The Menopause Disruptor Podcast

In this episode, Mary is joined by Nicole Johnston, an executive and leadership coach, TEDx speaker, author, and founder of Innate Power, to explore workplace leadership, visibility, confidence, and the often-unspoken challenges women face during menopause.

Nicole draws on 30 years of experience in major consumer brands including Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Hershey, and Newell Brands, where she witnessed women being diminished, sidelined, and overlooked despite their experience and capabilities. She now helps women understand the unwritten rules of corporate environments, communicate their value, build stronger personal brands, and step into leadership without shrinking themselves.

The conversation explores why women can be over-mentored but under-sponsored, how an “Atta Girl” folder can protect their accomplishments and strengthen career conversations, and why personal brand is ultimately shaped by how other people perceive your value.

Nicole also discusses menopause in the workplace, the importance of removing shame from the conversation, asking for support, and giving yourself permission to use new tools and strategies when your needs change. She shares how openly acknowledging brain fog helped her maintain credibility rather than hide what was happening.

Connect:

• Innate Power  on Instagram— Nicole Johnston's leadership coaching and professional work.

Resource:

• Taboo Topics: Things Women Should Talk About But Don't — Nicole Johnston's book, available in hardcover, paperback, and audio formats.

Let us know if you're liking the show!

Hen's Den Yoga
A serene and cozy home studio nestled in the Comox Valley offering a variety of wellness classes.

Support the show

Meet the host, Mary, a certified Menopause Doula, GGS Coaching Specialist, and corporate educator, helping forward-thinking organizations foster a menopause-friendly workplace. Visit https://emmeellecoaching.com/menopauseatwork

Turn your menopause transition into a transformation with the Menopause Intelligence Course (MQ), an 8-module, self-paced learning experience, empowering you to take agency over your health and make informed decisions with your healthcare team. 

Connect with Mary: 

• Instagram @menopausedisruptorpodcast
• LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/maryhelenlee/

Disclaimer: Information shared is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional.

In this episode, host Mary is joined by obesity medicine physician Dr. Laure DeMattia to explore the complicated relationship between obesity, body image, food, and menopause.

Dr. DeMattia shares her deeply personal journey from struggling with body image and binge eating from a young age to becoming a physician specializing in obesity medicine. 

Together, Mary and Dr. D unpack why women's bodies can be particularly vulnerable to weight changes during puberty, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause, and why the traditional "eat less, move more" approach can leave women feeling frustrated, ashamed, and blamed.

The conversation challenges the idea that weight is simply a matter of willpower. Dr. DeMattia explains set point theory, discusses how the body can defend a particular weight, and explores why treatments such as GLP-1 medications and bariatric surgery can be legitimate tools for treating obesity rather than "cop-outs." She also emphasizes the importance of looking beyond the number on the scale and focusing on health, energy, confidence, and other non-scale victories.

Dr. DeMattia also introduces her practical CHEF framework from her book, The Four Food Cues, helping people understand their individual relationship with food through Craving, Hunger, Energy, and Fullness.

Connect:

• Learn more about Dr. Laure DeMattia and her work: https://drdemattia.com/

• The Four Food Cues by Dr. Laure DeMattia — available on Amazon 

Let us know if you're liking the show!

Hen's Den Yoga
A serene and cozy home studio nestled in the Comox Valley offering a variety of wellness classes.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Meet the host, Mary, a certified Menopause Doula, GGS Coaching Specialist, and corporate educator, helping forward-thinking organizations foster a menopause-friendly workplace. Visit https://emmeellecoaching.com/menopauseatwork

Turn your menopause transition into a transformation with the Menopause Intelligence Course (MQ), an 8-module, self-paced learning experience, empowering you to take agency over your health and make informed decisions with your healthcare team. 

Connect with Mary: 

• Instagram @menopausedisruptorpodcast
• LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/maryhelenlee/

Disclaimer: Information shared is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional.

In this Goddess Journey meditation, we explore the symbolic energies of the 8/8 Lion's Gate and the August 12 South Node Solar Eclipse. Rather than asking you to strive for more, this practice offers something far more courageous: permission to slow down, soften, and receive.

As the Year of the Fire Horse and the Universal Year 1 invite bold new beginnings, this meditation reminds us that every beginning first requires space. Before something new can enter, something old must be released.T

Whether you connect with the symbolism of astrology or simply appreciate it as a beautiful metaphor for personal reflection, this meditation is an opportunity to pause, breathe, and trust the unfolding of your own journey.

