If you've been adding more cardio to try and drop weight before summer, and it's not working, this episode is going to explain exactly why.

I know, it sounds completely backwards. If you grew up in the 80s and 90s like I did, you remember when cardio was everything. Jane Fonda workouts. Hours on the stair stepper. The formula was simple: want to lose weight? More cardio. Want to tone up for summer? More cardio.

But in midlife, that approach is counterproductive. You're checking the calorie burn on your smartwatch, hitting 10,000 steps, signing up for spin classes — and the scale won't budge. You might even be working harder than ever and seeing fewer results than ever.

This episode is part three of my Spring Into Summer series, and we're tackling the fitness piece.

I'm breaking down what happens to your cortisol and inflammation when you do too much cardio in perimenopause, why muscle mass is the real driver of your metabolism, and how lifting heavy weights (not endless treadmill sessions) is the secret to getting the toned arms and defined legs you want this summer.

Plus, I'm sharing my own story, how being forced to stop cardio after breast cancer surgery actually gave me the results I'd been chasing for years.

What You'll Learn

📌 Why more cardio increases cortisol and inflammation in midlife (making weight loss even harder)
📌 The real reason you're losing muscle mass — and why that's tanking your metabolism
📌 How to get toned arms, defined legs, and a stronger body without hours in the gym
📌 The concept of progressive overload and how to start lifting heavier than you think you can
📌 The nuance: when cardio IS helpful (Dr. Vonda Wright on jumping and bone density)

Resources & Ways To Connect

Fitness library here for strength training (use code ASHLEYS1BODI for 15% off!)
Work with Me
Book a Free Consultation Call
Connect on Instagram
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What if that "healthy" breakfast you're eating every morning is actually making it harder for you to lose weight?

That avocado toast with whole-grain bread and a yogurt on the side? It sounds like a solid start to the day. But if you're in perimenopause or menopause, you might be hitting three major inflammatory triggers before 9am — and you don't even know it.

This is episode two of my Spring Into Summer series, and today we're talking about nutrition. But not just any nutrition advice. I'm breaking down why the generic meal plans flooding your Instagram feed aren't working for you — and why every woman over 35 should be eating anti-inflammatory.

Your body in midlife is fighting inflammation around the clock. And without the protective estrogen you had before perimenopause, that fight just got a lot harder.

I'm walking you through exactly how inflammation shows up in your daily life (hello, 3pm crash and middle-of-the-night wake-ups), which foods are making it worse, and how to eat anti-inflammatory without giving up tacos, burgers, or family dinners.

Plus, I'm sharing a client story about Kathy (who was eating "healthy" but still struggling with energy, sleep, and weight), and the simple shifts that helped her lose 7 pounds and finally stop dreading social dinners.

What You'll Learn:
📌 Why "eating healthy" isn't enough in midlife — and what to focus on instead
📌 How inflammation shows up as weight gain, the 3pm energy crash, and disrupted sleep
📌 The four foods that are most inflammatory for women in perimenopause (you're probably eating at least one every day)
📌 How the "healthy breakfast" trap could be sabotaging your progress before 9am
📌 What anti-inflammatory eating actually looks like at a normal family dinner table — not a spa menu
📌 How Kathy lost 7 pounds, crushed her sugar cravings, and stopped dreading dinners out
📌 The one simple swap you can make this week to start reducing inflammation

Resources & Ways To Connect

• Grab the FREE 21-Day Anti-Inflammatory Guide here
• Episode 1 of the Spring Into Summer Series
• Learn more about the Perimenopause Weight Loss Method here
• Book a free call
• Work with Me
• Connect on Instagram

What if the reason you can't lose weight before summer has nothing to do with discipline — and everything to do with the thoughts running through your head?

I had a wake-up call the other day. I was on my usual dog walk, baking in my long sleeves and yoga pants, sweating through what I thought would be a casual 30-minute stroll. And it hit me: shorts season is coming. Whether I'm ready or not.

This episode kicks off my Spring Into Summer series — a 4-part series built on the same framework I teach in The Perimenopause Weight Loss Method. We're starting with the Think phase, because here's what I know: your thoughts aren't background noise. They're producing your results. And if you're heading into summer planning to restrict more, exercise more, and be more disciplined? That approach is going to backfire.

I'm sharing the two thought patterns that keep women stuck ("nothing ever works for me" and "I don't have time"), plus the simple reframes that change everything. And I'm walking you through a client story that shows exactly what happens when you stop chasing perfection and start building an identity instead.


What You'll Learn:
📌 Why "I just need more discipline" is the most detrimental thought you can carry in perimenopause
📌 The difference between willpower (which runs out) and identity (which sustains you)
📌 How to shift from a deadline goal to a direction goal — and why that changes your choices at every summer barbecue
📌 Two thought patterns keeping you stuck and the exact reframes to try this week
📌 The mindset shift that helped my client Sheri finally stop yo-yoing and start maintaining her results
📌 Why focusing on how you want to FEEL this summer makes everything easier

Resources & Ways To Connect:

• Grab the FREE 21-Day Anti-Inflammatory Guide here
• Learn more about the Perimenopause Weight Loss Method here
• Book a free call
• Work with Me
• Connect on Instagram

If you've been blaming stress, aging, or "just not trying hard enough" for the weight gain, the bad sleep, and the feeling that your body is working against you — this episode is about to reframe everything.

I sat down with Stephanie Traver, a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner and Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, and founder of Vital Menopause in Colorado. Stephanie has built her entire practice around one mission: making sure women have access to real, evidence-based care in perimenopause and menopause. And she is a wealth of knowledge.

In this episode, we get into the biology of what's actually happening in your body during perimenopause — and why the old playbook (cut calories, work out more, push through it) just doesn't work anymore. We also talk about hormone therapy, who's a good candidate, and the myths that are still circulating even though the research has moved on. Plus, Stephanie shares the nutrition and lifestyle pillars she builds her entire practice around.

What you'll learn:

📌 Why perimenopause can start as early as 35 — and the very first sign most women miss
📌 The lesser-known symptoms that are almost always hormonal
📌 Exactly what's happening biologically with belly fat — the insulin resistance and estrogen connection explained clearly
📌 Who is (and isn't) a good candidate for hormone therapy, and how to have that conversation with your doctor
📌 The three nutrition foundations Stephanie tells every single patient
📌 How mindset is part of the clinical picture

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Vital Menopause (Stephanie's Practice)

Your Next Steps:

Work with Me
Change your mindset in perimenopause
Connect on Social

Tired of trying to make habits that never stick? Maybe you've tried every meal plan, workout program, and healthy habit out there, only to watch everything fall apart within days?

You're not alone, and more importantly, it is not your fault. (That's good news!)

In this episode of The Family Fork, we're diving deep into the real reason healthy habits feel nearly impossible to build in midlife. Spoiler alert: it has nothing to do with your willpower, discipline, or motivation. It has everything to do with the way your brain is wired.

In this episode:

📌 Why the all-or-nothing approach to healthy habits is working directly against your brain, plus the simple mindset shift that changes everything
📌 The surprising truth about how long it actually takes to build a new habit (hint: it's not 21 days)
📌 Why your brain is secretly scanning for evidence that your new habit won't work, and exactly how to interrupt that pattern
📌 Why buying the new yoga pants, downloading another meal plan, or joining a new gym isn't the answer (and what actually is)
📌 The three concrete solutions you can start using this week to finally build healthy habits that last

You're capable of building new habits that stick, but you need a new strategy for doing that. Listen to this episode to get the full strategy, and to start building healthy habits today!

More Support For You:

🙋‍♀️ Work with Me
⭐️ Connect on Social
🥑 How I Cook Just 3 Nights/Week
🧠 Change your mindset and thrive in perimenopause with this unique approach

You worked hard to feel good before your trip. Don't let vacation undo all of your progress!

It's time to look at why restricting before vacation sends you into overindulgence mode once you get to your destination. It's a cycle that repeats itself...but once you recognize it you can learn what to do so that you can come home from vacation feeling better than when you left. (Coming home feeling relaxed?! It's possible!)

In this episode:

📌 Why "vacation is the goal" mindset primes you for the crash-and-overindulge cycle
📌 How perimenopause makes your body more reactive to food choices on vacation
📌 How to set a simple pre-vacation intention that supports your progress
📌 A meal-by-meal framework for navigating all the vacation food without feeling deprived
📌 How to be intentional (not restrictive) about alcohol on vacation

Vacation should be a rest and reset for your body, not a source of guilt and shame. This episode gives you a realistic, practical framework designed for moms in midlife, so that you can return from vacation with a true pep in your step!

Links & More Support For You

✈️ Eating Anti-Inflammatory On-The-Go Guide
📆 21-Day Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan
🙋‍♀️ Work with Me
⭐️ Connect on Social
🥑 How I Cook Just 3 Nights/Week
🧠 Change your mindset and thrive in perimenopause with this unique approach

If you've ever felt like you were holding it all together on the outside while quietly falling apart on the inside as you navigate midlife, this episode is for you.

This week, I sit down with trauma and grief specialist Jill McMahon, who has spent over 25 years working with individuals through some of life's most devastating experiences.

Together we unpack something that you may have never considered — that the chronic stress of everyday midlife life may actually be living in your body as trauma.

This enlightening and informative conversation will validate what you have been feeling and give you real, practical tools to start healing. Even if you don't think you have trauma in your past, I promise this is an episode you can't miss.

In This Episode:

📌 How your body responds to chronic stress the same way it responds to a catastrophic event
📌 The connection between unresolved trauma and amplified menopause symptoms
📌 Why high-achieving women are especially vulnerable to carrying an invisible load that quietly damages their health
📌 What the research says about trauma and cognitive decline in menopausal women

More Support For You

🙋‍♀️ Work with Me
⭐️ Connect on Social
🥑 How I Cook Just 3 Nights/Week
🧠 Change your mindset and thrive in perimenopause with this unique approach

How in the world do you stay consistent and "motivated" long enough to lose 65 lbs?

As I reflect on my 50th year (which I hoped would be my healthiest year ever), I recognized that the health lessons I really needed, I learned when I lost 65 lbs in my late 40s.

When people ask me how I stayed consistent, it all came down to three big lessons, which I unpack here.

In this episode:

📌 Learning how to work with your brain instead of fighting against it's natural wiring, allows you to stay consistent whether you have motivation or not.

📌 Find small wins, because motivation and discipline don't show up everyday. Finding excitement in the small wins can help you keep moving toward your bigger goal.

📌 The truth is that sustained weight loss is long and boring...but you can train you brain to celebrate all the victories along the way!

If you're struggling with your weight loss journey, or you want to be more resilient in midlife and beyond, this is the episode for you!

More Support For You

🙋‍♀️ Work with Me
⭐️ Connect on Social
🥑 How I Cook Just 3 Nights/Week
🧠 Perimenopause Weight Loss Method