899: What Most Doctors Miss About Women’s Energy, Weight, and Mood

0:01Ready to turn your brilliant podcast idea into reality. If you've been dreaming about launching a podcast, there's never been a better time to start. The podcasting world is thriving and your unique voice is exactly what it needs. I am thrilled to invite you to my free live masterclass, Podcasting 101, How to Start, Record, and Profit from Your Show. And I only teach it live once a year. In this one hour masterclass, you'll learn how to start podcasting with equipment you already own, create content that attracts listeners around the clock, and make money from your show in ways that go beyond sponsorships.

0:37As my gift for joining me live, you'll receive my ultimate equipment checklist featuring my exact professional setup, plus budget-friendly recommendations that'll have you sounding like a pro from episode one. You'll walk away with a clear action plan and everything you need to finally move from idea to launched podcast. Claim your spot now at freepodcastclass.com. That's freepodcastclass.com. The world is waiting to hear what you have to say. Join me at freepodcastclass.com.

1:11Introducing your new Dell PC powered by the Intel Core Ultra Processor. It helps you handle a lot, even when your holiday to-do list gets to be a lot. Because it's built with an all-day battery, plus powerful AI features that help you do it all with ease. from editing images to drafting emails to summarizing large documents to multitasking. So you can organize your holiday shopping and make custom holiday decor and search for great holiday deals and respond to holiday requests and customer questions and customers requesting custom things and plan the perfect holiday dinner for vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, and Uncle Mike's carnivore diet.

1:47Luckily, you can get a PC that helps you do it all faster so you can get it all done. That's the power of a Dell PC with Intel inside, backed by Dell's price match guarantee. Get yours today at dell.com slash deals. Terms and conditions apply. See dell.com for details.

2:10It's not about something's being wrong or it's not about fixing you, but it's really about, you know, really taking care of yourself in a different way. I think it's your body's like wake up call to say, you know what, these things are changing and you really need to think about how you're supporting yourself and supporting your body through that change so that you can live the last half of your life the way that you want to. I'm Jenna Kutcher, your host of the Gold Digger podcast. I escaped the corporate world at the age of 23 with nothing more than a $300 camera from Craigslist and a dream. Now I'm running a seven figure online business that feels even better than it looks, all from my house in small town Minnesota with my family.

2:51Here, we value time as our currency. We mix the woo and the work, and we are in the pursuit of building businesses that give us the freedom to live lives that we love. I've always loved turning big goals into reality, and I'm here to help you do the same. This isn't just a peek behind the curtain. Come along with me and my guests as we tear the whole curtain down. Every week we tackle practical, no-fluff marketing strategies and host honest discussions on what works and what doesn't. Join me and my expert guests for actionable insights to help you grow your dream business with confidence. Pull up a seat and get ready to be challenged, inspired, and empowered.

3:30This is the Gold Digger Podcast. What if the reason you feel tired all the time, or you struggle with weight changes, or you feel disconnected from your libido or your energy isn't just getting older. Like what if the real issue is that your body's been whispering to you for years, but you haven't been listening? My guest today, Katie Whalen is flipping the script on women's health. She's the founder and CEO of Joy and Blokes, a telehealth brand, helping people take control of their hormones, longevity, and overall wellness. This isn't just your typical get some labs and good luck kind of business model.

4:06Joy is making the kind of advanced personalized wellness care that used to be reserved for celebrities, radically accessible and empowering for all of us, including me, who has been a customer for years. Katie's story started with her own struggles, years of fighting fertility issues and hormonal chaos that left her frustrated and ignored by traditional medicine. So she decided to build the company she wished existed. Today, she and her team helped thousands of people finally feel like themselves again, using a mix of data-driven protocols, prescription therapies, and smart supplements. If you've ever wondered what's really going on with your energy, your mood, or your metabolism, or if you've just been told to just deal with it, this episode is your permission slip to expect more from your wellness journey.

4:49We're going to break down the myths around hormone health, talk about two biomarkers you should get tested, and explore what it really means to take a proactive, not reactive approach to your health. And hey, if you want to get your own lab work done, which you will want to after tuning into this episode, you can use the code gold digger at joy and blokes.com and get 50 % off of lab testing or 15 % off a therapy of your choice. Your journey to feeling like yourself again, it can start today. Go to joy and blokes. That's J O I A N D B L O K E S.com and use the code gold digger. All right, Katie Whalen, it's about time you came to the gold digger podcast.

5:29Welcome to the show. All right, Katie, we're going to dive off the deep end here. And I want to start with something that I think we just have to hit on first. So, so many women hear like your blood work comes back normal. Everything looks good. And yet a lot of us are not feeling well and we're told like, just deal with it. Or it's just a part of getting older. What is happening? What's going on? You are describing one of the most frustrating things in traditional healthcare, especially for women, I would say. When someone hears you're normal, but then you don't feel good, there's a big disconnect there.

6:07And oftentimes our system will dismiss that gap really. So really, it's like a mismatch when you're looking at labs and what traditional lab values show you. They take an average of a bunch of people that probably don't feel that well. They're going to their doctor to get their labs tested. They make a wide range and say, here's what's normal. So what we do instead of looking at, you know, what's normal is we instead look at it through a lens of what's optimal. And so a lot of times I'll hear people come back to me and go, well, my doctor said my labs are normal. And I'm like, this is exactly and they're kind of like accusatory, like maybe we're just making something up or we're leading with fear.

6:47But I'm like, this is exactly why we exist, because there is a difference between what is normal in society right now. and then what we think is optimal and how we get you feeling your best. The other thing is that most clinicians are not wired to look at root cause or go deeper. They look at a symptom or they throw a pill at a problem. And so what we're really trying to do is look at all the things, look at inflammation, look at vitamin deficiencies, look at how stress and sleep are affecting everything, your hormonal shifts. And so when you look at it and dig deeper, then you can really figure out what's going on.

7:25And then the last thing that I want to point out is that there is a cultural issue, especially with women. Oftentimes we're made to feel like we're being dramatic or like we're being difficult. We're kind of told, you know, you can tolerate pain. And so when we are saying something is off and we're getting the feedback that you're fine, you are normal, there's really a big cyclical cycle that just like keeps that gas litting that like, you know, cycle of silence going. So those three things is really what we try to change in the system. So we, that's why we want to listen really hard. We want to validate your symptoms.

8:04And then we want to come up with a plan that's very personalized to you, matching the labs with your symptoms and goals. I love this. This is the perfect place to start. And it's so true in terms of like normal ranges versus optimal. Like I don't want to feel like the average American. I don't think the average American feels all that great. And like, what is optimal health? I just think that that's a huge disconnect. And it's so interesting too, because when you start to look at things through that lens and you think like, I want to be in the panel with the well people, and I want to be like high performer because we're all achievers out there, right?

8:43It changes the way that it all is interpreted. So here's something that I want to ask you. So what is like one red flag that you see in blood work or in like client check-ins that often gets missed, but is actually a big deal? Like what is something that people just kind of skim over and it's like, no, no, pay attention, blinking red light. I might have to, I might have to give you two because it's Very hard to decide between TSH for thyroid and testosterone. So starting with thyroid, most of the time you're going to say, you know, something's off. I'm tired. I'm feeling cold. I have mood swings, whatever.

9:23You'll go to your primary care and you'll get your TSH checked. And that can come back looking normal in normal range, but you could still have thyroid dysfunction. And that's why it's so important to test the full thyroid panel. So instead of just TSH, you need to look at T3, T4, thyroid antibodies. There's about six or seven things that we test to really break it down and make sure that your thyroid is actually functioning well. What's kind of shocking is that I think it's 60 % of women or 60 % of people with thyroid disorder don't even know they have it. So they're coming in saying, I don't feel good.

