Live Like a Girl with Dr. Mindy Pelz

Latest Episodes:

Why Everything Feels Harder After 40: Nervous System, Burnout & Letting Go Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

What if the changes you’re experiencing after 40 are asking you to look at more than your hormones?

In this solo episode of Live Like a Girl, Dr. Mindy walks through how she believes women can use the menopausal transition to better understand their nervous systems, reconnect with parts of themselves they may have lost, and begin building the next chapter of life more intentionally.

She explores why so many women arrive in midlife already overwhelmed, why learning to regulate your nervous system may need to come before another health protocol, and how years of putting everyone else first can shape the way women experience this transition.

Later in the episode, LeAnn Rimes joins Dr. Mindy for a candid conversation about overwhelm, perfectionism, boundaries, HRT, nutrition, self-care, and what it looks like to listen to your body while living a very full life.

And for a limited time, you can get Age Like a Girl for $7 with free shipping in the U.S. and Canada only, while supplies last.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

Why nervous system regulation matters so much after 40
How years of over-functioning can catch up with women in midlife
Why play, curiosity, creativity, and speaking your truth matter
How to build your own lifestyle toolbox for menopause
Why women need community as they age
Why saying no can become an important form of self-care
What it means to create the next chapter of your life on your terms

Resources Mentioned

FREE Nervous System Questionnaire
Age Like a Girl (Get your copy for $7 & FREE shipping, limited-time offer)
Reset Academy
Qualia Senolytic, use code MINDY for 15% off

For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep364
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Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, fasting routine, or lifestyle.

Dr. David Perlmutter on Menopause, Metabolism & Protecting Your Brain Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

Women are far more likely than men to develop Alzheimer’s disease, and Dr. David Perlmutter believes one of the most important pieces of that story is metabolic health.

In this episode of Live Like a Girl, Dr. Perlmutter joins Dr. Mindy to explain what happens when the brain’s immune cells shift from protective to destructive, why menopause may increase vulnerability, and how blood sugar, insulin resistance, visceral fat, inflammation, mitochondrial health, and lifestyle all influence brain aging.

They also discuss HRT, GLP-1 medications, ketones, fasting, fiber, exercise, BNDF, sleep, and what women can begin doing in their 30s, 40s, and 50s to support long-term cognitive health.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

Why women face a higher risk of Alzheimer’s
How menopause may affect brain metabolism
Why belly fat and insulin resistance matter for brain health
The blood markers Dr. Perlmutter watches most closely
What emerging research says about GLP-1 drugs and the brain
The lifestyle habits Dr. Perlmutter prioritizes for prevention

Resources Mentioned

More on Dr. David Perlmutter

For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: https://www.drmindypelz.com/ep363/

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How to Train Your Body to Burn Fat After 40 Aug 19, 2026

Show notes

If you’re eating less, exercising more, and fasting harder but still struggling to lose weight after 40, Dr. Mindy wants you to approach fat loss differently. This solo episode of Live Like a Girl is a special compilation of two of Dr. Mindy’s teachings on fat burning and metabolic health after 40.

In the first half, she breaks down why fat loss can become more challenging as estrogen changes and shares five strategies for training your body to become more metabolically flexible, from strength training and walking to fasting, protein pacing, and sleep.

Then she turns to dietary fat and explains why the type of fat you eat matters. She walks through visceral fat, omega fatty acids, and five foods she uses to support a healthier metabolic environment.

The common thread throughout both conversations: fat loss after 40 requires a strategy that works with your changing metabolism.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

Why fat loss can become harder after 40
How estrogen influences metabolism and body-fat distribution
What protein pacing means and how Mindy uses it
Why walking is an underrated metabolic tool
The difference between visceral and subcutaneous fat
Why Mindy pays attention to the types of dietary fats she eats
Five foods she recommends adding to a fat-loss strategy

Resources Mentioned:

For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep362

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Laila Ali: Why I Stopped Trying to Outwork My Hormones Aug 17, 2026

Show notes

Laila Ali spent years training to win. As an undefeated professional boxer, her body was her career. She knew exactly how to train harder, eat less, and make weight when she needed to. Then perimenopause changed the rules.

In this episode of Live Like a Girl, Laila joins Dr. Mindy for an honest conversation about what happened when her old strategies stopped working, why she eventually stopped trying to outwork her hormones, and how fasting helped her build a completely different relationship with her body.

They talk about long fasts, exercising while fasting, food noise, refeeding, sugar cravings, body image, the scale, stress, and what it means to train for health instead of performance.

Laila also shares how she talks to her teenage daughter about fasting, why she refuses to make healthy eating feel like punishment, and the lesson she learned from becoming a boxer against Muhammad Ali’s wishes: sometimes the most important thing you can do is listen to the spark inside you.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why Laila stopped trying to outwork her hormones
How fasting changed her relationship with food and control
What she learned from doing longer fasts
How she exercises during a fast
Why refeeding matters after an extended fast
How she thinks about weight, muscle, and body image now
Why stress can derail even strong health routines
How she talks to her daughter about fasting
Why she no longer counts macros
What Muhammad Ali taught her about following your own path

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Resources & Supplements Mentioned

A Spark of Greatness by Laila Ali
Laila's Organic Spice Blends
Zero Fasting App
Fast Like a Girl
Qualia Creatine+ (use code MINDY for 15% off)
Infrared Sauna
Red Light Therapy
Electrolytes
Bone Broth (use code MINDY10 for 10% off)

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More on Laila Ali

For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep361

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5 Signs Your Nervous System Is Healing, Even If You Feel Worse First Aug 12, 2026

Show notes

Healing your nervous system does not always feel peaceful at first.

In this solo episode of Live Like a Girl, Dr. Mindy explains why fatigue, crying, irritability, digestive changes, and even discomfort with stillness can sometimes show up as your nervous system begins moving out of a chronically activated state.

She breaks down the relationship between heart rate variability, vagal tone, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and why learning to move more easily between stress and recovery may be one of the most important skills you can build for your health.

Resources Mentioned

In this episode you'll learn:

Why increased fatigue may appear when your body finally begins resting
Why crying and irritability can surface during nervous system healing
How your digestion reflects your nervous system state
Why stillness can feel unsafe when your body is accustomed to constant activation
How 4-7-8 breathing can support the parasympathetic nervous system
Why nature can be one of the simplest nervous system tools
How magnesium and sleep routines may help
Why humming, gargling, and chanting can support vagal tone
When getting support from a practitioner or community may be helpful

For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep360

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How My Opinion of Fasting Changed After Talking to Dr. Jason Fung Aug 10, 2026

Show notes

I’ve been teaching fasting for years, but this conversation with Dr. Jason Fung made me rethink a few things.

Dr. Fung joins me to share how his thinking has evolved since publishing The Obesity Code, including what newer research suggests about longer fasts and why modified fasting may be more useful than many people realize.

We talk about whether a strict water-only fast is always necessary, how fasting aids such as bone broth, avocado, or olives may help someone continue longer, and why using a little support during a fast is not automatically “cheating.”

Dr. Fung also breaks down the three types of hunger and explains why food noise is not always a sign that your body needs fuel. Sometimes hunger is physical. Sometimes it is emotional. And sometimes it is simply a pattern your brain has learned from your environment.

This conversation reminded me that fasting does not have to be rigid to be effective. The goal is not to win at fasting. The goal is to use it in a way that supports your metabolic health and still works in your real life.

In this episode you'll learn:

How Dr. Fung’s thinking has evolved since writing The Obesity Code
Why the calorie-focused model of weight loss leaves out hormones
What the body decides to do with the calories you eat
The difference between water-only fasting and modified fasting
Why modified fasting may be easier to sustain
Whether eating during a fasting window automatically eliminates the benefits
Dr. Fung’s perspective on GLP-1 medications
How to approach the first meal after a fast
Dr. Fung’s three foundational rules for metabolic health

Resources Mentioned:

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More on Dr. Jason Fung

Dr. Jason Fung is a physician, researcher, and bestselling author known for his work on fasting, insulin resistance, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic health. He is the author of The Obesity Code, The Complete Guide to Fasting, The Diabetes Code, The Cancer Code, and The Hunger Code. He is also a co-founder of The Fasting Method, an online community that provides education, coaching, and support on fasting and metabolic health.

For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep359

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The 5 Weight-Loss Lies Keeping Women Stuck Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

For decades, women have been taught to lose weight by eating less, doing more cardio, and watching the number on the scale.

But losing weight is not always the same as becoming healthier.

In this solo episode, Dr. Mindy breaks down a recent meta-analysis showing that adults between 60 and 75 years old were able to lose body fat, gain lean muscle, improve blood pressure, and build functional strength through resistance training.

She also challenges five of the most persistent weight-loss myths women have been taught, including the idea that cardio is the best way to burn fat, hunger is a willpower problem, and the scale is the most important measure of progress.

You’ll learn how protein, resistance training, sleep, blood-sugar tracking, and progressive challenge can help you improve body composition without sacrificing your muscle or metabolic health.

Weight loss is not a character test. It is a strategy, and most women were simply given the wrong one.

