My So-Called Midlife with Reshma Saujani

With the Olympics reminding us what women’s bodies can do, we’re revisiting our conversation with Stacy Sims to talk about how everyday women, not just elite athletes, can train, fuel, and feel stronger in midlife by actually working with their hormones instead of against them.

That super-intense, sweat-inducing workout you think you need to be doing to see results? Yeah, that’s not the best way to exercise in your midlife, says exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist Stacy Sims. She and Reshma dive into tons of practical tips and tricks for getting and staying healthy in midlife, including how to increase your fiber and protein intake, improving your sleep, and the importance of listening to your body. Plus, why Stacy doesn’t recommend fasting for women.
Follow Stacy @drstacysims on Instagram.
You can follow our host Reshma Saujani on Instagram at @reshmasaujani and on Substack.
Stay up to date with Moms First (www.momsfirst.us) on Instagram at @momsfirstus and with Lemonada at @LemonadaMedia.
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Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors
To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ambition can sound like a dirty word for women. Too much of it and you’re aggressive. Not enough and you’re invisible. For so many of us, ambition has been shaped by proving, hustling, and chasing success in ways that don’t always feel aligned. In this episode, Reshma sits down with Rha Goddess to talk about what she calls intentional ambition — a way of pursuing your goals that is rooted in clarity, purpose, and self-trust instead of burnout and external validation.
In this conversation, they talk about the difference between chasing success and designing it, burnout, worthiness, and a thing called grace.
You can follow Rha Goddess on Instagram at @rhagoddess .
You can follow our host Reshma Saujani on Instagram at @reshmasaujani and on Substack.
Stay up to date with Moms First (www.momsfirst.us) on Instagram at @momsfirstus and with Lemonada at @LemonadaMedia.
Thanks so much for listening to My So-Called Midlife. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You’ll get ad-free episodes and bonus content like me and Emily Oster talking about her thoughts on how often you should have sex. Just hit the 'subscribe' button on Apple Podcasts, or, for all other podcast apps head to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe.
Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors
To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reshma sits down with Sara Reardon, a pelvic floor physical therapist and one of the leading voices in women’s pelvic health. Known to many as The Vagina Whisperer, Sara helps women understand their bodies without shame or fear.
Together, they unpack what the pelvic floor actually does, why so many women struggle in midlife, and how pain and discomfort are signals, not something we are meant to tolerate. Sara explains what is common versus what is normal, why women are often dismissed in medical settings, and how to advocate for yourself. You may also discover you have been peeing wrong your entire life.
You can follow Dr. Sara Reardoni on Instagram at @the.vagina.whisperer and on her website.
You can follow our host Reshma Saujani on Instagram at @reshmasaujani and on Substack.
Stay up to date with Moms First (www.momsfirst.us) on Instagram at @momsfirstus and with Lemonada at @LemonadaMedia.
Thanks so much for listening to My So-Called Midlife. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You’ll get ad-free episodes and bonus content like me and Emily Oster talking about her thoughts on how often you should have sex. Just hit the 'subscribe' button on Apple Podcasts, or, for all other podcast apps head to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe.
Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors
To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Journalist and cultural critic EJ Dickson joins Reshma for a candid conversation about motherhood, guilt, and the impossible standards women are expected to meet. Drawing from her new book One Bad Mother, EJ breaks down how the idea of the “good mother” is a surprisingly recent invention, why modern parenting runs on shame and self-policing, and who actually benefits from keeping women feeling like they are failing.
Follow EJ Dickson on Instagram at @ejdickson. Her book One Bad Mother is out February 10.
You can follow our host Reshma Saujani on Instagram at @reshmasaujani and on Substack.
Stay up to date with Moms First (www.momsfirst.us) on Instagram at @momsfirstus and with Lemonada at @LemonadaMedia.
Thanks so much for listening to My So-Called Midlife. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You’ll get ad-free episodes and bonus content like me and Emily Oster talking about her thoughts on how often you should have sex. Just hit the 'subscribe' button on Apple Podcasts, or, for all other podcast apps head to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe.
Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors
To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're revisiting Reshma’s conversation with astronaut Christina Koch to mark her historic Artemis II launch next week, a milestone moment for human spaceflight and a powerful reminder of what’s possible for women pushing boundaries at every stage of life.

Astronaut Christina Koch was about to go out on her first spacewalk, staring out into a “big gaping hole of blackness,” when her heart started racing. So she channeled that fear into focus – reminding herself of all the training she’s done to prepare her for this moment – and stepped out of the airlock. Christina tells Reshma all about the 328 days she spent in space (including the mundane chores astronauts have to do on board the International Space Station) and they discuss Christina’s next mission, Artemis II, which will venture around the moon in 2026. Plus, how NASA designed a training program for Christina that takes into account perimenopause.
Follow Christina @astro_christina on Instagram.
You can follow our host Reshma Saujani on Instagram at @reshmasaujani and on Substack.
Stay up to date with Moms First (www.momsfirst.us) on Instagram at @momsfirstus and with Lemonada at @LemonadaMedia.
Thanks so much for listening to My So-Called Midlife. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You’ll get ad-free episodes and bonus content like me and Emily Oster talking about her thoughts on how often you should have sex. Just hit the 'subscribe' button on Apple Podcasts, or, for all other podcast apps head to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe.
Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors
To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.