Why do healthy foods suddenly cause bloating and pain?

In this episode, I share how one of the most stressful seasons of my life completely changed my gut and forced me to rethink foods I’d eaten for years without issue. I also walk you through how stress disrupted my microbiome, why I used the FODMAP diet as a short-term reset, and how I transitioned back toward a more diverse diet.

What you’ll learn:

(02:43) Why bloating and food reactions can appear even with a “perfect” diet.

(05:27) What FODMAPs actually are and how they affect digestion.

(06:57) Why FODMAP foods are not bad but problematic for a compromised gut.

(07:44) Which foods are lower FODMAP and easier to tolerate during healing.

(09:54) How long to stay on a low FODMAP approach and why it’s temporary.

(11:47) How to reintroduce foods safely while rebuilding gut health.

(13:50) Why stress management is essential for long-term gut healing.

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Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/fodmaps

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In your later decades, how can strength training reverse muscle loss?

In this episode, I spoke with Dr. William Evans, the scientist who first described sarcopenia, to unpack why muscle loss—not aging itself—is the biggest threat to metabolism, independence, and long-term health. We explored why muscle is far more adaptable than most women realize, even into advanced age, and why traditional measurements like scale weight and lean mass miss the real picture.

Dr. William Evans is a muscle researcher, former pharma scientist, and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, whose work has been cited over 80,000 times. If you’ve ever heard that muscle loss drives aging, chances are it traces back to his research.

What you’ll learn:

(04:33) How losing muscle directly lowers metabolic rate and increases disease risk.

(06:49) Why common body composition tests fail to measure true muscle mass.

(07:31) How a new non-invasive muscle test predicts strength, disability, and longevity.

(13:32) Why muscle percentage is more predictive than body weight or BMI.

(20:55) How neurological changes and inactivity contribute to muscle loss after 30.

(23:37) Why strength and power training are essential for preserving fast-twitch fibers.

(30:49) How protein intake and resistance training protect muscle during weight loss.

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Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/drevans

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How can outdated workout myths keep you exhausted and inflamed?

I’m calling out the exercise myths that once worked for me—but quietly stopped serving women after 40. In this episode, I break down why harder workouts, fasted training, and low-protein mornings can sabotage metabolism, energy, and recovery. Then I share what actually works now, when exercise and nutrition are aligned with your biology instead of fighting it.

What you’ll learn:

(02:38) How circadian rhythm and meal timing influence insulin sensitivity and energy.

(03:31) Why morning light exposure helps turn metabolism back on.

(05:02) What research reveals about breakfast skipping and long-term weight control.

(06:49) How ultra-processed breakfasts drive hunger and overeating.

(07:41) Why protein before workouts boosts lean mass and recovery after 40.

(09:08) The ideal protein-fiber-fat formula for a metabolic breakfast.

(14:41) How changing breakfast timing and composition transformed cravings, energy, and workouts.

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Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/exercisemyths

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Are the invisible emotional patterns from your past the real reason you're stuck in your health or relationships?

In this episode, Bizzie Gold and I explore why so many of us stay stuck in patterns that no longer serve us, and why that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. We unpack how early conditioning shapes perception, behavior, and self-deception, and how those patterns can be decoded and rewritten at any age. Bizzie brings a refreshingly direct, data-driven perspective that challenges traditional mental-health narratives and opens the door to real, lasting change.

Bizzie Gold is a behavior futurist and serial entrepreneur who’s not afraid to challenge what we’ve been told about mental health. She created the Break Method to decode brain patterns and help people stop circling their pain and finally change for good.

What you’ll learn:

(02:05) Why repeating the same behaviors doesn’t mean you’re broken, but programmed.

(05:30) How childhood environments create predictable patterns in perception and behavior.

(09:05) Why objective truth is nearly impossible, and how brain patterns distort reality.

(14:20) How the “right amount” of early adversity can build resilience and self-trust.

(20:40) What brain pattern mapping reveals about self-deception and decision-making.

(26:30) How stress and exhaustion pull you back into old behavioral defaults.

(32:35) Why opposites attract, and how brain patterns shape relationships.

(45:10) Practical ways to interrupt unhealthy patterns and create lasting change.

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Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/bizzie

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What questions should you ask a surgeon before committing to a facelift?

In this episode, I’m sharing the full, unfiltered story of my facelift, including what went wrong, what saved my recovery, and why I’d still make the same decision again. This wasn’t about chasing youth, but about aligning how I felt on the inside with how I showed up in the world.

What you’ll learn:

(02:01) How years of acne, scars, and skin treatments shaped my decision to have a facelift.

(03:30) Why fillers, Botox, and lasers eventually stopped making sense.

(04:44) The myths I believed about facelifts.

(06:06) How I chose my surgeon and why trust mattered most.

(11:45) What caused the post-surgery hematoma and how it was handled.

(14:32) The recovery tools that helped me heal rapidly and get on stage again.

(18:28) Why mindset may be the most powerful recovery tool of all.

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Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/facelift

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Why do chronic symptoms persist even when the results from your lab work say that everything’s “normal”?

In this episode, Dr. Jessica Peatross and I talk about why so many women feel stuck with unexplained symptoms even when their lab results say everything is “normal.” We unpack how hidden toxins, stealth infections, and nervous system overload quietly sabotage healing after 40. This conversation is about giving your symptoms language, restoring trust in your body, and understanding why healing requires the right sequence, not more guesswork.

