Money is one of the topics women are least prepared for and most affected by, especially during the transitions that tend to cluster in midlife: divorce, widowhood, career changes, and retirement planning that suddenly feels urgent. On this episode of Women Mastering Midlife, Victoria talks with Phil Weiss, CFA, CPA, and founder of Apprise Wealth Management, about building financial independence before a crisis forces the issue.

Phil's path into this work started long before his CFA or CPA credentials. When his mother was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer, he discovered that his father had never handled the family's finances, and he stepped in to negotiate with creditors, catch up on bills, and make sure his mother's care was covered. That experience shaped the practice he has built since: helping women understand and manage their money well before a health or life crisis makes it unavoidable.

This conversation covers the practical and the emotional sides of money: how retirement income actually works, what gets overlooked when parents age or a marriage ends, and how a values-based planning process called life planning can change the way you think about both your money and your time.

• Why money is treated like a taboo subject, and how that silence shapes women's financial confidence
• The shift from accumulating money to spending it in retirement, and why that shift is harder than it sounds
• Asset allocation versus tax location, and how account type affects what you actually keep
• The retirement expenses most people don't plan for: healthcare, housing modifications, and long-term care
• Financial and emotional considerations for women navigating divorce or widowhood
• The sandwich generation squeeze: caring for aging parents while raising your own kids
• A simple framework for budgeting that doesn't require obsessive tracking
• Life planning: a process that starts with your values, not your account balances
• How childhood experiences with money shape financial decisions decades laterl

Spending money you saved can feel harder than saving it. Phil describes this as a "retirement paycheck." After decades of saving, many people freeze when it's time to draw that money down, even when the numbers clearly support spending more.

Account type matters as much as account balance. A traditional 401(k), a Roth IRA, and a taxable brokerage account are all taxed differently. Understanding what Phil calls "tax location," not just asset allocation, can meaningfully change what you keep in retirement.

Divorce has a tax dimension that's easy to miss. Splitting retirement accounts evenly by dollar amount can leave one spouse with a much larger future tax bill if the accounts are different types (Roth versus traditional). This is worth raising with an advisor before assets are divided.

A written plan protects against the moments no one wants to think about. Access to accounts, passwords, wills, and care preferences for aging parents are logistical details that become urgent and stressful without preparation.

Life planning starts with values, not numbers. Through a process built on three reflective questions, Phil helps clients identify what actually matters to them before building the financial plan around it. The goal, in his words, is to help people avoid regret, not sit in it.

Phil Weiss is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and Registered Life Planner, and the founder of Apprise Wealth Management. He began his career in 1987 as a tax professional at Deloitte and Touche, later worked as an equity research analyst covering oil and gas stocks, and built a practice centered on long-term investment strategy paired with values-based life planning. A significant portion of his client base is women navigating major life and financial transitions.

Apprise Wealth Management: apprisewealth.com

If this episode resonated with you, please rate, review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Subscribe to Women Mastering Midlife on your favorite podcast platform to receive weekly conversations that help you navigate perimenopause, menopause, and midlife health with clarity and confidence.

Join the Women Mastering Midlife Community and let's grow stronger together.

Get your FREE guides HERE: www.womenmasteringmidlife.com/freeguides

Share your thoughts and stories on our social channels and tag us @misvictoriabyrd. Let's rewrite the narrative together!

Find more information on our website: www.womenmasteringmidlife.com

Book a FREE 1:1 discovery call to learn more about coaching programs and courses.

This podcast is for entertainment, educational, and informational purposes only. The hosts, guests, and experts featured are not your personal healthcare providers or advisors. The content should not be considered as professional, personalized medical, psychological, or prescriptive advice.

Always consult qualified professionals such as your physician, therapist, pharmacist, or coach for specific concerns and decisions related to your health or lifestyle. Women Mastering Midlife is not responsible for any undesired outcomes resulting from actions taken based on the content of this podcast.

What does it actually look like to support women through menopause at work, and who is responsible for making that happen?

In this episode, I sit down with April Haberman, CEO and co-founder of MiDOViA, a workplace menopause support organization working with employers across the United States and drawing on best practices developed in the UK and Australia over the past decade. April was in the room when Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed an executive order directing state agencies to develop menopause workplace accommodations, and she gives us a clear-eyed breakdown of what that order actually requires, who it covers, and why the for-profit sector should be paying close attention.

We cover a lot of ground in this conversation, from the practical (what do workplace accommodations look like in a road construction crew versus a corporate headquarters?) to the systemic (why are women visiting seven or more doctors before getting care that should be straightforward?). We also talk about the barriers that keep women from speaking up at work, the role of pharmacists like me in closing the access-to-care gap, and why April believes broad organizational training is more important than any single policy change.

If you have ever minimized your symptoms at work, wondered whether your employer is legally required to support you, or felt like the healthcare system is making menopause harder than it has to be, this one is for you.

In This Episode:

• What MiDOViA does and why April and her co-founder Kim Hart saw an unmet need in the workplace four years ago
• A breakdown of Washington State's executive order on menopause workplace accommodations: what it mandates, who it applies to, and what comes next
• Why accommodations look different across industries, from office environments to construction sites to research labs
• The connection between access to care, workplace support, and women's long-term financial stability
• Why pharmacists are positioned to bridge the menopause care gap and what billing barriers stand in the way
• The role of symptom-tracking apps and wearable data in helping women advocate for themselves at medical appointments
• Practical steps women can take right now to plant seeds for menopause support within their own organizations
• What is happening legislatively across the country, including Philadelphia, Illinois, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maryland, and California

About April Haberman:

April Haberman is the CEO and co-founder of MiDOViA, a menopause-in-the-workplace organization partnered with accredited menopause-friendly workplace programs in the UK and Australia. With a background in PR, marketing, nonprofit health education, and sexual and reproductive health, April brings a uniquely cross-sector perspective to organizational culture change. MiDOViA has worked with more than 600 menopause-friendly member organizations and nearly 200 accredited employers. Learn more at midovia.com.

Resources Mentioned:

• MiDOViA: midovia.com
• Washington State Women's Commission
• Washington State Governor Ferguson's Executive Order on Menopause Workplace Accommodations
• Natural Cycles app (perimenopause tracking feature)
• Oura Ring (wearable health tracking)
• The Balance docuseries

If this episode resonated with you, please rate, review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Subscribe to Women Mastering Midlife on your favorite podcast platform to receive weekly conversations that help you navigate perimenopause, menopause, and midlife health with clarity and confidence.

Join the Women Mastering Midlife Community and let's grow stronger together.

Get your FREE guides HERE: www.womenmasteringmidlife.com/freeguides

Share your thoughts and stories on our social channels and tag us @misvictoriabyrd. Let's rewrite the narrative together!

Find more information on our website: www.womenmasteringmidlife.com

Book a FREE 1:1 discovery call to learn more about coaching programs and courses.

menopause in the workplace, perimenopause workplace accommodations, Washington state executive order menopause, menopause policy employers, MiDOViA April Haberman, menopause friendly workplace, women's health at work, midlife women workforce, menopause legislation United States, pharmacist menopause care, perimenopause symptoms at work, women mastering midlife podcast

This podcast is for entertainment, educational, and informational purposes only. The hosts, guests, and experts featured are not your personal healthcare providers or advisors. The content should not be considered as professional, personalized medical, psychological, or prescriptive advice.

Always consult qualified professionals such as your physician, therapist, pharmacist, or coach for specific concerns and decisions related to your health or lifestyle. Women Mastering Midlife is not responsible for any undesired outcomes resulting from actions taken based on the content of this podcast.

I haven’t lifted a weight in almost a year. And I’m the person who tells women that strength training matters in midlife. In this solo episode, I sit honestly in that tension, because I think a lot of you are living in it too. You know you should be working out, you believe it, and right now, while moving through something hard, you cannot find the way in.

We talk about what is actually happening in your body when you are navigating trauma, grief, separation, or sustained stress, why standard fitness advice can backfire in these seasons, and how to fold in gentle movement that protects you instead of depleting you. I also share a change I am making in how I show up online, because I have come to see how daily workout posts and progress pictures feed the same comparison machine that leaves women feeling like they are failing at one more thing.

This is not permission to opt out of your health. It is permission to do it differently, for the season you are actually in.

What We Cover:

• Why intense training on an already-stressed nervous system adds load instead of building strength
• Allostatic load, and the physiology that gives you real permission to ease off in a hard season
• The difference between applying exercise research to an ideal life versus a real one
• Two valid responses to stress: movement as medicine, and rest as medicine, with no shame in either
• Why an off-the-shelf workout program often becomes one more thing to fail at
• The case for a responsive, one-on-one approach that meets you where you actually are, week to week
• Gentle movement as a menu, not a prescription: walking outside, yoga, mobility, ten minutes after a meal
• Protecting your body while your mind heals: stretching, pain signals, and coming back from injury
• Why nutrition and sleep matter more in a hard season, not less
• Why I chose not to drink alcohol through this chapter, and what it did for my sleep and recovery
• The change I am making in how I show up on social media, in real time

Chapters & Timestamps

00:00 The tension I haven’t shared

01:57 Why summer and social media make this harder

04:33 Your nervous system doesn’t care about your workout plan

05:30 Allostatic load: the science that gives you permission

07:00 Two valid responses: movement as medicine vs. rest as medicine

10:42 Why an off-the-shelf program isn’t the answer right now

14:11 The case for a responsive, one-on-one approach

17:18 Showing up with a real life, not a fantasy

17:40 Practical, gentle movement: a menu, not a prescription

21:38 Protecting your body: stretching, pain signals, injury recovery

23:55 Don’t compare your chapter one to someone else’s chapter twenty

26:27 What we forget when we’re surviving: nutrition

29:18 Why I’m not drinking through this season

31:01 The change I’m making in how I show up online

33:18 Permission to rest, and the goal that’s still waiting for you

Moments Worth Sharing:

Your nervous system doesn’t know the difference between a real predator and a divorce attorney’s email.

Sometimes structure isn’t support. It’s one more thing we’re failing at.

The woman on your feed who swears her 5 a.m. lift saved her life isn’t lying. She’s just not you.

We need to start with the truth of life, not the fantasy of it.

Don’t compare your chapter one to someone else’s chapter twenty.

The walk is enough. The rest is enough. Showing up, even quietly, is enough.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• The five pillars of midlife health: nutrition, movement, sleep, stress mitigation, lifestyle
• Allostatic load and the physiology of chronic stress
• Protein as the building block for recovery and strength
• Coming back from injury with slow reps and good form

Work With Vicky:

If you’re in a hard chapter and you want someone to help you build something that fits your real life, not a fantasy version of it, my DMs are always open. That’s where this kind of work starts.

CONNECT

● Website: womenmasteringmidlife.com

● Substack: Victoriabyrd.substack.com

● Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msvictoriabyrd

● Email: [email protected]

This podcast is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical care. Always consult your provider before making changes to medication, exercise, or supplements. Replacing an SSRI or any prescription with exercise should only be done under the supervision of a licensed provider.

This is a conversation that deserves more nuance than a seven-second social media clip. Victoria sits down with Linden Schaffer, psychedelic wellness educator, author, and founder of Reveal, for an honest, evidence-informed discussion on what psychedelics actually are, what the current research says, and how midlife women can think critically about whether any of this belongs in their own wellness journey.

Linden is not a hype machine. She has spent more than two decades at the intersection of wellness, transformation, and psychedelic harm reduction, and she brings that same rigor to this conversation. What emerges is a grounded, thoughtful exchange that honors both the science and the complexity, including the parts the headlines leave out.

What You'll Hear in This Episode

• A plain-language overview of psychedelics, from classic compounds like psilocybin and LSD to lesser-known substances like ibogaine and MDMA
• The history of psychedelic research, from Albert Hofmann's synthesis of LSD in the 1940s to the Nixon-era criminalization that halted decades of promising clinical work
• Why the pandemic became an inflection point for renewed interest in these compounds
• The current legal landscape in the U.S., including Oregon and Colorado's regulated frameworks, decriminalization efforts in cities nationwide, and what federal scheduling still means for your personal risk profile
• How midlife women in particular are being underserved by a medical system that too often defaults to SSRIs without exploring root causes
• What microdosing is, how it differs from larger dose experiences, and why Linden chose it herself when perimenopause symptoms arrived before she could get a hormone therapy appointment
• The critical importance of preparation, integration, and what Linden calls the "wellness toolbox" — and why the compound alone is never the whole story
• How to evaluate a retreat, a facilitator, or an experience using Linden's five-part Reveal Method: screening, set, setting, support, and sustainability
• The intersection of psychedelics and GLP-1 medications, including what is and is not yet known about interactions and timing
• The ethical and cultural concerns around ibogaine, biopiracy, and what happens when pharmaceutical companies enter sacred spaces
• Red flags to watch for in a commercializing marketplace, from Instagram-polished retreat brochures to untested compounds sold in smoke shops

A Note from Victoria

As a licensed pharmacist and certified menopause practitioner, I brought a lot of questions to this conversation, including ones about drug interactions, scheduling law, and what informed consent actually looks like in practice. Linden met every one of them with honesty. This episode is not medical advice, and we are both clear on that throughout. But it is the kind of informed, grounded conversation that I believe midlife women deserve access to, especially as the research and policy landscape continues to shift.

Resources and Links

• Linden Schaffer's website and one-to-one coaching: revealcommunity.world
• Reveal Community on TikTok (live education, Q&A, and community building)
• Linden's online courses: microdosing and large-dose experience preparation
• Global Psychedelic Society
• MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies)

If this episode resonated with you, please rate, review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Subscribe to Women Mastering Midlife on your favorite podcast platform to receive weekly conversations that help you navigate perimenopause, menopause, and midlife health with clarity and confidence.

Join the Women Mastering Midlife Community and let's grow stronger together.

Get your FREE guides HERE: www.womenmasteringmidlife.com/freeguides

Share your thoughts and stories on our social channels and tag us @misvictoriabyrd. Let's rewrite the narrative together!

Find more information on our website: www.womenmasteringmidlife.com

Book a FREE 1:1 discovery call to learn more about coaching programs and courses.

This podcast is for entertainment, educational, and informational purposes only. The hosts, guests, and experts featured are not your personal healthcare providers or advisors. The content should not be considered as professional, personalized medical, psychological, or prescriptive advice.

Always consult qualified professionals such as your physician, therapist, pharmacist, or coach for specific concerns and decisions related to your health or lifestyle. Women Mastering Midlife is not responsible for any undesired outcomes resulting from actions taken based on the content of this podcast.

The word "peptides" is everywhere right now, from your Instagram feed to your doctor's waiting room. But for most women, the information circulating online ranges from genuinely promising science to marketing that moves well ahead of the evidence. In this episode, Victoria sits down with Dr. Jill White, PharmD, a pharmacist with deep expertise in peptide therapy, to have the kind of grounded, evidence-based conversation the topic actually deserves.

