Menopause, Midlife and Mayhem

What does it really mean to be in menopause? What about perimenopause? What does someone in menopause look like? Join me as I lift the curtain and go behind the scenes of midlife and menopause.We'll talk about all the good things, and not so good things about "this time of life". If you are younger, you will be ready for both peri and menopause when they happen. If you are older, you will see that you are not alone. And you are not crazy.

Menopause, Midlife and Mayhem is a health podcast hosted by Tonya Pomerantz, with 17 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Tonya Pomerantz hosts Menopause, Midlife and Mayhem, a health show with 17 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #16

  Beyond the Pause: Changing the Narrative on Menopause with filmmaker Nicole Bedford

  Jul 25, 202644 minS1

  Thank you so much for spending your time with us on the podcast. A big thank you to my awesome guest, Nicole Bedford. I really enjoyed our chat, and here are my top takeaways: The power of connection – my former colleague saw a post on Facebook, reached out to me and introduced me to Nicole – she generously joined me on the podcast, and I am going to be part of the Beyond the Pause project. Building community is based on creating connections. Beyond the Pause is a multi-layered project focused on sharing people’s stories and experiences of menopause – the documentary, the Youtube channel, and the mini-documentary series which will be stories of the menopause transition as a catalyst for reinvention. The project started as a reaction to the perimenopausal symptoms that Mylene was experiencing. They wanted to reduce the stigma around the menopausal transition, which is often just ignored or not taken seriously. They wanted to draw attention to it and as creative souls, they decided to use their voices in the most natural way. Newsflash – women don’t disappear after menopause. They don’t become meaningless. They wanted to change the narrative around menopause so it is not as scary for women. Because the invisible woman syndrome is a thing. Beyond the Pause is an opportunity for people to truly share what their personal experience with menopause has been or is. It’s a gift for people have space held for them. This project also shows people that they are not alone going through this – the aging parents, the raising of children, the working, all while dealing with the most challenging of symptoms. It’s also for women on the brink of or experiencing perimenopause and menopause to learn how to deal with these challenges. It is for everyone. Because everyone is going to either experience it themselves or they will have a partner, a parent, a sibling, a relative, a colleague, or a child or a friend go through it. Menopause impacts everyone’s life. Women have to advocate for their own health. Don’t just accept – it’s your hormones, it’s that time of life. We are the ones who are experiencing our own health. We know our bodies, and what is right and what is wrong. Menopause has been so stigmatized. We need to take control of the narrative. We need to share information. We need to help each other – and ourselves. We need to talk about it. We need to see beyond the pause. Thank you so much Nicole for sharing your vision, your mission and your passion with us today. And thank you for spending your time together with us. Please share the podcast with a friend so we can help grow the community and learn with and from each other. Links: Beyond the Pause Film Nicole Bedford | About Kilam Media Understanding and Overcoming Invisible Woman Syndrome (2) Instagram (16) Facebook Beyond The Pause Film - YouTube

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #15

  The Fitness Conversation Every Midlife Woman Needs with the Inspiring Gineen Nicholls

  Jun 25, 202651 minS1

  Thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. I really appreciate you spending your time with us. I really appreciate you sharing your insight and knowledge with us Gineen. What a rich conversation we had! We talked about a whole of things – here are some takeaways – For women in middle age – we are the people who look after our family, our friends, our children – but how often do we look after ourselves? We press the gas pedal. We just keep going. We may not have the coping skills we need, we may be living off caffeine and sugar and gaining weight. In menopause, we don’t know our bodies anymore. Our weight is distributed differently and we have to learn how to accept this new body we have. As a coach and fitness professional, Gineen works predominantly with women trying to help them feel empowered and learn they how they can support their body as it transitions through menopause. During perimenopause we start to see our hormones shifting and we see changes in our menstrual cycles. We experience join soreness and stiffness (among many, many things). For some women, including Gineen and me, we chose to start hormone therapy – and it made a huge difference for both of us. Gineen suggests we need to come into the space with a lot of kindness and compassion for ourselves and then really learn to understand our bodies in a much different way. Are we chasing unrealistic expectations of how our bodies should be? Or how they once were? Women are speaking up. We are not okay with just getting through it and suffering and struggling through this time of our lives. Because when we look at perimenopause, it can last eight to 10 years. Many women (including me) are not big into exercise, or they may have been exercising throughout their lives but suddenly it feels like they are starting all over. Gineen suggests that we need to meet ourselves where we are. She offers one on one coaching to her clients, and she also has a group coaching platform called the M-Powered Shift which includes a lot of education about why strength training is so important. She suggests we need to focus on how we want to feel versus how we want to look. Her hope is every woman feels amazing in her skin – regardless of her body shape or size. Reframe our perspective of what our body can do for us, and what we GET to do. After 35 we actually lose muscle at a fairly significant rate. And then women can end up with sarcopenia, which again is that muscle loss as they head into post-menopause. We want to look at bone density because this helps women stay strong later in life, and women who have stayed active have a better chance at healing and returning to daily life activities after any kind of surgery. As women enter into later perimenopause and post-menopause, they are less insulin sensitive, so it's much easier for the body to store fat. Muscle acts as an amazing glucose sponge so when we do strength training and by training muscle and gaining strength and increasing muscle size, that's when we can really tap into that glucose regulation. Women are at a really high risk of cardiovascular illness so it is really important for us to keep our hearts healthy too. Start with something that makes sense for your lifestyle, something that feels doable. Something that brings you joy. And it helps to know your why- why do you want to work out? Ask yourself – is it because you want to stay healthy and mobile longer? Or because you want to be able to pick up your grandchildren? A combination of strength training and nutrition can help you see changes in your body composition. And it’s important to build your new habit through repetition. Just like when your parents taught you to brush your teeth. You just got used to doing it. Think about you about using different equipment or try a new workout. It helps keep you mentally stimulated. Gineen taught us about the concept of cycle syncing – so working with her clients based on the different phases of their menstrual cycle. The idea of truly listening to your body. And start early!! Trust me, age sneaks up on you and before you know it, all of a sudden you are 48 to 52 year old seeing sudden sees major changes in your body. Gineen is the exact person I would like to have on my journey towards health and wellness as I continue along this crazy menopausal journey! Links: Gineen Nicholls - Women's Holistic Hormone Health Practitioner Gineen Nicholls | LinkedIn Menopause - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #14

  How Chocolate Moose Media is starting the perimenopause at work conversation every workplace needs to have

  May 25, 202635 minS1

  Thank you so much for joining us today! Thank you for sharing your passion and your knowledge with us Firdaus. Peri just means around – so perimenopause means around menopause. According to the American Heritage Dictionary it is the period of a woman's life characterized by physiological changes associated with the end of reproductive capacity, terminating with the completion of menopause. Women deal with symptoms such as: hot flashes moodiness memory loss brain fog night sweats acne thinning hair irregular periods super heavy periods low libido migraines All while working. All while being a part of relationships – with families, friends and work colleagues. All while raising children and or dealing with the realities of aging parents. All while possibly being confronted with a mounting anxiety that can develop during these years. This is why I loved this video. I am certain that many women in their 30s and 40s will be able to relate with the animated characters. This feeling that “there is something wrong with me” but not being able to put your finger on it. Worried that you have dementia because you are forgetting your words or people’s birthdays, women worry about being a failure. But could you imagine what it would be like if employers were understanding and offered women in perimenopause flexibility at work – offering benefits such as expanding paramedical coverage to include menopause-informed practitioners such as naturopaths, registered nurses, and hormonal health specialists reviewing drug plan coverage to ensure hormone therapy options are accessible and affordable strengthening mental health supports related to anxiety, mood disruption, sleep challenges, and cognitive changes What if employers created workplace flexibility through scheduling adjustments, temperature accommodations, and workload support and like this video – provides education that helps reduce stigma creates opportunity for conversations That’s what this video does. It promotes awareness and starts the conversation. So, if you are in perimenopause, this video is for you. Watch it, relate to it and mostly share it. Thanks again to Firdaus and Chocolate Moose Media for everything! Links: Firdaus Kharas | LinkedIn Homepage | Chocolate Moose Media Chocolate Moose / Firdaus Kharas - Director, Executive Producer & Video Producer Perimenopause at Work Perimenopause in the workplace: Benefits support that matters Unpacking the perils and the gifts of perimenopause and menopause with Professor Madeline Toubiana.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #13

