In this honest and eye-opening episode, we unpack the myths surrounding menopause and the confusion so many women face when trying to care for their health during this stage of life. Ash and Sarah Armstrong are joined by Julie and Keli (who went through the Transform program and are now Transform coaches) who share their personal experiences navigating menopause, unlearning misinformation, and rebuilding trust in their bodies.

Together, they talk about the impact of chronic dieting, food rules, and societal pressure on women’s health. And how shifting toward intentional eating, strength training, and supportive habits changed everything.

Julie and Keli open up about what they once believed, what actually didn’t work, and the mindset shifts that helped them regain energy, confidence, and control. This conversation highlights the power of education, community, and informed choices, while offering practical insight into why fueling well and building strength matter at any age. If you’ve ever felt confused, frustrated, or stuck in menopause, this episode will leave you feeling seen, empowered, and hopeful.

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A Transform review from ANDREA who is in menopause at age 59 =

"I'm 59 and post menopausal, and it seems that weight loss is so much harder than it was when I was young. Before this program, nothing I had done before menopause worked to get rid of the 40 pounds I gained during menopause....

I'm now a year into Transform (2 cuts) and I am down 15 pounds and I am stronger than I have ever been (at age 59!) I had not been able to lose at all in the years before I started this program...

What I love about this program is that in between my fat loss phases (once my calories go up) I can live my life. I also like that I can eat carbs and realize how much better I feel when I do...

We're making real, lasting changes to our bodies. A true transformation!"

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Time Stamps

00:00:38 - Introduction

00:02:32 - What We All Had for Breakfast

00:06:24 - Introductions and Transformations

00:15:31 - Age and Menopause Experiences

00:25:21 - Debunking Menopause Myths

00:37:01 - Important Lifestyle Habits

00:43:48 - Empowerment Through Knowledge

00:50:12 - Intentional Eating Matters

00:59:58 - What You Would Say to Yourself 10 Years Ago

01:02:45 - Strength Training for All Ages

01:07:43 - Concluding Thoughts to Wrap it Up

01:15:30 - Community Support is Key

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⭐️ The Transform Fat Loss and Metabolic Restoration Program Join 150+ people who’ve lost fat and kept it off, without giving up their favorite foods. This science-backed, metabolism-first program helps you rebuild your foundation, restore energy, and finally achieve fat loss results that last.⭐️ Next group starts Dec 29th, learn more and join the Early Access List here:

https://www.armstrongsisters.com/transform

Are you "boring" or are you just in a low energy state? Constantly tired, irritable, and obsessed with food on your diet? It might not be a lack of willpower, it might be physiological starvation. In this episode, we again dive deep into the Minnesota Starvation Experiment (MSE) to uncover the shocking psychological effects of prolonged calorie deficits that mirror modern restrictive diets.We break down chapters 38 & 39 of the MSE, revealing how under-eating leads to:• Crashing sex drive & strained relationships• Loss of humor, motivation, and social initiative• Intense food obsession and bizarre eating habits• The harsh reality that recovery isn't overnight, and can take several monthsThis isn't just about weight loss; it's about why constant dieting can make you hate your life and how to escape the weight-loss and weight-regain cycle with a smarter, more sustainable approach.______________________________________________________________________⭐️ The Transform Fat Loss and Metabolic Restoration Program ⭐️Join 150+ people who’ve lost fat and kept it off, without giving up their favorite foods. This science-backed, metabolism-first program helps you rebuild your foundation, restore energy, and finally achieve fat loss results that last.Next group starts Dec 29th, learn more and join the Early Access List here:https://www.armstrongsisters.com/transform-59ff2a5d-46bd-4c0f-b6ac-01512292ccda

Join us for a dynamic roundtable as we debunk common fat loss myths and dive into the real complexities of shedding body fat. We break down the fundamentals of calories in versus calories out, the importance of tracking food intake, and how adherence plays a bigger role than many realize.

