Health, Fitness & Personal Growth Tips for Women in Midlife: Asking for a Friend

If you have experienced stress, anxiety, or trauma, what have you done to help you manage or overcome the thoughts and emotions that may derail your day, sleep, and overall wellbeing? Podcast guests have opened my eyes to alternative modalities that go beyond therapy and prescriptions.  Hypnosis, EFT, and Reiki can all be considered to help us find peace.  On this episode we discuss shadow work an...

One of my pillars of selfcare in midlife is community and connection.  Women are generally better at reaching out and networking than our male counterparts, and I am fortunate to have been on the receiving end of other women, not only wishing to collaborate, but also connecting me with others who are in their circles.   When I met today's podcast guest, I knew right away that I was in the pre...

Tired of the all or nothing mentality when it comes to your health and fitness?   Lindsey House, R.D., wants you to get off the sidelines of life and feel energetic so that you can enjoy all the great stuff ahead in midlife and beyond.   This dietician and personal trainer, turned accountability coach and podcaster, is all about direction and not perfection.  Lindsey is rewriting the rules to be r...

When it comes to our intimate partnerships in midlife, this can be a moment for us to get back to a more fulfilling and meaningful sex life, but in this season of change, do we want and need the same things that lit us up twenty years ago? Emma Schmidt & Associates is a sex and relationship therapy group practice with a mission is to help make therapy more accessible, locally, nationally and g...

Delightful!  That is how I sum up this podcast interview.  I believe that it is important that men have a voice on this podcast, and it is always refreshing to get a different perspective on the intricacies of male/female relationships.  As the head of a major hospital, Ricky Arenson, MD worked with many patients who had reached 100+ years of age.  He asked them what the secret to their longevity...

After twelve years in medicine, helping families heal their bodies, Dr. Alexandra Stockwell started studying the science and art of emotional and sensual connection to help her patients heal their relationships. So why did this already super busy, mom, wife, intimate marriage expert, and podcaster decide to co-author a book about menopause?  As Alexandra and her dear friend, Tricia Brouk, began to...

If you asked your friends or family what you are "known for" or what makes you unique, what kind of answers do you think you might get?   We all have our "thing" whether it is a talent, trait, or a quirk that makes us who we are to those who know us best. Are you that person who has the inside track of what's going on around town, the friend who is on top of all the latest...

Earlier in 2023 I had a day where out of nowhere came a racing heart and super high anxiety.  It was concerning to feel this out of control, and I never really pinpointed a cause other than maybe one of those annoying symptoms of menopause.  I can't imagine feeling like that all the time, and it was enough of a wake-up call to prompt me to make some needed changes, and that included more inte...

After episode 64 of the podcast, I had many listeners reach out to me to express their frustration over the lack of healthcare providers in their area who were in the know in the latest in hormone therapy treatments and protocols.  When the company Winona contacted me to speak to one of their medical providers, I jumped at the chance to bring our listeners a possible option to fill a void in their...

Do you ever wonder why a particular relationship that you have is so darned difficult?  If you sometimes ask yourself if the relationship is unhealthy for you, then maybe it's time to assess the situation.  Being walked on, devalued, or feeling stuck can be demoralizing, and worse yet, if we let things go too long, we can develop emotional abuse fatigue. These relationships can be confusing,...

More than 80 million Americans suffer from vein disease.  We mostly think of varicose veins, which for some, can makes us self-conscious about the appearance of our legs, but they can be downright painful.  Pregnancy, heredity, and what do you know, menopause, can all play a role. Cindy Asbjornsen, DO, found a passion and calling for helping people with vein disease.  She is committed to educating...

There is so much that we do in midlife in the name of prevention, such as eat well, exercise, and focus on self-care.  When you think about the physical therapy, we typically put it in the category of reacting to an injury or recovery post-surgery, rather than prevention.  My own recent experience opened my eyes to the many facets of PT, and it is astounding to me the amount of training and specia...

Allow me to introduce you to Jen Butler.  She is a self-proclaimed imperfectionist, who wanted to reach some of her own personal goals, but she knew deep down that her wine habit was going to hold her back from being successful.   Removing alcohol is a courageous act of self-care, and she made the decision at the end of 2017 to hand sauvignon blanc a pink slip and started her sober journey.  Jen w...

One of the goals of the Asking for a Friend Podcast is to bring thought leaders to the table in all matters that impact midlife women.  As things are rapidly changing, it is difficult staying current on hormone replacement therapy and the treatment of menopause.  It is vitally important that we are armed with information so that we can do our own research and feel empowered to have discussions wit...

If you follow the podcast on social media, you may already know that I had a recent osteoporosis diagnosis.  I felt dismissed as the doctor prescribed a pharmaceutical, told me to increase my calcium and vitamin D, and they would see me back in two years.  Really?  That just wasn't good enough, so I went on my own search for answers. I am happy to report that there are professionals out there...

The size of the sexual wellness market for 2023 is estimated to be over $37 billion.  This growing industry, ripe with potential and opportunity, is more than just gadgets and apps.  The business of femtech and sextech is largely driven by female entrepreneurs who, through their own experiences, have found holes in the market where there is unmet need. Rachel Braun Scherl is a champion for women&a...

Not many of us will have the opportunity to spill coffee on a future president during an interview, but think about the times in your life when you had to be bold, stepping out of your comfort zone to accomplish something that you needed to do or wanted to do.  We have all been called to address a relationship, situation, or life calling where we have had to summon courage to overcome what it was...

Incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse can come with sometimes uncomfortable or embarrassing consequences.  So often pharmaceutical or surgical intervention is suggested before addressing the core issue.  The great news is that there are highly trained and passionate professionals out there to help women get back to living life to the fullest. Kim Vopni is an author, speaker, and pelvic health coa...

There are so many layers to our lives and often, when presented with a guest opportunity, I am not only impressed with their accomplishments but the stories intertwined into how they got to where they are today.  As a midlife woman, there is a great deal of inspiration to be garnered when we take the time to listen to each other's whole narrative. Marnie Rae Clark is a successful business wom...

The goal of the podcast is multi-faceted.  I want to share health and wellness information with our listeners but also provide a platform for women entrepreneurs to speak about their journey and the great things that they are doing.  I love it when I get to interview a female founder who is working in the femcare space and providing innovative solutions to help moms and all women make well-informe...

You never imagined you’d be entering the dating pool again at this point in your life, but here you are … lost, confused, and frustrated. Nobody seems to be meeting organically anymore, and it’s nearly impossible to navigate dating apps – or weed out the good ones from a profile alone. You might even be wondering if there are any more single, emotionally healthy men capable of a long-term commitme...

In May 2023, during Mental Health Awareness Month, I had the opportunity of having a Q&A discussion in front of a live audience with Laurie Little, Psy. D., who is the Chief Patient Experience Officer and staff psychologist at the Lindner Center of Hope in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The center has an amazing auxiliary of women, who support special programs and projects.  This year's luncheon and...

I haven't spoken about this topic much, but in 2007 my first husband and I separated and eventually divorced in 2009.  The whole process was relatively amicable, and we managed to do a decent job co-parenting.   Being more concerned about my daughters through the process, I focused very little on myself or on what the outcome would be.  Some women opt to stay in an unhappy situation until the...

It takes two to tango.  We all know this phrase, and it can apply to many things in life. When it comes to strong relationships and intimacy, having both parties putting in effort is vitally important.  It can be exhausting to be the partner who feels that they are the only one working to keep the flame burning.  What if one partner has relatively lower desire than the other or things have become...

Through socialization and culture women are taught to take care of others and typically do not prioritize their own health.  Researchers did a study where they gave women a list and asked them to rank it based on need.  Children, pets, elderly parents, partners were all prioritized (in that order) over themselves.  After doing research on women post-hysterectomy, Susan Salenger was intrigued by th...