Latest / Empower Your Menopause / Episode 100: We've Broken the Silence on Menopause. Now What?

Transcript

Episode 100: We've Broken the Silence on Menopause. Now What? · Empower Your Menopause

• 0:13
  SPEAKER_02: Right, we've spent years encouraging women to talk more openly about menopause in the midlife, and people are finally listening.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_02: But a recent survey found that 97% of the women questioned felt pressured to hide or downplay their symptoms at work.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_02: So, how much progress have we really made over the last 5, 10, 15 years on what happens when menopause itself is over?
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_02: Because that's another conversation we really need to be having.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_02: So, welcome back to Empower Your Menopause, the podcast all about health, happiness, and hormones for women 40 and above.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_02: I'm Coach James Ellis.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm Coach Julie Medacy.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_02: And today is rather special because it's our 100th episode.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_02: Who would have thought it?
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_02: That's a hundred episodes talking about menopause, hormones, health, and just about everything else that affects women's life through midlife and beyond.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_02: And somehow we've still not run out of things to talk about.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_02: But that's not the only reason to celebrate.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_02: We've just learned that Fabulous Beyond 40 has been named Menopause Coaching Company of the Year 2026 by Global Health and Pharma.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_02: That's three years running, guys.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_02: So if you ever wanted to know whether what you're listening to is actually coaching, that's three years running as Menopause Coaching Company of the Year.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so Julie, that's quite an achievement, right?
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: I know, I mean, it's like we might actually know what we're doing, just don't tell anyone.
• 1:44
  unknown: Yeah.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_02: So it's rather lovely that all this is happening just ahead of World Menopause Day.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_02: That's this Sunday, so I'll just timestamp the episode.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_02: Today is Thursday, the 15th of October.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_02: Sunday the 18th is World Menopause Day for 2026.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_02: And it got us thinking a little bit about how far we've come, both in our own work and the wider conversation about menopause.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_02: So today we're reflecting on the progress we've made, the challenges that remain, and something we probably think deserves a bit more attention that's women's health actually beyond menopause, because we feel that that's really still an underrepresented area.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um so Julie, we are talking more about menopause now, but is it actually making a difference for anyone?
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it's it's a great question because you know we have seen some really big changes in this field, right?
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: We've we've seen it become something that women aren't so hesitant to discuss.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it used to be this was all done in whispers behind closed doors.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: We didn't bring it up, it was an uncomfortable topic, but it's increasingly more and more part of mainstream conversations.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: We see it all over social media now, obviously, us probably more than others because we're talking about it all the time.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: But you search it once, and pretty soon your feed is going to be full in social media.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: Healthcare providers are talking about it more because it's becoming more prominent in the discussions that they have, in the trainings that they're being asked to get, and even in workplace policies, which is a really good thing.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: But the question is, is talking about it more and talking about it more often, is that the same as talking about it more in a meaningful way?
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: Because, you know, while women are more happy and open about sharing their experiences, there's a lot more information available now about symptoms and treatment and support that's available.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: Even employers and healthcare providers are paying more attention to this.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, women are starting to understand that they can advocate for themselves and they can advocate for the appropriate care that they need.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: However, as we have found in some of the trainings we've attended and other information we've found in our own research, more information doesn't necessarily mean better information.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, information isn't very useful if it doesn't help you take action on something.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: So there's a lot of conflicting advice.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of women are feeling almost paralyzed by how many conflicting bits of information they hear.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we get we see symptom lists all over the place between clinically recognized ones and lists of over a hundred.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: And there are some unsupported claims out there being made and products that are not very legitimate, and that can create a lot of confusion.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: So the thing I worry about is women becoming almost afraid of this phase of life and what that will mean for them.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: So recognizing it alone doesn't always translate into practical support.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: However, um, you know, it it begs the question: do and I'll ask you this, James, do you think women genuinely are better informed now, or are they sometimes just drowning in information?
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's interesting because anecdotally, when I speak to people, the drowning in information thing really comes through.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_02: I was talking to somebody the other day and she said, I can't actually look at anything at the moment without menopause coming up.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_02: And she said, I'm sick to death of talking about it.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it's it's almost everywhere.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_02: I was listening to a podcast about ADHD last week.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um, for those who don't know, I was diagnosed with adult ADHD about a year ago.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_02: And the podcasters on that, and there were men and women there, were saying that they feel now that menopause is an issue that is readily addressed.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_02: So a woman uh has some symptoms, she goes to the doctor, she can get put on HRT, she can find information out there, and they were counter arguing that with the fact that for ADHD the support is very, very difficult to find, and if you do, if you can find it, then it can be a long process to actually get seen by anybody, you know, maybe years and years, in the case of some people.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_02: And so they were saying, you know, maybe women have actually got it better than we've previously thought they have at the moment.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_02: That's an interesting point.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not sure I actually agree with it, but I think it's worth you know just throwing it out there that as that is part of the conversation now.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_02: The flip side of that, of course, is that drowning information doesn't actually mean that that's always good information.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_02: Now, you know, I don't want to call people out for where they train, what they do, or whatever they might be up to in their lives, but there are a number of coaching qualifications that I see coming through, fed to me on feeds about, you know, become a menopause coach, become a menopause expert.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_02: Well, you know, I kind of think that they may maybe their algorithm's wrong if they're trying to advertise to me because I've already got almost every qualification you can get under the sun.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_02: But um, you know, for somebody like myself, for instance, I know Julie, you followed a similar journey.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I studied nutrition therapy, I did a master's degree in nutrition, uh, started coaching around menopause transition six, seven, eight years ago.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I've been doing it for a long time, and I've got a really specific menopause coaching qualification, as do you, Julie, from um from a really high-level coaching.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_02: Or Girls Gone Strong.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_02: We're very, very, very respected in the American, North American coaching space when it comes to women's health fitness at all ages.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_02: But they launched a menopause coaching certification I think four years ago now, and Julie and I both decided to go out and get that.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_02: We thought it'd be good to have that as well as the learned knowledge that we have.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_02: But then I see people claim to be menopause specialists, and they've done a four-week course.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_02: Now, it may be that they've had some kind of lived experience themselves, and of course, that is absolutely absolutely valid.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_02: But I'm not sure that you can actually pass on that information to somebody if you've only just qualified after doing a four-week correspondence course, it feels very, very short to me.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_02: So I I guess that is it's not really not really a gripe, but it's something I think people need to be aware of that just because every um Tom Dick and Harrier on Instagram is now claiming to be a menopause coach, it doesn't mean that they're actually appropriately qualified and will be able to do a great job for you.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_02: Now, of course, if you find somebody who is doesn't have great qualifications, but they offer you great support and you feel as though there's a connection there, you feel as they're the right person to you, then that is absolutely right that you should go for that to that to that person if you feel as though you're getting the right thing for you.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_02: But I think it's just a warning to say that there is so much information out there.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_02: You need to make sure that the person filtering that information down to you has some degree of authority, not just in this space, but in the health space overall, right?
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_02: And I know that we're all still learning, we're all still on a journey, but that that actually frightens me that people might be going to see people who aren't actually there for them.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_02: So, yes, I think it's really welcome that um that the menopause conversation is out there.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_02: I used to have quite a flippant line when people used to say to me, What are you doing as a guy coaching menopause?
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_02: And this was like seven years ago, and I say, Well, you know, if not me, who else?
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_02: Because there was nobody else doing menopause coaching at the time.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_02: Now you almost can't turn on Instagram or any kind of social media without somebody supporting to be training or working or coaching women in midlife.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_02: So it just shows how much the space has grown, the information's grown.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_02: The thing that we need to be wary of, I think, is not just too inf too much information, not just how it's filtered, but what is actually stuff that can work.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_02: And I would always caution with the age-old thing that if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, if somebody's purporting to sell you some kind of band you can wear on your wrist that is miraculously going to make all your symptoms disappear, maybe just query that and do some some research on it before you go shelling out some of your really hard-earned money to try and and correct a problem.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_02: And again, I know why that happens.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_02: People want a quick solution, they want the magic bullet when they can when they can find it.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_02: But the truth is that you know good information, consistency will always win the day when it comes to to any health issue, not just not just menopause.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_02: So that was, I guess, a little bit of a rant.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_02: Right?
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_02: Sorry, my bad.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: That's okay, all good, because I I feel the same way.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I, you know, when you do spend tens of thousands of dollars or pounds and thousands of hours to study and become properly qualified so that you can legitimately have legitimately help people, you know, a$47 day or four-week course isn't really making anyone an expert in anything except maybe spending their money on online courses.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: So and again, and I have absolute respect for people who want to study and improve their knowledge and improve their improve themselves.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm not dissing people for taking courses online because it's great that there's so many available.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: But then to go out and tout yourself as an expert is a little bit too much of a stretch for my for my taste.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm right with you there.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that's something that you know, people who are looking to coach in this space, and the more people that can do it, the more women that can be served, the better it is for everybody.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_02: Then I'm absolutely happy with that.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_02: But you know, maybe if you're looking for a menopause course, go out and try and find something that has some substance behind it rather than something that is just it's like a quick course that's been put together in in weeks.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um so I think we've closed that one off about the information.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_02: Then it's interesting because a study landed on my desk yesterday.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_02: I thought it to Julie and said this is something we should talk about in this week's pod, both because it is sort of like, well, menopause day, but it's it's an area that is still really, really important, right?
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_02: Now, in the corporate space, there are lots of companies who are really trying now to address the challenge around menopause in the workplace.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_02: So a report caught our eye this week.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_02: So it came through, it was publicised by uh an organization called Life Career UK.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_02: It was actually using some uh stats from a study that was that took place in America in I think at the tail end of 25.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um but it's interesting that you know a number of things stood out in this particular study.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_02: And when it came to menopause in the workplace, 69% of women surveyed reported significant effects on job performance.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_02: So you know they reported things like poor sleep, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, all those kinds of things.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um now they don't necessarily, of course, reflect reduced competence or any professional ability, but a lot of women may lose confidence.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_02: This is something that we hear a lot when familiar tasks suddenly require a lot more effort, and that's that's really a challenge, right?
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, Julie, you think about a woman who spent 20 or 30 years building a successful career.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_02: What happens to her confidence when she suddenly feels like she's struggling with things that used to come really easily?
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it it really does make a huge dent in the confidence level, and that can show up in a lot of different ways in the workspace.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: So not having that confidence might make her turn into becoming even more of an overachiever than than she already is, and pushing harder and harder when her body's in a position where she's that's really the exact wrong thing to do, or she may worry about being seen as not as capable as as she used to be because things take her longer to do, or she might be struggling a little bit.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: And and that communication um can become very frustrating because you know, do you speak up?
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: Do you do you not speak up?
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: How do you how do you get more of what you need?
