unPAUSED with Dr. Mary Claire Haver

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Welcome to unPAUSED, the podcast where bold, unfiltered conversations take place about what it really takes for women to thrive in the second half of life. Every week, Dr. Mary Claire Haver, a board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist, Certified Menopause Practitioner, and #1 New York Times best-selling author, tackles the conversations women actually need to hear. Dr. Haver sits down with a variety of medical experts, CEOs, and risk-takers to discuss everything that matters, from hormones and identity to financial power, relationships, and the tools needed to build the life you want. unPAUSED is about reclaiming your healthspan—not just the number of years you live, but the number of years you live well. Tune in every Tuesday for new episodes of unPAUSED. Subscribe now so you don't miss it.

  1. 3d ago

    Melinda French Gates Is Fighting to Close the Menopause Funding Gap

    In this episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Mary Claire Haver sits down with Melinda French Gates, philanthropist and founder of Pivotal, to talk about her call for a "menopause revolution" — including the $215 million in new funding for women's health she announced in her New York Times essay, bringing her total investment in women's health to more than $600 million in two years. Melinda opens with the numbers driving her urgency: nearly one in three women over forty has menopause symptoms severe enough to disrupt her life, only about one in four gets treated, fewer than a third of OB-GYN training programs teach menopause at all, and just five cents of every dollar spent on medical research goes to women's health. Melinda shares her own story — how, despite what she calls unbelievable privilege and access to the best health care in the world, it took three doctors to get the right care for her symptoms, and how chronic insomnia and brain fog left her doubting herself walking into meetings with world leaders and CEOs. She and Dr. Haver trace how the Women's Health Initiative halted research, education, and hormone therapy almost overnight, why the health care system was built for men's bodies by default, the racial disparities leaving women of color to suffer most with the least treatment, and the new research she's funding through Wellcome Leap into women-specific heart disease and microvascular diagnostics. The episode closes with Melinda's concrete advice for every woman who wants change: advocate for yourself at the doctor's office, educate your friends with credible information, contact your representatives, and vote — because midlife shouldn't be an off-ramp, but one of the most vibrant chapters of a woman's life. Guest links:Melinda French Gates (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/@melindagatesMelinda French Gates (Instagram) https://www.instagram.com/melindafrenchgates/Melinda French Gates (Facebook) https://www.facebook.com/melindagates/Melinda French Gates (LinkedIn) https://www.linkedin.com/in/melindagates/Melinda French Gates (X) https://x.com/melindagatesPivotal https://www.pivotal.com/founderMoment of Lift Books https://www.momentoflift.com/Melinda French Gates at the Gates Foundation https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/leadership/melinda-french-gates Books:"The Next Day," by Melinda French Gates https://www.melindafrenchgates.com/"The New Perimenopause," by Dr. Mary Claire Haver https://thepauselife.com/pages/the-new-perimenopause-book"The New Menopause," by Dr. Mary Claire Haver https://www.amazon.com/New-Menopause-Navigating-Through-Hormonal/dp/B0CKBZ4K1Z

    Melinda French Gates Is Fighting to Close the Menopause Funding Gap

  2. Sep 1

    Testosterone Is Not a Male Hormone: Levels, Dosing, and What It Does During Menopause

    In this episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Mary Claire Haver sits down with Dr. Mohit Khera, board-certified urologist and Professor of Urology at Baylor College of Medicine, where he holds the F. Brantley Scott Chair in Urology, to tell women the truth about testosterone — the hormone women actually make more of than estrogen, yet still cannot access in a single FDA-approved formulation. Dr. Khera explains why testosterone is one of the most biologically active hormones in the female body, with receptors in the brain, heart, bone, muscle, and genitalia, and why the research to prove its full benefits for women has simply never been funded. He walks through what low testosterone really looks like, how to get tested properly, why women with low libido are so often handed an SSRI that makes things worse, the truth about pellets, creams, and injections, which side effects are reversible and which are not, and the red flags to watch for when looking for a prescriber. He also shares why sexual dysfunction is a couple's disease, what he calls the "hormonally dangerous decade," and the one intervention he's found that makes women feel even better than hormones. Guest links: Dr. Mohit Khera (Instagram) https://www.instagram.com/drmohitkhera/ Dr. Mohit Khera (X) https://twitter.com/DrMohitKhera Dr. Mohit Khera (LinkedIn) https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmohitkhera/ Dr. Mohit Khera (Website) https://drmohitkhera.com/ Dr. Mohit Khera at Baylor College of Medicine https://www.bcm.edu/people-search/mohit-khera-24469 Books: "The New Perimenopause," by Dr. Mary Claire Haver https://thepauselife.com/pages/the-new-perimenopause-book "The New Menopause," by Dr. Mary Claire Haver https://www.amazon.com/New-Menopause-Navigating-Through-Hormonal/dp/B0CKBZ4K1Z

