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Published on:

8th Nov 2022

First Menopause Now divorce Learn How to Elevate Your Health Through it All

In today’s episode, we are joined by a certified physician assistant and founder of Elevate Health and Wellness, Marrie Simpson. Marrie helps us understand the signs that come with pre-menopause and menopause. She dives into the best tests and ways to help your body through this season in life. Tune in as Marrie shares her best tips on estrogen, balancing hormones, and how to reduce stress during a difficult time like divorce.

In this episode:

[2:32] Marrie discusses what made her jump into functional medicine. [4:30] What is Elevate Health and Wellness? [6:37] Understanding pre-menopause and menopause. How do women balance hormones? [9:28] Are there foods that can help balance hormones? [11:22] How does alcohol impact hormones? [14:56] What are the best hormone tests to use? [18:54] What creams are safe to use for hormones? [21:05] Is estrogen by prescription only?

Key Takeaways:

Lifestyle changes can help balance hormones such as nutrition, getting enough sleep, lowering cortisol, and exercising. People don’t make as much melatonin when stressed, which can impact sleep. Don’t start using hormones without seeing someone experienced; visit a functional health doctor to determine what's best for you. 

Quotes:

“Stress is a huge contributor to imbalance of our sex hormones, and obviously, when you're going through divorce or going through marital issues, most people are pretty stressed. And so that is going to contribute to some of the symptoms you could get. Oftentimes hormones become imbalanced, and we tend to see more estrogen dominance, meaning higher amounts of estrogen and smaller amounts of progesterone. And we really want to balance those hormones.” - Marrie Simpson

“Birth control pills are the number one cause of stroke in women in their 30s and 40s.” -Marrie Simpson

“I think the number one thing to do is to do foundational nutrition and lifestyle pieces. So making sure you're eating really healthy, getting whole foods in, focusing on vegetables, healthy proteins, and again movement, sleep, managing stress, all of that is very important. Because we can take 40 different supplements, but if you're not eating healthy, you're not getting movement, you're not getting good sleep; you want to get those foundations down and then get some building blocks on top of that.” - Marrie Simpson

Guest Bio:

I am a wife, mom, and grandma.  In my free time, I enjoy spending time outdoors, swimming, biking, and hiking, and I have a love for learning. My faith and love for Jesus are the foundation of who I am, and I desire His love and wisdom to shine through in every facet of my life.

For nearly thirty years, I’ve worked exclusively in the medical field as a Physician’s Assistant. During my time as a PA, it became clear that Western Medicine was not adequately treating the deeper, underlying issues that my patients were experiencing. This left them with unsolved chronic health issues, often pain, inflammation, fatigue, difficulties losing weight, and digestive and metabolic disorders.  I knew there had to be another solution.

Roughly 18 years ago, I became certified in functional medicine through the Metabolic Medical Institute/A4M and took several courses from IFM and other functional and environmental platforms. Through this, I gained insight into identifying and treating the root cause of illness.

Resources:

Marrie Simpson ~ Functional Medicine Health Coach

EWG.org - Clean Products

Lesa Koski Website

Lesa’s Online Courses

Mentioned in this episode:

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About the Podcast

Doing Life Different with Lesa Koski
Real conversations for women over 40 about faith, fitness, and fresh starts
Mindset, movement, and faith after 40—because midlife isn’t a crisis, it’s your comeback.

Welcome to Doing Life Different with Lesa Koski, the podcast for women over 40 who are ready to rewrite the rules, reclaim their joy, and rediscover their purpose. Whether you're navigating divorce, rediscovering your health, deepening your faith, or learning how to have fun again—you’re in the right place.

Host Lesa Koski—wife, mom, coach, and seasoned mediator—brings real talk, relatable wisdom, and expert interviews to guide you through midlife reinvention with grace and grit.

In each episode, you’ll get practical tools and empowering conversations on:

Mindset & personal growth

Faith & spiritual connection

Fitness, movement & health

Divorce, marriage & relationships

Fun, purpose & starting fresh in the second half of life

This isn’t just self-help. It’s soul-level transformation. Get ready to do life different—because your next chapter starts now.

Lesa also explores the emotional and physical changes that often accompany midlife and major life shifts. From navigating the impact of menopause on your health, marriage, and mood, to dealing with the loneliness that can come after divorce or empty nesting, you’ll find honest conversations that don’t shy away from real-life challenges. And for those of you in your 40s, 50s, or beyond, you’ll discover what it means to truly build a better life after 40.

Health and wellness are deeply integrated into this journey. Lesa shares insights on the benefits of rest, joy, nutrition, fasting, protein, and bone health, along with the power of movement, community, and exercise to support mental clarity and physical strength. You’ll learn how to take care of yourself with intention—because healing isn’t just emotional, it’s also biological.

Mindset work and self-coaching are recurring tools offered in episodes to help you reframe your story and shift from fear to freedom. And through it all, the show honors the role of faith, spiritual surrender, and letting God lead you through every season. Whether you're leaning into your relationship with God for the first time or deepening a lifelong practice, you’ll hear how surrender can bring peace even in the hardest moments.

You’ll hear real stories from people who have done divorce differently, saved their marriages, or found new love and purpose on the other side. Lesa also brings in conversations about marriages that have stood the test of time, co-parenting through complex seasons, and the realities of parenting after separation while maintaining stability for your kids.

This is a podcast about thriving through Cancer, taking back your life, rewriting your future, and trusting that you’re not starting over, you’re starting better. If you’re craving practical advice, soul-level encouragement, and real conversations about creating a healthy, joyful, purpose-driven life, you’ve found your community.

Subscribe now and join Lesa Koski for weekly episodes that will help you grow stronger in your relationships, your health, and your faith, no matter where you’re starting from.

About the Host:
I’ve spent over 25 years helping families navigate amicable divorce as a lawyer and mediator, always focused on protecting what matters most—your kids and your peace of mind. But my mission has expanded. Today, I support women over 40 not just through endings, but in building stronger relationships—and sometimes even saving their marriages. I’m a breast cancer survivor, a cowgirl at heart, a wellness advocate, and a follower of Jesus. My life and faith fuel my passion for helping women thrive.

About your host

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Lesa Koski