If you're doing everything "right" and your body still feels like it's falling apart in perimenopause, this one is for you.

Andrea sits down with Dr. Cassie Smith, a dual-board-certified endocrinologist who grew tired of watching women get normal lab results and zero answers. She wrote the book "Fix Your Gut, Fix Your Hormones" because she was one of those women, too. This conversation goes deep into why your gut is running the show behind your hormones and what you can actually do about it.

We get into the stuff nobody explained to you: why your "UTI" might not be a UTI, why insulin is the domino that knocks over your estrogen, your progesterone, your thyroid, and your sleep, and what microdosing a GLP-1 really means (with real numbers, not hype).

What you'll learn:

• Why perimenopause belly fat and stubborn weight gain often start in your gut, not your willpower
• What "microdosing GLP-1s" actually means, the real dose ranges, and who it may help
• Why recurring "UTIs" in perimenopause are sometimes due to estrogen deficiency, not infection
• How your gut bacteria change the way your body metabolizes estrogen and thyroid hormone
• The fasting insulin test most doctors skip, and exactly what to ask for at your next appointment

Listen to this next:

Ep #195: GLP-1 and Muscle Loss in Perimenopause: What to Eat to Protect It with Natalie Bean: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ep-195-glp-1-and-muscle-loss-in-perimenopause-what-to

Chapters:

0:00 Why your gut controls your hormones in perimenopause
3:31 What damaged your gut before perimenopause: birth, antibiotics, everyday meds
9:37 The "UTI" that isn't: estrogen deficiency vs infection
13:20 Good vs bad bacteria: inflammation, thyroid, and estrogen
19:14 Insulin, cortisol, and the "metabolic dumpster fire"
28:14 How to lower insulin without "eat less, move more"
35:33 Microdosing GLP-1s for PMOS: the actual doses
42:06 PMOS, medical gaslighting, and the 103 symptoms doctors miss
46:51 How Dr. Cassie works with patients + where to find her

Learn more about Dr. Cassie Smith here: https://www.modern-endocrine.com/

Dr. Cassie Smith's Book: Fix Your Gut, Fix Your Hormones: The Critical Connection Your Doctor Is Missing… And Why You Still Feel Terrible Despite “Normal” Labs https://amzn.to/44GLALR

Educational only, not medical advice. Dr. Smith's GLP-1 dosing reflects her clinical practice and is individualized for each patient. Talk to your own provider before changing anything. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Send us Fan Mail

======
Morphus: Menopause Reimagined

💊 Shop Morphus Supplements: https://wearemorphus.com/collections/all

📖 Order "Nourishing Menopause: Powerful Nutrition & Lifestyle Strategies to Feel Your Best." (Simon & Schuster, May 5, 2026)

Amazon Canada: https://amzn.to/4xaREJK

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/4rFj7jk

📰 As seen in USA Today: https://bit.ly/43nrMwO
✅ Fill out our surveys: https://bit.ly/4jcVuLh
🦋 SUBSCRIBE to our list: https://bit.ly/3VdDA0V

FOLLOW US:

TikTok @andreadonsky & @wearemorphus

Instagram: @wearemorphus | @andreadonsky

Facebook: /wearemorphus

DISCLAIMER: This is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider. This podcast contains affiliate links; Morphus may earn a commission. Thank you for your support.

Have you spent your whole life saying yes when you meant no? You are not alone, and midlife might be the best time yet to change that.

In this episode of Menopause Reimagined, Andrea Donsky, nutritionist, author, soon to be 10x published menopause researcher, educator, and co-founder of wearemorphus.com, sits down with her childhood friend, Sharon Neiss-Arbess, a copywriter-turned-novelist who finally wrote the book she had been carrying around for years. They have known each other since grade five, so this one feels less like an interview and more like hanging out with two old friends over coffee.

Sharon's newest book, How I Learned to Pee in the Forest, is a collection of 18 short, true stories about everyday moments that taught her how to stand up for herself, set boundaries, and stop apologizing for taking up space. It is real talk about people-pleasing, asking for help, and giving yourself permission to start something new, no matter your age.

Topics:

• Why "no" really is a full sentence, and how to stop being a people-pleaser in midlife
• How to set boundaries without guilt (and why so many women learn this late)
• A simple bedtime habit that may help you wind down for better sleep
• What it actually takes to start something new after 40 or 50, in any area of life
• The difference between self-publishing and traditional publishing, in plain language

Chapters:

0:00 Intro: Empowering Yourself in Perimenopause and Menopause
2:30 From Sears Copywriter to Self-Published Author
7:00 The First Three Books and Where the Ideas Came From
11:30 "How I Learned to Pee in the Forest": 18 Real-Life Stories
14:30 Boundaries, People-Pleasing, and Why "No" Is a Full Sentence
18:30 Short Stories for Better Sleep at Night
21:00 Self-Publishing vs Traditional Publishing
25:30 Why Art Can Bring People Together
29:30 Where to Find the Books + Final Thoughts

Learn more about Sharon and her books at sharonneissarbess.com

Send us Fan Mail

======
Morphus: Menopause Reimagined

💊 Shop Morphus Supplements: https://wearemorphus.com/collections/all

📖 Order "Nourishing Menopause: Powerful Nutrition & Lifestyle Strategies to Feel Your Best." (Simon & Schuster, May 5, 2026)

Amazon Canada: https://amzn.to/4xaREJK

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/4rFj7jk

📰 As seen in USA Today: https://bit.ly/43nrMwO
✅ Fill out our surveys: https://bit.ly/4jcVuLh
🦋 SUBSCRIBE to our list: https://bit.ly/3VdDA0V

FOLLOW US:

TikTok @andreadonsky & @wearemorphus

Instagram: @wearemorphus | @andreadonsky

Facebook: /wearemorphus

DISCLAIMER: This is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider. This podcast contains affiliate links; Morphus may earn a commission. Thank you for your support.

I wore the Leela Quantum necklace for months before recording this episode because I wanted to experience it day to day before sharing it with you. I took it to California and had a really interesting experience with my daughter that I'll tell you about in this interview with Todd Shipman, a wellness entrepreneur who came into this space as a skeptic and stayed because of what he found. We explore what "quantum energy" actually means, what EMFs from your phone, car, and AirPods may be doing to your body, and how to stay both open-minded and discerning. I ask the questions you'd want answered.

What you'll learn:

• Whether "quantum energy" is woo-woo or actually rooted in real physics (and what the 2022 Nobel Prize did and didn't prove)
• Why some people wonder whether everyday EMF from phones, cars, and AirPods affects how they feel, and what the open questions are
• What Todd says his company's own testing looks at, like HRV.
• How sleep and brain fog in perimenopause relate to the nervous system, as general education
• The honest questions to ask before you spend money on any "energy" wellness product

Chapters:

0:00 Is Quantum Energy Woo Woo? Why This Isn't What You Think
3:04 Meet Todd Shipman + What Quantum Energy Actually Means
7:08 The 2022 Nobel Prize, Entanglement & Why He Tried to Debunk It
10:17 EMF and How You Might Feel: Sleep, Stress & the Questions to Ask
16:06 The Tesla Headache Story: My Daughter and the Necklace
24:12 Food Sensitivities, Structured Water & the Claims to Question
32:54 Inside the Necklace: Brass, Titanium Spheres & Frequency Recipes
42:24 Bloating, Digestion, Sleep & Wearing It Every Day
51:43 Where to Start, the Discount & Final Thoughts

Learn more about Leela Quantum.

A quick note: this is an education-first conversation, not medical advice. Todd is sharing his company's research and personal experience—nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition. If you have a serious health condition or a food allergy, always work with your doctor and never substitute any wellness product for medical care or your EpiPen.

Send us Fan Mail

======
Morphus: Menopause Reimagined

💊 Shop Morphus Supplements: https://wearemorphus.com/collections/all

📖 Order "Nourishing Menopause: Powerful Nutrition & Lifestyle Strategies to Feel Your Best." (Simon & Schuster, May 5, 2026)

Amazon Canada: https://amzn.to/4xaREJK

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/4rFj7jk

📰 As seen in USA Today: https://bit.ly/43nrMwO
✅ Fill out our surveys: https://bit.ly/4jcVuLh
🦋 SUBSCRIBE to our list: https://bit.ly/3VdDA0V

FOLLOW US:

TikTok @andreadonsky & @wearemorphus

Instagram: @wearemorphus | @andreadonsky

Facebook: /wearemorphus

DISCLAIMER: This is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider. This podcast contains affiliate links; Morphus may earn a commission. Thank you for your support.

Dry, irritated, and every lubricant burns or makes a mess? You're not alone. 91% of women say their libido changes in menopause.

