The Luminescence Podcast with Schuyler Grant is a space for science-based, culturally curious, and politically fearless conversations illuminating women’s health.
For decades, science treated women as simply “little men.” No more. Women’s health is complex, but for the 51% of the population with a vagina, understanding it is imperative. Each episode features a roundtable of female health experts to cut through the shame, explain the latest research, and have honest, raw conversations about what we are experiencing, in our bodies and in the world we share.
To discuss the podcast directly with Schuyler, join our community at https://www.luminescence.health/.
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Menopause Taught Me to Put My Oxygen Mask On First: Gabby Bernstein & Emily Morse
Tuesday, September 1, 2026 • Duration 46:40
Two women, one shared reckoning: perimenopause and menopause arrived and rewrote everything they thought they knew about their bodies, their sex lives, and themselves.
In this extended conversation, #1 New York Times bestselling author Gabby Bernstein and sexologist Emily Morse (host of Sex with Emily) open up about the messy, unglamorous entry into midlife hormonal change — rage, hot flashes, vanished libido, and in Gabby's case, a fertility journey that included IVF and pregnancy loss. Emily, meanwhile, is living out her own perimenopause in real time, testing on herself everything she's spent over twenty years teaching other people about pleasure.
Both conversations are part of Sex in Menopause, a free masterclass with Naomi Watts featuring sexual health expert Dr. Somi Javaid, psychologist Dr. Cindy Meston, and real women navigating changing bodies, mismatched desire, and identity shifts most of us were never prepared for. Right now there is only one trained menopause provider for every 32,000 women who need care. If sex has disappeared or changed in ways you can't explain, that's not a personal failure. That's a gap in the medical system.
In this episode:
Menopause as a "spiritual shakedown" — Gabby's reckoning
Early perimenopause symptoms & finding real support
Marriage, communication & educating a partner
Fertility, IVF & pregnancy loss
HRT, lifestyle shifts & feeling more herself than ever (Gabby)
Preparing for menopause & a message of hope
Emily's own perimenopause & why she's not exempt from the confusion
Medical dismissal & why doctors aren't trained on this
Communication as "lubrication": talking to partners about sex
Letting go of duty sex
Desire, burnout & the nervous system connection
Toys, lube & modern arousal aids, without shame
Why midlife can mean the best sex of your life
Topics covered: menopause, perimenopause, women's sexual health, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), fertility, IVF, pregnancy loss, low libido, desire, arousal, sex toys, lube, communication in relationships, medical dismissal, nervous system regulation, self-pleasure, healing, spiritual growth, midlife identity, Gabby Bernstein, Emily Morse.
If this episode landed for you: watch Sex in Menopause, the free documentary with Naomi Watts, at sexinmenopause.com. For more conversations like this — plus live events, retreats, and past seasons — head to Luminescence.health.
Why Your Libido Disappears in Menopause with Dr. Somi Javaid
Tuesday, August 25, 2026 • Duration 35:04
In this episode, board-certified gynecologist and sexual health expert Dr. Somi Javaid — founder of HerMD, who raised $40 million after being told she had "less than a half percent chance" — breaks down exactly what's been missing from women's health care, and what's finally starting to change. She walks through the real gender gap in FDA drug approval (six months for Viagra, six years for the first female libido drug), the black box warning that scared a generation of women off hormone therapy, and why testosterone — not just estrogen — matters for female sexual function and almost nobody gets properly tested for it.
Her work is featured throughout Sex in Menopause, a free masterclass with Naomi Watts featuring Dr. Somi, psychologist Dr. Cindy Meston, and real women navigating changing bodies, mismatched desire, and identity shifts most of us were never prepared for. Right now there is only one trained menopause provider for every 32,000 women who need care. If sex has disappeared or changed in ways you can't explain, that's not a personal failure. That's a gap in the medical system.
In this episode:
The phone call that became her calling — her mother's dismissed heart symptoms
The patient who couldn't get help — and why she left traditional OB-GYN care
Building HerMD from scratch, and raising $40 million against the odds
The real gender gap: Viagra vs. the first female libido drug
The black box warning and the hormone therapy scare that set women back decades
What HSDD actually is (and what it isn't)
Spontaneous vs. responsive desire — why "wanting sex out of nowhere" isn't the only normal
Testosterone's role in female libido, mood, and energy — and why almost no one gets tested
The surprising reason birth control clears skin (and quietly lowers libido)
Your brain as your biggest sex organ
Thyroid, medications, and other overlooked causes of low desire
When low libido gets mistaken for a lack of love
The truth about orgasm and anatomy
Femtech tools and innovations — vibrators, erotica apps, and evidence-based supplements
The real barriers to care, and her message to women who feel dismissed
Topics covered: menopause, perimenopause, women's sexual health, testosterone therapy, HSDD (hypoactive sexual desire disorder), low libido, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), medical dismissal, gender gap in medicine, sexual desire, orgasm, femtech, Dr. Somi Javaid, HerMD, Viagra, Addyi, birth control, brain health, thyroid, biopsychosocial approach, sexual wellness.
If this episode landed for you: watch Sex in Menopause, the free documentary with Naomi Watts, at sexinmenopause.com. For more conversations like this — plus live events, retreats, and past seasons — head to Luminescence.health.
Empathy, Elderhood & What Comes Next: Giving Fewer F*cks Part 2 of 2
Season 2
Tuesday, August 18, 2026 • Duration 28:57
You came into this season navigating a transition. You're leaving with a different relationship to what's on the other side of it.
This is the season finale of the Luminescence Podcast. Schuyler Grant, Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Sarah de la Torre, and Elena Brower close out by looking forward — to grandchildren, creative reinvention, travel, radical career pivots, and the profound privilege of becoming a wise woman elder.
They discuss:
Why the mild depression of perimenopause can be a form of protective cocooning — the difference between hormonal anhedonia and clinical depression, and why one might actually serve a purpose
What the grandmother hypothesis is — the anthropological theory that women's post-reproductive longevity isn't a biological accident but evolution's design for women elders to hold things together and pass wisdom down
How oxytocin shifts in menopause redirect empathy toward more authentic connection — and why women between 45 and 55 are starting businesses at record rates
What each panelist is genuinely excited about for the next chapter — grandchildren, music, Qigong, language, travel, and the versions of themselves that are still coming
Lightning round verdicts on early retirement, radical career pivots, staying together for the kids, forcing couples therapy, and abundant cleavage after 50
For any woman ready to see this transition not as decline, but as preparation for what might be the most powerful chapter yet.
For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health.
Presented by our sponsors:
Stripes:
Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line.
Genova Connect:
Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net.
LivOn Labs:
Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com.
BiOptimizers:
Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.
Try Schuyler's new personalized yoga app: https://schuylergrant.com/app
Partnerships, Priorities and Purpose in Midlife: Giving Fewer F*cks Part 1 of 2
Season 2
Tuesday, August 11, 2026 • Duration 27:16
Somewhere in your mid-forties, you realize that the compromises you made in your thirties stop sitting right. The relationships that used to feel necessary start feeling optional. The drive to be everything to everyone, quietly or not so quietly, starts to dissolve.
In this episode of the Luminescence Podcast, Schuyler Grant sits down with Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Sarah de la Torre, and Elena Brower to get into the liberating, complicated, and sometimes messy reality of giving fewer f*cks in midlife. What does it actually look like when women stop performing and start choosing?
They discuss:
The neurobiology behind caring less — estrogen decline, oxytocin shifts, and how the post-menopausal brain rewires toward self-prioritization in ways men's more gradual hormonal decline simply doesn't
What gray divorce actually looks like — why some of it is liberation, some of it is grief, and all of it is information about what happens when women stop absorbing dysfunction
How women are restructuring friendships in midlife — smaller circles, higher standards, and Elena's four-step nonviolent communication framework for ending a friendship without drama
Why women between 45 and 55 are starting businesses at record rates — and how the domestic labor imbalance in long-term partnerships quietly builds the resentment that eventually demands change
For every woman who has spent decades making herself smaller and is ready to understand what happens when you stop.
For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health.
Presented by our sponsors:
Stripes:
Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line.
Genova Connect:
Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net.
LivOn Labs:
Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com.
BiOptimizers:
Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.
Try Schuyler's new personalized yoga app: https://schuylergrant.com/app
Trauma, Resilience & Better Coping: What Used to Work Doesn’t Part 2 of 2
Season 2
Tuesday, August 4, 2026 • Duration 34:53
We're all coping with something. The question is whether what we're reaching for is actually helping, or just numbing us from the discomfort we're too busy to sit with.
This is part two of the conversation on coping in midlife. Schuyler Grant, Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Sarah de la Torre, and Elena Brower dig into the deeper current running beneath perimenopause: the old traumas that float to the surface when the busyness of building a life no longer keeps them submerged.
They discuss:
Why resilience is about returning to ease, not powering through — and how service, meditation, sweating, and somatic practices build real neurological resilience instead of just tolerance
Why perimenopause is often the first time women address their mental health — and what unresolved trauma looks like in midlife versus what it looks like when it's been metabolized
The brain circuitry behind doom-scrolling and every other cortisol loop you can't quit — and why boundaries weren't in Dr. Somi's vocabulary until midlife
The 3am worry closet and the divorce wave — why perimenopause, as brutal as it can be, might be the most useful moment to finally deal with what we've been carrying
Lightning round verdicts on microdosing, ecstatic dance, California sober, and more
For any woman who's tired of just getting through and ready to address what's underneath — midlife has a way of surfacing what you've been too busy to deal with.
For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health.
Presented by our sponsors:
Stripes:
Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line.
Genova Connect:
Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net.
LivOn Labs:
Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com.
BiOptimizers:
Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.
Try Schuyler's new personalized yoga app: https://schuylergrant.com/app
Alcohol, SSRIs & Midlife Coping: What Used to Work Doesn’t Part 1 of 2
Season 2
Tuesday, July 28, 2026 • Duration 25:29
Your favorite coping mechanisms — wine, edibles, even your go-to SSRI — might suddenly betray you in midlife.
In this episode of the Luminescence Podcast, Schuyler Grant sits down with Dr. Sarah de la Torre, Elena Brower, and Dr. Somi Javaid to dig into why alcohol hits harder after 40, antidepressants become less reliable, and the things that used to take the edge off start creating new problems instead. They explore the neuroscience of why your old stress relievers stop working as hormones shift.
They discuss:
Why hormonal shifts change how you experience pleasure, reward, and stress — how declining estrogen affects dopamine and serotonin, and what that means for mood and cravings
What makes alcohol and cannabis hit differently during perimenopause and post-menopause — the metabolism changes, sleep disruption, and anxiety that weren't there before
The truth about SSRIs in midlife — when they help, when they don't, and what the risks actually are as your brain chemistry changes
The real impact of your nightly glass of wine — when it crosses from pleasure into problem, and why that line moves in midlife
How to tell the difference between what actually supports you and what just keeps you stuck — and why your coping mechanisms need to evolve
For any woman whose go-to stress relief isn't working anymore and wants to understand why — before figuring out what comes next.
For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health.
Presented by our sponsors:
Stripes:
Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line.
Genova Connect:
Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net.
LivOn Labs:
Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com.
BiOptimizers:
Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.
Try Schuyler's new personalized yoga app: https://schuylergrant.com/app
Work, Relationships & Finding Your Power: Your Brain on Hormones Part 2 of 2
Season 2
Tuesday, July 21, 2026 • Duration 27:53
Why does perimenopause feel like you're losing your edge?
This is part two of the conversation on your brain during hormonal transitions. Schuyler Grant, Dr. Sarah de la Torre, Dr. Somi Javaid, and Elena Brower get into what's actually happening in your brain and nervous system as estrogen shifts — and what you can do to feel like yourself again, including one of the most underreported findings in menopause research.
They discuss:
Simple breathing and hands-on techniques to activate your rest-and-digest mode — practical tools for a nervous system that's genuinely overloaded right now
How HRT can restore mood, focus, and cognitive function — often faster than most women expect, and what to do when it's not enough
The emotional and professional impact of neurological changes — what workplace accommodations actually matter, and how to navigate relationships when your brain feels different
Why empathy and emotional intelligence tend to increase after menopause — what the science says about how your brain's wiring shifts in ways that are worth knowing about
Nutrition and supplement truths for brain health — carbs, phytoestrogens, and the brain boosters most women overlook
For any woman who wants to understand that what feels like decline might actually be rewiring — and how to work with your brain instead of against it.
For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health.
Presented by our sponsors:
Stripes:
Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line.
Genova Connect:
Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net.
LivOn Labs:
Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com.
BiOptimizers:
Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.
Try Schuyler's new personalized yoga app: https://schuylergrant.com/app
Rage, Brain Fog, and Midlife Neuroscience: Your Brain on Hormones Part 1 of 1
Season 2
Tuesday, July 14, 2026 • Duration 39:41
You're capable. You're high-functioning. And then something shifts. You can't remember words, you're snapping at everyone, you're lying awake at 3am soaked in sweat, or you're so flattened by anhedonia that nothing feels worth doing.
In this episode of the Luminescence Podcast, Schuyler Grant sits down with Dr. Sarah de la Torre, Dr. Somi Javaid, and Elena Brower to get personal and then scientific about what perimenopause and menopause actually do to the brain. Dr. Somi opens with losing her speech mid-presentation on stage. Elena talks about white-hot rage that arrived at 47 with no warning. Dr. Sarah describes the moment she realized she could no longer tolerate the chaos she'd always managed with ease.
They discuss:
How estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone regulate dopamine, serotonin, GABA, and glutamate — and what happens when these hormones fluctuate wildly
Why perimenopause can look like depression in one woman, anxiety in another, and new-onset ADHD in a third — and how clinicians tell the difference between hormonal changes and underlying psychiatric conditions
How hot flashes and night sweats are actually a brain regulation problem, not just an ovary problem — and why sleep fragmentation is both symptom and accelerant
The real cost of untreated menopausal symptoms — 900,000 women left the UK workforce, and $1.8 billion lost in the US economy
How GLP-1 medications are unexpectedly quieting anxiety and rumination in midlife women — and why neuroinflammation might be the missing link
For any woman wondering if she's losing her mind, or if there's a reason for the rage, the fog, and the 3am spiral.
For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health.
Presented by our sponsors:
Stripes:
Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line.
Genova Connect:
Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net.
LivOn Labs:
Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com.
BiOptimizers:
Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.
Try Schuyler's new personalized yoga app: https://schuylergrant.com/app
Red Light, Testosterone & Pelvic Health: WTF Is Happening to My Lady Parts? Part 2 of 2
Tuesday, July 7, 2026 • Duration 31:57
Most women are handed lube and told the changes are normal. This episode goes considerably further than that.
This is part two of the conversation on sexual health in midlife. Schuyler Grant, Dr. Somi Javaid, and Dr. Sarah de la Torre go through the full toolkit for vaginal health, pelvic floor strength, and sexual function.
From red light therapy and testosterone delivery methods to why most women are doing their Kegels wrong.
They discuss:
How red light therapy stimulates collagen, elastin, and blood flow in vaginal tissue — why it works similarly to estrogen and what the research actually shows
The difference between stress and urge incontinence — why the fix is different for each, and what pelvic floor PT, wands, and vibration devices can do that Kegels alone can't
How Botox for vaginismus works — why the success rate is remarkably high, and what the treatment actually involves
Testosterone delivery methods — pellets vs. gels vs. injections, absorption differences, and why estradiol, FSH, and DHT labs are non-negotiable for monitoring
What DHT is and how your genetic predisposition affects hair loss, acne, and facial hair — the trade-offs of testosterone therapy most women don't expect
For any woman who wants solutions that go beyond "use more lube" — your sexual health deserves the same attention as everything else you're tracking.
