Side Project Podcast: Season One Wrap-Up 

Leyla Seka (00:00.979)

This is actually the wrap up session of our first season and sort of the first 10 episodes. And what Julie, Ruthie and I are gonna do is we’re just gonna talk to you all about some of the things that we noticed and some of the things that sort of came out of this whole adventure for us.

 

Julie Liegl (00:25.479)

Are we doing a clip show? Are we doing a best of recap of season one of Side Project?

 

Ruthie Miller (00:30.359)

Yes, this is our sizzle reel.

 

Julie Liegl (00:35.069)

It’s like when Growing Pains didn’t do a new episode, they just showed wacky things that happened in episodes before. I loved those. People complained, I loved them.

 

Leyla Seka (00:39.199)

That was great, I liked that. I liked that episode of Growing Pains. I wasn’t against that, I wasn’t against that. Kirk Cameron, I wasn’t against that.

 

Julie Liegl (00:46.235)

It was funny, we were talking before that all three of us have changed things. Like it wasn’t just us being like, that is so interesting. Like we literally have changed things we’re doing. Ruthie, I feel like you say that you’ve changed the most things or you seem like every episode you’ve come up with something.

 

Ruthie Miller (01:02.382)

Absolutely. I feel like I’ve made a significant change based on every single conversation that we’ve had. And this whole thing was an experiment, right? We decided we came up with the 10 topics that we wanted to talk about, the 10 things that we felt like our friends were all kind of talking about behind closed doors. And then we kind of found 10 experts to come and answer all of our nitty gritty questions about those things. So I definitely have a lot of takeaways. 

 

Leyla Seka (01:29.257)

So break it down. So let’s start taking away.

 

Julie Liegl (01:31.689)

Well, actually, what’s your favorite change you’ve made or what’s the one that you’re like most excited about?

 

Ruthie Miller (01:38.41)

Well, you know, I have big changes and I have little changes and probably the biggest change is I actually got on the estrogen patch. So I mean, that’s been huge. I’ve only been doing it for about a week now, but I honestly, I feel great. it’s, you know, jury’s still out, but good things already. I did, you know, speak to several doctors before I did that.

 

Julie Liegl (01:45.073)

Yay! And are you getting the little black ring and do you have a preferred cleaning method?

 

Ruthie Miller (02:02.326)

No, I don’t understand why you get the black ring. I think it’s because you run so much. And since you just told us about your recent fall, I think basically the answer is: stop running.

 

Julie Liegl (02:10.494)

That’s probably the best advice that we’ve given on this entire podcast.

 

Ruthie Miller (02:13.71)

Maybe. 

 

Leyla Seka (02:16.561)

What’s your biggest one, Julie? What’s your biggest one? That’s the thing you changed the most.

 

Julie Liegl (02:20.801)

Ooh, you know, I think protein. And it’s funny because we had like sent around the meme of the woman being like, all you have to do is eat like eight billion grams of protein. But I really think about it so much more now. And you know, it’s so funny, I think healthy eating and like, wait, and we’ll get into like what we learned by episode is such a macro topic. But it seems like there’s so many things where the answer is like you need to get especially as women, especially as we age, more protein. I cook a lot and when I make a meal, now I think, okay, is there a way I could add more protein for this? Or like when I snack, I’m a huge carb girl. I’m still gonna eat my crackers, my chips, my cookies, but like reaching for pistachios, reaching for almonds, like I’m just, I’m making more of a conscious effort there. And I don’t know that I feel a difference, but I believe that I’m doing something better for myself and I’m sure I’ll be muscular and jacked into my eighties because I’m doing it. How about you, Leyla?

 

Leyla Seka (03:18.173)

Mine was protein too. And I hesitate to say this because it’s more of a product than anything else, but that Thorne protein powder – that really changed my shit. And I talked to my nutritionist and she’s like, yeah, put two scoops and just have that in the morning, try to get like as much protein in the morning. And so I’m surprised by how many products popped out of the podcast that my friends were like I bought this and I bought that. so I did quite a lot of that too, but I gotta say that Thorne protein powder stuff shifted my whole regimen.

 

Julie Liegl (03:54.897)

And just quickly, like you’re blending that with like water, because I heard you guys did that episode. I listened to it. It’s a shake. Are we putting it our coffee?

 

Leyla Seka (04:00.339)

I think Ruthie just blends it with water. I put like ice and a pop of that and some strawberries in it and then blend it and fake myself into thinking it’s a strawberry milkshake, which I can kind of bullshit myself.

 

Ruthie Miller (04:15.436)

Yeah, I just mix mine with water and ice and I shake it up in a shaker and that’s my breakfast every morning and it gets me through to lunch. I love it.

 

Julie Liegl (04:23.497)

Amazing. Amazing. Okay, those are our biggest takeaways. We thought since at least two of us have self-diagnosed with ADHD, that we would go through episode by episode and kind of talk about some of the biggest things we learned. And since Ruthie is the most organized of us, she actually has notes. So Ruthie, where do we wanna start? Which episode? I don’t even remember which one was episode one.

 

Ruthie Miller (04:49.41)

Well episode one, which now that my brain fog is gone because of my estrogen patch, I can tell you that it was on perimenopause. And not for nothing, that was the most downloaded episode that we had. I think also that is kind of what kicked off this whole thing is all of our friends were talking about perimenopause. What is it? Why is it going on? We never heard about this before. And we had someone come and kind of answer all of our crazy questions about that. So that was episode one.

 

And that, you know, that probably got me thinking about the estrogen patch. I didn’t full on move forward right then, but that was definitely what got me thinking when she was debunking, you know, the crazy study that happened in the eighties. For sure.

