Advertise on podcast: The Luminescence Podcast with Schuyler Grant

Peptides are trending hard. "The bros are taking them, the sisters are starting to too." but Schuyler Grant, Dr. Robin Berzin, and Dr. Mary Pardee keep GLP-1s off the table for this one entirely (that's its own episode) to focus on three specific longevity peptides instead. Phone-a-friend Dr. Aleksandra Gajer joins to walk through what's actually happening in her own compounding-pharmacy practice, while Dr. Pardee stays openly skeptical about recommending anything without real human safety data. They discuss: BPC-157, the most talked-about peptide, and its use for tissue repair and gut healing — including very light, early data on an oral version Growth hormone secretagogues like sermorelin, CJC-1295/ipamorelin, and tesamorelin — used for lean muscle mass and performance, and why Dr. Berzin is personally curious about this category specifically for her own grip strength Epithalon (epithelin) — the peptide most directly linked to telomere length, and why it's also the one with the least data behind it Why most of these substances are technically not legal outside a small number of FDA-approved indications, and what it means that Parsley Health — the largest functional medicine longevity clinic in the country — still has to operate carefully within that gray zone Dr. Pardee's stance: for healthy people who "have a lot to lose," the risk currently outweighs the potential benefit — a real disagreement that never quite resolves Why there's no rapid fire for this one: none of the three would call themselves peptide experts, and they say so on air For any woman who's seen "peptides for longevity" all over her feed and wants an honest answer instead of a hype cycle. Catch more episodes, live events, retreats, and free master classes at luminescence.health. Genova Connect: Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit ⁠connect.gdx.net ⁠Stemregen:  Go to ⁠stemregen.co⁠ and use code LUMPOD for 20% off your next order. Vivobarefoot: Try Vivobarefoot with a 100-day return guarantee, and get a special discount for Luminescence podcast listeners at ⁠vivobarefoot.com/commune⁠. BiOptimizers: Go to ⁠bioptimizers.com/luminescence⁠ and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.

Breast implants are common at every age and getting more accessible every year — but almost nobody frames them as a medical device you're placing in your body, probably for the rest of your life, until something goes wrong. Schuyler Grant, Dr. Robin Berzin, and Dr. Mary Pardee bring in phone-a-friend Dr. Jon Kanevsky, a breast explant and fat transfer surgeon, for one of the most personal conversations of the season — including Dr. Berzin's own patient whose decade of unexplained migraines resolved completely after an explant. They discuss: A study of over 7,000 women in which 49% reported some level of breast implant illness — symptoms including headaches, fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, and immune dysfunction Why textured implants carry higher reported symptom rates than smooth ones, and what that means for anyone currently considering the choice What an explant procedure actually involves, and why it's a fundamentally different surgery than getting implants in the first place Why the panel couldn't build a clean rapid fire for this one — Dr. Pardee calls it a legitimate "agnostic yes or BS," because the honest answer is "depends entirely on the woman" The identity layer underneath the medical one: what it means to alter your body in midlife, what message it sends to your kids, and whether "loving yourself" and "wanting implants" can coexist without contradiction For any woman who's had implants for years and never quite let herself ask whether her symptoms might be connected — or anyone considering getting them for the first time. Catch more episodes, live events, retreats, and free master classes at luminescence.health. Presented by our sponsors: Genova Connect: Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit ⁠connect.gdx.net ⁠Stemregen:  Go to ⁠stemregen.co⁠ and use code LUMPOD for 20% off your next order. Vivobarefoot: Try Vivobarefoot with a 100-day return guarantee, and get a special discount for Luminescence podcast listeners at ⁠vivobarefoot.com/commune⁠. BiOptimizers: Go to ⁠bioptimizers.com/luminescence⁠ and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.

