Today, we continue our series on Menopause. For this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with certified nutrition coach Kristina von Oertzen about nutrition and wellness's role during perimenopause/menopause.

As you'll learn, addressing symptoms and improving how you feel about your body and yourself requires a whole-body approach, especially so you can enjoy your life now and in the future.

Guest Info:

Kristina von Oertzen

Kristina von Oertzen is a certified nutrition coach on a mission to help menopausal foodies enjoy indulgences without consequences. Showing them how to ride the hormonal rollercoaster of midlife with confidence and positivity, she turns this chapter into a period of renewal rather than decline.

Having overcome her own health challenges through dietary changes, Kristina blends professional expertise with personal empathy. She loves creating personalised meal and fitness plans that are easy to maintain and seamlessly fit into her clients’ busy lives. Her signature process helps clients find relief from menopausal symptoms, shed stubborn belly fat, and feel confident in their skin, all without sacrificing their favourite desserts or battling through extreme workouts.

From stirring pots with her Italian mother, Kristina's culinary journey includes training as a chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Berlin and refining her skills at Le Cordon Bleu in London. Never compromising on taste and quality, she takes up any challenge for transforming naughty treats into healthy delights. 

Outside work, Kristina loves hiking, experimenting in her kitchen, and exploring new restaurants.

Linktree

Bloomlab Website

Blog

Instagram

LinkedIn

TikTok

YouTube

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Spooky season is here, but we aren't talking about ghosts and goblins. This month, we are talking about perimenopause and menopause. Why? Because Gen X women are doing this change in our lives differently. We are speaking up about the symptoms we are experiencing and demanding doctors hear us and help us.

Thankfully, we aren't doing it alone, thanks to doctors, advocates, celebrities, the media, and our fellow GenXers. In today's episode, I share my story with perimenopause and talk to Claire Doré and Lucy Waide about their unique experiences with perimenopause and menopause.

Guest info:

Claire Doré

Claire Doré expands people and supports them in being truly limitless. She has no title because that would limit her work.  She is a limitless creator, speaker and writer. She reminds you of who the f*ck you are.

Linktree

Youtube

Tiktok

Lucy Waide

Lucy is defines herself as:

Small but mighty.

Ex teacher and head of art and English in a neurodiverse school.

Ex chocolatier and business owner.

Ex wife.

Ex womb owner 

Ex suicide attempter

Current joy finder, author, creative speaker creating art in my studio and enjoying helping others realise they have the power to positively problem solve. 

LinkedIn

Endoodle Instagram

Mentioned in the Podcast:

The Menopause Brain by Lisa Mosconi, PhD

Why we can't sleep by Ada Calhoun

The M Factor Shredding the Silence of Menopause - Coming to PBS October 17

'Menopause brain' is real. Here's how women's brains change in midlife.

Many Gen Xers demand menopause hormone drugs, and they won't take no for an answer

If you'd like to become a guest or share your input on future topics, you can reach out to me by:

GenX might be small, but we're still mighty with our influence in the workplace. We make up over 30% of today's workforce, and our impact is improving the way we do work and life...damn the man, save the empire.

In today's episode, I look back at our first jobs, how Gen X works differently, and how the pressures of adulting affect our anxiety, stress, and ability to have that work-life balance we all crave.

If you'd like to share your journey in the corporate world or as an entrepreneur, send me a voice note or visit our Instagram page, linked below.

Articles mentioned in today's show:

Now Is The Time For Gen X Women To Start A Business

The Multigenerational Workforce: Has Gen X Been Overlooked in the Workplace?

Understanding Gen X in the Workplace

If you'd like to become a guest or share your input on future topics, you can reach out to me by:

Next month's theme: Perimenopause & Menopause

Welcome to another month of episodes from The GenX Experience. Our theme for September is all about entrepreneurship and work life.

Get ready to look at your favorite 80s classics, from Better of Dead to Coming to America, in a new way because we're starting the month with an engaging episode featuring speaker and author Chris Clews.

This is an episode not to miss as Chris shares the valuable lesson those 80s classics can teach you about work(and life),

Spoiler alert for all my Prince fans: you'll want to tune in until the end for a special lesson featuring the purple one.

Guest info:

Chris Clews is a keynote speaker, author and all around ‘80s pop culture guy.

Growing up in the 80s and with over twenty years of leadership experience in corporate marketing, Chris knew three things very well – 80s pop culture, business, and this crazy but totally awesome thing we call life.

He left his corporate marketing career of 20 plus years and combined his areas of expertise to become a keynote speaker and author. As a keynote speaker Chris has spoken to a variety of organizations and companies including VISA, Duke Health, University of Florida, Penn Medicine, DHL, American Marketing Association, PoolCorp, CMAA (Club Managers Association of America) and more.

His keynote is titled “Everything I Need to Know (For Life and Work), I Learned from ‘80s Pop Culture”. He has over 160 lessons for life and work from 40 movies such as The Breakfast Club, The Goonies, Field of Dreams, Coming to America, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Dead Poets Society, The Princess Bride, The Karate Kid and more.

As an author he created the popular book series, The Ultimate Series on Essential Work & Life Lessons from ‘80s Pop Culture, which currently has three volumes.

He's super passionate about animal rescue which is a huge part of Chris’s life. He donates a portion of the proceeds from his book sales and speaking events to Wonder Paws rescue, the organization that saved his pit-mix, Bodhi and when traveling for keynotes he always looks for a rescue/shelter in the area where he can volunteer his time.

