​Heidi’s Lane with Heidi Powell

Okay, you guys. This is my third take today. I've had some really full days, I'm recording this in workout clothes an hour before a dinner I still have to shower for, and my brain is doing the thing where it doesn't finish sentences. Which is honestly the perfect way to record an episode about estrogen. 😂 Happy 99th episode of Heidi's Lane, by the way. Almost three years of this. I'm saving the big look-back for 100, because today we need to talk about something I used to be genuinely afraid of. Here's the truth: I was scared of estrogen. Scared of hormone replacement therapy in general. I'd heard the stories: Estrogen makes you gain weight, estrogen makes you crazy, all of it. So, for a long time. I decided it wasn't for me. Fast-forward to 44, deep in my own perimenopause, and I'm realizing how little I actually understood about what estrogen does in our bodies. Because it's not just periods, fertility and sex drive. Estrogen is a systemic hormone—it has receptors in almost every tissue and organ you have. Your brain, your heart, your bones, your joints, your skin, your gut, your vagina, your eyes, your mouth, your immune system, your thyroid. Basically, estrogen has its hands in EVERYTHING. 😂 And once I learned that, so many of the weird changes I've been experiencing the last few years suddenly made a whole lot more sense. So today I'm walking you through what I've been learning: What fluctuating estrogen can do area by area, what we can actually do about it, and why I eventually changed my mind about something I was genuinely afraid of. And as always...I am NOT a doctor. I'm not telling you what to take or what's right for your body. I'm sharing what I'm learning in real time, what I'm experiencing in my own body, and hopefully, handing you a few more questions to bring into your own health conversations. Take what resonates, leave the rest, and double-check everything with your own provider. And remember this: YOU are the CEO of your own health! In this episode, we discuss: Why estrogen affects far more than periods and reproduction, including the brain, heart, bones, joints, skin, gut, and vagina. Why bone density, cardiovascular health, resistance training, and nutrition deserve more attention during this transition. My fears around hormone therapy, why I changed my mind, and what my experience with vaginal and systemic estrogen has been like. Simple, sustainable ways to support your body without trying to overhaul your entire life overnight. Mentioned in the episode: NuLevel Wellness: For a FREE telehealth appointment to discuss your hormones and health, go to https://nulevelwellnessmedspa.com/telehealth-consult-ideal/ or CLICK HERE. If you tell them you came from my podcast, they will give you $100 off your first order. Here are the key moments from the episode: 00:00 Why Understanding Your Hormones Changes Everything 03:18 Perimenopause and the Hormones Affecting Your Entire Body 06:48 Why Women Need to Take Control of Their Own Health 09:00 Why I Was Afraid of Estrogen and Hormone Replacement Therapy 14:20 The Connection Between Estrogen, Brain Fog and Memory Loss 17:01 How to Support Brain Health During Perimenopause 19:50 Heart Palpitations, Anxiety and the Hormone Connection 23:38 Why Better Nutrition Doesn't Mean Giving Up Foods You Love 29:29 How to Protect Your Bone Density During Menopause 35:04 Why Estrogen Changes Your Skin and Collagen Production 38:13 Vaginal Health, Recurring UTIs and the Role of Estrogen 42:15 The Bigger Picture of Estrogen and Where to Get Support Connect with Heidi: Website: https://heidipowell.net/ Email: [email protected] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realheidipowell/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realheidipowell/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RealHeidiPowell Join Heidi’s next Hormone Reset Challenge: ⁠https://heidipowell.net/reset⁠ Heidi’s FREE Get Fit Community: ⁠https://fit.heidipowell.net/get-fit-community/⁠

I woke up with my heart racing. Later, I had a panic attack on a flight. And I kept asking myself: Is this stress? Is this perimenopause? Or is it both? Ryan and I sit down for a very real (and very Heidi’s Lane) conversation about that question—and about a hormone I think deserves more attention: progesterone. I share what I’ve been learning about ovulation, why progesterone can change during perimenopause, and why sleep, mood, and that “wired but tired” feeling can become such a big part of the conversation. We also talk honestly about my own experience with hormone therapy, the questions I’m bringing to my clinician, and why someone else’s dose or plan is never a shortcut to your own answers. And yes, we take a few detours! The challenge community that means so much to me, the “Hey Mom” tattoo in Matix’s handwriting, and Ryan patiently following every turn in my brain all make an appearance. 