Thrive on Plants

Most women are told menopause is a hormone story. The science suggests it is also an energy story, one that starts inside your cells decades before your last period.
Dr. Siobhan Mitchell is a neuroscientist with a PhD, 80+ peer-reviewed publications, and 25 years of research on how nutrition shapes brain aging. She started this work after watching her grandmother die of Alzheimer's and she has spent her career trying to make sure that never has to happen to anyone else. She currently serves as Chief Science and Technology Officer at MitoQ. This episode is not sponsored.
In this conversation, we go deep into the science that most physicians are still not talking about: how estrogen loss during perimenopause and menopause triggers a cascade of mitochondrial changes that affect your brain, your metabolism, your muscles, and your cardiovascular system, all at once.
What you will learn in this episode:
Why your mitochondria, not the calendar, determine how fast you age
How estrogen acts as a master regulator of cellular energy, and what happens when it disappears
Why women's brains start to struggle with glucose during perimenopause and what the research shows about preserving cognitive function
What S-Equol is, why only 25% of Western women can produce it from soy, and how to change that
The biomarker GDF-15 that most doctors are not ordering, and why it should be on your radar
How plant-based fats, MCTs, fiber, B vitamins, and polyphenols feed your mitochondria in ways no supplement can replicate
Dr. Mitchell also addresses the honest evidence base for MitoQ, including where the data is strong and where more research is still needed.
If you are navigating perimenopause, postmenopause, or want to understand how to protect your healthspan, you will enjoy learning from Dr. Mitchell in this episode.
Connect with Dr. Siobhan Mitchell:
MitoQ: https://www.mitoq.com
Research: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=s6LruaUAAAAJ&hl=en
Additional resources to help you thrive on plants:
🌱 Access the free Plant-Powered Body course: Access Here
🌱 Take the free health assessment for women 40+: Start Here  
🌱  Watch every episode on YouTube
⭐️ If you loved this episode, please leave a review! ⭐️
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Go to the Thrive on Plants Podcast page: Click here
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What if the cleanest, most complete protein you could eat wasn't made from animals, plants, or soil at all?
In this episode, Dr. Daphne sits down with Walter Ross, founder and CEO of Spacemilk, to explore a category of protein most people have never heard of: single-cell yeast protein, grown in a closed-loop tank of water, free of heavy metals, pesticides, allergens, and the resource footprint of conventional agriculture.
Walter is not a food scientist. He studied economics, went to law school, and grew up watching his father pioneer hydroponic heirloom tomatoes in South Florida. The through-line? A relentless drive to find a better way. That instinct led him to baker's yeast, one of the oldest organisms in human food history, and to building what he believes is the cleanest protein powder on the market today.
We cover a lot of ground in this conversation:
How yeast protein is actually made, from a molasses-fed fermentation tank to a finished isolate, and why that process naturally removes purines, histamines, and heavy metals that accumulate in soil-grown proteins.
Why Walter named the company Spacemilk, and the moment at a space conference that reframed everything he was building.
The randomized controlled trial data comparing yeast protein to whey for lean muscle mass, and what the research actually shows.
The environmental math: 40% less water and land use than soy, 97% less than beef, and a certified upcycled supply chain where nothing goes to waste.
Why he third-party tests every single batch for heavy metals, 77 pesticides, molds, mycotoxins, and allergens, and why he thinks most companies simply do not.
The formulation decisions behind every ingredient, from monk fruit and thaumatin to acacia fiber and algae-based omegas, and what is changing in the next product version.
What living with purpose means to him, and why he believes the root of all meaning is in giving back more than you take.
This is one of those conversations that quietly shifts how you think about where your food comes from.
Spacemilk: https://spacemilk.com
Spacemilk third-party testing: https://spacemilk.com/pages/testing-1
Try Spacemilk for yourself at spacemilk.com and use code SPACE50 for 50% off your first subscription from July 2 - July 5, 2026, only! 
Additional resources to help you thrive on plants:
🌱 Access the free Plant-Powered Body course: Access Here
🌱 Take the free health assessment for women 40+: Start Here  
🌱  Watch every episode on YouTube
⭐️ If you loved this episode, please leave a review! ⭐️
Here’s how to do it on Apple Podcasts:
Go to the Thrive on Plants Podcast page: Click here
Scroll down to the ‘Ratings & Reviews’ section. Tap ‘Write a Review’ 
(you may be prompted to log in with your Apple ID). 
Thank you for your support!

What if the most powerful cancer-fighting tool isn't a drug, it's your muscle?
Exercise oncologist Sami Mansfield spent 23 years building programs inside cancer centers and co-authoring ASCO guidelines before most oncologists were willing to have this conversation. In this episode, she joins Dr. Daphne Bascom to cover what your care team probably hasn't told you about movement, muscle, menopause, and what it actually takes to prevent cancer and thrive after it.
Whether you have a diagnosis, are caring for someone who does, or are simply committed to protecting your health in midlife and beyond, this conversation will change how you think about your body.
In this episode, you will learn:
Why "rest and eat whatever you want" is one of the most harmful things an oncology team can say
The minimum effective dose of movement Sami starts every patient with (it's 5 minutes and it works)
Why muscle loss during treatment may occur and how to prevent it
How to track your muscle health at home for under $35
The difference between cancer detection and cancer prevention (and why 364 days matter more than your annual screening)
Sami's "bookend" method for protecting sleep during treatment and menopause
….and more!
Connect with Sami Mansfield
My Lifestyle Shift (her survivorship and lifestyle program): https://www.mylifestyleshift.com
Cancer Wellness for Life: https://www.cancerwellnessforlife.com
#CancerPrevention #ExerciseOncology #WomensHealth #Menopause #PlantBased #Longevity #LifestyleMedicine #CancerSurvivor #MuscleHealth #ThriveOnPlants 
Additional resources to help you thrive on plants:
🌱 Access the free Plant-Powered Body course: Access Here
🌱 Take the free health assessment for women 40+: Start Here  
🌱  Watch every episode on YouTube
⭐️ If you loved this episode, please leave a review! ⭐️
Here’s how to do it on Apple Podcasts:
Go to the Thrive on Plants Podcast page: Click here
Scroll down to the ‘Ratings & Reviews’ section. Tap ‘Write a Review’ 
(you may be prompted to log in with your Apple ID). 
Thank you for your support!

