The Ovary Club with Alisa Vitti

If your desire has disappeared, you probably already have a theory about why. Your hormones. Your age. Your relationship. The kids. But there is a system sitting underneath all of those that almost nobody is talking about. When your nervous system is stuck in survival mode, your body is not going to prioritize pleasure, no matter how clean your diet is or how perfect your protocol looks. In this episode of The Ovary Club, I sit down with my friend Kimberly Ann Johnson to talk about what is actually happening when women feel cut off from their bodies, why postpartum is so often where that disconnection begins, and why trying to "fix" your nervous system can keep you stuck in the exact state you are trying to get out of. We also get into her new book, Erotic Seasons, and how a woman's desire shifts through every season of her life and every phase of her cycle. Kimberly Ann Johnson is a sexological bodyworker, Somatic Experiencing™ Practitioner, birth doula, and postpartum advocate who has spent the past twenty years helping women heal from birth injuries, gynecological surgeries, and sexual boundary violations. She is the author of the early mothering classic The Fourth Trimester and Call of the Wild, the creator of Activate Your Inner Jaguar, and the host of the Sex Birth Trauma podcast. Her new book, Erotic Seasons: Tuning into the Rhythms of Women's Sexuality and Spirituality, maps a woman's sexuality through the maiden, mother, virgin, and crone seasons of life. What's Discussed: (6:45) What is actually happening in your nervous system when you feel cut off from your body. (8:02) The "social nervous system" and why so many women get stuck in comparison mode. (10:06) What "I've done everything and nothing works" may really be telling you. (14:17) What is going on underneath disappearing desire. (19:22) Why calling oxytocin "the love hormone" sells it short. (25:22) Why postpartum is so often where long-term disconnection from your body begins. (29:12) Why postpartum care should look more like recovering from a car accident than "bouncing back." (36:24) The blue and red framework, and why noticing what feels good is a skill. (47:07) Why going from a busy day straight into intimacy is like going zero to 60. (52:13) The biggest misconception about how women try to "fix" their nervous system. (1:00:32) The four erotic seasons of a woman's life. (1:08:49) How your monthly cycle gives you a preview of every erotic season. (1:15:14) Where to start if you feel disconnected and your desire is low. Thank You to our Sponsors: FLO Living (supplement): Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com Slow Down Hormonal Aging Want to be more proactive about your hormones as you get older? Start with Alisa's Slow Down Hormonal Aging resource and learn what you can begin paying attention to now: alisavitti.kit.com/77c59f219c Learn more about Alisa Vitti: Instagram: alisa.vitti Website: alisavitti.kit.com Learn More About Kimberly Ann Johnson: Website: kimberlyannjohnson.com YouTube: @kimberly.ann.johnson Instagram: @kimberly.ann.johnson Podcast: Sex Birth Trauma Erotic Seasons available for pre-order now & a Free Gift: Download an exclusive additional chapter from Erotic Seasons entitled "The Body and the Belly" at www.kimberlyannjohnson.com/erotic-seasons-book/

If having a baby is somewhere in your plans for the next year, there is a lot you can be doing now that most women are never told about. Fertility prep starts well before you are officially "trying," and the months leading up to conception are a chance to support your body in ways that can make a real difference. In this episode of The Ovary Club, I sit down with Lily Nichols for a much-needed conversation about what preconception nutrition actually looks like. We talk about where the usual fertility advice falls short, the things women are doing in the name of "health" that may not be helping, and what I want you paying attention to now if pregnancy is on your radar. We also get into the part of fertility prep that should never fall entirely on the woman. Lily Nichols is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author known for her evidence-based work in prenatal nutrition. She is the founder of the Institute for Prenatal Nutrition® and the author of Real Food for Pregnancy, Real Food for Fertility, and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes. Her books have reached millions of readers worldwide, are used in university-level maternal nutrition and midwifery courses, and have influenced prenatal nutrition policy internationally. What's Discussed: (6:49) Why fertility nutrition should start months before you begin trying. (11:19) Why having a "normal" period does not necessarily tell you everything about ovulation. (13:39) What blood sugar can tell you about fertility, even when your labs are technically normal. (19:54) The problem with fasting and under-eating when you are trying to support fertility. (37:06) How long an egg is actually developing before ovulation. (39:34) Why not all prenatal vitamins are created equal. (49:21) What hormonal birth control can do to nutrient levels before conception. (56:45) Why nutrition still matters if you are going through IVF. (1:03:35) Why male fertility needs to be part of the preconception conversation. (1:09:47) What to start doing now if you want to try to conceive within the next year. (1:16:28) Can you really improve egg quality in 90 days? Thank You to our Sponsors: FLO Living: Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com Slow Down Hormonal Aging Want to be more proactive about your hormones as you get older? Start with Alisa's Slow Down Hormonal Aging resource and learn what you can begin paying attention to now: alisavitti.kit.com/77c59f219c Boost Your Fertility Trying to conceive now or in the future? Get Alisa's guide including the exact supplement protocol she used to conceive at 36 and 43, plus her essential fertility biohacks: https://alisavitti.kit.com/a2b80c30b0 Learn more about Alisa Vitti: Instagram: alisa.vitti Website: alisavitti.kit.com Learn More About Lily Nichols: Website: lilynicholsrdn.com Substack: lilynicholsrdn.substack.com Instagram: @lilynicholsrdn

