← You Are Not Broken
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- [00:03]
A
Welcome to youo Are Not Broken, the podcast that challenges everything we've been taught about midlife hormones and sexuality. I'm Dr. Kelly Casperson, board certified urologist, author, and a leading voice in women's sexual and hormone health. Enjoy the show.
- [00:17]
B
And we're on with Alicia Erickson on the youe're Not Broken podcast. Welcome. Thank you for coming on my podcast. Oh, my gosh.
- [00:24]
C
Thank you for having me. I'm so excited. You're one of my besties.
- [00:28]
B
I'm like, when did the we happen? I think it was like I started following you. I don't know why. Mostly because I follow buff chicks who work out. And then I was like, oh, she's in Washington. Oh, she's like, off.
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A
I5.
- [00:39]
B
Okay, this is. This is pretty good.
- [00:41]
C
We're literally, what, an hour from each other?
- [00:43]
B
Yeah, I know.
- [00:44]
C
A little over an hour. Yeah. And then I came to the M. The movie for the premiere. I didn't get to meet you because it was a full crowd.
- [00:51]
B
Oh, you came up to the Bellingham one.
- [00:53]
C
Yeah.
- [00:53]
B
Yes. 2026 second documentary is coming out. Do you know this?
- [00:57]
C
Oh, no.
- [00:58]
B
Yes. M Factor 2.0 before the pause. It's all about perimenopause.
- [01:04]
C
Oh, my gosh. Okay. When?
- [01:06]
B
Let's see. I'm going to the LA premiere in January. Seattle is going to be February 11. And then Bellingham is likely going to be March 22.
- [01:17]
C
Oh, my gosh. Maybe I need to come to the Seattle one. I want to see it.
- [01:20]
B
So, yeah, you should come to Seattle or Bellingham. Whatever's closer. Spoiler alert. I'm in it again.
- [01:26]
C
Yes. Oh, no. Everybody will be so excited about that.
- [01:28]
B
Oh, dude. I think, like, as much as for anybody who doesn't know the M Factor documentary, PBS did a M Factor documentary two years ago now about menopause. It's phenomenal if you can get your hands on it. And they're doing the second one, which is perimenopause 2026. And I think it's going to be. We're watching it today. Like, everybody who's in it is watching it today. So we can all get on the same page. It's as good, if not better than the first one.
- [01:53]
C
I think that I, you know, honestly, I think that that is probably an area where people have even more questions is around perimenopause because it's so such a fluctuation of things going on that I think that's going to be.
- [02:04]
B
Perimenopause is crazy.
- [02:06]
C
It is. I mean, I Will never forget one time you talked about how, you know your hormones coming online as adolescents. So think about how crazy adolescent you know in your adolescence. So perimenopause your hormones going, you're starting to go offline. Just think about. This is why we're going. We think we're crazy. But no.
- [02:21]
B
Yeah, no, you're reverse puberty ing with. With having kids and relationships and jobs and like actual responsibilities that you didn't have to worry. All you had to worry about as an adolescent is like who likes you? Are your clothes cool? And can I, can I drive yet? I'm downplaying adolescents. I apologize to any adolescents who might be living or the people who love adolescents. But there was less responsibility like you could. Besides the fact when we went through adolescence nobody was documenting it.
- [02:51]
C
Uh huh.
- [02:52]
B
And now they have to all worry about.
- [02:53]
C
It's all documented.
- [02:55]
B
It's all documented.
- [02:57]
A
Totally.
- [02:58]
B
Okay. So if people don't know who you are is you are Midlife Maven on Instagram. You are Alicia E. You got a big Instagram girl. You blew up 2025.
- [03:08]
C
Yeah. It actually it all started in at the end of 2023, which was crazy because I nev. I never anticipated all of this happening. Honestly, you're natural. Well, I've been posting forever on social media.
- [03:20]
B
That's what people say to me.
- [03:21]
A
You're so good at.
- [03:21]
B
You're such a good pod interviewer. I'm like, it's year seven, right?
- [03:26]
C
They're just seeing just right now, they might be just starting to watch now, but they don't realize all of the reps that you put in.
- [03:32]
B
Don't you believe that people are like overnight success takes 10 years. Just FYI, 100%.
- [03:38]
C
I literally had been posting on social media for years and years and years and years and years. And I just was at a point, at a point where I'm like, hey, if I help one or two women, great. And then all of a sudden stuff just started taking off. I was like, oh, okay, we're doing this. It's amazing.
- [03:53]
B
So good for people to understand because I think the stereotype is we look at fit women and we say, well, you're special, you're unique, you're a snowflake. It can't mere mortals can't do get the look that you have. Like people don't believe that you're a normal human with good consistency habits. But I think the most powerful thing about your Instagram is that you publish the before pictures.
- [04:18]
C
Yeah. So you can see where I came from.
- [04:20]
B
Take Us to the before.
