Podcasts · Health & Fitness

BETTER! with Dr. Stephanie Estima | Strength, Body Composition & Perimenopause

Dr. Stephanie Estima, Perimenopause & Women's Fitness Expert

300 episodes

Most women are told that feeling exhausted, gaining weight, losing muscle, and watching their body change after 40 is just what happens. Dr. Stephanie Estima is here to tell you that's the wrong map. BETTER is the podcast for women in perimenopause and menopause who want to build real strength, understand their hormones, and take body composition seriously — without the diet culture nonsense and without the fear.

More about the show

Dr. Stephanie is a chiropractor, brain health expert, and one of the few voices in the menopause space who leads with fitness, muscle, and what your body is actually capable of. Each week she brings the world's leading researchers, clinicians, and practitioners into conversation — then translates the science into something you can use on Monday morning.

Topics include strength training in perimenopause, body composition after 40, HRT and hormonal health, bone density, metabolic health, injury prevention, sleep, nutrition, and the kind of training that actually works when your body is changing.

This is not a podcast about surviving menopause. It's about building the strongest, most capable version of yourself — at the exact moment most women are told to expect less.

Episodes page 1 of 6

  1. Why Your Tendons Get Injured in Perimenopause (and How to Reverse It) with Dr. Keith Baar

    · 1 h 26 min

    If you’re a woman lifting weights, your muscles aren’t the only tissue adapting. Your tendons and ligaments are training right alongside them, and they respond to load very differently. Dr. Keith Baar is a professor…

  2. How To Build Round & Strong Glutes with Bret Contreras, PhD. aka the Glute Guy

    · 1 h 13 min

    Bret Contreras covers glute training: exercise selection (squats, RDLs, step-ups, split squats, single-leg work, abductions, kickbacks, bridges), hip thrust technique (foot placement, full extension, setup errors,…

  3. Skinny Is Where You Go to Die: Muscle Power & Myokines for Ageing Women with Dr. Paul Taylor

    · 1 h 35 min · Explicit

    Your muscles aren't just for moving — they're an endocrine organ, releasing hundreds of signalling molecules called myokines every time you contract them. Dr. Paul Taylor breaks down the science of myokines, why…

  4. Perimenopause Doesn't Cause ADHD, It Unmasks It: Reclaim Your Brain with Dr. Jolene Brighten

    · 1 h 23 min

    Dr. Jolene Brighten explains why ADHD in women is so often missed, misdiagnosed, or dismissed as personality. She covers the five hormonal life stages that make ADHD symptoms worse, why perimenopause "unmasks" ADHD…

  5. Hypermobile? Yes, You Can Strength Train (Here's How to Do It Safely)

    · 34 min

    If you can touch your thumb to your forearm, your elbows bend backward when you lock them out, or you've spent your life being called "double-jointed" like it's a party trick — this episode is your explainer. Dr.…

  6. No Time for the Gym? How to Rack Up Movement Minutes and Protect Your Bone Density with Katy Bowman

    · 1 h 24 min

    What if the guilt you feel for skipping the gym is based on a flawed concept? Biomechanist Katy Bowman challenges the notion that exercise is merely a modern, recent way to meet our body’s movement needs. She…

  7. The Physiology of Grief: What Loss Actually Does In Your Body with Mary-Frances O'Connor, PhD.

    · 1 h 17 min

    Falling in love triggers a specific hormonal cascade: oxytocin, dopamine, the whole cocktail that makes you feel like you can't think about anything else. What almost nobody talks about is that losing someone runs that…

  8. How Nitric Oxide Controls Blood Flow, Energy & Hormone Function with Cathy Eason, MS, BCHN

    · 1 h 17 min

    If you’ve got a cupboard full of supplements you bought with good intentions but never used, this episode is for you. Cathy Eason, Chief Science Officer at Berkeley Life, talks about nitric oxide, a molecule that…

  9. Your Brain on AI: How to Build Your Memory Muscle Before You Borrow It with Jim Kwik

    · 56 min

    For over 30 years, Jim Kwik has coached Hollywood, professional athletes, political leaders, and Harvard University on how to learn faster and think sharper — and in this episode, he tackles the question sitting…

  10. Pilates Girls, You're Losing Bone. The Exercise Science of Building Bone After 40 with Prof Belinda Beck

    · 1 h 14 min

    For decades, women with low bone density were told to take it easy; Professor Belinda Beck's research proved the opposite: high-intensity resistance and impact training safely rebuilds bone, even in women who had been…

  11. Frozen Shoulder, Aching Hips & Just Aging: Midlife Joint Pain with Dr. Tom Walters

    · 1 h 25 min

    You did everything they told you. You rested it. You waited. And it still hurts. Here's the part no one explains: rest is often the reason it isn't getting better. Dr. Tom Walters is an orthopedic physical therapist,…

  12. Spiritual Fitness: Letting Go vs. Giving Up with Danielle LaPorte

    · 1 h 22 min

    We've been taught that healing is something you power through. Overcome the fear. Crush the goal. Cut the cord and move on. Danielle LaPorte says that's exactly why so many high-achieving women are still stuck in the…

  13. Why Your Body Composition Isn't Changing (And It's Not What You Think)

    · 42 min

    You’re training hard, tracking macros, getting enough protein, and sleeping eight hours a night, yet your body isn’t changing. In this solo episode, Dr. Stephanie explains that your body has been listening all along,…

  14. Perimenopause & Autoimmunity Look Identical. Here's How to Tell the Difference with Mickey Trescott, MSc

    · 1 h 21 min

    Is it perimenopause or autoimmunity? The symptoms are similar, and most women don’t ask. Mickey Trescott, founder of the Autoimmune Protocol movement, explains the overlap between hormonal changes and immune…

  15. Is Muscle Soreness Progress? Dial in Your Exercise Intensity & Recovery with Dani Coleman

    · 53 min

    If you've ever judged a workout by how wrecked you felt the next day, this episode is going to reframe everything. Dani Coleman, VP of Training and Head Trainer at Pvolve and Jennifer Aniston's personal trainer since…

  16. Don't Love the Stairmaster: Try Passive Cardio with Infrared Sauna with Connie Zack

    · 1 h 08 min

    If you've ever dismissed a sauna as a spa luxury, this episode will change your mind. In this episode, Connie Zack, co-founder of Sunlighten, breaks down how infrared light interacts with the body at the cellular level…

  17. Look. Feel. Perform. Why Muscle Is the Answer to All Three After 40 with Andy Galpin, PhD

    · 1 h 07 min

    If you've ever felt like your body stopped cooperating in your 40s — the recovery that takes days instead of hours, the muscle that seems to disappear no matter what you do, the fitness advice that just doesn't land…

  18. HRT Can’t Fix Your Ligaments: The Diabolical Role of Estrogen on Connective Tissue

    · 52 min

    You've been training consistently for years. You know your way around a gym. And then, out of nowhere, a shoulder gives out on a weight you've pressed a thousand times. Or your knees start complaining on the stairs. Or…

  19. Stop Trying to Feel Better — Get Better at Feeling: Heal Anxiety from the Body Up with Dr. Russell Kennedy

    · 1 h 21 min

    If you've tried therapy, medication, journaling, and every mindset tool available — and you're still anxious — this episode is for you. Dr. Russell Kennedy, physician, neuroscientist, and certified trauma therapist,…

  20. More Cardio, Less Food, Still Gaining: Your Midlife Fitness Do-over with Natalie Jill

    · 1 h 08 min

    If you’ve been eating less, exercising more, and still experiencing unwanted body changes, this episode is for you. Natalie Jill, a Licensed Master Sports Nutritionist and functional fitness trainer, joins Dr.…

  21. The Estrogen Shortage Is Real & Your Gut Might Be Making It Worse with Esther Blum

    · 1 h 07 min

    Esther Blum, integrative dietitian and menopause expert, unpacks the estrogen supply chain crisis, leaving women without basic hormone care, while there are 25 erectile dysfunction medications on the market with zero…

  22. 96% of Drs Weren’t Taught About Pain: The Recipe for Relief with Dr. Rachel Zoffness

    · 1 h 02 min

    Dr. Rachel Zoffness is a pain psychologist, neuroscientist, and author of Tell Me Where It Hurts -- and she's here to dismantle the biggest lie medicine has sold us: that pain is a purely biomedical problem requiring a…

  23. De-Influencing Your Perimenopause Skincare: What Actually Works (And What to Throw Out) with Dr. Mamina Turegano

    · 1 h 37 min

    If you have been getting your skincare advice from 60-second reels and 18-year-old influencers, this episode is your reset. Dr. Mamina Turegano is not your average dermatologist. Triple board-certified in dermatology,…

  24. 15 Minutes of This Rewires Your Brain & Metabolism — The Science of Lactate | Dr. Stephanie

