Beyond Symptoms: Dr. Ashley Woyak's Insights to Women's Midlife Health

In this episode of Happiness Unscripted, host Kristin DeSouza continues her enlightening conversation with Dr. Ashley Woyak, a naturopathic and chiropractic physician at Forward Natural Medicine in Madison, Wisconsin. The focus is on women's health in midlife, delving into common challenges such as hormonal imbalances, poor sleep, and emotional well-being. Dr. Woyak emphasizes the importance of a personalized, root-cause approach in functional medicine that looks beyond symptoms. She shares valuable insights on the interconnectedness of physical and mental health, highlighting how even small changes can lead to significant improvements. The episode underscores the idea that health and wellness are not about perfection but making consistent, manageable progress.

00:00 Welcome to Happiness Unscripted: Returning with Dr. Ashley Woyak

00:54 When Your Midlife Body Changes the Rules

21:01 Pushing Through vs. Listening to Your Body

23:55 From Burnout to Balance: Building Total Wellbeing

27:05 It's Never Too Late to Change

29:42 Health & Wellness is Not Perfection

31:35 Your Next Step on the Happiness Path: Rate, Review, & Rewrite Your Story!

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Hey there friends! Just a friendly reminder that this podcast is all about sharing ideas and having fun conversations. I'm not an expert in this subject over here - just a curious person exploring topics I find interesting. So please don't take anything said here as professional advice. When in doubt, chat with the real pros who know their stuff. Thanks for listening and hope you join us for the next episode! Now, let's dive in and get happy!

Transcript

Welcome to Happiness Unscripted: Returning with Dr. Ashley Woyak

Kristin - Host.. 0:00

Welcome back to Happiness Unscripted, where we're on a mission to explore what it really takes to embrace happiness and live with purpose. I'm your host, Kristin DeSouza, and I'm so glad you're here. In today's episode, we're continuing our conversation with Dr. Ashley Woyak, a naturopathic and chiropractic physician at Forward Natural Medicine in Madison, Wisconsin. If you caught part one, you know Dr. Woyak brings a thoughtful, root-cause approach to health that helps people reclaim their energy, balance, and confidence. Today, we're focusing in on women's health in midlife—from hormones and sleep to stress, energy, and emotional wellbeing. Ashley shares what really changes during this time and how functional medicine looks beyond symptoms to help women thrive. Whether you're in your 40s, 50s, or just beginning to think about long-term wellness, you'll find so much wisdom and encouragement here. Let's get started! so I would like to switch gears a little bit and focus in more on women's health specifically.'cause a lot of people who listen fall into that category. So. Kinda start with, uh, hormonal health and kinda going beyond that for women in their midlife. So many women in their forties and fifties are struggling with hormonal imbalances. Like we've nicely touched on that here. And, uh, our bodies are always changing as we're going through life. And so let's talk a little bit about how the functional medicine approach challenges, uh, faces these challenges differently than conventional medicine. Um, I recall when I first came to you as a patient, I wanted to explore, uh, if I had hormone changes happening. And as I kind of hinted at before, I was surprised that the more detailed assessment that you helped me do found that, yeah. My labs and stuff weren't showing maybe as many changes as I thought that might be happening there. Um, so I wanna ask you, beyond hormonal concerns, what are some of the other common health challenges that you see women facing in their midlife and, um, kind of how functional medicine then maybe looks at some of those things differently from just, here's a prescription for the symptom sort of thing.

Ashley 2:28

Yeah. Um, I mean, hormone stuff a lot, but for other women in that kind of age range that they're for perinatal before pre menopause. Pre menopause,

Kristin - Host.. 2:39

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 2:40

I mean, weight gain is a big one that I see all the time.

Kristin - Host.. 2:43

Okay.

Ashley 2:44

poor sleep is a big one. Anxiety, depression is a big one. Just you're

Kristin - Host.. 2:50

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 2:50

your life where you've got kids and parents and work and it is just, it's a lot.

Kristin - Host.. 2:55

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 2:56

and those, Yeah, all of that are big in that, in that category. But I would say just not feeling like themselves'cause of those hormonal fluctuations are big. And most of the time, um, there's other things too. I don't wanna blame everything on hormones either. sometimes it is, blood sugar imbalances, gut problems, like there are other things that can impact your hormones quite a bit. And if we just

Kristin - Host.. 3:20

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 3:21

these things, it can make a huge difference so that you're not a crazy psychotic person before your period anymore. You're not having

Kristin - Host.. 3:29

Yeah.

Ashley 3:30

bleeding or you're, to the point where you're anemic or, cramping. Like there's, it's like, what else is going on here that's triggering those issues? So, diving deeper, that's kind of where I, I love to start for a lot of women is just like, okay, what else is going on? But

Kristin - Host.. 3:45

Right.

Ashley 3:45

at that time of their life, like, I don't wanna just say we're not getting hormones.'cause hormones are. important. like estrogen is so, and progesterone are so naturally anti-inflammatory that as they

Kristin - Host.. 3:58

Ah.

Ashley 3:58

decrease, that's why women have so many symptoms. There's like over a hundred different symptoms associated with perimenopause because it's like this inflammation's creeping up. So after hot flashes and night sweats, it's joint pain is the second most common symptom of perimenopause and

Kristin - Host.. 4:13

Ah,

Ashley 4:13

then it's

Kristin - Host.. 4:14

okay.

Ashley 4:14

issues and weird taste in their mouth. Like, there's so many weird things that I, that are happening all the time. And so, um, and even I going to conferences and seminars, like I've been learning more. It's like, okay, I need to make sure I'm staying on top of this. Because I think before, no, these are fine. Let's focus on other things. And not to say that's not a, an, I think that's still an appropriate approach to care, but I, I don't think it's okay to deny. Trying some bioidentical hormones for some women now too, just based off their symptoms. Like if all their symptoms are, you know, in that second half of the cycle they're feeling awful and it's kinda like these low progesterone symptoms, like, well what's the harm in trying a little bit of low like bioidentical progesterone, you

Kristin - Host.. 5:00

Yeah.

Ashley 5:01

And seeing if

Kristin - Host.. 5:01

Okay.

Ashley 5:02

dramatically helps, because a lot of women don't realize it's into perimenopause. It's like your progesterone is gonna start to decline a lot earlier than estrogen. It's not all estrogen.

Kristin - Host.. 5:11

Hmm.

Ashley 5:12

in the beginning you only need some progesterone. You don't need estrogen with it yet. um, and then the other thing is like, in terms of lab works, I'm sure you know people who are listening, like when they've asked their doctors like, can I get lab work? I wanna check my

Kristin - Host.. 5:26

Yeah. Yeah.

Ashley 5:28

know, if your cycle isn't irregular yet and it's kind of normal. Um, sometimes doctors will check your estrogen progesterone if it's starting to get wonky and you're missing cycles, or if it's after some time. Sometimes they'll just check an FSH just to see like, are you in menopause or not? but I, I mean, and so I'll look at all of those, but I also really like to check, um, testosterone and DHEA. A lot of women don't realize that testosterone is really important for weight loss. Um, especially toning, like kind of losing that belly area and like if your strength, because I see women say it all the time, like, I'm in the gym and I'm working out. Why is there no muscle gain? I still feel flabby That sometimes is low testosterone. Also, if your testosterone's low, it's like low motivation and drive and libido. Like, those are things I hear a lot of women are like, I don't and my poor husband.'cause like, I don't wanna do anything with him. I don't want him around. You know? And so let's, you know, let's, let's look at that. Let's see what's going on.

Kristin - Host.. 6:29

Yeah.

Ashley 6:30

pretty easy fixes. And, and they can be really

Kristin - Host.. 6:32

Yeah.

Ashley 6:33

'cause if your, if your DHEA is really low, sometimes just giving some DHEA that in women that gets converted to testosterone and their

Kristin - Host.. 6:40

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 6:41

up. And that's a really cheap, simple fix.

Kristin - Host.. 6:45

Nice, nice.

