This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil

Latest Episodes:

Perimenopause, HRT, and Why Women Are Being Gaslit Into Thinking It’s “Just Aging” with Dr. Sarah Daccarett | 381 Jan 21, 2026

Show notes

Women’s bodies get endlessly analyzed from the outside… while our internal health gets treated like an optional group project nobody studied for. Cool cool cool.

In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil goes deep on the perimenopause/menopause mess: the years of brain fog, 3 a.m. wake-ups, mood swings, weight gain, and the medical equivalent of a shrug. Enter Dr. Sarah Daccarett, hormone specialist and aging expert, to explain why so many women are confused, dismissed, and exhausted—and why hormone replacement therapy (HRT) should be viewed as foundational health support, not a “last resort once you’re fully miserable.”

What We Cover

Why most women (including doctors) are confused about perimenopause + HRT—and why that’s not your fault
The “natural” misconception: why Sarah argues HRT can be more natural than the supplement aisle
Why waiting for hot flashes is like waiting for your car to explode before you change the oil
Hormones as the “CEO of the body”: brain, bones, metabolism, sleep, libido, digestion—ALL of it
The real problem with “just fix your gut / cortisol / diet” advice when your hormones are the actual root issue
PCOS, insulin resistance, and why “just lose weight” advice can be straight-up useless
Why hormone testing can be wildly unreliable—and why symptoms still matter
Medical gaslighting: how women lose trust in themselves when the system keeps minimizing them

If you’ve been white-knuckling your way through perimenopause symptoms, you’re not weak—you’re under-supported. Better info + better care isn’t “extra,” it’s the bare minimum.

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Connect with Sarah:

Website: www.innerbalance.com

$50 off Discount code: PODCASTDRSARAH

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Big Trust Energy: How to Build Self-Trust When Self-Doubt Won’t Shut Up with Dr. Shadé Zahrai | 380 Jan 19, 2026

Show notes

If you’ve ever waited to “feel confident” before you take the leap… congratulations, you’ve been scammed by your own brain. In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil goes full confidence-nerd (with the occasional rant) with Dr. Shadé Zahrai—behavioral researcher, peak performance educator, and author of Big Trust—to expose what confidence actually is, why self-doubt doesn’t disappear, and how to build real self-trust that holds up when life gets messy.

What we get into:

Why confidence isn’t the opposite of self-doubt (and why that myth keeps you stuck)
The thing you actually need first: self-trust / Big Trust—backing yourself before the outcome is guaranteed
How “failure” can build confidence if you stop making it mean you are a failure
The self-image trap (including a wild scar study that proves your brain will invent reality if you let it)
The Four A’s of Big Trust: Acceptance, Agency, Autonomy, Adaptability (aka the internal upgrades your confidence has been begging for)
The 4 Inner Deceivers (and the bonus villain):

The Classic Judge (never impressed, always loud)
The Misguided Protector (aka fear dressed up as “logic”)
The Ringmaster (grind culture’s toxic BFF)
The Neglector (everyone else first… until you break)
The Victimizer (outsourcing your power like it’s a hobby)

If self-doubt is showing up, it doesn’t mean you’re broken—it means you’re human and doing something that matters. Build Big Trust, take the step anyway, and let confidence catch up like it always does.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/WOMANSWORK with code WOMANSWORK — and if you get a post-purchase survey, mention you heard about Cure here to help support the show!

Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/pd2550-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass.

Connect with Shadé :

Website: https://www.shadezahrai.com/

Book: https://www.shadezahrai.com/bigtrust?utm_source=chatgpt.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/shadezahrai/

LI: https://th.linkedin.com/in/shadezahrai?trk=public_post_feed-actor-name

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shadezahrai?lang=en

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/shadezahrai

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Yell for Help | Unfiltered & Unhinged Jan 16, 2026

Show notes

We need to talk about asking for help — and not the polite, over-explained, apologetic version most of us were taught.