    Testosterone Is Not a Male Hormone: Levels, Dosing, and What It Does During Menopause

  3. Aug 25

    Dr. Mary Claire Haver on Menopause: Recorded Live from LA with Dr. Rena Malik

    This episode of unPAUSED was recorded live at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles in front of an audience gathered to talk about perimenopause, menopause, hormones, sex, brain health, and bone health. Dr. Mary Claire Haver is joined on stage by Dr. Rena Malik, a board certified urologist, pelvic medicine specialist, and sexual health expert, for a wide ranging conversation about what is actually happening in women's bodies during the menopause transition, and what every woman navigating midlife health should know. The conversation moves through the zone of chaos that is perimenopause, the hormonal unpredictability behind mood changes, sleep disruption, brain fog, and rising inflammation. Dr. Haver traces how estrogen loss drives increases in cholesterol, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular risk, and explains why the fastest rate of bone loss happens in perimenopause, two years before a woman's final period, making a bone density baseline in your forties, not your sixties, the smarter move against osteoporosis later in life. Guest links: The ‘Pause Life Dr. Mary Claire Haver (Instagram) Dr. Mary Claire Haver (Facebook) Dr. Mary Claire Haver (YouTube) Dr. Mary Claire Haver (Substack) unPAUSED (Apple Podcasts) Books “The New Perimenopause,” by Dr. Mary Claire Haver “The New Menopause"⁠ by Dr. Mary Claire Haver “Estrogen Matters: Why Taking Hormones in Menopause Can Improve Women's Well-Being and Lengthen Their Lives -- Without Raising the Risk of Breast Cancer,” by Dr. Avrum Bluming For full show notes, please click here.

    Dr. Mary Claire Haver on Menopause: Recorded Live from LA with Dr. Rena Malik

  4. Aug 21

    Listen Again: Build Strength, Live Longer: The Menopause Longevity Blueprint with Dr. Vonda Wright

    What if weak bones and muscle loss aren't just "normal aging" but the result of decades of misinformation? In this episode double board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Vonda Wright joins Dr. Mary Claire Haver to shatter the myth that frailty, fractures, and decline are inevitable for women in midlife. Dr. Wright explains why women can lose up to 20% of their bone mass in just five years after menopause—and more importantly, what we can do to prevent it. She reveals how stress, inadequate nutrition, and neglecting strength training and hormonal health create the very outcomes we've been taught to accept as unavoidable. From the "musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause" that affects 70-80% of women (yet most doctors never discuss) to the science of building bones through strategic lifting, Dr. Wright provides the blueprint for aging with power instead of resignation. Guest links: Dr. Vonda WrightDr. Vonda Wright (Instagram)Books Unbreakable: A Women's Guide To Aging With Power, by Dr. Vonda WrightYounger in 8 Weeks, by Dr. Vonda WrightFitness After 40: Your Strong Body at 40, 50, 60, and Beyond, by Dr. Vonda WrightGuide to THRIVE: 4 Steps to Body, Brains and Bliss, by Dr. Vonda WrightMasterful Care of the Aging Athlete: A Clinical Guide, by Dr. Vonda WrightRaising a Healthy Youth Athlete, by Dr. Vonda WrightFor full show notes, please click here.

    Listen Again: Build Strength, Live Longer: The Menopause Longevity Blueprint with Dr. Vonda Wright

  5. Aug 18

    How to Get What You Need From a 15-Minute Doctor's Appointment with Dr. Lucy McBride

    In this episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Mary Claire Haver sits down with Dr. Lucy McBride, a Harvard and Johns Hopkins trained primary care physician and author of the new book Beyond the Prescription: A Doctor's Guide to Taking Charge of Your Health. Dr. McBride has spent twenty five years watching patients bounce between a rushed medical system and a wellness industry. The conversation opens with a hard truth about modern healthcare: doctors interrupt patients within eleven seconds of them speaking, and fifteen minute appointments leave almost no room to understand the whole person behind the diagnosis codes. Dr. McBride explains why this happened, how insurance incentives reward volume over conversation, and why trust and rapport, not just lab values, are the real birthplace of health. She and Dr. Haver share stories from their own practices, including patients who were given thousands of dollars in tests but never asked a single question about their actual lives. Guest links: Dr. Lucy McBride Dr. Lucy McBride (Instagram) Dr. Lucy McBride (LinkedIn) Dr. Lucy McBride (X) Dr. Lucy McBride (YouTube) Dr. Lucy McBride (Ackerly McBride Group) Beyond the Prescription (Apple Podcasts) Are You Okay? By Dr. Lucy McBride (Substack) Books “The New Perimenopause,” by Dr. Mary Claire Haver “The New Menopause,"⁠ by Dr. Mary Claire Haver “Beyond the Prescription: A Doctor's Guide to Taking Charge of Your Health,” by Dr. Lucy McBride For full show notes, please click here.

    How to Get What You Need From a 15-Minute Doctor's Appointment with Dr. Lucy McBride

  6. Aug 14

    Menopause Sleep Reset: A Recovery Plan You Can Start Tonight with Dr. Kristen Holmes

    In this episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Mary Claire Haver continues her conversation with Dr. Kristen Holmes, Vice President of Performance Science at Whoop and author of the new book Aligned, moving from the science of circadian rhythm into a practical recovery plan a woman can start using tonight. Dr. Holmes lays out a realistic strength and cardio prescription for women who only have thirty minutes a day, and explains how sleep governs the release of growth hormone and the capacity to build and preserve muscle as we age. She introduces the idea of alignment over willpower, framing consistent habits as infrastructure built around what someone actually values rather than a matter of discipline, and connects that back to the four core psychological needs, purpose, autonomy, self efficacy, and connection, that predict anxiety and sleep quality. The conversation turns to wearables, including what to look for in a tracker, the pitfalls of obsessing over data, and simple, no cost markers like a regular menstrual cycle, resting heart rate, energy, and mood that anyone can track without one. Dr. Holmes and Dr. Haver also cover how alcohol and marijuana affect sleep architecture, when a sedative can help short term versus when it becomes a long term problem, and which supplements, like magnesium, actually have data behind them for sleep and anxiety. The episode closes with a rapid fire round on melatonin, mouth taping, cold plunging, weighted blankets, red light therapy, chronotypes, and napping, followed by the two changes Dr. Holmes would tell a woman to make first if she wants better sleep and recovery starting tonight. Guest links: Dr. Kristen Holmes (Instagram) Dr. Kristen Holmes, PhD (LinkedIn) The Line with Dr. Kristen Holmes (Apple Podcasts) Books “The New Perimenopause,” by Dr. Mary Claire Haver “The New Menopause,"⁠ by Dr. Mary Claire Haver “Aligned: The Data-driven Guide to Performance, Recovery, and Human Potential,” by Kristen Holmes For full show notes, please click here.

    Menopause Sleep Reset: A Recovery Plan You Can Start Tonight with Dr. Kristen Holmes

  7. Aug 11

    Menopause and the 3AM Wake Up: What Light, Meal Timing and Hormones Do with Dr. Kristen Holmes

    In this episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Mary Claire Haver sits down with Dr. Kristen Holmes, Vice President of Performance Science at Whoop and author of the new book Aligned, to unpack why sleep and circadian rhythm matter as much as hormones when it comes to the symptoms women feel in perimenopause and menopause. Dr. Holmes explains the concept of circadian amplitude, the contrast between activity and rest, light and dark, and fed and fasted states that keeps every system in the body running on time, and why women with lower amplitude tend to report more frequent and more severe symptoms. She walks through why morning light exposure is one of the most powerful and underused tools available, how getting outside within the first part of the day sets the timing for melatonin release that night, and why a window is not a substitute for actual daylight. The conversation moves into meal timing, including why the body is more insulin sensitive earlier in the day and how consolidating calories into a shorter window can support better sleep and metabolic health. Dr. Holmes also covers where movement fits, including the specific role of zone two training in recovery, why late night intense exercise can work against sleep, and how alcohol affects women differently than men at the same dose. Dr. Holmes and Dr. Haver also dig into what actually drives a 3am wake up, tracing it back to progesterone, GABA signaling, and the loss of hormonal stability that comes with perimenopause, and why sedatives can mask the problem without improving sleep architecture. The conversation ends with a look at the data connecting circadian misalignment to shift work, mental health, and long term health risk, and what a woman can start doing tonight to build back that rhythm. Guest links: Dr. Kristen Holmes (Instagram) Dr. Kristen Holmes, PhD (LinkedIn) The Line with Dr. Kristen Holmes (Apple Podcasts) Books “The New Perimenopause,” by Dr. Mary Claire Haver “The New Menopause,"⁠ by Dr. Mary Claire Haver “Aligned: The Data-driven Guide to Performance, Recovery, and Human Potential,” by Kristen Holmes For full show notes, please click here.

    Menopause and the 3AM Wake Up: What Light, Meal Timing and Hormones Do with Dr. Kristen Holmes

  8. Aug 7

    An ADHD and Menopause Toolkit: What Actually Helps with Dr. Sasha Hamdani

    In this episode of unPAUSED, Dr. Mary Claire Haver continues her conversation with Dr. Sasha Hamdani, a board certified psychiatrist and ADHD clinical expert who wrote Self-Care for People with ADHD and the forthcoming Too Sensitive, moving from diagnosis into what to actually do once ADHD and perimenopause or menopause start colliding. Dr. Hamdani explains how ADHD symptoms and medication effectiveness shift across the menstrual cycle, tracing the pattern back to the drop in estrogen and rise in progesterone that hits right before a period, and walks through where nonstimulant medication options fit for women who want an alternative to stimulants. She lays out her version of a menopause toolkit, prioritizing sleep, exercise, and nutrition ahead of any prescription, and explains why psychiatrists have reprioritized sleep given new data on how stimulant medication works in the brain. The conversation moves through nutrition and appetite regulation, the role GLP1 medications can play in quieting food noise, and a candid look at which supplements, including omega 3, ferritin, and magnesium, actually have data behind them versus which are marketed with none. Dr. Hamdani connects circadian rhythm and delayed melatonin onset to the sleep struggles common in ADHD, and explains why morning light exposure functions almost like a switch for the brain. Guest links: Sasha Hamdani, MD  Sasha Hamdani, MD (Facebook) Sasha Hamdani, MD (YouTube) Sasha Hamdani, MD (Instagram) Sasha Hamdani, MD (TikTok) Sasha Hamdani (LinkedIn) Books “The New Perimenopause,” by Dr. Mary Claire Haver “The New Menopause"⁠ by Dr. Mary Claire Haver “Too Sensitive: Rejection, Resilience, and the Science of Feeling Deeply,” by Dr. Sasha Hamdani “Self Care For People With ADHD,” by Dr. Sasha Hamdani For full show notes, please click here.

    An ADHD and Menopause Toolkit: What Actually Helps with Dr. Sasha Hamdani
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Welcome to unPAUSED, the podcast where bold, unfiltered conversations take place about what it really takes for women to thrive in the second half of life. Every week, Dr. Mary Claire Haver, a board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist, Certified Menopause Practitioner, and #1 New York Times best-selling author, tackles the conversations women actually need to hear. Dr. Haver sits down with a variety of medical experts, CEOs, and risk-takers to discuss everything that matters, from hormones and identity to financial power, relationships, and the tools needed to build the life you want. unPAUSED is about reclaiming your healthspan—not just the number of years you live, but the number of years you live well. Tune in every Tuesday for new episodes of unPAUSED. Subscribe now so you don't miss it.

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  • Channel
    Audacy
  • Creator
    Audacy | Mary Claire Haver, MD
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    61
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    Copyright © Mary Claire Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    unPAUSED with Dr. Mary Claire Haver

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