What if perimenopause could actually become one of the strongest, healthiest seasons of your life? In this episode, Louise, one of the world's leading women's integrative health practitioners, performance scientists, and exercise physiologists, sits down with Jen to share a transformation story that challenges everything many women believe about aging, hormones, body recomposition, running, and performance!

Jen highlights how simple, consistent strategies like whole-food nutrition, strategic strength training, and fueling that works with our unique changing hormones and female physiology can lead to meaningful changes in body composition, energy, confidence, and biomarkers without relying heavily on medications or extreme protocols.

The conversation explores how small, sustainable, and highly strategic habits compound over time, why a community of strong women's support matters most during midlife, and mindset shifts that can help women move from feeling stuck to feeling empowered.

Listeners will walk away with reassurance that progress does not require perfection, endless supplements, diets, or expensive tools. Instead, it comes from learning how to work with our female body, not against it. Whether you are navigating hormonal changes, struggling with a fitness plateau, or want to feel your best in your body, this episode offers hope, clarity, and practical perspective.

RESOURCES + LINKS

Find the Injury Prevention for Women Runners 30+ and a Female Runners Guide to Support Optimal Ferritin courses mentioned here.

Grab our free monthly goal planning calendar & learn how to use it here.

Get $25 off Function Health labs here or use code LVALENTINE11

Find FullScript here and see curated supplement picks. Save 20% off the Red Yeast Rice & ALA mentioned in this episode. A small portion of the sale goes back to support BTW. Thank you!

Learn with my free nutrition guide and award-winning Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Save 20% off Kion’s science-backed clean products. Code "LOUISE" saves on all future orders: : https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Episode Highlights:
(2:55) Jen’s success and community impact
(5:39) Home workouts and building confidence
(8:02) Why many women feel stuck in fitness
(10:40) Staying consistent during vacation
(11:33) Nutrition timing and lifestyle flexibility
(14:55) Retreats and community support
(17:55) Motivation through shared goals
(20:30) Coaching structure and accountability
(24:57) Improving biomarkers without medication
(29:30) Science-based strategy and synergy approach
(34:48) Changing the narrative around perimenopause
(38:36) Balancing performance with long-term health
(40:33) Tracking cycles, nutrition, and progress
(45:24) Advice for women feeling stuck
(48:41) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Hormones, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for our simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Email 💬 support@breakingthroughwellness.com

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Perimenopause does not have to be the beginning of decline, but can instead be the start of your strongest chapter!

In this inspiring success story, Louise, a leading expert for perimenopausal active women and runners, sits down with Jen, an everyday runner and mom who transformed her health, hormones, and body composition after years of frustration. Jen shares how anxiety, overtraining, fasting, and misinformation left her injured and stuck, despite doing everything she thought was “right.” The turning point came when she learned to fuel her body to build beautiful hormones and mitigate symptoms, apply specific targeted strength training, adjust her running, and work with her hormones instead of against them.

Listeners will take away a powerful reminder that thriving in perimenopause does not require extreme diets or complicated protocols. Simple yet strategic consistent habits are often the most effective. This episode also highlights how community support, understanding your body’s signals, and using whole foods strategically can improve energy, reduce inflammation, and restore confidence.

If you feel discouraged by changing hormones, stubborn belly fat, being told there is nothing you can do about your genetic predispositions, or frustrating injuries that make you question your future as an active woman, Jen’s story shows what is possible with the right approach, support, and mindset.

RESOURCES

Learn with my free nutrition guide and award-winning Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Take Injury Prevention for Women Runners 30+ or my Female Runners Guide to Support Optimal Ferritin Masterclasses mentioned here.

Grab a free monthly goal planning calendar & learn how to use it here.

Get $25 off Function’s comprehensive labs here or use code LVALENTINE11

Check out FullScript here where you can see curated supplement picks & save 20% off. A small portion of the sale goes back to support BTW. Thank you!

Save 20% off Kion’s science-backed products. Code "LOUISE" saves on all future orders: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Highlights:

(0:00) Intro
(3:02) Retreat and power of supportive community
(6:03) Rethinking running intensity and long-term health
(13:05) Jen’s journey into running for anxiety
(17:37) Midlife wake-up call and quitting alcohol
(22:20) Weight gain, injuries, and fasting mistakes
(24:30) Severe injury and fear of never running again
(27:11) Strength training and SI joint breakthroughs
(35:31) Nutrition label awareness and inflammation insights
(38:07) Simple fueling framework and sustainable habits
(41:06) Bloodwork improvements using food
(45:25) Genes, hormones, and personalized health approach
(48:00) Biological age improvements and body transformation
(51:53) Preview of part two

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Hormones, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for our simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Email 💬 support@breakingthroughwellness.com

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Most symptoms we're dealing with as active women and runners aren’t random at all, but are instead clues our body is trying to give us.

In this episode, Louise, a multi-award-winning women's integrative health practitioner, shares three powerful lessons from her own health journey and client experiences that every woman should know, especially during perimenopause.

She explains how hormone shifts can impact everything from medical testing accuracy to inflammation, fat loss resistance, stress sensitivity, and even unexpected symptoms like canker sores. One key insight is the importance of timing medical screenings, such as breast MRIs, with your menstrual cycle to improve accuracy. Another is the complex relationship between estrogen, histamine, and hormone replacement therapy, and how individual genetics can influence reactions.

Louise also highlights how stress, calorie restriction, and hormonal fluctuations can trigger symptoms that seem unrelated, and offers practical strategies to manage acute issues while still addressing root causes like gut health and hormone balance.

This episode is a reminder that women’s health is highly individualized.

Understanding your unique physiology, tracking patterns, and using targeted strategies can help you feel more in control, improve performance, and support long-term health through every stage of life.

Explore my "All About Gut Health" and other masterclasses here: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/store

Link to my FullScript where you can see curated best supplement picks and save 20%: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/breakingthroughwellness/store-start

Learn and level up with my free nutrition guide and award-winning Badass Breakthrough Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products. Code "LOUISE" saves on all future orders: : https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(3:05) Three important women’s health lessons
(6:15) Missed eligibility for early breast screening
(9:46) Hormones affecting MRI and mammogram accuracy
(13:09) Best timing for breast imaging in cycle
(15:10) Hormone optimization and HRT considerations
(19:01) Estrogen patch reaction case study
(21:58) Estrogen, histamine, and mast cell connection
(27:14) Managing histamine overload and recovery
(35:24) Stress sensitivity during perimenopause explained
(40:00) Hormones, stress, and canker sore triggers
(42:49) Gut health and autoimmune connections
(46:39) L-lysine for acute outbreak management
(51:08) Symptom relief vs root cause approach
(52:19) Upcoming resources and listener updates
(54:15) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Hormones, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for our simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Email 💬 support@breakingthroughwellness.com

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness