Menopause UnMuted

Dr. Erika M Pimentel
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This podcast is where real life meets real science — where we mix evidence-based education with unfiltered conversations about what it really means to go through perimenopause and menopause. Every week, you’ll hear from women sharing their personal stories — the good, the messy, the in-between — along with experts in nutrition, fitness, mental health, and holistic care.

  1. 1d ago

    Nobody Asked About My Hormones

    In this episode I'm sharing something I've never talked about publicly before — my full two-decade journey through perimenopause that nobody named. For over two decades, my body gave every signal. A medically induced menopause at 29. Unexplained muscle fatigue after my first pregnancy. Two episodes of brain fog so severe a neurologist thought I might have had a stroke. A chronic eye condition I now know was preventable. A hysterectomy at 49. I'm not sharing this so you feel sorry for me. I'm sharing it because somewhere in these chapters, you're going to recognize yourself. A symptom you couldn't explain. A normal lab result that made you cry anyway. A moment where you started questioning yourself instead of questioning the information you were never given. Here's what I know now: naming what is happening doesn't stop the experience. But it stops the spiral. It's the difference between "something is wrong with me" and "something is happening to me — and there are things I can do." That distinction is everything. Because you cannot adapt around what you were never told. That moment has a name. And you deserve to know it. If any part of this story sounded familiar and you are navigating perimenopause, I would invite you to book a Midlife Reset Call to have an honest look at what's keeping you stuck, and where to focus your energy going forward. The call is free and here is the link to book the call: https://pages.erikapimentelcoaching.com/home

  2. Jul 16

    The Permission No One Gives You in Midlife

    A conversation with Karina on rewriting her identity, the truth behind the HRT fear, and building the next chapter instead of chasing the last one. At 52, Karina had crossed the bridge she calls perimenopause, but getting there meant unlearning almost everything she'd been told. In this conversation, we talk about the intrusive, looping thoughts she couldn't explain (and the estrogen science behind them), why she waited two years to launch her own podcast, and the crowning ceremony she did to mark her own rite of passage into what she calls her "empress" era. We also unpack the real story behind the Women's Health Initiative study, why so few women are on HRT today because of a headline that was never the full picture, and what it means to build a new identity instead of chasing the old one back. If you are navigating perimenopause, this is exactly who I built the free Midlife Reset Call for, to have an honest look at what's keeping you stuck, and where to focus your energy going forward.

  3. Jul 9

    Is It Just Me, or Does Menopause Change Your Body Odor Too?

    Today's guest is Kimberly, owner of Crystal Clear Cleaning. Nobody warns you that menopause can change the way your body smells, and Kimberly never expected this, especially in moments of stress or right before she has to speak in front of people, to the point where she carries wipes just in case. For a business owner who's constantly in the public eye, that's not a small thing. It's shaken her confidence in how she shows up, on top of a second change that's been just as frustrating: weight that won't move no matter how consistent she is with workouts and food. This is a real conversation about the parts of menopause nobody prepares you for, and a reminder that if you're dealing with something similar, you're not imagining it and you're not alone.

  4. Jul 2

    The Mobility Manual No One Gave You in Perimenopause

    Many women expect perimenopause to change their metabolism or their weight. What they don't expect is joint pain, stiffness, slower recovery, or a body that suddenly feels older than it should. In this episode I sit down with my chiropractor and longtime friend Dr. Lacey to talk about what's actually happening to your joints and connective tissue during this transition, and why frozen shoulder, hip pain, and stiffness become so common in perimenopause and beyond. We get into estrogen's role in joint health and inflammation, why strength training and daily mobility work matter more during this season, not less, and the tension patterns most women carry without realizing it. Dr. Lacey also walks through her top recommendations for keeping joints stable and pain manageable as estrogen declines. She recommends the Theraband 13076 Muscle Roller Stick, available on Amazon, for self-myofascial release and recovery between sessions. This is not about doing more. It's about understanding what your body actually needs right now, and giving it that instead. Dr. Lacey is a chiropractor in the Naperville area. You can find her at https://chiropractorofnaperville.com/.

  5. Jun 25

    Gina's Story: When You Don't Recognize Your Own Body Anymore

    Gina has spent decades knowing exactly who she was in her body. This year, she stopped recognizing herself. My cousin Gina and I talk about what happens when a woman's body quietly stops confirming the person she's always understood herself to be. She walks me through her transition from perimenopause into what she now realizes is postmenopause — bloodwork that didn't match what she was feeling, two good years on HRT that quietly stopped working, sleep that disappeared again just as she thought she'd settled. She's been lifting heavier four times a week through all of it. The discipline never wavered. The recognition did. This is what nobody prepares women for. Not the symptoms — the unraveling. The sense that you've lost the thread of yourself. She's not broken. She's in the middle of becoming someone she hasn't met yet. If you're unsure what's actually going on with your body or where to even start, I'd love to take a look at your specific situation. The Midlife Reset Call is exactly that, a conversation where we look at your training, your nutrition, your symptoms, and your history together, and figure out what's getting in the way and what needs to shift first.

  6. Jun 18

    HRT: What the Headlines Left Out

    For two decades, women were handed one headline about hormone replacement therapy: it causes breast cancer. That headline was incomplete. This episode was born from a 15-minute conversation with a mammogram technician — a woman who was scared, confused, and had no idea what her next steps should be. She is not alone. In this episode, I break down what the Women's Health Initiative study actually showed, why those results were prematurely released, and how the science has shifted since. We're talking cardioprotection, brain health, bone density, testosterone — the full picture most women have never been given. This isn't about telling you what to do. It's about making sure you can actually decide for yourself.

  7. Jun 11

    Could Light Therapy Support Your Perimenopause Symptoms?

    Brain fog. Joint pain. Sleepless nights. Poor recovery after workouts. These are some of the most common complaints I hear from women in perimenopause — and most of them are told there's nothing they can do, or handed a solution that doesn't address the root. In this episode, I sit down with my friend Theresa, who works with InLight Therapy — a company with over 40 years in the light therapy space — to talk about red light therapy: what it actually does at the cellular level, and why it may be one of the most underused tools for women navigating midlife. Theresa walks us through the science in plain language — how red and near-infrared light interact with your cells, why that matters when estrogen is declining, and how she uses it personally before workouts, for sleep, for inflammation, and for her brain. We cover sleep and circadian rhythm, inflammation and joint health, cognitive function, muscle recovery, and more. And she shares her own perimenopause story — because the science always lands better when it's grounded in real experience. 📩 Want to learn more or connect with Theresa directly? Reach her at tastubitz@att.net

  8. Jun 4

    Am I Already in Perimenopause? One Woman's Honest Story

    Welcome back to Menopause Unmuted, the podcast where we have honest conversations about perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. This is a space where science, personal stories, and practical solutions come together so women can feel informed, supported, and never alone in this transition. I'm your host, Dr. Erika Pimentel, menopause coaching specialist, personal trainer, nutrition educator — and a woman who has been right where you are. Today's episode is one that feels very personal to me because my guest is someone I actually worked out with. Stephanie is a dear friend, a workout buddy, and the owner of Golden Travel — a travel company built around a true passion for helping people explore the world stress-free. But what I love about Stephanie is that she came into strength training with zero background in it, and watching her discover what her body was actually capable of was one of those moments that reminds me exactly why I do this work. In today's conversation, we are talking about something that doesn't get enough attention — what it looks like to be at the edge of perimenopause when you're not sure it's even started yet. Stephanie lives with PCOS, which adds a whole other layer to the hormonal picture, and we get into how PCOS and perimenopause intersect, why strength training is one of the most powerful tools women can use to support insulin sensitivity, and what it actually feels like to navigate all of this when the information out there is confusing and contradictory. Because the more informed you are going into this transition, the less alone — and the less blindsided — you're going to feel. Let's dive in.

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About

This podcast is where real life meets real science — where we mix evidence-based education with unfiltered conversations about what it really means to go through perimenopause and menopause. Every week, you’ll hear from women sharing their personal stories — the good, the messy, the in-between — along with experts in nutrition, fitness, mental health, and holistic care.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Erika M Pimentel
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Dr. Erika M Pimentel
  • Show Website
    Menopause UnMuted