Podcast Summary: You Are Not Broken

Episode 356: Midlife Fitness with Autumn Calabrese
Release Date: February 1, 2026
Host: Dr. Kelly Casperson
Guest: Autumn Calabrese

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Dr. Kelly Casperson sits down with renowned fitness expert Autumn Calabrese to dive deep into the realities of midlife fitness, mindset, stress management, and the unique challenges (and opportunities!) women face as they move through perimenopause and beyond. The duo unpacks what it really takes for women at midlife to build strength, stay warm, recover energy, and—perhaps most importantly—rewire their mindset to thrive in this new life phase. With humor, candor, and a sprinkle of science, they demystify fitness myths, address cultural changes, and share personal stories to encourage listeners: you are not broken.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Fitness in Midlife?

• Physical Warmth & Energy:
  • Kelly and Autumn commiserate about the winter workout struggle and highlight how strength training can literally warm the body—crucial during colder months.
    • “Fitness is the way to not be cold.” (Kelly, 00:43)
• Hormones Aren’t Everything:
  • Dr. Casperson notes that while hormones aid cellular health, they are not the cure-all—mindset and lifestyle adjustments are equally pivotal.
    • “Some people think hormones are all there is… but it’s like, what are your tricks when you’re low to swap out of that...that’s the work.” (Kelly, 07:29)

2. Mindset as the Foundation

• Mindset Before Muscles:
  • Autumn insists that body transformation always begins in the mind. If you change your thinking about health, routines, and self-worth, the body will follow.
    • “The body doesn’t change unless the mind changes, right?” (Autumn, 02:50)
    • “Just saying ‘this is so hard’—you’re telling your body it’s hard, you’re telling your body not to let go.” (Autumn, 05:09)
• Reframing Difficulty:
  • Both agree that catching negative self-talk (“the last five pounds are hard”) and consciously reframing it (“what if this is the easy part?”) is a practical skill.
    • “You don’t realize what your mindset is until you can kind of step out and catch those thoughts.” (Kelly, 04:45)
• Identity & Consistency:
  • Autumn discusses embracing an identity as “a person who exercises” or “someone who eats healthy" as a trick for lasting change.
    • “I am a person who exercises...that’s the lifestyle.” (Autumn, 37:37)

3. Cultural Changes in Women’s Fitness

• The Weight of Trends:
  • Autumn reflects on 22+ years in fitness and how public sentiment swings—from “work out for aesthetics!” to body-positivity to today’s focus on longevity and healthy aging.
    • “All of a sudden, it was almost like you were a bad person if you talked about losing weight...And now I feel like we are swinging out of it.” (Autumn, 15:29)
• The Rise of Strength Training & Pilates:
  • Autumn celebrates the resurgence of weight training and the huge popularity of Pilates, especially for mobility, core, and posture.

4. Stress, Sleep, and the Real Midlife Obstacles

• Underestimated Stress:
  • Autumn shares her personal experience with perimenopause and how chronic stress was her biggest hurdle—even on perfect HRT and nutrition.
    • “For me, stress has always been the major one...I’ve lived in a state of chronic stress.” (Autumn, 07:52)
• Actionable Stress Management:
  • Breathwork, boundaries, and restructured workout routines (emphasizing Pilates and flexibility over constant HIIT) were all part of Autumn’s toolkit.
    • “Breathing and breath work was the number one thing for me that made a big difference…” (Autumn, 11:54)
• Sleep as a Cornerstone:
  • Both agree: lack of quality sleep sabotages everything else (muscle growth, mood, hormones). Simple sleep hygiene—no screens, routine, room ambiance, and breathwork at bedtime—makes a major difference.
    • “Sleep’s everything. If you’re not sleeping, you’ll die. Like, literally you’ll die.” (Kelly, 20:19)
• Kicking the Caffeine & Sleep Aids Cycle:
  • Cutting excess caffeine and reliance on “crutches” like THC gummies or alcohol, though hard for a week or two, yields real improvements in sleep and weight.