Journal Reflection:

• What feels complete in this season of my life?
• What am I ready to release with gratitude?
• Where have I confused constant doing with my worth?
• What would it feel like to trust life enough to receive?
• If I rested without guilt, what might become possible?

Continue Your Goddess Journey

If this meditation resonated with you, subscribe so you never miss a new episode in the Goddess Journey Meditation Series, where we explore the intersection of women's wisdom, nervous system healing, science, and spirituality.

Let us know if you're liking the show!

Support the show

Meet the host, Mary, a certified Menopause Doula, GGS Coaching Specialist, and corporate educator, helping forward-thinking organizations foster a menopause-friendly workplace. Visit https://emmeellecoaching.com/menopauseatwork

Turn your menopause transition into a transformation with the Menopause Intelligence Course (MQ), an 8-module, self-paced learning experience, empowering you to take agency over your health and make informed decisions with your healthcare team. 

Connect with Mary: 

• Instagram @menopausedisruptorpodcast
• LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/maryhelenlee/

Disclaimer: Information shared is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional.

In this episode, Mary welcomes functional medicine practitioner Cindy Dupuie, who shares her deeply personal journey from experiencing early menopause after a stressful divorce to becoming one of the leading voices helping women understand the root causes of hormonal changes. Together they unpack why menopause is about far more than hot flashes and why estrogen influences nearly every tissue and organ in the body.

The conversation explores the principles of functional medicine, emphasizing how hormones, digestion, inflammation, the microbiome, and metabolic health are deeply interconnected. Cindy explains why declining estrogen can contribute to digestive problems including acid reflux, food sensitivities, constipation, SIBO, leaky gut, and poor bile production, while also discussing how hormone therapy may support long-term brain, heart, and bone health beyond symptom relief.

Mary and Cindy also discuss the current barriers women face in today's healthcare system, the importance of becoming educated advocates for your own health, and why individualized care—not one-size-fits-all medicine—is essential for thriving throughout midlife and beyond.

Whether you're navigating perimenopause, menopause, or simply want to understand how your body changes with age, this episode offers practical insights, empowering perspectives, and hope for building a healthier future.

Connect:

• 🌐 A Living Balance https://alivingbalance.net

Resources Mentioned:

• Dr. Mark Hyman — https://drhyman.com
• Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) — https://www.ifm.org
• Dr. Ben Lynch — https://www.drbenlynch.com
• Dirty Genes by Dr. Ben Lynch — https://www.drbenlynch.com/dirty-genes/
• Seeking Health — https://www.seekinghealth.com
• Dr. Tim Spector (ZOE) — https://zoe.com/learn/author/tim-spector

Let us know if you're liking the show!

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Meet the host, Mary, a certified Menopause Doula, GGS Coaching Specialist, and corporate educator, helping forward-thinking organizations foster a menopause-friendly workplace. Visit https://emmeellecoaching.com/menopauseatwork

Turn your menopause transition into a transformation with the Menopause Intelligence Course (MQ), an 8-module, self-paced learning experience, empowering you to take agency over your health and make informed decisions with your healthcare team. 

Connect with Mary: 

• Instagram @menopausedisruptorpodcast
• LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/maryhelenlee/

Disclaimer: Information shared is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional.

Is the productivity crisis in the workforce actually an ageism crisis?

In this episode, I sit down with Lucy Standing, Chartered Psychologist and founder of Brave Starts, CIC – a non profit organisation supporting 300 – 400 people a year to plan and consider their future career development. Lucy specialising in mid career development with specific expertise in the ageing population.

Together, we explore ageism in the workplace, reinvention after 50, the rise of "quilted careers," and why many experienced professionals are choosing a a pay cut for fulfilling work that brings purpose and meaning.

Lucy challenges the outdated belief that our value declines with age and shares compelling evidence that resilience, emotional intelligence, experience, and purpose-driven leadership often peak in midlife. She has contributed hert research to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and spoken in the UK Parliament on ageing and employment policy. 

Lucy is co-author of Age Against the Machine with Martin Hyde and Dr. Maggi Evans that argues the talent shortage gripping British business isn't a talent problem - it's a filtering problem. 

Connect:

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucystanding/

Brave Starts:
https://www.bravestarts.com/

Let us know if you're liking the show!

Hen's Den Yoga
A serene and cozy home studio nestled in the Comox Valley offering a variety of wellness classes.

Support the show

Meet the host, Mary, a certified Menopause Doula, GGS Coaching Specialist, and corporate educator, helping forward-thinking organizations foster a menopause-friendly workplace. Visit https://emmeellecoaching.com/menopauseatwork

Turn your menopause transition into a transformation with the Menopause Intelligence Course (MQ), an 8-module, self-paced learning experience, empowering you to take agency over your health and make informed decisions with your healthcare team. 

