The Forties Formula

Most women are told they’re “cleared” at six weeks postpartum. But according to sports medicine physician Dr. Morgan Lee, that clearance has very little to do with true recovery.
In this episode of The Forties Formula, Dr. Morgan explains why so many women continue to struggle with pelvic floor dysfunction, diastasis recti, back pain, weakness, injuries, and exercise setbacks years after having children—and why these symptoms are often dismissed as “just getting older.”
Drawing on her experience working with elite athletes, Dr. Morgan shares why mothers should be treated like athletes during recovery, how pregnancy fundamentally changes the body, and what women can do, whether they gave birth six months ago or ten years ago—to rebuild strength, function, and confidence.
If you've ever wondered whether it's too late to recover after pregnancy, this conversation is for you.
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In This Episode
• Why the six-week postpartum clearance is a lie
• The truth about "bouncing back" after pregnancy
• Why many women are exercising in bodies that never fully healed
• Pelvic floor dysfunction and why it's not normal
• The athlete approach to postpartum recovery
• How pregnancy impacts strength, mobility, and performance
• Diastasis recti, core recovery, and rebuilding function
• Why it's never too late to improve postpartum symptoms
• The role of movement, walking, and exercise after birth
• How pregnancy preparation can improve postpartum outcomes
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Chapters
00:00 Why Most Women Never Fully Recover After Pregnancy
01:21 Meet Dr. Morgan Lee: Treating Mothers Like Athletes
02:02 The Problem With the Six-Week Postpartum Clearance
04:24 Why Bounce-Back Culture Is Hurting Women
07:00 What Real Postpartum Recovery Should Look Like
10:41 Why Having Children Later Changes Recovery
12:25 The Athlete Approach to Postpartum Healing
13:56 Is It Too Late to Recover After Pregnancy?
16:26 Pelvic Floor Problems, Leaking & Why It's Not Normal
19:15 How Dr. Morgan Evaluates Postpartum Recovery
21:21 Motherhood Is More Physical Than You Think
23:53 How To Prepare During Pregnancy For Better Recovery
28:17 Why Walking Beats Bed Rest After Birth
31:10 Movement, Mental Health & Postpartum Recovery
33:25 Belly Binding, Core Recovery & Common Myths
35:39 Pregnancy Is More Athletic Than You Think
37:38 How To Rebuild Strength After Childbirth
42:36 Diastasis Recti: What Every Woman Should Know
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Connect with Dr. Lara Morgan:Instagram: @sportdrmorgan
About your hosts:
Jasmin Dhillon is an Integrated Health Strategist and Health Coach helping women in their 40s navigate gut health, hormones and nutrition. https://www.instagram.com/eat.with.jasmin/
Amanda Lim is a Metabolic Health Coach focused on helping women build strength, confidence and long-term health. https://www.instagram.com/coachamandalim/?hl=en
Thank you to our sponsors: Love Indus: Use code TFF for 21% off https://loveindus.com
Postpartum recovery, postpartum fitness, pelvic floor, diastasis recti, C-section recovery, women in their 40s, perimenopause fitness, bounce back myth, sports medicine, postpartum health, belly binding, core reconnection, motherhood fitness, postpartum exercise, women's health, forties formula podcast

The Power of Hormones, Lifestyle & Self Compassion in Women's Health in Their 40s This is a clip from The Forties Formula in Focus with hosts Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim with @drolivialesslar .
It focuses on navigating women's health in midlife, especially addressing hormonal changes during perimenopause, the influence of lifestyle, and the importance of self-compassion. Challenge outdated narratives and highlight practical strategies to thrive in your 40s and beyond.
In this episode:
- How hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has evolved and its neuroprotective benefits
- Common misconceptions around HRT and breast cancer fears
- The significance of early intervention during perimenopause within a therapeutic window
- The impact of lifestyle factors like protein intake, movement, and grounding on health outcomes
- The role of interoception, intuition, and validating women's pain and experience
- Understanding mental and emotional resilience as a key pillar for thriving in midlife
- The influence of social media, cultural conditioning, and intergenerational trauma on body image and health
- The potential of wearable technology to support, not replace, bodily awareness
Timestamps: 0:00 HRT and breast cancer risk explained
0:28 HRT today vs old hormone therapy differences
0:56 Why you need an informed HRT doctor
1:26 Estrogen benefits for brain, immunity and hormones
1:56 Perimenopause symptoms caused by low estrogen
2:22 Why midlife symptoms are all connected
2:52 HRT myths and breast cancer fears explained
3:14 Early perimenopause symptoms and misdiagnosis
3:43 Premature ovarian failure and hormone therapy decision
4:07 Best time to start HRT and why timing matters
4:27 ADHD, autism and hormones in perimenopause (2E women)
4:57 Hormone imbalance risks and long-term health impact

Connect with Dr. Olivia Ly-Lesler: https://www.instagram.com/drolivialesslar/
Connect with Amanda & Jasmin: https://www.instagram.com/thefortiesformula/
Jasmin Dhillon - https://www.instagram.com/eat.with.jasmin
Amanda Lim - https://www.instagram.com/coachamandalim
This episode emphasizes that thriving in your 40s is about understanding one's body, embracing the full spectrum of hormonal health, and practicing kindness toward oneself. The conversation invites women to reframe aging as an opportunity for growth, resilience, and love.

In today’s episode of The Forties Formula, Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim sit down with counselor, walk-and-talk therapist, and self-described "Dad in Progress," Simon Parkin.
Motherhood isn't just exhausting because of sleepless nights. It's exhausting because of the invisible load—the planning, organizing, remembering, and emotional labor that keeps families running behind the scenes. While many fathers are showing up more than ever before, many mothers still find themselves carrying responsibilities that often go unseen and unacknowledged.
In this honest Father's Day conversation, Simon shares what emotionally available fatherhood really looks like, why communication often breaks down after children arrive, and how helping men become better partners and fathers can improve the wellbeing of the entire family.
In this conversation, we explore:
• The invisible load and why it creates resentment in relationships
• Why many fathers genuinely don't see the mental load mothers carry
• How communication changes after children and what couples can do about it
• The impact of childhood experiences on parenting styles
• Why men need safe spaces to talk about fatherhood and mental health
• Simon's philosophy of being a "Dad in Progress"
If you've ever felt alone inside motherhood, overwhelmed by the mental load, or frustrated that your partner doesn't seem to understand everything you're carrying, this episode is for you.
Chapters:
00:00 | The Invisible Load Mothers Carry
01:48 | Meet Simon Parkin
04:29 | Why Dads Feel Pressure To Get Fatherhood Right
08:39 | Why Mothers Become Resentful
12:18 | Dads Don't See The Mental Load
16:14 | Communication After Kids
23:43 | Walk-And-Talk Therapy
27:24 | Parenting Across Cultures
33:11 | The Haircut Story Every Parent Needs To Hear
37:01 | Why Men Don't Open Up
42:09 | The Hidden Struggles Of Fathers
47:19 | Happy Spouses, Happy Houses
49:09 | Simon's Fatherhood Formula
About your hosts:
Jasmin Dhillon is an Integrated Health Strategist and Health Coach helping women in their 40s navigate gut health, hormones and nutrition.
https://www.instagram.com/eat.with.jasmin/
Amanda Lim is a Metabolic Health Coach focused on helping women build strength, confidence and long-term health.
https://www.instagram.com/coachamandalim/?hl=en
About the Guest:
Simon Parkin is a counselor, walk-and-talk therapist, fatherhood advocate, and founder of Dad In Progress. Through his work, he helps men, fathers, and families build stronger relationships through communication, emotional awareness, and intentional parenting.
Support the podcast:
If you enjoy these conversations, subscribe and share with someone who needs to hear this. You can also support the show by "Buying Us a Coffee":
https://buymeacoffee.com/thefortiesformula
Thank you to our sponsors:
Love Indus:
Use code TFF for 21% off
https://loveindus.com

