Hit Play Not Pause

Perimenopause and menopause hit active women differently. We have a different lifestyle and different goals. And we know our bodies. Whether you run and hike or do CrossFit and ski (or a little of everything!), you’ve had a way of eating and exercising that worked…until the menopause transition, when it all goes out the window as body composition changes, fatigue, body aches, sleepless nights, hot flashes, brain fog, mood swings, and low mojo blindside you out of the blue—despite doing everything right. Your doctor may (or may not) help with hormone replacement therapy. But what about all the active stuff you love? You’re already exercising and eating well. What you want is to feel and perform like you used to. That doesn’t mean fasting, swearing off carbs for life, or just slowing down. It means adjusting your nutrition, training, recovery, and mindset to work with your changing physiology as you hit this phase of life. And we’re here for it. At Hit Play Not Pause, we know the potential of women in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond, because we talk to elite athletes and everyday active women who are still hitting personal bests along with world-renowned sports dietitians, researchers, medical and menopause specialists to help you understand what’s happening under the hood during the menopause transition and more importantly, what you can do about it—from hormone therapy to heavy lifting and everything in between—to feel and perform your best. Host Selene Yeager is a health and science journalist with 30 years’ experience and more than two dozen books to her name. She also lives an active life as a former Ironman triathlete and professional mountain bike racer who still rides, runs, paddles, hikes, lifts, and through her work at Feisty Menopause helps others do the same.

  1. 1 day ago

    The Brain on Pain: Why Women Hurt More—and What to Do About It with Rachel Zoffness, PhD (Episode 279)

    When you’re in pain, the first question someone asks is “Where does it hurt?” The answer—as anyone with phantom limb pain can tell you—is not always as straightforward as it seems. This week, pain psychologist and author Dr. Rachel Zoffness breaks down the “big fat lie” we’ve been sold about pain: it’s not just a signal from damaged tissue, it’s a brain-driven experience built from a mix of ingredients, including your nerves, thoughts, emotions, memories, and environment. She explains how the same brain regions that process emotions also construct pain, why that matters so much for women—who go through menstruation, childbirth, and menopause and are still disproportionately told their pain is “all in their heads”—and how understanding brain-based biology is the first step in changing how much you hurt. She also shares practical, evidence-backed strategies for active women to retrain their nervous systems, along with tools to help you advocate for care that goes beyond pills and procedures and actually reflects the modern science of hurt. Rachel Zoffness, PhD, is a pain psychologist and thought-leader revolutionizing the way we understand and treat pain. She's an assistant clinical professor at UCSF, lectures at Stanford, and consults on the development of pain management programs around the world. Dr. Zoffness’s new book, Tell Me Where It Hurts, is out now and is being translated to more than 25 languages. You can learn more about her work and find her book at www.zoffness.com Join us at Feisty Fest September 18-20, 2026: https://feisty.co/events/feisty-fest/ Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feisty.co/feisty-40/ Learn More about our 2026 Feisty Events, including Bike Camps and Cycling Trips: https://feisty.co/events/ Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners: Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Previnex: Get 20% off your order with code FEISTYBRAIN at https://www.previnex.com/ Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 20% off

    1hr 15min
  2. 10 Jun

    I’m Doing Everything Right…So Why Are My Labs Worse? Heart Health and Menopause with Michelle Routhenstein, MS, RD, CDN (Episode 278)