Resources Mentioned

For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep358

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Why Creativity Belongs in Your Health Routine with Dr. Daisy Fancourt Aug 03, 2026

Show notes

Most women know they should move their bodies, eat well, and protect their sleep. But creativity rarely makes the list.

In this conversation, Dr. Mindy sits down with Dr. Daisy Fancourt to explore the growing body of research showing that art is far more than entertainment or decoration. Music, reading, dancing, crafting, storytelling, and even spending time with a painting can affect stress, mood, cognition, connection, and the nervous system.

Daisy explains why creative activities can help the brain enter a state of flow, how music can slow the heart rate, and why reading fiction may strengthen empathy by allowing us to experience the world through another person’s perspective. She also shares why knitting, singing, dancing, and other so-called “grandmother hobbies” are finding their way back into modern life.

In this episode you'll learn:

Why creativity became separated from everyday life
How to choose music that meets your nervous system where it is
How regular creative activity may support healthier cortisol patterns
Why book clubs provide more than a reason to read
What the research suggests about art, brain fog, and cognitive reserve
Whether online creative classes offer the same benefits as meeting in person
Simple ways to bring more creativity into everyday life

Resources Mentioned

Art Cure by Daisy Fancourt
Instagram: @daisy.fancourt

More on Daisy Fancourt

Dr. Daisy Fancourt is a researcher and author whose work examines the effects of arts and cultural engagement on health and well-being.

Her research explores how activities such as music, reading, crafting, dancing, and visiting cultural spaces may influence mental health, stress, cognition, social connection, and physical health. She has published extensively in the field and works on projects examining the biological, psychological, and social effects of creative participation.

For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep357

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40% of Us are Constantly Hungry & Exhausted – What Your Body is Trying to Tell You Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

If you are hungry all the time, exhausted after meals, craving sugar, or suddenly gaining weight around your middle, your body may be signaling something deeper than a need to eat less.

In this solo episode, Dr. Mindy explains why nearly four in ten American adults now meet the criteria for metabolic syndrome—a collection of warning signs that can include elevated blood sugar, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, increased waist circumference, and changes in liver health.

She breaks down four common drivers that can quietly push the body toward metabolic dysfunction: unstable blood sugar, chronic stress, poor sleep, and inflammation associated with excess body fat.

You will also learn why crash dieting, excessive cardio, and relying on appetite-suppressing supplements rarely address the real problem. Instead, Dr. Mindy shares five practical ways to support your metabolism through food order, walking after meals, resistance training, better sleep, and a more flexible approach to fasting.

Your body is not working against you. It may simply need a different strategy.

In This Episode

What metabolic syndrome is and why it is better understood as a group of warning signs
The role insulin plays in deciding whether glucose is used for energy or stored
Why crash dieting and aggressive calorie restriction may make matters worse
Why cardio alone is not the best strategy for improving metabolic health
How to build a blood-sugar-stabilizing plate
Why resistance training is especially important for women
How muscle acts as a storage site for glucose
Practical ways to build strength without spending hours in the gym
What “flex fasting” means

Resources Mentioned

For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep356

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LeAnn Rimes on Perimenopause, Rage, Grief, and Starting Over Jul 27, 2026

Show notes

LeAnn Rimes joins Dr. Mindy for a deeply honest conversation about what perimenopause has brought to the surface in her life.

She opens up about the unpredictability of her hormones, the exhaustion of trying to maintain the same pace she has carried for decades, and the difference between anxious thoughts and anxiety that lives in the body.

Together, LeAnn and Dr. Mindy explore why perimenopause can make old wounds feel louder, why hormone therapy can help without solving everything, and what it looks like to slow down when your identity has always been tied to performing, producing, and pushing through.

This is a conversation about hormones, but it is also about identity, capacity, anger, rest, and the question so many women begin asking in midlife: who do I want to be now?

In this episode you'll learn:

The difference between mental anxiety and physical “body anxiety”
Why LeAnn has had to change her relationship with rest
What happens when your life still demands more than your body can give
The grief women may experience around motherhood, identity, and missed choices
Why hormone replacement therapy is not always a simple fix
How perimenopause can force women to reconsider who they have always been

More on LeAnn Rimes

LeAnn Rimes is a 2x Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, performer, and actress whose career has spanned more than 30 years. She rose to fame as a teenager and has since built a career across music, television, writing, and live performance. In recent years, LeAnn has also spoken openly about mental health, trauma, psoriasis, anxiety, and the realities of growing up in the public eye. She currently stars in 9-1-1: Nashville and is touring in celebration of the 30th anniversary of her album Blue.

For more resources related to today’s episode, visit the podcast episode page: drmindypelz.com/ep355

Connect with Dr. Mindy:

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