We explore the unique challenges women face during menopause, the pros and cons of rapid fat loss versus prolonged calorie deficits, and the critical roles of muscle mass, micronutrients, and hormonal health in sustainable fat loss.

Drawing on insights from the Transform Fat Loss program, which has helped over 150+ people achieve fat loss success, we also discuss the power of community support, redefining health and fitness goals, and why patience and consistency are essential for long-term results.

Whether you’re just starting your fat loss journey or looking to refine your approach, this conversation offers practical strategies, actionable advice, and expert insights to help you achieve lasting results.

______________________________________________________________________

Time Stamps:

01:03 Introduction to Fat Loss Myths

03:00 Understanding Calories In vs. Calories Out

08:49 The Importance of Tracking Calories

12:04 Rapid Fat Loss vs. Prolonged Deficit (longer fat loss phases)

23:31 The Role of Muscle and Micronutrients in Fat Loss

34:49 Impact of Energy Availability on Hormones

36:43 Testosterone Levels in Men and Women

38:25 The Debate on Caloric Deficits

40:19 Diet Adherence and Motivation

42:31 The Role of NEAT in Fat Loss

43:23 Lessons from Transform Program

44:46 The Reality of Extreme Dieting

48:45 Dispelling Myths on Muscle Preservation

49:42 Hormonal Changes During Weight Loss

55:29 The Behavioral Side of Dieting

58:24 Understanding Metabolic Adaptation

01:04:02 Building Muscle for Metabolic Health

01:07:02 Menopause and Body Composition Changes

01:09:39 The Importance of Muscle in Physique Improvements

01:12:55 Transforming Through Metabolic Restoration

01:18:03 Community Support in Health Journeys

01:19:39 The Shift from One-on-One to Group Coaching

01:24:33 Redefining Success in Health and Fitness

01:31:18 Empowerment Through Knowledge and Agency

______________________________________________________________________

Keep Up With Us!

🖥️ Website: https://www.armstrongsisters.com/

🗞️ Newsletter: https://www.armstrongsisters.com/newsletter-signup

👩🏼‍🌾 Our Farm CoOp, Nourish: https://nourishcooperative.com/

{The highest quality food you can find, delivered directly to your door. Low PUFA chicken and pork, 100% grass-fed beef and lamb, traditional sourdough, raw dog food, & more}

🥚Our Low PUFA Eggs: https://nourishfoodclub.com/collections/egg

{Low PUFA, corn & soy free, pasture-raised eggs, delivered directly to your door}

______________________________________________________________________

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______________________________________________________________________

Previous Roundtable Podcast Discussion

“Calories In Vs. Calories Out: Fact or Fiction?”

https://youtu.be/Tb3plPPlY1c

______________________________________________________________________

⭐The Transform Fat Loss and Metabolic Restoration Program ⭐

Join 150+ people who’ve lost fat and kept it off, without giving up their favorite foods. This science-backed, metabolism-first program helps you rebuild your foundation, restore energy, and finally achieve fat loss results that last.

https://www.armstrongsisters.com/transform-59ff2a5d-46bd-4c0f-b6ac-01512292ccda

Link to join the Free Live Q&A on Friday Nov 28 at 2 pm ET:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83840940726?pwd=ReypaHFAvib2gqLcYrrqeum9zZ8Mav.1

Struggling with constant food thoughts, fatigue, and irritability? The Minnesota Starvation Experiment reveals that our personality and psychology is impacted by our energetic state.

Always irritable and tired? You might be in a state of physiological starvation (Low Energy Availability - LEA), even with food abundance.We break down how chronic under-eating (often created from diet dogma and extreme diets) leads to:

• Obsessive food focus & "food noise"

• Loss of joy, increased anger & apathy

• A crashed metabolism & hormonal chaos

The shocking truth? Your diet may be the reason you feel broken, because metabolism impacts everything.

But there's a way out. Learn how to escape the low-energy trap and reclaim your energy, mood, metabolism, and yes, even your personality!

______________________________________________________________________

Subscribe To The Rooted In Resilience Podcast:

⭐YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCSpofOL75STGMvUUlD5em7g

⭐Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3NTIxm2iqgIdnqI2j2FICr?si=477cfb0440fe40ce

⭐Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rooted-in-resilience/id1663060063

______________________________________________________________________

Keep Up With Us!

🖥️Website: https://www.armstrongsisters.com/

🗞️Newsletter: https://www.armstrongsisters.com/newsletter-signup

👩🏼‍🌾Our Farm CoOp, Nourish Food CLub, which delivers to our Food Club members in all 50 states =

https://nourishfoodclub.com

{Corn- and soy-free eggs, chicken and pork. 100% grass-fed beef and lamb. Raw A2 Cheese. Traditional Sourdough. Heritage and Ancient Grains. & more!}

______________________________________________________________________

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______________________________________________________________________

The Transform Fat Loss Program

{Join 150+ people who’ve lost fat and kept it off, without giving up their favorite foods. This science-backed, metabolism-first program helps you rebuild your foundation, restore energy, and finally achieve fat loss results that last}.

https://www.armstrongsisters.com/transform-59ff2a5d-46bd-4c0f-b6ac-01512292ccda

In today’s world, normal habits aren’t serving our health. From processed food to blue light overload, staying healthy means going against the grain—and that can be isolating. In this honest and relatable episode, we talk about what it means to embrace being different, set boundaries, navigate social situations with grace, and support loved ones without judgment. Whether you're dealing with chronic health issues or simply prioritizing wellness, this one’s for you.

______________________________________________________________________

Subscribe To The Rooted In Resilience Podcast:

⭐ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCSpofOL75STGMvUUlD5em7g

⭐ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3NTIxm2iqgIdnqI2j2FICr?si=477cfb0440fe40ce

⭐ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rooted-in-resilience/id1663060063

______________________________________________________________________

Keep Up With Us!

🖥️ Website: https://www.armstrongsisters.com/

🗞️ Newsletter: https://www.armstrongsisters.com/newsletter-signup

👩🏼‍🌾 Our Farm CoOp, Nourish: https://nourishcooperative.com/

{The highest quality food you can find, delivered directly to your door. Low PUFA chicken and pork, 100% grass-fed beef and lamb, traditional sourdough, raw dog food, & more}

🥚Waitlist for our eggs: https://angel-acresfarm.com/pages/waitlist-for-eggs

{Low PUFA, corn & soy free, pasture-raised eggs, delivered directly to your door}

______________________________________________________________________

Follow Us On Social Media

➡️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strong.sistas/

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➡️ THREADS: https://www.threads.net/@strong.sistas?invite=2

____________________________________________________

0:00 – Coming Up

0:46 – Health Habits, Relationships & Modern Life Tensions

1:34 – The Daily Threats: Plastics, Blue Light & Circadian Disruption

2:06 – Seeing the World Through a Different (Healthier) Lens

3:18 – Is It Orthorexia or Just Caring About Real Food?

4:46 – Chronic Illness, Boundaries & Non-Negotiables

5:50 – The Social Stigma of Being Health-Conscious: Embrace Being the Weird One

7:45 – Navigating Social Life with Different Health Priorities

9:22 – Chronic Symptoms as the New Normal

11:29 – Why Healthy Living Requires Effort: Meal Prep, Planning & Avoiding Energy Crashes

12:29 – Setting Boundaries & Owning Your Time

13:24 – Eating Patterns, Stress, and Consistency

15:55 – Planning for Your Health Like You Plan for Livestock

16:30 – Canning, Preserving & Ancestor-Inspired Living

18:08 – Healthy Snacking On-the-Go: Jerky & Fruit Tips

19:13 – Being the Only Healthy Person in the Room

20:26 – The Basics: Nutrition, Movement, Grounding & Sunlight

21:37 – What Influences People to Change?