  Menopause, midlife and hair loss? An open and honest talk about hair thinning, hair loss and alternative hair solutions with the lovely Sharon Mejia

  Apr 25, 202638 minS1

  Thank you so much for spending your time with us, and thank you Sharon for such an authentic and honest talk about what can happen to our hair during perimenopause, menopause and even earlier. We tackled a subject that affects a lot of women – statistics vary some say 40% to 50%, and in menopause around 80% of women experience some kind of hair loss or thinning…but it’s something that is still taboo. We talk about hot flashes, a lack of libido but no one talks about our hair. Hormones are pretty much to blame when it comes to losing our hair, and stress and cortisol are right there along with the plummeting estrogen. There could be nutritional deficits and there is also a possibility of a thyroid imbalance. One thing we wanted to talk about was alternative hair solutions. And that women should have the freedom to choose exactly how they want to wear their hair. You should not be called brave because you opt for short hair. And why it is okay to get extensions, but anything that goes on top of the hair is a different story? We need to think critically when it comes to investing in our hair, and ultimately women need to be able to support other women as we all face the challenges and distresses that we are confronted with through the peri and menopausal transition. Bottom line – let’s keep talking about hair loss so that we can feel less alone during this kind of scary and totally crazy time of life. Big thanks to Sharon for coming on to the podcast and really sharing her story with us. I tell you each month that the next episode is going to be a good one. And it is! Please join me for my conversation with Firdose Kharas, the founder of Chocolate Moose Media as we talk about his video Perimenopause: Be Cool and Aware. Let’s keep doing this!! Let’s keep talking about peri and menopause and let’s take control of the narrative. Until next time, let’s take a pause – together. Show Notes: Canada's #1 Invisible Halo l Topper l Wigs – Mulberry Hair Extensions | #1 Rated 100% Human Remy Hair Sharon Mejia | LinkedIn Can Hair Loss Be a Symptom of Menopause?

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #12

  The Menopause Industrial Complex with Naomi Darom: Are women being heard or just targeted?

  Mar 25, 202632 minS1

  Show Notes: Thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. I really appreciate you being part of our growing community. And thank you Naomi for such a truly interesting and informative conversation. It was packed with information and here the top 5 takeways I would love to share with you: 1) When I read her substack about the menopause industrial complex, I knew I needed to interview Naomi on the podcast. She describes the MIC as the array of products, services and ads that are targeted at middle aged women who are going through perimenopause, menopause and post menopause. 2) It’s a system thing, not just a woman thing. The system includes a severe lack of menopause training and education in our medical systems. This needs to change and it should not come down to women having to do their own research in order to tell their doctors (if they are lucky enough to actually have a provider). It’s a structural challenge. 3) Women are still impacted by the nasty symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, regardless of the lack of information and support from the medical field, so this creates the confluence between social media (and the algorithm) where women can share their symptoms and commiserate and the MIC which targets their products and services at these women. So yay, our power is being acknowledged as a consumer sector, but at the risk of being targeted in a very ruthless way. Naomi underscores the importance of research and skeptism when you are looking into the different supplements and finding a healthcare professional with menopause training and experience. 4) We can use the power of our consumer sector to change the system. There needs to be public education to counter all the misinformation, more education of medical providers, and better advice and guidance to women navigating the new world of perimenopause and menopause. 5) We need to learn how to embrace aging with grace and beauty, and in so doing, resist the targeting by the MIC. Think of celebrities like Jamie Lee Curtis, Paulina Porizkova, Helen Mirren, Gillian Anderson. Links: The Gender Nerd | Substack Naomi Darom | LinkedIn Desiderata: Original Text Jamie Lee Curtis Says Turning 60 Made Her Realize I 'Have No Time to Waste on Toxic People' Helen Mirren Opens Up About Embracing Aging at 80 - Parade Paulina Porizkova on Aging and Being ‘Terrified’ of Wrinkles Lesson of Worth - Gillian Anderson

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on Menopause, Midlife and Mayhem. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.