Most women are told that feeling exhausted, gaining weight, losing muscle, and watching their body change after 40 is just what happens. Dr. Stephanie Estima is here to tell you that's the wrong map.
BETTER is the podcast for women in perimenopause and menopause who want to build real strength, understand their hormones, and take body composition seriously — without the diet culture nonsense and without the fear.
Dr. Stephanie is a chiropractor, brain health expert, and one of the few voices in the menopause space who leads with fitness, muscle, and what your body is actually capable of. Each week she brings the world's leading researchers, clinicians, and practitioners into conversation — then translates the science into something you can use on Monday morning.
Topics include strength training in perimenopause, body composition after 40, HRT and hormonal health, bone density, metabolic health, injury prevention, sleep, nutrition, and the kind of training that actually works when your body is changing.
This is not a podcast about surviving menopause. It's about building the strongest, most capable version of yourself — at the exact moment most women are told to expect less.
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Perimenopause Doesn't Cause ADHD, It Unmasks It: Reclaim Your Brain with Dr. Jolene Brighten
Monday, October 5, 2026 • Duration 01:23:07
Were you ever told you were "so smart, but" on a report card? So smart, but too chatty. So smart, but not living up to your potential. Dr. Jolene Brighten, naturopathic endocrinologist and author of the forthcoming ADHD and Women, unpacks why ADHD in women looks nothing like the stereotype, and why so many women aren't diagnosed until their late 30s or 40s, often only after their own child gets diagnosed first.
If you've ever felt like the strategies that used to work for you have quietly stopped working, this episode might give you language for something you've been carrying alone for a long time.
🎤 TOPICS COVERED
ADHD in women: symptoms, diagnosis, and why it's missed for decades
Why ADHD looks different in women versus men
Perimenopause and ADHD: why symptoms get worse in midlife
The five hormonal stages that worsen ADHD (puberty, pregnancy/postpartum, perimenopause, postmenopause, premenstrual phase)
Executive dysfunction explained: time blindness, task paralysis, and emotional dysregulation
ADHD masking in women: people-pleasing, perfectionism, and burnout
Estrogen, progesterone, and the ADHD brain: how hormones affect dopamine and focus
PMDD and ADHD: the connection between your cycle and your symptoms
Progesterone sensitivity and hormone replacement therapy for ADHD women
PCOS, PMOS, and the androgen-ADHD connection
ADHD and genetics: is ADHD hereditary
Nutrition for ADHD: gut health, protein, and the three foods Dr. Brighten recommends weekly
Exercise and the ADHD brain: lactate, BDNF, and why movement improves focus
Best workouts for ADHD: strength training, sprints, and mobility work
Creatine, saffron, bacopa, and other supplements for ADHD
Sleep and ADHD: delayed sleep phase syndrome and the default mode network
Late-diagnosed ADHD in women: why so many women are diagnosed in their late 30s and 40s
PIQUE LIFE - Experience Transformative Results. Start your daily ritual today and elevate your morning and evening routine at https://piquelife.com/better
**************************** P.S. When you're ready, here are two ways Dr. Stephanie can help you:
Subscribe:The Mini Pause— My weekly newsletter packed with the most actionable, evidence-based tools for women 40+ to thrive in midlife.
Build Muscle: LIFT— My progressive strength training program designed for women in midlife. Form-focused, joint-friendly, and built for real results.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Hypermobile? Yes, You Can Strength Train (Here's How to Do It Safely)
Monday, September 28, 2026 • Duration 34:12
If you can touch your thumb to your forearm, your elbows bend backward when you lock them out, or you've spent your life being called "double-jointed" like it's a party trick — this episode is your explainer.
Dr. Stephanie walks through what hypermobility actually is, the three-tier spectrum from simple joint laxity to Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder to hEDS, and why the standard fitness advice (more stretching, more mobility work, taking it easy) is often exactly backwards for this population. The real issue was never flexibility — it's instability.
