Introducing the Midlife Advice Podcast (formerly Belong Wellness)

Welcome to the Midlife Advice podcast, where smart, curious, and slightly sassy women over 40 come to figure out all things midlife.

In this short solo episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on why I changed the name of the podcast from Belong Wellness to Midlife Advice — and how this shift reflects exactly what the show has become: a go-to source for real, relatable, expert-backed advice on hormones, health, relationships, and purpose.

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Surviving Breast Cancer & Early Menopause with a “Pausitive Outlook”

At 35, Teyonna Bowman was a young mom who thought she was doing everything right — eating healthy, staying active, raising her kids — until she found a lump in her breast that changed everything. After surviving breast cancer twice, Teyonna entered medically induced menopause at 40.

In this episode, Teyonna shares what it’s really like to navigate early menopause after cancer — the physical symptoms, the emotional whiplash, the loss of connection with her body and her husband — and how she ultimately reclaimed her strength and purpose.

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Midlife Advice: Family “Vacation” Edition

In this playful mini-sode, I reflect on my recent family “vacation,” and how I’m almost ready to drop the quotes. I talk five-hour flights with no iPads, the magic of kids’ clubs, Yoto players, hotel spas, and share tips (and a few silly wins) for traveling with little kids while keeping your sanity intact.

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How Beliefs About Aging Affect Midlife Health and Longevity

In this episode, I talk with Andrea Nakayama, a functional nutritionist and narrative-medicine practitioner (yes, we cover what that means). Andrea explains how our beliefs about aging influence inflammation, cortisol, memory, recovery, and even longevity—and why your mindset may be one of the most powerful tools for midlife women’s health.

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Why Parenting is the Most Advanced Yoga

Forget headstands — the most advanced yoga is parenting without losing your cool.

In this week’s episode of the Belong Wellness Podcast, I talk with Sarah Ezrin, yoga teacher and author of The Yoga of Parenting, about how yoga philosophy applies far beyond the mat — especially for parents in midlife.

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Are You Sabotaging Your Own Joy? How to Stop Holding Yourself Back in Midlife

Have you ever noticed that just when life starts to feel really good, you start bracing for something bad to happen? That’s what psychologists call the Upper Limits Problem.

This week, I sit down with award-winning author Tamar Hurwitz-Fleming to talk about why joy can feel so hard to hold onto, and how birthdays can actually teach us how to expand our capacity for joy.

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Emotional Eating: Why We Do It and How to Stop

Have you ever found yourself standing in front of the pantry after a stressful day, not even hungry but looking for…something? Something to give you a little boost, a little comfort, or to take the edge off? That’s what we call emotional eating.

Learn the root causes and how to finally break the cycle.

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The Menopause Hormone Options No One Explained to You

When it comes to menopause hormone therapy, most women are offered a short list of standard prescriptions — and that’s it. But if you’ve ever felt like those options don’t work for you, there’s a reason: hormone therapy isn’t one-size-fits-all.

That’s where compounding pharmacies come in. 

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Midlife Nutrition Tips for Belly Fat, Brain Fog and Sleep

If you’ve hit your 40s and suddenly feel like your body got swapped out for someone else’s…I’m right there with you. For many midlife women, uninvited menopause belly fat shows up overnight, brain fog makes you lose your train of thought mid-sentence, and you’re wide awake at 3am pondering disasters that will probably never happen. 

In this episode, I’m joined by Barbara Sobel, a board-certified nutritionist with a master’s in clinical and functional medicine nutrition. Barb specializes in midlife and menopause nutrition and helping women in perimenopause and menopause figure out what actually helps us feel better at this stage of life.

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Ayurveda Says Perimenopause Is Your Golden Goddess Era

Perimenopause doesn’t have to feel like the end of your fire. In Ayurveda, this stage of life is actually called your Golden Goddess era.

In this episode, Jessica talks with Heather Grzych, Ayurvedic doctor-level practitioner, bestselling author of The Ayurvedic Guide to Fertility, and former president of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association. Heather explains how Ayurveda sees midlife as a shift from the fiery stage of life into the air and space stage — a transition that brings both challenges and new possibilities.

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How Early Menopause After Hysterectomy Inspired Julie Parana’s New Career 

When Julie Parana had a hysterectomy at 42, she expected relief from years of pain—which she got. What she did not expect was the immediate launch into menopause a decade earlier than planned. Even with her ovaries intact, Julie found herself dealing with symptoms like brain fog, forgetfulness, and sleep struggles that were affecting her work. But, it wasn’t until the hot flashes showed up that she connected the dots. 

In this episode, Julie shares how she pieced together the truth, and how the experience inspired her to become The Menopause Occupational Therapist — helping women and employers navigate this transition with confidence.

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A Midlife Surrogate on Pregnancy, Perimenopause and Letting Go

In this episode, I’m joined by Heather Nelson to discuss her very personal story that sheds light on a topic that feels like a black box to many of us—surrogacy. 

Heather is a mother, wife, business coach and podcaster who became a surrogate five years ago. Now at 43 and navigating perimenopause, she’s preparing to do it again. 

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5 Protein Recipes for Midlife Women Who Don’t Want to Eat Chicken All Day

If you are a midlife woman trying to eat more protein—but you’re tired of people telling you to eat 100-grams-a-day, and you’re even more tired of eating chicken—then this episode’s for you. 

I’m breaking down how to personalize your protein intake—without bloating, burnout or boredom. I also share 5 protein recipes I make on repeat, including muffins, smoothies, and energy bites my kids devour.

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When the Patriarchy Pushes You Out, Chart a New Course: Cheyenne Richards on Starting Over in Midlife

In this episode, Cheyenne shares how she went from VP of Marketing at a tech startup to award-winning historical fiction author and full-time adventurer. We talk about midlife reinvention, imposter syndrome, creative courage, sailing as self-discovery, and what it really means to live authentically.

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Midlife Relationships: You’re Evolving. He’s Not. Now What?

Relationships are always complicated. But in midlife, they often get even more layered—especially for women who are doing the deep inner work of growth, healing, and change.

In this episode of the Belong Wellness Podcast, I’m joined by licensed psychotherapist Jessie Curtner, who specializes in helping couples navigate the emotional complexity of long-term love. 

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Midlife Mixtape: Can’t Miss Clips from the First 6 Months—MHT, Colonoscopies, Goddess Visions and More

To celebrate the first 6 months of the Belong Wellness podcast, I’m taking you on a greatest-hits-style trip through some of my favorite moments so far. From big laughs to aha moments, from menopause hormone therapy advice for IUD users to a goddess vision during Reiki, this “Midlife Mixtape” brings the sass, the science, and the soul.

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Your Body Isn’t the Problem—A Midlife Health Reframe

This week, I’m joined by Courtney Townley, host of the Grace & Grit podcast and a total truth-teller when it comes to midlife women’s health. She’s here to help us stop waging war on our bodies, stop doing everyone else’s emotional labor, and start rebuilding a life that actually works for us.

We’re talking burnout, hormone shifts, people-pleasing, body image, boundaries—and how to stop patching the cracks and start pouring a new foundation.

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Laughing Through the Midlife Sh*tshow: Divorce & Reinvention with Donna Johnsen

What happens when divorce, single motherhood, turning 50, and perimenopause all hit at once? You get a full-blown midlife dumpster fire. But today’s guest, Donna Johnsen, found a lifeline in laughter. In this episode, she shares how journaling, community, and humor helped her survive the hardest season of her life—and how her Instagram account became an unexpected source of healing for herself and others.

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