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Age Like a Girl: How Menopause Rewires Your Brain for Mental Clarity, Increased Confidence, and Renewed Energy
Dr. Mindy Pelz, noted women's health advocate and the bestselling author of
Fast Like a Girl
and
Eat Like a Girl
, redefines menopause as a powerful biological upgrade—offering science-backed strategies to help women thrive, reclaim their health, and step into their most vibrant, authentic selves.
Age Like a Girl challenges the outdated narrative of menopause and redefines it as a time of transformation, power, and renewal. Dr. Mindy Pelz explores the biological purpose of menopause, revealing how shifting hormones can unlock newfound wisdom, strength, and clarity. Through the lens of the Grandmother Hypothesis, she connects neuroscience, nutrition, fasting, exercise, and emotional well-being to help women optimize their health and embrace this stage of life.
Part The Purpose of Menopause
Explores why menopause exists, drawing from evolutionary science, neuroscience, and the Grandmother Hypothesis. Reveals how brain and hormonal shifts during menopause can be an advantage—enhancing wisdom, intuition, and resilience. Highlights lessons from traditional cultures, such as the Okinawan and hunter-gatherer societies, that have embraced menopause as a time of strength and leadership. Part The Age Like a Girl Toolbox
Provides science-backed health strategies to optimize energy, metabolism, and mental clarity during menopause. Covers key topics
Why postmenopausal women thrive on ketones over glucose and how fasting can be a powerful tool. The best nutrients to support hormonal balance and how to incorporate them into daily life. How exercise should evolve to align with changing hormones. The importance of connection, mood, and memory, including strategies to support mental well-being. Explains how shifts in estrogen and neurochemicals impact the body—and how to work with these changes, rather than against them. Part Returning Home to Yourself
A personal and transformative section where Dr. Mindy shares her own experiences, offering insights into self-discovery and personal growth post-menopause. How menopause frees women from cultural conditioning and encourages them to stop people-pleasing. A powerful call for women to embrace transformation, akin to emerging from a chrysalis into their next phase of life. Encouragement for women to embrace this stage of life as a time to come home to themselves.
Age Like a Girl challenges the outdated narrative of menopause and redefines it as a time of transformation, power, and renewal. Dr. Mindy Pelz explores the biological purpose of menopause, revealing how shifting hormones can unlock newfound wisdom, strength, and clarity. Through the lens of the Grandmother Hypothesis, she connects neuroscience, nutrition, fasting, exercise, and emotional well-being to help women optimize their health and embrace this stage of life.
Part The Purpose of Menopause
Explores why menopause exists, drawing from evolutionary science, neuroscience, and the Grandmother Hypothesis. Reveals how brain and hormonal shifts during menopause can be an advantage—enhancing wisdom, intuition, and resilience. Highlights lessons from traditional cultures, such as the Okinawan and hunter-gatherer societies, that have embraced menopause as a time of strength and leadership. Part The Age Like a Girl Toolbox
Provides science-backed health strategies to optimize energy, metabolism, and mental clarity during menopause. Covers key topics
Why postmenopausal women thrive on ketones over glucose and how fasting can be a powerful tool. The best nutrients to support hormonal balance and how to incorporate them into daily life. How exercise should evolve to align with changing hormones. The importance of connection, mood, and memory, including strategies to support mental well-being. Explains how shifts in estrogen and neurochemicals impact the body—and how to work with these changes, rather than against them. Part Returning Home to Yourself
A personal and transformative section where Dr. Mindy shares her own experiences, offering insights into self-discovery and personal growth post-menopause. How menopause frees women from cultural conditioning and encourages them to stop people-pleasing. A powerful call for women to embrace transformation, akin to emerging from a chrysalis into their next phase of life. Encouragement for women to embrace this stage of life as a time to come home to themselves.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published December 16, 2025
200 people are currently reading
1086 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
February 14, 2026
I appreciated her mostly positive tone and a lot of her lifestyle advice. It wasn’t a very comprehensive book, and at times a little dismissive of medical interventions. This would be a great read for someone who almost exclusively follows naturopathy, or for someone who has already read a few other books on menopause. I’m glad I read “The New Menopause” and “Unbreakable: A Women’s Guide to Aging with Power” first.
January 11, 2026
MUST READ! This book was the best resource I have encountered to understand menopause and how this sometimes rocky transition actually helps women ascend into their most powerful and beautiful selves. Excuse me while I do that 🦋
February 15, 2026
As I’ve read a few books on menopause, I jumped around and listened to the chapters that had different or new information.
February 7, 2026
I just finished listening to this book and plan to buy it so I can reference it often. Dr Mindy's style really resonates with me. I appreciate her positive perspective on menopause. I always leave her podcasts and books feeling powerful and wise instead of feeling like am angry victim like I do after reading or listening to some of the other menopause influencers. I appreciate her suggestions of lifestyle adjustments and have benefitted from them. Of all the books I have read and suggestions I have followed, I see the most positive results from following her counsel. If you are looking for a more natural way to work with your body and tap into what are the strengths of this phase in your life, pick up this book.
March 22, 2026
Lots of really good, solid information, strategies and encouragement. A little woo-woo at times for me, but overall the best book on this topic I have read yet. (At least the first half... I better include that the second half of the book was pretty repetitive and had an agenda that doesn't really mesh with my identity as a Christian woman. I took the good and left the rest though.)
March 4, 2026
This book made me mad. While for the most part there are quite an extensive list of lifestyle choices one can make to make the menopause transition easier and healthier, in this audio version Mindy mentions that “she is on hormones” but yet she does not offer any hormonal options in this book. That fact alone is very maddening.
Interestingly enough, Mindy recommends micro dosing psilocybin, and MDMA assisted therapy as some of the “lifestyle choices“ one can make. Seems like a little micronized progesterone and bioidentical estradiol and a little testosterone is more of a healthy choice (and she alluded to using hormones in one of her “audio only” additions to this book. 🤬.
There are some questionable scientific explanations (about neurogenesis for instance).
I’m sad to say that this book really made me question her medical authority and all of her advice.
Interestingly enough, Mindy recommends micro dosing psilocybin, and MDMA assisted therapy as some of the “lifestyle choices“ one can make. Seems like a little micronized progesterone and bioidentical estradiol and a little testosterone is more of a healthy choice (and she alluded to using hormones in one of her “audio only” additions to this book. 🤬.
There are some questionable scientific explanations (about neurogenesis for instance).
I’m sad to say that this book really made me question her medical authority and all of her advice.
January 16, 2026
Highly recommended!
February 13, 2026
Great book, and was nice to listen to this and download the PDF with all the extras. HIghly recommend.
January 16, 2026
Libby audio. I feel validated for my desire to be alone, increased anxiety, and a some other perimenopause signs I’m experiencing. I think she did a good job of explaining why. She had some not unique principles to aging: fasting, SIT, LHS, similar to other menopause books I’ve read. It’s cute that you think men will read this book to support their partners or that male bosses would give AF.
December 31, 2025
I’m not in perimenopause yet but am trying to understand this next phase of life. Having gone through matrescence after each of my kids, that process was alarming and unexpected. I learned about it after going through it rather than before and I wish I understood where I was heading. And that’s what this book seems to be, but for menopause.
For physical symptoms, her “Menopause Reset” book feels like a better fit as this one focuses primarily of that ‘midlife crisis’ mind change that accompanies menopause. It does touch on physical symptoms and does a brief recap of elements from her other books as they are intertwined. I like how it has an appendix chapter summary for men and also for employers.
Does this book actually help assist a woman in perimenopause/menopause? Time will tell.