9:58And they're going, your TSA is fine. You're fine. And then they just don't feel good for years. they could have like an autoimmune like Hashimoto's that's just dismissed and they're just living with and they're just told you're you're fine you're aging it's normal and it's just not the case because your thyroid affects so much it's like your internal thermometer that kind of regulates your energy and your metabolism and your your sleep and your hormones so it's it's a big one it's kind of a big deal it's a big deal don't don't just don't don't check tsh that's the psa And then I don't want to skip testosterone because that's the other one that I see all the time.

10:36So people think that's a men's hormone, a male hormone, and they also think it's just for libido, but it's not true. It's a human hormone. We both need it. Women don't need as high of a level as men, but we still need it. And it's actually one of the first things that I got on personally when I was kind of recovering from my personal health struggles. And for me, it felt like all of a sudden I was like turning a light back on. It helps with libido, but it was really brain fog, inflammation. It was motivation. It was feeling strong and grounded. And so it's way more than just a male hormone that helps with libido.

11:14And I think it's low in so many women because of modern stress. And then also some certain medications can actually permanently lower it, like birth control pill, which most women are on for years, you know, in their younger years and don't realize that that can affect, you know, your testosterone levels permanently. Wow. I've been on a thyroid journey and the journey just continues on and on. And it is so interesting because Drew the other day was like, what is your thyroid do again? And it's like, we're smart people. We like to listen to health podcasts all the time, but it's like one of those things where you're like, okay, here's all the things that impacts.

11:51And it is just so interesting. And for me, like I didn't get blood work done until we went through our fertility struggles. And I know I want to hear your story too, because I don't ever remember getting any sort of blood work done until I had something big enough in my life that mattered enough to like go through that process. And since then, now it's become just a part of my wellness and my wellbeing. And I really noticed that when I started to get serious about my health, blood work almost became this gamification of my health. Like I wanted to see the levels moving in the right direction. I didn't necessarily care anymore about what I looked like on the outside.

12:31I wanted to see what was happening on the inside. And so I think it's really interesting because for a lot of people, you might not be getting blood work done ever unless there's something that really requires it or makes your doctors notice, I started getting blood work done for my parents, which was really awesome and so helpful to help them understand their bodies more. And it really just became this part of our lives where it's like, let's do a check-in. Let's check where we're at with things. I want to hear your story. How did this all come to be? Why are you passionate about this? How did you get into it?

13:05Yeah. First of all, I love that you do check it regularly because I think it's something that I so believe in because your health isn't just static, right? It doesn't stay in one place. You have different seasons, you age differently. You have, you know, you have babies, you're postpartum. So it is cool to be able to check in and see what, what you can do to help, you know, optimize or change while you're changing. This podcast is brought to you by Mercury, banking that helps entrepreneurs do more with their money. Okay. I remember in the early days of my entrepreneurship journey, clients would literally mail me checks and then I would have to drive all the way to the bank to deposit them.

13:45It took me literal years to make things go digital and I am ashamed to admit I still have a filing cabinet with paper contracts because I'm way too afraid to throw them away. But that's the beauty of growth, right? You learn what systems serve you and which ones hold you back. Mercury is one of those systems that just works. Where traditional banking websites and apps are clunky and hard to use, Mercury is meticulously designed to make doing just about anything with your money feel effortless. And the best part is it flexes to fit all types of businesses. Ready to see what powerful banking can do for your business?

14:20Visit mercury.com to apply in minutes. Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. For important details, check the show notes. when we were young we dreamed of castles and fairy tales and as we grow up those dreams might shift into building something real like starting a business you need a website payment systems a logo and a way to reach customers it can all be overwhelming and confusing but thankfully that's where today's sponsor shopify comes in shopify powers millions of businesses around the world and 10 % of all US e-commerce, from big brands to folks just getting started. They offer beautiful, ready-to-go website templates so you don't need design skills to look professional.

