We blend science, soul, and a little bit of sass to help you thrive in your forties and beyond.
Meet your hosts:
Jasmin Dhillon— health strategist at Eat with Jasmin, mum of three boys, and forever curious about what it really takes to feel good in this season of life.
Amanda Lim — metabolic health coach, director at LIFT Clinic, and mom to three littles, here to help you ditch the fluff and get real about kicking a*s in your forties.
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Holly Matthews on grief, ADHD and being your weirdest self: actress Holly Matthews lost her husband Ross to brain cancer at 32. She shares how she rebuilt her life, talked to her daughters about death and turned grief into The Happy Me Project.
What happens when your career is playing other people, and real life takes away the script?
In this episode of The Forties Formula podcast, Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim talk to Holly Matthews, a UK actress on screen since age 11, bestselling author, TEDx speaker and founder of The Happy Me Project. In 2017, her husband Ross died of brain cancer at 32, leaving her with two daughters aged four and six.
Holly shares Ross's diagnosis, explaining death honestly to young children, grieving in the public eye and why creating helped her more than therapy. She explains how a course recorded on her phone became a Bloomsbury book deal, how a late ADHD diagnosis changed her life, and why being your weirdest self matters more in the age of AI.
QUICK ANSWERS
How do you explain death to a young child?
Be honest and keep talking. Children fill silence with their own stories and sometimes blame themselves.
Does grief look the same for everyone?
No. Holly says grief comes in waves, and milestones are often the hardest moments.
What does "be your weirdest self" mean?
Being your most authentic self, including the parts you were told were too much.
What is Holly's Forties Formula?
Be your weirdest self, and joy is non-negotiable.
CHAPTERS
0:00 How do you cope when your husband has brain cancer?
1:00 Who was Holly Matthews before The Happy Me Project?
5:30 How did Holly meet Ross?
9:30 What were the early signs of Ross's brain tumour?
12:00 How do you face a terminal diagnosis together?
16:00 How do you explain death to young children?
20:00 How do you grieve in the public eye?
22:30 Does therapy help with grief?
25:00 How did The Happy Me Project start?
28:00 How did Holly get a book deal with Bloomsbury?
32:00 What is adult ADHD diagnosis like for women?
37:00 What does it mean to be your weirdest self?
40:00 Why does authenticity matter in the age of AI?
42:00 What is Holly Matthews' Forties Formula?
SPONSORED BY COZY EARTH
Rest is part of healing. Cozy Earth makes sleepwear, bedding and loungewear built for comfort: https://cozyearth.com
Why Women in Their 40s Are Choosing GLP-1s (And Why It’s Okay)
This episode might be the most personal conversation we've had on The Forties Formula.
Dr. Christle Gueverra is a sports medicine physician who has been on GLP1 for weight loss herself for four years. She brings both the clinical picture and the personal one, and what she shares here is unlike anything we've heard from a doctor on this topic.
Together we get into why so many women experience weight gain in their 40s suddenly hit a wall with weight despite training hard and eating well, what GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro are actually doing inside the body, and why the food noise piece is the part almost nobody talks about.
We also cover who is actually a good candidate (it's not as straightforward as your BMI), how to protect your muscle while losing fat, what to do if you want to come off the medication, and why obesity should be treated as a chronic disease rather than a willpower problem.
Breast cancer signs and symptoms every woman should know. Breast surgeon and breast cancer survivor Dr Liz O'Riordan explains how to check your breasts, mammograms and how to lower your risk.
What happens when a breast surgeon finds a lump in her own breast?
In this Breast Cancer Awareness Month episode of The Forties Formula podcast, Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim are joined by Dr Liz O'Riordan, a UK breast surgeon diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer at 40, which has since come back twice.
Liz shares what it was like to go from surgeon to patient overnight, the fear of recurrence, and losing her mum to cancer. Then she walks us through a breast self-exam, the warning signs that are not a lump, whether mammograms are safe, why breast cancer is rising in younger women, and the lifestyle changes that can reduce your risk.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
One in seven women will get breast cancer in their lifetime, and risk rises with age.
