Menopause, Melanin & Aging Like A Queen

Samantha Montpetit-Huynh

Menopause, anti-diet culture, anti-racism and disrupting the stigma when it comes to fitness and health especially in the menopause space.

  1. 4d ago

    Episode 109 - Muscle Is the Organ Nobody Told You About

    Send us Fan Mail I got a DM a while back about a woman's mom who had ankle surgery. She'd been told to build up her upper body strength beforehand and didn't. Now she doesn't have enough strength to use crutches, so she scoots up and down her own stairs on her bum. Right after that, a friend told me about her mom — knee surgery, but she strengthened everything around the joint first with a physio. Her recovery was incredible, and her other knee, which has the exact same damage on imaging, is doing so well she might skip that surgery entirely. Same age. Same kind of injury. Completely different outcomes. That's muscle. In this episode I'm breaking down why muscle might be the single most important thing you can do for your health — not for how it looks, but for what it does. We're talking blood sugar regulation and your risk of type 2 diabetes, brain health and cognition, bone density and whether you can get yourself on and off a toilet at 85, cardiovascular health (no, I'm not telling you to stop your cardio), and mobility as you age. I'm also getting into the real numbers on how fast menopause is taking your muscle right now, why the Gen X "20-minute workout and a diet" approach isn't going to cut it anymore, and the hard truth about hip fractures after 60. And I'm putting the "I don't want to get bulky" fear to bed for good, because given everything working against you hormonally right now, it is genuinely hard to build noticeable bulk — you're fighting just to hold onto what you have. Thank you for listening and I would like to remind you that Walk with Sam - Walking Group - is available for anyone to join, ANYWHERE! Click HERE to join the free Whatsapp community! Thank you for listening.

  2. Aug 10

    Episode 108 - Fed Up, Fried, and Done Pretending

    Send us Fan Mail You know that tired that isn't fixed by a nap? That's what this episode is about. Sam recaps her Strong Through Menopause Method webinar and breaks down the three pillars behind it — Cortisol Calm, Build-Don't-Burn, and Unlearning diet culture — and gets real about what happened after: 200 women signed up, 70 showed up, and every single woman she's talked to since has said almost the exact same thing. I'm exhausted. I'm fed up starting and stopping. Something has to change. Sam digs into why that gap between signing up and showing up isn't a character flaw — it's human nature — and why so many of us stay stuck in discomfort we already know isn't working, simply because it's familiar. She also shares the story of the scariest $8,000 she ever spent on herself: the first time she hired a coach, with zero guarantees, and how that leap changed the entire trajectory of her career. If you're the woman who's tired of piecing it together alone — this one's for you. In this episode: The three pillars of the Strong Through Menopause MethodWhy only a fraction of webinar sign-ups ever show up (and why that's normal)The psychology of why we buy the download and avoid the doingWhat fear and finances really look like when you're deciding to invest in yourselfSam's own story of hiring her first coach — and what it taught her about betting on yourself without a guaranteeReady to stop starting over? Head to samcoretrainer.com or book a FREE call with me here. Thank you for listening and I would like to remind you that Walk with Sam - Walking Group - is available for anyone to join, ANYWHERE! Click HERE to join the free Whatsapp community! Thank you for listening.

  3. Jul 27

    Episode 107 - Why Midlife Community Matters More Than the Plan

    Send us Fan Mail Last night I hosted eleven women I love at my house — food, laughter, connection, the whole thing. It was, by every measure, a beautiful night. We just never got around to dancing. And somehow that's the one thing I fixated on. I went to bed anxious. Woke up anxious. Spinning on whether everyone actually had a good time, or was just being polite. In this episode, I'm getting honest about where that feeling actually came from — and it wasn't the dancing. It was the first time I'd hosted my close friends since my husband moved out over a year ago, and some part of me had quietly set an impossible bar for myself. We're talking about the difference between the plan you write in your head and the outcome you actually wanted, why control shows up hardest during the seasons we're rebuilding, and why community isn't optional in midlife — it's protective. If you've ever done something good and still gone to bed feeling like you failed, this one's for you. Thank you for listening and I would like to remind you that Walk with Sam - Walking Group - is available for anyone to join, ANYWHERE! Click HERE to join the free Whatsapp community! Thank you for listening.

