Rich, Fit and Happy Show

75 | How to Boost Dopamine Naturally in Midlife and Why it's a Game Changer.

• Crystal O'Connor

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🎙️ Episode Title:

More Energy, More Joy: How to Boost Dopamine Naturally in Midlife

Host: Crystal O’Connor
Podcast: Rich, Fit and Happy
Episode Length: ~20 minutes

💫 Episode Summary:

Feeling drained, unmotivated, or just “off” lately? You’re not alone—and it’s not just your schedule. It could be your dopamine.

In this empowering episode, Crystal O’Connor breaks down the science of dopamine—your brain’s motivation and energy molecule—and why it’s especially important for women in midlife. You’ll learn how hormone changes impact brain chemistry, how to spot signs of low dopamine, and most importantly: how to boost your energy and joy naturally—without relying on caffeine, sugar, or burnout habits.

If you’re ready to reclaim your spark, this episode is your reset button.

🔥 What You’ll Learn:

  • What dopamine is and how it influences energy and motivation
  • The real reason energy dips in midlife (hint: it’s hormonal AND neurological)
  • 5 natural, science-backed ways to boost dopamine levels starting today
  • How to “stack” dopamine habits for more joy and less fatigue
  • Bonus wellness tips tailored for perimenopause and menopause

🛠️ Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

🧡 Let’s Connect:

  • 📸 Instagram → @thecrystaloconnor
  • 🌐 Website → www.AgelessAmbition.net
  • 🎉 Join the Community → Private Facebook Group / Discord Invite Link
  • 📝 Want to work with Crystal 1:1 or book her for a workshop? → Apply here

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# How to boost dopamine naturally in Midlife and Why it's a Game Changer. 

[00:00:00] Hello. Welcome to the Rich Fit and Happy podcast. I'm Crystal O'Connor, your host, and I'm here to help you reclaim your vibrancy. This episode is dedicated to helping you as a midlife woman. Create more energy, feel youthful again, and thrive in your forties, fifties, and sixties and beyond.

[00:00:24] Because it can happen. You can do it. You just need to optimize your body, and we're gonna hack the system today. Specifically with regard to dopamine. I'm your host, crystal O'Connor health coach, hormone Whisperer. I've been called an unapologetic believer in women. Rewriting the rules of aging. So today let's talk about dopamine and let's talk about how to get more of it.

[00:00:49] Ever feel like you're dragging through your day craving sugar, caffeine, or just five more minutes of peace and quiet? Yeah I've been there, I've been through a lot. With [00:01:00] regard to this, so I've got a lot to share. I'm gonna keep this about 10 to 20 minutes and go deep on a couple. I broke it down to five things that you can do off the top, but then I'm gonna get into more later this week, I'm gonna talk about peptides and how that can also help and we can dopamine stack the heck out of our life and our systems so that we're getting more out of life and feeling happy.

[00:01:27] What if I told you that the key to unlocking your energy isn't really in a coffee cup or your to-do list, it's your dopamine. And the reason I mentioned the to-do list is because. It does boost dopamine to actually cross something off your to-do list. So it works better for some than others. But what if you don't have the energy to actually do the thing, to cross it off the list and to get moving?

[00:01:56] Hey, you know what? I've heard Grant Cardone talk about it. [00:02:00] Hey, like the motivation comes from doing and it's so true. It's so true. But if you are stuck and you don't have. The right plan in place and your hormones are out of whack. It's affecting you okay, differently than it affects a man because our body does run out of estrogen.

[00:02:20] Our ovaries stop making it, and it's the good kind of estrogen estradiol that really helps optimize your body. So we're gonna talk a little bit about what you can do in the meantime until you can boost that and get it back if you choose to do so today we're diving into how to. Naturally boost your dopamine levels to reignite your energy, your drive, your zest for life, especially midlife when our brain chemistry is shifting.

[00:02:45] So what is dopamine? Lemme just touch on that. Dopamine is often called the feel good neurotransmitter, but it's really more about that. It's really more than that. It's your brain's motivation molecule. [00:03:00] It's what gets you up in the morning with purpose. It's the fuel behind your focus. Drive pleasure and yes, your energy.

[00:03:08] But here's the catch. During midlife, especially through perimenopause and menopause, our hormone levels fluctuate and that affects neurotransmitters too. So estrogen for example, supports a dopamine production. So when estrogen dips, guess what else does? Yep. Dopamine. And that's when the fatigue, the low mood, the me, that really don't really care.

[00:03:33] About a whole lot feeling kicks in and so boosting that dopamine isn't just about mood. It's a biological game changer for energy, vitality and ambition. So before we jump into solutions, let's do a self-check. Here are just a few signs that you might be dealing with. Low dopamine, you might feel mentally foggy or unmotivated, which I've touched on a couple times here, [00:04:00] and maybe even forgetful.

[00:04:02] Lackadaisical and wanna just lay on the couch. And that's not a thriving life. Okay? So you might rely on sugar, caffeine. You might notice that you feel better when you scroll through social media and you don't really know why. It's a dopamine boost. And let's just be honest. Social media has got its pros and cons.

[00:04:25] And the con is just what I said. It's a. Dopamine booster. It was created that way, intentional. And it can be used for good and it can be used to take control of your life in not a good way if you let it. So we're gonna talk about that today. If you understand it, I think that you're halfway there.

[00:04:50] Okay. With managing it better. If you struggle to complete tasks or follow through. If your sleep is off and you feel tired [00:05:00] even after eight hours of sleep, it's a sign. You're not alone though. And more importantly, there's so much that you can do to support your brain chemistry naturally, and that's what we're gonna get into.

[00:05:11] So let's get to the good stuff. How to boost your dopamine and energy naturally. I'm giving you five science-backed, doable strategies starting today. These are gonna sound basic, but they're super powerful. Okay. And some of these you, you might say to yourself why is she going so basic on me here? It's because it's a reminder and you're probably not doing it.

[00:05:32] Once you start doing it, you're gonna know why I just told you to do it, because you're gonna feel the boost. Okay? So move your body with purpose. We probably hear it all the time, but are you actually doing it? I have to keep a calendar to keep track of my workouts. You might need to do that too. I'm telling you, it's a game changer.

[00:05:57] So exercise isn't just for the waistline, it's [00:06:00] also a dopamine. Dopamine. Did I just say dopamine? Dopamine booster and no, you don't need to train like a 20-year-old athlete. Just a 20 minute brisk walk. Dancing in the kitchen or a light strength session can boost dopamine and endorphins. I have done a lot of experimenting with what works best, what I really like.

[00:06:24] I've done orange theory, I've done spanga. I don't know if you've heard of Spanga. We'll talk about that someday. I've done the apps. On my phone and you have to find what works for you. But the Planet Fitness app has got some really quick 20 minute workouts inside the app. And no, they're not my sponsor.

[00:06:45] I'm just saying there are just so many apps and things that you can do, but you've gotta stay on track and find a way for anything like me. You'll just be like all over the place if you don't have a set strategy or set. [00:07:00] Ritual. I'll just call it a ritual. If you don't have a set discipline strategy or ritual for every day, and I talk about, I've talked about in my other programs, calendaring, it's a way to manage your life.

[00:07:14] Okay? For instance, Sunday night, I'll get into my Google. Calendar and plan out my week. And the number one thing that I do is put in activity. So then at the end of the week, it's fun to see how many steps I took, how much walking I got in, if I did any sprinting. I'll talk about that on another podcast.

[00:07:32] Sprinting really boost dopamine. I love it. I love it. I love it. I had to actually stop for a while because. I was having issues with my knee and realized that I was having inflammation or tight muscles that was causing the inflammation and had to really force myself to then make sure that I do the foam roller every day.

[00:07:51] We'll talk about that too. There are just things that you're gonna have, new things that you're gonna learn because your body has changed and you gotta change with it. [00:08:00] But the good news is up risk walk. Okay. Getting your heart rate up just a little bit is, and not overdoing. The cortisol is a game changer.

[00:08:13] So one of the ways that, or one of the words I guess let's call it a word. One of the words I like to use is dopamine stacking. So how do you dopamine stack? I do some of my favorite things all at once. I'll listen to a, my favorite music walk. For, six miles. Three to six miles, or I'll listen to a motivating podcast, and then I'm dopamine stacking because I'm crossing something off my list.

[00:08:40] I'm putting my mind in that place. Of soaking it up, like just really soaking up. What motivates you? It could be a speaker, it could be a book, it could be like, I really get into the mindset stuff. Okay. I di I got into mindset and dopamine stacking and [00:09:00] understanding myself. I went deep back in the nineties, the late nineties actually when my 23-year-old brother committed suicide and.

[00:09:12] I didn't mean to necessarily drop that little bomb in here quite the way. I didn't expect myself to say that, but it really sent me on a mission to figure out what. Exactly can be changed within the body, naturally what's happening. And if dopamine, low dopamine is part of your mindset, whether it be genetic, whether it be, any reason, th then it needs to be addressed and you need to stay on top of it so that things don't get out of control.

[00:09:50] With your moods. Okay, so dopamine stacking is a thing that I do. So while I'm walking, even when I'm driving, I'm always [00:10:00] listening to either my favorite music or a podcast. Okay? Keeping my brain in the place that it needs to be to stay actively. Wanting more actively thriving. So two. So that was number one.

[00:10:19] Exercise motion. Okay. There's also something, I just wanna throw this in there too. There's something, and I can't rem, I can't recall the name of it quickly. But there's something that happens to the brain when there is movement when you're driving. Have you ever noticed this when you're driving or you're walking and there are things moving past your eyesight?

[00:10:38] It helps you think. It boosts dopamine as well. It helps you plan. So I do some of my best planning, some of my best thinking, some of my best thoughts when I'm walking or running or driving, I. Okay and no driving does not fall into the exercise category, but you get what I'm saying, that movement past your eyes, it really actually [00:11:00] helps.

[00:11:00] There's a name for it. Can't think of it right now, but hey, I should do a podcast on that someday. Okay, so number two, get sunlight first thing in the morning. So our circadian rhythm is important and it's gonna help your mood. So how do we. Manage that. Get the best out of it. So morning light exposure sets your circadian rhythm and supports dopamine production.

[00:11:25] So even 15 to 10 minutes outside with your eyes exposed to natural light, that means no sunglasses, no sunscreen, signals your brain to wake up and feel good. So if you can get up, it's like a reset button. For your energy. Think of it that way. If you can get up and immediately grab your water, drink some water, and hit the trail, go outside and walk.

[00:11:50] If treadmill is your thing, do that. I don't necessarily like the treadmill probably because I like the movement past me. Okay. I get really bored with the treadmill. I do [00:12:00] like it for sprinting though. But if you are wanting that feeling in the morning, do that first thing in the morning. Do your three miles.

[00:12:09] Sometimes I'll do two miles or three miles in the morning, and then in the afternoon do another three miles. There's my six miles done and it's easy. I do it while I'm listening to something that I wanna listen to. Let's get to number three. Eat. For dopamine. What does that mean? There are certain foods that contain the building blocks of dopamine.

[00:12:29] So if you are strategic, you can actually boost your dopamine with what you're eating. So these building blocks of dopamine, especially tyrosine, which is an amino acid, are in these foods that I'm gonna list. Eggs, salmon. Chicken Turkey, fermented foods like kimchi or sauerkraut. I'm not a fan. You might be dark chocolate.

