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If you've ever leaked during a workout, felt pressure "down there," or been told to just do your Kegels, this episode is for you. We sit down with Kim Vopni, known as The Vagina Coach, a certified personal trainer and pelvic floor expert with over 20 years of experience helping women understand and optimize their pelvic health. Pelvic floor dysfunction affects millions of women and most don't even know they have it! This conversation covers everything you didn't know you needed to hear. Kim breaks down the symptoms women silently live with for years, the difference between stress urinary incontinence and urgency incontinence, how pelvic organ prolapse is staged, what a pessary is and how it works, and whether women with prolapse can (and should) be lifting heavy weights. She also unpacks the eye-opening connection between lower back pain and pelvic floor dysfunction, why 50% of women who've given birth have some degree of prolapse without knowing it, and why vaginal estrogen is something every woman in perimenopause and beyond should be talking to her doctor about. Kim explains why Kegels alone aren't enough, how breath and whole-body movement are key to true pelvic floor function, and why pelvic health is a lifelong practice not just a postpartum fix. She also shares how her BuffMuff app and 28-day challenge are giving women the tools to rebuild their foundation from the inside out, and why her membership community is helping women realize they are not alone in this. Whether you're in your thirties and want to get ahead of it, deep in perimenopause, or post-menopausal and ready to stop accepting symptoms as normal, this is the women's health conversation your OBGYN should have been having with you all along. Be First in Line for Shred Happens: Our popular 6-week challenge for shredding fat and building muscle starts October 18. You get a personalized calorie/macro budget, live Q&A calls with experts, workouts for both gym and home, prize giveaways and an incredible community of women doing it along with you. Save Your Spot → Hailey Happens Fitness Membership is my full training system in your back pocket. Join with a Yearly Plan to design a training year that fits your midlife goals and body. Start training with a 10-day free trial →

What if your body came with a maintenance manual and you've just been ignoring it? In this episode of The Body Pod, hosts Hailey and Laura sit down with Dr. Kelly Starrett and Juliet Starrett, the legendary movement and mobility experts behind Built to Move and The Ready State, for a conversation that will completely change how you think about your body in midlife. From hip extension to voodoo flossing, the Starretts break down why most women are unknowingly setting themselves up for injury, chronic pain, and lost function and exactly what to do about it. The conversation dives deep into the most overlooked mobility issue affecting midlife women (hint: it's not your ankles), why sitting on the floor for 30 minutes a day might be the sneakiest and most effective mobility practice available, and how to audit your current strength and conditioning program to know if it's actually building the bone density and muscle mass you need. Kelly and Juliet also tackle the perfectionist mindset trap that causes so many women to push through pain and overtrain, the truth about "core work" and why you might want to ditch it, and why a quality strength and conditioning practice is a must. Whether you're brand new to lifting or years into your fitness journey, this episode is your guide to training smarter, moving better, and staying injury-free for decades to come. Learn the key markers of a quality strength program, why hip extension is the single most common mobility deficit in women, how to use voodoo flossing to manage soreness and recover faster, and more. If you're a woman in midlife who wants to sprint on the beach, hike the Grand Canyon, and keep doing the things you love, this episode is essential listening. Be First in Line for Shred Happens: Our popular 6-week challenge for shredding fat and building muscle starts October 18. You get a personalized calorie/macro budget, live Q&A calls with experts, workouts for both gym and home, prize giveaways and an incredible community of women doing it along with you. Save Your Spot → Hailey Happens Fitness Membership is my full training system in your back pocket. Join with a Yearly Plan to design a training year that fits your midlife goals and body. Start training with a 10-day free trial →

