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Welcome to The Modern Midlife Collective—where midlife isn’t a crisis, it’s a rebirth. Hosted by Dr. Ade Akindipe, DNP, and Dr. Jillian Woodruff, MD, this is the podcast for women ready to unapologetically own their power, thrive through the ups and downs of hormones, weight, and self-care, and show the world that thriving at 40 and beyond isn’t just possible—it’s your birthright.
Biweekly, we bring you science-backed insights on hormones, menopause, longevity, and sexual health—real tools to empower women in midlife and beyond. With a fearless blend of functional medicine, real-life wisdom, and no-nonsense empowerment, we’re here to challenge the norms, break through the barriers, and help you step into a life of vitality, confidence, and unstoppable strength.
Ready to rise? Let’s do this.
Dr. Ade
Welcome to the Modern Midlife Collective podcast. The place where we get unapologetically real about thriving in midlife health, hormones, and everything in between.
00:12
Dr. Jillian
I'm Dr. Jillian.
00:13
Dr. Ade
And I'm Dr. Aday.
00:14
Dr. Jillian
Together, we're your guides to navigating this powerful season with confidence, strength, and the wisdom you deserve. Welcome back to the modern midlife collective. Dr. Renee and I just returned to Taiwan, where were visiting with our families over spring break, and we thought we should talk about some of the things that we saw there because Taiwan has one of the highest life expectancies in the world for multiple reasons. So we thought that we should share some of our experiences with you and maybe kind of figure out how they live so long. And it's not just living long. I think we should say that because we do talk a lot about longevity, but it's more about health span. They're living independently and with health for longer periods of time.
01:05
Dr. Jillian
So just because a country may live to be 80, 85, 90 years old, if you aren't living independently or you don't have that quality of life that you desire, then I don't consider that, you know, longevity or health. Spanish.
01:20
Dr. Ade
Absolutely agree with you. And this is just a preview of what's to come in our Modern Midlife Collective podcast, where we're talking about our experiences and, you know, countries like Taiwan. But the real conversations really need to happen about how other people are living in other countries, you know, and kind of seeing what we can gain from other countries and how we can apply here in the United States. Right. You know, we're both medical professionals, we're friends, we're entrepreneurs. You know, we're passionate about women's health, and we're really hoping that we can take our experiences, like what we had in Taiwan, bring that along, that information and share with you and how you can stay, of course, age gracefully, you know, have longevity, and, you know, we're here to learn together. So we're looking forward to this conversation with you.
02:07
Dr. Ade
You know, Taiwan was beautiful. It's a country that's known for great food, vibrant health, you know, strong tradition, you know, and supports aging. And. And there was a lot of things that actually had kind of new about Taiwan, but actually being there and seeing them live that kind of lifestyle was very interesting. You know, we've been exploring individually how Taiwanese women live healthier. And it's one thing for you to Google it or use ChatGPT, but actually be actually there and experience it and eat the kinds of foods is really important. So Taiwan is A country that ranks among the top countries for life expectancy with women living well into their 80s and 90s. You know, energy. One of the things I know noticed is just an air of calmness. And I'm not sure what your experiences was with talking to the women there.
02:56
Dr. Ade
You know, from the people that were serving the food to people meeting you in the streets. I remember one lady actually stopped and took our photos for us because they were trying to get a selfie and she stopped and she took her time and I was just really excited to just really communicate with them. I don't speak the language, but you don't have to speak a language to really experience what friendship is like, what being nice to someone is like. So anyway, I digress.
03:23
Dr. Jillian
I love what you're saying and really with language, you know, I am a language lover, but there are non verbal languages and we experience that part. The kindness and the sharing of people's hearts. Yes. One thing I also noticed about Taiwan is just that people are so kind and respectful. The customer service is unmatched. Certainly very different than here in the us. They have a culture of deep respect and a culture of service. No matter what level you are, there's no hierarchy. Everyone is respectful of the other person and respect of elders as well. But I really enjoyed just the kindness of people.
04:06
Dr. Ade
People.
04:07
Dr. Jillian
And yes, that woman really wanted to make sure we had the best picture. She said, no, let me do that for you. And so she did take her time to like stop and position us and take our picture. That was really so sweet. And then the culture of walking, they do have a lot of motorbikes. That was really impressive, the amount of motorbikes they have, but also the amount of walking that people do. Just being out, their air was fresh, a lot of walking. And also the. I noticed this in a visit to China actually in the past, this squatting. So they have, I don't know, they must have just such limber joints or something because they would just squat and sit and talk. I really like that. So I'm going to practice my squatting.
04:54
Dr. Ade
That's interesting. You know, I wish we had much more time. We were there for just spring break. But I really wanted to take part in, you know, their stress management, you know, the Tai chi and some other just meditative exercises that they did, which you can imagine also getting up in the morning and those daily practices, I can see how that can impact the rest of your day. So I wish I got to do that, but I'm definitely gonna, I'm Looking forward to going back some other time.
