Episode 200: The Pause - Why I’m Stepping Away (For Now)

This is Episode 200—and one of the most meaningful conversations I’ve ever had with you.

After four years, nearly 200 episodes, and a podcast that grew into the top 1.5% globally, I’m pressing pause on Asking for a Friend.

This wasn’t a quick or easy decision. This podcast has been more than a platform—it’s been part of my identity. It’s been a space where we’ve had honest conversations about midlife, health, hormones, relationships, and the things women often keep to themselves.

In this solo episode, I’m reflecting on what this journey has meant, what I’ve learned from you, and why I’m choosing to step into a new chapter.

We talk about:

•  Why midlife conversations matter more than ever—and how far we’ve come 
•  The power of speaking up about your health and advocating for yourself 
•  What I’ve learned after coaching and connecting with hundreds of women 
•  A major shift in my approach to nutrition, metabolism, and intermittent fasting 
•  Why strength—not skinny—is the goal as we age 
•  The reality of building something meaningful… and knowing when it’s time to pivot 

I also share what’s next for me, including a new venture with my husband in the nutrition space, and why I’m choosing to be more intentional with my time and energy moving forward.

This isn’t necessarily goodbye—but it is a pause.

If there’s one thing I hope you take from this episode, it’s this:
You don’t settle. Not with your health, not with your body, and not with your life.

We still have a few more shows to come, so stick around!

Thank you for being part of this journey. Truly.

_________________________________________
If you’re doing “all the right things” and still feel stuck, adding a layer of support may be an option. I’ve partnered with a trusted telehealth platform offering modern solutions for women in midlife—including micro-dosed GLP-1 and other peptide therapies.

https://elliemd.com/michelefolan - Create a free account to view all products.

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Transcripts are created with AI and may not be perfectly accurate.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional healthcare services. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.

Episode Transcript

Michele Folan (00:00):
The information shared on this podcast is for
educational purposes only andshould not be considered medical
advice.
Please consult a qualifiedhealthcare professional
regarding your individual healthneeds.
Let's talk about peptidesbecause they're not just GLP
ones.
Your body actually makespeptides naturally.
They're messengers that helpregulate things like fat

(00:22):
metabolism, muscle growth, skinhealth, recovery, and energy.

But here's the truth (00:27):
just like hormones, collagen, and muscle,
peptide production declines aswe age, especially
postmenopause.
So if you're feeling stuck,belly fat that won't budge,
slower recovery, low energy, orskin that just isn't bouncing
back like it used to, this mightbe a missing piece.
And no, this isn't aboutshortcuts.

(00:48):
Lifestyle still comes first.
Strength training, protein,sleep, stress management,
always.
But peptides can be a smartlayer on top of that foundation.
Not interested in a GLP1?
Totally fine.
There are other options thatsupport fat metabolism,
recovery, cognitive function,and healthy aging.

(01:09):
The key is quality and workingwith a trusted medical provider.
That's why I've partnered withLEMD to bring you clinically
guided, personalized peptideoptions that actually make sense
for midlife women.
And if you're curious, checkthe link in the show notes and
learn what might be right foryou.
Health, wellness, fitness, andeverything in between.

(01:36):
We're removing the taboo fromwhat really matters in midlife.
I'm your host, Michele Folan,and this is Asking for a Friend.
200 episodes.
And four years ago, I sat downto record my first episode and

(02:08):
remember saying, I'm probably alot like you.
And that was really the wholepoint of this podcast.
I wasn't trying to be theexpert in everything.
I wasn't trying to have all theanswers.
I just wanted to ask betterquestions.
And honestly, I wanted tocreate something that I wish

(02:30):
existed when I was going throughsome of my own transitions in
midlife.
So whether you've been heresince the beginning or you just
found the show recently, thankyou.
You've allowed me into yourwalks, your workouts, your
drives, and that's somethingI've never taken for granted.
When I started this podcast, Iwas coming out of a really

(02:56):
reflective time in my life.
COVID had slowed everythingdown, my career had shifted.
And for the first time in along time, I had space to really
think about what I wanted next.
And originally I thought I wasgonna write a book, but I

(03:16):
realized pretty quickly that Ididn't want to just tell my
story.
I wanted to hear other people'sstories because I had watched
so many women around me gothrough some really hard things.
And that would be healthchallenges, loss, career shifts,
divorce, big life pivots.