    · 42 min

    Dr. Stephanie Estima gives a masterclass on the often-overlooked role of lactate in how our bodies work during exercise. She’s redefining lactate as a key metabolic signal that can help us get stronger, age better and…

  25. Your Gynecologist Can't Fix This: The Cardiometabolic Side of Menopause with Dr. Heather Hirsch

    · 1 h 09 min

    The single biggest lie women have been told about perimenopause? That it's a gynecological problem. Dr. Heather Hirsch — board-certified internist, Harvard faculty, and founder of one of the first hospital-based…

  26. Depleted, Foggy & Done? How Creatine Buffers Energy, Sleep Loss & Midlife Stress with Dan Pardi, PhD

    · 1 h 33 min

    If you've written creatine off as a supplement for guys at the gym, Dr. Dan Pardi, sleep researcher, neuroscientist, and Chief Health Officer at Qualia Life, will change your mind. Dan has spent decades studying what…

  27. Childhood Trauma, Birth Control & Your Gut: The Perimenopause Reckoning with Cynthia Thurlow

    · 1 h 13 min

    Your gut doesn't lie — and in perimenopause, it's sending distress signals most doctors completely ignore. Nurse practitioner, two-time TEDx speaker, and Everyday Wellness podcast host Cynthia Thurlow joins Dr.…

  28. Why Sexual Health Is Actually a Life-or-Death Issue with Dr. Juliana Hauser

    · 1 h 15 min

    What if your sexual health was as important as your heart rate? What if understanding your sexuality was the final frontier of truly knowing yourself? In this groundbreaking conversation, Dr. Juliana Hauser—sex…

  29. "You Have 5 Years Left." She Proved Them Wrong - Twice! with Leslie Kenny

    · 1 h 26 min

    Leslie Kenny was told in her 30s that she had five years to live. Diagnosed simultaneously with lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis — and told to give up her dream of having children — she did what…

  30. "Toned" Isn't Real: Build Muscle, Lose Fat, Ditch Diet Culture for Good with Dr. Stephanie Estima

    · 40 min

    You've been lied to. Not by your body — by the system that profits from you believing it's broken. Dr. Stephanie names the real villain behind decades of failed diets, shrinking goals, and body distrust: the wellness…

  31. You've Seen 10 Doctors & Still, No Answers: Your Guide to Perimenopause with Dr. Mary Claire Haver

    · 1 h 07 min

    If you've ever sat in a doctor's office describing brain fog, mood swings, terrible sleep, and a body that no longer responds to anything you try — only to be sent home with a shrug and maybe an antidepressant — this…

  32. Feeling Stuck on Antidepressants in Midlife? How to Taper Off Safely with Mark Horowitz, PhD

    · 1 h 26 min

    This episode is essential for millions of women who’ve been on antidepressants for years or even decades. Dr. Mark Horowitz https://www.outro.com/about/outro, a British-Australian psychiatry researcher, neuroscientist,…

  33. Stop Overthinking Your Workout: Your Brain Just Needs You to Move with Dr. Tommy Wood

    · 1 h 29 min

    Neuroscientist Dr. Tommy Wood breaks down what it actually takes to keep your brain sharp as you age. Drawing from his new book The Stimulated Mind, Tommy makes the case that movement is non-negotiable for brain health…

  34. Your Peptide Guide: BPC-157, GHK-Copper, GLP-1s & Body Composition with Kyal Van Der Leest

    · 1 h 17 min

    You can't watch a single sporting event without being hit with an Ozempic commercial — but did you know that those GLP-1s everyone's talking about are actually peptides? Kyal Van Der Leest — nutritionist, naturopath,…

  35. Is it Alzheimer's or Perimenopause? 5 Ways to Protect Your Midlife Brain with Dr. Majid Fotuhi

    · 1 h 07 min

    Your keys aren't lost. Your mind isn't going. And no, that's not Alzheimer's. Dr. Majid Fotuhi, Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins University & author of The Invincible Brain, busts the biggest myth in women's brain…

  36. The Lifting Heavy Trap: Strong Muscles but Weak Tendons & Why You Get Injured

    · 56 min

    Dr. Stephanie covers tendon anatomy, how they respond to mechanical loading, why "stiffness" is actually desirable, and the evidence-based rehab hierarchy: load management, isometrics, heavy slow resistance training,…

