Épisodes

  • Unpacking GLP-1s: A New Approach to Weight Health with Ashley Koff
    Feb 11 2026
    What if the goal wasn't just to lose weight, but to achieve a balanced "weight health ecosystem"? In this episode, I speak with Ashley Koff about how ultra-processed foods, under-fueling, and disrupted hormones have shaped today’s metabolic crisis—and why weight loss alone is the wrong goal. Ashley shares her deeply personal journey and her science-backed framework for understanding weight health, including a clear, honest conversation about GLP-1 medications and how to use them responsibly. Ashley Koff, RD, is the USA Today bestselling author of Your Best Shot (HarperOne) and founder of The Better Nutrition Program (BNP). With over twenty-five years of experience, Ashley’s helped redefine how we approach sustainable, lasting weight health. In her new book, Your Best Shot, Ashley introduces weight-health hormones (GLP-1, GIP, CCK, PYY) and offers the first-ever system for assessing and optimizing these hormones, whether you’re using GLP-1 medication or not. It’s a game-changer for anyone who’s felt stuck, blamed themselves, or been failed by traditional dieting. What you’ll learn: (02:10) Why ultra-processed foods undermine satiety and metabolic health. (08:05) How dieting and under-fueling can damage digestion, hormones, and muscle. (13:40) What “weight health” means and why weight alone misses the real problem. (15:30) How GLP-1 and other incretin hormones regulate appetite, fat storage, bone, and metabolism. (17:45) Why enriched and ultra-processed foods leave the body under-resourced. (21:00) How GLP-1 medications work differently from the body’s natural hormone signals. (24:10) Why fatigue, digestive issues, and muscle loss can happen on GLP-1s when dosing and nutrition aren’t optimized. (30:20) Whether it’s possible to come off GLP-1 medications and what sustainable success actually looks like. Love the podcast? Here’s what to do: Subscribe to the podcast. Leave a review. Text a screenshot to me at 813-565-2627 and wait for a personal reply because your voice is so important to me. Want to listen to the show completely ad-free? Go to http://subscribetojj.com Click “TRY FREE” and start your ad-free journey today! When you’re ready, enjoy the VIP experience for just $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year (save 17%!) Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/yourbestshot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    48 min
  • FODMAPs Explained: Why Healthy Foods Suddenly Hurt
    Feb 9 2026
    Why do healthy foods suddenly cause bloating and pain? In this episode, I share how one of the most stressful seasons of my life completely changed my gut and forced me to rethink foods I’d eaten for years without issue. I also walk you through how stress disrupted my microbiome, why I used the FODMAP diet as a short-term reset, and how I transitioned back toward a more diverse diet. What you’ll learn: (02:43) Why bloating and food reactions can appear even with a “perfect” diet. (05:27) What FODMAPs actually are and how they affect digestion. (06:57) Why FODMAP foods are not bad but problematic for a compromised gut. (07:44) Which foods are lower FODMAP and easier to tolerate during healing. (09:54) How long to stay on a low FODMAP approach and why it’s temporary. (11:47) How to reintroduce foods safely while rebuilding gut health. (13:50) Why stress management is essential for long-term gut healing. Love the podcast? Here’s what to do: Subscribe to the podcast. Leave a review. Text a screenshot to me at 813-565-2627 and wait for a personal reply because your voice is so important to me. Want to listen to the show completely ad-free? Go to http://subscribetojj.com Click “TRY FREE” and start your ad-free journey today! When you’re ready, enjoy the VIP experience for just $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year (save 17%!) Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/fodmaps Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    20 min
  • Sarcopenia After 40: Dr. William Evans on Muscle and Aging
    Feb 4 2026
    In your later decades, how can strength training reverse muscle loss? In this episode, I spoke with Dr. William Evans, the scientist who first described sarcopenia, to unpack why muscle loss—not aging itself—is the biggest threat to metabolism, independence, and long-term health. We explored why muscle is far more adaptable than most women realize, even into advanced age, and why traditional measurements like scale weight and lean mass miss the real picture. Dr. William Evans is a muscle researcher, former pharma scientist, and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, whose work has been cited over 80,000 times. If you’ve ever heard that muscle loss drives aging, chances are it traces back to his research. What you’ll learn: (04:33) How losing muscle directly lowers metabolic rate and increases disease risk. (06:49) Why common body composition tests fail to measure true muscle mass. (07:31) How a new non-invasive muscle test predicts strength, disability, and longevity. (13:32) Why muscle percentage is more predictive than body weight or BMI. (20:55) How neurological changes and inactivity contribute to muscle loss after 30. (23:37) Why strength and power training are essential for preserving fast-twitch fibers. (30:49) How protein intake and resistance training protect muscle during weight loss. Love the podcast? Here’s what to do: Subscribe to the podcast. Leave a review. Text a screenshot to me at 813-565-2627 and wait for a personal reply because your voice is so important to me. Want to listen to the show completely ad-free? Go to http://subscribetojj.com Click “TRY FREE” and start your ad-free journey today! When you’re ready, enjoy the VIP experience for just $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year (save 17%!) Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/drevans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    59 min
  • Exercise Myths That Sabotage Metabolism After 40
    Feb 2 2026
    How can outdated workout myths keep you exhausted and inflamed? I’m calling out the exercise myths that once worked for me—but quietly stopped serving women after 40. In this episode, I break down why harder workouts, fasted training, and low-protein mornings can sabotage metabolism, energy, and recovery. Then I share what actually works now, when exercise and nutrition are aligned with your biology instead of fighting it. What you’ll learn: (02:38) How circadian rhythm and meal timing influence insulin sensitivity and energy. (03:31) Why morning light exposure helps turn metabolism back on. (05:02) What research reveals about breakfast skipping and long-term weight control. (06:49) How ultra-processed breakfasts drive hunger and overeating. (07:41) Why protein before workouts boosts lean mass and recovery after 40. (09:08) The ideal protein-fiber-fat formula for a metabolic breakfast. (14:41) How changing breakfast timing and composition transformed cravings, energy, and workouts. Love the podcast? Here’s what to do: Subscribe to the podcast. Leave a review. Text a screenshot to me at 813-565-2627 and wait for a personal reply because your voice is so important to me. Want to listen to the show completely ad-free? Go to http://subscribetojj.com Click “TRY FREE” and start your ad-free journey today! When you’re ready, enjoy the VIP experience for just $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year (save 17%!) Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/exercisemyths Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    21 min
  • Understanding How Your Brain ACTUALLY Works with Bizzie Gold
    Jan 29 2026
    Are the invisible emotional patterns from your past the real reason you're stuck in your health or relationships? In this episode, Bizzie Gold and I explore why so many of us stay stuck in patterns that no longer serve us, and why that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. We unpack how early conditioning shapes perception, behavior, and self-deception, and how those patterns can be decoded and rewritten at any age. Bizzie brings a refreshingly direct, data-driven perspective that challenges traditional mental-health narratives and opens the door to real, lasting change. Bizzie Gold is a behavior futurist and serial entrepreneur who’s not afraid to challenge what we’ve been told about mental health. She created the Break Method to decode brain patterns and help people stop circling their pain and finally change for good. What you’ll learn: (02:05) Why repeating the same behaviors doesn’t mean you’re broken, but programmed. (05:30) How childhood environments create predictable patterns in perception and behavior. (09:05) Why objective truth is nearly impossible, and how brain patterns distort reality. (14:20) How the “right amount” of early adversity can build resilience and self-trust. (20:40) What brain pattern mapping reveals about self-deception and decision-making. (26:30) How stress and exhaustion pull you back into old behavioral defaults. (32:35) Why opposites attract, and how brain patterns shape relationships. (45:10) Practical ways to interrupt unhealthy patterns and create lasting change. Love the podcast? Here’s what to do: Subscribe to the podcast. Leave a review. Text a screenshot to me at 813-565-2627 and wait for a personal reply because your voice is so important to me. Want to listen to the show completely ad-free? Go to http://subscribetojj.com Click “TRY FREE” and start your ad-free journey today! When you’re ready, enjoy the VIP experience for just $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year (save 17%!) Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/bizzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h et 2 min
  • My Facelift Story: What Went Wrong and Right
    Jan 26 2026
    What questions should you ask a surgeon before committing to a facelift? In this episode, I’m sharing the full, unfiltered story of my facelift, including what went wrong, what saved my recovery, and why I’d still make the same decision again. This wasn’t about chasing youth, but about aligning how I felt on the inside with how I showed up in the world. What you’ll learn: (02:01) How years of acne, scars, and skin treatments shaped my decision to have a facelift. (03:30) Why fillers, Botox, and lasers eventually stopped making sense. (04:44) The myths I believed about facelifts. (06:06) How I chose my surgeon and why trust mattered most. (11:45) What caused the post-surgery hematoma and how it was handled. (14:32) The recovery tools that helped me heal rapidly and get on stage again. (18:28) Why mindset may be the most powerful recovery tool of all. Love the podcast? Here’s what to do: Subscribe to the podcast. Leave a review. Text a screenshot to me at 813-565-2627 and wait for a personal reply because your voice is so important to me. Want to listen to the show completely ad-free? Go to http://subscribetojj.com Click “TRY FREE” and start your ad-free journey today! When you’re ready, enjoy the VIP experience for just $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year (save 17%!) Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/facelift Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    27 min
  • What Doctors Miss About Chronic Illness and Aging with Dr. Jess Peatross
    Jan 21 2026
    Why do chronic symptoms persist even when the results from your lab work say that everything’s “normal”? In this episode, Dr. Jessica Peatross and I talk about why so many women feel stuck with unexplained symptoms even when their lab results say everything is “normal.” We unpack how hidden toxins, stealth infections, and nervous system overload quietly sabotage healing after 40. This conversation is about giving your symptoms language, restoring trust in your body, and understanding why healing requires the right sequence, not more guesswork. Today’s guest is Dr. Jess, a functional medicine physician who helps patients uncover the real root causes behind chronic illness. What you’ll learn: (01:49) Why feeling awful with “normal” lab results doesn’t mean your symptoms are imagined. (07:46) How mitochondrial dysfunction can be missed by standard blood work. (10:03) Why chronic stress quietly disrupts hormones, blood sugar, and immunity. (13:20) How stealth infections like mold and parasites contribute to chronic illness. (17:48) Why environmental toxins accumulate in the body and overwhelm detox pathways over time. (22:15) How poor sleep and nervous system imbalance reinforce chronic symptoms. (29:35) Why detox must start with drainage, mineral balance, and nervous system regulation. (41:45) How sauna use, breathwork, binders, and simple home changes support safe detoxification. Love the podcast? Here’s what to do: Subscribe to the podcast. Leave a review. Text a screenshot to me at 813-565-2627 and wait for a personal reply because your voice is so important to me. Want to listen to the show completely ad-free? Go to http://subscribetojj.com Click “TRY FREE” and start your ad-free journey today! When you’re ready, enjoy the VIP experience for just $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year (save 17%!) Full show notes (including all links mentioned): http://jjvirgin.com/jessica Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    55 min
  • The Real Goal After 40 Is Building Muscle, Strength & Power
    Jan 19 2026
    Why does cardio stop working for fat loss after 40? Also, what types of exercise best protect strength and independence as you age? In this episode, I break down why the goal of exercise after 40 is no longer burning calories, but building muscle, strength, and power. I explain how aging biology, muscle loss, and metabolic adaptation make endless cardio ineffective for women in midlife. I also share the science, the research, and the practical strategy to help you train smarter so you can preserve independence, energy, and longevity. What you’ll learn: (03:17) How excessive cardio can stall fat loss by triggering metabolic compensation. (04:01) What research shows about energy expenditure plateaus with endurance exercise. (05:33) Why muscle loss—not fat gain—is the biggest risk factor after 40. (06:18) How fast-twitch muscle fibers decline with age and why power training matters. (09:51) The importance of Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) and why you must track your daily movement to prevent metabolic compensation. (14:32) Why high-intensity interval training improves your longevity and power. Love the podcast? Here’s what to do: Subscribe to the podcast. Leave a review. Text a screenshot to me at 813-565-2627 and wait for a personal reply because your voice is so important to me. Want to listen to the show completely ad-free? Go to http://subscribetojj.com Click “TRY FREE” and start your ad-free journey today! When you’re ready, enjoy the VIP experience for just $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year (save 17%!) Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/buildingmuscle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    26 min