😂 In this episode, we discuss: Why real-life stress and changing hormones can be hard to untangle. How ovulation relates to progesterone—even when you’re still having periods. What progesterone and its metabolite, allopregnanolone, have to do with the conversation about rest and sleep. Why feeling anxious or unlike yourself deserves curiosity, not shame or a quick self-diagnosis. How to ask informed questions about hormone therapy without treating my experience as a prescription for yours. If you’re in your late 30s, 40s or beyond and you’ve caught yourself wondering why you suddenly feel so different. I really hope this episode helps you start connecting some dots in your own body. Learn your body. Ask questions. Do your research. And be the CEO of your own health. Mentioned in the episode: Perimenopause 101 (Ep. 93) NuLevel Wellness -> For a FREE telehealth appointment to discuss your hormones and health, go to https://nulevelwellnessmedspa.com/telehealth-consult-ideal/ or CLICK HERE. If you tell them you came from my podcast, they will give you $100 off your first order. Here are the key moments from the episode: 00:00 Why perimenopause feels impossible to figure out 04:39 Panic attacks, heart palpitations and feeling completely off 09:04 When stress, business and hormones all collide 13:32 Whiskers, family life and the pressure of staying relevant 17:02 The “Hey mom” tattoo and what it means to me 22:12 Why progesterone deserves way more attention 27:51 The progesterone and estrogen balance explained 31:05 What made me rethink my own HRT protocol 34:40 Why progesterone starts disappearing in perimenopause 38:17 The early signs of low progesterone you might be missing 42:01 How progesterone affects anxiety, sleep and feeling “wired but tired” 45:00 What I wish I knew before starting hormone replacement therapy 48:01 Why HRT should be taken seriously and what we’re covering next Connect with Heidi: Website: https://heidipowell.net/ Email: [email protected] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realheidipowell/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realheidipowell/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RealHeidiPowell Heidi’s FREE Get Fit Community: ⁠https://fit.heidipowell.net/get-fit-community/⁠

Okay so this was not planned! haha Ruby and I are in the car after Starbucks… I've got a stack your guys’ IG questions printed out, and she just decides she's going to be my podcast co-host now. 😂 Then she does the intro. Knows EXACTLY where the cameras are. Tells me to blur out one part so I can use it as a hook for the reels. Asks if we should redo the take. And at one point looks at me very seriously and goes, "and if you don't feel comfortable answering that, just say skip." ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? SHE IS TWELVE. I've been doing this for years. And SHE is the natural. 😍 So then we get into it. Ruby just spilling ALL the details on what life with THE Heidi Powell (haha jk) is really like. Also…what it's actually like having Matix home and all four kids under one roof again. The bedroom chaos — (Spoiler Alert: I had a plan, I thought it was fair, and I found out LIVE on this podcast that Marley had been running a whole campaign behind my back. Love that for me. 🙄) And what I'm learning about parenting an adult son, which is mostly that I have no idea what I'm doing and I'm doing it anyway. Then Ruby starts telling me things about myself I don't normally get to hear. 😭 Of course the marriage question came up… “Will you and Ryan get married?”... and Rubes handled this one like the pro she just naturally is.But really hearing her talk about such a sensitive topic really got me emo for a bit. Mostly because I realize just how aware this girl is. She watches and notices everything… including how genuinely happy she sees her mama in this relationship and phase of life. She noticed that Ryan and I can say hey, this doesn't feel right out loud. She noticed I can say no now. My twelve-year-old clocked that I learned how to say no. 🥹 In this episode: Matix is home and the whole house is different The bedroom situation you will not stop asking about Parenting an adult son when nobody hands you a manual Ruby's very honest take on me and Ryan Are we getting married or nah We also get into the thing I care about most as a mom — that there's no one right way my kids' lives have to look. Married or not. Kids or not. Huge business or a totally different path. I just want them building lives they love. (Ruby's plan: three or four kids. Or seven hundred. She's flexible.) She also dropped "you're only as sick as your secrets" and "if you can't name it, you can't tame it." From the passenger seat. Between Stranger Things takes. Cool, cool. Oh — and I recorded this whole thing mid-ocular migraine, in a parking lot, because I couldn't see well enough to drive us home. Seasons where you coast, seasons where you climb. Guess which one I'm in. 😂 Messy, funny, and very us. Here are the key moments from the episode: 00:00 Ruby takes over the podcast for an unfiltered Q&A 04:02 What my daughter notices about me that I don't always see 08:51 Our favorite shows and what actually keeps us watching 12:50 The stress response that triggered my ocular migraine 15:21 What it's really like having all four kids home again 19:32 Teaching my kids boundaries and how to trust their intuition 22:02 The bedroom dilemma and parenting adult kids at home 27:05 Letting my kids grow up without making them grow up too fast 30:01 How we taught our kids to understand and express their emotions 34:00 The family traditions I want my kids to remember 37:46 Will Ryan and I get married? My real thoughts on marriage now 42:38 What my daughter sees in my healthiest relationship 46:02 Why I've never dreamed about the "perfect" wedding 49:16 What I'm talking about next: hormones, labs and women's health Heidi’s FREE Get Fit Community: https://fit.heidipowell.net/get-fit-community/ Connect with Heidi: Website: https://heidipowell.net/ Email: [email protected] Instagram: @realheidipowell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realheidipowell/ YouTube: @RealHeidiPowell Join Heidi’s next Hormone Reset Challenge: heidipowell.net/reset

It is midnight. Ryan and I are sitting in his living room trying to record a podcast while doing my press-on nails. I have magnesium kicking in, and neither of us can stay on one subject for more than five minutes. 😂 We talk about Matix being home and something nobody really prepares you for: what happens when your adult child comes back home after being gone for two years!! I thought it would just feel like pure happiness. And it does. But it also changes the entire family dynamic again! Everyone has grown. Everyone has changed. And now we are all figuring out who we are together in this new season, including me as I figure out what guiding adult kids is like. I also get really honest about some things I have realized as a mom, including the ways I leaned on Matix too much when he was younger and what I see differently now. Somewhere in between that, Ryan and I get into how much I, Heidi Lynn Lane… have changed over the last few years. My voice is different. My look is different…I AM JUST DIFFERENT, yo. But in all the best ways… as I am more comfortable in my own skin than I think I have ever been. PS. Who YOU think I am, and who I ACTUALLY am… are prob two diff people… bc social media never tells the whole story. Also after years of grief, pulling back, and saying no to almost everything, 2026 has become my year of YES. I am making friends. Going places. Saying yes when something feels good. Letting people unfollow me if who I am now is not for them. And I can’t leave out, I’m overwhelmed most days by ALL the yeses. ha! And maybe that is what this episode is really about. Life looks different than I thought it would. But I think I am finally learning to let it. In this episode, we discuss: What nobody tells you about an adult child coming home after two years away The ways I unknowingly leaned on Matix too much as a parent and what I see differently now Why I am actually okay with losing followers as my life and identity continue to change How Ryan noticed that even my voice has changed as I have become more comfortable being myself My “year of YES” after spending the last few years pulling back from life And, obviously, press-on nails, getting lost in LA, soap operas, and all the completely unnecessary side quests that make this Heidi’s Lane Maybe you’re in a season where your family is changing, your kids are growing up, or you’re realizing you’re changing too. I hope this episode reminds you that you’re allowed to grow, outgrow things, say yes again, and become more of who you actually are. Life doesn’t always look the way we thought it would, and sometimes that can be really freaking beautiful. I love you guys. Thanks for being here and growing through all of it with me. ❤️ Here are the key moments from the episode: 00:00 A midnight life update with me + Ryan 03:08 Why i’m actually okay with losing followers 09:53 Why Ryan says even my voice sounds different now 14:08 The real me vs. who people think i am online 22:56 My “year of yes” after years of saying no 26:44 What feeling supported in a relationship looks like for me 30:28 Why people’s first impression of me is usually wrong 34:48 