Menopause changes far more than your symptoms. In this episode, lifestyle medicine doctor Dr Sundus Hussain Morgan explains the silent health risks that arrive as oestrogen falls — to your heart, your bones, your brain and your metabolism — and how women in their forties can prevent and manage them.
Dr Sundus walks through the six pillars of health — nutrition, movement, sleep, stress, social connection and reducing harmful substances — with practical guidance on eating for menopause: a whole-food, plant-based diet rich in calcium, vitamin D, fibre and phytoestrogens. She clears up the common myths around phytoestrogens and perimenopause weight gain, and explains why strength training becomes non-negotiable in this decade.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Understanding Menopause and Its Risks
01:57 The Six Pillars of Health
07:01 Nutrition: Key Components for Women in Their 40s
07:06 The Importance of Strength Training
If your health concerns have ever been dismissed by a doctor, here's what to do next 👉 https://thefortiesformula.com/script
Want to start making changes today? Download our free ebook to begin building healthier lifestyle habits 👉 https://thefortiesformula.com/free-e-books
⏱️ Get tested. Eat for your bones and heart. Train for strength. Small lifestyle changes in your forties decide how you age for the next forty years.
🎙️ The Forties Formula — health, hormones and real talk for women in their 40s Hosted by Amanda Lim & Jasmin
Connect with us Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefortiesformula/ Amanda: https://www.instagram.com/coachamandalim/ Jasmin: https://www.instagram.com/eat.with.jasmin/
Our guest — Dr Sundus Hussain Morgan Profile: https://www.imc-healthcare.com/doctors/dr-sundus-hussain-morgan/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifestyledocsingapore/

menopause, menopause symptoms, perimenopause, perimenopause weight gain, menopause and heart health, menopause bone health, menopause brain health, menopause metabolic health, lifestyle medicine, six pillars of health, how to lose weight in perimenopause, perimenopause diet, eating for menopause, menopause wellness, menopause support, menopause signs, stages of perimenopause, estrogen decline, women's health over 40, women in their forties, strength training menopause, phytoestrogens, calcium vitamin D bone health, menopause anxiety, Dr Sundus Hussain Morgan, lifestyle doctor Singapore, The Forties Formula

In today’s episode of The Forties Formula, Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim sit down with attorney, healthcare privacy expert, entrepreneur, and mother of three, Lauren.

In this conversation, we explore:
• The hidden risks women should understand before starting birth control in midlife
• Why women's health research still leaves many unanswered questions
• The emotional impact of chronic illness and losing your former identity
• How Lauren went from a wheelchair to rebuilding her independence
• Integrative medicine, recovery, and finding answers beyond conventional care
• The role of therapy, gratitude, and mental resilience during health crises
• Raising empathetic children while living with an invisible disability
• How illness transformed her marriage, priorities, and definition of success
If you've ever felt frustrated by your body, struggled with your health, or wondered how to move forward when life doesn't go according to plan, this episode is for you.

Chapters:
00:00:00 | The Health Crisis That Changed Everything
00:02:45 | Meet Lauren
00:03:44 | The Symptoms Nobody Expected
00:06:18 | The ER Visit & Blood Clot Diagnosis
00:08:09 | Brain Fog, Fatigue & Losing Independence
00:09:51 | Migraines, Birth Control & Risk Factors
00:12:29 | Going Back On The Pill After 15 Years
00:14:25 | What Would You Do Differently For Your Daughters?
00:17:09 | Integrative Medicine & Looking Beyond Conventional Care
00:19:35 | Researching Medical Evidence In The Age Of Information
00:21:02 | The Recovery Protocols That Helped Most
00:24:39 | Grieving The Loss Of Your Former Self
00:30:11 | Why She Isn't Using Hormone Replacement Therapy
00:32:58 | Explaining Chronic Illness To Young Children
00:37:11 | Marriage, Caregiving & Family Support
00:40:35 | Regaining Independence After Two Years
00:42:36 | Redefining Success After Chronic Illness
00:45:50 | Lauren's 40s Formula
00:47:09 | Final Thoughts

About your hosts:
Jasmin Dhillon is an Integrated Health Strategist and Health Coach helping women in their 40s navigate gut health, hormones and nutrition.
https://www.instagram.com/eat.with.jasmin/
Amanda Lim is a Metabolic Health Coach focused on helping women build strength, confidence and long-term health.
https://www.instagram.com/coachamandalim/?hl=en
About the Guest:
Lauren is an attorney, healthcare privacy specialist, entrepreneur, and mother of three whose life changed dramatically after a near-fatal pulmonary embolism. Through her recovery journey, she has become a passionate advocate for greater awareness around women's health, informed decision-making, and redefining success in the face of adversity.
Support the podcast:
If you enjoy these conversations, subscribe and share with someone who needs to hear this. You can also support the show by "Buying Us a Coffee"
https://buymeacoffee.com/thefortiesformula