This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil

Women’s bodies get endlessly analyzed from the outside… while our internal health gets treated like an optional group project nobody studied for. Cool cool cool.

In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil goes deep on the perimenopause/menopause mess: the years of brain fog, 3 a.m. wake-ups, mood swings, weight gain, and the medical equivalent of a shrug. Enter Dr. Sarah Daccarett, hormone specialist and aging expert, to explain why so many women are confused, dismissed, and exhausted—and why hormone replacement therapy (HRT) should be viewed as foundational health support, not a “last resort once you’re fully miserable.”

What We Cover


Why most women (including doctors) are confused about perimenopause + HRT—and why that’s not your fault


The “natural” misconception: why Sarah argues HRT can be more natural than the supplement aisle


Why waiting for hot flashes is like waiting for your car to explode before you change the oil


Hormones as the “CEO of the body”: brain, bones, metabolism, sleep, libido, digestion—ALL of it


The real problem with “just fix your gut / cortisol / diet” advice when your hormones are the actual root issue


PCOS, insulin resistance, and why “just lose weight” advice can be straight-up useless


Why hormone testing can be wildly unreliable—and why symptoms still matter


Medical gaslighting: how women lose trust in themselves when the system keeps minimizing them

If you’ve been white-knuckling your way through perimenopause symptoms, you’re not weak—you’re under-supported. Better info + better care isn’t “extra,” it’s the bare minimum.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/WOMANSWORK with code WOMANSWORK — and if you get a post-purchase survey, mention you heard about Cure here to help support the show! 

Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/pd2550-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass.

Connect with Sarah:

Website: www.innerbalance.com

$50 off Discount code: PODCASTDRSARAH

Related Podcast Episodes:


Don’t Let Your Doctor Kill You: The New Hormone Solution with Dr. Erika Schwartz | 305 

Endometriosis & Women’s Health with Somer Baburek | 238 


Floored: Why Our Pelvic Floor Health Matters with Dr. Sara Reardon I 314

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If you’ve ever waited to “feel confident” before you take the leap… congratulations, you’ve been scammed by your own brain. In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil goes full confidence-nerd (with the occasional rant) with Dr. Shadé Zahrai—behavioral researcher, peak performance educator, and author of Big Trust—to expose what confidence actually is, why self-doubt doesn’t disappear, and how to build real self-trust that holds up when life gets messy.

What we get into:


Why confidence isn’t the opposite of self-doubt (and why that myth keeps you stuck)


The thing you actually need first: self-trust / Big Trust—backing yourself before the outcome is guaranteed


How “failure” can build confidence if you stop making it mean you are a failure


The self-image trap (including a wild scar study that proves your brain will invent reality if you let it)


The Four A’s of Big Trust: Acceptance, Agency, Autonomy, Adaptability (aka the internal upgrades your confidence has been begging for)


The 4 Inner Deceivers (and the bonus villain):


The Classic Judge (never impressed, always loud)


The Misguided Protector (aka fear dressed up as “logic”)


The Ringmaster (grind culture’s toxic BFF)


The Neglector (everyone else first… until you break)


The Victimizer (outsourcing your power like it’s a hobby)

If self-doubt is showing up, it doesn’t mean you’re broken—it means you’re human and doing something that matters. Build Big Trust, take the step anyway, and let confidence catch up like it always does.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/WOMANSWORK with code WOMANSWORK — and if you get a post-purchase survey, mention you heard about Cure here to help support the show! 

Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/pd2550-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass.

Connect with Shadé :

Website: https://www.shadezahrai.com/ 

Book: https://www.shadezahrai.com/bigtrust?utm_source=chatgpt.com 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/shadezahrai/ 

LI: https://th.linkedin.com/in/shadezahrai?trk=public_post_feed-actor-name 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shadezahrai?lang=en 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/shadezahrai 

Related Podcast Episodes:

VI4P – What Confidence Is, What It Isn’t, and Why It Matters (Chapter 1) | 168 

197 / Fear & Failure (Part 1) with Amy Green Smith

Confidence Isn’t Born, It’s Built — Lessons from the Cockpit to Real Life with Michelle “MACE” Curran | 343

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If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!

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We need to talk about asking for help — and not the polite, over-explained, apologetic version most of us were taught.

In this unfiltered and slightly unhinged mini-episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil shares a courtside lesson she learned from a group of middle school girls playing basketball — and honestly, they’re doing teamwork, boundaries, and support better than most adults.