He lives by the quote from the poet laureate, Ferris Bueller, when he said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

You can learn more about Chris:

Website: www.chrisclews.com

Instagram - @chrisclews80s

Facebook – Chris.Clews.10

Twitter (X) - @80spopculture

Additional info mentioned in the episode:

Prince's letter to Suzanne Vega

If you'd like to become a guest or share your input on future topics, you can reach out to me by:

I'm ending my birthday month with a fun, rambling chat featuring my best friend, Kristi. We reflect on turning 50 and share some fond memories of growing up as 80s kids, from first crushes to bad hair to what we miss and don't miss about our days as teenagers.

If you'd like to become a guest or share your input on future topics, you can reach out to me by:

Next month's theme: Entrepreneurship and Work Life

How did we get here? Because we've had 49 other birthdays. In today's episode, your very nasally, congested host shares her thoughts on turning 50 and takes a look back on what happened in the year of our birth, 1974.

Links Mentioned:

My birth announcement

Celebrating 50 Years of Life Lessons Part 1

Celebrating 50 Years of Life Lessons Part 2

Spotify Playlist - Celebrating 1974

Turning 50 Questionnaire - share your thoughts on the big 5-0

If you'd like to become a guest or share your input on future topics, you can reach out to me by:

In today's episode, my uncle Jack, an estate planning lawyer, joins us for an engaging conversation on grief and loss, as well as how to have the uncomfortable conversation about planning for your own or your parents' possible disability and death.

Guest info:

Jack N. Alpern was the founder and shareholder in the Warren, Ohio law firm of Jack N. Alpern Co., L.P.A. Mr. Alpern graduated from The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences earning a degree in history and political science.

Mr. Alpern received his juris doctor degree from The Ohio State University College of Law, where he was the recipient of the George W. Wrightmire award for leadership.

Mr. Alpern is a member of the State Bar of Ohio and the Ohio State and Trumbull County Bar Associations. He has been a frequent lecturer at Continuing Education seminars for attorneys, through the Ohio Legal Center Institute in Columbus, Ohio and the National Business Institute in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. In addition, Mr. Alpern has presented estate planning classes and seminars for Kent State University, Trumbull Campus, the Warren Tribune Chronicle and local industry and civic groups. Attorney Alpern has presented more than one hundred seminars, both public and private, on the subject of estate planning.  

Since 2007, he has served as an instructor for Chautauqua Institution in western New York, teaching a course entitled, “Heir Conditioning: How to Make an Inheritance Mean Something.” He also appeared as a guest speaker for PBS Channels 45; 49 in Akron, Ohio, presenting the topic, “How to Pay for Nursing Home Costs”, as part of the “Caring for Your Parents” workshop.

Email: [email protected]

Book Mentioned:

Fault Lines by Karl Pillemer Ph.D.

Fractured Families video

If you'd like to become a guest or share your input on future topics, you can reach out to me by:

Next Month's Topic: Celebrating 1974 babies as we turn 50.

In today's episode, we are continuing our conversation about grief and loss. This time we are traveling back to our childhood to talk about how we experienced loss and dealt with grief.

What did it mean to us?

What types of loss did we experience as GenXers?

How did pop culture talk about loss?

What real-life experiences did our generation witness?

How did the adults in our lives explain grief to us?

What were our go-to sad songs or playlists that got us through it all?

Scenes mentioned in the podcast:

Beaches Wind Beneath My Wings

Brian's Song trailer so you can hear the music and see the running scene.

Growing Pains - Sandy Dies

If you'd like to become a guest or share your input on future topics, you can reach out to me by:

This month on the The GenX Experience we are talking about grief and loss. Though it's a heavy topic, it's also an important one. No one prepares you for the loss of a loved one, and dealing with the grief can feel overwhelming and all-consuming.

In this episode, I share how losing my parents in 2017 and 2020 rocked my world and how I dealt with grief then and now.

I also spoke with Annie McDonnell, a grief guide, about her experience of loss and how she uses her expertise to help people dealing with grief before and after a loved one passes.

Guest info:

Annie McDonnell is an acupuncturist, sound healing practitioner, and grief guide who teaches self-care practices to gently cultivate physical and emotional resilience. Her virtual sessions are customized to help you navigate challenging transitions with a calm mind and an open heart.

website: ⁠Joy Alchemy Acupuncture⁠

Instagram: ⁠acupunctureannie ⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠Annie McDonnell, L.Ac. ⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠Acupuncture Annie - YouTube⁠⁠

Free Anticipatory Grief Guide: ⁠A scary diagnosis...A sad decline in old age...Grief can begin long before death happens—how will you make it through? ⁠

References mentioned in today's episode:

⁠Death, Sex & Money Podcast⁠

⁠Terrible Thanks for Asking Podcast⁠

⁠David Kessler⁠

If you'd like to become a guest or share your input on future topics, you can reach out to me by:

Welcome to the final conversation in our Dating in Midlife Series. Today, we are chatting with dating coach Diane Brandon Moody about how to date with more intention, set boundaries and rules, like a first date must happen within two weeks or it doesn't happen at all, and the best places for meeting your person in real life.

Guest Info:

Diane Brandon Moody

Diane Brandon Moody is a dating coach for singles over 50 after remaining single until the age of 57 when she met her husband-to-be on Craigslist personals. Too old? Nah. With a mixture of humor, fun and down-to-earth advice, she serves as Yoda to her clients as they navigate the often-baffling world of singledom at midlife and beyond.

Free guide:

50 places to meet singles over 50

If you'd like to become a guest or share your input on future topics, you can reach out to me by: