THE PERIOD WHISPERER PODCAST - Perimenopause, Menopause, Cortisol, Weight Loss, Hormone Balancing, Insomnia, Hot Flashes, N*g

Bria Gadd - Integrative Nutrition Coach, Hormone Specialist, Personal Trainer, Perimenopause Coach,
  • 4.9 (46)
  • Alternative Health
  • Updated Daily

In the 35-55 age box and starting to wonder if you will ever feel like you again? Weight gain, night wakings, brain fog, hot flashes, headaches, cravings, bloating, joint pain, mood swings, anxiety are all on the rise and no matter what you try, nothing moves the needle. Your host, Bria Gadd is a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® Practitioner, Certified Holistic Health Coach, and Personal Trainer who specializes in female hormones. After helping thousands of women lose weight in their 20’s and 30’s, Bria recognized a difficult shift in women’s ability to get results in their body during their perimenopause years. Including her own frustrating 15lb weight gain amidst daily intense workouts and the demands of midlife. Tune in twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays to the top-ranked Period Whisperer Podcast for solo episodes and interviews with real life women and industry experts designed to help you understand the truth about perimenopause, take immediate action on the most important strategies for reducing inflammation and optimizing hormones, and get you in a body that releases weight easily. Whether you’re just starting to question if perimenopause is behind how you are feeling, are in the depths of hormonal chaos, or just want to learn how to feel your best through menopause and beyond, you’re in the right place. If you’re ready to decode the whispers of your body and heal your hormones so you can thrive again, listen to our fan favorite Episode 129: The 3 Nutrition Phases That Will Help You Release Belly Fat Every Time In Perimenopause

  1. 12 hrs ago

    Eps 452: Perimenopause Burnout: Why Women Feel Exhausted, Disconnected, and “Not Like Themselves” with Maraya Brown

    When was the last time you felt truly vibrant, not simply “fine”? For many high-achieving women, “fine” means sleeping poorly, waking up exhausted, dragging themselves through workouts, losing interest in intimacy, and continuing to take care of everyone else without stopping long enough to ask what they need. In this episode, I sit down with Maraya Brown CNM, MSN, Yale and functional medicine-trained women’s health expert, founder of The Women’s Vibrancy Code, and host of The Women’s Vibrancy Code podcast. Together, we explore why ambitious women can become so connected to productivity and achievement that rest begins to feel uncomfortable. We discuss perimenopause burnout, nervous system regulation, loneliness, receiving support, and why optimizing your hormones is only the beginning of feeling like yourself again. You deserve more than getting through midlife feeling “fine.” You deserve to feel connected, supported, energized, and fully present in your life. In This Episode 00:00 When was the last time you felt truly vibrant? 02:24 How Maraya’s work with women has evolved 05:50 What vibrancy actually means in midlife 06:20 Why “fine” has become the standard for so many women 09:24 Why high-achieving women struggle to rest 10:50 Who are you when you are not achieving or producing? 12:50 The dull-knife analogy and the productivity of rest 13:41 How feeling unsafe can affect our ability to think clearly 17:02 Rest, hydration, nutrition, breathwork, and time in nature 19:17 Why no protocol can replace the ability to rest and digest 20:24 It is not only what we do, but who we are while doing it 22:17 What a truly vibrant woman in midlife looks and feels like 24:14 The women’s experiences that still happen behind closed doors 25:26 Shame, loneliness, and why women isolate when they feel like they are failing 27:12 Learning how to receive meaningful support 31:02 Small practices for returning to yourself 35:20 When a personalized health protocol becomes another stressful checklist 36:12 Moving out of comparison and into possibility 38:21 Maraya’s most important takeaway for women 42:38 Where to connect with Maraya Connect with Maraya Brown Instagram: @marayabrown Website: https://marayabrown.com Connect with Bria Instagram: @bria_period_whisperer Website: https://theperiodwhisperer.com Ready for more than simply feeling “fine” in midlife? Inside Midlife Mojo, you’ll find comprehensive guidance, practical tools, and a community of women who understand what it is like to navigate changing hormones, stubborn weight, exhaustion, brain fog, relationships, and the emotional shifts of perimenopause and menopause. Your membership includes: 💛 The 90-Day Hormone Revival 💛 Midlife weight-loss and metabolism education 💛 Hormone, nutrition, sleep, and strength-training courses 💛 Lab-testing, HRT, and peptide education 💛 Guided meditations and nervous system support 💛 Live coaching and Q&A sessions 💛 A community of women learning how to feel stronger, healthier, and more connected through midlife You do not have to figure this season out alone. Start your 7-day free trial here: https://bit.ly/midlifemojonow

    Eps 452: Perimenopause Burnout: Why Women Feel Exhausted, Disconnected, and “Not Like Themselves” with Maraya Brown

  2. 3d ago

    Eps 451: Is It Perimenopause or Something Else? Symptoms Women Over 40 Should Investigate

    What if the symptoms you are blaming on perimenopause are not only about your hormones? Many health-conscious women reach their 40s and suddenly begin gaining weight, waking up exhausted, struggling through workouts, feeling bloated, losing hair, and wondering why everything that used to work has stopped working. In this episode, I explain why changing estrogen and progesterone may be part of the picture without necessarily being the entire explanation. Perimenopause can reveal underlying issues involving blood sugar, thyroid function, digestion, inflammation, nutrient status, stress, and recovery that your body may have previously been able to compensate for. Your symptoms are real, but “it’s just perimenopause” may not be the end of the conversation. In This Episode 00:00 Why health-conscious women suddenly feel like nothing is working 02:16 What happens to estrogen and progesterone during perimenopause 03:15 Menstrual changes that may be part of the menopause transition 04:41 Hot flashes, vaginal changes, libido, sleep, and HRT 05:45 Symptoms that may deserve a deeper investigation 08:55 Insulin resistance, blood sugar, thyroid function, and gut health 10:20 Why habits your body tolerated before may affect you differently now 12:05 How perimenopause can reveal problems your body previously compensated for 13:03 A client who assumed her symptoms were entirely hormonal 17:18 The five foundational areas I recommend addressing first 18:25 Reducing inflammatory foods and creating clearer information from your body 21:24 Blood sugar regulation and why eating less may not be helping 23:30 Protein, regular meals, cravings, and stubborn abdominal weight 25:44 Why high-achieving women may need to pull back from intense workouts 27:19 When temporarily taking a break from training may be appropriate 28:50 Rebuilding capacity through walking, mobility, and recovery 30:22 Why muscle requires both training and repair 31:35 Hydration, electrolytes, and trace minerals 33:20 Why constipation and digestive symptoms should not be ignored 34:34 What changed when one client returned to the foundations 35:25 When symptoms may require functional lab testing and medical support 38:46 Final thoughts Connect with Bria Instagram: @bria_period_whisperer Website: https://theperiodwhisperer.com Looking for comprehensive support through perimenopause and menopause? Inside Midlife Mojo, I help women understand what is changing in their bodies, get the basic foundations in place, and stop trying to piece together their midlife health from random advice online. Your membership includes: 💛 The 90-Day Hormone Revival 💛 Midlife weight-loss and metabolism education 💛 Nutrition guidance, recipes, and meal-planning support 💛 Strength training and exercise plans for women over 40 💛 Hormone, thyroid, digestion, and lab-testing education 💛 HRT and peptide resources 💛 Guided meditations and nervous system support 💛 Live coaching, Q&A sessions, and a community of women navigating these changes with you You do not have to keep guessing or figure this out alone. Start your 7-day free trial here: https://bit.ly/midlifemojonow

    Eps 451: Is It Perimenopause or Something Else? Symptoms Women Over 40 Should Investigate

  3. Sep 17

    Eps 450: Looking Younger vs. Feeling Better: Which Midlife Biohacks Actually Work? | Lauren Sambataro and Renee Belz

