The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett Menopause Expert: Belly Fat Grows During Menopause! Your Estrogen Levels Are Controlling You & This Hormone Is Quietly Killing Your Sex Life!
Mar 27, 2025
01:58:34
Is your belly fat, stress, or burnout actually a hormone issue? Dr. Sara Szal reveals the hidden hormone connection and how to fix it for good
Dr. Sara Szal (previously Gottfried) is a Harvard-trained medical doctor and researcher, with 30 years of experience. She is the author of 4 bestselling books such as, ‘The Autoimmune Cure: Healing the Trauma and Other Triggers That Have Turned Your Body Against You’.
00:00 Intro
02:43 What Sara Does for People
04:16 Background and Training
05:56 Helping 40,000 People
08:44 What Is Precision Medicine?
10:19 What’s Wrong with Conventional Medicine?
13:04 Why Sara Chose This Career
15:10 Importance of Healing from Past Trauma
16:44 How Trauma Manifests into Health Conditions
20:43 Lack of Nutrition and Lifestyle Education in Medical Training
22:12 Cortisol and Stress
25:23 Is There a Link Between Cortisol and Trauma?
26:02 Daily Habits That Disrupt Hormones
29:15 How to Optimise Your Health
30:35 Is Sugar the Enemy?
31:56 Supplements for Hormonal Balance
32:52 Common Nutritional Deficiencies
36:54 How to Regulate Cortisol Levels
41:04 Is It Easy to Get Someone to Change?
42:20 Can Encouraging Change Cause Harm?
44:25 How to Support Someone Breaking Bad Habits
46:34 When Should Men Start Monitoring Testosterone?
47:58 Testosterone in Women
48:32 Signs of Low Testosterone in Men
49:02 Symptoms of Low Testosterone in Women
49:52 Symptoms of High Testosterone in Women
50:54 How to Regulate Testosterone Levels
53:08 Why Estrogen Is Important for Both Men and Women
58:40 Importance of Fibre in the Diet
59:30 Role of the Microbiome in Hormone Regulation
01:00:51 Fibre-Rich Foods
01:01:04 Sara’s Preferred Diet
01:02:53 The Ketogenic Diet
01:05:01 Side Effects of the Keto Diet
01:05:36 Can You Stay on Keto Long-Term?
01:07:00 Strategies for Effective Weight Loss
01:08:05 Fasting
01:12:05 What Is Perimenopause and When Does It Begin?
01:16:12 Can Menopause Symptoms Be Avoided?
01:16:47 Birth Control
01:17:37 Who Is Birth Control For?
01:18:28 How Is Sara Doing Today?
01:19:36 Whole Body Yes
01:20:39 How to Know If a Marriage No Longer Works
01:24:54 Sara’s Divorce: Could It Have Been Saved?
01:26:40 Are Women in Menopause More Likely to Divorce?
01:28:01 Do Happiness Levels Increase in Your 50s?
01:29:10 How to Better Support Women
01:32:38 How Gender Roles Can Be Harmful to Women
01:33:59 Why Women Are Generally More Stressed Than Men
01:35:11 Are Women More Sensitive Than Men?
01:35:46 Why Women Are More Prone to Autoimmune Diseases
01:38:13 Does Late Motherhood Increase Cancer Risk?
01:39:31 Are Gender Roles Misaligned with Human Biology?
01:40:44 What Is Polarity in Heterosexual Relationships?
01:44:52 How to Keep Sexual Attraction Alive
01:48:35 Building Emotional Connection with Conversation Cards
01:50:36 How Sleep Affects Hormonal Balance
01:52:18 Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
01:52:57 How to Improve HRV
Follow Dr. Sara:
Instagram - https://g2ul0.app.link/eJThWwn62Rb
Website - https://g2ul0.app.link/6kAPJDr62Rb
Podcast - https://g2ul0.app.link/NRL9His1cSb
Free 'ACE' quiz - https://g2ul0.app.link/tzyN1dj1cSb
You can purchase Dr Sara’s book, ‘The Autoimmune Cure: Healing the Trauma and Other Triggers That Have Turned Your Body Against You’, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/Mt0ZFgF62Rb
Get your hands on the Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards here: https://bit.ly/conversationcards-mp
Watch the episodes on Youtube - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACEpisodes
Sign up to receive email updates about Diary Of A CEO here: https://bit.ly/diary-of-a-ceo-yt
Ready to think like a CEO? Gain access to the 100 CEOs newsletter here: https://bit.ly/100-ceos-newsletter
Follow me:
https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb
Sponsors:
Vivobarefoot - https://vivobarefoot.com/DOAC with code DOAC20 for 20% off
ZOE - http://joinzoe.com with code BARTLETT10 for 10% off
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theexperienceplus.substack.com
Dr. Sara Szal (previously Gottfried) is a Harvard-trained medical doctor and researcher, with 30 years of experience. She is the author of 4 bestselling books such as, ‘The Autoimmune Cure: Healing the Trauma and Other Triggers That Have Turned Your Body Against You’.
00:00 Intro
02:43 What Sara Does for People
04:16 Background and Training
05:56 Helping 40,000 People
08:44 What Is Precision Medicine?
10:19 What’s Wrong with Conventional Medicine?
13:04 Why Sara Chose This Career
15:10 Importance of Healing from Past Trauma
16:44 How Trauma Manifests into Health Conditions
20:43 Lack of Nutrition and Lifestyle Education in Medical Training
22:12 Cortisol and Stress
25:23 Is There a Link Between Cortisol and Trauma?
26:02 Daily Habits That Disrupt Hormones
29:15 How to Optimise Your Health
30:35 Is Sugar the Enemy?
31:56 Supplements for Hormonal Balance
32:52 Common Nutritional Deficiencies
36:54 How to Regulate Cortisol Levels
41:04 Is It Easy to Get Someone to Change?
42:20 Can Encouraging Change Cause Harm?
44:25 How to Support Someone Breaking Bad Habits
46:34 When Should Men Start Monitoring Testosterone?
47:58 Testosterone in Women
48:32 Signs of Low Testosterone in Men
49:02 Symptoms of Low Testosterone in Women
49:52 Symptoms of High Testosterone in Women
50:54 How to Regulate Testosterone Levels
53:08 Why Estrogen Is Important for Both Men and Women
58:40 Importance of Fibre in the Diet
59:30 Role of the Microbiome in Hormone Regulation
01:00:51 Fibre-Rich Foods
01:01:04 Sara’s Preferred Diet
01:02:53 The Ketogenic Diet
01:05:01 Side Effects of the Keto Diet
01:05:36 Can You Stay on Keto Long-Term?
01:07:00 Strategies for Effective Weight Loss
01:08:05 Fasting
01:12:05 What Is Perimenopause and When Does It Begin?
01:16:12 Can Menopause Symptoms Be Avoided?
01:16:47 Birth Control
01:17:37 Who Is Birth Control For?
01:18:28 How Is Sara Doing Today?
01:19:36 Whole Body Yes
01:20:39 How to Know If a Marriage No Longer Works
01:24:54 Sara’s Divorce: Could It Have Been Saved?
01:26:40 Are Women in Menopause More Likely to Divorce?
01:28:01 Do Happiness Levels Increase in Your 50s?
01:29:10 How to Better Support Women
01:32:38 How Gender Roles Can Be Harmful to Women
01:33:59 Why Women Are Generally More Stressed Than Men
01:35:11 Are Women More Sensitive Than Men?
01:35:46 Why Women Are More Prone to Autoimmune Diseases
01:38:13 Does Late Motherhood Increase Cancer Risk?
01:39:31 Are Gender Roles Misaligned with Human Biology?
01:40:44 What Is Polarity in Heterosexual Relationships?
01:44:52 How to Keep Sexual Attraction Alive
01:48:35 Building Emotional Connection with Conversation Cards
01:50:36 How Sleep Affects Hormonal Balance
01:52:18 Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
01:52:57 How to Improve HRV
Follow Dr. Sara:
Instagram - https://g2ul0.app.link/eJThWwn62Rb
Website - https://g2ul0.app.link/6kAPJDr62Rb
Podcast - https://g2ul0.app.link/NRL9His1cSb
Free 'ACE' quiz - https://g2ul0.app.link/tzyN1dj1cSb
You can purchase Dr Sara’s book, ‘The Autoimmune Cure: Healing the Trauma and Other Triggers That Have Turned Your Body Against You’, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/Mt0ZFgF62Rb
Get your hands on the Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards here: https://bit.ly/conversationcards-mp
Watch the episodes on Youtube - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACEpisodes
Sign up to receive email updates about Diary Of A CEO here: https://bit.ly/diary-of-a-ceo-yt
Ready to think like a CEO? Gain access to the 100 CEOs newsletter here: https://bit.ly/100-ceos-newsletter
Follow me:
https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb
Sponsors:
Vivobarefoot - https://vivobarefoot.com/DOAC with code DOAC20 for 20% off
ZOE - http://joinzoe.com with code BARTLETT10 for 10% off
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theexperienceplus.substack.com