Many women hit midlife and feel something they cannot name. They are still doing the right things, eating well, exercising consistently, showing up for everyone, yet life suddenly feels harder and less familiar. Age Like a Girl gives language to this experience and explains why it is not a failure, but a shift happening beneath the surface.

This is not a motivation problem.
This is not a discipline issue.
And it is not “all in your head."

In this hol+ conversation, Dr. Taz sits down with New York Times bestselling author and leading voice in women’s health Dr. Mindy Pelz, host of the hit podcast The Resetter Podcast, to explore the core message behind Age Like a Girl: menopause is not a decline, it is a biologically wired reinvention.

Instead of treating perimenopause and menopause as a crisis to manage, Dr. Mindy reframes the transition as a neurochemical and cognitive remodel designed to make women more focused, emotionally resilient, and aligned with who they truly are. She breaks down why modern life often clashes with this primal design, and why brain fog, mood shifts, and emotional intensity are not random symptoms, but signals that the brain is asking for a new way of living.

This episode explores why women can feel anxious, disconnected, or unlike themselves even when they are “doing everything right,” and how metabolism, stress chemistry, and neurotransmitters shape mood, clarity, and identity. Dr. Taz and Dr. Mindy discuss why many women initiate big life and relationship changes after 40, why community and connection become essential, and why reinvention is not a midlife crisis, but biology.

From perimenopause into postmenopause, this conversation reframes aging as an awakening. Not the end of youth, but the return of clarity, boundaries, and self-trust. If you have ever felt dismissed, confused, or afraid that something is wrong with you, this episode offers a validating and hopeful roadmap forward.

Dr. Taz and Dr. Mindy Pelz discuss:
 • The core message of Age Like a Girl and why it reframes menopause
 • Why the female brain is biologically wired for reinvention after 40
 • Brain fog and mood shifts as signals of a cognitive remodel
 • How modern life clashes with primal biology
 • Why women often make major life decisions in midlife
 • The role of neurotransmitters in clarity, calm, and confidence
 • Why community and deep connection matter more than ever
 • How to reclaim vitality without another exhausting checklist

About Dr. Mindy Pelz
Dr. Mindy Pelz is a New York Times bestselling author, visionary educator, and trailblazer in the field of women’s health and hormone science. With over two decades of experience, she’s built a global movement to help women understand the power of their bodies at every stage of life. Her bestselling books, including Fast Like a Girl, The Menopause Reset, and Eat Like a Girl, have helped millions of women use fasting, nutrition, and lifestyle shifts to balance hormones, boost energy, and take back control of their health. Her newest release book, Age Like a Girl, redefines what it means to grow older as a woman.Rooted in the latest science and rich in personal story, the book challenges outdated narratives about menopause and aging offering instead a roadmap for awakening. Dr. Mindy shows women how to use the neurochemical shifts of midlife as a launchpad for purpose, leadership, and bold reinvention. 

Dr. Mindy’s Resetter Podcast consistently ranks among Apple’s top U.S. science shows, with guests ranging from LeAnn Rimes and Rachel Hollis to Dr. Rangan Chatterjee. Her YouTube channel has surpassed 110 million views, and her teachings have reached hundreds of thousands through workshops, online programs, and live events.

Order the book: Age Like a Girl 

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.mindypelz/
Website: https://drmindypelz.com/
Podcast: The Resetter Podcast

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Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

What if the real question isn’t just how to live longer, but why so many people are living longer and healthier lives on paper, yet feel depleted, inflamed, disconnected, or cognitively foggy in daily life?

In this solo episode, Dr. Taz reframes what longevity really means and why healthy aging has far less to do with chasing more years and far more to do with protecting cellular health, vitality, and resilience across decades. She explains why humans are living longer than ever before, yet not necessarily living better, and how focusing only on disease management or biohacking trends misses the real drivers of aging.

You’ll learn why longevity is not defined by a number, but by biological age, health span, and cellular aging, and how inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, gut imbalance, nervous system stress, emotional disconnection, and loss of community quietly accelerate aging long before symptoms become diagnoses.

This episode reframes longevity as a full body system, not a supplement stack or a protocol. One that integrates physical health, brain function, emotional regulation, spirituality, and community. When these systems fall out of sync, aging speeds up. When they are supported together, living longer becomes living with clarity, strength, and purpose.