- [04:22]
C
Yeah. So the before. I mean, I always. I kind of like to go back to when I got sober, because that. That was really when I started to take a hard look at some of the habits that I knew were holding me back. So that was at age 45. And that's really, you know, my early 40s was when I started to really notice my body. Just, things were different. Like, things were changing. What's going on here is not the same as it used to be. And I've always been into fitness. I've always been. Been really the most prominent reason for my mental health just throughout life. It's just I need this for my mental health. Obviously, the. Everything else that follows is wonderful. The physical benefits, the aesthetic benefits, all that is wonderful. But I just always knew from a very young age that I needed this for my mental health. So it's always been a part of my life. But I did notice things starting to change as I came into my 40s, and that alcohol habit had been around for over 20 years. And I was just like, this is not. I'm just not processing this the way that I used to. It's making me feel worse. I have a lot of guilt. I have a lot of shame around it. I'm just feeling like crap in general. And I got sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. And so I got sober, and I. It literally was just like multiple times of trying to do a dry January or a sober October. And it finally just. Sometimes you do that. Have to do that a couple times before it just sticks. You know, you got to try it a couple times.
- [05:43]
B
What tools did you use for that?
- [05:45]
C
So I was going into the last 90 days. I'm just a big fan of the last 90 days of the year because it's when everything is really ramping up and life is getting busy. So how could you possibly think of taking away the habit that's, like, hardest to break during that last 90 days when life is going to be stressful? And I thought, no, I like to rise to challenges, so I'm going to do this. And I discovered when I went into that last 90 days challenge of removing alcohol, I was just going to remove alcohol. Just that one thing, not anything else. Just focus on one thing. And I discovered the book this Naked Mind.
- [06:12]
B
Oh, I have not read that yet. Everybody says that that's the book. It is.
- [06:17]
C
And I know there's multiple books out there that are super effective. And it depends on, you know, which one's gonna really hit home for you. But for whatever reason, that one just hit me between the eyes. And it helped me to see things in a whole different perspective and understand that I needed to create a new identity. This was about creating a new identity for myself. I started just literally consuming all of her stuff, her podcasts. She has something called a 30 day alcohol experiment. I did that and obviously just gobbled up the book. And it. I don't know, I feel like something clicked in me after I read that. And when I made the decision and I was tired of feeling sick and tired and it just stuck and I was like, I got to the end of the 90 days. I'm like, I feel freaking amazing. I got through all the holidays and all the parties and all the events fine. It was fine. Don't make a big deal out of it, you know, with. As far as, like, social situations, like, don't make a big deal out of it. Just, it is what it is. And. And I felt so freaking good. I was like, why would I want to go back?
- [07:13]
B
Did you lose any friends over it?
- [07:14]
C
I mean, I think there was probably some reactions like, oh, like maybe I was invited to less things or maybe. I don't know. But my solid friends that I still have now, they're still my solid friends. I think that's a testament to who your real friends are. You know, they're gonna love you and support you through whatever phase. You know, the friends that actually lose you are they. They're meant to be gone. You know, you're meant to get new friends.
- [07:37]
B
They needed you drinking.
- [07:39]
C
Yeah, right. But the real people will stick around and love you. And luckily I have those kinds of people in my life.
- [07:44]
B
And for the people who don't, just for the people who don't, you will find them. Like, you will find the sober people. Like, people are like, who am I gonna hang out with? You will find them if you don't currently have them. So that's not a reason to keep drinking.
- [07:54]
C
People, they will come into your life. Because I noticed after I got sober, people came into my life that were sober. I was like, oh, this is great.
- [08:01]
B
No, it's so badass.
- [08:03]
C
And, you know, and it's not to say that there's not going to be times and moments like 2020 came around and everybody was drinking. And so I had gotten sober in 2018, and everybody is just boozing it up. We're home, we're just drinking all day, every day. And I just thought, oh, man. That, you know, there was. I remember there being a moment like, this is Stressful. This is a stressful time right now for everybody. Like, this would be kind of nice, but I just. I kept thinking about who am I and who do I want to be and how do I want to show up and how is this actually going to make me feel? Like really actually being intentional about my thoughts around it. It's like, this is not worth it. 10, 20 minutes of feeling good, and then however many days or weeks of feeling like ass. Is that worth it? No. So that was kind of. That was like step one for me in this whole, like, part of my life of midlife. Right. And so a few years pass. Raising teenagers. Both my Girls are now 24 and 21. My oldest had left for school, out of state, for college, out of state. And then my youngest was going into her senior year. And it was just. It was stressful. It was a stressful time. It was just raising teenagers is, oh, my gosh, it's stressful. Anybody out there raising teens? But it was one of those years where it was just like everything wrong that could happen was happening with her. And it was a struggle. And I was trying to be there and help her through it, but I noticed myself kind of falling into habits with sugar, using that to kind of soothe my stress.
- [09:25]
B
It's the new alcohol.
- [09:27]
C
Yeah, it is. It's an easy transfer from alcohol to sugar. And I just. I just noticed I was more stressed. I was looking to that to relieve my stress. And even though I was still moving my body, I knew that my food was not. It was not ideal and I wasn't feeling the best. And when I got her off to college, I just decided, you know What? I'm turning 50 this next year. And while everybody is telling me and everybody else and all the other women in the world that it's just going to start going downhill as you get older, I'm going to do exact opposite. And I'm going to go in all in on me. But I need to change up my modality because what I'm doing right now isn't working. And I never, ever want to talk down about any kinds of movements or anything because I always just say, if a woman loves a certain form of movement and she enjoys that, then. Then that's great. But I knew that I wanted a different result for myself and I wanted to actually, like, look like I work out. And I. I stopped all that long form cardio, all the hit, and I just started lifting. I started getting back into the weight room. It made me nervous to get back into the G gym. When I got back into the gym, I started lifting. Progressive overload. There's a difference. And I locked in my nutrition. I quit the processed sugars and I started just walking. I started doing daily walks. It's so, so simple. But I started noticing just this. My body responded like this. It was like my body had just been asking for this. It was like magic. It was amazing. And as I was transforming, I was sharing. I was just, I kept sharing and sharing and sharing on social media and I just kept getting more and more ripped and I just kept sharing. And I guess the ladies liked it. They were like, what?
- [11:03]
B
How?
- [11:04]
A
Huh?
- [11:04]
C
And I'm like, let me tell you, I'll show you. Come on board, let's go. And it's just taken off ever since. It's crazy.
- [11:11]
B
Phenomenal.
- [11:12]
C
And I was a regular person. I was a regular mom. Okay? I was a portrait photographer before this. I did portrait photography for 13 years. So I had a studio, I worked outside, did lots of seniors and families and all that. So I was working as a portrait photographer before all of this took off. I was a mom, wife, all the things. I'm not some weird, different person. I'm just a regular gal, right?
- [11:35]
B
She's a regular person. She doesn't have 10 people preparing your food for you and making your life easier so that you can do this. And I think it's like to the detriment of the population to put that on women to be like, oh, you're special though. Because if you're special, it explains why I don't have that.
- [11:55]
A
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- [12:46]
C
Right? And I understand that there are different ebbs and flows of life, right? Where there's busier times in life when you're raising kids and the kids are at home. But I think there's certain habits that you can still instill and put in place now that are going to serve you. Like, you put those habits in place now, and later on, maybe even when you have more time and space to go all in, you'll be ready because you've had those habits as a part of your life.
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B
You have the habits. Before we get too far ahead, define progressive overload.
- [13:13]
C
So progressive overload is when you are. You know, a lot of times people say, I lift weights, okay? And they're doing like a boot camp class or circuit training where you're doing movements one after the other after the other after the other. You're never resting. You're using maybe 10 pound dumbbells, and you're doing that for all of the movements, and you're never resting. Progressive overload is you're following a specific program. Usually I stick to a for four to six weeks. It can be longer. But you're doing the same movements really each week. But you have a goal of. So say, for example, I did squats last week and I did 100 pounds. Okay? I squatted 100 pounds, I did 10 reps, okay? So I'm going in week two or week three. You know, maybe you want to do it if you're, especially if you're just starting out, you want to go slow, you want to go slower, you want to still challenge yourself. You don't want to injure yourself, but you can usually lift heavier than you think you can. But so for say, for example, I did 100 pounds and I did maybe 12 reps. So I'm like, okay, I think maybe I didn't feel like I went all out. Maybe I can go a little bit heavier this next week. So I'm gonna go to maybe 105, maybe 110. Even if I only do 10 or 11 reps, if I'm pushing myself, if those last two to three reps feel really, really hard, I know I push myself really hard. I'm gonna see if I can keep going up. So that's the goal of progressive overload, is that you're constantly challenging the muscle more. That's how you're going to make your muscles grow is by progressive overload. If you're using the same weight week in and week out with the same movements, that muscle is not going to be challenged to grow. Also, your nutrition needs to be in line with that. So this is what I see with a lot of women. They're not eating enough, so they want to do progressive overload. But you got. You also got to. The nutrition part is important, too. You got to be eating enough to put on muscle. But the idea is that you're going to challenge that muscle and then. Then it'll adapt to that new weight, and then it adapts and then you challenge it again and you go heavier again. That's progressive overload. Or you can add a rep or there's different things you can do, but that's kind of the basic.
- [15:19]
B
The basics. Yeah. Don't do the same thing all the time. I actually saw this thing on Instagram very recently, and it was a male trainer, and he's like, I can tell when people are in the gym if they're exercising versus if they're like, on a program trying to build because, like,
- [15:36]
C
they behave different exercising or training.
- [15:38]
B
Exercising or training. And that was a. I just thought it was a beautiful way that somebody broke it down of, like, you actually have to do the same things over again, but heavier versus, like, what do I feel like doing today? Let's do some legs, which I fall into that trap because I like novelty and let's do something new and I don't want to get bored and blah, blah, blah. Like. No. When you train, you actually do the same things for several weeks with the goal of lifting, getting heavier on it.
- [16:05]
C
Boring gets results. That's the saying.
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B
Boring gets results.
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C
But you got to learn how to push yourself. That's why I say you got to learn how to kick your own ass.
- [16:15]
A
Yeah. Nice. Did you.
- [16:16]
B
Did you have a trainer at the beginning to work on form, or did you already kind of knew?
- [16:21]
C
I felt pretty good about my form and I've always, as you see, I've videoed myself a lot.
- [16:25]
B
Oh, yes, you check your form.
- [16:26]
C
I'm always getting so. So I'll check my own form. And I had done CrossFit for eight years, and then I had been in the gym even before CrossFit and doing a little bit of progressive overload. Not as much, obviously, as what I've done in the last few years. So I felt pretty. We're. And we were pretty good at my CrossFit gym about really nailing down form. So I felt like I was very pretty in touch with my body, but I'm still always scrutinizing my form. I'm still looking at videos and saying, what could I do better?
- [16:54]
B
Do you can lift heavier if you get a little sloppy.
- [16:57]
C
Exactly. And sometimes you get your form correct. You're like, oh, I need to decrease the weight because I Can't do this weight properly with this form how it is. So, yeah, I felt like I have had years of really understanding my body and feeling I have good form with my body.
- [17:13]
B
So, yeah, what do you think it was for you? And I know everybody's different, but like, some people have like amazing results with CrossFit. Why for you, the shift away from CrossFit. How do you think it's working better for you now with doing that shift?
- [17:27]
C
Well, it's actually, I mean, CrossFit is more of a hybrid type training and to me, I think that women in my age group have better results with strength training, with progressive overload strength training. I see the better results with this. But for me, I specifically wanted to sculpt a physique. I wanted to sculpt the muscles. CrossFit is more hybrid training. So you are, you are lifting, but it's, it's more, there's a little bit more cardiovascular involved, whereas actually going, you know, muscle hypertrophy, where you're actually focusing on putting muscle on your body, you're actually sculpting and forming and chiseling your body. It's different. It's different, it's different.
- [18:08]
B
I noticed that like this. Well, 2025, I got more sleep than I had in a long time because I no longer took call at the hospital. And to me I'm like, gol, I hate to say it, but like, that seems to be really important for physiques, is you gotta sleep. And I think like the, whether it's powerlifting or physique training, everybody says you must take rest seriously.
- [18:31]
C
Big time. That is. And I think that's something. Honestly, I get that question so often with ladies. I feel like it's something we're chasing in perimenopause and menopause. We're constantly like, how can I get enough sleep? How can I get this sleep thing down? Because seven to eight is, for me, that's a sweet spot. I mean, obviously if I were to get any more, that'd be amazing. But seven to eight hours, sweet spot. But you know, you notice your body is off when you don't get enough sleep. Everything is off. And it messes up your hunger hormones. You feel exhausted, you feel that fatigue. Sleep is everything. That's where everything regenerates and restores. It's huge. Huge.
- [19:09]
B
Absolutely huge. And I, I mean, there's so many people who are shift workers and like, they can't have their job and get sufficient, adequate rest. And so you're kind of trying to work around that and be like, okay, well, on the days that you can, you've really got to dial it in. Don't stay up late on those days. And like, if sleep is really, really important.
- [19:28]
C
Yeah. It's just like anything, you know, being so intentional with how you live, you know, I mean, like, oh, well, I guess I probably should turn off the binge watching for now or stop binge scrolling and doom scrolling and go to bed, you know, and have a sleep hygiene routine to help me get better sleep. It's just being so intentional about your choices and how you live. It's a hard one. But I think for a lot of us too. For a lot of us women and what we struggle, I don't know, maybe you can tell me if you see this in your practice. But we get to sleep fine. It's just the waking up.
- [20:01]
B
People are exhausted, so they tend to be able to fall asleep really well.
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C
Right.
- [20:05]
B
But it's the sustained sleep that's a problem. My personal pride is getting people off THC gummies for sleep. Because the sleep experts will be like, that is no good for your brain. It is not good for your brain. And so I probably just. In 2025, I probably got six people off THC gummies with hormones because they don't really want to take the THC gummies, but like, their sleep shitty and so they, they kind of, they're just happy to be sleeping and then they don't need the THC gummies anymore. And so I like every. I just, just yesterday, a woman's like, I don't need my THC gummies anymore. And I'm like, there's another one.
- [20:41]
C
I love it. That's amazing.
- [20:43]
B
Yeah.
- [20:43]
C
I mean, for me, personally, what I love is my magnesium. I do have magnesium complex at night. And then, you know, I started HRT a little over a year ago, and I do think the progesterone helps with my sleep.
- [20:56]
B
God's gift to sleep.
- [20:57]
C
Yes. I mean, I wasn't sleeping for a while because of hot flashes. It was just like, I can't. It was waking me up all night long.
- [21:03]
B
So what's your journey on that? Because a lot of women will say, I don't want to take prescription medication, especially the healthy women.
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A
Right.
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B
I don't want to take the stigma of taking a prescription as like, you've failed or now you have, now you have some. And it's like the stigma of a prescription is butting heads with like, the benefits of hormone therapy. So where was your journey on, like, getting to the point where you're like, let's try these things. Quince is all about elevated essentials that feel effortless. Designed for layering and mixing, each piece helps build a timeless wardrobe made to last with versatile silhouettes and thoughtful details.
- [21:42]
A
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- [21:47]
B
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- [21:51]
A
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- [21:53]
B
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A
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- [22:03]
B
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- [22:09]
A
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B
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A
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- [22:38]
C
well, I will tell you, I was kind of like that person.
