# Is It Burnout or Perimenopause? How to Tell (and What to Do About It) with Erin Ayala, PhD (Episode 254)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hit-play-not-pause-1366847/is-it-burnout-or-perimenopause-how-to-tell-and-what-to-do-about-it-with-erin-ayala-phd-episode-254
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hit-play-not-pause-1366847/is-it-burnout-or-perimenopause-how-to-tell-and-what-to-do-about-it-with-erin-ayala-phd-episode-254.md
Podcast: [Hit Play Not Pause](https://stenobird.com/podcast/hit-play-not-pause-1366847)
Published: 2025-12-10T07:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.feistymenopause.com/
Audio file: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/pdst.fm/e/pdcn.co/e/episodes.captivate.fm/episode/c5ae4348-1f4e-4027-8605-5c6fdbcefc70.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hit-play-not-pause-1366847/episodes/is-it-burnout-or-perimenopause-how-to-tell-and-what-to-do-about-it-with-erin-ayala-phd-episode-254
Duration seconds: 3720

## Resource

Are you burned out? Or just in a rough patch? Is it perimenopause, depression, or some messy mix of well, everything? In this episode, we’re joined by sports psychologist and endurance athlete Dr. Erin Ayala to unpack athletic burnout in midlife women—what it is, how it shows up, how it overlaps with perimenopause and mood changes, and how to tell it apart from being overreached, under-fueled, or just end-of-season tired. Erin also serves up some practical advice for what to do when every workout feels like a slog, how to talk to your coach, why rest, recovery, and carbs matter more than ever, and how to build a support team that actually communicates. We also dig into the grief of changing performance and body composition in midlife—and how to pivot without losing your identity as an athlete. Erin Ayala, PhD, LP, CMPC is a Licensed Psychologist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) offering virtual mental health therapy for athletes aged 14 and above. She provides one-on-one performance coaching, CMPC mentorship, clinical supervision, and group workshops for teams and sport organizations. She supports athletes in injury recovery, managing performance anxiety, depression, pre-competition stress, confidence, and self-criticism. Located in Minnesota, she is licensed to work with athletes in 40 states. You can learn more about Dr. Ayala and her work at www.skadisportpsychology.com Sign up for our FREE Feisty 40+ newsletter: https://feisty.co/feisty-40/ Join Feisty at the Grand Traverse in Duluth, MN on October 3rd! Use code FEISTY20 for $20 off when you register at https://feisty.co/events/the-grand-traverse/ Learn More about our 2026 Feisty Events, including Bike Camps and Cycling Trips: https://feisty.co/events/ Follow Us on Instagram: Feisty Menopause: @fe…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hit-play-not-pause-1366847/episodes/is-it-burnout-or-perimenopause-how-to-tell-and-what-to-do-about-it-with-erin-ayala-phd-episode-254/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/hit-play-not-pause-1366847/is-it-burnout-or-perimenopause-how-to-tell-and-what-to-do-about-it-with-erin-ayala-phd-episode-254.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.