Breast cancer is not just a lump. Look for skin colour changes, dimpling, a nipple that has pulled in, a rash, and clear or bloody discharge.
Check your breasts and armpits every month. If a change is still there after a week or two, see your doctor.
Breast pain on its own is very rarely a sign of breast cancer.
Mammograms can find cancers before you can feel them.
Regular exercise can reduce the risk of several cancers by 30 to 40%.
If you are young and worried, say it clearly: "I'm worried I could have breast cancer."
CHAPTERS
0:00 Breast Cancer Awareness Month
0:28 A breast surgeon's breast cancer diagnosis
Motherhood vs Fatherhood: Bridging the Gap in Family Responsibilities | The Forties Formula In Focus
Motherhood isn't just physically demanding, it's mentally exhausting. Beyond caring for children, many mothers carry the invisible responsibility of managing family schedules, remembering appointments, planning meals, organizing daily life, and keeping everyone on track.
In this clip from The Forties Formula, counselor, walk-and-talk therapist, and fatherhood advocate Simon Parkin shares why this "mental load" often goes unnoticed, how it creates resentment in relationships, and what fathers can do to become more supportive partners.
In this clip:
* Why the invisible mental load affects so many mothers
* Why dads often don't realize how much moms are managing
* How better communication can strengthen relationships
* Small shifts that create a more balanced family life
Watch the full episode for a deeper conversation on fatherhood, relationships, emotional wellbeing, and building healthier families.
About The Forties Formula
Hosted by Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim, The Forties Formula explores the realities of health, relationships, and personal growth for women navigating life after 40 through honest conversations with experts and inspiring guests.
Follow the hosts:
Jasmin Dhillon – Integrated Health Strategist & Health Coach
Strength training for women over 40 can keep you strong, capable and independent at 80. Strength coach Elizabeth Davies, author of Training for Your Old Lady Body, shares her tips for healthy ageing.
What if your fitness goal was being able to get off the floor, carry your own bags and keep saying yes to life at 80?
In this episode of The Forties Formula podcast, Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim are joined by Elizabeth Davies to rethink what women are training for, and why our future independence deserves attention now.
For decades, women have been sold smaller waists, summer bodies and before and after photos. Elizabeth offers a different focus: building a body that can keep doing the things you need and love as you grow older.
IN THIS EPISODE, WE DISCUSS
Training for capability and independence as you age
Why it isn't too late to begin strength training
Fitting shorter workouts around work and family
Mum guilt and modelling self-care for your children
Strength, cardio, power and progressive overload
Letting go of perfectionism and all or nothing thinking
CHAPTERS
0:00 Train for your old lady body
1:00 Why women are sold summer body goals
5:41 What do you want to be able to do at 80?
9:44 Is it too late to start lifting?
13:30 Finding time to exercise
18:27 Mum guilt and making time for yourself
Your Relationship is Failing These Green Flags | The Forties Formula In Focus
Have you ever found yourself questioning your relationship in your 40s... and wondered if something is wrong?
In this clip from The Forties Formula, relationship coach Yana Fry explores why so many women begin reassessing their relationships during midlife. She explains how changing priorities, greater self-awareness, and shifting emotional needs can make women see their relationships through a completely different lens—and why this doesn't necessarily mean the relationship is failing.
Whether you're happily partnered, feeling disconnected, or simply trying to understand yourself better, this conversation offers thoughtful insights into one of the biggest transitions many women experience after 40.
🎧 Watch the full episode for more on communication, intimacy, the invisible mental load, dating after 40, relationship red flags, couples therapy, and building healthier relationships in midlife.
About your hosts:
Jasmin Dhillon is an Integrated Health Strategist and Health Coach helping women in their 40s navigate gut health, hormones and nutrition.
Yana Fry is a relationship coach, psychologist, and educator who helps women create healthier, more fulfilling relationships through self-awareness, emotional growth, and practical relationship tools.
Can creatine help with perimenopause brain fog? Could an allergy pill ease hot flushes? And why does your body feel different when your weight hasn’t changed?
