Dr. Jen Ashton on Unimaginable Loss, Mental Health, and Post-Traumatic Growth

Dr. Gabrielle Lyon December 16, 2025
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Dr. Gabrielle Lyon

@drgabriellelyon

About

Empowering you with the science-backed knowledge to become Forever Strong. Dr. Gabrielle Lyon is a Board-Certified Physician specializing in muscle-centric medicine. Focuses on the largest organ in the body, skeletal muscle, as the key to health and longevity. Disclaimer: The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Podcast and YouTube are for general information purposes only and do not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast, YouTube, or materials linked from this podcast or YouTube is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professional for any such conditions.

Video Description

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, emotional distress, or a mental health crisis, call or text 988, or chat via 988lifeline.org. Support is available 24/7. You are not alone, and help is available. Pre-Order The Forever Strong PLAYBOOK: https://drgabriellelyon.com/playbook/ Subscribe to Forever Strong Insider: https://foreverstrong.supercast.com Dr. Gabrielle Lyon sits down with renowned medical correspondent and OB/GYN, Dr. Jen Ashton, for a profoundly personal and candid conversation about navigating life's most intense tragedies while maintaining a public career. Dr. Ashton bravely opens up about the devastating suicide of her first husband, a world-class surgeon, 18 days after their divorce was finalized. She shares the raw reality of being in clinical shock and how the immense tragedy became an unexpected catalyst for post-traumatic growth. Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro: Tragedy and The Journey of Dr. Jen Ashton 2:05 - The Suicide of a Spouse: The Aftermath of Unimaginable Loss 4:26 - The Clinical Definition of Shock and Shattered Reality 5:10 - How Motherhood Becomes a Lifeline Through Trauma 6:32 - Writing the Book: The Obligation to Talk About Suicide 10:12 - Mental Health vs. Longevity: We Can’t Separate Mind and Body 11:40 - Social Media and the Real-Time Human Experiment on Mental Health 14:12 - The Anchor: How Fitness and Lifting Saved Dr. Ashton 16:29 - Post-Traumatic Growth: Her Children’s Incredible Wisdom 18:20 - Prioritizing Mental Health: The Checkup From the Neckup 19:18 - Suicide is a Disease: It's Not Something You Can "Think Your Way Out Of" 22:25 - Finding Love Again: The Miracle of Tom Werner 24:39 - Meeting Her Husband: A Harvard Grad and Titan in Sports/TV 28:13 - The Responsibility of a Public Figure to Be Transparent 30:04 - Transition to Correspondent: The Iron Man of Medical Communication 34:04 - Distilling Health Information: Why Credentials Matter 34:41 - The Economist Who Wrote a Pregnancy Book 37:25 - The Humility of Science: We Must Be Prepared to Be Wrong 38:04 - The WHI Disaster: Flawed Data and Misrepresenting Menopause 40:08 - The Problem with Extremes: Why Moderation is Missing in Health 41:33 - Passive Victims 46:33 - Menopause Done Well 48:07 - Hormones Insights 51:08 - Non-Hormonal Options for Menopause Symptoms 53:27 - Favorite Hormone Delivery Method (Pill vs. Patch) 54:14 - GLP-1 Myths 56:16 - Non-Weight Related Benefits of GLP-1s (Cognitive, Cardiac, Renal) 57:38 - Absolute vs. Relative Risk: The Math Behind Rare Side Effects 58:42 - Future of Obesity Management: Low-Dose GLP-1, HRT, and Anabolic Agents 1:00:15 - Maintenance Protocols: Why Physicians are DIYing Long-Term Care 1:00:54 - The Biggest GLP-1 Concern: Losing Too Much Muscle Mass 1:02:16 - The Hypothalamic Set Point: Why 90% of Diets Fail 1:06:39 - Society's Fat Shaming Bias: Obesity is a Chronic Disease 1:08:00 - Nutritional Gynecology: Connecting Food and Reproductive Stages 1:10:07 - Meeting the Four S’s: Safe, Simple, Sustainable, and Low Sugar 1:11:50 - Why Protein is Everything 1:14:35 - The Biggest Myth: Women Should Never Do Intermittent Fasting 1:16:26 - Hormesis and Adaptation 1:17:33 - Mental Framework for Internal Strength 1:20:57 - The Sisterhood of Women 1:25:24 - Tom Werner's Legacy of Helping Veterans Thank you to our sponsors: - Timeline - Get 20% off your order at https://timeline.com/LYON - OneSkin - Get 15% off with the code DRLYON – https://www.oneskin.co Find Jen Ashton at: - Book: Life After Suicide - https://a.co/d/0HvOeSH - IG: https://www.instagram.com/drjashton - Web: https://www.joinajenda.com Find Dr. Gabrielle Lyon at: - Instagram:@drgabriellelyon - TikTok: @drgabriellelyon - Facebook: facebook.com/doctorgabriellelyon - YouTube: youtube.com/@DrGabrielleLyon - X (Twitter): x.com/drgabriellelyon - Apply to become a patient – https://drgabriellelyon.com/new-patient-inquiry/ - Join my weekly newsletter – https://institute-for-muscle-centric-medicine.ck.page - Pre-order my new book - https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1668085623 Disclaimer: The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Podcast and YouTube are for general information purposes only and do not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast, YouTube, or materials linked from this podcast or YouTube is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professional for any such conditions. This episode includes paid sponsorships. #JenAshton #LifeAfterSuicide #MentalHealth #HormoneTherapy #Menopause #GLP1Myths #FitnessForTrauma #ResiliencePractice #ObesityMedicine #WomensHealth

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