You think you have stability. You think you have your health. You think you have all these things. But in reality, they can be taken from you at any moment without warning — Jennifer Peterson

There's a version of strength that looks like showing up for everyone else while quietly falling apart underneath it. Jennifer Peterson spent 25 years in critical care and trauma medicine — and then found herself on the other side of the emergency, bleeding out after a routine surgery, unsure she'd make it home to her own kids.

In this episode, Jennifer shares the honest, unscripted story of that near-fatal medical crisis, the EMDR work that helped her carry it, and the burnout that finally pushed her to leave inpatient medicine. She opens up about why she pivoted into perimenopause and menopause care, and why so many women are dismissed, misdiagnosed, or handed antidepressants when what they actually need is real hormone support and someone willing to listen.

If you've ever felt unheard by a doctor or like you had to fight for basic answers about your own body, this is a real life story about women's health, self-advocacy, and finding your people. New episodes every Thursday on all major podcast platforms.

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Timestamps
00:00 — Introduction — Heather welcomes Jennifer Peterson
03:12 — 25 years in critical care — how she got into medicine
09:41 — The 2017 surgery that nearly took her life
12:59 — EMDR and processing medical trauma
15:16 — Burnout, leaving inpatient medicine, and finding her real calling
19:01 — Why women are dismissed in perimenopause and menopause care
47:03 — Where to connect with Jennifer Peterson

About Jennifer Peterson

Jennifer Peterson is a Board-Certified Acute Care Nurse Practitioner with more than 25 years of clinical experience. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Delaware in 2003 and her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania in 2007, and spent the bulk of her career specializing in Critical Care Medicine and Transplant Hepatology. Now based in Rohnert Park, California, Jennifer draws on that deep clinical background to offer highly personalized care in perimenopause and menopause, medical weight management, and platelet-rich plasma therapy — blending evidence-based medicine with a more holistic, individualized approach to women's health.

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