The Dr Vonda Show

Get Dr. Vonda's latest insights on strength, bone health, longevity, and aging with power delivered straight to your inbox. Join her free health & longevity newsletter here: https://www.drvondawright.com/resources/aging-longevity
 
I've spent years focusing on your external mobility, but I've become obsessed with the world living inside you. We used to think of the gut as just a digestion tube; now we know it's a thriving ecosystem and a metabolic pharmacy that dictates your weight, mood, and longevity. If you're doing "everything right" but still struggling with energy, the issue isn't your willpower, it's your microbiome.
 
In this episode, I sit down with researcher Dr. Karen Corbin to decode the gut's "black box." We're moving beyond basic digestion to explore how fiber triggers the same satiety hormones as modern weight-loss injections.

Stop viewing food as mere calories and start seeing it as fuel for your internal garden. It's time to stop fighting your biology and start partnering with your bacteria to design a resilient future from the inside out.

What we cover:
- How your gut bacteria produce Butyrate, a "magic" compound that heals the gut and lowers inflammation.
- The science of how fiber and resistant starch signal your brain to feel full and satisfied.
- Why ultra-processed foods are "too easy" for our bodies to digest, leading to metabolic disaster.
- Why "industrial milling" is the hidden enemy of metabolic health, turning even "healthy" grains into rapid glucose spikes by making them too easy to digest.
- Why your choices at dinner determine your blood sugar response to breakfast the next morning, proving that your microbiome works on a 12-to-24-hour cycle.
- Understanding that because every person's "internal garden" is unique, the same "healthy" food can cause a sugar spike in one person while keeping another perfectly stable.
- Exploring the deep connection between the health of your microbiome and the energy-producing engines in your cells that drive your vitality.
 
About Dr Karen Corbin:
Dr. Karen Corbin is a PhD researcher and keynote speaker at the forefront of precision nutrition with Advent Health. She has dedicated her career to decoding the "black box" of the microbiome, revealing how our internal pharmacy dictates metabolic health and longevity.
 
Connect with Dr Karen Corbin:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/karen-corbin-phd-rd-75229111
Website: https://www.geeksthatspeak.com/

Timestamps

00:00 Intro
01:46 Meet Your Microbes: The Colon as a Metabolism 'Show'
05:58 How the Microbiome 'Talks' to You: SCFAs, Bloodstream & the Vagus Nerve
09:28 Feed the Good Guys: Fiber, Mucus Barrier & 'Leaky Gut' Explained
14:23 Aging, Exercise, Antibiotics & Hormones: What Changes in Perimenopause
18:27 Prebiotics vs Probiotics vs Synbiotics: Yogurt, Capsules & What Actually Helps
22:24 Can You Test Your Microbiome? The Limits of Diagnostics & Expensive Probiotics
27:29 Diet Can Remodel Your Gut: The 4 Research-Backed Levers
32:12 Does Food Order Matter? + CGM Lessons on Carbs, Protein, and Spikes
35:48 Practical Breakfast Upgrades: Oats, Flax, Nuts, and Easy Wins
37:00 Calories Aren't One-Size-Fits-All: Microbes, Absorption, and Weight Differences
 
🦴 Unbreakable Bone Health
Dr. Vonda's Unbreakable Bone Health formula supports bone density and strength using patented ingredients backed by 30 years of clinical research.
🛒 Shop now → https://shop.drvondawright.com/
 
📖 Unbreakable: A Woman's Guide to Aging with Power
Dr. Vonda Wright's newest book, Unbreakable, is a bold guide for women ready to redefine what aging looks and feels like. Blending cutting‑edge science with real‑world strategies, it helps you build strength, resilience, and momentum through every decade of life. Discover how to turn aging into your greatest advantage and live with power, purpose, and vitality.
👉 Learn more or get your copy: https://theunbreakablebook.com
 
About Dr. Vonda Wright:
I'm Vonda Wright, an orthopedic sports surgeon and women's healthy‑aging expert. For 20 years I've helped athletes and everyday women protect their joints, build muscle, and extend their health span. Here you'll get science-backed strategies to age with power, so you can keep doing what you love for decades to come.
 
Connect with Dr. Vonda Wright:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drvondawright/
Read Dr. Vonda Wright's Substack: https://drvondawright.substack.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drvondawright
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vonda-wright-md-ms-2803374
Website: http://www.drvondawright.com/

Get Dr. Vonda's latest insights on strength, bone health, longevity, and aging with power delivered straight to your inbox. Join her free health & longevity newsletter here: https://www.drvondawright.com/resources/aging-longevity
 
Through decades of caring for women as an orthopedic sports surgeon, I've seen how many health challenges go unspoken. Body odor, vaginal health, and the shame and silence around them are not small issues. They affect confidence, relationships, and how women move through the world.
 
In this conversation, Shannon and I explore how a simple clinical observation became a breakthrough in understanding how odor works on the body. We discuss why women were taught to mask symptoms instead of understanding their source and how deeply stigma has shaped the way they experience their own bodies.
 
Shannon shares her journey from clinical practice to building products based on physiology rather than marketing myths. We also talk about the power of listening without judgment and giving women the language, knowledge, and permission to understand their bodies without embarrassment.
 
What we cover:
- How Shannon's clinical practice revealed a hidden but widespread problem for women
- Why odor is a bacterial issue, not a hygiene failure
- The difference between masking symptoms and addressing root causes
- How shame has shaped women's health messaging for decades
- Why the vulva, skin folds, and external body deserve the same scientific attention
- What it takes to challenge medical dogma as a woman physician
- The leap from medicine to entrepreneurship and the resistance along the way
- Building products that respect women's intelligence and lived experience
- Why listening to patients changes everything
- How confidence, dignity, and health are deeply connected

About Shannon Klingman:
Dr Shannon Klingman is an OB-GYN, innovator, and founder of Lume. She brings a rare blend of clinical insight, scientific rigor, and fearless honesty to women's health. Her work has helped millions of women better understand their bodies, free from shame, misinformation, or outdated advice.
 
Connect with Shannon Klingman:
Website: https://lumedeodorant.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannon_klingman_md
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shannon.klingman.md
 
Timestamps
 
00:00 Intro
02:27 The Birth of Lume: A Revolutionary Idea
05:42 Developing the Product
08:12 Facing Skepticism and Rejection
10:53 Breaking Through with Marketing
17:40 Scaling and Team Building
25:11 Balancing Family and Business
28:56 The Reality of Entrepreneurial Success
31:12 Personal Health and Lifestyle Changes
35:22 Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Recovery
45:06 Future Aspirations and Reflections
 
🦴 Unbreakable Bone Health
Dr. Vonda's Unbreakable Bone Health formula supports bone density and strength using patented ingredients backed by 30 years of clinical research.
🛒 Shop now → https://shop.drvondawright.com/
 
📖 Unbreakable: A Woman's Guide to Aging with Power
Dr. Vonda Wright's newest book, Unbreakable, is a bold guide for women ready to redefine what aging looks and feels like. Blending cutting‑edge science with real‑world strategies, it helps you build strength, resilience, and momentum through every decade of life. Discover how to turn aging into your greatest advantage and live with power, purpose, and vitality.
👉 Learn more or get your copy: https://theunbreakablebook.com
 
About Dr. Vonda Wright:
I'm Vonda Wright, an orthopedic sports surgeon and women's healthy‑aging expert. For 20 years I've helped athletes and everyday women protect their joints, build muscle, and extend their health span. Here you'll get science-backed strategies to age with power, so you can keep doing what you love for decades to come.
 
Connect with Dr. Vonda Wright:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drvondawright/
Read Dr. Vonda Wright's Substack: https://drvondawright.substack.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drvondawright
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vonda-wright-md-ms-2803374
Website: http://www.drvondawright.com/

Get Dr. Vonda's latest insights on strength, bone health, longevity, and aging with power delivered straight to your inbox. Join her free health & longevity newsletter here: https://www.drvondawright.com/resources/aging-longevity

Today I want to talk with you about how women age, and why so many of us feel surprised by what happens to our bodies in midlife.
 
This is not an episode about chasing youth or fearing wrinkles. It is about understanding why women are not taught how longevity really works in our bodies, and why the years leading up to menopause matter far more than we were ever told.

I have learned, through decades of caring for women as an orthopedic sports surgeon, that we are not simply smaller versions of men. Our biology has often been overlooked in longevity research, even though estrogen quietly influences nearly every system that determines how strong, mobile, and independent we remain as we age.

I want you to know this. Aging is not something that happens to you. It is something you can shape. With the right information, a few consistent habits, and a deeper understanding of your own body, you can build strength and resilience that carry you forward for decades.
 
If you have ever felt like your body changed without warning, like the advice that once worked no longer does, or like aging has been framed as something to fear, this episode is for you.
My hope is that this conversation leaves you feeling informed, supported, and empowered to age with strength, clarity, and confidence.
 
Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Female Longevity
02:06 The Unique Aging Process of Women
03:19 Critical Data Points on Female Longevity
07:08 10 Essential Principles of Female Longevity
07:56 The Critical Decade: 35-45
09:27 The Role of Estrogen in Longevity
11:27 Body Composition Changes in Midlife
12:45 Mitochondria and Female Energy
13:49 Muscle Strength and Longevity
14:55 Cardiovascular Fitness and Lifespan
15:36 Brain Health and Estrogen
16:37 Inflammation and Aging
17:56 Modifying Biological Age
19:42 Conclusion: Designing an Unbreakable Future
 
🦴 Unbreakable Bone Health
Dr. Vonda's Unbreakable Bone Health formula supports bone density and strength using patented ingredients backed by 30 years of clinical research.
🛒 Shop now → https://shop.drvondawright.com/ 
 
📖 Unbreakable: A Woman's Guide to Aging with Power
Dr. Vonda Wright's newest book, Unbreakable, is a bold guide for women ready to redefine what aging looks and feels like. Blending cutting‑edge science with real‑world strategies, it helps you build strength, resilience, and momentum through every decade of life. Discover how to turn aging into your greatest advantage and live with power, purpose, and vitality.
👉 Learn more or get your copy: https://theunbreakablebook.com
 
About Dr. Vonda Wright:
I'm Vonda Wright, an orthopedic sports surgeon and women's healthy‑aging expert. For 20 years I've helped athletes and everyday women protect their joints, build muscle, and extend their health span. Here you'll get science-backed strategies to age with power, so you can keep doing what you love for decades to come.
 
Connect with Dr. Vonda Wright:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drvondawright/ 
Read Dr. Vonda Wright's Substack: https://drvondawright.substack.com/ 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drvondawright 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vonda-wright-md-ms-2803374 
Website: http://www.drvondawright.com/

Get Dr. Vonda's latest insights on strength, bone health, longevity, and aging with power delivered straight to your inbox. Join her free health & longevity newsletter here: https://www.drvondawright.com/resources/aging-longevity

There's a moment many women reach in midlife where things don't feel wrong but they don't feel right either. Digestion changes. Bloating appears out of nowhere. Sleep feels lighter. Inflammation lingers. And no one ever told us these systems might all be connected.

I sat down with Cynthia Thurlow, a nurse practitioner and intermittent fasting expert, to talk about a topic that is still vastly underexplored in women's health: the gut microbiome during perimenopause and menopause.
 
So many women are told their digestive symptoms, inflammation, mood changes, or recurrent infections are just "part of aging." What Cynthia makes clear is that these experiences are deeply rooted in physiology and that when we understand what's happening, we're no longer powerless. This conversation matters because it replaces dismissal with clarity and fear with context.

We examine how this topic shows up in daily life:
- Why declining estrogen affects gut barrier integrity, immune response, and inflammation
- How "leaky gut" can contribute to bone loss, autoimmune risk, and metabolic changes
- The connection between gut health, mood, anxiety, and neurotransmitter signaling
- Why fiber and short-chain fatty acids become more important in perimenopause and menopause
- How fermented foods can support microbiome diversity and recovery after stress, illness, or antibiotics
- The gut–vaginal microbiome connection and why improving one can support the other
- How chronic stress and unprocessed trauma can accelerate hormonal aging and menopause timing
 
About Cynthia Thurlow:
Cynthia Thurlow, NP is a nurse practitioner, intermittent fasting expert, and educator specializing in women's health, hormones, and longevity. Her work bridges functional and conventional medicine, with a focus on helping women understand the physiological changes of perimenopause and menopause through a science-based, compassionate lens.
 
📘 Book - The Menopause Gut
Balance Your Microbiome to Reclaim Your Health in Midlife and Beyond
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/777129/the-menopause-gut-by-cynthia-thurlow-np/
 
Connect with Cynthia Thurlow:
Website: https://www.cynthiathurlow.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cynthia_thurlow_/
Twitter: https://x.com/_cynthiathurlow
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CynthiaThurlow
 
Timestamps
 
00:00 Intro
01:30 What the Gut Microbiome Really Is (and Why It Matters for Whole-Body Health)
05:52 How Perimenopause Triggers Early Changes in the Gut Microbiome
15:23 Practical Gut Health Tips: Diet, Sugar, Sleep, and Inflammation
20:19 Alcohol, Emotional Awareness, and Its Impact on the Microbiome
26:03 Food as Comfort: Emotional Eating, Reflection, and Gut Health
27:52 Vaginal Microbiome Explained: Its Connection to Gut Health
30:26 Stress, Cortisol, Bone Health, and the Gut-Brain Connection
33:11 How Trauma Creates Long-Term Effects on the Body and Microbiome
40:28 Processing Trauma in Healthcare Workers and Physical Health Outcomes
45:02 Healing the Gut Through Awareness and Lifestyle Changes
 
🦴 Unbreakable Bone Health
Dr. Vonda's Unbreakable Bone Health formula supports bone density and strength using patented ingredients backed by 30 years of clinical research.
🛒 Shop now → https://shop.drvondawright.com/ 
 
