Gray Matters

Hailee Piendl

Gray Matters is the podcast for women who are done being confused about their hormones and ready to actually get answers. Hosted by Hailee, women's hormone and fitness coach and founder of Gray Area Co., and Co-hosted by Dr. Emily Marshall. this show covers everything from period recovery and cycle health to nervous system regulation, energy, and the relationship between how you train, eat, and live — and how your hormones respond to all of it. If you're missing your period, stuck in a cycle of burnout and restriction, or just know something feels off — this is the show that meets you there. No fluff, no fear-mongering. Just real talk about what's actually going on in your body and what you can do about it. New episodes weekly. Come for the hormones, stay for the clarity.

  1. 28 Jul

    Everything You Know About Your Pelvic Floor Is Wrong (ft. Dr. Karah Charette)

    Peeing when you sneeze. Pain with sxx. Constant tension you can't stretch away. You've been told it's normal — or worse, to "just do your Kegels." In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Karah Charette, DPT, founder of Bodyful Physical Therapy, a somatic, trauma-sensitive pelvic floor physical therapist who's on a mission to change how women understand this ignored part of their body. We get into why Kegels are often the wrong answer, how chronic stress and years of dieting and over-training show up as a clenched pelvic floor, the nervous system's role in chronic pelvic pain, and what your body might be trying to tell you through symptoms you've learned to live with. In this episode, we cover: The sneaky signs of pelvic floor dysfunction most women dismissWhy a "tight" pelvic floor is often the real problem (not a weak one)How fight-or-flight mode, under-eating, and over-exercising affect your pelvic floor and hormonesWhat's really behind painful s3x — and why healing is possibleHow your pelvic floor changes across your cycle, postpartum, and into perimenopauseSimple somatic and breathwork tools you can start todayWhat actually happens at a pelvic floor PT appointment (and how to find a good one) If you've ever felt dismissed, embarrassed, or confused about what's going on "down there" — this conversation is the permission slip you didn't know you needed. Connect with DR Karah: PT website: https://www.bodyfulphysicaltherapy.com/ dance/somatics/yoga/authentic movement/poetry website: https://www.karahcharette.com/ somatic yoga retreat in Portugal next year: https://yogaadventuresworldwide.com/retreat/yoga-retreat-portugal/ *my dates are May 9-16th! Instagram PT: @bodyfulphysicaltherapy Artist instagram: @wise.movement

  2. 7 Jul

    Not doing a stress audit is keeping you overwehlemed

    Your body doesn't separate stress into categories — your 5am workout, your 1,400-calorie day, and your work deadline all land in the same account. And if your period is irregular, your energy is tanking, or your progress has stalled, your total stress load might be the reason. In this episode, we're breaking down how to audit your overall stress load across three key areas: nutrition stressors (under-eating, meal timing, food rules), training stressors (overtraining, HIIT stacking, skipping rest days), and life & mindset stressors (sleep debt, perfectionism, emotional load). You'll learn why chronic stress disrupts your hormones, how cortisol and your HPA axis impact your menstrual cycle, and the sneaky signs your body is keeping score — even when everything "feels fine." Plus, you'll walk away with a simple one-week stress audit tool you can start tomorrow to figure out exactly which stressors are draining you and what to change first. In this episode, we cover: Why under-fueling is the most invisible stressor (and why it gets praised)The connection between low energy availability, RED-S, and hypothalamic amenorrheaHow to know when exercise stops being healthy and starts being a stressorThe hidden life stressors your fitness app can't trackA 3-question test to determine if something is actually stressing your bodyThe One-Week Stress Audit: a step-by-step tool to measure your total loadWhether you're dealing with a missing period, burnout, low energy, or hormone imbalances, this episode will help you find the stressors hiding in plain sight — without cutting everything you love out of your life.

  3. 30 Jun

    How to workout in period recovery

    If you've been told to "just eat more and exercise less" to get your period back — this episode is for you. Getting your period back doesn't mean giving up movement entirely. It means learning how to move in a way that supports recovery instead of working against it. In this episode, we're breaking down exactly how to modify your training during period recovery, hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA), or any stage of hormonal healing — without losing your identity as someone who loves to move. We cover: How to modify your workouts so you're still training with your body, not against itThe signs you're overtraining (even if it doesn't feel like "that much") and how chronic stress load is silently stalling your recoveryWhy HIIT needs to come off the table for now — and what's actually happening in your nervous system when you push through high-intensity trainingHow to use Reps in Reserve (RIR) to keep lifting without spiking cortisol and disrupting your hormonesWhat a modified training week actually looks like in practiceIf your period is missing, irregular, or you're deep in recovery and still trying to figure out what to do at the gym — this episode will give you a clear, no-BS framework to move forward. This one is for you if: You've been diagnosed with HA or are in period recoveryYou're scared of gaining weight if you stop doing HIITYou love training but feel like your body is constantly fighting youYou want to keep lifting but don't know how to dial it back without losing progress Follow us on instagram: @hailee_fitblog @dremilymarshall

  4. 23 Jun

    EAT MORE to be less bloated

    Your gut is not broken — it's starving. Here's how to actually heal it. If you're dealing with bloating, chronic fatigue, food sensitivities, autoimmune issues, skin flare-ups, or mood swings that won't quit — this episode is going to change how you think about healing. We're diving deep into gut health for women: why restrictive diets and undereating are making your symptoms worse, the real link between leaky gut and autoimmune disease, and how chronic stress is silently destroying your gut lining every single day. In this episode we cover: ✅ What is leaky gut syndrome (intestinal permeability) and why it triggers autoimmunity ✅ Why eating MORE is one of the most powerful gut healing tools ✅ The gut-hormone connection — how your microbiome controls estrogen, cortisol, and your cycle ✅ How chronic stress damages the gut lining and what to do about it ✅ Holistic gut healing strategies: nervous system regulation, anti-inflammatory nutrition, probiotics, and more ✅ Signs your gut is healing vs. signs it's still inflamed ✅ Why your gut health affects your skin, energy, periods, and immune system Whether you're managing IBS, SIBO, Hashimoto's, hormonal imbalances, or just feel like your body is constantly inflamed — this episode will give you real, science-backed answers. 🔗 Work with me: Work with me 1:1: https://3atgkmamtaj.typeform.com/to/p8NaADUl 📩 Contact: hailee@youngandwyld.com 📲 Follow on Instagram: Follow my socials https://www.instagram.com/hailee_fitblog/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@hailee_fitblog

  5. 10 Jun

    Outgrowing Your Old Life? How to Know When It's Time to Evolve

    Change can feel exciting, uncomfortable, and even a little scary. In this episode, Dr. Emily Marshall and Hailee Piendl share a behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of the Fresh & Fired Up podcast, the lessons they've learned through years of content creation, and why they're embracing a new season of growth. But this conversation isn't just about a podcast. It's about recognizing when you've outgrown an old identity, allowing yourself to evolve, and having the courage to step into what's next—even when you don't have everything figured out. Together, Emily and Hailee discuss personal growth, leadership, community, faith, business, motherhood, health, and the messy middle that often comes with meaningful change. In this episode, we discuss:How to recognize when you've outgrown a season of lifeWhy growth often requires letting go of old identitiesThe evolution of the Fresh & Fired Up podcastBuilding community through conversations and connectionThe importance of long-form content in a short-form worldFaith, inspiration, and lessons from the saintsOvercoming perfectionism and embracing the "gray area"Leadership, vulnerability, and personal developmentCreating capacity through systems, delegation, and supportWhy authenticity matters more than having everything figured outIf you've been feeling pulled toward something new, struggling with change, or wondering what's next in your own journey, this episode is for you. Connect with UsFollow Dr. Emily Marshall and Hailee Piendl for more conversations on health, mindset, and personal growth. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who's stepping into a new chapter.

About

Gray Matters is the podcast for women who are done being confused about their hormones and ready to actually get answers. Hosted by Hailee, women's hormone and fitness coach and founder of Gray Area Co., and Co-hosted by Dr. Emily Marshall. this show covers everything from period recovery and cycle health to nervous system regulation, energy, and the relationship between how you train, eat, and live — and how your hormones respond to all of it. If you're missing your period, stuck in a cycle of burnout and restriction, or just know something feels off — this is the show that meets you there. No fluff, no fear-mongering. Just real talk about what's actually going on in your body and what you can do about it. New episodes weekly. Come for the hormones, stay for the clarity.

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