Hormones and Handstands – Details, episodes & analysis

Hormones and Handstands – a functional hormone nutritionist and a beauty editor and yoga teacher’s guide to acing the challenges of midlife.
 
 Welcome to the uplifting midlife podcast for women who want to thrive, not just survive. Hosted by functional hormone nutritionist and naturopath Pippa Campbell, and beauty editor and yoga teacher Victoria Woodhall, each episode dives into the real stuff: hormone shifts, beauty upgrades, nutrition know-how, functional yoga you can use – and embracing the freedom that comes with this stage of life. Expect expert advice, honest conversation, trends tried-and-tested plus plenty of laughs, because midlife is about transformation – inside and out.
 
 Who are we? We’re friends who met through work and once the official conversations were done, we just kept on talking, sharing the challenges in our own lives – running businesses, looking after families, navigating the tangle of midlife hormones while trying to see the funny side and live in the best possible health. We are constantly picking each other’s brains for insights and tips and decided that this could potentially be really useful stuff for other women to hear – so we pressed record to make our private conversations public!
 
 We hope you enjoy listening
 Pippa & Victoria

Follow us on Instagram and YouTube

https://www.instagram.com/hormones.and.handstands/

https://www.youtube.com/@hormonesandhandstands
 

Pippa's Links:

Website: https://www.pippacampbellhealth.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pippacampbell_health/

Victoria's Links:

Website: https://victoriawoodhall.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriawoodhall/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@victoriawoodhallyoga

Welcome to the first episode of Hormones and Handstands, a brand new podcast from functional hormone nutritionist and naturopath Pippa Campbell and beauty and wellness journalist and senior yoga teacher Victoria Woodhall.

Every week, Pippa dives into a key female hormone, explaining its role, what happens when it becomes imbalanced and how to get to the root cause, so we can feel better. She explains how in her 20s she was felled by chronic PMS for years, and how it cleared up within months when she started seeing a functional practitioner. This kicked off her career pivot into qualifying as a practitioner herself and her passion for helping other women balance their hormones.

Did you know that oestrogen is actually higher in our late 30s and early 40s than in our core reproductive years and that perimenopause is also called ‘second puberty’? Pippa explains what happens when oestrogen spikes and fluctuates at this time, what strange symptoms we might experience, what ‘oestrogen dominance’ means, plus simple food and lifestyle hacks to detox oestrogen.

Victoria tells us how she came to yoga after suffering chronic stress and insomnia in her 20s and how it has helped her manage a racing mind as a beauty and wellness journalist. Yoga was the magic bullet which led her to train as a yoga teacher.

She explains how simple moves such as getting your head below your heart in a ‘rag doll’  forward bend can help discharge stress, and why Yoga Nidra (yoga sleep) is such a powerful practice to reset your nervous system (there’s a future episode just on this).

Many women, including Pippa, are confused about the fundamentals of a good skincare routine, so Victoria breaks down the basics from retinoids to vitamin C and peptides, gives her expert view on whether double cleansing is worth the bother and clarifies what order to apply your creams and serums in.

Enjoy and please leave us a review!

Follow us:

Instagram @hormones.and.handstands 

 Pippa's Links:

Website: https://www.pippacampbellhealth.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pippacampbell_health/

Victoria's Links:

Website: https://victoriawoodhall.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriawoodhall/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@victoriawoodhallyoga

Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional with any questions you may have regarding your health, medical condition, or treatment. Do not make any changes to your diet, lifestyle, or medications without consulting a professional.

If any products are mentioned we may use affiliate links.

Ever been gas-lit by your hormones? Progesterone is a prime culprit, as can be behind early perimenopause symptoms that creep up quietly: anxiety, heart palpitations, trouble sleeping, less stress resilience and even getting up in the night to pee. You may be having regular periods, but you feel like you’re falling apart – what on earth is going on?

Pippa explains the role of progesterone –- dubbed nature’s anti-depressant – and Victoria reveals why supplementing orally with it has been the biggest game-changer for her insomnia. We learn why women react differently to progesterone HRT, depending on how our body converts it. Find out how functional testing can reveal whether you are a ‘5 Alpha’ converter like Victoria, or a ‘5 Beta’ like Pippa and why knowing that can be the key to managing any hormone-related.symptoms. 

Stress also impacts your progesterone levels and Victoria shares her favourite stress-busting breathing technique called cyclic sighing. She talks about her journey with hair loss and thinning – hormone and stress-related – and the products and treatments such as scalp drops and LED hair masks that have helped. Pippa provides nutrition know-how for hair. 

Enjoy and please leave us a review!

Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional with any questions you may have regarding your health, medical condition, or treatment. Do not make any changes to your diet, lifestyle, or medications without consulting a professional.

If any products are mentioned we may use affiliate links.

LED cap for hair, Higherdose Red Light Hat, £401.99

Phillip Kingsley 3M Drops on prescription. Try PK 3% Minoxidil Drops, non-prescription,  £17 https://www.philipkingsley.co.uk/minoxidil-3-scalp-drops.html

Pippa Campbell Health Peri-Balance £49.99
https://shop.pippacampbellhealth.com/products/peri-balance

​Follow us on Instagram and YouTube

https://www.instagram.com/hormones.and.handstands/

https://www.youtube.com/@hormonesandhandstands

Pippa's Links:

Website: https://www.pippacampbellhealth.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pippacampbell_health/

Victoria's Links:

Website: https://victoriawoodhall.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriawoodhall

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@victoriawoodhallyoga

Testosterone isn’t just for libido, it’s our mood, motivation and muscle hormone. Should you try testosterone replacement therapy? How do you get it from your GP? Pippa answers all the big questions. Victoria shares her mixed experience on testosterone cream, and how she has to be careful not to exacerbate her androgenetic hair loss. 

Our beauty topic this week is lips and Victoria explains the surprising things that happen to them as we age (like everything they get thinner and droopier…!), makeup hacks for fuller lips, why everyone’s talking about the Lip Flip treatment and how she nearly got stuck with a trout pout after having the salmon sperm treatment (polynucleotides).

We discuss fluoride in toothpaste –  is it bad for you and what are the alternatives, productivity journals and collagen bars

Here are links to some of the products and treatments we reference 

Bon Charge PEMF mat https://www.pippacampbellhealth.com/nutritionist-pippa-campbells-favourite-products/#supplements

https://www.philipkingsley.com/

Dr Yura Al Mukhtar, where Victoria had her Collagen Lips treatment  https://dryusra.com/

Get The Gloss Lip Flip review https://www.getthegloss.com/beauty/lip-flip-review/

Kimmel lemon collagen bar https://kimmel.life/

Intelligent change prodictivity journal and 5 minute journal

https://www.intelligentchange.com

Studio 10 Lip Liner 

https://www.studio10beauty.com/products/age-reverse-perfecting-lip-liner

​Follow us on Instagram and YouTube

https://www.instagram.com/hormones.and.handstands/

https://www.youtube.com/@hormonesandhandstands

Pippa's Links:

Website: https://www.pippacampbellhealth.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pippacampbell_health/

Victoria's Links:

Website: https://victoriawoodhall.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriawoodhall

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@victoriawoodhallyoga

Enjoy and please leave us a review!

Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional with any questions you may have regarding your health, medical condition, or treatment. Do not make any changes to your diet, lifestyle, or medications without consulting a professional.

If any products are mentioned we may use affiliate links.

Underactive thyroid is a problem for so many women and in Pippa’s clinical experience more women have it as we get older. It’s often un- or misdiagnosed. Pippa explains some signs to look out for such as loss of outer third of your eyebrow, puffy under eyes, cold hands and feet and constipation.Victoria looks at eyes from a beauty and a yoga perspective – do you really need and an eye cream and what kind? What causes dark circles and how to get rid of them with skincare creams and clinic treatments? Can eye yoga really improve your eyesight – plus the exercises and practices you can do now to relieve eye strain. And if you’re feeling distracted and struggling to focus, why your eyes might be leading you astray.

Nira Skin Laser - get at last 10% off with code victoriawoodhall (discount varies throughout the year)
https://www.niraskin.com/en-gb

Couture Brows with Suzanne Martin
https://www.lanesboroughclubandspa.com/spa-consultants/suzanne-martin/

Botox Brow Lift with Dr Ahmed El Muntasar 

https://theaestheticsdoctor.com/

Hydropeptide Polypeptide Collagel Eye Patches 

https://hydropeptide.co.uk/products/polypeptide-collagel-eye-masks

Powder Brows with Bows by Sarah Fogg

https://www.brows-by-sarah.com/

Plinest Polynucleotides with Dr Yusra Al Mukhtar 

https://dryusra.com/blog/polynucleotides-the-next-frontier-in-skin-rejuvenation/

Pippa's Links:

Website: https://www.pippacampbellhealth.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pippacampbell_health/

Victoria's Links:

Website: https://victoriawoodhall.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriawoodhall

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@victoriawoodhallyoga

Enjoy and please leave us a review!

Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional with any questions you may have regarding your health, medical condition, or treatment. Do not make any changes to your diet, lifestyle, or medications without consulting a professional.

If any products are mentioned we may use affiliate links.

We're on episode 5 already of @hormones.and.handstands and this week it’s all about stress hormones - and how we manage them.

Victoria talks about Yoga Nidra (yoga sleep) a type of guided relaxation that she practices and teaches, also known as NSDR

- Why it’s the ultimate power nap, 20 minutes is said to be the equivalent of 2 hours sleep
- How she used to do it the stationery cupboard at work at The Mail on Sunday to save her sanity!
- How it’s similar to hypnosis and manifesting, helping you shape your future
- How it can helps recover after illness, manage menopause symptoms such as anxiety and reshape unhelpful beliefsEvery week Pippa tackles a different hormone and in this episode it’s cortisol. It’s our main stress hormone but it’s also a lot more.
- It affects weight and resilience
- It peaks in the morning top get us out of bed, but if it’s still high at night it suppresses melatonin the sleep hormone
- lt’s anti-inflammatory in a good amount
- Too high and its suppresses the immune system and damages gut liningWe discuss the supplements and lifestyle practices we rely in to manage stress. Magnesium is Pippa’s top pick.

Pippa's Links:

Website: https://www.pippacampbellhealth.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pippacampbell_health/

Victoria's Links:

Website: https://victoriawoodhall.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriawoodhall

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@victoriawoodhallyoga

Enjoy and please leave us a review!

Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional with any questions you may have regarding your health, medical condition, or treatment. Do not make any changes to your diet, lifestyle, or medications without consulting a professional.

If any products are mentioned we may use affiliate links.