 

Julie Liegl (05:35.881)

It amazes me because I’ve talked to, this is the thing people talk to me most about, both my friends who have experienced the podcast and even just randomly a friend of mine a week or two ago, and the friend of mine a week or two ago said that her doctor didn’t feel she was suffering enough. She’s like, well, I’m not really having hot flashes. So he said not to do it. And as Leyla and I’ve said, people keep coming to us and we’re like, not doctors, but I think it is so interesting because I think that episode really reinforced, it’s not just about the abatement of and certainly not the abatement of temporary systems, although it does do that, but it’s also about like, know, carrying your body through this period of time and you know, how weird the attitudes have been about women’s health and hormones and how they’re shifting, but maybe not everybody has caught up.

 

Ruthie Miller (06:31.864)

That’s true. Also, Julie, I’m so sorry. I did check in with some of my doctors before I got on the estrogen patch, but I totally forgot to give you a heads up and ask you if it was okay with you if I did this. So, sorry.

 

Leyla Seka (06:44.543)

For episode one, I mean, I’m well past perimenopause. I’m a bit older than both of you, let’s be clear. So that shit was a while ago, but I’m older than you. 

 

Julie Liegl (06:50.375)

Leyla, you’re two years older than I am. Two years.

 

Leyla Seka (06:44.543)

Two years is like 20 when you’re at our age right now. But I’d say episode one was the episode I got really comfortable saying vaginal cream out loud. I’ve never really said that before. And now I say it quite fluently to people. I’m like, we’ll just use the vaginal cream, which really I didn’t anticipate that coming out of my mouth as often as it does since we started that episode. So that’s really the takeaway I got from Peri Menopause. And honestly, look, and this is just universal. I told this to Ruthie last week and I’ll just say it again, like fundamentally throughout this whole thing, I have been truly shocked by how many of my friends and colleagues and really smart, well-educated, well, know, worldly people have come to me and been like, I had no idea about any of this. So really, women’s health is a total mystery. I think if we did nothing else in this podcast, we started a dialogue that will be continue hopefully for other people, because the truth is, we gotta educate ourselves. The doctors are no shit. So it’s up to us to go dig around and ask these questions and put things like this out in the world so that other people ask more questions. I think, I was thinking about it in this context, women have always been storytellers throughout history, right? That’s like a traditional kind of thing.

 

Well, maybe the story we all need to start telling is about women’s health. So our daughters and nieces and granddaughters and all the people that eat that have more understanding. I mean, we all thought it was like against the law to take hormones. So stupid. And we all believed it up until very, very recently. Like that’s crazy. That’s bad.

 

Ruthie Miller (08:27.628)

That is a big, a big lesson from our very first episode. mean, I’d say I’d call the podcast a success based on, on this, on this huge recommendation.

 

Julie Liegl (08:38.343)

Yes, and the Midi affiliate link that we should have gotten, you know.

 

Ruthie Miller (08:41.92)

I know. I actually, I have sent people to Midi and they have, they have gotten on estrogen patches too. So I do think I did notice in their dropdown, you can choose how you found out about Midi and you can choose a podcast and then you have to choose the individual podcast you listen to. And ours unfortunately did not make the cut. So we’ll have to talk to somebody about that. 

 

Leyla Seka (08:49.695)

No respect.

 

Julie Liegl (09:02.363)

It is funny, I will say, I was just reading a biography over the weekend. It’s called The Editor, it’s very good. I’m only two thirds of the way through about this famous editor who she published Julia Child’s The Art of French Cooking and Anne Tyler and John Updike and sort of ahead of her time. But it does go into, she has to have a hysterectomy and she talks to Julia Child about it. And basically she gets bullied by her doctor into going on to synthetic hormones. And then later she does develop breast cancer and there’s sort of a conclusion. But I did appreciate that the author, this isn’t a science or medical book, went out of her way to call out that these were synthetic hormones and this was like the 60s, 70s. And as we learned and talked about, that study flawed and looking at a different kind of hormone than they use today and the data was misinterpreted anyway. But I just thought it was so interesting, this long book about sort of publishing and living in that time and being a woman, like, detoured briefly into something that we had talked about on our podcast.

 

Ruthie Miller (10:01.806)

Interesting. All right, episode two was nutrition. And that was a really good one too. And I think that was where we really started digging into protein, first of all. And then the other, my big takeaway from that episode was I put turmeric on everything though. I mean, I just like leave it out and I sprinkle it on everything.

 

Julie Liegl (10:21.289)

Okay, I make now a turmeric tonic. Actually, my friend Darrah taught me about this, but it was right after we had done the turmeric episode. I do it in my instant pot. It’s sliced turmeric. I buy it at Trader Joe’s. Ginger, cinnamon sticks, honey, and water. And I do it in instant pot for like 20 minutes. You can probably just boil it for like a couple hours and get the same effect. And I pour it in a pitcher and then I drink it with a little splash of coconut milk. It is amazing.

 

Leyla Seka (10:46.367)

Yum. Nice.

 

Leyla Seka (10:50.623)

I too started putting turmeric on like popcorn and different weird things trying to get my kids to eat more of it too.

 

Julie Liegl (10:58.365)

Well, and what I did not change, will call out, is I still take most of my vitamins in gummy form.

 

Leyla Seka (11:05.412)

I did add gummy sunscreen. I did add gummy sunscreen.

 

Julie Liegl (11:08.585)

I was just in Palm Desert. I was actually there with Dr. Sinae Kane – not with, but I did see her down there – and I verified that I was taking the right sunscreen gummies, and we’ll jump ahead and talk about skin and Botox in a second, she did confirm I got the right one, but my very picky eater claims they taste like sunscreen, which they do not, they’re delicious. Sol Defense gummies for the win. I’ve added more candy to my routine, I’m thrilled.

