Episode 98 - Sleep is NOT a luxury; it's your lifeline

Episode 100 🎉 - My Daughter Has Something to Say

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2378925/fan_mail/new] One hundred episodes. And for this one, Sam did something she has never done before — she invited her firstborn daughter, Rio, to sit across from the microphone and tell the truth. Rio is almost 25 years old. She grew up with one of Canada's leading fitness coaches and menopause specialists for a mother. She heard the podcast recordings from the other room. She watched Sam pivot her entire career to perimenopause and menopause six years ago. She has been a quiet witness to all of it — the clients, the webinars, the events, the community Sam has built from the ground up. And in all that time, Sam had never actually sat down and asked her what it was like. This episode does exactly that. Sam and Rio get honest — about what it felt like to grow up in a household where bodies, health, and fitness were always part of the conversation. About whether having a personal trainer for a mother created pressure, noise, or struggle around body image and food. About how Rio's relationship with her own body has evolved from her teenage years to now. About what she has absorbed — almost by osmosis — from years of living alongside this work. And about what she actually thinks and feels when it comes to menopause, aging, and her own health future. The conversation goes places Sam did not fully anticipate. It gets emotional. It gets honest in the way that only a mother and daughter can be with each other when the microphone is on and there is nowhere to hide. This episode is also a milestone in another way. To celebrate 100 episodes, Sam is introducing new music, officially launching a guest interview format, and announcing that video is coming soon to the podcast. Episode 100 marks not just a number — but the beginning of a new chapter for Menopause, Melanin and Aging Like a Queen. IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL HEAR: * What it was actually like growing up with a fitness coach and menopause specialist for a mother * Whether Rio ever felt pressured around working out, eating, or her body — and how that shaped her * Rio's honest reflection on body image struggles and how her relationship with her body has changed approaching 25 * What Rio thinks about menopause — having overheard years of podcasts, webinars, and events * Whether the next generation feels afraid of aging and menopause — or more prepared than we were * What Rio wants women in Sam's community to know about growing up on the inside of this work * Sam's reflection on what it means to be doing this work — not just for the women already in menopause, but for the daughters coming up behind them * A major milestone announcement — new music, guest interviews, and video coming soon WHY THIS EPISODE MATTERS Our mothers did not talk to us about menopause. Not in any real, honest, prepared way. We walked into perimenopause armed with silence and a vague warning about hot flashes — and we have spent the last several years figuring it out, often alone, often in communities like this one. Sam's mission has always been to change that. To make menopause, aging, and body autonomy more accessible, less terrifying, and less isolating for the generation coming up behind us. This episode is proof of what that mission looks like when it starts at home. Thank you for listening and I would like to remind you that Walk with Sam - Walking Group - is available for anyone to join, ANYWHERE! Click HERE [https://chat.whatsapp.com/LxclEmzbWwf7kmh1rplJGw?mode=gi_t] to join the free Whatsapp community! Thank you for listening.

Episode 99 - Clothes Are Meant to Fit You — Not the Other Way Around

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2378925/fan_mail/new] Have you ever tried on something you loved — and felt crushed when it no longer fit? This week, Sam gets personal after a client reached out needing to be "talked off the ledge" — all because a dress she bought last year no longer fits her body. But here's the thing: this woman is doing everything right. She strength trains. She sleeps well. She eats well. And yet, in one year, her body changed — and she couldn't figure out why. In this episode, Sam unpacks what's really going on beneath the surface — and spoiler: it has a lot to do with the one thing most of us dismiss as just part of life. Stress. Sam also gets vulnerable about her own experience being at the heaviest weight of her life, what she did (and didn't do) about it, and why she refused to let restriction be the answer. In this episode, Sam covers: * Why your body can change even when your habits are solid — and what's actually driving it * The real impact of chronic stress on weight, hormones, and fat storage in menopausal women * Why restriction is not the answer — especially for women in midlife * What it means to truly respect and work with your body instead of against it * The mindset shift that changes everything: clothes are meant to fit you — not the other way around * Why having a coach in your corner is about so much more than programming and nutrition This episode is for you if: You're in menopause or perimenopause, doing the work, and still feeling like your body is betraying you. You are not broken. You are not failing. And Sam has got you. Ready to have someone in your corner? Book a call with Sam HERE [https://calendly.com/samcore/30min] Thank you for listening and I would like to remind you that Walk with Sam - Walking Group - is available for anyone to join, ANYWHERE! Click HERE [https://chat.whatsapp.com/LxclEmzbWwf7kmh1rplJGw?mode=gi_t] to join the free Whatsapp community! Thank you for listening.