  37. The Sex You Want: Hormones, Communication & Female Agency with Dr. Maria Sophocles

    · 1 h 20 min

    Dr. Maria Sophocles examines the “bedroom gap,” the disparity in sexual expectations and challenges between men and women in midlife. In this episode, she explains how menopausal hormonal changes, together with…

  38. Breast Health Masterclass: Pain, Lumps & Cancer Screening with Dr. Ebuoma

    · 1 h 20 min

    Ready for the breast health conversation nobody's having? Harvard-trained breast radiologist Dr. Lilian Ebuoma gives a masterclass that covers everything from why your daughter might be developing breast buds at 7…

  39. Bone Loss Confusion Explained (& How to Repair Weak Bones) with Dr. Doug Lucas

    · 1 h 28 min

    Dr. Doug Lucas, a double board-certified orthopedic surgeon and osteoporosis specialist, who dives into the secrets of maintaining optimal bone health. In this episode, you will discover why bone health is vital for…

  40. Menopause is a Hormone Deficiency (And You Deserve Better) with Dr. Felice Gersh

    · 1 h 47 min

    "Estrogen is not a hormone; it's a family of hormones,” says Dr. Felice Gersh. “You can't say fat does this or fat does that—you have to say which fat. The same with estrogen.” That’s right, she is back to challenge…

  41. Heart Disease, Autoimmunity, & the Clitoris: What Medicine Got Wrong with Meghan Rabbitt

    · 57 min

    Award-winning health journalist Meghan Rabbitt discusses her groundbreaking book, "The New Rules of Women's Health.” This conversation tackles what's broken in women's healthcare—from outdated anatomical terminology…

  42. Saving Marriages & Bedroom Comebacks: Midlife Women on Testosterone with Shalin Shah

    · 1 h 06 min

    Think testosterone is just a male hormone? Think again. In this game-changing conversation, Shalin Shah, CEO of Marius Pharmaceuticals, debunks a major myth in women’s health. Spoiler alert: women have more…

  43. Menopause Weight Gain: Why 'It's Genetic' Is a Lie (And What Actually Works)

    · 23 min · Explicit

    Dr. Stephanie goes "holiday-solo" for the third and final time this week to discuss the growing claim that obesity is mainly genetic, with diet and exercise only accounting for 15% of results. She explains why this…

  44. Your Year-End Gratitude Inventory (with Reflection Questions)

    · 26 min

    As we wind down 2025 in this second of three solo episodes, Dr. Stephanie takes a pause to express her deep gratitude for the Better community and guide you through a meaningful year-end reflection. This isn't about…

  45. Should Women Train Differently? The Complete Guide to Cycle-Syncing Your Workouts

    · 49 min

    In this solo episode, Dr. Stephanie shares her updated thinking on fitness training for women who menstruate, including perimenopausal women with irregular cycles. Drawing from principles in the Betty Body Book and her…

  46. Orgasms as Medicine: De-Stigmatizing Sex & Pelvic Wellness in Perimenopause with Dr. Rena Malik

    · 1 h 30 min · Explicit

    Dr. Rena Malik, board-certified urologist and sexual medicine expert, has the most frank conversation about female sexual health you'll hear anywhere. She covers pelvic floor dysfunction (incontinence affects 1 in 3…

  47. Reduce Your Toxic Load in Surprising Ways with Dr. Aly Cohen

    · 1 h 28 min

    Feeling overwhelmed by environmental toxins? This is your antidote to eco-anxiety. Dr. Aly Cohen, triple board-certified physician, joins me for a refreshingly practical conversation about endocrine-disrupting…

  48. Confused or Against Fasting? A New Perspective for Women with Dr. Chris Rhodes

    · 1 h 17 min

    Discover the latest science behind fasting and innovative fasting alternatives in this episode with Dr. Chris Rhodes, nutritional biochemist. Learn about the anti-inflammatory and longevity benefits of a 36-hour fast,…

  49. The Real History of Women Who Lift: From Cardio Bunny to Muscle Mommy with Michael Joseph Gross

    · 1 h 35 min

    Author Michael Joseph Gross (Stronger: The Untold Story of Muscle in Our Lives) reveals how muscle has shaped human health, confidence, and culture for centuries—and why it’s time for women to reclaim it. Learn why…

  50. Why Gut Changes Can Destroy Your Muscles in Perimenopause with Dr. Christine Maren

    · 1 h 21 min

    Dr. Christine Maren, a medical doctor and certified functional medicine practitioner specializing in women’s health, shares her expertise on gut health, hormones, and the complex interplay between digestion and the…

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.