This episode is part of my special three-part series with Dr. Lucy Caratti: How the Medical System is Failing Women in Perimenopause.

In Episode 1, we dive into Mental Health in Perimenopause and the Hidden Hormone / Nervous System Link. So often women are told their struggles are simply the result of isolated symptoms, just part of aging, or that nothing can really be done.

Together, Lucy and I unpack how hormonal fluctuations, a frayed nervous system, and long-held core beliefs collide in midlife, leaving so many women anxious, depleted, and questioning themselves.

This isn’t about character flaws. It’s about biology and psychology intersecting in ways most of us were never taught to understand, and reframing this struggle as part of a bigger, more hopeful picture.

Connect with Dr. Lucy Caratti:
📲 Instagram
🎙️ Podcast

In this episode, I talk about why midlife feels so destabilising when the coping strategies that once kept you afloat, such as, people-pleasing, perfectionism, over-functioning suddenly stop working.

I explain that capacity is biological, not about willpower, and how it shifts moment to moment depending on sleep, food, stress, and even who you spend time with.

I share why pushing beyond capacity takes us out of our window, why burnout isn’t a personal failure, and how midlife is actually an invitation to stop overriding your body and start working with it.

In this episode, I explore the hidden cost of pushing through and overriding our body’s signals.

From the emotional suppression that ramps up cortisol and adrenaline, to the perimenopausal symptoms we dismiss as “just stress,” I break down what happens when we ignore ourselves.

I also share why midlife can be an awakening, and how learning to listen, rather than override, is the first step toward real healing.