In this episode of The Body Pod, Hailey sits down with Dr. Alyssa Olenick - exercise physiologist, researcher, endurance athlete, and one a trusted voice in women's fitness science. Alyssa holds a PhD in exercise physiology with an emphasis in women's fitness and has dedicated her career to translating complex science into real, actionable guidance for everyday women.   Hailey and Alyssa dig into the strength training conversation that midlife women actually need, cutting through the conflicting online noise to talk about what a smart training year really looks like, why training multiple characteristics (strength, power, and cardio) across a year produces far better results than doing the same thing indefinitely, and why power training and plyometrics are the most overlooked piece of the puzzle for women over 40. They also break down the cardio and heart rate zone conversation with refreshing honesty, explaining when zones actually matter, how to build an aerobic base, and why most women are overthinking it entirely. The episode closes on the topic every midlife woman is asking about: metabolism, body composition, and the real story behind the changes happening in perimenopause and beyond. Alyssa unpacks what the research actually says about metabolic rate, fat redistribution, muscle loss, and why so many women feel like everything changed even when nothing in their routine did. She leaves listeners with a simple, grounded framework to stop spinning their wheels and start building a body (and a relationship with fitness) that actually works for this season of life. Find more of her work at doclyssfit.com. Be First in Line for Shred Happens: Our popular 6-week challenge for shredding fat and building muscle starts October 18. You get a personalized calorie/macro budget, live Q&A calls with experts, workouts for both gym and home, prize giveaways and an incredible community of women doing it along with you. Save Your Spot → Hailey Happens Fitness Membership is my full training system in your back pocket. Join with a Yearly Plan to design a training year that fits your midlife goals and body. Start training with a 10-day free trial →

If you're a woman in perimenopause, menopause, or beyond and you've heard that strength training is important but aren't sure where power training, jumping, and plyometrics fit in, this episode is a must-listen. We sit down with plyometrics expert and PhD researcher Matt McInnes Watson to explore why midlife women need more than just lifting weights to support bone density, balance, mobility, fall prevention, healthy aging, and long-term independence. Matt breaks down the science behind plyometric training, tendon health, force production, reaction time, and how explosive movement can help women stay strong, capable, and athletic for decades to come. In this fascinating conversation, Matt explains why power is one of the first physical qualities we lose with age, how plyometrics improve bone health, muscle function, coordination, cognitive performance, and injury resilience, and why traditional exercise programs often miss this critical piece of the longevity puzzle. You'll learn the difference between strength and power, why learning new movement skills is so important for brain health, and how simple activities like skipping, hopping, bounding, and multidirectional movement can improve everything from athletic performance to everyday confidence. Whether you're looking to build stronger bones during menopause, improve balance and stability, prevent falls, increase athleticism, boost cycling or running performance, or simply move through life with more energy and confidence, this episode provides practical, evidence-based strategies you can start using today. Matt shares beginner-friendly approaches to plyometric training, how to safely build tissue capacity, and why adding speed, power, and reactive movement to your fitness routine may be one of the most powerful investments you can make for healthy aging, longevity, osteoporosis prevention, and lifelong strength. Be First in Line for Shred Happens: Our popular 6-week challenge for shredding fat and building muscle starts October 18. You get a personalized calorie/macro budget, live Q&A calls with experts, workouts for both gym and home, prize giveaways and an incredible community of women doing it along with you. Save Your Spot → Hailey Happens Fitness Membership is my full training system in your back pocket. Join with a Yearly Plan to design a training year that fits your midlife goals and body. Start training with a 10-day free trial →

If you're a midlife woman trying to build muscle, lose stubborn fat, and finally get straight answers about protein, this episode of The Body Pod is required listening. Host Hailey Babcock sits down with nutrition scientist Mikki Williden, PhD, and nutrition coach Brandon DaCruz to tackle the online protein controversy head-on: is there really a "ceiling" of 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or does that number change entirely once a midlife woman is strength training and eating in a calorie deficit? Drawing on a 2025 meta-regression on protein dosing, Bill Campbell's body recomposition research, and decades of clinical experience, Brandon and Mikki break down exactly how much protein women over 40 need to protect muscle mass, support bone density, and build a body recomposition: losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. The conversation goes far beyond protein numbers, digging into the fat loss strategies every midlife woman should understand before trying them. Brandon explains protein-sparing modified fasts and rapid fat loss protocols — including who they're genuinely appropriate for and why chronic dieters and lean women trying to get leaner should approach them with real caution — while Mikki offers a more sustainable alternative using calorie cycling and diet breaks to create a deficit without the burnout. The two also unpack the real science behind spot reduction, walking through the physiology of fat loss (lipolysis, transport, and oxidation) to explain whether targeting fat loss in the abs, arms, or glutes is actually possible. This episode also confronts the hidden hormonal risks of chronic dieting in midlife, including low energy availability, thyroid dysfunction, and declining bone mineral density, referencing the IOC's 2023 consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport. Hailey, Mikki, and Brandon also touch on GLP-1 medications, muscle loss, and the pressure many women feel to be "rail thin," closing with Mikki's simple 3-day food journal exercise designed to reveal what's really stalling fat loss progress. Whether you're navigating perimenopause, menopause, or just tired of conflicting advice, this roundtable delivers the nuanced, evidence-based guidance midlife women need to build muscle, lose fat sustainably, and protect their long-term hormone health. If you love what you learned in this podcast, Mikki Wlliden is one of the featured experts in our Fat Loss Happens Education course starting September 8th. Join now for our 7-week science-backed education program that teaches midlife women how to lose fat, build strength, and keep results, without extreme diets or endless cardio. Be First in Line for Shred Happens: Our popular 6-week challenge for shredding fat and building muscle starts October 18. You get a personalized calorie/macro budget, live Q&A calls with experts, workouts for both gym and home, prize giveaways and an incredible community of women doing it along with you. Save Your Spot → Hailey Happens Fitness Membership is my full training system in your back pocket. Join with a Yearly Plan to design a training year that fits your midlife goals and body. Start training with a 10-day free trial →

This week's Best of The Body Pod episode was selected for a rerun because menopause education is something our community keeps asking for, and Dr. Louise Newson's insights are just as essential today as when we first released this conversation. If you missed it the first time, or need a refresher, this is a powerful conversation that every woman over 40 needs to hear. In this game-changing episode, Dr. Louise Newson, known as "the medic who kickstarted the menopause revolution," joins us to debunk menopause myths, explain hormone therapy (HRT), and redefine what healthy aging looks like. We discuss: Why too many women are wrongly prescribed antidepressants for perimenopauseThe essential roles of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone in brain, bone, and heart healthThe real science behind HRT and who it's forWhy individualized, evidence-based care mattersThe dangers of medical misinformation and outdated menopause narrativesWhether you're in perimenopause, postmenopause, or just starting to ask questions, this episode offers empowering, no-nonsense insights to help you make informed health decisions. Dr. Newson's message is clear: no woman should suffer through menopause without support, education, and choice. Be First in Line for Shred Happens: Our popular 6-week challenge for shredding fat and building muscle starts October 18. You get a personalized calorie/macro budget, live Q&A calls with experts, workouts for both gym and home, prize giveaways and an incredible community of women doing it along with you. Save Your Spot → Hailey Happens Fitness Membership is my full training system in your back pocket. Join with a Yearly Plan to design a training year that fits your midlife goals and body. Start training with a 10-day free trial →

We're back with another Best of The Body Pod episode and this one earns a rerun because bone health is one of those topics that quietly becomes urgent for midlife women, often before we even realize it's happening. In this episode, Dr. Lisa Moore (physical therapist, educator, and founder of Brick House Bones) breaks down the real differences between osteoporosis and osteopenia, walks us through her signature 4x4 strength training method, and explains why building bone density now is one of the most powerful things you can do for your long-term independence. From fracture prevention to strength and balance, this conversation is packed with practical, science-backed guidance every woman over 40 needs which is exactly why we wanted to bring it back for anyone who missed it the first time. Be First in Line for Shred Happens: Our popular 6-week challenge for shredding fat and building muscle starts October 18. You get a personalized calorie/macro budget, live Q&A calls with experts, workouts for both gym and home, prize giveaways and an incredible community of women doing it along with you. Save Your Spot → Hailey Happens Fitness Membership is my full training system in your back pocket. Join with a Yearly Plan to design a training year that fits your midlife goals and body. Start training with a 10-day free trial →

