Low Libido, Hormone Imbalances, & How To Reignite Your Sex Life Ft. Josh & Katy Whalen Of Joi + Blokes

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Bossticks – "Low Libido, Hormone Imbalances, & How To Reignite Your Sex Life" Ft. Josh & Katy Whalen of Joi + Blokes

Date: March 13, 2026
Hosts: Lauryn Bosstick & Michael Bosstick
Guests: Josh & Katy Whalen (Founders of Joi + Blokes)

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Main Theme

This episode tackles the highly personal and often taboo topic of low libido, hormone imbalances, and their profound impact on relationships—especially in marriage. Josh and Katy Whalen, a couple who co-founded hormone optimization platforms Joi (women) and Blokes (men), share their raw, vulnerable journey through marital struggles directly tied to Josh’s hormone health. Through candid storytelling and actionable insights, they deconstruct the links between physical health, hormones, intimacy, and personal empowerment—for both men and women.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Origin Story: When Health and Marriage Collide

• Josh’s health deteriorated (gained 60 lbs, lost libido); Katy considered divorce due to lack of intimacy [02:00].
• Talk therapy, sex therapy, and various interventions failed; both blamed themselves until blood work revealed Josh’s testosterone was "like that of a 70-year-old man" [03:41].
• “Your testosterone levels are like 200, and they’re supposed to be… where you thrive… somewhere between 700 and 1200.” – Josh Whalen [04:16]
• Finding the right clinician who viewed health holistically (Dr. Paul Battle) was life-changing—led to fixing the root issue (hormonal imbalance) rather than superficial solutions.

The Emotional Side: Shame, Communication, and Roles

• Katy opens up about the shame and confusion of having a partner with low sex drive—a topic rarely addressed from the woman’s perspective [08:15].
• “I just sat there quiet… I wish my husband would put his hands on me.” – Katy Whalen [08:25]
• Josh and Katy stress the importance of communication and of viewing intimacy as an indicator of overall wellness for both partners.

Hormone Optimization: Tools, Risks, and Results

• Testosterone therapy (TRT) was transformative for Josh; peptide therapies and lifestyle changes supported further health [09:09].
  • “I went from zero to hero in like three months… I got motivated. I was prioritizing the gym, working out, mentally, physically, everything was connecting.” – Josh Whalen [09:09]
• Both hosts and guests emphasize reframing testosterone: not as a "macho" badge but as a key, often-depleted hormone for men and women [10:35].
• Stigmas exist for both genders around hormone therapy—not helped by misinformation and lack of medical guidance.

Women & Hormones: Menopause, Perimenopause, and Testosterone

• Katy’s later pregnancies led to anxiety, brain fog, and weight gain. She, like many women, felt dismissed by doctors post-birth (“I’m not fine!”) [06:45].
• Discovering testosterone therapy for women was revolutionary for Katy and is described as a “game changer”—and an option many women don't even know exists [10:50, 46:13].
• Risks and benefits of hormone delivery methods (pellets, creams, injections); preference is for injections due to flexibility and safety [45:01].

Peptides & Personalized Therapies

• Peptides (e.g., GLP-1, Sermorelin) are a hot topic, but social media hype leads to misuse and confusion [25:47].
• Dangers: Affiliate deals incentivize overprescription without clinical oversight; many “research” peptides are unregulated and sometimes inert or non-sterile [26:05, 27:43].
• All guests urge: Start with “looking under the hood”—get comprehensive labs and work with reputable clinics (503A/503B compounding pharmacies explained) [17:44, 28:41].
• Peptides as “cherry on top”—not a substitute for solid foundational health (sleep, stress, exercise, diet) [18:40, 35:50].
  • “What’s the best thing to do? Just focus on the basics.” – Josh Whalen [35:46]
• Key benefit: Many people can feel significant improvements (energy, mood, gut health, sleep) when used correctly under supervision [31:07].

Causes of Modern Hormone Issues

• Modern life: Stress, processed food, sedentary work, lack of outdoor exposure, and constant screens are major contributors to low testosterone even in younger men [34:13, 35:03].
• Classic lifestyle advice: “Sleep and stress are the two hardest things to fix, but the most important.” – Josh Whalen [36:46]

Couples Therapy & The Marriage-Business Dynamic

• Candid talk about being married cofounders:
  • Spouses bring different strengths; self-funding and business stress test the relationship [14:22, 15:19].
  • Keeping sexual and emotional connection during business/family chaos is a continual process; stress management and shared rituals (sauna, outdoor time) help maintain connection [14:36, 16:12].
  • “Working together, raising kids, being in a relationship… It's a wild beast. And you have to be really up for the challenge.” – Interviewer (Michael) [14:36]

The Doctor Dilemma: Why Most Practitioners Miss the Mark

• None of their therapists/doctors ever thought to check Josh’s bloodwork for hormonal imbalance despite obvious symptoms [54:41].
• “Not one of those encounters did they ever go, dude, go get your blood checked.” – Josh Whalen [54:41]
• The importance of being heard: Joi + Blokes’ “secret sauce” is clinicians who listen, ask extensive questions, and personalize care [55:44].

Advice for Listeners: Starting the Conversation and Next Steps

• If you suspect your partner is struggling: Approach it as a proactive, joint health check (not accusatory), focus on overall wellness, and suggest doing bloodwork together [50:09].
• “Do it together… Hey, let's do this together and check out where we're at.” – Katy Whalen [50:35]
• Safe, integrative medicine starts with self-awareness and a willingness to listen to your own (and your partner’s) intuition [38:41, 38:52].

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Josh (on getting his first full lab panel):

  • “When was the last time you had a morning wood, dude? I’m like, I don’t even remember.” [03:41]

• Katy (on blaming herself):

  • “I tried to write out a note, ‘Let’s make out once a week.’ … A lot of notes.” [02:18]

• Josh (on how serious health issues can be):

  • “If you want to see your kids…my dad died at 62. I got bonus years. I got to get to 80, man.” [52:22]

• Michael (on the cultural stigma):

  • “There’s a thing with men…when it’s like, oh, your testosterone’s off, it feels like you’re attacking the masculinity.” [13:11]

• Katy (advice to herself, in retrospect):

  • “It’s not you… don’t blame yourself. Do not look inward. It’s their shit and they need to figure that out.” [53:37]

• Josh (on top peptide therapy):

  • “GLP1s are the single biggest blockbuster therapy peptide ever. I think it will trump even Viagra.” [30:16]

• Josh (on prioritizing lifestyle):

  • “Focus on your sleep and focus on your stress. Like, those are two really hard to do.” [36:46]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Background & Why They Started Joi/Blokes: 01:37–04:49
• The Marriage Crisis & Medical Gaslighting: 02:18–04:49
• Hormones and Sex Drive: The Real Culprit: 08:15–11:16
• Transformational Role of Testosterone (for men & women): 09:09, 11:16
• Microdosing Peptides & the GLP-1 Craze: 16:38–20:14
• Problem with Influencer Peptide Culture: 25:47–27:43
• FDA, 503A/B, and Real vs. Research Peptides: 28:22–29:23
• How Personalized Peptide Therapy Works: 29:25–30:10
• Foundational Health: Sleep, Stress, and Movement: 34:13–36:46
• How to Bring Up Hormone Issues in Relationships: 50:09–51:05
• Clinicians Who Listen – The Joi/Blokes Approach: 55:44–56:25
• Advice and Reflections: If They Could Go Back: 52:03–54:48

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Takeaways & Resources

Core Advice

• Hormone imbalances are often the root of marital and libido problems—address them first, together.
• Traditional healthcare often overlooks hormone health; seek providers who take holistic, data-driven, and empathetic approaches.
• Both men and women can benefit from hormone optimization (testosterone is important for both).
• DO NOT self-prescribe peptides/hormones based on internet trends—start with lab work and qualified medical guidance.
• Reignite intimacy through proactive health, honest communication, and addressing physical AND emotional needs.

Where to Start

• Joi: @joywomenswellness
• Blokes: @getblokes
• Website: joyandblokes.com/skinny (with special offer code SKINNY from the podcast) [58:40]

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Tone & Style

Authentic, candid, sometimes irreverent humor with underlying compassion for people struggling with these issues. The guests and hosts blend actionable medical knowledge with real-life couple dynamics, offering listeners both science and solidarity.

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This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking to understand how physical health—hormones in particular—intertwines with love, sex, and long-term partnership. Whether you’re struggling silently or seeking optimal vitality together, the insights are universal and the hope, contagious.

Transcript

[Josh Whalen]

Welcome to the Bostics, starring Lauren Bostic and Michael Bostic. Together, they are the Bostics.

[Michael Bostic]

Hello, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the Bostics.

[Lauren Bostic]

Today we have Josh and Katie Whalen, who are the founders of Joy and Blokes. And Lauren and I fell in love with this couple.

[Michael Bostic]

We loved this episode. They were so honest, they were so

[Lauren Bostic]

open, they were so raw and vulnerable and they had a ton of great information to share. So who are Josh and Katie?

[Michael Bostic]

Josh and Katie are the founders of Joy and Blokes.

[Lauren Bostic]

They're obviously a married couple as and they have created a platform that helps people optimize their health, figure out hormones, figure out what's going on with their blood work. And this was right up Lauren and I's alley. There's, you know, ton of things in health and wellness here. Some of the topics that we discuss on this show are how to manage hormones to save your marriage. Talking about your sex drive and your sex life, which is very important. The dynamics of business partners as a married couple or just a couple in general. Self funding, the future of the healthcare system, breaking down peptides and trt. And again, like I said, they were so honest, open, raw and real. On this episode, Josh specifically was talking all about his hormone levels and testosterone.

[Michael Bostic]

It was one of the first times

[Lauren Bostic]

a man has come on the show and been this raw and vulnerable about it. And I think it's going to help a lot of people, especially men out there or couples in general. Together, they're committed to creating a system where people feel heard, supported and empowered across every stage of their health journey. With that, Josh and Katie, welcome to the Bostics.

[Interviewer Male]

Welcome to the show, you guys. This is so fun to do this with another couple.

[Katie Whalen]

Yeah, we're excited to be here.

[Josh Whalen]

Thanks for having us.

[Katie Whalen]

Thank you so much.

[Interviewer Male]

Let's get the lay of the land. How did you guys even get in to what you're doing now? Like, where did this even start?

[Josh Whalen]

It's pretty simple. I was about 60 pounds heavier and I lost my sex drive and she was going to divorce me. So it was, it was, that was the initial birth of it. And I had always been in healthcare. Majority of my, I mean, the last 17 years of my life have been in healthcare and we were peaking with one of the businesses that we had, there were stem cell businesses, regenerative medicine. And as soon as those were starting to peak, Covid hit. So for the first time and if you remember, there was like this really low point of not doing anything. She's like hey, dude, you're fat, you don't have a sex drive and I'm going to divorce you. And she'd been telling me that for a while.

[Katie Whalen]

Forever. Like, it was so I couldn't get any. I tried all the things. We went to sex therapy, everything. It was like right after we got married. And when we got married, I was 35, so all I wanted was like a family, right? And that was the exact time when he had no interest in sex. So I'd, like, I tried to write out a note, like, let's make out once a week. I mean, we, there was a lot of notes, a lot of notes. We went to a sex therapist and it was just like nothing was working. And I also thought it was my fault. I'm like, am I, am I too fat now? Like, what, what? You know what I mean? Like, what's going on?

[Josh Whalen]

Yeah, it was, it was a very tough time in our life. And it was a thing that I. I mean, I always had a sex drive and then I just didn't have it. But to kind of wrap it up, I was like, okay, she's serious, I gotta take some action here. And I went and saw a bunch of primary care docs and internal med docs, and it was my definition of being gaslit. Like, I knew I wasn't feeling good and they just told me, dude, you're normal. Like lose a couple pounds and go back to your wife. And Katie's like, dude, I'm not playing. We're going to get a divorce. And then just by sheer luck, I threw up a Hail Mary with my brother in law, my sister. And I said, hey, here's the situation. At that time we were living in Denver and they said, go see Paul battle. He's a PhD and a PA and he was this optimization guru, like a longevity doc. Six years ago when nobody was talking about this stuff now, now everybody's a peptide expert, right?

[Interviewer Male]

Right.

[Josh Whalen]

And so I went to him and I'm like, holy shit, this is interesting. I sat down with him for an hour. We didn't talk about any medications, we didn't talk about blood work, we didn't talk about anything. And he just quizzed me. He just went through my life. I mean, he even asked me a question, like, when was the last time you had a morning wood, dude? I'm like, I don't even remember. And then he's like, okay, we're gonna go get your blood drawn. I go get my blood drawn. I come back and I see him, he's like, dude, you're a hot mess. Your lipid profile is a mess. You're pre diabetic. Your testosterone levels are like that of a 70 year old man. They were like 200. Well, and I was feeling it.

[Michael Bostic]

It was supposed to be like 800 or something like that.

[Josh Whalen]

Or, you know, the range is like all over. The place where we kind of say is where you thrive is somewhere between 700 and 1200. But the range that the standard BS range is 300 to a thousand. So it all made sense. And that was the single encounter that I credit to putting me on a war path to prioritize my health, saving our marriage, and ultimately starting this business. Because it wasn't right away that I was like, oh, there's a business here. It was like two months later into the treatment. So I was like, holy shit, what is this?

[Michael Bostic]

Looking back, what do you think caused the weight gain and the testosterone drop? Was it. Or the hormone imbalance?

[Josh Whalen]

It's. It's a combo of a lot. Like, I worked hard, played hard.

[Katie Whalen]

Yes. I mean, very hard. Yeah.

[Josh Whalen]

Like, I was taking doctors out early on in my career at Stryker, you know, twice a week drinking big bottles of red and having steak. And then I'd be up at Red Rocks partying with my boys.

[Katie Whalen]

He needed me to come into his life and like tone things down.

[Michael Bostic]

So you were having some fun?

[Josh Whalen]

A lot of fun. Too much fun. Like to the point where it was becoming a job, waking up on Monday. But I always could grind it out. And then when I met you in

[Michael Bostic]

the hallway, I was. When I walked out, oh, my God, this guy. We could have done some damage. You seemed like a fun guy.

[Josh Whalen]

But it's only like twice a year now. I get my special occasion. That was part of it. And then Katie and I had just like a ton of issues with fertility. And our first miscarriage is like. It really hit me hard as a man.

[Katie Whalen]

Well, it wasn't really. It wasn't even really a miscarriage we had, you know, cause I was advanced paternal age at that point. They do all the genetic testing. So we found out there was a genetic defect and the baby girl wouldn't survive. So it was traumatic. We had no. We were so naive when we started and had no idea, like, shit like that could happen. So it broke both of our hearts. But the funny thing is I was like warrior woman mode. I was like, we're gonna do it again. Keep doing, keep trying. Like, I'm not gonna stop.

[Josh Whalen]

It was like three o'. Clock.

[Katie Whalen]

Yeah. I was like, let's Go. And Josh, I think I didn't know it at the time, but he was heartbroken. And he was like, I need a minute. But he was too afraid to talk to me about that because I was on my mission, so that was hard, too. And then we ended up having several more miscarriages and did all the IVF stuff. And then we had our two babies when I was in my early 40s. And at that point, I remember you asking me to join and help. There was a point, it was like, Covid.

[Josh Whalen]

Yeah. I was like, I'm desperate. This business is going to fail.

[Katie Whalen]

And we just had the guy's side. And I was like, I'm like in my little baby bubble of like a few months old. Our sec. Our son Rowdy was like, just like three months. At that point. I'm like, I don't want to. Like, I'm good. I'm going to support you. I'm going to be the supportive wife. But then he was like, I need your help. So then for me, like, the impetus for me to start joining was like, I went through my own shit after, like all the. After all the miscarriages, after all the IVF and then having my kids in my 40s. It was wild. I had a moment where it was like, I had all this help to get pregnant and to stay pregnant. And then all of a sudden, you know, you go to your six week appointment and you're like. And he's like, you're fine, go ahead. And I'm like, I'm not fine. I'm like, way overweight. My anxiety was wild. My brain fog was heavy.

[Josh Whalen]

Well, the other thing too, like, I was like, okay, the shoe's on the other foot.

[Katie Whalen]

Yeah, she lost the shoes. Then I had no sex.

[Josh Whalen]

I'm like, dude, I'm like feeling good. Like, where's it at?

[Michael Bostic]

And got mismatched.

[Josh Whalen]

Oh, no, no, it was. And I. And I was like, see, I told you it wasn't just me. You know, there was some shit going on.

[Katie Whalen]

Yeah, yeah. Then I got it.

[Interviewer Male]

I normally hear, because I talk to a lot of men behind the scenes and they say that. That my wife has lost her sex drive or my girlfriend's lost their sex drive. You don't hear as many women being really open about their husband or their boyfriend losing their sex drive. I find it very refreshing that you're opening up about that. What was the inner monologue that got you to even say something before you said something?

[Katie Whalen]

Yeah, honestly, it was so tough for me because I did feel like some Sort of shame. And that's when I was like, is it me? Like, what's wrong with me and you? I often heard stories of like, oh, God, my husband won't. Can't keep his, you know, hands off me. Which made me feel even worse. And I just, like, sat there quiet, you know, going, like, I wish my husband would put his hands on me. You know, so that. That was super challenging. And, you know, I think.

[Josh Whalen]

I think you just literally came full circle, too. You were just fed up. I mean, it was.

[Katie Whalen]

But once we figured out what it was, then I felt better. I was like, it's not me. Like, this is something we can fix. And then you fixed it, and, you know, it ended up being, we're great. And then all, you know, then when I lost mine, I'm like, now I get it. Like, it wasn't. It's not. I'm not attracted to you, but, like, there's something hormonal that just happens.

[Michael Bostic]

So I know we're going to dive into the specifics, but I just want

[Lauren Bostic]

to keep hearing your story.

[Michael Bostic]

But what was the thing that you did to fix it?

[Josh Whalen]

You got testosterone. An absolute game changer. I mean, I went from, you know, zero to hero in, like, three months. And there was, for me, like, an amazing light bulb moment. And I was. At that time, I was doing all the Peptides too, but it was really just like, I got motivated. I was prioritizing the gym, working out, mentally, physically, everything was just connecting. And then all of a sudden, I was like, oh, shit, I got some morning wood going in.

[Interviewer Male]

Wait, what is zero to hero?

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Is it boner every day, sex every second?

[Interviewer Male]

What's the zero to hero?

[Josh Whalen]

Listen, it's morning wood every morning.

[Interviewer Male]

Morning wood every morning.

[Josh Whalen]

And that's a very healthy morning wood every morning.

[Interviewer Male]

I'm going to start checking.

[Michael Bostic]

I'm still. I'm still getting my morning wood. I'm still going. Hence why we have so many babies right now. But. But what? I tell people all the time about this subject. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. And I talked to, you know, we just had Josh D. On this show. We were talking to him about, and he's opening up about that. And we've. We've had guys like Mark Sisson who are older and really talking about this for a long time. And, like, I don't think there's any shame in that game.

[Lauren Bostic]

Right?

[Michael Bostic]

Like, it's a natural thing that happens to men and women. The hormones change, especially as you age. And What I tell people is we have these kind of tools now that we can use to age more gracefully and to feel better. And so for me, like, I think about this stuff a lot. It's like, at some point, I. And again, why I wanted to talk to you guys. It's. It's not a matter of if. It's a matter of when.

[Josh Whalen]

Yeah, I mean, to, like, a very basic level. If you're deficient in vitamin D, you take more vitamin D. Why are we stereotyping testosterone? It's one of the most beautiful hormones when it's done right and in women as well.

[Katie Whalen]

And women, too. That was actually one of the first things I did after I went through the men's side. You know, the first thing I did was actually some thyroid hormone. But then when I started on testosterone a few months later, I was actually able to get off of thyroid because just my body started working better. So testosterone was super helpful for me, too. And at that point, that was, what, four and a half years ago. I had no idea that women could take it. It was way more, you know, stigmatized back then.

[Josh Whalen]

I think even now, women don't even realize that. I mean, so many women come to this, and they're like, testosterone? I mean, what are you talking about?

[Michael Bostic]

Did you see the recent stuff with Jelly Roll? And this has been, like, publicized.

[Josh Whalen]

Just how he's crushing.

[Michael Bostic]

Yeah. And how he basically went from, like, prepubescent hormone levels to, you know, when

[Lauren Bostic]

he did his weight, he did his weight loss.

[Michael Bostic]

A lot of people are now starting to talk about what they weren't talking about before. I mean, this is public now, so I'm not talking out of school. Is that what he. One of the first things he did was get the testosterone back up in the right place, because before, he had such high estrogen levels that he, like, no matter what, he could not get the weight off by bringing the testosterone up. Estrogen drop. And then he started able to get

[Lauren Bostic]

the weight off and obviously feel better

[Michael Bostic]

and change his life, you know.

[Josh Whalen]

So to your question earlier, people don't realize, I mean, everybody knows that when you're going through pregnancy, the woman's bodies and hormones are changing. That ultimately is what happened to me. Through four miscarriages, my testosterone levels tanked. My estrogen levels went up. Your cortisol. I was like a mental midget about having kids. Like, I was really nervous about it. So I was. My stress levels went up. So, like, it was just this soup and this recipe of me just becoming a kind of a turd. Quite frankly, you know, a lot of

[Interviewer Male]

people say that you can, like, save your sex life, save your marriage, but I kind of also believe that if you.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yes.

[Interviewer Male]

Save your sex life, but saving the desire for a woman, it's so important as a woman to feel desired by their husband. Do you think that that also played into it? Yes. The sex, but also just feeling desired by your husband.

[Katie Whalen]

Oh, yeah.

[Josh Whalen]

Catalyst.

[Katie Whalen]

That's. That's super important. Yeah.

[Josh Whalen]

And I'm like, well, you know, it was.

[Michael Bostic]

It was.

[Josh Whalen]

It got. It got heavy, and I'm embarrassed by it now.

[Interviewer Male]

But I like the honesty.

[Josh Whalen]

No, I mean it. I. I love being honest because I. We have a saying that we save marriages. The hormones literally saved our marriage. Like, if it wasn't for testosterone, I'd be a dad with two kids, and she'd be having them one.

[Michael Bostic]

There's a lot of shame around this topic. And listen, Lauren and I are very open people, but even just said, are you, like, there's a thing with men, specifically when it's like, oh, your testosterone's off, it feels like you're attacking the masculinity. It's like, no, I'm still a man.

[Josh Whalen]

Right.

[Michael Bostic]

And so I think a lot of guys are sensitive. It's a sensitive thing. And then I think a lot of women are sensitive to not put their guy in that position. Right. And so then there's that. And, you know, Lauren, you're. If we're being honest, we have people that we talk to in our life that are in relationships that bring this issue to us and talk about it, and there's a lot of shame. It's kind of like one partner doesn't know how to approach the other, and one person doesn't want to tell the other partner that they're having issues. And so, like, they don't talk about it, and they beat around it and say, oh, I'm just not into this. It's like, no, it's. There's.

[Lauren Bostic]

There's a.

[Michael Bostic]

There's a hormonal issue likely going on.

[Katie Whalen]

Yeah.

[Michael Bostic]

That people are ashamed to address and talk about.

[Katie Whalen]

And it's so important to be balanced together. Right. Like, you. You don't want your husband just to be the only horny one. And then you're, like, kind of annoyed. Right. Like, you want to have a sex drive, too. And. And I feel like we've figured. And that's honestly what's helped us, too, like, through the. Through working together, through scaling this business. It's like, it's been really stressful, and I don't you know. You know, there's been challenging times where we've questioned if we would make it. And I think that having that, by

[Josh Whalen]

the way, like, it's like, oh, but we're self funded, you know, it's a. It's a different beast.

[Michael Bostic]

Good for you guys.

[Katie Whalen]

Yeah, but I think having that, like, that continues to help us, like, have that connection. And I think that's important. Just through all the ups and downs.

[Interviewer Male]

It is a real mind fuck. Working together, raising kids, being in a relationship, and having to engage like this on a mic, which it sounds like you guys do too, a lot. And it's. It's a wild beast. And you have to be really up for the challenge. And it's. It's challenging, but it's also rewarding. But it's a mind fuck.

[Josh Whalen]

It's. It is. And there's like a reality. We've talked to investors and some investors, like, well, we don't invest in husband, wife, couples. I'm like, yeah, but there's some shitty partnerships and we have a really good one, like, measure the partnership. But I think it, for us, it's just. It's worked so, so well. Like, there are a lot of things that I'm good at and there's a lot of things I'm not.

[Katie Whalen]

That you've had to get. We've had to get through some things for sure and figure some stuff out.

[Josh Whalen]

I mean, that. That happens every three months, by the way. Like, if you're not working together as a couple. Like, we're always trying to hone in.

[Interviewer Male]

You know what I do when. When I'm mad? You don't even know this.

[Katie Whalen]

I would love to know.

[Lauren Bostic]

I'm sure I do.

[Interviewer Male]

I just stick them in the sauna. Oh, well, Nice and hot and cooked.

[Josh Whalen]

That's a. I kind of like, thank you.