 

Ruthie Miller (11:35.75)

That’s fantastic. Also, Lion’s Mane mushrooms. I do try to add those as well. I find I don’t love the taste as much as I love other mushrooms. So it’s been a little bit rough, but I do try to do that one. And I will say I’ve kind of turned the ship around with regards to supplements. I was taking all the supplements, and now I’m kind of taking none of the supplements because what’s working, what’s not, who’s to say?

 

Leyla Seka (12:03.295)

Sometimes it’s good to stop the supplements and then restart, like run tests again. And I get it. I do that too sometimes. It gets a little…

 

Julie Liegl (12:09.289)

I feel like that’s something she touched on really well, which is, yes, we may be taking too many, we don’t have the efficacy and also the way we are doing them. I am still doing collagen and creatine and vitamin C gummies and the occasional sunscreen gummy, but I’m not anxious that like, well, what about this and what about that? I think I actually got calmer about it based on that conversation.

 

Ruthie Miller (12:20.642)

Same.

 

Ruthie Miller (12:33.486)

Well, speaking of anxiety, that was our topic for episode three. And that was maybe my favorite episode to listen to just because I could listen to Mimi Winsberg talk all day. I thought she was just so fascinating. And that episode, I definitely stopped doom scrolling as much. I still do it. I’m not proud of that, but I do it less.

 

Leyla Seka (12:56.751)

I actually had a different reaction. I was like, fuck it. I’m gonna look at Instagram and buy pants. I don’t, she was like, do whatever you want. And I was like, right. So sometimes when I’m being forced to watch the Marvel movies for the nine millionth time, I’m gonna just scroll on Instagram and buy myself some shirts and pants and jeans, some sweatpants jeans potentially even. Like I, yeah, I had a different reaction. I will say the one thing from Mimi’s that I did was I didn’t start eating lavender. But I did start buying lavender candles and doing more lavender aggressive stuff in my house to try to reduce general anxiety.

 

Julie Liegl (13:36.275)

So I bought both my kids these stuffed animals. They’re from Amazon and one is a cat and one’s an axolotl. I have a big axolotl, but they have like 20 different animals and their head is like a normal stuffed animal head with no plastic though. And their body is filled with lavender scented beads and you put them in the microwave for a minute and then they sleep with it and it’s warm and it emanates lavender. My kids are not little babies. My kids are stuffed animal obsessed, but you know, and you know. They are double digits, and they love them. And I’m like, you seem anxious. Let’s microwave the axolotl and give that a whirl. Can’t say it’s working all the time, but I will say I also embrace the lavender. I know. Maybe I actually should probably buy myself one.

 

Leyla Seka (14:15.947)

We should all get them.

 

Ruthie Miller (14:21.976)

Let’s microwave the Axolotl. That feels like it should be a thing.

 

Julie Liegl (14:24.861)

You know, totally. I was really interested in that one. Well, first of all, that she validated my Cheeto problem. But just like talking about, I was like, well, most of my family’s anxious, but I’m depressed. And she was like, well, actually depression is really just sort of a manifestation of anxiety. Whoa, okay, didn’t know that. I thought I was special, my little Eeyore self.

 

Ruthie Miller (14:48.85)

So how about her talking about how there’s no real demarcation when you hit middle age? And Julie was like, wait a minute, is this our coming of age, this podcast? I was like, crap. That’s exactly why we’re doing this. That was me, my mental breakdown. Like, I’m hitting middle age, I must produce something.

 

Julie Liegl (15:06.983)

Yeah. Well, I guess this is more productive than, again, eating the giant bag of Cheetos.

 

Ruthie Miller (15:18.054)

Episode four was sleep, and I did not buy the cooling blanket because I just haven’t done that yet but I that’s on my list but I lowered the temperature in my room at night and that has been fantastic for me.

 

Leyla Seka (15:38.463)

I did buy the cooling blanket because I run hot. I love it. And then for me, I think the great thing about that episode was she was like, because I’m not a napper, right? I typically am like, know, it just sort of disrupts my day. And like, I have trouble coming out of it when I but she was like 20 minute nap is your max. So I can’t say that I’m necessarily napping, but I will go lie down for 20 minutes now. And like just, you know, meditate or whatever. And I wasn’t doing that before. And I do feel just generally more rested and better, which is pretty great.

 

Ruthie Miller (16:11.234)

I do that too, and she talks about taking away anything that buzzes or beeps. so I do, I don’t do 20 minutes, I usually do about 10, but I do think that has helped me as well.

 

Julie Liegl (16:21.437)

Yeah, I think that’s good. I don’t need a cooling blanket because I live in San Francisco, which is nature’s cooling blanket. I’m always actually freezing. But I do think the idea is like I was napping, you I don’t work full time anymore. My kids will go to school. I’ve had a rough night and like great, I can get two, three hours during the day if it’s like if I don’t have a lot going on or not two, three hours, but at least an hour. So I think shifting that was important. And I use that with my kids now too, who also will try to nap after school. And I’m like, no, stay awake! Sleep at night! Don’t be nocturnal.

 

Ruthie Miller (16:57.4)

So start five was skincare. I think we can all take away that the sunscreen gummies have been a huge hit.

 

Julie Liegl (17:05.691)

I’ve been dying to know. So, I mean, I feel like I was on that episode and I was like, really? Microneedling it. I’ve done absolutely everything she’s listed in more basically. Ruthie, do you have a different attitude towards, was shocked. I’ve known you for like 20 years to know that you were completely botox averse, fearful, have never done it. Cause I just assume most women our age have. you, you guys are so beautiful.

