Wellness After 40

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Brain fog. Weight gain. Exhaustion. Disrupted sleep.

Sound familiar?

When these symptoms start showing up in our 40s, it's easy to point the finger at hormones. And while hormonal changes certainly play a role in perimenopause and menopause, what if there's more to the story?

In this episode of Wellness After 40, I'm joined by Dori Martin, Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner and midlife wellness expert, to explore an often-overlooked piece of the midlife wellness conversation: minerals.

We tend to hear a lot about hormones, metabolism, and stress, but minerals rarely get the same attention. Yet these essential nutrients help support everything from energy production and thyroid function to blood sugar regulation, nerve signaling, and overall metabolic health.

Dori shares why she considers minerals the body's "spark plugs" and how she approaches mineral balance when working with women experiencing fatigue, stubborn weight changes, brain fog, disrupted sleep, and other common midlife concerns.

We also discuss the relationship between chronic stress and nutritional needs, why some women continue to feel unlike themselves even when routine bloodwork looks normal, and Dori's approach to Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA).

Could looking at mineral status offer another piece of the puzzle? What can mineral testing actually tell us? And how can we better support our bodies during this stage of life?

Along the way, Dori shares practical strategies for managing stress, supporting metabolic health, and taking a more informed approach to wellness.

Because feeling different after 40 doesn't mean you have to stop asking questions about your health.

Connect with Dori Martin

Website: https://www.dorimartin.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlifeenergy.dori/

Learn More About Mineral Testing (HTMA): https://www.dorimartin.com/metabolicmakeoverhtmastore

Explore Dori's Metabolic Makeover resources and learn more about her approach to mineral testing and metabolic health.

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This episode is for educational purposes and does not replace personalized medical advice.

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Maybe no one knows you’re grieving.

You’ve kept going. You’ve shown up. You’ve told yourself, this is just part of life. Kids grow up. Bodies change. Parents age. Relationships shift. Dreams change. We get older.

But just because a change is normal doesn’t mean you have to pretend it doesn’t hurt.

In this episode of Wellness After 40, Laura Bratton returns for an honest conversation about the grief women often carry quietly—and why some of the hardest losses are the ones we don’t even realize we’re allowed to grieve.

How do you know when you’re grieving versus simply struggling with change? What happens when you keep pushing those feelings aside? And how do you honor what you’ve lost without staying stuck there?

If you’ve been telling yourself you should be fine, this conversation may be exactly what you need.

Connect with Laura

Learn more about Laura, her coaching and speaking, and her book Harnessing Courage:

Visit Laura Bratton

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Have you ever known exactly what you need to change, but still found yourself repeating the same habits, thoughts, or patterns?

In this episode of Wellness After 40, I’m joined by Tina, a certified neuroscience coach and creator of The Rewired Manifestor Method™. We’re talking about manifestation, but maybe not in the way you’ve heard about it before.

Tina explains why manifestation isn’t magic or simply thinking positively. Real change starts with understanding how our brains are wired, recognizing the patterns that keep us stuck, and learning how to create new ones.

We talk about why our brains prioritize safety over happiness, why knowing what to do often isn’t enough to actually change, and how awareness, nervous system regulation, and repetition can help us rewire long-standing patterns.

We also get into neuroplasticity, whether we really become “set in our ways” as we get older, why our bodies need to feel safe for lasting change to happen, and small practices you can start using to create change in your own life.

Because maybe you’re not stuck. Maybe your brain has simply gotten really good at practicing the same patterns.

Connect with Tina

Instagram: @rewiredmanifestor

The Daily Rewire / Get Out of Your Own Way Challenge

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Sex, desire, and intimacy after 40 aren’t exactly topics we openly talk about. They’re often kept quiet, whispered about, or not talked about at all—which is exactly why I wanted to have this conversation.

Today I’m joined by Dr. Lori Davis, a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and certified sex counselor who helps individuals and couples navigate desire, intimacy, and connection. She’s been featured in The New York Times, Oprah Daily, and Women’s Health, and teaches sexuality counseling at the University of Michigan.

