Today I’m excited to interview Jill Foos, a board-certified Health Coach. We’re going to be talking about health coaching and how it can help you, especially with midlife challenges. Jill and I also talk about the importance of a having a comprehensive health care team, including a naturopathic doctor, to support you during menopause.

We all experience what it’s like to be in the middle of life as humans, and there are different challenges and changes that come along, particularly for women. Jill and I want to help you understand what’s happening in your body and how you can support your health through this time of your life.

This conversation is particularly important because we’re seeing more women in peri and post-menopause now than ever before. We’re the majority, and instead of feeling like you’re on your own dealing with these symptoms, we want to create a community where women can feel comfortable discussing their experiences. 

In generations past, women often kept these things to themselves and felt embarrassed talking about menopause. While women today might still feel some hesitancy to discuss issues like libido, hair loss, or urinary incontinence – which are very common in post-menopause – we’re encouraging more open dialogue.

The more women can come into a community and say, “Hey, we’re all here together to support each other with health issues,” the better. Instead of judgment or embarrassment, we can approach this as humans together and share what we’ve figured out that works. 

That’s where professionals like Jill and I come in as resources – we’ve communicated with so many people and done so much research that we’re more likely to be able to suggest things that have worked for others. This way you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.

Understanding Menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy

When we talk about midlife women, it means different things to different people. For example, some women experience early menopause starting as early as 30 or 35, sometimes surgically, while others begin the transition around the average age of 51. It’s important to remember that we’re in our post-menopausal years for three or four more decades – we’re in that phase longer than we’re in the other phases. 

It’s almost like we have this moment of realization: We’ve been living our life, and then we get to about 50 and think, “Oh wait, there’s a whole other half of my life!” This postmenopausal period represents a different hormone situation for women, which we need to understand and prepare for.

I, Dr. Doni, want to emphasize that the research is just catching up – we’re right on the cusp of new discoveries. Each year, each month, new research comes out on hormone replacement therapy, and the field is constantly changing. As a practitioner who helps with bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (bHRT), I have to do trainings every six months to keep up with the latest recommendations. 

So, if you’re in peri and post-menopause right now, you’re right at the forefront of this research. It’s not like we can rely on what we thought based on studies from 20 years ago because those outcomes are completely being rewritten.

For example, the Women’s Health Initiative study that came out at least 25 years ago is now being interpreted very differently. If you’ve been following advice from the past 25 years, please know that everything is changing now. We’re in a completely different era regarding who can use hormone replacement therapy and how it can help in many ways. 

It’s definitely worth having multiple conversations with different practitioners – talk to your gynecologist, consult with someone like me who’s a naturopathic doctor and functional practitioner who’s been helping with hormone replacement therapy for decades. Gather all the information before making a decision, and know that you can always change your mind.

Also keep in mind that hormone replacement therapy isn’t going to solve everything. Even if you decide to take hormone replacement, that’s not going to fix everything. It can help with some menopausal symptoms for sure, and now we know it can even help prevent certain conditions like heart disease, osteoporosis, and dementia. But we’re not thinking that HRT a one-size-fits-all magic pill either.

We need to look at your whole health and implement diet and lifestyle interventions as well.

The Role of a Health Coach

Health coaching has become increasingly prevalent, with more coaches available and the field continuing to grow. As a certified health and wellness coach, you’re not a licensed doctor or practitioner – you’re certified and requires passing a four-hour intense exam. There are now tens of thousands of health coaches worldwide, and the number grows every year.

Jill shares that when hiring a health coach, it’s important to look for someone who is national board certified, as this indicates they’ve gone the extra mile to understand science-backed strategies and techniques. Health coaches can come from various backgrounds – doctors, fitness trainers, dentists, or non-medical professionals can all become health coaches, adding another dimension to their practice.

Recent studies have shown the effectiveness of health coaching in various clinical settings. For example, a study from just a month ago looked at GLP-1 medications and found that pairing health coaching with patients taking these medications made a significant difference. 

When people take GLP-1 medications, they can experience physiological changes such as fatigue, nausea, and trouble eating. They might not maintain their maintenance calories or focus enough on protein, leading to more muscle loss than desired. 

The study showed how health coaches formed relationships with these patients outside the clinic and helped them stay accountable to prioritizing their protein needs, moving every day, and maintaining sleep and mindfulness practices while dealing with medication side effects.

The study proved that health coaches helped change the trajectory of these patients, as most were quitting these medications after three months without proper support. You can find numerous studies on PubMed showing the efficacy of working with a health coach and how it’s changing the course of health outcomes for many people.

One key aspect of health coaching is that it’s temporary – you don’t need a health coach long-term. The whole point of working with a health coach is to help you rethink and develop a different mindset about your longevity, figure out your unique health equation, and make it sustainable in the long term.

Bridging the Gap in Healthcare

Health coaches bridge the gap between medical diagnoses and real life, helping connect all the test results and health goals with practical implementation. Everyone has a unique health equation – what works for one person won’t necessarily work for another. 

Often, people go to their doctor, particularly regarding menopause, and feel confused or conflicted about what’s best for them. They might hear different things on social media, or their doctor might not have advanced education on current menopause science and lifestyle behavior change.

Jill and I both hear from women who’ve been to seven or eight physicians before throwing their hands up in the air, not knowing what to do anymore. They often turn to Google, searching for terms like “weight loss coach” or “nutrition coach,” which hopefully leads them to a health coach. While this dismissiveness from providers isn’t ill-intentioned, it stems from the fact that nobody can be an expert in everything.

Health coaches are specifically experts in behavior change and lifestyle interventions – that’s the focus. They’re not there to diagnose conditions like celiac disease or clinical depression. Instead, they can refer you to appropriate providers, as many health coaches have relationships with other healthcare professionals. Theystay in our lane of expertise, which is helping people make sustainable lifestyle changes.

One of the strategies health coaches use is called brainstorming, which Jill and love because it’s not about telling clients what to do. Instead, they’re generating ideas together. For example, if a client discovers they’re eating half as much protein as recommended by current science, they’ll brainstorm ways to incorporate more protein. 

Ultimately, it comes down to what a person is ready and willing to do, what’s accessible to them, and their individual starting point and mindset.

Building Your Supportive Healthcare Team

It’s important to understand that insurance and general practitioners can’t cover everything. While they handle physical exams, screening exams, and urgent issues, we need to expand our perspective and build a comprehensive healthcare team. 

This might include physical therapists for joint pains and injuries, acupuncturists, massage therapists, naturopathic doctors for understanding and helping with clinical nutrition, herbs and hormone replacement, and health coaches for implementing lifestyle changes.

There’s sometimes an illusion that insurance and the internist or general practitioner is going to have you completely covered – that your whole health is taken care of. And yes, there are certain things they do well: your general practitioner is important for physical exams, screening exams, and handling urgent issues. If you need a procedure or treatment for a condition, that’s what’s happening there. 

But, as Dr. Doni explains, I think we need to expand our perspective and say, “Hey, as my own best health advocate, I need more people on my team than just what’s covered by health insurance.”

The preventive medicine piece isn’t covered in the standard doctor’s office. Health coaches can help with the practical details – how to help you change your diet, what your shopping list should look like, how to modify your daily routine to achieve better health outcomes. You don’t have to figure it all out on your own.

I, Dr. Doni, see this in my own practice where I have a community of women working on addressing abnormal pap results. Having a health coach on my team makes such a difference, and I really see the impact when patients work with a health coach one-on-one. They move forward faster with their health changes and understand their bodies more. 

So much of the time, there’s still confusion because in the standard medical system, you might hear things like “There’s nothing you can do about that” or “You’re just getting old.” This kind of dismissive approach to women’s health concerns can feel like gaslighting. Don’t be surprised if you walk out of the doctor’s office thinking, “Why did they just tell me it’s just because I’m getting older when I feel like there should be something I can do about it?”

That’s why I encourage you to be your own best health advocate and build a broader healthcare team. Think about including a naturopathic doctor, a health coach, acupuncturist, pelvic floor therapist, a massage therapistand a fitness professional. 

Each of these specialists brings something unique – like physical therapists for helping with joint pains and injuries, naturopathic doctors like myself who can help you understand your overall health and improve it by using specific protocols with natural approaches, health coaches who can help you implement lifestyle changes, and practitioners like acupuncturists and massage therapists for additional support. 

It’s not about replacing conventional medical care, but about creating a comprehensive support system for your overall wellness vision and goals. Remember, we might need more than what’s covered by insurance to really address both our immediate health concerns and our long-term preventive care needs. It’s about thinking differently about how we approach our health and being willing to build that team of support around us.

Addressing Menopause Symptoms with Lifestyle Changes

As our hormones fluctuate and decline during menopause, women can experience various symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, sleep issues, hair loss, skin changes, and joint pain. 

Estrogen receptors are throughout our body, which is why we might experience frozen shoulder, hip pain, or knee pain that prevents us from doing our usual workouts. Many women gain weight around their midsection without changing their diet, and while everyone has their own bio-individual health equation, there are some common denominators we can address.

Hair loss, for example, is triggered by the fluctuation and decline of hormones, and it can significantly impact self-esteem and confidence. When experiencing drastic shedding and thinning, it’s natural to feel worried about what to eat for support, what medications are available, and what other options exist. Even for someone who’s very knowledgeable about health, it can be confusing to figure out the right equation for growing healthy hair.

Lifestyle changes are crucial during menopause, whether or not you choose hormone replacement therapy. Getting sound, restorative sleep is vital – a lot of magic happens at night, including cellular repair processes like mitophagy and autophagy. When sleep is disrupted by waking up two to three times to use the bathroom or difficulty falling asleep, it impacts our ability to be productive the next day and make healthy food choices.

