If you're a woman in your 50s or 60s who has been doing all the right things, eating well, moving your body, managing stress, and yet you still find yourself wondering if there is more you could be doing to protect your health for the long run, this episode is for you.

In this conversation on Pleasure in the Pause, host Gabriella Espinosa sits down with Dr. Noor Al-Humaidhi, a board-certified family physician, menopause specialist, and founder of Lifestyles by Noor, to build what Gabriella calls the Midlife Vitality Blueprint.

This is not about living longer. This is about living stronger, with vitality, confidence, and energy for the next 20, 30, even 40 years. Because midlife is not the beginning of decline. It is the beginning of design.

Dr Noor Al-Humaidhi is a Board Certified Family Physician and Menopause Society Certified Practitioner. She is affectionately known as Dr Noor in the community. She grew up in Kuwait before attending medical school in Dublin, Ireland. She then moved to the UK where she trained in General Practice and started her career. She moved to the Seacoast 7 years ago to be nearer to family and restarted her family practice career after overcoming the hurdles of Board certification here in the US. After her own experience with perimenopause coupled with her difficulty accessing care she founded Lifestyles by Noor. Lifestyles is a midlife wellness destination practice. Her aim is to arm clients with the data that they need to maximize their health span. She has a particular focus on women in perimenopause and menopause who are having difficulty accessing appropriate care to manage their symptoms. Her goal is to educate, empower and help clients feel their best.

Highlights from our discussion include:

• Why lifting heavy weights (40, 50, 60 pounds and beyond) is the single most important lifestyle intervention.
• The essential labs that most doctors don't run.
• How to advocate for hormone therapy after age 60.
• The metabolic syndrome of menopause.
• Why DEXA scans should start at age 35, not 60.

CONNECT WITH Dr. Noor:

Website Personal | Practice

Instagram

Resources:

Estrogen Matters by Avrum Bluming and Carol Tavris

The Menopause Society

Let's Talk Menopause

Quest Diagnostics or LabCorp for labs

CONNECT WITH GABRIELLA ESPINOSA:

Instagram

LinkedIn

Work with Gabriella!

Go to https://www.gabriellaespinosa.com/ to book a call.

Full episodes on YouTube.

The information shared on Pleasure in the Pause is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any decisions about your health or treatment. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or Pleasure in the Pause.

What if the silence you've been keeping in your relationship is actually one of the most costly things you've ever done? In this episode of Pleasure in the Pause, host Gabriella Espinosa sits down with licensed psychotherapist and nationally recognized relationship expert Colette Jane Fehr, author of The Cost of Quiet: How to Have the Hard Conversations That Create Secure, Lasting Love. Together, they explore why so many midlife women silence their needs in relationships, how conflict avoidance quietly erodes intimacy and wellbeing, and what it actually takes to speak your truth in a way that creates deeper connection rather than more distance. If you've ever chosen peace over honesty and wondered why you still feel so alone, this conversation is for you.

Colette Jane Fehr is a licensed psychotherapist and nationally recognized relationship expert. She’s the author of The Cost of Quiet: How to Have the Hard Conversations That Create Secure, Lasting Love and co-hosts the hit podcasts Insights from the Couch: Real Talk for Women at Midlife and Love Thy Neighbor: The Relationship Show. Her TEDx talk Secrets of a Couples Therapist was selected as a TED Editors’ Pick.

Highlights from our discussion include:

• Why conflict avoidance is not always silent and can show up as people pleasing, over-explaining, bickering, or emotional withdrawal.
• How early attachment experiences and the nervous system shape our communication patterns in adult relationships.
• What co-regulation is and why it is one of the most powerful tools for calming conflict and deepening connection.
• Colette's method of self-connected communication, speaking from a grounded, honest, compassionate adult self.
• How to build the muscle of speaking up starting with small, low-stakes conversations outside of your romantic relationship.

If this conversation stirred something in you, I want you to take one small action today. Take Colette's free communication style quiz at colettejane fehr.com to discover how you show up in conflict, and pick up her book

If you're seeking to reclaim your pleasure and vitality, join Gabriella at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.pleasureinthepause.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for this enlightening journey into the heart of female pleasure and empowerment.

CONNECT WITH COLETTE JANE FEHR:

Purchase The Cost of Quiet: https://www.colettejanefehr.com/new-book

Substack: www.colettejanefehr.substack.com

Instagram & TikTok: @colettejanefehr

Website: colettejanefehr.com

TEDx talk “Secrets from a Couples Therapist”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tSUOB2yEd0

CONNECT WITH GABRIELLA ESPINOSA:

Instagram

LinkedIn

Work with Gabriella!

Go to https://www.gabriellaespinosa.com/ to book a call.

Full episodes on YouTube.

The information shared on Pleasure in the Pause is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any decisions about your health or treatment. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or Pleasure in the Pause.

What if the most important love story you nurture this Valentine's Week isn't with a partner, but with yourself? In this conversation on Pleasure in the Pause, host Gabriella Espinosa sits down with Amy St. Germain, founder of Oboo, a pleasure-forward wellness brand creating tools designed specifically for midlife bodies.

This episode is a shame-free exploration of self-pleasure as self-care, the health benefits of vibrators for midlife women, and why desire doesn't disappear as our bodies change. Whether you're navigating dryness, decreased sensitivity, or simply want to reclaim pleasure on your own terms, this conversation reminds you that your body is amazing at every age.

Amy St. Germain is the founder of Oboo, a pleasure-forward wellness brand creating tools and products designed for midlife bodies. What started as her own wake-up call turned into a mission to make intimacy, desire, and self-pleasure feel accessible, practical, and shame-free. Through Oboo's thoughtfully designed products and open, honest conversations, Amy helps women feel more at home in their bodies, laugh a little more about the changes of midlife, and stay open to trying something new. Her approach blends curiosity, humor, and real-life usefulness. Her favorite reminder: desire doesn't disappear in midlife. It just needs better lighting, better language, and better tools.

Highlights from our discussion include:

• 50% of women over 50 stop having sex or being intimate altogether, but we have at least 30 more years to enjoy pleasure.
• Vibrators aren't just for pleasure. They improve blood flow, reduce dryness, support pelvic floor health, and can even reduce hot flashes.
• The "Pleasure Reset" is five minutes of pressure-free self-pleasure with no goal, no performance, just reconnection with your body.
• Better lighting, better language, and better tools are what desire needs in midlife, not fixing something that's broken.
• Pregaming (warming yourself up before partner intimacy) takes the pressure off and allows you to arrive ready and connected.
• Using lubricant makes everything feel better, even if you don't think you need it. Comfort first, then move to the next steps.

Connect with Amy St. Germain:

Website

Instagram

Resources Mentioned:

Blog - The Pleasure Reset (5-minute pressure-free self-pleasure practice)

Kinsey Institute research on self-pleasure and symptom relief

Ep 80 Good Vibes

Ep 64 Communicating with a Partner about Pleasure

CONNECT WITH GABRIELLA ESPINOSA:

Instagram

LinkedIn

Work with Gabriella!

Go to https://www.gabriellaespinosa.com/ to book a call.

Full episodes on YouTube.

The information shared on Pleasure in the Pause is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any decisions about your health or treatment. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or Pleasure in the Pause.