    Most of us have had that moment where we get our bloodwork back and shake our heads. We’re still our active, health‑minded selves and out of nowhere—rising LDL, ApoB, A1C, and maybe blood pressure and Lp(a), too. This week, preventive cardiology dietitian Michelle Routhenstein joins us to unpack the cardiometabolic chaos and what’s really driving it. She explains estrogen’s protective role in lipids and blood pressure, why standard risk calculators and even calcium scores can miss women’s disease, and which advanced labs are worth asking for. We also dig into how under‑fueling and low‑carb diets can worsen cardiometabolic health and plaque; why complex carbs, fiber, fermented foods, and gut health matter so much; and how to approach protein, red meat, electrolytes, nitric oxide, and statins in a personalized, empowering way—remembering that 80–90% of heart disease remains preventable when women get the right information and advocate for themselves. Michelle Routhenstein, MS, RD, CDCES, CDN is a preventive cardiology dietitian and founder of Entirely Nourished, a virtual practice focused on personalized, science-based nutrition for heart health. With over 14 years of experience, she helps people improve cardiometabolic risk and manage conditions like atherosclerosis, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation using a whole-person approach. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Clinical Nutrition from New York University, serves on the Forbes Health Advisory Board and the Medical Advisory Committee for the National Menopause Foundation, and is the author of The Truly Easy Heart-Healthy Cookbook and Simple Meal Solutions for High Blood Pressure. Her work has been featured in outlets including Forbes Health, Fox News, Prevention, Women’s Health, and Good Housekeeping, and she works with clients virtually from New York via www.entirelynourished.com Join us at Feisty Fest September 18-20, 2026: https://feisty.co/events/feisty-fest/ Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feisty.co/feisty-40/ Learn More about our 2026 Feisty Events, including Bike Camps and Cycling Trips: https://feisty.co/events/ Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners: Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Previnex: Get 20% off your order with code FEISTYBRAIN at https://www.previnex.com/ Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 20% off

    1hr 15min
  3. 7 Jun ·  Bonus

    Take the Leap: Kate Veronneau on Adventure and Trying Something New at FeistyFest

    In this bonus episode, Selene welcomes longtime friend, cyclist, and women’s sports powerhouse Kate Veronneau to the show for a preview of the first-ever FeistyFest in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. For Kate, the location is personal. The Valley Preferred Cycling Center is where she first fell in love with bike racing, found her cycling community, and eventually launched a career in the sport. She shares how a casual Friday night trip to watch track racing turned into an entry-level “try the track” class, a relocation to the Lehigh Valley, and years immersed in one of the most magical cycling communities around. Selene and Kate talk about what makes the Lehigh Valley so special: quiet roads, covered bridges, gravel before gravel was “gravel,” beautiful trails, and a deep community of people who love to ride, run, explore, and support one another. They also dig into what attendees can expect at FeistyFest: track riding, gravel, trail running, lifting, swimming, pickleball, community, laughter, and the kind of grown-up summer camp energy that reminds women how good it feels to try new things. Kate also shares why women-only spaces can be so powerful, especially when women feel safe, supported, and encouraged to step outside their comfort zones. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or brand new to an activity, there is something magical that happens when women come together, lift each other up, and give each other permission to live a little bigger. Learn more and register for FeistyFest

    22 min
  4. 3 Jun

    Nourishing Menopause: Food, Stress, Sleep, Supplements & More with Andrea Donsky, RHN

    There’s a lot of advice out there on how to fix, cure, hack, medicate, and manage menopause. Often, what we really need is nourishment, says this week’s guest Andrea Donsky, RHN, author of Nourishing Menopause: Powerful Nutrition and Lifestyle Strategies to Feel Your Best. Andrea’s 14‑year journey through perimenopause led her to blend naturopathic and conventional medicine into a complementary approach that focuses on gut health, nervous system regulation, blood sugar management, and other strategies that give your body, mind, and spirit what they need to thrive through and beyond the menopause transition. We dig into all of it—plus midlife identity, the power of community, and much more. Andrea Donsky is a menopause nutritionist, 7X published menopause researcher, certified perimenopause and menopause health coach, and author known as the “Menopause Researcher” to her 350,000+ TikTok followers. She founded Morphus, hosts the Menopause Reimagined podcast, and is the author of Nourishing Menopause: Powerful Nutrition and Lifestyle Strategies to Feel Your Best. You can learn more about her and her work, and find her book at andreadonsky.com Join us at Feisty Fest September 18-20, 2026: https://feisty.co/events/feisty-fest/ Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feisty.co/feisty-40/ Learn More about our 2026 Feisty Events, including Bike Camps and Cycling Trips: https://feisty.co/events/ Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners: Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Previnex: Get 20% off your order with code FEISTYBRAIN at https://www.previnex.com/ Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 20% off

    1hr 3min
  5. 20 May

    Mindset Mastery for Midlife Athletes with Sonya Looney (Episode 275)

