Get in the Ring with Perimenopause with Jessica D’Abrosca (Episode 246)
When amateur boxer Jessica D'Abrosca entered perimenopause, she didn’t know what hit her. The exhaustion. The night sweats. The joint pain. She felt like she was unraveling. Then she found our community and studied up on this new opponent perimenopause and its hormonal haymakers and learned how she could fight back with training, diet, and lifestyle adjustments. Today, she’s still in the ring. This week we talk all about her history as an athlete and trainer, what happened when she hit the menopause transition and the adjustments she made, the benefits of doing hard things, and what it’s like to take (and give) some punches as a midlife woman.Jessica D'Abrosca is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Corrective Exercise Specialist, and a GYMR Mindset Coach, with over 20 years of experience in the fitness industry. Her journey began in Rhode Island as a young gymnastics coach, where a string of injuries ended her own competitive career—but sparked her passion for helping others succeed. Since then, Jessica has worked with athletes of all ages and abilities across a wide range of sports, from recreational youth programs to adult group training and 1:1 coaching. Her athletic experience spans the spectrum from triathlons, road racing, and martial arts, where she holds her 1st and 2nd degree black belts. Now in her 40s, Jessica is still chasing new challenges—recently stepping into the ring for her first two Masters boxing bouts. You can check out On the Ropes Boxing & Fitness here. Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-pageLearn More and Register for our Feisty 40+ Strong Retreat: https://www.womensperformance.com/strongretreat Learn More and Register for our 2026 Tucson Bike Camp: https://www.girlsgonegravel.com/camp Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners:Phosis: Use the code FEISTY15 for 15% off at https://www.phosis.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Nutrisense: Go to nutrisense.io/hitplay and use code: HITPLAY to get 30% offWahoo KICKR RUN: Use the code FEISTY to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/maTzL This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
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Make Stress Your Superpower in Midlife and Menopause with Sharon Horesh Bergquist, MD (Episode 245)
We’re told stress (looking at you cortisol) is the enemy in midlife—but that’s too simple. In the right dose (and with real recovery), stress is good medicine that builds resilience and makes us stronger, in sport, at work, and in life. In this episode, we dive into the “stress that helps” with Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist—physician, researcher, and author of The Stress Paradox. We break down hormesis (the just-enough stress plus recovery cycle), how the right doses of stress in the form of training, plant phytochemicals, hot/cold exposure, and smart time-restricted eating activates cellular defense pathways that ultimately rebuild us to be stronger right down to our DNA. We also dive into how to stack stressors without tipping into overload, which is key for active midlife women, so we can live longer, healthier, and happier lives.Sharon Bergquist, MD, is a board-certified physician, researcher, and pioneer in lifestyle medicine. She has led $61M in clinical trials on lifestyle interventions and early biomarkers of chronic disease. Her book, The Stress Paradox: Why You Need Stress to Live Longer, Healthier, and Happier (HarperCollins, Mar 2025), unpacks how daily habits activate the body’s regenerative systems. An Emory University faculty physician since 2000, she earned a B.S. in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale, an M.D. from Harvard, and trained in internal medicine at Brigham & Women’s. Her TED-Ed lesson has 8M+ views, and she’s been featured by Good Morning America, CNN, ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR. You can learn more about her and her work and sign up for her newsletter at drsharonbergquist.comResources:The Stress Paradox book: drsharonbergquist.com/the-stress-paradoxSign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-pageLearn More and Register for our Feisty 40+ Strong Retreat: https://www.womensperformance.com/strongretreat Learn More and Register for our 2026 Tucson Bike Camp: https://www.girlsgonegravel.com/camp Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners:Phosis: Use the code FEISTY15 for 15% off at https://www.phosis.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Nutrisense: Go to nutrisense.io/hitplay and use code: HITPLAY to get 30% offWahoo KICKR RUN: Use the code FEISTY to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/maTzL This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
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What Millennials Need to Know About Menopause with Lauren Tetenbaum, LCSW (Episode 244)
