Have you ever looked around at your life and wondered: "When did I stop feeling like myself?" Maybe you're checking all the boxes, taking care of everyone else, managing your career, your family, your home, and your health—but somewhere along the way, joy, curiosity, desire, and pleasure started to disappear. In this powerful conversation, Dr. Mariza sits down with Gabriella Espinosa, women's wellness expert, host of the Pleasure in the Pause podcast, and advocate for redefining pleasure and connection in midlife. Gabriella shares her own journey through perimenopause, where anxiety, overwhelm, brain fog, low libido, and feeling disconnected from herself led her to explore the missing conversation around pleasure, body awareness, intimacy, and nervous system safety. Together, they discuss why so many women lose connection with their bodies after years of caregiving, striving, and putting everyone else first—and why pleasure isn't a luxury, but an essential part of feeling alive, energized, and connected. They also explore how changing hormones, stress, and survival mode impact desire, why intimacy can be rebuilt at any age, and how simple daily moments of joy and sensation can help women reconnect with themselves. If you've been feeling like the version of you who felt vibrant, playful, confident, or deeply connected has disappeared, this conversation will remind you that she isn't gone—and it's never too late to rediscover her. GABRIELLA ESPINOSA Gabriella Espinosa is a women's wellness and pleasure advocate, yoga and breathwork teacher, host of the Pleasure in the Pause podcast, and executive producer of the upcoming documentary Hot. Through her work, she helps women reconnect with their bodies, redefine pleasure, and navigate midlife with greater confidence, connection, and vitality. IN THIS EPISODE Why so many women feel disconnected from themselves during midlife How perimenopause can impact desire, intimacy, and confidence Why pleasure is an important signal of safety, vitality, and wellbeing How chronic stress and survival mode affect connection with your body The importance of learning the language of your own needs and desires Why intimacy and pleasure can be rebuilt at any age Simple practices to reconnect with your body through sensation How to advocate for your pleasure, health, and relationships QUOTES “Pleasure has no age limit or expiration date.” “Pleasure is actually information.” “Perimenopause doesn't mean the end of pleasure. It can be the beginning of a new exciting chapter.” “What feels good in my body?” RESOURCES MENTIONED Use code DRMARIZA and get 10% off on your Womeness Order https://www.womaness.com/DRMARIZA Stop surviving and start thriving, join Midlife on Fire Collective now https://drmariza.com/firecollective Pleasure in the Pause Podcast Get the 7-Day Pleasure Body Journal Pleasure in the Pause Website Gabriella Espinosa Website Gabriella Espinosa Instagram Gabriella Espinosa Youtube RELATED EPISODES 760: The Mindset Shift That Helps You Stop Feeling Stuck with Dr. Rachel Goldman 759: Tired, Wired & Inflamed? The Sleep Fix Most Women Are Missing with Dr. Michael Breus 758: Why Your Body Can’t Heal Until It Feels Safe: The Nervous System Shift That Changes Everything with Dr. Dave Rabin 717: “I Don’t Feel Like Myself Anymore”: The Mental & Emotional Reality of Perimenopause

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