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

Running on autopilot? Constantly giving to everyone else while neglecting your own needs? Feeling disconnected from yourself? Welcome to our world! And unfortunately, the place where so many of us live. 

Until now.

Meet Dr. Kristine Laderoute, a clinical psychologist with over 15 years of experience who's made it her mission to help women create space for themselves in their lives. Her approach goes beyond traditional therapy - she's a proponent of depth therapy and self-connection who believes that true healing happens when we learn to show up for ourselves.

In this transformative conversation, Dr. Laderoute reveals why the self-care industry has it backwards and shares the simple but profound practices that can help you reconnect with yourself, even in the chaos of midlife.

Feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or just vaguely discontent without knowing why, this episode offers practical tools and a fresh perspective on what it really means to show up and take care of yourself.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why making space for yourself isn't selfish, rather it's essential
• The difference between being "selfish" and "appropriately self-focused" 
• How to break free from autopilot self-sacrificing behavior 
• The power of self-compassionate language (and why you should start sentences with "of course")
• How to set boundaries that respect both yourself and others 
• Why disconnection from yourself leads to that mysterious midlife discontent 
• The connection between stockpiled emotions and physical health symptoms 
• How to show up for yourself like you would for your best friend

Dr. Laderoute reminds us that you don't need a spa day or expensive retreat to make space for yourself - you need just 30 seconds, a few conscious breaths, and the revolutionary act of turning your attention inward.

Now is the time to show up for yourself.

This podcast is brought to you by Coral, a virtual clinic designed for women in midlife. They provide personalized, evidence-based care that supports every woman’s unique journey—whether you’re in perimenopause, menopause, or the years beyond. Use code TIP5 for 5% off at coral.ca.

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Dr. Kristine Laderoute is a dedicated clinical psychologist and lifelong proponent of mental wellness. She has over 15 years of experience helping people with a broad range of mental health concerns using her diverse skill set. She completed her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at York University and underwent training spanning various therapeutic approaches and clinical settings, including The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto General Hospital, North York General Hospital, the York University Counseling Centre, and private practices. In both her own private practice and her role at Lume Women + Health, she is driven by a desire to help people improve their lives through self-connection. She is especially passionate about creating space for women to feel seen, heard, and freed-up from emotional burden, as well as helping them to create space for themselves in their lives.

 Links for this episode

• drkristineladeroute.com 
• Dr. Kristine on Instagram
• lume women+health

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Dealing with crippling uncontrollable rage, anxiety, and crushing depression? Feeling like you're completely falling apart and your doctor's solution is to just ‘manage your stress’? Not sure if what you're experiencing is depression, perimenopause, or something else entirely?

You're not losing your mind, you're not broken, and you're definitely not alone.

Consider this startling statistic from the SWAN study: a woman’s risk of experiencing depression in the menopause transition is 59% if she has a previous history of depression, and 28% for those without a history of depression. Those are some big numbers. And most women, and their doctors, are unaware of this risk.

Meet Dr. Ariel Dalfen, a psychiatrist who spent 12 years running the largest women's mental health program in Ontario – where she became frustrated watching women suffer unnecessarily. As CEO and Co-founder of BRIA, a revolutionary virtual clinic, Dr. Dalfen and her Co-founder Dr. Bev Young have created the one-stop shop women desperately need: comprehensive, individualized mental health and hormone care that actually works.

In This Episode 

• Why some women's brains are "hormonally sensitive" and how to identify if you're one of them 
• The critical questions about your reproductive history that can predict your perimenopause experience 
• How to distinguish between perimenopause symptoms, depression, and PMDD 
• Why tracking your cycles gives healthcare providers game-changing data 
• The non-negotiables for mental health survival in midlife 
• How BRIA's team-based approach stops women from falling through the cracks 
• The stigma that’s keeping women silent about their struggles
• Dr. Dalfen’s new "Menopause Mental Health Certification" program

If you've been suffering alone or thinking this is just how midlife feels, this conversation will change everything. Dr. Dalfen will show you there's so much more than just surviving – and how to start thriving.

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Dr. Ariel Dalfen is a psychiatrist with over 20 years of experience treating women across reproductive life stages: from those trying to conceive, those who are pregnant and postpartum through to the perimenopause/menopause population.  She ran the largest women's mental health program in Ontario at Mount Sinai Hospital for 12 years and started the first of its kind province-wide women’s mental health telemedicine program in 2014.

In 2022, Dr. Dalfen co-founded and became the CEO of BRIA (www.betterbria.com) - a virtual care platform for women with mental health issues across reproductive life stages.

