Are you trying hard to do everything “right” with your health, eating clean, training hard, prioritizing sleep, but still feeling off? Frustrated with lack of attention to your lab work or feeling lost, not knowing what biomarkers to consider?

If you’re a wellness-minded active woman, especially a runner or endurance athlete age 35 and beyond, the truth is your lab work is telling you a story, EVEN when in range or borderline low/high. Ready to finally understand nuances, specific to your unique body? In this episode, Louise, one of the world’s leading health, fitness, and performance experts, unpacks the biomarkers that can reveal what’s really going on beneath the surface: hormonal shifts, under-fueling, inflammation, thyroid issues, under recovery, exercising incorrectly, cholesterol concerns, blood sugar imbalances, and more!

You’ll learn why standard medical labs often miss critical context for athletic women in perimenopause and beyond, and how to advocate for deeper, more relevant testing with your provider team. Additionally, variances in functional medicine, integrative health, and allopathic medicine are discussed. From interpreting ferritin levels like an athlete to spotting inflammation caused by overtraining, you’ll walk away with real, actionable tools to take charge of your health.

This isn’t just about getting labs done. It’s about getting answers that matter and support that makes a difference. Your performance, energy, and vitality depend on it. You absolutely deserve the knowledge, tools, and context to thrive DESPITE changing hormones, so let's learn, laugh, and level up together!

Link to check out our free nutrition guide and join other fierce lady runners taking charge of their holistic health and fitness in our multi award-winning Badass Breakthrough 1:1 Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Our affiliate link to check Function Health for comprehensive blood work: https://my.functionhealth.com/signup?code=LVALENTINE11&_saasquatch=LVALENTINE11

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(4:42) How to speak your doctor’s language
(6:42) Lab testing without breaking the bank
(9:15) Why A1C is a hidden red flag
(10:57) Ferritin and the endurance athlete
(12:28) Infusions vs. real root cause healing
(14:18) Inflammation markers and overtraining
(16:33) Amino acid profile: The gut and protein story
(18:19) 6-month progress: Biomarkers can change
(22:36) Thyroid testing beyond TSH
(25:21) Liver stress and what it reveals
(28:03) BUN, creatinine, and hydration
(34:05) Improving iron levels with whole foods
(37:22) Comparing traditional vs. integrative ranges
(38:57) Where to get more comprehensive testing
(42:31) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Fitness, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for a simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
support@breakingthroughwellness.com

What if ovulation doesn’t make you feel powerful, radiant, or unstoppable despite what everyone says it should?

In this eye-opening episode, Louise unpacks women's real, messy, and often misunderstood experiences during ovulation. From weight fluctuations and bloating to mood shifts, sleep disruption, and anxiety, your body might be telling a different story, and that doesn’t mean something’s wrong.

With over two decades of experience as a multi-award-winning women's integrative health practitioner and performance scientist, and after countless conversations in her community, Louise shares personal stories, client breakthroughs, and science-backed strategies highlighting one truth: your female body is unique. You’ll learn how to track your cycle more intentionally, respond to your symptoms with compassion, and stop chasing one-size-fits-all advice that doesn’t serve you. Whether you're navigating perimenopause, recovering from birth control, or just trying to make sense of your monthly rhythms, this episode will empower you to understand and support your body better one phase at a time.

Link to Resource Mentioned “This is Your Brain on Birth Control”: https://amzn.to/42L2uck

Link to check out our multi-award-winning Badass Breakthrough 1:1 Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

(0:00) Intro
(4:45) Why active, ambitious women often struggle hormonally
(6:24) Ovulation basics and signs you might not be ovulating
(7:08) A personal infertility journey and what finally worked
(8:48) Whole-food, holistic support for hormone balance
(10:11) Ovulation isn’t amazing for everyone—here’s why
(11:47) When the scale lies: bloating, sleep, and hormones
(13:54) Bowel movements, estrogen, and "weight gain"
(17:39) Sleep, cortisol, and sabotaged hormone health
(18:53) Why tracking your physique matters more than weight
(20:50) “Me too!”—validation from a women’s health community
(23:22) Birth control, your brain, and partner preference
(28:58) Final takeaway: ovulation is not one-size-fits-all
(31:30) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Fitness, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for a simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
support@breakingthroughwellness.com

What if the symptoms you’ve been medicated for aren’t actually you, but your hormones trying to get your attention? While not always the case, sometimes, it is!

In this powerful and refreshingly honest episode, world-renowned health and fitness expert Louise teams up with Coach Amy to share real stories of active women reclaiming their mental and physical health, without relying on endless medications. Together, they unpack the often overlooked mental health concerns that accompany imbalanced hormones, lesser known symptoms of perimenopause, the impact of outdated nutrition, fitness and running strategies draining female hormonal health, and commonly missed root causes of anxiety, depression, and ADHD.

You’ll hear how women from all walks of life—doctors, moms, CEOs, runners—are finally feeling like themselves again through personalized whole food nutrition, strength training, nervous system support, and tracking simple yet strategic daily habits that work with and not against their changing hormones.

This episode is about understanding how your female body works, tuning in instead of tuning out, and reclaiming your power through science-backed individualized holistic care. If you’ve ever been told “this is just your new normal,” this conversation is here to remind you that healing is not only possible, it’s already within you with the right female-specific approach!

Link to check out our free nutrition guide and apply for a free consult to join our multi award-winning Badass Breakthrough 1:1 Academy to thrive through perimenopause with less stress: https://www.breakingthroughwellness.com/

Take advantage of our podcast listener discount and save 20% off all of Kion’s science-backed clean products: https://www.getkion.com/pages/maximizing

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(6:30) The power of nervous system regulation
(8:52) You’re not broken—your hormones are talking
(13:17) Even doctors weren’t taught this
(18:03) Food, not supplements, changes mental health
(21:05) Louise’s raw story of misdiagnosis and healing
(26:55) Why symptoms matter more than diagnoses
(29:55) Acceptance, awareness, and activity: The 3 A’s
(33:35) Perimenopause can start in your 30s
(39:39) Caffeine, cortisol, and anxiety spirals
(42:21) Reversing ADHD-like symptoms with nutrition
(46:57) Rewriting family health stories
(52:26) When diets go too far and trigger panic
(58:16) Why generalized advice doesn’t work
(1:04:27) Everyday wisdom from a real women’s community
(1:12:21) Outro

Tune in weekly to "Maximizing Fitness, Physique, and Running Through Perimenopause" for a simple female-specific science-based revolution. Let's unlock our best with less stress!

I'd love to connect!

Instagram 📷
https://www.instagram.com/breakingthroughwellness

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingThroughWellness

Email 💬 (Note: We do not have guests on our podcast)
support@breakingthroughwellness.com