Live Like a Girl with Dr. Mindy Pelz

Chronic stress can influence your metabolism, sleep, appetite, blood sugar, and where your body tends to carry fat—which makes your nervous system an important part of the belly-fat conversation.
In this solo episode, I’m breaking down what happens to cortisol after you wake up and sharing the simple 10-minute morning routine I want you to try for the next 30 days.
We’ll talk about morning light, your phone, breathwork, movement, hydration, exercise, and how to identify the stressors that may be setting the tone for your entire day. I’ll also explain what I mean by becoming “cortisol flexible” and how you can start working with your stress response instead of constantly feeling controlled by it.
In this episode:
Cortisol, chronic stress, and belly fat
What happens to cortisol after waking
Why morning light matters
The problem with reaching for your phone immediately
A five-minute breathing practice
When to move and exercise
How to perform a morning stress audit
Becoming more "cortisol-flexible"
My 10-minute morning routine
A 30-day challenge you can start tomorrow
Plus: Take my free Nervous System Questionnaire below to discover your current nervous system state and the practices that may support you.

Resources Mentioned
Nervous System Questionnaire 
Reset Academy
Who Are You Becoming? Card Deck  
Sunlighten Sauna
For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep374 

Connect with Dr. Mindy:
Join Reset Academy
Watch the episodes on YouTube
Follow Dr. Mindy on Instagram
Subscribe to Dr. Mindy’s newsletter

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.

So many women believe they’ll finally feel better about themselves when they lose the weight, change their body, or reach the goal. But changing the outside doesn’t always change how we feel on the inside.

Psychologist and author Dr. Marisa G. Franco joins me to explore where our sense of self-worth actually comes from and how old experiences can continue shaping the way we see ourselves years later.

We talk about body image as we age, menopause, insecurity, nervous system patterns, reparenting, vulnerability, and why learning to acknowledge the parts of ourselves we’d rather push away may be an important part of building genuine self-worth.

In this episode:
Self-worth vs. confidence
Body image and menopause
How old memories shape the way we see ourselves
Why insecurity can feel protective
Reparenting and Internal Family Systems
Interrupting negative thought spirals
Vulnerability and deeper relationships
Learning to value who you are now
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RESOURCES MENTIONED
FREE Nervous System Questionnaire 
NEW! Book Worth
Best Selling Book Platonic
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MORE ON MARISA FRANCO
Instagram: @drmarisagfranco
Substack Newsletter: Attached by Dr. Marisa Franco
LinkedIn: Dr. Marisa G Franco
Website: https://drmarisagfranco.com/
NEW! Book Worth
Best Selling Book Platonic
For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep373

Connect with Dr. Mindy:
Join Reset Academy
Watch the episodes on YouTube
Follow Dr. Mindy on Instagram
Subscribe to Dr. Mindy’s newsletter

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.

Think creatine is only for bodybuilders or worried it's going to make you bulky or gain weight? Let's talk about what creatine actually does.
In this episode, I'm breaking down the research on creatine, including studies looking specifically at women, and showing you how I personally use it as part of my strength and muscle-building routine.
We'll talk about creatine monohydrate, dosage, consistency, water retention, resistance training, protein, loading phases, and why maintaining muscle becomes increasingly important as we age.
I'm also giving you a simple challenge you can start today: 30 days of consistent creatine paired with two strength-training sessions each week.
In this episode:
 What creatine actually does 
 Why creatine isn't just for men 
 Does creatine make you gain weight? 
 Creatine and water retention 
 Why training matters 
 The type of creatine I use 
 How much creatine to take 
 Why I take creatine every day 
 Whether you can put creatine in coffee 
 Creatine and protein 
 Simple resistance exercises you can do at home 
 My 30-day creatine challenge 

Resources Mentioned
Qualia Creatine+, use code MINDY at checkout for 15% off
FREE Nervous System Questionnaire
Reset Academy
Age Like a Girl
Resistance Bands
For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep372

Connect with Dr. Mindy:
Join Reset Academy
Watch the episodes on YouTube
Follow Dr. Mindy on Instagram
Subscribe to Dr. Mindy’s newsletter

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.

Are carbs actually bad for you, or have we been asking the wrong question? In this episode, I'm sitting down with metabolic scientist Dr. Ben Bikman to unpack one of the most confusing nutrition conversations happening right now.
We talk about how to know how many carbs your body can handle, why your muscle mass and activity level matter, how carbohydrate quality changes your metabolic response, and why the answer may be different depending on where a woman is in her hormonal life.
Ben also explains what happens to insulin sensitivity across the menstrual cycle and after menopause, why fiber matters, how he thinks about food pairing, what a CGM can tell you, and why his perspective on GLP-1 medications has evolved.
In this episode:
Are carbs actually bad for you?
How many carbohydrates should you eat?
Good carbs vs. highly refined carbs
Why fiber changes the conversation
Why muscle gives you more metabolic “wiggle room”
Carbohydrates, blood sugar, stress, and sleep
Can food naturally stimulate GLP-1?

More on Dr. Ben Bikman
Dr. Ben Bikman is a metabolic scientist and professor whose research focuses on insulin resistance, metabolic health, and the ways nutrition influences human metabolism. He is the author of Why We Get Sick and the upcoming book The Carb Crisis, which explores carbohydrates through the lens of metabolism and other factors that may influence how our bodies respond to the foods we eat.
The Carb Crisis Book: https://link.amazon/B096Jd0u4
Website: http://benbikman.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benbikmanphd
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BenjaminBikmanPhD
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@benbikman
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@benbikmanphd
X: https://x.com/BenBikmanPhD
For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep371

Connect with Dr. Mindy:
Join Reset Academy
Watch the episodes on YouTube
Follow Dr. Mindy on Instagram
Subscribe to Dr. Mindy’s newsletter

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.

Fasting gets a lot of attention for what happens while you’re not eating, but what happens when you start eating again deserves just as much attention.
In this solo episode, Dr. Mindy breaks down one of the most overlooked parts of fasting: the refeed.
She explains why longer isn’t always better when it comes to fasting, how the eating and fasting windows work together, and why protein, carbohydrates, fiber, fermented foods, and plant diversity can all have a place in your fasting rhythm.
She also takes on some of the biggest conversations happening around fasting right now, including thyroid health, muscle loss, the gut microbiome, fasting after 45, GLP-1, autophagy, meal timing, and whether women really need to eat protein first thing in the morning.
In This Episode
Why fasting longer isn’t necessarily fasting better
Why your first meal after a fast deserves more attention
What happens to thyroid hormones during extended fasting and refeeding
Why carbohydrates and protein matter after longer fasts
What fasting may change within your gut microbiome
Why plant diversity and fermented foods matter during your eating window
The debate around fasting for women over 45
Why Mindy cycles fasting rather than using the same fasting window every day
Whether you really need protein immediately after waking
How to experiment with an eating window that works for your body and lifestyle
The difference between your sugar-burning and fat-burning states
How nutrients can stimulate your body’s natural GLP-1 response

For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/370 

Connect with Dr. Mindy:
Join Reset Academy
Watch the episodes on YouTube
Follow Dr. Mindy on Instagram
Subscribe to Dr. Mindy’s newsletter

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.