Menopause Isn’t a Breakdown. It’s a Brain Upgrade: The Science of Midlife Power with Dr. Mindy Pelz

Dhru Purohit Show

Dhru Purohit

Alternative Health, Medicine, Health & Fitness

4.7 • 3.6K Ratings

🗓️ 11 February 2026

⏱️ 103 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This episode is brought to you by Bon Charge, Momentous, Cozy Earth, and Our Place. When we think about aging, menopause is often framed as something to endure or “get through.” But this episode challenges that narrative, revealing menopause as a powerful biological and neurological transition that can unlock greater clarity, resilience, and purpose. Today on The Dhru Purohit Show, Dhru sits down with Dr. Mindy Pelz to reframe menopause as a powerful biological, psychological, and cultural initiation, not a decline. Dr. Pelz traces the mythology and history that shaped how we view menopause, explains what modern science gets right (and wrong), and unpacks why intense emotions, brain changes, and identity shifts are not signs of dysfunction but signals of transformation. She also dives into practical guidance around nutrition, glucose balance, hormones, genetics, and daily habits that support women in this stage of life, while offering insight into how men can better support the women they love. Dr. Mindy Pelz is a New York Times bestselling author, visionary educator, and trailblazer in women’s health and hormone science with over two decades of experience building a global movement that helps women understand and harness the power of their bodies at every stage of life. Her new book Age Like a Girl blends cutting-edge science with personal insight to show how fasting, nutrition, and lifestyle shifts can balance hormones, boost energy, and turn midlife’s neurochemical changes into a launchpad for purpose and reinvention. With a Doctorate of Chiropractic and a background in functional nutrition, she brings both rigor and heart to her work championing a bold message: aging isn’t a decline; it’s an evolution, and now is the time for women to get stronger, clearer, and more connected to who they truly are. In this episode, Dhru and Dr. Mindy dive into: (0:00) Intro (1:04) The ancient meaning of menopause and how we lost it (3:08) The forgotten roadmap of a woman’s life (6:42) How menopause became medicalized and what we lost along the way (12:28) What today’s menopause conversation gets wrong (19:19) Why emotional intensity is a message, not a malfunction (31:17) The nervous-system breaking point that changed everything for Dr. Mindy (40:07) Why the world needs elder women more than ever (45:57) The truths women must know about this stage of life (51:02) Why menopause requires a totally different way of eating (55:39) The simple daily rituals guiding Dr. Mindy’s current season (59:51) The genetic signals most women never hear about (1:10:01) Why doing less might be the ultimate health upgrade (1:23:08) How men can better understand and support the women they love (1:39:29) Rewriting menopause for the next generation Also mentioned in this episode: Age Like a Girl, Dr. Mindy Pelz’s new book Chris Kresser Article on HbA1C Dr. Ben Bikman’s Concerns About HbA1C For more on Dr. Mindy, follow her on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, LinkedIn, or her Website. This episode is brought to you by Bon Charge, Momentous, Cozy Earth, and Our Place. Right now, Bon Charge is offering my community 15% off their Red Light Cap. Just go to boncharge.com/dhru and use code DHRU to save 15%. Right now, Momentous is offering our listeners up to 35% off their first order with promo code DHRU. Head to livemomentous.com and use code DHRU for 35% off your first subscription. Right now, get 20% off your Cozy Earth sheets and sleepwear. Just head over to cozyearth.com/dhru and use code DHRUP. Reduce your toxic load by upgrading your cookware! Go to fromourplace.com today and use promo code DHRU at checkout to receive 10% off any order. Sign up for Dhru’s Try This Newsletter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Dr. Mindy, welcome back to the podcast.
0:03.0	Today we're talking about a lot of different themes together.
0:06.0	And I'm so excited that you're the one here to walk us through those themes.
0:10.0	Thank you.
0:11.0	We're talking about menopause and this major shift in a woman's life that from the outside,
0:20.0	if you're undereducated about it,
0:21.6	you can only sometimes see all the hard stuff.
0:25.6	And yet here today and with your new book,
0:28.6	Age Like a Girl, you're talking about so much more
0:32.6	that's hidden in this journey that isn't often talked about.
0:35.6	And we're also talking about how to step into this idea of mythology, especially in a
0:43.3	woman's life and what this time period means and the lessons that it's bringing to women
0:50.8	in particular as they age.
0:53.2	But to start us off, I know you're a huge fan of mythology,
0:57.5	and I just want to start there.
0:59.0	Talk about your interest in this topic,
1:01.4	and then you'll segue into the mythology around menopause.
1:04.9	Clarissa Pincolla Estes, she wrote Women Who Run with the Wolves.
1:10.0	She has been teaching something called
1:12.6	the Power of the Crone for years.
1:14.6	And the first time I heard about this concept,
1:17.6	the power of the Crone, I thought, oh, I hate the word crone.
	...

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