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In this powerful solo episode, Hotflash inc founder and host Ann Marie McQueen reflects on the five-year journey of building the platform, from launching her first newsletter in 2020 to preparing for the first Hotflash inc Summit and her first product launch – a much-needed tool to help women navigate the hormone therapy maze.

Ann Marie opens up about how far the conversation has come, how far it still has to go, and what she’s learned through thousands of hours of research, interviews, and real-life experience. She unpacks the polarizing hormone therapy space – from the self-proclaimed “thought leaders” to the quiet majority of women who are still confused, cautious, or feeling pushed in every direction.

Plus, a deeply relatable share from a harpist and UAE changemaker Shelley Frost, founder of The Fridge Entertainment, who talks about her turning point with hormone therapy after years of struggling with sleep and overwhelm.

This is a must-listen for anyone who’s ever felt stuck between extremes when it comes to midlife, hormones, and who to trust.

Highlights:

• The story behind launching the first Hotflash Inc newsletter in 2020
• The content-is-product philosophy 
• Ann Marie’s early fear of using the words “menopause” or “perimenopause”
• What has (and hasn’t) changed in five years
• Why the hormonal transition isn’t the problem – it reveals deeper issues
• Hormone therapy doesn’t always prevent disease, and the research is nuanced
• The middle path between estrogen fear and hormone therapy evangelism
• Women can’t just "get it together" – trauma and real-life responsibilities are at play
• Messaging trends and repeated doctor scripts that look a lot like PR
• The supplement smear campaign: is it manufactured?
• Shelley Frost shares her transformation after starting hormone therapy
• Real messages from women who can’t tolerate MHT – and feel pressured to keep trying
• Behind the scenes: doctors admit they’re worried about the current messaging
• Physiologic dosing and why it’s so controversial
• The full hormone therapy belief system spectrum, mapped out
• The confusing (and dangerous) mix-up between progesterone and progestin
• Ann Marie’s first product: a tool to help women figure out HRT for themselves
• What’s coming next: the Hotflash Inc Summit, the course, the book
• A reminder that midlife is about remembering who’s really calling the shots

Shoutout to our sponsor MenoLabs – makers of MenoFit, a science-backed probiotic designed to relieve symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats while supporting overall wellness. Hotflash Inc listeners get 20% off with code HOTFLASH20 at menolabs.com.

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