This week on You Are Not Broken, I’m joined by the strong, grounded, and refreshingly honest Alicia Erickson for a conversation about midlife reinvention — from hormones to heavy lifting.

We talk about the real-life impact of perimenopause (and why projects like The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause matter), Alicia’s decision to get sober at 45, and what happens when women stop shrinking and start building — muscle, boundaries, and belief in themselves.

Alicia shares her journey into strength training, progressive overload, and even stepping on a bikini competition stage — not for validation, but for growth. We break down body recomposition (yes, you can build muscle and lose fat at the same time), the critical role of sleep, and how hormone replacement therapy can dramatically shift quality of life in midlife.

This is a conversation about doing hard things on purpose.
About eating enough.
About lifting heavy.
About community.
About deciding your second half will be stronger than your first.

You are not broken. You might just need a barbell.

• Why perimenopause feels chaotic — and what’s actually happening hormonally

• Alicia’s sobriety journey and the connection between alcohol, mental health, and midlife

• Why strength training is non-negotiable for women over 40

• Progressive overload explained simply

• Sleep as the foundation for body composition

• Hormone replacement therapy and quality of life

• Body recomposition: burning fat while building muscle

• Eating more (not less) to support muscle growth

• The mindset shift from “smaller” to “stronger”

• The power of community and doing hard things together

If this episode resonates, share it with a woman in your life who needs permission to take up space — in the gym, in her body, and in her life.

Because midlife isn’t the beginning of decline.

It’s the beginning of power.

https://www.instagram.com/aliciae/

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Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Midi Women's Health⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Designed by midlife experts, delivered by experienced clinicians, covered by insurance.Midi is the first virtual care clinic made exclusively for women 40+. Evidence-based treatments. Personalized midlife care.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.joinmidi.com⁠

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