[00:12:52] Not loaded with sugar though. You gotta buy the good stuff. Okay, so the low sugar, you gotta do that, but it's gonna help boost dopamine as [00:13:00] well. But for me, honestly, I do eat eggs and salmon. I've never noticed it do it, but it apparently is, there's just nothing like exercise. So number one is my favorite.

[00:13:12] So that was number three. Eat for dopamine. And it's really good to know or understand how our bodies work. Okay start putting that on your calendar as well. What are you going to eat? Plan things out. Doesn't it feel good to plan things out? It really does. I understand that spontaneity is the spice of life.

[00:13:33] I get it, but. Discipline and rituals are something that every business needs and every person needs in their life in order to feel better. So I want you to start realizing that. So you are in control and you've got a lot of knowledge here that I'm giving and that everybody else is giving, but you've got to be able to compartmentalize, put it on a calendar and do it.

[00:13:59] And that's what we're gonna [00:14:00] start doing. So practice dopamine fasting. This is number four. Okay? So this one's fascinating because dopamine fasting means temporarily reducing the stimulation of dopamine. So think scrolling, snacking, binge watching, and then mindfully choosing the rewards. So again, getting back to the calendar and spacing things out.

[00:14:28] Taking note. Being diligent about like how much time that you are spending doing each thing and then limiting your dopamine. So that almost sounds like the opposite of what I was saying earlier, but here's the thing. A temporary fast of dopamine can help give you a dopamine reward. Okay? So lemme explain a little bit better.

[00:14:58] Dopamine fasting [00:15:00] means temporarily reducing stimulation. Instead of zoning out, try journaling, meditation or a 10 minute walk. I've already mentioned the walk how many times now? Then give yourself a dopamine reward, like a piece of dark chocolate or calling a friend or even crossing something off your list.

[00:15:20] These, this reteaches your brain to find pleasure. And real things, not just cheap hits. Okay? So cheap hits. Constant cheap hits are basically ruining your life and your health. So we're going to start managing it better by using the practice of dopamine fasting. Okay? Number five, celebrate micro wins. So this is a game changer in midlife.

[00:15:47] Your brain releases dopamine when you accomplish things, but they don't have to be big. Okay, so every time you check something off your list, boom. Dopamine, right? So write [00:16:00] down three micro goals each day. Drink your water. I don't you hate hearing that drink your water, but I bet you do notice that when you don't drink your water, things just don't, are they start affecting you.

[00:16:17] So if I don't get in my water the goal amount three days in a row, I totally notice it. I totally notice it. I really do. So write down three micro goals each day, like your water, send an email stretch and check them off. And what you're doing when you're doing this is you're literally training your brain to chase more energy and joy.

[00:16:40] Okay. Instead of chasing those cheap hits that are actually taking from you not adding. So one of the things I like to do with regard to what I just said is I keep a tally and a list at my laptop because, I am one that has an a d, d mind. And I could have easily a hundred [00:17:00] tabs up, 80 tabs up.

[00:17:01] I've counted them. It's crazy. You might be the same. I've got my phone blowing up. I've got texts. I've got three kids that I still keep in touch with pretty much daily and which I love, but there's a lot going on that can interrupt me. So I have to have ways and to create boundaries for myself.

[00:17:23] I will set my timer and I'll tell myself I am not doing anything for 90 minutes. Accept what I'm working on. And then when I deviate, my brain deviates from it. I will actually take note of it, what happened and why, and how quickly did I get back on track? So then after the 90 minute session, I'll actually write down what I got done.

[00:17:48] This cre, this creates a wonderful habit, starts helping you connect the neurotransmitter transmitters, and I'm not sure why I struggled saying that helps you. [00:18:00] Take inventory of what you got done, which then boosts dopamine. So I'm talking gamifying ladies, gamify your day. I don't know if you like gamifying things like I do, but the brain likes it.