When these girls get caught on defense, they don’t spiral, minimize, or pretend they’ve got it handled. They yell “HELP! HELP! HELP!” loudly, clearly, and without shame — fully expecting their teammates to show up. And guess what? They do.

No judgment. No scorekeeping. No martyrdom.

This episode is a reminder that burnout isn’t a badge of honor, doing it all alone isn’t strength, and asking for help early is one of the smartest, strongest things you can do. Because life, love, leadership — it’s all a team sport.

And around here? We answer when someone yells for help. That’s woman’s work.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/pd2550-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass.

Connect with Nicole:

Subscribe to Nicole’s Substack: https://nicolekalil.substack.com/ 

Join the Inner Circle: https://nicolekalil.myflodesk.com/newsletter 

Share the Love::

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Food isn’t just food anymore — it’s guilt, pressure, decision fatigue, and a never-ending group project you didn’t sign up for. In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil sits down with Jenn Lueke (Jen Eats Good) to talk about meal planning, meal prep, grocery shopping on a budget, and how to stop feeding your family like it’s your unpaid side hustle.

Jenn breaks down a simple, realistic system that helps you waste less food, spend less money, and reclaim your weeknights — without turning Sunday into a six-hour kitchen hostage situation or expecting Pinterest-level perfection.

In this episode, we cover: Jenn’s meal planning framework (high-level):


Why most women have a complicated relationship with food (and why it’s not a personal failing)


How to meal plan in 20–30 minutes and save yourself hours of midweek chaos


The pantry–fridge–freezer inventory that stops you from buying your 18th jar of salsa


“Partial prep” for people who hate meal prep


Component cooking so you don’t hate your lunches by Wednesday


Low-stress strategies for picky eaters


How to actually use a cookbook instead of admiring it like kitchen décor


Friday: Inventory + pick meals + grocery list


Weekend: Grocery run + 30–90 minutes of prep


Weeknights: Less thinking, more eating

Because when dinner stops requiring constant brainpower, you get your time, energy, and patience back. And that’s the real win — not perfection, just a system that works for your life instead of draining it.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/WOMANSWORK with code WOMANSWORK — and if you get a post-purchase survey, mention you heard about Cure here to help support the show! 

Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/pd2550-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass.

Connect with Jenn:

Website: https://jenneatsgoood.com/

Cookbook: https://jenneatsgoood.com/cookbook/  

Substack: https://jenneatsgoood.substack.com/subscribe 

Related Podcast Episodes:

How To Eat Lunch with Cheryl K. Johnson | 277

139 / Well-Rested with Jolene Hart

153 / Eating Your Feelings with Jessica Procini

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Leadership is already messy. Add culture, identity, power dynamics, and a workplace that rewards sameness… and suddenly you’re not leading—you’re surviving. In this episode, Nicole talks with Aiko Bethea, founder of RARE Coaching & Consulting, about what actually creates diversity (spoiler: it’s not a checkbox) and why diversity is the outcome of great leadership.

We get into:


Why “diversity” isn’t a skill set (and why treating it like one makes you a worse leader)


Power-sharing vs. power-hoarding and how that impacts belonging, equity, and performance


The real reason leadership advice feels like a chaotic buffet of contradictions


How to measure leadership impact beyond “we hit the number” (because people aren’t spreadsheets)


Why leaders making mistakes feels riskier than ever—and why ownership is still the right move


The “punching a ghost” feeling when reality is being rewritten in real time 


What it means to be a well leader: aligned, accountable, humane—not perfect

Because the goal isn’t to lead like the “stereotypical old-school leader.” The goal is to lead like your full self—and create workplaces where more people can do the same.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/WOMANSWORK with code WOMANSWORK — and if you get a post-purchase survey, mention you heard about Cure here to help support the show! 

Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/pd2550-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass.

Connect with Aiko:

Website: https://www.rarecoaching.net/ 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/rare_coach 

Invite to join RARE community  -  https://www.rarecoaching.net/membership/

Related Podcast Episodes:


Leadership Unblocked (The Hidden Beliefs Sabotaging Your Ability To Lead) with Muriel M. Wilkins | 367 

How to Push Back: From People-Pleasing to Power with Tonya Lester | 369

How To Be Yourself At Work: Authentic Presence Over Executive Presence with Claude Silver | 366

Share the Love:

If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!

🔗 Subscribe & Review:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices