Health, Fitness & Personal Growth Tips for Women in Midlife: Asking for a Friend

Ep.177 GLP-1 and Peptide Therapy for Women 50+: Beyond the Hype

• Michele Henning Folan • Episode 177

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Hitting a metabolic wall in midlife? You’re not alone — and you’re not broken. In this episode, Michele Folan, midlife health coach and former diabetes industry insider, breaks down the science (and the truth) behind microdosed GLP-1 and peptide therapy for women 40+.

Drawing on many years in diabetes and cardiovascular health, Michele explains how incretin hormones like GLP-1 and GIP regulate appetite, satiety, and insulin sensitivity — and why they’ve become game-changers for both metabolic and weight health. You’ll hear:

  • The wild origin story of GLP-1 (hint: it starts with the Gila monster)
  • Why early GLP-1 drugs revolutionized diabetes care
  • How microdosing protocols now support fat loss while protecting lean muscle
  • The real goals: improved A1C, fasting insulin, lipids, inflammation, and energy

This isn’t about shortcuts — it’s about layering science-backed tools onto strong habits:
✅ Lifting heavy
✅ Eating enough protein
✅ Prioritizing recovery
✅ Partnering with trusted, physician-led telehealth and vetted compounding pharmacies

Michele also dives into other longevity peptides that support sleep, recovery, cognition, skin, and hair health — plus the role of NAD+ in cellular repair and energy.

If you’ve been “doing everything right” and still feel stuck, this episode connects the dots between modern peptide therapy and midlife metabolism — with zero hype and total transparency.

🎙️ Listen now to understand who’s a good candidate, what results really look like, and how to protect your muscle while improving metabolic flexibility.
👉 Subscribe, share with a friend who’s curious about GLP-1s, and leave a review to help other midlife women find the show.

_________________________________________
1:1 health and nutrition coaching or Faster Way - Reach me anytime at mfolanfasterway@gmail.com

If you’re doing “all the right things” and still feel stuck, it may be time to look deeper. I’ve partnered with EllieMD, a trusted telehealth platform offering modern solutions for women in midlife—including micro-dosed GLP-1 peptide therapy—to support metabolic health and longevity.

https://elliemd.com/michelefolan

✨ Sign up for my weekly newsletter:
👉 https://michelefolanfasterway.myflodesk.com/i6i44jw4fq

🎤 In addition to coaching, I speak to women’s groups, moderate health panel discussions, and bring experts together for real, evidence-based conversations about midlife health. Let's connect for your next event!

OsteoCollective osteoporosis resources and community link: https://app.osteocollective.com/invitation?code=BE98G9

Transcripts are created with AI and may not be perfectly accurate.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional healthcare services. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your qualified healthcare provider ...

Michele Folan - Host:

Remember calories in, calories out, and when healthy meant eating dry chicken, endless cardio, and lots of guilt. Yeah, no thanks. The faster way changed everything for me. And for hundreds of women I've coached, we focus on real food, strategic workouts, and actually fueling your body, not punishing it. You'll learn how to eat carbs without the crash, burn fat efficiently, and build muscle that keeps you strong and independent for decades. Because NewsFlash, we're not chasing skinny jeans, we're building the body that will carry us when we're 80. Ready to reset your metabolism and feel incredible again? Join my next round of Faster Way. Links in the show notes. Let's go. Health, wellness, fitness, and everything in between. We're removing the taboo from what really matters in midlife. I'm your host, Michelle Folan, and this is Asking for a Friend. Welcome back to Asking for a Friend. I'm really glad you're here. I was thinking I need to do a solo show. I haven't done one in a long time. And it was funny, I was just hitting record and my stomach growled really loud, so I had to start over. It's funny how you're here in the house all by yourself and you're recording, and something as silly as your stomach growling disrupts your mojo. But anyway, I have something kind of big to roll out. And it's something that I have thought about long and hard. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have already heard about this, but I've decided to partner with a telehealth company to offer microdose, GLP1, and other peptide therapies to women and men too, who need more metabolic support. And I want to walk you through the why I decided to do this. So I want to share my background. And some of you already know this, I've probably mentioned, but I spent 25, 26 years in the pharmaceutical med device arena. And that was where I spent really the bulk of my career. And I spent a lot of that time in the diabetes, metabolic health, and also cardiovascular disease areas. And in 2005, I joined a company called AMYLIN, and AMYLIN developed the first GLP1 to market. They conceptualized it, developed it, and it was incredibly interesting because as a brand new class of drugs for diabetes, we had to teach doctors. So this wasn't just show up with some lunch and chit-chat. We had to really get into the weeds with them to help them understand what these incretin hormones were all about and what they actually did for people. And because all they had were sulfonylureas and metformin and insulin up until that point. So it was challenging, but so much fun. I mean, it was fun to get up every day and get out there and spread the word. We knew that these drugs also had the ability to help people lose weight, although we weren't allowed to promote it that way. And as time went on, there were some other entrants into the market. Novo Nordisc came out with Victoza, and then Eli Lilly came out with one. So the market really exploded. And I think I remained somewhat circumspect over the years because I wanted to see outcomes, you know, safety, long-term data, because I knew these drugs were going to get promoted more broadly for other than just diabetes. And so you kind of think, okay, why am I as being a proponent of healthy lifestyle, you know, great nutrition and getting out there and moving your body and lifting weights, why would I all of a sudden kind of shift gears, if you will, and partner with a telehealth company to provide GLP1 peptide therapies? And my answer is that because I work with women and hundreds of women at this point, they're doing all the right things. They're really frustrated because they still feel stuck. And the data keeps telling me that we've got an opportunity that we've got this sophisticated tool in the toolbox that could help some people. I think it's important for people to understand what these hormones do and where they came from. I'm not going to go too deep here, but just bear with me here because this will start to make sense to you and why they're effective in weight loss. The incritin hormones, so I'll say specifically GLP1 and GIP, because terzepatide, which is a drug on the market, does a combo of a GLP1 and a GIP analog. Okay. To define incritin hormones, these are gut-derived hormones that are released after nutrient ingestion. So they are gonna help with insulin secretion in a glucose-dependent way. So if there's glucose there in your system, your body will secrete these ncritin hormones. And there used to be some thought that you would start secreting GLP1 if you even smelled food. Your body would smell the food and would start to secrete GLP1 in order to prepare itself for the meal or the food that you were ready to eat. GLP1 stands for glucagon-like peptide 1. And GIP stands for glucose-dependent insulotropic polypeptide. And I can't believe I even pulled that one out of nowhere. It's funny when you are using these words day in, day out, that they start to, you just get to know them. Anyway, this was like going down memory lane for me, putting all my notes together for this podcast. So, anyway, what these peptides do is they help suppress appetite, they slow gastric emptying, and they work well together, as we see in trazepatide. So, again, I'm not going to get too deep into this, but here's the story. It was back in the 1990s, scientists discovered exendin 4, and they found this molecule in the salivary secretions of the Gila monster. Yes, you heard me right. Like the big lizard. And it acts similarly to human GLP1, but it has a much longer half-life. Gila monsters only eat a couple times a year, which they're just very efficient at utilizing their food. So what they did was they synthesized exendin 4 into what they called exanotide, which was Byetta, which was the drug I promoted. And I'm sorry if I'm really getting too deep into this, but it's it is kind of interesting. And so that made Byetta the very first GLP1 receptor agonist used clinically. And there's no lizard venom in in these drugs or anything. These are analogues. So don't