Connect with Mary: 

• Instagram @menopausedisruptorpodcast
• LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/maryhelenlee/

Disclaimer: Information shared is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional.

Today, I bring back the Goddess Journey meditation series with a new guided meditation for the wise woman's personal shift toward intuition, letting go of mental rumination, while integrating spiritual wisdom. 

You don't have to be a Gemini under a Sun or Moon sign to reap all the benfits of balancing dual forces that reside within each and every one of us.

This journey will begin with storytelling of how I arrived back in a place of quiet reflection while taking a pause from pushing the play button on life,  accepting  the intuitive call to rest in the flow of life instead.

This meditation calls for you to soak in stillness and allow what arrives in mind and body without pushing against it, judging, or analysing. Listeners will be guided through breathwork, nervous-system calming, and positive affirmations to cultivate heart-centre self-trust with intuition. 

Use this practice to begin your day, during a work break, or to gently close out your evening. Anytime of day is a beautiful time to return home to you.

00:00 Intuitive Stirring

02:36 Astrology Shift

04:02 Heart Chakra Bridge

04:59 Grounding and Sisterhood

06:51 Settle In and Breathe

09:22 Gemini Breath Balance

10:55 Hands and Integration

13:35 Safety Affirmations

14:55 Embody Your Wise Self

17:18 Closing and Return

Let us know if you're liking the show!

Support the show

Meet the host, Mary, a certified Menopause Doula, GGS Coaching Specialist, and corporate educator, helping forward-thinking organizations foster a menopause-friendly workplace. Visit https://emmeellecoaching.com/menopauseatwork

Turn your menopause transition into a transformation with the Menopause Intelligence Course (MQ), an 8-module, self-paced learning experience, empowering you to take agency over your health and make informed decisions with your healthcare team. 

Connect with Mary: 

• Instagram @menopausedisruptorpodcast
• LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/maryhelenlee/

Disclaimer: Information shared is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional.

Feel like your body suddenly changed in midlife — increased belly fat, energy crashes, cravings, brain fog, disrupted sleep, or feeling like you’re “doing everything right” but nothing is working anymore — this episode is for you.

In this powerful conversation, I’m joined by health coach Michelle Dwyer to unpack the critical connection between hormones, blood sugar, metabolism, stress, and overall health during perimenopause and menopause.

Michelle shares her own personal healing journey after a prolonged illness led her to completely rethink health and wellness, eventually inspiring her to help women better understand their bodies with compassion instead of self-blame.

Together we explore:

• Why blood sugar regulation matters so much in midlife
• How estrogen changes impact insulin sensitivity and metabolism
• What A1C actually means and why women should pay attention to it
• The role of muscle mass, protein, healthy fats, sleep, and stress
• How continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) can provide personalized insight
• Why health is about awareness and nourishment — not perfection

Connect with Michelle Dwyer:

• Website + CGM Experience Support Program: Health Coach Michelle
• Instagram: Michelle Dwyer on Instagram
• LinkedIn: Michelle Dwyer on LinkedIn

Let us know if you're liking the show!

Hen's Den Yoga
A serene and cozy home studio nestled in the Comox Valley offering a variety of wellness classes.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Meet the host, Mary, a certified Menopause Doula, GGS Coaching Specialist, and corporate educator, helping forward-thinking organizations foster a menopause-friendly workplace. Visit https://emmeellecoaching.com/menopauseatwork

Turn your menopause transition into a transformation with the Menopause Intelligence Course (MQ), an 8-module, self-paced learning experience, empowering you to take agency over your health and make informed decisions with your healthcare team. 

Connect with Mary: 

• Instagram @menopausedisruptorpodcast
• LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/maryhelenlee/

Disclaimer: Information shared is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional.

What if pain isn’t just “wear and tear”… and aging doesn’t have to hurt?

In this episode, Mary sits down with physical therapist and nurse Stacey Roberts to unpack a completely different approach to pain-free living.

After decades in traditional medicine, Stacey began questioning why so many patients weren’t getting better. What she discovered changes everything: pain isn’t just structural—it’s influenced by your brain, hormones, gut health, and even your mindset.

We dive into her discovery of a non-invasive treatment,  SoftWave Tissue Regeneration Therapy (TRT) and why she became the first clinic to purchase one. She will also share the Pain-Free Formula and explain why common treatments like cortisone injections may not be the best solution we once believed.

