The Happy Menopause

How daring do you feel these days? Sometimes it’s easy for us to write ourselves off in midlife and think the fun and adventure is all over. In this episode, we’re going to explore the extraordinary adventures of some inspiring women who have smashed through barriers, broken taboos and paved the way for the rest of us. I promise you that by the end of the episode, you’ll be just raring to go and start an adventure of your own!My guest will be well-known to many of you, because she was a much-loved presenter on BBC Breakfast for 20 years. She’s used her profile to champion women’s stories and to raise awareness of the menopause, mental health and women’s safety. She’s also a highly successful triathlete who represented Great Britain in her age-group. If you haven’t guessed already, I’m chatting to the brilliant Louise Minchin who’s here to discuss her latest book Fearless: Adventures with Extraordinary Women and to give us all an appetite for adventure.Louise introduces us to a whole host of inspiring women and talks us through the adventures she shared with them, including freediving under ice, cycling across Argentina, wild caving and a swim escape from Alcatraz. We discuss the importance of challenging yourself to build resilience and how vital it is to remain physically confident to ensure we keep fit and well through mid- and later life. Louise is an incredibly positive role model and full of great advice on how to empower yourself to take that first step into adventure so that you can make the most of this latest stage of your life. She was a delight to chat to and I promise you that you’ll enjoy listening to her as much as I enjoyed chatting to her! If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, remember to subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode, and please give it 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on.  And do tell your friends and family about it too. I’d be so grateful, because it really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause.Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

Do you ever feel left out of the menopause conversation? If you’re dealing with the menopause post-cancer it can be very frustrating when all the messaging in the media seems to revolve around HRT as the solution to all your symptoms. So in this episode, I’m focusing on the very specific diet and lifestyle steps you can take to manage your menopause if you’ve recently had cancer treatment, or are taking hormone suppressant medication, which means that you can't take HRT, even if you wanted to..Cancer nutrition is a highly specialised and complex area so I’ve brought in the big guns with my guest for this episode. I’m delighted to be joined by Dr Carol Granger. She’s a registered nutrition practitioner and microbiologist who works with people with a cancer diagnosis, before during and after treatment to complement their treatment and support resilience and recovery. She’s also an executive member of the British Society for Integrative Oncology and has published numerous research papers on nutrition and cancer. Carol is a mine of useful information and shares her practical and expert advice on the do’s and don’ts of diet and lifestyle after a cancer diagnosis. We discuss the importance of the Mediterranean diet; why you need to follow a smart-fat rather than a low-fat diet; and why it’s important to apply caution with certain supplements. This is an incredibly helpful episode for anyone looking to manage their health and wellbeing during and post-menopause after a cancer diagnosis.If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, remember to subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode, and please give it 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on.  And do tell your friends and family about it too. I’d be so grateful, because it really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause.Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

Are you fed up with dieting and not making any progress with weight loss? Manging a healthy weight in midlife can be a real minefield and it’s incredibly disheartening if despite your best efforts you’re not really getting anywhere. The female body is complicated and the cocktail of hormones around the menopause can make it a real uphill battle to keep in shape. We often find that the tried and trusted methods of the past don’t really work for us now, so what can we do about that? Surely there’s a better way? Well, there is! And I’ve got just the woman to help us with it in this month’s podcast.In this episode I chat to Elizabeth Sherman, a life and weight-loss coach who supports women through the hormonal shifts of the perimenopause and menopause and who’s made it her business to guide them through the challenges of managing a healthy  weight in midlife. She’s also the host of the excellent Done With Dieting podcast which is for all of us who are looking to manage our health, wellbeing and weight in a way that’s successful and sustainable. We discuss the ups and downs of weight management in menopause; explore the issues around emotional eating with Elizabeth’s expert advice for managing this; and we look at the 8 healthy habits you need to get in place to support a healthy weight in midlife. Chatting to Elizabeth was a really helpful reminder of just how complex our body is and why we need to be giving it the best possible support through the menopause and beyond. If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, remember to subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode, and please give it 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on.  And do tell your friends and family about it too. I’d be so grateful, because it really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause.Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is Embrace Equity focusing on forging equality for women and raising awareness around discrimination. And this got me thinking about the inequalities around women’s health and the menopause, because there are a lot of them. It’s still very much a man’s world and it can be hard for women to ensure their voice is heard in the health arena. In this IWD special episode, I chat to a hugely inspiring woman, who’s been campaigning around the menopause for years and who’s made a material difference to the conversation around women’s health.  Back in Season 1, I invited Elizabeth Carr-Ellis and her Pausitivity colleagues to share the work they’d been doing around raising awareness of the menopause amongst local communities. I’m thrilled that she’s back with me today for an update and to give us her insights on the ongoing challenges of managing inequality around the menopause. Since we last spoke, Liz has continued to campaign tirelessly, and she even took the menopause to the UK parliament, addressing MPs and peers at the All Party Parliamentary Group on menopause. She’s also been named a Big Issue Changemaker for her work taking the menopause into vulnerable communities. We discuss the postcode lottery of the menopause experience for women in the UK; the shocking truth around the majority of medical research which is based on the male experience; the heart-breaking challenges that women face as they grapple with their menopause symptoms; and the lack of support from government and some elements of the medical community around the HRT shortages. It’s enough to make you want to get out there and (wo)man the barricades! Tune in to find out what concrete steps you can take to ensure that you receive equity around your health and the menopause. If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, remember to subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode, and please give it 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on.  And do tell your friends and family about it too. I’d be so grateful, because it really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause.Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

What does your menopause look like? The chances are it’s not much like a lot of the media portrayals of the menopause! With International Women’s Day fast approaching and with a theme of Embrace Equity, I wanted to take a closer look at diversity around the menopause, because it doesn’t just happen to the tired-looking grey-haired white woman that seems to take centre stage in so many of the slightly depressing stock shots used in the media. Every woman goes through menopause – and it can happen at any age, some women experience premature menopause, others may have menopause triggered by medical treatment or a surgical intervention. And women of every ethnicity experience menopause and it’s really important to understand that the timing and some of the symptoms and risk factors can vary quite significantly if you’re black or Asian, for example. If that’s you or one of your loved ones, it’s essential to understand these key differences in order to take positive action and this month’s guest is just the woman to help us with this. Meet Karen Arthur! She’s a fashion creative, menopause diversity campaigner and host of the ground-breaking podcast Menopause Whilst Black. Karen is also the inspiration behind Wear Your Happy, because she believes passionately in the power of clothing and accessories to enhance your mood and lift your spirits.  In this episode we discuss the different way that black women experience menopause and the challenges that they face. Karen talks through her own experience and the motivation behind creating her Menopause Whilst Black podcast. She’s keen to open up the menopause conversation to women of all ages and ethnicities, taking the conversation out to communities and is doing a brilliant job of it. Karen is also completely inspirational on the subject of fashion and how what you wear should make you happy. She’s a complete bundle of energy and positivity – tune in to hear her words of wisdom!If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, remember to subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode, and please give it 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on.  And do tell your friends and family about it too. I’d be so grateful, because it really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause.Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

What do you think about yoga? Are you a regular devotee; is it something you do occasionally, or do you really think this is something for other people? If yoga is something you’ve discounted or let slide in your wellbeing journey so far, you might want to think again after you’ve heard what my latest guest has to say about the multiple benefits for women in midlife. Meet Libby Stevenson – she’s a yoga instructor and therapeutic wellbeing practitioner for women at different stages of life but with a special interest in midlife and menopause. Libby’s own journey of discovery into yoga inspired her to train as an instructor and to gain specialist certification in the areas she’s passionate about, so she’s just the person we need to tell us more about this wonderful practice.In this episode we drill down into the different ways that yoga can support our health and wellbeing. We discuss the role that yoga can play in supporting the nervous system and reducing stress levels, really underpinning our mental health at a stage in life when we can be feeling a little fragile. There are a range of physical benefits too, from improving flexibility, stamina & balance and helping to build bone and muscle strength to reducing hot flushes and supporting sleep. Find out why yoga is for everyone, regardless of your shape, weight, flexibility and fitness. You won’t regret giving it a try, I promise!If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, remember to subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode, and please give it 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on.  And do tell your friends and family about it too. I’d be so grateful, because it really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause.Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

It’s 2023 and New Year, New You, they say! But is there actually anything wrong with the old you? Probably not, but we’re often very self-critical! Rather than making a whole lot of radical resolutions that won’t last more than a week or two, in this episode I’m focusing on small, consistent changes that can reap big benefits as you transition through the menopause. And I’ve found just the woman to help us with this, because I’m chatting to the brilliant Amanda Thebe who’s just the most practical, pragmatic and relatable menopause champion and she’s made a material difference to thousands of women through her work. Amanda is a Women’s Health and Fitness Expert with nearly thirty years of experience in the fitness industry and the author of the best-selling book, Menopocalypse: How I Learned to Thrive During Menopause and How You Can Too, which is her story of how she was trapped in the perimenopause rabbit hole and how she got out of it. She’s a bundle of energy, positivity and wisdom, so tune in to hear what she’s got to say!We discuss the many different ways that you can take a proactive approach to managing your menopause and Amanda shares her five keystones of optimal health in midlife. She also busts some of the popular menopause myths out there around diet and lifestyle, shares her thoughts on supplements and speaks frankly about her views on some of the misleading (and expensive!) advice that is out there without the relevant evidence to back it up.  Just chatting to Amanda has made me feel more energised and positive – imagine how it would feel to work with her! If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, please give it 5 star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on, I’d be so grateful. And do tell your friends and family about it too. It really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause. Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

Are you a caregiver? The shoulder for everyone else? The fixer in your family? The workplace workhorse? Is there no time for self-care?  Women are hardwired to nurture, and it can be very difficult to know where to draw the line if we think that other people need us. And that can be a real issue, because self care is a non-negotiable for women in midlife and it can make a world of difference to the way we experience the menopause. But many of us aren’t very good at it, although we’re brilliant at looking after other people!That’s why I’ve called in the big guns for this episode, with Jess Baker, psychologist and co-author of The Super Helper Syndrome, which is a survival guide for compassionate people. She’s a chartered psychologist and an award-winning coach, and her new book is a fabulously helpful guide to supporting people who want to adopt a healthy helper mindset so that they can meet their own needs, as well as supporting those around them. In this episode we explore where the urge to help comes from and how it can often lead back to childhood and the influences we encounter as we grow up. Jess talks us through the classic signs of someone who is a compulsive helper and explains the implications this can have on health and wellbeing. We discuss how to set boundaries in our professional and our personal lives so that we don’t overload ourselves and can take the time to look after ourselves too. She’s full of very practical advice on how to get the balance right in our lives, so that we become healthy helpers. As she so beautifully puts it: “When helping comes from a place of compassion and not from compulsion, that’s when caring gives us courage.”This episode is for all the women out there who are so busy helping everyone else that they often don’t give a thought to themselves, their health and their wellbeing.Find out more about Jess and her work in the Show Notes on my website: www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast.If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, please give it 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on, I’d be so grateful. And do tell your friends and family about it too. It really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. Because every woman deserves to have a happy menopause.Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

In this episode I’m focusing on good mood foods, because there is no doubt that what we eat can have a huge impact on our brain and cognitive function. Mood swings, anxiety and brain fog are incredibly common issues for women in their early 40s onwards, which can come as an unwelcome surprise. And while there’s no doubt that your hormones are playing a big part in this, the right diet and lifestyle can play a huge part in helping correct the balance so that you get your brain back on an even keel. I’ve decided to go solo for this podcast so I can focus specifically on my own area of expertise, which is nutrition. I’m sharing 8 ways that your food choices can help to calm your nerves, regulate your mood and clear your brain, so that your neurotransmitters are fully fired up!Tune in to find out why it’s important to boost the B’s, maximise magnesium, power up the protein and be good to your gut and I’ll give you some practical tips on how to do all that. I set a fun foodie challenge for you as well – you’ll have to listen in to find out what that is, but I promise that you’ll enjoy it!If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, please give it 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on. And do tell your friends and family about it too. I’d be so grateful, because it really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause. Thanks so much for listening, bye for now!Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

This summer I discovered The Expectation Effect, the latest book by David Robson and what I learned was fascinating, so I was thrilled when he agreed to come on the podcast for this World Menopause Day special on cognition.  Our mindset shapes every facet of our lives, and our expectations have a direct impact on every experience. Of course, we all know that looking on the bright side promotes positivity, but there’s an impressive body of research around the way that our expectations can significantly influence our health, wellbeing, fitness and even our weight and the way that we age!  As we work our way through the challenges of midlife and the menopause, it’s really good to know that at least some of the power is in our hands and this episode is full of good advice about how to make the most of that. My guest is David Robson, an award-winning science writer specialising in the extremes of the human brain, body and behaviour. His second book, The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Transform Your Life is a journey through the cutting-edge science of how our beliefs can create self-fulfilling prophecies in every area of our lives. We discuss all the different ways that your expectations can influence your health, your wellbeing and your life. David shares some extraordinary research about this and explains how very small changes can make a world of difference to our experience of a situation, a challenge or a health problem. It’s incredibly empowering to discover just how much we can influence our own health and wellbeing, especially at this time of our lives when we can often feel as if control is slipping away from us. I promise you’ll find this a very helpful episode!If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, please give it 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on, I’d be so grateful. And do tell your friends and family about it too. It really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause. Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

The theme of this year’s World Menopause Day is cognition, so I’ve invited the wonderful Dr Sabina Brennan back to chat to us, because there is no better woman to help us with the cognitive challenges of the menopauseShe’s a chartered health psychologist, neuroscientist, host of the Super Brain podcast and author of two fantastic books: 100 Days to A Younger Brain and Beating Brain Fog. There’s no one better to help us tackle the subject of brain health!Brain fog, poor memory and loss of concentration and focus can significantly affect women during the menopause but fear not, because, in this episode, Sabina is full of practical advice on how to keep your brain and your neurotransmitters firing on all cylinders. We discuss the ageing brain and how to keep it healthy and agile through novelty, variety, diet and lifestyle. It’s very encouraging to learn that our behaviours and our lifestyle choices can directly influence our brain health and smart choices can make a material difference to our cognitive function.Sabina is full of practical advice and simple everyday strategies that we can apply to keep our brain in great shape through menopause and beyond.   If you enjoy the podcast, please give it 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on. And do tell your friends and family about it too. I’d be so grateful, because it really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause. Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

In this episode, we’re exploring the power of song, because there’s something very joyous about singing and it’s something we can all do and that we can all enjoy, even if you prefer to do it in the privacy of your shower! There are multiple benefits to singing and it can have a significant impact on your mental health and wellbeing, so we’ll be discovering how singing can make a difference to you and your menopause symptoms. My guest is Dr Catherine Pestano, she’s a community musician and mental health social worker with a passion for helping people to free their voices and share in the joy of singing and creative music making, at all levels. Catherine is also a lead adviser for the national Song Therapy training and a long-term member of the natural voice network. And as a menopause activist, she’s very conscious of the positive impact of song as a support for women in midlife and she’s kindly shared her expertise with us. We discuss all aspects of singing in this podcast and explore the various physical and mental health benefits, as well as the extraordinary support and friendship you can experience from being part of a group singing project. Catherine works with singers of all levels and is incredibly reassuring about the inhibitions we may feel about our own ability to carry a tune or sing as a group. It’s fascinating to hear about the singing therapy she’s involved in and the work she does with people going through midlife hormonal transitions  – yes, hormonal changes can affect your voice and your confidence (as we all know!), but with Catherine’s help and encouragement, we can definitely still enjoy the joy of singing. After chatting to Catherine, I felt hugely motivated to get out there and start singing and I’m sure you will too!If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, please give it 5 star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on, I’d be so grateful. And do tell your friends and family about it too. It really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause. Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

Skincare is a hot topic for many women and never more so than in midlife when the hormonal fluctuations of the perimenopause bring about a sea change in the condition of our skin. Acne, dry skin and loss of elasticity are all very common problems, and we often find that our tried and trusted skincare routine is no longer effective. And that can be a problem, because if we feel that we’re no longer presenting our best face to the world it can create a knock-on issue of loss of confidence at a time when we may already be feeling a bit less comfortable in our skin. But help is at hand with my latest guest, consultant dermatologist Dr Emma Wedgeworth. Emma is a highly experienced clinician who treats the full range of skin conditions, including acne, rosacea and ageing skin. She’s published numerous scientific articles and been involved in cutting-edge dermatological research, so we’re definitely in good hands! Get your pen ready, you’ll want to take notes for this one. Emma packs so much advice into such a short space of time. We discuss moisturisers, cleansers, acne, dry skin, wrinkles, those pesky facial hairs that pop up and all the things you can do about them. Emma very kindly shares advice on specific brands and products, which I’ve included in the show notes that you’ll find on the podcast page of my website. If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, please give it 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on, I’d be so grateful. And do tell your friends and family about it to. It really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause.Season 4  of The Happy Menopause  is supported by innovative natural health company Better You. Tune in to the podcast for details of a 20% discount on their range of oral  vitamin and mineral sprays and transdermal magnesium. Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

