If your body feels tired, foggy or unfamiliar, this conversation might change how you see yourself. January can feel like a strange in-between. The world is telling us to reset, optimise, and transform. But our bodies are often saying something much quieter: I’m tired. I need care. I need kindness. In this episode, Zoe sits down with Dr Mindy Pelz for a conversation that feels less like “health advice” and more like a deep exhale. Together, they explore what’s really going on for mothers beneath the brain fog, the overwhelm, the resentment, the stubborn changes in our bodies – and why so many of us feel like we’re failing, when actually our bodies are doing exactly what they were designed to do. Dr Mindy gently reframes stress, hormones and fatigue, helping us understand why women’s bodies respond so differently to pressure, why putting ourselves last comes at a cost, and why self-care isn’t something to squeeze in once everything else is done. They also talk about fasting – not as a rule or restriction, but as a way of working with the female body rather than against it – and how it can support clarity, calm and energy when done with care and context. And perhaps most powerfully, this conversation reclaims perimenopause and menopause as something rarely spoken about in this way: not an ending, but a powerful rewiring. A time when the brain begins to let go of people-pleasing, external validation and over-functioning – and moves us towards leadership, confidence and deep self-trust. This episode is an invitation to step into the year differently.To stop fixing yourself.To start listening to yourself. In this episode, you’ll hear about: Why stress underpins so much of how mothers feel in their bodies and minds How women’s bodies and brains are uniquely wired through motherhood and midlife What self-care, fasting and strength really look like when done with compassion Why midlife can be a powerful return to clarity, confidence and self-trust 💛 If you’re entering this year feeling depleted, uncertain or disconnected from yourself, this conversation is a reminder that you don’t need to become someone new. You might just need to come back to yourself. Remember to subscribe to Motherkind — it helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing. Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and  download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet If you liked this episode, listen to this next: MOMENT | Why prioritising yourself IS caring for your children, with Emmy Brunner Connect with Zoe: Follow Zoe on Instagram  Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’ This Motherkind episode is sponsored by: Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices