Decoding Women's Health with Dr. Elizabeth Poynor

We’ve talked a lot on this show about health issues midlife women face. But what about the other people who often have a front-row seat to these changes, and can play a key supporting role? This week, a conversation about supporting a partner who’s going through menopause—with none other than Elizabeth’s own partner: Dr. Richard Shapiro (who also happens to be a pioneering breast cancer and melanoma researcher and surgeon). They talk about the ways they’ve navigated midlife changes in their relationship, common misconceptions about taking hormones, and impacts menopause can have on relationships, as well as give advice for how both partners and clinicians can better support women experiencing menopause.
Links to resources mentioned in this episode:
(00:01:38) Dr. Elizabeth Poynor on Rich Roll’s podcast
Menopausal Hormone Therapy and the Risk of Breast Cancer in Women with a Pathogenic Variant in BRCA1 or BRCA2
The Menopause Society
8 facts about divorce in the United States
Note: In this show, we use “women” as shorthand for people with XX chromosomes. We understand sex and gender are more complex, and acknowledge the experiences we describe reach beyond that word.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if psychedelics could transform the way we treat trauma, chronic pain, and insomnia? This week, neuroscientist and psychedelic researcher Grace Blest-Hopley joins the show to break down the research on psychedelics and female biology. She discusses how psychedelics work in the brain, and the ways that psychedelic-assisted therapies might be beneficial for women in midlife.
Links to resources mentioned in this episode:
Hystelica’s resources on psychedelic retreats
The Heroic Hearts Project
Psychedelics and Neuroplasticity: A Systematic Review Unraveling the Biological Underpinnings of Psychedelics
Exploring the Therapeutic Effects of Psychedelics Administered to Military Veterans in Naturalistic Retreat Settings
The acute effects of classic psychedelics on memory in humans
Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: six-month follow-up
Single-Dose Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major Depression
Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial
Johns Hopkins study on psychedelics and Alzheimer’s
Note: In this show, we use “women” as shorthand for people with XX chromosomes. We understand sex and gender are more complex, and acknowledge the experiences we describe reach beyond that word.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if we reframed the way we approach exercise? On today’s show, Dr. Elizabeth Poynor is joined by Robert Brace - founder of Brace Life Studios. He’s also Elizabeth’s trainer. They discuss how he tailors his workouts to women in midlife, the benefits of exercising in a group and how movement and exercise connect to our mental and spiritual well-being. Robert also gives advice about how to approach training at different hormonal cycle phases, and ways to get started, even when it feels tough.
Links to resources mentioned in this episode:
Robert Brace’s Studio
Martial arts increase oxytocin production
Systematic review: pain, cognition, and cardioprotection—unpacking oxytocin’s contributions in a sport context
Bidirectional Association between Physical Activity and Dopamine Across Adulthood—A Systematic Review
Embodied mood regulation: the impact of body posture on mood recovery, negative thoughts, and mood-congruent recall
Bone mineral density loss in relation to the final menstrual period in a multiethnic cohort: results from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN)
American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: guidance for prescribing exercise
Menstrual cycle tracker apps – Natural Cycles, Flo and Apple Health
Exercise platforms/apps – Nike Training, TheBraceLife.com
Note: In this show, we use “women” as shorthand for people with XX chromosomes. We understand sex and gender are more complex, and acknowledge the experiences we describe reach beyond that word.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Midlife can be a period of immense change and, sometimes, challenging emotions. But it’s also an opportunity to cultivate deeper, more lasting happiness. In today’s episode, Dr. Laurie Santos — renowned psychologist, happiness expert, and host of The Happiness Lab — shares insights on how midlife women can thrive. She breaks down the components of happiness, explains why we’re often mistaken about what makes us happy, and provides practical tools and habits to boost wellbeing, manage negative emotions, and navigate burnout.
Links to resources mentioned in this episode:
World Happiness Report
University of Michigan’s Healthy Minds Study
Is happiness U-shaped everywhere? Age and subjective well-being in 145 countries
A Global Flourishing Study Finds That Young Adults, Well, Aren’t
Signature Strengths Test
RAIN: Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture
The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos
Note: In this show, we use “women” as shorthand for people with XX chromosomes. We understand sex and gender are more complex, and acknowledge the experiences we describe reach beyond that word.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GLP-1s are everywhere. But are they the only medical weight loss intervention worth considering? On today’s episode, Dr. George Fielding - a pioneer of laparoscopic adjustable band surgery and a patient of the procedure himself - offers an insider’s look at the world of weight loss surgeries. How do these surgeries work? Who are they really for? And how should we think about them alongside the surge of GLP-1 medications? We also dig into the stigmas people face when trying to lose weight with medical support, and the biggest misconceptions around obesity.

Links to resources mentioned in this episode:
Genomics reveals eleven obesity endotypes with distinct biological and phenotypic signatures
Obesity Drugs May Drop to as Little as $149 a Month
The lung is a site of platelet biogenesis and a reservoir for haematopoietic progenitors
Associations of Hysterectomy, Oophorectomy, and Hormone Replacement Therapy With the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Postmenopausal Women
Note: In this show, we use “women” as shorthand for people with XX chromosomes. We understand sex and gender are more complex, and acknowledge the experiences we describe reach beyond that word.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.