In this episode of the 40s Forward Podcast, Dr. Betsy Greenleaf takes a deep, science-backed, and refreshingly honest look at why so many adults over 40 feel cold all the time. What is often dismissed as "just aging" is actually a powerful physiological signal related to metabolism, hormones, muscle mass, mitochondrial health, and nervous system balance.

This episode explains why cold intolerance increases with age, how it connects to energy production at the cellular level, and what practical lifestyle medicine strategies can help restore warmth, resilience, and vitality.

Shocking Truths Discussed:
• Cold is an energy problem, not a weather problem
• Feeling cold is a sign of metabolic conservation
• Many people who feel cold are under-fueled, not broken
• Muscle is your body's internal heat generator
• Stress can make you cold even if you eat well

Common Questions Answered:
• Why am I always cold now?
• Is feeling cold just part of aging?
• Do hormones affect body temperature?
• Why are my hands and feet always cold?
• Can cold showers or plunges help?
• Should I just move somewhere warmer?

Key Science Explained (In Plain Language):
• How metabolism creates heat
• The role of thyroid hormones in temperature regulation
• Estrogen, progesterone, and thermoregulation
• Testosterone, muscle mass, and heat production
• Cortisol, stress, and circulation
• Mitochondria as the body's internal furnaces

Mitochondria & Cold Intolerance:
• Mitochondria convert food into energy and heat
• Aging, stress, and inflammation reduce efficiency
• Poor mitochondrial function lowers heat production
• Lifestyle interventions can support mitochondrial health

Cold Exposure: Cold Showers & Cold Plunges:
• Cold exposure is training, not punishment
• Improves circulation and vascular flexibility
• Supports mitochondrial efficiency
• Must be brief, intentional, and followed by warming
• Very different from being cold all day due to imbalance

What Does NOT Work:
• Wearing endless layers without addressing physiology
• Chronic dieting or under-eating
• Excessive cardio without strength training
• Ignoring sleep and recovery
• Dismissing symptoms as "just aging"

What Actually Works:
• Eating enough calories and protein
• Strength training to build heat-producing muscle
• Supporting thyroid and hormone balance
• Improving sleep quality
• Managing chronic stress
• Strategic cold exposure
• Addressing nutrient deficiencies (iron, B12, iodine, selenium)
• Evaluating hormones when symptoms persist

Key Takeaways:
• Feeling cold is feedback, not failure
• Cold intolerance is often reversible
• Hormones, muscle, and metabolism all matter
• Your body is conserving energy for a reason
• Resilience can be rebuilt

Who This Episode Is For:
• Adults over 40 who feel cold all the time
• Women in perimenopause or menopause
• Men experiencing metabolic or hormonal changes
• Anyone with fatigue, low energy, or cold extremities
• People told "everything is normal" but who feel otherwise

Key Quote:
"Feeling cold isn't just aging — it's information."

If this episode gave you language to better understand your body and advocate for yourself, that's the goal. Cold intolerance deserves curiosity, not dismissal. Learning how metabolism, hormones, and lifestyle work together can help you restore warmth, strength, and vitality moving forward.

Thank you for listening to the 40s Forward Podcast.

In this episode of 40s Forward, Dr. Betsy Greenleaf addresses the widespread belief that hormones are dangerous—a misconception rooted in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study published in 2001.

Dr. Greenleaf explains what the WHI actually studied, why its findings were misunderstood, and how fear-based messaging has affected hormone care for decades.

This episode explores the science of hormone metabolism, including estrogen pathways and why synthetic, non-bioidentical hormones used in the WHI preferentially metabolize down pathways that can create toxic metabolites. Dr. Greenleaf also explains why hormone excess—whether synthetic or naturally occurring—can overwhelm detoxification pathways and increase risk, emphasizing that balance is key.

Key Topics Covered:
• What the WHI study actually evaluated
• Differences between synthetic and bioidentical hormones
• Estrogen metabolism and the 4-hydroxy pathway
• How toxic metabolites can damage DNA under certain conditions
• Why excess hormones increase risk—even natural ones
• Obesity, estrogen excess, and cancer risk
• Hormone balance for both women and men
• Risks of online hormone programs without testing
• Why individualized, monitored care matters

Key Takeaways:
• Hormones are powerful—not inherently dangerous
• Balance matters more than fear
• Synthetic hormones behave differently than natural hormones
• Excess estrogen increases risk regardless of source
• Responsible hormone therapy requires testing and monitoring

Who This Episode Is For:
• Women in perimenopause or menopause
• Men navigating testosterone decline or estrogen excess
• Anyone concerned about hormone safety
• Individuals considering hormone therapy
• Patients currently using hormones without proper oversight

Resources & Next Steps:
Learn more about personalized hormone care at PauseInstitute.com
Explore pelvic and sexual wellness tools at the Pelvic Floor Store
Discover integrative products from Greenleaf Nutraceuticals

Key Quote:
"Hormones are not the enemy. Fear is not medicine. Balance is the answer."

Is Diabetes Reversible?
Dr. Beverly Yates Explains What Most Doctors Miss

What if diabetes isn't a life sentence—but a metabolic wake-up call?

In this powerful episode of the 40s Forward Podcast, Dr. Betsy Greenleaf sits down with Dr. Beverly Yates, a nationally respected expert in metabolic health, to unpack one of the most misunderstood questions in modern medicine:

Is diabetes reversible?

Together, they explore why conventional approaches so often fail—especially in midlife—and what's frequently missed in standard care, particularly for women navigating hormonal shifts, insulin resistance, weight gain, and chronic inflammation.

You'll learn:

• Why blood sugar issues often begin years before diagnosis

• The difference between reversal, remission, and management

• How hormones after 40 affect insulin sensitivity

• Why "eat less, move more" stops working in midlife

• What most doctors miss when treating diabetes and prediabetes

• Practical, science-backed strategies to support metabolic health

This episode is essential listening for anyone over 40 who wants to understand the root causes of diabetes and take a more empowered, whole-body approach to metabolic health.

Amazon Link to Book:
The Yates Protocol: Five Simple Steps to Fix Your Blood Sugar and Reverse Type 2 Diabetes
by Dr. Beverly Yates
👉 https://amzn.to/3YWyJ5H

Subscribe to the 40s Forward Podcast so you never miss an episode
Join Dr. Betsy's email list for midlife health insights and upcoming programs
Learn more about integrative, hormone-aware approaches to metabolic health
Always consult your healthcare provider before making medical or lifestyle changes

If calorie counting, cardio, and "doing more" used to work—but don't anymore—this episode explains why.

In this episode of the 40s Forward Podcast, Dr. Betsy Greenleaf breaks down the real biology of midlife metabolism and why traditional weight-loss advice fails after 40. Your metabolism isn't broken—it has changed. And fighting it only makes things worse.

After 40, muscle loss, hormonal shifts, insulin resistance, elevated cortisol, poor sleep, and inflammation all change how your body processes food and stores fat. This episode explains what's actually happening—and how to reset your metabolism using science-backed strategies that work with midlife physiology, not against it.

• Why metabolism changes after 40
• The critical role of muscle in fat loss and energy
• Why calories-in/calories-out fails in midlife
• How stress and cortisol drive fat storage
• The powerful connection between sleep and metabolism
• The 5 biggest metabolic saboteurs after 40
• Why eating less and doing more cardio backfires

Dr. Greenleaf introduces a smarter approach to midlife metabolism that focuses on:
• Protein-first nutrition
• Muscle-building as medicine
• Cortisol-aware exercise
• Hormone optimization
• Gut health and inflammation repair

"Your metabolism isn't broken—it has changed."
"Hormones decide what happens to calories, not math."
"Muscle is the metabolic engine."
"Midlife bodies don't need less—they need smarter."

This episode is essential for anyone navigating weight gain, low energy, stubborn fat, or metabolic frustration after 40.

• Learn more about hormone, metabolism, and vitality optimization at PauseInstitute.com
• Explore pelvic and sexual wellness products at the Pelvic Floor Store
• Discover the Muse Headband for stress and nervous system support
• Download Insight Timer and search for DrBetsyGreenleaf

🎧 Subscribe to the 40s Forward Podcast for weekly conversations on hormones, metabolism, energy, and thriving after 40.

Because life doesn't decline after 40 — it evolves.

If your labs are "normal" but your symptoms aren't…
If you're confused, frustrated, or afraid of hormones…

This episode will change how you understand your body.

