348: Healing HA When Weight and Worth Are Entangled: Recovery Story w/Maggie

Lexi’s story is one so many women in HA recovery will recognize. On the outside, she looked healthy, disciplined, and “high functioning.” On the inside, her body was quietly waving red flags. Years of under-fueling, over-exercising, and being praised for it made it hard to see there was a problem at all.In this episode, Lexi shares what it was like to live in half-recovery—doing some of the work, but still negotiating with food, exercise, and control. We talk about how identity and denial can keep you stuck longer than you realize, and the moment she finally understood that real healing required full surrender, not just small adjustments. If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing “enough” but still not getting your cycle back, this conversation will hit home.Jool Wellnesshttps://joolwellness.comJoin The HA Societyhttp://thehasociety.com/joinWork 1:1 with us to get your period backhttp://thehasociety.com/coachingVisit us on YouTubehttps://youtube.com/c/danisheriffFollow us on IGhttp://instagram.com/thehasocietyhttp://instagram.com/danisheriffhttps://instagram.com/ashley_marie_smith_https://www.instagram.com/itsmishigarcia/https://www.instagram.com/abbylowekey/The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-hypothalamic-amenorrhea-podcast/donations

In this powerful episode of The Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Podcast, Victoria opens up about her deeply personal journey through eating disorders, body image struggles, and the long road to restoring her menstrual health. From developing restrictive habits as a teenager to receiving a potential PCOS diagnosis after coming off birth control, Victoria’s story offers a raw and honest look at what recovery from hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA) can really look like.Victoria shares how her struggles with overexercising, calorie restriction, dieting culture, and external pressures escalated during COVID-19 and followed her from Singapore to London. She discusses how traditional therapy often fell short and how working with a coach helped her shift her identity away from “being anorexic” and toward building a life centered on nourishment, joy, and well-being.Inside this episode, you’ll hear:Victoria’s experience with HA, birth control, and losing her period for six monthsHow her medical team suspected PCOS and how she navigated the confusionThe moment that sparked her mindset shift—from fear of weight gain to wanting to actually live her lifeHer experience in the HA Society’s Restore Program and working with coach AbbyWhat helped her finally ovulate and get regular periods againHow she balanced reduced exercise, increased food intake, and stress managementHer decision to prioritize comfortable clothing and body respect over sizing pressuresWhy having the right community and guidance made all the differenceNow actively enrolled in the HHAP certification track, Victoria is working toward becoming a women’s health and recovery coach herself, transforming her lived experience into a new mission to help others.If you’re struggling with hypothalamic amenorrhea, disordered eating, overtraining, or the pressure to shrink your body, this episode is a must-listen. Victoria’s story is relatable, encouraging, and a true reminder that full recovery is possible with the right support.Join Restore Your Fertility (Enrollment open now-1/23/26)https://www.thehasociety.com/restore-liveJoin The HA Societyhttp://thehasociety.com/joinWork 1:1 with us to get your period backhttp://thehasociety.com/coachingBecome a Certified Holistic HA Practitionerhttps://www.holistichapractitioner.com/Visit us on YouTubehttps://youtube.com/c/danisheriffFollow us on IGhttp://instagram.com/thehasocietyhttp://instagram.com/danisheriffThe Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-hypothalamic-amenorrhea-podcast/donations

Learn more here: https://thehasociety.com/restore-liveMake 2026 the year you fix your fertilityThe Restore Your Fertility ProgramGet your period back, optimize it and get pregnantStarts January 19th, 2026“I’ve already made a TON of changes…so um…hello?WHERE IS MY PERIOD?!”We get how frustrating it is to feel like you’re doing the most and still not making progress.The changes you’ve already made have been really helpful, but now you need to make it to the finish line.We’re going to help you push past the plateau:truly understand YOUR hypothalamic amenorrhea and YOUR fertilityso that you can identify the blindspots in your recovery that are holding you backand develop the tools you need to recover and keep it that waywhich makes it easy to prepare for conceptionso that you and your body are ready for go-timeWe cut out the fluff and help you get right to the juicy stuff: Why you have HA, how to identify and remove unhelpful food and exercise rules that are still secretly thriving, balance your blood sugar and establish new habits and routines that will actually serve you – all with the goal to help you get your period back, plan for conception and of course, get pregnant asap.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-hypothalamic-amenorrhea-podcast/donations

Maggie’s recovery story will resonate with runners and women who learned to equate control, performance, and worth with staying small. After years of restriction, being told she was “healthy,” and struggling to maintain cycles while trying to conceive, Maggie realized recovery required more than willpower.Through the Restore Program, coaching, and community inside The HA Society, she learned to let go of body control, navigate weight gain, and rebuild trust in her body, even when the process wasn’t linear. Her story is a powerful reminder that healing often begins when we give ourselves permission to honor what our bodies actually need.Apply for the Restore Your Fertility Group Program | Starts January 19th 2026https://thehasociety.com/restore-liveWork 1:1 with us to get your period backhttp://thehasociety.com/coachingVisit us on YouTubehttps://youtube.com/c/danisheriffFollow us on IGhttp://instagram.com/thehasocietyhttp://instagram.com/danisheriffThe Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-hypothalamic-amenorrhea-podcast/donations

Julia never felt “skinny enough,” grew up in a health-conscious home, and lost her period after only a few cycles as a teen. Like many women, she tried to DIY her recovery until she realized that HA recovery wasn’t just physical… it was deeply mental.In this episode, Julia shares what it was like to get support via coaching, stop overriding her body, trust extreme hunger and fatigue, and accept that healing isn’t linear. From needing more rest for her second cycle to letting go of being “the boss” of her body, this conversation is an honest look at what happens when recovery feels wrong, but is exactly what your body needs.Register for Bootcamp | Starts January 12th 2026https://thehasociety.com/bootcampApply for the Restore Your Fertility Group Program | Starts January 19th 2026https://thehasociety.com/restore-liveWork 1:1 with us to get your period backhttp://thehasociety.com/coachingFREE 7 Day HA Recovery Challengehttps://www.thehasociety.com/7-day-challengeVisit us on YouTubehttps://youtube.com/c/danisheriffFollow us on IGhttp://instagram.com/thehasocietyhttp://instagram.com/danisheriffThe Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-hypothalamic-amenorrhea-podcast/donations

In this episode, Lydia shares her recovery story and the moments of courage it took to break long standing patterns around food, exercise, and control. After years of disordered eating, inconsistent cycles, and being told she was pre-menopausal, Lydia struggled to accept that HA could apply to her, especially since she didn’t relate to the “typical” HA story.Skeptical but encouraged by her husband, she joined our Bootcamp and found the clarity and direction she had been missing. That led her into the Restore Program, where she received the structure, support, and education she needed to heal both physically and mentally, regain her cycle, and release the final grips of her eating disorder. This episode is an honest look at what recovery can look like when you stop doing it alone.Register for Bootcamp | Starts January 12th 2026https://thehasociety.com/bootcampApply for the Restore Your Fertility Group Program | Starts January 19th 2026https://thehasociety.com/restore-liveWork 1:1 with us to get your period backhttp://thehasociety.com/coachingVisit us on YouTubehttps://youtube.com/c/danisheriffFollow us on IGhttp://instagram.com/thehasocietyhttp://instagram.com/danisheriffThe Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-hypothalamic-amenorrhea-podcast/donations

In this episode, Dani sits down with her client Sara to share her journey from feeling like a “unicorn” who doubted recovery would ever work for her, to getting her period back and becoming pregnant just months later. Sara opens up about the fear, hesitation, and resistance she felt in the beginning, especially around weight gain, and how those emotions showed up as she moved from our Bootcamp into 1:1 coaching. Together, Dani and Sara walk through each phase of recovery, the key changes that finally moved the needle, and what shifted when she stopped questioning whether recovery would work for her and started fully committing to the process. If you’ve ever felt like the exception, worried it’s taking too long, or wondered if this path will actually work for you, this episode is for you.Register for Bootcamp | Starts January 12th 2026https://thehasociety.com/bootcampApply for the Restore Your Fertility Group Program | Starts January 19th 2026https://thehasociety.com/restore-liveWork 1:1 with us to get your period backhttp://thehasociety.com/coachingVisit us on YouTubehttps://youtube.com/c/danisheriffFollow us on IGhttp://instagram.com/thehasocietyhttp://instagram.com/danisheriffThe Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-hypothalamic-amenorrhea-podcast/donations

In this episode, Patricia shares a recovery story so many women will see themselves in. She began with a PCOS diagnosis and followed the typical low-fat, low-carb protocol, only to slip deeper into HA. Even though she wasn’t “overexercising” in the traditional sense, her naturally active city lifestyle kept her body in a constant state of output.Inside our Restore Your Fertility Program, Patricia learned that her body wasn’t the problem, her protocol and rigidity was. She and Ashley created a plan that reduced unnecessary movement, added nourishment, and helped her release the rigid rules that were pushing her further from the period and fertility she wanted.Her story is a reminder that when you trust your body and give it what it truly needs, not what you think it should need, healing happens. If you’re stuck between diagnoses, confused by protocols, or frustrated that you’re doing “everything right,” this episode will feel like exhale.Jool Wellnesshttps://joolwellness.comRestore Your Fertility Group Programhttps://www.thehasociety.com/restore-liveJoin The HA Societyhttp://thehasociety.com/joinWork 1:1 with us to get your period backhttp://thehasociety.com/coachingVisit us on YouTubehttps://youtube.com/c/danisheriffFollow us on IGhttp://instagram.com/thehasocietyhttp://instagram.com/danisheriffhttps://instagram.com/ashley_marie_smith_https://www.instagram.com/itsmishigarcia/https://www.instagram.com/abbylowekey/The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-hypothalamic-amenorrhea-podcast/donations

In this episode, Heather continues her journey of recovery, diving deeper into the specific steps she took to restore her missing period and rebuild her health. She shares the practical strategies, mindset shifts, and lessons learned along the way, giving listeners a clear roadmap for navigating recovery from HA.This is part 2 of a 2-part series.Trigger warning: Discussion includes periods, hormones, numbers, and eating disorder behaviors. Please listen with care.Jool Wellnesshttps://joolwellness.comJoin The HA Societyhttp://thehasociety.com/joinWork 1:1 with us to get your period backhttp://thehasociety.com/coachingVisit us on YouTubehttps://youtube.com/c/danisheriffFollow us on IGhttp://instagram.com/thehasocietyhttp://instagram.com/danisheriffThe Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-hypothalamic-amenorrhea-podcast/donations

In this episode, Heather shares her journey of finding hope and healing after a severe eating disorder. She opens up about the realities of recovery, the mindset shifts that made lasting change possible, and the deeper freedom that comes with reconnecting to your body. This is part 1 of a 2 part series.Trigger warning: numbers, calories, talk of eating disorders and weights are discussed here. Please listen with care.Join The HA Societyhttp://thehasociety.com/joinWork 1:1 with us to get your period backhttp://thehasociety.com/coachingJool Wellness Supplementshttps://www.joolwellness.com/pages/beef-liver-and-oysters-for-hypothalamic-amenorrhea-recoveryFollow us on IGhttp://instagram.com/thehasocietyhttp://instagram.com/danisheriffThe Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-hypothalamic-amenorrhea-podcast/donations