 

Ruthie Miller (17:33.102)

I just, I know, think most of my friends have.

 

Leyla Seka (17:37.391)

Fat! Fat is the natural botox. It’s finally turned around and become a thing. 

 

Julie Liegl (17:40.539)

No, bangs! Bangs are the natural botox!

 

Leyla Seka (17:37.391)

I know, I can’t do that fucking bangs thing. I’m cussing like crazy on this one. Apparently I don’t care anymore. No, my general thesis was I want to go out the way I come in. And I already have like so many, like getting your hair done and all that stuff. I kind of want to look like a wrinkled apple doll when it’s done. Like for me anyway, like I’m okay. Not now, but like as I age. I’m okay with it. That’s not for everyone and that’s fine. But for me, like I’m kind of okay with getting, I kind of want to see what I look like all wrinkled up. Like that’s kind of a, I like it a little bit. I’m okay with it.

 

Ruthie Miller (18:19.34)

That’s an interesting perspective there. I am not scared of the needles. I just don’t like putting more chemicals inside my body. I’m fine with putting anything topical. I am interested in micro needling. I realize that does get below the surface a little bit, but it’s not injecting me with something that’s totally not made from within. And I have explored other treatments. And the one thing that she told me is, or that I took away from that episode is the importance of a vitamin C serum. And I have been really good about that now. I did go to my own dermatologist in Houston after talking to Sinead on that episode. And she confirmed everything and gave me a list of all the treatments. So I haven’t done them yet, but I’m definitely planning on doing, not the vampire facial, because she kind of kind of said no to that one, but the microneedling and some of the other ones I’m interested in.

 

Julie Liegl (19:13.833)

Well, the vampire facial is microneedling. It’s just microneedling with that extra step of putting your plasma back on your face. and it does, I will say having done microneedling with and without the plasma afterwards, at least I believe that’s what people refer to as the vampire facial. Cause it’s like literally putting your own blood back onto your, it’s, but it’s gold. It’s not, it’s just the plasma. You do heal faster. You know, I don’t know, you know. They say that the plasma helps. I do know that you heal from the micro-needling faster, which means less downtime. I loved, I know we talked about the sunscreen gummies to me were like that head explosion moment, like, my gosh, soul defense. You can get them on Amazon. Unlike my picky eater claims, they do actually taste delicious. I, you what I thought was interesting is just, you know, her talking about, you know, we can do so much, but then at some point like, you do a bunch of stuff, but then you have to go live in the world. And unless you’re, you know, coded an SPF a hundred and never exposed to the sun again, it is going to keep happening. And that, that led me to think a little bit. And I actually had a conversation with a friend just very recently. He was considering doing a partial facelift of like, at what point are we going to go the way of the wrinkled apple doll? So it’s also something we discussed. Like I do stuff. I do Botox. I do some injections. I’ve done lasers with maybe you want to do a laser first. I do micro-needling, and at what point am I just going to be like, at some point I’m 50, 60, 70. I’m not going to look like Demi Moore because I’m not blessed or rich enough.

 

Leyla Seka (20:48.883)

Maybe you’ll do it forever. My mom’s 86 and she still pumps that shit into her face all the time. So like, you just don’t ever know. I mean, and if it makes you feel better, you should do it. Like, I don’t care. I don’t want to do it. That’s my choice. But if it makes someone feel better, do it. Do it as much as you want and you can afford. Shit’s expensive from what I hear. like, you know, I mean, I think that if it makes you feel better, you should do it. And I don’t think anyone should feel anything other than good about decisions they make, like, you know.

 

Ruthie Miller (21:04.27)

I agree.

 

Julie Liegl (21:18.121)

Totally, totally. Yeah, no, I think people should do what they want to do. You know, at what point are you like, I want to look younger when I’m 40, I want to look younger when I’m 50. Do I want to look 40 when I’m 80 or do I want to look 60 when I’m 80? And what does that even mean? 

 

Leyla Seka (21:29.631)

Well, you won’t, let’s be clear. You won’t look 40 when you’re 80. You’ll look 80 with some stuff going on, which is fine. I don’t know. Look, I’ve never worn makeup. It’s not really my game. I’ve never done really any of that stuff. So for me, it wasn’t even really a decision because I was just like, I’ve never done any of that. So I go to the dermatologist to make sure I don’t have skin cancer. You know, like that’s kind of why I go to the dermatologist. But I think anyone, I think people should do what makes them happy. And I think that more, I think more women are doing it than they admit. So like, why not just admit it?

 

Julie Liegl (22:02.601)

Yes, I think that’s the other thing and maybe it doesn’t get the same recognition as, know, we’re so brave talking about hormones. Like, I think talking about Botox is like, you should talk about Botox. Like you shouldn’t be like, I just drink so much water. And again, my forehead doesn’t look that great anyway, but like, no, like I, you know, I spend money on lasers and stuff like, mean, and I feel that way about, you know, celebrities who are like, You know, I walked after I had a baby and I lost 50 pounds and then I drank an extra glass of water and now I look 25 years old even though I’m 50. Like, let’s be honest about what we’re doing.

 

Leyla Seka (22:38.943)

100%. No shame.

 

Julie Liegl (22:41.917)

By the way, side note and not a topic that we did and also my like, like humble brag, but not really, I’ve never dyed my hair. I’ve never, I don’t really do my hair, but like it is now, I am aware and it’s also like, it doesn’t really, but I know going gray and I kind of think, and maybe I’ll change my mind. I just kind of think I’m going to let it happen. Well, thank you. But I think that, you know, for some people who got gray hair in their thirties, it was like very obvious, like color it up.

