In this episode of the Vibrant Wellness Podcast, Dr. Brooke Stubbs sits down with Dr. Sara Szal to explore how modern hormone science is transforming women’s health. Together, they unpack the early hormonal changes many women experience between ages 35 and 45, when progesterone quietly declines and estrogen begins to fluctuate, often sparking irritability, sleep disruption, and brain fog long before menopause officially begins. Dr. Szal emphasizes that today’s medicine is moving toward earlier, individualized hormone therapy, not waiting until years of sleeplessness and symptoms accumulate.
Throughout the conversation, Dr. Stubbs and Dr. Szal emphasize the importance of testing, rather than guessing, in guiding treatment. They discuss how comprehensive hormone panels, including blood, urine, and cortisol testing combined with genomic insights, help clinicians see the whole picture behind a woman’s symptoms. Dr. Szal also shares how wearable technology enables women to track their own responses to lifestyle changes, hormone therapy, and stress management in real-time.
Dr. Szal’s message is empowering and deeply hopeful: women deserve proactive hormone counseling and personalized care long before menopause. By developing healthy habits in sleep, movement, nutrition, stress resilience, and meaningful connection, and adding evidence-based therapies when needed, women can protect their brain, bone, and heart health while regaining clarity and calm. This conversation invites listeners to understand their biology, advocate for themselves, and live not just longer, but more vibrantly.
Key Topics Covered
🌙 Feeling “too young to feel so old” and recognizing the first signs of hormonal shifts
💛 How progesterone changes before estrogen and why that impacts mood, sleep, and irritability
🧪 The value of testing, not guessing, with comprehensive hormone, cortisol, and metabolic panels
🧬 Precision medicine and genomics — how methylation and estrogen metabolism influence long-term health
🧘♀️ Understanding stress, cortisol, and the burnout patterns common in high-achieving women
💊 Rethinking hormone therapy timing and the evidence for starting treatment earlier
🧠 The link between estrogen, brain energy, and midlife mental health
💤 Building a personalized “lifestyle base camp” of sleep, nutrition, movement, and meaningful connection
Timestamps
00:00 – Progesterone: The First Hormone to Change
02:20 – Dr. Szal’s Story: “Too Young to Feel So Old”
03:25 – The Whiteboard Moment: “Eat Less, Exercise More”
06:30 – Understanding Progesterone, Estrogen & Irritability
08:00 – Why Hormone Testing Matters at Every Age
09:15 – The Hormone Orchestra: Balancing the Symphony
11:00 – Testosterone: Why “Normal” Isn’t Always Optimal
13:30 – Precision Medicine: Hormones + Genomics
15:00 – The Methylation Story & Breast Cancer Prevention
17:00 – Reading Research & The End-of-One Experiment
21:00 – Testing + Tracking: Making Data Personal
25:00 – Wearables, Consistency, and Longevity
28:00 – Stress, Cortisol, and Burnout
32:00 – Connection, Purpose & Longevity
34:00 – Brain Fog, Estrogen & Mental Health
36:00 – Hormones and Suicide Risk in Midlife
38:00 – Building Your Longevity Base Camp
40:00 – What an Optimal Wellness Day Looks Like
41:30 – Dr. Szal’s Next Book: Female Longevity Progesterone, Estrogen & Irritability
Resources Mentioned
🌐 Learn more about Dr. Sara Szal
🔗 Connect with Dr. Sara Szal on Instagram
📱 Connect with Dr. Brooke Stubbs on Instagram
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Limitations
Please note the information provided by Vibrant Wellness is intended solely for research and informational purposes to help inform lifestyle choices aimed at potential risk mitigation. The information is not intended to be used by the patient for any diagnostic purpose and is not a substitute for medical advice by a healthcare practitioner. Please consult a licensed healthcare practitioner for any questions regarding diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of any disease or health assessment.