  4. Jul 20

    Episode 106 - Should Canada Follow Suit? Menopause, Rhode Island's New Law, and the Real Cost of Staying Silent at Work

    Send us Fan Mail Rhode Island just made history — it's the first U.S. state to legally require workplace accommodations for menopause. No pamphlet in the break room, no vague "be supportive" suggestion. An actual legal requirement. And it made me ask the question I know a lot of you have been asking too: should Canada be next? In this episode I break down exactly what the Rhode Island law says, what's happening (and not happening) here in Canada, and the numbers that honestly stopped me in my tracks — including that roughly 1 in 10 Canadian women leave their jobs entirely because of unmanaged menopause symptoms. I also get personal about the clients I've worked with who spent months, sometimes years, calling it "burnout" before anyone ever said the word menopause out loud. Because here's the thing — both can be true at once. You can be burnt out AND navigating one of the biggest hormonal transitions of your life. Nobody ever taught us to tell the difference. In this episode: What Rhode Island's new menopause law actually requiresWhy Canada has no equivalent legislation — yetThe real cost: $3.5 billion a year, 540,000 lost workdays, and why two-thirds of women won't even tell their supervisor what's going onThe client stories that made this episode personal for meWhy menopause and burnout can show up almost identically — and why that mattersWhat real workplace support could actually look likeMy honest take on whether Canada should follow suitThis one is personal, practical, and political. If you've ever wondered whether what you're feeling is "just stress" — this episode might change how you see it. Should Canada follow Rhode Island's lead? I want to know what you think. Listen now and head to samcoretrainer.com to work with me. Thank you for listening and I would like to remind you that Walk with Sam - Walking Group - is available for anyone to join, ANYWHERE! Click HERE to join the free Whatsapp community! Thank you for listening.

  5. Jul 13

    Episode 105 - Menopause and My Mental Health (Anxiety, Mental Load, and What Actually Helps)

    Send us Fan Mail I'm 55, and almost a year and a half ago, my husband moved out. What followed wasn't something I expected — new anxiety, heart palpitations, a racing mind I couldn't quiet. I've never been a worrier. Now I am. And I'm not telling you this for sympathy. This is a truth-telling episode, not a woe-is-me one. In this episode, I get honest about what this season has actually looked like for me — the anxiety, the monkey brain, the mental load of running a business, showing up for clients, and holding it together for my girls and my dogs. I break down what's actually happening in our brains during menopause: estrogen receptors live throughout our bodies, including our brains, and the research connecting estrogen decline to anxiety, depression, and even Alzheimer's risk is real. What you're feeling isn't weakness — it's biology. I also talk about the low motivation nobody sees (yes, I look happy and full of energy — and it takes more work to get there than it used to), the invisible mental load women and caregivers carry, and why we're so bad at asking for help. Then I share the real, non-negotiable tools keeping me grounded: movement, meditation, sleep boundaries, limiting social media, and community. My mental health is the most important thing in my life right now. And I've decided — I get to write the ending to my own story. Thank you for listening and I would like to remind you that Walk with Sam - Walking Group - is available for anyone to join, ANYWHERE! Click HERE to join the free Whatsapp community! Thank you for listening.

  6. Jul 6

    Episode 104 - We Have Lost the Plot — And How to Find Your Way Back to YOUR Body This Summer

    Send us Fan Mail When is the last time you went dancing? Not swaying in your living room — really dancing. Out somewhere. In your body. Not thinking about how you look. If that question made you pause, this episode is for you. Sam Montpetit-Huynh is talking about the summer body myth — decades of diet culture that taught women their bodies needed to be smaller, thinner, and more acceptable before they were worthy of being seen. The 30-day challenges. The before-and-after photos. The summers spent hiding in the back of group photos, skipping the pool, saying no to things that were supposed to be fun. And then she's talking about something that stopped her cold — a stat shared at a fitness industry panel that less than 18% of Canadians participate in regular structured physical activity. Not because the information isn't out there. But because as an industry we have been so busy chasing trends that we forgot to help people with the basics. Move your body. Build your strength. Ask for help. Be accountable to someone. Decide — for real — that you are worth prioritizing. This episode also includes a pitch for Sam's 6 Week Midlife Glow Up, opening July 7th — a program built for women in perimenopause and menopause who are done sitting out their own summers. This one is honest, a little angry in the best way, and completely necessary. In this episode: Why women in their 40s and 50s are watching life from the sidelines — and what's really behind itThe summer body myth and who actually benefits from itThe fitness industry stat that should make all of us stop and reconsiderThe three decisions that change everythingWhat the 6 Week Midlife Glow Up is, who it's for, and how to joinResources mentioned: 6 Week Midlife Glow Up — cart opens July 6th, one week onlyEmail sam@samcoretrainer.com with "Glow Up" in the subject line for detailsFree community: Strong Women Over 40 on FacebookThank you for listening and I would like to remind you that Walk with Sam - Walking Group - is available for anyone to join, ANYWHERE! Click HERE to join the free Whatsapp community! Thank you for listening.

  7. Jun 29

    Episode 103 - The Menopause Symptom No One Warns You About.

    Send us Fan Mail Guess what? I never had a single hot flash. Not one night sweat in over two years of perimenopause. What I had instead: hives the size of a deck of cards from a single mosquito bite, sneezing attacks out of nowhere, and ears that itched so badly at 3am I used to dream about taking a razor blade to them. That's not in any of the ads. In this episode, I'm breaking down the symptoms nobody warns you about — the ones that don't make it into the marketing because they're not "photogenic" and there's no before-and-after photo for them. We get into: The real top symptoms of perimenopause — new research from Flo Health and Mayo Clinic, surveying over 17,000 women, found that exhaustion, fatigue, irritability, sleep problems, and low mood topped the list. Hot flashes didn't even crack the top five.My two-year histamine spiral — the hives, the sneezing, the ears, and why your hormones are actually behind it.Brain fog and your career — why losing your words mid-sentence is funny on a walk with a friend and a career risk in a boardroom. One in ten Canadian women leave their jobs over unmanaged menopause symptoms.The rage — what's hormonal (hello, dropping progesterone) and what's just the justified fury of being dismissed by your own doctor.My own thyroid plot twist — happening in real time, and what it's teaching me about how our hormones are always aging, all at once.What we actually need — doctors trained in menopause, HRT covered everywhere the way it just became covered in BC, and care that represents every one of us.If you've ever felt exhausted, foggy, or furious and wondered if it was "really" menopause because you weren't sweating through your sheets — this episode is your answer. You're not too sensitive, too dramatic, or too young. You know your body. Listen now, and if this one hits home, send it to a woman who needs to hear she isn't crazy. Thank you for listening and I would like to remind you that Walk with Sam - Walking Group - is available for anyone to join, ANYWHERE! Click HERE to join the free Whatsapp community! Thank you for listening.

  8. Jun 22

    Episode 102 - Juneteenth & Connecting To Who I Really AM

    Send us Fan Mail This isn't your average menopause content — and Sam wants you to know that right up front. Recorded on Juneteenth, this episode steps away from strength training and hormone talk to go somewhere more personal: what George Floyd's murder on May 25th, 2020 cracked open in Sam, and everything she's learned — and is still learning — since. Sam walks through the real history of Juneteenth, including the two-and-a-half-year gap between the Emancipation Proclamation and the day freedom actually reached Galveston, Texas — and why that gap matters far beyond 1865. She unpacks systemic racism and white supremacy in plain language, shares Canada's own Emancipation Day, and gets honest about something she rarely says out loud: how unlearning her own history at 50+ has left her feeling fragile, like a schoolgirl hearing things for the first time, ego and all. She also connects this directly to her coaching work — naming the white lens that most menopause research and messaging is built through, and why closing that gap is part of her mission. This episode comes with an honest invitation: if it makes you uncomfortable, Sam understands if you need to step away. But if you're willing to sit in the discomfort and learn alongside her, she'd love for you to stay. Thank you for listening and I would like to remind you that Walk with Sam - Walking Group - is available for anyone to join, ANYWHERE! Click HERE to join the free Whatsapp community! Thank you for listening.

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Menopause, anti-diet culture, anti-racism and disrupting the stigma when it comes to fitness and health especially in the menopause space.

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