In this unfiltered and slightly unhinged mini-episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil shares a courtside lesson she learned from a group of middle school girls playing basketball — and honestly, they’re doing teamwork, boundaries, and support better than most adults.

When these girls get caught on defense, they don’t spiral, minimize, or pretend they’ve got it handled. They yell “HELP! HELP! HELP!” loudly, clearly, and without shame — fully expecting their teammates to show up. And guess what? They do.

No judgment. No scorekeeping. No martyrdom.

This episode is a reminder that burnout isn’t a badge of honor, doing it all alone isn’t strength, and asking for help early is one of the smartest, strongest things you can do. Because life, love, leadership — it’s all a team sport.

And around here? We answer when someone yells for help. That’s woman’s work.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/pd2550-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass.

Connect with Nicole:

Subscribe to Nicole’s Substack: https://nicolekalil.substack.com/

Join the Inner Circle: https://nicolekalil.myflodesk.com/newsletter

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How To Meal Prep Your Way Into 2026 with Jenn Lueke | 379 Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

Food isn’t just food anymore — it’s guilt, pressure, decision fatigue, and a never-ending group project you didn’t sign up for. In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil sits down with Jenn Lueke (Jen Eats Good) to talk about meal planning, meal prep, grocery shopping on a budget, and how to stop feeding your family like it’s your unpaid side hustle.

Jenn breaks down a simple, realistic system that helps you waste less food, spend less money, and reclaim your weeknights — without turning Sunday into a six-hour kitchen hostage situation or expecting Pinterest-level perfection.

In this episode, we cover: Jenn’s meal planning framework (high-level):

Why most women have a complicated relationship with food (and why it’s not a personal failing)
How to meal plan in 20–30 minutes and save yourself hours of midweek chaos
The pantry–fridge–freezer inventory that stops you from buying your 18th jar of salsa
“Partial prep” for people who hate meal prep
Component cooking so you don’t hate your lunches by Wednesday
Low-stress strategies for picky eaters
How to actually use a cookbook instead of admiring it like kitchen décor

Friday: Inventory + pick meals + grocery list
Weekend: Grocery run + 30–90 minutes of prep
Weeknights: Less thinking, more eating

Because when dinner stops requiring constant brainpower, you get your time, energy, and patience back. And that’s the real win — not perfection, just a system that works for your life instead of draining it.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/WOMANSWORK with code WOMANSWORK — and if you get a post-purchase survey, mention you heard about Cure here to help support the show!

Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/pd2550-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass.

Connect with Jenn:

Website: https://jenneatsgoood.com/

Cookbook: https://jenneatsgoood.com/cookbook/

Substack: https://jenneatsgoood.substack.com/subscribe

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Diversity Isn’t a Strategy - It’s a Leadership Result with Aiko Bethea | 378 Jan 12, 2026

Show notes

Leadership is already messy. Add culture, identity, power dynamics, and a workplace that rewards sameness… and suddenly you’re not leading—you’re surviving. In this episode, Nicole talks with Aiko Bethea, founder of RARE Coaching & Consulting, about what actually creates diversity (spoiler: it’s not a checkbox) and why diversity is the outcome of great leadership.

We get into:

Why “diversity” isn’t a skill set (and why treating it like one makes you a worse leader)
Power-sharing vs. power-hoarding and how that impacts belonging, equity, and performance
The real reason leadership advice feels like a chaotic buffet of contradictions
How to measure leadership impact beyond “we hit the number” (because people aren’t spreadsheets)
Why leaders making mistakes feels riskier than ever—and why ownership is still the right move
The “punching a ghost” feeling when reality is being rewritten in real time
What it means to be a well leader: aligned, accountable, humane—not perfect

Because the goal isn’t to lead like the “stereotypical old-school leader.” The goal is to lead like your full self—and create workplaces where more people can do the same.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/WOMANSWORK with code WOMANSWORK — and if you get a post-purchase survey, mention you heard about Cure here to help support the show!

Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/pd2550-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass.

Connect with Aiko:

Website: https://www.rarecoaching.net/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/rare_coach

Invite to join RARE community - https://www.rarecoaching.net/membership/

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The Universe Is Not Uber Eats: The Truth About Manifesting with Colette Baron-Reid | 377 Jan 07, 2026

Show notes

Manifesting has been turned into a social media vending machine: think it, post it, get it. Spoiler alert: the universe is not Uber Eats.

In this episode, Nicole goes full curious skeptic with Colette Baron-Reid, internationally respected intuitive, oracle expert, and bestselling author—to reclaim manifesting from influencer fluff and bring it back to what it actually is: alignment over attachment, being over chasing, partnership over control.

This is not about “good vibes only” or visualizing a yacht and waiting for it to dock. It’s about who you’re becoming, how you’re showing up, and what you’re rehearsing every single day—consciously or not.

What We Get Into:

Why performative spirituality cheapens real intuition (and why it feels so off)
The truth bomb: you don’t manifest what you want—you manifest what you are
Why attachment to outcomes kills trust, joy, and momentum
How curiosity + gratitude open the door to synchronicity
The science behind perception, focus, and your brain’s internal “sorting system”
Colette’s Art of Manifesting practice: a meditative drawing method using circles and flowy lines to rewire patterns and co-create with intention
Destiny vs. free will—and why it’s not either/or
Why manifesting doesn’t eliminate pain or challenge, but can radically transform how you experience your life

Bottom line: manifesting isn’t a magic trick—it’s a practice. You don’t get to control the universe, but you do get to control how you show up, what you rehearse, and what you’re available for… and that’s where the real power (and real transformation) lives.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/WOMANSWORK with code WOMANSWORK — and if you get a post-purchase survey, mention you heard about Cure here to help support the show!

Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/pd2550-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass.

Connect with Colette:

Website: https://www.colettebaronreid.com

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Manifesting-Meditative-Drawing-Practice/dp/1401997856/ref=

FB: https://www.facebook.com/colettebaronreid

IG: https://www.instagram.com/colettebaron_reid/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ColetteBaronReid/featured

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How To Listen When Your Parts Speak (IFS Therapy + Ancestral Wisdom) with Tamala Floyd | 376 Jan 05, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole sits down with Tamala Floyd - psychotherapist, Internal Family Systems (IFS) Lead Trainer, author, and longtime guide for healing trauma and inherited burdens—to break down what “parts work” actually is (spoiler: you’re not broken, you’re multidimensional). Tamala explains how our protector parts (critic, caretaker, people-pleaser) form to keep our wounded parts safe—and how real healing starts when you stop silencing them and start listening.

What You’ll Learn The Big Takeaway:

What Internal Family Systems (IFS) is—and why “having parts” is normal, not dysfunctional
The difference between Self (your calm, grounded core) and parts (your protective strategies)
How to unblend from parts so you’re not being driven by fear, approval-seeking, or old survival roles
What it looks like to heal wounded parts through witnessing, compassion, and unburdening
A practical workaround if talking to your parts feels “too weird” (drawing, objects, externalizing)

Healing isn’t about becoming one perfect, polished “whole” person. It’s about becoming the leader of your internal system—with your parts on the bus, but not driving the bus.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/WOMANSWORK with code WOMANSWORK — and if you get a post-purchase survey, mention you heard about Cure here to help support the show!

Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/pd2550-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass.

Connect with Tamala:

Website: https://tamalafloyd.com/about/

Book:https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/748042/listening-when-parts-speak-by-tamala-floyd-lcsw/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

The Living Ancestor Retreat: https://mailchi.mp/tamalafloyd.com/listeningwhenpartsspeakretreat-17566020

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Best of 2025: The Top 6 Episodes That Changed Us (And Almost Broke Us) | 375 Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

Six years. 375 episodes. Nearly 2 million downloads in 2025 alone. This episode is a sweaty, unfiltered victory lap — celebrating what worked, what stretched us, what scared the hell out of us, and what clearly mattered most to you, the listener.