P.s. It has a long list of medical studies to back up her points but she also gets into alternative and likely controversial methods (🍄). With her background of “just being a chiropractor” I can imagine these alternative concepts will further push certain audiences to discredit her. But considering she’s lived the experience, and specialized her focus of research so that her experience and understanding can help others when family doctors have dropped the ball with so many women, it’s worth taking the time to read. The studies and medical journals aren’t hers, she’s simply compiling information and breaking it down in really easy to understand terms.
For physical symptoms, her “Menopause Reset” book feels like a better fit as this one focuses primarily of that ‘midlife crisis’ mind change that accompanies menopause. It does touch on physical symptoms and does a brief recap of elements from her other books as they are intertwined. I like how it has an appendix chapter summary for men and also for employers.
Does this book actually help assist a woman in perimenopause/menopause? Time will tell.
P.s. It has a long list of medical studies to back up her points but she also gets into alternative and likely controversial methods (🍄). With her background of “just being a chiropractor” I can imagine these alternative concepts will further push certain audiences to discredit her. But considering she’s lived the experience, and specialized her focus of research so that her experience and understanding can help others when family doctors have dropped the ball with so many women, it’s worth taking the time to read. The studies and medical journals aren’t hers, she’s simply compiling information and breaking it down in really easy to understand terms.
January 29, 2026
This book reframes the menopause transition. One of the most compelling ideas is that women’s brains undergo three major periods of remodeling over a lifetime: puberty, postpartum, and menopause. The author explains how these phases can feel messy and destabilizing as hormones fluctuate, but ultimately lead to a brain that is better suited for the next stage of life.
The discussion of menopause effect on the brain describes a shift from a highly relational brain toward a more independent and lateral style of thinking. As estrogen declines, emotional reactivity and sensitivity to social noise decrease, which often shows up as sharper focus, clearer thinking, and a stronger sense of autonomy. What many women describe as “caring less” is reframed here as a biological recalibration, not selfishness or detachment.
There is a detailed explanation of how estrogen works alongside a broader network of hormones, and how imbalances within this system can create specific symptoms. Advice on “How to Age Like a Girl” was very practical. The emphasis on staying mentally engaged through mentoring, teaching, volunteering, and pursuing passion projects reinforced the importance of purpose and connection. The guidance around daily movement, especially time spent in nature, and the strong emphasis on sleep felt grounded and realistic. The author also builds on fasting principles introduced in her earlier work, which may resonate with readers familiar with that approach.
Overall, this is an accessible and empowering read. My two biggest takeaways were the reframing of the female brain from relational to lateral thinking, and the importance of paving the way for the next generation of women by sharing knowledge and normalizing conversations about menopause.
Favorite Quote:
“With the menopause conversation opening so wide, we now have the opportunity to give society a new perspective”
The discussion of menopause effect on the brain describes a shift from a highly relational brain toward a more independent and lateral style of thinking. As estrogen declines, emotional reactivity and sensitivity to social noise decrease, which often shows up as sharper focus, clearer thinking, and a stronger sense of autonomy. What many women describe as “caring less” is reframed here as a biological recalibration, not selfishness or detachment.
There is a detailed explanation of how estrogen works alongside a broader network of hormones, and how imbalances within this system can create specific symptoms. Advice on “How to Age Like a Girl” was very practical. The emphasis on staying mentally engaged through mentoring, teaching, volunteering, and pursuing passion projects reinforced the importance of purpose and connection. The guidance around daily movement, especially time spent in nature, and the strong emphasis on sleep felt grounded and realistic. The author also builds on fasting principles introduced in her earlier work, which may resonate with readers familiar with that approach.
Overall, this is an accessible and empowering read. My two biggest takeaways were the reframing of the female brain from relational to lateral thinking, and the importance of paving the way for the next generation of women by sharing knowledge and normalizing conversations about menopause.
Favorite Quote:
“With the menopause conversation opening so wide, we now have the opportunity to give society a new perspective”
February 22, 2026
Having already read at least half a dozen books on menopause and listened to hundreds of hours of podcasts on the topic, I honestly didn’t expect to gain anything new or significant from She Like a Girl. I thought I’d heard it all.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
This book completely shifted my perspective. I found myself deeply moved at times, unexpectedly emotional, and ultimately incredibly empowered. Mindy presents menopause in a way I have never encountered before — not as something to endure or “get through,” but as an empowering transformation. Describing it as a full neurological and hormonal upgrade was genuinely mind-blowing. No one else has framed this stage of life in such a positive, strength-based way.
Rather than focusing on loss or decline, the book celebrates growth, wisdom, and renewal. It reframes menopause as a powerful transition into a new phase of clarity and confidence — and that message resonated deeply with me.
This is absolutely a must-read for any woman approaching or experiencing menopause. It’s the kind of book you return to again and again for reassurance, understanding, and empowerment. I know it will be a regular companion on my shelf for years to come.
Highly, highly recommend.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
This book completely shifted my perspective. I found myself deeply moved at times, unexpectedly emotional, and ultimately incredibly empowered. Mindy presents menopause in a way I have never encountered before — not as something to endure or “get through,” but as an empowering transformation. Describing it as a full neurological and hormonal upgrade was genuinely mind-blowing. No one else has framed this stage of life in such a positive, strength-based way.
Rather than focusing on loss or decline, the book celebrates growth, wisdom, and renewal. It reframes menopause as a powerful transition into a new phase of clarity and confidence — and that message resonated deeply with me.
This is absolutely a must-read for any woman approaching or experiencing menopause. It’s the kind of book you return to again and again for reassurance, understanding, and empowerment. I know it will be a regular companion on my shelf for years to come.
Highly, highly recommend.
January 28, 2026
There is good information and good messages in here, but you have to work to pick them out from the circular logic and meaningless, repetitive verbiage. I was excited about the premise, but disappointed in the book.
(I gave my husband the appendix “A Man's Guide to Supporting the Women You Love Through Menopause” and asked his thoughts. Rather than address the subject matter, he said, “She's really repetitive.” 😂)
Also irritating: her presumption of spare money and spare time. Her circle and her practice were obviously made up of women with both. “My friend needed alone time so she bought herself a house in the Cayman Islands and goes there one week a month.”🙄
Still - yay for a positive view of menopause and menopausal women.
(I gave my husband the appendix “A Man's Guide to Supporting the Women You Love Through Menopause” and asked his thoughts. Rather than address the subject matter, he said, “She's really repetitive.” 😂)
Also irritating: her presumption of spare money and spare time. Her circle and her practice were obviously made up of women with both. “My friend needed alone time so she bought herself a house in the Cayman Islands and goes there one week a month.”🙄
Still - yay for a positive view of menopause and menopausal women.
January 22, 2026
I think everyone should read this book, and I think I liked it better than her others? Maybe. I especially love that she is outspoken about how needed the men in our lives are- and she even put a (beautifully written) note to them in the back.
It's a breath of fresh air, when so much of the social messages these days is, "down with the men".
There are so many gospel parallels in this book, as well. Older women being leaders in the community?! Um, yes please. I also loved the research on story telling. It reminded me that writing my own stories is good for my heart and my brain.
It's a breath of fresh air, when so much of the social messages these days is, "down with the men".
There are so many gospel parallels in this book, as well. Older women being leaders in the community?! Um, yes please. I also loved the research on story telling. It reminded me that writing my own stories is good for my heart and my brain.
February 11, 2026
An amazing book that resonated with me so much more than any other resource. Reframing menopause as a transformation into a powerful stage of life is so liberating! I’m am looking at this change with a whole new perspective. I love Dr Pelz’s explanation of the neurochemistry and the life style adaptations that can be made to address the tough parts of hormonal shifts. A must-read for all woman in their 40s and beyond.
March 14, 2026
Encouraging guide to transitioning during pre, peri and post menopause years for women. It's interesting to hear about the tribal societies and how they viewed and dealt with these changes and how "grandmas" were revered and relied upon for so many things after their kids were grown.
it's a bit long and gets more into crusade territory in the last half of the book, which for me got a little old but some people may appreciate that.
it's a bit long and gets more into crusade territory in the last half of the book, which for me got a little old but some people may appreciate that.
December 28, 2025
It's inspirational enough. I probably should have read the physical or e-book so that the associated charts and graphs could be viewed simultaneously. It's hard to help all women who are in the peri-menopausal/menopausal stage because everyone experiences a wide range of symptoms and to varying degrees. I wish the attention that menopause has received recently had come sooner!
January 1, 2026
Very informative book, easy to read. Wish I had it to read back when I was in perimenopause but I still found it helpful. I would recommend this to women of all ages and I plan to pass it on to my 23 year old daughter. It’s never too early for young women to learn about the changes her body will go through.
February 8, 2026
I did learn some good techniques to support my menopause journey. I liked her positive energy. However, some of the ideas felt too alternative for me. I also did not like the focus on self-love and giving birth to ourselves. My belief is that my identity is in Christ no matter the season of my life so this theme did not resonate with me.
February 10, 2026
3.5 Self help books can be hit or miss. I always try to find something that I can take away and put into practice. I loved all the science and medical studies data in this book and especially the impact that menopause has on your bran and how you can restore those lost hormones naturally. But all the data is also quite overwhelming. Overall good read and good takeaways.
February 11, 2026
Another stellar book Dr Mindy! A must read for all women who are in perimenopause, menopause and especially post menopause. We have so much to learn about our selves at this stage of our lives. Great information, strategies and unending energy enthusiasm from Dr Mindy. Can’t wait to read it again!
February 12, 2026
I read this at an opportune moment when everything she wrote about resonated. I texted my friends tidbits that explained a lot about what we are going through.
Looking forward to working on her recommendations- she was clear about how to make the best of life through menopause and made it seem fun to get engaged and be ready for what's to come.
Looking forward to working on her recommendations- she was clear about how to make the best of life through menopause and made it seem fun to get engaged and be ready for what's to come.
March 21, 2026
If you're struggling to make sense of the changes in your life, emotions, body etc and are 40-60 years old... I urge you to take a listen or read. It helps to understand & was lightbulb moments throughout!
you're not crazy, you're not broken... your evolving! Shedding the do for everyone else & stepping into finally taking care of yourself & discovering who YOU are.
you're not crazy, you're not broken... your evolving! Shedding the do for everyone else & stepping into finally taking care of yourself & discovering who YOU are.
January 4, 2026
This is a very helpful book. The explanation of how estrogen and progesterone affect dopamine, serotonin, GABA, etc makes a lot of sense. I really like her suggestions of how to adapt lifestyle to boost these as the hormones drop. It’s a positive and practical guide.
January 12, 2026
Such an uplifting and positive take on Menopause! I really recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about what's happening to their body and brain during this change. A brilliant appendix to share with the men in your life too.
January 13, 2026
It has some good info. Some parts I would and some parts I would not participate in. Overall, I have repeated things I learned in this book, so I say it’s worth the read especially if you want a better understanding of what is really going on.
February 4, 2026
Incredibly validating and empowering to know I’m not alone in the perimenopause journey. I especially loved the chapter written for men on how to support women through this transformational stage of life. This book is full of practical advice you can easily implement, and much of it for free.
February 8, 2026
I think as an audio book I would rank this higher than if I had read it. I don’t tend to agree with Dr Mindy but I really learned a lot and there were many moments throughout the book that made me question and think and I appreciate that.
March 22, 2026
I have mixed feelings. While I enjoyed the science behind perimenopause and menopause, some of her solutions were not my thing. Fasting and mushrooms? No thanks.
Also, it would have been nice to have a disclaimer for the fasting for folks that struggle or have struggled with disordered eating.
Also, it would have been nice to have a disclaimer for the fasting for folks that struggle or have struggled with disordered eating.
December 26, 2025
Excellent and informative. Highly recommend for all going through perimenopause and/ot menopause.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews