Your hormones don’t just shape your cycle—they shape your mind. In this episode, we’re digging into how estrogen and progesterone impact mood, memory, motivation, and mental health, and what you can do about it.

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1. How Estrogen & Progesterone Affect the Brain

• Estrogen boosts serotonin and dopamine, supporting mood, memory, and cognition. Low levels? Think irritability, brain fog, mood swings, and focus struggles.

• Progesterone has calming, GABA-like effects that regulate anxiety and sleep. When levels dip, anxiety and insomnia often spike.

• Fluctuations (like PMS or perimenopause) create emotional reactivity—and some women are more sensitive than others.

2. Why This Feels So Hard

• Cyclical mood swings, irritability, and brain fog

• PMS and PMDD challenges

• Perimenopause mood dysregulation and midlife depression risk

• Sleep disruptions that worsen mood and focus

3. The “ALIFE” Framework (Episode 1 Refresher)

• A – Adapt Stress: Cortisol throws hormones off rhythm.

• L – Love Your Liver: Cruciferous veggies + hydration help clear excess hormones.

• I – Increase Awareness: Track your cycle and mood, sleep, energy.

• F – Fuel for Balance: Protein, fiber, and healthy fats stabilize blood sugar.

• E – Embrace Sleep: Non-negotiable for hormone harmony.

4. Actionable Strategies from a Clinical Perspective

• Track & Monitor with Intention: Chart mood, cravings, sleep, and energy with your cycle to spot patterns.

• Micronutrients that Matter:

  • Omega-3s (EPA/DHA) → serotonin support

  • B vitamins (especially B6) → neurotransmitter synthesis

  • Magnesium → calms the nervous system & eases PMS irritability

  • Tryptophan → serotonin precursor (turkey, eggs, nuts)

  • Iron & Zinc → energy, brain clarity, progesterone support

• Balancing Estrogen:

  • Boost when low: phytoestrogens (flax, soy), adequate calories, micronutrients

  • Bind excess when high: cruciferous veggies, fiber, probiotics for gut health

• Lifestyle Levers:

  • Balance blood sugar → stable mood

  • Manage stress → keep cortisol from hijacking sex hormones

  • Move daily → serotonin boost & hormone metabolism

  • Prioritize sleep → keeps the whole hormone orchestra in sync

5. When to Ask for Help If mood swings, anxiety, or depression become debilitating or interfere with daily life, it’s time to bring in professional mental health support alongside nutrition and lifestyle strategies.

You don’t have to be at the mercy of your hormones. With the right nutrition, awareness, and lifestyle tools, you can work with your cycle instead of fighting against it. This is Empowered Eating in action: where science, biofeedback, and your values intersect so you can feel like yourself again.

🎧 Tune in to learn how to nourish both your body and your mind—because your hormones may fluctuate, but you don’t have to feel out of control.

Balanced hormones don’t just happen by chance — they’re built on science, strategy, and a little self-awareness. In this first episode of our hormone health series, we’re laying out your playbook: the big picture of how your cycle works, what changes across the decades, what throws hormones off track, and the steps you can take today to support balance for years to come.

✨ Cycle Overview (the big picture)

• The four phases of your menstrual cycle: menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal.

• Why estrogen, progesterone, and LH/FSH shifts matter for your energy, mood, and performance.

• How the HPO axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary connection) keeps everything in rhythm.

✨ Major Hormone Change Points

• From puberty to menopause, what’s happening with hormones in your teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, and beyond.

• What to expect in perimenopause vs. menopause — and why timing matters.

✨ What Exacerbates Imbalances

• The real-life culprits that throw hormones off balance: stress, poor sleep, nutrient gaps, gut issues, toxins, and more.

• Why blood sugar and insulin are key players in the hormone story.

✨ Future-Proofing Hormone Health

• How your 30s and 40s set the stage for smoother perimenopause and menopause.

• Insights from research on bone health, metabolism, and even brain resilience.

✨ Your ALIFE Framework for Balanced Hormones Because balanced hormones = a better life.

• A – Adapt Stress → Lower the cortisol burden.

• L – Love Your Liver → Support detox with food, hydration, and lifestyle.

• I – Increase Awareness → Track your cycle and learn your patterns.

• F – Fuel for Balance → Nourish with protein, fats, and fiber-rich carbs.

• E – Embrace Sleep → Protect your circadian rhythm and hormone orchestra.

Balanced hormones don’t happen by accident — they happen by ALIFE. Adapt stress, Love your liver, Increase awareness, Fuel your body, and Embrace sleep. That’s how we create a life that flows.

👉 If you want to learn more about Empowered Eating, Start HERE with our “Where Do I Even Start?” quiz — because let’s be real, we all need a starting line. (See what I did there? 😉)

Think you can spot the nutrition lies? In this episode, we’re playing a game of Two Truths and a Lie—nutrition-science style. From carbs and muscle fuel to metabolism myths, I’ll unpack what the research actually says (and what it doesn’t).

👉 Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Why carbs are more than just “energy” (and the surprising truth about muscle breakdown).

• Nutrition myths that sound convincing but just don’t hold up in the science.

• How to spot sneaky misinformation so you can make confident choices about food.

This episode is all about cutting through the noise and giving you the evidence you actually need to fuel your body—without the fluff. Whether you’re an athlete, a busy professional, or just someone trying to sort fact from fiction, this one’s for you.

✨ Want to bring Jess to your team or event? Find out details HERE.

✨ Not sure where to start with your own nutrition? Take our brand-new quiz—“Where Do I Even Start?”—to kick off your Empowered Eating journey today.