    Do you really need a cold plunge, continuous glucose monitor, red-light panel, wearable, sauna, and cabinet full of supplements to feel better after 40? In this episode, I sit down with sisters Lauren Sambataro and Renee Belz, hosts of the Biohacker Babes podcast, to simplify biohacking for women in midlife. We explore why the best biohacks are not always the newest or most expensive. Lauren and Renee explain how sleep, morning light, hydration, movement, nutrition, and recovery create the foundation that technology cannot replace. We also discuss why women can respond very differently to the same routine, how health optimization can become another stressful checklist, and how to determine whether a wearable or wellness device is providing useful information or simply giving you one more thing to worry about. Biohacking should make your life easier, not turn your health into another full-time job. In This Episode 00:00 Introduction 02:03 Growing up in a family that questioned conventional health advice 05:28 What biohacking actually means 06:09 Why biohacking should be personalized and efficient 09:03 How two sisters can need completely different health strategies 12:13 Lauren’s experience changing her nutrition 13:02 Renee’s experience with chronic fatigue and learning to slow down 15:25 When biohacking becomes another stressful checklist 18:25 Why women become more interested in biohacking during midlife 20:25 Using technology to support meditation and nervous system regulation 24:26 Why the foundations should come before devices and peptides 26:18 Morning sunlight, screen exposure, and waiting before checking your phone 28:50 Building a calmer morning routine 33:03 Red-light therapy and its potential uses 35:12 Air filters, water filters, and your everyday environment 37:19 Why habits from your 20s and 30s may feel different after 40 39:48 Continuous glucose monitors and personalized health information 40:53 How long to test a biohack before deciding whether it works 42:00 Worth it, skip it, or it depends: cold plunges, saunas, wearables, mouth tape, PEMF, blue-light glasses, and more 47:54 Where to connect with Lauren and Renee 50:06 Final thoughts Connect with the Biohacker Babes Instagram: @biohacker_babes Website: https://thebiohackerbabes.com Podcast: Biohacker Babes Connect with Bria Instagram: @bria_period_whisperer Website: https://theperiodwhisperer.com Ready to stop turning your midlife health into another overwhelming checklist? Inside Midlife Mojo, you’ll learn how to understand your changing body and build the foundations that support sustainable weight loss, hormone health, energy, sleep, strength, and long-term wellness. Your membership includes: 💛 The 90-Day Hormone Revival 💛 Midlife weight-loss and metabolism education 💛 Strength-training plans designed for women over 40 💛 Nutrition guidance, recipes, and meal-planning support 💛 Hormone, lab testing, HRT, and peptide education 💛 Guided meditations and nervous system support 💛 Live coaching, Q&A sessions, and a community of women navigating midlife with you ✨ Start your 7-day free trial here: https://bit.ly/midlifemojonow

    Eps 450: Looking Younger vs. Feeling Better: Which Midlife Biohacks Actually Work? | Lauren Sambataro and Renee Belz

  4. Sep 14

    Eps 449: How Long Does HRT Take to Work? 5 Factors That May Affect Your Results

    How long does hormone replacement therapy take to work, and what does it mean when you still do not feel like yourself after starting it? HRT can be life-changing for an appropriately screened woman. It may improve hot flashes, night sweats, sleep, mood, and overall quality of life while supporting bone health through midlife. But two women can receive the same hormone dose and have very different experiences. In this episode, I explain why HRT does not work in isolation and what may deserve attention before starting treatment or when the transformation you expected has not happened. We explore how estrogen and testosterone can be absorbed and processed differently, why symptoms such as bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, hair changes, acne, and stubborn weight deserve follow-up, and how thyroid function, sleep, stress, medications, and other health concerns can influence how you feel. HRT may take several weeks to begin improving certain symptoms and up to three months to reach its fuller effect. But waiting longer is not always the answer. Your follow-up is part of the treatment. In This Episode 00:00 Why HRT does not work in isolation 02:47 The potential benefits of beginning HRT during the hormonally shifting years 04:37 What happens after you take estrogen 05:17 Why the same estradiol dose can affect two women differently 07:51 Testosterone, DHT, and unwanted androgenic symptoms 09:08 How the gut and liver may influence hormone processing 12:25 A client story about bloating, inflammation, and weight changes after starting HRT 13:34 Thyroid function and symptoms commonly blamed on menopause 15:35 Cortisol, sleep, energy, and the stress response 17:07 Why adding hormones does not erase existing health concerns 18:04 Using HRT intelligently, comprehensively, and with relevant data Connect with Bria Instagram: @bria_period_whisperer Website: https://theperiodwhisperer.com Looking for more support as you navigate hormones, stubborn weight, and your changing body? Inside Midlife Mojo, you’ll find practical education, tools, and a community of women navigating perimenopause and menopause with you. Your membership includes: 💛 The 90-Day Hormone Revival 💛 The Whisper Room with symptom-specific trainings 💛 Live coaching and Q&A sessions 💛 Hormone, metabolism, nutrition, and strength-training courses 💛 Lab-testing education 💛 HRT, GLP-1, and peptide resources 💛 Recipes, meal-planning tools, guided meditations, and more Stop trying to piece everything together alone. Join us inside Midlife Mojo and start building a plan that supports your changing body. ✨ Start your 7-day free trial here: https://bit.ly/midlifemojonow

    Eps 449: How Long Does HRT Take to Work? 5 Factors That May Affect Your Results

  5. Sep 10

    Eps 448: Gaining Weight Despite Diet and Exercise? Your Thyroid May Be the Missing Piece with Dr. Amie Hornaman

    Have you been eating well, exercising consistently, and still gaining weight, only to be told that your thyroid labs are “normal”? For many women in their 40s and 50s, stubborn weight, exhaustion, brain fog, constipation, thinning hair, low mood, and feeling unusually cold are quickly blamed on perimenopause or aging. But because these symptoms can overlap with thyroid dysfunction, it may be worth asking what was actually evaluated. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Amie Hornaman, also known as The Thyroid-Fixer, to explore the connection between thyroid health, metabolism, and perimenopause.  Dr. Amie breaks down the language of thyroid health, including TSH, free T4, free T3, reverse T3, T2, and thyroid antibodies. She also shares why she believes symptoms and medical history should be considered alongside laboratory results. We also discuss why women should not automatically respond to unexplained weight gain by eating less or exercising harder, which thyroid questions they can bring to their healthcare provider, and why sleep, nutrition, stress, gut health, and foundational habits still matter. In This Episode 00:00 Introduction 02:54 Dr. Amie’s experience with unexplained weight gain 06:02 Being dismissed by six doctors before receiving a thyroid diagnosis 09:50 Why thyroid dysfunction can begin before midlife 11:06 “Thyropause” and the overlap between thyroid symptoms and perimenopause 12:51 Hashimoto’s disease and autoimmune thyroid dysfunction 16:21 How the body converts T4 into active T3 18:00 TSH, free T4, free T3, and reverse T3 explained 24:07 What T2 is and Dr. Amie’s perspective on supplementation 26:04 TPO and thyroglobulin antibodies 30:16 Questions to ask when requesting thyroid testing 32:29 Connecting thyroid symptoms with laboratory results 35:40 Why thyroid treatment should be individualized and medically supervised 40:43 T2 supplements, metabolism, and body composition 44:04 Nutrition, sleep, stress, and foundational thyroid support 48:30 Dr. Amie’s book, The Thyroid Fixer 51:17 Where to learn more from Dr. Amie Connect with Dr. Amie Hornaman Website: https://dramie.com Podcast: The Thyroid Fixer Book: The Thyroid Fixer Connect with Bria Instagram: @bria_period_whisperer Ready to stop second-guessing what your changing body is trying to tell you? Inside Midlife Mojo, you’ll find practical education and support for navigating stubborn weight, hormones, metabolism, thyroid health, nutrition, strength training, peptides, HRT, lab testing, sleep, and recovery in midlife. You’ll also have access to courses, symptom-specific trainings, live coaching, recipes, guided meditations, and a community of women going through perimenopause and menopause with you. Comment MOJO on Instagram, or start your 7-day free trial here: https://bit.ly/midlifemojonow

    Eps 448: Gaining Weight Despite Diet and Exercise? Your Thyroid May Be the Missing Piece with Dr. Amie Hornaman

