This Is Perimenopause: Menopause, Perimenopause and Women's Health in Midlife

Do you feel defeated because after spending hours sweating at the gym, you’re not seeing the results you want?

In today’s episode, we’re joined by Alison Cascagnette, a personal trainer whose passion is helping perimenopause women. She wants every woman to know how to listen to their changing bodies to get the most out of our workouts.

Connect with Alison.
Instagram

In this episode, we discuss topics like:

• How perimenopause changes our bodies and how this impacts our workouts.
• Why the stuff we did in our 20s to lose weight doesn’t work in our 40s.
• Why cardio could be impeding your weight loss.
• Why strength training is so important for women in perimenopause.
• The importance of movement for midlife women.
• How to change your mindset and make peace with your body. 

Don’t miss this episode - there are so many gems!

What did you think of today's episode? We want to hear from you!

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Want to understand how simple nutrition and lifestyle tweaks can help you to lose the perimenopause weight once and for all? And how these tweaks can also help to reduce hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, anxiety/depression and insomnia.

Our guest today is Diana Ragno, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Certified Metabolic Balance® Coach, with a Holistic Culinary Certificate.  She specializes in empowering perimenopausal women - just like you.

Connect with Diana.

Learn about Diana’s Complete Body Reset Program
Sign up for her free virtual master class: Weight Loss and Peri/menopause Symptom Relief for Women 40+
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In this episode you will learn:

• How the foods to eat can impact your perimenopause symptoms
• Some easy lifestyle tweaks to improve your sleep, mood and overall health
• How too much of the wrong kind of exercise can sabotage your goals.
• How Diane’s Complete Body Reset can help to improve your life.
• That struggling with perimenopause symptoms does not need to be your new normal.

This is an episode you’re going to love!

What did you think of today's episode? We want to hear from you!

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Perimenopause and puberty happening in the same house is a topic that needs more airtime. So, we invited Kathleen Kelava to our podcast to shed some light on this important and common hormonal double whammy.

Kathleen is a registered psychologist and the owner of Pinnacle Psych. As a former police officer and a mom of three children with some exceptional needs, she understands how tough life can get. And how we can find the tough within ourselves to get going and rise above.

In this conversation, Kathleen teaches us that our ‘unskillful parenting’ moments are actually a gift to our children. She also reassures us that the hormonal chaos of perimenopause and puberty is not only normal, it provides some incredible opportunities to connect with our kids.

Connect with Kathleen.
Pinnacle Psych
Facebook

Here are some other things we talked about in our conversation, and where you can find them in the episode.

3:05 - Anxiety, Depression and Family Dynamics
Kathleen shares why she left policing to become a psychologist as well as her areas of practice.

7:27 - The Challenges of Parenting During Perimenopause and Puberty
We learn about Kathleen’s strategies for understanding and managing this phase of life and some of the common challenges perimenopausal moms experience. She covers the prevalence of guilt and shame for perimenopausal mothers.

Tools Kathleen likes:
The Artist’s Way - Julia Cameron: exercises with an evidence-based approach to understand our values and how we see ourselves.

Using Anxietycanada.com to craft a plan for your situation based on evidence-based practice.

10:55 - How to Choose Our Reactions 
Kathleen shares some easy tips to allow us to place a gap between teenage hormonal chaos and our response. She also reassures us that we aren’t causing permanent damage when we parent unskillfully. And highlights how we can park our shame and guilt.

18:00 - Helping Ourselves to Help Our Kids
It’s not uncommon for our kids to trigger our unresolved issues or traumas, which can significantly impact our parenting. Kathleen addresses these ‘artifacts from the past’ and their impact on one’s identity. Mikelle shares her identity challenges that are like gasoline on the hormonal fire in her house.

25:00 - When to Seek Professional Help for This Hormonal Double Whammy
We don’t need an explicit diagnosis to be struggling. To suffer and to be human, and to have anxiety, those are normal things. This does not mean we are broken. There is no shame in getting help.

31:00 - Using Humor to Navigate Hormonal Changes
We discuss some of the fun ways we can address the hormonal chaos. Humor is such a potent tool and can be really connective. Owning it, naming it, and accepting it, but not caving to it - powerful stuff.

35:09 - Teens and Perimenopausal Women Are All Unique
The hormonal journey is different for everyone. This can be very isolating if you don’t have someone around you who gets it and is going through it at the same time. We talk about being our teens' safe space so that they learn to function out in the world. 

What did you think of today's episode? We want to hear from you!

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On today’s episode, we are talking money, budgets, taxes, and getting to know your finances. We are so excited to have Lisa on the show today. If anyone can make the topic of finances less daunting and budgeting less boring, it’s Lisa.

Lisa is a Chartered Professional Accountant and partner at Zebroski and Associates. She’s a mom of two fabulous girls and an active volunteer in her community.

She’s got a ton of great advice to bring you more clarity, confidence and even a little fun when tackling your finances. Lisa's expertise isn't just about balancing numbers; it's about finding the balance between enjoying life and making smart financial choices.

In this episode, we discuss:

3:54 - Finding Financial Literacy at Any Age.
Lisa kicks off the episode by debunking the myth that financial literacy has to be complicated. It doesn't! From educating yourself to her favourite book recommendation, Smart Couples Finish Rich, Lisa shows us how becoming more financially literate is as easy as an Excel pie chart!  Plus, we chat about when and how to teach your kids about money - because starting young is key to building healthy financial habits!

6:30 - Budgeting Bliss
Budgets, boring? Not according to Lisa's! Discover why she's a budgeting enthusiast and learn the simple formula: How much do you have, how much are you spending, and how much is left? Find out how to make budgets for everyday life, vacations, and those bigger purchases. Lisa even shares her own easy-to-use budgeting template for all of us to use!

9:18 - Money and Bigger Life Changes
Life changes can be daunting, but they don't have to be financially chaotic. Lisa shares her thoughts on navigating bigger financial challenges such as career changes, marital status shifts, and unexpected life changes. 

28:36 - How an Accountant Can Be Your Financial BFF
Lisa talks to us about when you may or may not need an accountant. From the complexity of taxes to how much you enjoy wrestling with numbers, learn how accountants can help you see the big picture, and guide you through various financial transitions.

What did you think of today's episode? We want to hear from you!

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Meet Monica, a holistic health enthusiast, personal development junkie, and the author of A New Way to Be: Becoming RESILIENT one breath, habit, and moment at a time. She's also the co-founder of The Leadership Wellness Group, offering transformative workshops and coaching for individuals and organizations. 

In this episode, you'll discover the keys to unlocking your inner resilience and supercharging your personal development.

Please enjoy these gifts from Monica.

A free Companion Workbook that goes with her book.

Monica is also offering listeners $200 off of her Certified Resilience Coach Program. Please use discount code PERIMENOPAUSE.

Connect with Monica:
Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn

In this episode, we discuss:

2:00 - Resilience
Monica shares how a personal injury became the spark for her transformative book: A New Way to Be: Becoming RESILIENT one breath, habit, and moment at a time.

10:00 - Physical Resilience
We learn how physical resilience is just as important as mental resilience. Monica highlights the pivotal role of sleep and shares practical strategies from her book to bolster your physical resilience.

15:06 - Mindfulness Triggers
Monica explains the power of mindfulness triggers teaching us to pause, set small intentions, and watch them grow stronger with practice throughout the day. Because what we practice grows stronger.

5:46 - The Joy of Laughter
Monica shares how a daily dose of comedy can shift your perspective and fuel positivity.

29:34 - What’s the one thing?
Monica shares her beautifully simple advice on how we can all become resilient.   

What did you think of today's episode? We want to hear from you!

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In today’s episode, we meet Ellyn, a crazy dame with a kind heart who has decided to turn breast cancer into a full time business. Ellyn is a wife, mother, marketing entrepreneur, mentor, advocate and, as of a year ago, a breast cancer survivor.

She is also the author of the bestselling book Flat Please Hold the Shame and co-creator of AskEllyn, the world's first conversational AI designed to support people with breast cancer.

Ellyn’s story has been featured in People Magazine, Globe and Mail, CTV and the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. 

 Connect with Ellyn
Instagram
Facebook
TikTok

In this episode, we discuss:

1:59  - Ellyn’s Story
Learn about Ellyn’s breast cancer journey from diagnosis, through choosing a double mastectomy, going through both chemotherapy and radiation and deciding to remain flat.

7:03 - Flat Please and Hold the Shame
Ellyn shares the inspiration behind her book. She began journaling as a way to make sense of her own experiences, ultimately writing an article in the Globe and Mail that delved into the stigma surrounding mastectomies. Her article struck a chord with readers, leading Ellyn to write a book. Her goal was to not only share her personal story but also to help others by sharing resources she had discovered along the way; information she wished she had throughout her breast cancer journey.

12:01 - Remaining Flat
Ellyn opens up about the considerations that led to her decision to remain flat following her double mastectomy and sheds light on the fact that the choice to remain flat is not always presented as a viable option for women with breast cancer.

22:20 - The Importance of Self Advocacy   
Ellyn offers valuable guidance on how to be a strong advocate for yourself. This includes understanding your rights regarding essential screenings and being informed about the density of your breast tissue.