5. Sustainable Fitness—Start with Community and Accountability

• Fitness as Routine, Not a Project:
  • Kelly shares her journey: inspired by seeing another physician mom working out consistently, she’s completed over 2,000 workouts since 2017, debunking her own mental blocks (“I’ll work out when I retire” or “I’m not a morning person”).
    • “I caught the bullshit—and my plan was to work out when I retire. When am I going to retire? Probably not for a while…” (Kelly, 29:10)
• Don't Go It Alone—Find Your Group:
  • Accountability groups—even a humble Facebook check-in—keeps motivation strong and builds pride over time.
    • “Turns out I was better at showing up because I knew other people were gonna show up.” (Kelly, 33:59)
• There’s No “Easy”—The Hard is the Point:
  • Both admit: strength training never gets ‘easy’, but your brain gets better at tolerating (even embracing) challenge.
    • “The secret is that it’s always hard to lift weights… but the mindset is, the hard is the point.” (Kelly, 33:07)
    • “What gets easier is being in the discomfort.” (Autumn, 33:31)

6. Strength, Longevity, and Women’s Health

• Muscle = Brain Health:
  • Kelly highlights research showing muscle strength—especially in the legs—is closely tied to lower dementia risk in women.
    • “Leg strength being correlated with risk of dementia...muscle strength is brain health, basically.” (Kelly, 40:33)
    • Autumn shares her own genetic risk for dementia, underscoring the stakes behind this advice.
• Aging Positively:
  • Autumn and Kelly discuss how fitness, sleep, and stress management can compress the “decade of decline” so women spend more years active and independent.
    • “Women live longer, but we live more years in ill health...Let’s tighten that up.” (Kelly, 42:51)

7. Redefining Midlife: Mindset is Everything

• A Stage of Possibility, Not Loss:
  • Both speakers urge listeners to see midlife as an opportunity, not a countdown to decline.
    • “It’s not this sentence of doom and gloom...It really can be coming into the best years of our life.” (Autumn, 43:36)
• If You Don’t Feel Good Now, Trust You Can:
  • Dr. Casperson reassures: “Trust that feeling good is possible and that you’re going to figure out how to get there.” (Kelly, 44:44)
• Motion Heals—Stagnation Hurts:
  • Even brief lapses in movement are quickly felt. Autumn recounts how six days without movement left her in pain, only for the “first workout back” to quickly restore her sense of well-being.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "The body doesn’t change unless the mind changes, right?"
  — Autumn Calabrese, [02:50]
• "Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right."
  — Kelly Casperson referencing mindset wisdom, [06:19]
• "Stress has always been the major one...I live in a state of chronic stress. That is something I have worked very hard [on]."
  — Autumn Calabrese, [07:52]
• "Sleep’s everything. If you’re not sleeping, like, you’ll die. Like, literally you’ll die if you don’t sleep."
  — Kelly Casperson, [20:19]
• “If you change the way you talk to yourself, that actually impacts how your cells heal faster than any supplement you can take.”
  — Autumn Calabrese, [05:09]
• "I am a person who exercises...that’s the lifestyle."
  — Autumn Calabrese, [37:37]
• "Turns out I was better at showing up because I knew other people were gonna show up."
  — Kelly Casperson, on accountability, [33:59]
• "We think the workout is going to be the hardest part, but I actually think the lack of movement is so much harder and feels so much worse than the 30 minute workout."
  — Autumn Calabrese, [46:07]
• “My body is not broken. It is made to work....What are the small changes? That’s where you’re gonna not—you’re gonna go from surviving to thriving.”
  — Autumn Calabrese, [43:36]
• “Trust that feeling good is possible and that you’re going to figure out how to get there.”
  — Kelly Casperson, [44:44]

Important Segment Timestamps

• Mindset & Fitness Foundations: 02:50–07:13
• Experience with Perimenopause & Stress: 07:52–11:54
• Autumn’s Strategies for Stress Management: 11:54–13:21
• Cultural Changes in Fitness: 15:29–18:36
• Strength, Mobility, Recovery: 18:36–22:47
• Sleep & Breaking Bad Habits: 20:19–25:39
• Kelly’s Personal Fitness Journey & Mindset Traps: 28:15–30:39
• Accountability & Community: 33:59–35:52
• Sustainable Lifestyle and Identity: 36:11–39:40
• Muscle Strength & Brain Health: 40:33–42:51
• Midlife Mindset Redefined: 43:36–46:07

Final Takeaways

• Mindset really is everything: Without shifting your mental approach, sustaining fitness or lifestyle changes is impossible.
• Midlife is not a sentence: Women have the power to make this their strongest, healthiest era—with the right tools and the right perspective.
• Accountability and small, consistent habits are the real ‘secrets’ to staying strong and feeling vibrant at any age.
• “You are not broken.” Thriving is possible—start where you are, and keep moving forward.

For more from Autumn Calabrese, check out her programs on BODI.com and follow her on Instagram. For further sex, health, and hormone wisdom, stay tuned to Dr. Kelly Casperson’s podcasts and resources.