Dr. Taz shares:
• What longevity actually means and why lifespan and health span are not the same
• Why humans are living longer but not necessarily healthier
• How cellular aging, inflammation, and metabolic stress drive chronic disease
• Why diet quality, gut health, liver function, movement, sleep, and nervous system balance matter more than biohacking
• How cognitive reserve, dopamine regulation, and emotional health protect the aging brain
• Why community and spirituality are overlooked but essential pillars of healthy aging
• Where peptides, hormones, and modern longevity tools fit and where they don’t
• How to build a longevity plan that is realistic, accessible, and sustainable

Whether you’re thinking about how to live longer, worried about aging faster than you should, or simply want to protect your health span as you move through midlife and beyond, this episode offers a grounded, integrative roadmap.

Longevity is not about optimizing harder. It’s about supporting the systems that keep you well, year after year.

Stay Connected:

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Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Chapters
00:00 Longevity is not about more years
00:50 Are humans really living longer
01:49 The global aging reality
03:31 Why aging became something to fear
05:17 Aging on a spectrum, not a number
06:07 The hidden disease burden of aging
08:31 Cellular aging explained
09:45 Why biohacking misses the foundation
11:10 The five-body approach to longevity
13:10 Community, emotion, and aging
14:05 Diet, inflammation, and cellular health
16:19 Medications, gut health, and aging
16:49 Fasting, calories, and longevity
18:52 What eating for longevity actually means
19:39 Movement and aging well
21:35 Sleep, repair, and brain health
22:50 Dementia, cognitive reserve, and prevention
24:20 Dopamine, emotion, and brain aging
26:49 Spirituality, community, and vitality
30:05 Peptides, hormones, and future medicine
31:58 A new vision for positive aging
32:48 Longevity is built day by day

• (00:00) - Longevity is not about more years
• (00:50) - Are humans really living longer
• (01:49) - The global aging reality
• (03:31) - Why aging became something to fear
• (05:17) - Aging on a spectrum, not a number
• (06:07) - The hidden disease burden of aging
• (08:31) - Cellular aging explained
• (09:45) - Why biohacking misses the foundation
• (11:10) - The five-body approach to longevity
• (13:10) - Community, emotion, and aging
• (14:05) - Diet, inflammation, and cellular health
• (16:19) - Medications, gut health, and aging
• (16:49) - Fasting, calories, and longevity
• (18:52) - What eating for longevity actually means
• (19:39) - Movement and aging well
• (21:35) - Sleep, repair, and brain health
• (22:50) - Dementia, cognitive reserve, and prevention
• (24:20) - Dopamine, emotion, and brain aging
• (26:49) - Spirituality, community, and vitality
• (30:05) - Peptides, hormones, and future medicine
• (31:58) - A new vision for positive aging
• (32:48) - Longevity is built day by day

Fertility, motherhood, and grief are rarely experienced in isolation. They overlap, compound, and quietly reshape how a woman sees herself, her body, and her future.

Many women move through loss while still being expected to function. They carry grief while building families. They navigate pregnancy, postpartum, and fertility decisions while holding careers, relationships, and public identities together. From the outside, it can look composed. Inside, it often feels fragile, confusing, and deeply human.

This is not failure.
This is not weakness.
And it is not something that needs to be fixed.

In this hol+ conversation, Dr. Taz sits down with Whitney Port for an honest, grounding conversation about motherhood without the myth, and finding peace after profound loss. Whitney shares what unfolded after The Hills, including the loss of her father, who was also her business partner, and how grief reshaped her identity, marriage, and mental health during a pivotal season of life.

Together, they explore the realities that are often softened or skipped entirely. Pregnancy that does not feel joyful. Postpartum that feels disorienting. Breastfeeding struggles that take a real toll on mental health. And the invisible pressure women carry to do motherhood and fertility “the right way.”

Whitney also opens up about her fertility journey, including recurrent miscarriage, IVF, surrogacy, and failed transfers. She speaks candidly about the emotional spiral that can happen when you are someone used to achieving goals, but suddenly face something you cannot control. Rather than centering the story on struggle alone, this conversation focuses on what helped her find steadier ground: learning to stop future-spiraling, returning to the present, and holding gratitude alongside grief.

This episode is a reminder that healing does not mean bypassing pain. It means allowing space for it, while slowly reconnecting to meaning, relationships, and self-trust. It reframes fertility and motherhood not as tests of worth or discipline, but as deeply relational, emotional, and embodied experiences.

Dr. Taz and Whitney Port discuss:
 • Life after The Hills and the identity shift that followed
 • Losing a parent and navigating grief while building a family
 • Motherhood without the myth of constant joy
 • Pregnancy, postpartum, and mental health honesty
 • Breastfeeding pressure, pumping, and maternal burnout
 • Fertility, IVF, surrogacy, and the emotional weight of uncertainty
 • Why high-achieving women struggle most with loss of control
 • How to stop future-spiraling and return to the present
 • Sharing your story publicly while protecting what is sacred

About Whitney Port
Whitney Port is a television personality, entrepreneur, podcast host, and creative consultant. Known for starring on The Hills and The City, she now uses her platform to speak openly about grief, anxiety, fertility, body image, and modern motherhood, helping women feel less alone in experiences that are often hidden.

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Follow Whitney Port:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitneyeveport
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@whitneyport
Website: https://whitneyport.com/
Podcast: With Whit

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Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

• (00:00) - Grief after dad’s diagnosis and loss
• (00:30) - Dr. Taz introduces Whitney Port
• (01:30) - Pregnancy was not “the best time”
• (02:00) - Fertility pressure, self-blame, finding the right team
• (02:30) - Dr. Taz fan-girl moment and why Whitney’s story matters
• (04:30) - Reality TV then vs now
• (06:30) - Who Whitney is beyond the show
• (08:00) - Losing control of your narrative (editing + portrayal)
• (10:15) - The gifts of the show and creative platform
• (11:30) - Dad’s illness, grief, identity shift
• (13:30) - “I Love My Baby, But…” and being vulnerable on YouTube
• (16:00) - Marriage, grief fog, and coping
• (18:00) - Breastfeeding, pumping, mastitis, mental health
• (21:00) - What we’re not telling new moms (trust + noise)
• (23:00) - Body image, female bodies, and acceptance
• (27:30) - Fertility journey begins: miscarriage cycle
• (29:30) - Surrogacy conversation and failed transfers
• (32:00) - Age, hope, and continuing the journey
• (33:30) - Shame, grief, staying sane, gratitude shift
• (37:30) - Finding the right doctor and the lab factor
• (42:30) - Preparing physically and emotionally this time
• (44:00) - Privacy boundaries in public life
• (46:00) - Advice: purpose, staying in your lane
• (50:30) - Businesses, creative consulting, entrepreneurship
• (56:30) - What makes you hol + where to follow

What if the fatigue, stubborn weight changes, brain fog, inflammation, or burnout you’re experiencing isn’t a failure of willpower, but a signal that your metabolism is under strain? 

In this solo episode, Dr. Taz unpacks what metabolic health actually means in the age of GLP-1 medications. She explains why weight loss alone is not the same as healing, and how focusing only on the scale can quietly erode muscle, gut function, hormonal balance, cellular energy, and nervous system resilience.

You’ll learn why so many people lose weight but still feel exhausted, inflamed, anxious, or disconnected from their bodies. Dr. Taz breaks down the six core metabolic engines that regulate energy, fat storage, blood sugar, hormones, stress response, and longevity, and why ignoring even one of them can stall long-term health.

This episode reframes metabolism as a full body system. One that includes the gut microbiome, hormone signaling, mitochondrial function, liver detoxification, muscle health, and the nervous system. When these systems fall out of sync, weight becomes a symptom, not the root issue.

Dr. Taz shares:
 • Why GLP-1 medications support weight loss but do not repair metabolic dysfunction
 • How up to 25% of weight lost on GLP-1s can come from muscle, impacting long-term health and longevity
 • Why the gut is the foundation of metabolic health and how digestion, bile flow, and microbiome balance shape hormones and inflammation
 • How hormone shifts, especially in midlife, can rapidly disrupt blood sugar, cholesterol, energy, and weight
 • The role of cellular and mitochondrial health in fatigue, brain fog, and metabolic slowdown
 • Why liver function is central to detoxification, fat metabolism, and insulin regulation
 • How stress and nervous system dysregulation can drive cravings, poor sleep, and metabolic instability
 • How to identify which metabolic engine needs attention first so your plan stays targeted and sustainable

Whether you’re currently on a GLP-1, considering one, struggling after coming off, or simply want to build metabolic health that lasts for decades, this episode offers a grounded, integrative roadmap. You don’t need to chase trends or stack solutions. You need to understand the system you’re living in.

You may not control every variable that shaped your metabolism, but you can change how it functions moving forward.

Stay Connected:

Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/

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Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Many women describe a pattern they are never able to explain. They eat well, exercise consistently, and follow every recommendation they are given. Yet their weight fluctuates, their mood shifts unpredictably, and their focus disappears for weeks at a time. Anxiety creeps in. Depression settles quietly. Brain fog becomes normal. And eventually, shame takes over.

This is not a motivation problem.
This is not a discipline issue.
And it is not “all in your head.”

