Behind the Episode: Unlocking Women’s Health

What if health wasn’t something you had to earn?

In Episode 26 of UpLift Women’s Wellness, Bethany Busch and Auria Zahed, LMFT, dive into the questions women ask most—and the myths that keep them stuck. From bloating and metabolism to hormonal chaos and diet culture, this episode reframes wellness as something you feel, not something you perform.

Here’s what they unpacked—and what the science says.

🌀 Bloating & Digestion: It’s Not Just What You Eat—It’s How You Eat

Bethany explains that bloating is often caused by gas buildup from “mindless eating”—scrolling while snacking, rushing through meals, or ignoring hunger cues. When digestion doesn’t start properly in the mouth, food breakdown becomes less efficient. She also points to food sensitivities (especially dairy) and suggests elimination diets to identify triggers.

Fact Check:

• Mindless eating can lead to swallowing excess air and poor chewing, both of which contribute to bloating.

• Malabsorption and bacterial overgrowth are common culprits.

• While digestion still occurs if you’re distracted, it may be less efficient.

Takeaway: Slow down. Chew. Notice. Your gut will thank you.

🔥 Metabolism & Aging: It’s Not Your Age—It’s Your Muscle

The episode challenges the myth that metabolism tanks with age. Bethany reframes it: it’s not your birthday—it’s your movement. Muscle mass and activity levels play a bigger role than most people realize, and even short walks can make a difference.

Fact Check:

• Metabolism stays fairly stable from 20–60, with a gradual decline after.

• Muscle burns more calories than fat, so loss of lean mass matters.

• Some cellular slowdown does occur with aging, but movement mitigates it.

Takeaway: Movement is medicine. Muscle is metabolic gold.

⏳ Intermittent Fasting: Trendy Doesn’t Mean Safe

Bethany shares her research on intermittent fasting (IF), noting that while popular, it can stress the female endocrine system and often leads to weight regain. She advocates for nutrient-dense, calorically appropriate eating instead.

Fact Check:

• IF may disrupt sex hormones in pre-menopausal women, affecting cycles and mood.

• Weight loss is common initially, but regain is also documented.

• Nutrient-dense, balanced eating supports long-term health.

Takeaway: Your hormones aren’t a trend. Feed them accordingly.

🚫 Diet Culture: Blame, Shame & Bad Advice

Bethany and Auria critique the “blame and shame” messaging women encounter online. Google searches often push calorie deficits and quick fixes without context. They emphasize the importance of expert guidance and nutrient density—how your body processes whole foods vs. packaged ones.

Fact Check:

• Nutrient-dense foods support metabolism, mood, and hormonal health.

• Diet culture oversimplifies complex issues and promotes unsustainable solutions.

Takeaway: You’re not the problem. The system is.

🌙 Hormonal Health: Your Body Is Talking—Are You Listening?

Fatigue. Mood swings. Cravings. Skin changes. Irregular cycles. These aren’t random. They’re signals.

Bethany breaks down how to recognize hormonal imbalance and why menstruation is more than a monthly inconvenience—it’s a vital sign. Your body is always talking. You deserve to understand what it’s saying.

Fact Check:

• These symptoms are valid indicators of hormonal dysregulation.

• Menstruation is medically recognized as a key health marker.

• While “everyone has an imbalance” may be an overstatement, it reflects the widespread nature of these issues.

Takeaway: If your body’s whispering (or screaming), listen. That’s health.

Final Thoughts: Wellness That Actually Feels Like Wellness

Bethany’s insights challenge the aesthetic obsession and invite women to redefine health on their own terms. It’s not about shrinking—it’s about strengthening. Not about control—it’s about connection. And not about perfection—it’s about presence.

Want more?

- 🎧 Listen to UpLift Women’s Wellness on Spotify, Apple, or WDJY FM

- 💪 Prebook This Body Doesn’t Belong to You—a 6-week workshop starting Dec 4

- 🐾 Join our Tuesday Unwind Dog Pack Walk in Costa Mesa

- 🔗 head2toestrength.com for events, bookings, and more

You don’t need to earn your health.

You just need to come home to it.

🧠 Behind the Episode: The High Cost of Being Likable

Narcissism, People-Pleasing & Lost Identity

She smiled so much her jaw hurt. She dimmed her wins so no one felt jealous. They apologized for having needs.

This isn’t just personality—it’s survival mode disguised as likability.

In this week’s episode, we unpack the emotional toll of being likable in a world that rewards performative softness and punishes selfhood—especially for women and people raised to prioritize others above themselves.

📊 The Pressure to Please: Data & Cultural Conditioning

Recent research from Good Shout’s Shapeshifters 2025 Report reveals that:

• 50% of women regularly withhold their opinions to avoid being disliked

• 43% intentionally downplay achievements to maintain likability

• 66% said being liked is core to their character—even more than being rich, powerful, funny, or influential (Source: Good Shout, 2025)

These findings mirror Lean In’s likability bias framework, which shows that assertive women are often penalized in both social and professional spaces (Lean In, 2022).

“The pressure to be likable is another job women do unpaid and unrecognized.”

This external validation isn’t just exhausting—it’s identity-erasing.

🧭 People-Pleasing as a Trauma Response

According to Psychology Today and Real Well Therapy, people-pleasing is often a “fawn” trauma response—a survival strategy developed in emotionally volatile or neglectful environments.

Clients who were raised in high-conflict households may learn that being liked = being safe (Psychology Today, 2024).

“I thought I was being strong. I was just scared to stop.” —Client, Virtual

Rather than generosity, people-pleasing is often rooted in fear and emotional hypervigilance—constantly anticipating others’ needs while erasing their own.

👥 When Narcissists Target the Likable

Narcissists exhibit low affective empathy but high manipulation skills, often targeting high-empathy partners who forgive easily and seek approval. Studies show they engage in transactional kindness—appearing generous until power or validation is threatened.

“Don’t ever let them see your actual vulnerability. Because that’s what they’re hunting for.” —Behind the Episode

Victims of narcissistic relationships often experience gaslighting, erosion of self-worth, and identity fragmentation—which is exactly why people-pleasers are vulnerable to long-term emotional harm.

💡 The Reclamation: Values Over Validation

Instead of shrinking to fit likability standards, the episode invites listeners to name and live by core values—the traits they want to express, not suppress.

Try this values exercise:

• List 10 qualities that matter to you

• Circle the top 3 that feel emotionally charged

• Ask: “When am I most aligned with these? When do I abandon them?”

For further exploration, check out these free guides:

• TherapistAid Values Worksheets

• Rediscovery of Me Workbook

• The Wellness Society’s Values Sheets

💬 “Death by a Thousand Cuts”: Leaving Narcissistic Relationships

Emotional abuse by narcissists is often slow and insidious, described in trauma recovery literature as “death by a thousand cuts.” There’s no single violent rupture—just a steady unraveling of worth.

“It’s just… plucking parts of you out, one piece at a time.” —Behind the Episode

Healing means naming the rupture and learning to trust your reality again—often with the help of therapy modalities like EMDR, somatic therapy, or trauma-informed CBT.

💬 Final Words: You Don’t Have to Be Liked to Be Worthy

Being liked should never cost you your truth. Boundaries shouldn’t make you feel guilty. And healing means choosing authenticity over applause.

“Society tells women to smile, soften, and shrink. But that pressure to be likable can make them vulnerable to manipulation, narcissistic abuse, and emotional collapse.”

At Head 2 Toe Strength, that culture shift begins with you: your care, your story, your reclamation—from Head to Toe.

📚 Sources & References

• Good Shout. (2025). Shapeshifters Report

• Lean In. (2022). Understanding Likeability Bias

• Psychology Today. (2024). People-Pleasing as a Symptom of Childhood Trauma

• Real Well Therapy. (2024). The Hidden Roots of People-Pleasing

• Rediscovery of Me. (2021). Values Workbook PDF

• The Wellness Society. (2022). Values Worksheets

• Therapist Aid. (n.d.). Values Clarification Worksheets