173: The Sports Doctor Radio Show with Dr Robert Weil - Episode 173173: The Sports Doctor Radio Show with Dr Robert Weil - Episode 173
UK Health Radio Podcast
Dr Bob Weil speaks with Andrea Donsky about the wide-ranging mental and physical symptoms of menopause and practical nutrition strategies, then turns to Troy Guild to discuss safe, high-performance volleyball training for young athletes. The conversation links women’s health, sports medicine and long-term wellbeing through simple, actionable principles.
46:54•4 Oct 2026
Menopause, Mental Health and Champion Volleyball: Health Wisdom with The Sports Doctor
Episode Overview
- Menopause can involve more than 100 reported symptoms, with mental and brain-related issues featuring heavily.
- Women in midlife may need to relearn nutrition, exercise and lifestyle habits as previous strategies stop working.
- A structured yet flexible eating framework, such as the Balance Blueprint, can help women stabilise energy, mood and overall health.
- Thoughtful training plans for youth athletes should limit high-impact jumping and prioritise strength and stability to reduce injury risk.
- Balancing physical preparation with mental wellbeing and enjoyment is key to sustaining long-term performance in sport.
“"There are 103 plus different symptoms... out of the top 10 most common symptoms, nine of them are mental health and brain related."”
How do different strategies aid in addiction recovery, women’s health, and athletic performance all at once? This instalment of The Sports Doctor Radio Show blends hard science, lived experience and decades of coaching into a high-energy conversation that’s ideal for anyone interested in health, ageing and staying active. First up, women’s health and menopause researcher Andrea Donsky shares how her own symptoms pushed her to rethink everything she thought she knew after 17 years in nutrition.
She explains that her research has identified “103 plus different symptoms” of menopause, with nine of the ten most common being mental and brain-related – fatigue, brain fog, sleep issues, memory problems and anxiety all top the list. Andrea talks about reframing menopause through functional and lifestyle medicine and breaks down her "Balance Blueprint" approach: balancing blood sugar, boosting fibre and protein, embracing good fats, nurturing digestion, choosing more plants and staying hydrated.
Her tone is practical and reassuring, aimed squarely at women in perimenopause and menopause who feel overwhelmed and want concrete, customisable tools. The second half shifts to youth sport with Troy Guild, owner-director of Great Lakes Volleyball and Sports Performance Volleyball. With more than 500 athletes in club programmes and 1,700 in summer camps, Troy outlines a training philosophy built on discipline, injury prevention and long-term development.
He talks about managing jumping loads across the week, keeping post-tournament practices low impact, and using strength and conditioning to protect ankles and knees. There’s candid discussion of early specialisation, overuse injuries, and the importance of keeping sport enjoyable while still producing national champions. Across both conversations, Dr Bob Weil threads everything together with his trademark focus on "the mental game" and simple pillars: eat smarter, keep moving and reduce stress.
If you’re curious about how midlife women and young athletes can stay healthy without burning out, this episode offers plenty to think about and talk over with your own health or coaching team. What changes could you make today in your habits or training to feel better, perform better and stay safer for the long haul?
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