Why Trauma Lives in Your Body, Even After Years of Therapy

Why Trauma Lives in Your Body, Even After Years of Therapy

For years we've been told that healing trauma means talking about it. But what if talking isn't enough? In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Harvard-trained psychiatrist and world-renowned trauma expert Dr. Frank Anderson to explore why trauma isn't simply stored in your memories. It's stored in your body. We discuss why so many women find old wounds resurfacing during perimenopause and menopause, why food often becomes a coping mechanism for unresolved trauma, and why traditional talk therapy doesn't always create lasting healing. Dr. Anderson shares the science behind trauma, nervous system regulation, EMDR, Internal Family Systems, psychedelics, and the small daily experiences that help your brain and body finally feel safe again. If you've ever wondered why you keep reacting the same way despite years of personal growth, this conversation will help you understand what your body has been trying to tell you all along. In this episode you'll learn: • Why talking about trauma doesn't always heal it • How trauma becomes stored inside the body • The surprising reason menopause often brings unresolved trauma to the surface • Why emotional eating is often a protective response • How fasting reveals hidden emotional patterns around food • Why triggers are valuable clues instead of something to fear • The role of EMDR, Internal Family Systems, somatic therapies, and psychedelics in trauma recovery • Simple daily practices that begin creating lasting healing Resources Mentioned * The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk [https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/resources/the-body-keeps-the-score] * Transcending Trauma by Dr. Frank Anderson [https://www.frankandersonmd.com/books] * To Be Loved by Dr. Frank Anderson [https://www.frankandersonmd.com/books] * Internal Family Systems (IFS) [https://www.frankandersonmd.com/books] More on Dr. Frank Anderson Dr. Frank Anderson is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, internationally recognized trauma expert, and author of Transcending Trauma and To Be Loved. He trained alongside trauma pioneer Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, serves on the board of the Trauma Research Foundation, and has spent decades helping people heal through an integrative approach that combines neuroscience, Internal Family Systems, attachment theory, and body-based therapies. * Website: frankandersonmd.com [https://www.frankandersonmd.com/] * Instagram: @frank_andersonmd [https://www.instagram.com/frank_andersonmd/] * Dr. Frank Anderson's Books [https://www.frankandersonmd.com/books] For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: https://www.drmindypelz.com/ep33 [https://www.drmindypelz.com/ep338]X Connect with Dr. Mindy: * Join Reset Academy [https://resetacademy.drmindypelz.com/reset-academy?utm_source=libsyn&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=loc-description&utm_campaign=reset-academy] * Watch the episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@DrMindyPelz?sub_confirmation=1] * Follow Dr. Mindy on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dr.mindypelz/] * Subscribe to Dr. Mindy’s newsletter [https://www.drmindypelz.com/] Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.

The Metabolism Reset: How to Go From Sugar Burner to Fat Burner in 14 Days

Right now, millions of women are stuck in a cycle of constant hunger, food noise, energy crashes, stubborn weight gain, and frustration. Most have been told they need more willpower, but the truth is often much simpler. Your metabolism may be stuck in sugar-burning mode. In this episode, I break down one of the most important concepts I’ve taught over the last decade: the metabolic switch. You'll learn the difference between your body's sugar-burning and fat-burning systems, why blood sugar crashes drive cravings, and the five simple steps I use to help women become more metabolically flexible. If you've struggled with fasting, weight loss, or constant cravings, this conversation will help you understand why and show you where to start. In this episode, you'll learn: • The difference between sugar-burning and fat-burning metabolism • Why blood sugar crashes create cravings and food noise • How meal order affects your metabolic health • The role of protein, fiber, and healthy fats in blood sugar regulation • Why walking after meals is one of the most powerful metabolic tools • How to gently extend fasting windows without stressing your body • The symptoms that show your metabolic switch is improving Resources Mentioned: • Fast Like a Girl: drmindypelz.com/books [https://www.drmindypelz.com/books] • Eat Like a Girl: drmindypelz.com/books [https://www.drmindypelz.com/books] • Burn Fat Like a Girl Reset: https://bit.ly/4kKkqJR [https://bit.ly/4kKkqJR] • Nervous System Reset Guide: https://bit.ly/4exCeGV [https://bit.ly/4exCeGV] For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep346 [https://www.drmindypelz.com/ep346] Connect with Dr. Mindy: * Join Reset Academy [https://resetacademy.drmindypelz.com/reset-academy?utm_source=libsyn&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=loc-description&utm_campaign=reset-academy] * Watch the episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@DrMindyPelz?sub_confirmation=1] * Follow Dr. Mindy on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dr.mindypelz/] * Subscribe to Dr. Mindy’s newsletter [https://www.drmindypelz.com/] Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.

A Midlife Money Masterclass with Suze Orman: Cortisol, Self-Worth, and Taking Back Your Financial Power

For our very first guest on the The Live Like a Girl podcast, I sat down with the woman who taught generations of us how to take back our financial power: Suze Orman. Here’s why I had to start here. I spend my life helping women with hormones, weight loss, menopause, and underneath almost all of it sits one thing – cortisol. And when you scratch beneath the “cortisol surface,” so often what you find is money stress. So I brought in the icon herself to talk about what’s really keeping women sick and stuck, and what to do about it. We get into self-worth and net worth, why women hand over their financial power, the spender-to-saver shift, divorce and the sandwich generation, the truth about your home and your car, what AI is about to do to all of us, and the money moves that matter most in 2026. Suze also shares her origin story – from waitress to financial icon and I know it will light a fire in you. This one is a masterclass. So bring a notebook and get ready. If you’re wanting the deeper dive on exactly how to invest now, we’re giving you a special offer of Suze’s Masterclass: suzeorman.com/drmindy [https://www.suzeorman.com/drmindy] For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: https://www.drmindypelz.com/ep345/  [https://www.drmindypelz.com/ep345/] More on Suze Orman: * Website: suzeorman.com [https://www.suzeorman.com/] * Instagram: @therealsuzeorman [https://www.instagram.com/therealsuzeorman/] * YouTube: @suzeorman [https://www.youtube.com/suzeorman] * Facebook: Suze Orman [https://www.facebook.com/suzeorman] * LinkedIn: Suze Orman [linkedin.com/in/suzeorman] Connect with Dr. Mindy: * Join Reset Academy [https://resetacademy.drmindypelz.com/reset-academy?utm_source=libsyn&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=loc-description&utm_campaign=reset-academy] * Watch the episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@DrMindyPelz?sub_confirmation=1] * Follow Dr. Mindy on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dr.mindypelz/] * Subscribe to Dr. Mindy’s newsletter for tools and research on fasting, hormones, and metabolic health [https://www.drmindypelz.com/] Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.

Live Like a Girl - The Truth About Women's Health We Need To Talk About

After five years as The Resetter Podcast, everything changes. Welcome to Live Like a Girl. In this first episode, Dr. Mindy Pelz explains why she retired a name she loved and what she's building in its place. The truth driving it all: women aren't thriving, and most of the health advice out there was never written for us to begin with. She opens with the numbers on Alzheimer's, depression, anxiety, cancer, and heart disease, then digs into why the science behind "evidence-based" wellness has left women out, and why fifteen-minute doctor visits and almost no nutrition training can't fix it. From there she lays out the five principles that shape this whole new season: mindset matters, regulate first, honor your rhythms, everything is health, and collaboration over competition. It's a conversation about the body, but also about culture, conditioning, and finally taking up space. A preview of what's coming this season, including Suze Orman on money and wellbeing and Frank Anderson on trauma and metabolism. If it resonates, share it with a woman who needs to hear it, and subscribe so you don't miss what's next. For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep344 [https://www.drmindypelz.com/ep344] Resources Mentioned in this Episode: * Fast Like a Girl: https://www.drmindypelz.com/books [https://www.drmindypelz.com/books] * The Obesity Code by Jason Fung * In a Different Voice by Carol Gilligan * The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk * Burn Fat Like a Girl: Your Natural GLP-1 Reset: https://bit.ly/4eUUB8y [https://bit.ly/4eUUB8y] * Nervous System Reset Guide: https://bit.ly/3QOcQEW [https://bit.ly/3QOcQEW] Connect with Dr. Mindy: * Join Reset Academy [https://resetacademy.drmindypelz.com/reset-academy?utm_source=libsyn&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=loc-description&utm_campaign=reset-academy] * Watch the episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@DrMindyPelz?sub_confirmation=1] * Follow Dr. Mindy on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dr.mindypelz/] * Subscribe to Dr. Mindy’s newsletter [https://www.drmindypelz.com/] Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.

I Stopped Fasting for a Year - Here's What It Taught Me (& Other Habits I'm Giving Up)

After 30 years in health, Dr. Mindy is calling time on the rules. This solo episode is one of the most personal things she's shared on this podcast. It covers two big ideas: the science and story behind why she stopped fasting for most of the past year and the five health habits she's deliberately walking away from in 2026. First, flex fasting. When cortisol is high from grief, trauma, illness, perimenopause, or chronic stress rigidly pushing through long fasting windows doesn't support the body. It depletes it. Dr. Mindy shares what happened when she lost a close friend and found herself in an acute stress state, what the research says about prolonged fasting and the HPA axis, and how she developed a new approach she's calling flex fasting: a more intuitive, body-led way to use fasting as a tool without turning it into a rule. Then the five things she's giving up: counting (macros, biometrics, followers, all of it), the gym, other people's urgency, productivity over health, and information overconsumption. Each one is a direct response to what the wellness industry has quietly done to us — turned health into a full-time job with a performance review. RESOURCES MENTIONED: * Fast Like a Girl: https://www.drmindypelz.com/books [https://www.drmindypelz.com/books] * Age Like a Girl: https://www.drmindypelz.com/books [https://www.drmindypelz.com/books] * Substack Article "I Stopped Fasting for a Year": https://substack.com/@drmindypelz/ [https://substack.com/@drmindypelz/] * Carb Manager App carbmanager.com, available on iOS, Android, and web * The Movement Diet: Redefining Fitness at Every Age with Katy Bowman * Study: Prolonged Fasting, HPA Axis & Cortisol - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12736288/ [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12736288/] * Study: Estrogen & Cortisol Regulation - https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/102/12/4457/4587523 [https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/102/12/4457/4587523] * Midlife Women Fasting Trial - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-65678-z [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-65678-z] * Study: Self-Selected Fasting Windows - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03375-y [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03375-y] * BEAM Minerals, use code MINDY for 20% off: https://www.beamminerals.com/?oid=4&affid=648 [https://www.beamminerals.com/?oid=4&affid=648] * LMNT, get a free sample pack with your order: https://bit.ly/drinklmntpelz [https://bit.ly/drinklmntpelz] To view full show notes, resources mentioned, transcripts, and more, visit 👉 https://drmindypelz.com/ep343 [https://drmindypelz.com/ep343]  Connect with Dr. Mindy: * Join Reset Academy [https://resetacademy.drmindypelz.com/reset-academy?utm_source=libsyn&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=loc-description&utm_campaign=reset-academy] * Watch the episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@DrMindyPelz?sub_confirmation=1] * Follow Dr. Mindy on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dr.mindypelz/] * Subscribe to Dr. Mindy’s newsletter [https://www.drmindypelz.com/] Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.