(03:40):
And all these women came out onthe other side stronger.
And I kept thinking, more womenneed to hear this.
And the other thing I noticed,we weren't really talking a lot
about what happens in midlife.
Not honestly.
We weren't talking abouthormones, identity shifts,

(04:00):
marriage changes, mental health,drinking habits, and sexual
health.
It was like we were allexperiencing it, but nobody
really was saying it out loud.
And I didn't want to be part ofthat silence.
Keep in mind that five or sixyears ago, when I was

(04:22):
formulating this platform, therewere very few voices in this
space.
Now there are many, and that'sa really good thing.
In that first episode, I shareda few guiding principles.
The first one was be authentic.
Second one was keep learning.

(04:43):
The third one was don't beafraid to put yourself first.
And the big one was it's nevertoo late.
But those weren't just ideasfor the podcast.
Those were things I needed tohear myself and remind myself of
daily.

(05:03):
And over time, this becamesomething really special.
We had conversations thatmattered.
We didn't shy away from hardtopics.
We brought in some incredibleexperts, and you showed up week
after week, and somewhere alongthe way, this podcast reached

(05:24):
the top 1.5% globally, whichstill blows my mind.
But more than that, it was themessages.
The this helped me, the Ifinally asked my doctor, the I
don't feel alone anymore.
That's what mattered.

(05:44):
And what surprised me the mostwas how many of you reached out.
I can't tell you how manymessages I received over the
last four years from women whosaid things like, I thought I
was the only one dealing withthis.
I didn't even know how to bringthis up to my doctor.
I finally feel like someone istalking about what I'm going

(06:06):
through.
And those messages, theymattered and they warmed my
heart because it reminded methat this wasn't just content.
This was about connection.
This was about community.
I have learned a lot over theselast four years.
It really is never too late.

(06:28):
You know, I started this in mylate 50s, and here we are.
Women need to speak up abouttheir health.
You know, we wait too long, weminimize things.
And, you know, we can't affordto do that.
I've seen this over and overagain.
Women sitting in a doctor'soffice knowing something isn't

(06:51):
right, but not saying it, notreally knowing how to verbalize
it, or waiting until the verylast second, hand on the door,
to ask the question that theyreally came in to ask.
Because I've done that too.
We all have.
And that has to change.
Strength matters more than wethink.

(07:15):
And I'm speaking of emotionalstrength and the strength of our
voices, not just physically.
And finally, you don't have tohave it all figured out.
I said that in the firstepisode.
Who says we have to have it allfigured out by the time we're
50?
You know, I can tell you, Istill don't.

(07:38):
There's one more thing that Iwant to leave you with,
especially for those of you whohave followed me for the health
and nutrition side of things.
After working with so manywomen in midlife, I can tell you
this.
Most women spend decades oftheir lives in some form of a

(08:01):
calorie deficit.
Eating less, yo-yo dieting,trying to shrink themselves.
And when they hit their 40s and50s and wonder why nothing is
working anymore, why the scalewon't move, why their body feels
different, why they'refrustrated.
And I've had women coming to mesaying, I'm barely eating and I

(08:24):
still can't lose weight.
And when we finally dig in,they've been under-eating for
years, skipping meals, avoidingcarbohydrate, constantly trying
to be good.
And their body has justadapted.
It's not broken, it's doingexactly what it was designed to

(08:46):
do.
Your body adapts, it adapts towhatever you consistently do.
And when your body feelsdeprived, it doesn't feel safe.
So it holds on, it stores, itprotects.
So the answer isn't always toeat less.
In many cases, it's to fuelbetter, to build muscle, to

(09:07):
support your metabolism, toactually give your body what it
needs.
And this is important.
My stance on intermittentfasting has done a complete 180.
And I know this is a stancethat Faster Way is very invested
in.
But at one point, I did thinkthat made a lot of sense.