Dr. Stephanie also explains safe strength training when your passive stabilizers can’t protect your end range, why controlled range is better than maximum range, and the specific training variables (tempo, isometrics, balance work) that build the neuromuscular control hypermobile bodies lack. She also covers nutrition considerations (protein, vitamin C, collagen timing) and recovery pacing, and reframes the idea that losing muscle while hypermobile makes you safer.
TOPICS COVERED
What hypermobility is and how it's screened (the Beighton score)
The three tiers: joint hypermobility, Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD), and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS)
Why hypermobility itself isn't the problem — instability is
Passive stabilizers vs. active stabilizers, explained
Why estrogen increases ligament laxity (and why women are more affected than men)
Proprioceptive deficits: why hypermobile joints don't send a clear "too far" warning signal
Why strength training is a primary treatment strategy, not a nice-to-have
Training in controlled range (about 80-90% of passive range) instead of maximum range
Practical cueing for squats, presses, and overhead work
Controlled eccentrics, isometrics, and balance/proprioceptive training
Why passive static stretching is generally counterproductive for this population
Joint-by-joint programming (why shoulders and hips need the most attention)
Nutrition: protein targets, vitamin C, and collagen peptide timing
Recovery: pacing over pushing, sleep, and how to tell soreness from a warning sign
Why chasing "skinny" is especially risky for hypermobile women in midlife
No Time for the Gym? How to Rack Up Movement Minutes and Protect Your Bone Density with Katy Bowman
Monday, September 21, 2026 • Duration 01:24:27
What if the guilt you feel for skipping the gym is based on a flawed concept? Biomechanist Katy Bowman challenges the notion that exercise is merely a modern, recent way to meet our body’s movement needs. She introduces her ”movement diet” framework, which includes movement calories (volume), movement macronutrients (walking, carrying, climbing, hand use, big-body work, active rest), and movement micronutrients (joint work often overlooked).
Katy also encourages playing cards on the floor instead of the couch, sprinting with your kids at the park instead of on a track, why bunions and hallux valgus develop from years of subtle gait compensation, not "just aging," and why fixing the small stuff often matters more than adding another workout. Remember your bones and joints don’t distinguish between loads from a barbell and carrying groceries; they only care that the load occurred.
Exercise vs. physical activity vs. movement (the three circles)
Fitting movement into an exhausted evening
The movement diet: macros, micros, and why movement is a nutrient
The Movement Pyramid, bottom to top
Should you push through pain, or back off?
Why "it's just age” is usually a movement-pattern problem
Driving, automatic transmissions, and the pelvic floor connection
Hadza activity levels vs. modern sedentary life
Finding movement inside a "fixed" daily schedule
Katy's own movement diet, and "Night Bitch"
What bone actually needs: a biomechanist's view on bone density
"Loads, not modes": Katy's rowing routine and the vitamin D/tofu analogy
Reframing sprinting: racing your kids at the park
Movement snacks and redesigning your environment
"Convenience isn't saving you time — it's saving you movement"
Feet, bunions, and how gait patterns form
The Physiology of Grief: What Loss Actually Does In Your Body with Mary-Frances O'Connor, PhD.
Monday, September 14, 2026 • Duration 01:17:03
Falling in love triggers a specific hormonal cascade: oxytocin, dopamine, the whole cocktail that makes you feel like you can't think about anything else. What almost nobody talks about is that losing someone runs that same system in reverse.
Mary-Frances O’Connor, director of the Grief, Loss, and Social Stress Lab, discusses how grief can be understood as a hormonal “withdrawal” from the bonding chemistry of love, debunks the myth of five linear stages, and clarifies the difference between acute “grief” and the longer-term trajectory of “grieving.”
Prof O’Connor explains common emotional, cognitive, and physical manifestations, why the brain both knows a loved one is gone yet still expects them, and how grieving involves intense learning and identity updating. This episode also covers health risks after bereavement, the importance of preventive care and supportive companionship, practical ways to honour loved ones, and how reflecting on mortality can shape meaning.
🎤 EPISODE OVERVIEW
(0:00) Intro & Rapid-Fire Questions
(4:44) Defining Grief vs. Grieving
(6:15) Grief Beyond Death: Divorce, Empty Nests & Identity Loss
(10:17) The Neurobiology of Love, Bonding & Loss
(13:55) Acute Grief and the 21x Heart Attack Risk
(21:13) The Broken Heart Phenomenon & the Case for Bereavement Care
(30:42) Platitudes and How to Actually Support Someone Grieving
(41:02) The "Gone But Everlasting" Theory & Grief as Learning
(47:35) Purple Towels: Identity, Continuing Bonds & Facing Our Own Mortality
(1:15:56) After Party with Dr. Stephanie
BEARABY - Find a more natural way to support deeper, calmer sleep. Go to https://bearaby.com and use code for a discount on any Bearaby weighted blanket purchase.
How Nitric Oxide Controls Blood Flow, Energy & Hormone Function with Cathy Eason, MS, BCHN
Monday, September 7, 2026 • Duration 01:17:19
If you’ve got a cupboard full of supplements you bought with good intentions but never used, this episode is for you. Cathy Eason, Chief Science Officer at Berkeley Life, talks about nitric oxide, a molecule that affects almost every body system, including blood flow, blood pressure, digestion, energy production, and sexual arousal.
She explains why nitric oxide production declines in your 30s and how it’s linked to perimenopause. Eason also discusses the research behind using dietary nitrates (like beets and leafy greens) to support nitric oxide production and when supplementation might be necessary.
This episode covers practical aspects like testing nitric oxide status at home, the connection between oral health and nitric oxide, and how the protocol differs for daily energy needs versus intense training. Eason also advises caution with nitric oxide supplementation, especially for those on blood pressure medication, and why she moved away from arginine/citrulline supplements.
🎤 EPISODE OVERVIEW
(0:00) Intro/Teaser
(05:33) How Nitric Oxide Opens Blood Flow (Vasodilation 101)
(11:04) Blood Pressure, Arterial Stiffness & the Research
(15:49) Digestion, Gut Motility & Hypertension Safety
(24:01) Oral Health, Fluoride & the Nitrate Recycling Pathway
(29:34) Dietary Nitrate Sources: Beets, Ferments & Histamine Considerations
(34:19) Arousal, Desire & Blood Flow to the Genitals
(39:48) Closing the Research Gap: Female Sexual Function Data
(41:08) Performance & Recovery: From the Soccer Field to the Gym
(46:43) Muscle Force, DOMS & Timing Your Dose Around a Workout
(51:10) Testing Your Own Nitric Oxide & Finding Your Pattern
(59:28) Choosing a Supplement: The Ophelia & Emily Protocol
(1:19:48) After-Party: Final Thoughts with Dr. Stephanie
Your Brain on AI: How to Build Your Memory Muscle Before You Borrow It with Jim Kwik
Monday, August 31, 2026 • Duration 55:34
For over 30 years, Jim Kwik has coached Hollywood, professional athletes, political leaders, and Harvard University on how to learn faster and think sharper — and in this episode, he tackles the question sitting underneath so much of modern life: what happens to your mind muscle when every cognitive task gets handed off to ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini?
The good news: your brain, like your muscles, adapts to the demands placed upon it at any age or stage. Jim explains why frustration and failure aren’t obstacles to brain training, shares his personal top ten list of brain-building habits, ranging from racket sports to language learning and volunteering. He also delves into an MIT study examining the impact of ChatGPT and introduces his own framework for using AI as a genuine cognitive partner, rather than a replacement for human brain power.
🎤 Episode Overview:
(0:00) Intro/Teaser
(5:09) Can You Strength Train Your Brain?
(7:46) Why Frustration Is the Whole Point
(12:09) Racket Sports and the Longevity Connection
(17:19) Ten Daily Habits for a More Resilient Brain
(25:25) Cognitive Flexibility and the Echo Chamber Problem
(30:35) Digital Dementia, Digital Deduction, and the Escalator Problem
(36:29) Build Before You Borrow: Jim's Rule for Using AI
(41:03) Kids, Screens, and Digital Addiction
(48:01) Small Choices, Consistency, and Limitless Daily
(56:35) After Party with Dr. Stephanie
BIOPTIMIZERS
- Visit and use code to save 15% (and more)
Pilates Girls, You're Losing Bone. The Exercise Science of Building Bone After 40 with Prof Belinda Beck
Monday, August 24, 2026 • Duration 01:14:22
For decades, women with low bone density were told to take it easy; Professor Belinda Beck's research proved the opposite: high-intensity resistance and impact training safely rebuilds bone, even in women who had been told their bones were too fragile to lift heavy.
Belinda covers the full arc of bone health, from how peak bone mass is set in the teenage years, to what actually happens to bone when estrogen declines through perimenopause and menopause, to why so many popular "safe" exercises, including walking, cycling, and Pilates, simply don't provide enough stimulus to protect bone.
They dig into the physiology of bone remodelling, the real evidence (and lack of it) behind weighted vests, how to read a DEXA scan, and practical calcium and vitamin D guidance. Belinda also shares the story behind LIFTMOR itself, including how her research team was once considered reckless for asking postmenopausal women to lift heavy, and how those same women ended up stronger, more confident, and more independent than they'd been in decades.
EPISODE OVERVIEW
(00:00) Introduction & Rapid Fire
(05:15) Bone 101: Structure, Types & What Determines Density
(11:52) How Bone Forms: Peak Mass, Sex Differences & Sesamoid Bones
(17:12) Diet Culture, Dairy Myths & Caloric Restriction
(23:42) Debunking the Kids & Weightlifting Myth
(28:31) Runners, Multi-Sport & Varying the Stimulus
(34:51) Wolff's Law & How Bone Adapts to Load
(42:22) Best & Worst Exercises for Bone, Weighted Vests & Pilates
(50:08) Estrogen, Perimenopause, Menopause & Building Your Baseline
(1:04:16) The LIFTMOR Trial, ONERO & Getting Your Life Back
(1:16:16) The After Party: Final Thoughts with Dr. Stephanie
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Frozen Shoulder, Aching Hips & Just Aging: Midlife Joint Pain with Dr. Tom Walters
Monday, August 17, 2026 • Duration 01:24:30
You did everything they told you. You rested it. You waited. And it still hurts. Here's the part no one explains: rest is often the reason it isn't getting better.
Dr. Tom Walters is an orthopedic physical therapist, kinesiology professor, and founder of Rehab Science. Tom has spent over a decade teaching people that their bodies are adaptable, not fragile, and this conversation is a masterclass in what that actually means when something starts to hurt. They nerd out (a lot), but everything here is built to help you move through midlife with less fear and more agency.
This one is for every Bettie who was told her aching hip or frozen shoulder is "just aging." You're not broken, and you're not behind. Your capacity changed; your plan just needs to change with it.
🎤 EPISODE OVERVIEW:
(00:00) Intro/teaser
(05:34) Rapid fire: the rehab rules and myths worth tossing
(10:35) What pain really is (it's not just a sensation)
(16:59) The different types of pain
(28:23) Why "just rest it" is outdated
(35:40) Ego, injury, and the recovering type A
(40:29) Load vs capacity, explained simply
(49:23) Perimenopause, estrogen, and your changing capacity
(56:51) The three phases of rehab
(1:01:48) Hypermobility: why you have to chase muscle
(1:10:05) That hip pain isn't bursitis (plus the live demo)
(1:14:38) How to care for your body before the pain starts
(1:26:06) The After Party with Dr. Stephanie
JUST THRIVE HEALTH - Your gut runs the show — mood, immunity, energy, all of it. Just Thrive's spore-based probiotics are the ones I actually trust. Take the Feel Better Challenge and save on your first order at justthrivehealth.com/better with code BETTER.
Spiritual Fitness: Letting Go vs. Giving Up with Danielle LaPorte
Monday, August 10, 2026 • Duration 01:22:17
We've been taught that healing is something you power through. Overcome the fear. Crush the goal. Cut the cord and move on. Danielle LaPorte says that's exactly why so many high-achieving women are still stuck in the same loops they swore they'd released; they were given the wrong instructions.