What if the healthcare system was never actually designed to make you healthy?
Dr. Zeev Neuwirth spent decades inside major health systems as a physician, Chief Medical Officer, and Population Health Officer. What he found there shocked him, then frustrated him, then ultimately set him free.
In this conversation, Dr. Neuwirth breaks down three phases of his career-long awakening: from realizing that even world-class hospitals were failing patients relationally, to discovering that improving healthcare delivery was not the same as improving health, to his most unsettling realization of all: that the entire system, including much of the wellness industry, is built around consumption rather than creation. 
This is one of the most riveting conversations we have had on Thrive on Plants. We ran out of time before we ran out of ideas. Part 2 is coming.
What We Cover
Why the US ranks 40th in lifespan and 80th in healthy adjusted life years despite spending over $5 trillion on healthcare annually
The Groundhog Day moment that changed Dr. Neuwirth's career trajectory
Why willpower is the least reliable health tool you have and what actually works instead
The three reframes that shift you from self-blame to self-protection
How your social environment is shaping your health behaviors, whether you realize it or not
The wellness industrial complex: when the solution becomes part of the problem
About Dr. Zeev Neuwirth
Dr. Zeev Neuwirth is a physician, healthcare executive, and author of Reframing Healthcare. He is the host of the podcast Creating a New Healthcare and spent decades in senior leadership roles at major US health systems, including Atrium Health (now Advocate Health), one of the three largest health systems in the country. His work sits at the intersection of healthcare systems reform, behavior change science, and personal health agency.
Connect with Dr. Zeev Neuwirth
X: https://x.com/ZeevNeuwirth
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zeevneuwirth
Apple Podcast: https://www.creatinganewhealthcare.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0bU0A671AbKoeKIKLlaKSk
Amazon (books): https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07NK5YP7H
#HealthcareReform #Healthspan #LifestyleMedicine #ReframingHealthcare #BehaviorChange #ThriveOnPlants 
Additional resources to help you thrive on plants:
🌱 Access the free Plant-Powered Body course: Access Here
🌱 Take the free health assessment for women 40+: Start Here  
🌱  Watch every episode on YouTube
⭐️ If you loved this episode, please leave a review! ⭐️
Here’s how to do it on Apple Podcasts:
Go to the Thrive on Plants Podcast page: Click here
Scroll down to the ‘Ratings & Reviews’ section. Tap ‘Write a Review’ 
(you may be prompted to log in with your Apple ID). 
Thank you for your support!

Julie Gibson Clark is not a billionaire with a team of longevity doctors. She is a full-time recruiter, a former structural engineer, a single mom from Phoenix -- and she has outperformed most of the world's highest-spending biohackers on the most rigorous biological aging leaderboard.
Her DunedinPACE score of 0.665 indicates she was aging at a rate of 65 days per 100 days. She got there with a pound of vegetables a day, weights four times a week, a $20 gym membership, and a very clear reason why she refuses to age faster than she has to.In this episode of Thrive on Plants, Julie shares what she has learned over the years. She did not just tell me what works. She told me what went wrong, including the time she added one too many supplements, developed a fibroid, cut her HRT in half, stopped sleeping, and watched her pace of aging jump from 0.665 back up to 0.77. 
What we cover:
What biological aging pace actually measures, and why it matters more than a static "biological age" number
How she accidentally slowed her aging faster than Bryan Johnson, and why she is not surprised he has since surpassed her
The quercetin experiment gone wrong: a new fibroid, disrupted HRT, and a DunedinPACE score that climbed back up -- and what it taught her about adding supplements without understanding your own genetics
Why she stopped eating 100 grams of protein every day and what she does instead 
This is not a story about biohacking. It is a story about what happens when you pursue healthspan with consistency and intention.
Resources:
Julie Gibson Clark's website: https://www.juliegibsonclark.com
Julie's YouTube channel (Longevity Kitchen -- From Paper to Plate): youtube.com/@JulieGibsonClark
Julie's Instagram: @juliegibsonclark

Additional resources to help you thrive on plants:
🌱 Access the free Plant-Powered Body course: Access Here
🌱 Take the free health assessment for women 40+: Start Here  
🌱  Watch every episode on YouTube
⭐️ If you loved this episode, please leave a review! ⭐️
Here’s how to do it on Apple Podcasts:
Go to the Thrive on Plants Podcast page: Click here
Scroll down to the ‘Ratings & Reviews’ section. Tap ‘Write a Review’ 
(you may be prompted to log in with your Apple ID). 
Thank you for your support!