The hard truth about being known online vs. in real life 38:39 Matix is home: the family dynamic has already changed 42:17 Why i’m learning to appreciate the constant “mom, mom, mom” 46:15 Nobody prepares you for your adult child coming home 50:49 How Matix coming home changed all four kids’ roles 54:56 How much responsibility should parents take for adult kids? 58:39 Why parenting adult children feels so much harder 1:02:44 What we actually learned from this very chaotic life update Connect with Heidi: Website: https://heidipowell.net/ Email: [email protected] Instagram: @realheidipowell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realheidipowell/ YouTube: @RealHeidiPowell Join Heidi’s next Hormone Reset Challenge: heidipowell.net/reset Heidi’s FREE Get Fit Community: https://fit.heidipowell.net/get-fit-community/

It is 4 p.m. on a Saturday. I leave for the airport in two hours. My son has been gone for two years. And Ryan and I are sitting in the car with a mic between us because apparently this is what my podcast has been reduced to — and I could not care less. This is a real-time life update, recorded in the window where I know everything is about to change and I don’t know how. I haven’t figured out the sleeping arrangements or what having all four kids under my roof for the first time in two years will look like. I’m guessing, hoping, over-thinking, and telling you all of it from the front seat. Then we get into the partial hysterectomy conversation I promised you — what my urogynecologist said, what the surgery actually removes, and why I said absolutely not when my doctor told me to come back in three years. And finally, the weekend. Mastermind, the challenge winners, a woman who flew for the first time at 50, and Ryan on a pole. Yes, that Ryan. Yes, that pole. Cozy up. This one’s a ride. IN THIS EPISODE The countdown. I haven’t figured out the sleeping arrangements and I’m not going to — they can battle it out. But I explain why the room situation is so loaded, including something I’ve never said here: Matix and Marley may have quietly carried the “step kid” position in a house where I was always pregnant, recovering, or filming. They were loved beyond measure. They also slept in their brother’s room for years while other rooms sat empty. So no, Matix is not getting the pullout bed. That boy hasn’t picked his own sheets in two years. I also get into kids leaving home after graduation, why Marley pays me rent and where that money actually goes, and the Matix and Cash dynamic I’m watching. Cash was a little boy when his brother left. He isn’t anymore. The hysterectomy decision. HPV came back negative, my Epstein-Barr is down, and the abnormal cells are still there. My doctor said come back in three years. I said absolutely not — a pap takes a few samples, and a few samples is not the whole picture. I also correct something from last episode: HPV is linked to cervical cancer, not uterine or ovarian. Then we get into what they’d actually take, early menopause, and what nobody talks about — sex afterward. My experience and my doctor’s answers, not medical advice. Take it to your own provider. The weekend. Jennifer is 50, down 30 pounds, and hasn’t felt confident since she was 25. First time on an airplane. Ever. First time submitting before-and-afters. First cold plunge. First breathwork session. The thing I can’t stop thinking about is what these women have survived. You would never guess. One told me that night it was the first time she hadn’t felt like an outcast. That’s the entire point. TIMESTAMPS 0:44 — Episode 95, recorded in the car 4:22 — Two hours to the airport 8:04 — The sleeping arrangements are Hunger Games 10:12 — Did Matix and Marley get the short end? 14:25 — Why Marley pays rent 20:52 — The Matix and Cash dynamic 23:54 — Why I want a house big enough for everyone 26:36 — Correcting what I said about HPV 29:19 — What a partial hysterectomy removes 35:20 — My kids mattered more than money 42:22 — Jennifer’s firsts 47:35 — My team and best friends 53:32 — Ryan. On the pole. 56:07 — The four-day event I’m already planning COME DO THIS WITH ME The 30-Day Core, Pelvic Floor & Hormone Strength Challenge starts soon. Back to basics for the deepest layer of our bodies we’ve spent decades ignoring. heidipowell.net/challenge Save the date for January — the next 60-day challenge, with nutrition education LIVE this time. LET’S TALK Two real questions: If you’ve had the hysterectomy conversation and chose not to do it — where are you now? Do you wish you had? And do you think kids should move out after high school? I left immediately, failed every class, figured it out, and I’m convinced I wouldn’t be who I am without it. Tell me in the comments — honestly, because I’m reading them.