Food is one of the most powerful tools we have for hormonal health, and somehow it has become one of the most confusing. Protein targets, fasting windows, carbs, fats, blood sugar, meal timing, supplements, food quality... women are trying so hard to get it "right" that eating can start to feel like another full-time job. And somewhere in all of that advice, we have lost the part where food is supposed to taste good, fit into an actual life, and be something we enjoy. In this episode of The Ovary Club, I sit down with Giada De Laurentiis to make eating for your hormones feel practical again. We get into what happens when the way you have always eaten no longer feels like it is working for your body, why hormone health is about more than simply choosing "healthy" foods, and how to build an approach to eating that can actually survive a busy life, travel, restaurants, family, and everything else women are carrying. Most importantly, we talk about how to do all of that without taking the joy out of food in the process. Giada De Laurentiis is an Emmy Award-winning chef, nine-time New York Times bestselling cookbook author, and one of the most recognizable culinary voices in the world. Born in Rome and trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, she brings a perspective on food that has always gone far beyond calories and macros. This conversation brings that philosophy into the hormone conversation, and into the very real question so many women are asking: How do I eat in a way that supports my body without making food miserable? Get the step counter we talked about in the episode: https://amzn.to/4yAEztw What's Discussed: (03:40) Why hormone changes can begin in your early 40s even when standard lab results still appear "normal." (11:07) Why eating foods that seem healthy may still leave blood sugar, cholesterol, inflammation, and energy moving in the wrong direction. (15:22) How fasting and meal timing can work against some women in midlife instead of supporting their metabolism. (22:36) How protein, carbohydrates, fats, and the way meals are structured can change metabolic health. (31:31) Why fiber becomes especially important for digestion, gut health, and estrogen metabolism in menopause. (41:02) Why HRT can be helpful without replacing the nutrition and lifestyle foundations your body still needs. (47:51) How to eat for your hormones without turning food into restriction, perfectionism, or another source of stress. Free Guide: The 90-Day Reset Roadmap: Most women quit fixing their hormones right before it actually works, because nobody told them what to expect. Your body works in cycles, not days, so real change shows up over about three of them. I mapped it out month by month in a guide called the 90-Day Reset Roadmap, so you know exactly what is normal and when to expect the shift. Get it free here: alisavitti.kit.com/ Learn More About Alisa Vitti: Instagram: @alisa.vitti Website: alisavitti.kit.com Learn More About Giada De Laurentiis: Instagram: @giadadelaurentiis Website: giadzy.com & giadadelaurentiis.com Books: https://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/books

If you have ever been told, "Well, you are over 35," as if that is the end of the fertility conversation, I need you to hear this episode. Of course age matters. I am not arguing with biology. But there is another piece of fertility that I pay very close attention to, and it can tell us so much more about what is actually happening with your ovaries than the number on your birthday cake. I have lived this myself. I had PCOS, was told when I was younger that having children could be very difficult for me, conceived my first daughter at 37, and had my second two months after turning 44. None of that happened because I found some magic fertility trick at the last minute. There were very specific things I had been doing for years to support my hormones, my ovaries, and my fertility, and in this episode I am walking you through the five biohacks I believe made the biggest difference. So whether you are trying to conceive right now, getting ready for IVF, coming back from a loss, or sitting there thinking, "I definitely want kids someday, just not yet," this conversation is for you. We are getting into the things I wish more women were told to think about before fertility becomes urgent, including a few that probably are not even on your radar yet. What's Discussed: (2:26) Why your chronological age is not the only age that matters for fertility. (5:17) My own fertility story and what I had been doing long before I was ready to conceive. (11:15) Why fertility is much more than simply whether or not you ovulate. (17:26) The difference between taking a prenatal and actually preparing your ovaries for conception. (27:55) The fertility biohack most women would never think to put on their preconception list. (31:08) Why some of the "healthy" habits women are following may actually work against fertility. (35:08) The overlooked nighttime factor that can change what happens hormonally in your next cycle. If becoming a mom is something you want now or someday, I do not want you waiting until you are actively trying to start thinking about your fertility. There is so much more to this conversation than age, and that is exactly what we are getting into in this episode. Get Your Fertility Game Plan After 35: alisavitti.kit.com/a2b80c30b0 Thank You to Our Sponsors: Veracity: Veracity's Metabolism Ignite is a great alternative to GLP-1s. Code INTHEFLO20 gets you 20% off: tinyurl.com/ Learn more about Alisa Vitti: Instagram: alisa.vitti Website: alisavitti.kit.com