 

Leyla Seka (22:49.565)

That’s crazy. I can’t believe that. You’re very lucky. 

 

Julie Liegl (23:11.175)

I’m going gray older, I’m like, I don’t really want to have to go in and dye it all. And, you know, maybe I’ll feel differently when it’s like really coming in. It’s not that visible yet, but it is a decision that you make and it’s kind of based on what’s important to you. I’ve never really done anything to my hair. So I don’t know why I would do something that would require so much maintenance now as I’m getting older and lazier.

 

Leyla Seka (23:31.345)

I’ve been dying my hair since I was 20 years old. My hair is completely gray and was early, early. So yeah, it’s so funny to me. Where I think Botox is a ton of work and why would I ever wanna do that? My hair is totally normal. Like of course I’ll spend five hours getting my hair dyed and cut like natural. That’s funny. I think that’s just good. That’s a good discussion that we never have.

 

Julie Liegl (23:45.159)

I mean, you could argue, yeah. My Botox Fund is the tens of thousands of dollars and hours that I didn’t spend coloring my hair every whatever you have to do it six weeks.

 

Ruthie Miller (24:01.39)

Funny. That’s a good trade-off though, you’re right. Alright, episode six was death and I learned a ton from that episode. It was so interesting. I can’t say that I made any changes necessarily, but it was so interesting talking to Casey and hearing her perspectives on everything and I really enjoyed it, but you I haven’t changed anything per se.

 

Leyla Seka (24:26.591)

Yeah, I’m not sure that I’ve, I had already hired death doulas for all of the remaining living parents that I have and parents-in-law that I have. So that, I don’t think I changed. Here’s what I will say about that episode. I really wanted to do that one because it’s like very much the world I’m living in right now. And we were a little anxious. We were a little nervous. Like I remember Ruthie and I had a talk and we’re like, either it’s going to go really well or no one’s going to download it, right? And it did really well. More than anything from that, and Kacie’s amazing. It was so interesting to hear what she’s doing and just sort of the way she approaches thinking about death and helping people think about death. But for me, it was the number of people that reached out to me on the side and they were like, I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a death doula. I had no idea this helped me. I’m talking to my parent about this. I’m sick and I’m considering this for myself. know, unfortunately what happens in middle age and a lot of our friends are getting sick too, like just, bad things are starting to happen. So it was, I felt really good about that episode because it wasn’t necessarily an easy topic and not really something anyone’s like, woohoo, let’s go talk about death, except for Casey. But it was helpful. And the point of this podcast was to be helpful, not to be popular or funny or, I mean, yes, all that shit too, but more it was to talk about uncomfortable things so that other people would have a resource if they needed it. And that episode definitely.

 

Julie Liegl (25:52.337)

I experienced that episode as a listener, because I can’t help but notice that you guys, when it came to the most serious topic, were like, maybe not Julie on that one. I loved it. I mean, I am not in a place to do that for the next generation above me in my life, but I’m very glad that I know that it exists. But I think the point of like, this is the biggest thing we go through and we don’t talk about it. And it’s, it’s almost like taboo and you don’t prepare for it. And I did have a parent go through like a very major illness two summers ago, which we were not sure how that was going to go. And we were very lucky and he’s doing very well, but we did not. That wasn’t something we talked about or prepared for and why don’t you prepare for that? And I just also loved, you know, we had a postpartum doula for both of our kids. And the idea was she took care of the baby, but she also took care of us.

 

Like she’d come in, she’d get the baby and then she’d look at me and say like, okay, what did you do today? Did you get outside? Did you eat enough? Like, how are you feeling about your kitchen? Do you need me to clean it up? So the idea that the doula isn’t just there to like help that person, but that everyone around them is the one who really has to deal with this stuff. And at some point you’re going to have to go through that with somebody very close for the first time, if you haven’t already. And having somebody there who can help you, it seems very important. So I’m so glad that you, the more responsible, mature hosts, did that episode.

 

Ruthie Miller (27:21.262)

Stop it, just because you like all your gummy candies.

 

Leyla Seka (27:21.343)

You’re so full of it.

 

Julie Liegl (27:24.167)

I do, I was too busy eating candy.

 

Ruthie Miller (27:26.058)

Yeah. The next episode was weight. And that was a great one. I love Dr. Mather. She’s fabulous. And I will say that thing that I took from that episode is the importance of strength training. And it was a topic or a suggestion that came up on so many different episodes. So that was one of the big takeaways for me was the importance of strength training. Cardio too, but… really concentrating on strength training. And if anybody follows Dr. Mather on Instagram, she just posted a reel about, you know, rate, you know, these weight loss things on a scale of one to 10. And the only thing that actually got a 10 was strength training and weight lifting, that kind of stuff. So that was interesting.

 

Leyla Seka (28:09.971)

I was gonna say the same thing. People have been telling me to weight train for like the last five years and I’ve been ignoring them and in the last year I took it seriously because I was like, I’m frustrated by how little the weight that I was trying to lose more weight, wasn’t happening. And my general health is so much better since I started doing that. I’m sort of shocked and she confirmed that, right? And so I do.

 

I mean, we should probably do a whole, there should be a whole dedicated session to just weight training and like the different varieties and the different ways and the different types and what to optimize for. But that’s not, that’s not optional for us and anymore in life. Like that’s required. And I guess that’s a good thing for us all to like reprogram our heads around, especially those of us that grew up in like the fat free chain, Fonda aerobic era, which is all I thought mattered for most of my life. Right. So.

 

Julie Liegl (29:02.151)

Yeah, it’s funny. I sort of learned this firsthand and, you know, I never was a regular worker outer and then COVID hit and somehow my brain exploded and one of the ways I cope was working out and it started with the running. But then I started lifting and everyone was like, my gosh, like you, you know, you’re, and I also stopped eating because it was really stressful. Everyone’s like, your body has changed so much. And I’m like, well, the number one thing was I was too stressed to eat for a couple of months because things were really crazy.

 

The number two thing, and they’re like, it’s because you’re running. I’m like, the number two thing is definitely the strength training. And I’m like, I think the running, it lowered my resting heart rate. Like I know it improved my cardiovascular health, but like the weight training actually changed the way I felt about my body, the way it looked, like it really did change it. I experienced it firsthand and I love weight training.

 

Ruthie Miller (29:50.542)

You said that for a long time that you really felt like the way training with wet has changed your body. that’s, yeah, fascinating. Good, good firsthand data there. The next episode was fashion. And I know, I know what Leyla’s number one thing is. I will say for me, my number one takeaway was adding the pop of color because I talked about how I only wear blue. And now I have really started wearing still a lot of blue. But I do that pop of color that she mentioned and I really have been having a lot of fun with that, like exploring new colors and stuff like that. Today I’m wearing, you know, kind of gray, black, which, you know, doesn’t count.

 

Julie Liegl (30:27.401)

I got so excited, Ruthie, you scooted your chair back and I thought we were gonna be exposed to like a hot pink sock. Like I thought you were reaching down to show us something.

 

Ruthie Miller (30:33.35)

Ha! That would have been a great thing to do. maybe next time. Leyla, what was your big takeaway?

 

Leyla Seka (30:41.183)

I love that episode. I love Janel. I think she is classic and funny. But I bought those sweatpants jean things. And I basically had to take my kid to go look at colleges last week. We hit like eight states in seven days. It was exhausting. And I pretty much didn’t take those sweatpants jean things off. And I looked cute. I like went out to dinner at fancy restaurant and sat on the airplane. And yes, in the same sweatpants jeans for all week. So Those get my number one recommendation. Don’t make that face, Julie. go, those? Dude, whatever! I washed them at the hotel. I like did what I had to do. My general point being that if you can wear the same pair of pants on a six hour flight and then get up and go to like a decent restaurant in a big city and not look like a schmuck, that is something I’m interested in. And those pants did that for me.

 

Julie Liegl (31:12.745)

How do they smell? How do they smell after?

 

Ruthie Miller (31:33.816)

I did try on those pants. didn’t like them as much as Leyla did, but she said something about Marine Layer t-shirts and I did buy those and they are fabulous. And Marine Layer was really not a brand I had explored much and I got a couple of other things there that I really liked too.

 

Julie Liegl (31:50.377)

It’s funny, I haven’t shopped their t-shirts in a while, but I lived in them on my honeymoon, oddly. Like I bought a whole bunch for, we were in Africa for two weeks. I liked how she talked about like sort of shopping your closet, not just to go back and see what you already have, but I liked the idea of like thinking about why you bought things or why you liked things and that there’s like patterns, not like literal patterns, but maybe literal patterns. Like maybe there’s certain cuts you like or certain things that have worked for you in the past. And maybe that piece doesn’t work anymore because… it’s worn out or something, but maybe that’s something to think about when you shop again.

 

Ruthie Miller (32:22.904)

Fair. Episode nine was longevity. This I think was that was what really pushed me, obviously. We had the founder of Mini Health, Joanna Strober, and that was definitely what pushed me to make an appointment with Mini and get the estrogen patch. Because, know, Julie’s been talking about that for a long time and I always thought, how great. But Julie’s in California where Midi is. But Joanna mentioned, nope, we’re in all 50 states and it’s covered by insurance. And I thought, why the hell not? So here I am.

 

Leyla Seka (32:54.749)

Yeah, Joanna’s amazing. mean, she really is one of these people that will look back on and be like, she changed the way people think about menopause in female health past, you reproductive age, which is a pretty amazing thing to like start a software company and also be able to do that. But for me, you know, a lot of it was just validation of things I’m already doing, which honestly does feels good, right? You want to feel like you’re making the right decisions. You want to feel like you’re doing the right thing. So I thought.

 

First of all, just a lot of the different things she was offering. I also just think Midi as a company is the answer we’ve all been looking for for a lot of things. I started, I lost a lot of weight and I started working with a doctor like one-on-one a long time ago before Midi started. So I already have that relationship and sort of have been using that. But Midi, the number of people that now have access to the right type of people to talk about this with versus just a male gynecologist who’s like, you’re fine.

 

Every single one of my friends was like, no, no, no, the doctor says I’m fine. I’m like, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then they go back, they’ve gone back to the doctor post podcast and be like, look, my friend did this podcast. I don’t think it’s crazy to me that this happened, but my friend did this podcast and they’re saying, and then the doctor was like, okay, yeah, I guess because of their osteoporosis, maybe you should go on the hormones and now she’s on the hormones. mean, you know, that’s worth the whole podcast to me that she did that. And then we got one or two people to do that, but I just think, mind shifts the way we as women can think about our health as we age and gives us the tools that are covered by insurance to take some control over our menopausal, like hormonal health. And that is much more important than any of us knew. So I love her. I’m a huge fan.

 

Julie Liegl (34:31.719)

Yeah, totally. And again, like in pair with, know, it’s sort of interesting. We started with hormones and a very hormone focused one. And then I was like, all right, you know, Joanna, like, how long am going to be on these? Like when, you know, I’ll probably be through menopause. And she was like, forever. And the idea that this isn’t just about like, try to avoid hot flashes for a year or two. This is about like getting your body to continue to do things that will keep it healthy for a long period of time. And the idea that it’s actually never too late to start.