📖 Unbreakable: A Woman's Guide to Aging with Power
Dr. Vonda Wright's newest book, Unbreakable, is a bold guide for women ready to redefine what aging looks and feels like. Blending cutting‑edge science with real‑world strategies, it helps you build strength, resilience, and momentum through every decade of life. Discover how to turn aging into your greatest advantage and live with power, purpose, and vitality.
👉 Learn more or get your copy: https://theunbreakablebook.com

About Dr. Vonda Wright:
I'm Vonda Wright, an orthopedic sports surgeon and women's healthy‑aging expert. For 20 years I've helped athletes and everyday women protect their joints, build muscle, and extend their health span. Here you'll get science-backed strategies to age with power, so you can keep doing what you love for decades to come.

Connect with Dr. Vonda Wright:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drvondawright/
Read Dr. Vonda Wright's Substack: https://drvondawright.substack.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drvondawright
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vonda-wright-md-ms-2803374
Website: http://www.drvondawright.com/

Get Dr. Vonda's latest insights on strength, bone health, longevity, and aging with power delivered straight to your inbox. Join her free health & longevity newsletter here: https://www.drvondawright.com/resources/aging-longevity
 
There's a quiet shift many women notice in midlife that rarely gets talked about in the doctor's office, changes in their mouth. Gums that feel more sensitive. Teeth that suddenly seem fragile. Dryness, inflammation, or dental issues that appear despite "doing everything right."

I sat down with Dr. Carlos Melendez, a general dentist and practice owner, to talk about what really happens to oral health during perimenopause and menopause, and why women are so often left without explanation when changes begin.

Women are frequently told that dental issues are about hygiene alone, or that worsening gum or tooth problems are just "bad luck." This conversation matters because it reframes oral health as part of whole-body health. When women understand the hormonal and physiological drivers behind these changes, they're empowered to protect not just their smiles, but their overall health as they age.
 
We examine how this topic shows up in daily life:
- How hormonal shifts in menopause affect gum tissue, bone, and oral inflammation
- Why dry mouth becomes more common and why it matters for tooth and gum health
- The connection between estrogen loss, bone density, and jawbone health
- How chronic inflammation in the mouth can impact whole-body health
- Why routine dental changes in midlife deserve deeper evaluation, not dismissal
- How preventive dental care needs to evolve during perimenopause and menopause
- Why collaboration between medical and dental care is essential for aging well

About Dr. Carlos Melendez:
Dr. Carlos Melendez is a general dentist and practice owner with extensive experience caring for adult patients across all life stages. His work focuses on preventive care, patient education, and understanding how systemic health directly impacts oral health, especially in midlife and beyond.

Connect with Dr. Carlos Melendez:
Website: https://www.nonasmiles.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlos-melendez-473523178/

Timestamps (will update once final draft is available)

00:00:00 Intro
00:01:30 Why Dental Health Changes in Midlife
00:05:10 Hormones, Gums, and Oral Inflammation
00:09:40 Estrogen Loss and Jawbone Health
00:14:20 Dry Mouth, Saliva, and Tooth Protection
00:18:30 Gum Disease and Systemic Inflammation
00:24:10 Preventive Dental Care During Menopause
00:29:40 What Dentists Wish Women Knew About Menopause
00:35:20 Advocating for Your Oral Health
00:41:10 Practical Tips for Maintaining Oral Health
00:47:21 Sleep Apnea: Diagnosis and Treatment
 
🦴 Unbreakable Bone Health
Dr. Vonda's Unbreakable Bone Health formula supports bone density and strength using patented ingredients backed by 30 years of clinical research.
🛒 Shop now → https://shop.drvondawright.com/ 
 
📖 Unbreakable: A Woman's Guide to Aging with Power
Dr. Vonda Wright's newest book, Unbreakable, is a bold guide for women ready to redefine what aging looks and feels like. Blending cutting‑edge science with real‑world strategies, it helps you build strength, resilience, and momentum through every decade of life. Discover how to turn aging into your greatest advantage and live with power, purpose, and vitality.
👉 Learn more or get your copy: https://theunbreakablebook.com
 
About Dr. Vonda Wright:
I'm Vonda Wright, an orthopedic sports surgeon and women's healthy‑aging expert. For 20 years I've helped athletes and everyday women protect their joints, build muscle, and extend their health span. Here you'll get science-backed strategies to age with power, so you can keep doing what you love for decades to come.
 
Connect with Dr. Vonda Wright:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drvondawright/ 
Read Dr. Vonda Wright's Substack: https://drvondawright.substack.com/ 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drvondawright 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vonda-wright-md-ms-2803374 
Website: http://www.drvondawright.com/