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The Plant Powered Collective Podcast helps women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond live vibrantly and nourish boldly. Hosted by integrative nutrition coach Lori Willinski, each episode blends science-backed nutrition with approachable strategies for hormone balance, energy, and healthy aging. Rooted in lifestyle medicine and personalized coaching, Lori shares her story of thriving on plants since age 14 and managing autoimmune disease with nutrition. Discover how a plant powered lifestyle fuels not only your health, but also your leadership and your future self.
Lori (00:00)
Alright, okay, so we are gonna be I'm just gonna keep this just in case. And don't worry, if it's recording, it's fine. I think our lighting looks okay. I can actually Do you want me to turn on that on? Yeah, so maybe turn that on off. Yeah. Let's see how that goes.
Yeah, that's actually that all of them. Yeah, that's good. Thank you. You're welcome. The more the better. I know. I know. We can also open those blinds of a little more. And that's okay because I can also play with the lighting a little bit. I I can do that as well. Okay. ⁓ not as much though. All right, so welcome to Plant Powered Collective. I'm Lori Willinski, integrated nutritionist and founder of Plant Powered Collective. I'm an advocate for putting more plants on the plate.
Because a diverse plant-rich way of eating gives us a powerful foundation for health. But I also believe there is no single perfect plate for everyone. That's where bioindividuality comes in. My approach is about building self-awareness, getting curious about your body and your life, and understanding what belongs on the plate for each of you. And because your plate sits within a life, my approach is about building self-awareness, getting curious about your body and your life, and understanding what else belongs on the plate for you.
And because your and because your plate sits within your life, we also explore what's around it sleep, movement, stress reduction, connection, environment, and the season of life you're in. At the heart of it. And we're going to talk about that as well. And at the heart of it is a simple principle: build your plate around whole food.
Build your plate around whole, minimally processed foods.
Make ultra processed foods the exception rather than the foundation. And make small intentional shifts that support your health today and your health tomorrow. So let's get curious. I love that, by the way. All of that. And no. I'm so excited. I can't wait to introduce you to Kaitlyn ⁓ today's conversation actually begins before I ever thought about asking Kaitlyn to be on the podcast. If you've listened to my conversations and my podcast.
before you'll know that I am part of a group ⁓
An informal group and we get together and we talk about perimenopause, menopause, and the season of life. I'm in postmenopausal. And we call ourselves the hot bitches. And you guys know right exactly. Because listen, if anyone is in perimenopause, menopause, or postmenopause, you know we just don't mess around or postpartum because you also feel like in postpartum too. So we'll go talk all about that. Absolutely. Because
Listen, hormones and changing bodies and
With hot bitches, this group, nothing is off the table. We talk about everything. And I mean everything. And it's in a safe space, so it's super good. And Kaitlyn came and spoke with us about hormone replacement therapy, ⁓ about everything. ⁓ and after that decided that I really wanted to work with ⁓ Kaitlyn for my own personal health. So I'm really excited to have you on the podcast today. Thank you having me. So
I really wanted you at the table today on the podcast because you're a working mom, a healthcare professional, an entrepreneur building a business. Yeah.
And you're not only a working mom, but you're now a working mom of like one and three quarters. Of course. You know? Yes. So you know, it's really exciting and I'm so excited to talk with you because not only do I want to talk with you about
what you do professionally, but also being a mom, being a working mom, being an entrepreneur, building a really successful business. ⁓ there's a lot on my plate. Yeah. Like I I love this whole starting point of this because it's literally so metaphorically that it just all goes cohesively together. One hundred percent. So there's a lot. I love that though. It's beautiful. ⁓ Kaitlyn, welcome to the podcast. I'm so excited to have you here. Yeah so before we get into hormones and like entrepreneurship and
Being a mom, ⁓ I have a question for you that I ask all of everyone, the folks that are on my podcast, what's nourishing you on and off the plate?
⁓ well right now I I earn infusions because I'm anemic. ⁓ yeah. I was too when I was pregnant. Yeah, were you? Yes. Well well I'm guess I'm welcome to the club then, right? Yeah. ⁓ that's obviously I've been a lot very tired, so you know, and that's one of the things you say even with menopause, and the first thing they're gonna come is fatigue, you know. So I really feel how you feel all the time right now. But ⁓ no, personally what what fills my place my husband's wonderful, he is
My chef, he is my helper at home. Yeah, I there's gonna be a question later where you're asking me about what what I eat, but and we don't need to go, like you just follow your heart with what you want to say. We don't need to go. So, as you guys all know, I make fastidious notes and questions, but we don't need to go. But I love the order because then it kind of tells me where I'm gonna go with this, but ⁓ no, so ⁓ yeah, he's wonderful. my daughter's awesome. She's although she's two now, she doesn't she wants to be naked all the time, so there's that.
We're in the naked stage. Yeah, my my kids too at that age. Right to yeah, right, exactly. Yep. So it's it's it's a fun age. She just doesn't want to wear clothes. This morning was a fight to brush her teeth, brush her hair, all the things. So I remember those days. Yeah. ⁓ and then being pregnant. So that's that's fun on top of that. But ⁓ actually no, I I had a hair appointment, but I don't know if it's gonna happen 'cause what's going on out there. So I had a hair appointment and a nail appointment today. Today's my me day, which normally is my day with my daughter, but today is filled with things.
For me, so that's important. Yeah, that was that's gonna fill my plate today, at least. That's where that was all going, yeah. But
But yeah, I mean it's a lot. It's you know, it's a day in and day out things. So but you know, you have to still keep a smile on your face because that's that's what your your job is, right? Just like with your dad, it's hard, you know. You've got to still keep we're just talking about this, you know? Yep, as many of you know, ⁓ who listen to my podcast, right now, ⁓ my dad for about five months now has been living with me. He has dementia and primary progressive aphasia.
And it's a lot. It is just a lot. It's taking care of a toddler. It is but an adult toddler. Yes indeed. So it's even harder because they're bigger and you know, it it's you you got a lot of to do, you know. It's a lot of responsibility. Now you did mention like what's going on out there. So talk about where your office is and why you chose this kind of an office. Wh yeah. Well, at first I started ⁓ actually it was I worked at a med spa and I was doing a lot of ⁓ of the background work, doing the inventory, you know.
making sure the pharmacies meds were done, all of the things I was doing scheduling. I said, why am I doing this for someone else when he wasn't even medical, you know, at the time. ⁓ so I said, you know, it wasn't always my goal to go on my own, but I think I realized that if I could do that, I had the medical pack already, I know this is later on, but I had the medical stuff already kind of under the plate, you know, on the plate, on the plate, right? Not under the plate. We had it on the plate. It was full, it was overflowing. But the business aspect of it all
was okay, well if I'm helping this man run a medical spa, why not go do this for myself and make it not a medical spa, make it ⁓ a practice, you know? So ⁓ that's where I decided, well let's let's just try it. Let's just jump in. So I asked my dentist who I love her to the she's my well she's my patient too, but she's also I'm her patient. So I'm gonna have to ask you that about well I'll ask you about her later. Yes. Yeah she's awesome.
But she let me use her room because she was closed on Fridays. So she let me start rent from her on Fridays, and I got to use a space and a room in her office. I had the whole space to myself, but I only used one room and then started bringing my stuff back and forth, ended up outgrowing myself on Fridays to doing Fridays and Saturdays. Okay. But I didn't want to work every Saturday because I was also a nurse in the hospital working every other weekend because that was something you were forced to do. And even with my GYN background, we ended up doing like one.
A month on Saturday. So I just decided, well, if I'm out growing myself here, let's go try and move somewhere that would be I could go every day, you know. I could come on a Monday or I could go on a Sunday. It doesn't really matter. But ⁓ so what's going on out there? I'm in this the salon suites, ⁓ right next to the pewter mug off of 41. ⁓ in Naples, in Naples, yes. And right next door to Benita Springs, ⁓
Mercedes. Yeah. I really want to get a Mercedes just by sitting over there, by the way. But that's where I'm at mine. Yeah. Okay. Well good to know. They're really I I always see the shops though. There's people going in and out of there. So, you know, we're the anyways. ⁓ so that's where I'm at now. But I'm coming to a point where I'm probably gonna outgrow myself again. ⁓ before
this was happening my pregnancy, I looked into a space actually in the same plaza. Okay. So it's a few doors down, ⁓ and it would be a build out. that's that's part of the plan. I don't know if that's still gonna be open in six months, but I'm gonna wait till after season and if life slows down a little bit and then we'll look into it again. Yep, 'cause it
If any of you that don't live in Florida will just let you know that there's a season in Florida. So we're heading into that season now. We'll sort of start maybe around I mean it's already started. Yeah, they're already here. But normally people that live here seasonally will come down in like
October, November, and then they'll go back for like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and then they'll come back after Christmas. Or sometimes they more and more I find I've lived here for seventeen years now. More and more I find people are staying here. Yeah. And their families are coming down here for Thanksgiving and Christmas. ⁓ and and they're just staying through till like May. So which is not a bad thing for business, but it is for our roads and our developments and all the things, you know, but we go and that's a whole nother talk topic. Exactly, exactly. So that's really exciting.
