Wild, Wise & Curious...

This week on Wild, Wise & Curious, we meet Lainey, who hit her breaking point—and then chose to rebuild. A seasoned therapist, she had all the tools... but when rage and emotional chaos took over, even her best practices weren’t enough. After trying HRT and realising it wasn’t her path, a chance encounter with Dr. David Hamilton’s work on How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body flipped a vital switch.

What followed? A radical journey of self-healing, deep self-care, and shedding the layers of a life that no longer fit. Post-divorce, she’s now selling her house, eyeing land abroad and courageously crafting a whole new chapter—wild, wise and deeply curious about what comes next.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever felt lost in the storm and dared to imagine something better on the other side. Prepare to be inspired.

Show Notes:

How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body (book) by David R Hamilton

Velvet Crisis - formed through the Unglamourous project in Leicester - The Unglamorous Project is a grassroots music initiative in Leicester that empowers women—regardless of prior experience—to form bands, learn instruments and perform live. Founded by Ruth Miller, it sprang to life with the bold "66 Days to Your Debut" challenge, and has since flourished into a vibrant, supportive community, sparking a wave of all-female bands across the city. Discover more at unglamorous.co.uk

If you are interested in chatting with Lainey about being a part of her book which focuses on finding the magic in menopause, please email her at [email protected]

What happens when menopause doesn’t knock gently, but kicks the flipping front door down?

In this powerful episode, we meet Lisa—a woman who was catapulted into surgical menopause overnight, with no roadmap, no guidance and a body she no longer recognised.

From battling crippling anxiety, tinnitus and skin-crawling sensations, to navigating the chaos of finding the right balance of HRT, Lisa had to relearn herself—physically and emotionally. And instead of staying silent, she turned her experience into action.

Now, she’s part of a team supporting thousands of women through their own surgical menopause journeys—making sure no one is left in the dark the way she was. Because no one knows if they—or someone they love—could be thrust into surgical menopause at any moment.

This is raw, real and soooooo important. To find out more about Lisa's support group, check them out on Instagram @surgicalmenouksupportgroup

In this Wild, Wise & Curious Festival Special, we invite you into the heart of Barefoot Festival, where we shared a magical, intimate moment inside a bell tent with one of the most soul-stirring women we’ve had the joy to sit with.

Surrounded by jingling bells, drifting melodies from nearby stages and the earthy energy of the festival, we talked with Cate, a radiant woman & women’s circle facilitator and devoted mother to her 'tribe'. Cate’s navigating the deep waters of perimenopause, the uncertainty of epilepsy symptoms and the heartbreak of profound, stacked grief—having lost her father and her mother within weeks of each other - and then several others close to her in a short period.

Always one to turn to the natural and the mystical, this chapter also called her to something different: antidepressants, self-compassion, and 'nanna naps'. With HRT off the table due to a family history of breast cancer, she’s finding her way—feet growing (literally, a size and a half!), spirit deepening and heart wide open. 

This conversation is festival-soaked, full of laughter, truth, raw vulnerability and womanly wisdom. Cate reminds us what it means to walk through the fog and still reach for the light.

To find out more about Cate who is a tarot reader, spiritual coach, best selling author and who offers monthly online women's circles, please visit her website - https://www.catemcmurray.co.uk/

Show Notes

Just a heads up... there is some strong language - but that's nothing new on our show.

In this warm, honest, and laugh-out-loud episode, a mother and daughter share their very different journeys through perimenopause and beyond.

One navigated anxiety, aching bones, and exhaustion—struggling to get out of bed—before finding relief and renewed energy, mostly thanks to HRT, with testosterone making the biggest difference. The other recalls a time when her periods were all over the place, long before kids and big life changes, and burning sanitary pads on the fire was just how it was done.

Together, they explore:

The emotional and physical highs and lows of shifting hormones

How mental health and hormones intersect, and the difference treatment can make

The pressure of aging in a world obsessed with youth and perfection

Men’s quieter, often overlooked hormonal changes

Finding confidence, joy, and strength in your own skin—at every age

A heartfelt, hilarious conversation about aging, identity and the shared experiences that connect generations of women.

In this remote episode of Wild, Wise & Curious, we connect with Sarah — a British woman living in the U.S, who only recently discovered the word perimenopause… at age 50. Until she stumbled across this very podcast, it simply wasn’t on her radar.

After removing her coil, Sarah was suddenly hit with intense, heavy periods that felt like a flashback to her teenage years. She’s not sure if she’s in perimenopause — and that’s exactly what makes her story so powerful.