Vitamin D is a non-negotiable for our health and wellbeing at any age, but never more so than in mid and later life which is why I’ve decided to shine a light on it in this episode. I’ve invited Andrew Thomas, founder of one my favourite supplement companies Better You to chat to me about all things vitamin D. He’s just the man we need to help us understand the ins and outs of this hormone-like vitamin. Andrew has been on quite a journey, from a chance encounter at a rodeo, which led him to found Better You to winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2021. The level of research into Vitamin D has expanded considerably in recent years and we explore the broad role that it plays in supporting your health and wellbeing, such as bone health, mental health and immune function, including reducing the severity and longevity of Covid-19 symptoms. Andrew explains what Vitamin D is; why we need it; why we might be deficient and typical signs of that; how the body produces it and what sort of supplement dosage is appropriate.  This is a really practical and helpful episode that should answer any questions about Vitamin D, especially as we slide into the autumn and winter when a supplement is more important than ever. If you enjoy the podcast, please give it a 5 star rating and a review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on, And do tell your friends and family about it. I’d be so grateful because it really does make a difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause. Season 4  of The Happy Menopause  is supported by  innovative natural health company Better You. Tune in to the podcast for details of a 20% discount on their range of oral  vitamin and mineral sprays and transdermal magnesium. Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

Can’t run, won’t run? Listen to this episode before you write yourself off!It’s September and with the whole post-holiday vibe it’s often a good time be thinking about a new fitness regime. With that in mind, I’ve decided to kick off Season 4 with an episode on running. If it’s not something you’ve tried before or thought you’d never do in a million years (that was me until Hello Lockdown!) this is the podcast for you, because I’m speaking to a specialist women’s running coach who knows exactly how to help us get started and how to do it in a way that suits our midlife body. I’m delighted to welcome Sam Palmer to the podcast to share her expertise. This is a woman with a lot of get up and go, who’s reinvented herself multiple times and used the knowledge from each incarnation to help her develop the next one. She started out as a nurse in neonatal intensive care; retrained as a teacher after becoming a mother; set up her own first aid training business and then retrained again as a running coach, specialising in supporting women in their first steps at becoming a runner. All of this expertise combined when she launched her Midlife Makeover coaching programmes to support women with simple lifestyle changes to improve their health and wellbeing. We discuss all aspects of running – how to get started if you’re a newbie and how to pick up again if you’ve taken a break. We look at the tangible health benefits and the surprising fringe benefits you can experience. Sam advises on the practical aspects of kitting yourself out and is full of good advice on how to look after yourself and reduce the risk of injury. Sam is so positive and encouraging. I think the big takeaway from this episode is not to rule yourself out of anything. And never say neverIf you enjoy the podcast, please give it a 5 star rating and a review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on, And please do tell your friends and family about it. I’d be so grateful because it really does make a difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause.  Season 4 of The Happy Menopause  is supported by  innovative natural health company Better You. Tune in to the podcast for details of a 20% discount on their range of oral  vitamin and mineral sprays and transdermal magnesium. Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

Bloating can be a nasty niggling issue for a lot of women in midlife. It can affect different people in different ways. You might have a sense of overfullness after even quite a small meal. Or find that you can’t do up your trousers by the end of the day.   Some women experience such a distended abdomen that they describe it as looking 6 months pregnant, after starting the day with a flat stomach. Bloating can also manifest as back pain, and a sensation of trapped wind can be very common too. Whatever your experience, bloating is generally unpleasant, often painful and can be annoyingly unpredictable. I see a lot of women in my nutrition clinic who struggle with bloating, which is why I’ve decided to wrap up Season 3 of The Happy Menopause with a solo episode which focuses on this tricky subject. Tune in to hear 8 tried and trusted methods of tackling bloating that you can try for yourself at home. The mechanics of your digestion rely on a delicate balance, and what, when and how you eat can all potentially contribute to issues of bloating and trapped wind. I explore the stages of the digestive process and the role of digestive enzymes; common potential trigger foods to consider; the impact of different fluids on bloating; why fruit may not be your best friend if you’re bloated and why finishing first is a loser’s game when you’re eating with friends or family. If you want to get to beat the bloat, the simple, practical advice in this episode is a great place to start!If you’ve enjoyed this episode, why not dip back into the archive this summer? The podcast covers a whole range of different symptoms and issues and also includes episodes which feature some incredibly inspiring women, who are fantastic role models for midlife. Season 4 will kick off on 1st September, so keep a look out for that, as it launches with 3 brilliant episodes!Jackie Lynch is an award-winning nutritionist and founder of the WellWellWell nutrition clinic where she specialises in women’s health and the menopause. Keen to break the taboo about discussing the menopause, she launched the popular diet & lifestyle podcast The Happy Menopause and her new book, The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish is out now.She is also the author of Va Va Voom: The 10-Day Energy Dietand The Right Bite: Smart Food Choices for Eating on the Go.  Jackie’s advice features in a range of national media and she regularly appears as a guest expert on radio and TV, including Channel 4’s Superfoods.Follow her on Instagram, Twitter and FacebookCheck out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

Do you leak a little bit of urine when you laugh or sneeze or run? Let’s face it, it’s something that’s happened to most of us at some point and statistics show that more than 1 in 3 women struggle with this. It’s called urinary stress incontinence, usually due to a weak pelvic floor, and it’s one of those things we mostly don’t talk about because it’s embarrassing. This month’s guest is going to help us bust that taboo wide open, because I’m speaking to the fabulous Elaine Miller. She’s a pelvic health physiotherapist and has helped countless women reverse the problem with her clinical support. But she’s also a stand-up comic and has used her comedic talent to create the hilarious Gusset Grippers show, employing humour as a health promotion tool, and going on to win the Fringe World Comedy award in 2020. She’s frank, she’s funny and I’m thrilled that she’s joined us to share her wisdom. We learn all about the pelvic floor: what it is; where it is; why it’s important; and how to keep it in great shape. Elaine explains some of the factors that can weaken your pelvic floor and we discuss the best ways to manage that.  We even try out the exercises, so you can squeeze along with us! Elaine’s mantra is “We won’t pee, with a 10 -10-3”, so tune in to find out what that’s all about and to enjoy a very entertaining conversation. We also discuss her upcoming show Viva Your Vulva at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August, where she’ll once again be busting open the taboo around out intimate health with the help of giant, sparkly vulva on stage. That’s definitely a date for your diary, if you’ll be in the area, so check out the show notes for more details!If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please do tell your friends and family about the podcast and leave a 5-star rating and a review on Apple podcasts or whichever platform you listen on. It really helps to activate the algorithms and boost the rankings so that more women can find the show.  Because every woman deserves a happy menopause. Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

When was the last time you had a good night’s sleep? We all know that we’re better for it, but it can be extremely elusive, especially in midlife where a combination of the hormonal surges that often trigger night sweats and the stresses and strains of daily life can make it incredibly hard to get quality sleep. And quality more than quantity really does count when it comes to how we feel the next day. My guest in this episode is Lisa Cypers Kamen who’s the author of a new book called Rested: Solutions for Restorative Sleep and Wellbeing. Doesn’t that sound just what we all need? As the founder of the fabulous Harvesting Happiness lifestyle consultancy which specialises in positive psychology coaching, she’s made it her life’s work to help her clients improve their wellbeing and quality of life. Concerned by what she describes as a global sleep epidemic, she’s reviewed a mountain of research and distilled her findings into an incredibly helpful sleep guide. If you’re struggling with sleep, this episode could be a game-changer for you.We discuss the structure of our sleep cycles and why each stage is important. Lisa explains the different strategies we can apply to support a restorative night’s sleep and we cover everything from stress and sleep hygiene to nutrition and lifestyle. It’s a fascinating episode packed with practical tips to ease you into a delicious, restful slumber. If you enjoy this episode, please tell your friends and family, and leave a 5-star rating and a review on Apple Podcasts or whichever platform you listen on, as it really helps to spread the word, so that new listeners can find the show. Because every woman deserves to have a happy menopause. Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

