The Midlife Vitality Project: Where Perimenopause Becomes Your Comeback Story Naturally!

Joanne Willis, RHN
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Nutrition

If you’re a woman over 40 who is tired of feeling tired, foggy, or stuck in a body that doesn’t feel like yours anymore and are looking for a natural approach that will work for YOU to help you start feeling like yourself again, this podcast is for you.  In The Midlife Vitality Project podcast, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, cancer survivor and fellow perimenopause warrier, Joanne Willis, guides you through a real midlife health and life transformation — not one that relies on pills, weight loss injections, HRT or quick fixes, but through understanding your body’s signals and rebuilding your health from the root - naturally - with the power of nutrition! In each episode, Joanne will dig deep into the real reason behind midlife weight gain, mood swings, fatigue, and other wacky and worrying symptoms of perimenopause — and teaches you how to rebalance your metabolism, hormones and blood levels to achieve your best health and lasting vitality through menopause and beyond. Because midlife is not the end my friend — it’s just the beginning of your next chapter - the chapter that's all about you and living your best life! 

  1. Episode 50: What your bloodwork is actually telling you to eat (and what "healthy" foods not eat)

    2d ago

    Episode 50: What your bloodwork is actually telling you to eat (and what "healthy" foods not eat)

    Send us your questions & comments Discover The Magic of a Personalized Nutrition Plan and Why certain "Healthy" Foods Might Not Be on Yours at all! Last week in Episode 49 you heard my client, Helen, ask the question that stopped everything: "Is this the magic? Have I been eating wrong this whole time?" This week Joanne answers it. Fully. Specifically. In a way that will change how you think about food, about your health, and about what your body has been trying to tell you all along. Because here is what most women in midlife have never been told. The blood work your doctor runs and tells you is normal? That is not the same as your body thriving.  Normal means you are not an outlier. It does not mean your metabolism is functioning the way it should, your energy should not be better than it is, or that your symptoms are not pointing to something specific and very much addressable.  There is a gap between normal and optimal. And that gap is exactly where the answers live. In this episode Joanne pulls back the curtain on exactly how the Metabolic Balance program translates 36 specific blood markers into a personalized nutrition plan that includes very specific foods (and excludes many others too even though mainstream media wants you to believe they are "healthy" for everyone! In this episode you will learn: Why the reference ranges on your standard blood panel are not the same as the ranges that indicate your body is actually thriving — and why that gap is where your symptoms liveHow blood sugar and insulin markers directly determine which proteins, carbohydrates, and fruits appear on your plan — and why universally healthy foods like mango, grapes, oats, and whole grain bread may not be on yours right nowWhy your liver is the most underappreciated organ in your entire body — and how liver markers influence everything from which oils are recommended to whether eggs appear at breakfast — including a real client example of why eggs were moved from breakfast to lunch for a woman on thyroid medicationWhat your CRP inflammation marker is actually telling us — and why it influences not just your food choices but the pH balance of your internal environment, and why some clients do daily urine pH testing to track their progress in real timeWhy elevated triglycerides are almost never about how much fat you are eating — and everything to do with fructose — and which universally praised healthy foods come off the plan as a direct resultHow thyroid markers influence which forms of cruciferous vegetables are appropriate on your plan and why raw kale smoothies every morning may be working against your thyroid rather than supporting itWhy low iron means one set of proteins on your plan and high iron means a completely different set — and what that tells us about the precision of this approachWhat elevated uric acid is telling us — and why even natural sweeteners like maple syrup, honey, and agave come off the plan despite being marketed as healthy alternativesThis is the episode that finally explains why healthy for everyone is not the same as what is right for you right now - And why once you understand your own blood work picture, every single food on your personalized plan — and every food missing from it — starts to make complete and total sense. This is the magic Helen was asking about. And now you get to understand exactly how it works. Ready to get clarity on what's going on inside you? Book your Complimentary Health Audit with Joanne Here. We'll look at your unique situation, identify where your key metabolic imbalances might be and create a roadmap for reclaiming your energy and health — naturally and sustainably. No obligation. Just real answers. Want to learn more about The Metabolic Balance Program - the program I use in my practice to get my client real results that last?  Discover what everyone is talking about! The world's leading personalized nutrition and hormone-balancing system with the highest global success rate for sustainable weight loss and health transformation without pills, shakes or expensive proprietary foods. One nutrition plan based on YOUR bloodwork. No deprivation. No one-size-fits-all diet. Just real food matched to your own biochemistry for real, lasting results. Watch the information video here.

    1h 3m
  2. Episode 49: Is this the magic? Have I been eating wrong this whole time? A real client story of how Helen finally learned to understand her own body

    Jun 28

    Episode 49: Is this the magic? Have I been eating wrong this whole time? A real client story of how Helen finally learned to understand her own body

    Send us your questions & comments When Helen opened her personalized Metabolic Balance food list for the first time, she had one reaction: shock - but in a very pleasant way.  Everything she had been eating — every single thing — wasn't on it. And in that moment, she asked the question that changed everything: "Is this the magic? Have I been eating wrong this whole time?" In this episode, Joanne sits down with her client, Helen, for a real, unscripted conversation about where she started, where she is now and the eye-opening lessons she has learned along the way that have now put her back in control of her body, her health and her life. Helen shares her story of IBS that once controlled her life, eczema so severe a dermatologist told her there was nothing more he could do, two clothing sizes gained without explanation, evening cravings she couldn't understand and over two decades of relying on sleep medication just to get a few broken hours of rest a night. Eight weeks into her personalized Metabolic Balance program, Helen's story is one of genuine, hard-won transformation — not just on the scale, but in every part of her life.  She talks candidly about the moment her bloating disappeared within days, the strange and wonderful experience of dreaming again for the first time in years, the detective work that helped her pinpoint a single small potato as the cause of a recurring skin reaction and the quiet, powerful moment her husband told her she was glowing. This is a conversation about what becomes possible when a plan is built entirely around your own unique body — and about learning, for the first time, how to truly listen to it. In this episode you'll hear: Why Helen's IBS symptoms began settling within days, not monthsHow shift work and a non-traditional schedule were built into her personalized plan rather than working against herThe detective work behind discovering a single starchy food was still triggering a skin reaction — and why that's actually a sign of deeper healing still in progressWhy dreaming again, after years without it, became one of Helen's most meaningful milestonesWhat real coaching support looks like week to week, and why it made all the differenceHelen's honest advice to any woman who feels like she has tried everything and is ready to give upIf you have ever felt like your body was working against you, like you have tried everything and nothing sticks, or like there must be a missing piece nobody has helped you find — Helen's story will feel like it was made for you. Ready to get clarity on what's going on inside you? Book your Complimentary Health Audit with Joanne Here. We'll look at your unique situation, identify where your key metabolic imbalances might be and create a roadmap for reclaiming your energy and health — naturally and sustainably. No obligation. Just real answers. Want to learn more about The Metabolic Balance Program - the program I use in my practice to get my client real results that last?  Discover what everyone is talking about! The world's leading personalized nutrition and hormone-balancing system with the highest global success rate for sustainable weight loss and health transformation without pills, shakes or expensive proprietary foods. One nutrition plan based on YOUR bloodwork. No deprivation. No one-size-fits-all diet. Just real food matched to your own biochemistry for real, lasting results. Watch the information video here.

    1h 20m
  3. Episode 48: Why Your Best Friend is Sailing Through Perimenopause and You're Still Struggling

    Jun 21

    Episode 48: Why Your Best Friend is Sailing Through Perimenopause and You're Still Struggling