22:58 – Health Trends vs. Long-Term Consistency

23:27 – The Power of “Boring” Daily Habits

24:15 – You Can’t Force Change, But You Can Model It

24:56 – Start With One Thing (and Invite People In)

25:26 – Navigating Relationships with Different Lifestyles

27:20 – Real Life vs. Wellness Instagram Aesthetic

28:13 – Feeling Isolated in a World That Normalizes Dis-ease

29:08 – Bridging the Health Gap Without Judging

30:09 – Help with Compassion, Not Pressure: Change Still Requires Personal Effort

31:00 – Don’t Burn Out Trying to Save Everyone: Focus on One Thing They’re Ready to Shift

32:03 – Feeling Alone in Your Health Values

33:03 – Protect Your Energy While Staying Open

34:02 – Spend Time with People Who Want Change

34:22 – Speak Their Language: Share Content They’ll Relate To

36:10 – Final Thoughts: Modeling Resilience & Grace

Feeling lost in the maze of hot-flashes, “low-estrogen” headlines and carb confusion after 40? Functional health coach Kate Deering (author of How to Heal Your Metabolism) joins this episode to bust menopause myths—and explain why carbs, not chronic keto, may be the missing lever for hormone balance, thyroid health and lean body-composition.

Whether you’re perimenopausal, post-menopausal, this deep dive gives you actionable tools to regulate blood sugar, restore progesterone, improve sleep and feel strong—without fearing fruit or sourdough.

______________________________________________________________________

Subscribe To The Rooted In Resilience Podcast:

⭐ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCSpofOL75STGMvUUlD5em7g

⭐ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3NTIxm2iqgIdnqI2j2FICr?si=477cfb0440fe40ce

⭐ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rooted-in-resilience/id1663060063

______________________________________________________________________

Keep Up With Us!

🖥️ Website: https://www.armstrongsisters.com/

🗞️ Newsletter: https://www.armstrongsisters.com/newsletter-signup

👩🏼‍🌾 Our Farm CoOp, Nourish: https://nourishcooperative.com/

{The highest quality food you can find, delivered directly to your door. Low PUFA chicken and pork, 100% grass-fed beef and lamb, traditional sourdough, raw dog food, & more}

🥚Waitlist for our eggs: https://angel-acresfarm.com/pages/waitlist-for-eggs

{Low PUFA, corn & soy free, pasture-raised eggs, delivered directly to your door}

______________________________________________________________________

Follow Us On Social Media

➡️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strong.sistas/

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____________________________________________________

0:00 – Coming Up

1:35 – HRT vs MHT: new medical language explained

2:35 – Observational studies, selection bias & the $25 B market

6:00 – Peripheral Estrogen, Prolactin & Why Tests Mislead

8:17 – Stress, Aromatase & Making Estrogen in Fat Tissue

13:40 – Estrogen “Dampens the Alarm” But Doesn’t Fix the Fire

16:45 - Hot-Flashes = Mini Stress Alarms & Estrogen’s “Mute Button”

21:36 – Dr Dalton’s 3-hour Starch Diet & Progesterone Synergy

29:29 – Hot-Flash Relief, “Low-Estrogen” Lore & Hidden Estrogen Overload

36:13 - Practical Ways to Lower Tissue Estrogen, Stress & Hot-Flash Triggers

43:35 - Digital Detox: Cutting Back on Phones & Social Media

47:25 – Smart, Stress-Friendly Exercise: Strength Work + Daily Movement

50:25 - Can a Bioenergetics Approach Delay the Onset of Menopause by Decreasing Hormonal Stress?

56:50 – Do Certain Types of Carbohydrates Worsen or Improve Typical Menopausal Symptoms Such as Hot Flashes?

1:02:01 - Can You Reverse Insulin Resistance With Carbs?

1:10:55 - Best Workouts for Women 40-Plus

1:14:30 – Simple, Boring, Consistent: The Real Healing Timeline

1:16:29 – Kate’s Go-to Breakfast (sourdough, eggs & marmalade!)

1:17:58 – New Book Teaser & Where to Find Kate

1:20:34 – Parting Advice: Ketones Aren’t Compulsory, Carbs Aren’t Killers

In this deep-dive episode, Ashley and Sarah sits down with Mike Fave — fertility and metabolic health coach — to unpack the overlooked foundations of male fertility and testosterone.

Mike shares how he and his wife are preparing to start a family, the key labs they ran before trying to conceive, and what really drags testosterone down today — plus how to fix it naturally.

They discuss why excess body fat disrupts hormone balance, how gut health secretly affects sperm quality, and why modern dairy isn’t always your friend. They also cover the crucial connection between stress, thyroid health, and male hormones, the hidden dangers of PUFAs and micronutrient gaps, and Mike’s practical approach to losing fat, improving labs, and dialing in nutrition that actually works.

If you or your partner want to raise testosterone naturally, plan for a healthy pregnancy, or just get smarter about men’s health, you’ll love this one.

______________________________________________________________________

Subscribe To The Rooted In Resilience Podcast:

⭐ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCSpofOL75STGMvUUlD5em7g

⭐ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3NTIxm2iqgIdnqI2j2FICr?si=477cfb0440fe40ce

⭐ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rooted-in-resilience/id1663060063

______________________________________________________________________

Keep Up With Us!

🖥️ Website: https://www.armstrongsisters.com/

🗞️ Newsletter: https://www.armstrongsisters.com/newsletter-signup

👩🏼‍🌾 Our Farm CoOp, Nourish: https://nourishcooperative.com/

{The highest quality food you can find, delivered directly to your door. Low PUFA chicken and pork, 100% grass-fed beef and lamb, traditional sourdough, raw dog food, & more}

🥚Waitlist for our eggs: https://angel-acresfarm.com/pages/waitlist-for-eggs

{Low PUFA, corn & soy free, pasture-raised eggs, delivered directly to your door}

______________________________________________________________________

Follow Us On Social Media

➡️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strong.sistas/

➡️ X: https://twitter.com/strong_sistas

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____________________________________________________

0:00 — Coming Up

0:51 — Welcome Mike Pavone: Male Fertility & Preparing for Pregnancy

2:30 — The Labs Mike & His Wife Ran Before Trying for a Baby

6:14 — Copper Deficiency: Mike’s Surprising Personal Fix

7:39 — High Prolactin: Hidden Roadblock for Female Fertility

10:00 — Early Testing: Why Waiting 6–12 Months Can Waste Time

11:55 — What to Look for in Male Hormone Labs

14:00 — How LH, FSH, and Testicular Function Work

15:30 — Estradiol & DHT: Finding the Hormone Balance Sweet Spot

16:50 — Fixing Low Testosterone: It’s Not Just About TRT

19:14 — Too Much Body Fat: The #1 Testosterone Killer

20:24 — Body Fat: It’s Active Tissue, Not Just Storage

25:10 — How Mike Coaches Clients to Lose Fat & Keep Hormones Healthy

30:30 — Why Body Recomposition Works Better Than Extreme Dieting

32:21 — Carbs, Fats & Protein: How They Impact Hormones

37:05 — Gut Health: Another Silent Testosterone Saboteur

39:20 — Common Foods That Secretly Wreck Your Gut

42:26 — Dairy & Casein: Surprising Hormone Impacts

47:58 — Why Modern Dairy Isn’t Like Ancestral Dairy

53:20 — Low Thyroid: Another Big Testosterone Killer

57:30 — High Cholesterol, Low Carbs & Hormone Confusion

1:03:30 — PUFAs & Bad Fats: Damage Testes & Reduce Sperm Quality

1:08:00 — Micronutrients: Small Deficiencies, Big Hormone Problems

1:10:45 — The Value of Food Tracking & Real Testing

1:16:05 — Why a Coach Can Save You Years of Trial & Error

1:17:30 — Micronutrients & Stress

1:21:50 — Final Takeaway

1:22:30 — Where to Find Mike & How to Work with Him