I woke up with my heart racing. Later, I had a panic attack on a flight. And I kept asking myself: Is this stress? Is this perimenopause? Or is it both?

Ryan and I sit down for a very real (and very Heidi’s Lane) conversation about that question—and about a hormone I think deserves more attention: progesterone.

I share what I’ve been learning about ovulation, why progesterone can change during perimenopause, and why sleep, mood, and that “wired but tired” feeling can become such a big part of the conversation.

We also talk honestly about my own experience with hormone therapy, the questions I’m bringing to my clinician, and why someone else’s dose or plan is never a shortcut to your own answers.

And yes, we take a few detours! The challenge community that means so much to me, the “Hey Mom” tattoo in Matix’s handwriting, and Ryan patiently following every turn in my brain all make an appearance. 😂

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why real-life stress and changing hormones can be hard to untangle.
• How ovulation relates to progesterone—even when you’re still having periods.
• What progesterone and its metabolite, allopregnanolone, have to do with the conversation about rest and sleep.
• Why feeling anxious or unlike yourself deserves curiosity, not shame or a quick self-diagnosis.
• How to ask informed questions about hormone therapy without treating my experience as a prescription for yours.

• 
  

If you’re in your late 30s, 40s or beyond and you’ve caught yourself wondering why you suddenly feel so different. I really hope this episode helps you start connecting some dots in your own body.

Learn your body. Ask questions. Do your research. And be the CEO of your own health.

Mentioned in the episode:

• Perimenopause 101 (Ep. 93)

• NuLevel Wellness -> For a FREE telehealth appointment to discuss your hormones and health, go to https://nulevelwellnessmedspa.com/telehealth-consult-ideal/ or CLICK HERE. If you tell them you came from my podcast, they will give you $100 off your first order.

Here are the key moments from the episode:

00:00 Why perimenopause feels impossible to figure out

04:39 Panic attacks, heart palpitations and feeling completely off

09:04 When stress, business and hormones all collide

13:32 Whiskers, family life and the pressure of staying relevant

17:02 The “Hey mom” tattoo and what it means to me

22:12 Why progesterone deserves way more attention

27:51 The progesterone and estrogen balance explained

31:05 What made me rethink my own HRT protocol

34:40 Why progesterone starts disappearing in perimenopause

38:17 The early signs of low progesterone you might be missing

42:01 How progesterone affects anxiety, sleep and feeling “wired but tired”

45:00 What I wish I knew before starting hormone replacement therapy

48:01 Why HRT should be taken seriously and what we’re covering next

Connect with Heidi:

Website: https://heidipowell.net/

Email: podcast@heidipowell.net

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realheidipowell/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realheidipowell/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RealHeidiPowell
Heidi’s FREE Get Fit Community: ⁠https://fit.heidipowell.net/get-fit-community/⁠

It is midnight. Ryan and I are sitting in his living room trying to record a podcast while doing my press-on nails. I have magnesium kicking in, and neither of us can stay on one subject for more than five minutes. 😂

We talk about Matix being home and something nobody really prepares you for: what happens when your adult child comes back home after being gone for two years!! I thought it would just feel like pure happiness. And it does. But it also changes the entire family dynamic again! Everyone has grown. Everyone has changed. And now we are all figuring out who we are together in this new season, including me as I figure out what guiding adult kids is like.

I also get really honest about some things I have realized as a mom, including the ways I leaned on Matix too much when he was younger and what I see differently now.

Somewhere in between that, Ryan and I get into how much I, Heidi Lynn Lane… have changed over the last few years. My voice is different. My look is different…I AM JUST DIFFERENT, yo. But in all the best ways… as I am more comfortable in my own skin than I think I have ever been. PS. Who YOU think I am, and who I ACTUALLY am… are prob two diff people… bc social media never tells the whole story.

Also after years of grief, pulling back, and saying no to almost everything, 2026 has become my year of YES. I am making friends. Going places. Saying yes when something feels good. Letting people unfollow me if who I am now is not for them. And I can’t leave out, I’m overwhelmed most days by ALL the yeses. ha!

And maybe that is what this episode is really about. Life looks different than I thought it would. But I think I am finally learning to let it.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What nobody tells you about an adult child coming home after two years away
• The ways I unknowingly leaned on Matix too much as a parent and what I see differently now
• Why I am actually okay with losing followers as my life and identity continue to change
• How Ryan noticed that even my voice has changed as I have become more comfortable being myself
• My “year of YES” after spending the last few years pulling back from life
• And, obviously, press-on nails, getting lost in LA, soap operas, and all the completely unnecessary side quests that make this Heidi’s Lane

Maybe you’re in a season where your family is changing, your kids are growing up, or you’re realizing you’re changing too. I hope this episode reminds you that you’re allowed to grow, outgrow things, say yes again, and become more of who you actually are.

Life doesn’t always look the way we thought it would, and sometimes that can be really freaking beautiful.

I love you guys. Thanks for being here and growing through all of it with me. ❤️

Here are the key moments from the episode:

00:00 A midnight life update with me + Ryan

03:08 Why i’m actually okay with losing followers

09:53 Why Ryan says even my voice sounds different now

14:08 The real me vs. who people think i am online

22:56 My “year of yes” after years of saying no

26:44 What feeling supported in a relationship looks like for me

30:28 Why people’s first impression of me is usually wrong

34:48 The hard truth about being known online vs. in real life

38:39 Matix is home: the family dynamic has already changed

42:17 Why i’m learning to appreciate the constant “mom, mom, mom”

46:15 Nobody prepares you for your adult child coming home

50:49 How Matix coming home changed all four kids’ roles

54:56 How much responsibility should parents take for adult kids?

58:39 Why parenting adult children feels so much harder

1:02:44 What we actually learned from this very chaotic life update

Connect with Heidi:

Website: https://heidipowell.net/

Email: podcast@heidipowell.net

Instagram: @realheidipowell

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realheidipowell/

YouTube: @RealHeidiPowell

Join Heidi’s next Hormone Reset Challenge: heidipowell.net/reset

Heidi’s FREE Get Fit Community: https://fit.heidipowell.net/get-fit-community/