From fertility struggles, a miscarriage and an emotionally complicated pregnancy, to the silence surrounding women’s health in both the UK and the U.S, Sarah brings warmth, honesty and a generous dose of humour to the conversation.

This isn’t a symptom checklist — it’s a lived experience. One that reminds us how easy it is to be left in the dark about our own health, and how powerful it is when we start to speak up.

This episode includes discussion of miscarriage and a complicated pregnancy, which may be sensitive or triggering for some listeners. Please take care while listening.

A quick heads-up as well: this was recorded remotely with our guest joining us from the U.S, so you may notice a little echo or audio feedback at times. Thanks for bearing with us — it’s worth it for the story.

In this episode of Wild, Wise & Curious, we meet Dawn, whose early reproductive years were smooth—regular periods, minimal discomfort and no issues while on the pill. But in her 40s, things began to shift: mood changes, ovulation pain, joint aches, itchy skin, UTIs, tummy pain and brain fog.

While caring for her unwell mother, Dawn began to feel increasingly disconnected from her own body. Unaware she was entering perimenopause, she was told she was “depressed”, but she knew it was something more. Starting HRT offered some relief, but even that brought its own challenges.

Through it all, Dawn found strength in the things that brought her back to herself—gardening, being in nature, reflexology, monthly massages and singing with her beloved community choir, Groby Sings. A breathwork retreat, aromatherapy oils and reconnecting with her senses all became part of her healing toolkit.

This is an honest, empowering conversation about self-trust, resilience and finding joy and grounding in the middle of life’s biggest transition.

After years of heavy periods, endometriosis and passing clots, our guest, Jill, underwent a hysterectomy at just 44—only to be thrust into surgical menopause with no information, no guidance and no idea what to expect. In this honest and eye-opening episode, Jill shares the reality no one warned her about: the hormonal chaos, the mental health crash, the physical changes—including having to learn how to go to the toilet again—and the emotional toll of being completely unprepared.

Jill opens up about slathering on too much HRT, going cold turkey and the grief of losing not only her job, but friendships too. Yet in the aftermath, she’s become a fierce advocate—dropping leaflets at her GP’s office and speaking out so that others don’t have to face surgical menopause alone.

Now, she’s finding her footing through movement, sound baths, supplements and the right HRT balance. Jill's story is raw, real and a powerful reminder that while every menopause journey is different, none of them should be faced in silence.

Show Notes:

Maisie Hill's book - Powerful

In this episode, we sit down with Luanne to talk about the powerful shift many women experience during perimenopause and beyond—a time marked by deeper reflection, rising creativity and a stronger sense of purpose.

Luanne introduces us to Konenki, a Japanese word that beautifully captures this stage of life as a meaningful rite of passage. With children growing older for those who have them, and more mental space available, many women find their creative energy not just returning, but expanding. Time begins to feel more precious and we start choosing more intentionally—how we spend it and who we spend it with.

This isn’t the end of something—it’s the beginning of a richer, more intentional chapter.

Show Notes:

Hagitude; Reimagining the Second Half of Life

In today’s episode, we’re joined by the radiant Helen, who is right in the heart of perimenopause — and allowing this transition to reshape her life in the most unexpected and beautiful ways. From sending memes in the family WhatsApp group that capture the chaos and comedy of it all, to tuning in deeply to her body’s needs, Helen shares her raw, real-time reflections on what it means to slow down, re-centre and reconnect.

We talk about the power of rest, the importance of asking “how am I really feeling?”, and the energetic shifts that come with this season of life. Along the way, Helen has rediscovered her creative fire—returning to her art, leaning more deeply into the spiritual and energy practices she’s cultivated over time, and even stepping into modelling and acting.

This is a conversation about the mess and the magic of midlife, the quiet rebirthing of self and the joyful permission to evolve in your own time, on your own terms.

Meet Nicola — a woman who held a high-pressure career while facing the onset of perimenopause and caring for her aging parents as they became ill. Facing these challenges, she made the bold decision to quit her job to look after her parents full-time. During this time, she also cared for her grandchildren. Later, remembering how fitness shaped her younger years, Nicola retrained as a personal trainer and created a life filled with purpose and joy. Initially told she couldn’t have hormone replacement therapy due to family history, she later visited another doctor who offered new possibilities. Join us as she shares her powerful journey of resilience, reinvention and transformation beyond perimenopause.

Show Notes:

Nicola very kindly said that the Eyres Monsell Hub would waiver their usual joining fee of £10 to anyone who signed up in May 2025, having listened to this podcast. You can contact the Hub on 0116 2779190 or email them on [email protected] and simply quote Wild, Wise & Curious podcast!