As part of our Best of the Body Pod series, we're revisiting one of our favorite Body Pod conversations with one of our favorite guests. So many women think they have to wait until they've gone a full year without a period before hormone therapy is even on the table, but Dr. Heather Hirsch, founder of Join the Collaborative, says that's one of the most persistent myths in women's health. Her breakdown of the THRIVE Method and how to actually approach hormone decisions is just as useful now as it was the first time this episode aired. In this episode of The Body Pod, hosts Hailey and Laura sit down with Dr. Hirsch for a wide-ranging conversation on perimenopause and menopause care, digging into her THRIVE Method: a framework for approaching hormone decisions through tracking symptoms, reviewing health history, researching safety data, and investigating one hormone at a time. The discussion digs into testosterone therapy for women (still, as Dr. Hirsch puts it, a "data-free zone"), the safety and underuse of vaginal estrogen even in women already on systemic hormones, and the physiology behind genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM). She also makes the case that bone health deserves the same proactive treatment women's health gives to conditions like pre-diabetes, and highlights the growing role of strength training in protecting bone density during midlife. For women who aren't ready for (or can't use) hormone therapy, Dr. Hirsch outlines a tiered approach starting with lifestyle changes and supplements before moving to non-hormonal medications or hormone therapy itself. She closes with a reassuring message: hormone therapy doesn't have to be all-or-nothing, and can be trialed short-term before making a longer-term decision. Listeners can find Dr. Hirsch at Join the Collaborative jointhecollaborative.com and on Instagram @HeatherHirschMD. Be First in Line for Shred Happens: Our popular 6-week challenge for shredding fat and building muscle starts October 18. You get a personalized calorie/macro budget, live Q&A calls with experts, workouts for both gym and home, prize giveaways and an incredible community of women doing it along with you. Save Your Spot → Hailey Happens Fitness Membership is my full training system in your back pocket. Join with a Yearly Plan to design a training year that fits your midlife goals and body. Start training with a 10-day free trial →

We're revisiting one of our favorite Body Pod conversations as part of our Best of the Body Pod series. Dr. Courtney Conley makes the case that most women's balance, hip, and knee issues actually start at the feet, not the joint that hurts. Her breakdown of why weak feet and years of restrictive footwear throw off everything up the chain, from pelvic stability to how your brain reads the ground under you, is worth another listen. Many women deal with chronic pain, plantar fasciitis, poor squat mechanics, and a higher fall risk without ever realizing their feet are the root cause. We break down how modern footwear, weak feet, loss of sensory input, and overreliance on orthotics can disrupt movement patterns, pelvic stability, hormone regulation, and nervous system function. Dr. Conley explains the powerful connection between the feet, pelvis, core, and brain, and why rebuilding foot strength is essential for aging well, preventing injuries, and maintaining confidence in movement. This conversation delivers practical, realistic strategies for improving foot strength and mobility, including footwear choices, toe strength exercises, calf training, balance work, and safe transitions away from orthotics. Whether you're dealing with foot pain, instability, or want to build a stronger body from the ground up, this episode offers actionable insights to help women move better and stay resilient for decades. Be First in Line for Shred Happens: Our popular 6-week challenge for shredding fat and building muscle starts October 18. You get a personalized calorie/macro budget, live Q&A calls with experts, workouts for both gym and home, prize giveaways and an incredible community of women doing it along with you. Save Your Spot → Hailey Happens Fitness Membership is my full training system in your back pocket. Join with a Yearly Plan to design a training year that fits your midlife goals and body. Start training with a 10-day free trial →