    Send us your questions & comments The Estrogen Dominance solution that makes all the difference and the new tools to help you thrive! You know her. The woman who barely notices perimenopause.  She did not gain weight. She did not lose her mind to brain fog or anxiety. She just kept glowing, kept going and will emerge (or perhaps she already has) on the other side looking and feeling better than ever.  If you have a friend or family member in your life like this, I am willing to bet you have quietly wondered, why her and not me? What does she have that I don't? You might think it all comes down to genetics, but you would be wrong. Genetics of course do play a role but it isn't the major player in the game.  So what does make the difference? Well this episode answers that question, and the answer might surprise you. In this final episode of the June series, Joanne Willis, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Certified Metabolic Balance® Coach, reveals the single factor that most determines whether a woman thrives through perimenopause or struggles every step of the way and why estrogen dominance, and specifically your body's ability to metabolize and clear estrogen effectively, sits at the very centre of it all. This is the episode that brings everything together and it comes with two genuinely exciting announcements about new game-changing tools that are now available to take the personalization of your health to a level that simply was not possible before. In this episode you will learn: Why some women sail through menopause while others struggle and what the research is now telling us about the role of estrogen dominance in determining that differenceA complete, clear recap of the full estrogen dominance picture — what it does to your brain, your gut, your weight, your mood and your long-term health trajectoryWhy personalization is not optional, but is the only approach that actually works long term for women in midlife and why generic advice keeps failing youThree specific, practical action steps you can start today to begin reducing estrogen dominance or your risk of itA deeper dive into GutID microbiome testing and the patented Titan-1 technology that makes this an absolute game-changer in in gut analysis and may help explain why everything else has only worked temporarilyThe announcement of a brand new partnership with Medcan, Canada's largest executive health provider, and the extraordinary suite of proactive health assessments now available to Joanne's clients, including the Galleri multi-cancer early detection test, enhanced heart health and genetic screening, longevity biomarker testing, and much moreWhy the combination of Metabolic Balance, GutID testing and Medcan creates the most comprehensive and personalized approach to midlife health available to Canadian women right nowYou do not have to be the woman who struggles through perimenopause and post-menopause. You can be the woman who thrives. It all starts with understanding exactly what your body needs and giving it precisely that. Article referenced in this episode: "8 Trends Redefining Women's Health in 2026" — Coral.ca:  https://coral.ca/learn/2026-womens-health-trends/ Learn about GutID: Strain-Level Microbiome Analysis | Titan-1 Science | GutID Learn about Medcan Here.  Ready to get clarity on what's going on inside you? Book your Complimentary Health Audit with Joanne Here. We'll look at your unique situation, identify where your key metabolic imbalances might be and create a roadmap for reclaiming your energy and health — naturally and sustainably. No obligation. Just real answers. Want to learn more about The Metabolic Balance Program - the program I use in my practice to get my client real results that last?  Discover what everyone is talking about! The world's leading personalized nutrition and hormone-balancing system with the highest global success rate for sustainable weight loss and health transformation without pills, shakes or expensive proprietary foods. One nutrition plan based on YOUR bloodwork. No deprivation. No one-size-fits-all diet. Just real food matched to your own biochemistry for real, lasting results. Watch the information video here.

    1h 1m
  4. Episode 47: Why Bloating, Food Sensitivities, Autoimmune Issues & Inflammation is Not Just a Gut Issue

    Jun 14

    Episode 47: Why Bloating, Food Sensitivities, Autoimmune Issues & Inflammation is Not Just a Gut Issue

    Send us your questions & comments If your gut has not felt like your own since your hormones started shifting, this episode is the one you have been waiting for. Joanne Willis, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Certified Metabolic Balance® Coach, unpacks one of the most important and most overlooked connections in women's midlife health — the two-way relationship between your gut and your estrogen - because your bloating, your food sensitivities, your chronic inflammation, and your autoimmune issues are not just digestive problems. They are hormone metabolism problems. And until you address both sides of that equation together, the relief you are looking for will keep being temporary. In this episode you'll learn: Why your gut and your estrogen are in constant two-way conversation — and what happens when that conversation breaks down in perimenopauseWhat the estrobolome is and how imbalanced gut bacteria could be recycling old estrogen back into your bloodstream and making your symptoms significantly worseWhy you are suddenly reacting to foods you have eaten for years — and what is actually happening to your gut lining in perimenopauseThe inflammation and autoimmune connection — and why 70% of your immune system lives in your gutWhy stubborn belly weight is often a gut-hormone-metabolism problem rather than a calories problemThree specific, practical action steps you can start today to support your gut and your estrogen clearancePlus — Joanne announces an exciting new addition to her practice: GutID microbiome testing, now available to Metabolic Balance clients for unprecedented precision in understanding what is actually happening inside your unique gut. Referenced Article: "Diet, the Gut Microbiome, and Estrogen Physiology" — Nutrients journal, March 2026:  https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/7/1052 Learn more about GutID testing here: GutID — The First True Microbiome Test Ready to get clarity on what's going on inside you? Book your Complimentary Health Audit with Joanne Here. We'll look at your unique situation, identify where your key metabolic imbalances might be and create a roadmap for reclaiming your energy and health — naturally and sustainably. No obligation. Just real answers. Want to learn more about The Metabolic Balance Program - the program I use in my practice to get my client real results that last?  Discover what everyone is talking about! The world's leading personalized nutrition and hormone-balancing system with the highest global success rate for sustainable weight loss and health transformation without pills, shakes or expensive proprietary foods. One nutrition plan based on YOUR bloodwork. No deprivation. No one-size-fits-all diet. Just real food matched to your own biochemistry for real, lasting results. Watch the information video here.

    45 min
  5. Episode 46: Why You Can't Think Straight Anymore: The Hormone Story Behind Your Brain Fog, Anxiety, Mood Swings and Memory Issues

    Jun 7

    Episode 46: Why You Can't Think Straight Anymore: The Hormone Story Behind Your Brain Fog, Anxiety, Mood Swings and Memory Issues

    Send us your questions & comments If you've been walking into rooms and forgetting why you're there, losing your train of thought mid-sentence, feeling overwhelmed by decisions that used to feel simple, or riding an emotional rollercoaster you don't recognize as yourself, this episode is going to change everything about how you see what's happening to you. Joanne Willis, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Certified Metabolic Balance® Coach, unpacks the estrogen-brain connection in a way that is finally clear, honest and deeply validating - because your brain fog, your anxiety, your mood swings, and your emotional over-sensitivity are not weakness. They are not just stress, and they are absolutely not early dementia. They are neurological symptoms driven by specific, identifiable, addressable hormonal and metabolic changes happening right now. In this episode you'll learn: Why estrogen is your brain's most important chemical ally and what happens when it becomes unreliable in perimenopauseHow falling progesterone removes your brain's natural calming system and why this drives anxiety, emotional reactivity, and the inability to wind downWhy focus, decision-making,and multitasking suffer so profoundly and what's actually happening in your prefrontal cortexThe COMT enzyme connection — how estrogen metabolism directly affects your dopamine levels and mood stabilityWhy the Cambridge University study of 125,000 women confirms your brain fog is real, measurable, and not dementiaThree specific nutritional steps you can start today to begin restoring your brain's hormonal environmentThis is the episode that finally explains why you don't feel like yourself and gives you a clear, hopeful path back. Anchor Article: "Perimenopause Brain Fog: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options" — Dr. Jolene Brighten https://drbrighten.com/brain-fog-in-perimenopause/ Supporting Reference: "The Estrogen-Brain Connection" — Dr. Mary Claire Haver https://drmaryclairehaver.substack.com/p/the-estrogen-brain-connection Ready to get clarity on what's going on inside you? Book your Complimentary Health Audit with Joanne Here. We'll look at your unique situation, identify where your key metabolic imbalances might be and create a roadmap for reclaiming your energy and health — naturally and sustainably. No obligation. Just real answers. Want to learn more about The Metabolic Balance Program - the program I use in my practice to get my client real results that last?  Discover what everyone is talking about! The world's leading personalized nutrition and hormone-balancing system with the highest global success rate for sustainable weight loss and health transformation without pills, shakes or expensive proprietary foods. One nutrition plan based on YOUR bloodwork. No deprivation. No one-size-fits-all diet. Just real food matched to your own biochemistry for real, lasting results. Watch the information video here.

    1 hr
  6. Episode 45: Is Estrogen Dominance Behind Your PCOS, Fibroids, or Heavy Periods? The Metabolic Root Cause That HRT Alone Will Never Fix

    May 31

    Episode 45: Is Estrogen Dominance Behind Your PCOS, Fibroids, or Heavy Periods? The Metabolic Root Cause That HRT Alone Will Never Fix

    Send us your questions & comments If you've ever been told your symptoms are just a result of estrogen and progesterone declining, this episode will change how you see everything. In this episode I unpack one of the most misunderstood and misdiagnosed hormone imbalances in midlife women: estrogen dominance.  I will be clearing up the confusion that stops so many women from recognizing it. Because yes, you can absolutely be estrogen dominant even as your estrogen is declining! In this episode you'll learn: What estrogen dominance actually is — and why the ratio of estrogen to progesterone matters more than your estrogen levels aloneWhy impaired estrogen metabolism — not just the amount of estrogen being produced — is driving conditions like PCOS, fibroids, endometriosis, and heavy periodsWhat the estrobolome is and how your gut bacteria could be recirculating estrogen and making everything worseWhy breast cancer risk is far more within your control than you've been toldThree specific, actionable steps you can start today to support your body's ability to clear estrogen properlyThis is the episode that explains why a hormone test alone will never give you the full picture — and why a personalized, metabolic approach is the missing piece. Anchor Article: "Estrogen Dominance in Peri- and Menopause" — HormonesBalance.com https://hormonesbalance.com/articles/estrogen-dominance-in-peri-and-menopause/ Ready to get clarity on what's going on inside you? Book your Complimentary Health Audit with Joanne Here. We'll look at your unique situation, identify where your key metabolic imbalances might be and create a roadmap for reclaiming your energy and health — naturally and sustainably. No obligation. Just real answers. Want to learn more about The Metabolic Balance Program - the program I use in my practice to get my client real results that last?  Discover what everyone is talking about! The world's leading personalized nutrition and hormone-balancing system with the highest global success rate for sustainable weight loss and health transformation without pills, shakes or expensive proprietary foods. One nutrition plan based on YOUR bloodwork. No deprivation. No one-size-fits-all diet. Just real food matched to your own biochemistry for real, lasting results. Watch the information video here.

    38 min
  7. Episode 44: Why Two Midlife Women With Identical Symptoms Need a Completely Different Plan to Get Results That Last

    May 24

    Episode 44: Why Two Midlife Women With Identical Symptoms Need a Completely Different Plan to Get Results That Last

    Send us your questions & comments This is your May 2026 wrap up episode where I'm going to connect all the dots from the three previous episodes we have covered so far. But before we pull it all together, I want to ask you something. How are you feeling right now, compared to four weeks ago?  If you have been following along and consistently practicing the key action steps I've shared with you this month, are you noticing anything physically different? What about mentally? Your confidence? Are you feeling more optimistic that you can actually take back control of your health in midlife and beyond menopause and that you are not doomed to feel like your health is slowly deteriorating?  I hope so. Because that's what this month has been about. Not just a chat about generic quick fixes. But real understanding of what's actually happening inside your unique body.  This is the episode that ties it all together and introduces something that might just be the most important step you take for your health this year. You'll discover: How sleep disruption, chronic inflammation, and a sluggish lymphatic system are not three separate problems — they are one interconnected cycle, each making the others worseThe two additional pillars we haven't named yet this month and how they weave through everything!What actually happens inside a woman's body when all five metabolic pillars are addressed simultaneously.Why your bloodwork holds the answers that no symptom questionnaire, online quiz, or generic plan ever canWhy "body literacy" which simply means understanding your own unique biological picture is the most powerful wellness shift women can take in 2026What the Metabolic Balance approach that I use in my practice actually is, how it works, and why a nutrition plan built from 36 specific blood markers produces results that generic advice simply cannot matchIf you've been trying hard and still not getting the results you deserve — in your energy, your weight, your mood, your sleep, your hormones — this episode is where the whole picture comes into focus. Because the reason it hasn't worked isn't you. It's that the approach wasn't built for you. And there is a profound difference between a plan based on what works for most people and a plan built from your own blood. This is the episode where we talk about what that actually looks like. 🔗 Featured Article:  "The Rise of Personalized Wellness: Why 'Body Literacy' Is 2026's Most Important Health Trend" Ready to get clarity on what's going on inside you? Book your Complimentary Health Audit with Joanne Here. We'll look at your unique situation, identify where your key metabolic imbalances might be and create a roadmap for reclaiming your energy and health — naturally and sustainably. No obligation. Just real answers. Want to learn more about The Metabolic Balance Program - the program I use in my practice to get my client real results that last?  Discover what everyone is talking about! The world's leading personalized nutrition and hormone-balancing system with the highest global success rate for sustainable weight loss and health transformation without pills, shakes or expensive proprietary foods. One nutrition plan based on YOUR bloodwork. No deprivation. No one-size-fits-all diet. Just real food matched to your own biochemistry for real, lasting results. Watch the information video here.

    54 min
  8. Episode 43: How My Battle with Lymphoma Taught Me the Importance of Lymphatic Drainage and How it Now Helps Me in Perimenopause

    May 17

    Episode 43: How My Battle with Lymphoma Taught Me the Importance of Lymphatic Drainage and How it Now Helps Me in Perimenopause

    Send us your questions & comments Everyone is talking about lymphatic drainage right now. You've seen it on TikTok, in magazines, across social media. Women rolling jade tools across their faces, dry brushing before showers, booking lymphatic massage appointments. And honestly? Good. Because the lymphatic system deserves this moment. But this episode goes much deeper than the wellness trend. Because your lymphatic system is not just a beauty treatment or a nice-to-have. It is the largest circulatory system in your entire body. And it may be the single most overlooked piece of your midlife health puzzle. In this episode, I share something deeply personal — and explain why, as a 24-year cancer survivor who had cancer of the lymphatic system itself, this topic is not just professional for me. It is profoundly personal. You'll discover: What the lymphatic system actually is — explained in plain, real language that finally makes it clickWhy a sluggish lymphatic system looks and feels exactly like so many midlife symptoms you may already be living with — fatigue, bloating, brain fog, stubborn weight, recurring infections, and joint achesWhy perimenopause directly impacts lymphatic function — and why this is almost never talked aboutThe powerful and surprising link between your lymphatic system and your nervous system — and why supporting lymph flow is one of the most effective things you can do to regulate cortisol and reduce stress in your bodyHow your lymphatic system connects to your metabolic health — your inflammation, your detoxification, your immune resilience, and your ability to actually lose weightWhy chronic cortisol elevation literally blocks lymphatic drainage — and how to break that cycleThree simple, self-directed things you can start doing today at home to begin supporting your own lymphatic flow — no equipment, no appointments, no costJMy own personal story of being diagnosed with Stage 2B Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 26 — and what 24 years of survivorship has taught me about the body's extraordinary capacity to healIf you've been doing everything right — eating well, moving your body, managing stress as best you can — and still feel puffy, heavy, foggy, and exhausted, your lymphatic system may be the missing link nobody has told you about. FEATURED RESOURCE: 🔗 National Menopause Show — "Top 5 Benefits of Lymphatic Drainage for Women in Perimenopause and Menopause"   Ready to get clarity on what's going on inside you? Book your Complimentary Health Audit with Joanne Here. We'll look at your unique situation, identify where your key metabolic imbalances might be and create a roadmap for reclaiming your energy and health — naturally and sustainably. No obligation. Just real answers. Want to learn more about The Metabolic Balance Program - the program I use in my practice to get my client real results that last?  Discover what everyone is talking about! The world's leading personalized nutrition and hormone-balancing system with the highest global success rate for sustainable weight loss and health transformation without pills, shakes or expensive proprietary foods. One nutrition plan based on YOUR bloodwork. No deprivation. No one-size-fits-all diet. Just real food matched to your own biochemistry for real, lasting results. Watch the information video here.

    51 min
See All (50)

About

If you’re a woman over 40 who is tired of feeling tired, foggy, or stuck in a body that doesn’t feel like yours anymore and are looking for a natural approach that will work for YOU to help you start feeling like yourself again, this podcast is for you.  In The Midlife Vitality Project podcast, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, cancer survivor and fellow perimenopause warrier, Joanne Willis, guides you through a real midlife health and life transformation — not one that relies on pills, weight loss injections, HRT or quick fixes, but through understanding your body’s signals and rebuilding your health from the root - naturally - with the power of nutrition! In each episode, Joanne will dig deep into the real reason behind midlife weight gain, mood swings, fatigue, and other wacky and worrying symptoms of perimenopause — and teaches you how to rebalance your metabolism, hormones and blood levels to achieve your best health and lasting vitality through menopause and beyond. Because midlife is not the end my friend — it’s just the beginning of your next chapter - the chapter that's all about you and living your best life! 

Information

You Might Also Like