- [22:40]
B
That's why we're talking.
- [22:41]
C
Yeah, I mean, I was kind of that person where I've always been like, hey, rub some dirt in it. Pick up yourself. Let's go get figured out. You know, just rub some dirt in. Let's go. So I kind of was almost putting it off as long as I possibly could because I just thought, okay, I can just figure this out. I can do this with my lifestyle and how I live. And we'll work around it, and I'll maybe take certain supplements. And then I just got to a point where I was like, I was hot flashing. I'm not kidding you. It was like multiple times per hour on the hour, all throughout the night. I was. My sleep was wrecked. I'm like, and this has been going on for a couple of years. And then I would read the studies that would say, you know, this could go on for however many more years, like another 10 years. I'm like, no, no, I'm not doing. I'm not doing that. I can't do this. It was because it was affecting my quality of life.
- [23:29]
B
You're suffering. Got to be enough.
- [23:31]
C
Yes, it was enough to where I just, I literally just drenched in sweat constantly, everywhere I go. So I just, I said, I, I need to do that. I need to try this. And I then, once I started taking it, I Thought, oh, actually, this is also just making me feel good in general overall, more like myself. And it's amazing. And now I feel amazing. I don't know. I feel amazing. I feel so good. I don't. I mean, I'm going to be on it for the foreseeable future. I don't see why.
- [23:58]
B
Well, yeah, and we're aging at a time where the science supporting the health benefits of its youth or use is, like, just helping support you being like, it's not just not suffering. But that's nice, too, right?
- [24:12]
C
Exactly. But. And I think that's, you know, because of my mentality around it. That's, like, where I had to get to. But now I see all the benefits and now that I understand more and it's. Everything's been so emergent over the last few years, right. With the whole movement. And so it's all. It's all kind of been flooding in. And we're understanding more now. But, I mean, I will say it's been a game changer.
- [24:33]
B
I think a stigma of fit women and men get this too, is people will look at you and if they find out you're on hormones, they'll be like, she looks like that because she's on hormones. And it's like, everybody wants a quick excuse, and they want to give the hormones way more power than they actually have. Of, like, no, you. You know, and people, you know, they'll. They'll ask me, they'll like, can a woman get muscles if she takes testosterone? I'm like, no, not if she doesn't exercise and feed them.
- [25:02]
C
And so this is why I always say, hey, I have. And I. I'll post regularly about it and I'll say, hey, look at this photo of me before I went on hrt. I'm pretty freaking shredded. I'm pretty ripped. And look at how muscular I look. This is before I started anything. So, you know, right there, people are like, oh. And then I say, you know, hormones bring our levels into normal range. We're not an enhanced range. It's normal range. So this is. People think it's some type of enhancement. It's like, no, we're just. It's normally taint in the gutter. This is bringing us up to normal. So. Which makes us all happy and feel good. So, you know, it's. Yeah, but I love having. Having the photos.
- [25:44]
B
It's the excuse people use to be like, well, she looks like that because she's on hormones. And so that's why I don't look like that. Is because I can't take hormones or bo, blah, blah. And it's like, no, hormones won't do that. And especially for the people who can't take hormones, which more people can than they think they can, but there are some that can't. I'm like, walk, lift weights, eat healthy, sleep. Like, there's so much you can do that hormones won't do those things for you, but they'll have. If you're sleeping, you feel like eating better, right? Like, the sugar cravings help because you're sleeping better. Like, it all plays a part.
- [26:18]
C
That's why I always say, like, if you don't do the work, like, they get. They're a tool to help you. They might, you know, make you more. They're going to make you more optimized to do all the things and accomplish all the things you want to accomplish. But if you just take them alone and expect some kind of crazy results, that's not going to happen. You got to put in the work, too.
- [26:35]
B
Yeah, totally. You got on stage recently. Not just. I mean, I know you speak on stage, but you got, like, almost naked on stage recently.
- [26:44]
C
Oh, yeah, that stage.
- [26:45]
B
The naked stage.
- [26:48]
C
Yeah. But the buns out.
- [26:50]
B
The buns out.
- [26:51]
A
Or they.
- [26:52]
B
Where they glue the swimsuit on.
- [26:53]
C
Yeah, it actually, I didn't have to. I didn't have to glue anything kind of nice, but they give you a glaze before you go on stage. You go and wait, wait in line, and they have, like, all this oily stuff on their gloves, and they just glaze your entire body so you look all nice and glazed and silky and shiny when you go on stage. It's kind of fun.
- [27:12]
B
There's bright lights, you know, I'm glad they.
- [27:14]
A
They make.
- [27:14]
B
Give you good body makeup for it. Okay, so was that. Was that a bikini competition? What did. What did you do and why did you do it?
