MenoPositive

What if simple changes to your diet could make a real difference to how you experience perimenopause and menopause?

In this MenoPositive Essential, we take another look at research from ZOE that found, women who followed a healthier diet reported an average 35% reduction in menopause symptoms in as little as 12 weeks! It's an exciting finding and Professor Sarah Berry, Chief Scientist at ZOE, talks us through some of the biggest take-aways from the research on menopause, nutrition and metabolic health in women.

In this episode, we explore:

• The 35% finding and the small changes that deliver meaningful benefit: Practical ways to improve your breakfast, snacks and eating habits without overhauling your life.

• Early signs of perimenopause: Why anxiety, brain fog, poor sleep and memory changes can appear before hot flushes.

• Menopause and weight gain: How declining oestrogen affects metabolism, insulin sensitivity, belly fat and hunger.

• What to eat during menopause: Why fibre, plant diversity, whole foods, nuts and seeds matter.

• Protein and menopause: How to think about plant versus animal protein without getting caught up in conflicting advice.

We also discuss ZOE's free MenoScale symptom tracker,the importance of understanding your personal menopause experience, and why midlife can be an opportunity to take greater control of your long-term health.

Because menopause is inevitable, but how we experience it, isn’t.

RESOURCES:

Join the MenoPositive Community and help us change the narrative on menopause!

Explore ZOE's MenoScale

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MenoPositive: redefining menopause by helping women understand what's happening in their bodies during hormonal transition, and what they can do about it!

What actually happens to your hormones during perimenopause? And why might you suddenly feel more anxious, struggle to sleep, lose focus or find yourself reacting differently to everyday stress, long before your first hot flush?

Hormones influence so much more than our reproductive health. They play an important role in how we feel, think, sleep and function every day. Understanding them can be a powerful first step towards feeling better.

In this episode of MenoPositive, Lisa Jedan sits down with Dr Sohère Roked, GP, hormone specialist and integrative medicine doctor, to explore why hormone health is foundational to our overall wellbeing and help women make sense of the early signs of perimenopause.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Early signs of perimenopause: Why anxiety, mood changes, disrupted sleep, brain fog can appear well before any hot flush

• Oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone: How these hormones influence your health, energy, mood and wellbeing.

• Cortisol, stress and anxiety: How stress and hormonal changes can interact, and why nervous system regulation is worth understanding.

• HRT: How hormone replacement therapy can help, what it can’t address and why treatment needs to be individualised.

• Practical ways to feel better: Simple approaches to sleep, movement, stress management and Dr Roked's five-minute 'nourishment list'.

• Beyond hormones: How emotional wellbeing, self-awareness and a more holistic approach can help women navigate menopause with greater confidence.

The conversation also explores Dr. Roked's interest in the mind-body connection, psychedelic research and traditional healing practices and why she believes menopause deserves a conversation that goes beyond symptom management.

RESOURCES:

Join the MenoPositive community and help us redefine menopause!

Discover more about Dr. Sohere Roked

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MenoPositive: redefining menopause by helping women understand what's happening in their bodies during hormonal transition, and what they can do about it!

Why does your brain feel different during perimenopause and menopause?

From brain fog and changes in motivation to mood swings and difficulty concentrating, hormonal transition impacts every part of your body.

For Menopause Awareness Month, we’re re-releasing one of our favourite episodes with best-selling author Dr Mindy Pelz, author of Fast Like a Girl and Age Like a Girl. This is a fascinating conversation about the menopausal brain, the relationship between oestrogen and our brain chemistry, and why Mindy believes menopause can be a powerful period of personal reinvention.

Drawing on neuroscience, evolutionary theories and her own experiences, Mindy explores what is happening in our brains as hormones change and the everyday habits she believes can help support mood, motivation, mental clarity and emotional wellbeing.

In this MenoPositive Essential:

• The menopause brain: How hormonal changes interact with brain chemistry, memory, mood and motivation

• The feel-good chemicals: The roles of dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin, and simple ways to support wellbeing through novelty, daylight, movement and connection

• Fasting during menopause: Mindy's perspective on intermittent fasting, ketones and brain energy, including a discussion of the 13–15-hour fasting windows

• The power of reinvention: Why menopause is an opportunity to reconnect with your own needs, rediscover your voice and approach the second half of life differentl

• The grandmother hypothesis: how and why our relationships and priorities can change in midlife

This conversation questions the stories we've been told about ageing, menopause and the opportunities ahead of us.