In this episode of the 40s Forward Podcast, Dr. Betsy Greenleaf explains why hormone therapy fails so many people — and why the problem is not your hormones, but the outdated, incomplete way hormones are treated.

Hormones are chemical messengers that influence energy, metabolism, mood, sleep, libido, cognition, confidence, and aging. Treating hormones in isolation — without addressing stress, gut health, inflammation, and lifestyle — often leads to disappointing results.

• Why "normal labs" don't always mean optimal
• Why estrogen alone doesn't fix menopause
• Why testosterone alone doesn't fix libido
• How stress, gut health, and inflammation sabotage hormones
• The truth behind common hormone myths affecting women and men over 40

Dr. Greenleaf introduces a smarter, integrative framework that views hormones as interconnected systems, not isolated numbers — and shares real examples of what changes when the root cause is addressed.

• Understand what comprehensive hormone testing should include
• Learn how to recognize hormone therapy done incorrectly
• Stop fearing hormones and start understanding them
• Trust your symptoms — not just lab ranges

• Learn more about hormone, metabolism, and vitality optimization at PauseInstitute.com
• Explore pelvic and sexual wellness products at the Pelvic Floor Store
• Discover the Muse Headband for stress and nervous system support
• Download Insight Timer and search for DrBetsyGreenleaf

🎧 Subscribe to the 40s Forward Podcast for weekly conversations on hormones, metabolism, libido, energy, and living fully after 40.

Because life doesn't decline after 40 — it evolves.

Have you ever looked in the mirror after 40 and thought,
"Why isn't anything working the way it used to?"

You're eating well.
You're exercising.
You're doing "all the right things."
And yet your energy is lower, your sleep is off, your weight is harder to manage, your stress feels heavier, and your libido may not feel like you anymore.

In this episode of 40s Forward, Dr. Betsy Greenleaf breaks down why everything changes after 40 — and more importantly, how to get it back.

This is not about aging, willpower, or discipline.
It's about biology, hormones, metabolism, stress, and how your body recalibrates in midlife.

You'll learn why traditional diet and exercise advice stops working, how hormone shifts quietly affect everything from confidence to desire, and what actually supports vitality, strength, and performance after 40 — in life, at work, and in the bedroom.

If you've felt frustrated, confused, or told "this is just part of getting older," this episode will change how you think about your body — and what's possible next.

• Why your metabolism, sleep, and energy shift after 40

• The hidden role hormones play in weight, mood, and libido

• Why stress affects your body differently in midlife

• Why doing more is often the wrong strategy

• How to work with your biology instead of fighting it

• What it really takes to feel vibrant, confident, and alive again

This episode sets the foundation for everything we'll explore on 40s Forward — because midlife isn't a decline.

It's a recalibration.

And when you understand the rules, everything changes.

Learn more about hormone and vitality optimization at PauseInstitute.com
Explore pelvic and sexual wellness tools at the Pelvic Floor Store

The holidays are supposed to be joyful — but for many people over 40, they can feel overwhelming, exhausting, and quietly stressful.

In this special episode of 40s Forward, Dr. Betsy Greenleaf breaks down why the holidays hit harder after 40 and how to protect your energy, hormones, metabolism, and emotional well-being without guilt or perfectionism.

You'll learn why your body responds differently to stress, sugar, alcohol, late nights, and family dynamics in midlife — and how to navigate the season with grace, strategy, and self-leadership instead of burnout.

This episode is not about restriction, detoxes, or "starting over in January."
It's about enjoying the holidays, supporting your biology, and setting yourself up for a New Year that actually sticks.

• Why holiday stress feels more intense after 40

• How cortisol, sleep disruption, and blood sugar affect your mood, weight, and energy

• Simple ways to enjoy holiday food without metabolic sabotage

• Alcohol, hormones, and why intention matters more than avoidance

• Supportive movement vs. punishment-based exercise

• Why New Year's resolutions fail — and what works instead

• How to create biology-aligned goals that last beyond February

If you've ever felt like the holidays derail your health — or that January becomes a season of punishment — this episode will change how you approach both.

Learn more about hormone, metabolism, and vitality optimization at PauseInstitute.com
Explore pelvic and sexual wellness products at the Pelvic Floor Store
Discounted Muse Headband at Muse
Insight Timer and look for DrBetsyGreenleaf

Because life doesn't decline after 40 — it evolves.