Dispatches From The Pink Zones
Most conversations about women aging come from a place of fear—or view us through a faded, outdated lens.
I’m here to change that.
I’m Dr. Heidi Lescanec, a licensed naturopathic doctor, trained anthropologist, and founder of The Pink Zones—a global and grassroots search for the places, people, and practices where women are thriving through midlife and beyond.
For over 20 years, I’ve helped women reconnect to their vitality. But my curiosity started earlier, as an anthropology student studying with traditional medicine with First Nations elders in the Canadian North. That fieldwork lit a spark… and I’ve been chasing stories of healing, wisdom, and resilience ever since.
Now I’m taking that journey to Substack.
This isn’t another wellness newsletter filled with fads or fear-based fixes.
Dispatches from the Pink Zones is part field diary, part science journal, part feminist travelogue. Together, we explore how midlife+ in the Pink Zones is when we come into our sharpest clarity.
Not only is this the time when we see more clearly, but it is when we are finally seen.
We explore what it means to live well—not just long.
No anti-aging talk. (Aging is the goal, after all.)
No one-size-fits-all advice.
No 22-step morning routines.
Just real stories, real science, and radical curiosity about what women’s health—and power—can look like after 40.
What You’ll Get
Essays exploring aging, vitality, and reinvention through a female lens
Science-backed insights on hormones, longevity, mindset, and more
Interviews with women thriving in unexpected places
Notes from the field—locally and globally—as I gather and hunt for new Pink Zones
Why Subscribe?
Because you’re tired of doom-scrolling and wellness fluff.
Because you want insight, not overwhelm.
Because you’re ready to reconnect—to your health, your purpose, your community, and your power.
I write this for the women who believe the second half of life could be the best part.
Let’s find out what’s possible—together.
Start here:
🧬 About Me
I talk to Old Ladies (and young ones too!). I love hearing stories of how women live and what’s helping them age well—especially when they’re surrounded by community. Substack has become an unexpected extension of that mission. I’ve met incredible women here, and it’s become my own Pink Zone.
When I’m not writing or seeing patients, I’m listening to podcasts. I’m a proud podcast superfan—so much so that I started a podcast club (like a book club, but for episodes worth talking about). Join us!
Naturopathic doctor with a background in cultural anthropology
Fieldwork experience alongside First Nations elders in northern Canada
20+ years clinical experience hormone health, burnout recovery, and full-spectrum aging
Speaker, educator, and group program leader on women’s health and longevity
Creator of The Pink Zones, a journey to uncover how and where women thrive in midlife and beyond
Integrating modern medical science with traditional healing and story-based learning
🌍 Join the Gather and Hunt
The Pink Zones isn’t just a newsletter. It’s a field journal for the second half of life.
I’m not chasing anti-aging. I’m celebrating well-aging—a mind-body-soul approach to longevity rooted in joy, community, and biology.
If you’ve ever felt like your best chapter might be the next one…
If you want to age with vitality, curiosity, and power…
If you’re done with wellness fads and hungry for something deeper…
Then welcome. You’re in the right zone.
Let’s go find it—together.Why subscribe?
Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and publication archives.
Whether you sign up for free or upgrade to a paid subscription, I hope you’ll join me.
Stay up-to-date
Never miss an update—every new post is sent directly to your email inbox. For a spam-free, ad-free reading experience, plus audio and community features, get the Substack app.
Free subscribers have access to
occasional and public posts
Personal essays and reflections from the road
Wellness insights backed by science, not hype
Stories of real women redefining what aging looks like
Paid subscribers 💌 have access to
access to the full archive, all posts, the ability to join the thoughtful conversations in the comments section
my gratitude—an immeasurable amount—because being a paid subscriber means you’re directly supporting me and my work