I didn't realize that. So I wanna go back a little bit and talk about
Like so you
Talk about who who you are. I know that you know and and your credentials and sort of your journey that brought you here. You alluded to it a little bit, but I'd love to talk a little bit more about that. Yeah, so ⁓ I originally and I've always wanted to be something in healthcare since the beginning of my life. I thought in high school I wanted to be a dental hygienist, which I'm kinda glad I didn't go that route because there's it's all you are. I have a cousin who's dental hygiene and it's just such a specific job, you know, it's just one routine every
single day all day long whereas nursing is so broad and you can go in any route but anyways I worked at an MRI center in high school and decided that that would be something interesting I get to see the inside of the body ⁓ so I actually thought maybe I'll do that well I took all my prerequisites and didn't get into the program because they only took 18 people and I was really young 19 ⁓ so I was like well let's just keep going and I ended up getting my health administration so I have a bachelor's in health administration and then I decided
Well, Willie, what can you do with health administration without being like a nurse, right? I mean, other than working in, you know, the pushing the papers, which I don't, I'm so hands-on I want to do. So I went back to nursing school. And ⁓ I have my well, I now have my master's in nursing and my bachelor's in health administration. but eventually I ⁓ throughout all of my nursing career, I ⁓ started on a med surge unit, which is the you know, the unit that it's kind of like a free-for-all. You get whatever you want. They call it the dump floor.
Okay. It's like you get literally get anything. It just gets you know. So the good news about that is whenever you become a brand new nurse, you kind of want that floor. Nobody wants that floor, but you want that floor to grow. Sure, yeah. And so you get post-surgical, you get ⁓ dementia, you get I think I was probably on that floor when I had cellulitis. Yeah, probably I had cellulitis on my face. It was horrible. I had no idea. They just pumped me for a little bit. Ivy and Ivy, yeah. It was awful. Yeah, well, how long did
Were there for? A week. Yes, yeah. How did that happen? I we no idea. It wasn't after like a procedure and nope, nope, it wasn't after procedure. It just happened it all of a sudden one day my face just swelled s got swollen, my eyes were swollen shut. Did you get bit by something? Nope. No, they didn't they determined that I wasn't bit by anything. I nothing ⁓ abscess in the tube or anything? No, no, nothing. I no idea how it happened. Right? And and 'cause of course I want to know like what was
Wanna know the why and that in they you know the ⁓ what kind of doctor was it? It was like a infectious disease doctor, just said we don't know. So we just put this broad term, cellulitis, and we're just gonna give you, you know, random broad spread antibiotics. Okay. So I will say, ⁓ based on
How much I even just had to pay out of pocket. I was very happy at the time that I have insurance. We're gonna talk about that as well a little bit. ⁓ yeah, but ⁓ I was very happy about that. So yes, I was on that that floor.
Yes. Well maybe maybe you were one of my patients back there. I don't know how long ago was that? ⁓ it wasn't ⁓ twenty twenty three. Okay, I was already at the hospital by then. So but anyway, so yeah, I eventually ended up on cardiac units. ⁓ and then I started traveling as a nurse. ⁓ wow Yeah, so I traveled for ⁓ on and off for like three years. I would come home during season, work the seasonal job at the hospital and then I would take a fun assignment for six months, go places. My farthest I went was Reno, Nevada.
So fun. And then the closest I was was Greenville, South Carolina. ⁓ nice. So it was it was fun because the last assignment I took was COVID. So I wasn't a COVID nurse ⁓ up until 21 of April. And that's when actually I went back to school March of 2020, right before the pandemic hit. I literally nobody wanted to be around me anyway. So so like, well I might as well go to school. Nobody wanted you're a COVID nurse? No, no, don't kid be around me. ⁓
So was like, well, let's advance my practice. So ⁓ that's what I did. And then I had to do clinical. So whenever ⁓ my last assignment was, I went outpatient and started working with a gynecologist. I have a friend who was an NP at the time who kind of we've been we went to nursing school together, we've kind of done the bridging, she was in my wedding kind of thing. wow. So ⁓ but yeah, no, she kind of helped me get through. She's like, Well, you should just come work with us, and I said, Okay. So and she got me the job. I started working with ⁓ not only
just hormones but they had a weight loss clinic yeah and they had a men's clinic yes I actually used to go to that clinic did you yes for my hormone replacement palettes so it was you know you all about it so I know all about it it's a wonderful place there's a lot of great things I could say about it there's a few things you know as anyways you could always say negative things about anywhere you go but also same with hospitals and you know floors and all the things but I'm very grateful for all of my experience again after working with him then I ended up ⁓ I worked in plastics for six months and then I did
the med spa for a year. ⁓ I was having a lot of trouble getting pregnant personally. ⁓ so there's some personal things with working with the gynecology office. ⁓ and then even with you know as things went on. ⁓ But I eventually got pregnant. I have a two and a half year old daughter and now I have a almost eight month old son in utero. my gosh that's one of one of age that's so ⁓ other than that what was the rest of that class I don't remember what
⁓ just your journey. Okay. So yes. And then the last but not least the the big one, this one right here, right? Yes. Okay, so travel nurse, NP. I bridged my practice. So MP, explain to our viewers what MP is. So nurse practitioner, or I'm a family nurse practitioner, I'm a certified family nurse practitioner. ⁓ so F NP-C. I have a master's degree. ⁓ I'm crazy and probably will go for my doctorate, but that's another another tick on the mark, whatever you have to do. ⁓
But ⁓ currently in the state of Florida after after practicing for 2,000 hours under a physician, you can ⁓ apply to practice autonomously, which is independently. And so three years ago I I applied for it and I got it and I now practice independently as a family nurse practitioner. I do have some again background in the hormone replacements, the women's health, weight loss, and then also just primary care based off of what I worked with in the hospital.
⁓ but those are pretty much and aesthetic medicine. So with the plastics and the Botox and all of that, we can talk about that too later. That's the fun stuff, but all the other good stuff is all connected together. Yeah. So
You know, I I want to ⁓ talk to you about what are you hearing from women? I want to like sort of f stay in this medical conversation. Sure. ⁓ what are you hearing from women in their forties, fifties, and beyond?
The biggest complaint, and I just told you this before off camera, is fatigue. It's fatigue. And the thing is is that, you know, I think it's more than just hormones itself. And I wanna reiterate that, especially because of what you do and how important diet is too. And I think these things sorry, I talk with my hands a lot. No, that's okay. I do too. I do too. It's fine. And and I just noticed the way that the the the camera is ⁓
Is that like when I do this, my hand looks like super big. So I'm just gonna like my hands are really big, so I'll just keep them under my legs. No, no, go ahead.
No, so I think a lot of it fatigue symptom wise, we want to blame something, right? We think that everything is always just maybe it's my hormones or maybe it's because I didn't get enough good enough sleep last night, or maybe it's because I'm just stressed with work or my kid woke me up three times or whatever the case is. Or my dad. My dad, yeah, right, exactly. 'Cause that happens. Very true. So I wanna put on to this too that diet is such a huge thing. Yes. And you ⁓
I I commend you for the what what you do eat and how well you eat and not that I don't eat well, but I do like meat and I'm not I No and listen, I think you're crabbed. Yeah, go ahead. I will say that everyone is bioindividual, right? Really what the foundation of healthy eating is, is whole food. Yes.