In this episode of The Forties Formula, Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim reunite in London to unpack five health claims making headlines and circulating on social media. From strength training and heart health to creatine and viral menopause hacks, they explore what’s behind the claims, where evidence is still developing, and what deserves a closer look.
With so much conflicting advice aimed at women over 40, knowing what to believe can feel overwhelming. This conversation explores why the details behind a headline matter — and why your health is about more than a number on the bathroom scale.
Jasmin and Amanda discuss the headline linking resistance training with lower heart attack risk, including the limitations of observational research. They also examine the trend of combining allergy and heartburn medication for menopause symptoms, separating a proposed explanation from evidence that a treatment works.
Next, they explore creatine claims around muscle, bone and brain health before discussing body composition during perimenopause. The conversation covers fat redistribution, muscle function, grip strength and how these relate to metabolic health.
Whether you’re considering creatine, noticing a changing waistline or feeling overwhelmed by menopause advice, this episode offers questions to take beyond your social media feed.
In this episode, we discuss:
Strength training, heart health and the 44% risk-reduction headline
The viral allergy-pill menopause hack and its evidence gaps
Creatine claims around muscle, bone and brain fog
Why a stable weight doesn’t tell the whole story
Tracking sleep, mood and changes in how you feel
Visceral fat, grip strength and diabetes risk
Postpartum In Your 40s: What You Really Need To Know
Postpartum recovery for women in their 40s: what no one tells you. Sports medicine physician Dr. Lara Morgan joins Jasmin and Amanda to explain why the six-week clearance means nothing and what real recovery actually looks like.
Most women are cleared at six weeks and sent straight back to running, lifting, and HIIT. No one tells them that decision can affect their body for the next three to four decades. If something has felt off since you had kids, this episode is for you.
In this episode you will learn why the bounce back narrative is physically damaging, what it means to recover like an athlete, why leaking and pelvic floor issues are common but never normal, and why it is never too late to rebuild.
About the guest:
Dr. Lara Morgan is a sports medicine physician who has worked with elite athletes at the Cleveland Cavaliers and USC. She applies the same evidence-based recovery model used in professional sport to postpartum women and mothers at every stage. Find her on Instagram at @sportdrmorgan.
Chapters:
0:00 Postpartum recovery and why the six-week clearance means nothing
1:42 How to recover like an athlete even if you were never one
3:37 Is it too late to fix your body years after having kids
5:44 Why incontinence after pregnancy is never normal
In this episode of The Forties Formula, Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim are joined by coaching psychologist Dr Saba Hasanie to explore an uncomfortable question: how much of what we call “personality” is actually adaptation?
Why does this matter? Because patterns such as people-pleasing, perfectionism, self-sabotage and the need for control may reflect behaviours we learned in childhood. In midlife, we can start questioning whether those patterns still serve us.
Drawing on her book, The Blueprint to Leadership, Dr Hasanie introduces six childhood “fields”—rules, trust, self, belonging, emotions and world—and explores how they influence adult behaviour.
Whether you’ve caught yourself saying “that’s just who I am” or you’re struggling to break a familiar pattern, this conversation explores what it takes to choose a different way forward.
In this episode, we discuss:
• Why some personality traits may be learned adaptations • The six childhood fields and their influence on adult behaviour • Why siblings can experience the same household differently • What can sit beneath self-sabotage and people-pleasing • Why awareness alone may not create lasting change • The grief that can accompany letting go of an old identity
Chapters:
0:00 Why does my personality feel fake?
3:41 Who is Dr Saba Hasanie?
4:05 Is personality genetic or learned?
10:18 Who was your first boss?
13:36 What are the six fields of childhood development?
17:44 Why do siblings have different childhoods?
20:23 How to look at your childhood without blaming your parents
Why Doctors Are Finally Renaming PCOS (And What It Means for You)
PCOS and perimenopause: why your symptoms get worse in your 40s. Dr Sital Khistriya explains insulin resistance, the symptoms missed in slim women, skin markers, and why menopause does not switch PCOS off.