We're revisiting one of our favorite Body Pod conversations as part of our Best of the Body Pod series. Joint pain and stiffness tend to get written off as just getting older, but orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jocelyn Wittstein makes the case that so much of it comes down to estrogen, muscle mass, and how you train, not just age. Her strategies for protecting your joints through perimenopause and menopause are just as useful now as they were the first time this episode aired. Dr. Wittstein breaks down how women can protect, strengthen, and maintain joint health through every stage of life, including the connection between estrogen, inflammation, bone density, muscle mass, and recovery. She shares strategies for training smart for joint longevity, including how to modify workouts for joint pain, improve mobility and flexibility, and build strong bones and resilient muscles with strength and impact training. We also uncover what the latest science says about collagen supplements, arthritis prevention, and how hormonal changes influence joint stability and injury risk. Whether you're navigating midlife, recovering from joint pain, or simply want to stay strong, mobile, and active, this episode will help you optimize your training and longevity through smarter, evidence-based strategies. Be First in Line for Shred Happens: Our popular 6-week challenge for shredding fat and building muscle starts October 18. You get a personalized calorie/macro budget, live Q&A calls with experts, workouts for both gym and home, prize giveaways and an incredible community of women doing it along with you. Save Your Spot → Hailey Happens Fitness Membership is my full training system in your back pocket. Join with a Yearly Plan to design a training year that fits your midlife goals and body. Start training with a 10-day free trial →

We're bringing back one of our most fascinating and myth-busting episodes as part of our Best of the Body Pod series. The science of nutrition continues to evolve, and this conversation challenged many long-held beliefs about eating before bed. Because the research and practical takeaways remain just as relevant today, we knew it was worth another listen. Can eating before bed really help you burn fat, sleep better, and build muscle? In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Mike Ormsbee joins us to explore the science of nighttime nutrition, revealing how the right bedtime snacks can actually support metabolism, recovery, and weight loss, especially for active women and endurance athletes. Tune in as we debunk common myths about late-night eating, discuss research-backed strategies for pre-sleep fueling, and share real-life success stories that challenge conventional fitness advice. Whether you're looking to improve body composition, enhance recovery, optimize sleep, or better understand the connection between nutrition and performance, this episode is packed with actionable insights you can put into practice right away. Be First in Line for Shred Happens: Our popular 6-week challenge for shredding fat and building muscle starts October 18. You get a personalized calorie/macro budget, live Q&A calls with experts, workouts for both gym and home, prize giveaways and an incredible community of women doing it along with you. Save Your Spot → Hailey Happens Fitness Membership is my full training system in your back pocket. Join with a Yearly Plan to design a training year that fits your midlife goals and body. Start training with a 10-day free trial →

We're revisiting one of our most downloaded and frequently referenced episodes as part of our Best of the Body Pod series. Because creatine continues to be one of the most researched (and misunderstood) supplements in women's health and fitness, we knew this conversation was worth sharing again. The evidence-based insights in this episode remain just as valuable today. In this episode, Dr. Candow breaks down everything women need to know about creatine supplementation, including its benefits, common misconceptions, and how it can support muscle growth, strength, recovery, and performance. Whether you're a fitness enthusiast or just starting to explore creatine, his expert insights will help you make informed decisions about integrating it into your routine. He also tackles the most common myths surrounding creatine, offering clear answers to help you separate fact from fiction. This episode is a must-listen for any woman interested in fitness nutrition, healthy aging, strength training, and performance enhancement. Recording note: This episode was recorded live and as a result you may notice a few minor background noises.  Be First in Line for Shred Happens: Our popular 6-week challenge for shredding fat and building muscle starts October 18. You get a personalized calorie/macro budget, live Q&A calls with experts, workouts for both gym and home, prize giveaways and an incredible community of women doing it along with you. Save Your Spot → Hailey Happens Fitness Membership is my full training system in your back pocket. Join with a Yearly Plan to design a training year that fits your midlife goals and body. Start training with a 10-day free trial →

