Justine Thompson is a passionate student & teacher of yoga.

Trained in the Anusara tradition - a style of hatha yoga that weaves a heart quality through alignment based practice.

A mother of 3, her experience of perimenopause collided with teenagers, resistance to aging & a complete lack of understanding. Justine is on a mission to share the benefits of a regular yoga practice to women navigating the various stages of menopause.

Join Justine & Sonya in person at the:
Menopause, Yoga and You Workshop - November 6th - Sydney

Connect with Justine:
Website
Instagram
An offer of 4 free recorded classes that focus on different aspects of menopause that can be supported with various techniques of yoga.  Click here to claim.

Thank you for listening to my show!

Join the conversation on Instagram

Amanda Thebe is a force and someone I have admired for a long time.  Recording our chat was a whole lot of fun, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Amanda is a Fitness and Women’s Health Expert, and the author of the Amazon best-selling book, Menopocalypse: How I Learned to Thrive During Menopause and How You Can Too!  With nearly 30 years of experience in the fitness industry, Amanda is a highly-regarded expert on women’s fitness and health.
 
She is Canada’s first menopause coach and educator. Through menopause advocacy and education, Amanda provides on-site or virtual presentations in the workplace to improve productivity, retention and attendance for female employees. Helping companies to normalise the conversation around menopause and provide support which impacts 100% of their female employees.
 
Amanda has lived in the UK, Canada and the USA, and has been exposed to all the healthcare systems, her book is a best-seller in these countries.

Currently working collaboratively on a model for the future of menopause care, niah. Listen in to learn how this model evolved and their exciting plans for the future.

Connect with Amanda:
Website | AmandaThebe.com
Instagram | www.instagram.com/amanda.thebe
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/amandathebex
Twitter | https://twitter.com/amandathebex
LinkedIn |  https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-thebe/
YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/c/AmandaThebex
Podcast | www.amandathebe.com/podcast

Grab Amanda's 12 Week Core Program, ABS ON FIRE | https://www.amandathebe.com/abs-on-fire/

BOOK | Menopocalypse: How I Learned to Thrive During Menopause and How You Can Too!
www.amandathebe.com/books 

We talked about:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - book

Where to find Sonya:
Instagram
Facebook
Take the Midlife Quiz
Stellar Women Website

Thank you for listening to my show!

Join the conversation on Instagram

Luan Lawrenson-Woods is my guest to chat about a first-of-its-kind Instagram campaign being launched to raise awareness for BRA Day 2022 (Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day).

The campaign, created by Luan, aims to raise awareness of breast reconstruction options and promote BRA Day on October 19.

Luan is encouraging people to use Strava (the free digital exercise app) to exercise along a route, making GPS ‘art’ - known as Strava Art - that visually represents BRA Day and share it with the official BRA-va Art Instagram account.

This is the first time in Australia that Strava Art has been used in this way and Luan is so excited about the possibilities it presents to pave the way for growing the campaign in future years.

Luan's  website:  www.luanlawriewoods.com.au
Luan's Instagram:  @luanlawriewoods
BRA Day website: www.braday.com.au
BRA-va Art Instagram @bravaartofficial

Share your BRA-va ART using: #braday2022 #bravaart @bravaartofficial

Thank you for listening to my show!

Join the conversation on Instagram

I sat down with Dr Shreya Andric to discuss the changes to our skin during menopause, including the skin of the vulva and vagina.

We discuss why our skin changes and what signs indicate that you should seek support from your GP or a Dermatologist. Conditions discussed include excema, psoriasis, thrush, Lichen sclerosus and Lichen planus.

Dr Andric is a fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatologists who has several subspecialty interests, one of which is vulval dermatology.

Connect with Dr Andric:
North Shore Dermatology
Instagram

We talked about:
Only Murders In The Building - Disney+

Where to find Sonya:
Instagram
Facebook
Take the Midlife Quiz
Stellar Women Website

Thank you for listening to my show!

Join the conversation on Instagram

Dr Lina Safro and I sat down to discuss the management and treatment of menopausal symptoms, specifically we talk about MHT or menopausal hormone therapy. We also touch on the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) clinical trial findings which severly disrupted the use of MHT's in 2002 and continues to cause fear amongst some women and practitioners today.

We discuss who should consider MHT, how long it can be safely taken for and what lifestyle factors should be taken into consideration before MHT is prescribed. We also talked about how having a Mirena impacts menopause.

Dr Safro is a GP with a longstanding focus on women's health. Lina sits on the Board of the Australasian Menopause Society (AMS) and is the Chair of the Education Subcommittee.

We talked about:
AMS - Symptom Score Sheet
Australsian Menopause Society (AMS) website

Where to find Sonya:
Instagram
Facebook
Take the Midlife Quiz
Stellar Women Website

Thank you for listening to my show!

Join the conversation on Instagram

Professor Jayashri Kulkarni is one of Australia's leaders in research and treatment of menopausal depression. I believe this episode, is the most important episode I have been able to bring to my Dear Menopause audience.

Professor Kulkarni speaks about mental health and the part a women's hormones play in this area, in a way that makes the topic easy to understand and relatable.

We discuss why the fluctuation of hormones during the menopausal transition has such a significant impact on mental health, how to recognise if you are being impacted by this and what can be done to support you during this time.

We discuss the grief that menopause can trigger for some women, the significant impact that menopausal drepession can have on careers and relationships and how medical experts need to work together to provide more holistic treatment plans for women. 

Professor Kulkarni's top tip:

• Women need to back themselves when it comes to their mental health. When they know intuitively that they are not OK and that they need help, to have the courage to keep asking for help, to keep pushing back until they are heard and taken seriously. You know yourself better than anyone. Have faith that you know what's right for you.

Where to find Professor Kulkarni:
Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (MAPrc)

Where to find Sonya:
Instagram
Facebook
Take the Midlife Quiz
Stellar Women Website

Thank you for listening to my show!

Join the conversation on Instagram

This chat with Dr Marita Long ticked a bucket list for me and brings a long list of important topics to the table that I know you will love and learn so much from! Marita was open to answering all of my questions, was honest about gender bias and education gaps that exist in the field of primary care. And then gives briliant tips for every woman to consider when it comes to talking to her GP about perimenopause and menopause.

Dr Marita Long is a GP based in Victoria, Australia with a special interest in womens health and medical education. Marita sits on the Board of the Australasian Menopause Socity (AMS) and has an interest in Dementia education and is co-host of a podcast called Dementia in Practice.

Marita's top tips:

• When booking an appointment let them know that you are coming in to discuss perimenopause or menopause
• Ask for a long (30 minute) appointment
• Ask to see the Doctor that has an interest and experience with women's health
• If you see a GP that is not your regular family carer, ask for a summary letter from your appointment to take back to your family doctor to ensure continuity of care

We talked about:
AMS - Symptom Score Sheet
Australsian Menopause Society (AMS) website

Where to find Sonya:
Instagram
Facebook
Take the Midlife Quiz
Stellar Women Website

Thank you for listening to my show!

Join the conversation on Instagram

Samantha is a Reiki Master Teacher and Spiritual Healer practicing from her sunny healing center in Sydney, where she has practised for more than 16 years.

Samantha supports clients through crossroads in their personal and professional lives to live a more empowered life. This includes supporting women who struggle with perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms.

Sam's journey into Reiki is fascinating and we had a really beautiful soul filling chat. I hope you enjoy listening in.

Blog: Reiki in Hospitals & Clinics

Reiki courses 

Dear Menopause Listeners offer: 15% off your Reiki healing online or in-person at Neutral Bay.

To book: https://samanthaavery.com/bookings

Promocode: MENOPAUSE

Connect with Samantha here:
Instagram
Facebook
Website
Linkedin

We talked about:
Why Woo Woo Works - book

Where to find Sonya:
Instagram
Facebook
Take the Midlife Quiz
Stellar Women Website

Thank you for listening to my show!

Join the conversation on Instagram

Sitting down to chat with Sarah Rusbatch about her journey from binge drinking to a career in normalising sobriety was a blast. Sarah is warm, funny and incredibly knowledgable.

Sarah is a certified Women's Health and Wellbeing Coach, an accredited Grey Area Drinking Coach and a Key-Note speaker sharing her journey to Sobriety and impact of alcohol on mental health to global audiences.

After years of binge drinking, Sarah quit booze in April 2019 and has never looked back!

Connect with Sarah here:
Instagram
Facebook
Website
Sarah's Programs

We talked about:
This Naked Mind - book
The Paper Palace - book
Reece Witherspoon's Bookclub

Where to find Sonya:
Instagram
Facebook
Take the Midlife Quiz
Stellar Women Website

Thank you for listening to my show!

Join the conversation on Instagram

In this episode, Erika Cramer and I chat about the trauma she has experienced in life, how she worked to  reclaim her confidence and today empowers women to show up, take up space and live confidently.

Erika is a bold force and beautiful example of how you can heal your personal story to transform trauma into triumph. She has built a global community and shares with women on a daily basis to help empower, encourage and inspire them to step into their confidence.

Although known as The Queen of Confidence today, Erika has survived childhood sexual abuse, being brought up in and out of the foster care system, life-altering car accidents and a whole lot of grief and loss.

Download -> FREE Gift from Erika - The Creating Confidence Cheat Sheet

Connect with Erika here:
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
The Confidence Chronicles Podcast
Linkedin
Website - The Sistahood

We talked about:
Internal Family Systems - book
Confidence Feels Like Shit - Erika's book

Where to find Sonya:
Instagram
Facebook
Take the Midlife Quiz
Stellar Women Website

Thank you for listening to my show!

Join the conversation on Instagram