In this hol+ conversation, Dr. Taz sits down with reproductive psychiatrist Dr. Sarah Oreck to reveal why PCOS is not just a hormonal or reproductive condition, but a whole-body mental health story that has been overlooked for decades.

Instead of viewing PCOS through isolated symptoms like irregular cycles, acne, or fertility struggles, Dr. Oreck explains how insulin resistance, inflammation, cortisol dysregulation, and androgen shifts directly affect brain chemistry, cognition, emotional regulation, and stress tolerance. She breaks down why women with PCOS experience significantly higher rates of anxiety, depression, brain fog, and eating disorders, even when routine labs appear normal.

This episode explores how blood sugar instability alters neurotransmitter production, why inflammation may be a core driver of mood disorders, and how chronic stress and cortisol overload reshape the nervous system over time. Dr. Taz and Dr. Oreck also examine the role of medical gaslighting, delayed diagnosis, and the psychological toll of being told symptoms are imagined, exaggerated, or self-inflicted.

From adolescence through fertility journeys, pregnancy, postpartum, and perimenopause, this conversation reframes PCOS as a condition that affects the brain, gut, metabolism, and nervous system together, not in isolation. It highlights why symptom masking often fails, why talk therapy alone is not enough during hormonal dysregulation, and why true healing requires integrated, compassionate care.

You will learn why weight swings are not about willpower, why mood changes often track with insulin and cortisol rather than character, how gut health and microbiome shifts influence cognition, and what it means to become hormone-literate early, for yourself and for your children.

Together, Dr. Taz and Dr. Oreck offer a clear, validating roadmap for anyone who has felt dismissed, confused, or trapped in a body that will not respond the way it is supposed to.

Dr. Taz and Dr. Sarah Oreck discuss:
• Why PCOS has a major mental health component that is rarely addressed
• How insulin resistance and blood sugar swings impact mood and cognition
• The link between inflammation and anxiety, depression, and brain fog
• Why cortisol and chronic stress intensify PCOS symptoms
• How medical gaslighting delays diagnosis and fuels shame
• Why fertility journeys often uncover long-missed PCOS patterns
• The connection between PCOS and eating disorders like bulimia
• How gut health and microbiome shifts affect brain function
• Why birth control can help some women and worsen symptoms for others
• The importance of hormone literacy across the lifespan
• How to advocate for yourself when symptoms are dismissed
• Why healing requires integrated care, not isolated fixes

About Dr. Sarah Oreck
Dr. Sarah Oreck is a reproductive psychiatrist and the founder of Mavida Health. She specializes in the intersection of female reproductive hormones and mental health, with a focus on conditions like PCOS, fertility-related mood disorders, pregnancy, and postpartum mental health. Through clinical care, education, and community building, she works to close the gap between psychiatry, endocrinology, and whole-person medicine.

Stay Connected:

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Follow Dr. Sarah Oreck
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahoreckmd
Website: https://www.sarahoreckmd.com/ & https://mavidahealth.com/
 

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Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

• (00:00) - Doing everything right but nothing changes
• (00:18) - Shame and medical gaslighting
• (00:37) - PCOS as a mental health story
• (01:16) - Inflammation and brain chemistry
• (02:00) - Focus, memory, emotions, and PCOS
• (04:21) - Origin story: hormones and gaslighting
• (06:11) - Why PCOS is missed
• (07:52) - PCOS and depression/anxiety rates
• (09:22) - Why fertility journeys reveal PCOS
• (11:30) - Labs and patterns clinicians ignore
• (12:59) - Diagnosis criteria explained
• (14:57) - Blood sugar swings and mood
• (15:56) - Insulin resistance and cognition
• (18:18) - Cortisol, stress, and PCOS
• (20:51) - Pregnancy exposure and cortisol
• (27:11) - Why we need screening tools
• (30:49) - Supplements that may help
• (32:15) - Microbiome and brain fog
• (44:31) - Rehearsing your story with doctors
• (46:10) - PCOS and bulimia connection
• (49:42) - Become hormone literate early

What if the anxiety, burnout, inflammation, or exhaustion you carry didn’t begin with you?

In this solo episode, Dr. Taz explores the emerging science behind generational trauma and how stress, fear, and survival patterns can be passed down biologically through mitochondrial DNA, the nervous system, and hormonal pathways. She explains why some people struggle with symptoms that don’t resolve despite doing everything right, and how ancestral trauma may be quietly shaping inflammation, cortisol levels, emotional regulation, and energy production across generations.

You will learn how trauma can alter mitochondrial function, disrupt the HPA axis, and create inherited patterns of hypervigilance, anxiety, burnout, and chronic disease. Dr. Taz introduces her five body map framework, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and community, to help you understand where inherited trauma may be showing up and how healing becomes possible when all layers are addressed.

Dr. Taz shares:
 • How trauma can be transmitted biologically through mitochondrial DNA passed down the maternal line
 • Why chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and cortisol dysregulation often appear in families with histories of displacement, silence, or survival stress
 • The signs of inherited nervous system patterns, including hypervigilance, fear based thinking, emotional suppression, and burnout that starts early
 • How ancestral trauma affects hormones, energy production, mental health, and emotional regulation
 • Why family secrets, shame, and silence can destabilize the entire family ecosystem and show up as disease
 • The five body map approach to screening generational trauma across physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and community layers
 • Practical ways to begin healing, including nervous system regulation, storytelling, somatic release, mitochondrial support, and restoring safe connection within families

Whether you are dealing with unexplained symptoms, chronic stress, emotional patterns that seem bigger than your life experience, or simply want to understand your family’s health history more deeply, this episode offers a new lens on healing. You may inherit biology, but you can change how it is expressed and what gets passed forward.

Stay Connected:

Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/

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Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts

Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

• (00:00) - Hi everyone, it's Dr. Taz. Before we get into today's episode, I just wanna pause and say thank you. Your messages, your shares, your stories are, the reason we make Whole Plus every conversation here is about connecting the science, the intuition, and everyday life together so you can feel more like yourself.
• (00:00) - if you haven't already hit that subscribe or follow button, it helps us reach more people who need this. All right, let's begin. What if the pain you [00:00:30] carry didn't start with you? Science now shows that trauma can be passed through generations, not just through stories or behaviors, but through biological changes in the body itself.
• (00:00) - this episode, we're exploring the connection between ancestral trauma and mitochondrial DNA and how your body might still be echoing the stress, the fear, or the survival patterns of your lineage. The gift of being in practice for over 16 years and seeing, I don't know how [00:01:00] many patients, I think collectively as, uh, a series of whole plus clinics were at 60, 70,000.
• (00:00) - the gift of seeing a patient day in and day out and following them through their journey. Allows us as providers a lot of time to think, observe, learn, and listen. And one of the things that has always confused me until recently is why some people have symptoms or have issues without any explanation.[00:01:30]
• (00:00) - done all the right things. They're following the diet, they're exercising, they are doing all the things they're supposed to do. They've got those wellness routines down, red, light, blue, light, you name it, they're doing it, but they're still not well. And while I could have a conversation with all of you about chemistry and biology and physiology, here's what maturity and time has taught me.
• (00:00) - healing and being well doesn't exist on [00:02:00] one plane. It's not just about the numbers and the data. It's actually a whole lot more, so much more that it may even be linked to your generational trauma. Now, bear with me for a second. Please don't roll your eyes and change the channel or flip the screen.
• (00:00) - is important information and we are just beginning to understand what all of this means and how it's all connected. I've had many opportunities to observe [00:02:30] this. Some of them begin right in our home. I have watched as the women in our family have a very similar look in their eye demeanor way of talking tone.
• (00:00) - name it. Some of it we could explain away. My mom was an immigrant, came here at a very young age, 17, 18, 19 years old, had an arranged marriage. She had, I thought, the insecurity of being an immigrant, of being somebody in a new [00:03:00] country without a community. And I always explained away her inability or fear.
• (00:00) - of in terms of taking action or taking next steps as a part of that story, the immigrant story, right? I, I can't imagine what so many immigrants go through to get here and then to build a life in a family of their own, leaving behind mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, huge families. So I explained her story away that way.
• (00:00) - then there [00:03:30] was me and I grew up, as I've shared sometimes in a slightly chaotic, dysfunctional childhood home, and I don't wanna get into all of those details, but I had that same glimmer of fear and insecurity that I saw in my mom. But let's fast forward to my daughter all these years later, growing up in a pampered home with a father that dotes on her.
• (00:00) - we doted on her even a bit too much, but regardless, had all the comforts and the [00:04:00] security that anybody externally could provide. But guess what? The same glimmer, that same sparkle, that same sort of tone. Something, I can't describe it, where there's fear...

Postpartum is not just a recovery phase, it is one of the biggest full body transitions a woman will ever go through. In this episode, Dr. Taz breaks down what actually happens in the fourth trimester, from the steep drop in estrogen and progesterone to fluid shifts, tissue dryness, gut slowdown, metabolic changes, and the mental and emotional load that can follow. You will learn why so many women feel unprepared after birth, why the six week bounce back expectation is unrealistic, and how older systems like Chinese medicine and Ayurveda approached postpartum as a sacred 40 to 100 day window of restoration.