    What happens when a world class athlete and mindset coach meets the menopause transition? We find out this week with champion mountain bike racer and mental performance coach Sonya Looney, who dug deep into her positive psychology toolkit to navigate her compressed midlife journey through pregnancy, postpartum, motherhood, miscarriage, perimenopause, and the performance/identity challenges they bring. She shares hormone therapy insights, nutrition shifts, powerlifting gains, training for who you are now, acceptance without resignation, and much more. Sonya Looney is a World Champion (24-hour racing) mountain biker and 4x National Champion, a positive psychology researcher, and internationally recognized performance expert. She holds a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she won an award for her research on meaningful accomplishment. Sonya is a sought-after keynote speaker, performance coach, and podcast host, whose work bridges elite sport, science, and human insight. Her ideas have appeared in major media from The Washington Post to Outside Magazine , and she has been featured in a New York Times Best-selling book. Passionate about helping high performers find lasting fulfillment, Sonya integrates evidence-based strategies and personal experience to redefine what it means to truly matter, and she is a forthcoming author on that subject! Learn more about her and her work at sonyalooney.com Watch on YouTube Join us at Feisty Fest September 18-20, 2026: https://feisty.co/events/feisty-fest/ Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feisty.co/feisty-40/ Learn More about our 2026 Feisty Events, including Bike Camps and Cycling Trips: https://feisty.co/events/ Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners: Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Previnex: Get 20% off your order with code FEISTYBRAIN at https://www.previnex.com/ Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 20% off

    1hr 1min
  6. 13 May

    Why Even Active Women Lose Bone—and How to Build It Back with Belinda Beck, PhD (Episode 274)

    Active women are often blindsided by an osteopenia or osteoporosis diagnosis. This week, we explain why—and, more importantly, what to do about it—with Professor Belinda Beck, PhD, investigator on the groundbreaking LIFTMOR trial, which found that high-intensity resistance and impact training was both effective and safe for postmenopausal women with low bone density. This episode is a deep dive into how bone remodeling works and why mechanical loading—especially the right combination of impact exercise and progressive heavy strength training—is essential for building and maintaining bone strength. We also cover peak bone mass, estrogen, menopause, and the foundational role of nutrition, including calcium and vitamin D, in supporting stronger bones for life. Dr Belinda Beck is a Professor of Exercise Physiology at Griffith University (Gold Coast, QLD) and Director of The Bone Clinic in Brisbane. Her work, primarily related to the effects of mechanical loading on bone, includes a series of clinical trials (the LIFTMOR and MEDEX-OP trials) that changed the way osteoporosis is managed with exercise. In 2015, she established The Bone Clinic, a translational research facility and clinical practice in Brisbane providing the ONERO® exercise program for osteoporosis which has been licensed for delivery around the world. She has been awarded almost $8M in research funding and has published over 150 papers and chapters in the field. She is a Fellow of numerous bone and exercise societies (including ACSM, ASBMR, ESSA and SMA), is on the Board of the Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society, Sports Medicine Australia, the SOS Fracture Alliance, the International Osteoporosis Foundation Capture the Fracture Governance Committee, and the Healthy Bones AustraliaMedicine and Science Advisory Committee. Resources: High-Intensity Resistance and Impact Training Improves Bone Mineral Density and Physical Function in Postmenopausal Women With Osteopenia and Osteoporosis: The LIFTMOR Randomized Controlled Trial here The Bone Clinic & ONERO® program Watch on YouTube Join us at Feisty Fest September 18-20, 2026: https://feisty.co/events/feisty-fest/ Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feisty.co/feisty-40/ Learn More about our 2026 Feisty Events, including Bike Camps and Cycling Trips: https://feisty.co/events/ Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners: Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Previnex: Get 20% off your order with code FEISTYBRAIN at https://www.previnex.com/ Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 20% off

    1hr 20min
  7. 6 May

    Hormone Therapy Real Talk: Testing, Trial and Error & Finding Your Way with Dr. Heather Hirsch (Episode 273)

