Alison Wayne Explores Swapping Meds for Muscle and Building a Stronger Self on Health is a Skill with Todd Vande Hei

Host Todd Vande Hei explores how Alison Wayne replaced daily wine and SSRIs with protein, heavy lifts, and family walks, redefining midlife vitality.

Beverly Hills California, July 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a revealing episode of Health is a Skill, Todd Vande Hei, CEO of Stark, welcomes 55-year-old Alison Wayne to discuss how midlife can become a launching pad rather than a slowdown. Once measuring health by the bathroom scale and a nightly glass of wine, Wayne now sleeps migraine-free, lifts alongside her husband and sons, and wears two sizes smaller despite weighing 20 pounds more, all thanks to muscle.

Reflecting on her former approach, Wayne shared, “I thought if I wasn’t dying of something, I was healthy. I didn’t realize how many parts there are to being well.” Her wake-up call included clearing perimenopause migraines with seed cycling and supplements, eventually ditching SSRIs after a grueling three-week withdrawal that left her working out through tears. “That might have been the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Wayne said. “But I don’t ever miss it.”

Highlights from the conversation included:

• Muscle Over Scale: Gaining lean mass while dropping two dress sizes, proving a stronger body can weigh more yet look and feel leaner.
  
  

• Protein as Nature’s Ozempic: Jumping from 30 to 130 grams of daily protein, curbing cravings and supporting muscle as the “longevity organ.”
  
  

• Orthopedic Wins: Rehabbing a rotator cuff, ACL, and foot fracture surgery-free with mobility and smart lifting.
  
  

• Family Flywheel: Turning soda-drinking sons into macro-tracking gym partners, reshaping the household pantry from snack cakes to sweet potatoes.
  
  

Wayne credited much of her progress to viewing health proactively, not waiting for crises. “There’s so much we can do to avoid the need for Western medicine,” she said, noting how even gut issues were solved by spotting single triggers, not living in overwhelm.

Vande Hei underscored the bigger picture: “It’s not the intensity, it’s the consistency. Doing a decent job every day beats doing an amazing job sometimes. Over time, it transforms everything.”

Listeners can hear the full episode on Spotify , Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. To learn more about Stark’s personalized approach to labs, strength, and nutrition, visit stark.health.

About Health Is a Skill
Health is a Skill is a Los Angeles-based podcast hosted by Todd Vande Hei, CEO of Stark. Through candid stories and expert-backed insights, the show breaks down how small, consistent habits drive powerful, long-term health changes.

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• Alison Wayne shares her journey from medication and migraines to ringing PR bells with Todd Vande Hei on Health is a Skill.