Podcast: The Nervous System Eats First
Episode: Eating Feels Impossible? 3 Food-Environment Fixes for Perimenopausal Neurodivergent Women
Guest: Michael Lawrence — Master Chef (World Master Chef Society), Licensed Architect

Episode summary:
Have you noticed the same meal is comforting in one space but exhausting in another? Chef–Architect Michael Lawrence joins Dr. Stacey to reveal how light, sound, temperature, color, and texture shape your appetite, attention, and digestion before the first bite. You’ll learn three food-environment fixes and a 60-second sensory reset you can apply tonight—at home or out—so eating feels calmer and more nourishing, especially in perimenopause.

Key topics & timestamps:

• 00:00 — Why eating feels “impossible” (it’s not your fault)

• 01:24 — Who this is for: late-diagnosed, high-masking autistic women in midlife

• 02:28 — Michael’s dual lens: Master Chef + Architect (sensory-first design)

• 06:20 — The room speaks first: invisible sensory cues (light/sound/texture)

• 07:48 — Fix #1: Quiet the Room (soften light, reduce noise, steady temperature)

• 08:25 — Fix #2: On-Plate Design (color + texture → grounding & satiety)

• 20:11 — Fix #3: 60-Second Sensory Reset (pre-bite downshift ritual)

• 20:23 — Nourish or Numb lightning round: car eating, candlelight, “perfect bowl”

• 24:24 — One gentle ritual if you’ve been eating in survival mode

• 25:24 — Where to find Michael + free quiz & resources

Takeaways:

• Environment is medicine: Your eating space can up- or down-regulate your nervous system.

• Perfect Bite > willpower: Pair warm/soft with crisp/fresh to invite appetite gently.

• Rituals beat rules: A 60-second pre-bite reset changes how your body receives food.

Resources & links:

• Free “Menopause Burnout” Quiz → https://drstaceydenise.com/menopause-burnout-quiz/
  
  
• Watch the video podcast → https://drstaceydenise.com/video-podcast/
  
  
• Listen to the audio podcast → https://drstaceydenise.com/audio-podcast/
  
  
• Guest — Michael Lawrence: LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-lawrence-ml-design-studio/ • Site → https://ml-design-studio.webnode.page/
  
  

Credits & CTA:
Hosted by Dr. Stacey Denise, Lifestyle Medicine Physician & Neuroaesthetic MD. If this helped, share it with a friend who’s eating on survival mode.

Subscribe on YouTube and your favorite podcast app, and take the free quiz to get your personalized reset rituals.

Episode summary

Temple Grandin and Dr. Stacey Denise outline digital-hygiene rules for autistic adults: what the algorithm rabbit hole does to mental health, the one-hour screen rule, how to curate your feed, and simple swaps for real-world connection that lowers anxiety and improves sleep—vital during perimenopause/menopause.

Key takeaways

• Algorithms pull you into overload; design friction
• One-hour/day is enough for most—protect your attention
• Safe-feed checklist: follow/mute/block with intention
• Replace scrolling with real activities + older mentors
• A 7-day boundary plan you can adjust to your life

Guest: Temple Grandin — bestselling author and autism advocate.

Links

• Temple Grandin resources: https://www.templegrandin.com/
• Connect with Dr. Stacey Denise / TNSEF: https://drstaceydenise.com/

Chapters

Intro • Rabbit hole explained • Time limits • Curate your feed • Real activities • Week-one plan

Credits

Host: Dr. Stacey Denise. Produced by TNSEF—The Nervous System Eats First.

Welcome to The Nervous System Eats First — a podcast where science, story, and sensory wisdom meet to help neurodivergent women in midlife and menopause reclaim energy, intimacy, and emotional clarity.

I’m Dr. Stacey Denise, a physician-artist and Neuroaesthetic MD. After years of bridging medicine, neuroscience, and color psychology, I created the Neuroaesthetic Reset™ to support women who feel “tired but wired,” emotionally flatlined, or disconnected in their most important relationships.

Here, we explore three essential journeys:

1. Resilience & Calm: Nervous System Adaptation for Neurodivergent Women Over 40: Exhausted, But Not Broken

→ Why you’re always tired even when labs are “normal,” and how nervous system rituals, hormone literacy, and color-based resets restore vitality.

2. Energy, Sleep & Hormone Rituals for Neurodivergent Women Over 40: Healing Emotional Numbness & Identity Loss

→ What alexithymia and sensory overwhelm look like in menopause, and how interoception, art, and ritual help you name and feel again.

3. Regulation & Pleasure Rituals: Sensory Self-Intimacy Tools for Menopausal, Autistic & BIPOC Women: No More Numb, No More Shame

→ How hormones, trauma, and touch aversion affect midlife desire — and what neuroaesthetic rituals can do to rebuild intimacy, without pressure or shame.

Expect candid solo episodes, healing memoir interviews, and expert guest conversations blending evidence with lived wisdom. Each episode closes with a Neuroaesthetic Reset Ritual you can try right away — because healing isn’t just knowledge, it’s sensory practice.

If you’re a high-functioning, neurodivergent, or BIPOC woman in menopause who is done with surface-level hacks and ready for embodied, beautiful solutions — this podcast is your sanctuary.

📌 Take the free quiz: What Kind of Menopause Burnout Are You?

You don’t need to perform your peace. You just need space to return to it.