In this episode, Dr. Stephanie (a self-described mechanist who wanted KPIs for her soul) gets Danielle to make "spiritual fitness" as concrete as a training program: a framework, metrics, and skills you can actually practice. They get into why cutting cords usually leaves you more hooked, not less; the fear of rejection quietly driving the woman who never misses a workout; the difference between ego goals (no party, no rest, onto the next thing) and heart-centered goals; and why the answer to a hard emotion is to bless it, not banish it.
🎤 EPISODE OVERVIEW:
(0:00) Intro/Teaser
(6:06) Cutting cords, AI & triggers
(13:29) Letting go vs. giving up
(18:13) What is spiritual fitness?
(28:16) The dark side of manifestation
(34:32) The physics of letting go
(43:44) Bless it, don't banish it
(54:24) How's that working out?
(1:01:37) Worthiness & Exorcist Emily
(1:15:09) A live Centring Practice
(1:23:45) The After Party with Dr. Stephanie
MUSE - Train your nervous system with feedback, the same way you’d train muscles with resistance. If you are ready to unlock your brain's potential, go to https://choosemuse.com/BETTER or use code BETTER at checkout to get started.
YOUNG GOOSE - Skin aging isn't defined by wrinkles. It's defined by skin quality. Head over to and use code for a deal on your first purchase.
Why Your Body Composition Isn't Changing (And It's Not What You Think)
Monday, August 3, 2026 • Duration 42:27
You’re training hard, tracking macros, getting enough protein, and sleeping eight hours a night, yet your body isn’t changing.
In this solo episode, Dr. Stephanie explains that your body has been listening all along, but it’s been given the wrong instructions. She also breaks down weight loss and fat loss, explaining that the scale can’t tell you which one is happening. She explains muscle protein synthesis and breakdown and how chronic undereating, low carbs, and too much cardio can tip the balance in the wrong direction.
She also explains why skeletal muscle is the largest glucose disposal site, how muscle loss sets the stage for insulin resistance, and why myokines matter more than you think.
🎤 EPISODE OVERVIEW:
(00:00) Cold Open
(01:26) Welcome Back, Betties
(03:10) The DM That Started It All
(05:47) Plateau or Betrayal?
(10:02) You Are Not Broken
(13:49) Meet the Villains
(15:07) The Scale Is Lying to You
(17:59) The Danger of Restriction and Cardio
(24:22) What Body Composition Actually Means
(25:43) Muscle: Your Glucose Superpower
(30:11) The Carb-Insulin Trap
(37:09) Three Shifts to Change the Trajectory
PIQUE LIFE - Experience Transformative Results. Start your daily ritual today and elevate your morning and evening routine at https://piquelife.com/better
BIOPTIMIZERS Your digestion can take a hit in midlife, but you don't have to suffer. Learn how enzymes can help at https://bioptimizers.com/better and use code BETTER to get 10% off your order.
BEARABY Find a more natural way to support deeper, calmer sleep. Go to https://bearaby.com and use code BETTER10 on any Bearaby weighted blanket purchase.
**************************** P.S. When you're ready, here are two ways Dr. Stephanie can help you:
Subscribe:The Mini Pause— My weekly newsletter packed with the most actionable, evidence-based tools for women 40+ to thrive in midlife.
Build Muscle: LIFT— My progressive strength training program designed for women in midlife. Form-focused, joint-friendly, and built for real results.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
PIQUE LIFE - Experience Transformative Results. Start your daily ritual today and elevate your morning and evening routine at https://piquelife.com/better
**************************** P.S. When you're ready, here are two ways Dr. Stephanie can help you:
Subscribe:The Mini Pause— My weekly newsletter packed with the most actionable, evidence-based tools for women 40+ to thrive in midlife.
Build Muscle: LIFT— My progressive strength training program designed for women in midlife. Form-focused, joint-friendly, and built for real results.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
BETTER10
BON CHARGE - Recover Faster. Sleep Deeper. Look Better. Bon Charge brings you science-backed wellness technologies to enhance sleep, recovery, and beauty. Get a special deal on the full suite at https://boncharge.com/better with code BETTER.
LMNT - Stay hydrated without the sugar, food dye, and other dodgy ingredients found in popular electrolyte and sports drinks. Get a special offer when you make a purchase at https://DrinkLMNT.com/Better
**************************** P.S. When you're ready, here are two ways Dr. Stephanie can help you:
Subscribe:The Mini Pause— My weekly newsletter packed with the most actionable, evidence-based tools for women 40+ to thrive in midlife.
Build Muscle: LIFT— My progressive strength training program designed for women in midlife. Form-focused, joint-friendly, and built for real results.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
📦 OUR SPONSORS
QUALIA CREATINE+ - If you want to feel stronger, sharper, and more resilient, Qualia’s Creatine+ is my recommendation.Go to https://qualialife.com/better and use code BETTER to save.
PIQUE LIFE - Experience Transformative Results. Start your daily ritual today and elevate your morning and evening routine at https://piquelife.com/better
BEARABY
Find a more natural way to support deeper, calmer sleep. Go to https://bearaby.com and use code BETTER10 for 10% off any Bearaby weighted blanket purchase.
PIQUE LIFE - Experience Transformative Results. Start your daily ritual today and elevate your morning and evening routine at piquelife.com/better
QUALIA CREATINE+ - If you want to feel stronger, sharper, and more resilient, Qualia’s Creatine+ is my recommendation.Go to qualialife.com/better and use code BETTER to save.
**************************** P.S. When you're ready, here are two ways Dr. Stephanie can help you:
Subscribe:The Mini Pause— My weekly newsletter packed with the most actionable, evidence-based tools for women 40+ to thrive in midlife.
Build Muscle: LIFT— My progressive strength training program designed for women in midlife. Form-focused, joint-friendly, and built for real results.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
BON CHARGE - Recover Faster. Sleep Deeper. Look Better. Bon Charge brings you science-backed wellness technologies to enhance sleep, recovery, and beauty. Get a special deal on the full suite at https://boncharge.com/better with code BETTER.
AGZ - If you’re ready to turn down the stress and focus on the rest, head to https://drinkag1.com/STEPHANIE to get a special deal on your purchase.
RAPID REBOOT - Whether you're a weekend warrior, a competitive athlete, or a parent of one — this is a game-changer for the whole household. Go to https://drstephanieestima.com/rapidreboot and use code DRSTEPHANIE to save.
**************************** P.S. When you're ready, here are two ways Dr. Stephanie can help you:
Subscribe:The Mini Pause— My weekly newsletter packed with the most actionable, evidence-based tools for women 40+ to thrive in midlife.
Build Muscle: LIFT— My progressive strength training program designed for women in midlife. Form-focused, joint-friendly, and built for real results.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
BETTER
INCREDIWEAR - Whether you're dealing with chronic joint pain or just want to feel better in your body — this is worth trying. Head to https://drstephanieestima.com/incrediwear and use code DRSTEPH20 for 20% off your order.
BON CHARGE - Recover Faster. Sleep Deeper. Look Better. Bon Charge brings you science-backed wellness technologies to enhance sleep, recovery, and beauty. Get a special offer at https://boncharge.com/better with code BETTER.
**************************** P.S. When you're ready, here are two ways Dr. Stephanie can help you:
Subscribe:The Mini Pause— My weekly newsletter packed with the most actionable, evidence-based tools for women 40+ to thrive in midlife.
Build Muscle: LIFT— My progressive strength training program designed for women in midlife. Form-focused, joint-friendly, and built for real results.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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BETTER! with Dr. Stephanie Estima | Strength, Body Composition & Perimenopause, a podcast by Dr. Stephanie Estima, Perimenopause & Women's Fitness Expert - Stats, Episodes and Rankings - My Podcast Data