The Next Phase
I used to be fun. I used to be driven. I used to be sexy. I used to be...young. What happened?
Dear Millennial moms in your late 30s or 40s -- former forces of nature,
Are you burned out, overwhelmed, and wondering where your energy (and your old self) went? You’re not alone.
The Next Phase is the podcast for overachieving moms navigating perimenopause who are dying to take back their energy, their bodies, and their magic. Here, we will not pummel you with hormone treatment plans or talk about perimenopause as if it's a diagnosis. Instead, we're going to celebrate it. We're going to use it as an excuse to really start taking care of ourselves. As a matter of fact, we're going to find ourselves in our perimenopause era.
Hosted by Stacey Hutson—certified health coach, wellness chef, former co-host of the Mother Plus Podcast, and mom of two—you’ll learn how to: Understand what’s really happening in perimenopause and how to work with your changing body, use nutrition, supplements, and sleep as medicine to restore your energy, get in tune with your cycle and learn practical ways to sync your life with your hormones, and create rituals (with a little woo) that help you slow down, listen inward, and reconnect with yourself.
Each episode blends personal stories, expert insights, and actual doable steps you can take right away.
✨ Subscribe now to The Next Phase and join a community of millennial moms redefining wellness in their 40s. Let’s make perimenopause your most magnetic chapter yet.
The Next Phase
#20: Intermittent Fasting vs. Cycle Syncing in Perimenopause (Why I Stopped Fasting)
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I’m sharing my full experience with intermittent fasting for women in perimenopause — why I started it after struggling with postpartum weight gain, how I followed Fast Like a Girl closely, and why it felt empowering… until it didn’t.
If you’ve been exploring time-restricted eating, fasting for weight loss, or fasting in perimenopause, this conversation is for you.
We’re diving into:
- The potential benefits of fasting (autophagy, insulin sensitivity, metabolic flexibility)
- Why intermittent fasting can increase cortisol and stress load
- How fasting may affect women’s hormones differently than men’s
- The connection between stress, caffeine, blood sugar, and chronic UTIs
- Why perimenopause changes the way your body responds to restriction
- And how cycle syncing became a more sustainable, hormone-supportive approach for me
This is not an anti-fasting episode. There is research behind intermittent fasting, and it may work well for some women. But fasting during perimenopause — especially when sleep is disrupted and stress is already high — can come with trade-offs that aren’t always discussed.
If you’re new to cycle syncing and want a foundation, go back and listen to:
- Episode 2: Explain Cycle Syncing to Me
- Episode 4: How to Eat With Your Cycle to Balance Hormones in Perimenopause
And be sure to download my Cycle Syncing Guide to start aligning your nutrition, exercise, and energy with your menstrual cycle instead of fighting your body.
Next week, I’m joined by Dr. JJ Thomas to talk about exercise in perimenopause — why pushing harder isn’t the solution, and how focusing on muscle building, recovery, and nervous system regulation can support metabolism and long-term hormone health.
If you’re navigating perimenopause weight gain, hormonal shifts, or wondering whether fasting is helping or hurting — this episode will give you a new lens.