At some point in midlife, a lot of women start noticing changes they can’t quite explain.

You’re more tired than you used to be.
Your joints ache.
Your motivation feels off.
Your body doesn’t respond the way it once did.

And more often than not, the answer you’re given is some version of:
“That’s just getting older.”

In the Season 2 premiere of The One Behind The Lens, I sat down with Ivy Towler to challenge that narrative and to talk about what’s really happening when wellness and work collide in midlife.

Meet Ivy Towler: Where Health Meets Curiosity

Ivy Towler is a retired registered nurse, a photographer, and a functional nutritionist-in-training, completing her certification next month. Her journey into functional nutrition didn’t come from a trend, it came from lived experience.

After stepping away from bedside nursing and into photography for more flexibility, Ivy found herself on her own health journey. Like many women, she experienced gradual changes over time including weight gain, fatigue, and shifts in energy that didn’t have a single obvious cause.

That’s when she discovered functional nutrition and its focus on root cause, not symptom management.

Instead of asking, “How do we make this symptom quieter?”
Functional nutrition asks, “Why is this happening in the first place?”

Midlife Isn’t the Problem — Missing Information Is

One of the biggest takeaways from our conversation was this:
Just because something is common doesn’t mean it’s normal.

Perimenopause - the hormonal transition leading up to menopause can begin as early as age 35. And yet, many women aren’t told what to look for or how it might show up beyond missed periods.

Fatigue, joint pain, weight gain (especially around the middle), brain fog, low drive - these are often brushed off instead of investigated.

Ivy encourages women to shift their mindset from dismissal to curiosity. When something changes in your body, it’s not a failure,  it’s information.

Wellness That Fits a Photographer’s Life

This episode isn’t about doing more or chasing perfection. In fact, one of the most grounding parts of the conversation was Ivy’s emphasis on small, sustainable habits.

Not everything needs a complete overhaul.

Some of the practical strategies we talked about include:

• Starting with one habit at a time, like a daily walk

• Reframing movement as “me time,” not another task

• Adding “exercise snacks” into long workdays (short bursts of movement instead of long workouts)

For photographers who spend hours editing, driving, or waiting between sessions, these small shifts matter.

The Three Non-Negotiables

Ivy shared three foundational priorities she considers non-negotiable when it comes to midlife health:

1. Quality sleep — not just time in bed, but waking up feeling restored

2. Stable blood sugar — supporting energy, hormones, and metabolism

3. Healthy digestion — because gut health impacts far more than we realize

Yes, digestion came up. And yes, we talked about poop. Because bowel health is one of the clearest indicators of what’s happening internally even if it’s not something we’re used to discussing openly.

Toxin Reduction Without the Overwhelm

Another important part of the conversation was toxin exposure and how it doesn’t have to become all-or-nothing.

Ivy encourages a “chip away at it” approach:

• Swapping plastic food containers for glass

• Choosing metal or silicone utensils over black plastic

• Being mindful of personal care products

Small changes, over time, add up.

Building a New Path Forward

Ivy is currently building her functional nutrition practice, House of Tus, a name rooted in the idea that the body is a home, and healing starts at the origin, or tus.

As she continues to share education online, her goal isn’t to overwhelm - it’s to help women ask better questions, understand their health timelines, and feel empowered instead of dismissed.

A Conversation Worth Continuing

This episode is a reminder that wellness doesn’t exist separately from our work. Our energy, focus, creativity, and health are deeply connected, especially in midlife.

If you’ve been feeling off, unheard, or unsure where to start, this conversation is an invitation to pause, get curious, and stop accepting surface-level answers.

You can listen to or watch the full episode, The One Where Wellness Meets Work with Ivy Towler, wherever you stream The One Behind The Lens.