 

that even if you’re through menopause or in your 60s or 70s or whatever, that this could still have a benefit for you. Again, I’m advocating to maybe this is why people are seeking medical advice from us. Like it’s not just about preventing discomfort. It’s about keeping your body healthier, longer, keeping mental acuity and bone strength. And if nothing else, those two, like who doesn’t want those two? I also am very obsessed with, she brought up

 

the idea that at some point a lot of us will be microdosing GLP-1s. And I’m a little obsessed with GLP-1s, because first of all, I think the way that people have demonized them and turned it into this, not demonized, but this whole, oh, they just used ozempic. It’s so easy to do this. No matter what, if you’re losing weight, it’s hard, including using those GLP-1s that are really hard on you and force you to, it’s…

 

Leyla Seka (35:50.641)

It’s not, by the way.

 

Julie Liegl (35:58.387)

It’s hard work, matter how you do it, but the idea that a lot of us could benefit even from very small doses with a ton of side effects, not just weight-related, but potentially inflammation, mental acuity. I just think that’s such an interesting thing. And it does feel like MIDI or services like that and doctors that are thinking forward like that are going to be the ones leading it because no shade to sort of our general practitioner internist, but like they’re there to kind of like fix your problems, not necessarily proactively think. Like here’s something that might be cutting edge, might be out there, but we think is going to have sustained benefit.

 

Ruthie Miller (36:34.37)

Well, and that was something that Dr. Mathur on the weight episode talked about how those GLP wines have been around for 20 years, actually. They’re just now coming into the mainstream, but there is much more data than people think. And they are, you know, very safe. People are like, I’m not going to do that because it’s not proven. Well, they actually have been studied for decades.

 

Julie Liegl (36:40.905)

20 years.

 

Julie Liegl (36:56.137)

I literally had that exact conversation because I listened to episode with a friend. like, well, they’re going to find out all these terrible things. And like, they’ve been using it for 20 years. They just haven’t been using it this broadly for 20 years.

 

Leyla Seka (37:07.209)

I think this episode is interesting because when we were planning the podcast, we called this menopause and then Ruthie changed it to longevity. And I think that really is the change all of us came to, right? It was like menopause, I’m hot, I hate everybody, I’m gonna die. And then it was like, hold on, I want like strong bones and I wanna think straight and I wanna stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible and this is a really good way to do that. so, mean, Joanna’s amazing, but I do think that episode just sort of brought home all the learnings in a certain way, right? It wasn’t just.

 

Ruthie Miller (37:36.226)

typically live longer than men, but in poor health. And we need to start fixing that now. That’s what I’m concentrating on now is how do I, you know, as she talked about strongevity, how do I stay stronger for longer? 

 

Julie Liegl (37:55.209)

Yeah, it’s funny, again, going back to the hormone thing in general, I never had a hot flash. That is not why I did this. I did this because I want to both prevent and avoid, but also stay as strong as I can for as long as I can, because it feels like the people around me that live in this home need me. So I better stay in as good a shape as I can for as long as I can.

 

Ruthie Miller (38:18.164)

And episode 10 was pain. Pain, had Dr. Alim. She is fabulous. She is my doctor. So I didn’t necessarily have a lot of takeaways from that episode because I was already doing the things that she had recommended. But it was it was interesting. I hadn’t talked publicly about my autoimmune disease. I definitely got a lot of phone calls and texts like, my gosh, I had no idea that you were going through this. And it just, you know, sort of reinforced the fact that when we’re going through pain, we tend to keep it inside and not always tell people. And I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Again, I don’t want to, you know, just shout out to the world. I’m in so much pain and have everyone, you know, feeling sorry for me or thinking I’m just a downer all the time. But at the same time, we do, people in pain do need to be supportive. So it’s kind of hard to find that balance.

 

Leyla Seka (39:12.791)

I definitely yell I’m in pain to anyone that comes near me and got real nasty and mine him. I mean, look, I thought her session was great. And the most interesting thing for me in that was sort of talking about how pain changes how you feel as a person and how you feel like you can interact with the world. And sort of hearing her validate that and then hearing her good advice, which wasn’t, I had heard it too, right? I had a hip replacement. I’ve pretty much heard every single way to mitigate pain, at least in that way that they let you, but go outside, breathe some fresh air, take a minute, calm down. There are a lot of ways. And I will say too, sometimes, a friend of mine who’s a bit older, she lives in New York, she sent me an email and was like, I’m listening to the pain episode, laying in bed with back pain, and it’s making me feel better. Because sometimes you just want it to hear that someone else understands. They can’t take it away, they can’t make it better, they can’t do anything for you, but just they understand. That little bit can go a long way.

 

Again, that was sort of a touchy topic one, but one that both Ruthie and I, after coming out of a year with so much pain, we’re like, we gotta talk about this. Like we both were in insane pain. I was on cane for six months. I we were a mess for a while there. And so it was courageous. I’m proud of you, Ruthie. That was courageous. I didn’t realize you hadn’t talked about it. I mean, we talk about it all the time. So, but bravo you, that’s courageous to do that on the podcast.

 

Julie Liegl (40:32.041)

I, you know, once again, noticed that the serious topic was, you know, candy-eating Julie. No, but I mean, Ruthie, you would talk to me about your experience. Leyla, I don’t think I knew the full extent of what you had gone through. And I definitely got misty listening to it. I will say Leyla, the part, if I understood it correctly, where they were like, you’re too young to need a hip replacement, really made me angry.

 

Julie Liegl (40:57.161)

Because, know, just to me, it’s, and again, doctors are wonderful. There are many wonderful doctors out there, but the idea that somehow you weren’t being taken seriously for whatever reason is just crazy making. I do wonder if as women, we are somehow trained to accept more pain and just assume it is part of who we are and therefore not speak up until it reaches a point where it’s so acute or so chronic. But yeah, it’s… It is a big thing and I think, well said it, it affects more than just the actual pain. It affects how you feel overall about the world, about the people around you.

 

Ruthie Miller (41:37.556)

And you know, Dr. Alim, along with Joanna, along with Dr. Mathur, along with Alexandra, along with so many of the experts that we had on here talked about strength training. So that was another thing, another way to kind of future-proof your body from pain is strength training. 

 

Julie Liegl (41:57.735)

Yeah, and you know, I was talking earlier about how I fell last week while running and showed everyone my really beautiful bruise. I won’t do it for anyone who’s watching on YouTube because it’s down here. But my philosophy on working out, because I have kind of become a pretty active person, is like I do it, but if it hurts, I stop because I’m not working out. Like I have done a couple of half marathons. I’m in a strength program where I’m trying to do a certain amount of lifts per week. And if it feels wrong, I stop because I’m not doing this to win a prize or contest. I’m doing this to try to live a healthy life, so I can walk upright for as long as possible. And part of that is like listening to even minor pain and stepping off for a second and being like, okay, maybe my knee feels weird today, or maybe if it’s still feeling weird a week, I need to go see somebody about it. But pain is a signal that maybe you need to step back and think about what you’re doing.

 

Leyla Seka (42:52.255)

I’m learning that.

 

Ruthie Miller (42:53.376)

And that’s all 10 episodes. I will say the other thing that has been fantastic about doing this podcast is all the texts and emails and comments we have received from friends. We love them. It makes us so happy. again, never imagined that this would take off and go viral. But just knowing that there are a few people who have taken the time to let us know. We share all these comments, all these constructive things and feedback and stuff with each other. And it just has been so wonderful. Also, not for nothing, I will say I kind of set a goal for how many downloads I kind of thought every episode would get. And we doubled that for pretty much every episode. 

 

Leyla Seka (43:34.673)

Once a marketer, always a marketer, Ruthie Miller! Once a marketer!

 

Ruthie Miller (42:53.376)

I know, I can’t help it. I check BuzzSprout every day. But so not only did we double everything, I had something else to say and now I can’t remember what it was.

 

Leyla Seka (43:48.841)

Sorry.

 

Julie Liegl (43:49.289)

Wait, can I read the little part of my favorite text, one I just sent you guys a couple days ago? It’s so great to hear ladies openly talking about these subjects that I felt like I can only talk about with a small group of besties and these same topics I cry at the doctor’s office about when I’m feeling not seen or heard. It’s wonderful to hear it from the voices of ladies I know and respect. That text made me cry, send it to both of you. So if we did that, then I think we, I know, I know.

 

Leyla Seka (44:15.615)

We’ve all gotten them. We’ve all gotten so many of them. It’s been a very lucky, it’s been worth it. It was a lot of work, but it’s been totally worth it.

 

Ruthie Miller (44:23.95)

Here’s my favorite one? I just wanted to let you know that your podcast has inspired me to get back to taking care of myself. I made a dermatology appointment, a gynecological appointment. I’m getting myself together. I don’t know if it was COVID or just whatever, but I had gotten off a regular schedule and taking care of myself. And all of your podcasts have just been so helpful. So please pass along my appreciation to your colleagues. 

 

Leyla Seka (44:46.919)

Well, I didn’t know we were doing this, so I don’t have one queued up and it’ll take me too long to find it, but.

 

Julie Liegl (44:51.428)

I just was thinking about it was a way to end. This has been so fun.

 

Ruthie Miller (44:56.784)

Oh yeah, the other thing I was going to say is that our podcast actually generated a lot more downloads than a lot of the business podcasts I’ve been involved in. so that’s, that’s a good sign.

 

Julie Liegl (45:06.035)

So you’re saying if we do a season two, it shouldn’t be about tech marketing?

 

Leyla Seka (45:09.181)

No one wants to talk about how to move the funnel.

 

Ruthie Miller (45:09.792)

I’m saying that nobody really wants to listen to people talk about enterprise software. Yeah.

 

Julie Liegl (45:15.869)

Boo Ruthie, that’s just sad.

 

Leyla Seka (45:19.487)

Yeah, I mean, I think if we’re rounding up, just say, well, first of all, thank you to both of you and especially, I mean, Ruthie pushed this. Ruthie pushed it. We didn’t want to do it. We were like, But Ruthie really, Ruthie gets the gold star for sure on this one. And doing this with both of you is really fun. And when we talk about this stuff all the time, it was really fun to do it like this. And generally like, thank you. I can’t believe how many people listened. I can’t believe how many people were in touch with me.

 

Julie Liegl (45:24.775)

Ruthie, Ruthie, you’ve been a hard soul workhorse.

 

Ruthie Miller (45:30.478)

I made you guys do it for sure.

 

Leyla Seka (45:47.583)

You know, my cousin in Turkey is buying cooling blankets. My college roommates are like all going on hormones. Like my guy friends are like, I totally understand my wife now. I mean, it was really, so I’m deeply grateful. Yeah.

 

Ruthie Miller (45:59.736)

That was a great, great piece of feedback that the guys were listening to it and learning more about their wives. I thought that was super cool. And anyway, if anybody is still listening to us, gabble. If you’ve got other ideas, let us know, because who knows? Maybe we’ll come back.

 

Leyla Seka (46:17.043)

Yeah, you never know. You never know.

 

Julie Liegl (46:17.233)

Yeah, you can still find us on sideprojecthq.com and at sideprojecthq on social.