We're bringing back one of our most impactful and information-packed episodes as part of our Best of the Body Pod series. The insights shared in this conversation are just as relevant today as when it first aired, and we believe every woman navigating midlife, menopause, and healthy aging can benefit from hearing it. In this episode of The Body Pod, we sit down with fitness journalist and endurance athlete Selene Yeager to explore how to thrive during menopause, improve strength training, and navigate the evolving landscape of women’s health. From her collaboration with Dr. Stacy Sims to her insights on hormonal changes, nutrition for women, and the science behind menopause fitness, Selene breaks down the biggest myths and shares practical, science-backed strategies for feeling stronger, more energized, and empowered through every stage of life. Whether you're an athlete, looking to boost your energy levels, or simply want to understand menopause training, this episode is packed with expert advice and actionable tips to help you master menopause and optimize your health. Be First in Line for Shred Happens: Our popular 6-week challenge for shredding fat and building muscle starts October 18. You get a personalized calorie/macro budget, live Q&A calls with experts, workouts for both gym and home, prize giveaways and an incredible community of women doing it along with you. Save Your Spot → Hailey Happens Fitness Membership is my full training system in your back pocket. Join with a Yearly Plan to design a training year that fits your midlife goals and body. Start training with a 10-day free trial →

In this powerful episode of The Body Pod, world-renowned performance physiologist Dr. Stacy Sims and endurance expert Selene Yeager break down the latest breakthroughs in women’s health research, longevity, strength training, and female physiology—and why the future of women’s health is finally changing. From the stage with icons like Jane Fonda to cutting-edge conversations on the bone–brain–muscle axis, this episode dives deep into why strength training is essential for women’s longevity, brain health, metabolic health, and hormone balance. You’ll learn why traditional fitness advice has failed women, how underfueling impacts bone density and muscle mass, and why lifting weights is one of the most powerful tools for preventing osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and cognitive decline. Dr. Sims also introduces her groundbreaking new initiative, Collective X—a female-specific research and data platform designed to close the gender data gap in health and fitness. By leveraging vetted research, AI, and real-world data, Collective X is working to revolutionize how women understand their bodies, optimize performance, and make informed decisions about their health across the lifespan. This conversation tackles: The massive gap in female-specific health researchWhy women have been left out of medical and fitness dataHow strength training supports brain function, gut health, and inflammationThe truth about DEXA scans, bone density, and hidden health risksWhy every woman deserves to be in the weight roomHow lifting weights improves confidence, resilience, and quality of life as we age If you’re a woman navigating midlife, menopause, or simply want to live longer, stronger, and healthier, this episode is your roadmap to understanding the science—and taking action. Be First in Line for Shred Happens: Our popular 6-week challenge for shredding fat and building muscle starts October 18. You get a personalized calorie/macro budget, live Q&A calls with experts, workouts for both gym and home, prize giveaways and an incredible community of women doing it along with you. Save Your Spot → Hailey Happens Fitness Membership is my full training system in your back pocket. Join with a Yearly Plan to design a training year that fits your midlife goals and body. Start training with a 10-day free trial →

What if the most powerful thing you could do for yourself right now is simply stop? Like so many women who have built their lives around movement, productivity, and pushing through, Hailey discovered that slowing down was one of the hardest things she's ever tried to do. Quieting her mind felt almost impossible at first. But learning how to do it changed everything. Not just her health, but the way she sees herself and the life she's living. Because here's what she's come to believe: giving yourself permission to pause, to go inward, to do the quieter, slower, less visible work is every bit as powerful as the workouts, the nutrition, the fitness goals you've been chasing.  In this episode, Hailey sits down with fitness icon, model, actress, author, and wellness retreat host Brooke Burke for an honest conversation about what it means to give yourself permission to pause. They dig into why midlife can feel like you've lost yourself in the chaos, how a wellness retreat can crack you open in the best possible way, and why more women are choosing to invest in the experience of coming back to themselves. Brooke has built her life around this kind of intentional renewal and she brings the same unfiltered honesty and warmth to this conversation that has made her a trusted voices in women's wellness. This isn't about escaping your life. It's about finally returning to yourself within it. Whether you've dreamed of going on a retreat or don't even know where to start, this one will move you. Be First in Line for Shred Happens: Our popular 6-week challenge for shredding fat and building muscle starts October 18. You get a personalized calorie/macro budget, live Q&A calls with experts, workouts for both gym and home, prize giveaways and an incredible community of women doing it along with you. Save Your Spot → Hailey Happens Fitness Membership is my full training system in your back pocket. Join with a Yearly Plan to design a training year that fits your midlife goals and body. Start training with a 10-day free trial →