A STRONGER SECOND ACT 

Jill Foos’ mission to transform menopause care.

Long before biofeedback was a thing, Jill Foos knew how to listen to her body. Pairing that intuition with a dogged pursuit of scientific data, a degree in psychology, and top-level certifications in health and wellness coaching, Foos has used evidence-based strategies to enhance every phase of her life—and now helps others do the same. “I’ve always had a real passion for healthy living,” says Foos of Jill Foos Wellness. “Not just for myself, but for my kids, my family, and anyone who crossed my path looking for support. I paid attention, experimented, and shared what I learned because I wanted people to feel better in their bodies.”

From her youth as a competitive equestrian show jumper, to raising five children, to navigating a partial thyroidectomy and the menopause transition, Foos consistently asked hard questions and persisted until she found answers. Those experiences ultimately led her to establish her wellness practice in 2019. “I was in perimenopause myself, dealing with symptoms without fully understanding what was happening,” she says. Working closely with a functional medicine doctor helped her connect the dots, moving beyond the generic advice most women receive.

“Most women don’t have a solid understanding of the menopause transition,” says Foos. “They get mixed messages from friends, pick up false information online, and often experience a lack of empathy from physicians. It leaves them confused and unsure about what’s normal, and what their options are.”

That gap inspired the work Foos does now: helping women navigate the second act of life with clarity, confidence, and support. Foos does this through her own practice, as a head coach at Respin Health, Halle Berry’s app-based platform, and through the Chicago Menopause Collective, a nonprofit she co-founded with Dana Russo, which hosted its inaugural event February 3 at the Winnetka Community House.

“Women in the Chicago area have felt helpless when it comes to finding trusted local resources for menopause care,” she explains. “There’s been a disconnect between women in midlife and the experts who can help them. We created the Chicago Menopause Collective to bridge that gap by providing resources like fitness trainers, health coaches, pelvic floor therapists, sex therapists, preventative cardiologists, obesity medicine doctors, and more.” Many of these experts were at the Collective’s February 3 event, which featured three panel presentations, a light dinner, swag bags, and a raffle. Future events are already in the works.

In her private practice, Foos says the top three reasons women seek coaching in midlife are menopause education, weight management, and overall wellness. “They’re tired of not seeing results from a prescribed treatment. They come curious about other options.” Foos is well-equipped to guide them. A national board-certified health and wellness coach, she is skilled in evidence-based strategies for behavior change and is a member of MINT (Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers). She also holds certifications from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy.

Her commitment to nutrition started even earlier. At 16, when her performance as a competitive equestrian faltered, “food was the first place I turned to bring change,” she recalls. “There was no data then. Doctors didn’t believe food had anything to do with how you felt. There were no apps, no wearables, no VO2 testing, and no DXA scans. I learned to track my health through feel and performance.”

After experimenting with whole-food approaches such as macrobiotics, veganism, local organic dairy and eggs, Foos eventually determined that simple, natural ingredients and home-cooked meals were best. As she progressed through five pregnancies and raised her children, she refined her methods, adding ancient gluten-free grains, creating recipes, and making everything from scratch. This not only helped her kids thrive but also inspired her to create Zemas Madhouse Foods, an ancient-grain, allergen-free baking mix company with products found at Whole Foods and other national retailers before she closed it to focus on health coaching.

As a coach, Foos has been thrilled to witness real change in the lives of her clients. “Health coaching transforms people from passive patients to confident, well-informed, active participants in their own health journey,” she says. “Science shows that simply telling people what to do doesn’t create long-term behavioral change,” Foos explains. “My job is to help clients find their own reasons for change using science-backed tools, motivational interviewing, and strategies that support sustainable habits. I am really an accountability partner, helping clients build changes that feel sustainable.”

To help them get there, Foos offers three distinct packages: Menopause; Health Coaching; and Hair Loss. She dives deep into nutrition, sleep, stress, and exercise with each of her clients, taking into consideration their current health status, short-term and long-term health goals, and home, family, and work life. And, because each person absorbs information differently, Foos’ website includes information-rich blog posts and Health Trip podcasts. “Over time, each person develops their own way of navigating their wellness routine,” Foos concludes. “Not a plan they were told to follow, but a rhythm that actually fits into their life. That’s where the real transformation happens.”

For more information on coaching, visit jillfooswellness.com. For information about the Chicago Menopause Collective, visit chicagomenopausecollective.org.