Metabolic health isn't really about weight, Schuyler Grant, Dr. Robin Berzin, and Dr. Mary Pardee argue — it's the single biggest lever available for healthspan, driving everything from brain function to bone health to the "four horsemen" of heart disease, cancer, and dementia. So they zero in on the two protocols Schuyler calls the most provocative in the whole metabolic conversation: intermittent fasting and continuous glucose monitors. They discuss: Why intermittent fasting only works if it actually reduces total daily calories — and why treating it as a magic fix on top of overeating doesn't hold up Who should avoid fasting protocols entirely, including anyone actively trying to conceive Dr. Berzin's own CGM story — how an incidental discovery while wearing one turned out to be genuinely life-changing, and where Dr. Pardee remains skeptical for healthy women A rapid-fire round: Zone 2 training (hard yes), berberine (a qualified yes — effective, but not first choice), ketogenic protocols long-term (BS), continuous protein feeding (BS — total daily protein matters more), glucose-disposal stacks like cinnamon and apple cider vinegar (BS), eliminating seed oils as a metabolic hack (BS), and methylene blue (BS) Why the panel keeps landing back on the same unglamorous answer: build and keep lean muscle mass For any woman drowning in metabolic protocol content who wants to know which two are actually worth trying. Catch more episodes, live events, retreats, and free master classes at luminescence.health. Presented by our sponsors: Genova Connect:Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.netStemregen:  Go to stemregen.co and use code LUMPOD for 20% off your next order.Vivobarefoot: Try Vivobarefoot with a 100-day return guarantee, and get a special discount for Luminescence podcast listeners at vivobarefoot.com/commune.BiOptimizers:Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.

Viagra was approved in 1998. It took another two decades before women's sexual health started being treated as a physiological issue instead of a mood problem — and most women still don't know there are three real prescription options for low desire. In this Season 3 premiere, Schuyler Grant, Dr. Robin Berzin, and Dr. Mary Pardee are joined by phone-a-friend Dr. Somi Javaid, founder of HerMD, to break down testosterone, Addyi, and Vyleesi — what each one actually does, who they're for, and why the female desire drugs work on the brain while the male ones work on blood flow. They discuss: Why sexual pleasure functions as a genuine health metric — orgasm's measurable effects on cortisol, cardiovascular health, oxytocin, and sleep-supporting prolactin Why roughly 80% of women lose meaningful natural testosterone production by midlife, and why some women mysteriously don't Addyi (flibanserin) — a daily pill that works on serotonin and dopamine receptors — versus Vyleesi (bremelanotide), an on-demand injectable, and the real-world data Dr. Javaid has published on both Off-label testosterone therapy in women — why it's not FDA-approved as a standalone product for women despite a global consensus statement supporting its use, and what nearly 80% success rates look like in the right candidate Combining testosterone with Addyi or Vyleesi, and how FSFI (Female Sexual Function Index) scores are used to actually measure whether treatment is working A rapid-fire round on saffron, erotic fiction, cannabis, red-light pelvic devices, the O-Shot, Vyleesi microdosing, and intranasal oxytocin — yes, BS, or "a hard maybe" For any woman who's noticed her desire quietly disappearing and assumed there was nothing to actually do about it. Catch more episodes, live events, retreats, and free master classes at luminescence.health. This episode is presented by: Genova Connect:Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.netStemregen:  Go to stemregen.co and use code LUMPOD for 20% off your next order.Vivobarefoot: Try Vivobarefoot with a 100-day return guarantee, and get a special discount for Luminescence podcast listeners at vivobarefoot.com/commune.BiOptimizers:Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.

Estrogen receptors are in nearly every organ in your body, so when estrogen drops, your whole body feels it. OB/GYN and menopause expert Dr. Mary Claire Haver explains what that means for your bones, muscle, heart, brain, and belly fat. Recorded live at the Luminescence event in Texas. Medical school taught her that menopause meant one year without a period and maybe some hot flashes. Then she opened a menopause-only clinic and saw what it really looks like: symptoms most doctors never connect, and women told their labs are "normal" while they feel nothing like themselves. And while the wellness bros chase living to 120, she's after something else: staying strong, independent, and clear-headed for as long as she's here.In this episode: Why perimenopause can start as early as 35, and why no blood test reliably diagnoses it The "big six" silent changes after estrogen loss: osteoporosis, muscle loss, insulin resistance, visceral fat, dementia, and heart disease How a woman can be a "normal" weight and still be metabolically unhealthy, and why BMI is "a good predictor of shame, and that's about it" Her daily targets for protein, fiber, added sugar, and creatine, and why she'd get a bone density scan now instead of waiting until 65 Hormone therapy (HRT) and the window for heart benefits: before 60 or within 10 years of menopause Watching her grandmother and mother decline with dementia, and why she refuses that future for her daughters Find more episodes, live events, retreats, and master classes at luminescence.health.