We’re shedding some light on what can happen to desire and intimacy during perimenopause and midlife—from the physical changes to the emotional and relationship side of it all. And perhaps most importantly, we talk about why desire can mean so much more - it can also be part of feeling connected, vibrant, and fully engaged in your life.

If something has shifted and you’ve quietly wondered, Is this normal?—this conversation is for you.

Connect with Dr. Lori Davis:
Mismatched Desire Reset
Follow Dr. Lori Davis on Instagram

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Eating well, exercising, and still struggling to lose weight? If your old weight loss strategies suddenly stopped working in your 40s, insulin might be part of the missing puzzle.

In this episode of Wellness After 40, I'm joined by certified health and wellness coach and author Tania Bertolone to explore the connection between insulin, weight gain, and metabolic health during midlife.

After losing 40 pounds herself at age 46 and discovering insulin resistance, Tania made it her mission to help women better understand their bodies and take a more sustainable approach to weight management.

We dive into what insulin actually does, how insulin resistance can affect fat storage, and why changing hormones, muscle mass, sleep, and stress can make weight management feel so different after 40.

We also discuss the signs of insulin resistance, important lab tests to ask your doctor about, GLP-1 medications, and practical strategies involving nutrition, protein, strength training, and everyday habits that can support better insulin sensitivity.

If you've ever wondered why what used to work no longer does, this conversation is for you.

🌐 Visit Tania’s Website

📖 Get Her Book: Insulin Smart Weight Loss for Women Over 40

📱 Follow Tania on Instagram 

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Osteoporosis probably isn't at the top of your wellness list in your 40s—but maybe it should be.

Bone loss can happen quietly for years, often without any obvious symptoms. And while most of us have heard the standard advice about calcium, vitamin D, and weight-bearing exercise, there’s another important piece of the bone-health puzzle that many women have never considered.

In this episode of Wellness After 40, I’m joined by Susan Brady, MPT, a physical therapist, integrative health practitioner, and bone health expert with more than 30 years of experience helping women prevent and address osteoporosis naturally. She’s the creator of the BONES Method® and author of The Gut-Bone Connection, which explores an often-overlooked piece of maintaining strong bones: our gut health.

Because it’s not only about getting the right nutrients—our bodies also need to be able to absorb and use them.

This conversation goes beyond the typical osteoporosis advice and looks at bone health through a bigger lens. Whether osteoporosis is already on your radar or feels like something you don't need to think about yet, this episode may change the way you think about protecting your bones and staying strong, active, and healthy as you age.

Connect with Susan Brady

Website: nurturedbones.com
Instagram: @nurturedbones

Visit nurturedbones.com to learn more about Susan’s BONES Method®, The Gut-Bone Connection book, and ways to work with her.

Want more from Wellness After 40? Become a Wellness After 40+ subscriber for $5/month and get exclusive bonus episodes, including short meditations, reflections, and additional wellness content.

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Are you really getting enough protein after 40? And does building muscle require eating more meat?

In this episode of Wellness After 40, I'm joined by physician, researcher, and lifestyle medicine expert Dr. Daphne Bascom to separate nutrition facts from fiction and explain what women actually need to support healthy aging during perimenopause and menopause.

We discuss why protein becomes more important as we age, how muscle impacts longevity, whether plant-based diets can support strength and healthy aging, and the daily habits that help women feel their best through midlife.

Whether you're trying to age well, preserve muscle, improve your energy, or simply cut through the overwhelming nutrition advice online, this conversation is packed with practical, evidence-based guidance you can start using today.

In this episode, we discuss:

•  Why women over 40 need to prioritize protein 
•  How much protein most women actually need 
•  The connection between muscle, metabolism, and longevity 
•  Can you build muscle on a plant-based diet? 
•  Nutrition habits that support healthy aging 
•  Lifestyle strategies for thriving through perimenopause and menopause 
•  Common nutrition myths women should stop believing 
•  The biggest habits that improve long-term health after 40 

Connect with Dr. Daphne Bascom

🌿 The Vegan Gym: https://www.thevegangym.com/

🎙️ Podcast: Thrive on Plants

🌿 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingmandaphne/

🌿 Menopause Mastery Program: https://www.veganmenopausemastery.com/ 

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You used to sleep through the night. Now you're awake at 3 a.m., your mind is racing, and you're wondering what changed.

If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you.

Sleep is one of the biggest frustrations women experience in midlife, but it's about so much more than feeling tired the next day. Quality sleep plays a vital role in brain health, immunity, mood, emotional regulation, recovery, and healthy aging. In fact, growing research suggests that consistently getting good sleep may help reduce the risk of cognitive decline as we get older.

In this episode, I sit down with Tess Cheng, a Certified Health & Well-Being Coach with a master's degree in Clinical Nutrition from New York University and more than 13 years of experience helping people build healthier, sustainable habits. Together, we explore practical, science-backed strategies that can help you finally get the restorative sleep your body has been craving.

If you're tired of waking up exhausted, relying on caffeine to get through the day, or wondering why your sleep has changed after 40, you'll walk away with a better understanding of what's happening—and simple tools you can start using tonight.

Resources from Tess Cheng

🌙 Free Sleep Tracker & Guide
https://tinyurl.com/GWTSleepGuide

✨ Learn more about Tess's coaching services
https://glowithtess.com/services/

📱 Follow Tess on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/glowithtess/

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Become a subscriber to Wellness After 40 for exclusive bonus episodes, guided meditations, and additional wellness content created specifically for women navigating midlife.

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For more than 25 years, Dr. Janette Gray has been helping patients navigate hormone health—long before hormone therapy, peptides, and longevity medicine became everyday conversations. As an Internal Medicine physician and founder of Perfect Balance Health, she's spent decades helping patients look beyond "normal aging" to uncover potential root causes of symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, poor sleep, and low energy.

In this episode of Wellness After 40, Dr. Gray shares what more than two decades of clinical experience has taught her about hormones, healthy aging, metabolism, and longevity. We discuss how hormone health may influence overall well-being, why midlife symptoms deserve a closer look, and how to think critically about today's conversations around hormone therapy.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why aging and decline aren't necessarily the same thing
• Common misconceptions about hormones and healthy aging
• Fatigue, brain fog, low libido, and when symptoms deserve further evaluation
• Hormones, metabolism, and why weight gain in midlife is more complex than calories alone
• How the conversation around hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has changed over the last 25 years
• What longevity really means—and the habits that matter most
• Practical first steps for improving your health as you age

Connect with Dr. Janette Gray

Website: https://perfectbalance.health/

Instagram: @janettegraymd and @perfectbalance.health

Book: The Truth About Sex Hormones: Balancing Your Hormones to Optimize Your Health
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1641469412

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Have you heard of the vagus nerve? Maybe it's been popping up all over your social media feed. And if it hasn't, ask yourself this...

Do you constantly feel stressed, anxious, exhausted, overwhelmed, or like your body just can't relax?

For many women over 40, these symptoms are often dismissed as "just stress," "just hormones," or simply part of getting older. But your nervous system—and specifically your vagus nerve—may be playing a much bigger role than you realize.

In this episode of Wellness After 40, I'm joined by Dr. Elissa Chambers, a chiropractor and functional medicine practitioner specializing in women's health and nervous system function. Together, we break down the science behind the vagus nerve, what it actually does, and why understanding it may help explain everything from poor sleep and digestive issues to brain fog, anxiety, inflammation, and feeling stuck in survival mode.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What the vagus nerve is and why everyone is talking about it
• What really happens when you're stuck in fight-or-flight
• Why stress often becomes more physical during midlife
• How hormones, chronic stress, and the nervous system work together
• Common signs your nervous system may be dysregulated
• The connection between stress, digestion, inflammation, metabolism, and immune health
• What social media gets right—and wrong—about "healing" the vagus nerve
• Realistic ways to support your nervous system without completely overhauling your life

Connect with Dr. Elissa Chambers

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drelissachambers/

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If you enjoyed this episode, please follow Wellness After 40, leave a rating and review, and share it with a friend. Your support helps more women discover evidence-based conversations that make navigating midlife a little easier.

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