Resources:

Join the MenoPositive Community

Check out Mindy's Book: Age Like a Girl

If you loved this episode as much as me, please rate and follow MenoPositive and share it with a friend who needs to hear this.

MenoPositive – redefining menopause by helping women understand what's happening in their bodies during hormonal transition, and what they can do about it! 

Don’t you wish we spent more time talking about whatwe gain during menopause and less time talking about what we lose?

Katie Brindle has spent more than 20 years translating ancient Chinese wisdom for modern life and in Chinese medicine, menopause isn’t simply defined by declining hormones and symptoms; it’s a transition from mother into the powerful matriarch; into what is known as our Second Spring.

But why are so many of us arriving there exhausted, overwhelmed and wide awake in the middle of the night?

Join Lisa for an energetic and enlightening conversation.  Leave feeling impassioned and empowered about menopause!

In this episode:

·      Is modern life making menopause harder? Katie’s “energy bank” theory and why we may be arriving at thistransition already depleted

·      From mother to matriarch: why Chinese medicine calls menopause our Second Spring and what Katie believeswomen gain, rather than lose

·      What your middle-of-the-night wake-up could be telling you: a fresh perspective on disrupted sleep you maynot have heard before

·      The surprisingly simple - and free -  practices Katie swears by: from shaking and tapping, to daytime rest and her evening foot-soak ritual

·      But perhaps the biggest idea in this conversation is how we’ve spent so much time talking about what women lose in menopause, that we’ve barely begun talking about what might be waiting on the other side. Chinese Medicine calls it our Second Spring. By the end of this conversation you mayunderstand why.

Resources:

Katie Brindle is a Chinese medicine practitioner, bestselling author and founder of the Hayo’u Method. 

MenoPositive is the fresh new voice of modern menopause. Join a community of women redefining midlife.

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MenoPositive — redefining menopause by helping women understand what’s happening in their bodies during hormonal transition, and what they can do about it.

If there’s one form of exercise that becomes increasingly important as we move through perimenopause and menopause, it’s strength training. But why?

In this MenoPositive Essential, Lisa Jedan sits down with women’s health and fitness expert Aoife Okonedo-Martin toexplain why building muscle is a non-negotiable to support your body as you age.

They strip away some of the confusion around strength training: Do you need to lift heavy? Will weights make youbulky? How often should you train?

Lisa also shares her own experience of beginning strength training at age 47 and how it was a secret weapon for how she experienced perimenopause and menopause.

In this Essential:

• Why strength training is a non-negotiable during perimenopause and menopause
• The role of muscle in supporting a healthy metabolism, strong bones and long term health
• How to get the most out of your workout, whether that's pilates, yoga or simply doing lunges at your kitchen sink
• Where to start if you've never lifted a weight before

Resources: Join the MenoPositive Community

We can't prevent menopause, but we can prepare for it. If you found this episode useful, please follow MenoPositive so you don't miss future conversations. And please leave a ratingor review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps more women discover the show!

MenoPositive: redefining menopause by helping women understand what's happening in their bodies during hormonal transition, and what they can do about it! 

Is it perimenopause - or could your thyroid be part of the picture? Here’s why the two are more connected than many women realise.

Your thyroid helps regulate energy, metabolism, brain function and your sex hormones. And as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone change through perimenopause and menopause,thyroid function can be affected too. That means it can be confusing to determine whether it's perimenopause or thyroid dysfunction that is behind your fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, hair loss or poor sleep. And sometimes it could be both!

In this MenoPositive episode, Lisa Jedan is joined by thyroid expert McCall McPherson, founder of Modern Thyroid Clinic, toexplain why thyroid health deserves a place in the menopause conversation and how understanding the connection can help you feel more informed about your changing body.

In this episode:

·      How thyroid function and changing hormones influence each other

·      Perimenopause symptoms vs thyroid symptoms, including weight gain, fatigue and brain fog

·      What to ask when thyroid blood tests are “normal” but you still don’t feel like yourself

·     Thyroid medication, HRT and practical ways to support thyroid health as you age

McCall also shares why the basics, like nutrition, movement, sleep and strength, can make a meaningful difference, andwhy midlife is a time to stay curious about your body rather than simply accepting that feeling less like yourself is inevitable.

Resources:

Pre-order McCall's Upcoming Book: Take Back Your Thyroid

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Follow, rate and review MenoPositive so more women can discover the show and navigate hormone shifts with confidence!

MenoPositive – redefining menopause by helping women understand what’s happening in their bodies during hormonaltransition, and what they can do about it!

Could it be perimenopause - even if you're still having regular periods? Here's what every woman should know.

Perimenopause can begin years before menopause and the first signs aren't always the ones we expect. Anxiety, brainfog, poor sleep, mood changes and feeling unlike yourself can easily be blamed on stress, work or simply having too much going on.

In this MenoPositive Essential, Lisa Jedan is joined by perimenopause and menopause specialist Dr Shahzadi Harper for a practical guide to understanding what's happening to your body and more importantly, what you can do about it.

In this episode:

·      The early signs and symptoms of perimenopause - and when they can begin

·      Why anxiety, brain fog, poor sleep and mood changes can be mistaken for stress

·      HRT: when to consider it, common misconceptions and the conversation around breast cancer risk

·      Weight and metabolism in perimenopause, including GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic

Shahzadi also explains when to speak to your doctor and why women should start understanding hormonal health beforethey think they need to.

Resources:

The Perimenopause Solution by Dr. Shahzadi Harper and Emma Bardwell

Join the MenoPositive Community

If you found this episode useful, follow MenoPositive so you don't miss future conversations and please leave a ratingor review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps more women discover the show!

MenoPositive: redefining menopause by helping women understand what's happening in their bodies during hormonal transition and what they can do about it!  

What if menopause wasn't something to fight—but an opportunity to rebalance your body?

In this episode of Menopause: The Edit, Lisa sitsdown with wellness expert Antonia David to explore how Traditional Chinese Medicine views menopause not as decline, but as a natural transition and a second spring.

Rather than viewing menopause as a collection of isolated symptoms, TCM sees the body as an interconnected system where energy, lifestyle, rest and balance all play an important role in supporting wellbeing.

Together they discuss:

• Why more women are turning to complementary therapies to support their perimenopause journey
• The Five Element Theory (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water)
• The importance of our kidneys and why your 3pm energy slump may not be a coincidence

Whether you're curious about Traditional Chinese Medicine or simply looking for new ways to support your health throughperimenopause, this episode offers an easy introduction to an approach that has been practised for thousands of years.

Find your Element with Elemental Herbology HERE.

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Could modern life be making your menopause symptoms worse?

In this episode, longevity and human optimisation physician Dr Ash Kapoor explores what we can learn from the world's Blue Zones and traditional communities, and why chronic stress, lack of community, time spent indoors and our fast-paced lifestyles may be influencing how we experience menopause.

Together we discuss:

• Why women in Blue Zones appear to experience menopause differently
• Why community and nature are two of the most overlooked health interventions
• Simple ways to create a more menopause-friendly environment, even in a busy city

This isn't about moving to Sardinia. It's about understanding how modern life shapes our health and discoveringpractical, evidence-informed habits that can help you build resilience, support healthy ageing and create a more positive menopause experience.

Connect with Dr. Ash Kapoor

• Dr. Ash on Instagram
• Learn more about Levitas Clinic

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• Join the MenoPositive Community
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What if supporting your hormones starts long before hormones themselves?

If you've ever thought, "I'm eating well, exercising, taking mysupplements... so why don't I feel like myself?" this episode is for you.

This week, Lisa is joined by Jess Kane from BodyBio to explore afascinating piece of the menopause puzzle that most of us never hear about: cellular health.

Because hormones don't work in isolation. They communicate with every cell in your body. And when those cells are under pressure from modern life, environmental toxins, chronic stress and poor nutrition, everything from your energy and metabolism to your brain, mood and gut health can feel the effects.

Together, Lisa and Jess discuss:

• Why menopause symptoms aren't just about hormones
• The surprising link between cellular health, brain fog and fatigue
• Why some women don't feel better on HRT - and what could be missing
• How health fats are critical to your cellular and brain health
• Simple daily habits to build your resilience before, during and after menopause
• How to create the strongest, possible foundation for long term health

This isn't about a quick fix. It's about understanding how to build a body that can better support hormonal change—so you can think more clearly, feel more energetic and approach your second half with confidence.

Connect with Jess:

• Instagram
• Learn more about BodyBio

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• Join the community
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