoleon Hill Amazon

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Sometimes the most powerful change comes not from doing more, but from finally letting go. On today’s episode of UPLEVEL: Real Health Real Talk, Dr. Jenna explores why meaningful progress begins when we stop tolerating behaviors and self-limiting patterns that no longer align with who we’re becoming. She unpacks the illusion of trying harder, reveals the next-level question that can shift everything, and explains why identity must come before behavior. Dr. Jenna also shares practical micro-integrations you can implement immediately, while emphasizing the importance of staying aligned with the decisions you make. This episode is about stepping into your next level—not by doing more, but by deciding what you are no longer available for.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Today is about deciding what you are no longer available for.
• The illusion of trying harder: letting go of outgrown identities. 
• How to change everything: ask yourself this next-level question.
• Why identity precedes behavior. 
• The importance of staying aligned with what you’ve decided you’re no longer available for.
• Micro-integrations you can start implementing this week. 
• Declaring your uplevel and why your transformation starts with a decision.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Your Next Level Starts Now

Reflect Now, Uplevel in 2026

Everything Changes When You Decide

Calm Intention and Vision for 2025

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