This is The Forties Formula In Focus, a short deep dive into one part of our conversation with women's health physician Dr Sital Khistriya. Most women are told PCOS is about cysts on the ovaries. The truth is that the real driver sits upstream in insulin resistance, which is why PCOS is being renamed PMOS, poly metabolic ovarian syndrome.
In this focus episode we look at who gets missed and why. If you are slim, eat well, and have been told your bloods look normal while your body says otherwise, this one is for you. Dr Sital explains why PCOS shows up differently depending on your ethnicity, the signs on your skin that point to insulin resistance, and why symptoms often get worse in perimenopause rather than better.
Chapters
0:00 Why PCOS is diagnosed differently depending on your ethnicity
1:31 The hidden PCOS symptoms that get missed in slim women
3:53 What the dark patches on your skin say about insulin resistance
5:31 Why PCOS gets worse during perimenopause
About the guest
Dr Sital Khistriya is a UK-trained family physician at Osler Health International in Singapore, based at the Star Vista clinic. She earned her medical degree from the University of Leicester and holds postgraduate qualifications in child health and in sexual and reproductive healthcare, along with membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners. She practised as an NHS and private GP in the UK before moving to Singapore, and her clinical interests span women's health, hormones, fertility, menopause, and lifestyle medicine.
About your hosts
Jasmin Dhillon is an Integrated Health Strategist helping women in their 40s navigate gut health, hormones and nutrition.
Who is and isn't a good candidate, including Asian BMI considerations
Side effects, safety data and what your doctor should be monitoring
How to protect muscle mass and metabolic health on a GLP-1
Protein, resistance training and nutrition strategies that support fat loss
Whether you can come off GLP-1 medication without regaining weight
Why obesity is a chronic neurobiological disease, not a personal failure
About your hosts:
Amanda Lim is a Metabolic Health Coach and Director at The Lift Clinic in Singapore, focused on helping women build strength and long-term metabolic health.
Jasmin Dhillon is an Integrated Health Strategist helping women in their 40s manage health through lifestyle interventions across gut health, hormones and nutrition.
Jasmin Dhillon is an Integrated Health Strategist and Health Coach helping women in their 40s navigate gut health, hormones and nutrition. https://www.instagram.com/eat.with.jasmin/
This episode is brought to you by For Youth. Their Clear Protein+ is a clear recovery drink you stir into cold water after training. According to Each sachet provides 17 g of protein, 3 g of creatine and electrolytes, with 74 calories. Shop at https://www.foryouth.co and use code FORTY at checkout, valid for a one-time purchase.
How muscle and exercise relate to glucose regulation
Chapters 0:00 Five health claims: the headlines
0:37 Welcome from London
1:15 Strength training and heart health
4:13 What observational research tells us
5:24 The viral allergy-pill menopause hack
7:38 Is there evidence behind it?
9:50 Creatine: muscle, bone and brain fog
15:08 Same weight, different body
18:07 Tracking symptoms beyond the scale
18:57 Muscle strength, visceral fat and diabetes
20:43 Measuring hand grip strength
21:36 Grip strength and longevity
24:03 Muscle, exercise and blood sugar
25:42 Final takeaways
About your hosts Jasmin Dhillon is an Integrated Health Strategist and Health Coach helping women in their 40s navigate gut health, hormones and nutrition. Instagram: @eat.with.jasmin
Amanda Lim is a Metabolic Health Coach helping women build strength, confidence and long-term health. Instagram: @coachamanda
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Jasmin Dhillon is an Integrated Health Strategist and Health Coach helping women in their 40s navigate gut health, hormones and nutrition. Follow Jasmin
Amanda Lim is a Metabolic Health Coach helping women build strength, confidence and long-term health. Follow Amanda
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Keywords: Dr Saba Hasanie, personality, childhood adaptations, people-pleasing, perfectionism, self-sabotage, midlife, identity, emotional patterns, personal growth, self-awareness, behaviour change, childhood experiences, boundaries, coaching psychology, The Blueprint to Leadership, women over 40, The Forties Formula podcast.
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