What happens when a world class athlete and mindset coach meets the menopause transition? We find out this week with champion mountain bike racer and mental performance coach Sonya Looney, who dug deep into her positive psychology toolkit to navigate her compressed midlife journey through pregnancy, postpartum, motherhood, miscarriage, perimenopause, and the performance/identity challenges they bring. She shares hormone therapy insights, nutrition shifts, powerlifting gains, training for who you are now, acceptance without resignation, and much more.

Sonya Looney is a World Champion (24-hour racing) mountain biker and 4x National Champion, a positive psychology researcher, and internationally recognized performance expert. She holds a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she won an award for her research on meaningful accomplishment. Sonya is a sought-after keynote speaker, performance coach, and podcast host, whose work bridges elite sport, science, and human insight. Her ideas have appeared in major media from The Washington Post to Outside Magazine , and she has been featured in a New York Times Best-selling book. Passionate about helping high performers find lasting fulfillment, Sonya integrates evidence-based strategies and personal experience to redefine what it means to truly matter, and she is a forthcoming author on that subject! Learn more about her and her work at sonyalooney.com

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Active women are often blindsided by an osteopenia or osteoporosis diagnosis. This week, we explain why—and, more importantly, what to do about it—with Professor Belinda Beck, PhD, investigator on the groundbreaking LIFTMOR trial, which found that high-intensity resistance and impact training was both effective and safe for postmenopausal women with low bone density. This episode is a deep dive into how bone remodeling works and why mechanical loading—especially the right combination of impact exercise and progressive heavy strength training—is essential for building and maintaining bone strength. We also cover peak bone mass, estrogen, menopause, and the foundational role of nutrition, including calcium and vitamin D, in supporting stronger bones for life.

Dr Belinda Beck is a Professor of Exercise Physiology at Griffith University (Gold Coast, QLD) and Director of The Bone Clinic in Brisbane. Her work, primarily related to the effects of mechanical loading on bone, includes a series of clinical trials (the LIFTMOR and MEDEX-OP trials) that changed the way osteoporosis is managed with exercise. In 2015, she established The Bone Clinic, a translational research facility and clinical practice in Brisbane providing the ONERO® exercise program for osteoporosis which has been licensed for delivery around the world. She has been awarded almost $8M in research funding and has published over 150 papers and chapters in the field. She is a Fellow of numerous bone and exercise societies (including ACSM, ASBMR, ESSA and SMA), is on the Board of the Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society, Sports Medicine Australia, the SOS Fracture Alliance, the International Osteoporosis Foundation Capture the Fracture Governance Committee, and the Healthy Bones AustraliaMedicine and Science Advisory Committee.

Resources:

High-Intensity Resistance and Impact Training Improves Bone Mineral Density and Physical Function in Postmenopausal Women With Osteopenia and Osteoporosis: The LIFTMOR Randomized Controlled Trial here

The Bone Clinic & ONERO® program

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We have questions–lots and lots of questions–on hormone therapy during the menopause transition, and this week Dr. Heather Hirsch — menopause specialist and author of The Perimenopause Survival Guide — brings her signature blend of clinical wisdom and data-informed, personalized care to help answer them. Perimenopause is the most complex phase of the menopause transition, and this conversation goes deep on the pros and cons of hormone testing, the nuances of hormone therapy dosing, progesterone intolerance, breakthrough bleeding, receptor sensitivity, why it may never be too late to start hormone therapy, and much more.

Dr. Heather Hirsch, MD, MS, MSCP is a board-certified internist, entrepreneur, and one of today's most trusted voices in women's midlife health. She is the Founder and CEO of The Collaborative, a concierge telemedicine practice for women navigating perimenopause and menopause, and Academy for Advanced Women's Health Medicine, where she trains clinicians worldwide in midlife women’s care. A Menopause Society Certified Practitioner with over a decade of experience in menopausal medicine, she is the author of the bestselling book Unlock Your Menopause Type and, The Perimenopause Survival Guide. A featured expert on Oprah Winfrey’s 2023 “The Life You Want” Series, Dr. Hirsch has also appeared in The New York Times, NPR, The Washington Post, The Drew Barrymore Show, Live with Kelly and Mark, Access Hollywood, and numerous other major media outlets. You can learn more about her and her work at heatherhirschmd.com.

Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feisty.co/feisty-40/

Join Feisty at the Grand Traverse in Duluth, MN on October 3rd! Use code FEISTY20 for $20 off when you register at https://feisty.co/events/the-grand-traverse/

Learn More about our 2026 Feisty Events, including Bike Camps and Cycling Trips: https://feisty.co/events/

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Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause

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Support our Partners:

Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 20% off

Eternal - Get 15% off their services with code FEISTY15 at https://eternal.co

Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/

Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/

Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr