What If It’s Not Hormones? Iron Deficiency Could Be the Missing Piece with Dr Libby Weaver
Stronger Bolder WiserShow Notes
55% of women have some degree of iron deficiency.
And it turns out… a lot of the symptoms you might be experiencing are connected.
So today I’m sitting down with Dr Libby Weaver to unpack what midlife women actually need to understand about iron… and why it might be the missing piece you haven’t looked at yet.
Dr Libby is a nutritional biochemist, author of 13 bestselling books, and someone who has spent decades helping women understand how their bodies actually work.
In this conversation, we go way deeper than “just take a supplement” and really break down what’s going on under the surface.
Key moments:
0:00 - The moment that completely shifted how Sarah understood her body thanks to Dr Libby
6:15 - Why iron became Dr Libby’s focus (and why it underpins more than you think)
10:03 - What’s actually happening inside your body when iron is low
23:07 - The signs most women brush off as “just being tired”
29:07 - What changes in perimenopause that can quietly drain your iron levels
32:43 - Why you can be eating well… and still not building your iron stores
36:43 - The hidden challenge for vegetarians and vegans when it comes to iron
40:26 - Where iron actually comes from in plant-based foods (and what makes a difference)
43:11 - Habits that could be blocking your iron without you realising
44:41 - Tips on getting enough iron across your day
46:35 - Navigating the red meat conversation (and when supplements make sense)
49:26 - The role of iron infusions, and why they’re often over-relied on
54:45 - “Normal” vs optimal: how to read your results properly
57:12 - When to start thinking about iron for your daughters
59:22 - What women notice when their iron finally improves
If you want more from Dr Libby you can visit her at www.drlibby.com or find her on IG @drlibby.
If you’re interested in Dr Libby’s Iron supplement ‘Iconic Iron’ or any of her other supplements, you can visit Bio Blends at www.bioblends.com
Follow along and see the behind the scenes over at https://www.instagram.com/sarahrusbatch/?hl=en
Join my latest challenge and find out more about my other programs here https://sarahrusbatch.com/
If you want to join a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don’t always say out loud and connect with others going through the same as you,join my free Facebook group, Women’s Wellbeing Collective here.
And if changing your relationship with alcohol is something you want to explore further, you can find my book Beyond Booze on Audible, Spotify, Kindle and Amazon. Click the link here.
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Taking 30 days off alcohol in midlife rarely feels the way social media promises. Boredom, flatness and broken sleep often come first, and none of it means you're doing it wrong.In this video I share the five most unexpected things women discover in their first 30 days without wine, from the 5 to 7pm boredom to the friend who suddenly goes quiet. I explain why your brain can feel flat once alcohol stops lighting up your dopamine reward centre, and why sedation is not the same as restorative sleep. Most importantly, I explain why all of it settles.Key Topics Covered- Why boredom hits hardest between 5 and 7pm when you stop drinking, and why taking alcohol out means adding something in, like an evening walk, a class or a hobby.- Feeling flat after quitting alcohol: how years of drinking dysregulate your dopamine receptors, and why it evens out with time.- What to do when friends get weird about you not drinking, and why talking to your closest friends first helps.- Why sleep without alcohol can get worse before it gets better, and how to ride the emotional rollercoaster of the early weeks.Timestamps What Happens When You Stop Drinking For 30 Days (00:00) Thing 1: Boredom Between 5 And 7pm (00:40) Thing 2: Feeling Flat After You Stop Drinking (02:01) Thing 3: When Friends Get Weird About You Not Drinking (02:44) Thing 4: Why Sleep Gets Worse Before It Gets Better (03:37) Thing 5: Feeling Emotional Over Nothing (04:40) Free Support To Change Your Drinking (05:20)Also Watch My Previous Episodes:- Seven Signs You Are a Grey Area Drinker- Six Reasons Successful Women Are Quietly Quitting Alcohol- Three Reasons Women Cannot Metabolise Alcohol as Effectively as Men***Struggling to know what to do when stress, boredom or big emotions hit?Download my free guide "100 Things to Do Instead of Drinking", a toolkit for sitting with those feelings instead of reaching for a glass of wine.Get your free guide → https://bit.ly/4qOiGUw***Sarah Rusbatch is an accredited Health and Wellbeing Coach and one of Australia's leading experts on grey area drinking. Her podcast, Stronger, Bolder, Wiser, is the go-to space for women who are questioning their relationship with alcohol, navigating life alcohol-free, or simply curious about what life could look like on the other side of the bottle. If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you haven't already, subscribe so you never miss an episode, and leave a review to help more women find this community.Find out more about my other programs here: https://sarahrusbatch.com/If you want to join a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don't always say out loud and connect with others going through the same, join my free Facebook group, Women's Wellbeing Collective here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/342319476897067And if changing your relationship with alcohol is something you want to explore further, you can find my book Beyond Booze on Audible, Spotify, Kindle and Amazon. Click the link here: https://sarahrusbatch.com/beyond-booze
Nobody walks into a marriage planning to leave it, yet so many midlife women are quietly asking whether to stay or go. Your body often knows the answer first.