The next wave of menopausal women is here. Millennials (born 1981–1996)—with the oldest now 44—are marching into the transition. And no, they’re not “all set.” They’re still running into poor care, confusion about hormone therapy, and real mental-health turbulence. Many are also rolling straight from postpartum into perimenopause—stacking new physical and emotional challenges. This week’s guest, licensed clinical social worker and women’s health advocate Lauren Tetenbaum, is on a mission to make it smoother for her generation with her new book, Millennial Menopause: Preparing for Perimenopause, Menopause, and Life’s Next Period. We dig into what she found, what millennial women need right now, and how we can build a better future.Lauren Tetenbaum, LCSW, JD, PMH-C is a licensed clinical social worker, women's rights advocate, and writer dedicated to supporting and empowering women through life transitions. With experience as both a lawyer and a psychotherapist, Lauren specializes in counseling women navigating identity shifts related to motherhood, career, and reproductive health. Lauren frequently contributes thought leadership to media and professional organizations; she is the author of the 2025 book Millennial Menopause: Preparing for Perimenopause, Menopause, and Life's Next Period. Learn more about Lauren at thecounseLaur.com. Resources: Millennial Menopause: Preparing for Perimenopause, Menopause, and Life's Next Period, here.Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-pageLearn More and Register for our Feisty 40+ Strong Retreat: https://www.womensperformance.com/strongretreat Learn More and Register for our 2026 Tucson Bike Camp: https://www.girlsgonegravel.com/camp Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners:Phosis: Use the code FEISTY15 for 15% off at https://www.phosis.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Nutrisense: Go to nutrisense.io/hitplay and use code: HITPLAY to get 30% offWahoo KICKR RUN: Use the code FEISTY to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/maTzL This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
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No Ego, All Engine: The Midlife Advantage in Multi-Day Racing with Kim Beckinsale & Alina McMaster (Episode 243)
Kim Beckinsale and Alina McMaster, both in their mid-50s, race with Mountain Designs Wild Women, along with their teammates Cass Kimlin and Del Lloyd, who are both over 40. The team made history last year by becoming the first all-female team to win the 450 km Legend Expedition Race along Australia’s Great Ocean Road, finishing in 73:09:27 and outracing men half their age. They unpack how women-only team chemistry—less ego, more communication, and strategic towing/help—can be a superpower over multi-day, map-and-compass courses on little sleep. They also share how their training has evolved with age (fewer “flog yourself” sessions, sharper intensity, bigger recovery) and how menopause shows up (heat management, sleep shifts, mood) without slowing performance. Kim and Alina are currently at Expedition Canada 2025, getting ready to tackle a 750+ km trek–bike–paddle course starting September 25. Follow along: www.expeditionracecanada.caKim Beckinsale is a Health & PE teacher at Sunshine Beach SHS with 36+ years in education and prior leadership roles at Coorparoo and Cleveland District SHS. Queensland School Sport Life Member (2013) and Triathlon 30-year service awardee (2022). A triathlete since the early ’90s and adventure racer since 2004, she holds coaching quals across triathlon, athletics, paddling, MTB, orienteering, plus Remote First Aid & CPR. Co-owner of Tri Adventure (f. 2009), which coaches athletes and runs The Wild Women Adventure Race (2012, Australia’s first all-female AR) and The Amazons Australia (2025, first ARWS all-women’s event).Alina McMaster is Australian Partner at Eventplus and Owner/CEO of AROC Sport, organizing outdoor endurance events. Co-founded Ultra-Trail Australia in 2008 (then The North Face 100), which grew into the world’s second-largest trail event before its sale to Ironman in 2018. A former Australian cross-country ski champion and World Cup/Universiade representative, she dominated domestic multisport (Winter Classic, JLW Challenge, Sri Chinmoy Triple Tri, Jindabyne). In the late ’90s–early 2000s, she and husband Tom Landon-Smith raced on one of the top adventure racing teams globally.ResourcesHistoric Win for the Mountain Designs Wild Women Team at Legend Race in Australia, Wild & Co.AR World Series, Expedition CanadaWild Women in action video clips. Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-pageLearn More and Register for our Feisty 40+ Strong Retreat: https://www.womensperformance.com/strongretreat Learn More and Register for our 2026 Tucson Bike Camp: https://www.girlsgonegravel.com/camp Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners:Phosis: Use the code FEISTY15 for 15% off at https://www.phosis.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Nutrisense: Go to nutrisense.io/hitplay and use code: HITPLAY to get 30% offWahoo KICKR RUN: Use the code FEISTY to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/maTzL This podcast
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1:11:46
The Overlooked Epidemic: Fibroids in Women’s Health with Taraneh Shirazian, MD (Episode 242)
Eighty percent of us will develop fibroids by age 50–making them an epidemic nobody talks about. Tennis legend Venus Williams, 45, has recently spoken up about the debilitating pain, fatigue, and heavy bleeding she suffered with due to fibroids for literally decades. This week we talk with the doctor who finally helped her find relief, Dr. Taraneh Shirazian, Founder and Director of the Center for Fibroid Care at NYU Langone Health. We shine some much needed light on what fibroids are, common symptoms, how fibroids intersect with perimenopause, menopause, and hormone therapy, and what we can do about them. Dr. Taraneh Shirazian is the Founder and Director of the Center for Fibroid Care at NYU Langone Grossman School of Medicine, a state-of-the-art wellness center that takes a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to treating fibroids, abnormal uterine bleeding, and pelvic pain while prioritizing patients’ life goals, including family planning. A minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon and Associate Professor at NYU Langone, she also directs Global Women’s Health in OBGYN and at NYU’s College of Global Public Health, where she has taught for seven years. She is the Founder and President of Saving Mothers, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing preventable maternal deaths worldwide. Recognized as a leader in women’s health and an advocate for patient education and empowerment, Dr. Shirazian specializes in fibroids, endometriosis, ovarian cysts, pelvic pain, and abnormal bleeding, and is frequently featured as a women’s health expert on major media outlets including CBS, CNN, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Newsweek, and The Wall Street Journal. You can follow her on Instagram @drshirazianResources:Venus Williams Opens Up About Her 30-Year Fibroids Journey, Self MagazineVenus Williams Shares Her Journey with Uterine Fibroids & Advocates for Women’s Health, NYU Langone Health NewsHubSign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feistymedia.ac-page.com/feisty-40-sign-up-pageLearn More and Register for our Feisty 40+ Strong Retreat: https://www.womensperformance.com/strongretreat Learn More and Register for our 2026 Tucson Bike Camp: https://www.girlsgonegravel.com/camp Follow Us on Instagram:Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099 Support our Partners:Phosis: Use the code FEISTY15 for 15% off at https://www.phosis.com/ Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/ Nutrisense: Go to nutrisense.io/hitplay and use code: HITPLAY to get 30% offWahoo KICKR RUN: Use the code FEISTY to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/maTzL This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy
Perimenopause and menopause hit active women differently. We have a different lifestyle and different goals. And we know our bodies. Whether you run and hike or do CrossFit and ski (or a little of everything!), you’ve had a way of eating and exercising that worked…until the menopause transition, when it all goes out the window as body composition changes, fatigue, body aches, sleepless nights, hot flashes, brain fog, mood swings, and low mojo blindside you out of the blue—despite doing everything right. Your doctor may (or may not) help with hormone replacement therapy. But what about all the active stuff you love? You’re already exercising and eating well. What you want is to feel and perform like you used to. That doesn’t mean fasting, swearing off carbs for life, or just slowing down. It means adjusting your nutrition, training, recovery, and mindset to work with your changing physiology as you hit this phase of life. And we’re here for it.
At Hit Play Not Pause, we know the potential of women in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond, because we talk to elite athletes and everyday active women who are still hitting personal bests along with world-renowned sports dietitians, researchers, medical and menopause specialists to help you understand what’s happening under the hood during the menopause transition and more importantly, what you can do about it—from hormone therapy to heavy lifting and everything in between—to feel and perform your best.
Host Selene Yeager is a health and science journalist with 30 years’ experience and more than two dozen books to her name. She also lives an active life as a former Ironman triathlete and professional mountain bike racer who still rides, runs, paddles, hikes, lifts, and through her work at Feisty Menopause helps others do the same.
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