The Luminescence Podcast with Schuyler Grant

Luminescence

The Luminescence Podcast with Schuyler Grant is a space for science-based, culturally curious, and politically fearless conversations illuminating women’s health.  For decades, science treated women as simply “little men.” No more. Women’s health is complex, but for the 51% of the population with a vagina, understanding it is imperative. Each episode features a roundtable of female health experts to cut through the shame, explain the latest research, and have honest, raw conversations about what we are experiencing, in our bodies and in the world we share. To discuss the podcast directly with Schuyler, join our community at https://www.luminescence.health/.

  1. 5d ago ·  Bonus

    Desire, Arousal & Menopause with Dr. Cindy Meston

    For decades, almost everything we knew about sexual desire and arousal was based on research done on men — and simply assumed to apply to women too. In this conversation, Dr. Cindy Meston, professor of clinical psychology and director of the Female Sexual Psychophysiology Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin, breaks down thirty years of research into how women's desire and arousal actually work, and why the male template got it wrong. Why the science of women's desire is decades behind the science of men's The surprising model that flips the usual order of desire and arousal What an eight-year study found about desire through menopause — and who defied the trend Why a woman's body and her mind don't always agree on when she's turned on The unexpected 20-minute intervention that changed the research This conversation is part of Sex in Menopause, a free masterclass with Naomi Watts featuring sexual health expert Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Cindy Meston, and real women navigating changing bodies and desire most of us were never prepared for. Watch it for free at sexinmenopause.com. Right now there is only one trained menopause provider for every 32,000 women who need care. This episode is for anyone confused by their own changing desire, and anyone who wants the actual science instead of the myths.

  2. Sep 1 ·  Bonus

    Menopause Taught Me to Put My Oxygen Mask On First: Gabby Bernstein & Emily Morse

    Two women, one shared reckoning: perimenopause and menopause arrived and rewrote everything they thought they knew about their bodies, their sex lives, and themselves. In this extended conversation, #1 New York Times bestselling author Gabby Bernstein and sexologist Emily Morse (host of Sex with Emily) open up about the messy, unglamorous entry into midlife hormonal change — rage, hot flashes, vanished libido, and in Gabby's case, a fertility journey that included IVF and pregnancy loss. Emily, meanwhile, is living out her own perimenopause in real time, testing on herself everything she's spent over twenty years teaching other people about pleasure. Both conversations are part of Sex in Menopause, a free masterclass with Naomi Watts featuring sexual health expert Dr. Somi Javaid, psychologist Dr. Cindy Meston, and real women navigating changing bodies, mismatched desire, and identity shifts most of us were never prepared for. Right now there is only one trained menopause provider for every 32,000 women who need care. If sex has disappeared or changed in ways you can't explain, that's not a personal failure. That's a gap in the medical system. In this episode: Menopause as a "spiritual shakedown" — Gabby's reckoning Early perimenopause symptoms & finding real support Marriage, communication & educating a partner Fertility, IVF & pregnancy loss HRT, lifestyle shifts & feeling more herself than ever (Gabby) Preparing for menopause & a message of hope Emily's own perimenopause & why she's not exempt from the confusion Medical dismissal & why doctors aren't trained on this Communication as "lubrication": talking to partners about sex Letting go of duty sex Desire, burnout & the nervous system connection Toys, lube & modern arousal aids, without shame Why midlife can mean the best sex of your life Topics covered: menopause, perimenopause, women's sexual health, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), fertility, IVF, pregnancy loss, low libido, desire, arousal, sex toys, lube, communication in relationships, medical dismissal, nervous system regulation, self-pleasure, healing, spiritual growth, midlife identity, Gabby Bernstein, Emily Morse. If this episode landed for you: watch Sex in Menopause, the free documentary with Naomi Watts, at sexinmenopause.com. For more conversations like this — plus live events, retreats, and past seasons — head to Luminescence.health.

