Ep. 89 | The Symptoms You've Been Told to Shrug Off - And Why You Shouldn't
Release Date: 06/30/2025
Ep. 115 Youâre Not Failing Your Resolutions â Your Physiology Changed
It's Not JUST Menopause
If New Yearâs resolutions keep falling apart, especially in your 40s, itâs not because you lack discipline or motivation. Itâs because your physiology doesnât respond to pressure the same way it used to. In this episode, we break down why traditional resolutions backfire in perimenopause, how hormonal and stress-related changes affect your energy, metabolism, sleep, and motivation, and why âtrying harderâ often makes symptoms worse instead of better. This isnât about willpower, restriction, or starting over in January. Itâs about understanding how your cortisol, blood sugar,...
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EP. 114 | Why you crash at 2â4 PM (and how to stop it)
It's Not JUST Menopause
If you hit a wall between 2 and 4 PM and suddenly feel foggy, irritable, snacky, or like you need coffee just to finish the day, this episode is for you. In perimenopause and menopause, that afternoon crash is rarely random. Itâs often a blood sugar dip paired with a stress response, and midlife hormone shifts can make your body feel like it has less buffer. So the crash hits harder, cravings get louder, and your symptoms feel tougher to manage. Today, Iâm breaking down what the afternoon crash really means, why it keeps happening even when you think youâre doing âall the right...
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Ep. 113 | Why Youâre Still Exhausted in PerimenopauseâEven When Youâre Resting More
It's Not JUST Menopause
Why Rest Alone Isnât Fixing Your Fatigue If youâre sleeping more, taking weekends off, or even slowing your schedule â and youâre still exhausted â this episode is for you. In perimenopause and menopause, fatigue isnât always caused by doing too much or resting too little. Many women are already prioritizing sleep and downtime, yet their energy never fully returns. Thatâs because rest alone doesnât address whatâs actually draining energy beneath the surface. Today, Iâm breaking down why sleep, weekends off, and even vacations often donât fix deep fatigue in midlife â...
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Ep. 112 | The Morning Routine Mistake Thatâs Wrecking Your Hormones (and What to Do Instead)
It's Not JUST Menopause
If your mornings feel rushed, chaotic, or draining â or if you hit that âwired and tiredâ wall before noon â this episode is for you. In perimenopause and menopause, your morning cortisol pattern becomes more sensitive than ever. The first 10 minutes of your day play a massive role in how your hormones behave, how your nervous system responds, and how your metabolism performs for the rest of the day. Most women never learn this⌠which is why they feel stuck, exhausted, inflamed, or overwhelmed before the day even begins. Today, Iâm breaking down the most common morning routine...
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Ep. 111 | Regulate, Rebuild, Reignite: The Framework That Helps Women Over 40 Feel Better Than Ever
It's Not JUST Menopause
In todayâs episode, Iâm breaking down the 3-phase framework that finally helps women over 40 understand why their bodies arenât responding â and what actually changes things in perimenopause and menopause. Youâll hear why strategies that used to work â like eating less, pushing harder, or relying on sheer discipline â suddenly stop working in midlife⌠and why that has nothing to do with willpower and everything to do with physiology. And even more importantly â youâll learn the root-cause sequence that helps your body feel safe enough to respond again. This is the exact...
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Ep. 110 | When My Body Said âEnoughâ: The Origin of My Work
It's Not JUST Menopause
In todayâs episode, Iâm sharing the story Iâve never fully told â the moment my own menopause journey went sideways and why the strategies I had always relied on completely stopped working. Youâll hear how I went from losing 20 pounds easily in my early 40s⌠to suddenly gaining weight, feeling bloated, exhausted, wired, and confused by a body that no longer responded to anything I tried. And more importantly â the moment I finally realized nothing was wrong with me⌠my body was overwhelmed. This shift became the foundation of EVERYTHING I teach now. If youâve been wondering...
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Ep. 109 | The Surprising Missing Link to Feeling Amazing During Menopause
It's Not JUST Menopause
If the holidays leave you feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, bloated, or âon edgeâ every year â itâs not that you canât handle stress anymore. Itâs that your menopause nervous system canât absorb pressure the same way it used to. In this episode, we break down why stress hits harder in midlife, how it impacts your hormones and metabolism, and what you can do right now to create the grounded, steady energy your body is craving before the holiday chaos begins. This isn't about perfection, routines, or pushing through. Itâs about understanding how your cortisol, blood sugar,...
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Ep. 108 | Cravings Arenât About Willpower â Theyâre About Cortisol
It's Not JUST Menopause
If you keep blaming yourself for sugar cravings, afternoon crashes, or late-night snacking â this episode is your wake-up call. Menopause changes how your body handles stress, blood sugar, and hunger signals, and no amount of âwillpowerâ can outsmart cortisol. In this episode, Cindi breaks down the real science behind stress-induced cravings and shows you how to stabilize your energy, calm your nervous system, and stop feeling out of control around food. Youâll learn why stress and cortisol are the missing pieces behind constant hunger, energy dips, and stubborn belly fat â and the...
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Ep. 107 | The Holiday Stress Trap: Why âPushing Throughâ Backfires in Menopause
It's Not JUST Menopause
If youâre already feeling the weight of holiday stress â the endless to-dos, the travel, the expectations â and wondering why your body just canât handle it the way it used to, this episode is for you. In menopause, your stress response changes. What once felt like âmanageable chaosâ can now send cortisol soaring, disrupt your sleep, and stall your metabolism. In this episode, Functional Nutrition Practitioner and Certified Menopause Specialist Cindi Stickle breaks down exactly why âpushing throughâ no longer works â and what your body is actually asking for instead. Youâll...
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Ep. 106 | The Only Way Menopause Results Actually Last
It's Not JUST Menopause
If youâve ever felt like your progress disappears the moment life gets stressful â youâre not alone. Most âsolutionsâ for menopause arenât built to last. Diets, detoxes, and 30-day resets push your body harder⌠instead of helping it heal. In this episode of Itâs Not Just Menopause, Iâm breaking down the real reason results fade â and what it takes to finally make progress that sticks. Youâll learn: Why short-term fixes trigger long-term setbacks How stress and cortisol sabotage metabolism and hormones Why you canât rebuild results on an unregulated nervous system ...
info_outlineđď¸ Episode 89 â The Symptoms Youâve Been Told to Shrug OffâAnd Why You Shouldnât
Youâve been told your brain fog is normal.
Your anxiety is just âpart of aging.â
Your exhaustion? Welcome to menopause.
Letâs get one thing straight:
Just because something is common doesnât mean itâs normal.
In this episode of Itâs Not Just Menopause, Cindi Stickle, Functional Nutrition Practitioner and Certified Menopause Specialist, breaks down the most ignored symptoms women face in perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopauseâand explains what theyâre really telling you.
She goes beyond surface-level advice, unpacking how stress, hormones, and nervous system dysregulation fuel issues like anxiety, bloating, brain fog, mood swings, and more.
If your body feels off and no oneâs giving you real answers, this conversation will help you feel seenâand give you a clear next step forward.
What Youâll Learn
â ď¸ Why ânormalâ menopause symptoms are anything but
đż The connection between stress, hormones, and survival mode
đ§ Root-cause reasons for anxiety, bloating, brain fog, and feeling disconnected
đ What your symptoms are actually trying to tell you
⨠How to start healing when traditional advice keeps failing you
Mentioned in This Episode
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