Women lose up to 20% of their bone density during perimenopause, often silently, until a fracture makes it impossible to ignore. Dr. Vonda Wright, MD, an orthopedic sports surgeon and author of Unbreakable, explains the biology of bone loss, muscle loss, and menopause, and why women, the 51% who make most household and healthcare decisions, still receive only a sliver of research funding after age 40. Recorded live at Luminescence Los Angeles in February 2025. Here's what you'll learn: Why bone functions as an endocrine organ that influences the brain, metabolism, and more The biological drivers of aging: epigenetics, cellular senescence, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction Why lifting heavier weights and eating more protein matter more at midlife than moderate cardio Making hormone decisions based on evidence rather than fear This talk is for anyone concerned about bone density, osteoporosis risk, or building strength through perimenopause and menopause. Topics: bone density, osteoporosis prevention, perimenopause, menopause, strength training, women's health research

55% of women say they've felt gaslit by a doctor. 80% delay care rather than walk into an appointment where they know they won't be heard. In this Luminescence LA conversation, Dr. Mindy Pelz (Fast Like a Girl, The Menopause Reset) and Dr. Robin Berzin, founder and CEO of Parsley Health, talk about why the medical system is built for medicine, not health, and what it actually looks like to walk into a doctor's office as an equal instead of a patient. What you'll hear, and when: [00:00] Mindy's origin story: misdiagnosed at 19, and the homeopathic doctor who changed her life [03:00] The stats behind why healthcare feels broken right now [08:00] The patriarchal medical model, and why chronic disease keeps winning [13:00] "The body heals itself" — the principle Robin says conventional medicine forgot [16:00] Walking in as an equal: treating your doctor like an employee, not an authority [21:00] Why "I don't know" is the hardest thing for a doctor to say, and where GLP-1s fit into our quick-fix culture [26:00] Why only 8% of women get preventive testing [30:00] The closing message: you are the hero of your own health story This episode is for anyone who has left a doctor's office feeling dismissed, and anyone ready to take an active role in their own healthcare.

Menopause is usually talked about in terms of hot flashes and mood swings. But beneath those symptoms are silent, system-wide changes and one of the most important ones happens in the heart. Cardiovascular disease doubles after menopause, and most women aren't told why, when it starts, or what they can do about it. The truth is, perimenopause can begin in your mid-thirties, and the decisions you make in the decade that follows shape the next third of your life. The Heart of Menopause is a master class bringing together four of the leading voices in women's health: journalist and filmmaker Tamsen Fadal, Harvard-trained physician Dr. Sara Szal, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Vonda Wright, and board-certified OB-GYN Dr. Mary Claire Haver. Together, they unpack the science of estrogen and the cardiovascular system, the window of opportunity for hormone therapy, and the practical tools — from biomarker testing to nutrition to resistance training — that protect your heart for the long run. You are not invisible. Let's change the conversation together.

For decades, almost everything we knew about sexual desire and arousal was based on research done on men — and simply assumed to apply to women too. In this conversation, Dr. Cindy Meston, professor of clinical psychology and director of the Female Sexual Psychophysiology Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin, breaks down thirty years of research into how women's desire and arousal actually work, and why the male template got it wrong. Why the science of women's desire is decades behind the science of men's The surprising model that flips the usual order of desire and arousal What an eight-year study found about desire through menopause — and who defied the trend Why a woman's body and her mind don't always agree on when she's turned on The unexpected 20-minute intervention that changed the research This conversation is part of Sex in Menopause, a free masterclass with Naomi Watts featuring sexual health expert Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Cindy Meston, and real women navigating changing bodies and desire most of us were never prepared for. Watch it for free at sexinmenopause.com. Right now there is only one trained menopause provider for every 32,000 women who need care. This episode is for anyone confused by their own changing desire, and anyone who wants the actual science instead of the myths.