27:36 - Ask Ellyn
Introducing AskEllyn, a groundbreaking conversational AI tool designed to be a resource for individuals on their breast cancer journey. She’s a web application that incorporates lived experiences and provides links and resources to further answer your questions. She aims to bridge the patient experience gap that currently exists in healthcare.

39:16 - The Photo Essay
Collaborating with photographer Hilary Gauld and Dense Breast Canada, Ellyn helped create "I Want You To Know", an inspiring photo essay that unveils the stories of survivors spanning across various ages, genders, and ethnic backgrounds.

43:06 - One Thing
Find out what Ellyn wants everyone to know about breast cancer.

What did you think of today's episode? We want to hear from you!

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Most of us would rather not think about breast cancer until we are forced to do so. Kate Ellis is on a mission to change that paradigm. Whether you have been impacted by breast cancer or not, you don't want to miss our raw and honest discussion about Kate’s breast cancer experience. Kate was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 42, at the height of the pandemic, and again at 43. She has undergone a single mastectomy, breast reconstruction, chemotherapy, forced menopause, plus an oophorectomy, and nipple reconstruction. Kate hopes to make some lemonade out of the lemons cancer has given her, and it is her biggest wish that people with breasts and chests get to know their bodies and advocate for themselves, even if they are “too young” for breast cancer.

Here are some other things we talked about in our conversation today and where you can find them in this episode.

2:55 - Kate’s Story
Kate takes us through her breast cancer journey from diagnosis to recovery.

6:38 - Personalized Medicine
Kate tells us about genomic testing and how there are various types of treatment based on your type of cancer. 

7:44 - Slammed Into Menopause
It’s a different experience and comes with different challenges when younger women are forced into menopause because of a cancer diagnosis.  Kate tells us about some of the options that were available to her based on her type of cancer to aid in dealing with symptoms.

12:27 - The Importance of Self-Advocacy
Kate emphasizes the importance of advocating for yourself when it comes to your treatment plan and overall health care. She believes her self-advocacy helped her get treatment sooner.

19:52 - Breast Cancer and Genetics
Is breast cancer genetic? Kate shares some statistics with us and talks about the concept of a false sense of security.

20:58 - Know Your Lemons
Get to know your body and do regular self-breast exams. Kate believes this can help you get diagnosed earlier. She recommends a great resource called Know Your Lemons, which aims to improve early detection of breast cancer worldwide.

22:04 - Size Doesn’t Matter
We discuss what it means to have dense breasts and what that means for your cancer risk. Kate recommends a website called Desnse Breast Canada to learn more about dense breast tissue.

27:48 - Breast Cancer, COVID, and Mental Health
Kate describes how breast cancer impacted her mental health and how that was further exacerbated because of COVID.

32:24 - Lumps Into Lemonade
Follow Kate’s journey through her Instagram page. She tells us how talking publicly about her journey led her to a community where she has connected with women all over the world.

36:37 - Talking to Your Kids About Cancer
Kate gives us advice on how to talk to your kids about a cancer diagnosis. She recommends the book, Cancer Hates Kisses, which is helpful for kids between the ages of 4-8.

42:35 - The Best Gift
Find out why Kate named her tumors Carol Baskin & Joe Exotic. 

What did you think of today's episode? We want to hear from you!

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In this inspiring episode, we delve into Michelle's remarkable journey of self-discovery, where she pursued her lifelong passion for dance, tried teaching, and eventually found her calling as an entrepreneur. Join us as Michelle candidly shares the ups and downs of her journey, and what led her to her current adventure, Breath + Fire.

Her personal recovery journey has given her the gifts of insight and compassion, deepening her commitment to help others connect to their breath and ignite their fire.

For our listeners, Michelle would encourage you to try her 12 Days of Breath + Fire Challenge for free!

Connect with Michelle.
Breath + Fire Website
Instagram
Spotify: Michelle Breath+Fire

Here are some other things we talked about in our conversation today and where you can find them in this episode.

3:51 - Dancing from the Beginning
Michelle talks about her passion for dance and movement and how dancing gave her an opportunity to meet people from all over the world.

5:58 - Embarking on Entrepreneurship
We learn what drew Michelle to entrepreneurship and hear all about the various ideas and companies she has started and grown over the years. We also discuss entrepreneurship and motherhood and the challenges that come with having a business and starting a family.

13:10 - Hips, Drinks + Recovery
Michelle talks candidly about her double hip replacement, struggles with addiction and her road to recovery.

21:55 - The Genesis of Breath + Fire
We hear what inspired Michelle to create Breath + Fire and learn all about the Breath + Fire experience.