[Interviewer Male]

No, because there's no phone, there's no kids, there's no distraction. You're in a sauna with me, and guess what? We're having eye contact like this. My boobs are up and perky. And I can say, right. What I need to say is that not right. It works for marriages. That's a life.

[Michael Bostic]

The funny thing is, this literally happened yesterday. Now that I'm reflecting.

[Katie Whalen]

You had no idea.

[Interviewer Male]

I get him right where I want him. And you get him for 20 minutes straight undivided attention, and you can get all your business done in a sauna.

[Katie Whalen]

Oh, my God.

[Josh Whalen]

So do you guys do, like, hot rock or infrared? What's your.

[Michael Bostic]

We do that. We do The. Well, we have. We do both, but more frequently.

[Interviewer Male]

The one you want to do, though is the bear.

[Josh Whalen]

Yeah, we love the bear. We have one.

[Interviewer Male]

Turn that shit up.

[Katie Whalen]

Yep. Yeah.

[Interviewer Male]

Nice and hot.

[Michael Bostic]

I don't like doing an infrared with people. I feel like I just go in there and like, read a book or sit in the infrareds.

[Josh Whalen]

Not that the community aspect's not there as much.

[Michael Bostic]

Yeah. But the barrel, when you're like suffering through that those last few minutes, you're like, okay, yeah, you know, I love the barrel.

[Interviewer Male]

Explain to us microdosing peptides, because that's like all the rage right now. What's what from your point. Point of view? What does that mean?

[Katie Whalen]

Yeah, well, that's. That's typically a GLP one you're talking about, right?

[Interviewer Male]

I'm talking about anything.

[Katie Whalen]

I don't know.

[Josh Whalen]

I mean, everybody's microdosing everything. Mushrooms.

[Interviewer Male]

Yeah, Microdose, like it's like all the time, you know?

[Michael Bostic]

Well, like. Okay, so I'll give you a very practical example. I was talking to a friend of mine that's in this space, and Austin has a lot of people that are around this world. And I was saying, like, what are the. You know, what are the things? And we were talking through different peptides. I was like, well, I want to feel good, perform. He's like. He's like, what about microdosing growth hormone? And I paused. I'm like, I haven't heard about that. So I did not do it yet, but. Because I just don't know enough about it. And I think as it relates to peptides, hormone replacement, growth hormone, you guys

[Lauren Bostic]

are the perfect people. There's still a lot of hesitation and

[Michael Bostic]

questions around when, how much is it safe? Where do you get it? What do I do?

[Lauren Bostic]

Like, can you get off it? Is it forever?

[Michael Bostic]

And we. There's a lot in there that we can unpack.

[Josh Whalen]

There's a lot.

[Lauren Bostic]

But I guess for someone who's curious

[Michael Bostic]

about any of these things, hormone replacement and peptides and growth hormone, like, where

[Lauren Bostic]

would you tell them to start?

[Michael Bostic]

And. And where would you tell them how to think about it?

[Josh Whalen]

I mean, I would tell everybody to take. Get their labs done first. I mean, looking under the hood is probably the most valuable thing. Oh, we have something for you that's going to be a game changer for. Because we heard you're. You don't like getting the blood. Right. Okay. There's going to be a device that's a lot easier that you can do at your home.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

And I would rather have a device

[Interviewer Male]

go up my ass than get my blood taken.

[Katie Whalen]

This one goes on your shoulder.

[Michael Bostic]

Would you do that in the sauna?

[Interviewer Male]

I don't think I can do it on my shoulder.

[Katie Whalen]

Oh, my God. I know. Three times you can do it.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

I'd rather give birth.

[Josh Whalen]

You're a warrior.

[Interviewer Male]

Then the blood just. That's the only way. You can't do a saliva, Ken.

[Josh Whalen]

I mean, there's. There's testing. It doesn't mean not every peptide requires a blood test. But if you're just a mess inside, like, the efficacy is just going to be a lot less no matter what you're doing. I mean, if your diet's off, your nutrition's off, your lipids, like, peptides are

[Katie Whalen]

the cherry on top, right? So you want, like all the. You want your foundation to be good before you just, like, try to fix things with peptides. I think I.

[Josh Whalen]

The microdosing thing has exploded in the peptide space because of GLP1s. I think there's a regulatory component, you know, because there's a massive war between Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and anything compounded at a 503A or 503B. You're not shutting down that body's ability to produce. You're just adding more. And I can tell you this, like, maybe there's not some large clinical paper that's tied to a microdose, but we see so many patients, and we see so many patients labs, when they're doing even a GLP one at a microdose level, almost every other biomarker is improving. So there's an inherent benefit outside of just how you look and feel.

[Katie Whalen]

Well, I think the microdose became so popular because when the drugs first came out, it was. Everyone was macro dosing and having all the side effects, right? And it was wild for us, like, living through it, because we prescribed our first GLP1 in 9-21-21.

[Michael Bostic]

It was early.

[Josh Whalen]

Yeah, early.

[Katie Whalen]

And it was wild because, like, you know, you and I could take the same dose and you would maybe not. Not want to eat. You'd be like, I'm. I'm not eating for a week. And it wouldn't affect me at all. So it just really. I think the micro is like, everyone has to personalize it because everyone is. Reacts so differently to it. And it's so nice to be able to do a small dose and work your way up so that you. And if you do that, you never have to feel, you know, a bad side effect or feel nauseous or whatever.

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[Interviewer Male]

specific order, because, you know I'm gonna

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give it to you, is the new iced lavender cream Matcha. Oh, my God, it's so good. It's, like, smooth, topped with this subtle lavender cold foam. It just feels chic, elevated, floral, fresh. And honestly, I feel like it's like spring in a cup. I am so in love with this. I actually text my friend the other day, and I was like, you have to try it. It's also so pretty. The best part to me about Starbucks is that you can customize what you want. So I can adjust the sweetness or change the milk to really make it my own. And the sweetness I like to make very, very light. I like it to feel, like, refreshing, so it still tastes amazing. It just feels more refined and intentional. I recommended this drink too, to some of the girls on our team, and they all loved it. It's perfectly balanced, and I have no notes, and that's rare.

[Interviewer Male]

You go in Starbucks and you create

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[Michael Bostic]

This one's for the entrepreneurs out there,

[Lauren Bostic]

the small business owners, the ones that want to save time and avoid a headache. Let's talk about Gusto every so often. Pretty often, actually. I get the urge to level up, not just personally, but for my business as well. And upgrading to Gusto is one of the easiest ways to instantly give your business that now we're doing things right moment. The glow up that you've been looking for for your business. Whether you're looking to save more time or just avoid these headaches, when it comes to payroll and hr, gusto can help you do it. As the year gets busier and busier, a lot of us are trying to keep a handle on our business operations. And honestly, having payroll, benefits and HR handled by gusto feels like having a clean desk and an organized inbox. I know so many of you entrepreneurs can relate the there is nothing that gives you more of a headache in your business than feeling like you're behind on payroll, not on top of your benefits, not on top of hr. It's a ton of work, and gusto can help you do it all efficiently and cost effectively. This is so important because now you can focus on what's most important for your business, which is actually running, growing

[Michael Bostic]

and operating the business.

[Lauren Bostic]

Small business life means hustling and figuring it all out a lot of times on your own. But you don't have to spend your evenings guessing at tax forms or tracking down onboarding docs. Many things that none of us are taught in college that we never study for. Gusto handles all of that so you can start spend your time on the parts of your business you actually love. Because Gusto is an online payroll and benefits software built for small businesses. It's all in one remote, friendly and incredibly easy to use. So you can pay, hire, onboard and support your team from anywhere. You can do automatic payroll tax filing, simple direct deposits, health benefits, commuter benefits, workers comp, 401ks, you name it. Gusto makes it simple and has options for nearly every budget. So check them out today. Try gusto [e-mail] skinny and get three months free when you run your first payroll. That's three months of free [e-mail] skinny one more time. Gusto.com skinny what mistakes do you see

[Interviewer Male]

people making when it comes to peptides and not just GLP ones, Peptides in general.

[Josh Whalen]

Yeah, I, I think there's a ton of info out there right now. I mean I feel like every freaking social media influencer has a peptide regimen.

[Interviewer Male]

Well, that's because I'm gonna call it out.

[Josh Whalen]

Sorry, guys. No, please do.

[Interviewer Male]

The reason that is because I've been seeing that everywhere is they have an affiliate code.

[Josh Whalen]

Yeah.

[Interviewer Male]

And this is just important that people know this when they're recommending their peptide

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

stack with a swipe up to buy,

[Interviewer Male]

they get a commission, which is fine. But it's not a one size fits all right.