Ashley 6:46

Mm-hmm.

Kristin - Host.. 6:47

That's awesome.

Ashley 6:48

and you

Kristin - Host.. 6:48

Well, yeah,

Ashley 6:49

oh, hormones, like, and every woman that comes

Kristin - Host.. 6:51

yeah,

Ashley 6:52

me, it's like, oh, we've got this protocol for hormones. Yeah. Right.

Kristin - Host.. 6:55

yeah. No,

Ashley 6:57

is different that's coming in for

Kristin - Host.. 6:58

yeah,

Ashley 6:59

and it's a puzzle piece for all of'em, but that's what makes it fun. And that, that's why I think patients love that I'm kind of digging a little bit deeper and like, hey, you know,

Kristin - Host.. 7:06

yeah.

Ashley 7:07

there's, there's options here. So.

Kristin - Host.. 7:10

Yes. No. Well, and I think, you know, um, yeah, as, as women, we spend so much time hearing about our estrogen levels that,

Ashley 7:21

Mm-hmm.

Kristin - Host.. 7:22

uh, I think a lot of times you aren't even aware of that. The, of the fact that, yeah, testosterone's important for women too. That's not just for men. We need this in our body and it, those levels change and can have a major impact on us. And so it probably, you know, just having one hormone that you can tweak a little bit and obviously feel a difference, I think has probably has a whole lot of women coming in, going, oh my God. Like that was all it was gonna take to, at least for this stage, make me feel that much better, you know? And so

Ashley 8:04

Yeah.

Kristin - Host.. 8:04

can see that I.

Ashley 8:05

sometimes it's based on just, okay, your symptoms are bad just before your period and your, like, we don't, you don't need hormones every day. Like we can just do like little tiny

Kristin - Host.. 8:15

Yeah,

Ashley 8:16

for week before your period and boom, they're not a, a monster to their family where their kids are like, oh,

Kristin - Host.. 8:21

yeah,

Ashley 8:22

during these days.

Kristin - Host.. 8:23

yeah, yeah. Exactly. Where everyone has days blocked out on their calendar in red, like warning. So, um, I feel like when I talk with, you know, friends through adulthood, especially after started having kids and working full time and just kind of having some really tricky balls to juggle there, uh, the, a lot of us talk about how we're kind of pushing through life in ways. Um, I feel like that really means we're pushing through symptoms and kind of tuck on. Touched on some of these things. Fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, mood changes. And a lot of us think, uh, this is just how life is right now. This is just because I am doing all of these things and I'm getting older, so I just have to like power through this. When do you feel like pushing through, uh, becomes ignoring something important that your body's trying to tell you? And, you know, what advice would you have for listeners in terms of how we can learn to listen to our bodies better and, um, respect that it's telling us something of value.

Ashley 9:52

Yeah.

Kristin - Host.. 9:52

I.

Ashley 9:53

I think especially when things start to become like, um, like you're pushing, pushing, and now it's becoming like physical symptoms. Like, I'm not sleeping, I

Kristin - Host.. 10:04

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 10:04

Or even like. I'm depressed, I'm fatigued. Like there's something going on. And then not to, know, I, I've had, especially moms come into my office, they're just overwhelmed and crying. They're like, I'm taking care of everyone. I'm taking care of my kids. I'm taking care of my parents. I'm taking care of my job. I'm doing all the

Kristin - Host.. 10:23

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 10:24

And it's like, who's taking care of me? You know? And it's

Kristin - Host.. 10:27

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 10:28

to the point where it's just too much. And, you know,

Kristin - Host.. 10:31

Yeah.

Ashley 10:31

not someone that can take that off their plate. You know, I can't fix it

Kristin - Host.. 10:34

Right.

Ashley 10:35

and, and there are times where it's, okay, do we need, is there something bigger where we need therapy or is it just there's a ton and we need to do some support in terms of let's, let's do some lab work, let's do some supplements Sometimes, you know, like, come in. Quarterly for an IV therapy for a boost, so you're not getting sick and you're not getting run down. Like, what are these things we can do to help you kind of manage this phase of your life? That's just unfortunately

Kristin - Host.. 11:01

Yeah.

Ashley 11:01

chaotic and, for a lot of women, they can't change it. So we just

Kristin - Host.. 11:06

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 11:07

make sure we're doing all the optimal things for them making sure we're not

Kristin - Host.. 11:11

Yeah.

Ashley 11:12

anything. And just adding in.'cause I just feel like there's so much more on their plates, you know, like just,

Kristin - Host.. 11:18

Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Ashley 11:21

say like, okay, I'm not gonna go to work today. Or like, a single mom. Like, you don't really have an option. Like,

Kristin - Host.. 11:27

Yeah. There's no one to tag team with. Yeah. If you're a single parent, you are like, no, I gotta show up every day.

Ashley 11:34

Or even

Kristin - Host.. 11:35

I love that though. The idea of, yeah,

Ashley 11:40

like you,

Kristin - Host.. 11:40

go ahead.

Ashley 11:41

that travel, you know, like there's, it's just like, it's just a lot. Or

Kristin - Host.. 11:45

Yeah.

Ashley 11:45

you, you, you know, both. Um, partners may have of parents that they all of a sudden have to juggle, you know, and we're have to travel here for that and this or that. So

Kristin - Host.. 11:57

Yeah.

Ashley 11:57

I think especially if things start to get, like, manifest other ways, like you're trying to push down these things and eventually

Kristin - Host.. 12:05

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 12:05

body keeps the score, eventually something's gonna

Kristin - Host.. 12:08

Yeah.

Ashley 12:08

you know, and when do we wanna start that? You know, when it's

Kristin - Host.. 12:13

Okay.

Ashley 12:13

too far gone where it's just pure chaos. Or now can we try and get ahold of this right now? And let's, I said, we can't take things away, but we can make sure optimal, we can add supplements, we can add IVs, we can add hormones, we can do things to help

Kristin - Host.. 12:27

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 12:27

it all as best as we can.

Kristin - Host.. 12:29

Yeah. Yeah.

Ashley 12:31

Yeah, sometimes it's as simple as like, you're not sleeping'cause you're so stressed and wound up like,

Kristin - Host.. 12:36

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 12:37

sleep and maybe that's all I

Kristin - Host.. 12:38

Yeah.

Ashley 12:39

just need sleep to have some energy during the

Kristin - Host.. 12:41

Yeah.

Ashley 12:41

know, like,

Kristin - Host.. 12:42

Yeah.

Ashley 12:42

we don't need to like, you like Kristen, like you're very busy and go, go, go. And you've got kids, you're doing all

Kristin - Host.. 12:47

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 12:48

I'm not gonna say here's our 10 step program and plan to get you back on track like that. Like let's talk like, is that even unless you wanted that, if you're like, Nope, I want all the things. Like sometimes it's just

Kristin - Host.. 12:59

Yeah.

Ashley 12:59

what can you add? What little things can you add into your already cat life that will make the biggest difference, the biggest bang for the buck in terms of an

Kristin - Host.. 13:08

Yeah.

Ashley 13:09

Like it doesn't have to be insane, you know, zero to a hundred and we

Kristin - Host.. 13:15

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 13:15

things.

Kristin - Host.. 13:17

Yeah. Yeah. No, I, uh, yeah, I think, I feel like I reached a point where that really started me on all of this. That was, I don't know that I would, yeah, it's one of those I can look back now and say, well, there's probably further that I could have fallen, but like, no, I want this to be rock bottom. Like, I already don't like how I'm feeling. Um, you know, it's scaring me a little bit about, uh, what's the state of my health? And so yeah, it's like, no, no, I think this, I want this to be rock bottom. Let's, you know, let's start going upwards from here. So, and

Ashley 13:56

Let's feel optimal. Mm-hmm.

Kristin - Host.. 13:58

yeah. So one thing that really stands out about your philosophy as I've worked with you is. And, you know, I think I've kind of touched on it multiple times, you have a real emphasis on patient education and empowerment. And I feel like so many women in particular have been conditioned to be good patients that don't question authority, don't advocate for themselves, and, um, just accept the answer that they're first given by someone. So for someone who's listening and feels very frustrated with her healthcare experience, feels like she's not being heard. Um, what advice do you give your patients about how to advocate better for themselves overall, not just with you, um, but also, you've talked about you're not a replacement for others, you are, part of a, um, larger framework. And so how do you help patients take the. Positive interactions they have with you and advocate for themselves with their other providers.

Ashley 15:11

I mean, I remind my patients that your doctor works for you. You are paying them and

Kristin - Host.. 15:18

Ah,

Ashley 15:18

that you, that you deserve quality care and you deserve to be heard, and you deserve to have options and explanations because to be the, the term doctor means to teach and to educate.

Kristin - Host.. 15:31

ah.

Ashley 15:31

you're just kind of told like, Nope, this is that, and you're fine, that's no. Then find a different doctor really, because that's not fair to you. Um,

Kristin - Host.. 15:40

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 15:41

paying for, it's, premiums are ridiculous, copays are ridiculous. You're paying all this money. You deserve quality care. So, um, I, luckily, and everyone's different, some people love their primary care, which is amazing, or their

Kristin - Host.. 15:53

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 15:54

that's a, I, I hope that continues to happen for a lot of people. But had patients who are like, I, I'm just stuck, and they won't listen and they won't do anything I'm asking. It's like you can, can request a different provider, you can go elsewhere. Does it suck? And does it take months? It does, and that's really frustrating. And that's, and that's not fair. But that sometimes that's what has to happen. Or you just have to sometimes educate your own doctor and be like, here, here's what I'm thinking. Here are my labs. Like, are you willing to

Kristin - Host.. 16:21

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 16:22

do some things and, and see what they say? But at the end of the day,

Kristin - Host.. 16:25

Yeah,

Ashley 16:26

works for you. You're paying them,

Kristin - Host.. 16:28

I like that.

Ashley 16:29

Mm-hmm.

Kristin - Host.. 16:30

I think that's a, a really easy thing to message, to take in and say, no, I'm, I'm here paying for this service, and so I should be getting quality service for it. And I guess I also, yeah, some people say, well, I just, I just don't wanna take the time. But I think a good question to ask yourself is, well, I. Yes, it's gonna take a few months, but is that better than continuing for several more years with someone who just isn't clicking for you? Um, in some ways I think it goes back to, uh, yeah, I was being a little tongue in cheek about, client that I don't click with, but a colleague does click with sort of thing. And I think, it's the same thing with the doctor. There's, there's a relationship there. So yeah,

Ashley 17:20

For sure. Definitely.

Kristin - Host.. 17:21

we're finding someone that you feel good about. So, uh, I also feel like you talk a lot about, uh, what I would characterize as a mind body, spirit connection. And you mentioned treating the whole person. And so for women that are dealing with the stress and anxiety, sleep issues that we've talked about, uh. How do you talk about kind of that interconnectedness between the physical and the mental?

Ashley 17:54

That's tough. I definitely remind my patients where that's more of a, I don't wanna say a problem, but maybe there is more of like that, that mental block or anxiety or

Kristin - Host.. 18:02

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 18:03

or things like that. I, I do remind them, that's, I don't specialize in that. And I think we

Kristin - Host.. 18:08

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 18:08

therapists and counselors and people that do specialize in that for a reason. And my goal is. Fixing more of the metabolic things that impact our brain while you work with someone that can actually help you work through those things. So, and, and doing those together can be a beautiful connection and really help move things in the right direction. Um, and, some people they need that kinda like guidance per se, or like, Hey, it's okay to get therapy and counseling or, or things like that. And some people are just kind of like, maybe not as connected to that, I guess,

Kristin - Host.. 18:44

Yeah.

Ashley 18:44

it is nice to mm-hmm.

Kristin - Host.. 18:47

They're not the place that they're ready for that. Uh, yes. I, I've found similar to what you were saying about, uh, someone who goes to you or a primary care doctor and kind of isn't ready for something. Yeah. If you're not ready to, um, work with someone who can really help with that mental kind of more consciousness aspect of it, then, Yeah. Then you're just kind of wasting money. But I like the, your description of what you might be able to help bring to someone working through. Again, multiple aspects. Uh, their overall framework is the metabolic, and again, like, hey, if you are doing some things that metabolically, um, put your body and your brain in their ultimate optimal state, then you're also setting yourself up to be as ready as possible for, um, maybe

Ashley 19:49

Yeah.

Kristin - Host.. 19:49

some more serious mental work there. Um,

Ashley 19:54

say like there are some great supplements, to help with all

Kristin - Host.. 19:57

mm-hmm.

Ashley 19:58

too. And like, same thing

Kristin - Host.. 19:59

Yeah.

Ashley 20:01

that can be game changer for some people with that. Um, are definitely things we can do in the office.'cause that's another thing. Some women are like, Hey, I don't have the funds or the time to add another

Kristin - Host.. 20:13

Yeah.

Ashley 20:13

my list right

Kristin - Host.. 20:14

Yeah. Yeah.

Ashley 20:15

can we do at the office? Let's, let's throw some stuff and let's try some things and,

Kristin - Host.. 20:19

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 20:20

and let's, let's chip away at this. Mm-hmm.

Kristin - Host.. 20:24

definitely. I think again, you have, uh, just such a beautiful combination of things and yeah, I think the acupuncture's a good one there. Or I even feel like, as you said, um, Dr. Sam for physical therapy, if something's really chronically bothering you there and you're able to make improvements to it, how that can help how you, your outlook on life sort of thing. So yeah, I think there's,

Ashley 20:51

For

Pushing Through vs. Listening to Your Body

Kristin - Host.. 20:51

again, it's that what are all the different angles that we can look at and, here's the component that, you and your team can offer support on.

Ashley 21:01

Mm-hmm.

Kristin - Host.. 21:01

Um, so yeah, I agree. Just, just keep working on it. Um, I like that. Um, so I tried to talk about thriving, not just surviving on this podcast. And so from your perspective, what does it mean for, um, kind of someone in adulthood, uh, that's to be thriving from their health perspective? Um, I don't mean that just in terms of, oh, all their symptoms are managed, but um. What to you looks like, when you look at a patient and say, ah, they're, they're flourishing. Like, we've really worked through something and they're flourishing now.

Ashley 21:54

I mean, that's tough. I think like them being, dunno, like lately I'm on this kick of, um, like, not like kind of longevity where like, okay, if you're on their you're at 90 some years old and you're gonna be healthy and you're able to go on trips with your family and go on hikes and do all the things like, holy cow, that's awesome. So I think when people are good and they're, they know, they're educated on what do I have to do so that it's not just. Like, you're not gonna be in a when you're 90, but you're gonna be thriving in that age. what do we have to do to get you there? And are we there now or is there still some education and fine tuning we have to do to make sure we're on that right, that right path. So I think to a con. Yeah. Kelly and I, um, to a conference, uh, down in like Austin. It was very just longevity and wellness and, quality of life. And it was just really cool to kind of make sure, is that, is that what patients are on track for?

From Burnout to Balance: Building Total Wellbeing

Kristin - Host.. 22:58

Nice. I love that. Quality of life. Yeah. I think sometimes again, we can have, um, a little bit of a. Misaligned focus on quantity. But, um, yeah, I've seen, I've seen grandparents and older relatives have different journeys along those lines, and I definitely see myself going, okay, what can I do to set myself up to be on track for those ones where I'm like, yeah, you were in your nineties and, um, you were in your retirement community, but you were in the choir and you were, taking, taking the bus that they offer to go on, this outing or that trip. Um, I'm like, yeah, that, that's what I want. So how do I set myself up for that? So I like that. So I think that makes a lot of sense. So I obviously call my podcast, uh, happiness unscripted, so I wanna touch on health and happiness a bit. So, uh. One of the things thoughts I was having that leading into starting happiness unscripted is that we can really struggle to experience deep happiness when we're not feeling well physically. And I think that was obviously something I was going through at the time that, um, was feeling a lot of stress and anxiety was struggling to communicate that to, um, my loved ones and my support team. And so just wasn't feeling very good about, um, the overall life I was living. Um, so from your perspective, uh, what's the relationship between physical health and emotional wellbeing? how often do you feel like you see women's mental or emotional struggles, uh, might be connected to. A physical imbalance or just, um, see a change in their outlook in life when they've been able to come and, have even one area that maybe has been a long-term struggle for them that they're able to see improvement on.

Ashley 25:20

Yeah, no, I think it makes a massive difference personally. I'm not saying that's, it's, it's the only thing, but I think it

Kristin - Host.. 25:27

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 25:28

a huge, huge drastic change for a lot of women. Um, whether it be, okay, I need to just get outside and walk, or I need to

Kristin - Host.. 25:36

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 25:37

my own time alone,

Kristin - Host.. 25:39

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 25:39

minutes in the morning. Or I need to make sure I'm not severely vitamin D deficient.'cause I live in Wisconsin and we don't have sun. You,

Kristin - Host.. 25:47

Yes.

Ashley 25:48

like, it's just these types of things. Um,

Kristin - Host.. 25:52

I have a friend who just got one of the, the lamp things.

Ashley 25:56

yes, Uhhuh.

Kristin - Host.. 25:57

Yeah.

Ashley 25:57

Exactly. Um, but like, and, and that, you know, as we're recording this, it's that time of the year where, is kind of tougher'cause we're not outside, we're not active as much. We're not. Maybe, because it's dark at four 30 or whatever, we might not be

Kristin - Host.. 26:14

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 26:14

dinner with family members, or like getting out and about and

Kristin - Host.. 26:17

Yeah.

Ashley 26:17

things,

Kristin - Host.. 26:18

Yes.

Ashley 26:18

so it wears on you. So I think, do staying like literally physical, like active? Yes. Huge difference for a lot of people, but these other little factors can make a difference too. But I think, the journey to like mental happiness or working on that, it's never like perfection, It's never just like, like, oh, everything's gotta be perfect and that'll be happy. That's not it. And health and

Kristin - Host.. 26:45

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 26:46

either. Like, it's just this

Kristin - Host.. 26:48

Yeah.

Ashley 26:48

we're on, like all of

Kristin - Host.. 26:49

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 26:50

sometimes it's just that reflection the morning or at night and thinking about that. Like, okay, I did my best today. That's all,

Kristin - Host.. 26:59

Yeah.

Ashley 27:00

that. Mm-hmm.

It's Never Too Late to Change

Kristin - Host.. 27:01

Mm-hmm. Yes. Mm-hmm. Nice. Oh, I really like that. Mm-hmm. So to kind wrap up here, uh, it's like one or two more things. Um. Okay. One of the things that I've talked with some people, uh, on the podcast about is kinda this idea that it's, it's never too late to change your life. you can shift something that you're not happy with, uh, whenever. And so I, do you feel like there's, uh, a point where it can be too late for someone to make a meaningful improvement, or do you feel like with the patients you've had, um, whenever they're ready, you can start working with them on finding a better point for them, a better optimal than where they are currently?

Ashley 27:56

Yeah, I, it's never too late ever, ever. I've, I've had a patient that was, I think 102 years old at my office that just

Kristin - Host.. 28:05

Oh,

Ashley 28:05

to have a little more energy and she came with her daughter and, just wanted to have a little more, she felt

Kristin - Host.. 28:10

yeah.

Ashley 28:10

was napping too long or something during the day.

Kristin - Host.. 28:12

Ah,

Ashley 28:12

know, like there's never, it's never too late, ever.

Kristin - Host.. 28:17

nice.

Ashley 28:17

of put like a, oh, I'm not, I've missed my gap for, or my window for hormones, or I missed that gap

Kristin - Host.. 28:24

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 28:25

that,

Kristin - Host.. 28:25

Yeah.

