Menopause Conversations

Menopause changes more than your hormones—it transforms your skin, also.

In this episode of Menopause Conversations, we highlight the surprising ways menopause impacts your skin and how you can take charge of your skin’s health with natural, effective strategies.

Many women will experience dryness, wrinkles, dullness, or sensitivity during perimenopause and beyond, but it’s not just because you're “getting older.” Hormonal shifts, particularly declining oestrogen levels, play a big role in hydration, elasticity, and collagen production.

Beyond hormones, factors like gut health, hydration, and stress management all influence how our skin looks and feels.

In this episode, we uncover:

• What’s Behind the Changes? Explore how declining oestrogen impacts hydration, elasticity, and collagen production, leading to dryness, wrinkles, and thinning skin.
• Gut Health and Skin: Learn why your gut microbiome (especially the estrobolome) is key to clear, glowing skin and how to naturally support gut health with prebiotic foods and regular detoxification.
• Hydration Hacks: Discover how much water you really need (hint: it’s more than you think!) and how hydration impacts both your skin and digestion.
• Collagen’s Role: Find out why we lose up to 30% of our collagen in the first 5 years of menopause and which types of collagen (hint: marine collagen Types I and III) are best for supporting skin health naturally.
• Topical Solutions: Get tips on using hyaluronic acid, antioxidant serums, and facial oils like rosehip and argan oil to hydrate, protect, and nourish your skin.
• Face Yoga for Skin Health: We revisit Episode 170 with Vanamala from Face Yoga Australia to explore how simple exercises can tone facial muscles, boost circulation, and reduce wrinkles.
• Nutrition for Vibrant Skin: Understand the importance of omega-3s, brightly colored fruits and vegetables, and fiber-rich foods in promoting radiant skin from the inside out.
• Stress and Skin: Learn how chronic stress accelerates aging through cortisol’s effects on collagen and simple practices like breathwork and meditation to manage stress effectively.

This episode is packed with natural, actionable tips to help you embrace your skin’s journey through menopause. With the right care, your skin can remain healthy, glowing, and vibrant at any age.

Take care of yourself and your skin and don’t forget to revisit Episode 170 on face yoga and subscribe so you never miss an episode!

If you are noticing thinning hair or unexpected facial hair growth during menopause this episode is for you.

Today in the Menopause Conversations Podcast, we dive into the causes of hair loss during menopause, from hormonal imbalances to thyroid issues, stress, and nutrient deficiencies. I'll walk you through practical steps to manage hair loss and support regrowth, including tips on managing stress, checking androgen levels, and supplementing with essential nutrients like zinc.

Plus, I explain the hair growth cycle and why patience is key.

Tune in to take control of your hair health and find ways to support a full, vibrant look and if you haven't already, join the Menopause Conversations Facebook Group for more support, discussions and encouragement on all things Menopause!

Have you noticed strange, new allergy symptoms creeping in during perimenopause?

Whether it’s recurring headaches, itchy skin, sinus congestion, brain fog, heightened anxiety or even eczema, these symptoms could be a result of fluctuating hormones that spike your body’s histamine levels.

In this episode of Menopause Conversations, we dive into the surprising reason behind why allergies often worsen in menopause and, more importantly, how you can find natural relief.

I uncover how estrogen and histamine interact in the body, often creating an “allergy storm” as estrogen fluctuates during perimenopause. From sinus issues to hives and everything in between, many symptoms are a result of the interplay between histamine and hormonal shifts.

What We’ll Explore:

• The Role of Hormones in Allergy Flare-ups – Understand why perimenopause triggers histamine intolerance and mast cell activation, making you more sensitive to allergens than before.
• Natural Dietary Adjustments – Discover foods to avoid (like aged cheese, wine, and certain fermented foods) and which nutrient-dense options can help stabilise histamine levels and calm your symptoms.      
• Gut Health and Histamine – The gut plays a critical role in processing histamine. We’ll cover how probiotics, prebiotic foods, and digestive support can help your body manage histamine more efficiently.      
• Holistic Solutions and Supplements – Learn about natural antihistamines like quercetin and stinging nettle, liver-supporting supplements, and bioidentical progesterone options to help balance your hormones and reduce histamine buildup.
• Lifestyle Tips for Allergy Relief – From hydration and moderate exercise to stress management practices, we cover easy lifestyle tips to help you reduce your histamine load and take back control of your wellness.

Tune in to discover empowering, natural solutions for managing histamine intolerance.

With the right combination of diet, lifestyle adjustments, and supportive supplements, you’ll feel equipped to calm those allergy symptoms without relying on harsh medications.

Let's dive in!

If migraines are showing up in your life for the first time, seem to be increasing or have become debilitating, put the Panadol aside and take a listen to this episode of Menopause Conversations.

We explore why migraines become more severe during perimenopause, the cause and what you can do to help alleviate them.

As you may have suspected, HORMONES are the key contributors as we ride the rollercoaster of fluctuating hormones during the menopause transition, and I will walk you through what exactly is happening with your hormones and look at some natural strategies you can use to manage and reduce migraine frequency and severity.

I cover:

• Supplements, like Magnesium
• Foods to avoid & overall dietary changes
• How to manage exercise
• Sleep
• Mind-body practices
• Essential oils
• And much more

There is a lot within your control once you understand what is going on in your body and what you can be doing to help reduce debilitating migraines.

Remember, you don’t have to do it alone! 

Join our Menopause Conversations Facebook Group community to learn more about what is happening to your body, your hormones and life in general and as promised, if sleep is one of the key areas you need to change, here is a link for your download on SLEEP.

If you found this episode helpful, please share it with someone who could benefit, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Until next time, take care of yourself and be kind to your body!