Two women, one shared reckoning: perimenopause and menopause arrived and rewrote everything they thought they knew about their bodies, their sex lives, and themselves. In this extended conversation, #1 New York Times bestselling author Gabby Bernstein and sexologist Emily Morse (host of Sex with Emily) open up about the messy, unglamorous entry into midlife hormonal change — rage, hot flashes, vanished libido, and in Gabby's case, a fertility journey that included IVF and pregnancy loss. Emily, meanwhile, is living out her own perimenopause in real time, testing on herself everything she's spent over twenty years teaching other people about pleasure. Both conversations are part of Sex in Menopause, a free masterclass with Naomi Watts featuring sexual health expert Dr. Somi Javaid, psychologist Dr. Cindy Meston, and real women navigating changing bodies, mismatched desire, and identity shifts most of us were never prepared for. Right now there is only one trained menopause provider for every 32,000 women who need care. If sex has disappeared or changed in ways you can't explain, that's not a personal failure. That's a gap in the medical system. In this episode: Menopause as a "spiritual shakedown" — Gabby's reckoning Early perimenopause symptoms & finding real support Marriage, communication & educating a partner Fertility, IVF & pregnancy loss HRT, lifestyle shifts & feeling more herself than ever (Gabby) Preparing for menopause & a message of hope Emily's own perimenopause & why she's not exempt from the confusion Medical dismissal & why doctors aren't trained on this Communication as "lubrication": talking to partners about sex Letting go of duty sex Desire, burnout & the nervous system connection Toys, lube & modern arousal aids, without shame Why midlife can mean the best sex of your life Topics covered: menopause, perimenopause, women's sexual health, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), fertility, IVF, pregnancy loss, low libido, desire, arousal, sex toys, lube, communication in relationships, medical dismissal, nervous system regulation, self-pleasure, healing, spiritual growth, midlife identity, Gabby Bernstein, Emily Morse. If this episode landed for you: watch Sex in Menopause, the free documentary with Naomi Watts, at sexinmenopause.com. For more conversations like this — plus live events, retreats, and past seasons — head to Luminescence.health.

In this episode, board-certified gynecologist and sexual health expert Dr. Somi Javaid — founder of HerMD, who raised $40 million after being told she had "less than a half percent chance" — breaks down exactly what's been missing from women's health care, and what's finally starting to change. She walks through the real gender gap in FDA drug approval (six months for Viagra, six years for the first female libido drug), the black box warning that scared a generation of women off hormone therapy, and why testosterone — not just estrogen — matters for female sexual function and almost nobody gets properly tested for it. Her work is featured throughout Sex in Menopause, a free masterclass with Naomi Watts featuring Dr. Somi, psychologist Dr. Cindy Meston, and real women navigating changing bodies, mismatched desire, and identity shifts most of us were never prepared for. Right now there is only one trained menopause provider for every 32,000 women who need care. If sex has disappeared or changed in ways you can't explain, that's not a personal failure. That's a gap in the medical system. In this episode: The phone call that became her calling — her mother's dismissed heart symptoms The patient who couldn't get help — and why she left traditional OB-GYN care Building HerMD from scratch, and raising $40 million against the odds The real gender gap: Viagra vs. the first female libido drug The black box warning and the hormone therapy scare that set women back decades What HSDD actually is (and what it isn't) Spontaneous vs. responsive desire — why "wanting sex out of nowhere" isn't the only normal Testosterone's role in female libido, mood, and energy — and why almost no one gets tested The surprising reason birth control clears skin (and quietly lowers libido) Your brain as your biggest sex organ Thyroid, medications, and other overlooked causes of low desire When low libido gets mistaken for a lack of love The truth about orgasm and anatomy Femtech tools and innovations — vibrators, erotica apps, and evidence-based supplements The real barriers to care, and her message to women who feel dismissed Topics covered: menopause, perimenopause, women's sexual health, testosterone therapy, HSDD (hypoactive sexual desire disorder), low libido, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), medical dismissal, gender gap in medicine, sexual desire, orgasm, femtech, Dr. Somi Javaid, HerMD, Viagra, Addyi, birth control, brain health, thyroid, biopsychosocial approach, sexual wellness. If this episode landed for you: watch Sex in Menopause, the free documentary with Naomi Watts, at sexinmenopause.com. For more conversations like this — plus live events, retreats, and past seasons — head to Luminescence.health.

You came into this season navigating a transition. You're leaving with a different relationship to what's on the other side of it. This is the season finale of the Luminescence Podcast. Schuyler Grant, Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Sarah de la Torre, and Elena Brower close out by looking forward — to grandchildren, creative reinvention, travel, radical career pivots, and the profound privilege of becoming a wise woman elder. They discuss: Why the mild depression of perimenopause can be a form of protective cocooning — the difference between hormonal anhedonia and clinical depression, and why one might actually serve a purpose What the grandmother hypothesis is — the anthropological theory that women's post-reproductive longevity isn't a biological accident but evolution's design for women elders to hold things together and pass wisdom down How oxytocin shifts in menopause redirect empathy toward more authentic connection — and why women between 45 and 55 are starting businesses at record rates What each panelist is genuinely excited about for the next chapter — grandchildren, music, Qigong, language, travel, and the versions of themselves that are still coming Lightning round verdicts on early retirement, radical career pivots, staying together for the kids, forcing couples therapy, and abundant cleavage after 50 For any woman ready to see this transition not as decline, but as preparation for what might be the most powerful chapter yet. For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health.  Presented by our sponsors: Stripes: Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line. Genova Connect: Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net. LivOn Labs: Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com. BiOptimizers: Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off. Try Schuyler's new personalized yoga app: https://schuylergrant.com/app

