The Luminescence Podcast with Schuyler Grant

Most women don't recognize perimenopause until they're already deep in it, and their doctors often miss it too.

In this episode, Schuyler Grant sits down with Dr. Somi Javaid, founder of HerMD and women's sexual health expert; Dr. Sarah de la Torre, OB-GYN and functional medicine physician; and Elena Brower, bestselling author and teacher, to talk about what's actually happening hormonally during perimenopause and why so much of it goes unrecognized, minimized, or misdiagnosed.

They discuss:


Why perimenopause often starts in the late thirties and early forties, long before hot flashes or cycle changes appear


The symptoms most commonly missed — sleep disruption, brain fog, anxiety, mood swings, and changes in body composition


Why so many women leave their doctor's office with an antidepressant when what they actually needed was hormone support


How siloed specialties, underfunded research, and undertrained clinicians are failing women at midlife


What it means to be the CEO of your own healthcare — and how to advocate for yourself inside a system that wasn't built with you in mind

If you've ever walked out of a doctor's office with more confusion than you walked in with, this episode is for you.

For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health. 

Presented by our sponsors:

Stripes: Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line.

Genova Connect: Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net.

LivOn Labs: Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com.

BiOptimizers: Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.

Botox. Fillers. Lasers. Red light masks. Geranium oil and gua sha.

If you've wondered about any of these — what they actually do, whether they're worth it, and what two menopause-focused OB-GYNs and a Zen teacher actually do themselves — this is that conversation.

In part three of their conversation on the visible changes of midlife, Schuyler Grant, Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Sarah de la Torre, and Elena Brower get personal about what they actually do, what they recommend, and where they disagree.

They discuss:

Botox: The medical uses most people don't know about, the case for and against, and what happens when you freeze too much of your face

Lasers: How they actually work, the difference between superficial and deeper treatments, and what to look for in a provider

Red light therapy masks: What the data actually says and what to look for before you buy

Fillers: Why one doctor completely changed her position on them

The natural alternatives, geranium oil, gua sha, retinol vs. estrogen, and dermaplaning

Each woman's personal philosophy on aging (which turns out to be the most clarifying part of the conversation)

A lightning round: Face yoga, staying out of the sun, ring lights, shorter haircuts, tweezers in the car, and more

This episode is for any woman who wants real opinions, not just options.

For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit ⁠www.luminescence.health⁠. 

Presented by our sponsors:

Stripes:

Visit ⁠stripesbeauty.com⁠ and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line.

Genova Connect:

Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit ⁠connect.gdx.net⁠.

LivOn Labs:

Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at ⁠LivOnLabs.com⁠.

BiOptimizers:

Go to ⁠bioptimizers.com/luminescence⁠ and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.

You look in the mirror and something's different. Your skin, your hair. And nobody really warned you that this was coming, or that it was hormonal.

This is part two of the conversation on the visible changes of midlife. Schuyler Grant, Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Sarah de la Torre, and Elena Brower get into the biology behind what's actually happening to skin and hair as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone decline. 

They discuss:

What declining hormones actually do to collagen, elastin, and blood flow and why your skin is your largest organ, not just a vanity concern

Topical estrogen for the face. What it is, how it differs from vaginal estrogen, and why even the doctors in this conversation hadn't heard of it

The Women's Health Initiative, the black box warning that just came off vaginal estrogen, and what two decades of misinformation actually cost women

Whether starting HRT earlier makes a visible difference and what the data does and doesn't support

How to tell the difference between a choice that's genuinely yours and one that's been shaped by outside pressure

Most women are handed moisturizer and told to drink more water. This episode goes considerably further than that. 

For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit ⁠www.luminescence.health⁠. 

Presented by our sponsors:

Stripes:

Visit ⁠stripesbeauty.com⁠ and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line.

Genova Connect:

Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit ⁠connect.gdx.net⁠.

LivOn Labs:

Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at ⁠LivOnLabs.com⁠.

BiOptimizers:

Go to ⁠bioptimizers.com/luminescence⁠ and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.

Nobody warned you that midlife would feel like this.

Right as you're starting to see yourself more clearly, the world starts looking at you differently.

In the Season 2 premiere of the Luminescence Podcast, Schuyler Grant sits down with OB-GYNs Dr. Somi Javaid and Dr. Sarah de la Torre, and writer and teacher Elena Brower, to open a conversation that's been a long time coming: what actually happens to women's looks as we age.

This is about a lot more than skin and hair.

They discuss:

The impossible standard around how women age: Damned if you do, damned if you don't, and why aging has become the new debate that pits women against each other

The archetypes of maiden, mother, and crone: The gifts and shadow sides of each, and why midlife isn't about leaving one behind but learning to hold all of them at once

The appreciation gap: Why we can't see ourselves clearly when we're in it, and the practice of learning to appreciate what's actually there before hindsight forces it

For any woman navigating the noise around aging and looking for a conversation that actually goes somewhere.

For information on our upcoming events, retreats, and to connect with specialists and other women in our online community, visit www.luminescence.health. 

Presented by our sponsors:

Stripes:

Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off the entire product line.

Genova Connect:

Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.net.

LivOn Labs:

Get 15% off your first order of elite-absorption, foundational supplements that fit into your routine with code COMMUNE15 (valid through 6.30.26) at LivOnLabs.com.

BiOptimizers:

Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.

Sex therapist and legendary podcast host Dr. Emily Morse joins Schuyler Grant at Luminescence Los Angeles for an open, honest conversation about why so many women feel disconnected from their pleasure — and what to do about it.

Together, they explore how shame, stress, trauma, and cultural messaging impact sexual health; why communication is the ultimate lubrication; and practical strategies to reignite intimacy in long-term relationships.

From nervous system regulation to mindful masturbation, you'll discover empowering tools to reconnect with your body, your desires, and your partner — at any stage of life.

This talk was recorded live at Luminescence Los Angeles - February 1, 2025. Learn more about future events at ⁠onecommune.com/luminescence⁠.