Join us as we take a trip down memory lane and my conversation with Angela Raspass.

Angela is a coach and mentor who specialises in helping women create "next chapter" businesses. Whether it’s the second, third, or even fourth chapter of life, Angela guides women as they explore new ventures.

Together, we discuss the importance of face-to-face connections and the longing many women feel for something different, especially as their children become more independent.

Angela highlights the power of following your heart and overcoming the common challenge of self-doubt. Her advice? Act with confidence, and the feeling of confidence will follow.

There’s so much wisdom in this episode, and I’m excited for you to hear it.

Learn more about Angela here. Follow her on Facebook and/or Instagram.

Enjoy the conversation!

In this inspiring episode of Menopause Conversations I sat down with Carren Smith, a recognised Australian number 1 International Speaker, who's talks often focus on overcoming adversity, personal transformation and finding purpose.

As a survivor of the Bali bombings, Carren faced immense tragedy, losing her two best friends in the attack and endured years of depression. She draws on her own experience of trauma and recovery to inspire audiences worldwide making her a prominent figure in resilience, self-discovery and spiritual growth. What happened in Bali transformed Carren's life and led her to discover the power of universal connection.

Carren shares her journey from a high-achieving, Type-A businesswoman to someone who now lives with "effortless ease."

Together, we dive into meaningful topics such as letting go, acceptance, ego versus essence, and discovering your true self, especially in midlife when so many women begin to question their purpose and identity.

This episode offers deep insight into:

• The difference between letting go and acceptance.
• How ego and essence impact how we show up in the world.
• The importance of self-discovery and embracing ease during midlife transitions.

I hope Carren's personal story of resilience and transformation will leave you feeling inspired and empowered.

Is Fear keeping you small, creating self-doubt and affecting your ability to make decisions in your life and live the life you want?

In this week's Menopause Conversations episode I revisit a conversation I had with Tegan Marshall, author of several books, including Facing Fears and Courage to be Brave.

Tegan’s passion is to make a difference in someone else’ life, making their journey a little easier by providing inspirational role models she never had and help to ignite courage in others so they can live a truly magnificent life of freedom. In whatever form freedom means to them.

Tegan and I talk about some of my fears and how I can overcome them and while this was a bit of a personal coaching session for me, the information that Tegan shares is valuable for everyone.

She helps us understand and gives us tools to identify fear:

• What we are really afraid of.  
• What is in our control.
• Tips to help anyone that may notice a continual fear that keeps coming up, to manage this - including, breaking your fears down into sizeable chunks.
• The confidence & excitement that comes from starting to tackle your fears.

I hope that you enjoy this conversation and take away something that may help and excite you.

Learn more about Tegan's story, her work and available resources, books and courses at https://www.teganmarshall.com.

In this week's episode of Menopause Conversations, I sit down with Lynda Dyer, an accomplished coach, speaker, and author of 11 best-selling books, as well as an NLP Master Trainer, to explore the mindset around aging. We live in a society that often glorifies youth, leaving many older women feeling invisible or unworthy. But is it solely society’s influence, or do our personal and family beliefs about aging play a role too?

Lynda, the author of Age is an Attitude, shares insights on how we can reshape our experience of growing older by changing our perspective on aging. She also dives into fascinating research by Dr. Mario Martinez, a clinical neuropsychologist, who examines how cultural beliefs impact our health and longevity.

Lynda's key takeaway? Let go of anything that no longer serves you as you embrace the journey of aging. For Lynda, 70 is the new 50.

To learn more about Lynda’s work or explore her books, visit https://lynda-dyer.com

Share your biggest takeaway from this conversation on Instagram or Facebook and feel free to tag me @angelacounsel. I’d love to hear how you're planning to shift your mindset around aging!

In this episode of the Menopause Conversations Podcast, I chat with Tantra Intimacy Coach Taryn Harvey about important and often shied away from topics surrounding intimacy, especially post children.

Taryn shares her unique journey from pharmaceutical rep to being a Tantra Coach who teaches men and women how to re-connect to their sensuality.

We covered a range of topics including:

• The difference between sex and intimacy.
• The role of self-love in relationships.
• Reclaiming your sexuality and sensuality.
• The shame of talking about intimacy and sex.
• The definition of Tantra and the misconceptions about it.
• Healing our wounds as women.
• Reconnecting with pleasure, especially after having children.
• Empowering yourself again as a woman.

Taryn also offers three simple tips for re-connecting to our sensual energy.

To learn more about the work that Taryn does, visit her website tantricmedicinewoman.com or follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

This week's podcast topic is such an important one as we focus on Menopause in the Workplace.

For many years the topic of menopause was not discussed in public and certainly was not spoken about in the workplace. In fact, a study showed that when asked, women felt a sense of secrecy, isolation, being too scared to speak up because of the stigma around the topic and being discriminated against.

One in four women consider leaving their job when in menopause, yet, more and more menopausal women are in the workplace, so it is so important that we start talking about what is happening to them and find ways to assist them to fulfil their job roles.

Women report that their greatest concern at work is their brain fog and inability to retain information, this leaves them fearing that they will lose their jobs and impacts their confidence. This is where my guest Thea O'Connor comes in.

Thea's program 'menopause at work' focusses on helping organisation's become menopause-friendly through awareness, education and small workplace support. As a result, this can increase the engagement & retention of some of the work forces more experienced people. After all, it is a natural and temporary stage of life.

It is up to all of us to start having more open conversations about menopause and to stop treating it as a joke or as a medical condition. I loved this conversation and I hope that you do as well, please let us know what you thought by leaving a review.

Visit the https://www.thea.com.au/menopause-at-work/ website for more information and learn about the amazing work Thea is doing.

Let’s talk about the essence of what makes us female.