Redesigning Women’s Midlife Care: Menopause, Burnout, & Heart Health w/ Dr. Jennifer Wagner

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf is a lawyer, author, and women's health policy advocate who has spent nearly 15 years advancing menstrual equity and women's health policy. She also helped push for the elimination of the tampon tax and for policies requiring period products in schools.

Dr. Judith Joseph is a board-certified psychiatrist, researcher, and author of the national bestseller "High Functioning." She runs Manhattan Behavioral Medicine, chairs the Women in Medicine Initiative at Columbia, and has worked on about 130 clinical trials, including the first peer-reviewed study on high-functioning depression. She is also one of the most followed psychiatrists in the world, known for making mental health science approachable without watering it down. In today's episode, Judith joins me to talk about the women medicine has overlooked: the ones who show up to everything, take care of everyone, and look completely fine while feeling nothing inside. She opens up about her own experience with high-functioning depression during 2020, and how naming it publicly sparked a global conversation. We dive into anhedonia, the loss of joy, pleasure, and interest that so many high achievers push through without realizing what it is. Judith also explains why our brains are wired to focus on the negative, and why simply acknowledging what you're going through can be therapeutic on its own. Judith breaks down her 5 V's framework (validation, venting, values, vitals, and vision) and shares which one to start with first. She also explains how to map your own "joy fingerprint" using the biopsychosocial model, and why joy is the missing link in today's longevity and optimization culture. Our conversation also covers the mental health side of perimenopause and menopause, brain fog, sleep, the research gaps we still need funded, and why mind and body care can't stay siloed. Judith also shares three simple steps to take before your next doctor's appointment so you don't walk out dismissed. Join us today as we discuss high-functioning depression, anhedonia, joy as a longevity tool, the mind-body connection, menopause and mental health, self-advocacy in healthcare, doctors on social media, and why looking fine and being fine are not the same thing.

Dr. Jennifer Reid is a psychiatrist, women’s behavioral health expert, speaker, and author of “Guilt-Free: Reclaiming Your Life From Unreasonable Expectations”. She has worked with high-achieving women struggling with burnout and perfectionism, helping them break free from unrealistic expectations and create healthier, more fulfilling lives.

Dr. Holly Richmond is a prominent somatic psychotherapist, certified sex therapist, speaker, author, and Associate Director of Modern Sex Therapy Institutes, where she helps train the next generation of sex therapists. She specializes in trauma recovery, relationships, sexuality, nervous system regulation, and has spent nearly two decades helping people reconnect with their bodies and pleasure.

Shannon Cohn is an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, attorney, and endometriosis advocate. She is the creator of the groundbreaking documentaries "Endo What?" and "Below the Belt," which have helped transform public awareness, influence medical education, and drive policy reform in women's health.