"Balance your hormones" sounds like the goal. It is on supplement labels, wellness posts, detox programs, hormone hacks, and every quick-fix promise that makes women feel like their body is a problem to solve. But your hormones do not get "balanced." They respond. They respond to whether you are eating enough, sleeping deeply, managing stress, clearing estrogen, moving with your cycle, and living in a way your endocrine system can actually regulate. So if you keep trying to fix estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, or PMS directly, you may be chasing the output instead of correcting the inputs. In this episode of The Ovary Club, I break down why the hormone balance conversation is misleading, what your endocrine system is actually responding to, and the five foundations of the WomanCode FLO Protocol that help your body regulate hormones naturally instead of forcing quick fixes that never last. Want to go deeper with this episode? Ovary Club Insiders get a special download: Your Ovarian Scorecard — find out exactly where your hormones need the most support and get a 30-day plan to fix it. Become an Insider here: alisavitti.kit.com/products/the-ovary-club What's Discussed: (01:24) Why "balancing your hormones" is the wrong framework. (04:09) How detoxes, cleanses, restriction, and overtraining can worsen hormonal symptoms. (06:00) Why hormones are outputs, not the starting point. (09:00) How sleep, stress, food timing, and lifestyle inputs affect progesterone and ovulation. (13:33) Why no single supplement or quick fix can solve hormonal dysfunction. (19:16) How blood sugar stability becomes the first foundation of hormone regulation. (23:06) Why cortisol and stress signals can shut down reproductive priorities. (24:31) How gut health and estrogen metabolism affect PMS, bloating, heavy periods, and inflammation. (34:00) Why cycle syncing reduces stress on the endocrine system. (39:49) How rest, pleasure, and connection support the nervous system and hormonal health. If you have been trying to "balance your hormones" and still feel like nothing is working, this episode will show you why the goal was wrong from the beginning. Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Thank You to Our Sponsors: FLO Living (supplement): Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com Ovary Club Insiders: Ovary Club: Join us at alisavitti.kit.com/products/the-ovary-club Learn more about Alisa Vitti: Instagram: @alisa.vitti Website: alisavitti.kit.com/

Have you ever had one week where you feel strong, clear, productive, and totally on top of things… and then the next week, the exact same routine suddenly feels awful? Your workouts feel harder. Your mood shifts. You're hungrier, more tired, less focused, and you start wondering what happened. A lot of women take that as a sign they need to be stricter, more disciplined, more in control. But what you actually need is not another rule to follow. What you need to understand is cycle syncing. If you've ever felt frustrated by how different you can feel from one week to the next, this episode is going to help that make a lot more sense. It's here to show you that your body is not being difficult, and you are not doing womanhood wrong. You're living in a female body with a rhythm that changes across the month, and once you understand how to work with that instead of against it, so much can start to feel easier - your energy, your mood, your workouts, your focus, and the way you move through everyday life. Insiders get a special bonus this week: a free month inside my Cycle Syncing® Membership, plus an ongoing discount there if you decide to continue after month one. What's Discussed: (0:50) Why women do not run on the same 24-hour rhythm as men, and why that changes everything. (1:51) What cycle syncing actually is, and why it can make your body feel so much easier to work with. (4:50) Why women are not smaller versions of men, especially when it comes to health, fitness, and stress. (6:56) The clinical trial behind cycle syncing®, and what it revealed about reducing PMS. (10:18) The four phases of the cycle, and why each one comes with different needs. (17:41) Why planning your workouts, food, and schedule by phase can protect your hormones instead of draining them. (21:31) What changes in the luteal phase, and why this is where so many women accidentally work against their biology. (33:32) The easiest way to start cycle syncing® today without feeling overwhelmed. Listen now and learn how to stop fighting your body and start working with it, so you can feel more steady, more supported, and much more like yourself all month long. Thank You to our Sponsors: Ovary Club Insiders: Ovary Club: Join us at alisavitti.kit.com/products/the-ovary-club MyFLO App: Download the MyFLO App and use the code FREEMONTH Learn more about Alisa Vitti: Instagram: @alisa.vitti Website: alisavitti.kit.com/

Women have been told that the more disciplined they are with their wellness, the better they will feel. So they fast longer, do more cardio, restrict more, and push harder. And somehow they still feel exhausted, hormonally off, and like their body is working against them. What nobody told them is that almost every protocol they are following was designed for male biology and tested on male bodies. In this episode of The Ovary Club, I sit down with Dr. Amy Killen for a conversation that is going to make a lot of women feel both vindicated and relieved. Because what she shares about which biohacks are actively harming female hormones, what the longevity data actually says women need to be doing, and how sexual health connects directly to how long and how well you age is the kind of information that changes the decisions you make every single day. Dr. Amy Killen is a board-certified emergency medicine physician who left emergency medicine to specialize full-time in longevity, regenerative medicine, hormone optimization, peptide therapy, and sexual health. She is the co-founder of Humanaut Health, a longevity medicine franchise. With her clinical background spanning emergency medicine and her deep specialization in how hormones, sexual health, and longevity intersect specifically in women, she is exactly the person this conversation needed. Want to go deeper with this episode? Ovary Club Insiders get a special download: The Female Longevity Checklist: Your Minimum Effective Dose of Everything That Actually Matters. Dr. Amy Killen dropped specific numbers throughout our conversation that prove what I've been saying for years: women get MORE longevity benefit from LESS effort than men. Our biology is efficient. Stop overcomplicating it. Here's every number from the episode in one checklist. Become an Insider here: alisavitti.kit.com/products/the-ovary-club What's Discussed: (3:21) Why having a 28-day infradian rhythm on top of a circadian clock changes everything about how a woman's body responds to biohacking interventions. (4:58) Which mainstream biohacks have strong evidence for men but actively disrupt female hormones. (6:31) Why fasting is overrated for female hormone health and why skipping breakfast is quietly raising cardiovascular risk in women. (11:00) Why one day of resistance training per week has the same longevity effect for women as three days does for men. (24:26) When women should actually start thinking about hormone optimization and why most are waiting too long. (45:10) Why the quality of a woman's sex life is one of the most underrated markers of how well she is aging. (57:51) The biggest lie in women's biohacking and what to do instead. (55:57) The one metric women should be tracking to know if their longevity strategy is actually working. Listen to this episode of The Ovary Club and walk away finally understanding why your body has been responding the way it has, with the exact science and the specific tools to stop following protocols that were never built for you and start making decisions that actually work with your female biology. Thank you to our Sponsors: FLO Living (supplement): Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com Ovary Club Insiders: Ovary Club: Join us at alisavitti.kit.com/products/the-ovary-club MyFLO App: Download the MyFLO App and use the code FREEMONTH Learn more about Alisa Vitti: Instagram: @alisa.vitti Website: https://alisavitti.kit.com/ Learn more about Dr. Amy Killen: Instagram: @DrAmyBKillen Website: dramykillen.com/ YouTube: @Dr.AmyBKillen

Biohacking is everywhere right now. The fasting protocols, the cold plunges, the 5am power mornings, the high intensity everything. And women are doing all of it, following the same advice, putting in the same effort, and still feeling exhausted, hormonally off, and like their body is somehow working against them. Here is what nobody in that conversation is saying out loud. Almost every biohack that has gone mainstream was researched and designed on male biology. And male biology runs on a completely different clock than the female body does. Which means the protocols most women are killing themselves to follow were never built for them in the first place. In this episode of The Ovary Club, I break down the five most popular biohacks that are quietly disrupting women's hormonal health and introduce a new concept that I believe is the real future of women's wellness. Want to go deeper with this episode? Ovary Club Insiders get a special download: The Bioharmonizing Cheat Sheet — stop following male biohacks and start doing what actually works for your cycle, phase by phase Become an Insider here: https://alisavitti.kit.com/products/the-ovary-club What's Discussed: (04:03) Why intermittent fasting raises cortisol and quietly destroys progesterone production. (08:03) The only fasting window that is actually safe for women in their reproductive years. (12:18) Why keto increases LDL cholesterol in women after just four weeks and disrupts estrogen metabolism. (17:11) The cold plunge protocol women actually need and why it looks nothing like what men are doing. (20:43) Why daily HIIT workouts are doing the same hormonal damage as chronic stress. (22:31) Why strength training from your teens changes your body composition for decades. (24:25) Why the 5am power morning is actively working against female hormonal health. (29:23) Bioharmonizing, the female alternative to biohacking that works with your biology instead of against it. If you have been following all the protocols, doing all the things, and still feeling worse instead of better, this episode is going to explain exactly why. Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Thank you to our sponsors: FLO Living (supplement): Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com Ovary Club Insiders: Ovary Club: Join us at https://alisavitti.kit.com/products/the-ovary-club MyFLO App: Download the My FLO App and use the code FREEMOTNH Learn more about Alisa Vitti: Instagram: @alisa.vitti Website: www.alisavitti.kit.com/