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

Joanne Willis, RHN
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  • 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. 3d ago

    Episode 56: The Real Cause Behind GLP-1 Rebound Weight Gain (Part 3 of 3)

    Send us your questions & comments Discover what the 14% who keep the weight off do long before they stop! In the final episode of her three-part August 2026 series, Joanne Willis tackles the question she believes sits underneath almost every GLP-1 decision, whether people say it out loud or not: what happens when I stop?  Joanne walks through two 2026 studies that, on the surface, seem to tell opposite stories; one showing rapid weight regain after stopping and one showing many people avoid it entirely, and why these studies claim different results.  Joanne then reveals the single detail buried in the data that makes sense of both of these studies and she shares two real, publicly documented stories of women with very different outcomes after stopping their medication. Joanne also breaks down what the World Health Organization actually says about how to truly benefit from a GLP-1 medication and why this strategy should be a non-negotiable for everyone. Lastly, Joanne answers some of her most frequently asked questions around GLP-1s, specifically from women navigating perimenopause and post-menopause. To learn the exact step-by-step strategy Joanne uses with her clients who are on a GLP-1 medication or who are looking to avoid starting one, register for Joanne's upcoming live online workshop, "Ozempic & GLP-1s: How to Get the Benefits Without the Side Effects" on Wednesday August 19th at 7pm EST. Click this link to save your seat and get access to the replay and special attendee bonuses!  Links & Resources mentioned in this episode: BMJ systematic review on weight regain (Jan 2026):  Weight regain after cessation of medication for weight management: systematic review and meta-analysis - PubMed  Cleveland Clinic real-world regain study (March 2026), via ScienceDaily: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260319044648.htm  Pepper Schwartz case study, via TODAY: https://www.today.com/health/diet-fitness/ozempic-before-and-after-rcna99185  Ready to get clarity on what's going on inside your body? 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.

    Episode 56: The Real Cause Behind GLP-1 Rebound Weight Gain (Part 3 of 3)

  2. Aug 9

    Episode 55: The GLP-1 side effects of a suppressed appetite no-one warns you about (Part 2 of 3)

    Send us your questions & comments How to avoid muscle loss, fatigue and nutrient gaps while taking Ozempic or other GLP-1s.  In part two of her three-part August series, Joanne Willis digs deeper into what actually happens in your body when a GLP-1 significantly reduces how much you're eating, for months or longer, and how to get the benefits of a suppressed appetite without it having a negative impact on your body's nutrition and fuel needs. Joanne also shares new research presented at the Endocrine Society's 2026 conference on activity levels in GLP-1 users, and connects it to a real account from a practicing physician whose patient lost 50 pounds only to learn a third of it was muscle. She explains exactly what nutrients tend to run low on GLP-1s if nutriion isn't addressed alongside them, why the ripple effects go far beyond the scale, and why generic advice like "just eat more protein" was never going to be enough to close a gap this specific. You are invited to join Joanne live for her upcoming virtual workshop, "Ozempic & GLP-1s: How to Get the Benefits Without the Side Effects " where she will be diving into exactly how to make GLP-1s work for you without the worry of muscle loss, gut issues or rebound weight gain. If you are already taking a GLP-1 or are thinking about it and want to get total clarity on how to do it the right way based on what YOUR body actually needs, this is a workshop you don't want to miss! 👉 Register here to get on the guest list for the free virtual event on August 18th at 7pm EST and lock in the replay and your special attendee bonus! Links & Resources: [Endocrine Society's 2026 research on GLP-1 users and reduced activity ]  Ready to get clarity on what's going on inside your body? 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.