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: And that can it can be a big career um, I don't want to say breaker, but it can make a big dent.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: And and we've read research where, in in many cases, research from the UK at least, that you know, for a lot of women are leaving the workplace just because of the stress that this causes, and they don't feel like they can manage it along with their workload.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: And that's really unfortunate because you spend all that time building your career, building your credibility, building your professional reputation, and then for your confidence to take such a big hit, especially if you aren't being supported or you don't understand exactly what's going on with your body or your mind, because a lot of women still aren't um aren't very well aren't being very well educated on this.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, again, we've got all this information out there, but to understand what what of it applies to to each individual person.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: And because every woman experiences menopause differently, a lot of those symptoms can be mistaken for something else.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: So it can it can show up a lot in a lot of different ways with a loss of confidence, maybe some fear, maybe some you know, changes in behaviors and personality that can have an impact on professional life for sure.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_02: For me, the effects of this as well, they go beyond just that 69, almost 70%, that's 7 out of 10 women reporting significant effects on job performance, is that actually the survey shows that 97% felt the pressure to hide or to downplay their symptoms.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_02: So even the women who weren't facing a potential crisis of confidence over the fact that they felt as though their symptoms were impacting on their job were still feeling the pressure to downplay the symptoms, and that shows something I think about sort of like the work that still needs to be done on employers and their roles on understanding it.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_02: Because if you're in a culture where 90-70% of people are scared to tell you that something's wrong with them, then that is a real challenge.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_02: 20-30 years building a career, you know, a culture in in the workplace where women are feeling it uncomfortable to discuss symptoms, you've got their concerns about being viewed as unreliable, and I suppose this highlights to me kind of the difference between just having a policy and somebody actually feeling safe within that policy because the words written down on a piece of paper are all good and they're all well-meaning, but if that's not translating into some kind of action for some use in the workplace, then that is a big problem.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_02: Now, you used to work in HR, you've spent 25 years in in this space, Julie.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_02: From from the HR perspective, how do you see this?
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_00: Well, and I it's a great question because uh, you know, I'm I'm in contact with a lot of folks in the HR community, and a lot of companies are doing the right thing by implementing policies, but then if you're not training your managers, if the leadership hasn't been properly trained and educated on what this means, and and the culture isn't changing to provide the support that, as you say, are you know nice words on paper in the policy.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: But the culture has to change, and the culture has to support that.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_00: So if people are afraid they're going to be judged or disadvantaged by using the policies that you put in place, then it really isn't even worth spending the time on.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: And and it isn't one of the things that I find and I found during my HR career is that HR usually gets blamed for these things.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, wow, you know, we're we're uh just go to HR, deal with HR.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_00: But but HR wants to support the organization.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: HR professionals want to provide the right training, and they're often working within the same cultures and constraints that are preventing that policy from being adopted and adapted as part of the overall corporate environment.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: So we need to we need to be focused on important issues like listen, right?
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: Train your managers and teach them to listen before assuming anything.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, nobody has to diagnose a woman who comes to their manager and says, look, I'm having some issues.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: We're not looking, women aren't looking for a diagnosis, they're not looking for an answer to every single question, but understanding that maybe just asking more questions, like what can we do to help you?
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: What kind of support would you need?
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_00: Is this something that you want as a permanent change to your position?
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_00: Is this something that could be a short-term change?
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: And then how are we going to get feedback on how that's working for you?
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: You know, asking those questions without making judgments or without assuming anything.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's just like health programs that we coach our clients on, right?
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: We experiment with things to see how they work.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: And then if they don't, we say, okay, now we've got some feedback.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_00: Let's see what else we could do to make this better.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, and and offering more individualized support.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_00: What's really exciting to me is that the British standard that we have been teaching companies for a while was just updated in September.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so they've got some great new information in that in that standard that can help companies quite a lot.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_00: And remember that a lot of these policies are voluntary for for many companies, not a legal obligation.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I think unfortunately, sometimes the fact that they're voluntary and not a legal obligation, again, makes it great.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: We've got this policy for our workplace, but unless it's it's properly installed and instilled in the company, it makes it hard to really follow.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like a woman going through this phase of life, it has to adapt, right?
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't going to be a one-off conversation.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to learn what works, we're going to grow with this, we're going to change as as things change, as we learn more, as we understand better how to support how to support those employees rather than pressuring them.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: And we certainly don't want people to disclose medical information that they're not comfortable with, right?
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_00: So keeping that within the confines of privacy and HR policies.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I think working with HR professionals can go a long way, especially those that are that are well educated in it.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: Because there are options, right?
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_02: And then I I suppose the third thing that stood out for me from this study was that almost a third, so 31%, three in ten women considered changing jobs, roles, or reducing working hours because of either the way they felt or the way they felt they were being treated.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_02: So massive effects here on career progression, financial security.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: From the business point of view, the employers risk losing really experienced employees, valuable organizational knowledge, the cost of replacing somebody in a senior role can be like five, six, seven times their salary, quite often.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_02: By the time you factor in the employment process, the interview process, the getting somebody in, getting them up to speed with the way your company worked, etc.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_02: etc.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_02: So that can be huge.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_02: And really, at the end of the day, you know, women shouldn't feel forced to choose between their health and their career unless it's something that they actually want to do, right?
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_02: So, yeah, it's it's important to recognise that these are the considerations of the people who were asked as part of this survey rather than confirmed job departures.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_02: So we're not trying to insinuate here that and I don't think the study's trying to insinuate either that 30% of people are actually leaving their jobs because of the way they feel in the menopause transition.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_02: But certainly the fact that they're considering it is quite quite a high number, right?
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_02: So shall we jump into um the third thing that we wanted to talk about today?
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_02: So we talked about the amount of information that's out there, filtering through all that.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_02: We've talked a little bit about menopause in the workplace and some little bits there, although we recognise there's been a lot of improvement where there's still room to improve.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_02: Let's talk about this idea that a little bit that you know the it seems that some people seem to now think there's a whole menopause conversation, it's kind of viewed as like a temporary illness.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_02: So, right, I'm gonna fight my way through it for the eight, ten years that it takes me to go through perimenopause to sort of like the last day of my period.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um find you experience the symptoms, find some ways to manage them, eventually come out the other side, and then many people tend to think that everything goes back to normal.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_02: But you know, menopause is not an illness that you get better from or you recover from, it's a biological transition, a transformation.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_02: And most women spend several decades of their life actually living post-menopause, right?
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_02: So you know many people living to date at 70, 80, 90, 100 in many cases.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_02: If you go through the menopause transition at 50, it can be almost half your life where you're living with this.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_02: And I think one of the things that I still feel is still not recognized as much is that the drop in estrogen that a woman's body goes through during the menopause transition, yes, it does cause a lot of the symptoms that are there, but the re the repercussions of that fall in estrogen long term are much, much wider and deeper than people actually and that's because estrogen throughout a woman's life or throughout the early years of a woman's life, certainly post puberty up until perimenopause, estrogen is carried a lot more work than just being a sex hormone, and people tend to think of it as a sex hormone, so you know, protect it for your bone health, muscle strength, cardiovascular health, brain health, all those kind of things are part of it.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_02: So, yeah, Julie, why don't you take us through a little bit about this bigger health picture?
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_02: What's going on, and what women need to be aware of?
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_02: Once they've gone past that sort of like 12 months in a day, past the last period, and they're yay, I'm in post-menopause.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_02: What kind of health issues could arise, or or could could be the what are the challenges and kind of like what can people do to start mitigating some of those, some of those potential challenges that may come?
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, well, and you know, thinking about long-term health rather than fighting aging, I think is a great way to shift perspective on this because we're supporting our body.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_00: And a lot of women come to us and they say, Oh, I don't have to think about menopause anymore.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_00: I'm already through that.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_00: Well, as James said, now is the time you really want to think about that because without estrogen there to protect so many body systems, we face greater health challenges after the menopause day than we may actually think.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_00: So for bone health, um, you know, falling estrogen levels are going to contribute to accelerated bone loss, bone mineral density loss, um, osteoporosis can develop, and it's a symptomless, for the most part, it's a symptomless thing that happens.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: And until there's a break, or um you know, you have a bone scan and suddenly you realize that your bone mineral density is is falling, um, you may not even notice it.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_00: So when we engage in strength training, we're not only protecting our metabolism, we're also protecting our bone mineral density, and we're protecting our muscles and our and our overall strength.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_00: Muscle mass and our strength decline naturally with age.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_00: So if we're not doing that regular strength training, we will lose that muscle mass, we will lose our strength and our mobility and balance, and those all factor into how long we remain independent.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: And as I said, muscle mass factors hugely into our metabolic health.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_00: So resistance training and eating enough protein can make a really meaningful difference, and they're simple things to incorporate into our life.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, cardiovascular and metabolic health, women have a great uh greater risk of um heart issues, uh, heart health issues, cardiovascular risk is going to rise with age.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um hormone issues may influence that, uh, the level of risk.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: Blood pressure, another silent, uh, you know, progressive site killer, as they call it.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, blood lipids, uh, glucose, your blood sugar balance, um, your nutrition, movement, family history, all of those things are worth taking into consideration.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: We don't have to, you know, we don't have to blame everything on menopause.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_00: It isn't, it isn't gonna just come along and start, you know, taking the hammer to your to your cells and to your health.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_00: But lifestyle measures can be really key in in preserving our our long-term health.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and of course, those things don't replace necessary medical care.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_00: So it's always important to get symptoms checked if you have some concerns or you have some serious symptoms showing up.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_00: However, you know, it's not, it's everything isn't related to menopause, but menopause can be related to a lot of different things, um, which is why it's important to learn about uh to learn about it and and advocate for yourself with your with your medical practitioner so that you can work together as a team to make sure you understand what's going on in your body.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_00: And then, you know, we look at issues with um intimate health and some of the other persistent menopause symptoms.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, genitourinaris symptoms are are huge.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they can they can really alter your quality of life.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_00: So understanding that it's okay to talk about these things with your doctor um with a qualified health professional because there are a lot of effective treatments and therapies that are available.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_00: So women, I think, get used to just accepting the fact that they have to be uncomfortable, and that isn't, I don't think that's right at all.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_00: We shouldn't just accept discomfort or pain.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_00: We should find out what's causing it and then how how to resolve it.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_00: So anyway, I don't know.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_00: James, do you think women are encouraged to think enough about their health when we're talking about 10, 20, or 30 years beyond?
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_02: Um I think the health conversation is probably out there more than it than it's ever been.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_02: And this idea of trying to achieve as much longevity as we can is certainly part of the conversation that's going on.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_02: I don't think that women are not encouraged to think enough about their health.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not sure if they if they're encouraged to think about it in context of how a woman's body has changed during the menopause transition and what things are changing in in what a woman may need.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_02: So, for instance, my a really quick example of that is something like you know, in your 20s and your 30s, you know, most or many women maybe want to be slim and toned, and you know, a really good way of losing weight is going and smashing at the gym in some big sort of like cardio conditioning style class, you know, like a hip workout or something like that.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_02: Works absolutely brilliantly for sort of like toning and weight loss in your earlier years, in your later years, probably less so, and probably is contributing a lot to a lot of bodily stress that you probably don't need.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_02: So that switch over to a more mindful way of training by lifting weights, doing it slowly, those kind of differences are really really key, and I don't think they're being talked about enough.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_02: So that is kind of like an area that I think is really really important.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_02: So I don't think that women aren't being encouraged to be healthy, I'm not sure if they're still being encouraged to be as healthy in maybe a way that is appropriate for the way their bodies have changed over the years.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_02: That's my top.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_02: It's interesting because you mentioned pain earlier, and you if we just try and circle back to bring the episode to an end to World Menopause Day and what's going on moving forward, the International Menopause Society has actually chosen chronic pain at midlife as a focus for 2026.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_02: And that's another subject that really needs some attention, right?
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_02: So persistent pain can have a really significant effect on women's lives.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_02: Um need to make sure that symptoms are properly investigated rather than this automatic attribution to either menopause or getting older.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_02: And it's something we'll probably continue exploring in future episodes.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_02: So Julie, let's start to round things off then about what we've talked about today and where where we think things are going.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I, you know, ultimately I think we've we have come a long way in recognizing menopause, and we're a lot more open about encouraging women to talk about their experiences, and I think that's amazing.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_00: I think the next step is about making sure that that awareness translates into appropriate healthcare, better workplace support, and a much broader conversation about women's lifelong health because we don't need to treat menopause or aging like a disease because they aren't that.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_00: But we shouldn't normalize unnecessarily um unnecessary suffering either.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_02: Nice good point.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_02: After 100 episodes and all the women that we've worked with, what's one thing you're most proud of or most hopeful about for the future before we sign off?
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um I just think I'm really proud of being able to support women through this.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I think the our client results speak volumes to the to what's possible.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, winning being able being here at 100 episodes and uh still going strong and you know receiving another award and having that kind of recognition.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_00: I think I'm well, first of all, those are things I'm really proud of.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_00: I'm hopeful that workplaces will continue to evolve and support women who are at this life stage who are their fastest growing demographic and carry so much and uh institutional wisdom with them.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_00: I think that companies will be a lot more successful when they learn how to be how to work with their um their populations.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so yeah, that's what I'm hopeful for the future.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_00: What about you?
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um so equally, I think you know, seeing a continued evol uh evolvement of the or evolution rather of the of the actual conversation and how people are addressing this.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um I think it'd be what one of the things that I'd like to see is actually maybe a change in in women's mindset, and I think we can all contribute to that.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_02: And what do I mean by that?
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_02: That you know this the diet culture mentality that gets embedded in women throughout most of their lives um kind of reflects moving forward in this desire to just get the quick, easy, sort of like newest fad, excuse me, that is going to actually or they believe is actually going to sort of like change things in sort of like minutes, hours, weeks, whatever it may be.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_02: So whether that be a miracle supplement that's been flashed onto your Instagram page or another coaching program, or another this or another that, you know, to actually just appreciate that if you're in this for the long haul, then looking after your health needs to be a long haul issue.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_02: And to to take that personal responsibility to actually make time for themselves, and I know that can be difficult at times, um but to actually try and focus on doing things consistently and reproducing things consistently, and and that is where you see the gains in your health moving forward, I think.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_02: So if if I could flip a switch and change that mindset for people not to think that this is something that they can just flip a switch and everything's gonna change for them, I think that's kind of what I'd like to see see more of more appreciation that this is you know it it's a long-term thing that you need to be to be looking at.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_00: Well, maybe by episode 200 we'll be there.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, who knows?
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_02: So that's uh episode 100, then.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_02: So we want to say a huge thank you before we go to everyone who's listened, shared an episode, asked us questions, been part of the fabulous 40 beyond 40 community, people who've joined us on here, or our many guests who've come over time.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_02: We're absolutely delighted to be celebrating the 100th episode and a third consecutive Menopause Coaching Community of the Year award.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_02: And you couldn't make this up, but the fact that it's all come around World Menopause Day as well adds a nice little ring to it.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_02: So, what matters most is the opportunity to continue supporting women, having conversations that genuinely make a difference.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_02: So, with World Menopause Day coming up, we'd love to hear from you.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um, a couple of things really.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_02: First of all, you know, if you would like to come on the podcast and talk about your own experience of menopause and how things have been for you, and if you're willing to and open to share that with us, maybe we can you know do a bit of live coaching on on on air with you and help you help you through things.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_02: We'd love you to have you on.
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_02: Equally, if you just want to come share your experiences, we'd also love to have you on as well.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_02: You don't have to be a healthcare professional or a guru to come and share your experiences because the more conversations we have, the more you we can actually fulfil the wish of the podcast name, which is Empower Menopause, after all, right?
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_02: And then obviously, as well, if you want to get in touch with us, what do you think's changed in the menopause conversation?
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_02: What would you still like to see change?
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_02: Drop us an email, either Julie at fabulousbeyond40.com or James at fabulousbeyond40.com, if you'd like to pass on some comments, or if you would like to um come on and be be a guest.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_02: Uh so what else to say then?
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_02: If there's anything here that you've enjoyed, uh feel as though it's important information, and you want to like, share, distribute the podcast to your friends, we would really appreciate all that as well.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_02: But in the meantime, here's the next hundred episodes.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks for listening.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_02: Remember to stay strong, stay fabulous, and we will see you very soon for episode 101.
• 38:48
  SPEAKER_02: Take care, everybody.