  3. Aug 25 ·  Bonus

    Why Your Libido Disappears in Menopause with Dr. Somi Javaid

    In this episode, board-certified gynecologist and sexual health expert Dr. Somi Javaid — founder of HerMD, who raised $40 million after being told she had "less than a half percent chance" — breaks down exactly what's been missing from women's health care, and what's finally starting to change. She walks through the real gender gap in FDA drug approval (six months for Viagra, six years for the first female libido drug), the black box warning that scared a generation of women off hormone therapy, and why testosterone — not just estrogen — matters for female sexual function and almost nobody gets properly tested for it. Her work is featured throughout Sex in Menopause, a free masterclass with Naomi Watts featuring Dr. Somi, psychologist Dr. Cindy Meston, and real women navigating changing bodies, mismatched desire, and identity shifts most of us were never prepared for. Right now there is only one trained menopause provider for every 32,000 women who need care. If sex has disappeared or changed in ways you can't explain, that's not a personal failure. That's a gap in the medical system. In this episode: The phone call that became her calling — her mother's dismissed heart symptoms The patient who couldn't get help — and why she left traditional OB-GYN care Building HerMD from scratch, and raising $40 million against the odds The real gender gap: Viagra vs. the first female libido drug The black box warning and the hormone therapy scare that set women back decades What HSDD actually is (and what it isn't) Spontaneous vs. responsive desire — why "wanting sex out of nowhere" isn't the only normal Testosterone's role in female libido, mood, and energy — and why almost no one gets tested The surprising reason birth control clears skin (and quietly lowers libido) Your brain as your biggest sex organ Thyroid, medications, and other overlooked causes of low desire When low libido gets mistaken for a lack of love The truth about orgasm and anatomy Femtech tools and innovations — vibrators, erotica apps, and evidence-based supplements The real barriers to care, and her message to women who feel dismissed Topics covered: menopause, perimenopause, women's sexual health, testosterone therapy, HSDD (hypoactive sexual desire disorder), low libido, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), medical dismissal, gender gap in medicine, sexual desire, orgasm, femtech, Dr. Somi Javaid, HerMD, Viagra, Addyi, birth control, brain health, thyroid, biopsychosocial approach, sexual wellness. If this episode landed for you: watch Sex in Menopause, the free documentary with Naomi Watts, at sexinmenopause.com. For more conversations like this — plus live events, retreats, and past seasons — head to Luminescence.health.

  4. Aug 18

    Empathy, Elderhood & What Comes Next: Giving Fewer F*cks Part 2 of 2

    You came into this season navigating a transition. You're leaving with a different relationship to what's on the other side of it. This is the season finale of the Luminescence Podcast. Schuyler Grant, Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Sarah de la Torre, and Elena Brower close out by looking forward — to grandchildren, creative reinvention, travel, radical career pivots, and the profound privilege of becoming a wise woman elder. They discuss: Why the mild depression of perimenopause can be a form of protective cocooning — the difference between hormonal anhedonia and clinical depression, and why one might actually serve a purpose What the grandmother hypothesis is — the anthropological theory that women's post-reproductive longevity isn't a biological accident but evolution's design for women elders to hold things together and pass wisdom down How oxytocin shifts in menopause redirect empathy toward more authentic connection — and why women between 45 and 55 are starting businesses at record rates What each panelist is genuinely excited about for the next chapter — grandchildren, music, Qigong, language, travel, and the versions of themselves that are still coming Lightning round verdicts on early retirement, radical career pivots, staying together for the kids, forcing couples therapy, and abundant cleavage after 50 For any woman ready to see this transition not as decline, but as preparation for what might be the most powerful chapter yet. For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health.  Presented by our sponsors: Stripes: Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line. Genova Connect: Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net. LivOn Labs: Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com. BiOptimizers: Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off. Try Schuyler's new personalized yoga app: https://schuylergrant.com/app

  5. Aug 11

    Partnerships, Priorities and Purpose in Midlife: Giving Fewer F*cks Part 1 of 2

    Somewhere in your mid-forties, you realize that the compromises you made in your thirties stop sitting right. The relationships that used to feel necessary start feeling optional. The drive to be everything to everyone, quietly or not so quietly, starts to dissolve. In this episode of the Luminescence Podcast, Schuyler Grant sits down with Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Sarah de la Torre, and Elena Brower to get into the liberating, complicated, and sometimes messy reality of giving fewer f*cks in midlife. What does it actually look like when women stop performing and start choosing? They discuss: The neurobiology behind caring less — estrogen decline, oxytocin shifts, and how the post-menopausal brain rewires toward self-prioritization in ways men's more gradual hormonal decline simply doesn't What gray divorce actually looks like — why some of it is liberation, some of it is grief, and all of it is information about what happens when women stop absorbing dysfunction How women are restructuring friendships in midlife — smaller circles, higher standards, and Elena's four-step nonviolent communication framework for ending a friendship without drama Why women between 45 and 55 are starting businesses at record rates — and how the domestic labor imbalance in long-term partnerships quietly builds the resentment that eventually demands change For every woman who has spent decades making herself smaller and is ready to understand what happens when you stop. For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health.  Presented by our sponsors: Stripes: Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line. Genova Connect: Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net. LivOn Labs: Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com. BiOptimizers: Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off. Try Schuyler's new personalized yoga app: https://schuylergrant.com/app

  6. Aug 4

    Trauma, Resilience & Better Coping: What Used to Work Doesn’t Part 2 of 2

    We're all coping with something. The question is whether what we're reaching for is actually helping, or just numbing us from the discomfort we're too busy to sit with. This is part two of the conversation on coping in midlife. Schuyler Grant, Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Sarah de la Torre, and Elena Brower dig into the deeper current running beneath perimenopause: the old traumas that float to the surface when the busyness of building a life no longer keeps them submerged. They discuss: Why resilience is about returning to ease, not powering through — and how service, meditation, sweating, and somatic practices build real neurological resilience instead of just tolerance Why perimenopause is often the first time women address their mental health — and what unresolved trauma looks like in midlife versus what it looks like when it's been metabolized The brain circuitry behind doom-scrolling and every other cortisol loop you can't quit — and why boundaries weren't in Dr. Somi's vocabulary until midlife The 3am worry closet and the divorce wave — why perimenopause, as brutal as it can be, might be the most useful moment to finally deal with what we've been carrying Lightning round verdicts on microdosing, ecstatic dance, California sober, and more For any woman who's tired of just getting through and ready to address what's underneath — midlife has a way of surfacing what you've been too busy to deal with. For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health.  Presented by our sponsors: Stripes: Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line. Genova Connect: Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net. LivOn Labs: Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com. BiOptimizers: Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off. Try Schuyler's new personalized yoga app: https://schuylergrant.com/app

  7. Jul 28

    Alcohol, SSRIs & Midlife Coping: What Used to Work Doesn’t Part 1 of 2

    Your favorite coping mechanisms — wine, edibles, even your go-to SSRI — might suddenly betray you in midlife. In this episode of the Luminescence Podcast, Schuyler Grant sits down with Dr. Sarah de la Torre, Elena Brower, and Dr. Somi Javaid to dig into why alcohol hits harder after 40, antidepressants become less reliable, and the things that used to take the edge off start creating new problems instead. They explore the neuroscience of why your old stress relievers stop working as hormones shift. They discuss: Why hormonal shifts change how you experience pleasure, reward, and stress — how declining estrogen affects dopamine and serotonin, and what that means for mood and cravings What makes alcohol and cannabis hit differently during perimenopause and post-menopause — the metabolism changes, sleep disruption, and anxiety that weren't there before The truth about SSRIs in midlife — when they help, when they don't, and what the risks actually are as your brain chemistry changes The real impact of your nightly glass of wine — when it crosses from pleasure into problem, and why that line moves in midlife How to tell the difference between what actually supports you and what just keeps you stuck — and why your coping mechanisms need to evolve For any woman whose go-to stress relief isn't working anymore and wants to understand why — before figuring out what comes next. For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health.  Presented by our sponsors: Stripes: Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line. Genova Connect: Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net. LivOn Labs: Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com. BiOptimizers: Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off. Try Schuyler's new personalized yoga app: https://schuylergrant.com/app

  8. Jul 21

    Work, Relationships & Finding Your Power: Your Brain on Hormones Part 2 of 2

    Why does perimenopause feel like you're losing your edge? This is part two of the conversation on your brain during hormonal transitions. Schuyler Grant, Dr. Sarah de la Torre, Dr. Somi Javaid, and Elena Brower get into what's actually happening in your brain and nervous system as estrogen shifts — and what you can do to feel like yourself again, including one of the most underreported findings in menopause research. They discuss: Simple breathing and hands-on techniques to activate your rest-and-digest mode — practical tools for a nervous system that's genuinely overloaded right now How HRT can restore mood, focus, and cognitive function — often faster than most women expect, and what to do when it's not enough The emotional and professional impact of neurological changes — what workplace accommodations actually matter, and how to navigate relationships when your brain feels different Why empathy and emotional intelligence tend to increase after menopause — what the science says about how your brain's wiring shifts in ways that are worth knowing about Nutrition and supplement truths for brain health — carbs, phytoestrogens, and the brain boosters most women overlook For any woman who wants to understand that what feels like decline might actually be rewiring — and how to work with your brain instead of against it. For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health.  Presented by our sponsors: Stripes: Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line. Genova Connect: Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net. LivOn Labs: Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com. BiOptimizers: Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off. Try Schuyler's new personalized yoga app: https://schuylergrant.com/app

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About

The Luminescence Podcast with Schuyler Grant is a space for science-based, culturally curious, and politically fearless conversations illuminating women’s health.  For decades, science treated women as simply “little men.” No more. Women’s health is complex, but for the 51% of the population with a vagina, understanding it is imperative. Each episode features a roundtable of female health experts to cut through the shame, explain the latest research, and have honest, raw conversations about what we are experiencing, in our bodies and in the world we share. To discuss the podcast directly with Schuyler, join our community at https://www.luminescence.health/.

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