Somewhere in your mid-forties, you realize that the compromises you made in your thirties stop sitting right. The relationships that used to feel necessary start feeling optional. The drive to be everything to everyone, quietly or not so quietly, starts to dissolve. In this episode of the Luminescence Podcast, Schuyler Grant sits down with Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Sarah de la Torre, and Elena Brower to get into the liberating, complicated, and sometimes messy reality of giving fewer f*cks in midlife. What does it actually look like when women stop performing and start choosing? They discuss: The neurobiology behind caring less — estrogen decline, oxytocin shifts, and how the post-menopausal brain rewires toward self-prioritization in ways men's more gradual hormonal decline simply doesn't What gray divorce actually looks like — why some of it is liberation, some of it is grief, and all of it is information about what happens when women stop absorbing dysfunction How women are restructuring friendships in midlife — smaller circles, higher standards, and Elena's four-step nonviolent communication framework for ending a friendship without drama Why women between 45 and 55 are starting businesses at record rates — and how the domestic labor imbalance in long-term partnerships quietly builds the resentment that eventually demands change For every woman who has spent decades making herself smaller and is ready to understand what happens when you stop. For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health.  Presented by our sponsors: Stripes: Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line. Genova Connect: Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net. LivOn Labs: Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com. BiOptimizers: Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off. Try Schuyler's new personalized yoga app: https://schuylergrant.com/app

We're all coping with something. The question is whether what we're reaching for is actually helping, or just numbing us from the discomfort we're too busy to sit with. This is part two of the conversation on coping in midlife. Schuyler Grant, Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Sarah de la Torre, and Elena Brower dig into the deeper current running beneath perimenopause: the old traumas that float to the surface when the busyness of building a life no longer keeps them submerged. They discuss: Why resilience is about returning to ease, not powering through — and how service, meditation, sweating, and somatic practices build real neurological resilience instead of just tolerance Why perimenopause is often the first time women address their mental health — and what unresolved trauma looks like in midlife versus what it looks like when it's been metabolized The brain circuitry behind doom-scrolling and every other cortisol loop you can't quit — and why boundaries weren't in Dr. Somi's vocabulary until midlife The 3am worry closet and the divorce wave — why perimenopause, as brutal as it can be, might be the most useful moment to finally deal with what we've been carrying Lightning round verdicts on microdosing, ecstatic dance, California sober, and more For any woman who's tired of just getting through and ready to address what's underneath — midlife has a way of surfacing what you've been too busy to deal with. For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health.  Presented by our sponsors: Stripes: Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line. Genova Connect: Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net. LivOn Labs: Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com. BiOptimizers: Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off. Try Schuyler's new personalized yoga app: https://schuylergrant.com/app

Your favorite coping mechanisms — wine, edibles, even your go-to SSRI — might suddenly betray you in midlife. In this episode of the Luminescence Podcast, Schuyler Grant sits down with Dr. Sarah de la Torre, Elena Brower, and Dr. Somi Javaid to dig into why alcohol hits harder after 40, antidepressants become less reliable, and the things that used to take the edge off start creating new problems instead. They explore the neuroscience of why your old stress relievers stop working as hormones shift. They discuss: Why hormonal shifts change how you experience pleasure, reward, and stress — how declining estrogen affects dopamine and serotonin, and what that means for mood and cravings What makes alcohol and cannabis hit differently during perimenopause and post-menopause — the metabolism changes, sleep disruption, and anxiety that weren't there before The truth about SSRIs in midlife — when they help, when they don't, and what the risks actually are as your brain chemistry changes The real impact of your nightly glass of wine — when it crosses from pleasure into problem, and why that line moves in midlife How to tell the difference between what actually supports you and what just keeps you stuck — and why your coping mechanisms need to evolve For any woman whose go-to stress relief isn't working anymore and wants to understand why — before figuring out what comes next. For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health.  Presented by our sponsors: Stripes: Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line. Genova Connect: Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net. LivOn Labs: Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com. BiOptimizers: Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off. Try Schuyler's new personalized yoga app: https://schuylergrant.com/app