Perimenopause is not just about hormones, it’s a metabolic transition that affects insulin sensitivity, gut health, stress tolerance, and long-term disease risk.
In this episode, Cynthia Thurlow, board-certified nurse practitioner and functional medicine expert, explains how women’s metabolism changes in midlife and why insulin resistance, poor stress resilience, and gut dysfunction often appear years before menopause.
She breaks down how perimenopause can begin earlier than most women expect, why symptoms vary so widely, and how lifestyle factors like fasting, exercise intensity, sleep, alcohol, and chronic stress interact with hormones during this transition.
Join the most comprehensive *female-specific community for health and longevity optimization.* After over a decade dedicated to human performance and women’s health, I created this space to share everything you need to know to optimize health and lifespan. Inside, you’ll get access to exclusive protocols, live Q&As, the latest female longevity science, and a private, supportive community of like-minded women.https://kayla-barnes-lentz.circle.so/checkout/become-a-member
This conversation explores:
Why insulin resistance often emerges in perimenopause
How stress and trauma shape metabolic and hormonal health
The role of gut health in PMS, mood, and estrogen balance
When fasting helps women and when it makes things worse
Why “doing everything right” can still lead to symptoms
How to individualize nutrition, training, and recovery in midlife
On this juicy episode of Harrytales, Harry is joined by Chelsea Vaughn, the model, podcaster, and influencer who starred on the 25th season of The Bachelor. Chelsea spills all sorts of Bach Nation tea, from what it’s like to be ON The Bachelor to whether or not there’s a waxing lady on set. Plus, her …
James Nestor is a journalist and an author. Today we discuss the power of your breath. James has written for Scientific American, Outside Magazine, The New York Times, The Atlantic, National Public Radio, Surfer’s Journal, The San Francisco Chronicle, and several other publications. In short, James Nestor believes that the world has lost the ability to breathe properly. After …
Today I sit down with my good friend Dr. Casey Means. She is a metabolic health expert and About Good Energy What if depression, anxiety, infertility, insomnia, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s dementia, cancer and many other health conditions that torture and shorten our lives actually have the same root cause? The …
Taylor Eyewalker has administered the potent South American medicine kambo to thousands of people (including me). Kambo is a special frog secretion long used as a medicine by Amazonian shamans. It is known to induce intense vomiting and clear the body of unwanted energies. In this episode, we discuss my own (intense) kambo experience, Taylor’s …
Brain Biohacking with Kayla Barnes — Cynthia Thurlow, NP: Perimenopause, Insulin Resistance and Midlife Metabolism
Perimenopause is not just about hormones, it’s a metabolic transition that affects insulin sensitivity, gut health, stress tolerance, and long-term disease risk.
In this episode, Cynthia Thurlow, board-certified nurse practitioner and functional medicine expert, explains how women’s metabolism changes in midlife and why insulin resistance, poor stress resilience, and gut dysfunction often appear years before menopause.
She breaks down how perimenopause can begin earlier than most women expect, why symptoms vary so widely, and how lifestyle factors like fasting, exercise intensity, sleep, alcohol, and chronic stress interact with hormones during this transition.
Join the most comprehensive *female-specific community for health and longevity optimization.* After over a decade dedicated to human performance and women’s health, I created this space to share everything you need to know to optimize health and lifespan. Inside, you’ll get access to exclusive protocols, live Q&As, the latest female longevity science, and a private, supportive community of like-minded women.https://kayla-barnes-lentz.circle.so/checkout/become-a-member
This conversation explores:
Why insulin resistance often emerges in perimenopause
How stress and trauma shape metabolic and hormonal health
The role of gut health in PMS, mood, and estrogen balance
When fasting helps women and when it makes things worse
Why “doing everything right” can still lead to symptoms
How to individualize nutrition, training, and recovery in midlife
Connect with Kayla:
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/kaylabarnes/
TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@femalelongevity
Twitter:https://x.com/femalelongevity
Website:https://www.kaylabarnes.com/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@KaylaBarnesLentz
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast…Website:https://www.protocol.kaylabarnes.com
Learn more about Cynthia Thurlow
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cynthia_thurlow_/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/cynthiathurlow
Website: https://www.cynthiathurlow.com/
Pre-order her upcoming book: The Menopause Gut (28th of April 2026):https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/777129/the-menopause-gut-by-cynthia-thurlow-np/?mcp…
ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) questionnaire:https://www.acesaware.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/ACE-Questionnaire-for-Adults-Identified-English-rev.7.26.22.pdf
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