Ashley 28:26

or, I'm too old to learn, to start strength training. Like, I just don't, I don't think we should put those limitations on ourself. And it might be intimidating, or you might feel, I don't wanna say a failure, but just like, gosh, I, you almost. that you didn't start sooner,

Kristin - Host.. 28:44

Mm-hmm.

Ashley 28:45

just, just do it. Just start, and get

Kristin - Host.. 28:47

Nice.

Ashley 28:48

everyone needs a little help.

Kristin - Host.. 28:49

yes. No, I will say I have definitely experienced just the, the sense of like the sigh of relief, the lightness where, I come in and tell you like, okay, here's this symptom I'm having. Yeah. I'm struggling with my sleep again when I thought I had it working. And so I'm like, just, just please help, just please. I'm like, throwing my hands up like,

Ashley 29:16

it's nice. I'll either say, okay, maybe we need to check labs again'cause it's, it's been a

Kristin - Host.. 29:19

yeah,

Ashley 29:20

you know what, we just did'em, lemme review'em quick. Oh, here's exactly where we're gonna tweak things or something, or what we should

Kristin - Host.. 29:25

yeah,

Ashley 29:26

You know? So,

Kristin - Host.. 29:26

yeah,

Ashley 29:27

and that's that. And then you don't

Kristin - Host.. 29:28

yeah,

Ashley 29:28

to into it and stress over

Health & Wellness is Not Perfection

Kristin - Host.. 29:31

Jose, but I love that, but I'm like. Yeah, I would not have, so sorted through that nearly as quickly, and now I'm like, uh, I'm to the answer and get to move forward. Okay. So my final question for you tonight is if you could leave our listeners with a key message about their health and, what's possible for them, uh, what would you what's the, the message you'd like to put out, and particularly what do you most want women to know about their health and the possibilities for it and.

Ashley 30:09

Ooh, that's a good one. I think. Oh, that like, health and wellness is not perfection. I think we see things on Instagram and we see other people who, oh, everyone's doing it right and they're doing this and that. It's like, it's not perfection and that's not reality. And just do the best you can and, get help. And that's, like it'll just get better and better, I think as long as you're seeking to, if, if you do have issues or problems that aren't getting answered, like just keep seeking. Reach out

Kristin - Host.. 30:40

Nice.

Ashley 30:41

something else, but just remind yourself like, health and wellness is not perfection and you don't, it, it's, you don't have to have a perfect diet all the time. You don't have to get your eight hours of sleep all the time. You don't have to do all the things. Like, little things that make a big difference long term,

Kristin - Host.. 30:57

Nice. I love that. It's not perfection. Well, I think that is a perfect spot to end So Ashley, thank you so much for giving us all of this time today and all of your insight. I am, I'm really excited to hopefully help spread awareness about functional medicine and naturopathic because I think it's been a great addition to, um, the building blocks that I have to keep myself feeling good and moving forward in life. So thank you so much for sharing today.

Your Next Step on the Happiness Path: Rate, Review, & Rewrite Your Story!

Ashley 31:33

No, thank you for having me. This has been great. What an insightful conversation with Dr. Ashley Woyak! I hope you're walking away feeling encouraged, informed, and a little more hopeful about what's possible for your health and happiness. Before you go, take a moment to reflect on one thing that really resonated with you today—maybe it's a new way of thinking about hormones, midlife, or simply giving yourself permission not to be perfect. Put that into practice this week, and if you're open to it, share your takeaway in the comments or with a friend. Your story might be exactly what someone else needs to hear. If this episode was helpful, it would mean so much if you left a positive review on your favorite listening platform. I read every one, and it really helps someone new who could benefit from it. That's one of the best ways to support the show and help others discover Happiness Unscripted. You can also follow Happiness Unscripted on Facebook and Instagram to stay connected between episodes and get updates on future conversations. I'm Kristin DeSouza, and I'm grateful to be on this journey with you. Remember, health and happiness aren't about perfection—they're about progress, compassion, and learning to listen to yourself. Until next time—let's get happy!