  6. Sep 7

    Eps 447: Why Your Body Holds Onto Weight: The Physiology of Feeling Safe

    What if we have been approaching weight loss in the wrong order? For years, women have been told that losing weight is how we become healthy. But when you are eating well, exercising, and doing all the “right” things without seeing results, pushing harder may place even more demand on a body that is already struggling to keep up. In this episode, I explain what I call survival mode or health debt, a state in which the energy available to your body is no longer keeping up with everything being asked of it. I also share my own experience of eating less, exercising more, gaining weight, and feeling progressively worse at 37. What I initially blamed on perimenopause was part of a much bigger picture involving my energy demands, recovery, nutrition, stress, and underlying health. This is the paradigm shift: you do not simply lose weight to become healthy. Supporting your mental, biological, and physiological health may be the first step toward helping your body respond differently. In This Episode 00:00 Introduction 01:02 What watching Outlast taught me about women’s health 02:01 Why the strongest shelter changed the survival game 04:29 How the survival-show analogy applies to women in midlife 05:13 How I realized my body had entered survival mode at 37 07:22 What “survival mode” means inside the body 08:17 Why fat loss and muscle building require energy 09:00 Stress, libido, reproductive function, and energy conservation 11:22 Why we may have the relationship between health and weight loss backwards 13:17 Why perimenopause may expose a deeper problem 13:25 The three reasons your energy supply may not meet its demand 17:47 Signs that your body may be struggling with health debt 19:00 Why normal conventional labs do not always explain how you feel 21:57 What functional lab testing may help investigate 23:18 Building your health foundation before reaching for another quick fix 25:34 GLP-1s, HRT, and why foundational health still matters 26:41 The three steps I use to begin rebuilding the body 30:20 Symptoms worth noticing and choosing your next step Connect with Bria Instagram: @bria_period_whisperer Ready to stop exhausting yourself and start with the foundations? Inside Lose Weight Smarter in 7 Days, we focus on the nutrition, movement, sleep, recovery, and daily practices that can support your body before you reach for another extreme workout or restrictive diet. Start here: https://bit.ly/mojowins

    Eps 447: Why Your Body Holds Onto Weight: The Physiology of Feeling Safe

  7. Sep 3

    Eps 446: GLP-1s for Women Over 40: Benefits, Risks and Mistakes to Avoid with Jay Campbell

    GLP-1 medications and peptides are everywhere right now. But how do you separate thoughtful, medically supervised use from another weight-loss trend? In this episode, I sit down with Jay Campbell, six-time international bestselling author, co-founder of BioLongevity Labs, and author of **Metabolic Awakening. Jay has been researching and personally exploring hormone optimization and therapeutic peptides for more than two decades, long before peptides became a mainstream social media conversation. Together, we explore what peptides actually are, why GLP-1 medications should be treated as tools rather than magic solutions, and what women in perimenopause and menopause should understand before considering them. We also discuss the risks of unverified products, inappropriate dosing, poor medical supervision, and using appetite suppression without a plan to support nutrition, muscle, metabolic health, and long-term results. Jay shares his perspective on testosterone therapy for women, hormone testing, choosing an experienced prescriber, and why stacking several peptides at once can create more confusion than clarity. This conversation is essential because it is about becoming an informed woman who understands the questions to ask before using a powerful intervention. In This Episode 00:00 Introduction 02:14 Jay’s 20-year journey with hormones and therapeutic peptides 08:55 What peptides are and how they work in the body 11:30 Why GLP-1 education, dosing, and supervision matter 16:28 Supporting the body versus overriding its biology 17:07 The health foundations Jay recommends before using peptides 21:50 Labs, metabolic health, and the bigger hormone picture 28:16 What women should understand about testosterone levels 30:20 Testosterone delivery methods and individualized treatment 35:19 Creams, dosing, side effects, and monitoring 40:15 Why testosterone requires a qualified prescriber 41:15 Questions to ask a potential hormone provider 44:42 The different categories and purposes of peptides 46:00 GLP-1 medications and fat-loss goals in midlife 48:27 Jay’s perspective on other therapeutic peptides 52:32 Why you should avoid peptide “shiny object syndrome” 53:58 Jay’s books, resources, and where to learn more Connect with Jay Campbell Instagram: @jaycampbell1971 Connect with Bria Instagram: @bria_period_whisperer Want to lose weight without relying on weight-loss drugs? Start with the foundations. Whether you eventually choose to use a GLP-1 or not, your body still needs enough protein, nourishing meals, daily movement, quality sleep, recovery, and habits you can sustain. Medication cannot build those foundations for you. Inside Lose Weight Smarter in 7 Days, I’ll help you begin putting these pieces into place through seven simple daily actions. No extreme workouts, restrictive diets, or expensive wellness trends. Just a practical starting point designed for women in midlife, with support and accountability along the way. Join Lose Weight Smarter in 7 Days for free: https://bit.ly/mojowins

    Eps 446: GLP-1s for Women Over 40: Benefits, Risks and Mistakes to Avoid with Jay Campbell

  8. Aug 31

    Eps 445: Working Out, Spending More, and Still Not Losing Weight in Perimenopause? Here’s Why

    How much time, money, and energy have you spent trying to lose weight in perimenopause, only to feel like your body still is not responding? Maybe you are working out harder, eating less, buying supplements, considering a GLP-1, or paying for lab tests that still leave you without clear answers. Let’s get clear. Weight-loss medications can be valuable when they are appropriately prescribed, medically monitored, and supported with enough nutrition, protein, and a plan to preserve muscle. Exercise is essential when your body has enough energy to perform, recover, and become stronger from it. Lab testing is useful when the right markers are ordered and interpreted alongside your symptoms, health history, and current lifestyle. The problem is not necessarily the medication, workout, supplement, or lab test. The problem is believing that one of them will solve everything on its own. In this solo episode, I break down four midlife health myths that can keep health-conscious women spending more money, putting more time into their routines, and using energy they do not have without getting the results they expected. Your time, money, and energy are precious. Stop investing them in strategies that are not working. In This Episode 00:00 Why perimenopause health and weight-loss advice feels so overwhelming 02:42 Four midlife health myths and four practical action steps 05:05 Why “normal” labs do not always explain how you feel 09:01 Why every midlife symptom is not necessarily caused by your sex hormones 14:50 The problem with relying on “eat less and move more” 19:15 GLP-1s, overtraining, undereating, and Bria’s health-debt framework 20:11 Why working out can feel like spending energy you do not have 21:22 Why another supplement may not fix the underlying problem 25:38 Step 1: Complete your conventional health screening and keep your results 26:35 Step 2: When functional lab testing may be worth considering 29:48 Step 3: Return to the foundational habits supporting midlife health 34:56 Step 4: Use supplements for an identified reason 37:17 How to choose your next step instead of remaining stuck Connect with Bria Instagram: @theperiodwhisperer Website: https://theperiodwhisperer.com Before you spend more money on supplements, add another intense workout, or jump into another weight-loss plan, let’s get the foundations in place first. Lose Weight Smarter in 7 Days is my free sprint for women in midlife who want to begin supporting sustainable weight loss without extreme dieting or heavy workouts. Over seven days, we’ll focus on the basics that your changing body needs, including protein-rich meals, simple movement, walking, morning and sleep habits, recovery, and nervous system support. You’ll receive one simple action each day, plus the accountability of doing it alongside other women who are ready to stop guessing and finally get started. ✨ Join Lose Weight Smarter in 7 Days here: https://bit.ly/mojowins

    Eps 445: Working Out, Spending More, and Still Not Losing Weight in Perimenopause? Here’s Why
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About

In the 35-55 age box and starting to wonder if you will ever feel like you again? Weight gain, night wakings, brain fog, hot flashes, headaches, cravings, bloating, joint pain, mood swings, anxiety are all on the rise and no matter what you try, nothing moves the needle. Your host, Bria Gadd is a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® Practitioner, Certified Holistic Health Coach, and Personal Trainer who specializes in female hormones. After helping thousands of women lose weight in their 20’s and 30’s, Bria recognized a difficult shift in women’s ability to get results in their body during their perimenopause years. Including her own frustrating 15lb weight gain amidst daily intense workouts and the demands of midlife. Tune in twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays to the top-ranked Period Whisperer Podcast for solo episodes and interviews with real life women and industry experts designed to help you understand the truth about perimenopause, take immediate action on the most important strategies for reducing inflammation and optimizing hormones, and get you in a body that releases weight easily. Whether you’re just starting to question if perimenopause is behind how you are feeling, are in the depths of hormonal chaos, or just want to learn how to feel your best through menopause and beyond, you’re in the right place. If you’re ready to decode the whispers of your body and heal your hormones so you can thrive again, listen to our fan favorite Episode 129: The 3 Nutrition Phases That Will Help You Release Belly Fat Every Time In Perimenopause

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