The Primal Menopausal Diet & Rewriting Women’s Longevity | Dr. Mindy Pelz

WATCH THE FULL-LENGTH EPISODE HERE ON YOUTUBE! 

Aging isn’t a decline - it’s a recalibration. And for women, it requires an entirely different conversation than the one the longevity world has been having.

In this episode of The Art of Being Well, I talk with Dr. Mindy Pelz about what truly happens inside the female brain and body during perimenopause and menopause. Dr. Pelz explains how estrogen acts as a master regulator for more than a dozen neurochemicals - including dopamine, serotonin, GABA, and acetylcholine - and why its natural decline reshapes motivation, mood, sleep, cognition, and identity.

We unpack why irritability and brain fog are neurological signals, not personal flaws; why ketones become the preferred fuel for the menopausal brain; and how fasting, novelty, storytelling, tuber-rich foods, and circadian alignment can naturally restore balance.

We also discuss hormone replacement therapy, metabolic flexibility, the “Primal Menopausal Diet,” the Grandmother Hypothesis, and what it means to move from biohacking to bio-harmonizing.

This is a conversation about freedom, physiology, and the power women gain - not lose - as they age.

A few of my favorite things we cover in this episode: 

• Dr. Pelz’s new book Age Like a Girl and why women need a different longevity roadmap
• The difference between biohacking and bio-harmonizing - and why women require rhythm, not hacks
• How estrogen shapes over a dozen neurochemicals (“Estrogen’s Girl Gang”) and what happens when it declines
• The real drivers of irritability, brain fog, and personality changes during perimenopause and menopause
• Why the menopausal brain becomes less sensitive to glucose - and why ketones become a preferred fuel
• What ancient tuber-heavy diets reveal about feeding the menopausal brain
• Fasting windows, metabolic flexibility, and the “Primal Menopausal Diet”
• How novelty, storytelling, and light exposure can naturally stimulate dopamine, acetylcholine, and melatonin
• Hormone replacement therapy: Who may benefit and why labs alone aren’t the answer
• Why lifestyle - not just prescriptions - must be foundational in menopause
• The Grandmother Hypothesis and what ancestral living reveals about movement, fasting, and intuition
• Concerns around exogenous ketones and why fasting provides a cleaner approach
• Controversial but important conversations around vaccination, methylation, and bio-individuality
• Dr. Mindy’s favorite peptides, supplements, and wellness practices (methylene blue, cerebral lysin, fasting)

Episode Sponsors:

• For a limited time, Hollow Socks is having a Buy 2, Get 2 Free Sale. Head to Hollowsocks.com today to check it out.
• Right now LMNT is offering a free Sample Pack with any purchase. Get yours at DrinkLMNT.com/artoeingwell.
• Get better sleep, hair and skin with Blissy and use WILLCOLE to get an additional 30% off at blissy.com/WILLCOLE.
• Reverse hair loss with @iRestorelaser and unlock HUGE savings on the iRestore Elite with the code AOBW at http://www.irestore.com/AOBW!
• Visit Seatopia.fish/tabw and receive FREE Caviar with your first purchase.
• Check out Nouro and Motus at tonum.com/WILLCOLE and use code WILLCOLE for 10% off your first order.

Happy listening and we hope you learned a little bit more on the art of being well!

If you like what you hear, please rate and review the podcast, hit subscribe and pass it along to a friend.

In Health,

Dr. Will Cole