Want to rethink everything you thought you knew about menopause? I’m thrilled to welcome back Tania Elfersy, someone I really admire and a woman with a truly refreshing take on this stage of life. This is a conversation between two women who care deeply about the state of the menoverse today!
I first came across Tania while writing my book and was immediately struck by her wisdom and insight. The last time she joined me on the podcast, our conversation about menopause was very feisty – and this one is just as spirited.
Tania brings such clarity, compassion and common sense to the menopause conversation. I can’t wait for you to hear this episode – it’s sure to challenge, inspire and maybe even transform how you think about current menopause narratives. If you prefer to read, you’ll find a great blog about our conversation here.
We talk about:
How fear-based menopause marketing took root in the UK and spread globally
Why so much hormone therapy research is being misunderstood, misrepresented, and selectively used
The real impact of celebrity endorsements and influencer-led “menopause awareness” campaigns
How the pharmaceutical and wellness industries are profiting from women’s insecurities
What’s missing from the current menopause conversation – and why context matters
How women are being encouraged to medicalize a natural transition
The dangers of cherry-picked data and the confusion between relative and absolute risk
The quiet manipulation happening behind so-called “menopause revolutions”
Why women deserve full, unbiased information before making health decisions
How to separate fact from marketing spin in an age of social media misinformation
Why questioning, staying curious, and trusting your intuition are radical acts of self-care
We’re bringing back another powerful episode for our special Menopause Matters Season – this time with the fabulous Karen Newby.
Karen is a nutritionist who’s been practising nutritional therapy for over a decade, specialising in women’s hormonal health – particularly menopause. She’s the author of The Natural Menopause Method, a brilliant nutritional guide to perimenopause and beyond, and her brand-new book The Natural Menopause Method Cookbook is out now.
In her new book, Karen has compiled 60 simple, flavour-packed recipes designed to help combat and minimise the most common menopause symptoms. These are meals made for time-poor menopausal women who still want to eat well — full of nutrition and bursting with taste. From Salmon Traybake with Tarragon Pesto to ‘Stop Feeling 100’ Joint Rejuvenation Smoothie, these recipes tackle issues like fatigue, hot flushes, brain fog, irritability, and sleeplessness — showing how food can truly be medicine for this stage of life.
In our conversation, Karen brings a wealth of knowledge about how nutrition can support our hormones and overall wellbeing through this transition.
Here’s what we cover:
How we can best prepare ourselves for perimenopause
The first signs of perimenopause and what can be done about them
Good and bad estrogens
What we can learn from other cultures in terms of food and hormones
The importance of phytoestrogens
Food as medicine
How to stop sugar cravings and why they happen
Why modern life can make menopause worse
Why women may get heavier periods as they move into perimenopause
The importance of maintaining blood sugar levels
The role of the adrenal glands
Why we need to get better at managing stress
Why there’s no quick fix when it comes to menopause
Six simple nutritional shifts to support perimenopause
Why we need to start putting ourselves first
And more!
This is a fascinating and empowering conversation that sheds light on how nutrition can make a world of difference in how we experience menopause — and it’s the perfect companion to Karen’s brilliant new cookbook for women in midlife.
We’re bringing back another great episode for our special Menopause Matters Season — this time with the fabulous Tania Dalton.
Tania is a healthy aging coach and fitness trainer, known for her inspiring approach to redefining what’s possible as we age. She’s passionate about showing that menopause isn’t an ending, but the beginning of a whole new chapter.
Since we first recorded this episode, Tania has continued her mission, working as an online health coach helping women over 50 regain their energy so they can thrive in their careers and their lives. She’s also launched an exciting new venture — the Midlife Women’s Clinic, an online service for Australian women navigating perimenopause. The clinic provides education and connects women with GPs, Nurse Practitioners, Naturopaths, Psychologists, Nutritionists, and other experts who specialise in perimenopause.
Tania brings such inspiration and practical wisdom to this conversation, sharing how lifestyle choices can transform how we age and how midlife can be the most empowering time of all.
Here’s what we cover:
Why Tania became so interested in how lifestyle impacts aging
Why she’s determined to show women menopause isn’t the end so much as a whole new beginning
Simple and effective ways to transform life
Staying active despite osteoarthritis
Training for an ironman challenge (she since completed this!)
Being willing to try things while accepting you may not be able to complete them
Why Tania feels menopause has been the best thing to happen to her
The importance of prioritizing sleep
How Tania manages stress
The importance of getting outside a lot, especially first thing in the morning
How living more simply can help with health
How Tania has accepted her aging self
Optimal nutrition in midlife and beyond
Increasing variety in your diet to assist your microbiome
The importance of strength training and getting clear on what we need to do
Incorporating HIIT sessions where possible
Incidental exercise – staying mobile throughout the day
The impact of stress on increasing belly fat in midlife
How to simply incorporate meditation
Not letting perfectionism stop her from going for things
We’re bringing back another episode for our special Menopause Matters Season — this time with the wonderful Clarissa Kristjansson. She’s a Mindfulness and Menopause expert, author of The Mindful Menopause, and host of the Thriving Thru Menopause podcast. Clarissa is passionate about changing the way women think about menopause and aging. She brings such warmth and wisdom to this conversation, showing how mindfulness and a truly holistic approach can transform our experience of midlife. Her work continues to challenge unhelpful narratives and empower women to take charge of their own journey.
Here’s what we cover:
Why Clarissa became so passionate about menopause
The power of mindfulness and a truly holistic approach
Busting myths and unhelpful menopause narratives
How women can take charge of their own experience
Menopause, ageism, and the challenges of the workplace
The potential impact of toxins in our lives
Clarissa’s best tips for thriving through midlife and beyond
We’re revisiting another brilliant conversation for our special Menopause Matters Season — this time with the inspiring Breeda Bermingham. She’s a social entrepreneur, founder of the Midlife Women Rock Project, and author of Midlife Women Rock: A Menopause Story for a New Generation. A former midwife and nurse, Breeda went back to full-time education at 49, completing both a psychology degree and a master’s in sociology. Impressive doesn’t even begin to cover it!
This was such a moving conversation — Breeda’s wisdom and passion continue to have a profound impact on me. With more and more fear around menopause conversations, Breeda’s call to action on menopause is just as timely as ever.
Here’s what we cover:
Why she wrote her book and the urgency of changing menopause narratives
Breaking taboos and giving women’s voices space to be heard
The legacy of Feminine Forever and the medicalization of menopause
Her Menopause Cafés in Ireland and the power of shared stories
What it was like returning to full-time study at 49
Practical ways women can take more control of their experience
Why sleep is so critical for long-term health
Celebrating how amazing women are before, during, and after menopause
I always love chatting to this returning guest! Kate Codrington is the author of The New York Times recommended book, Second Spring: The Self-Care Guide To Menopause, and her second book is The Perimenopause Journal: Unlock Your Power, Own Your Wellbeing, Find Your Path. This is a beautiful journal full of love and wisdom to help women process the momentous changes that perimenopause brings. This is a super fun conversation with lots of wisdom and inspiration to help you thrive through the perimenopause transition.
If you haven’t already, make sure to listen to Kate’s first interview on the podcast too!
We talk about:
Kate’s new book and its purpose
The role of positivity in perimenopause
Spiritual and emotional aspects of perimenopause
Leadership and the role of postmenopausal women
The importance of authentic leadership, whether it involves standing on a stage or being a compassionate presence in small moments
Dr. Sarah White is the CEO of Jean Hailes for Women’s Health, a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving women’s health across Australia through every life stage. She is part of the National Women’s Health Advisory Council and the Women’s Health Products Working Group at Australia’s Medicines Regulator. She’s an honorary research fellow at Melbourne University and still an active researcher. We had an impassioned conversation about how menopause narratives are being manipulated, the likely reasons for that, and how women can get the reliable information they need.
We talk about:
Sarah’s career journey
The importance of accurate and accessible health information
Who Dr Jean Hailes was
The first rigorous survey on how menopause affects Australian women
How menopause data is being manipulated and why
The impact of industry influence on women’s health
Reframing menopause from a strengths-based approach
Combating gendered ageism
The influence of marketing and misinformation
The pressure to maintain a youthful appearance
The commercial drivers behind the promotion of HRT
Questioning what’s being said, by whom and why
Considering lifestyle changes in the menopause toolbox
Research on public health priorities and health inequities
And more!
This is such an important conversation for anyone interested in menopause!
Stella Duffy is an award-winning writer of 17 novels, over 70 short stories and 15 plays who’s also worked in theatre for 35 years as an actor, director and facilitator. She’s a psychotherapist and a yoga teacher. She recently completed her doctorate in existential psychotherapy and her research was in the embodied experience of post-menopause. She’s been post-menopausal since chemotherapy for breast cancer in her mid-30s. Stella has been active in equalities and diversity work in the arts and LGBTQ+ communities for many decades.