Today’s guest is Dr. Jess, a functional medicine physician who helps patients uncover the real root causes behind chronic illness.

What you’ll learn:

(01:49) Why feeling awful with “normal” lab results doesn’t mean your symptoms are imagined.

(07:46) How mitochondrial dysfunction can be missed by standard blood work.

(10:03) Why chronic stress quietly disrupts hormones, blood sugar, and immunity.

(13:20) How stealth infections like mold and parasites contribute to chronic illness.

(17:48) Why environmental toxins accumulate in the body and overwhelm detox pathways over time.

(22:15) How poor sleep and nervous system imbalance reinforce chronic symptoms.

(29:35) Why detox must start with drainage, mineral balance, and nervous system regulation.

(41:45) How sauna use, breathwork, binders, and simple home changes support safe detoxification.

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Full show notes (including all links mentioned): http://jjvirgin.com/jessica

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Why does cardio stop working for fat loss after 40? Also, what types of exercise best protect strength and independence as you age?

In this episode, I break down why the goal of exercise after 40 is no longer burning calories, but building muscle, strength, and power. I explain how aging biology, muscle loss, and metabolic adaptation make endless cardio ineffective for women in midlife. I also share the science, the research, and the practical strategy to help you train smarter so you can preserve independence, energy, and longevity.

What you’ll learn:

(03:17) How excessive cardio can stall fat loss by triggering metabolic compensation.

(04:01) What research shows about energy expenditure plateaus with endurance exercise.

(05:33) Why muscle loss—not fat gain—is the biggest risk factor after 40.

(06:18) How fast-twitch muscle fibers decline with age and why power training matters.

(09:51) The importance of Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) and why you must track your daily movement to prevent metabolic compensation.

(14:32) Why high-intensity interval training improves your longevity and power.

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Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/buildingmuscle

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If your skin could talk, what might it say about how you’re aging? Would it say “This woman is rocking it” or “There might be a few things that you can tweak”?

In this episode, my guest and I explore how your skin is far more than a beauty metric—it’s a living reflection of your hormones, inflammation, stress, and overall health. I’m joined by Dr. Mamina Turegano, a triple board-certified dermatologist with a powerful internal-medicine perspective on aging skin. Together, we break down what actually works after 40, what’s hype, and how to build a smarter inside-out strategy for skin longevity.

What you’ll learn:

(02:05) Why your skin is a direct reflection of hormones, inflammation, and mitochondrial health.

(05:35) How stress and cortisol can trigger acne, hives, dandruff, and flare-ups.

(09:01) What estrogen decline during perimenopause does to collagen, hydration, and skin thickness.

(12:44) Which skincare ingredients have the strongest evidence for anti-aging after 40.

(19:18) How peptides, autophagy, and cellular senescence affect visible skin aging.

(25:49) Why hydrocolloid patches work so well for hormonal and inflammatory acne.

(28:04) What red and blue light therapies actually do for inflammation, acne, and rejuvenation.

(42:33) How to fade dark spots, melasma, and acne scars without making pigmentation worse.

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Full show notes (including all links mentioned): http://jjvirgin.com/drmamina

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What are the real reasons why women struggle to lose weight in midlife?

I see this pattern constantly: women doing all the “right” things and still feeling stuck, frustrated, and blamed by their own bodies. In this episode, I break down why the old weight-loss rulebook stops working in midlife and what’s actually driving fat loss after 40. Once you understand how muscle, protein, blood sugar, stress, hormones, and gut health interact, you can stop fighting your metabolism and finally start working with it.

What you’ll learn:

(02:25) Why auditing protein intake, calories, and ultra-processed foods is the first step before blaming your metabolism.

(04:35) How age-related muscle loss slows metabolism.

(05:08) Why undereating protein drives hunger, overeating, and stalled fat loss.

(06:03) How unstable blood sugar and high insulin block access to stored body fat.

(08:16) Why walking or strength movements after meals help regulate blood sugar.

(09:06) How chronic stress and poor sleep raise cortisol and promote fat storage.

(10:24) What happens to metabolism, sleep, and fat distribution during perimenopause.

(12:58) Why tracking biofeedback data replaces willpower as the key to sustainable fat loss.

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Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/weightloss

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How can you activate your own stem cells without costly medical procedures?

In this episode, Dr. Dan Pardi and I break down the real science behind stem cells and why they’re central to aging powerfully. We also explore how lifestyle, inflammation, exercise, and nutrition all shape the environment that allows stem cells to repair and renew your body.

Dr. Pardi is a neuroscientist and human performance expert who’s obsessed with helping people age better from the inside out. He’s worked with elite military units, Fortune 500 executives, and now serves as Chief Health Officer at Qualia Life Sciences, translating cutting-edge longevity science into real-world tools.

What you’ll learn:

(05:43) What stem cells are and how they function as your body’s primary repair system.

(07:22) Why stem cell exhaustion is a hallmark of aging and what changes as you get older.

(12:33) How lifestyle and environment influence stem cell quantity and quality over time.

(16:31) The full life cycle of a stem cell.

(19:49) What parabiosis research reveals about rejuvenation and cellular environments.

(22:33) Why inflammation interferes with stem cell signaling and repair.

(30:46) How nutrition, polyphenols, and supplements can support stem cell performance.

(01:00:03) The daily habits that matter most for longevity and cellular health.

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Full show notes (including all links mentioned): http://jjvirgin.com/stemcells

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