After completing her undergraduate degree at Princeton University, she attended McMaster University medical school, and then completed her specialty training in psychiatry at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Dalfen's research area explored technology innovations in women's mental health and she has published in academic medical journals.

She lectures for medical and public audiences on various topics related to women’s health and has been a medical contributor for many media outlets, from television to podcasts. In 2008, she published a book, When Baby Brings the Blues: Solutions for Postpartum Depression. This book is highly regarded and utilized by both healthcare providers and the general public.

Links for this episode

www.betterbria.com

BRIA on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second part of this incredible episode with Master’s level clinician and eating disorder specialist, we dive even deeper into how disordered eating shows up in ways we never expected – especially during the hormonal chaos of midlife.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why "clean eating" (clinically called orthorexia) is becoming increasingly problematic
• The deeper psychological roots beneath our food and body struggles
• How to model healthy eating behaviors for your children without passing on your own issues
• That freedom from these patterns is absolutely possible, no matter how long you've been stuck

We live in a culture that normalizes disordered eating. Luckily Kyla is here to show us what true food freedom actually looks like.

• Email us and let us know what you think of the podcast and what topic you want us to cover next.
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• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Instagram
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Kyla Fox has established herself as a visionary and innovator, when it comes to re-framing the way Canadians think about and treat eating disorders. As someone who struggled herself with an eating disorder, Fox identified care gaps and fundamental flaws in the treatment and recovery approach. Kyla is a Master’s level clinician with degrees from both the University of Toronto in the Master’s of Social Work program as well as an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Women’s Studies. Kyla is a member of the Ontario Association of Social Workers and is registered with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. She is also a member of the Academy of Eating Disorders and the National Eating Disorders Association. With such deep and varied experience in the field, Kyla is regularly called on by Canada’s top media outlets as a special commentator on a broad list of topics, including eating disorders, self-esteem, women’s health, body image, pregnancy and body confidence and more. For more information please visit www.kylafoxcentre.com.

Links for this episode

Instagram: @KylaFoxRecovery

Facebook: @KylaFoxCentre

Twitter: @KylaFoxCentre

The Centre

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In the second part of this incredible episode with Master’s level clinician and eating disorder specialist, we dive even deeper into how disordered eating shows up in ways we never expected – especially during the hormonal chaos of midlife.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why "clean eating" (clinically called orthorexia) is becoming increasingly problematic
• The deeper psychological roots beneath our food and body struggles
• How to model healthy eating behaviors for your children without passing on your own issues
• That freedom from these patterns is absolutely possible, no matter how long you've been stuck

We live in a culture that normalizes disordered eating. Luckily Kyla is here to show us what true food freedom actually looks like.

• Email us and let us know what you think of the podcast and what topic you want us to cover next.
• Sign up for our weekly newsletter
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Instagram
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Facebook

Kyla Fox has established herself as a visionary and innovator, when it comes to re-framing the way Canadians think about and treat eating disorders. As someone who struggled herself with an eating disorder, Fox identified care gaps and fundamental flaws in the treatment and recovery approach. Kyla is a Master’s level clinician with degrees from both the University of Toronto in the Master’s of Social Work program as well as an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Women’s Studies. Kyla is a member of the Ontario Association of Social Workers and is registered with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. She is also a member of the Academy of Eating Disorders and the National Eating Disorders Association. With such deep and varied experience in the field, Kyla is regularly called on by Canada’s top media outlets as a special commentator on a broad list of topics, including eating disorders, self-esteem, women’s health, body image, pregnancy and body confidence and more. For more information please visit www.kylafoxcentre.com.

Links for this episode

Instagram: @KylaFoxRecovery

Facebook: @KylaFoxCentre

Twitter: @KylaFoxCentre

The Centre

Think eating disorders only affect teenagers? Think again. What if we told you that the food rules, exercise obsessions, and body struggles you're experiencing during perimenopause might actually be disordered eating in disguise?

Meet Kyla Fox, a Master's level clinician and eating disorder specialist who's spent 20 years revolutionizing treatment approaches. After her own struggle with an eating disorder, Kyla identified critical gaps in traditional recovery methods and founded an innovative treatment center that's helping thousands of women break free from patterns they didn't even realize they had.

From the woman who exercises for hours after eating to the one sneaking food when her partner's away (Michelle, I see you!), Kyla reveals how disordered eating shows up in ways we never expected – especially during the hormonal chaos of midlife.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• The difference between eating disorders and disordered eating 
• Why perimenopause often triggers or amplifies disordered eating patterns
• The three core symptoms of disordered eating: binge, purge, and restrict
• Why exercise is actually the most common form of purging behavior

We live in a culture that normalizes disordered eating. Luckily, Kyla is here to show us what true food freedom actually looks like.

• Email us and let us know what you think of the podcast and what topic you want us to cover next.
• Sign up for our weekly newsletter
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Instagram
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Facebook

Kyla Fox has established herself as a visionary and innovator, when it comes to re-framing the way Canadians think about and treat eating disorders. As someone who struggled herself with an eating disorder, Fox identified care gaps and fundamental flaws in the treatment and recovery approach. Kyla is a Master’s level clinician with degrees from both the University of Toronto in the Master’s of Social Work program as well as an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Women’s Studies. Kyla is a member of the Ontario Association of Social Workers and is registered with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. She is also a member of the Academy of Eating Disorders and the National Eating Disorders Association. With such deep and varied experience in the field, Kyla is regularly called on by Canada’s top media outlets as a special commentator on a broad list of topics, including eating disorders, self-esteem, women’s health, body image, pregnancy and body confidence and more.

For more information please visit www.kylafoxcentre.com.

Links for this episode

Instagram: @KylaFoxRecovery

Facebook: @KylaFoxCentre

Twitter: @KylaFoxCentre

The Centre

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We learned so much in Season 2 from so many incredible experts, here are just a few of the mic drop moments that every woman deserves to know:

• Giving your body what it needs to function optimally and lose weight with Gina Livy.
• You DO NOT need testing to be prescribed MHT with Dr. Jen Zelovitzky.
• Understanding the increased risks we all need to manage in perimenopause with Dr. Sarah Shaw.
• Skidding into menopause with Dr. Kirsten Smith, ND and what it takes to stop the skid.
• The clip we needed to hear 10 years ago: It’s not burnout, it’s perimenopause with Janet Ko, Co-founder of The Menopause Foundation of Canada.
• Perimenopause is not a synonym for suffering with ‘the’ Menopause Chick, Shirley Weir.
• Learn what a shame bomb is and how to diffuse it with Dr. Justine Corry.

Thank you for listening and letting us be part of your journey.

This podcast is brought to you by IRIS. Daily care products made with clean ingredients for hydrated vulvas and vaginas. Use code TIP20 for 20% off at lovemyIRIS.com.

• Email us and let us know what you think of the podcast and what topic you want us to cover next.
• Sign up for our weekly newsletter
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 Links for this episode

Gina Livy Instagram

The Livy Method

Dr. Jen Zelovitzsky Instagram

Medcan Women’s Health

Lume on Instagram

Lume Women + Health Clinic

Dr. Kirsten Smith, ND Instagram

Work with Dr. Kirsten Smith, ND

Menopause Foundation of Canada Instagram

Menopause Foundation of Canada Website

Shirley Weir Instagram

Menopause Chicks Website

Dr. Justine Corry Instagram

Dr. Justine Corry Website

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 What Would Dr. Premji Do?

Before menopause was having a moment, before celebrities were talking about it, before it was cool - Dr. Shafeena Premji was already deep in the trenches helping women navigate perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause.

As one of Canada's earliest certified menopause practitioners (2015) and a board member of the Canadian Menopause Society, she's seen it all. Thousands of patients. Every symptom combination. Every misconception. Every treatment - success and failure. This isn't theoretical knowledge - this is a decade of real women, real problems, and real solutions.

In This Episode 

• The biggest misconceptions she's debunked after seeing thousands of patients 
• How her approach has evolved from 2015 to now - and what she wishes she'd known earlier
• What your mother’s perimenopause and menopause experience might help you predict
• Why "biology beats chronology" when it comes to hormone therapy decisions
• Her personal strength training transformation and how it changed how she counsels patients
• Plus, a sneak peak into the revolutionary women’s clinic she's building

This podcast is brought to you by IRIS. Daily care products made with clean ingredients for hydrated vulva and vaginas. Use code TIP20 for 20% off at lovemyIRIS.com.

• Email us and let us know what you think of the podcast and what topic you want us to cover next.
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Dr. Shafeena Premji

Dr. Shafeena Premji is a nationally recognized family physician and menopause care leader dedicated to advancing women's health through compassionate, evidence-based, and individualized care. With over a decade of experience, she has built an impactful career as the Founder and Medical Director of three women’s health–focused clinics, including her most recent one, "Milestone – Menopause Centre of Southern Alberta", a visionary center created to provide comprehensive, community-based menopause care rooted in validation, education, and empowerment.

A Certified Menopause Society Practitioner since 2015 and a Board Member of the Canadian Menopause Society since 2020, Dr. Premji is committed to reshaping how menopause is understood, treated, and experienced in Canada. She also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of the Menopause Foundation of Canada, where she contributes to national advocacy, policy development, and public education.

Links for this episode

Mahogany Medical Clinic

Dr. Shafeena Premji on Instagram

Dr. Shafeena Premji on LinkedIn

Canadian Menopause Society

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We refuse to play by rules written by an industry that sees dollar signs in our self-doubt. We're breaking up with the lie that our worth diminishes with each birthday candle, and we're here for the rebellion. In today's episode we're flipping the script on society's ridiculous beauty standards.

Meet Andrea Claire, makeup artist and licensed hairstylist with 35+ years in the beauty industry. She's our beauty industry insider turned rebel, boldly declaring what we've all been thinking: the beauty "rules" for women over 40 are complete bullshit.

Through her bold podcast "The F*ck You 50s," Andrea's dismantling the beauty myths that have kept us small, challenging society's bullshit beauty standards, and empowering women to age unapologetically.

In This Episode 

• Why beauty "rules" for women over 40 are designed to keep us insecure and spending
• The double standard that crowns men "distinguished" while women are "letting themselves go"
• How to trust your instincts and stop following beauty trends that don't serve you
• Why anti-aging makeup is a scam
• The one moisturizer she swears by for mature skin
• Why most influencer beauty advice is "full of shit"
• Why she's sharing her age (54!) as an act of rebellion

Whether you're rocking your gray hair, white-knuckling your youth, or somewhere in between, this conversation will help you redefine what it means to age powerfully and beautifully - on YOUR terms.

This podcast is brought to you by IRIS. Daily care products made with clean ingredients for hydrated vulva and vaginas. Use code TIP20 for 20% off at lovemyIRIS.com. 

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Andrea Claire is a hair and makeup artist who has recently said FxCK this… 

being exhausted by the constant sexism and patriarchy drivel; the OMG - how are YOU in your 50s - you don’t look it! (because how the FxCK does one look in their 50s?!) - the pushing upstream against the ageism downstream while walking to and from set - uphill both ways in the snow… enough she says! Thus the birth of  her podcast The FxCK YOU 50s! 

Aside from getting a little feisty…  

Andrea’s talent and hard work has presented her with opportunities to work in Toronto, L.A., Paris, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and New York. Andrea has many years of experience both on-camera and behind the scenes in television. She has also co-starred on seven seasons of the makeover shows Canada’s Stylin’ Gypsies and So Chic and has led hair teams for Canadian Idol where she was featured on-air as the Idols’ hairstylist. She has also been seen on Asia's Next Top Model [cycle one] and Cash Cab Asia [celebrity episode]. Andrea has extensive advertising, beauty and editorial portfolios which include campaigns for L’Oreal Paris, Revlon, Lancôme, Neutrogena, Unilever, P & G and editorials in Solstice, Shape, Bazaar, ELLE, L’Officiel, Lucy’s, HUF, Beauty Archive and more.

Her celebrity clients include Liv Lo Golding, Henry Golding, Romee Strijd, The Bond Quartet, Sarah Slean, Alanis Morissette, Bill Nighy, Jon Lovitz, Patrick J Adams, Russell Peters, Victoria Loke and Seal to name a few. Andrea’s drive for success and lively, easy-going nature is what makes her so popular among top clientele.

 Links for this episode

• Andrea on Instagram
• Andrea on Tiktok
• Andrea Claire Beauty
• The Fxck You 50s Podcast
• Fxck You 50s on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ever wonder why you keep repeating the same relationship patterns? Why you apologize for everything, even when it's not your fault? Or why you logically understand what needs to change but emotionally can't get there?

Dr. Justine Corry, trauma-informed relationship coach and former clinical psychologist, explains why this happens - and how to break free from these patterns for good.

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Corry introduces schema therapy, a game-changing approach that looks at patterns rather than symptoms. She explains how childhood experiences create mental frameworks (schemas) that influence how we show up in relationships, and why perimenopause triggers these patterns in overwhelming ways.

Each episode will share life stories and expert insight into women's health and your perimenopause and menopause journey.

In this episode

• What schema therapy is and why understanding patterns is more powerful than managing symptoms
• The six common schemas plaguing high-achieving women: abandonment, emotional deprivation, defectiveness, self-sacrifice, subjugation, and unrelenting standards
• Why perimenopause acts as a schema trigger, making it harder to power through life while ignoring your needs
• How to recognize when you're having a "schema trigger" vs. a rational response
• Why self-trust and self-respect are the best antidepressants you've never tried
• The difference between being "self-led" vs. constantly seeking external validation
• How long real pattern change takes (spoiler: it's not quick, but it's worth it)
• Practical tools like the SIFT exercise to understand your emotional responses in real time

There's always a "why" behind your emotions, even when you can't see it. Let Dr. Corry help you uncover yours.