Healthy. A little bit of minimum minimally processed food. Because whole food is gonna be healthy. There's no no two ways about it. Right? Yes. Whole food because it's gonna be the modified food pyramid. That's right. It's gonna be fresh, you know, for someone that's a meat eater, it will be fresh meats, hopefully grass fed, you know, free range, organic, all this kind of thing. same with with ⁓ with anything plant based. ⁓ minimally processed, which includes things like pastas and flowers and
And things like that. Nothing bleached. Yep, nothing bleached. And then ultra processed, and then just minimize ultra processed foods. For instance, like my dad loves sweets. So from a whole food perspective, he gets a lot of fruit. ⁓ and I also make minimally processed, really ⁓ healthy, as healthy as possible, like cookies. Yeah. That kind of stuff. So, yes. So, you know, and and
But it is difficult because in our world today, everyone is busy. Yeah. And we all want that quick fix, right? We all want that 15 minutes. Like, what can I do right now so that I have more energy? Same thing. I was driving here today and I'm like, why am I so tired? It's the morning. Yes. And I'm already exhausted. Why is that? And I'm thinking, maybe your hormones are off. I know I was just thinking, maybe my hormone replacement, that you know, my HR. And that's where we go to, right? That's our brain set, our mindset, where this conversation goes, is that the first thing
People come in here is I'm so tired. But what is it that you ate last night that maybe or maybe you didn't sleep enough? Or maybe you know that coffee didn't hit yet, or that you know what I mean? ⁓ but even that, you know, we're just caffeine is great, but in moderation, you know, and so same with, you know, all the things. So same with hormones in moderation. It's all a cohesive unit together, I think. But that that in its sense is what the first thing that come in here is ⁓ they wanna know what's going on, which that's
obviously I want to know what's going on too. And so what we decide is let's get your hormones checked, right? And you can use me as like a case study. So I came in and I I said, listen, I'm I'm exhausted all the time. I ⁓
My joints hurt, I feel inflamed. ⁓ Yeah, you know, and and please feel free. I'm very open about that I'm on hormone replacement therapy and ⁓ and peptides right now. We started some peptides, which I have found helpful. Very beneficial. Yeah. And ⁓ so yeah, I mean w where do you you can I'm
I don't know if I can do this, but I'm giving you permission to share, you know, that you know, from a HIPAA standpoint. Yeah, you've you've decided to have a consent, but if you're allowing me to release therably, then we can talk about it. ⁓ so yeah, I mean, I don't have your laps pulled up in front of me right now, but I remember you were already postmenopausal. ⁓ so there are no your numbers were in the toilet, really. I mean, so there was no hormones working because there's no hormones being made. Yeah, and the funny thing is is I didn't think I could go on hormone replacement because I was postmenopausal.
So, what's the point? And that's the biggest taboo. Is that if it's already happened, why should I be on it? It's not working. But there's so many benefits, especially as you age. Now, there are also negative benefits. We can talk about those too eventually. But the the positives of what you just mentioned was joint pain. That's the biggest thing is when you don't have ad estrogen, your joints start to stiffen up and the inflammation causes that. As well as your bone health, you know. So it was hurting so bad. So I I have a two-story home and my office was upstairs.
stairs and before my dad and my ⁓ primary bedroom was downstairs which was fine when my dad didn't live with me but now my dad is in the primary bedroom and I'm upstairs and what I would find is like going up and down those stairs literally would be so painful that I wasn't even using my my
Anymore. Everything was downstairs on my kitchen table. And that wasn't the way to live. No. Yeah. And it's gotten so much better. But we'll finish with I mean, and we've talked about peptides too. We'll talk about that. But there's a lot of great in and not only just hormone replacement, but you know, and the fact that that helps with decrease the inflammation and the the benefits of overall health long term, you know. So but yeah, you it just because it stops being made doesn't mean your body doesn't need it, right? So men actually go through menopause too.
called andropause and I also deal I I deal well yeah I deal with men you know what I mean who doesn't deal with men but you've got one at home with your dad and my other one is in Hawaii he moved to Hawaii so yeah I know from work yeah I'm dealing with one right now ⁓ no ⁓ I also see and practice with men too so that's another thing that you know men also go through this too and we don't even real nobody talks about that either which is taboo again you know obviously the FDA is finally lifted
the black box warning for women finally. Yes, because ⁓ twelve, thirteen years ago when I was going through menopause, you know, everyone said no because you have breast cancer r because you have breast cancer risk, you have breast cancer in your family, you can't do hormone replacement.
I and I went to several and I had one ⁓ doctor that I went to and she said, you know, just just ⁓ here's some patches and I said, Well, shouldn't you check my hormones to see that I don't do I even need it? I don't know. Like, yeah. And she's like, no, just try this one. It's just low, see if it feels better and I'm like, Thanks. And I you know, took the the sample and I never did it because
To me that just didn't make sense. Yeah. It just didn't make sense that wouldn't you at least wanna test me in some way, shape, or form to figure out what I needed. And therein lies the blood test that you did for me to make sure that when you gave me the hormone replacement therapy, cream and we decided on cream. But there's many different kinds. So do you want to talk about that a little bit? Sure. ⁓ so originally when I first started work learning about hormones and all of this, I mean you you hear about it all the time, but at the gynecology office
I was doing hormone replacement pellets and eventually may put that back into my practice. But obviously I need I need some help more than just me. But ⁓ but no, there are other things out there. So there are creams, there are sublingual tablets which melt in your mouth. ⁓ there are oral forms, there are topical forms, there are patches as you mentioned. ⁓ and and then actually up until 50, you can even take birth control pills. wow.
Going through menopause because most women start in their mid forties, right? I mean, ⁓ the it's not pinpoint on who what time it's going to happen, but up until 50, you can help regulate HRT, which is hormone replacement, with even a birth control. So yeah. I did not realize that. Yeah. So I went and got some ⁓ some blood work done. And I think it's I I really also want to share
Because you belong and I'm gonna say this the wrong way and you'll be able to, but ⁓ you belong to an association so that for people that don't have health insurance, like me right now, I'm an entrepreneur, you guys know ⁓ the the founder of Plant Power Collective, and because it's a new business, I can't afford health care yet. So
I was worried thinking how much because I know what my copay was when I had blood work done. So I'm thinking it's going to be thousands of dollars for me to get my blood work done. And can you explain a little bit what you offer? Because I think it's so important. And I just had no idea that it even existed. So yeah, I mean I do self-pay. I I don't take insurance because obviously just as the insurance company as it all, we're overall these these providers are leaving.
And becoming concierge medicine because of this is that we don't get paid, you know. And even when I I mean I never got paid, I got hourly rage. But I know that with with all of my training, we only get 80% versus 100% as a doctor. So ⁓ but either way, why bill an insurance company if I'm only gonna get a third of what I'm billing for? So what's the point, you know? Well, and then you have to follow up with them. And and my understanding is you probably have to hire someone because that it's so it's such a skill.
To be able to deal with the billing and the coding and which I still bill and code, you know, because I do I do self-pay. So everything is concierge medicine per se. It's not a monthly payment, it's a it's per per visit payment. And then also I help you if you don't have insurance. A lot of people do have insurance, so I want to be able to help the ones that do have insurance as well. So I code that for their labs to quest and then make sure they have the correct coding. And then with the self-pay, I use a
company called Ulta Labs which you can actually do ⁓ by yourself but because I have the provider role I if I send you that ⁓ that lab order then you get an extra like twenty percent discount which is and I'm telling you I had a full panel you know not even just the high level like ⁓ hormone stuff like this super deep you know a basic panel too so we got your C D C your C and P your thyroid check yeah and ⁓
And it was $150. Mm-hmm. My ones I think are $80 just just overall eight, but overall all of I think are $150. I mean it was it was incredible. And I was and I because I'm also vegan and I'm sixty one, I do like to have my yeah, my labs done on a regular basis just to make sure that everything is still okay. Mm-hmm. so yeah, I mean so I think for those of you that might be
out there without health insurance or
You know, that there's options. Yeah. I think that's the biggest thing too, is because I'm in a mom's group too and I always get tagged, which I think people are always like, Well, how much does it cost? How much is it gonna cost me? And I will work with you. I mean, I'm not trying to rip you off, I'm trying to help you. You know, at the end of the day, this is all to benefit you, you know. So I think these these things are awesome that I can help you with those lab works, you know. Yeah, absolutely. So I got my labs done. We decided on a cream. ⁓
And
Talk a little bit about how because the cream isn't just like a generic cream that I can that you know it's it's specific to you. Yes, it's specific to me. And so there is kind of like an overall what we kind of start with, but sometimes and just like we were saying earlier, you feel great on it. It comes sometimes takes a long time for me to figure those numbers out for you. ⁓ nobody's the same, you know, and so even with someone who is postmenopausal, I can think of one right now in my head where we had to go up on our estrogen because it's still
just not enough but then if you go too high then we're bleeding so I'm worried about going to making sure you have enough progesterone in your system ⁓ but that I think the biggest part of it is is that postmenopausal are easier to figure out rather than the perimenopausal or in menopause specifically perimenopause you still are able to create enough of what you already have you know the estrogen but your then your periods are starting into going ⁓ you know and 36 days then they're 40 days and then and then we're
starting to get almost you know three or four months without one you know there's so we know that's perimenopause when we're in menopause we we don't get flagged of that until it's your first year without a period okay so then we say okay well now it's been one full year now we can call you menopausal and what can we do to make sure you have enough of these hormones because at that point they're full blown hot flashes pulling the covers off screaming at their husbands you know all the all the things I remember those days yeah you know all everything
The fatigue, the non sleeping, the the hot flashes. ⁓
But that's when we absolutely wanna make sure we get them on those hormones. Absolutely. As long as they're candidate, absolutely. Because that's where they're gonna feel better and feel more like themselves, you know, rather than throwing an SSRI at them. So Yep. Well, and then that twelve, fourteen years ago when I was going through menopause, that's what every single doctor wanted to do. Wanted to do. ⁓ we'll just we'll just give you a a a low dose of an antidepressant.
it'll make you feel happy. And I said, but I'm not sad. And and it got to the point and then I'd go to another doctor, they'd say the same thing. I went to doctors in Boston where which is where I'm from. ⁓ they said the same thing. And I finally said to a doctor, then should I go to a psychiatrist to get properly diagnosed? Because maybe I am. And they said, no, no, no, we just do that with everyone and I'm thinking to myself, I I
I am just the type of person I don't want to be on a medication and you put any because again it's ultra processed things. I don't want to put anything ultra processed in my body unless it has a specific function. And they couldn't give me a good enough reason. And so I I I didn't. ⁓ yeah. So and then I found hormone replacement pellets, which quite frankly I I sort of had mixed success with.
Now that I have the cream and maybe the cream wouldn't have worked back then. Yeah. But the cream for me is super good. Yeah. Yeah. And and that's true. You're absolutely right. Is that I feel like pellets are really good for that full blown menopause because we're trying to just get you through it almost. Whereas the cream is a little more subtle. And some people are wanting to be more subtle and they're okay with one or two hot flashes a day. They just want to feel more normal. Yes. And I get that. And speaking of this, I want to throw in, I know you're going to ask about 40.
But
Whenever I breastfed my daughter, I felt all these things. So before I even knew what menopause was, I was a wasn't able to relate to everyone, you know. Now that I've had children and well, yeah, I have I've had a miscarriage, so yes, I have had more than one. But now that I'm having children and I've had the post postpartum stage of postmenopausal kind of stage, right? I felt those feelings and having those hot flashes and and not feeling like yourself and and that four month post.
partum where your hair is falling out and you're feeling awful like you just like throw please throw well butron at me almost because you feel like you're going crazy. It's it's real it's real and those things that I could feel now I can relate to which is nice too. that's interesting that you say that because I had my kids in the mid-90s, right? Before you know any of this. And I felt all of those things but I didn't even think
to talk to my doctor about it. And that's really interesting. Yeah. I mean I I feel like it's becoming so much more in my generation, I feel like we're able to talk a little bit more about things. Including miscarriages. I feel like that was super taboo and nobody talked about I was gonna say thank you for I mean that's a very personal thing that you just shared and and I'm holding space for you with that. Thank you. I I feel like and that was another, you know, back in when it was hard getting pregnant and all that. So but I'm
I'm I think when you're in it it's hard, but when you get past it, it's a lot easier to talk about. Just like right now when you're in it with your dad. It's it's hard. It's really you you know, you wanna save space for the right things for the to say, but also it's like you're in it, it's it's hard. But as you as you grow and move on, it's a little easier to, you know, but that's the thing, yeah. And even the same with menopause, you know, when you're in it, you're like, Who can help me? Because I don't even care if it's my best friend next door who's going through this, somebody I need to talk to about this to get through this, right? One hundred percent.
And so I'm so glad that you guys are doing that little that that little hot bitches. ⁓ what is it once a month, right? It's once a month. Actually it might I think it's the Sunday. Okay. I would just so I'll tell everyone that knows me. So I said hello. I will. I will. And you know, and again, we talk about everything. Nothing is off the table. I mean we talk about everything from our hair thinning to
working and having hot flashes and not feeling well and wanting to take an afternoon nap to foods, to nutrition, to let's even go sexual health. I was just gonna say to sex and how that changes. Yeah. You know, how our bodies change, how we're how vaginal dryness. Yes. And even as you get to be my age, like, you know, moving differently and like ⁓ yeah.
Like your joint pain, is it better now? It it is. And I do want to get into peptides because Okay, we definitely will go there. We can also talk about sex and that's why ⁓ I mean it is overall same thing. It's not just women's health, it's men's health too. And that's the same thing. The first reason why men come in here. And I know this is a women's podcast too, but it's important because you also have to have a man to and some well, not always, but you know, and in it intercourse, most wise, you know, you have a man and a woman who are both kind of at the same time, like going through the same thing.
So if you're you're on a safe page and you're on HRT and you're ready to go and your husband or your spouse or partner, whatever you have, is not because they are having issues themselves, then let's what we gotta figure out what's going on with them too, right? Exactly. And it can be done in a really healthy way by just replacing and talking about it. Yeah. Talking about it, but also replacing the hormones that they've lost. Yeah. And rather than taking the little blue pill, which is, you again. And I'll say this working with the men is that majority
Of them come in around 45 and they haven't had ⁓ a checkup or seen a doctor only unless they had a cough or something into urgent care, ear infection, whatever. And the reason they're coming in is because they don't feel good and they have ED, right? And that's the biggest thing. Why am I having E D? Well, it's not that you're really having E D, it's more so that you have high blood pressure. And let's fix that high blood pressure because what's happening is the blood pressure's coming here and not there. So that's a ⁓
It yeah it's true. It's true. And then it's like, well, your blood pressure's one seventy over ninety, you should be in the ER right now, you know. But let's start you on a blood pressure medication and then in a month we'll see where you're at. And then I'm not giving you blood pressure medicine or I'm not gonna give you a a Viagra and with your blood pressure being that high. So don't even ask me, you know. Let's and then let's while we're at this, let's check your hormones too. Because if you can benefit from testosterone, right, then let's start you on a testosterone replacement as well. Yeah. Which also
Women get testosterone. Yes, I have testosterone. Yeah, I had to that's part of my protocol. Your cream. Yes, yes. And women have benefits from from that as well, which we can talk about that. And I know there's a lot we could go down the hill with, but but yeah, no, I think it is it's really important to one, talk about it, two, talk about it with your spouse. Yes. And three, be so it's good to be open. I feel like it's it you may help somebody else in the long run, you know, just by opening up. Absolutely. So to go back to ⁓ in
The hot bitches proof we talk about all of those things. And again, nothing is off the table. It's a super safe space. And it's I only knew one person really well there with Beth. ⁓ who was on your podcast, I listened to ⁓ you know, but having ⁓ a group of women, regardless of whether you know them or not, in a really safe space and everyone is open and everyone is sharing, yeah, is something that is so ⁓
This is kind of a weird word, but it's the only word that's coming to my mind right now. It's like sacred. Mm-hmm. Because you can't talk about that with everyone.
Well, you feel uncomfortable. You know, you feel in a space where you know your comfort. Yes. Comfort it's like a baby, your dad. He knows that he's comfortable with you. And comes to in other places he's not. He goes into a school goose, you know? Yes. So where we feel safe, we we want to and that's how also it's when you come into my office, that's what I want. You know, and I I want people and I will say this majority of my patients, this becomes their therapy session. It ends up becoming something that they feel they're safe. They can tell me about anything. The most weirdest thing, you know, they
you know, they were having intercourse and something happened. You know, it's just like those things like you don't even want to say, but you just kind of feel so comfortable, it just comes out, which that's amazing. I want that. I mean whatever's said in here is very safe and that's where I want you to come and feel safe, you know? Yep. And and it really do feel safe because I know for me, you know, it's it's nice to be able to come in here and have a real conversation and you take time. ⁓
It's not okay, you know, here's the ten minute window that I I I have to examine and you know, here is here's some lab work and I'll kind we'll see you in another two close, yeah. That we have this kind of conversation. So I I wanna pivot a little bit and talk about peptides. Okay. Because one thing that I found for me is when I did the HRT, when I did the cream, ⁓ everything felt better. I had more energy.
I felt like some of the brain fog had lifted a little bit. ⁓ you know, all those things I felt less inflamed. yet my knees still my knees and everyone that I talked to and I don't know what it is, and hopefully someday, but like my thumbs, especially like here and here, they hurt. ⁓ and I couldn't figure it out. And ⁓ I can't remember who I was talking ⁓
Almost like a carpal tunnel feeling. Yes, exactly. That's common. and ⁓ with manoplass. Okay, right. There's also the stiff shoulder that everyone complains about too. So let me tell you the story. So I had no idea about this. I just recently okay, saw this on Instagram. ⁓ about that. But this this shoulder, I had a frozen shoulder. when I was I don't know, maybe I was like forty five, forty six and ⁓ and so I had a hysterectomy when I was in like my
Early mid thirties. ⁓ so I don't know when I started. Right. Then berimenopause when I went through wasn't even a thing. No one even talked In your thirties pretty much, other than with your ovaries, right. And and ⁓ and I literally couldn't move my arm at all. And no one could explain it. They almost they wanted to give me they
They wanted to do joint injection. A joint a joint injection, which they did and it didn't really help. ⁓ they wanted to do actually surgery where they thought that they could go in and like break something up or and I'm like, no, that's fine. ⁓ and I re I resigned myself to the fact that I was just not gonna be able to move my shoulder. Now the interesting thing was is with
the HRT and the peptides, I have way more range of motion. And I worked on the range of motion. I mean I do yoga and like a lot of stretching stuff. ⁓ PT stuff. Yeah. Yeah. ⁓ but and I did PT for a while until my insurance at the time didn't pay for it anymore and it was too expensive. And then I'm like, I can look at it on YouTube. Yeah. So
Peptides. Yeah, let's talk about so let's talk a little bit about peptides because I came to you and I said like everything is the HRT is the cream is working super good. Yeah. But I want to explore peptides. I wanna make sure that whatever I'm doing is like is FDA approved. I know that there were a lot of maybe peptides that aren't right now and that's fine for people that don't. I I just like to take a little bit more of a
So let's kind of talk about what the FDA is and right. So it's the Food and Drug Administration, right? And so the FDA is what approves medications and foods. And as you know, I mean there are organic things that the USDA will approve, right? And so those are more so like a supplement, right? So we're doing making sure that we have enough vitamin D or B twelve, whereas the FDA approves all of the chemical-ish kind of things that go into our body, including food, right?
⁓ we obviously want chemicals that will work with our body well ⁓ and or an amino acid and or which is what peptides are actually. So a peptide is a a strand of amino acids that your body creates already internally. And whenever we add a peptide in, hence you know what we were going to be talking about. GLP1s are a big one, right? So everybody knows about GLP1s, they're glucogen-like peptides. ⁓ and what that means is that there's a peptide already in your body.
Body that creates the insulins, right? Right, but we just sometimes can't get enough of those. So then we have to use a separate type of peptide to enhance the peptides we have and/or to help talk to our body in a sense, right? So these peptides almost trigger responses in our body, they're chemical messengers that send those messages internally and then say, Hey, we have a tissue problem in our right shoulder. Let's use
157 to help repair that tissue. Let's say with the same thing with the GLP. Well, we need to lose the weight, right? So the GLP one's an easy one to say. Well, okay, well, let's trigger this response to give that dopamine response to our brain to tell our stomach that we need to stop eating as much, right? And or we're full faster. And so that's what that peptide does. So the thing is, there's a lot of different peptides out there. ⁓ some of them are FDFA approved, some of them are still in that middle man where.
You can get it from a compound pharmacy, they can create it, and then if it works well with your body, the thing about peptides is is it's specific to who you are, right? And or specific to what you're looking for. Okay. So if we need to target ⁓ fat or if we need to target a tissue repair or anti-aging or all the all of the above, what are we looking for, right? And so then we kind of see with what your preference is, what your body is like, what could benefit you. Yep. So
So I was really concerned about I guess tissue repair and like my joint pain, especially in my knees because now that I was now that my bedroom is on the second floor of my home, going up and down the stairs, I mean, was really super painful and I just wasn't
able to feel normal. Yes, and you know, quite frankly, ⁓ my dad can't be by himself. So if there's not a caregiver, I do have caregivers in the home on days for certain periods of time. But there's a big period of time when it's me. And if I have to run up I can't I couldn't run upstairs and come back down. And it was really stressful thinking, how can I go upstairs and come down when it takes
me five minutes to walk up the stairs and another five minutes to come down the stairs. You know, so that's ten minutes right there. Forget about what I have to do upstairs. ⁓ so
I decided to go on ⁓ BPC one. Yes. That's one of the biggest ones out there that's great for tissue repair. I've seen it do wonderful things, especially closer to like the targeted areas. But overall it is great for rebuilding new tissue. So if you have tissue that's depleted or not working that well, let's give it some new cells to recreate those new cells to give you that volume back or the the help with the inflammation. And I'll tell you, I I think this is the third month that I'm on them and
⁓ it has been transformative. It's incredible to and and the thing was is I I was going up and down the stairs and all of a sudden one day I'm like, I'm literally like kind of running up the stairs.
And not even thinking about it. It's incredible. NAD. I am taking NAD as well. Which is an amazing one. It's like the holy grail, if we want to call it that, because it's anti-aging component, right? So it's not only helping with your joint pain, it's helping with your skin, your hair, your nails, internally, your organs that are, you know, aging just like you are. And it's supposed to help with brain too. I read you that that was one of the reasons why I was like, tell me, should I go can I or should can I go on NAD as well? Because I see my dad right now and
I really I I know because there's been a lot of studies done that eating, you know, a plant forward diet, and I hate the word diet, but in this case it is a plant forward diet, ⁓ you know, and with minimally processed foods.
and trying no outer processed foods will help against any type of dementia. I mean it's something like a like a fifteen to twenty percent decrease in in in being a and getting dementia. Yeah. ⁓ you know, and I wanna do what I can because you know, right now quite frankly my dad doesn't have
quality of life at all. And it's it's just very sad to me. ⁓ how old is he? He's eighty four. Okay. Yeah. But he started this is it's been going on for a while now. He was in his late seventies. So ⁓ yeah. And and you wondered too, is was there some other determining factor? Was it genetic? Was it something you know he was predisposed to? Was it his job? What his well I was gonna say, right? So his parents didn't have ⁓
grandparents had had dementia. ⁓ I will say that my my dad was a schoolteacher, lifelong learner, two master's degrees, smart guy. Yeah.
always was very like work didn't work out but was physical. Like, you know, he he loved to like putter around the house and he like when he was in his mid seventies he's replaced his own roof. That's awesome. Yeah, right? ⁓ real we're not so happy about it. But in the family but he did it. Yeah. So you know he was he was he w had a lot of movement. Mm-hmm. The one area that he never and and I've been talking with him about this for decades is about how he ate.
⁓ and not saying that that's the reason. He could have been predisposed in a lot of other reasons and a lot of other ways.
You know, but that's a that's goes back to where the beginning from all this is is that same thing with the fatigue. What is what is it that we're putting in our bodies that are causing and sometimes we don't even think about it, we're just hungry, we eat whatever's in front of us. And then the other times it's like, you know, we forget to wash our stuff and we end up with hysteria. You know, like those things those things happen. What's going on? What are they doing to our food that we can't eat the things that we need to eat when it's easier just to buy the processed stuff and it's not good for us, you know? So it
That you don't really know where what caused it, but I I think with what you're doing, I mean I I hopefully it's not genetic, but as you said But what but whatever I can do, I'm willing to try. Right. Of course. You know, within my means. I mean, right now honestly, I can't do a lot of movement because
You know and moving all day won along with him. Moving off yes. And I don't have a lot of ⁓ stamina left, I'm sure, of at the end of the day. Yes. Eve even just like physically I get exhausted just from the sheer like decision fatigue and the decisions that I have to make e every day. ⁓ but let's get back to peptides 'cause I don't really need to talk about that. You're important though, all those feelings are valid. They really are. I I get it. I'm I'm in toddlerhood and you're in toddlerhood a different way. So the fatigue is real.
Yes it is. ⁓ you know, and and ⁓ so do you maybe we should check your iron. Do you need some iron? I know, right? Although my iron was fine with my labs. When I had the labs done. Yeah. I do. And and but so I'm on B P C one fifty seven and A D and
Initially I was on a a a topical co copper peptide. Yeah, you you're not on it anymore, the G H K U? Right. Or G H. K. C. U. Yes.
Yeah, that's another anti aging one. Yes. 'Cause you know, I I'm not gonna lie, I'm just vain, you know, I I not vain, but I just want to do the things. Exactly. Exactly. You know, I'm from Massachusetts, I'm from Boston, you know, it's like the whole Kennedy like, you know, deep wrinkles, it shows that you lived, so I don't mind it. at the same time
We all don't want to be Dolly Carton, but we all need to be exactly understanding that we still want to present in a way that we feel exactly like ourselves, right? Exactly. So I want to talk before we get into that, because I do want to talk about aesthetics, because that's the other part of your business. Yeah. ⁓ I would just want to talk a little bit more about peptides and like what are
What are the potential benefits and like how do you know whether they're even working? ⁓ so well I think you also wanted to know like the the potential benefits. So overall really just depends on what we're looking for, right? So benefit wise, if I'm not gonna give somebody who has no problems with walking tissue repair, right? I mean literally to go up the stairs. I had to go up like like I was a little kid because the stair was too big. I could only go up like one foot. Well you're gonna see in time.
Strides, but I haven't always been, and that's a whole nother story for another time. ⁓ I want to hear that one day. Tell me. I I will. I will. Yes. No, I was ⁓ during menopause I gained about 80 pounds. Wow. And it's one of the reasons why I started going to a lot of doctors because in a year I gained fifty and I've always eaten the same. And and the doctors, ⁓ you know, you you it's normal. It's normal. ⁓
You know, you have to exercise more, eat less. You know, it's the whole like calorie intake versus output. ⁓ you need to start eating lean meat. And I'm like, But I've eaten this way since I've been fourteen and so what is the difference now? Right. Let's put you on an antidepressant. Which will then make you gain weights more, which then So anyway, but that's ⁓ you know, and then
And then I started getting unhealthy because I'm like, well if I'm gonna be fat by exactly. I'm gonna eat French fries. You know? ⁓ Exactly. Never d still no Diet Coke. ⁓ you know, water, green tea and wine. ⁓ but you know
French fries, you know, onion rings. And they were sort of healthy French fries and onion rings 'cause I would make them myself, but they're still, you know. Yeah. And you know still fried in grease and fat. Yeah, yeah. You know, so ⁓ yeah. And then I guess the short story is, my ⁓ d d husband of thirty four years at the time, ⁓
emailed me. He was away on a business trip and emailed me that he had had a second family for two thirds of our marriage. Yeah, so he had an adult son. ⁓ in China. Yes. Okay. where we used to live and that's where ⁓ he he met his ⁓ his second wife I suppose. ⁓ and ⁓ and on that night instead of I I read the email and you know I
You know
After I read it and realized that he wasn't talking about someone else and he was talking about us. ⁓ out of mind. absolutely. I disassociated that ⁓ I decided to choose me. And ⁓ I really made it a point, no because I had gotten into like ultra processed foods, quite frankly. You know, and and because I thought, if I'm gonna be, you know
Or you know, gain this weight, you know, I'm gonna have ice cream instead of you know making my own. And I don't get me wrong, I still have ice cream, I still dairy free, of course, vegan. But ⁓ you know, I I make it myself now so that it's a j to me, it's just as delicious. But anyway, ⁓ and it just chose me and and
Quite frankly, the divorce diet is real. I'm not gonna lie. Yeah. One way or another. Yeah. One way or another. And so ⁓ you know, anyway, but so getting back to peptides and I love that because this is supposed to be right at the table. It is this ⁓ is a conversation, right? It's not just me asking questions. Yeah, ⁓ and I appreciate the opportunity to be able to share because it's and now I have I want to get to know you more doctor. That's the whole point of this, right? You know, and and I have a
Great a great partner now. ⁓
Who I've been seeing now for two years and ⁓ and he just moved to Hawaii. my goodness. You know, on a ⁓ he has a great opportunity. ⁓ that's a great trip to keep going back and forth from. I right ⁓ yeah. And unfortunately right now, well and unfortunately right now I can't do that because initially when this whole thing started coming up with him having these conversations with this company, the idea was is that I would go there and do like extended stays there. It would have been great for my business to explore.
you know, like this suit I mean, Hawaii is full of like so much rich food. my gosh. Super rich soil that would produce amazing food and I was so excited about it. ⁓ and then my dad unexpectedly ⁓ unexpectedly and yet somehow expectedly turned for the water came to live with me and
the opportunity became real for Chris and so he moved to Hawaii last Thursday actually. ⁓ and it it's great and the photos look fantastic and So we'll take the testosterone out for a little while. So hopefully I know. and ⁓ and hopefully you know we'll
be able to get there at some point but right now I have a very I don't have any family here and I have a very small family in Massachusetts so I'm not sure how that's all gonna work out but we'll figure it out as we go along. Or get a caregiver for a few days to stay with him so you can go out there and see him because you need that break too. You deserve that. Yeah well thank you. Thank you. caregiving is so expensive guys I don't know holy
Even feel like I have caregivers as much as I should. I have a patient who does. She owns a LLC that's home care. Okay. She only has a few patients too, but she would she's she lives in Marco, so I'm giving you her info. Yeah, and ⁓ I'm using a great company and I and I they're worth every single penny, yeah, but still expensive. Well, maybe you can compare at least. Maybe one day we can get ⁓ she does for long term right you're in Port Myers. Yes. So it's like four hours, I think. She just recommends because
I'm sure you're like, you'll probably like these are eight or hours. Yeah, no, exactly. Overnight. Yes, yes. Yeah. ⁓ I'll give you that info though. Yeah, no, I'd appreciate that. ⁓ you know, it's it's ⁓ it is hard. I I worked in home health care as when I was in nursing school. ⁓ and I remember I had two patients, one had Parkinson's and the other had dementia. Yeah, and I would go and just make sure that they were taking their medications, you know, they had lunch made and all that. ⁓ but it was hard. I remember walking in and all
the meds were just like thrown on the table because they didn't understand they needed to take them every day, you know, and then it just gets frustrating because it's like, you're supposed to take your meds. Why didn't you take your meds? I did take my meds. They look, I took they're gone. The Monday ones were into the Thursday ones because they moved them, you know, and it's just it's frustrating. It's hard, you know, but they don't understand. Exactly. And my dad can't talk because he has primary regressive apemia. So you can't even and and he
can't do anything on his own actually. I need to do I need to make sure that he takes yeah. is a toddler. Yes. My toddler's not really talking either. She's she has receptive, but she's not expressive. So we're in the same she says Baba and book. I mean that's all we got. So we're in the same state of life. I tell you. My toddler weighs forty pounds too, so I don't know Mine's a hundred and ninety. So and listen, you guys
not making light of what my dad is going through at all. But you know, it's it's comparable though. Right. It is comparable and, you know, I I have to call it dementia dementia humor. And you have to have humor in it because otherwise, you know, I'm seeing this man that yeah, you know, that
Yeah, you know, and and yeah. They say this though, it's true. Like the beginning of your life is very similar to the end of your life and in and in a sense of nursing this is it's very true because you just stop losing your independence, right? You start to lose it and then you rely on other people and and to the end of it all you really can't do anything you want to do. But in in your brain you think you can still be that adult you are. But I have a ninety six year old grandma, so she had a stroke and she has expressive aphasia too now. As of the last five
Months, but also she can still get around, walk around luckily, nothing problematic. But she's still in her brain thinks that she can do all the things she and she can't, you know, right? So it's sad, but you know, it's the same kind of feeling. My mom's dealing with a lot of the things you feel, too. So it's really it's it's interesting. ⁓ but going back to peptides, so how do you feel that they're working, and how do you you know, in well, it's kind of based off of like one how you're feeling, right? Because it's almost like a vitamin.
And there's ways we can feel as if it's benefiting you or if are you really feeling anything? Because they are do get expensive, you know, over time taking something over and you're not seeing any benefits. Why are we still taking it? Right, exactly. So they do help build more peptides into the body, right? But if your body is is making enough of its own, then is it really benefiting you? Sure. Right. So same thing with what that's why we check vitamin D levels and B12 levels, because those things are really important and to overall fatigue and health with
you know, even with food and dietary things is that if we're not if we don't have enough vitamin D or K2 to enter the cell, are we getting enough of that to help with digestion? Are we getting enough with melanin? Are we getting enough for brain health? Right. ⁓ so all of those things are kind of in the sense of what peptides do too. So we want to make sure that you're still getting the benefits. Are we seeing a glow on your skin because of the the the copper peptide? Are we seeing that that your joints are actually helping from the BPC 157? Are we seeing that your
actually losing weight when taking the semaglutide or trisepatide. So those things are are why we follow up with it, right? And if we don't see benefits, then we stop taking it. So it's more like being self-aware rather than, you know, a blood test that will say like, yeah, your peptides are at a optimal level. I mean there's not really a a I mean there are some, but they're very specific and they're
like you you know we're gonna take a an immu immunoglobulin or something in there, we're gonna look into why you're having the inflammation causing. Is it something like you have RA or something? But those things are a little bit more in depth that we even a peptide probably wouldn't help. I mean they would help, but not like get the same exact result as if we were to do a biological or something, you know. So a biological. ⁓
But yeah, so the peptides I think and if we had to put it in a realm of where they kind of go, there's physical FDA approved chemicals, right? Then you have these peptides that are more so leaning towards the USDA approval of vitamins, but if I had a s but they're made from a compound. So you're mating in a pharmacy. I it's kind of I guess that's the way I could explain it to you. Whereas they are still an amino acid, right? And an amino acids are vitamins. So those
are one way of a messenger sending, whereas a peptide even with a GLP1 is considered a prescription. Right. Right? So they are indeed a prescription for you. They are made specifically for a reason in your body. But we have to figure out what it is that we're trying to target.
Makes sense. Yes. Okay. Yes, thank you. Yeah, no problem. I appreciate it. And I know, like I said, they have been helpful for me, for sure. And they're taboo too, you know, they come on and off the market. Do they really help? Are they are they hindering? Are they but there's never been anything negative come from them. If anything, they're showing better results with than chemicals are and they you know, the FDA and how that works. So So I wanna turn now to aesthetics and aging. Sure. Can you talk to me a little bit about that side of your business? Yeah, so I offer
⁓ I do Botox, I do filler, I do chemical peels, I offer ⁓ the skin suitable line, which I love. I've been using since I was 28 and 37 now, so a long time. ⁓ and I love it. I'm even allowed to use the majority of the products while pregnant. So I think that that's even more amazing. And then ⁓ I also have tritinoin cream in my office because I can still prescribe that for you, but it does get expensive, especially with Medicare patients, because they don't cover it because I have
to be a specific reason why you need tretinoin which is just a retin A. Right, exactly. Yeah, you gave that to me and I I love it. Yeah. Yeah. So those are basically and microneedling which I think is wonderful. Okay. I like the microneedling. Okay. We'll have to make an appointment. Yeah. ⁓ so where does it like how does aesthetics fit into your practice when you were looking at what services do I want to offer?
So I think overall women's health, if you think about how we all anti-aging is something we should be doing, you know, overall. I mean, our skin is our biggest component of our aging process, right? And so it's the biggest organ in our body. And if we're not taking care of our skin, then we're not taking care of our body either. And so I think that it's also the fun part of my job, but also it's it's something I can still educate patients on. Sure. And that we live in Florida, which is the biggest thing is that anti-aging is right when we walk outside, we're already aging.
yourselves right exactly so skincare is a huge component of aging as well as this you know the sun so if we're not avoiding the sun if we're not putting our sunscreen on if we're not using correct pro the correct products for our skin then we're not gonna have and and when you go through menopause the biggest thing is dryness of the skin right we worry about dryness well if you're not moisturizing the skin if you're not giving the skin a barrier then you're gonna you're not helping yourself you know for sure so I think that will plays a huge role and also women you know not to
Be vain, but we don't we want to. I was there was a I know back to the social media stuff, but there was an Instagram post. You know the song Stacy's Mom? Yes, yes, it's got it going on. It was saying that, like, this is just a joke to add in all this, but ⁓ that Stacy's mom was, you know, 20 years ago, and that's what I grew up with with Stacy's mom. But Stacy's mom was a hot mom, right? And so hot bitch is funny, right? Yeah, but it's a hot mom. and it's like, well, now there's no Stacy's mom because all moms are
Stacy's mom because all we do is care about anti-aging. Our the millennials are we're getting Botox, you start and we're worried about all and my niece is 15, she's going to you know Ulta picking out some hyaluronic acid and vitamin C serum. And I'm like, well, great, that's great for your skin. You're 15 years old, let's go through the the acne phase first, right? And then we can worry about the anti-aging phase. But no, they go hand in hand. But either way, I just thought it was funny because I'm like, well.
I think, you know, generational wise, like we had people not caring as much as they did before. Yeah. And now we're trying to play, you know, the first person they come in here and they're like, okay, make me look 20 years younger. I was like, I can do about five or ten, but I can't do twenty. We can't do facelifts. I can give you a surgeon you can go to. But at the same time, it's like, well, what are we doing every day to help yourself and how are we benefiting you? Also, we can go back into the food thing because if we're not eating the correct things, it's going to show up all over our face and our
inflammation in our body. So ⁓ I think there's a lot of components to it, but I think that's the aesthetic part is it's not just fun, but I also get to educate too. Absolutely. Yeah. What are the concerns that most people come to you with?
Aesthetically? Yes, aesthetically. wrinkles. Okay. Yeah, I know that. Or the falling of the face, you know, like everything just I just can you just like pull just right here for me. I mean I can do a little bit, but I can't, you know, again. That's but that's the that's the skin, it's laxicity and as as you li age and lose weight and all the things like that, you're going to see fall. You're going to see atrophy of the face, you know. So if you had to like it it
Because yes, I see that every service that you offer really complements each other, right? I mean, internally and externally. Yeah. Yeah. So I mean,
That's why it's and wellness because it's literally an overall wellness, you know. Yeah, one hundred percent. And the reason we use aesthetics because my neck daughter's name is Cora. So that's the Okay, I was gonna ask about that. Okay. Did you know that? Did I know that? Yeah. So my husband came up with the name. Also, KOR is like you have a KOR to everything, right? There's a KOR unit to overall health, right? But ⁓ yeah, my daughter's name is Cora. So I was like, let's do KOR aesthetics, you know? Right, but nice, nice. I love that. And very pretty name. Thank you. So I
What do you so what you're doing here at KOR Aesthetics and Wellness, right? It's
There is a a lot. You're starting a business, you're a mom, you're a wife. Back to the beginning, yeah. Yeah, you're a wife. Yeah. How do you do all of that without losing who you are? there are days I definitely lose myself. I mean, honest to there's days that I feel like
I'm exhausted. I mean, yesterday was one of them. It was Sunday, you know, and my I literally felt like I couldn't even catch my breath. I don't know if but literally, physically, I could not. And I was taking like deep breaths on the couch and my husband's like, What's wrong? And I'm like, I don't know, I just feel weird, you know. And and and I'm allowed to feel weird. I'm human too, you know. So in that sense too, that's where you were asking where I lean on. And my husband's like, Well, what can I do for you? And I'm like, I don't know. I I don't I don't know what
Right now. I'm just gonna go drink some water and like go take a deep breath and go get some fresh air, walk for a minute. ⁓ and then you know, I think there's all of the things of the anxiety and you know, life and everything that you feel, you know? Yeah. ⁓ but what was the question again? That's okay. ⁓ no, but how what do you do so that you don't lose your
I mean long hot showers. I feel like that's a good a good one. I it literally brings me back to life. If I can be in the shower ten minutes, get all of everything I need to get done and then just sit there and let the hot shower fall on me, it's like a a release. It's just it relaxes me. And my husband's always like, You used all the hot water. I'm like, I sure did, sorry. So you must take really long hot showers. Well, I usually do it well, take turns. Like the baby's taking a bath and one of us will get in the shower and then vice versa, so that what he's the second one in the shower.
He doesn't get a lot of water. Yeah. That's all right. He learned what he learned. So one of the pillars with ⁓ Plant Power Collective is the self because we really do have to be aware of ourself in order to be able to eat nutritionally and know what we need to eat, right? And ⁓ what gives you energy? ⁓ food wise.
Food wise, I would be 'cause it's you know, on the plate, around the plate. I will say a lot and this sounds cliche, but a lot of the time my patients give me energy. I love that. It's true. Like there will be days that I come in here and I'm so exhausted and that sometimes they'll say, Wow, you look really tired and I'm like, Well, I am carrying a baby, I'm a new all the things, you know. But by the end of the day, I just feel like just even being in here and able to help other people, it makes me not think about myself, you know. And so then when I'm not thinking about
the things I have on my plate. There's so many other things that could be worse. You know, there's always something that I mean, yes, it might is other things that you're going through that that's awful and it sucks, but then there's always someone that's going through something worse, you know? Yeah. And then you realize, wow, like it could be so much worse, you know. But I think that's why I really enjoy coming to your practice is because you're very empathetic and you know you you really listen. You know, and ⁓
And what that tells me is the fact that your patients give you energy and you know, is you also drainy, I will say that. Well of course. But because you are empathetic, right? It's it's both ends of that spectrum. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah, for sure. ⁓ where have you had to establish boundaries? On weekends. Ooh, tell me about that.
So I get text messages at like one o'clock in the morning on like a Saturday night or Sunday morning or whatever time. Yeah. I mean I that's interesting. Yes, because she does give a her her I can text you. Yeah. But wow wow.
Yeah, I mean, I don't think it's in I think it's inten not intentional. I think they just wake up and they forget like if they don't want to forget, so they're texting me. But there are times I had one, you know, like text me ⁓ like a Saturday and then a Sunday and then Mondays I'm off, which I try and still kind of respond back on Mondays because it is a a normal work day. But and I always reiterate my office hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday. You know, I don't wanna be bitchy about it, you know, because obviously I
This is my business, it's my my means of income, you know. Also, I don't want that persona to me, you I she's she's being like that. I don't like her. You know, but there are points where I'm I'm like on a Saturday or Sunday, I'm with my daughter, or even Mondays with my days with my daughter. Like I will still respond, but I don't have time to do things exactly what you want on that time. Like you need this refilled today. Or I need it, I ha or last minute, you know, Thursdays. I'm not in the office. I I'm I gotta cancel tomorrow's appointment on Friday, but can I come today? And then there
There's you know, and I get everything comes up, life comes up and and I don't mean to sound you know mean at all, but there are things that you have to like plan for. And I'm another thing, plan for, like, you know, I'm having a baby, I'm gonna be out for eight weeks, ⁓ which is not even a whole lot of time if you look at in the long scheme of things, but I'm gonna be out for eight weeks. Let's plan ahead, let's start getting your appointments, let's not be last minute, but I guarantee when I'm in the hospital I'll get text messages. It's gonna happen. Yeah, no, it you know it will end.