    We have questions–lots and lots of questions–on hormone therapy during the menopause transition, and this week Dr. Heather Hirsch — menopause specialist and author of The Perimenopause Survival Guide — brings her signature blend of clinical wisdom and data-informed, personalized care to help answer them. Perimenopause is the most complex phase of the menopause transition, and this conversation goes deep on the pros and cons of hormone testing, the nuances of hormone therapy dosing, progesterone intolerance, breakthrough bleeding, receptor sensitivity, why it may never be too late to start hormone therapy, and much more. Dr. Heather Hirsch, MD, MS, MSCP is a board-certified internist, entrepreneur, and one of today's most trusted voices in women's midlife health. She is the Founder and CEO of The Collaborative, a concierge telemedicine practice for women navigating perimenopause and menopause, and Academy for Advanced Women's Health Medicine, where she trains clinicians worldwide in midlife women’s care. A Menopause Society Certified Practitioner with over a decade of experience in menopausal medicine, she is the author of the bestselling book Unlock Your Menopause Type and, The Perimenopause Survival Guide. A featured expert on Oprah Winfrey’s 2023 “The Life You Want” Series, Dr. Hirsch has also appeared in The New York Times, NPR, The Washington Post, The Drew Barrymore Show, Live with Kelly and Mark, Access Hollywood, and numerous other major media outlets. You can learn more about her and her work at heatherhirschmd.com. Join us at Feisty Fest September 18-20, 2026: https://feisty.co/events/feisty-fest/ Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feisty.co/feisty-40/ Learn More about our 2026 Feisty Events, including Bike Camps and Cycling Trips: https://feisty.co/events/ Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners: Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Previnex: Get 20% off your order with code FEISTYBRAIN at https://www.previnex.com/ Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 20% off

    1hr 30min
  8. 29 Apr

    Perimenopause, Powerlifting, and Angels with Jenny Smith (Episode 272)

    Elite cyclist, multisport athlete, and endurance coach Jenny Smith has spent decades pushing her limits — including multiple Leadville 100 podiums — but perimenopause and a meniscus tear brought unexpected mental and physical health challenges…and solutions. Ultimately, she found help through traditional medical interventions, picked up weights and got stronger than she’s been in years, and discovered Angelic Reiki, which gave her peace, calm, and a deeper connection to herself. This week we unpack her perimenopause journey, the symptoms she didn't see coming, the relief strategies that actually worked, and why aging doesn't have to mean stepping back from the sports and the life you love. Jenny Smith is an elite cyclist, multisport athlete, and endurance coach with Aim High Performance Coaching—a company she co-founded with her husband, Brian Smith. A New Zealander, Jenny has called Gunnison, CO, home since 1999. She arrived as a collegiate runner at Western Colorado University and has been fortunate to live here as a pro mountain biker and elite athlete with Brian and their daughter, Jade. She coaches with youth and collegiate athletes and provides personalized coaching for endurance athletes. Jenny aims to be an active role model, athlete, and coach for many years to come. You can learn more about her and her work at www.aimhigh-performance.com Resources: How Important are Meditation and Spirituality in Reiki Practice? here Reports of Non‐Physical Beings Assisting in Reiki Sessions here Join us at Feisty Fest September 18-20, 2026: https://feisty.co/events/feisty-fest/ Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feisty.co/feisty-40/ Learn More about our 2026 Feisty Events, including Bike Camps and Cycling Trips: https://feisty.co/events/ Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners: Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/ Previnex: Get 20% off your order with code FEISTYBRAIN at https://www.previnex.com/ Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 20% off

    1hr 6min

About

Perimenopause and menopause hit active women differently. We have a different lifestyle and different goals. And we know our bodies. Whether you run and hike or do CrossFit and ski (or a little of everything!), you’ve had a way of eating and exercising that worked…until the menopause transition, when it all goes out the window as body composition changes, fatigue, body aches, sleepless nights, hot flashes, brain fog, mood swings, and low mojo blindside you out of the blue—despite doing everything right. Your doctor may (or may not) help with hormone replacement therapy. But what about all the active stuff you love? You’re already exercising and eating well. What you want is to feel and perform like you used to. That doesn’t mean fasting, swearing off carbs for life, or just slowing down. It means adjusting your nutrition, training, recovery, and mindset to work with your changing physiology as you hit this phase of life. And we’re here for it. At Hit Play Not Pause, we know the potential of women in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond, because we talk to elite athletes and everyday active women who are still hitting personal bests along with world-renowned sports dietitians, researchers, medical and menopause specialists to help you understand what’s happening under the hood during the menopause transition and more importantly, what you can do about it—from hormone therapy to heavy lifting and everything in between—to feel and perform your best. Host Selene Yeager is a health and science journalist with 30 years’ experience and more than two dozen books to her name. She also lives an active life as a former Ironman triathlete and professional mountain bike racer who still rides, runs, paddles, hikes, lifts, and through her work at Feisty Menopause helps others do the same.

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