The Midlife Feast

Jenn Salib Huber RD ND

Welcome to The Midlife Feast, the podcast for women who are hungry for more in this season of life. I’m your host, Jenn Salib Huber, dietitian, naturopathic doctor , intuitive eating counsellor and author of Eat to Thrive During Menopause. Each episode “brings to the table” a different perspective, conversation, or experience about life after 40, designed to help you find the "missing ingredient" you need to thrive, not just survive. 

  1. 2D AGO

    Menopause Movement Myths and What Actually Helps with Dr. Maria Luque

    If you're feeling confused by all the menopause fitness advice, this episode will clear that up for you! I am so glad to welcome Dr. Maria Luque back to The Midlife Feast. Maria is a menopause fitness expert with a literal PhD in this space, and she is one of the very few people I trust to cut through the noise in the increasingly crowded menopause fitness world. And there is a lot of noise. Self-proclaimed experts, clickbait advice, "you must lift heavy four times a week or your bones will crumble" fear-mongering. No wonder so many of the women I work with feel paralyzed before they even start. In this conversation, we get into: Why the fitness space has become a swamp of misinformation, and how to spot itThe Sally story (a composite of so many women I talk to) and why feeling behind is keeping you stuckWhy capacity, not willpower, is the real conversation, and why "we all have the same 24 hours" makes both of us want to punch a wallMovement snacks, lowering the bar, and Maria's even better idea of throwing the bar awayWhy functional goals (lifting your dog, getting up off the toilet at 80, playing with grandkids) are far more sustainable than weight-loss goalsHow to celebrate the small wins so you actually want to keep goingThe missing ingredient in midlife, and it might not be what you thinkThis is the conversation I wish every woman in perimenopause and menopause could hear before another fitness influencer convinces her she is failing at something that was never designed for her in the first place. If clients come to me because they are out of capacity, not out of knowledge, this episode is the same conversation in fitness form. You already know enough. You just need permission to trust yourself. About Dr. Maria Luque: Dr. Maria Luque is a menopause fitness expert, health science professor, US Air Force veteran, and mother. She holds a PhD in Health Sciences focused on quality of life in menopause, and her work brings a weight-neutral, evidence-based perspective to the often confusing world of fitness in midlife. Her new book, New Moves inMenopause  is out now - https://newmovesinmenopause.com You can also find her on Instagram @drmarialuque. Mentioned in this episode: The Feaster Community (where our Joyful Movement Coordinator Christine Chessman shares no-pressure movement support): www..menopausenutritionist.ca/themidlifefeastcommunityRelated Episodes You'll Love: #25: Redefining Strength with Dr Maria Luque#59: Menopause, Movement and Body Image with Dr Maria Luque#69 How to Un-Diet Your Relationship with Movement in Midlife with Christine ChessmanOrder Maria's book here:  What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife. Looking for more about midlife,  menopause nutrition, and intuitive eating? Click here to grab one of my free guides and learn what I've got "on the menu" including my 1:1 and group programs. https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/links

    39 min
  2. MAY 11

    Be in the Photo: A Midlife Body Confidence Practice for Summer

    I noticed a three-year stretch where I’m barely in family photos, even though I was there., and I don’t want that for you. In this episode, I share 3 practices to shift away from chasing "flattering" and choosing presence instead, so you can be visible in midlife and stop letting pictures decide how you feel about your body. I talk about: Why the point of a picture is the moment, not your good sideReframing photos as time capsules rather than auditionsHow to stop letting selfie culture (and the 99 deleted shots) shape how you see yourselfThe reframe I borrowed from a recent guest that I cannot stop thinking about: visibility is generosityWhy staying in the picture is one of the most powerful things you can do for the women coming up behind yo I’m sure you have a friend who needs to hear this, so I’d love if you’d share this episode with them! And if this episode helps you keep a photo instead of deleting it, I would love to hear that too. You can always send me fan mail through the podcast website. This summer, your only assignment is to be in the photo. You don't have to love it. You don't have to feel beautiful in it. You just have to be in it. The moment matters. The world needs more pictures of midlife women living in their bodies. If this episode resonates and you want real support around body image before summer hits, there are still a couple of spots left in my six-week Midlife Body Image Lab if you're listening before May 16th.  Related Episodes You'll Love: #182: Visibility as Generosity, Rethinking Photos, Aging and Confidence with Kristen Vallejo#190: Menopause and Body Image: How to Feel Like Yourself AgainWhat did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife. Looking for more about midlife,  menopause nutrition, and intuitive eating? Click here to grab one of my free guides and learn what I've got "on the menu" including my 1:1 and group programs. https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/links

    9 min
  3. MAY 4

    Menopause, ADHD & the Hidden Cost of Masking: What Every Midlife Woman Needs to Know with Dr. Helen Wall

    I'm joined by Dr. Helen Wall, a GP and registered menopause specialist from England, and author of the new book ADHD and Menopause (May 14th, 2026). Dr. Wall speaks out about the intersection of ADHD, neurodivergence, and hormonal changes in women. In this episode, we get into the science behind why estrogen fluctuations destabilize dopamine signaling in the brain, and why that matters so much more for women with ADHD (diagnosed or not). We talk about masking, the hidden costs of over-functioning, why women and girls are still being missed for decades, and how progesterone sensitivity can make things even more complicated. We also explore the connection between ADHD and PMDD, and what options exist for women who are navigating both menopause and neurodivergence. This episode offers the science, the validation, and the compassion to help you understand what's going on. I also share my own experience being diagnosed with ADHD at 19 and then watching it "unmask" when perimenopause crash-landed at 37. This one gets personal, and I think you'll feel seen. About Dr. Helen Wall: Dr. Helen Wall is a GP and registered menopause specialist with the British Menopause Society. She advocates for neurodivergent women who have been misdiagnosed, mislabeled, and left to burn out without understanding what's going on. Her awareness of the ADHD-menopause connection grew through her daughter's neurodivergent journey and the patterns she began recognizing in her own menopause clinics. Her new book, ADHD and Menopause, is available on May 14th (and for pre-order) wherever books are sold. Connect with Dr. Helen Wall: Instagram: @doctorhelenwall Website: www.drhelenwall.com Related Episodes You'll Love: When Perimenopause Unmasks ADHD with Dr. Jen Wolkin ADHD and The Messy Middle with Diana ReidFinding Your Movement Rhythm with ADHD & Perimenopause with Christine Chessman Story Session: Navigating ADHD in Midlife & Menopause What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife. Looking for more about midlife,  menopause nutrition, and intuitive eating? Click here to grab one of my free guides and learn what I've got "on the menu" including my 1:1 and group programs. https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/links

    36 min
  4. APR 27

    Taking Up Space in Midlife with Lise Thorne

    Have you ever talked yourself out of wearing something, going somewhere, or simply being seen because of what your body looks like? This episode is one you're going to want to save and share! I sat down with Lise Thorne, who you might know as @walking_this_way on Instagram, after one of her reels stopped me mid-scroll. In it, she walked into the ocean in a bikini on a family vacation, no filter, no preparation, no waiting for a "better" version of herself. That video went around the world because women everywhere saw themselves in it. Lise is 49, a mum, a triathlete, and she is loudly on a mission for women to take up space. We talk about the moment she looked at a photo of her 16-year-old self and realized her body was never the problem, it was the story she was telling herself. We get into how our Gen X generation was taught there was one right way to have a body, why the critical voice in our heads isn't protecting us anymore, and why tiny steps toward being seen are where the real magic happens. This is one of those conversations that will leave you feeling like you just got a pep talk from a friend who truly gets it. Connect with Lise: Instagram: @walking_this_way Related Episodes You'll Love: Ep 190: Menopause and Body Image: How to Feel Like Yourself AgainEp 141: Navigating Body Grief in Midlife with Nina ManolsonEp 182: Visibility as Generosity: Rethinking Photos, Aging & Confidence with Kristen VallejoWhat did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife. Looking for more about midlife,  menopause nutrition, and intuitive eating? Click here to grab one of my free guides and learn what I've got "on the menu" including my 1:1 and group programs. https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/links

    43 min
  5. APR 20

    Menopause and Body Image: How to Feel Like Yourself Again

    Have you ever been having a perfectly good day, feeling comfortable in what you're wearing, and then caught a glimpse of yourself in a mirror and you suddenly feel the floor fall out from under you? That moment of being yanked out of your body is something I hear all the time. Meet the comparison lizard, the part of our brain wired for social comparison. It used to be a survival skill. Now it's a make-work project that fuels body dissatisfaction, especially in menopause when both the scale and the shape are changing in ways that feel unfamiliar. Here's what I want you to know: food work and body work are not the same. I've worked with hundreds of women who feel great about their relationship with food but are still getting pulled into bad body image moments that send them right back toward the diet cycle. When I sent a newsletter about this recently, the responses flooded in. You're not alone, and your body is not the problem. In this episode, I'm sharing the research on body dissatisfaction and intuitive eating in midlife, why body appreciation is the evidence-based path forward, and details about the Midlife Body Image Lab, a six-week program built around guided experiments to test and change the belief that your body is the problem. This isn't a course with videos and worksheets. It's coached, community-based work where we do the experiments together. If you're listening in April or early May 2026, you can join us. Otherwise, hop on the waitlist for the next time doors open. The Midlife Body Image Lab Join the Midlife Body Image Lab :https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/bodyimagelabWhat did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife. Looking for more about midlife,  menopause nutrition, and intuitive eating? Click here to grab one of my free guides and learn what I've got "on the menu" including my 1:1 and group programs. https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/links

    14 min
  6. APR 13

    Permission to Be Seen: Creativity, Resilience & Recording Your First Album at 50 with Becca Kidwell

    What if the dreams you thought you missed the deadline on are the ones you're meant to follow now? Becca Kidwell spent her 30s teaching high school English, convinced it was too late to pursue a creative career. She'd learned what so many of us Gen X women can relate to: if you didn't lock in your path by 30, the door was closed. But then something shifted and she started noticing older artists who were just beginning their careers and thriving. She met her now-husband, who encouraged her to move to New York and start a theater company, and on her 40th birthday, she performed her first cabaret show. Ten years later, Becca is releasing her debut album, What You Don't See, on her 50th birthday. And the title track? It's about something so many of us feel in midlife but rarely say out loud: I'm tired. I'm tired of performing, of smiling through exhaustion, of pretending I have endless capacity. But what you don't see is how tired I really am. In this Story Session, Becca shares her journey from being afraid of being seen to stepping fully onto the stage as herself. We talk about the permission piece that midlife gives so many of us, the resilience it takes to keep showing up for your dreams, and why creativity isn't just for the young. If you've ever felt like it's too late to follow a passion, chase a dream, or try something new, this episode is for you. Related Episodes: Episode 160: Season 5 Finale: The Midlife Glow-Up You Didn't See ComingEpisode 81: Unlocking the Joy of Creativity in Midlife with Meryl CookGuest Bio: Becca Kidwell is a singer-songwriter and cabaret performer from New York. After spending her 30s as a high school English teacher, she began her creative career at 40 and has spent the last decade performing in cabarets across New York. Her debut album, What You Don't See, releases on her 50th birthday, May 1st. You can find her at beccackidwell.com and on Instagram. What did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife. Looking for more about midlife,  menopause nutrition, and intuitive eating? Click here to grab one of my free guides and learn what I've got "on the menu" including my 1:1 and group programs. https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/links

    22 min
  7. APR 6

    #188 - Turning Down the Critical Voice: Body Acceptance in Your Midlife Body with Kristina Bruce

    You know that moment when you catch your reflection unexpectedly and think, "Who is that?" Not in a curious way, but in a way that feels like you don't recognize yourself? If you've had that moment, this episode is for you. In this episode, we're talking about the evolution of body positivity and acceptance, the challenges of embracing body diversity in a culture that's currently shrinking, and how we can find peace with ourselves right now, in the bodies we're in today. Kristina brings such clarity to the difference between body positivity and body acceptance, and why acceptance isn't resignation. She shares her own story of body grief, what it felt like to lose the identity that came with being thin, and how she found freedom on the other side of that grief. We also talk about the contraction and expansion happening in our current cultural moment (hello, GLP-1 era) and why this might be the final push before more of us say "enough." If you've been stuck in body grief, if you feel betrayed by your changing body, or if you're exhausted from fighting yourself, this conversation will meet you right where you are. In this episode, you'll learn: The difference between body positivity (a social justice movement) and body acceptance (a personal practice)Why body acceptance isn't resignation, it's actually the path to real changeHow to move through body grief instead of staying stuck in itWhy your body isn't betraying you, even when it feels that wayWhat's underneath our resistance to body changes in midlife (spoiler: it's not about the weight)How to stop sourcing your worth externally and start finding safety within yourselfConnect with Kristina: Instagram: @kristinabruce_coachWebsite: kristinabruce.comPodcast: Unlearning BeautifulRelated Episodes You'll Love: Episode 47: Why Changing Your Body Isn't the Body Image Fix You're Looking For with Kristina BruceEpisode 109: The Body Acceptance Mistake That Keeping You StuckEpisode 134: What Every Woman Needs to Know About Body Image in Midlife with Summer InnanenEpisode 141: Navigating Body Grief in Midlife with Nina ManolsonWhat did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife. Looking for more about midlife,  menopause nutrition, and intuitive eating? Click here to grab one of my free guides and learn what I've got "on the menu" including my 1:1 and group programs. https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/links

    38 min
  8. MAR 30

    #187 - Second Helpings - Decoding Cravings & Emotional Hunger in Midlife & Menopause

    If your cravings feel more intense than ever, you're not alone.  In this second helping (my creative take on replay 🤣) of episode 117, I'm tackling one of the most-asked questions in my inbox: why do cravings feel so out of control in perimenopause and menopause, and what can you do about it? Spoiler alert: it's not about cutting out sugar or having more willpower. I break down the three types of hunger (physical, taste, and emotional), explain why perimenopause symptoms like sleep disruption and hot flashes amplify emotional hunger, and share a framework for decoding your cravings instead of fighting them. Whether it's the 7pm snacking spiral, the weekend binge, or those intense drive-thru cravings when you're alone in the car, I walk you through how to press pause without judgment and respond in a way that addresses what you need. This episode is for anyone who has ever felt hijacked by a craving, blamed themselves for lack of control, or wondered if menopause is making everything harder. Because yes, your hormones matter, but the solution isn't another restrictive food rule. In this episode, we talk about: Why cravings are normal and everyone is an emotional eater to some degreeThe difference between physical hunger, taste hunger, and emotional hungerHow estrogen and progesterone influence appetite (and why perimenopause amplifies cravings)Why restricting foods you enjoy intensifies cravings for those exact foodsThe critical skill of pressing pause without saying noReal examples of decoding evening cravings, weekend patterns, and alone-time eatingRelated Episodes You Might Enjoy: #147 - How to Stop the Cycle of “Starting Over” Every Monday#70 - From Dieting Rock Bottom to Intuitive Eating - 3 Common MistakesWhat did you think of this episode? Click here and let me know! 📚 I wrote a book! Eat To Thrive During Menopause is out now!  Order your copy today and start thriving in midlife. Looking for more about midlife,  menopause nutrition, and intuitive eating? Click here to grab one of my free guides and learn what I've got "on the menu" including my 1:1 and group programs. https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/links

    28 min
4.7
out of 5
51 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Midlife Feast, the podcast for women who are hungry for more in this season of life. I’m your host, Jenn Salib Huber, dietitian, naturopathic doctor , intuitive eating counsellor and author of Eat to Thrive During Menopause. Each episode “brings to the table” a different perspective, conversation, or experience about life after 40, designed to help you find the "missing ingredient" you need to thrive, not just survive. 

You Might Also Like