Deserve to have those boundaries. Yeah, I mean, there are great areas, and if it's something emergent, like I had one someone tell me on Saturday she's going to the ER because her back's bothering her, you know, and I need to cancel my appointment for next Tuesday, which thank you for sending me that because I understand even though it's last minute, thank you for responding. And I will say thank you. I hope you're feeling better. Yeah, you know. So those boundaries is that she knows she can still respond to me in an emergent case. But if it's something like I need to schedule my Botox appointment at two one o'clock in the morning on a Saturday.
Like that can wait till Monday. Which exactly. By all means, I'll get back to you Monday because I know I want that Botox for you, but you know, it's just those kind of things. Sure. But so I just have like two other questions and then we're gonna do a speed round. Okay. ⁓ where do you think you know, as a whole that medicine is doing a better job of listening to women?
The last, I will say, since I've been in this, I've probably about five to six years now in women's health. the last year, year and a half, with lifting the black block warning was that was a huge thing. And women's health has now been more open with miscarriages and mis and and menopause and what we can do to help with these symptoms. I mean, I've had people on patches coming from their primary care group and saying, I can't get my patch.
anymore they're on back order because now primary care is ordering patches. I just heard that within the hot bitches group the menopausal group that I'm in someone was because we have a WhatsApp group. Yeah and someone was saying like can't get my patch she's not the only one. Yes. She's she's not the only one. So there are there are many people I've had I probably had four in the last six I went and it was like you can get a compound yeah yes yeah it's I mean I try cream. Yes or oral or yes you know all the things but ⁓
So I feel like
Yeah, there it's come it's coming a long way. And I mean we got so much farther. It's just affected with talking about it, I find. You know, before no one ever talked about it. Yeah. You know, and and there's so much more information out there on so e whether it's on social media or w if you enjoy books or websites or research, you know, all of it. It's just out there now and it's okay to talk about it. It's okay to talk about how it affects when we work. Mm-hmm. Where before we couldn't you couldn't do that. No, yeah.
I feel like it's ⁓ sorry, speaking of hot flushes, I'm having one right now. That's the pregnancy thing I'm gonna say. And right off camera there's a there's a there's a little fan. Sorry. No, don't be glowing at it. ⁓ I are you feeling No, I can feel it's good. Okay. ⁓
But yeah, no, I think that it's funny that we're just talking about hotfotches and they're getting on right. ⁓ but no. yeah, I think it's it's coming a long way. It's gonna it's gonna continue to come a long way. But from even just in my small amount of years doing this, ⁓ it's definitely showing great progress. Where do you think women still aren't being heard?
I feel like
sexually. I mean I feel like that's something that will never be heard because men are more important than women are in that field anyway. I feel not I don't feel that way, but I feel like the world feels that well. And yes, a and really up until recently most trials have been done with men in mind and not exact with women.
It it is becoming it's changing. It is changing. But I will say even now with testosterone, that's becoming another thing that they're realizing can help benefit women. One hundred. It's not just estrogen. Women can also benefit now in moderation because if you give someone too much testosterone, then you're gonna end up with growing a beard and you're gonna end up with an enlarged clitoris and all the things and I've seen it happen. Okay. So you do not want to overdo it. You do not want to inject it. There's lots of thing I mean. There are things that's in moderation.
Yeah. but it there are benefits, a lot of benefits. It will help with your mind health. It will help with ⁓ your libido. It'll help with anxiety, it'll help with sleep. There's lots of great benefits to it. ⁓ so I think that's where and the libido part, again, the sexual health, that's important. Yeah, I appreciate that very much. Yeah. Is there anything else that you want to say that I haven't asked or anything that you wanted to address?
you hit all the on the nails on the head. Alright, so let's do our speed route. Okay. Okay. So don't th get out of c get out of clinician mode. Okay. Personal. Don't think. Yep, just for coffee or tea. Coffee. Sweet or savory? Ooh. Pregnancy or not pregnancy? Either way. Usually sweet. Okay. ⁓ favorite vegetable?
Asparius. ⁓ fun. Okay. ⁓ food you could eat every week. Mmm. Salad and chicken together. ⁓ nice. Okay. Yeah. Cook or order in. My husband cooks. Or husband cook. My husband cook. god, that's like the best situation. He loves to cook too. Love that. ⁓ morning person or night owl? I'm becoming more of a morning person, but I used to be a night owl. Okay. Favorite way to move?
Exercise, whatever you want to put in that. ⁓ my favorite way to is usually yoga or the pool, but the way I'm moving lately is picking up a 40-pound toddler. Yep. One thing you always have in your refrigerator. Milk because of the baby. One non-negotiable for your own well-being. Hot showers. Favorite family tradition. Thanksgiving.
My favorite. My favorite holiday. well ha okay. One thing your kids I one or maybe I don't know. One thing your your child or your husband teases you about. Because I don't know that you daughter. She can't she can't choose me yet. what does my husband tease me about? What does he tease me about? We banter all the time. Okay, good. One thing you've gotten better at saying no to. Text messages on weekends. Yep, there you go. I'm trying. A perfect day off. ⁓
So every Thursday, let's tell Bill early every Thursday I take my daughter to speech, then we go to the little gym, and then we go to lunch with my parents. I love that. Every Thursday. It's my favorite day of the week. That's such a fun tradition. That's a tradition. Yeah, I mean it's a it doesn't always happen. They also come here for vitamin shots in between. So I give them a little boost to be twelve. But I love that. Yeah. And the question the last one is what is nourishing you most in this season of your life? ⁓
And it can be food, it can be non food, it can be being a mom. Yeah. I love being a mom. Yeah.
We can both be there and trust me, even when they're thirty and thirty one, th it I it's the best part of my life. Yep. Yep, for sure. This is pretty cool though, being able to like be a mom and a working mom, you know? Yeah.
That's everything you want in life. Right? Exactly. Being able to be your mom is Because you're gonna show both your daughter what being a strong woman is and your son on the importance of being a strong woman and having a strong woman in his life. That's right. When he when it's his time for that. Yeah. I mean, what a beautiful thing. Yeah, absolutely. I agree. A hundred percent. All right, so I'm gonna read my closing because I wanna get I wanna make sure that
It's really ⁓ expressed. So Kaitlyn, what I keep coming back to in this conversation in that women's health isn't just one thing. No. And it it you know, it's it isn't just hormones, it isn't just nutrition, it isn't just exercise or movement and sleep and stress reduction. It's certainly not about, you know, chasing some impossible version of what we're supposed to be based on the season of our life. We're way more complex than that.
So that's kind of what is in the heart of Plant Powered Collective. It's not just what's on our plate, it's not just what's around our plate, it's not just who's at our table. It's not just ourselves because we don't live in a vacuum and we live with other people and we live with a with not only with other people in the you know immediate in our immediate family, but in our extended family, like with your parents and the traditions that you're building with your kids, with that with with your parents, but it's also within our community and within the topics.
month yes with our hot bitches once a month ⁓ and it's for women like to ⁓ to recognize who they are and what season they're in and you are such an integral part of that and I know an integral part of it for me and for several women in hot bitches and I know I can say that without you know a HIPAA thing because I you see who they are they tell you yeah they tell you we won't say names. No.
But maybe the takeaway, you know, a takeaway is just to for women to pay attention, to ask questions and to get curious about their bodies, ⁓ and to become an active participant. And their own health. Yeah, exactly. Advocating for yourself is so important. Yes. So ⁓
Before we go, where can people learn more about you and about KOR aesthetics? So I have an Instagram page and a Facebook page. I don't have a I love your Instagram page, by the way. It's so much fun. Yeah. I have to have a little fun in life. I do have a social media girl that comes in. Okay. So it it makes me it makes it fun, right? She's actually stay-at-home mom. She has three kids, so that also is another way to get her out and be her own human. But ⁓ it is super fun. So it's it's just to make jokes light of the situations, you know. ⁓ but yeah, so I have an Instagram page and
Facebook page you can reach out. ⁓ you can if you look on the moms group I I get tagged all the time on there on Facebook and ⁓ that's another way to find me but I'm in the the Phoenix Salon Suites up by Peter Mugg off 41 near the Mercedes-Benz dealership. I'm here three days a week. ⁓
I can I can also be reached ⁓ via email or text message. And I'll have all of that stuff, you know, always to reach you and your social media all in the show notes. So if anybody is interested, ⁓ please just look at the show notes ⁓ whether you're watching on YouTube or on ⁓ Apple or Spotify, ⁓ the audio version of this podcast, you'll be able to see all of that. Yeah, and so perfect. You can get a hold of me that way. You do directly get me. You if you get email, you get me, you get
Text you get me, I may not respond to you right away because I'm either with patience or it's a weekend day. ⁓ but I will try my best to get you within the day, absolutely, and then at least find out what's going on for you. Thank you so much for being on the podcast. I really appreciate it. Yeah, yeah, thank you. Yeah, yay, I realize that we've