Episode 200: The Pause - Why I’m Stepping Away (For Now)

This is Episode 200—and one of the most meaningful conversations I’ve ever had with you.

After four years, nearly 200 episodes, and a podcast that grew into the top 1.5% globally, I’m pressing pause on Asking for a Friend.

This wasn’t a quick or easy decision. This podcast has been more than a platform—it’s been part of my identity. It’s been a space where we’ve had honest conversations about midlife, health, hormones, relationships, and the things women often keep to themselves.

In this solo episode, I’m reflecting on what this journey has meant, what I’ve learned from you, and why I’m choosing to step into a new chapter.

We talk about:

•  Why midlife conversations matter more than ever—and how far we’ve come 
•  The power of speaking up about your health and advocating for yourself 
•  What I’ve learned after coaching and connecting with hundreds of women 
•  A major shift in my approach to nutrition, metabolism, and intermittent fasting 
•  Why strength—not skinny—is the goal as we age 
•  The reality of building something meaningful… and knowing when it’s time to pivot 

I also share what’s next for me, including a new venture with my husband in the nutrition space, and why I’m choosing to be more intentional with my time and energy moving forward.

This isn’t necessarily goodbye—but it is a pause.

If there’s one thing I hope you take from this episode, it’s this:
You don’t settle. Not with your health, not with your body, and not with your life.

We still have a few more shows to come, so stick around!

Thank you for being part of this journey. Truly.

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If you’re doing “all the right things” and still feel stuck, adding a layer of support may be an option. I’ve partnered with a trusted telehealth platform offering modern solutions for women in midlife—including micro-dosed GLP-1 and other peptide therapies.

https://elliemd.com/michelefolan - Create a free account to view all products.

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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 with any questions regarding a medical condition.

Transcript

Medical Disclaimer And Peptides Primer

Michele Folan 0:00

The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding your individual health needs. Let's talk about peptides because they're not just GLP ones. Your body actually makes peptides naturally. They're messengers that help regulate things like fat metabolism, muscle growth, skin health, recovery, and energy. But here's the truth: just like hormones, collagen, and muscle, peptide production declines as we age, especially postmenopause. So if you're feeling stuck, belly fat that won't budge, slower recovery, low energy, or skin that just isn't bouncing back like it used to, this might be a missing piece. And no, this isn't about shortcuts. Lifestyle still comes first. Strength training, protein, sleep, stress management, always. But peptides can be a smart layer on top of that foundation. Not interested in a GLP1? Totally fine. There are other options that support fat metabolism, recovery, cognitive function, and healthy aging. The key is quality and working with a trusted medical provider. That's why I've partnered with LEMD to bring you clinically guided, personalized peptide options that actually make sense for midlife women. And if you're curious, check the link in the show notes and learn what might be right for you. Health, wellness, fitness, and everything in between. We're removing the taboo from what really matters in midlife. I'm your host, Michele Folan, and this is Asking for a Friend. 200 episodes. And four years ago, I sat down to record my first episode and remember saying, I'm probably a lot like you. And that was really the whole point of this podcast. I wasn't trying to be the expert in everything. I wasn't trying to have all the answers. I just wanted to ask better questions. And honestly, I wanted to create something that I wish existed when I was going through some of my own transitions in midlife. So whether you've been here since the beginning or you just found the show recently, thank you. You've allowed me into your walks, your workouts, your drives, and that's something I've never taken for granted. When I started this podcast, I was coming out of a really reflective time in my life. COVID had slowed everything down, my career had shifted. And for the first time in a long time, I had space to really think about what I wanted next. And originally I thought I was gonna write a book, but I realized pretty quickly that I didn't want to just tell my story. I wanted to hear other people's stories because I had watched so many women around me go through some really hard things. And that would be health challenges, loss, career shifts, divorce, big life pivots. And all these women came out on the other side stronger. And I kept thinking, more women need to hear this. And the other thing I noticed, we weren't really talking a lot about what happens in midlife. Not honestly. We weren't talking about hormones, identity shifts, marriage changes, mental health, drinking habits, and sexual health. It was like we were all experiencing it, but nobody really was saying it out loud. And I didn't want to be part of that silence. Keep in mind that five or six years ago, when I was formulating this platform, there were very few voices in this space. Now there are many, and that's a really good thing. In that first episode, I shared a few guiding principles. The first one was be authentic. Second one was keep learning. The third one was don't be afraid to put yourself first. And the big one was it's never too late. But those weren't just ideas for the podcast. Those were things I needed to hear myself and remind myself of daily. And over time, this became something really special. We had conversations that mattered. We didn't shy away from hard topics. We brought in some incredible experts, and you showed up week after week, and somewhere along the way, this podcast reached the top 1.5% globally, which still blows my mind. But more than that, it was the messages. The this helped me, the I finally asked my doctor, the I don't feel alone anymore. That's what mattered. And what surprised me the most was how many of you reached out. I can't tell you how many messages I received over the last four years from women who said things like, I thought I was the only one dealing with this. I didn't even know how to bring this up to my doctor. I finally feel like someone is talking about what I'm going through. And those messages, they mattered and they warmed my heart because it reminded me that this wasn't just content. This was about connection. This was about community. I have learned a lot over these last four years. It really is never too late. You know, I started this in my late 50s, and here we are. Women need to speak up about their health. You know, we wait too long, we minimize things. And, you know, we can't afford to do that. I've seen this over and over again. Women sitting in a doctor's office knowing something isn't right, but not saying it, not really knowing how to verbalize it, or waiting until the very last second, hand on the door, to ask the question that they really came in to ask. Because I've done that too. We all have. And that has to change. Strength matters more than we think. And I'm speaking of emotional strength and the strength of our voices, not just physically. And finally, you don't have to have it all figured out. I said that in the first episode. Who says we have to have it all figured out by the time we're 50? You know, I can tell you, I still don't. There's one more thing that I want to leave you with, especially for those of you who have followed me for the health and nutrition side of things. After working with so many women in midlife, I can tell you this. Most women spend decades of their lives in some form of a calorie deficit. Eating less, yo-yo dieting, trying to shrink themselves. And when they hit their 40s and 50s and wonder why nothing is working anymore, why the scale won't move, why their body feels different, why they're frustrated. And I've had women coming to me saying, I'm barely eating and I still can't lose weight. And when we finally dig in, they've been under-eating for years, skipping meals, avoiding carbohydrate, constantly trying to be good. And their body has just adapted. It's not broken, it's doing exactly what it was designed to do. Your body adapts, it adapts to whatever you consistently do. And when your body feels deprived, it doesn't feel safe. So it holds on, it stores, it protects. So the answer isn't always to eat less. In many cases, it's to fuel better, to build muscle, to support your metabolism, to actually give your body what it needs. And this is important. My stance on intermittent fasting has done a complete 180. And I know this is a stance that Faster Way is very invested in. But at one point, I did think that made a lot of sense. But after working, again, with midlife women and having a lot of conversations with experts, I see this very differently now. Once we're in this stage of life, our bodies are already under more stress. Layering fasting on top of that for many women just isn't helpful. So here's where I've landed. Skip the fasting. Eat a protein forward breakfast within one or two hours of waking and get on with your day. There. I said it. And you won't change my mind. And that brings me to something you hear me say all the time. Lift heavy. But I want you to think about it differently. If you stop looking at your workouts as a way to lose weight, to be skinny, and start looking at them as a way to stay out of the nursing home, to be strong, to be capable, to carry your life well into your 70s, 80s, and beyond, everything changes. You approach it differently, you stick with it, you actually may start to enjoy it. Because now it has purpose. Because at some point, we have to stop chasing a smaller body and start building a stronger one. And those are two very different mindsets. Now, I want to be clear about something. I am not taking on new clients at this time, but I'm not walking away from my coaching entirely. I will continue to work with my current VIP clients. I am very invested in their success. And if you're listening and thinking, I need help with this right now, I do have women in this space that I respect greatly and I'm happy to connect you because getting the right guidance really does matter. And I was thinking the other day, I don't really have a long list of hobbies. I don't play mahjong, I don't play pickleball. I only dabble in golf, but I do prioritize consistently my health. That's where I put my energy. Not obsessively, but on purpose. Because when I take care of my body, everything else works better. And you know, you've heard me say it's never too late. And it's never too late to step into your next chapter. And now I get to live that out myself. I am stepping into a new venture with my husband Michael, and it is in the nutrition space. This is something we are building together, which is exciting and a little stretching in all the right ways, because building something as a couple is different. It is going to require good communication, alignment, some patience. And I'll be honest, this decision wasn't something I made overnight. I've been thinking about this for a while. He approached me last year about coming to work with him, and I kept saying no, no, no, no, no. And then towards the end of the year, I finally said, yes, let's do this. But trying to figure out how to balance everything, at some point I realized something was going to have to give. And I really want to do this well, not halfway, not squeezed in between everything else. I want to give it the attention that it really deserves. And if I believe everything that I've said here, then I have to live it. So for now, I am pressing pause on the podcast. And I'll share one more honest takeaway. Social media is really hard. What used to feel fun and creative has turned into trying to figure out an algorithm. And I'm just being honest, I am not a fan of that. I'm not a fan of spending time trying to game a platform. And I've realized that my time can be spent more wisely elsewhere right now. So we'll see what this next chapter looks like in terms of how I show up there. But I do know this. I want whatever I do to feel real, not to be forced. If there's one thing I hope you take away from this podcast, it's that you don't settle. Not with your health, not with your body, not with your life. You don't have to fade into this stage of life. You don't have to accept feeling tired, weak, or stuck. You can build, you can change, you can start something new. Because I did. This doesn't necessarily mean forever. It may come back in a different form, but for now I'm being very selective about where my time and energy go. Oh, and don't go anywhere just yet. We still have a few great episodes coming your way. This podcast started as a creative pivot, and now I'm stepping into another one. And at the end of the day, I'm still probably a lot like you. Still learning, still growing, still figuring it out. Thank you for being part of this with me. Stay strong, stay curious, and don't be afraid of your next chapter. Before you go, thank you for being here. If you want to go a little deeper, make sure you check out the show notes for this episode. That's where I link anything we mentioned, resources, partners, or tools I actually use and trust. And if you're not already on the Asking for a Friend community newsletter, that's where I share practical midlife tips, favorite finds, recipes, and the things that don't always make it onto the podcast or Instagram. You'll find the link to join in the show notes. Take care, and I'll see you next week.