We talk about:
Stella’s experience of menopause coinciding with six months of chemotherapy
Menopause as a global issue
Challenging existing narratives
Societal factors and the impact of money
Cultural differences in menopause
The UK’s influence on menopause narratives
Alternative perspectives on menopause
The importance of lifestyle factors
Societal perceptions of post-menopausal women in a patriarchal culture
Dismantling misogynistic stereotypes
Being inclusive about societal expectations and challenges related to aging
The societal pressure on women regarding fertility and how it contributes to defining their value.
And more! This is such a rich and empowering conversation.
Guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has clarified employers’ legal obligations towards women experiencing menopausal symptoms that may be interfering with their work. This isn’t new law. Rather, the guidance has reiterated and elevated existing legislation, bringing greater awareness of the protections in place for menopausal women in the workplace. In the past, if women wanted to make discrimination claims because of menopause, they could only do this by making a claim for menopause being a disability. This is still the case.
Generally I think the new guidance is a welcome move. I’m happy to see efforts to generate greater awareness around menopause and that women will be supported more and also protected. I’m pleased that employment law does enable women to push back against unfavourable treatment and that more and more organisations are putting in place a menopause policy.
However, I struggle with any association made between menopause and disability, because I consider menopause to be a natural stage of life and even when women have severe menopause symptoms, I don’t think that pushes them towards disability. But before I talk more about that, first let’s take a look at what exactly the EHRC has said.
Employers legal obligations are set out thus:
“Under the Equality Act 2010, workers are protected from discrimination, harassment and victimisation on the basis of protected characteristics including disability, age and sex.
If menopause symptoms have a long term and substantial impact on a woman’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, these symptoms could be considered a disability. If menopause symptoms amount to a disability, an employer will be under a legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments. They will also be under a legal obligation to not directly or indirectly discriminate because of the disability or subject the woman to discrimination arising from disability.
Under health and safety legislation, employers also have a legal obligation to conduct an assessment of their workplace risks.”
The reasonable adjustments to working conditions that the EHRC recommends for menopausal employees are better ventilation and cooling devices to accommodate hot flushes for example, the provision of quiet rooms and relaxing uniform policies or allowing women to wear cooler clothing if needed. The guidance also recommends facilitating flexible working and changing shift patterns, for example, to accommodate women experiencing symptoms of menopause, such as difficulty sleeping, hot flashes and brain fog.
If employers fail to make these accommodations, they could potentially be sued under disability legislation. The guidance also sets out how taking disciplinary action because of menopause-related absence could be unlawful discrimination unless it is justified. Similarly, using language that ridicules a worker in relation to their menopausal symptoms could be considered harassment on the basis of age, sex, or disability. This last point, I love!
This all seems to be good news and it’s important to get more guidance on best practices. Just being able to wear natural fabrics and not synthetics can make a radical change to a menopausal woman’s comfort levels at work. But she also needs multiple sets of uniform to accommodate frequent changes and especially in case she suffers from menstrual flooding during her menopause transition.
These are all important ways to accommodate women at work. We also need to think about toilet facilities which are often woefully inadequate. If a woman is flooding during menopause and she has no access to a wash basin in the toilet stall, how can she possibly take care of herself in the workplace. It’s important that employers also provide toilet facilities that enable women to practice good personal hygiene without making any embarrassing issues obvious to everybody at work!
It’s interesting to consider that pregnancy is a protected characteristic but menopause is not. The guidance talks about harassment or discrimination on the basis of age, sex, or disability, but women cannot currently bring a claim for discrimination on the basis of two of these protected characteristics, only one. I believe that is why, in the past, when anybody wanted to make a claim in connection with menopause, it had to be done on the basis of disability. But pregnancy isn’t a disability and neither is puberty. Why does menopause take us into disability territory?
Is a menopausal woman a disabled person? The guidance talks in terms of when there are long-term severe symptoms that can impact a woman’s work, the symptoms could then be considered a disability. So, technically, it’s not menopause itself that is the disability, rather it is the menopause symptoms, if they are severe. But is this just semantics? It still puts menopause in the disability camp, I think. It still seems to me, to be an unfortunate use of terminology.
Natural hormonal changes are something that happen to all women in midlife, and I believe with more knowledge, support and understanding, most women should be able to transition through this period without having to call on the disabilities act. If, in fact, we were able to call on two protected characteristics to make a claim, then menopause would fit neatly in age and sex. We go through menopause because we are older and female.
Another element of the guidance is that menopause-related leave needs to be classified as menopause-related leave. This strikes me as a very grey area. How are women and managers to classify what is related to menopause and what isn’t? Will a doctors note and medical evidence be needed? There is no test for natural menopause, unlike for pregnancy.
If a woman is suffering from sleepless nights, that could be menopause-related or it could be stress related to life in general. There can be so much going on in a midlife woman’s life! She may be grappling with an empty nest, she may be stuck in the sandwich generation, caring for children and elderly parents, she may be experiencing her first real dose of gendered ageism, which could be knocking her confidence even further.
If a woman suffers from joint pain, how do we know that is specifically menopause and not another reason? Do we look at the average age of menopause and if the employee fits that profile, then we put everything down to menopause? There is much disagreement about what exactly is caused by menopause and the extent to which it has a significant impact on women. And every woman has a different menopause.
Could menopause now be used as an excuse for poor performance standards with employers fearful to say anything in case they get sued? What time period will be used to accommodate women needing support during the menopause transition? We know all women have their own individual experience and deserve to be accommodated on a case-by-case basis. There is no one-size-fits-all, but it does make it all quite complicated. But menopause and women’s health in general is complicated. We need to work with that.
There are certainly positive steps being taken to support women at work and hopefully improve the employment rates of older women, so they don’t feel the workplace no longer works for them. If women are leaving work because it can’t support and accommodate them during their menopause, that’s not a good thing! We need to ensure we keep older women at work – society needs them!
But it’s not just about ticking the menopause box either. It’s also about considering the impact of age discrimination and sex discrimination, and how we can also tackle those. Both have a big impact on how women experience menopause, as well as just being an older woman in general. There’s lots more to be done to combat the often unfair treatment of older women at work, and stop the need for any woman to attend an employment tribunal!
You can hear me talking about the new menopause guidance on Times Radio.
Pamela Windle joins the podcast to talk about menopause, at work, for Black women, diversity of experience, the importance of representation and staying curious about big statements about women’s health, especially when those relate to race. Pamela is a women’s health coach and menstruation and menopause consultant for the workplace. She trained with the Integrated Women’s Health Institute and the International Menopause Society. She’s an adviser to the British Standards Institute for the new standard on menstruation, menstrual health and menopause in the workplace.
We talk about:
Menopause and perimenopause in the workplace
The new BSI standard on menstruation and menopause in the workplace
Pamela’s personal experiences with perimenopause, challenging societal shame and embarrassment around menstruation and aging
Emphasizing the diversity of women’s experiences and the importance of self-care
Scepticism about research on menopause for Black women
The lack of representation of Black women in medical research
The importance of including diverse perspectives in medical research
Celebrating episode 150 of the podcast with a very special guest. Ann Marie McQueen is a journalist on the world stage, focused on menopause and on a mission to cut through misleading narratives and dodgy data. She founded HotFlash Inc in 2020 to cover the latest clinical studies, treatments, products, guidance and more via a weekly research letter, podcast and across social media. She’s also one of the founder members of MenoClarity.
We talk about:
Why and how menopause became Ann Marie’s focus
Living in the Middle East as a Canadian expat
Cultural differences around menopause narratives
What annoys and concerns her about how menopause is portrayed
Issues around the impact of social media on menopause narratives
The oversimplification of menopause messages
Ann Marie’s struggles with ill health and separating that out from hormonal change
The impact of belief systems and trauma on menopause
The impact of early parental bereavement
How her view of menopause has changed
Understanding research and what it’s really saying
Being sceptical about big promises that make people money
Tania Elfersy is a transformative coach, speaker and award-winning author, specializing in midlife women’s health. She’s spent years researching what causes and what can relieve symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause and became free of her own physical and emotional symptoms naturally and simply. Rachel quoted her extensively in her own book. Tania set up The Wiser Woman project in 2015 to help women transform their experience of midlife change. She’s the author of a brilliant new book, The Wiser Woman’s Guide To Perimenopause and Menopause.
We talk about:
What lead Tania to the work she does
How the body doesn’t malfunction suddenly in midlife
The innate brilliance of the body and what that means for menopause symptoms
The difference between how we respond to issues in pregnancy and menopause
The importance of focusing on the emotional and spiritual side of the midlife journey
The insight that allowed Tania to free herself from her own menopause symptoms
The interplay between Mind, Thought and Consciousness
Tania’s concerns about the narrative in the UK
Difference between the UK menopause narrative and North America
How women can best help themselves during midlife change
Tania’s thoughts on the Davina McCall documentary Sex, Mind and the Menopause
And more!
You can read a full transcription of this podcast here.
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