The Female Health Solution Podcast

Presenter and author Jen Rafferty started her teaching career as a middle school teacher in Central New York for 15 years. She founded Empowered Educator in 2020 as a response to teacher burnout during the pandemic. Jen is known for bringing her energy, humor and expertise in her presentations while inspiring educators to stay connected to their "why." Jen is a certified Emotional Intelligence Pra...

Polycystic ovary syndrome impacts many women but there are many symptoms that come along with it. Most women with PCOS experience insulin issues, weight issues and weight loss resistance. When you have PCOS, doing the "normal" things to lose weight is actually not going to work! Many practitioners don't know how to deal with PCOS and women are left discouraged, cutting calories and feeling miserab...

Most women focus on losing fat/weight, when gaining muscle is just as important. There are many mistakes and misconceptions when building lean muscle and we are talking about them on this episode! I'm talking about working out fasted, ignoring muscle recovery, restricting muscle building nutrients and more. Believe it or not, working out at certain times can be WORSE for your health, not better. ...

Is your support person stressed? Your health depends on more than just yourself! The stress of your friends, family, partner, etc doesn't just impact their health, it also impacts yours. This is why it can feel so challenging personally, even if you are not directly impacted by the stress! In this episode, I share examples of what happens when your support system is under stress and how you can ma...

Let's talk about the timeline for regulating hormones, losing weight, and healing your symptoms. I run both 12 week and 6 month programs and it's important to discuss expectations for results during these parameters. We are so comfortable with the fact that a broken bone may take months to heal, but expect our hormones and weight to respond differently! Most women experience immediate positive cha...

Let's talk about distractions... distractions from our goals and progress. Digging into distractions, coping mechanisms and barriers is the key to creating habits for long term success without getting derailed. Hormone balance, weight loss, muscle growth - all of it takes consistency and distractions often get in the way. In order to get something you've never had, you have to get something you've...

Many women experience feeling wired but tired at the same time - exhausted, yet you can't relax or rest. This is often related to cortisol and other hormone issues, so it's a bigger deal than just feeling tired. In this episode, we will dive into the hormones at play, why this happens and ways to find consistent energy and hormone balance.  DUTCH Test:  https://drbethwestie.com/dutch-hormone-testi...

Polycystic ovary syndrome impacts many women but there are variations of how this manifests in the body. I had horrific ovarian cysts myself, so it was a big motivation to heal my body from the inside out! Many practitioners don't know how to deal with PCOS and often tell women to go on medication or hormones or "just lose weight." In this episode, I discuss PCOS types and how to test for them!  D...

We are talking about protein again?! YES. Protein is one of the big keys to restoring energy, hormone balance, muscle gain and fat loss. Most women that I work with are not eating enough protein, especially after dieting or calorie restriction. Keep in mind that everyone's protein needs are different! In this episode, I cover a few stories of women who increased their protein and saw amazing resul...

When looking at hormones, perimenopause or menopause symptoms can be confusing! Some women lose their period/cycle and assume they are perimenopausal, when really a number of things can play into this. Genetic and health factors also play a big role, and some women CAN go into menopause in their late 30's/early 40's. This episode dives into all things menopause and how to determine what's going on...

One of the biggest lies told to women is that restricting calories and eating the same amount every single day will make them skinny. Not only does this NOT work, it causes many women to gain weight, lose muscle, binge eat and put stress on their hormones! In this episode, I want to highlight why low calorie and inflexible nutrition doesn't work for women and how you can eat FOR your hormones and...

One of the most common ingredients I see in supplements designed for the female body is DIM. Diindolylmethane is a compound that the body creates when digesting cruciferous vegetables and it can have many positive effects on the female body. I recommend it to many women that I work with, but only after identifying certain symptoms and hormone levels. DIM can have the opposite impact if your body d...

Today's episode is dedicated to those of us who have tried everything, done everything, and tried to love the body we're in, but it's just not working. Many of us have gotten to the point of giving up because we aren't seeing results. Diets, exercise, tests, trainers, pills...it's too much! This message will dive into why we get to this point and what to do about it.  Learn more about the 1 to 1 p...

This episode is dedicated to mindset, tools to achieve your goals, and the right map to follow for results. Setting realistic goals is one thing, but following the right journey to get there is another. The diet and fitness industry often has a one size fits all approach, which will actually harm most women. An individualized road map to health is the key, and we will dive into what this looks lik...

For those of us who have gone through traumatic events and adversity (which is most of us!), it is important to acknowledge how this impacts your health journey. It is not so much about lingering on the negative events, but rather uncovering your strength to move forward and allow yourself to have a different journey from someone else.  Healing from trauma looks different for each woman, but it is...

In this final episode of our mini series on hormone testing we are taking a look at neurotransmitters! The neuro markers on a hormone test are essential because they tell us how your body is functioning overall. These are chemical signals influence your mood, cortisol, heart rate, appetite, muscle contraction, sleep and more! This episode covers why neurotransmitters are important to test and supp...

Next in this series on hormone testing we are taking a look at testosterone and androgen levels! Testosterone is important for women and often overlooked as a male specific hormones. There is even a type of PCOS that has elevated levels of testosterone, so it is important to identify if your levels are too high or too low. Testosterone issues can manifest as energy issues, acne, low libido, estrog...

Today is the start of a new series on hormone testing, hormone levels and making sure your body is functioning at its best! Cortisol is often overlooked and yet so important for hormone balance and physical results. This episode covers a number of things to look out for if you are under stress and signals that your body might be on the brink of a burn out. Let's get those adrenals back on track! ...

It's The Female Health Solution Podcast's 500th episode! To celebrate, I interviewed some current & past clients about their unique health journeys. You will hear about weight struggles, eating issues, dieting, hormones, relationships and more. Thank you for listening and following TFHS for 500 episodes... here's to 500 more!   

Let's talk about hormone testing! The balance between estrogen and progesterone is arguably one of the most important for the female body. In this episode, we discuss symptoms of low estrogen, low progesterone, high estrogen, high progesterone and what it all means for your overall health.  Get a hormone test:  https://drbethwestie.com/dutch-hormone-testing/

Welcome to the final episode in my weight loss series! We have been answering the question "why can't I lose weight?" by addressing common and not so common topics that all factor into weight, fat and fat loss. In this episode, I am diving into the topic of self belief. Many women are surprised to hear that mindset and self belief are big factors into weight loss success. I hope this episode helps...

Welcome to another episode in my weight loss series! We are going to be answering the question "why can't I lose weight?" by addressing common and not so common topics that all factor into weight, fat and fat loss. In this episode, I am diving into the topic of gut health. Gut health is important for many reasons including, detoxification, absorption of nutrients, regular elimination and hormone p...

Welcome to another episode in my weight loss series! We are going to be answering the question "why can't I lose weight?" by addressing common and not so common topics that all factor into weight, fat and fat loss. In this episode, I am diving into the topic of testosterone. Testosterone levels are just as important for the female body as they are to the male body. Testosterone also impacts the ab...

Welcome to another episode in my weight loss series! We are going to be answering the question "why can't I lose weight?" by addressing common and not so common topics that all factor into weight, fat and fat loss. In this episode, I am diving into the topic of toxic relationships. Physical detox is just as important is relational detox! You may be surprised at the role relationships play into wei...

Welcome to another episode in my weight loss series! We are going to be answering the question "why can't I lose weight?" by addressing common and not so common topics that all factor into weight, fat and fat loss. In this episode, I am diving into the topic of detoxification. Detox is important to eliminate toxins that impact weight, hormones, gut health and more!  Join the waitlist for my next p...