The Hormone Solution with Karen Martel

This episode comes straight from my own lived experience of spiraling before doctor's appointments and feeling dismissed when it comes to hormones. I dig into why so many hormone providers get it wrong and what's actually happening behind those rushed, frustrating conversations. Why does advocating for ourselves feel so hard?
I walk you through what most doctors are (and aren't) trained to do when it comes to perimenopause and menopause. How much of this is about lack of education versus lack of time? And how do you stop blaming yourself when you're told your labs are "normal," but you feel terrible?
We also talk about what good hormone care should actually look like, no matter where you get it. What questions should you be asking? What red flags should make you pause—or run? And how can you walk into your next appointment calm, confident, and clear instead of anxious and second-guessing everything?
In this episode, we uncover:
Why so many women feel dismissed or gaslit during hormone-related doctor visits.
How to approach hormone conversations without feeling awkward, emotional, or intimidated.
What good hormone care actually includes beyond "your labs look normal."
How to spot red flags and green flags in hormone providers and clinics.
Why understanding hormones changes your confidence and long-term health outcomes.
Tune in and let's change the way you show up for your body!
 
 
Sponsors
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Are you in perimenopause or postmenopause and struggling with symptoms—but not getting the support you deserve?
At Midlife Solutions, we specialize in hormone optimization for women in midlife. Our all-female clinical team offers telehealth care across all 50 U.S. states, with the ability to prescribe bioidentical estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid medication.
 
Book your FREE Hormone Discovery Call
Find out what's really driving your symptoms and what your next best steps are.
 
Visit the website: https://karenmartel.com
 
Shop the Midlife Solutions Store
Over-the-counter bioidentical hormone creams and oils — no prescription needed.
Including:
• Progesterone
• Estrogen Face Cream
• Vaginal Moisturizer
and more!
 
Take the Hormone Quiz
Discover hidden hormone imbalances that could be driving your symptoms.
Get personalized results (and yes, they may surprise you).
 
Women's Peptide Weight Loss Program
Clinically guided, hormone-aware weight loss for midlife women.
 
Midlife RESET HRT Program
A complete, supportive approach to hormone replacement therapy in midlife.
 
Your host:
Karen Martel
Certified Hormone Specialist, Transformational Nutrition Coach, & Weight Loss Expert
 
Karen's Facebook
Karen's Instagram

Have you've tried everything from protocols, to supplements, to experts and the healing still hasn't happened? Why do so many of us stay stuck despite doing "all the right things"? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Navaz Habib, aka "The Vagus Nerve Doc," to explore what might be missing.
What if the real issue isn't another diagnosis, hormone imbalance, or gut protocol? What if it's your nervous system itself? I share my own journey of chasing answers and why discovering the vagus nerve made me question everything I thought I knew about healing.
Why does stress seem to override even the best treatments? How can inflammation, trauma, and feeling unsafe keep the body locked in survival mode? This conversation opens the door to a completely different way of understanding why your body won't let you heal (yet).
In this episode, we uncover:
Why doing more treatments can backfire when your nervous system feels unsafe.
How chronic stress keeps your body stuck in survival instead of repair.
What the vagus nerve has to do with inflammation, hormones, and healing.
How past trauma or injuries may silently block recovery.
What needs to shift before your body will finally respond to treatment.
If you've ever wondered why you're doing everything right but still feel unwell, this is the episode for you!
 
 
Sponsors
Head to CozyEarth.com and use my code HORMONES for 20% off sitewide.
Head to getkion.com hormone and use my link for 20% off your order.
Get 15% off at bioptimizers.com/hormone 
 
 
Are you in peri or post menopause and looking to optimize your hormones and health? At Hormone Solutions, we offer telemedicine services and can prescribe in every U.S. state, as well as in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario in Canada.
 
Visit karenmartel.com to explore our comprehensive programs:
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

Individualized Weight Loss Programs 

Peptide Therapy for weight loss 

 
Interested in our NEW Peptide Weight Loss Program? Join today and get all the details here.
 
Join our Women's Peri and Post Menopause Group Coaching Program, OnTrack, TODAY!
 
To our nursing audience members, our podcasts qualify for nursing CE @ RNegade.pro. Provide # CEP17654.
 
Your host:
Karen Martel
Certified Hormone Specialist, Transformational Nutrition Coach, & Weight Loss Expert
 
Karen's Facebook
Karen's Instagram

I'm diving into why waiting until menopause to address hormones can be an incredibly costly mistake for so many women. Why are we told to "wait it out" when symptoms often start years earlier? And what's really happening inside our bodies long before our periods stop?
I walk through the often-missed perimenopausal years and explain why this phase matters more than most of us realize. What if heavy periods, anxiety, weight gain, or insomnia aren't things you just have to tolerate? Could early hormone shifts be driving them?
We also explore timing, myths, and fears around hormone replacement. How do you know when it's actually time to start paying attention? And what are the long-term consequences of ignoring these early warning signs for bones, brain, and heart health?
In this episode, we uncover:
Why waiting for menopause can ultimately worsen your long-term health outcomes.
How perimenopause quietly begins years before your final period.
What early hormone symptoms are often misdiagnosed or dismissed.
How timing influences the benefits and safety of hormone support.
Why listening to what your body is telling you matters more than arbitrary age rules.
Listen to this episode to learn why waiting might be the biggest mistake of all!
 
 
Sponsors
Try the power of copper peptides on your skin today and get 20% off your order with coupon code km20 here.
Grab 35% off a one-month subscription of Mitopure Gummies at Timeline.com/hormone35, while the January offer lasts.
Midlife Solutions Hormone Creams and Oils: Get 15% off your first order with coupon code Podcast15.
 
 
Are you in peri or post menopause and looking to optimize your hormones and health? At Hormone Solutions, we offer telemedicine services and can prescribe in every U.S. state, as well as in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario in Canada.
 
Visit karenmartel.com to explore our comprehensive programs:
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

Individualized Weight Loss Programs 

Peptide Therapy for weight loss 

 
Interested in our NEW Peptide Weight Loss Program? Join today and get all the details here.
 
Join our Women's Peri and Post Menopause Group Coaching Program, OnTrack, TODAY!
 
To our nursing audience members, our podcasts qualify for nursing CE @ RNegade.pro. Provide # CEP17654.
 
Your host:
Karen Martel
Certified Hormone Specialist, Transformational Nutrition Coach, & Weight Loss Expert
 
Karen's Facebook
Karen's Instagram

I'm sitting down with microbiome expert Kiran Krishnan to explore a question I see come up all the time: why do hormones sometimes stop responding the way they used to? But what if the real issue isn't your hormones at all, rather what's happening in your gut?
In this episode, we dig into the powerful gut-hormone connection. How can gut bacteria influence estrogen metabolism, inflammation, weight gain, and even mood? Why do so many women struggle more during perimenopause and menopause despite "doing all the right things"?
We also talk about why hormone therapy sometimes backfires, how gut dysfunction quietly drives symptoms, and what most people completely miss when trying to "fix" hormones. If you've ever felt like your body is working against you, this conversation may change how you see everything.
In this episode, we uncover:
How your gut microbiome directly affects estrogen metabolism and hormone balance.
Why inflammation and gut permeability sabotage hormone therapy results.
What happens to the gut during perimenopause and menopause.
How gut health influences weight gain, mood, and metabolic slowdown.
Why fixing hormones often fails without addressing the gut first.
Check out this episode to hear how supporting your gut may be the missing link to finally feeling better!
 
 
Sponsors
Coupon KM20 to get 20% off your order of Vitali Skin Care!
Get 10% off Metabolism Fixxr with coupon code KAREN here.
Timeline is offering 20% off your order! Go to timeline.com/partners/karen-martel-20 code HORMONE20.
 
 
Are you in peri or post menopause and looking to optimize your hormones and health? At Hormone Solutions, we offer telemedicine services and can prescribe in every U.S. state, as well as in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario in Canada.
 
Visit karenmartel.com to explore our comprehensive programs:
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

Individualized Weight Loss Programs 

Peptide Therapy for weight loss 

 
Interested in our NEW Peptide Weight Loss Program? Join today and get all the details here.
 
Join our Women's Peri and Post Menopause Group Coaching Program, OnTrack, TODAY!
 
To our nursing audience members, our podcasts qualify for nursing CE @ RNegade.pro. Provide # CEP17654.
 
Your host:
Karen Martel
Certified Hormone Specialist, Transformational Nutrition Coach, & Weight Loss Expert
 
Karen's Facebook
Karen's Instagram

It's time to say goodbye to 2025, so let's get real about a year that looked successful for me on the outside, but sometimes felt like a reckoning on the inside. What happens when your body forces you to slow down? And what do you do when growth starts to cost you your peace?
I open up about identity shifts, burnout, and the uncomfortable realization that I couldn't keep working the way I was. How much of my worth was tied to helping others? What happens when you're asked to step out of the role that once defined you?
I also unpack the chaos of the menopause conversation in 2025. With louder voices, scarier messaging, and endless opinions, how do we separate facts from fear? And how do we advocate for ourselves without shrinking, apologizing, or staying quiet anymore?
In this episode, we uncover:
How burnout can be a signal that something deeper needs to change.
Why stepping out of old roles can feel terrifying but deeply freeing.
What 2025 revealed about menopause misinformation and fear-based narratives.
How identity, hormones, and nervous system health are more connected than we realize.
Why speaking up for yourself often costs less than staying silent.
If you've felt overwhelmed, conflicted, or quietly exhausted in 2025, this episode will help you prepare for 2026!
 
 
Sponsors
Timeline Mitopure Gummies is offering 20% off your first order of Mitopure. Go to timeline.com/HORMONE20 use coupon HORMONE20.
Coupon KM20 to get 20% off your order of Vitali Skin Care!
Metabolism Fixxr: Get 10% off Metabolism Fixxr with coupon code KAREN here.
 
 
Products and Sites Mentioned
Cozyearth.com and use my code HORMONES for 20% off sitewide!
Alitura get 20% of the Alitura luxury clay mask and more at alitura.com and use coupon code KAREN for 20% off.
BEAM: Use coupon code HORMONE for 20% off your order.
Align PEMF Matt coupon code is KAREN5 for $100 off the Zen mat or $150 off Stealth mat.
Kathleen Mcintosh Hypnotherapy: [email protected] 
 
 
Are you in peri or post menopause and looking to optimize your hormones and health? At Hormone Solutions, we offer telemedicine services and can prescribe in every U.S. state, as well as in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario in Canada.
 
Visit karenmartel.com to explore our comprehensive programs:
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

Individualized Weight Loss Programs 

Peptide Therapy for weight loss 

 
Interested in our NEW Peptide Weight Loss Program? Join today and get all the details here.
 
Join our Women's Peri and Post Menopause Group Coaching Program, OnTrack, TODAY!
 
To our nursing audience members, our podcasts qualify for nursing CE @ RNegade.pro. Provide # CEP17654.
 
Your host:
Karen Martel
Certified Hormone Specialist, Transformational Nutrition Coach, & Weight Loss Expert
 
Karen's Facebook
Karen's Instagram