This is not a conversation about quick fixes or anti-aging trends. It is a conversation about biology, clinical decision-making, and how to ask the right questions of the people who are caring for you.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The basics of peptide science
• Why peptides are not new
• The GLP-1 story
• Compounded vs. FDA-approved medications
• Who is and is not a good candidate for GLP-1 therapy
• Why muscle preservation matters more than the number on the scale
• Injectable vs. oral peptides
• Other peptides worth knowing about
• How to vet a provider
• Why prescription-sourced compounds matter

About Dr. Jill White, PharmD

Dr. Jill White is a licensed pharmacist and peptide educator who works with both healthcare practitioners and individual clients. She offers a high-touch, one-on-one GLP-1 mentorship program for women and a group-based peptide membership that helps clients build personalized peptide protocols using prescription-sourced compounds. She also provides dedicated pharmacist training in this emerging space.

Connect with Dr. Jill White:

GLP-1 mentorship for women (one-on-one): www.JillWhiteCoaching.com

Personalized peptide protocol membership: www.peptidemembership.com

Use promo code VICTORIA25 at peptidemembership.com to save 25% on your membership fee.

Let's Keep the Conversation Going

If this episode resonated with you, please rate, review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Subscribe to Women Mastering Midlife on your favorite podcast platform to receive weekly conversations that help you navigate perimenopause, menopause, and midlife health with clarity and confidence.

Join the Women Mastering Midlife Community and let's grow stronger together.

Get your FREE guides HERE: www.womenmasteringmidlife.com/freeguides

Share your thoughts and stories on our social channels and tag us @misvictoriabyrd. Let's rewrite the narrative together!

Find more information on our website: www.womenmasteringmidlife.com

Book a FREE 1:1 discovery call to learn more about coaching programs and courses.

Disclaimer

This podcast is for entertainment, educational, and informational purposes only. The hosts, guests, and experts featured are not your personal healthcare providers or advisors. The content should not be considered as professional, personalized medical, psychological, or prescriptive advice.

Always consult qualified professionals such as your physician, therapist, pharmacist, or coach for specific concerns and decisions related to your health or lifestyle. Women Mastering Midlife is not responsible for any undesired outcomes resulting from actions taken based on the content of this podcast.

What if the problem isn’t you?

In this powerful conversation, Victoria sits down with clinical psychologist and founder of Risewell Performance Consulting, Dr. Sachi Horback, to unpack why so many high-performing women in midlife feel exhausted, overwhelmed, disconnected from themselves, and unable to “push through” the way they once could.

Together, they explore the hidden systems failing women in midlife — from workplace expectations and invisible labor to hormonal transitions, decision fatigue, identity shifts, and chronic over-capacity living.

Dr. Horback explains why burnout is often misidentified, why “mindset” and productivity hacks are not enough, and how high-achieving women have been conditioned to internalize structural problems as personal failures.

This episode is for the woman who feels like she is doing everything right and still feels depleted.

Inside this episode, we discuss:

• Why high-performing women are not failing — the systems around them are

• The difference between burnout and chronic capacity overload

• How identity suppression impacts women’s performance and well-being

• Why midlife creates a “perfect storm” of hormonal, emotional, cognitive, and professional demands

• The hidden effects of decision fatigue and invisible labor

• Why women often mistake capacity depletion for imposter syndrome

• The concept of “pressure loading” and how it silently drains energy reserves

• How structured recovery differs from traditional “self-care”

• Why pushing harder is not the solution for midlife women

• What sustainable performance actually looks like for women in this season of life

Key Takeaway: “You are not broken. Your system is overloaded.”

This conversation offers a deeply validating and practical reframe for women navigating career demands, caregiving, hormonal changes, leadership roles, and the invisible emotional labor that often comes with midlife.

Connect with Dr. Sachi Horback:

Website: Risewell Performance Consulting

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going: If this episode resonated with you, please rate, review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Subscribe to Women Mastering Midlife on your favorite podcast platform to receive weekly conversations that help you navigate perimenopause, menopause, and midlife health with clarity and confidence.

Join the Women Mastering Midlife Community and let’s grow stronger together.

Get your FREE guides HERE: www.womenmasteringmidlife.com/freeguides 

Share your thoughts and stories on our social channels and tag us @misvictoriabyrd Let’s rewrite the narrative together!  

Find more information on our website: www.womenmasteringmidlife.com 

Book a FREE 1:1 discovery call to learn more about coaching programs and courses 

Disclaimer  

This podcast is for entertainment, educational, and informational purposes only. The hosts, guests, and experts featured are not your personal healthcare providers or advisors. The content should not be considered as professional, personalized medical, psychological, or prescriptive advice.  

Always consult qualified professionals such as your physician, therapist, pharmacist, or coach for specific concerns and decisions related to your health or lifestyle. *Women Mastering Midlife* is not responsible for any undesired outcomes resulting from actions taken based on the content of this podcast.  

Menopause is finally getting the attention it deserves—but with increased visibility comes a new challenge: navigating a rapidly growing industry filled with conflicting advice, products, and voices competing for your trust.

In this episode of Women Mastering Midlife, Victoria Byrd, Pharmacist Consultant, Integrative Women’s Health Coach, and Certified Menopause Educator, takes a thoughtful and evidence-informed look at what she calls the “menopause industrial complex.” She breaks down how this evolving landscape impacts midlife women—and how to move through it with clarity, confidence, and discernment.

Drawing from her clinical background and years of experience in women’s health, Victoria explores the intersection of social media, supplements, physician influencers, and modern healthcare systems. She also offers a grounded framework to help you filter information, avoid unnecessary spending, and focus on what truly supports your health during perimenopause and menopause.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• What the “menopause industrial complex” is and why it matters

• Why increased awareness does not always equal accurate information

• How social media algorithms influence the health advice you see

• The truth about menopause supplements, hormone “balance,” and product marketing

• How to evaluate influencers, clinicians, and medical advice online

• The hidden costs of traditional insurance-based menopause care

• When cash-pay menopause care may offer value—and when it may not

• A practical framework to assess credibility, research, and bias

• Why nuance, not absolutes, is essential in menopause care

• The foundational role of hormone therapy, including when it is appropriate

• The Five Pillars of Midlife Health

Resources & Next Steps

Subscribe to Women Mastering Midlife on Substack for deeper clinical insights and ongoing conversations

Book a Midlife Mastery Clarity Session for a personalized, one-on-one approach to your menopause journey

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going: If this episode resonated with you, please rate, review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Subscribe to Women Mastering Midlife on your favorite podcast platform to receive weekly conversations that help you navigate perimenopause, menopause, and midlife health with clarity and confidence.

Join the Women Mastering Midlife Community and let’s grow stronger together.

Get your FREE guides HERE: www.womenmasteringmidlife.com/freeguides 

Share your thoughts and stories on our social channels and tag us @misvictoriabyrd Let’s rewrite the narrative together!  

Find more information on our website: www.womenmasteringmidlife.com 

Book a FREE 1:1 discovery call to learn more about coaching programs and courses 

Disclaimer  

This podcast is for entertainment, educational, and informational purposes only. The hosts, guests, and experts featured are not your personal healthcare providers or advisors. The content should not be considered as professional, personalized medical, psychological, or prescriptive advice.  

Always consult qualified professionals such as your physician, therapist, pharmacist, or coach for specific concerns and decisions related to your health or lifestyle. *Women Mastering Midlife* is not responsible for any undesired outcomes resulting from actions taken based on the content of this podcast.

What if the reason so many high-performing women are burning out, stepping back, or leaving their careers has nothing to do with ambition and everything to do with hormones?

In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, Victoria Byrd sits down with menopause-in-the-workplace advocate Karissa Pfeffer to unpack the real impact of perimenopause and menopause on women’s careers, leadership, and well-being.

Together, they explore the invisible challenges women face in corporate environments, why menopause is still overlooked in workplace policy, and how education, not overhaul, is the first step toward meaningful change.