Every year, we look at the numbers and let you decide. These aren’t just popular episodes — they’re a reflection of what women were wrestling with, questioning, building, and boldly reimagining in 2025. From spiritual health to entrepreneurship, belief, boundaries, death, defiance, and codependency — this list tells a story.

If you’re new here, welcome — any one of these episodes is a great place to start. If you’ve been here a while, this is your reminder to go back and re-listen. Trust me — they hit differently the second time.

🏆 The Top 6 Most-Listened-To Episodes of 2025

#6 – How Is Your Spiritual Health? with Dr. Lisa Miller | Episode 287 A grounded, research-backed conversation about spirituality that isn’t preachy, dogmatic, or exclusionary — even when the audio wasn’t perfect. Proof that meaningful content beats perfection every time. Connect with Lisa

#5 – How to Defy Expectations with Dr. Sunita Sah | Episode 271 Defiance reframed as values-driven courage, not rebellion for rebellion’s sake. For every woman who’s been conditioned to comply, accommodate, and stay quiet — this one hit hard. Connect with Sunita

#4 – How to Have a Good Death with Suzanne B O’Brien, RN | Episode 292 A calm, compassionate, no-BS conversation about death — and why planning for the end can actually help you live better now. Heavy topic. Powerful impact. Connect with Suzanne

#3 – The Hard Truths of Entrepreneurship with Dr. Darnyelle Jervey Harmon | Episode 313Entrepreneurship without the hustle porn. Honest, funny, deeply validating — even if you’re not building a business. Also: yes, sand-in-the-crotch made the list. Connect with Darnyelle

#2 – What Does a Woman Have to Do to Be Believed? Sexual Assault, Accountability & Double Standards with E. Jean Carroll | Episode 363

Human, sharp, and unexpectedly funny. A conversation about power, credibility, money, belief, and backbone — without turning it into a political shouting match. Connect with E. Jean

#1 – High-Functioning Codependency: When Being the Strong One Is Slowly Killing You with Terri Cole | Episode 341 This episode didn’t just perform — it changed people. Including me. If you’ve ever been “the capable one,” “the reliable one,” or “the one who handles everything,” this is your wake-up call. Connect with Terri

Thank you to our sponsors!

Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/WOMANSWORK with code WOMANSWORK — and if you get a post-purchase survey, mention you heard about Cure here to help support the show!

Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/pd2550-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass.

JOIN NICOLE’S COMMUNITY & GET HER WEEKLY EMAIL! - https://nicolekalil.myflodesk.com/newsletter

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Reinventing Your Career (Again and Again) with Ilana Golan | 374 Dec 29, 2025

Show notes

If you grew up thinking adulthood meant “figure it out once and then coast,” this episode is your loving wake-up call. Reinvention isn’t a plot twist anymore — it is the plot. Careers shift, relationships change, industries get AI’d, and your dreams evolve faster than your LinkedIn headline.

In this conversation, I sit down with Ilana Golan — F-16 flight instructor turned tech exec turned founder & CEO of Leap Academy, a career reinvention platform that helps driven professionals leap into leadership, entrepreneurship, and portfolio careers.

We talk about what it actually takes to reinvent yourself (again and again), build a portfolio career that doesn’t burn you out, and turn your hardest seasons into rocket fuel instead of reasons to shrink.

Because staying stuck isn’t a personality trait. It’s a habit. And you’re allowed to outgrow it.

In This Episode, We Cover:

Reinvention as a life skill, not a crisis – why you’ll need to reinvent every 1–2 years in today’s world, and how to stop making that mean you did something wrong.
IQ, EQ, and now AQ (Adaptability Quotient) – the new metric that matters
Breadcrumbs & clues – how to spot your zone of genius in the patterns, feedback, and “random” skills you’ve picked up along the way.
From failure to fuel – how Ilana rebuilt after being kicked out of her own company, and how to move from spiral to experiment when life blows up.
The 5 days / 5 weeks / 5 months framework – a simple, non-scary way to test new directions without burning your life to the ground.
Portfolio careers 101 – what they are, why one job won’t meet all your needs, and how to add new income/impact streams without looking like a confused hot mess.
Stability and possibility – how to choose a “baseline” role or revenue stream so you feel safe enough to play, experiment, and leap.
Reinvention after rejection, grief, or trauma – why you can’t tell your story from the open wound, and how to move from bleeding to scar to superpower.

Because the moment you stop chasing the life you think you should want, you finally make space for the one that was meant for you all along.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/WOMANSWORK with code WOMANSWORK — and if you get a post-purchase survey, mention you heard about Cure here to help support the show!

Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/pd2550-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass.

Connect with Ilana:

Website: https://www.ilanagolan.com

Leap Academy: https://www.leapacademy.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/ilanagolanleap

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilanagolan/

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ilanagolan-leap-academy

LeapCon (free gift and discount code): http://leapacademy.com/tiww (Code: TIWW)

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The Connection Cure: Social Prescribing, Loneliness, and Why Belonging Is Medicine with Julia Hotz | 373 Dec 24, 2025

Show notes

We’re calling BS on the idea that “health” is only pills, trackers, and willpower. In this conversation with journalist and TEDx speaker Julia Hotz, author of The Connection Cure, we dig into social prescribing—evidence-based referrals to movement, nature, art, service, and belonging—that can lower stress, boost mood, and make our lives feel human again.

Edgy truth: we’ve replaced community with convenience. The remedy? Re-connect to what matters to you and let your nervous system exhale. Julia advises Social Prescribing USA and Walk with a Doc, collaborates with the Solutions Journalism Network, and teaches in medical schools—turning research on connection into care that actually changes lives.

We cover:

What social prescribing actually is (no, your doctor isn’t forcing you to make friends) and why up to 80% of health is socially determined—think stress, access to green space, and community, not just clinic time.
The five social-Rx categories: Movement, Nature, Art, Service, Belonging—and how most prescriptions blend at least two.
A nature-based case study: how a 10-week outdoors program reduced insomnia, rumination, and stress—plus why time in nature can feel like it gives you time back.
From “shoulds” to want to: questions that surface your personal Rx (awe/flow/glimmers, what lit you up as a kid, and where you’d spend two extra hours a week).
Turning workouts into joy: travel-style discovery walks at home, walking groups, or pickup games that deliver cardio and connection.
Blue-zones energy without the gym membership: everyday movement, long chats, shared meals, and community as longevity multipliers.
The U.S. landscape: why social prescriptions can complement meds (not replace them), and how orgs like Social Prescribing USA and Walk with a Doc are moving this forward.

So whether your version of medicine looks like a morning hike, a pottery class, or finally joining that book club, the point isn’t perfection—it’s participation. Because when we choose connection over isolation and curiosity over compliance, we’re not just improving our health—we’re reclaiming our humanity.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/WOMANSWORK with code WOMANSWORK — and if you get a post-purchase survey, mention you heard about Cure here to help support the show!

Visit beducate.me/womanswork69 and use code womanswork69 for 65% off the annual pass.

Black Friday has come early at Cozy Earth! Right now, you can stack my code WOMANSWORK on top of their sitewide sale — giving you up to 40% off in savings.

Connect with Julia:

Website: https://www.hotzthoughts.com/

Social Prescribing: https://www.socialprescribing.co/

Book:https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Connection-Cure/Julia-Hotz/9781668030349?utm_source=chatgpt.com

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Share the Love: If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!

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