This podcast is brought to you by IRIS. Daily care products made with clean ingredients for hydrated vulvas and vaginas. Use code TIP20 for 20% off at lovemyIRIS.com. 

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Dr. Justine Corry

Dr. Justine Corry is a trauma-informed relationship coach and former clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience guiding women through deep emotional healing. Her superpower? Helping high-achieving, deeply giving women break the patterns that keep them small, silent, and stuck in relationships that no longer fit. Through a powerful blend of schema therapy, nervous system wisdom, and sharp emotional insight, Dr. Corry helps women rebuild self-trust, reclaim their voice, and step into lives where they no longer have to shrink to belong.

Her signature 5-step Relationship Reinvention Method guides women to understand their self-sabotaging patterns, prioritise their emotional needs, and create relationships that feel balanced, respectful, and real. What sets Justine apart is her ability to help smart, self-aware women who’ve already done the work bridge the gap between knowing what’s wrong and finally doing something different. Whether they’re navigating the aftermath of divorce or separation or leading in business and life while secretly battling patterns like over-functioning, perfectionism, and people-pleasing, Justine helps women unravel the emotional blueprints that kept them stuck, so they can thrive in love, leadership, and self-trust from the inside out.

Dr. Corry’s Signature Program: Your Relationship Reinvention is a 6-month group experience for women navigating life after divorce, separation, or a significant breakup. It’s designed to help you break the patterns that no longer serve you (like people-pleasing, poor boundaries, and over-functioning) so you can rebuild self-trust and create a life that feels grounded, honest, and fully yours. Because the version of you that was in that relationship isn’t the one who’s going to create what comes next, and this next chapter can be your best one yet.

 Links for this episode

• Dr. Justine Corry
• Your Relationship Reinvention
• Inner Success Leadership Coaching
• Dr. Justine Corry on Instagram
• Dr. Justine Corry’s Blogs

Resource Dr. Corry mentioned in episode: Reinventing Your Life: the bestselling breakthrough program to end negative behaviour and feel great

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The OG menopause trailblazer is back on The TIP Podcast to share what she’s been up to. And she’s been busy. In the last year Shirley Weir has launched a new platform called The Nest, a soft place for Menopause Chicks to land and her Facebook group hit 59,0000 members.

Shirley worked with the Women’s Health Research Network in BC to support the HER-BC study, investigating the health experiences of midlife women and the impacts of menopause. She created Speak Menopause, to help us focus on the agency we each have when it comes to decisions about our own health.

And never one to rest on her laurels, on her birthday she crafted a list of the 58 things she wants to see change in women’s health in the next 42 years, before she turns 100. Today she’s giving us a sneak peek and inspiring us to help make her list a reality.

In This Episode 

• Less than 7% of all health research dollars are allocated to women’s research, and that number has not changed in 13 years
• Why our medical providers need at least as much information, direction, and input as we provide to our hairdressers
• Why Shirley is done with the pervasive gatekeeping in women’s health
• Why we all need to take recurring UTIs more seriously, and
• The alarming numbers involved in Pad Math: incontinence pads are meant to be temporary, not a solution.

We all deserve to feel amazing. Thank you, Shirley, for your dedication to helping us figure out how to make that happen.

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Shirley Weir is a women's health advocate, author, and the founder of MenopauseChicks.com. With over a decade of experience in menopause education, Shirley has become a trusted voice in the field, empowering women to take charge of their midlife health journey.

Launched in 2012, MenopauseChicks.com has grown into a thriving online community with over 300,000 members, providing evidence-based information and support for women navigating perimenopause and beyond. Shirley's work addresses critical gaps in women's health education, particularly in areas like vaginal health, where her research shows 77% of women have questions but struggle to find reliable answers.

A three-time author and TEDx speaker, Shirley has been featured in various media outlets and has even tweeted for Oprah. She hosts a popular podcast and regularly speaks at conferences and corporate events, advocating for menopause-inclusive workplaces.

Shirley's mission extends beyond education to developing thoroughly-researched products that address common menopausal concerns. Her ultimate goal? To ensure that every woman has the resources and support to feel amazing during this transformative life stage.

Links for this episode

Menopause Chicks Website

Shirley Weir on Instagram

Shirley Weir on Facebook

The HER-BC Report

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