05:21
Dr. Jillian
Right. We did miss that. You know, they do a lot of Tai chi, Qi gong, kung fu. Right. So some of it is a self defense. A lot of it is meditation and movement. And they do practice this in a community atmosphere. We know with our study of lifestyle medicine, the importance of social connections. And so that's definitely something that they have where they gather in public areas and public squares and do this practice in the morning. So I hope we get to do that as well.
05:52
Dr. Ade
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, being there for five days or five or six days, one of the.
05:58
Dr. Jillian
You were there for a week.
05:59
Dr. Ade
We were there for a week. But you know, there's just so much food, different kinds of food. I mean, what was your experience? Like, what did you think about the food, the cuisine?
06:08
Dr. Jillian
Yeah, I think one of the biggest longevity factors is what's on your plate. And Taiwanese food is very nutrient dense. And so I noticed that as our food here, I feel like it's a lot less nutrient dense than it's been in the past. Right. And it may be the same there, I don't know. But their foods that they prioritize are a lot of vegetables. We had vegetables with breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fermented foods. Which we can talk more about. Soy, which we can talk more about. Soy has, is a phytoestrogen, so it has mild estrogen like qualities. So that can be something as our estrogen levels start to decline in midlife with perimenopause. These are natural ways that we can increase soy.
06:54
Dr. Jillian
If you're able to, if you do not have a problem with estrogen, that is a natural way that you could increase your estrogen. Which is also something we should take into account as mothers. Right. If we're having a lot of soy in our children's diets, should they be having estrogen at certain times of their life? Maybe not, you know, and so very important, you know, we talk. We maybe should do a program about hormone disruptors. So things that have hormones that you don't know have hormones in them. And you're introducing those hormones at times they shouldn't be introduced. So that's a really good one too, because there are some really interesting things that people may not think about. But in terms of the Taiwanese diet. Yes, a lot of nutrient dense vegetables. Rice. Yes, a lot of rice. Fermented foods, soy. Less processed foods.
07:44
Dr. Jillian
So a lot less processed foods. I did notice we would go to bakeries, everything is made fresh. So you don't go to the store and buy you know, a week's worth, two weeks worth of groceries. Like in many other countries, you go daily and get what you need for that day.
08:00
Dr. Ade
Yeah. And there were surrounded by so many of those stores, you know, the locally grown foods and the teas, you know, that's one of the things I, we made sure we stocked up on the different teas. But yeah, I totally agree. I didn't see that affinity for a lot of processed foods. I mean, there are, I mean, of course there's a lot of western influence. We did see other places like McDonald's and things like that there. But even the quantity of the foods I noticed was also different. We even went to stores where some of the things that we would normally get here were not available here, that were considered banned because of what might be causing cancer. And I was just blown away with how regulated some of these things were because of health.
08:44
Dr. Ade
So just something to point out there, you know, making sure that you are reading the labels of what you are eating so that you're feeding your body with not processed things or chemicals that might be causing issues in your body like inflammation. So, yeah, soy based foods. I saw a lot of soy based foods like tofu, a lot of soup based meals, you know, some rice, they do eat a lot of rice. But I have to say they are always on the move. They were either walking around, you know, on their, getting on their moped and you know, just a lot of activity, a lot of walking of course counteracts, you know, all the extra calories that you're taking in. So movement is part of their daily lives.
09:23
Dr. Ade
Fermented foods like kimchi, you know, pickled vegetables, a lot of broth based soups like I talked about before, Lots of seafood, lots of fish, you know, of course it's great source of omega 3 and iodine, which is great for thyroid health, of course. So I really enjoyed that. You know, a healthy gut is really linked to overall health. We know more that our gut can really influence our hormones, you know, our brain function and just the ability to, you know, for a longevity and weight management in the long run.
09:57
Dr. Jillian
Yes, the bone broth. So my daughter really loves ramen, my son too. And we did eat a lot of broths, soups with broth, but bone broth has collagen in them. So here I take, you know, a collagen supplement each day. But there I was getting it more from the foods, which I loved. And collagen is, you need collagen in all parts of your body. So aesthetically speaking, you know, you want collagen in your stomach skin. It's a very large protein. It builds elastin so that when you stretch your skin out, you know, it goes back in place. Right. As we get older, we may stretch and one day it won't just bounce back. So collagen is going to help with that and of course, help in our joints. Right. So decreasing our joint pain and ligaments. So so many benefits to collagen.
10:45
Dr. Jillian
And bone broth was an important staple to their diet.
10:50
Dr. Ade
Absolutely. And, you know, I mean, I guess if you have a culture where it's built in for meditation. I remember going up to that beautiful temple that we almost didn't get to because we got lost, but we eventually made it there. And you can see people pausing during the middle of the day. I think people was actually getting closer to the other day when people are pausing and praying and reflecting. And this is gorgeous view. It was just. You could see that it was just kind of built into their day. You know, we're kind of used to in the western culture just going, going all the time.