When we’re exhausted, we tend to make poor decisions with food because our cravings increase. We might eat more refined carbohydrates and sugar because we’re just exhausted. We might not start our morning with the recommended 25 or 30 grams of protein and stay hydrated, instead drinking coffee until 2:00 in the afternoon.

Mindfulness is another crucial component that many busy women overlook. Whether you’re managing a career, starting a new one, or changing careers entirely, you might have children at home or elderly parents to care for. Maybe you’re going through a divorce or a rough patch in your marriage. Whatever it is, we’re trying to balance many things, and it’s very stressful.

Many women make excuses not to work on mindfulness – Jill shares that she was one of those women until January 2024. She said to herself, my goal this year is to figure out what my mindfulness practice means for me. And now it is an integral part of her routine.

When people think of mindfulness, they often think of meditation, and they might not resonate with that because they think they need to be in a certain space or go somewhere specific for an intentional meditation practice. But mindfulness can come in many forms. It’s about finding what works best for you.

I’m so glad Jill brought up mindfulness, as it is something I cover in depth in the Master Your Stress Reset Your Health book.

Moving Forward with Support from a Health Coach

Remember that you have a long life to live, and it won’t just happen on its own. The path might be challenging and uncomfortable at times because making any type of change can be uncomfortable. But don’t give up – the rewards are there. 

It takes mindfulness, intentionality, and being out of your comfort zone, but the benefits to your health and wellbeing are worth it. This is where a health coach can come in and help put the pieces of your wellness vision together, supporting you in creating sustainable, long-term health changes that work specifically for you.

Creating a wellness vision isn’t just about addressing current symptoms or challenges – it’s about thinking long-term about how you want to feel and what you want to be able to do in your 70s, 80s, and beyond. Do you want to be able to travel, play with grandchildren, maintain an active lifestyle? These goals should inform the choices you make today.

The post-menopausal years can be some of the most fulfilling and productive of your life. Many women find this time liberating, especially when they have the right support and tools in place. It’s a time to redefine yourself, to focus on what truly matters to you, and to prioritize your health and well-being in ways you might not have had time for earlier in life.

Working with a health coach during this transition can help you navigate these changes more effectively, develop sustainable healthy habits, and create a lifestyle that supports your long-term health goals. Remember, investing in your health now pays dividends for decades to come. Whether you’re just beginning to notice changes or well into your post-menopausal years, it’s never too late to make positive changes for your health.

The key is to remember that you’re not alone in this journey. There are more women than ever going through this transition, and there are more resources and support available than ever before. By building the right team and taking a proactive approach to your health, you can not only manage the challenges of menopause but thrive during this time of your life.

The habits and strategies you develop now will serve you for years to come, helping you maintain your health, vitality, and independence as you age. It’s never too late to start making positive changes, and with the right support, you can create lasting transformations that enhance every aspect of your life.

The key is to stay curious, be willing to try new approaches, and remember that it’s never too late to make positive changes for your health. Build your healthcare team, find the support you need, and remember that this transition, while challenging, can also be an opportunity for growth and renewed commitment to your well-being.

Continuing Your Journey Towards Better Health

To learn more about Jill, you can check out her website here. You can also find her on Instagram @jillfooswellness and Facebook @Jill Foos Wellness. She also hosts a podcast called Health Trip Podcast, which I’ve been a guest on – thank you Jill! You can check out that episode on HPV and Menopause here.

I’m so glad to be able to connect with Jill and be able to bring a natural and holistic solution to women who are wanting to improve their overall health during menopause using natural holistic approaches. 

If you would like to learn more about how you can navigate through menopause you can save your spot for my upcoming masterclass here.

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It is important to know that it is possible to recover from stress and trauma and truly heal, because you’re not likely to hear that from your standard doctor’s office. Keep in mind, they are not educated about diet, exercise, supplements, or stress recovery. 

I am living proof that it is possible to heal holistically and naturally. 

It’s possible to balance your hormones or to use hormone replacement safely and effectively, as well as toclear HPV and get a normal pap result, and to eliminate the effects of stress, trauma, anxiety and depression. I help patients with to do this in my practice every day – by phone and zoom, anywhere in the world. You can set up a one-on-one appointment here.

Once I meet with you one on one, we will create a strategic plan based on your health needs during menopause, including sessions with the health coach on my team to help guide you to implement my proprietary C.A.R.E. and Stress Mastery programs. 

If you’re dealing with persistent HPV I encourage you to check out my Say Goodbye to HPV Program. You can access it from anywhere in the world because it is online videos, with handouts, recipes, resources, as well as live group sessions and a private app, where I teach you to implement my protocol over 12 weeks.

You’ll also get access to order specialty testing I recommend to help us understand what your body needs in order to heal, as well as vaginal suppositories. I’d love to teach you how to heal and protect yourself from HPV. 

You can also go to clearhpvnow.com. There, you’ll find lots of resources and stories from women who’ve followed my protocol and cleared HPV to negative. 

Thank you all for joining me for this fascinating discussion with Jill Foos. If you found this information helpful, please make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes of How Humans Heal. 

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