Kate danced professionally in Russia and for the Royal National Ballet in the UK. She is now a mother of two, runs her own ballet school and lives with her children, her husband and her dog Sydney.

She shares with us, her experience of dancing and the pressures on young girls at that time to remain a certain size and weight and the impact that this had on her body. She also talks to us about her experience and that of those around her of the menopause.

Jo Darling is a women's health expert, oncology expert and founder of Menopoised®. She has produced, tiny jewel-like magnets which take the heat out of Menopause, using acupressure points on the body, some sublime essential oil blends to alleviate other symptoms and has more exciting products in the pipeline. These are proven to work for 80% of women and look beautiful at the same time.

Sophie runs her own graphic design company, has a husband, three sons and a tremendous support network which has guided her and buoyed her through her Menopause journey.

She talks to us about her previous knowledge of symptoms, her own experience and shares strategies and lifestyle changes that have helped her through this transition.

Helen's credentials as Chief Marketing Officer for companies such as the Ofcom, the BBC, DFS and Boots mean that she has a keen understanding of people and what they need. Combining this with her own needs and following her motto of 'Feel the Fear and do it anyway!", she and her close friend Dr Clare Spencer set up My Menopause Centre, an online resource for women all over the world to understand their symptoms of Peri to Post Menopause and ultimately, should they wish, start on HRT.

Helen discusses the Menopause in the workplace, what needs to change and how we can go about this. She shares her own experience of Perimenopause and describes just how My Menopause Centre came to be, "It's just too important."

Peggy has lived in the US, India and currently, the UK. She talks of her personal experience of going through the Menopause whilst raising a family, lecturing and travelling for research. She explains her keys symptoms, what she found when she sought help and what is working for her now.

As always, please get in touch to share your story and to let us know how you're getting on.

Rebekah Brown, founder of M Powder, talks to us about her experience of Perimenopause, how it affected her at work, her family life and what ultimately led her to create M Powder.

We hear about her journey from de-hydrating fruit and vegetables in her kitchen to running a successful and ever-growing company that provides the first powder supplement range for each stage of Menopause - all of which have been developed with doctors and natropaths and trialled and verified by women in the community.

She shares her tips on thriving through this stage of life and the change she would like to see in the world.

Visit her online store for more information on her blends and, as ever, drop us an email to tell us how you're doing.

A more serious look at Perimenopause and Menopause as an introduction

Welcome to Real Menopause Talk. This is an introduction before we really begin.