The Ovary Club with Alisa Vitti

Moxie Media

Welcome to The Ovary Club with me, Alisa Vitti, your source for women's hormone truth from someone who's been pioneering this conversation for over 20 years. If you want to join the club, here's what you need to know: your ovaries are a key driver of how you feel, function and age. They track everything and it's time you start working with them. And no, your body doesn't operate like a man's, so your health strategy shouldn't either. That's why I'm here to help you deal with hormone symptoms naturally, slow hormonal aging, and biohack like a woman. Inside The Ovary Club, we do things differently. This is gender-specific science designed to help optimize your health through every decade of life. Why listen to me? I'm a women's hormone and functional nutrition expert, bestselling author of WomanCode and In the Flo, and the creator of the Cycle Syncing® Method and Flo Living. So if you're ready to join the club, consider this your invitation to fall in love with your amazing female body and start living in sync with your hormones.

  1. 2d ago

    29: How Night Shifts Mess With Your Cycle and What Women in the Military Do About It with Angela Bento-Swass and Jayden Davey

    Most hormone advice assumes you control your day. Get morning sunlight. Eat on a schedule. Go to bed at the same time every night. But what if you are on hour 10 of a 12-hour night shift, standing at mandatory PT at 6 a.m., or living on a ship where you have not seen the sun in weeks? Cycle Syncing® was never about having a perfect life. It was about knowing what your body needs in each phase and using every choice you do have, even when there are not many. In this episode of The Ovary Club, I sit down with two women who have lived this in one of the most extreme ways possible. We get into how shift work shows up in your cycle, why your ovaries care what time it is, how to eat well when you do not control the menu, and the simple framework that makes cycle care realistic when the mission has to come first. We are releasing this one the day before Veterans Day on purpose. To every woman who has served, and every nurse and first responder working the shifts the rest of us depend on, this one is for you. Jayden Davey is an active-duty Naval Information Warfare Officer. She enlisted in the Navy in 2018, served in the Reserve while in college, earned an NROTC scholarship, and commissioned in 2023 from Miami University. She deployed with Carrier Air Wing 17 aboard the USS Nimitz and now works shift work in a supporting role for operational commands across the Department of the Navy. Angela Bento-Swass is a retired U.S. Air Force master sergeant who served more than 20 years across active duty, Reserve, Guard, and contractor roles. She worked in operational and shift-work environments, deployed multiple times, spent more than five years managing the publication of technical orders for her airframe and weapon system, and later served as a First Sergeant and Resilience Integrator. She founded the Women's Initiative Team at Creech Air Force Base, and in 2021 she organized a three-day Women's Health Symposium where I was the featured speaker.   What's Discussed: (5:50) How shift work shows up in women's mood, energy, cycles, and family planning. (10:35) Why "go outside and get morning sunlight" falls apart on a ship or a night shift. (21:24) Why your ovaries care what time of day you are working. (41:15) Why eating imperfect food beats skipping the meal. (52:31) The minimum, available, and optimal framework for cycle care when you cannot control your day. (1:00:47) How to talk to leadership about family planning and shift work. (1:21:36) My four-part plan for biohacking shift work: light, blood sugar, temperature, and supplements. (1:37:05) What I would pack for a 12-hour shift with no fridge and no cooking. If you have ever felt like you are failing at your health because your schedule will not cooperate, this conversation will change what you think "doing it right" looks like. The Shero's Program If you are a woman serving in the military, a nurse, or a first responder, you now have lifetime access to my products and programs at a special discount, built to support your hormones through the shift work that keeps the rest of us safe. Join the Shero's Program: [LINK TO COME]   Resources Mentioned My shift work guide (light, meal timing, and sleep setup for night shifts): [LINK TO COME] My shelf-stable food and product list for long shifts and deployments: [LINK TO COME]   Thank You to our Sponsors:  FLO Living (supplement): Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com  Slow Down Hormonal Aging Want to be more proactive about your hormones as you get older? Start with Alisa's Slow Down Hormonal Aging resource and learn what you can begin paying attention to now: alisavitti.kit.com/77c59f219c Learn more about Alisa Vitti: Instagram: alisa.vitti Website: alisavitti.kit.com Jayden Davey and Angela Bento-Swass appear in a personal capacity. The views they share are their own and do not represent the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force, or the Department of Defense.

  2. Nov 3

    28: Early Puberty in Girls: 4 Surprising Triggers + What Parents Can Do

    Girls are starting puberty earlier than they did a generation ago. Some pediatricians are now seeing breast buds in girls as young as 6 and 7. And it is not just genetics. Everyday factors like stress, diet, and chemical exposure can push a girl's body into puberty years before it is ready. In this solo episode of The Ovary Club, I am breaking down why the timing of puberty matters so much more than most people realize, the four main factors research has linked to early puberty, and the simple, consistent things you can do to set your daughter's hormones up for success. Whether you are a mom or not, this is information every woman should have. I am also sharing exactly what I do for my own daughters, from screens off after 7 p.m. and fragrance-free products, to how we talk about bodies and periods at home. Because none of us had this information handed to us. You have it now, and that is what matters. What's Discussed: (1:07) How the timeline of puberty is shifting for girls. (2:24) What precocious puberty is and the signs to watch for. (3:08) Why the timing of puberty matters decades later. (4:06) How chronic stress is linked to earlier periods in girls. (4:49) The personal care products worth a closer look. (5:20) What diet and rapid weight gain have to do with puberty timing. (5:59) The surprising link between infant feeding and puberty. (7:11) My own late puberty and why I wanted something different for my daughters. (7:49) How I manage my daughters' stress load and screen time. (8:32) What I look for in personal care products at home. (9:01) How to feed her for healthy hormones, starting in infancy. (9:56) Why the conversation about her body should start early. (10:26) The simple daily check that teaches kids to read their body's signals.   Thank You to our Sponsors: FLO Living (supplement): Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com  Slow Down Hormonal Aging Want to be more proactive about your hormones as you get older? Start with Alisa's Slow Down Hormonal Aging resource and learn what you can begin paying attention to now: alisavitti.kit.com/77c59f219c   Learn more about Alisa Vitti: Instagram: alisa.vitti Website: alisavitti.kit.com

  3. Oct 27

    27: Why Low Desire Isn't Just a Hormone Problem with Kimberly Ann Johnson

    If your desire has disappeared, you probably already have a theory about why. Your hormones. Your age. Your relationship. The kids. But there is a system sitting underneath all of those that almost nobody is talking about. When your nervous system is stuck in survival mode, your body is not going to prioritize pleasure, no matter how clean your diet is or how perfect your protocol looks. In this episode of The Ovary Club, I sit down with my friend Kimberly Ann Johnson to talk about what is actually happening when women feel cut off from their bodies, why postpartum is so often where that disconnection begins, and why trying to "fix" your nervous system can keep you stuck in the exact state you are trying to get out of. We also get into her new book, Erotic Seasons, and how a woman's desire shifts through every season of her life and every phase of her cycle. Kimberly Ann Johnson is a sexological bodyworker, Somatic Experiencing™ Practitioner, birth doula, and postpartum advocate who has spent the past twenty years helping women heal from birth injuries, gynecological surgeries, and sexual boundary violations. She is the author of the early mothering classic The Fourth Trimester and Call of the Wild, the creator of Activate Your Inner Jaguar, and the host of the Sex Birth Trauma podcast. Her new book, Erotic Seasons: Tuning into the Rhythms of Women's Sexuality and Spirituality, maps a woman's sexuality through the maiden, mother, virgin, and crone seasons of life. What's Discussed: (6:45) What is actually happening in your nervous system when you feel cut off from your body. (8:02) The "social nervous system" and why so many women get stuck in comparison mode. (10:06) What "I've done everything and nothing works" may really be telling you. (14:17) What is going on underneath disappearing desire. (19:22) Why calling oxytocin "the love hormone" sells it short. (25:22) Why postpartum is so often where long-term disconnection from your body begins. (29:12) Why postpartum care should look more like recovering from a car accident than "bouncing back." (36:24) The blue and red framework, and why noticing what feels good is a skill. (47:07) Why going from a busy day straight into intimacy is like going zero to 60. (52:13) The biggest misconception about how women try to "fix" their nervous system. (1:00:32) The four erotic seasons of a woman's life. (1:08:49) How your monthly cycle gives you a preview of every erotic season. (1:15:14) Where to start if you feel disconnected and your desire is low. Thank You to our Sponsors: FLO Living (supplement): Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com  Slow Down Hormonal Aging Want to be more proactive about your hormones as you get older? Start with Alisa's Slow Down Hormonal Aging resource and learn what you can begin paying attention to now: alisavitti.kit.com/77c59f219c   Learn more about Alisa Vitti: Instagram: alisa.vitti Website: alisavitti.kit.com   Learn More About Kimberly Ann Johnson: Website: kimberlyannjohnson.com  YouTube: @kimberly.ann.johnson  Instagram: @kimberly.ann.johnson Podcast: Sex Birth Trauma Erotic Seasons available for pre-order now & a Free Gift: Download an exclusive additional chapter from Erotic Seasons entitled "The Body and the Belly" at www.kimberlyannjohnson.com/erotic-seasons-book/

  4. Oct 20

    26: Your Perimenopause Questions Answered: Food, Weight, HRT + More

    Perimenopause brings up a lot of very specific questions. What should I actually be eating? Why am I suddenly gaining weight when I have not changed anything? Should I be fasting? Is HRT enough? And what do I do if symptoms are already showing up hard in my 40s? In this episode of The Ovary Club, I am answering four real questions women sent me about navigating this stage. I take you inside how I structure my own meals, when I eat carbohydrates, how I fuel strength training, what I pay attention to when weight suddenly becomes harder to manage, and where HRT fits into the bigger picture. I am also sharing what I am doing personally at 49, because I do not believe women should have to wait until symptoms become unbearable before they start changing how they support their hormones. There is a lot we can pay attention to now, and sometimes the smallest adjustments tell you the most about what your body needs. What's Discussed: Q&A 1 | 0:56 What should I eat in perimenopause if I have insulin resistance and strength train? Q&A 2 | 16:12 Could menopause eventually become optional? Q&A 3 | 22:45 What can women 45+ do when hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, and irregular periods are already showing up? Q&A 4 | 28:16 Why will the scale not budge at 47 even when I walk daily and eat clean? Want More of Your Questions Answered? I had way more perimenopause questions than I could fit into one public episode, so I kept going. The full Q&A is available exclusively inside The Ovary Club Insiders, where I answer more of your questions about caffeine, dietary fat, legumes and the bean protocol, melatonin, and more.  The Ovary Club Insiders: Join us at alisavitti.kit.com/products/the-ovary-club    Thank You to our Sponsors: FLO Living (supplement): Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com     More From Alisa: Get my guide on slowing down hormonal aging: https://alisavitti.kit.com/77c59f219c   Learn more about Alisa Vitti: Instagram: alisa.vitti Website: alisavitti.kit.com

  5. Oct 13

    25: How to Eat for Better Egg Quality, Ovulation, and Pregnancy with Lily Nichols

    If having a baby is somewhere in your plans for the next year, there is a lot you can be doing now that most women are never told about. Fertility prep starts well before you are officially "trying," and the months leading up to conception are a chance to support your body in ways that can make a real difference. In this episode of The Ovary Club, I sit down with Lily Nichols for a much-needed conversation about what preconception nutrition actually looks like. We talk about where the usual fertility advice falls short, the things women are doing in the name of "health" that may not be helping, and what I want you paying attention to now if pregnancy is on your radar. We also get into the part of fertility prep that should never fall entirely on the woman. Lily Nichols is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author known for her evidence-based work in prenatal nutrition. She is the founder of the Institute for Prenatal Nutrition® and the author of Real Food for Pregnancy, Real Food for Fertility, and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes. Her books have reached millions of readers worldwide, are used in university-level maternal nutrition and midwifery courses, and have influenced prenatal nutrition policy internationally. What's Discussed: (6:49) Why fertility nutrition should start months before you begin trying. (11:19) Why having a "normal" period does not necessarily tell you everything about ovulation. (13:39) What blood sugar can tell you about fertility, even when your labs are technically normal. (19:54) The problem with fasting and under-eating when you are trying to support fertility. (37:06) How long an egg is actually developing before ovulation. (39:34) Why not all prenatal vitamins are created equal. (49:21) What hormonal birth control can do to nutrient levels before conception. (56:45) Why nutrition still matters if you are going through IVF. (1:03:35) Why male fertility needs to be part of the preconception conversation. (1:09:47) What to start doing now if you want to try to conceive within the next year. (1:16:28) Can you really improve egg quality in 90 days? Thank You to our Sponsors: FLO Living: Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com  Slow Down Hormonal Aging Want to be more proactive about your hormones as you get older? Start with Alisa's Slow Down Hormonal Aging resource and learn what you can begin paying attention to now: alisavitti.kit.com/77c59f219c Boost Your Fertility Trying to conceive now or in the future? Get Alisa's guide including the exact supplement protocol she used to conceive at 36 and 43, plus her essential fertility biohacks: https://alisavitti.kit.com/a2b80c30b0   Learn more about Alisa Vitti: Instagram: alisa.vitti Website: alisavitti.kit.com   Learn More About Lily Nichols: Website: lilynicholsrdn.com  Substack: lilynicholsrdn.substack.com   Instagram: @lilynicholsrdn

