Let’s talk about the divorce rate in America without the blame games, the “men are trash” hot takes, or the tired advice that sounds good on a mug but falls apart the minute a kid pukes at 2 a.m. Here’s the reality: divorce is common, but it’s not random. Patterns show up again and again—especially in midlife. And if you’re …
When news broke about James Van Der Beek colon cancer, it forced a conversation many people have been avoiding. Colon cancer has long been considered a disease of older adults. But that narrative is outdated. Rates are climbing in younger people. Women are being diagnosed earlier. And far too many are told their symptoms are “just stress,” “just IBS,” or …
Midlife weight gain is often blamed on a “slowing metabolism.” But the science tells a different story. Between ages 20 and 60, your metabolism barely changes. What does change? Muscle mass. Exercise habits. Hormonal signaling. Cardiovascular risk. And increasingly, the conversation around GLP-1 medications like Ozempic. In this episode, we unpack the real drivers of midlife weight gain, the surprising …
If you’ve ever asked yourself, Why am I so tired when I’m doing everything right? — this episode is for you. From clean eating and HIIT workouts to supplements and sleep tracking, many women are doing “all the things” and still waking up exhausted, crashing mid-afternoon, and lying awake at night unable to wind down. The missing piece may not …
If you’ve noticed a shift in your desire for intimacy in midlife, you’re not alone—and it’s not simply a hormone problem. In this episode of The Dr. Brighten Show, Dr. Jolene Brighten sits down with relationship and intimacy expert Emily Morse for a candid, clinically grounded conversation about why so many women experience changes in connection, closeness, and physical responsiveness …
Testosterone is having a moment—but much of what women are being told about it is incomplete, oversimplified, or outright misleading. If you’ve been told testosterone is only about libido, or that your fatigue, emotional flatness, loss of motivation, or inability to build muscle is just “getting older,” this episode challenges that narrative. In this conversation, Dr. Jolene Brighten breaks down …
If you’re trying to conceive and wondering how to get pregnant faster, you’re likely being flooded with advice that ranges from tracking ovulation to “just relaxing” or jumping straight to IVF. What’s often missing from these conversations is a deeper understanding of preconception health—the biological groundwork that determines whether conception is easy, delayed, or doesn’t happen at all. In this …
Low energy. Vanishing libido. Brain fog that makes you feel like you’re pushing through mud. Muscle that refuses to build no matter how hard you train. If you’ve ever been told this is “just stress,” “just aging,” or worse—all in your head—this episode is for you. In this powerful, no-fluff conversation, Dr. Jolene Brighten breaks down how to boost testosterone …
For generations, women have been told that healthy aging comes down to eating less, doing more cardio, and staying “small.” But in this powerful conversation, Dr. Jolene Brighten and Dr. Gabrielle Lyon challenges that narrative with a biologically grounded truth: muscle is one of the most critical and most neglected determinants of women’s longevity. Strength training for women isn’t about …