[Josh Whalen]

No, it's not.

[Katie Whalen]

So not really fine. And it's illegal.

[Josh Whalen]

They're, they're, they're like, listen, wait, it's illegal? Well, healthcare, it depends how they're doing. Yeah, I mean it's like, like finance is a very regulated field. Healthcare is as regulated, if not more. And you start getting into all payer statutes, you start getting into anti kickback stark with physicians. There's so many things that are right now happening that are crossing the line. The unfortunate thing is this administration has not done a damn thing about it. And, and really what you've seen the emergence of the research peptides like the bonafide peptides that are FDA approved are coming out of a 503A. You, you're getting it with a Legitimate prescription. I have no concerns on that. But the research side is where it's getting really hazy and really gray. And what Big Pharma has done a phenomenal job at is saying if you're not FDA approved and you're not coming from our manufacturing line, you are bad. F503A, 503B. And they put the research in there with it. So I think the biggest mistake that people make is they don't have enough information, they're not making the right decision about their health. And you know, I mean the worst case scenario is, you know, they, they something bad happens. The best case is it's, there's nothing in the peptide itself. And we've seen tests, we've tested some of these research peptides and some of them just have nothing in it. No potency, no sterility, nothing.

[Interviewer Male]

What do you guys say to people? And this is not necessarily my opinion, this is just what the team asks. What do you guys say to people that say peptides grow things that are dormant?

[Josh Whalen]

Well there, there's, that's also the case

[Katie Whalen]

for why you should be under medical supervision because there are like the growth hormone releasing peptide you talked about like you don't want to take that if you may have active cancer. So that's why you have to screen people, you have to monitor them, you have to make sure like that they're the right candidate. And that's why it's dangerous to just follow an influencer that's stacking a bunch of, throwing a bunch of shit in their body without, you know, and getting consulting someone who understands them God knows where.

[Josh Whalen]

China. I mean not that there's anything maybe

[Michael Bostic]

talk about that as well because I think to your point there's a, like that's a big question. And a lot of the people that are in this space and really like doing well, they always call out like, where are you sourcing? Where? What pharmacies? And you even when you're saying 503A and B, I don't think a lot of people that are listening, maybe some, but not everybody even knows what that means. Yeah, like one of them is an

[Josh Whalen]

FDA certified, They're all, they're all in some level recognized by the fda. Nothing, anytime, something, it doesn't matter what it is, a thyroid medication, a peptide, a whatever, if it's coming out of a compounded pharmacy and it's physically compounded, is no longer an FDA approved product. You can have similar but not the same ingredients, but a 503A. The easiest way to think about it is it's a fully customizable to you, your body. The clinician is writing that script based off of what they think is best for you. 503B on the other hand is it's like a 503A without personalization and is more like an assembly line. They can produce a mass amount at one time.

[Katie Whalen]

Bulk for no one specifically.

[Interviewer Male]

If someone wants to get on peptides, the process is you get your blood drawn and then you automatically get prescribed them or how does it work?

[Katie Whalen]

No, and, and like Josh said, you don't have to get your blood drawn for peptides. You know, really what it is is like what's going on with you, right? Like what are your symptoms and what are your goals? So there's peptides for all different kinds of things. Skin, gut, health, all that kind of stuff. So you know, I, we always think labs are a great way to start in general, but you do not. That's not like a requirement in our system. You know, you can just go to the website and click on Sermorelin for example, growth releasing peptide. And then we would have you fill out a pretty extensive form that behind the scenes a clinician would review and then if you're a candidate, it would be prescribed and shipped to you.

[Interviewer Male]

What benefits are you guys seeing from the peptides? Like things that have blown your mind,

[Josh Whalen]

you know, I mean I think GLP1s are the single biggest blockbuster therapy peptide ever. I think it will trump that of even like a Viagra. You know, like that was a massive blockbuster drug. I think that that is probably the, the most life changing peptide that I've seen.

[Katie Whalen]

Yeah.

[Josh Whalen]

Everything else to me and I love peptides where I feel it, I love hormones when I feel it, GLP ones, you're going to feel it.

[Katie Whalen]

But we've got like, you know the nasal spray that we do. I have some. I mean this is probably more of a girl thing, but I've got quite a few women that will like text me or message me and be like, oh my God, thank you. Now I can finally poop every day. So like it really helps with like bowel movements and gut inflammation and that kind of stuff. So that's a big deal for people, especially women. Then I love our GH copper peptide for, for like skin and hair and stuff.

[Michael Bostic]

Is that a topical or is that a topical.

[Katie Whalen]

Topical, it can be injected and I love it injected. But you cannot get that right now as an injectable. I'm hoping that at some point you

[Interviewer Male]

can Again, I heard that's Amazing. Like you just said, for hair growth.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

I've heard that's really good for hair growth.

[Katie Whalen]

Yeah.

[Josh Whalen]

So we have grown to a level of scale where we're not. I. I know all the fringe peptides, and that's the ones that everybody wants to talk about. And that's what all the influencers are promoting. The BPCs, the CFCs, done them, been there. But, like, we've grown to commercial level where we just can't offer that because it falls outside of the regulations. But there's a lot of benefits. And I think of so many of them of just like, putting a cherry on the top. Like, it's just like, damn, I just feel good. Like, growth hormone energy levels, that lean muscle mass, it's a phenomenal, phenomenal peptide.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

What's your stacks?

[Katie Whalen]

I do do that one, and I will tell you. So you want to cycle peptides too, right? You don't want to overload your receptors. So I'll tell you, like, when I stop doing the Sermorelin, I can really feel it, like, after our workout. So we'll do a trainer a couple times a week, and if I'm not on it, like, I'll be really sore and, like, kind of hate myself the next day. You know, you can't sit down without pain. So that's like, a big thing that I notice with that one. And it also helps with, like, sleep and stuff. So I definitely prefer to be on that one.

[Josh Whalen]

I'm TRT testosterone.

[Michael Bostic]

So switching back to that trt.

[Lauren Bostic]

Are you.

[Michael Bostic]

Is that now a lifelong?

[Josh Whalen]

For me, it will be okay.

[Michael Bostic]

It's.

[Josh Whalen]

There's a misconception that is a lifelong thing that you have to do. We have patients that have got on it, improve their health, metabolic health. They've lost weight, they've packed on lean muscle, they get off of it. Do their. Do their levels maintain at that. That state that they were on, where they're on it? No, never. Not. Not really. At least anecdotally, but they can get to a point where they didn't start. And so it is a choice. But for me, I don't ever want to go back to no sex drive Josh and, you know, tubby Josh, like, it's a very important thing, you know,

[Katie Whalen]

but there's also, you know, in our clinic, we more than trt, we prescribe something called enclomophene, which doesn't shut down a man's production. It actually helps boost their natural production. So that's more of our business than actual TRT is. And I think that that's some like a tool that more.

[Interviewer Male]

That increases the sperm. What is that?

[Josh Whalen]

Yeah, yeah, it's. It's a. Basically a derivative of. Of Clomid.

[Interviewer Male]

I've had enough sperm. Don't go on that one.

[Josh Whalen]

Yes. Well, here's, here's what's beautiful. It does not affect fertility. If anything, it enhances it. And I mean, for a lot of men, you know, you don't suffer testy shrinkage and your testosterone. Some guys, it's like you got to slow down. I mean, they, they three times their. Their baseline. It's been an incredible therapeutic. And part of the reason we're seeing this so much is because we're seeing low T at a younger and younger age.

[Michael Bostic]

So when you guys. So for all the lab work, you guys see, you're seeing low T start to trend at a much younger. What do you think that's from?

[Katie Whalen]

I mean, stress is a big one. I mean, your cortisol. Cortisol and testosterone will fight for, you know, the same attention and then, yeah, diet, you know, what do they say? 70 to 80% of US adults have some sort of metabolic dysfunction. So if you have. If your insulin is off and that's going to lower your testosterone too.

[Interviewer Male]

I also see a lot of men that I talk to that have low T spend a lot of time in front of computers under LED lights. They're not in the sun, they're not grounding, they're not outside, they're not lifting weights. Like, sometimes I think we try to, like, overcomplicate it as a society. Like, men need to go hunt and gather. I want him to go kill the tiger, chop some wood, drag it back to me. Get your feet out on the grass, get in the sun.

[Katie Whalen]

Too much to ask.

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[Interviewer Male]

Like, that's.

[Josh Whalen]

And then the sauna, if you're just

[Interviewer Male]

sitting behind a computer, like, your dick

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is going to be limp.

[Interviewer Male]

I don't know what to say.

[Josh Whalen]

No, no, no. That is an absolute factor. Men that are not working with their hands anymore, like, it is desk jobs and, and social media and stress. I got a personal story. My buddy text me. He's like, blokes, results are in. This is like my best friend I've known for 20 years, Marv, and he's like. I'm like, holy shit, dude. Your Testosterone levels are 1300. His free was like 180.

[Interviewer Male]

I'm like, is he single?

[Josh Whalen]

He's a dad, but never taken any testosterone ever. Guess what he does? Works with his hands. He renovates homes. He does Literally air squats every day. 100, 200 air squats every day. Never had any other thing. I'm like, people ask me all the time, what's the best thing to do? Just focus on the basics.

[Interviewer Male]

My next business is geared towards men and it's a big block of wood with an axe.

[Michael Bostic]

No, but I mean, there you go.

[Interviewer Male]

Make me something.

[Michael Bostic]

You know, we moved to Texas in 2020 and before we got here, we were living in LA. And we were, both of us living in a very, in my, in my mind now, looking back an unhealthy way, it was a lot of work, it was a lot of stress, it was a lot of sitting at the computer. It was like that the environment was bad. And when I got out here, like one of the first things we did is we started overhauling our health. And what I real, I was probably 20 pounds lighter than I am now.

[Josh Whalen]

Wow.

[Michael Bostic]

And I just, but looking back, I'm like, what the hell was I doing? And we talk about it all the time. And so one of the things that we did when we got out here is like outside, sunlight, working out, moving. Right? And listen, there's still room for supplementation on all these things. But to your point, if you don't

[Lauren Bostic]

get the basics right, like it goes quick.

[Michael Bostic]

And at the time, looking, when we were there, we thought we were in great shape. We're like, oh, we're good.

[Katie Whalen]

Yeah.

[Josh Whalen]

But I, I, I get asked all the time, like, what's, what's the what? What would you tell a guy? I'm like, focus on your sleep and focus on your stress. Like, those are two really hard to do.

[Katie Whalen]

Right? Like it's easy to say, work at it.

[Josh Whalen]

No, it's hard as hell. Like, I mean, every, we wake up every morning at 6, we hear our kids foot footsteps. Like, how'd you sleep? That's the first thing we say. Like, we just want to check in and if we slept well, we're fist bumping, making breakfast, onto the races.

[Michael Bostic]

So what happens to a couple from a hormone perspective that starts to exhibit, you know, poor sex life, not connecting, low intimacy. Like, what, what's actually biologically going on with them, most likely.

[Katie Whalen]

I mean, you, I mean, testosterone, obviously, we've talked about, but there's, it's all, it's all your hormones. Like you really need them all to be balanced in the right levels to, to, to feel good and feel like you want that drive. And so it's overall health.

[Josh Whalen]

I also think it's like we get so tied up on data and Biomarkers. And sometimes the most important thing is just feedback, symptoms. And, you know, if you talk to clinicians who have been in this space who've been doing functional and integrated, they're like, I can tell you exactly what's wrong without even seeing your biomarkers. And most of the time, they're pretty spot on. But for most couples, it's like, I mean, how many women have we talked to is like, I couldn't stand the way he breathed, you know, let alone, like, sex. Like, that was not happening. And. And, you know, you just. You start to lose that connection. And every time we hear it, like, yeah, he just sits on the couch always doing his. Watching football. He's not playing with the kids. He's not active. Like, there are more things to be looking out for outside of, like, your. Your internal data.

[Interviewer Male]

I also think that we've lost the art of being able to feel when we're in alignment intuitively. Like, everyone is so busy checking all the data on every single wearable that they have. And there's something like, wait a minute.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Like, let's get back to the basics

[Interviewer Male]

of, like, listening to our intuition and maybe sitting in silence and meditating and hearing our body talk to us. Because I think if you listen, it tells you 100%.

[Katie Whalen]

And I think so many people ignore that, especially, like, when you're busy and when your parents. And it's just like you. You make excuses like, I'm getting older. I'm a mom now, or whatever, and you just, like, ignore all those things, and then that ends up biting you, you know, in, like, I think especially when you're in, like, your 30s, upper 30s, 40s, 50s, like, that's such a crucial time to listen and go, like, how am I gonna. What do I want for the last part of my life? Like, the last 20%. Because typically, like, in America, at least, and especially for women, we're living, like, 20% of our lives in bad health. So. And that's. That's like, a long time. It's like 16 years. So I think it's like, the time is right in that, you know, midlife perimenopause to really figure out, like, how you want that last 20% of your life to be.

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[Interviewer Male]

They're, like, woven. They're adorable.

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I have been wearing them with my jeans.

[Interviewer Male]

Jeans.

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They're super simple. They're true to size. I got the Ruthie woven ballet flat from their site, and I got it in the brown it's like a dark brown. It's very classic. It's giving like Jackie Kennedy. It's very classic meets modern because it kind of has like a woven texture. It has a little bow. It's simple and I love wearing it with skinny jeans to podcast. They also have ivory and black, but I picked the brown. I'm really having a brown moment if you guys can't tell. I feel like spring just feels like a reset. There's longer days, there's lights, lighter layers, and there's a shift in the energy. And I like to bring in my ballet flat. I like a T shirt, I like a jean. It's just the season of stepping out and refreshing your wardrobe. I in Texas especially, I'm just trying to embrace that effortless polish. I want something that feels like very comfortable and casual, something I can slip on. Spring with Sam Edelman where modern American elegance meets trend forward design across shoes and handbags. They have absolutely amazing shoes. I've been shopping this brand shoes since I was in high school and everything is very much designed for wherever the season takes you. They have all different textures, which I really like. A lot of great colors and I think you're really going to love the Ruthie woven ballet flat. It's so good. It's a great pick to wear with denim or tailored separates. Visit [e-mail] to explore everything you need for spring and get 15% off with code skinny15. That's Samedelman.com code skinny15 let's talk about

[Lauren Bostic]

yet another way to put more money back in your pocket, and that's with Experian subscription cancellation service. Experian can take pain out of canceling subscriptions by handling it for you. Just keep the ones you want and put money back in your pocket. There is nothing worse than paying for a bunch of stuff that you no longer use and no longer need. You probably aren't aware that over 200 subscriptions are cancelable or negotiable. And you can also save money by letting Experian negotiate your best rate. They'll keep an eye out for new deals and savings opportunities and will negotiate directly with your performance provider on your behalf. So if you've signed up for a subscription and you've been using it and a new deal came out and you haven't taken advantage of that deal. The Experian subscription cancellation platform can help you negotiate a better rate. So not only can you save money by canceling subscriptions you no longer need, you could also save by paying less for the ones that you're currently using. The best part is you keep 100% of your savings right back into your pocket again. On this show, we talk all the time about saving, investing, doing more to make your money work for you. There is nothing worse than wasting money that you could use for yourself or to help loved ones, and the Experian

[Michael Bostic]

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[Lauren Bostic]

So check them out and get started with the Experian app now. Results will vary. Not all bills or subscriptions eligible savings not guaranteed Paid memberships with connected payment accounts required. See experian.com for details.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

This show is brought to you by American Beverage. Want clear, transparent information about your favorite beverages? We do too. That's why today's sponsor, American Beverage launched Good to Know, a new platform with tons of information on your favorite beverages. No spin or judgment, just the facts. On the goodtonowfacts.org website, you can explore 140 plus common beverage ingredients in one place for the first time. As a busy mom, I love having a resource that gives me clear facts so I can make the choices that I know are right for me and my family. @goodtonowfacts.org you can check out more than 140 common beverage ingredients, including what US and global food safety agencies have to say about them. It provides just the facts with no opinions or recommendations. What I like about this is it puts you in the driver's seat so I can go on and I can find out about maybe a soda that I'm drinking or a kombucha or even a juice that I'm giving to my kids. I like to know what's best for me and my family. And now you could also do this too, so you get clear information about what's in your drinks without having to dig through confusing websites. So if you want to know more than what's on the label of your favorite drink, go to goodtokonofacts.org It's a great place to start. Visit www.goodtonofacts.org for more information. This episode is brought to you by Woo. More Play. All right, if you're out west, this one's for you.

[Katie Whalen]

Woo.

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[Interviewer Male]

have you seen be life changing with perimenopause and menopause?

[Katie Whalen]

I mean hormones. Hormones are just like.

[Interviewer Male]

Is it a pellet? What kind of hormone?

[Katie Whalen]

No, we don't do pellets. You know, pellets are. Life can be life saving for some people. I've heard. You know, I've got good friends that say that they've saved their life and their marriage. But the problem with a pellet is you put it in and then for three months you're stuck with that. So if it's too much for you, you can't get it out. So I, we don't recommend pellets. But you know, you can do creams or injections or you know, you have to be.

[Interviewer Male]

You can't have ADHD though. I feel like with a cream I could see myself putting a cream on and be like, forgot the cream and then I'm touching the baby.

[Katie Whalen]

Like, I feel like you like injections better, honestly. But, but most people are like, I'm a little scared of an injection. So like a cream's an easy way to start. But ultimately like injections are easier. You do.

[Michael Bostic]

But I've heard nightmare stories of like dudes not realizing that that cream gets everywhere and they're touching their kids.

[Josh Whalen]

That's a fact. This happens. I mean that's why you tell you to.

[Katie Whalen]

And then everyone absorbs that differently too. Like some people have skin that like, you know, it'll go into really easily and then some don't. So.

[Interviewer Male]

Yeah, but what if you're getting intimate with your partner and he has cream all over his inner thigh?

[Josh Whalen]

This the cream you're pumping and grinding anyways, it's gonna come off.

[Katie Whalen]

I agree.

[Interviewer Male]

I feel like we're not doing a cream.

[Katie Whalen]

Like there's no cream.

[Michael Bostic]

The injection is just like a.

[Josh Whalen]

So easy shot. Yeah. Subcutaneous, tiny like 31 gauge needle. I can tell you for perimenopause and menopause, testosterone for you. And this is, we offer testosterone to, to men and women. It's going to be the thing this Year for perimenopausal, menopausal women. It is the one thing that every female comes back and we're about to actually launch our second study and we did a massive 300 plus cohort of females. It is remarkable what testosterone does for women.

[Katie Whalen]

And most people come in with really low numbers for almost zero women. Almost zero. Yeah. It's stress, probably. It's also probably, maybe birth control pill. There's a lot of things that lower

[Michael Bostic]

more hormonal issues with men or women. Not like, I'm just wondering if it's. Or if it's across the board, men and women.

[Katie Whalen]

I'd say it's both men and women. But like women are a little bit harder to figure out because, you know, three hormones.

[Interviewer Male]

That sounds about right complicated. What if someone wants to get off thyroid medication? You mentioned that earlier.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah, tell me about that.

[Katie Whalen]

I mean, thyroid is one of those where you think you have to be on it forever. And some people do, but ultimately, like, if you can fix all the other things, like the underlying issue, then you might be able to get off it. Like that's what happened to me. So, you know, you have to get all your other hormones right. You have to make sure your, your metabolism and your is, is great and you have to make sure you're getting all the supplements. It just depends on how bad it is and how, how well you can kind of figure everything else out.

[Interviewer Male]

We've kind of been fed a little

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

bit of lye soup, though.

[Interviewer Male]

There's a lot of lye soup going on. A lot of lies. We can't get off thyroid medicine. That's what they tell you.

[Michael Bostic]

Gary Brca's thing is that the only guarantee of being on thyroid medicine is that you're going to up the dosage over yours. And his big thing is like there's ways to get off it. I'm not sure there's. You can look it up on YouTube. Guys like, of him talking about.

[Interviewer Male]

Because he's going to say, cut my dosage in half. So I've had a different reaction.

[Michael Bostic]

But I think to your point, we have to start asking ourselves, why do we need the thyroid medication to begin with?

[Katie Whalen]

Are you, are you trying to get off of it?

[Interviewer Male]

Yeah, I want. I'm not try. I cut it in half. And I've had great results with that. I mean, I would like to get off of it. I was put on it at. I was, you know, I gained like 70 pounds with my firstborn and they put you on it.

[Michael Bostic]

What's strange, I've heard so many women talk about being on thyroid medication. I've not heard barely any men tell us that they're on thyroid. Wait, what?

[Interviewer Male]

Someone said that there's a reason the other day on the show.

[Michael Bostic]

They may be on it, but I guess. But it's. But it seems like there was a period of time where, like, there was a lot of thyroid medication being prescribed to. To a lot of women.

[Interviewer Male]

Yeah, we had a dentist on, and he said that root canals. And remember, he said, like, screw. I have screws. And I had screws in my face from jaw surgery. He said things like that can trigger the thyroid.

[Josh Whalen]

Well, you know what's interesting, I think it's also too, you know, men, testosterone is such a big bioavailable marker. Women, it's still.

[Michael Bostic]

It's.

[Josh Whalen]

They carry more testosterone than they do estrogen. But the symptoms are really freaking similar. Like, fatigue is very similar to low T and women and men. But, you know, there's so many different hormones that are going on that I think it's also just a buzzy word, too. Like, there's so much marketing around thyroid care right now. And. And that's. For women. It's imperative that they're getting their blood drawn and you're differentiating the two. Like, a lot of times women will come in, they say, I got a thyroid issue. And you're like, no, you got a T issue.

[Michael Bostic]

I'm supposed to schedule one. Recently said that someone's going to do

[Interviewer Male]

it in my house. Go down the street and don't touch me for two.

[Michael Bostic]

I feel like. Go around the.

[Interviewer Male]

I'm not joking. Do not lay now next to me. Go in the guest room.

[Michael Bostic]

No, no, we do. We look at the levels, and I think, like, everybody should. And we just, you know, we had the jevity guys on here talking about we, like, I think everybody should do it. I have another question for you guys. So say somebody wants to work with you and they're suspecting they have a hormone issue, and maybe they're in an intimate relationship and they don't know how to approach their significant other or their partner with this because they're maybe uncomfortable with the conversation. I think this is a very common thing.

[Lauren Bostic]

How would you.

[Michael Bostic]

And because you two are both so open, how would you to advise a couple approaching, you know, one or the other with this topic if they suspect that their partner's hormones are off?

[Josh Whalen]

I think there is a just completely different angle. Like, if you. If you can't approach the hormone subject, there is like, a preventative angle. I I mean, we do so much blood. Like, we catch things before they become a bad issue. So I think there's that angle. But.

[Katie Whalen]

But also, like, yeah, do it together. Like, hey, let's do this together and. And check out where we're at.

[Interviewer Male]

Here's what you're gonna do.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

You're gonna get him in the sauna and you're gonna say, let's do our blood work together. I already scheduled it.

[Michael Bostic]

But listen, like, you seem like. You seem very open to these kinds of conversations, but, you know, like, we know guys in our life where, like, if their girl comes and says, yo, man, you got low T. Like, they're gonna. They're gonna lose it or they're gonna shut down or they're. And. And vice versa. Listen, as a man going to her and be like, hey, man, never goes to a woman says, your hormones are off. That's a death sentence.

[Katie Whalen]

Yeah, I wouldn.

[Michael Bostic]

But I do think, like, what's going to happen, I know with this episode is likely one person in the relationship is going to hear it and there's going to be some light bulbs going off, and they're going to want to approach their partner and say, like, okay, and maybe you could just play this episode. But the.

[Josh Whalen]

The beautiful thing is blood is not the same as it was 10 years ago. Like, when you went to your primary care and you got one or two markers. It's kind of sexy now. Like, it's like, become like, hey, I'm really getting all these data points. And if I'm in a relationship, let's say I. I care about the spouse. It's about longevity, it's about heart disease, it's about cancer. It's about so much more than just hormones. If you can't approach that subject, like, there's a better way to go about it. I mean, our. Our biomarkers are 55 to 110. You could focus on things outside of sex hormones. Yep.

[Michael Bostic]

And then within that, you could say,

[Lauren Bostic]

and by the way, we should look

[Michael Bostic]

at this marker as well. And hey, like, you know, and it's not. Then it's not so. So personal on one's. It's not like, hey, you're not having sex with me.

[Josh Whalen]

Yeah.

[Interviewer Male]

You know, what would you guys say to yourself when he didn't have sex, knowing everything you know now? What would you say to you guys,

[Josh Whalen]

years ago, I mean, I would have punched myself in the face.

[Interviewer Male]

That's the testosterone in him. See, now he's got some testosterone. Listen, like, I want to beat your ass, Josh.

[Josh Whalen]

So So here's what's messed up. We'll go through pictures and, you know, you get the time lapse and stuff that come up on your phone. You're like, yeah, fat Josh was not good looking Josh. And I'm. I, you know, knowing now, I, I literally would have done that. I would have grabbed me and I would have said, dude, you're gonna die by the time you're 45. I'm 43 years old. Like, heart disease runs in my family. And I was already pre diabetic. I was still working hard, playing hard. If you want to see your kids. My dad died when he was like 62. Like, I, I got bonus years. I got to get to 80, man. My kids. Rowdy's 5, Lenny's 8 years old. When they're in their 30s and 40s, I want to be striving, going down mountains with them, like, hanging out. Like, it's it. You owe it, if not to yourself, your family.

[Interviewer Male]

I need you to pull up one of those photos and text it to us or email it to us so we can put. Not right now, but, like, later.

[Josh Whalen]

Like, I might have one to put on. Yeah.

[Interviewer Male]

So we can show the audience the transformation that you've had.

[Josh Whalen]

Yeah.

[Interviewer Male]

I mean, what would you say, Katie, to yourself if you could go back and give yourself advice when you were confused about why he wasn't?

[Katie Whalen]

Well, for. For women, I would say it's not you. Like, do not blame yourself. Do not look inward like, it's their shit and they need to figure that out. And, you know, at the end of the day, like, I. I finally did and I said, hey, this is not working for me, and you need to figure your shit out.

[Josh Whalen]

Out.

[Katie Whalen]

And, you know, that was the line I drew.

[Josh Whalen]

Yeah. I mean, the big D is not something you want to talk about in a relationship. I forgot we're on that side.

[Interviewer Male]

I was like, what is he talking about?

[Josh Whalen]

Divorce.

[Michael Bostic]

For the record, the divorce,

[Josh Whalen]

you know, but yeah, that was, you know, like, I always dated girls and you'd break up, but, like, you don't realize how serious. And she was just, just. She was ready. And I mean, we went to a marriage counselor, and not once did that. We went to multiple marriage counselors. We went to multiple doctors.

[Katie Whalen]

We went to a sex therapist. Remember that? There was like, a vagina up there. They're like, about your family history. I'm like, no, this is going to take too long. Like, I need. I need something. I need a fix faster than this.

[Josh Whalen]

But you know what's remarkable? Not one not one of those encounters did they ever go, dude, dude, go get your blood checked.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Wow, that's kind of wild.

[Josh Whalen]

Wild.

[Michael Bostic]

So what do they typically say?

[Josh Whalen]

They're like, it's all about mental stress.

[Katie Whalen]

What's going on?

[Josh Whalen]

I'm messed up. Let's, let's fix the problem.

[Interviewer Male]

You know, that is crazy that they

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

never asked you about testosterone. That's actually wild.

[Interviewer Male]

So if someone wants to start peptides and they're listening, what is the first thing they do if they want to sign up to work with you guys?

[Katie Whalen]

We have a, we have an easy online form fill that you can kind of put in your health history and we can help you decide what, what is right for you. We always recommend meeting with a clinician too, so that's an option. We, we're very proud of what we've built in terms of our clinicians. Like, we have people that really care and people that have really gone outside of like traditional medical education to like get the, the functional training. So they're really great to talk to and we offer like 30 and 60 minute consultations with, with them.

[Josh Whalen]

Yeah, I think, I think it's a good point to make it. Katie and I spent a whole week and we're like trying to figure out our business. You know, we're these hustlers and scrappy people and we're like, what, what makes us different or how can we be better? And we spent a whole weekend and we went through every one of our competitors, trustpilot reviews and ours and we're like, what do they like? What does that patient like? What don't they like? We made like an absolute mandate that our clinicians listen before treating, listen to the symptoms, and we pry. Like, it is something that I think is a secret sauce for us. We have badass clinicians, we have really good, that are integrative, functional type approach clinicians that listen.

[Katie Whalen]

Yeah, I mean, I have like friends and, and patients that'll you know, say, oh my, like one of my girlfriends came to me the other week and she's like, I actually cried because this is like the first time in my life where I actually feel like, heard and that I'm hopeful now and like there's something that will actually help me. And I've never had that my whole life. And this is like a midlife person. I'm like, Jesus.

[Interviewer Male]

What I get from this episode too is that. And you guys have this here.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

You save marriages.

[Interviewer Male]

Yeah, I think that's, you're also not selling that. But that also seems like a real perk to working with you guys. It seems like you're. Because of your story, you're focused on really making a marriage strong through being. Having the right tools.

[Katie Whalen]

Right, the right tools. Yeah. And it's obviously not all about sex. That's an important component. But, like, the. Like, having your hormones right also just helps in general with life, drive for life.

[Interviewer Male]

Sex is important. Yeah, it's important.

[Michael Bostic]

No, but my friend Weston talks about this all the time, and he says we spend so much time on personal development and how to build our business, how to raise our kids, how to be healthy in the gym, how to. And, like, when it comes to our sex life, everyone just, like, thinks it's, like, a grand and given, but it's an integral role. Like, if you want to make a child, you have to have a good sex life. You know, if you want to have intimacy with your partner, if you want to have connection, like. But we kind of just are like, oh, that's a thing you do off to the side, maybe because of the taboos around it, but every other area of life, you're going to seminars, you're reading books, you're studying.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Such a good point.

[Michael Bostic]

You're doing courses, you're listening to podcasts. But with that subject, you just think it's going to happen and be great and. And a lot of people, I think, let it kind of fall by the wayside. And just like anything else, if you don't put a focus on it, it's. How could it be?

[Josh Whalen]

This whole business and experience has allowed us to be very open and honest about our sex life. Like, what we need, what she needs.

[Interviewer Male]

Liberating.

[Josh Whalen]

Yeah. And. And that's when sex for us got good. Like, it got real. Like, you're like, all right, let's do that.

[Interviewer Male]

And you guys want to do it on the couch?

[Josh Whalen]

Done.

[Interviewer Male]

Yeah.

[Katie Whalen]

If you don't mind. Yeah, sure. Go for it.

[Michael Bostic]

Zoom the cameras.

[Josh Whalen]

My good angle. No, it's. Yeah. Back to the clinicians are like our secret sauce. We believe. And. And we do. We do say we save marriages, because we do. We absolutely do.

[Interviewer Male]

You guys gave us a code.

[Michael Bostic]

Visit joyandbloaks.com skinny and useful.

[Lauren Bostic]

This is a very generous offer, guys.

[Michael Bostic]

Use code skinny for 25 off your first purchase and 65 off diagnostic labs.

[Lauren Bostic]

That's awesome.

[Michael Bostic]

So they can go there if that's. If they want to check it out.

[Lauren Bostic]

Sign up.

[Interviewer Male]

Where can they find you guys on Instagram if they just want to drop a dm?

[Katie Whalen]

Yeah, we have two. One just for the women is At Joy women's wellness and joy is J

[Josh Whalen]

O I men at get blokes pretty simple. You God. We can't get off this can Wendy becomes something else.

[Interviewer Male]

I have the worst.

[Katie Whalen]

It's gonna be a good night tonight.

[Lauren Bostic]

And guys, we're, we will link everything

[Michael Bostic]

in the show notes too. So you can always just click that and find it there.

[Lauren Bostic]

Thank you both.

[Interviewer Male]

Thank you guys.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

You guys are great.

[Interviewer Male]

And it's very cool to see how you guys have transformed your marriage and to something like beautiful. It's really cool.

[Katie Whalen]

Yeah, it's a lot of work and it's worth it.

[Josh Whalen]

The business is a lot of work and marriage is a lot of work. But there's a reward.

[Interviewer Male]

Yeah.

[Josh Whalen]

Yeah.

[Michael Bostic]

I mean if you can come out the other side of it and get

[Lauren Bostic]

through all the shit and trust me,

[Michael Bostic]

we go through all the shit all the time. I think it's the most rewarding thing. But so many people, unfortunately, they kind of hit those roadblocks and they just toss it off.

[Interviewer Male]

Being married though is like being on curb your enthusiasm. Like it's the same fight the same day. Groundhog Day. This morning I'm on my vibrating plate in my robe, brushing my teeth and he wants to come in and have a full conversation and I gotta, like, I gotta, I need a second.

[Katie Whalen]

Well, you don't need to sign the vibrating plate.

[Josh Whalen]

It's a vibrating plate. Yeah.

[Interviewer Male]

It's great.

[Michael Bostic]

I like that, that influencer meme, like that they say does all the things they do all the things I gotta

[Interviewer Male]

do 20 things at once.

[Katie Whalen]

There is, there's so much to do.

[Interviewer Male]

And you're routine involves 30 minutes of a conversation with you. About what? Like I, I, I don't know, it's, I don't need to turn on the news. He just gives me a full rundown.

[Michael Bostic]

What's the peptide to get to, to calm it down a little bit. I'm just kidding.

[Katie Whalen]

That's maybe more of a hormone.