Dr. Taz shares:
• Why postpartum can feel so destabilizing: the hormone crash, nervous system strain, and energy depletion most women are never taught about
• The hidden physical shifts after delivery, including swelling and fluid volume changes that can take months to fully regulate
• Why skin, hair, and vaginal dryness are common postpartum, and how this can affect libido, confidence, and self perception
• How breastfeeding changes hormones, including oxytocin’s calming effect and its relationship with cortisol and mood
• Why weight loss varies dramatically postpartum, and how insulin sensitivity, blood sugar history, PCOS, and metabolic factors change the timeline
• The gut changes no one talks about: slower motility, constipation, reflux, and why progesterone shifts play a role
• The fourth trimester frameworks from Chinese medicine and Ayurveda: rest, warming foods, nourishment, massage, acupuncture, herbs, and community care
• A modern 100 day postpartum plan that starts in the third trimester with nutrient optimization, thyroid and blood sugar support, gut health, and a real support circle

Whether you are newly postpartum, preparing for birth, or supporting someone in those early months, this episode gives you a clear, practical roadmap to protect energy, reduce depletion, and recover in a way that helps you feel like yourself again.

Stay Connected:

Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/

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Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe

Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts

Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Many people today describe a pattern they cannot explain. Life feels manageable until something unexpected happens at work or home, then the body suddenly shuts down. The mind spins, energy collapses, irritability rises, and the only thing that feels safe is withdrawing into the couch, the phone, or Netflix. This is not laziness or burnout. This is functional freeze.

In this hol+ conversation, Dr. Taz sits down with environmental and root cause medicine expert Dr. Jessica Peatross (Dr. Jess) to reveal why so many people experience chronic fatigue, anxiety, weight gain, histamine reactions, food sensitivities and unexplained inflammation even when routine labs look normal.

Instead of chasing symptoms or isolated toxins, Dr. Jess explains how a dysregulated nervous system alters detox, hormones, digestion, immunity and gene expression. She breaks down how trauma, mold exposure, hidden infections, parasites and environmental chemicals overload the body when the vagus nerve is stuck in fight, flight or freeze. And she shows why healing is impossible when the body does not feel safe.

From childhood trauma and dorsal vagal shutdown to blocked drainage pathways, cytokine storms, reactivated viruses and misdiagnosed environmental illness, this episode reframes chronic symptoms through a lens of nervous system physiology, not personal weakness or aging.

You will learn what functional freeze looks like, why detox often makes people worse, how to identify nervous system dysregulation, and the steps Dr. Jess uses to help patients regulate, open pathways and finally begin to heal. Together, Dr. Taz and Dr. Jess outline a clear, compassionate roadmap for anyone who has ever felt dismissed, overwhelmed or stuck in a body that will not calm down.

Dr. Taz and Dr. Jess discuss:
• What functional freeze is and why it shows up in daily life
• How nervous system dysregulation drives fatigue, anxiety and chronic symptoms
• The role of mold, parasites, toxins and environmental chemicals in chronic illness
• Why detox fails when the body does not feel safe
• Vagus nerve physiology and dorsal vs ventral vagal states
• How trauma, stress and grief reshape hormones, immune function and methylation
• Medical dismissal and the reality of normal labs with real symptoms
• The drainage pathways that must open before detox
• Histamine issues, MCAS, POTS and their connection to the nervous system
• Tools that help regulate the system and support healing
• How to track progress through sleep, HRV, emotional stability and digestion
• Why healing is not linear and why support and community matter

About Dr. Jessica Peatross
Dr. Jessica Peatross  is a functional and environmental medicine expert known for her work on nervous system dysregulation, toxin-driven illness and trauma informed detox. She is the founder of WellnessPlus, an educational platform teaching step-by-step protocols for mold, parasites, drainage and nervous system healing. Her approach blends clinical training with nervous system science to uncover root causes often missed in conventional care.

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Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

Follow Dr. Jess
Instagram: https://instagram.com/dr.jess.md/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@DoctorJessMD
Website: https://drjessmd.com/ 
 

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Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Millions of women say the same thing in their late 30s and 40s “I don’t feel like myself anymore.” Fatigue grows, stress tolerance collapses, brain fog hits, and everyday tasks suddenly require more effort. Yet most are told it’s “normal aging,” “just stress,” or “anxiety.”

In this hol+ episode, Dr. Taz sits down with functional medicine expert and bestselling author Dr. Mariza Snyder to ask the hard questions about perimenopause, what it is, when does perimenopause start, and why rage, irritability, and cognitive changes are often the earliest symptoms women experience.