worry, no one ever injected any lizard venom into their into their bodies. But I think it's kind of a cool example of how nature oftentimes gives us a, I don't know, a starting template for a hormone that humans also have, but with better stability when it gets engineered correctly. And I believe the doctor, and I've met him, I think his name was John Eng. He was the key researcher in identifying the Gila monster peptide. Okay, now that I've totally bored you with my science, I want to talk about how these drugs actually work for weight loss and metabolic support. So again, they mimic or they amplify what your own endogenous GLP1 does, but in a in a more sustained, stable way. And I know initially it was thought, well, why can't we just do this in a pill? Why can't why do we have to inject this stuff? Well, it's because it would be degraded too quickly in the digestive tract if we were to take a pill. Now there are oral versions now, and we'll talk about that, but and I don't know how they get by with that because I think it was like DPP4 or something like that would degrade the enzyme and so or the peptide. And so that's why we couldn't sell this as an oral medication. That's why it had to be injected. So, what do these drugs do? They reduce appetite and hunger signals at the brain, they slow gastric emptying so that you feel fuller longer, and they improve insulin sensitivity. And we don't need to go into that, but there's these effects on the brain and the satiety centers and the reward pathways, which is why they are studying these peptides, the GLP1 peptides, in things like addictions, alcohol, drug addictions, because it does work in the reward pathways in the brain. And there's GLP1 receptors all over your body. So Lord knows, we we have no idea what these drugs can do down the road. And there's probably some, I would say, ancillary, maybe some down-the-line benefits of you know cardiovascular and kidney benefits, because if you are reducing glucose load in the body, you're also helping those microvascular conditions that you get with cardiovascular disease and kidneys. There are some caveats and trade-offs with this class of drugs. So there are some side effects. There is nausea, which tends to be dose-dependent for most people. When you're microdosing, you do alleviate a lot of the potential for nausea and losing lean body mass if you are not conscious of eating enough protein and doing resistance training. And that has been probably my biggest frustration. So I've worked with clients who have been on GLP1s or are currently on them. And I really find there is a huge gap in the amount of education that people are receiving when they are starting these drugs. And so that's something that's very important to me and something that I'm going to focus on. Even if people aren't working with me as a client per se, those are some of the things that I want to really emphasize and ensure that they have the best experience possible because I'm not just concerned about the weight loss potential, but I am also really wanting them to have the long-term benefits and satisfaction down the road by them maintaining their muscle mass. So, so incredibly important. Let's take a minute to talk about peptides. I keep using that term, and I want to make sure you understand what they are. It sounds a little science-y and even a little intimidating, but it really doesn't have to be. Peptides are simply short chains of amino acids, basically the building blocks of proteins. They act like messengers in the body sending signals to tell your cells what to do, whether that's to repair tissue, make collagen, build muscle, or to regulate metabolism. So, no, this isn't some synthetic futuristic thing. Your body already makes peptides naturally. The problem is that as we age, our natural production slows down, just like it does with collagen, growth hormone, and well, most things after 40. That slowdown can impact how efficiently we build or repair muscle, recover from workouts, sleep, burn fat, and even maintain our skin and hair. I mean, we all know our skin has changed and our hair certainly isn't what it was when we were 30. At least mine isn't for sure. Here's where medical grade peptide therapy comes in. Through targeted support, things like GLP1 analogs, which we've talked about for metabolic health, or other peptides that may support recovery, sleep, or lean muscle preservation, we can, in some cases, nudge the body to perform a little closer to how it did when we were younger. Now, this is not about turning back the clock or chasing youth. It's it's about optimizing function and helping your body respond better to all the good work that you're doing. And back to the nutrition, the strength training, sleep, stress management, all of it. Okay. And while I'm never going to make any medical claims or promises of miracles, I'm here to educate you because for many women in midlife, especially those who feel like they've hit a brick wall with their metabolism, with their energy, and even recovery, peptides can be one more way to bridge that gap and keep moving forward with confidence. So if you've been curious or you've heard the word peptides thrown around but didn't know where to start, now you know. They're naturally occurring, they work by communication, and they're being used more and more in longevity and metabolic health circles for a reason. I should tell you a little bit about my process and how I landed where I did. This telehealth company, they are, I think women focus, but men and women are clients there. So I don't wanna I don't want to leave the guys out because they are certainly very welcomed as customers here. But you can find a GLP1 anywhere online. That's not that's not hard to do. Nume and all these other companies are offering GLP1 therapy. What I liked about EllieMD was that they have this microdosing philosophy. These are physician-led protocols. You've got flexible dosing because you're you're drawing this up in a syringe. You're not, it's not a static pen that has like one dose or two doses. We can take this all the way down for people that really want to start start low and go slow. So I really I like that. Some states require that you have uh a face-to-face virtual meeting with a doctor to discuss your intake form. It just depends on the state. But what really got me interested was the fact that they have very closely vetted these compounding pharmacies that they work with around the United States. That to me was important because you really want to make sure that the product that you're using is coming from a reputable compounding pharmacy. And I want to assure you one thing. I am not pushing the first thing that came to me. I looked under the hood, and this is a company whose approach I trust with my reputation. But I want to emphasize as well that this is not a magic pill. The clients who see the best results do the lifestyle work. And I think we should define what success looks like because we don't just want weight loss, we want fat loss. We want to preserve muscle, even gain muscle during this process. We want to see better metabolic markers like glucose, we want to see your HBA1C improve, your fasting insulin, your lipids, that's another big one. Improved hunger control, and improved energy. And here's the other one that they don't talk about a lot, but improved inflammation. We all got inflammation. Our joints hurt, you know, we're achy, we're puffy, our faces are puffy, our bellies are puffy. And these drugs also address some of that inflammation that we get. When I've worked with clients, and why I get kind of excited about the GLP1 class is many of many of them will share with me their most recent lab data. And they get really frustrated because they're trying to do all the right things, they're eating well, they're exercising, and their numbers are going in the opposite direction. And some of that's aging, some of that is the decline in estrogen. But if we can help blunt that and start to reverse that process, maybe some of those labs will come back a little bit better and we'll get a better report card from our doctors. That's my hope. But here's the thing: my main goal for anyone starting on peptide therapy is that they have lifestyle, their nutrition, their fitness, particularly weight-bearing and weight training exercise, that we get all of that nailed down while you're on these peptides, so that eventually if you decide to go off, you have all of these wonderful habits already built in to help you sustain your results. And this is really about mindset too. I see this as a support. This is adjunct therapy to all your wonderful efforts that you make. This is not a substitute, again, not a magic pill. For those of you already with me, this doesn't replace what you're doing. We're gonna we'll layer this on if you choose. And if you choose that you don't want to go this route, absolutely fine. I'm just putting this out there as uh, like I said, another tool in the toolbox for new clients. I'll be giving you lots of guidance, walk you through the process from the coaching side, but there's a doctor there at the telehealth company that will make suggestions and help you through that. That's not my job. I do not prescribe. I am kind of like the translator, the support system between the medical telehealth piece and the metabolic coaching piece. So who's a good candidate? Women in midlife who are metabolically stressed, you've tried diet and movement, you feel like you've done it all, but you feel stuck. You may be showing signs of insulin resistance, maybe your fasting insulin has been creeping up, your A1C is creeping up, or maybe you have full-blown pre-diabetes, you struggle with your appetite and food cravings. And if you're one of those people that needs a jump start or you need a push over the finish line, again, I'm leaving that up to the medical professional to deem who is the best candidate and what peptides are are best suited for that person. I should probably give you a quick overview of what EllieMD offers. We have GLP1 only programs, so those are just semaglutide or semaglutide, however you want to say it. There's GLP1 plus GIP, that's the combo, that's tirzepitide. There are NAD plus therapies, there's oral versus injections, so there they offer both forms in many of these. Other supporting peptides that are sold are some for cognitive support, anti-aging, sexual health, and desire, skin and hair. I don't make any claims, but direct people to the website to look at all the offerings. Again, I my role is educational, coaching, and integration. If you're curious, I'd love to talk you through whether this might be a good fit for you. You can again reach out to me at mfolanfasterway at gmail.com. If you decide you just want to go on the website, please use this link. It's EllieMD, that's E-L-L-I-E-M-D.com forward slash Michele Folan and Michele spell with one L. These links will also be in the show notes, so you can check them out there. I'm just super excited about this. I again don't take this partnership lightly. This is a new frontier for me, too, and I'm honored to walk with you. Don't be shy. If this is something you've been thinking about, it's been kind of weighing on you. We can chat about it or just go on the website, just check it out. I want you to feel good about your decision to maybe pursue this or not, right? It's okay. I'm happy if you want to continue your health journey doing this with diet and exercise and good, just good habits. Because lifestyle, muscle, food, and habit work should always remain the foundation. Peptides are support, not a substitute. And I think you know that. Thanks for listening. Share this episode if it resonates with you, and I'll see you at the next episode. Thank you for listening. Please rate and review the podcast where you listen. And if you'd like to join the Asking for a Friend community, click on the link in the show notes to sign up for my weekly newsletter where I share midlife wellness and fitness tips, insights, my favorite finds, and recipes.