The Wellthy Healthy Life Podcast

Why 93% of OB-GYNs Aren't Trained in Perimenopause — and What to Do If You've Been Dismissed

You're not imagining it. You're not "just stressed." And you're not alone in feeling like your doctor doesn't have answers. Surveys show that 93% of OB-GYNs don't feel comfortable treating perimenopause — and only 1 in 5 medical schools even include training on this stage of a woman's life. So when you leave an appointment feeling dismissed, that's not a you problem. It's a system problem. Dana Culp is a physician and founder of Thrive Midlife Medical who learned this firsthand — not just as a specialist, but as a patient. Despite her medical background, she spent over a year unable to get proper care for her own perimenopause symptoms, dismissed by provider after provider. That experience completely redirected her career. In this conversation we get into: * The one flawed study from 2001 that dropped hormone therapy use from 40% to 4% — and why that fear is still shaping care today * Why perimenopause can hit hard while you're still getting your period, and why high-achieving women often feel it most * What estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone each do — and how a good provider figures out where to start * The lifestyle shifts (sleep, protein, movement) that can genuinely move the needle without a prescription * What it looks like to work with a provider who actually specializes in this space Take Dana's free perimenopause quiz at thrivemidlifemed.com [https://www.thrivemidlifemed.com/] Follow her on Insta HERE [https://www.instagram.com/thrivemidlifemed/] Follow her on Facebook HERE [https://www.facebook.com/thrivemidlifemed] Book a free consultation HERE [https://thrivemidlifemedicine.cal.com/thrivemidlifemedicine]

Why You Keep Running — And What Your Body Wants You to Know | Serena Arora

If you've ever found yourself starting over — new city, new relationship, new job — only to end up feeling exactly the same, this episode is for you. Ayurvedic health practitioner and author of Unbound, Serena Arora, joins Nicole to talk about what it really means to stop running from discomfort and start listening to what your body has been whispering (and sometimes screaming) all along. In this episode we cover: * Why burnout keeps finding you even when you're doing "all the right things" * How your body signals dis-ease long before it becomes disease — and what to look for * What menopause is actually trying to tell you about this next chapter of your life * The connection between unresolved childhood patterns and the cycles we keep repeating * Simple, free Ayurvedic practices to start reclaiming your health today Find Serena's book Unbound HERE [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1959955721?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_Q0JR2R0KK5A5KNCX6JG6_1&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_Q0JR2R0KK5A5KNCX6JG6_1&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_Q0JR2R0KK5A5KNCX6JG6_1&bestFormat=true] Check out her website HERE [https://www.serenaarora.com/] Get 20% off Fatty15 HERE [https://partners.fatty15.com/NICOLEJOHNSON]Code: NICOLE JOHNSON Follow me on Insta HERE [https://www.instagram.com/wellthyhealthylife/]

The Birth Control Illusion: What Every Woman in Perimenopause Needs to Know About Hormones, Cycles, and Coming Off the Pill

Your doctor said birth control would help with your perimenopause symptoms. But did they test your hormones first? For millions of women in midlife, synthetic hormones are being prescribed as a quick fix — masking the very signals your body is sending and leaving you with no real picture of where you are in the transition. In this episode, Nicole talks with Tierra Duncan, women's health educator and author of The Birth Control Illusion, about what's actually happening in your body when you're on hormonal birth control during perimenopause, why coming off the pill after years of use can send your hormones into chaos, and what informed consent around birth control actually looks like. If you've ever been handed a prescription without a conversation, this one's for you. Connect with Tierra on Insta HERE [https://www.instagram.com/tierraduncanauthor/] Check out her book HERE [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G86THBDN?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_ENKVQQDG2JFQN2PGYPZS&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_ENKVQQDG2JFQN2PGYPZS&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_ENKVQQDG2JFQN2PGYPZS&bestFormat=true&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGn4MW00rqdKrkvCnpGFndX30ZGE3mtKtG1gyfGPr2YDPjrXWnXFhDf8gVdOw4_aem_qqbmddEVLdV-LNI289icIA&utm_content=link_in_bio&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ig] Grab her free resources HERE [https://www.tierraduncan.com/free-cycle-tracker] Follow me on Insta HERE [https://www.instagram.com/wellthyhealthylife/] Get 20% off Fatty15 HERE [https://fatty15.com/NICOLEJOHNSON] Code: NICOLE JOHNSON

Done Playing Small: Real Talk on Fear, Reinvention & What It Means to Be a Woman in Midlife

What does it actually feel like to wake up in midlife and realize the life you built no longer fits who you're becoming? This episode is unlike any other on The Wellthy Healthy Life — it's a live panel conversation recorded at The Wellthy Healthy Life Live, an in-person event bringing together women ready to get real about this season of life. Whether you were in that room or this is your first time hearing about it, this conversation will meet you exactly where you are. Nicole is joined by three powerhouse women — Lauren Chesney Anderson, business strategist, Christina Lecuyer, a confidence coach, and Meg Green, a registered dietitian — for an honest, unfiltered discussion on the things women in their 40s and 50s are navigating right now but don't always say out loud. They get into overcoming self-doubt and fear, listening to your intuition when fear is louder, walking away from success that doesn't feel aligned, the hormonal and emotional shifts of perimenopause and midlife, why women struggle to claim their worth — financially and otherwise, what "having it all" actually looks like, and the power of surrounding yourself with the right women. This is the kind of conversation you wish you could have with your most honest, most badass girlfriends. Now you can. Follow me on Insta HERE [https://www.instagram.com/wellthyhealthylife/] Check Out my Substack HERE [https://substack.com/@nicolesj] Follow Lauren on Insta HERE [https://www.instagram.com/laopenrecord/] Follow Christina on Insta HERE [https://www.instagram.com/bechristina/] Follow Meg on Insta HERE [https://www.instagram.com/meggreenrd/] Topics covered:Women in midlife | Fear and self-doubt | Intuition and alignment | Perimenopause and women's wellness | Female community and connection | Reinvention for women over 40 | Women and money | Identity shifts in midlife

No One Asked But... I Almost Didn't Do It (And What That Taught Me About Fear, Regret & Going After What You Want)

What happens when you almost talk yourself out of the thing you want most? In this solo episode, Nicole reflects on hosting The Wellthy Healthy Life Live — an in-person event for women in midlife — and the surprising lesson that almost didn't happen. She opens up about the self-doubt that nearly made her cancel, the one question that changed everything, and what she witnessed in that room that she hasn't been able to stop thinking about. If you're a woman in your 40s or 50s navigating a season of reinvention — whether that's an empty nest, a career that no longer fits, or just a quiet feeling that there's more — this episode is for you. Nicole also shares what she's building next and asks one question she wants every listener to answer. "What's the one thing you're most struggling to figure out in this season of life?" Topics covered:The power of female community in midlife | Overcoming self-doubt and fear | How to know if your hesitation is fear or a true no | Reinvention for women over 40 | What's coming next for The Wellthy Healthy Life