The "Second Puberty"

Your Presenters

Dr. Daniel Thomas Schilling

DC, Master QNRT Practitioner

Founder & Lead Clinician

From mechanical engineer to Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Schilling brings a systems-thinking approach to integrative medicine. He founded Secoya to create the…

Paula Fortin

APRN, Family Nurse Practitioner

Direct Primary Care Lead

Paula is known for identifying root causes that other practitioners miss. Her functional medicine approach and genuine listening have earned her consistently…

About This Workshop

This workshop, framed as a conversation about "second puberty," explores perimenopause and menopause and the hormonal changes that accompany them. The presenters describe common physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms and emphasize their view that hormones cannot be understood in isolation from stress, blood sugar, sleep, and the whole person. They share practical starting points, discuss functional testing (including the Dutch test and continuous glucose monitors), and offer their perspectives on hormone therapy, all while stressing individualized, collaborative care.

What's Inside

1. 1Welcome & Framing 'Second Puberty'
2. 2Hormones Swing, Not Just Tank
3. 3Physical Symptoms of the Transition
4. 4A Brain-Body View of Symptoms
5. 5Brain Fog, Memory & Sleep
6. 6Reassurance About Cognitive Changes
7. 7Emotional Swings & the 'Sandwich' Years
8. 8Stress, Sleep & Blood Sugar Cascade
9. 9Ruthlessly Reducing Stress & Saying No
10. 10The Whole-Person View & Upstream vs. Downstream
11. 11Hormones, Cortisol & the Dutch Test
12. 12The Three-Legged Stool: Blood Sugar Focus
13. 13Three Small Wins to Start Tonight
14. 14You're Not Alone: Patterns & Collaboration
15. 15Holding Space, Trust & Thriving
16. 16Reframing Aging & Recreating Yourself
17. 17Q&A: Testing, the Dutch Test & Taking Action
18. 18How Practitioners Interpret Tests
19. 19Getting Started at the Clinic
20. 20Beliefs, the Brain & Being Wired for Adventure
21. 21Hormone Therapy, Storage & Individualized Care
22. 22Bio-identical Hormones & Testosterone Cautions

What You'll Take Away

• The presenters frame perimenopause/menopause as a 'second puberty' and stress that participants are not broken, crazy, or lacking willpower—symptoms are real and individualized.
• According to the speakers, hormones tend to swing (not just decline) during this transition, and hormones can't be understood apart from the whole person.
• The presenters emphasize a cascade in which stress and blood sugar are 'upstream' of hormones, so they say stress must be addressed first.
• Three practical starting points offered: eat protein first (about 20–30 g at the first meal), get 10+ minutes of morning light, and 'name' the transition with a trusted person.
• Sleep is highlighted as foundational; waking between roughly 1–4 a.m. is presented as a common pattern the speakers associate with detox and unresolved stress.
• Testing (like the Dutch test or a CGM) is described as a snapshot, not diagnostic of trends—the presenters urge asking whether you'll act on the results before testing.
• The presenters describe hormone therapy as highly individualized; they favor low-dose, clean/bio-identical options when appropriate, sometimes as a temporary bridge, and warn strongly about unmonitored testosterone therapy.
• Care at the clinic starts with an intake and may involve both practitioners collaborating, using overlapping brain, biochemical, structural, and lab-based approaches.

Materials Included

• The Body-Under-Pressure Quick Card
• The Hormone Conversation Guide

Downloadable after purchase, alongside the workshop.

Related Self-Assessment