[00:18:17] Most brains like it. Try it, gamify that stuff. Okay, so part four. If you are in perimenopause, or menopause, so if you're in your forties. And I have friends in their forties that are in denial, but then the symptoms keep coming, and then they're like, oh my god, crystal, you were right. So if you're in perimenopause or menopause, forties, fifties, you'll wanna pay special attention here to these.

[00:18:44] Magnesium supports dopamine receptors. So try a supplement or eat leafy greens, seeds, nuts. Keep in mind if you're in weight loss. Okay. Weight management, weight loss. Don't get carried away with the nuts and seeds. [00:19:00] Okay, sure. Eat some leafy greens, but there's the seeds and nuts do pack a lot of calories.

[00:19:05] Okay? So yes, have some, but really measure them out and get your magnesium in the show notes down below. I have a a link that by bio optimizers and they happen to be. A one of my favorite magnesiums because the magnesium, I'm pausing because I'm trying to find it at my desk here and I can't find it.

[00:19:27] I'm just gonna grab it and read off the magnesium. But there are nine different types of magnesium and I like the bio optimizers brand be because it's got I think seven, if I'm right of those types of magnesiums in it to support. Your dopamine receptors vitamin B, especially B and or six and 12 are crucial for neurotransmitter production, L-theanine.

[00:19:55] That's found in green tea, which I hate the taste of. You might like it. I don't. So I [00:20:00] actually have a supplement with L-Theanine. It helps pre promote calm, focus and boost dopamine without the crash. Another one is adaptogens like rhodiola and ashwagandha. So these herbs can be total game changers for you.

[00:20:15] Please try them and take note of how you feel. Try them for a week. 30 days the magnesium. I actually felt it the first few days that I started taking it. It's really important. And actually I've heard this said, and it just was mind blowing enough. Magnesium getting it in is difficult here in this, in the western world, in this country, in the US it is in other parts of the world as well, but especially here in America because of our, our diet, and so a supplement is really important, but it's also, it's something to take note of that it helps over 300 functions in the body. If you really [00:21:00] think about that, you've got all this going on in the brain, in the gut, and your joints and your, you've got a machine here that needs magnesium.

[00:21:11] It's do you run your car without oil? No. That car's not gonna run. It's not gonna run. It's gonna blow up. And that's what you're asking your body to do. You're wanting it to run like a well-oiled machine. And do these amazing things and feel wonderful while you're doing it, and you're not giving it what it needs.

[00:21:33] So I'm here to tell you magnesium, big game changer. B vitamins, L-theanine. These are game changers. Try them. I've got more in the pipeline to share with you, but you gotta get these fundamentals down. So let's recap. Boosting dopamine isn't about chasing highs. It's about creating consistent, su sustainable joy, focus, energy.

[00:21:55] And the best part, these tools are in your hands. You don't have to wait for [00:22:00] motivation to strike. You create it one walk, one habit, one micro win at a time. You aren't broken, burnt out. Okay. You or you're or past your prime. You're not old. You're rewiring, you're reclaiming, and you're reigniting, and that is the power of ageless ambition.

[00:22:20] Go into the show notes, see ageless ambition.com. Go to my site. I am getting some things together for the membership. I go deep on a lot of these topics because I'm obsessed and I love it. And I'm an Aquarius. I like to over flow the world with knowledge, but the right stuff, right? Knowledge is everywhere, but we've gotta be able to do it or to use it to our advantage and use the right information.

[00:22:47] Okay? We've been sold lies for so long that some of this stuff I'm telling you, it is game changing and the doctors, a lot of them anyway, aren't sitting around telling you [00:23:00] this. They're making you feel like a number, and that's too bad. So if you love this episode, I'd be so grateful if you subscribed, left a review or shared it with another fierce woman in midlife who needs a little dopamine boost of her own.

[00:23:16] And if you're ready for the next step, check out Ageless Ambition, the Weight loss program inside our members only. Space hormone balanced, energy fueled living starts here. Until next time, keep rising. Keep glowing. Keep living agely. Love ya. Bye.


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