For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health.
Presented by our sponsors:
Stripes:
Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line.
Genova Connect:
Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net.
LivOn Labs:
Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com.
BiOptimizers:
Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.
Lube Recommendations:
Foria
Plant-based intimacy oils and arousal products (including CBD options) designed to enhance sensation and relaxation. https://www.foriawellness.com
Joylux — Let’s Spin
A water-based intimacy gel focused on hydration and comfort, created with women’s hormonal changes in mind. https://joylux.com
Stripes Beauty — Oh My Glide
An oil-based lubricant formulated with nourishing ingredients like squalane for longer-lasting glide. https://iamstripes.com
Playground
A gentle, water-based lubricant with a clean ingredient profile and an approachable, modern feel. https://itsplayground.com
Nécessaire — The Sex Gel
A simple, aloe-based intimacy gel designed to support hydration and pH balance. https://necessaire.com
Maude
Minimal, design-forward lubricants including both water-based and oil-based options. https://getmaude.com
Überlube
A high-quality silicone-based lubricant known for its long-lasting, ultra-smooth glide. https://uberlube.com
Libido, GSM & Vaginal Health: WTF Is Happening to My Lady Parts? Part 1 of 2
Tuesday, June 30, 2026 • Duration 43:24
When estrogen starts to decline, the vagina is one of the first places you feel it, and one of the last things women talk about. In this episode, we're going there.
In this episode of the Luminescence Podcast, Schuyler Grant sits down with Dr. Somi Javaid and Dr. Sarah de la Torre — two OB-GYNs who specialize in women's sexual health — plus Elena Brower, who brings the honest, personal perspective we all need.
Together they break down what's actually happening inside the body, from tissue changes and UTIs to libido that's gone quiet and orgasms that feel out of reach.
They discuss:
What genital urinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) actually is — why estrogen and testosterone are essential to vaginal tissue health, sensation, and lubrication, and why this affects nearly everyone
The difference between spontaneous and responsive desire — why most women have always been wired for the latter, and what that means for navigating changes in midlife
How low libido shows up before you even realize hormones are involved — and why your Peloton seat may tip you off first
What happens to fibroids, endometriosis, and PMDD during perimenopause — the changes to expect and what shifts after menopause
The truth about orgasm in midlife — what the data says, what anatomy has to do with it, and why inattention may be the biggest factor
For any woman who wants the real conversation about sexual health in midlife — no awkwardness, no hedging, zero judgment.
For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health.
Presented by our sponsors:
Stripes:
Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line.
Genova Connect:
Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net.
LivOn Labs:
Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com.
BiOptimizers:
Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.
Lube Recommendations:
Foria
Plant-based intimacy oils and arousal products (including CBD options) designed to enhance sensation and relaxation. https://www.foriawellness.com
Joylux — Let’s Spin
A water-based intimacy gel focused on hydration and comfort, created with women’s hormonal changes in mind. https://joylux.com
Stripes Beauty — Oh My Glide
An oil-based lubricant formulated with nourishing ingredients like squalane for longer-lasting glide. https://iamstripes.com
Playground
A gentle, water-based lubricant with a clean ingredient profile and an approachable, modern feel. https://itsplayground.com
Nécessaire — The Sex Gel
A simple, aloe-based intimacy gel designed to support hydration and pH balance. https://necessaire.com
Maude
Minimal, design-forward lubricants including both water-based and oil-based options. https://getmaude.com
Überlube
A high-quality silicone-based lubricant known for its long-lasting, ultra-smooth glide. https://uberlube.com
Try Schuyler's new personalized yoga app: https://schuylergrant.com/app
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