Walking is something that’s accessible to almost all of us and it can be a much less daunting prospect to the harassed midlife woman than high impact work, running or intense training. What’s wonderful about the research we discuss in this episode is that walking isn’t a second-best option if you’re not up to other forms of exercise. It’s much, much more than that and we discuss the very many ways that different types of walking can benefit us – something I’d never really thought about before, even though I often recommend a daily walk to women in my nutrition clinic.  But walking in different weathers, at different speeds, in different terrain and with a different mindset can all bring different health benefits. My guest in this episode is the wonderful Annabel Streets, who’s an award-winning writer of highly researched fiction and non-fiction. She’s an absolute genius at translating complex research into simple and manageable habits that we can include in our everyday life. We discuss her latest book 52 Ways to Walk – The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, One Week at a Time. Her books (sometimes written under the name Annabel Abbs) have been translated into over 30 languages. Her most recent books include 52 Ways to Walk (Bloomsbury), Windswept: Why Women Walk (Two Roads) and The Language of Food (Simon and Schuster). She is also co-founder of the Age-Well Project blog and co-author of The Age-Well Project: Easy Ways to a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life (Piatkus).There are multiple health benefits associated with long, short, slow and brisk walks. A range of positive effects are associated with the weather and the environments you walk in, and we discuss the impact of a cold walk, walking in the sunshine and strolling by water or through trees. Annabel explains the impact that tuning up our wayfinding skills could have on our risk of dementia and she also describes how to walk as you work. It's a truly fascinating discussion and I’ve been excited about recording this podcast since I received the book. I’m confident you’re going to enjoy hearing from Annabel, as much as I did, and I hope you enjoy discovering new and different ways to walk your way to health. If you enjoy this episode, please tell your friends and family, and leave a 5-star rating and a review on Apple Podcasts or whichever platform you listen on, as it really helps to spread the word, so that new listeners can find the show. Because every woman deserves to have a happy menopause.   Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

This episode is all about the perimenopause, because those years running up to the menopause can be full of hormonal havoc. In fact, although we use it as a catch-all term, the menopause technically only lasts for one day. It’s that day when it’s been 12 months since your last period. After that, you’re post menopausal. So the perimenopause is when all the fun and games really start and that can be a lot earlier than you might think. In fact, hormonal fluctuations can be going on in the background from your early 40s onwards and some of the initial symptoms can be surprising and disconcerting. Anxiety, brain fog, poor memory and loss of confidence are all fairly common issues, and they can cause a lot of concern, especially if your periods are still regular and you assume you’re too young. Why would you associate that with the menopause? But these early warning signs are very characteristic of the perimenopause and you don’t have to put up with them, because there are lots of options to help you deal with them. And this is where my latest guest comes in. I’m chatting to the brilliant Ruth Devlin, who’s a nurse, health coach and clinical educator specialising in the menopause. Dhe’s also the author of the excellent book Men! Let’s Talk Menopause, which is a snappy and useful guide to help the men in our life understand what’s going on. We discuss the different challenges faced by women during the perimenopause, from the emotional and cognitive symptoms to the physical issues such as hot flushes and vaginal dryness. Ruth explains some of the multiple options available to you to help manage the problems arising from the hormone ups and downs of the perimenopause and we discuss a range of potential solutions, including cognitive behavioural therapy, HRT, diet and lifestyle. This episode is a great place to start if you’ve just realised you’re perimenopausal and you’re wondering what to do about it. Tune in for her excellent advice, because Ruth is an absolute mine of useful information! I think the big takeaway here is to arm yourself with information and not rule anything out or make any assumptions about the best route for you, until you’ve considered all the options. I really hope this episode will help you feel empowered to do that, because this is your body and you have every right to make sure that you’re happy, comfortable and confident to manage your perimenopause in the way that is right for you. If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, please do leave a 5-star rating and a review on Apple podcasts or whichever platform you listen on and make sure you tell all your friends – it makes a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast and really helps to spread the word. Because every woman deserves to have a happy menopause.Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Book your place for my Guardian Masterclass webinar on Menopause Nutrition on Saturday 10th June via the show notes on my website. If you're busy that day, ticket holders can access the recording after the session. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.