- [27:21]
C
Well, you know, it's so funny. I always thought about one, and I thought, I'm just not ready. Not ready, not ready yet. But it always kind of been one of those things in the back of my head, like, just. I don't know. I like to try new things and do different things and challenge myself in new ways. Why not? And I got a crazy well of hair two weeks before this competition, which never happens. But there's a gal that's a trainer at my gym, and she's a bodybuilder as well. She's amazing. She's very. She's a pro. She is an IFBB pro. She's coached A ton of women in my age range. She's amazing. And I said, look, I'm going to ask you this. Tell me if I'm crazy. I said, please be honest with me. Tell me if I'm crazy. Can I do this in two weeks? And she said, alicia, you are one of two people that I would say yes to. There's only one other person that I would say yes to, and I would say yes to you because of your lifestyle and how you live.
- [28:09]
B
You're already almost there.
- [28:10]
C
I'm pretty. Pretty darn close. So I did a two week prep and ordered my bikini. And from like a ready to go, ready to ship selection, because usually those bikinis take a while to get them made and custom made. So I was just like, oh, yeah, whatever's ready to ship. I just want green. I started practice the posing, because the posing part is the hardest part. It's so hard. It's a workout in itself. It's so hard. You're doing in these freaking heels. But it was, I was like, this is so fun. This is fun. I like this. And just went up and I just did. I didn't have any expectations at all. The only thing I wanted to do was just have the experience and experience it and see what it was like and just have fun. That's really what. That's the only thing I was expecting. I had so much fun and I kind of, there's. I kind of, in a way, I want to do it again. There's part of me that wants to do it again. It's a lot of fun.
- [28:59]
B
Yeah, it might be like getting a tattoo. You know, they're like, once you get one, you're like thinking about.
- [29:04]
C
You want to keep getting it.
- [29:05]
A
Yeah, yeah, it was.
- [29:05]
C
But, you know, honestly. So I had to do a two week calorie deficit, and I have not. You know, when I initially did the start of this whole transformation journey of myself, I did a calorie deficit for three and a half months, right? I lost about £15. And then from then on, I've been in maintenance and just doing body recomposition, which that blows a lot of ladies away. And that's always something I want to talk about with the ladies, because you don't have to. I'm like, you don't necessarily have to do the bulk. You can't. You know, some people, some, Everybody's kind of different. But body recomposition, eating and maintenance, game changer. I haven't been in a deficit in two and a half years, so I had to Go into a deficit. This is hard.
- [29:46]
B
This is really hard.
- [29:48]
C
But it was fine. By the end of the two weeks, I'm like, okay, I'm ready to go back to maintenance and feeling energized in my lifts and going to bed feeling satisfied. But, yeah, the body recomposition is. Yeah, if you want to talk about it, we can talk about it. It's very simple. It really is.
- [30:04]
B
So for people who don't know what it is, let's talk about what it is at the first place.
- [30:07]
C
Body recomposition is basically when your body burns fat and builds muscle simultaneously. So what I did was I lost weight. I wanted to lose weight. I got to a body weight that I was totally happy with. And I said, from here on out, I just want to eat. And maintenance, which means eating to maintain your current body weight. You're eating enough food to maintain your current body weight. And just push really hard in the gym. Really apply that progressive overload in the gym and work really hard. But it takes time. This is the one thing that ladies want. Stuff to happen quick, quick, quick, quick, quick. But body recomposition takes, you know, months. And you can even see my progress over the last three years as I've just been. Just kept pushing and pushing and pushing in the gym. But just eating and maintenance, you can see, but it literally, you just see, the scale stays the exact same. I always show people this, this little visual because people say, oh, wait, muscle weighs more than fat. Well, no, muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. They weigh the same. A pound of fat is the same as a pound of muscle. But look at what the muscle looks like. This is why you look so sculpty and lean, weighing the exact same that you did with more fat on your feet. When you burn fat and build muscle at the same time, the muscle's more compact. That's why you look sexy, sculpty lean. But you can be weighing the same as you did before. That makes sense. I don't know if that clarifies that
- [31:21]
B
for people who are audio only, she held up a piece of muscle and a piece of fat and to show that the fat is bigger than the muscle and they're both £1.
- [31:30]
D
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- [31:59]
C
Yeah, they both weigh the exact same. It just the composition is completely different.
- [32:02]
B
Okay, so do you have to hop on a scale and be like, okay, I'm still at X, I must be eating enough. Like, can you literally ballpark it like that?
- [32:09]
C
Yeah, I'll check the scale and say, oh, okay, I'm right around the same body weight. You know, if I hover within the same couple of pounds, I'm staying around that same body weight and then just
- [32:17]
B
list, dude, you're making it sound way easier than I think a lot of
- [32:21]
A
people think it is.
- [32:22]
B
Or like, do I need a scale? Do I need macros? Do I need blah, blah, blah.
- [32:27]
C
I would suggest, you know, following macros, you know, for body composition goals. I would always suggest that. But eating and maintenance macros. And then, you know, I always say get a DEXA scan every so often, you know, maybe twice a year just to, just to track your progress. Because the scale can only tell you so much. You know, your dex is going to give you the all the nitty gritty that you want to know about your body fat, your lean muscle mass, your bone density. That's going to give you that. You want to know all that stuff. But yeah, definitely you need to know your macros for the body composition part. And you want to be getting enough protein, enough carbs and enough fats.
- [32:59]
B
Yep. Is there an easy online calculator for that or do you have to like.
- [33:02]
C
Yeah, you can go to TDEE calculator.net
- [33:05]
B
TDEE calculator.net so that's going to get
- [33:10]
C
your TDEE, that's going to give you your total per day. You just want to make sure if you're tracking a lot of what A lot of times what women do is they have it connected to their other apps and so then the tracker wants to minus out their, their movement calories and like, no, because a TDEE accounts for everything, if that makes sense.
- [33:28]
B
Okay, well it's good, I think, to give women some tools to start being like, okay, follow this, don't do that. This is fine.
- [33:35]
C
That calculator will tell you, you know, depending on if you want to go to a deficit and lose fat, it'll tell you what you need to do for a deficit, what you need to do for maintenance, and what you do for a surplus. Now, is it possible that there's going to Be nuance. Yeah, you might need to tweak it a little bit because everybody has their own physical specimen. So, you know, you might need to tweak it a little bit for yourself, but it's going to give you a ballpark to start with and then you can kind of, you know, play around with it a little bit. But also one thing to note too, is as you body recomp and you put more muscle on your body, you're probably going to need to increase your food because muscle is metabolically active. So you're going to. It demands more fuel.
- [34:12]
A
It demands more fuel.
- [34:13]
C
It demands the fuel.
- [34:14]
B
It demands it.
- [34:16]
C
Which is so good.
- [34:17]
B
Yeah, no, I love it. You get to eat more and then you get to. And then you get to eat more, which is super fun. What are some of like the big myths or things that women are saying on your Instagram that you really want to like debunk or educate women about? About lifting weights or eating or like anything and what they think about you? That's not true.
- [34:37]
C
Oh, well, the HRT thing comes up all the time. People think I'm in a deficit. They always think, oh, you must be eating in a deficit or you're under eating because of the way I look, because of my muscles, because of how lean I am. And you know, I've been eating and maintenance for a while. I have very shredded abs. And so one thing that women need to understand is that, you know, we all carry body fat differently, right? We all, like, I am just, I naturally lean up, up top in my upper half my body. I naturally lean up up here. I carry more fat my lower body. So my abs just. They just have a mind of their own. And I do weighted ab movements that makes your abs pop a little bit more. So but people just have this misunderstanding that you have that lean mus muscular look. You're not eating enough. You're under eating. It's like, I wish I could take you along for my day so you can see what I eat.
- [35:24]
B
Yeah, I love it. I love it when you do that. And for people who don't believe her, she came to my clinic, she got on my inbody and it's very. Which inbody is a bioimpedance body composition scale. It's very rare for the inbody to say, like, perfectly match. There's no fat to lose, there's no muscle to gain. Basically. It'll tell you, right? And she was like 0 and 0. So she was like, like perfect. The embody was like, ding, ding, ding, ding.
- [35:51]
C
That's Too funny. I love it, I love it, I love it.
- [35:54]
B
So we've. We put her on the scale. We evaluated her for frailty. She is not frail.
- [35:59]
C
No frailty found.
- [36:01]
B
No frailty found. 0 for 0.
- [36:04]
C
I know. That's the other thing. You know, people think because I'm lean also and I'm petite, you know, then you see the weight loads that I'm pushing. Like, you can be lean and petite and still be pushing really heavy weights, you know, for me.
- [36:15]
B
Oh, my God. Do you follow the woman? I forget her name. She. She's like 55. She is like the world's Masters bench press champion.
- [36:25]
C
Yes, Jen, thank you.
- [36:27]
B
I'm like. I think her name is Jennifer.
- [36:28]
D
She's.
- [36:29]
C
Yes. She's insane. Like, her bench. I can't go. I cannot. That's one glyph that I'm weak on is insane. It's like, I feel like I saw even a post this morning. It was like 300 something.
- [36:43]
B
Yeah, yeah. No, it's for people who don't know. It's multiple plates. It's multiple plates, which I literally can
- [36:49]
C
do like 95 or something like that.
- [36:52]
B
I'm up. My one rep max on bench press is 80 now, and my goal for 20, 26 is 100. But then I'm like, why is it 100? Why isn't it my body weight? Yeah, I just. I'm watching Jen enough that I'm like, maybe it should be my body weight.
- [37:06]
C
She is a specimen, but she. I mean, she works at it.
- [37:09]
B
She's been doing it for years. That's the thing is, like, just keep. Because people want it to happen fast. You cannot be. It doesn't happen fast. And Jen's been doing it for years and years and years and.
- [37:21]
A
Plural.
- [37:21]
B
Plural years.
- [37:23]
C
That's why I always just push that. It's so important to fall in love with a lifestyle. You gotta fall in love with your lifestyle, because otherwise it's just. It's gonna be a fleeting thing. It can't just be like, oh, I gotta get in shape for this event. Or. Can't be a superficial reason. You got to love it because you love it and you love what you eat and you love how you move and you love the lifestyle, and it'll just keep you going. You'll see you and celebrate the little wins along the way. Like, the little tiny things that you celebrate are little ups in your weight, little things that you do that are just little tiny wins. Celebrate that along the way. But just know it takes. All good things take time.
- [37:58]
B
All of Them all good things take time. And I think people are like, oh, you know, you do it for the look of, like, being strong feels good. And I don't think that's spoken about a lot of, like, it actually feels good. It doesn't. Yes, it looks good, but it feels good.
- [38:15]
C
But you feel like a badass. Yeah, you feel amazing. You feel. You feel powerful from the inside out. You just start to just feel like a new person. It builds your confidence in so many ways. It's just. You become a new person as you build muscle.
- [38:29]
B
Yeah, well, I think that's like the mindset that isn't like you. You have to become the person who has muscle. And I know I have a lot of room to grow on that also. But, like, I understand mindset. I know I just have to. I have to get out of the, like, it's hard. Muscle is hard. Gaining muscle is hard.
- [38:49]
C
Mindset is huge. I think it's the most powerful tool on our bodies. Body goes where the mind goes. It's.
- [38:55]
B
It's.
- [38:56]
C
And that's why it's like with my. With my group coaching ladies, that's the first thing that I have them do is do the mindset stuff. Do the mindset curriculum because, like, that you need to get your mind right. Because most people just start something and then they quit. You know, you always hear about it, like, the New Year's resolutions and the New Year's goals start a couple weeks later. Three weeks later, they quit. So you're. It's a mindset thing, and it's an identity thing. You have to know why you want this, what is it that you want? Get super clear on what you want, and then get super clear on what your daily habits are going to be to get you there. And you have to understand that your new identity hasn't been formed yet. Like, you're forming a new identity and a new. Like, you're becoming a new person. And the more you repeat those habits day in and day out, you become. You'll eventually become that person. You got to be able to stick with it and repeat those habits on the daily. Then pretty soon you're like, oh, I'm a new person now. That's what Alicia was talking about. Like, yeah, yeah, I love it.
- [39:49]
B
I love it so much. Looking ahead, what's the. What's your 2026 plan? Tell people where they can find you with the group coach. What's going to be new?
- [39:58]
C
You know, just going to keep cruising with what I'm doing. I might be coming out with Some more VIP kind of one on one coaching potentially. Because right now I have my app, which is on my lifting programs, and then I have group coaching, which is amazing. So that's just if you need that kind of extra layer of accountability. And again, we have mindset curriculum, nutrition curriculum, movement curriculum. And then we meet every Monday at 7pm Eastern. We meet on a live call. Every Monday I'm on the call. So It's Alicia Erickson app.com that's where you can find everything. And like I said, we might be starting to come out with some VIP coaching. It's kind of in the works right now.
- [40:35]
B
Ooh, fun for you, Fun for you.
- [40:38]
C
I'm pumped. And it's. I like to me there could be nothing more satisfying than watching the women's faces light up and see their just their lives light up. When they start to feel that, that muscle coming on, they start to feel that strength, they start to feel empowered. Then we're in the group empowering each other because not everybody has like that and, or people in their life that are going to encourage them in that way. And so it's just, it's really, really cool to see this community building that's like, that is my goal is just how much, how many more women can I impact? How many more women can I get to like, just gas themselves up and feel amazing about themselves and, and feel empowered when everybody wants us to feel disempowered at this time in our lives? Like, no. This is your prime.
- [41:19]
E
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- [41:49]
B
Dude, I was like, literally on npr, the question they lobbed at me was like, tell women why this is an okay time to be alive. Like, it was like such a low bar of a, of a, like, tell them why menopause isn't the end of it all. Like, it was. I gave. I'm, I'm killing their question. But it was basically like, wait, hold on. Our mindset is that this is over too. And so then I went into like, historically, in many cultures, the older, wiser women were the leaders. They're the wise people. They're the wisdom carriers. Like Our society prioritizes youth and beauty at the expense of you thinking you're worth anything. And it's not okay.
- [42:34]
C
Older women with the wisdom. I love that. It's true.
- [42:38]
B
Dude, you've done hard things. You raised teenagers.
- [42:42]
C
What can't you do right? I love that.
- [42:45]
B
I know. It's so good. Awesome. Well, thank you for joining us and inspiring us. And, dude, your Instagram's gonna hit a million in 2026. Speaking of things that are gonna happen, it's gonna happen.
- [42:55]
C
I'm manifesting it.
- [42:57]
B
Oh, it's gonna. It's gonna happen. It's very exciting.
- [43:00]
C
It's so good. I love you.
- [43:03]
A
Awesome.
- [43:03]
B
I love you, too. Thanks for coming on.
- [43:05]
C
You're the best.
- [43:06]
B
Till next time.
- [43:07]
C
Bye.
- [43:08]
A
If you found this episode funny, helpful, insightful, please take a moment to follow rate and share the youe Are Not Broken podcast with someone who might need this conversation too. That support is how this information reaches more people, and thank you for courses, books and my monthly membership and the Casperson clinic information. Visit KellyCaspersonMD.com this podcast and all content from Dr. Kelly Casperson is intended for educational and informational purposes only, and this is not a substitute for individual medical coaching or psychological advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the guidance of your qualified healthcare professional with any questions you may have regarding your health. Never disregard or delay medical advice because of something you've heard on this or other podcasts. Thanks for being here. And remember, you are Not Broken.