(09:32):
But after working, again, withmidlife women and having a lot
of conversations with experts, Isee this very differently now.
Once we're in this stage oflife, our bodies are already
under more stress.
Layering fasting on top of thatfor many women just isn't

(09:59):
helpful.
So here's where I've landed.
Skip the fasting.
Eat a protein forward breakfastwithin one or two hours of
waking and get on with your day.
There.
I said it.
And you won't change my mind.
And that brings me to somethingyou hear me say all the time.

(10:22):
Lift heavy.
But I want you to think aboutit differently.
If you stop looking at yourworkouts as a way to lose
weight, to be skinny, and startlooking at them as a way to stay
out of the nursing home, to bestrong, to be capable, to carry

(10:46):
your life well into your 70s,80s, and beyond, everything
changes.
You approach it differently,you stick with it, you actually
may start to enjoy it.
Because now it has purpose.
Because at some point, we haveto stop chasing a smaller body
and start building a strongerone.

(11:07):
And those are two verydifferent mindsets.
Now, I want to be clear aboutsomething.
I am not taking on new clientsat this time, but I'm not
walking away from my coachingentirely.
I will continue to work with mycurrent VIP clients.

(11:28):
I am very invested in theirsuccess.
And if you're listening andthinking, I need help with this
right now, I do have women inthis space that I respect
greatly and I'm happy to connectyou because getting the right
guidance really does matter.
And I was thinking the otherday, I don't really have a long

(11:54):
list of hobbies.
I don't play mahjong, I don'tplay pickleball.
I only dabble in golf, but I doprioritize consistently my
health.
That's where I put my energy.
Not obsessively, but onpurpose.
Because when I take care of mybody, everything else works

(12:18):
better.
And you know, you've heard mesay it's never too late.
And it's never too late to stepinto your next chapter.
And now I get to live that outmyself.
I am stepping into a newventure with my husband Michael,

(12:39):
and it is in the nutritionspace.
This is something we arebuilding together, which is
exciting and a little stretchingin all the right ways, because
building something as a coupleis different.
It is going to require goodcommunication, alignment, some
patience.

(12:59):
And I'll be honest, thisdecision wasn't something I made
overnight.
I've been thinking about thisfor a while.
He approached me last yearabout coming to work with him,
and I kept saying no, no, no,no, no.
And then towards the end of theyear, I finally said, yes,
let's do this.
But trying to figure out how tobalance everything, at some

(13:23):
point I realized something wasgoing to have to give.
And I really want to do thiswell, not halfway, not squeezed
in between everything else.
I want to give it the attentionthat it really deserves.

(13:44):
And if I believe everythingthat I've said here, then I have
to live it.
So for now, I am pressing pauseon the podcast.
And I'll share one more honesttakeaway.
Social media is really hard.
What used to feel fun andcreative has turned into trying

(14:08):
to figure out an algorithm.
And I'm just being honest, I amnot a fan of that.
I'm not a fan of spending timetrying to game a platform.
And I've realized that my timecan be spent more wisely
elsewhere right now.
So we'll see what this nextchapter looks like in terms of
how I show up there.
But I do know this.

(14:29):
I want whatever I do to feelreal, not to be forced.
If there's one thing I hope youtake away from this podcast,
it's that you don't settle.
Not with your health, not withyour body, not with your life.
You don't have to fade intothis stage of life.

(14:52):
You don't have to acceptfeeling tired, weak, or stuck.
You can build, you can change,you can start something new.
Because I did.
This doesn't necessarily meanforever.
It may come back in a differentform, but for now I'm being
very selective about where mytime and energy go.

(15:14):
Oh, and don't go anywhere justyet.
We still have a few greatepisodes coming your way.
This podcast started as acreative pivot, and now I'm
stepping into another one.
And at the end of the day, I'mstill probably a lot like you.
Still learning, still growing,still figuring it out.

(15:39):
Thank you for being part ofthis with me.
Stay strong, stay curious, anddon't be afraid of your next
chapter.
Before you go, thank you forbeing here.
If you want to go a littledeeper, make sure you check out
the show notes for this episode.
That's where I link anything wementioned, resources, partners,

(16:03):
or tools I actually use andtrust.
And if you're not already onthe Asking for a Friend
community newsletter, that'swhere I share practical midlife
tips, favorite finds, recipes,and the things that don't always
make it onto the podcast orInstagram.
You'll find the link to join inthe show notes.
Take care, and I'll see younext week.