This episode goes far beyond hot flashes. It dives into brain fog, burnout, anxiety, performance issues, and the systemic gaps that are quietly costing companies talent, money, and leadership.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why 1 in 10 women leave the workforce due to menopause symptoms

• The connection between perimenopause, burnout, and misdiagnosis

• How hormonal changes impact focus, leadership, and productivity

• Why menopause is not a “wellness perk” but a critical HR and retention issue

• The financial cost to companies when experienced women leave

• Why women hesitate to speak up about symptoms at work

• The difference between perimenopause vs. menopause awareness

• How workplace culture can either support or silence midlife women

• Simple, low-cost ways companies can start supporting women now

• The role of education in reducing healthcare costs and improving retention

Why This Conversation Matters:

We are the first generation openly talking about perimenopause while still actively building careers, raising families, and leading organizations.

And as Victoria shares, this is about more than us, it is about changing the experience for the next generation of women.

Connect with Karissa Pfeffer:

Learn more about workplace menopause education and how to bring this conversation into your organization:

• LinkedIn

• Instagram

• Website

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going: If this episode resonated with you, please rate, review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Subscribe to Women Mastering Midlife on your favorite podcast platform to receive weekly conversations that help you navigate perimenopause, menopause, and midlife health with clarity and confidence.

Join the Women Mastering Midlife Community and let’s grow stronger together.

Get your FREE guides HERE: www.womenmasteringmidlife.com/freeguides 

Share your thoughts and stories on our social channels and tag us @misvictoriabyrd Let’s rewrite the narrative together!  

Find more information on our website: www.womenmasteringmidlife.com 

Book a FREE 1:1 discovery call to learn more about coaching programs and courses 

Disclaimer  

This podcast is for entertainment, educational, and informational purposes only. The hosts, guests, and experts featured are not your personal healthcare providers or advisors. The content should not be considered as professional, personalized medical, psychological, or prescriptive advice.  

Always consult qualified professionals such as your physician, therapist, pharmacist, or coach for specific concerns and decisions related to your health or lifestyle. *Women Mastering Midlife* is not responsible for any undesired outcomes resulting from actions taken based on the content of this podcast.  

If you have ever been told you are “too young” for perimenopause, dismissed with a quick prescription, or left feeling confused about hormone therapy, this conversation will help you understand why.

In this episode of Women Mastering Midlife, I sit down with women’s health nurse practitioner and menopause specialist Jackie Piasta to unpack what is really happening during perimenopause and menopause—and why so many women are not getting the care they need.

We discuss the major gaps in menopause education across healthcare, the lasting impact of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), and how misinformation continues to influence treatment decisions today. You will also learn how hormone therapy actually works, why symptoms can begin years earlier than expected, and what options are available if you have been told “everything is normal.”

If you are navigating brain fog, sleep disruption, mood changes, weight fluctuations, or simply feel like your body has changed without clear answers, this episode will help you start connecting the dots.

What We Cover in This Episode

• Why perimenopause symptoms are often missed or misdiagnosed

• The reality of hormone therapy and what the research actually shows

• The lasting impact of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study on care decisions

• Why many clinicians feel unprepared to treat menopause patients

• The difference between bioidentical and synthetic hormones

• Common symptoms of perimenopause, including brain fog, sleep disruption, and mood changes

• Why menopause care requires more time and individualized attention

• How telehealth is expanding access to menopause care

• The role of lab testing in perimenopause and menopause

• Why women are often prescribed multiple medications instead of addressing root hormonal changes

• Testosterone therapy in women and the current limitations in access and research

• The importance of self-advocacy and trusting your intuition in midlife health

About Jackie Piasta

Jackie Piasta is a women’s health nurse practitioner and nationally certified menopause practitioner with over 15 years of clinical experience. She is the founder of Monarch Health, a midlife and menopause clinic, and has educated practitioners nationwide on menopause care.

She is a recognized voice in the menopause space, known for translating complex clinical information into accessible, practical guidance for women navigating midlife.

Resources & Links

• Follow Jackie Piasta on Instagram

• Learn more about Monarch Health (telehealth available in select states)

• Explore additional menopause care providers if you are outside her service area

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going: If this episode resonated with you, please rate, review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Subscribe to Women Mastering Midlife on your favorite podcast platform to receive weekly conversations that help you navigate perimenopause, menopause, and midlife health with clarity and confidence.

Join the Women Mastering Midlife Community and let’s grow stronger together.

Get your FREE guides HERE: www.womenmasteringmidlife.com/freeguides 

Share your thoughts and stories on our social channels and tag us @misvictoriabyrd Let’s rewrite the narrative together!  

Find more information on our website: www.womenmasteringmidlife.com 

Book a FREE 1:1 discovery call to learn more about coaching programs and courses 

Disclaimer  

This podcast is for entertainment, educational, and informational purposes only. The hosts, guests, and experts featured are not your personal healthcare providers or advisors. The content should not be considered as professional, personalized medical, psychological, or prescriptive advice.  

Always consult qualified professionals such as your physician, therapist, pharmacist, or coach for specific concerns and decisions related to your health or lifestyle. *Women Mastering Midlife* is not responsible for any undesired outcomes resulting from actions taken based on the content of this podcast.

Episode 100 of Women Mastering Midlife is not a highlight reel it is an honest reflection of what it truly takes to keep showing up in midlife while everything around you is changing.

In this deeply personal milestone episode, Victoria Byrd shares what was happening behind the microphone during the first 100 episodes of the podcast—from navigating perimenopause and parenting teenagers to experiencing a major life transition that reshaped everything.

Rather than celebrating with a polished recap, this episode explores the reality of building something meaningful while living through uncertainty, identity shifts, and the emotional weight that often defines midlife.

This conversation speaks directly to women who are in the middle of their own transition not at the beginning, not at the end, but in the messy, complicated, and often unseen middle.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• What it actually took to record 100 podcast episodes during a major life transition

• The intersection of perimenopause, divorce, parenting, and career reinvention

• How personal hardship changed the way conversations were held and experienced

• The shift from “performing wellness” to living it in real time

• Why midlife clarity often leads women to make different, and sometimes difficult choices

• The evolution of voice, confidence, and boundaries in midlife

• Behind-the-scenes reflections on key episodes, including:

• Trauma bonding and coercive control

• Sexual wellness, intimacy, and pelvic health

• The “messy middle” of midlife

• The concept of the “D.U.N. divorce”




• The reality of building a podcast, business, and community from the ground up

• Why midlife is about more than hormones—it is about identity, autonomy, and expansion

Key Takeaways

• Midlife is not a clean transformation it is an ongoing process of becoming

• You do not need to have everything figured out to keep moving forward

• Growth often happens quietly, through consistency rather than breakthrough moments

• Women in midlife are navigating layered responsibilities career, caregiving, health, and identity, all at once

• There is power in continuing to show up, even when life feels uncertain

What’s Next for Women Mastering Midlife

Victoria shares her vision for the next 100 episodes, including:

• More unfiltered conversations about real midlife experiences

• A deeper blend of clinical insight and lived experience

• Expanded topics: hormone therapy, sexual wellness, finances, relationships, and mental health

• Continued advocacy for women navigating healthcare systems that often overlook them

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going: If this episode resonated with you, please rate, review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Subscribe to Women Mastering Midlife on your favorite podcast platform to receive weekly conversations that help you navigate perimenopause, menopause, and midlife health with clarity and confidence.

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Disclaimer  

This podcast is for entertainment, educational, and informational purposes only. The hosts, guests, and experts featured are not your personal healthcare providers or advisors. The content should not be considered as professional, personalized medical, psychological, or prescriptive advice.  

Always consult qualified professionals such as your physician, therapist, pharmacist, or coach for specific concerns and decisions related to your health or lifestyle. *Women Mastering Midlife* is not responsible for any undesired outcomes resulting from actions taken based on the content of this podcast.