    Episode 55: The GLP-1 side effects of a suppressed appetite no-one warns you about (Part 2 of 3)

  3. Aug 3

    Episode 54: The GLP-1 Conversation Nobody's Having Yet (Part 1 of 3): New research, new generics, and the truth behind the headlines

    Send us your questions & comments In the first episode of her three-part August series, Joanne Willis opens up an honest, balanced conversation about GLP-1 medications (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and the new generics coming to market).  Joanne walks through a June 2026 Stanford study on "food noise" and highlights something the headlines mostly missed - how to make the most of that food freedom. She shares in simple, plain language, the four remarkable ways these medications work with the body but then goes on to explain why GLP-1s can't do all the work alone, and what is just as important for us to consider for true health and sustainable weight loss for many years to come.  Links & Resources: 1. Stanford Center for Digital Health "food noise" study (JAMA Network Open, June 2026):  Link: https://medicine.stanford.edu/news/stories/2026/06/GLP1-Experiences.html 2. Register for our live, virtual workshop, "Ozempic & GLP-1s - How to Get the Benefits Without the Side Effects" on August 19th at 7pm EST HERE. Ready to get clarity on what's going on inside your body? 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.

    Episode 54: The GLP-1 Conversation Nobody's Having Yet (Part 1 of 3): New research, new generics, and the truth behind the headlines

  4. Jul 27

    Episode 53: Will I Be Hungry? Will I Have to Give Up Wine? Will It Even Work? Your 16 biggest Metabolic Balance questions answered!

    Send us your questions & comments In the final episode of July's deep dive into personalized nutrition, Joanne Willis wraps up the month by answering the questions she's been receiving most from listeners exploring the Metabolic Balance program.  Building on the science covered throughout the month — from how bloodwork translates directly into food choices, to why the gut can still cause problems even when everything else is falling into place — Joanne addresses sixteen of the most common questions women ask before starting the program. She covers what actually goes into building a truly personalized plan beyond bloodwork alone, including health history, medications, and lifestyle; the two additional enhanced testing partnerships now available through her practice to support a deeper dive into your body to further personalize your plan and the practical, day-to-day realities of what to expect before, during and after the program including why meals are structured the way they are, and what to expect around exercise, coffee, alcohol, and hunger. This episode closes out the program's foundational questions around results: how much weight loss is realistic, the other, often unexpected and exciting benefits beyond weight loss and how quickly women typically start to notice a shift.  If you have been looking for a program that makes scientific sense, actually works and is easy to maintain long-term without rebound symptoms, weight gain or a life of restriction, this episode will likely answer any lingering questions you might have.  Ready to get clarity on what's going on inside your body? 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.

    Episode 53: Will I Be Hungry? Will I Have to Give Up Wine? Will It Even Work? Your 16 biggest Metabolic Balance questions answered!

  5. Jul 20

    Episode 52: Discover the RIPPLE Framework with Beth & Lisa - How one simple tool can help you navigate any challenge midlife throws your way.

    Send us your questions & comments In this episode of The Midlife Vitality Project, Joanne sits down with Lisa Brisindi and Beth Lambert, the founders of Ripple Affect Momentum Coaching, to explore a framework that is quietly changing the way women in midlife navigate life's most challenging seasons. Lisa and Beth are social workers turned retreat and workshop facilitators who have built their business around one powerful belief: that healing happens one belief, one person and one ripple at a time.  After years of working with people through some of life's hardest moments, they channeled that experience into something practical and profoundly accessible — the RIPPLE Framework, a six-stage tool designed to help women work through any challenge, whether it is emotional, relational, physical, or professional. In this conversation, Joanne walks through all six stages of the framework alongside Lisa and Beth and reveals how each stage maps directly onto the work she does with her own clients through The Metabolic Balance Program. The parallel is striking: two completely different modalities, guided by the same instinctive path toward lasting, sustainable change. Beth also shares her personal experience as a current Metabolic Balance client and how she has applied the RIPPLE Framework to her own health journey — a candid and moving account that brings everything discussed in this episode to life. This is an episode that goes beyond nutrition. It speaks to the whole woman — the one who is exhausted, overwhelmed, and quietly putting herself last — and reminds her that she is not broken. She simply needs the right tools, the right support, and permission to make herself a priority. Whether you are struggling with your health, your relationships, your confidence or juggling the caregiver role with trying to be your best self while navigating the weight of everything midlife asks of you, this episode will leave you feeling seen, hopeful, and ready to take that first honest step inward. Want to experience Lisa and Beth's work in person? They have a beautiful workshop coming up this Saturday July 25th in Wheatley, Ontario. If you are local to the area, this is an event you definitely want to check out. Details below :)  Healing in Gold Workshop Saturday, July 25, 2026 | 2:00 – 4:00 PM Village Resource Centre, Wheatley, Ontario $60 per person This workshop is inspired by Kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold. You will get to experience the RIPPLE Framework in action and leave with a power word, a power promise to yourself, and something truly beautiful you have made with your own hands.  To learn more and register, visit this link: Healing In Gold Workshop or if you prefer to pay cash on the day, email Beth &Lisa at rippleaffect@mail.com in advance so they can plan supplies for you :) To learn more about Lisa & Beth's upcoming workshops and retreats: Website: rippleaffectmomentumcoaching.org Instagram: @rippleaffectmomemtum Facebook: Ripple Affect Momentum Coaching TikTok: rippleaffectmomentum YouTube: RippleAffectMomentumCoaching Ready to get clarity on what's going on inside your body? 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.

    Episode 52: Discover the RIPPLE Framework with Beth & Lisa - How one simple tool can help you navigate any challenge midlife throws your way.

  6. Jul 10

    Episode 51: Food intolerances, histamine sensitivity and fructose malabsorption and why some women need to do deeper gut work

    Send us your questions & comments If you have been working with a personalized nutrition plan and are starting to really see improvements in your health and your weight loss, but something still isn't right in the gut department, this episode is for you! In Episode 51 of The Midlife Vitality Project, Joanne Willis takes the conversation deeper than last week's bloodwork foundation, into the layer that standard blood markers alone cannot always see.  Because for some women, the gut has its own story. Its own history. Its own specific imbalances that need their own targeted investigation - and understanding that is the difference between managing gut symptoms forever and actually resolving them. Through two real anonymous client stories — a woman whose gut still reacts to legumes and cruciferous vegetables despite significant progress on the program, and a woman whose two decades of sleep medication left her gut lining compromised in ways that still show up as skin reactions, hives, and joint stiffness after certain foods — Joanne unpacks the most common deeper gut issues affecting women in midlife and explains in plain language exactly what is happening, which foods make it worse, and why some of the healthiest foods on the planet might be working against you specifically. In this episode you will learn: The difference between metabolic gut support — the gut healing that happens naturally as your blood markers improve — and targeted gut intervention, which is a completely different conversationWhat lactose intolerance actually is, why it so often develops or worsens in perimenopause, and why the form and preparation of dairy matters as much as whether dairy is included at allThe histamine bucket analogy — why you can eat the same food fine one day and react to it the next, and why avocado, spinach, fermented foods, strawberries, and aged cheese might be working against you even on an otherwise excellent clean dietHow long-term medication use — including sleep medication, NSAIDs, and proton pump inhibitors — suppresses the enzyme responsible for breaking down histamine in the gut, and why this does not resolve overnight when the medication changesWhy fructose malabsorption affects approximately 40% of the population and why healthy fruits like apples, pears, mangoes, and stone fruits can be causing your gut symptomsWhat SIBO actually is, why fermented foods — despite being gut-beneficial for most people — can make it significantly worse, and why this is one of the clearest examples of a universally healthy food being exactly wrong for a specific gut situationWhy GutID microbiome testing using patented Titan-1 technology is now available to Metabolic Balance clients — and how the combination of bloodwork and microbiome testing creates a picture of health that has never been available beforeThis is the episode for the woman who has been doing everything right and whose gut is still the missing piece. The answer is not more restriction. It is more precision. Learn more about GutID here: gutid.com Ready to get clarity on what's going on inside your body? 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.

    Episode 51: Food intolerances, histamine sensitivity and fructose malabsorption and why some women need to do deeper gut work

  7. Jul 6

    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 your body? 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.

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

  8. 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 your body? 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.

    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
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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! 

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