  6. Oct 6

    24: 5 Ways Travel Disrupts Your Hormones + How to Protect Them From a Women's Hormone Expert

    If you are in your 40s or 50s and travel suddenly feels harder on your body than it used to, we need to talk. You come home bloated, constipated, exhausted, starving at weird times, sleeping terribly, and wondering why one trip knocked you out for days. In midlife, your hormones are already shifting, and travel can pile even more disruption on top of that. There are five things I pay very close attention to when I travel now: my circadian rhythm, hydration, gut health, blood sugar and cortisol, and mitochondrial health. In this episode, I am breaking down what flying can do to each one, why women in perimenopause may feel those changes more intensely, and the things you can do before, during, and after a trip to make recovery much easier. And I am giving you my personal travel routine because, as I say in the episode, I am a delicate flower. 😂 I bring my food. I pack my supplements and tea. I get up and do squats and calf raises on the airplane. I have spent years figuring out what keeps me feeling like myself when I travel, especially now in perimenopause, and I want you to take whatever helps make your next trip easier on your body. Get my free Travel Cheat Sheet here so you know exactly what to pack and how to prep for your next trip: https://alisavitti.kit.com/457e61fb4c Get my Slow Down Hormonal Aging cheat sheet here: https://alisavitti.kit.com/77c59f219c What's Discussed: (1:50) What crossing time zones can do to your circadian rhythm. (5:04) Why protecting melatonin matters for much more than sleep. (6:41) The surprising connection between dehydration, hunger, and fullness. (7:56) Why your post-travel constipation may also affect your hormones. (9:17) Where blood sugar and cortisol start getting messy during travel. (10:05) Why I really want you to stop winging your food at the airport. (11:06) The mitochondrial piece almost nobody thinks about when flying. (12:45) My personal hormone-friendly travel routine. (13:44) Yes, I actually do squats and calf raises on the plane. (16:46) What I pack and eat when I travel in perimenopause.   Learn more about Alisa Vitti: Instagram: alisa.vitti Website: alisavitti.kit.com

  7. Sep 29

    23: How to Eat for Your Hormones Without Making Food Miserable with Giada De Laurentiis

    Food is one of the most powerful tools we have for hormonal health, and somehow it has become one of the most confusing. Protein targets, fasting windows, carbs, fats, blood sugar, meal timing, supplements, food quality... women are trying so hard to get it "right" that eating can start to feel like another full-time job. And somewhere in all of that advice, we have lost the part where food is supposed to taste good, fit into an actual life, and be something we enjoy. In this episode of The Ovary Club, I sit down with Giada De Laurentiis to make eating for your hormones feel practical again. We get into what happens when the way you have always eaten no longer feels like it is working for your body, why hormone health is about more than simply choosing "healthy" foods, and how to build an approach to eating that can actually survive a busy life, travel, restaurants, family, and everything else women are carrying. Most importantly, we talk about how to do all of that without taking the joy out of food in the process. Giada De Laurentiis is an Emmy Award-winning chef, nine-time New York Times bestselling cookbook author, and one of the most recognizable culinary voices in the world. Born in Rome and trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, she brings a perspective on food that has always gone far beyond calories and macros. This conversation brings that philosophy into the hormone conversation, and into the very real question so many women are asking: How do I eat in a way that supports my body without making food miserable? Get the step counter we talked about in the episode: https://amzn.to/4yAEztw    What's Discussed: (03:40) Why hormone changes can begin in your early 40s even when standard lab results still appear "normal." (11:07) Why eating foods that seem healthy may still leave blood sugar, cholesterol, inflammation, and energy moving in the wrong direction. (15:22) How fasting and meal timing can work against some women in midlife instead of supporting their metabolism. (22:36) How protein, carbohydrates, fats, and the way meals are structured can change metabolic health. (31:31) Why fiber becomes especially important for digestion, gut health, and estrogen metabolism in menopause. (41:02) Why HRT can be helpful without replacing the nutrition and lifestyle foundations your body still needs. (47:51) How to eat for your hormones without turning food into restriction, perfectionism, or another source of stress.   Free Guide: The 90-Day Reset Roadmap: Most women quit fixing their hormones right before it actually works, because nobody told them what to expect. Your body works in cycles, not days, so real change shows up over about three of them. I mapped it out month by month in a guide called the 90-Day Reset Roadmap, so you know exactly what is normal and when to expect the shift. Get it free here: alisavitti.kit.com/   Learn More About Alisa Vitti: Instagram: @alisa.vitti  Website: alisavitti.kit.com    Learn More About Giada De Laurentiis: Instagram: @giadadelaurentiis  Website: giadzy.com & giadadelaurentiis.com Books: https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/books

