Continuing the Energy Is Everything Series
High-functioning women are masters at making it look effortless.
They juggle the schedules, the meals, the deadlines, the emotional labor, the logistics, and the “I’ll just handle it” mentality… until one day they realize they’re running on fumes.
In Episode 173—the final episode of The Energy Is Everything Series—Ash sits down with her trusted hormone and health expert, Leisha Drews, to talk about the real reasons high-achieving women feel chronically exhausted.
Not “try a new supplement” tired.
Not “take a bubble bath” tired.
The kind of tired that shows up as anxiety, irritability, energy crashes, poor sleep, hormonal chaos, and the creeping feeling that no matter what you do… your body isn’t bouncing back the way it used to.
This episode is a compassionate wake-up call:
Your exhaustion isn’t a character flaw. It’s a biological signal.
Meet Leisha Drews: Nurse turned functional hormone + health coach
Leisha’s journey into hormones began in the hospital system, where she worked as a nurse for about a decade. What she witnessed again and again were patients returning sicker over time—and a healthcare model that prioritized crisis care over true prevention.
Her “come to Jesus” moments came from seeing the gaps:
- nutrition education that didn’t match real metabolic needs
- patients stuck in cycles of chronic illness
- and her own family’s health challenges, including chronic symptoms in her daughter at just two years old
That experience pushed her into deeper study—nutrition, labs, root-cause work, and functional health coaching. Over time, she discovered her favorite group to support:
Moms.
Because when a mom heals her health, the ripple effect touches her entire family (and often future generations).
And here’s what she brings that’s rare: a grounded approach. No extreme perfectionism. No rigid “health at all costs.” Leisha focuses on the most impactful, realistic shifts—because the goal is to give you your life back, not create a new obsession.
Why high-functioning women feel exhausted (and don’t see it coming)
Ash names it early in the episode: her audience is full of high-functioning women—women who wear a million hats and keep going even when they’re depleted.
Leisha describes a pattern she sees constantly:
1) “Overconfidence” in the ability to push through
Many high-functioning women have always been “fine.” They’ve always been the capable one. The reliable one. The one who can handle more than everyone else.
So when fatigue hits, the default response isn’t “I need support.”
It’s:
“I can figure this out.”
“I just need to try harder.”
“I’ll add a few health habits and keep everything else the same.”
But your body doesn’t respond to hustle.
Your nervous system responds to safety.
The hidden culprit: Undereating (even when you eat “healthy”)
One of the most important takeaways from Episode 173:
Many exhausted women aren’t eating badly—they’re eating not enough.
Leisha explains that the women she works with often eat high-quality foods:
- organic ingredients
- fewer processed oils
- balanced meals “on paper”
- intentional grocery choices
But when they look at the real day-to-day reality?
The portions are too small. Meals get skipped. Lunch is two bites between tasks. Dinner is late. And cravings surge at night because the body is trying to catch up.
This is where symptoms show up fast:
- energy crashes
- blood sugar swings (including anxiety and shakiness)
- waking up at night
- PMS intensity and mood changes
- overall burnout that feels “mysterious”
Leisha is blunt (lovingly):
1,200–1,500 calories is not enough for most adult women.
Often—even 1,700 isn’t enough depending on lifestyle, stress, and metabolic needs.
And the hard part? A lot of women don’t realize it because they’re not intentionally restricting. They’re simply living fast.
Why we crave restriction and “fixes” when we’re already exhausted
Ash shares something many women will recognize: the all-or-nothing cycle.
When she’s not paying attention, she can undernourish—then suddenly swing into a big cleanse, strict rules, and an intense “reset,” adding 15 new standards without removing anything.
Leisha explains why this happens on both a practical and emotional level:
1) Stress physiology creates rigidity
In high stress states, the body’s mineral patterns often reflect depletion—especially in minerals tied to energy production and calm regulation. When the nervous system is on high alert, the body tries to compensate, and women often become more rigid, more controlling, and more “tight” in their approach to health.
2) We were taught this
Diet culture trained many of us to believe:
- small weight changes require punishment
- control equals safety
- extreme effort equals worthiness
So when life feels chaotic, the brain reaches for the most familiar form of control: food rules.
Ash translates it perfectly:
Sometimes we grip wellness because we’re trying to convince our subconscious we’re safe again.
How chronic stress wrecks hormones (in a very real way)
Leisha breaks down the hormone piece simply:
When stress is chronically high, the body prioritizes survival.
That means more cortisol.
And one major downstream effect is what many women experience as:
- estrogen dominance symptoms
- low progesterone
- worse PMS
- irregular cycles
- disrupted sleep and mood
Progesterone is a deeply supportive hormone for women:
- supports calm and mood stability
- supports thyroid function
- supports detox pathways
- balances estrogen effects
But under chronic stress, the body can shift resources away from progesterone and toward cortisol—because the body is saying, “We need to survive first.”
This is why “just take a hormone supplement” doesn’t fix the root issue long-term.
Supplements can support.
But they can’t out-supplement:
- under-eating
- chronic stress
- poor sleep
- constant over-output
Ash sums it up:
You can’t keep giving more than your body has to give without eventually paying the bill.
The solution isn’t perfection — it’s foundation
When Ash asks the question everyone is thinking—“Okay, so what do we do?”—Leisha brings it back to something surprisingly simple:
Start with an honest energy audit
Look at your life through the lens of:
Energy in vs. energy out.
Most moms are running a deficit. That’s not shameful—it’s normal. But it does require support and strategy.
Then ask:
- What drains me the most right now?
- Is it mine to hold?
- Can it change? If not, what can I do to stabilize myself while I carry it?
Adopt “better than nothing” nourishment
This is where women get free.
If breakfast feels impossible, toast is still better than nothing.
If a perfect meal feels too hard, a simple meal still counts.
If you can’t do everything, do the next small thing.
Leisha shares that “better than nothing” can be one of the most healing mindsets for women who default to perfectionism.
Ash’s 3-step reset: regulate, compassion, next true step
Ash offers a simple framework that ties the entire series together:
- Regulate: get out of your head and into your body
- Compassion: drop the shame, meet yourself where you are
- Next true step: one action that supports you (food, sleep, movement, rest)
Her translation of the entire episode?
Eat more. Love yourself.
And honestly… she’s not wrong.
A helpful tool mentioned: the Nourish Tracker
Leisha shares a practical resource she created to reduce overwhelm: The Nourish Tracker—a simplified way to track meals and get supportive feedback without the intensity that traditional tracking can bring.
It’s designed to meet women where they are—especially those who get perfectionistic with tracking and then quit because it becomes too much.
Where to find Leisha Drews
Leisha isn’t active on Instagram anymore, but you can binge her content here:
Podcast: The Happily Hormonal Podcast
Plus, she has a “start here” guide/cheat sheet to find episodes based on what you’re dealing with—PMS, painful periods, mood swings, and more.
• The Nourish Tracker: Leisha’s AI-based food and cycle-aware tracking tool designed to reduce overwhelm and support hormone balance. Use code ASH for $20 off or click here
• Simply Nourished Cycles Podcast Training: a 20-minute audio training on hormone health, stress, and nourishment
Final takeaway from Episode 173
If you’re a high-functioning woman who feels exhausted, don’t assume you’re failing.
Ask a better question:
What is my body asking for that I keep overriding?
Because energy isn’t just mindset.
It’s minerals. Blood sugar. Sleep. Stress load. Nourishment. Rhythm.
And you deserve to feel supported in your life—not just successful in it.
xx, Ash
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