Together, they unpack why perimenopause is widely misdiagnosed, why progesterone decline shows up long before hot flashes or missed periods, how estrogen fluctuations affect brain function, and why so many women feel like their identity, mood, and capacity are suddenly slipping away.

From mood swings, brain fog, and sleep crashes to metabolic slowdowns and rising visceral fat, this conversation reframes perimenopause symptoms as hormone-driven neurological and physiological shifts — not personal weakness, aging, or lack of willpower.

You will learn what perimenopause is, what age perimenopause starts, why rage and irritability show up first, and how to track early hormone changes through menstrual patterns, symptoms, biometrics, and stress physiology. Dr. Taz and Dr. Mariza also share lifestyle tools, boundaries, morning and evening routines, and targeted support that help stabilize brain energy, mood, and metabolic health during this transition.

Dr. Taz and Dr. Mariza discuss:
• What is perimenopause and why it hits earlier than women expect
• When does perimenopause start and what age perimenopause typically begins
• Why perimenopause rage is real and often the first warning sign
• Perimenopause brain fog, cognitive shifts, and declining stress tolerance
• Progesterone decline, estrogen fluctuations, and why hormones become unpredictable
• Perimenopause vs aging: why symptoms are dismissed or misdiagnosed
• Mood swings, irritability, fatigue, and the identity shift many women feel
• Early metabolic changes in perimenopause and why belly fat increases
• How to track symptoms, cycles, HRV, sleep, and biomarkers for early clues
• Tools women can use: routines, nervous system regulation, boundaries, lifestyle resets
• When progesterone or estrogen support can make a meaningful difference
• Why community and sisterhood become critical for emotional resilience

About Dr. Mariza Snyder
Dr. Mariza Snyder is a functional practitioner, women's health expert, hormone educator, and bestselling author of The Perimenopause Revolution. With over 15 years of clinical experience, she helps women navigate perimenopause and midlife with clarity, confidence, and science-based tools that support hormone balance, brain health, emotional resilience, and metabolic vitality. Her work empowers women to understand what perimenopause is, recognize early symptoms, and take back control of their health with practical strategies and integrative support.

Stay Connected:

Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

Follow Dr. Mariza Snyder:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmariza/
Podcast: Energized with Dr. Mariza
Book: The Perimenopause Revolution
 

Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/

https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/

Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe

Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts

Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@LiveHolPlus/
Your gut is not just a digestion system, it is one of the most powerful control centers in your body. In this episode, Dr. Taz explains how the gut lining, bile, digestive enzymes, and microbiome all work together to shape your hormones, mood, weight, and inflammation. You will learn why gut health is still not standard of care in conventional medicine, how stress, toxins, sleep, and even popular GLP 1 drugs change the microbiome, and what that means for conditions like anxiety, depression, perimenopause, menopause, and stubborn belly fat.

Dr. Taz shares:
 • Why ancient systems called the gut "ground zero" and modern research is finally catching up
 • The four pillars of gut health: gut lining, digestive enzymes and stomach acid, bile flow, and a diverse microbiome
 • How leaky gut, SIBO, candida, and low diversity bacteria drive inflammation, brain fog, rashes, and chronic symptoms
 • The gut brain axis and why up to 90 percent of serotonin and other neurotransmitters are made in the gut
 • How butyrate and beta glucuronidase affect estrogen recycling, perimenopause, and andropause, leading to estrogen dominance and hormone shifts
 • The links between microbiome balance, circadian rhythm, GLP 1 medications, and metabolic syndrome and weight gain
 • A practical step by step protocol using diet changes, collagen, glutamine, enzymes, probiotics, fermented foods, sleep, and stress tools to rebuild gut health

Whether you are dealing with mood changes, hormone chaos, weight that will not budge, or unexplained symptoms that never fully resolve, this episode gives you a clear roadmap to understand your gut and start rebuilding your microbiome from the inside out.

Stay Connected:

Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/

https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/

Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe

Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts

Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@LiveHolPlus/

Cardiovascular disease is still the number one killer, yet guidelines keep pushing cholesterol lower and more people are put on statins for life. In this hol+ episode, Dr. Taz sits down with worlds leading nitric oxide researcher Dr. Nathan S. Bryan to ask hard questions about statin risk versus benefit, why cholesterol alone does not explain heart disease, and what is nitric oxide actually doing inside the body long before a heart attack or stroke. 

Together, they explore why low or no nitric oxide may be the missing piece behind rising blood pressure, plaque, and dementia, even in people who “follow the rules.”

From the benefits of nitric oxide for blood flow, blood pressure, diabetes, and brain health to the surprising impact of antiseptic mouthwash and antacid medications, this conversation reframes cardiovascular and metabolic disease as problems of cell signaling, not just lab numbers. 

You will learn what nitric oxide is, what does nitric oxide do for the body, why nitric oxide importance is often ignored in standard care, and how to raise nitric oxide through lifestyle, targeted support, and emerging restorative therapies based on decades of nitric oxide research.

Dr. Taz and Dr. Bryan discuss:

• New cholesterol guidelines, statins, and rethinking risk vs benefit
• What is nitric oxide and what does nitric oxide do for the body
• Why low or no nitric oxide shows up decades before heart attacks and stroke
• The benefits of nitric oxide for blood flow, blood pressure, and sexual function
• Nitric oxide diabetes link and why insulin resistance is often a nitric oxide problem
• Mouthwash and nitric oxide, antacids, fluoride, and the oral microbiome
• How lifestyle, diet, movement, and nasal breathing raise nitric oxide naturally
• Why standard biomarkers are late and vascular function should be tested sooner
• Nitric oxide importance in Alzheimer’s, dementia, and brain blood flow
• How to raise nitric oxide safely and what to know about supplements vs “dead beets”

About Dr. Nathan S. Bryan
Dr. Nathan S. Bryan is a pioneering nitric oxide researcher, molecular medicine scientist, and biotech entrepreneur whose discoveries helped create a billion dollar nitric oxide market. His work has reshaped how we understand cardiovascular disease, metabolic health, nitric oxide diabetes links, and how lifestyle, mouthwash and nitric oxide, and common drugs impact long term health. He is the author of The Secret of Nitric Oxide, where he breaks down what nitric oxide is, what nitric oxide does for the body, and how to raise nitric oxide safely at home using science based tools and lifestyle shifts.

Stay Connected:

Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

Follow Dr. Nathan S. Bryan:  
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrNathanSBryanNitricOxide
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drnathansbryan/
Website: https://www.bryantherapeutics.com/ Product: https://n1o1.com/
Get The Secret of Nitric Oxide Book here.

Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/

https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/

Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe

Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts

Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

00:00 New cholesterol rules, statins, and nitric oxide importance
01:00 Mouthwash and nitric oxide, blood pressure, and the oral microbiome
01:46 What is nitric oxide and what does nitric oxide do for the body
03:06 Why nitric oxide matters for longevity, inflammation, and aging cells
04:32 Nobel Prize history and early nitric oxide research
06:06 Fingerprint of nitric oxide biology and early disease markers
08:13 No nitric oxide before you see plaque, blood pressure, or ED
09:26 The American lifestyle and nitric oxide diabetes link
10:45 Mouthwash and nitric oxide, fluoride, PPIs, and hidden blockers
12:26 Statins, cholesterol guidelines, and questioning “everyone needs a statin”
16:11 Cholesterol numbers, Framingham data, and what actually predicts risk
19:27 Better heart screening, vascular function, and nitric oxide benefits
22:28 First symptoms of low nitric oxide: ED, libido, and rising blood pressure
25:04 Mouthwash and nitric oxide causation study, exercise benefits lost
27:23 Antacids, reflux meds, and how they shut down nitric oxide
27:58 How to raise nitric oxide naturally with food, movement, and sunlight
30:19 Nasal breathing, mouth breathing, and nitric oxide delivery to the lungs
31:02 Nitric oxide as a hormone and whole body signaling molecule
33:18 How to measure, how to replace, and what nitric oxide testing really shows
36:45 Inflammation, triglycerides, and tracking nitric oxide benefits in labs
38:38 Restorative physiology vs applied pharmacology
42:01 Can nitric oxide help heart failure, liver disease, and ascites
44:13 Nitric oxide diabetes connection and insulin resistance
46:52 Nitric oxide and Alzheimer’s, brain blood flow, and “type 3 diabetes”
47:57 Kids, ADHD, diet, and low nitric oxide as a blood flow problem
49:08 5G, toxins, and electron flow in biochemistry
51:00 Glutathione, nitric oxide transport, and why most supplements miss the mark
52:18 Why arginine, citrulline, and most beet products do not fix nitric oxide
55:40 Nitruticals, rebuilding nitric oxide and the oral microbiome
57:32 Nitric oxide for wounds, skin, and regenerative healing
59:19 Reversing disease vs managing decline, and what nitric oxide might change
1:00:07 Optimizing human performance with nitric oxide as a foundation
1:01:18 Where to learn more from Dr. Nathan Bryan
1:01:55 Closing thoughts from Dr. Taz and hol+