Energized with Dr. Mariza

What if one of the biggest questions of perimenopause isn’t simply “How do I feel better right now?” but “Who do I want to be 20, 30, or 40 years from now?”

In this deeply personal conversation, Dr. Mariza sits down with women’s health expert Dr. Stephanie Estima to talk about the side of midlife that rarely makes it into conversations about hormones.

They explore what happens when the high-functioning woman who has always been able to handle everything begins to notice that her capacity has changed. Stephanie shares how she can no longer work the same 10- or 12-hour days she once could, why movement has become essential for her mental clarity, and how perimenopause has made her more discerning about where she puts her energy.

But this conversation goes much deeper than symptoms.

From female friendship and motherhood to living according to your values, Stephanie and Mariza ask what it actually means to build a life and body capable of carrying you through the second half of your life.

You’ll also hear Stephanie’s non-negotiables for longevity, including strength, mobility, joint health, pelvic floor health, and the small habits that compound over decades.

Listen now and start training for the woman you still want to become.

DR. STEPHANIE ESTIMA

Dr. Stephanie Estima is a women’s health expert, chiropractor, bestselling author of The Betty Body, and host of the Better with Dr. Stephanie podcast.

Her work focuses on helping women understand their bodies, optimize health and performance, and build strength and resilience throughout the different stages of life.

In this conversation, Stephanie gets especially personal about her own experience of midlife, motherhood, changing capacity, friendship, fitness, and becoming increasingly comfortable being fully herself.

IN THIS EPISODE

Why your mental and work capacity can feel different in perimenopause

The emotional reality of motherhood as your children grow up

Why female friendship and connection matter more in midlife

The powerful realization that your mid-40s may represent your halfway point

How to tell if your calendar actually reflects what you say you value

Why strength training is one of Stephanie’s longevity non-negotiables

The overlooked role of mobility and joint health as you age

Why pelvic floor health deserves your attention long before older age

QUOTES“I think I have, like, lactic acid of the soul.”

“I really do need people.”

“Are you living in alignment with the things that you say are important to you?”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Order my newest book: The Perimenopause Revolution

Stop surviving and start thriving, join Midlife on Fire Collective now

The Betty Body by Dr. Stephanie Estima

Better with Dr. Stephanie Podcast

Stephanie Estima Website

Stephanie Estima Facebook

Stephanie Estima Instagram

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773: What’s Really Driving How Fast You Age? The Science of Biological Aging with Nikolina Lauc

771: Beyond Hot Flashes: The 103 Symptoms of Perimenopause No One Talks About with Andrea Donsky

769: Is It Perimenopause or Something Else? How to Finally Connect the Dots with Dr. Mariza

750: The Underlying Cellular Cause of Midlife Fatigue, Brain Fog & Low Motivation with Andrew Salzman

What if perimenopause isn’t only changing your hormones, but also changing how your body is aging underneath the surface?

In this episode, Dr. Mariza sits down with Nikolina Lauc, CEO and co-founder of GlycanAge, to explore emerging research on immune aging, chronic low-grade inflammation, and the menopause transition.

Nikolina shares research showing just how dramatically markers of “inflammaging” can shift when estrogen declines. In one hormone-blocking study, women gained 9.1 years on GlycanAge markers within six months, while research following twins found the rate of immune aging accelerated during the transition from perimenopause to menopause.

They unpack why this inflammation may be happening even when your traditional labs look normal, what glycans can reveal about how your immune system is functioning, and why biological age is more complex than a single number.

They also explore the research around HRT, exercise, weight loss, fasting, GLP-1 medications, nutrition, and why the same intervention doesn’t work the same way for every woman.

Listen now to discover what may be happening beneath the surface in perimenopause and how better data could help you become more proactive about how you age.

NIKOLINA LAUC

Nikolina Lauc is the CEO and co-founder of GlycanAge, a longevity biotechnology company focused on glycans, immune aging, chronic inflammation, and biological age.

GlycanAge’s research focuses specifically on “inflammaging,” the chronic, low-grade systemic inflammation associated with aging. Its work examines glycan structures on antibodies to better understand whether the immune system is behaving in a more pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory way.

IN THIS EPISODE

What biological age actually means and why there isn’t one universal biological-age number

How chronic low-grade inflammation can develop without obvious symptoms

Why immune-aging markers may accelerate during the menopause transition

How declining estrogen influences inflammation and immune function

Why your hormone and traditional inflammatory labs can look normal while something is shifting

What glycans can reveal about your immune system and inflammaging

What the research suggests about HRT, exercise, weight loss, fasting, and GLP-1s

Why interventions for healthy aging need to be personalized

QUOTES

“There’s never going to be one biological age.”

“Not everybody experiences perimenopause in the same way.”

“There’s no universal diet.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Use Code ENERGIZED and Get 10% Off on your GlycanAge Single Order or Subscription

https://www.glycanage.com/dashboard/shop

GlycanAge Website

GlycanAge Instagram

GlycanAge LinkedIn

RELATED EPISODES

771: Beyond Hot Flashes: The 103 Symptoms of Perimenopause No One Talks About with Andrea Donsky

770: The Heart Disease Risk Factor Most Women Aren’t Watching: What Your Blood Sugar and Insulin Can Reveal with Dr. Philip Ovadia

769: Is It Perimenopause or Something Else? How to Finally Connect the Dots with Dr. Mariza

750: The Underlying Cellular Cause of Midlife Fatigue, Brain Fog & Low Motivation with Andrew Salzman

Have you ever looked at the same life you were managing a year ago and wondered, “Why does everything suddenly feel so hard?”

You’re still ambitious. You’re still capable. You’re still the woman everyone depends on. But the stress you once brushed off gets under your skin. Your brain doesn’t feel as sharp. Sleep is changing. Your patience is shorter. And keeping all those plates spinning suddenly requires far more energy.

In this solo episode, Dr. Mariza explores what happens when the profound hormonal and neurological changes of perimenopause collide with decades of over-functioning.

She introduces what she calls the midlife capacity gap: the disconnect between the enormous load many women are carrying and the biological capacity they currently have to sustain it.

You’ll learn why simply pushing harder may widen that gap, how Dr. Mariza is redefining resilience, and why supporting your hormones, brain, metabolism, muscle, and sleep is only part of the conversation.

Because the goal isn’t to make your life smaller. It’s to build a body capable of sustaining the life you actually want while becoming far more discerning about what deserves your energy.

Listen now to rethink what resilience looks like in midlife and start protecting your capacity for what truly matters.

IN THIS EPISODE

Why high-functioning women can feel blindsided by perimenopause

What happens when the woman who always handles everything suddenly has less capacity

How estrogen and progesterone shifts can affect your brain, sleep, mood, and stress response

What over-functioning looks like and why it often gets rewarded

The midlife capacity gap between the load you carry and your biological capacity

Why pushing harder and becoming more disciplined may not be the answer

How to redefine resilience around adapting, recovering, restoring, and thriving

The question Dr. Mariza wants you asking: “Is this actually mine to carry?”

QUOTES

“Perimenopause doesn’t arrive in a vacuum.”

“Endurance is not resilience.”

“Doing less isn’t the same as caring less.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Order my newest book: The Perimenopause Revolution

Stop surviving and start thriving, join Midlife on Fire Collective now

The High Functioning Woman on Substack

RELATED EPISODES

771: Beyond Hot Flashes: The 103 Symptoms of Perimenopause No One Talks About with Andrea Donsky

769: Is It Perimenopause or Something Else? How to Finally Connect the Dots with Dr. Mariza

764: Why Your Nervous System Feels Dysregulated (Even When You’re Doing Everything Right) with Roseann Capanna-Hodge

750: The Underlying Cellular Cause of Midlife Fatigue, Brain Fog & Low Motivation with Andrew Salzman

What if the symptoms disrupting your life are connected to perimenopause, even if you’ve never had a hot flash?

Andrea Donsky spent 14 years in perimenopause and 11 of them with no idea what was happening to her body. Now, as a seven-time published menopause researcher, nutritionist, and bestselling author of Nourishing Menopause, she’s helping women put language to experiences that have been overlooked for far too long.

In this episode, Andrea joins Dr. Mariza to unpack her research into 103+ reported symptoms of perimenopause and menopause and why hot flashes aren’t even among the most common. Fatigue ranks #1, while nine of the top 10 symptoms are cognitive or mental-health related.

They also discuss why women are still being dismissed by healthcare providers, the foundational role of nutrition, blood sugar, sleep, movement, and stress management, and why perimenopause deserves to be viewed as an opportunity to protect your long-term health.

Most importantly, you’ll learn why this transition rarely looks the same from one woman to the next and why having the right vocabulary can completely change how you advocate for yourself.

Listen now to better understand what your changing body may be trying to tell you and the tools that can help you feel like yourself again.

ANDREA DONSKY

Andrea Donsky is a nutritionist, menopause researcher, bestselling author, and co-founder of We Are Morphus. She has worked in health and wellness for 26 years and has spent nearly a decade focused specifically on perimenopause and menopause.

Her research explores women’s real-world experiences during the menopause transition, including more than 100 reported symptoms and women’s experiences seeking care. She is the author of Nourishing Menopause, a research-backed guide combining nutrition, lifestyle, holistic health, and conventional approaches to help women feel their best through this transition.

IN THIS EPISODE

Why Andrea spent 11 years in perimenopause without realizing it

The 103+ symptoms women have reported during perimenopause and menopause

Why fatigue is the #1 reported symptom, not hot flashes

The surprising dominance of brain, cognitive, and mental-health symptoms

Why 40% of women in Andrea’s research reported feeling dismissed by healthcare providers

How nutrition, blood sugar, sleep, movement, and stress support women through this transition

Why HRT can be one valuable tool alongside foundational lifestyle strategies

How perimenopause can become a window of opportunity for protecting long-term health

QUOTES

“I was in perimenopause for 14 years total, 11 of which I had no idea.”

“We know that there’s 103 different symptoms of perimenopause and menopause.”

“The number one symptom across the board is fatigue.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Use code DRMARIZA and get 10% off on your Womeness Order

Nourishing Menopause by Andrea Donsky

Sign up now to receive your bonus: "The Nourishing Menopause Bonuses"

Andrea Donsky Website

Andrea Donsky Instagram

Andrea Donsky Youtube

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770: The Heart Disease Risk Factor Most Women Aren’t Watching: What Your Blood Sugar and Insulin Can Reveal with Dr. Philip Ovadia

769: Is It Perimenopause or Something Else? How to Finally Connect the Dots with Dr. Mariza

768: Why Your Period Gets So Weird in Perimenopause + What Actually Helps with Kaya and Yasmin Purohit

750: The Underlying Cellular Cause of Midlife Fatigue, Brain Fog & Low Motivation with Andrew Salzman

What if the cholesterol numbers you’ve been watching aren’t telling you the whole story about your heart?

In this episode, Dr. Mariza sits down with cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Philip Ovadia to explore why he believes metabolic dysfunction and insulin resistance deserve far more attention when assessing cardiovascular risk, especially for women entering perimenopause and menopause.

Dr. Ovadia shares what he’s learned after 25 years in heart surgery, including why he’s now routinely operating on patients in their 40s and even 30s. They break down the metabolic warning signs that can appear decades before advanced heart disease, from rising blood pressure and waist circumference to fasting insulin, glucose, triglycerides, and HDL.

You’ll also hear their discussion about cholesterol and advanced lipid testing, how changing hormones can affect women’s cardiometabolic health, and why resistance training, real food, muscle, sleep, and blood sugar stability matter.

Plus, Dr. Ovadia explains how continuous glucose monitors can provide real-time insight into your metabolic health and the heart imaging he recommends women discuss with their healthcare providers.

Listen now to discover the metabolic clues your body may be giving you today and how to start protecting your heart for decades to come.

DR. PHILIP OVADIA

Dr. Philip Ovadia is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon, founder of Ovadia Heart Health Center, and author of Stay Off My Operating Table and Stay Off My Kitchen Table.

After performing thousands of heart surgeries, Dr. Ovadia shifted part of his work toward prevention, helping patients identify and address metabolic dysfunction before it progresses to advanced cardiovascular disease. His virtual practice focuses on improving metabolic health as a strategy for reducing heart disease risk.

IN THIS EPISODE

Why Dr. Ovadia believes insulin resistance deserves more attention in heart disease prevention

The five basic metabolic markers he wants women tracking

Why your personal blood pressure baseline matters in midlife

What fasting insulin can reveal before blood sugar becomes obviously abnormal

Why cholesterol alone may not give you the complete picture of cardiovascular risk

How muscle and resistance training support metabolic and heart health

What a continuous glucose monitor can teach you about food, energy, and blood sugar

When Dr. Ovadia recommends considering coronary artery calcium imaging

QUOTES

“It's never too early to start thinking about this, but it's also never too late.”

“Cholesterol is not the main thing driving heart disease.”

“Low-fat diets, they simply don't work.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Order my newest book: The Perimenopause Revolution

http://drmariza.com/book

Stop surviving and start thriving, join Midlife on Fire Collective now

https://drmariza.com/trial

Stay Off My Operating Table by Dr. Philip Ovadia

Dr. Ovadia Website

Dr. Ovadia Facebook

Dr. Ovadia Instagram

Dr. Ovadia Youtube

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769: Is It Perimenopause or Something Else? How to Finally Connect the Dots with Dr. Mariza

750: The Underlying Cellular Cause of Midlife Fatigue, Brain Fog & Low Motivation with Andrew Salzman

650: Unlock Your Health: The Ultimate Biomarker & Lab Blueprint to Thrive in Midlife and Beyond