11:25
Dr. Ade
But it just reminded me why taking time to pause during the middle of the day, sometimes that can be a source of feeling fulfilled when you feel like you have to keep going so that you can get everything on your day done. But it actually makes you more productive when you stop and you pause. And it's a key to stress management and longevity. So it's not that cortisol is bad for you, but you know, it's an essential hormone.
11:51
Dr. Jillian
Right.
11:51
Dr. Ade
You want to be able to run away from a tiger if you're being absolutely want to be constantly in that mode. Even when you're sleeping, you're not really sleeping. Your brain is still kind of very active. So I thought it was just really great to see people taking the time to pause for tea or connect with friends, you know, or go to a prayer or attend temple and stop and pray. So I thought that was really great for mindfulness.
12:15
Dr. Jillian
We were looking for that temple, but I see that were very blessed because we saw two temples. We saw that golden temple that we thought was the temple were looking for, but it wasn't. But I think that was a pretty special place with a beautiful view there. And then we saw the temple were looking for. But yes, you see people, they were Buddhist temples and so. And Buddhism, I think, is really interesting too, because it's a religion, but also it is just a way of life as well, a lifestyle. But yes, the people there were making sacrifices or praying. And so not only were there tourists there, but there were non tourists, that this was just part of their day to take that time to go and pray.
13:03
Dr. Ade
Yeah. What about Maja? I'm not even sure if I'm saying it wrong. What is your experience about that? Tell me more.
13:08
Dr. Jillian
Wait, are you talking about mahjong, the game Mahjong? Yes, mahjong. So I do not know how to play. I wanted to learn my, you know, my kids both go to Chinese immersion school, so they are, you know, very attuned with Chinese culture. They also, they have a lot of Taiwanese teachers, so they know a lot about Taiwanese culture as well. But mahjong is one of those games that brings people together. I kind of think it would be very similar to. It's not. The game isn't similar, but the concept around Mahjong is like bingo, right? And people going to bingo halls and connecting with other people and playing. Now mahjong is a lot more, I guess, technique and thought behind it. I don't know how to explain it, but I don't really know how to play the game.
13:56
Dr. Jillian
But I did notice there were a lot of mahjong centers or places to play together there and that's pretty cool. And these aren't people that are that know each other. It would be just like a bingo hall where, hey, they have mahjong going on. Let me just go and play. Maybe I'll bring my own little group and I'll join a game.
14:15
Dr. Ade
Yeah, it's amazing. I mean the culture. I told my husband, I said we got to find time to come back here and really explore it. I mean it's 13, 16 hours difference, about 13 hours to get there. So really taking the time to get past the jet lag and finding the time to really immerse yourself in the culture if you haven't been highly recommended. So just to kind of close and some takeaways, what are some easy ways to apply the Taiwan's longevity secrets to our own lives? Well, we talked about eating whole, nutritious, dense foods. You know, we talked about how some aliens, that's the standard American diet just doesn't have all of that. So making it intentional to incorporate fermented foods, seafood, plant based proteins is key. Moving more naturally like the Taiwanese do.
15:06
Dr. Ade
Walking, stretching, practicing things like Tai chi or yoga is appropriate. Prioritizing gut health, adding probiotics, you know, rich foods like kimchi or yogurt. And then of course reducing stress, deep breathing, meditation. We talked about the Buddhist tradition there, the religion there and spending time outdoors and connecting socially is important.
15:31
Dr. Jillian
Absolutely. We learned a lot about Taiwan's longevity secrets. I think here in this country we are trying to make some changes as far as not bringing in foods that have even small amounts of substances that could be dangerous to us, which would call for more regulation of our foods because these are things you know, as even me, you know, we're medical professionals, but I'm not aware of all of the substances that could be dangerous. And I trust our food system, you know, I trust our food regulators to, you know, get have healthy foods on our shelves that we could choose from. But I think we do have to educate ourselves more and take more responsibility on our own for adopting healthy eating, healthy actions. And so that is something that I learned from, you know, our time in Taiwan.
16:27
Dr. Jillian
I'd love to hear what you guys think or where you've gone and felt your healthiest self and what kind of secrets that do you plan to adopt into your lifestyle after visiting those places? And we are finished for today. I think we are out of time, but we cannot wait to bring you more programming here at the Modern Midlife Collective and talk more about hormones and health, longevity, lifespan, healthspan and just even our personal lives as mothers and wives.
17:02
Dr. Ade
And please don't forget to follow us for updates. If you have any questions, you can reach out to us on our channels. Our first podcast episodes are coming soon and we can't wait to dive into more of these topics with you.
17:17
Dr. Jillian
We'll see you next time. Thanks for listening.
17:19
Dr. Ade
Take care. Thank you for tuning in to the Modern Midlife Collective podcast. We hope today's episode has inspired you to take bold steps towards thriving in midlife.
17:30
Dr. Jillian
If you loved what you heard, please leave us a review and share this episode with a friend who's ready to step into their power.
17:38
Dr. Ade
We'll be back next week with more insights, strategies and real talk to help you live your best life at any age.
17:45
Dr. Jillian
Until then, remember, thriving at 40 and beyond isn't just possible. It's your birthright. We'll see you next time.