Andrea Donsky, nutritionist, author of Nourishing Menopause, 7x published menopause researcher and menopause educator, and co-founder of wearemorphus.com, sits down with Deborah Porteous, co-founder of The Pleasure Pods Company, who hit vaginal dryness in her early 50s and couldn't find a single product that didn't irritate her, ran everywhere, or ruined the sheets. So she and her partner Brian spent two years with a formulator and a team of plant scientists building something better: a 100% plant-based solid that melts at body temperature. This is the honest, slightly cheeky conversation about dryness, painful sex, and pleasure that most of us never got to have.

Topics:

• Why vaginal dryness hits almost 40% of women in perimenopause and menopause, and why it's nothing to be embarrassed about
• The difference between a lubricant, a vaginal moisturizer, and vaginal estrogen, and why it's not either/or
• What's inside Pleasure Pods and why the solid format matters
• How women are using the pods beyond intimacy: massage oil, face, dry skin, even travel
• Why sexual wellness products for women are still so hard to advertise, and what that stigma costs us

Chapters:

0:00 How a solid-to-liquid lubricant works (cold open demo)

1:10 Libido in menopause: what almost 1,400 women told our survey

5:00 Meet Deborah Porteous and the story behind Pleasure Pods

9:30 Talking vaginal dryness on a pitch stage: the CHFA launchpad story

13:00 Why so many lubricants burn, itch, or irritate after 50

18:00 Mango, cocoa, and kokum butter: what's actually in the formula

23:30 How to use it: palms, warm massage oil, face, and dry skin

29:00 Lubricant vs vaginal moisturizer vs vaginal estrogen

35:00 Cutting a pod into pieces for overnight vaginal moisture

39:30 The stigma of marketing women's sexual wellness products

44:00 Deborah's panel podcast and where to buy Pleasure Pods

Learn more about Pleasure Pods here: https://thepleasurepods.com/

Watch the interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/n1odK1pPdV8

Send us Fan Mail

======
Morphus: Menopause Reimagined

💊 Shop Morphus Supplements: https://wearemorphus.com/collections/all

📖 Order "Nourishing Menopause: Powerful Nutrition & Lifestyle Strategies to Feel Your Best." (Simon & Schuster, May 5, 2026)

Amazon Canada: https://amzn.to/4xaREJK

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/4rFj7jk

📰 As seen in USA Today: https://bit.ly/43nrMwO
✅ Fill out our surveys: https://bit.ly/4jcVuLh
🦋 SUBSCRIBE to our list: https://bit.ly/3VdDA0V

FOLLOW US:

TikTok @andreadonsky & @wearemorphus

Instagram: @wearemorphus | @andreadonsky

Facebook: /wearemorphus

DISCLAIMER: This is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider. This podcast contains affiliate links; Morphus may earn a commission. Thank you for your support.

If you're on a GLP-1 and nobody told you how to eat on it, this one's for you. We get into it in depth.

Andrea Donsky, nutritionist, bestselling author of Nourishing Menopause, 7x published menopause researcher, menopause educator, and co-founder of wearemorphus.com, sits down with nutrition and fitness coach Natalie Bean, who is GLP-1 certified and has spent 31 years helping people change how they eat. If you're taking Ozempic, Mounjaro, or Wegovy, thinking about it, or you just want to take back control with food, Natalie walks through what actually protects your body. Spoiler: protein is not optional, and the scale is not the whole story.

What you'll learn:

• Why a GLP-1 can cost you 25 to 40 percent of your weight as muscle, and how to push back with food
• How much protein women in perimenopause and menopause really need (and why it climbs on a GLP-1)
• Whether you'll gain the weight back when you stop, and what a maintenance dose actually does
• The GLP-1 side effects nobody warns you about, from dry mouth to constipation to brittle bones
• Why cardio is not the enemy, and where strength training and cortisol fit in

Chapters

0:00 GLP-1 and muscle loss: the Mayo Clinic stat that stopped me

0:48 Meet Natalie Bean and who GLP-1 meds are really for

4:45 Food noise, sugar cravings, and insulin resistance after 40

9:45 Do you gain the weight back after stopping a GLP-1?

14:10 How much protein you actually need on a GLP-1

19:40 GLP-1 side effects: dry mouth, digestion, bones, dehydration

25:10 Fiber, constipation, and eating every 2 to 3 hours

30:10 Why consistency beats variety when you start over

35:10 Cortisol, cardio vs strength, and non-negotiable supplements

Listen to this next:

Tired of Fighting Food Cravings? Try This Instead: https://youtu.be/2PQxAbnll8s

Work with Natalie: https://nutritionforeverinc.com/

Send us Fan Mail

======
Morphus: Menopause Reimagined

💊 Shop Morphus Supplements: https://wearemorphus.com/collections/all

📖 Order "Nourishing Menopause: Powerful Nutrition & Lifestyle Strategies to Feel Your Best." (Simon & Schuster, May 5, 2026)

Amazon Canada: https://amzn.to/4xaREJK

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/4rFj7jk

📰 As seen in USA Today: https://bit.ly/43nrMwO
✅ Fill out our surveys: https://bit.ly/4jcVuLh
🦋 SUBSCRIBE to our list: https://bit.ly/3VdDA0V

FOLLOW US:

TikTok @andreadonsky & @wearemorphus

Instagram: @wearemorphus | @andreadonsky

Facebook: /wearemorphus

DISCLAIMER: This is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider. This podcast contains affiliate links; Morphus may earn a commission. Thank you for your support.

If you have been watching the GLP-1 conversation explode and quietly wondering if there is another way, this one is for you. Andrea sits down with Sarah Kennedy, founder and CEO of Calocurb, for an honest, science-forward talk about appetite, cravings, and why our relationship with food shifts in perimenopause and menopause. Sarah explains why hunger is biology rather than a willpower problem, and how Calocurb uses a hops extract from New Zealand research to gently support your own natural appetite hormones. It is not a pitch for a magic pill, just a grounded look at one more option so you can decide what is right for you and your body.

Topics Covered

• Why weight and appetite feel so different in perimenopause and menopause
• The willpower myth, and why hunger is biology, not a personal failing
• What GLP-1s are in plain English, and why everyone is talking about them
• Where Calocurb came from, and the New Zealand science behind it
• How a natural, hops-based option is different from the injections
• What it is actually like to use day to day
• What the research has shown so far
• A straight answer on the canola oil question
• Sarah's honest story of making peace with food
• Why this is one tool, not a magic fix

Use this link to save on Calocurb: https://www.calocurb.com/morphus

Chapters

0:00 At peace with food (cold open)
0:50 Welcome and who is Andrea Donsky
1:46 Meet Sarah Kennedy, and life in New Zealand
3:24 What is a GLP-1, and why it is everywhere
5:59 Satiety hormones and what shifts in perimenopause
6:52 Willpower is a misnomer: the physiology of hunger
9:46 The Calocurb origin story: New Zealand government science
11:53 Bitter taste receptors all the way down the gut
13:20 1,000 extracts tested, and why hops won
14:46 The first human clinical: a 600% hormone increase
15:57 How it compares to semaglutide and Ozempic
16:59 How to take it: timing, empty stomach, and onboarding
19:10 Why it is considered gentle on the body
20:27 Building a routine and intermittent fasting
21:24 Can you take it with your medications
22:23 Side effects, bloating, and what they actually mean
23:37 Gastroparesis: how it differs from the synthetics
24:59 The clinical studies, including a women-only trial
28:11 Blood sugar, insulin resistance, and the newest trial
29:25 A message for women gaining weight in midlife
30:41 Sarah's personal story with food
32:45 Age limits and adolescent research
33:33 Do you take it forever, and the weight-regain question
36:44 The canola oil question, answered transparently
39:54 Hops and estrogen: is there an effect
41:08 Where to find Calocurb
42:13 A tool in the toolkit
43:12 Closing thoughts and how you can help

Send us Fan Mail

======
Morphus: Menopause Reimagined

💊 Shop Morphus Supplements: https://wearemorphus.com/collections/all

📖 Order "Nourishing Menopause: Powerful Nutrition & Lifestyle Strategies to Feel Your Best." (Simon & Schuster, May 5, 2026)

Amazon Canada: https://amzn.to/4xaREJK

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/4rFj7jk

📰 As seen in USA Today: https://bit.ly/43nrMwO
✅ Fill out our surveys: https://bit.ly/4jcVuLh
🦋 SUBSCRIBE to our list: https://bit.ly/3VdDA0V

FOLLOW US:

TikTok @andreadonsky & @wearemorphus

Instagram: @wearemorphus | @andreadonsky

Facebook: /wearemorphus

DISCLAIMER: This is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider. This podcast contains affiliate links; Morphus may earn a commission. Thank you for your support.

Andrea Donsky is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist with over 20 years of experience in health and wellness, a published menopause researcher, and the founder of Morphus. She is the author of Nourishing Menopause (Simon and Schuster) and Unjunk Your Junk Food, and the host of the Menopause Reimagined podcast, where she shares the latest science, real-talk strategies, and tools to help women thrive through perimenopause and menopause.

Andrea shares her own perimenopause story, the messages from readers that brought her to tears, and the work still ahead for menopause education and care. If you have ever wondered "what is happening to me," this one is for you.

In this episode:

• The emotional reality behind a bestseller
• Why women bought this book so fast, and the education gap it closes
• Andrea's own search for answers in perimenopause
• The tools in the toolbox: nutrition, lifestyle, supplements, mindset, exercise, and hormones, if you choose that path
• A reminder that your voice, your experience, and your health all matter

Get the book and join the community at wearemorphus.com. If it helped you, please leave a review so another woman can find it too.

Amazon Canada: https://amzn.to/4r2IDz3

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/4rFj7jk

Send us Fan Mail

======
Morphus: Menopause Reimagined

💊 Shop Morphus Supplements: https://wearemorphus.com/collections/all

📖 Order "Nourishing Menopause: Powerful Nutrition & Lifestyle Strategies to Feel Your Best." (Simon & Schuster, May 5, 2026)

Amazon Canada: https://amzn.to/4xaREJK

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/4rFj7jk

📰 As seen in USA Today: https://bit.ly/43nrMwO
✅ Fill out our surveys: https://bit.ly/4jcVuLh
🦋 SUBSCRIBE to our list: https://bit.ly/3VdDA0V

FOLLOW US:

TikTok @andreadonsky & @wearemorphus

Instagram: @wearemorphus | @andreadonsky

Facebook: /wearemorphus

DISCLAIMER: This is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider. This podcast contains affiliate links; Morphus may earn a commission. Thank you for your support.

Andrea Donsky is a registered holistic nutritionist with 20+ years of experience, a published menopause researcher, the co- founder of Morphus, the host of this podcast, Menopause Reimagined, and the author of Nourishing Menopause (Simon & Schuster) and Unjunk Your Junk Food.

In this episode, Andrea sits down with Dr. Amie Hornaman, "The Thyroid Fixer," to unpack what happens to your thyroid in perimenopause and menopause. If you've been told your labs are "normal," but you still feel exhausted, foggy, freezing cold, and like your body isn't your own, this conversation is for you. Dr. Amie introduces a term every woman over 40 should know: thyropause.

What you'll learn:

• Why so many perimenopause symptoms are actually undiagnosed thyroid issues
• What thyropause is and why Hashimoto's often switches on after 40
• The five thyroid labs to ask your doctor for (and what to do if they refuse)
• Why T4-only medications like Synthroid may not be enough on their own
• How to find a provider who actually understands thyroid hormone replacement

Chapters:

0:00 Why your thyroid tanks after 40 (thyropause explained)
2:00 Welcome back to Menopause Reimagined & meet Dr. Amie Hornaman
5:10 What the thyroid actually does (from hair loss to heart rate)
8:45 Hypothyroidism vs hyperthyroidism: which one hits women hardest
12:00 Thyropause: the perimenopause and Hashimoto's connection
16:15 1 in 8 women? Why the real number is closer to 1 in 4
19:25 Medically gaslit: Andrea's story of being dismissed by her doctor
23:40 The thyroid tests your doctor probably isn't ordering (TSH, free T3, reverse T3, TPO, TG)
28:30 T3 vs T4: why Synthroid alone may not be enough
33:45 Why you can stay on thyroid medication for life (and why that's okay)
38:10 Finding the right dose: the trial-and-error reality
42:25 Inside The Thyroid Fix book and Fixer Formulas supplements
47:00 Where to find Dr. Amie and grab the book

Links:

The Thyroid Fix: The No-Nonsense Guide to Fix Fatigue, Fogginess, and Fat That Won't Budge https://amzn.to/3Prfxvr

Learn more about Dr. Amie Hornaman here: https://dramie.com/

Send us Fan Mail

======
Morphus: Menopause Reimagined

💊 Shop Morphus Supplements: https://wearemorphus.com/collections/all

📖 Order "Nourishing Menopause: Powerful Nutrition & Lifestyle Strategies to Feel Your Best." (Simon & Schuster, May 5, 2026)

Amazon Canada: https://amzn.to/4xaREJK

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/4rFj7jk

📰 As seen in USA Today: https://bit.ly/43nrMwO
✅ Fill out our surveys: https://bit.ly/4jcVuLh
🦋 SUBSCRIBE to our list: https://bit.ly/3VdDA0V

FOLLOW US:

TikTok @andreadonsky & @wearemorphus

Instagram: @wearemorphus | @andreadonsky

Facebook: /wearemorphus

DISCLAIMER: This is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider. This podcast contains affiliate links; Morphus may earn a commission. Thank you for your support.