  8. Sep 22

    22: Why Broken Sleep After 40 Is Not Something You Should Accept with Dr. Andrea Matsumura

    If you are waking up at 3 a.m. every night, getting enough hours but still feeling exhausted, or suddenly having trouble sleeping when you never used to, please stop writing it off as "just perimenopause." Yes, your hormones are changing. But that does not mean every sleep problem after 40 should automatically get blamed on hormones and left there. Women can have real sleep disorders in midlife that show up very differently than the symptoms most doctors were trained to look for. In this episode of The Ovary Club, Dr. Andrea Matsumura and I unpack why broken sleep after 40 is more complicated than "your hormones are changing," and why so many women are still not getting the right answers. We talk about the sleep problems that are commonly missed in midlife, what your 3 a.m. wake-up may actually be telling you, and why some of the most popular sleep fixes may not be helping the way you think they are  Dr. Andrea Matsumura is a board-certified sleep medicine physician, certified menopause practitioner, and founder of the D.R.E.A.M. Sleep Method. She has built her work around something that should have happened a long time ago: looking at women's sleep through female physiology. Her framework considers daily habits, your sleep environment, emotions, circadian archetype, and the medical conditions that can quietly keep women from getting restorative sleep. What's Discussed (7:42) Why estrogen changes can disrupt the melatonin signal helping you stay asleep. (12:26) The four-part sleep pattern Dr. Matsumura keeps seeing in women entering menopause. (15:19) What may really be happening behind the 3 a.m. wake-up. (23:05) Why women with sleep apnea often do not look like the sleep apnea patient you are picturing. (46:28) Why your own melatonin production can take a major hit by midlife. (51:14) The problem with taking high-dose melatonin right before bed. (1:03:43) What to ask when you know your sleep is not normal but no one has investigated it. If you are doing all the "right" things and still waking up exhausted, this conversation will give you a very different way to look at what might be going on.    Thank You to Our Sponsors:  FLOLiving: Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com  The 90-Day Reset Roadmap: Most women quit fixing their hormones right before it actually works, because nobody told them what to expect. Your body works in cycles, not days, so real change shows up over about three of them. I mapped it out month by month in a guide called the 90 Day Reset Roadmap, so you know exactly what's normal, and when to expect the shift. Get it for free here: https://alisavitti.kit.com/e9c34804dc   Learn more about Alisa Vitti: Instagram: alisa.vitti Website: alisavitti.kit.com   Learn more about Dr. Andrea Matsumura: Website: andreamatsumuramd.com Instagram: @drandreamatsumura  YouTube: @DrAndreaMatsumura

4.8
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Ovary Club with me, Alisa Vitti, your source for women's hormone truth from someone who's been pioneering this conversation for over 20 years. If you want to join the club, here's what you need to know: your ovaries are a key driver of how you feel, function and age. They track everything and it's time you start working with them. And no, your body doesn't operate like a man's, so your health strategy shouldn't either. That's why I'm here to help you deal with hormone symptoms naturally, slow hormonal aging, and biohack like a woman. Inside The Ovary Club, we do things differently. This is gender-specific science designed to help optimize your health through every decade of life. Why listen to me? I'm a women's hormone and functional nutrition expert, bestselling author of WomanCode and In the Flo, and the creator of the Cycle Syncing® Method and Flo Living. So if you're ready to join the club, consider this your invitation to fall in love with your amazing female body and start living in sync with your hormones.

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