Dr. Mindy Pelz: Menopause is a Rite of Passage, Not a Disease — Fasting, Hormones & Reinventing Yourself After 50

In this powerful and paradigm-shifting conversation, Darin Olien sits down with Dr. Mindy Pelz to dismantle everything we've been told about menopause, hormones, aging, and women's power. This is not a conversation about "fixing" women — it's about understanding a profound neurological, biological, and evolutionary transition that has been misunderstood, pathologized, and silenced for decades.

Together, they explore why menopause is not the end of vitality, but the beginning of leadership, clarity, and sovereignty — and why reclaiming this transition could fundamentally reshape families, culture, and the future of women's health.

 

---

 

What You'll Learn (with Full Timecodes)

00:00:00 – Welcome to SuperLife: Why this episode matters for everyone, not just women
00:01:05 – The hidden cost of modern living: Plastics, endocrine disruption, and invisible hormonal stress
00:02:47 – Introducing Dr. Mindy Pelz: Why this conversation goes deeper than anything online
00:03:17 – Why women were excluded from medical research for decades
00:05:26 – The shocking pattern Dr. Pelz saw in women in their 40s: When life looks perfect but feels unbearable
00:06:41 – The suicide and divorce statistics no one talks about
00:07:27 – Why menopause exists at all: The evolutionary mystery
00:08:55 – The Grandmother Hypothesis: Why post-menopausal women kept humanity alive
00:10:08 – The brain shift that makes women stop people-pleasing
00:11:31 – Aging, fear, and the cultural erasure of women's wisdom
00:13:10 – The female brain before vs. after menopause
00:15:13 – Darin's reflection on his mother and invisible female labor
00:16:06 – Why community, safety, and oxytocin matter more than willpower
00:18:00 – Carol Gilligan's research: When girls stop knowing what they want
00:19:32 – Menopause as an awakening — not a breakdown
00:21:24 – Why men must be part of this conversation
00:22:26 – Leadership, aging, and reclaiming relevance
00:24:18 – Family dynamics when identity shifts
00:25:33 – The problem with outsourcing menopause to hormone therapy alone
00:27:00 – How to communicate needs without blame or collapse
00:30:07 – Metabolic health, insulin resistance, and early menopause
00:31:16 – The one blood marker every woman over 40 must track (HbA1c)
00:34:45 – The Hormonal Hierarchy explained: Cortisol, insulin, sex hormones, oxytocin
00:37:44 – Menopause as a cultural rite of passage we never created
00:39:31 – Dementia, Alzheimer's, and the glucose-starved brain
00:40:23 – Why fasting is neuroprotective for women
00:42:35 – How fasting helps menopausal belly weight
00:44:36 – Why shame keeps women disconnected from their power
00:45:34 – Why puberty and menopause are happening earlier
00:46:21 – Big Pharma, fear narratives, and the HRT conversation
00:48:35 – Empowerment vs. outsourcing health
00:50:11 – Why society fears powerful, post-menopausal women
00:52:11 – Dr. Pelz's personal breaking point and nervous system reset
00:55:33 – Redefining work, marriage, and self-permission
00:58:37 – Resentment as a diagnostic tool
01:01:15 – Neuroplasticity, obstacles, and the hero's journey
01:03:16 – Why going through discomfort rewires the brain
01:04:23 – Integration: Menopause as rebirth, leadership, and collective healing
01:12:25 – Closing reflections and final takeaways

 

---

 

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

• Therasage: Go to www.therasage.com and use code DARIN at checkout for 15% off

• Bite Toothpaste: Go to trybite.com/DARIN20 or use code DARIN20 for 20% off your first order

• Caldera Lab: Experience the clinic