The Midlife Feast

Midlife is the ultimate “messy middle”, isn’t it? But when we take time to listen to our bodies, get comfortable with not having control, and surround ourselves with authentic community, there are a lot of gifts to discover in this season too! In this episode, I’ve invited Ann Douglas, the author of Navigating the Messy Middle, a book that brilliantly unpacks the challenges and experiences of wome...

Have you ever noticed that as you embrace midlife, you discover this newfound ability to stop doing all the things that just don’t serve you anymore? Isn’t it fantastic? My guest today Kate Codrington is joining me to help us understand that this fresh confidence and freedom has a name, and is also known as the autumn of perimenopause.   But you might be more familiar with the experience of “meno-...

Today I have a very special treat for you in this Q&A session with Registered Dietitian Amanda Bullat, who (*spoiler alert*) I am thrilled to announce will be joining us as a regular expert resource in the Midlife Feast community very soon! In this episode, we tackle three of the most-asked questions about un-dieting in midlife. The answers to these questions are helpful for anyone who has con...

If you’re navigating any stage of midlife right now, there’s a good chance wellness culture has made an impact on your relationship with food. While the principles of wellness culture tote the appearance of supporting your physical health, the moralization of food can wreak havoc on your mental health by heaping on unnecessary guilt and shame.  In this Story Session episode, a Midlife Feast Commun...

Along with hot flashes, sleep challenges in midlife and menopause can take a toll on your well-being. If you have struggled with sleep in midlife you know firsthand that the lack of sleep makes normal daily tasks feel very taxing. As if that weren’t enough, the anxiety of not being able to sleep takes the exhaustion to the next level.  If getting a good night’s sleep feels hopeless, I invite you t...

While you may be 1000% sure that spending the rest of your life on a diet is NOT the life for you…have you ever found yourself  thinking that the path to becoming an intuitive eater doesn’t feel all that intuitive? If so, welcome! This episode if for you. The good news is that you are not alone! How do I know? Because of the messages I regularly get from women who are all in what I call the “messy...

If movement had zero impact on your body size, would you still choose to move? If the answer is no, then I encourage you to join me and Christine Chessman in this episode to learn why joyful movement is key to making movement sustainable in midlife and beyond.  If you’ve started an intuitive eating journey, it is not uncommon to feel the desire to break up with your usual workout routine too. But...

In honor of Osteoporosis Awareness Month,  I’ve invited movement educator Rebekah Rotstein to shed light on the topic of bone health. It’s incredibly common to avoid thinking about the strength of our bones until later in life, which might be too late if your goal is to be resilient and independent as you age. Rebekah shares the many factors we need to understand about bone health and what screeni...

If you’ve begun your menopause journey, you’ve probably had to deal with hot flashes by now. When they first start, they can certainly take you by surprise, especially since the experience of them can vary a lot from person to person. But however they show up, they are always uncomfortable and disruptive.  In this episode, I’m going to break down what is happening in your body (more specifically i...

When you’re looking for a medical provider in midlife, finding someone who is committed to listening, staying curious, and staying up to date on research are just some of the top priorities. But when you can find a woman who has some skin in the midlife game, well, many times you’ve hit the jackpot.  My guest on today’s Story Session is health coach and dietitian, Tracy Kelly. She’s sharing her st...

You probably already know that protecting our bones in midlife and beyond is a top priority. The problem is that like much of the health information we’re exposed to it doesn’t always translate into practical how-to strategies. Instead, it can induce a lot of fear about getting an osteoporosis diagnosis, also known as the “silent disease” since there are so few outward signs and symptoms. In this...

What memories do you have of diet culture as you were growing up? If you’re like many parents in our community, there’s a good chance you’d like to spare your children from these experiences altogether. That’s why I invited Registered Dietitian and author of Diet-Proof Your Daughter, Amelia Sherry to the podcast. We take a deep dive into understanding what’s at the root of our desire for our kids...

While you would probably guess that the average age of women going through menopause is between 51-52, you might not know that approximately 1% of women go through menopause prematurely before age 40. In today’s story session, I am joined by Midlife Feast Community member, Jen, who is sharing her experience of going through Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI).  It’s easy to imagine how disruptiv...

Midlife can be one of the most overwhelming seasons of life. It honestly feels like everything you are responsible for is a non-negotiable. But if you’re feeling like everything in your mind and body is pointing towards burnout, then something has to give- how do choose what to say no to?  In this episode, I’ve invited my friend and Burnout and Alcohol Coach Wendy McCallum back on the show to walk...

If you’re burnt out on dieting, you’re probably interested in exploring a concept we talk about a lot around here: gentle nutrition. While most people are eager to get to the “good part” when learning to eat intuitively, gentle nutrition is one of the last steps of the journey of intuitive eating. Why? Because we have to un-do a lot of the default programming leftover from years of dieting and die...

While you may have expected many of the physical symptoms of menopause, the one that might really take you by surprise is brain fog. If you find daily tasks a real slog, you’re struggling to focus, or just forgetful in ways you would have never dreamed possible-know that this is a very common midlife experience. But what is really going on and is there anything we can do to better support our brai...

When it comes to movement and exercise, how do you define what “counts”? Are you tempted to think that exercise has to be miserable if it’s going to have an impact? If so, you’re definitely not alone, and today’s conversation is just for you.  Join me and my return guest, Dr. Maria Luque, as we take a deep dive into understanding the reasons we have come to believe that the only legitimate forms o...

Rise and grind. No pain, no gain. You snooze, you lose. The overuse of phrases like these is why we’re so damn tired. Rest is not a reward for productivity. It’s a need, and it’s critical for us to function.  While rest is 100 % necessary, discovering what rest means to us personally can be challenging. That’s why I’ve invited psychologist, author, and expert in self-care and rest, Suzy Reading to...

If you’ve found the Midlife Feast to be a helpful or refreshing community of women, there’s a good chance you’re on a journey of redefining your relationship with food. Whether you are just starting or years into it, each one of our stories is so important, and so worthy of sharing.  That’s why I was so excited to invite friend, and therapist, Alli Spotts-De Lazzer LMFT, LPCC, CEDS-S to come on th...

As many of you already know since I shared it on Instagram, I  recently celebrated my 1-year menoversary. It’s officially been one year since my last period, which also means I’m now in post-menopause. Having taken the time to journal and track this journey, I was able to compile a lot of information and compile a list of 8 things I wish someone had shared with me before perimenopause started.  Be...

Midlife is often when the toll of a decade (or more) of time spent trying to lose weight through dieting sets in. And what follows is a new sense of panic, driven by the idea that if you haven’t been able to get comfortable in your own skin by now, time is running out. And as new research suggests, it’s this body dissatisfaction that puts many women at risk of developing eating disorders later in...

You are not broken. Can I say it -maybe shout it again? We’ve just all been silently suffering and floundering alone when it comes to reproductive health in menopause. Thankfully doctors like my guest today, author Dr. Kelly Casperson have decided enough is enough. It’s time to tell the truth. In this conversation, we’ll dive into the impact of marketed perfection on this season of life, why sexua...

Have you ever wondered "what the hell is happening" with your mood in midlife? Trust me, you're not alone.  And, as Dr. Stephanie Bayliss ND explains, there's a window of vulnerability in midlife that makes anxiety, depression and PMDD more common than ever. In this episode, we discuss the hormone changes that increase the chances of anxiety and depression, the difference betwe...

In this story session, I talk to Ann Marie McQueen, a Canadian health and wellness journalist living and working in the Middle East and going through the peri/menopause transition. In June 2020, Ann Marie founded Hotflash Inc to provide balanced coverage and context about all things menopause via a weekly newsletter and social media, adding a sponsored weekly podcast the following year. Join us as...

When you know better, you do better. And if you're like many of the women in midlife I talk to, your desire to move away from diet culture may be in part motivated by your desire to change things for the next generation...I know mine was. But getting diet culture out of the house means not only changing our behaviour, but also the language we use to describe food, bodies, and even health in g...