15:04Their AI tools help with product images, descriptions, discount codes, and more. Shopify also makes it simple to run email and social campaigns so people can find you. And if you ever feel stuck, their award-winning 24-7 support is always available. Turn those dreams into... and give them the best shot at success with Shopify. Sign up for your$1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com slash gold digger. Go to shopify.com slash gold digger, shopify.com slash gold digger. For me, I did not plan on doing this. I did not plan on being an entrepreneur. I did not plan on being in healthcare, but really I struggled with fertility as well.

15:48if I could do it over again, oh my gosh, I would do things so differently now that I have all this information. But at the time, you know, I just, I had a bunch of miscarriages. I did all the IVF stuff. And then I had my two babies when I was in my early forties. And I was so, so thankful. I'm grateful for two healthy babies, but I was a little bit shocked because I was in a bad place. It was just a lot of emotional and physical trauma both to go through that. And I think It was a little bit shocking to go, okay, I had all this help to get pregnant, to stay pregnant, to have the babies. And then I'm a bit of a mess, kind of an understatement.

16:24And then the doctors are like, you're fine. Congratulations, be on your way. And so for me, I was actually lucky because my husband had had his own hormonal struggles before me and he was a healthcare entrepreneur. So he had actually started Blokes, which is the men's side of our business way before I went through my stuff. So I was lucky. I was able to go through the men's side of our business. I got a big deep dive lab. I started working on my hormones and then I started trying these cool things called peptides. And at the end of it, I was like, holy moly, we have to do this for women because I felt like my whole life growing up, it's just like you see women struggle.

17:04You see women feel like they're trying so hard to hit a goal, to feel better, and they're just hitting a wall. And I felt like I really found something that was a game changer for me. And that was too good not to share. So that's why we have joy. And we're, you know, I work with my husband, and we've combined it into one, we're one brand, one, you know, site, and we do both men and women, but we're really trying to dig in and help people just feel better and live live better lives. I love that. Thank you so much for sharing. Cause you know, it is interesting how women go through so many changes regardless of if you have children or not like our hormones and just everything is changing so rapidly.

17:48Right. And the level of support, I saw something so funny the other day, it was satire, but it was like talking about plastic surgery. And it was like, you know, because we've already figured out everything else in women's health, let's go deeper on this. And it was just funny because it was like the amount of research that's been done for women is menial. I mean, it's so tiny. And it was just this like hilarious thing of like, yeah, let's talk about this because we know everything about women's bodies. I'm pretty sure I shared that too. Cause I loved it. It was so funny. Okay. So one of the things that I have been hearing about more than ever in my life, probably because of the age I am is perimenopause.

18:28I never heard my mom's generation talk about it. I mean, they barely talked about menopause as it is. What is it? What should every woman know about this area? What should we be paying attention to? Like, when is this happening? I feel like it is everywhere. And it's probably just the algorithm feeding me this content because I'm consuming it. But what is it? Yeah, I do. I feel kind of bad because I do think people might be getting sick of it. But it's so much better than not talking about it. I will say that. Yeah, it's everywhere. But it's It's for good reason. So perimenopause is just the transition time before menopause.

19:04And it can be five to 10 years before menopause, but it's really just subtle shifts in your hormones and most women will feel it. So what you should know is that it can happen mid to late 30s. Most women are in it when they're in their 40s. That's kind of the majority of it. But even if you have a regular cycle, it can be, you know, underneath your sleep is getting worse. Your anxiety is getting worse. You have some cycle changes, maybe feeling a little tired or really it's just like feeling off. And that's what I hear most often when women come to me. They're just like, nothing's really changed, but I'm just not feeling like myself.

19:40So that is kind of like the definition of perimenopause. The other thing that you should know is really estrogen and progesterone balance each other. They're like yin and yang. And so what first happens in perimenopause is your progesterone crashes. So that declines. And that is our calming sleep mood hormone. And because that's declining, then that means estrogen will go up and it can also fluctuate wildly. So it's really that imbalance of estrogen and progesterone that's causing those major hormone shifts and the symptoms in perimenopause. I would say the key takeaway for perimenopause is that it's not about something's being wrong or it's not about fixing you, but it's really about, you know, really taking care of yourself in a different way.

20:24I think it's your body's like wake up call to say, you know what, these things are changing and you really need to think about how you're supporting yourself and supporting your body through that change so that you can live the last half of your life the way that you want to. Oh my gosh. I mean, if we don't go through enough, right? Exactly. I had to literally, Katie, I was literally doing the math of like, how old am I? Like when am I? I'm 37. I, it took me a minute to even land on that, but it is, it is something where I'm like, noticing and just paying attention. And I think also too, like for us personally, we're out of the child bearing years.

21:01And so I feel like my focus on my cycle has shifted from the years of paying attention to it for the goal of becoming pregnant and having kids. And so it's really interesting to even just the different stages and seasons you go through as a woman based on what your goals are and based on where you're at in your life. And so it's just something that I think I've been paying attention to. So one thing that I think is really interesting is that a lot of times if you do get lab work done, so if you get blood work done, you don't necessarily walk away with a real action plan. I know somebody in my family was just going through some medical stuff.

21:38They got lab work done. They got what they needed and they walked out. And I was like, okay, but what else was addressed here? Like, did we talk about diet? Did we talk about lifestyle? Did we, you know, no. So can you walk us through like, what is a proactive protocol? Let's just talk about hormones because we were kind of just talking about hormones. What would that look like? Like what would someone take as a step if they were to get blood work done and then actually walk away with an action plan, not just information, but like things they can put into balance in their life? A hundred percent.

22:10You're absolutely right that most people get the blood work and then they get told they're fine or they get the, you know, the printout and then they don't have any direction. And so at Joy, we try to flip that script. So the first kind of thing to note is the deep dive lab review and symptom mapping. So we do the deep dive lab biomarkers to see where you're at, but then you have to match them to your symptoms, like what's going on. And that's where you can really dive into what's, what we can fix and like how we create your personal plan. So then that's exactly what we do next. It's meet a clinician and go through it together.

22:46So we want you to not be overwhelmed. We want you to understand what you can fix and really learn about the options for your body. And then you feel comfortable with choosing a plan A or a plan B or choosing to start somewhere small and see how that feels for you. So that clinician consultation is really important. That's where we collaborate with you to come up with the plan of what to do. And that could include therapies like hormone therapies or peptides. It could include supplements or it can just be lifestyle stuff. It can be like you got to work on your sleep. You got to, you know, work on your gut health, whatever it may be.

23:21But that plan is collaborative and then personalized to you. And then the third thing is really optimizing and checking in because like I've said before, like your health is not static. So it is important to keep checking in. And I remember probably a year and a half ago, I was suffering from these recurrent infections. I did my lab work and saw all sorts of like a whole bunch of things like vitamin D, zinc was low, inflammation was off the charts, gut health was wrong. So I had so many things to fix and that really helped me fix them. But then since I've been feeling great and, you know, most recently I had a lab check in and there was not that much wrong, but I noticed a few things off and I was like, okay, I actually need to up my creatine intake.

24:06And that's the only takeaway I got from that. But the point is it can help you to really check in and go, what's changed and what else can I do or what else can I add to ongoing? Yeah. It's so funny because people ask me all the time, like, what supplements do you take and what do you do and all this stuff. And I'm like, I will not tell you any of that because it's for me. It's specific to me and my body and what I need. And I think that's something that's interesting. And I think maybe my consciousness around it has just been more in a state of awareness of just like when people are saying like, just take this and you're going to feel great.

24:45And it's like, but every body is different and everybody's needs are different. What I take is different from what Drew takes. we've gone as far as to get like our kids DNA methylation done. So we know what they can methylate and what they can't like. It's just every person is so unique and everybody's needs are so unique. And so if you're taking your recommendations from somebody else of what works for them, it might not work for you. And I think that's part of like our culture has gotten too lackadaisical of like putting a bandaid on it or like one thing works for everyone. And I just, I personally don't believe that.