Women Mastering Midlife

I haven’t lifted a weight in almost a year. And I’m the person who tells women that strength training matters in midlife. In this solo episode, I sit honestly in that tension, because I think a lot of you are living in it too. You know you should be working out, you believe it, and right now, while moving through something hard, you cannot find the way in.

We talk about what is actually happening in your body when you ar...

This is a conversation that deserves more nuance than a seven-second social media clip. Victoria sits down with Linden Schaffer, psychedelic wellness educator, author, and founder of Reveal, for an honest, evidence-informed discussion on what psychedelics actually are, what the current research says, and how midlife women can think critically about whether any of this belongs in their own wellness journey.

Linden is not a hype machi...

The word "peptides" is everywhere right now, from your Instagram feed to your doctor's waiting room. But for most women, the information circulating online ranges from genuinely promising science to marketing that moves well ahead of the evidence. In this episode, Victoria sits down with Dr. Jill White, PharmD, a pharmacist with deep expertise in peptide therapy, to have the kind of grounded, evidence-based conversation the topic a...

What if the problem isn’t you?

In this powerful conversation, Victoria sits down with clinical psychologist and founder of Risewell Performance Consulting, Dr. Sachi Horback, to unpack why so many high-performing women in midlife feel exhausted, overwhelmed, disconnected from themselves, and unable to “push through” the way they once could.

Together, they explore the hidden systems failing women in midlife — f...

Menopause is finally getting the attention it deserves—but with increased visibility comes a new challenge: navigating a rapidly growing industry filled with conflicting advice, products, and voices competing for your trust.

In this episode of Women Mastering Midlife, Victoria Byrd, Pharmacist Consultant, Integrative Women’s Health Coach, and Certified Menopause Educator, takes a thoughtful and evidence-informed look at ...

What if the reason so many high-performing women are burning out, stepping back, or leaving their careers has nothing to do with ambition and everything to do with hormones?

In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, Victoria Byrd sits down with menopause-in-the-workplace advocate Karissa Pfeffer to unpack the real impact of perimenopause and menopause on women’s careers, leadership, and well-being.

Together, they explore...

If you have ever been told you are “too young” for perimenopause, dismissed with a quick prescription, or left feeling confused about hormone therapy, this conversation will help you understand why.

In this episode of Women Mastering Midlife, I sit down with women’s health nurse practitioner and menopause specialist Jackie Piasta to unpack what is really happening during perimenopause and menopause—and why so...

Episode 100 of Women Mastering Midlife is not a highlight reel it is an honest reflection of what it truly takes to keep showing up in midlife while everything around you is changing.

In this deeply personal milestone episode, Victoria Byrd shares what was happening behind the microphone during the first 100 episodes of the podcast—from navigating perimenopause and parenting teenagers to experiencing a major life transition th...

If you’ve been struggling with brain fog, weight gain, poor sleep, or feeling like your body has completely changed in midlife, this episode will help you understand why.

In this powerful conversation, I sit down with nurse practitioner and bestselling author Cynthia Thurlow to break down the critical connection between your gut microbiome and your hormones during perimenopause and menopause.

What most women (and even many clin...

If you’ve ever been told to “just use lubricant” or “this is normal in menopause,” this conversation will challenge everything you thought you knew about pelvic health.

In this episode of Women Mastering Midlife, I sit down with Tamar Hill, CEO of MedRoots, to explore an emerging and often misunderstood option in women’s health: CBD vaginal and rectal suppositories for pelvic pain, painful sex, an...

What happens when your definition of success changes in your 40s?

In this deeply personal episode of Women Mastering Midlife, Victoria sits down with business coach and speaker Krista Demcher for an honest conversation about perimenopause, parenting teenagers, mental health, identity shifts, and what it really means to reinvent yourself in midlife.

Together, they explore the emotional and hormonal layers of this season from anxiety a...

Midlife is not an ending. It is a beginning.

In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, Victoria sits down with writer, coach, and educator Colleen Kohanek to talk about what she calls “the third act” — the phase of life where women finally get to define their next chapter on their own terms.

Colleen shares the story of her 50s, which she describes as “the blender years.” After being laid off from ...

In this powerful and wide-ranging conversation, Victoria Byrd sits down with OB-GYN and menopause advocate Dr. Sarah Berg to talk honestly about what is really happening to women in midlife — and why our healthcare system, workplaces, and culture are still falling short.

From the “slope shoulder moment” Dr. Berg noticed in her patients to the systemic gaps in menopause education, this episode explores how women are...

In this episode of Women Mastering Midlife, Victoria Byrd sits down with menopause educator, therapist, and author Lauren Tetenbaum to talk about a conversation many millennial women are not prepared for: perimenopause in your 30s and early 40s.

Lauren, author of Millennial Menopause, shares why so many women are being dismissed, misdiagnosed, or told they are “too young” for hormonal symptoms, and why that narrative mus...

Divorce rates for adults over 50 have doubled since the 1990s, and many midlife women are finding themselves reevaluating their marriages during perimenopause and menopause. This cultural moment has sparked a new conversation often labeled “menodivorce,” but the reality is far more complex than fluctuating hormones alone.

In this episode of Women Mastering Midlife, Victoria Byrd is joined by award-winning family law atto...

Midlife is not a makeover. It is not a glow-up montage. And it is definitely not a neat before-and-after photo.

In this deeply honest and often funny conversation, Victoria Byrd sits down with Angela Burk, author of Real Girls Guide to Midlife, to talk about what really happens in the messy middle of life. The years where hormones shift quietly at first, rage shows up without warning, sleep disappears at 3 a.m., relationships change...

In this deeply personal solo episode, Victoria Byrd steps out from behind the interviewer role and shares her own voice, experience, and uncertainty during a profound season of midlife transition.

Recorded during a time of global uncertainty and personal upheaval, this episode explores what it truly looks like to navigate perimenopause, career identity, motherhood, divorce, and nervous system overload all at once. Rather than offeri...

Downsizing in midlife is rarely just about getting rid of stuff. It is about identity shifts, changing roles, emotional attachments, and preparing for what comes next.

In this episode of Women Mastering Midlife, Victoria Byrd sits down with Tracy Hoth, professional organizer, coach, and founder of Simply Squared Away, to explore how midlife women can declutter and downsize with intention rather than urgency or guilt.

Tracy shares why...

In this episode, Victoria sits down with Julie Ruelle, a registered dietitian with more than 20 years of experience in nutrition & metabolic health, to unpack one of the most confusing & misunderstood topics in midlife nutrition: ultra-processed foods.

Julie currently serves as a registered dietitian for GoCoco, a consumer education app designed to help people make informed food choices by identifying ultra-processed ingredi...