The Luminescence Podcast with Schuyler Grant

Women lose up to 20% of their bone density during perimenopause, often silently, until a fracture makes it impossible to ignore. Dr. Vonda Wright, MD, an orthopedic sports surgeon and author of Unbreakable, explains the biology of bone loss, muscle loss, and menopause, and why women, the 51% who make most household and healthcare decisions, still receive only a sliver of research funding after age 40. Recorded live at Luminescence Los Angeles in February 2025. Here's what you'll learn: Why bone functions as an endocrine organ that influences the brain, metabolism, and more The biological drivers of aging: epigenetics, cellular senescence, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction Why lifting heavier weights and eating more protein matter more at midlife than moderate cardio Making hormone decisions based on evidence rather than fear This talk is for anyone concerned about bone density, osteoporosis risk, or building strength through perimenopause and menopause. Topics: bone density, osteoporosis prevention, perimenopause, menopause, strength training, women's health research

55% of women say they've felt gaslit by a doctor. 80% delay care rather than walk into an appointment where they know they won't be heard. In this Luminescence LA conversation, Dr. Mindy Pelz (Fast Like a Girl, The Menopause Reset) and Dr. Robin Berzin, founder and CEO of Parsley Health, talk about why the medical system is built for medicine, not health, and what it actually looks like to walk into a doctor's office as an equal instead of a patient. What you'll hear, and when: [00:00] Mindy's origin story: misdiagnosed at 19, and the homeopathic doctor who changed her life [03:00] The stats behind why healthcare feels broken right now [08:00] The patriarchal medical model, and why chronic disease keeps winning [13:00] "The body heals itself" — the principle Robin says conventional medicine forgot [16:00] Walking in as an equal: treating your doctor like an employee, not an authority [21:00] Why "I don't know" is the hardest thing for a doctor to say, and where GLP-1s fit into our quick-fix culture [26:00] Why only 8% of women get preventive testing [30:00] The closing message: you are the hero of your own health story This episode is for anyone who has left a doctor's office feeling dismissed, and anyone ready to take an active role in their own healthcare.

Menopause is usually talked about in terms of hot flashes and mood swings. But beneath those symptoms are silent, system-wide changes and one of the most important ones happens in the heart. Cardiovascular disease doubles after menopause, and most women aren't told why, when it starts, or what they can do about it. The truth is, perimenopause can begin in your mid-thirties, and the decisions you make in the decade that follows shape the next third of your life. The Heart of Menopause is a master class bringing together four of the leading voices in women's health: journalist and filmmaker Tamsen Fadal, Harvard-trained physician Dr. Sara Szal, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Vonda Wright, and board-certified OB-GYN Dr. Mary Claire Haver. Together, they unpack the science of estrogen and the cardiovascular system, the window of opportunity for hormone therapy, and the practical tools — from biomarker testing to nutrition to resistance training — that protect your heart for the long run. You are not invisible. Let's change the conversation together.

For decades, almost everything we knew about sexual desire and arousal was based on research done on men — and simply assumed to apply to women too. In this conversation, Dr. Cindy Meston, professor of clinical psychology and director of the Female Sexual Psychophysiology Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin, breaks down thirty years of research into how women's desire and arousal actually work, and why the male template got it wrong. Why the science of women's desire is decades behind the science of men's The surprising model that flips the usual order of desire and arousal What an eight-year study found about desire through menopause — and who defied the trend Why a woman's body and her mind don't always agree on when she's turned on The unexpected 20-minute intervention that changed the research This conversation is part of Sex in Menopause, a free masterclass with Naomi Watts featuring sexual health expert Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Cindy Meston, and real women navigating changing bodies and desire most of us were never prepared for. Watch it for free at sexinmenopause.com. Right now there is only one trained menopause provider for every 32,000 women who need care. This episode is for anyone confused by their own changing desire, and anyone who wants the actual science instead of the myths.

Two women, one shared reckoning: perimenopause and menopause arrived and rewrote everything they thought they knew about their bodies, their sex lives, and themselves. In this extended conversation, #1 New York Times bestselling author Gabby Bernstein and sexologist Emily Morse (host of Sex with Emily) open up about the messy, unglamorous entry into midlife hormonal change — rage, hot flashes, vanished libido, and in Gabby's case, a fertility journey that included IVF and pregnancy loss. Emily, meanwhile, is living out her own perimenopause in real time, testing on herself everything she's spent over twenty years teaching other people about pleasure. Both conversations are part of Sex in Menopause, a free masterclass with Naomi Watts featuring sexual health expert Dr. Somi Javaid, psychologist Dr. Cindy Meston, and real women navigating changing bodies, mismatched desire, and identity shifts most of us were never prepared for. Right now there is only one trained menopause provider for every 32,000 women who need care. If sex has disappeared or changed in ways you can't explain, that's not a personal failure. That's a gap in the medical system. In this episode: Menopause as a "spiritual shakedown" — Gabby's reckoning Early perimenopause symptoms & finding real support Marriage, communication & educating a partner Fertility, IVF & pregnancy loss HRT, lifestyle shifts & feeling more herself than ever (Gabby) Preparing for menopause & a message of hope Emily's own perimenopause & why she's not exempt from the confusion Medical dismissal & why doctors aren't trained on this Communication as "lubrication": talking to partners about sex Letting go of duty sex Desire, burnout & the nervous system connection Toys, lube & modern arousal aids, without shame Why midlife can mean the best sex of your life Topics covered: menopause, perimenopause, women's sexual health, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), fertility, IVF, pregnancy loss, low libido, desire, arousal, sex toys, lube, communication in relationships, medical dismissal, nervous system regulation, self-pleasure, healing, spiritual growth, midlife identity, Gabby Bernstein, Emily Morse. If this episode landed for you: watch Sex in Menopause, the free documentary with Naomi Watts, at sexinmenopause.com. For more conversations like this — plus live events, retreats, and past seasons — head to Luminescence.health.