Women's Health & Happiness: What Every Woman Needs To Know About Our Brain! | Dr. Sarah McKay

You’re about to learn how to understand your brain, steady your emotions, and build habits that actually stick.

In this firecracker of an episode, we're not just diving into brain health - we're diving into hormones. Women's hormones. Teenage hormones. The hormones behind happiness, stress, and change.

Mercedes and Anastasia are joined by Dr. Sarah McKay. Dr. McKay isn’t just a neuroscientist trained at Oxford — she’s built a career translating brain science into real-life tools you can use at home, at school, at work, and inside your relationships.

So, prepare to dive deep into the often under-explored realm of women's health; we're getting into all the facts behind women's emotional stability and resilience, brain health, and even understanding why women struggle so much with body image.

After this episode, you’ll know:

– Why “it’s just hormones” is often an oversimplification (and what matters more).

– The impact of your environment and attention on your life and health.

– The most underrated brain-health “non-negotiable” hacks.

– Simple focus shifts that protect learning, memory, and calm.

– How habits actually form in the brain.

Whether you’re raising a teen, trying to stay steady in a chaotic season, or just want science-backed tools to feel more focused, resilient, and grounded, this conversation is for you.

Explore our website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Shop the Manta Sleep Mask⁠⁠⁠⁠

Visit Dr. McKay's website

⁠Follow Dr. McKay on Instagram⁠

Ready to Hack Your Happiness some more? Listen to our interview with neuroscientist and memory expert, Dr. Charan Ranganath. In this episode, Dr. Ranganath explains why we are wired to FORGET, hacks for boosting memory, and how memory and happiness are connected: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠listen + watch now!⁠

(00:00) Welcome, Dr. Sarah McKay!

(00:52) Getting Into Neuroscience

(03:55) Changing Life Trajectories

(06:03) Teen Brain vs Young Adult Brain vs Adult Brain

(16:39) Most SURPRISING Changes in Female Brain!

(26:19) Why is This Conversation So Important?

(26:56) How Do Hormones Influence My Mood + Happiness?

(34:17) Body Image: Why We Struggle

(39:17) Thoughts On a Phone Ban

(43:35) Brain Toolkit: Must-Know Hacks To Optimize Your Brain

(53:27) We Need Better Sleep!

(53:52) How Can I Build Positive Habits?

(59:24) Do THIS For Better Brain Health

(1:00:15) Dr. McKay To Her Teenage Self

(1:05:37) What Brings Dr. McKay a Small Bit of Happiness?

(1:07:07) Dr. Mckay's Motivational Quote

(1:08:45) Find Dr. McKay Here

(1:09:59) Check THIS Out