Connect:

• Stacey's clinic: https://newyouhealthandwellness.com
• Book: The Pain-Free Formula: Solving the Puzzle of Muscle and Joint Pain Without Surgery, Drugs, or Injections (available on Amazon)
• SoftWave TRT providers: https://softwavetrt.com

Let us know if you're liking the show!

Hen's Den Yoga
A serene and cozy home studio nestled in the Comox Valley offering a variety of wellness classes.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Meet the host, Mary, a certified Menopause Doula, GGS Coaching Specialist, and corporate educator, helping forward-thinking organizations foster a menopause-friendly workplace. Visit https://emmeellecoaching.com/menopauseatwork

Turn your menopause transition into a transformation with the Menopause Intelligence Course (MQ), an 8-module, self-paced learning experience, empowering you to take agency over your health and make informed decisions with your healthcare team. 

Connect with Mary: 

• Instagram @menopausedisruptorpodcast
• LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/maryhelenlee/

Disclaimer: Information shared is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional.

When a brain Injury, menopause, and trauma intersect, it can be a nervous system train wreck.

In my solo episode, perfectly timed with Brain Injury/Brain Health Awareness Month this March, I humbly share how a mild injury while recently vacationing in Mexico reactivated old symptoms and emotions connected to a previous traumatic brain injury in 2015. 

This story highlights how brain injury, hormonal shifts, and stored trauma can amplify nervous system dysregulation. But this retelling of a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) goes beyond fatigue, fog, headaches, and heightened emotional sensitivity. It's a story of community and navigating self-compassion. 

Ironically, three comunities I have benefitted from and deeply invested in to promote their work suddenly became more meaningful. Those communities include Love Your Brain Foundation, Broken Squirrel Wellness, located in the Comox Valley, BC, Canada, and the Brainnovation Network.

Resources (not affiliate links)

• Donate to LYB and make brain injury support more accessible
• Broken Squirrel Neurolounge
• Join the Brainnovation Network Community
• Symphony Brain Performance
• The Concussion Nerds Podcast 
• Episode 67: Yoga Nidra

Let us know if you're liking the show!

Support the show

Meet the host, Mary, a certified Menopause Doula, GGS Coaching Specialist, and corporate educator, helping forward-thinking organizations foster a menopause-friendly workplace. Visit https://emmeellecoaching.com/menopauseatwork

Turn your menopause transition into a transformation with the Menopause Intelligence Course (MQ), an 8-module, self-paced learning experience, empowering you to take agency over your health and make informed decisions with your healthcare team. 

Connect with Mary: 

• Instagram @menopausedisruptorpodcast
• LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/maryhelenlee/

Disclaimer: Information shared is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional.

Pelvic health is one of the most important  and often overlooked aspects of women’s health.

Many are told that bladder leaks, pelvic pressure, or discomfort during exercise are simply part of aging, pregnancy, or menopause. But the truth is, these symptoms are common and they are also treatable.

In this episode, I sit down with Lisa Kelly, Doctor of Physical Therapy and pelvic health specialist to explore how the pelvic floor connects to strength, breath, movement, and long-term mobility.

We unpack some of the biggest myths about pelvic health — including why “just do Kegels” is often the wrong advice — and discuss how proper breathing, core coordination can support pelvic floor function at every stage of life.

Dr. Kelly shares how pelvic health changes across the lifespan, from pregnancy and postpartum to menopause and beyond, and why early awareness and proper support can make a profound difference in quality of life.

If you’ve ever experienced leakage during workouts, pelvic pressure, core weakness, or unexplained back or hip pain, this episode will help you better understand what may be happening in your body — and what you can do about it.

Connect: 

• Learn more about Dr. Lisa Kelly on her website 
• Wave Physical Therapy and Pilates 
• Instagram @anchorwellnesscincy

Let us know if you're liking the show!

Hen's Den Yoga
A serene and cozy home studio nestled in the Comox Valley offering a variety of wellness classes.

Support the show

Meet the host, Mary, a certified Menopause Doula, GGS Coaching Specialist, and corporate educator, helping forward-thinking organizations foster a menopause-friendly workplace. Visit https://emmeellecoaching.com/menopauseatwork

Turn your menopause transition into a transformation with the Menopause Intelligence Course (MQ), an 8-module, self-paced learning experience, empowering you to take agency over your health and make informed decisions with your healthcare team. 

Connect with Mary: 

• Instagram @menopausedisruptorpodcast
• LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/maryhelenlee/

Disclaimer: Information shared is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional.