What if the one thing you've been taught to avoid when supporting your best health, body composition, and fitness results was actually what your female body needed most?

In this fierce and fire-filled episode, Louise busts the myth that snacking is bad, especially for active ambitious women navigating changing hormones age 35 and beyond. As one of the world's leading exercise physiologists and women's health experts specializing in active women and recreational runners, Louise shares her personal journey of unlocking her best body composition, fitness, and running, while doing amazing things like reversing osteoporosis naturally, restoring her hormone health without medications, and learning the truth about fueling for optimal performance.

You’ll learn why skipping snacks, especially morning ones, can sabotage your energy, metabolism, and mood. She breaks down how snacks impact hormone production, how to listen beyond your hunger cues, and what smart snacking actually looks like (hint: no naked carbs!). As a badass bonus, enjoy learning how to support your body in burning fat and building muscle while you sleep. Bedtime belly fat buster anyone? From practical snack ideas to science-backed insights, this episode is both empowering and actionable.

Next time your snack attack hits, lean into it, knowing you are unlocking your fierce female body's potential to thrive with vibrant lifelong sustainable success!

Link to our FullScript where you can see our curated best supplement picks & save 20%: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/breakingthroughwellness/store-start

Link to check out our free nutrition guide and join other fierce active ladies taking charge of their holistic health and fitness in our multi award-winning Badass Breakthrough 1:1 Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(3:17) Why old diet advice is hurting women
(4:28) Reversing bone loss naturally
(6:10) Snacking myths that sabotage your health
(8:15) Morning snacks and hormone production
(11:01) Why you can’t trust hunger cues
(15:19) The body’s need to build, not break down
(16:11) The “no naked carbs” rule explained
(19:34) Easy snack ideas for busy women
(27:51) How snacking prevents overeating and fatigue
(31:35) Breaking the “no snack” mindset
(34:44) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Fitness, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for a simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
support@breakingthroughwellness.com

Ever feel like you're trying to learn everything you can about best health, nutrition, and fitness methods to feel, look, and perform your best but you're still not seeing great results? In this refreshingly honest episode, Louise, one of the world’s leading health, fitness, and performance experts, unpacks the idea of mental obesity, which is consuming too much information without taking meaningful action. If you're an active, health-conscious woman trying hard to navigate perimenopause advice, this episode will speak right to you!

Louise shares real-life stories from women overwhelmed by podcasts, leading expert advice, books, social media influencers, and conflicting methods. She reveals how this mental overload keeps us stuck, stressed, and second-guessing our every move. Through her award-winning Academy education and methods, Louise shares how trimming the mental fat leads to more energy, badass hormone balance, a leaner physique, peak performance, and refreshing peace of mind.

If you're constantly researching and trying all the things, but still not feeling better, it's time to rethink your approach. This week, join us in selecting fewer expert opinions, trusting the process, and giving your body (and brain) a break.

Link to check out our free nutrition guide and join other fierce active ladies taking charge of their holistic health and fitness in our award-winning Badass Breakthrough Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Link to our FullScript where you can see our curated best supplement picks & save 20%: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/breakingthroughwellness/store-start

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(2:57) What is mental obesity?
(3:43) The perimenopause information overload
(6:11) The smart woman’s struggle to start
(7:25) Too many experts, too little clarity
(9:07) The power of shared community support
(10:49) Real progress through real-life tweaks
(12:49) Why one-size diets no longer work
(15:45) You don't need more voices
(19:04) The problem with not giving things a chance
(20:13) Are you taking action, or just learning?
(24:38) Knowing your unique physiological stress point
(28:08) Choose fewer experts, trust the right ones
(32:24) Final reflection: Trim the fat, trust yourself
(40:45) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Fitness, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for a simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
support@breakingthroughwellness.com

Is running really "bad" for you during perimenopause?

If you’ve ever been told to “stop running” because you’re a female in your late 30s, 40s or 50s, this episode is your reset button. Louise, a leading expert for perimenopausal active women and runners, breaks down one of the biggest myths floating around: that running is bad for women in perimenopause. Spoiler alert, it’s not, if you do it right to work with and not against your changing hormones and female physiology.

She shares why just doing long, slow cardio might be doing more harm than good for your hormones, tendon health and overall fitness, and how female-strategic sprinting, strength training, and fueling can completely transform your energy, physique, performance and mental health. You'll learn how to keep running and build muscle, boost metabolism, and better manage cortisol.

This episode is filled with tangible tips, sprint training formulas, and real client stories, from injury recovery to physique glow-ups. If you love running but feel confused, tired, or stuck, this will help you take your power back, one stride at a time!

Link to check out our free nutrition guide and join other fierce lady runners taking charge of their holistic health and fitness in our multi award-winning Badass Breakthrough 1:1 Academy: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(3:20) The Running Myth That Broke Our Hearts
(4:41) Why Running Feels Harder After 35
(5:52) Types of Women This Approach Helps
(7:09) Loving Running But Feeling Discouraged
(7:58) What’s Missing from Most Running Plans
(9:07) What “Thriving” Really Looks Like Now
(10:08) Why Slow Running May Hurt, Not Help
(13:51) Sprinting Is Better for Cortisol Control
(14:47) Easy Run + Sprints: A Game Changer
(16:16) Healing Hip Pain and Hormones Naturally
(19:33) When Traditional Speed Work Fails You
(21:11) Hormones, Tendons, and Real Recovery
(23:29) SIT Training Beats Long Slow Runs
(27:18) A Sample Weekly Running Plan
(29:23) How to Keep the Booty While Running
(33:19) Cumulative Fatigue and Metabolic Boost
(35:14) Strength Training That Actually Works
(36:25) Where to Hear Real Runner Success Stories
(38:57) Weeks 1–4: Building Sprint Intervals
(39:54) Weeks 5–8: Advancing to 400 Meter Repeats
(41:51) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Fitness, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for a simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
support@breakingthroughwellness.com

Are you trying hard to do everything “right” with your health, eating clean, training hard, prioritizing sleep, but still feeling off? Frustrated with lack of attention to your lab work or feeling lost, not knowing what biomarkers to consider?

If you’re a wellness-minded active woman, especially a runner or endurance athlete age 35 and beyond, the truth is your lab work is telling you a story, EVEN when in range or borderline low/high. Ready to finally understand nuances, specific to your unique body? In this episode, Louise, one of the world’s leading health, fitness, and performance experts, unpacks the biomarkers that can reveal what’s really going on beneath the surface: hormonal shifts, under-fueling, inflammation, thyroid issues, under recovery, exercising incorrectly, cholesterol concerns, blood sugar imbalances, and more!

You’ll learn why standard medical labs often miss critical context for athletic women in perimenopause and beyond, and how to advocate for deeper, more relevant testing with your provider team. Additionally, variances in functional medicine, integrative health, and allopathic medicine are discussed. From interpreting ferritin levels like an athlete to spotting inflammation caused by overtraining, you’ll walk away with real, actionable tools to take charge of your health.

This isn’t just about getting labs done. It’s about getting answers that matter and support that makes a difference. Your performance, energy, and vitality depend on it. You absolutely deserve the knowledge, tools, and context to thrive DESPITE changing hormones, so let's learn, laugh, and level up together!

Link to check out our free nutrition guide and join other fierce lady runners taking charge of their holistic health and fitness in our multi award-winning Badass Breakthrough 1:1 Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Our affiliate link to check Function Health for comprehensive blood work: https://my.functionhealth.com/signup?code=LVALENTINE11&_saasquatch=LVALENTINE11

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(4:42) How to speak your doctor’s language
(6:42) Lab testing without breaking the bank
(9:15) Why A1C is a hidden red flag
(10:57) Ferritin and the endurance athlete
(12:28) Infusions vs. real root cause healing
(14:18) Inflammation markers and overtraining
(16:33) Amino acid profile: The gut and protein story
(18:19) 6-month progress: Biomarkers can change
(22:36) Thyroid testing beyond TSH
(25:21) Liver stress and what it reveals
(28:03) BUN, creatinine, and hydration
(34:05) Improving iron levels with whole foods
(37:22) Comparing traditional vs. integrative ranges
(38:57) Where to get more comprehensive testing
(42:31) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Fitness, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for a simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
support@breakingthroughwellness.com

What if ovulation doesn’t make you feel powerful, radiant, or unstoppable despite what everyone says it should?

In this eye-opening episode, Louise unpacks women's real, messy, and often misunderstood experiences during ovulation. From weight fluctuations and bloating to mood shifts, sleep disruption, and anxiety, your body might be telling a different story, and that doesn’t mean something’s wrong.

With over two decades of experience as a multi-award-winning women's integrative health practitioner and performance scientist, and after countless conversations in her community, Louise shares personal stories, client breakthroughs, and science-backed strategies highlighting one truth: your female body is unique. You’ll learn how to track your cycle more intentionally, respond to your symptoms with compassion, and stop chasing one-size-fits-all advice that doesn’t serve you. Whether you're navigating perimenopause, recovering from birth control, or just trying to make sense of your monthly rhythms, this episode will empower you to understand and support your body better one phase at a time.

Link to Resource Mentioned “This is Your Brain on Birth Control”: https://amzn.to/42L2uck

Link to check out our multi-award-winning Badass Breakthrough 1:1 Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

(0:00) Intro
(4:45) Why active, ambitious women often struggle hormonally
(6:24) Ovulation basics and signs you might not be ovulating
(7:08) A personal infertility journey and what finally worked
(8:48) Whole-food, holistic support for hormone balance
(10:11) Ovulation isn’t amazing for everyone—here’s why
(11:47) When the scale lies: bloating, sleep, and hormones
(13:54) Bowel movements, estrogen, and "weight gain"
(17:39) Sleep, cortisol, and sabotaged hormone health
(18:53) Why tracking your physique matters more than weight
(20:50) “Me too!”—validation from a women’s health community
(23:22) Birth control, your brain, and partner preference
(28:58) Final takeaway: ovulation is not one-size-fits-all
(31:30) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Fitness, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for a simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
support@breakingthroughwellness.com

What if the symptoms you’ve been medicated for aren’t actually you, but your hormones trying to get your attention? While not always the case, sometimes, it is!

In this powerful and refreshingly honest episode, world-renowned health and fitness expert Louise teams up with Coach Amy to share real stories of active women reclaiming their mental and physical health, without relying on endless medications. Together, they unpack the often overlooked mental health concerns that accompany imbalanced hormones, lesser known symptoms of perimenopause, the impact of outdated nutrition, fitness and running strategies draining female hormonal health, and commonly missed root causes of anxiety, depression, and ADHD.

You’ll hear how women from all walks of life—doctors, moms, CEOs, runners—are finally feeling like themselves again through personalized whole food nutrition, strength training, nervous system support, and tracking simple yet strategic daily habits that work with and not against their changing hormones.

This episode is about understanding how your female body works, tuning in instead of tuning out, and reclaiming your power through science-backed individualized holistic care. If you’ve ever been told “this is just your new normal,” this conversation is here to remind you that healing is not only possible, it’s already within you with the right female-specific approach!

Link to check out our free nutrition guide and apply for a free consult to join our multi award-winning Badass Breakthrough 1:1 Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(6:30) The power of nervous system regulation
(8:52) You’re not broken—your hormones are talking
(13:17) Even doctors weren’t taught this
(18:03) Food, not supplements, changes mental health
(21:05) Louise’s raw story of misdiagnosis and healing
(26:55) Why symptoms matter more than diagnoses
(29:55) Acceptance, awareness, and activity: The 3 A’s
(33:35) Perimenopause can start in your 30s
(39:39) Caffeine, cortisol, and anxiety spirals
(42:21) Reversing ADHD-like symptoms with nutrition
(46:57) Rewriting family health stories
(52:26) When diets go too far and trigger panic
(58:16) Why generalized advice doesn’t work
(1:04:27) Everyday wisdom from a real women’s community
(1:12:21) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Fitness, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for a simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
support@breakingthroughwellness.com

Midlife can feel like a storm, between careers, kids, marriage, and the shifting tides of perimenopause. But what if the chaos is calling you to recalibrate instead of collapse? In this raw and relatable episode, Louise, a leading expert for perimenopausal active women and runners, takes you inside her personal season of reflection and reveals three powerful strategies that are helping her stay grounded, energized, and fulfilled.

After a pivotal spring break, a reset race-day goal, and turning down major national recognition to honor her husband’s military career, she opens up about the resentment, frustration, and fierce love that shape the lives of high-achieving women. She shares how she’s building a better rhythm in three key areas—intimacy, movement, and nutrition—by defining cadences that reduce stress and increase success.

This episode is a call to rethink the pressure to do it all and instead focus on what matters most. You’ll gain practical tools, a dose of solidarity, and a reminder that structure creates freedom, especially in the demanding middle years. Whether you’re a runner, a mom, a partner, or all three, this one’s for you.

Download Our Free Breaking Through Wellness Monthly Planning Calendar Here: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/blog/freecalendar

Link to check out our multi award-winning Badass Breakthrough 1:1 Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(6:10) When personal sacrifice feels heavy
(9:08) The mental load of midlife women
(13:09) Refusing to decline in your 40s
(16:30) Are you and your partner growing apart?
(21:19) Learning from different life philosophies
(23:07) The power of cadence in marriage
(28:55) Creating a fitness cadence
(33:33) Why macro tracking isn’t enough
(36:51) Alcohol, food, and inflammation
(42:49) Goal-setting for real-life events
(46:52) Aging, dopamine, and craving
(51:22) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Fitness, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for a simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
support@breakingthroughwellness.com

What if perimenopause could be your comeback season instead of your slowdown?

In this episode, Louise, one of the world's leading health, fitness, and perimenopause practitioners, shares seven powerful and practical ways to boost speed and performance during perimenopause, inspired by her own race day breakthroughs and coaching hundreds of women through similar wins. Whether you're chasing personal records or simply running for joy, this episode is filled with real-life wisdom, hormone-smart science, and easy-to-apply tips to help you thrive, not just survive.

Learn how trimming distractions, regulating cortisol and your nervous system, rethinking your fueling strategy, and finding the right music can transform your performance and well-being. You’ll hear relatable stories, mindset shifts, and race day takeaways that speak to every type of runner, from the ambitious road-loving goal setter to the joy-filled, easy going trail lover. This is about doing what works now to align your actions with your changing female physiology, not what used to work, and loving the process!

Download Our Free Breaking Through Wellness Monthly Planning Calendar Here: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/blog/freecalendar

Link to check out our multi-award-winning Badass Breakthrough 1:1 Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(6:01) Trim the fat and regain focus
(15:08) Nervous system regulation 101
(17:35) Mastering the art of adjustment
(20:50) Rethinking traditional carb loading
(28:39) Smarter race day fueling
(32:25) Find your tribe to thrive
(34:49) Music as a performance booster
(40:19) Embracing new PRs in menopause
(44:53) Natural bone health transformation
(46:48) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Fitness, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for a simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
support@breakingthroughwellness.com