Episode 98 - Sleep is NOT a luxury; it's your lifeline

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2378925/fan_mail/new] In this episode, Sam dives deep into the number one complaint she hears from menopausal women — sleep. This is not a "go to bed earlier" conversation. We're talking about what is actually happening inside your body while you sleep, why menopause makes sleep a completely different challenge, the real health risks of chronic under-sleeping (including a cancer connection that will stop you in your tracks), and a real client story with results that happened in just one night. If you have ever said "I'll sleep when I'm dead" — this episode is for you. In this episode we cover: * What your body is actually doing while you sleep — HGH, memory consolidation, fat metabolism, immune function and energy restoration * Why menopause is physically stressful on the body even when you don't feel stressed * The role of progesterone and GABA receptors in sleep — and why losing progesterone in menopause destroys sleep quality * The link between chronic sleep deprivation and cancer risk * Arianna Huffington's wake-up call — and what it taught the world about hustle culture * The three small changes one client made that improved her sleep score by 10% in one night * What Yoga Nidra is and why it's one of the most powerful tools for menopausal women * Why alcohol, food, movement and stress management all play a role in sleep quality Thank you for listening and I would like to remind you that Walk with Sam - Walking Group - is available for anyone to join, ANYWHERE! Click HERE [https://chat.whatsapp.com/LxclEmzbWwf7kmh1rplJGw?mode=gi_t] to join the free Whatsapp community! Thank you for listening.

Episode 97 - The Universe Is Testing You — What I Learned When Everything Was Going Right (And Then It Wasn't)

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2378925/fan_mail/new] You know that feeling when everything is finally clicking? The work is landing, the opportunities are flowing, and for the first time in a long time you think — okay, this is it. And then something hits you sideways and your brain goes straight to: I knew it was too good to be true. Yeah. That happened to me. In this episode, I'm getting personal about a really good stretch, professionally — six new clients, a major brand pitch, a feature on Chatelaine Magazine's podcast, and a sold-out Panama retreat in seventy-two hours — and the moment a piece of unexpected news sent me straight into panic, self-doubt, and full-on fix-it mode before I even had the full picture. I'm also sharing a story from one of my clients that mirrors the exact same cycle — because this isn't just a business lesson. It's a pattern that so many of us live in without even realizing it. The go-go-go and collapse. The spiral. The shame. The "what is wrong with me?" And then — the light bulb. In this episode we talk about: * Why our brains go straight to worst-case scenario (and why that's not a character flaw) * The fix-it reflex — and what it's actually costing you * Why rest is productive even when it feels like falling behind * What the universe is really doing when it throws you a curveball * How to break the cycle — and what it looks like to actually trust the process This one is personal, honest, and one I think a lot of you are going to hear yourselves in. Whether you're navigating perimenopause, building something new, or just trying to find your footing in a season that feels bigger than you expected — this episode is for you. Join my FREE Facebook Group - Strong Women Over 40 [https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomenover40] Book a FREE Chat with Sam. [https://calendly.com/samcore/chat-with-sam] Thank you for listening and I would like to remind you that Walk with Sam - Walking Group - is available for anyone to join, ANYWHERE! Click HERE [https://chat.whatsapp.com/LxclEmzbWwf7kmh1rplJGw?mode=gi_t] to join the free Whatsapp community! Thank you for listening.

Episode 96 - The Beginning Can Be Long — And Nobody Tells You That

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2378925/fan_mail/new] Have you ever felt like your body was betraying you and had no idea why? Like you were doing everything right and still waking up exhausted, snapping at people you love, lying awake at 2am wondering if something was seriously wrong with you? You are not going crazy. But nobody told you that — and that is exactly the problem. In this episode, Sam shares the real, unfiltered stories of two women in her coaching community whose journeys will likely feel very familiar. One is a Caribbean woman who grew up in a home where bodies and symptoms were simply never discussed — who spent years suffering in silence inside a house full of people who loved her, with no language for what she was experiencing. The other is a single mom, a nurse, a woman of colour in her mid-forties who has been failed by the healthcare system she works in every day — and whose mother never even talked to her about her period, let alone menopause. Their backgrounds are different. Their stories are different. But the thread running through both of them is the same one Sam sees over and over again: women who were taught — directly or through silence — that suffering is part of the deal. That you push through. That you handle it. That your needs come last. Sam breaks down what the first 12 weeks of real change actually look like — including an honest conversation about progesterone, why it matters for sleep, and why sleep is the foundation that everything else gets built on. She also talks about why so many women quit right before the pieces start falling into place, the unrealistic timelines we put on our own health, and why Western culture's obsession with individual willpower is keeping women isolated and stuck. This episode is personal, political, and necessary — because you deserve support that actually sees you. Not a quick fix. Not a deadline. Just the right foundation, built one small thing at a time. Join the walking community - Walk With Sam  * On Instagram using #greenwalk and #stressless. * Join the Whatsapp Group HERE [https://chat.whatsapp.com/LxclEmzbWwf7kmh1rplJGw?mode=gi_t] Thank you for listening and I would like to remind you that Walk with Sam - Walking Group - is available for anyone to join, ANYWHERE! Click HERE [https://chat.whatsapp.com/LxclEmzbWwf7kmh1rplJGw?mode=gi_t] to join the free Whatsapp community! Thank you for listening.