34:18 - Alcohol + Perimenopause
We share personal anecdotes about alcohol and its effect on what we experience during perimenopause. Michelle also talks with us about the concept of being sober curious. 

What did you think of today's episode? We want to hear from you!

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On today’s episode, we welcome Shelby Sheppard, a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner with a passion for women’s health and preventive healthcare. Shelby currently works at Preventous Collaborative Health, a preventative health clinic in Calgary, Alberta.

She has a Master of Nursing-Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Degree from the University of Saskatchewan and has attended the Academy of Preventative & Innovative Medicine Bioidentical Hormone Optimization Series.

Shelby started a program called Hormone Optimization by Preventous, to address the gap she saw in medicine and its management of hormonal concerns. Shelby embraces an evidence-based and holistic approach to hormone health, integrating wellness pillars such as movement, sleep, nutrition, and mental wellness, along with individualized supplementation, to achieve optimal hormone balance.

To learn more, connect with Shelby here:

Instagram
LinkedIn

Here are some other things we talked about in our conversation today and where you can find them in this episode.

5:40 - What is Preventous?

Shelby explains to us what this Calgary-based clinic is and how they take a proactive approach to health care. 

7:05 - Hormone Optimization

Learn how this individualized program focuses on each patient's specific needs.

11:30 - Common Perimenopausal Symptoms

Shelby reviews the various perimenopausal symptoms she sees in her patients. 

17:11 - Feeling Unheard?

We discuss our shared frustrations and experiences talking to medical professionals about perimenopause. 

22:05 - Hormones Galore

Shelby educated us on the various hormone options available. 

24:55 - Women’s Health Initiative

Shelby talks to us about the impact of the study on women’s health. 

35:21 - There is Still a Long Way to Go.

Listen to Shelby’s thoughts on what needs to happen going forward to address the challenges that persist in women’s health. 

38:50 - Making A Plan

Shelby’s advice on how to prepare to visit your healthcare practitioner to discuss your perimenopause concerns.

41:25 - Shelby’s Recommended Resources

Estrogen Matters - Book
The Drive: Dr. Peter Attia - Podcast
Huberman Lab: Andrew Huberman - Podcast
This Is Perimenopause - Website
Hormone Optimization by Preventous - Instagram

What did you think of today's episode? We want to hear from you!

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On today’s episode, we sit down with Dr. Karen Desrosiers, a distinguished ObGyn specializing in menopause. Dr. Desrosiers dispels common misconceptions about menopause, elaborates on the symptoms, and delves into various treatment options.

Dr. Karen is an expert in her field completing her ObGyn specialty at Sherbrooke University and is a member of The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC). She is also a board member of the Canadian Menopause Society, a member of the North American Menopause Society, and is a North American Menopause Society Certified Menopause Practitioner. 

She’s been working through Horizon and Vitality Health Network in Moncton, NB since 2004 as well as in a private gynecology clinic. She’s currently working with BioSyent Pharmaceutical on a new treatment for PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome).

Join us as Dr. Karen Desrosiers demystifies menopause, sheds light on treatment options, and imparts valuable advice for women navigating this transformative life stage.

Here are some other things we talked about in our conversation today and where you can find them in this episode.

6:28 - Dr. Karen’s Personal StoryDr. Karen shares her personal story about how she felt pressure to be excellent and why and how she prioritized her mental health. 9:26 - Exploring the Physical and Mental Symptoms of PerimenopauseDr. Karen outlines prevalent perimenopause symptoms she discusses with her patients.13:26 - There is No Blood TestWe learn that there is no blood test available to determine if a woman is in perimenopause. 

15:18 - Why Is This Phase Of Life Such A Mystery?The Women’s Health Initiative was published over 20 years ago. Karen explains what has changed and why hormone therapy is a safe option for women in perimenopause. 18:10 - The Internet and MenopauseBesides This Is Perimenopause, Dr. Karen gives us her recommendations of websites that offer reliable and helpful information about perimenopause and menopause. 

Menopause Foundation of CanadaMenopause SocietyThe Menopause Manifesto by Jen Gunter19:42 - Talking to DoctorTips about how to prepare to talk to your doctor about your perimenopause symptoms and how to best advocate for yourself. 25:55 - Benefits of EstrogenDr. Karen elaborates on how estrogen can alleviate both physical and mental perimenopause symptoms and also has some preventative effects. 

29:02 - Natural Doesn’t Equal GoodDr. Karen explains how natural remedies lack the same rigorous standards as prescription options. 

31:18 - Role of Progesterone in Hormone Therapy32:24 - The one thing Dr. Karen wants you to know about perimenopause and menopause.

What did you think of today's episode? We want to hear from you!

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