Women on Fire®

It’s time to wake up (pun intended!) because today, I’m thrilled to introduce you to none other than Elina Winnel, The Sleep Expert.

Elina isn’t your average "sleep whisperer"— she’s a media darling, regularly sharing her expertise on major TV networks. After battling chronic insomnia herself, she didn’t just hit snooze on the problem.

She developed a science-backed approach to tackling sleep issues at the root—there are no quick fixes here.

Elina’s method is all about getting to the heart of the problem and transforming your sleep.

She’s helped countless people who once thought restful, rejuvenating sleep was just a dream (see what I did there?).

So grab your favourite pillow, get cosy, and enjoy this conversation.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:04 About Elina

02:24 Elina's Journey: From Finance to Sleep Expert

05:40 Understanding the Autonomic Nervous System

08:44 The Impact of Stress on Sleep

12:10 Managing Hot Flashes and Night Sweats

14:32 The Role of Melatonin and Relaxation

17:46 Stress as an Inside Job

20:40 Patterns of Thinking and Their Effects on Sleep

26:14 Lifestyle Factors Affecting Sleep

30:27 The Importance of Community

31:56 Finding Solutions for Sleep Issues

34:45 Practical Steps to Balance the Nervous System

38:00 Sleep and Mental Health

40:15 Mind Chatter and Its Impact on Sleep

43:09 Trusting Your Gut and Heart for Better Sleep

45:04 Conclusion

Episode Resources:

Download: 7 Secrets To Better Sleep here

Earthing sheets & products (20% discount): here 

Elina's website: https://thesleepexpert.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.sleep.expert

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesleepexpert

Women On Fire® is sponsored by MenoMe®

Botanical sleep support: Merry Peri® for peri & Perky Post for post-menopause here

• Follow MenoMe® on Instagram here

• Follow MenoMe® on Facebook here

• Visit the website here

• Subscribe to the YouTube channel to watch the interviews here 

We're honoured you've joined Women On Fire® and hope you enjoyed the episode. If you did, we'd be grateful if you'd leave us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts or subscribe to our YouTube channel. That way, we can reach as many women as possible with Women On Fire®.

Disclaimer: Women On Fire® is for information purposes only, it should not take the place of medical advice.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Did you know that 60% of Australian adults (and let’s be real, probably most of the rest of the world too) suffer from sleep disorders? If you’re tuning in to Women on Fire®, chances are you know sleep problems well - especially if you’re navigating the choppy waters of peri or post-menopause.

Sleep deprivation links to all kinds of pesky things: memory lapses, mood swings, stress, weight gain. And for us women in the throes of hormonal chaos, it’s like nature’s treacherous double-whammy! Not getting enough quality sleep messes with your body, brain, and gut, upping obesity, diabetes, and dementia risk. Yikes!

In this Mini Pause®, I’m unpacking some gems from Dr Michael Mosley's 4 Weeks To Better Sleep co-created with Australia’s Flinders University Sleep Institute, alongside the SBS series Australia’s Sleep Revolution.

Dr Mosley reminds us that severe sleep issues should get expert support but he was confident the advice in his book could make a difference for most.

We planned to invite Dr Mosley onto the show just before his untimely passing during a holiday in Greece with his wife, Claire. His loss is felt by millions of fans who followed his findings. Rest in peace, Dr. Mosley - you were truly one of a kind.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:04 About Dr Michael Mosley

03:46 How many people have problems with sleep?

04:52 Sleep and its link to health

06:51 Why are you sleeping badly?

07:42 The science of sleep: deep sleep and REM sleep

10:44 Sleep and weight gain

11:53 Sleep and metabolic syndrome

13:00 Sleep, mood, libido and hormones

13:34 How much sleep do we need?

13:58 Quiz: are you sleep deprived?

15:00 Circadian rhythm and chronotypes

18:28 Are you a lark or an owl?

19:30 Tips to help you sleep better

23:12 Summary

24:18 How to check if you're getting enough

24:42 Sponsor message about MenoMe® botanical sleep support

Episode Resources:

Read: 4 Weeks to Better Sleep: A life-changing plan for deep sleep, improved brain function and feeling great here or here

Watch/Read: with Flinders Unversity Sleep Institute here

Download: Dr Michael Mosley's Sleep Diary here

Download: Sleep Hygiene Sheet here

Leave a tribute: for Dr Michael Mosley here

Botanical sleep support: Merry Peri® for peri & Perky Post for post-menopause here

Women On Fire® is sponsored by MenoMe®

• Follow MenoMe® on Instagram here

• Follow MenoMe® on Facebook here

• Visit the website here

• Subscribe to the YouTube channel to watch the interviews here 

We're honoured you've joined Women On Fire® and hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, we'd be grateful if you'd leave us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts or subscribe to our YouTube channel. That way, we can reach as many women as possible with Women On Fire®.

Disclaimer: Our Mini Pauses® are for information purposes only. They come from a holistic vantage point and from collating (often conflicting) scientific data if it's available. They should not take the place of medical advice.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

He’s back by popular demand! Dr John Gray of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus fame.

Touted as one of the top 10 most influential books of the past 25 years, John’s also one of the most influential relationship counsellors of our time. His latest book, Beyond Mars and Venus: Relationship Skills for Our Complex Modern World, continues his legacy. Check out his website MarsVenus.com.

John's always a captivating guest; in this episode, he winds through various biohacks for relationships.

Tip: Listen more than once as you always pick up something new. He generally speaks to heterosexual people but some hormonal/nutritional aspects may be helpful for same-sex couples too.

In this episode, we talk about:

01:04 Intro

02:26 The biological difference men & women

04:00 Women and stress

06:07 Libido, attraction and peri and post-menopause

09:50 Relationship skills in a complex world

14:12 Biohack 1: protein and elevated cortisol (stress)

15:54 The committed relationship effect

18:18 Traditional gender roles; masculine and feminine

27:58 Biohack 2: estrogen and relationships in menopause

(for singles and couples)

30:00 What turns a man on?

33:55 Biohack 3: an exercise to raise estrogen and connect to a man

39:38 Singles: how to get a man in your life

52:09 Getting back on the relationship horse after a loss or a breakup

1:05:55 If you're dating in midlife

Episode Resources:

Episode #107 with John here

Website: MarsVenus.com

Follow John on Instagram here

Follow John on Facebook here

Free Relationship Course: https://www.marsvenus.com/gift

John's book: Beyond Mars and Venus: Relationship Skills For Our Complex Modern World

Event: 50% off singles and couples relationship weekend

Women On Fire® is sponsored by MenoMe®

• Follow MenoMe® on Instagram here

• Follow MenoMe® on Facebook here

• Visit the website here

• Subscribe to the YouTube channel to watch the interviews here 

We're honoured you've joined Women On Fire® and hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, we'd be grateful if you would leave us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts or subscribe to YouTube. That way, we can reach as many women as possible with Women On Fire®.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this Mini Pause®, Jenna talks about the classic bestseller The Five Love Languages: The Secret To Love That Lasts by Dr Gary Chapman PhD.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:03 About Five Love Languages: The Secret To Love That Lasts

04:04 Exploring the Love Languages

04:32 Words of Affirmation

05:06. Quality Time

05:47. Acts Of Service

06:30. Receiving Gifts

07:26. Physical Touch

09:48 Most common and least common Love Languages

Episode Resources:

Take: The Five Love Languages Quiz here

Read: The Five Love Languages: The Secret To Love That Lasts by Dr Gary Chapman PhD here

Read: Dr Gary Chapman's analysis of The Five Love Languages here

Read: Did You Know Girlfriends Are Good For Your Health here (and about oxytocin)

Botanical support: Merry Peri® for peri & Perky Post for post-menopause here

Women On Fire® is sponsored by MenoMe®

• Follow MenoMe® on Instagram here

• Follow MenoMe® on Facebook here

• Visit the website here

• Subscribe to the YouTube channel to watch the interviews here 

We're honoured you've joined Women On Fire® and hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, we would be grateful if you would leave us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts or subscribe to our YouTube channel. That way, we can reach as many women as possible with Women On Fire®.

Disclaimer: Our Mini Pauses® are for information purposes only. They come from a holistic vantage point and from collating (often conflicting) scientific data if it's available. They should not take the place of medical advice.

menoverse, peri, menopause, postmenopause, midlife, millennopause, millennials, perimenopause, hormonal changes, symptoms, post-menopause, The Five Love Languages

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Dr Wendy Sweet PhD is a menopause educator, fitness specialist and healthy ageing expert for women. In this episode, we talk about the right type of exercise, lifting weights, how much protein is ideal and is creatine essential for you?

And despite the well-meaning messages out there lifting more and more weights, eating more and more protein and taking creatine may not be right for you. It's different strokes for different folks.

In this episode, we talk about:

00:00 Introduction

01:04 About Wendy

05:42. Wendy's story

10:44 Exercise and depression

10:52 Understanding the importance of vitamin D

14:23 We aren't our mother's generations

16:15 Should women be lifting heavier and heavier weights? Is there a best choice of exercise?

28:58 Exercise assumption, ageing and menopause

33:40. American Heart Association Guidelines

37:02 Recovery and blood work

40:10 Your muscles are ageing and changing

44:32 Do we need to be taking creatine?

48:30 Fat gain and meno belly

57:05 How much (and what type of protein should non-athletes be eating?

59:52 The Keto diet and menopause

01:01 The Mediterranean diet and menopause

Would you rather see our smiling faces? 

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here 

Episode Resources:

Follow Wendy on Instagram here

Follow Wendy on Facebook here

My Menopause Transformation newsletter here

American Heart Association Guidelines here

Women On Fire® is sponsored by MenoMe®

• Follow MenoMe® on Instagram here

• Follow MenoMe® on Facebook here

• Visit the website here

• Subscribe to the YouTube channel to watch the interviews here 

We're honoured you've joined Women On Fire® and hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, we would be grateful if you would leave us a 5-star review wherever you listen to your podcasts or subscribe to our YouTube channel. That way, we can reach as many women as possible with Women On Fire®.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this Mini Pause®, Jenna talks about what happens to your beautiful body during perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause. (Please see the disclaimer.)

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:09 What's happening to your body?

01:29 An overview of menopause

05:38 It can be a confusing time!

09:03 Exciting new research about the brain

10:08 How long does this life stage take?

10:38 Types of estrogen

10:58 Perimenopause, menopause & post-menopause

Episode Resources:

Listen or watch: How Will I Know If I'm In Perimenopause? here

Listen or watch: What Is Menopause? here

Listen: How Will Your Life Change In Post-Menopause here

Read: The 34 Most Common Symptoms Of Perimenopause (& Counting!) here

Read: Dr Lisa Mosconi's research in Nature Journal here

Botanical support: Merry Peri® for peri & Perky Post for post-menopause here

Women On Fire® is sponsored by MenoMe®

• Follow MenoMe® on Instagram here

• Follow MenoMe® on Facebook here

• Visit the website here

• Subscribe to the YouTube channel to watch the interviews here 

We're honoured you've joined Women On Fire® and hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, we would be grateful if you would leave us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts or subscribe to our YouTube channel. That way, we can reach as many women as possible with Women On Fire®.

Disclaimer: Our Mini Pauses® are for information purposes only. They come from a holistic vantage point and from collating (often conflicting) scientific data if it's available. They should not take the place of medical advice.

menoverse, peri, menopause, postmenopause, midlife, millennopause, millennials, perimenopause, hormonal changes, symptoms, post-menopause

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

The lovely Chelcey Salinger IAT is a certified trichologist and hair loss specialist at the Australian Trichology Centre in Sydney and Adelaide. As well as that she's the executive director for the International Association of Trichologists - phew!

Chelcey specialises in hair loss, baldness, alopecia areata, hair breakage, hair damage, psoriasis and other scalp problems.

Chelcey's involved in trichologist education, tutoring students around the world and supervising the clinical training of students in Australia and New Zealand. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Movement and Health and a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy.

With her long list of credentials, Chelcey is an in-demand speaker globally so we’re delighted she joined us for this episode and so generously shared her expertise.

In this episode, we talk about:

00:00 Introduction

01:04 About Chelcey

04:17 What is a trichologist?

05:10 What causes hormonal thinning/hair loss?

06:40 Lifestyle matters

10:20 Autoimmune conditions and the female epidemic of Female Fibrosing Alopecia

12:10 The importance of vitamin D

16:14 Key nutrients for healthy hair

17:18 The hair growth cycle

18:14 How the hair changes with peri:menopause, age and/or nutrient deficiencies

21:19 Caring for your hair

24:12 Working from the inside out

25:10 Adverse effects of some hormonal therapies and beneficial treatments

27:52. Why do we go grey?

Would you rather see our smiling faces? 

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here 

Episode Resources:

Follow Chelcey on Instagram here

Australian Trichology Centre here

International Association of Trichologists here

Women On Fire® is sponsored by MenoMe®

• Follow MenoMe® on Instagram here

• Follow MenoMe® on Facebook here

• Visit the website here

• Subscribe to the YouTube channel to watch the interviews here 

We're honoured you've joined Women On Fire® and hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, we would be grateful if you would leave us a 5-star review wherever you listen to your podcasts or subscribe to our YouTube channel. That way, we can reach as many women as possible with Women On Fire®.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this Mini Pause®, Jenna examines how and why the skin changes during peri and post-menopause and what you can do about it.

Takeaways

• Perimenopause and post-menopause is a time of massive skin changes.

• What can happen to the skin as estradiol declines during peri and post-menopause.

• How we can offset the changes we find troublesome.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:02 A Time Of Massive Skin Changes

01:43 The Estrogen Factor

02:16 Skin Density, Plumpness & Hydration

04:09 What Are Collagen & Elastin?

05:30 What Is Hyaluronic Acid?

07:20 Argh:!Dehydration, Sensitivity, Crepey Skin, Itchy Skin, Pigmentation & Acne

12:54 Skin 101

14:33 The Layers Of The Skin

17:20 15 Ways To Look After Your Skin During Peri & Post-Menopause

Episode Resources:

Read: 6 Ways To Tame Itchy Skin here

Read: How To Soothe Ichy Skin (including your va-jay-jay) here

Read: How To Have Fabulous Skin After The Age 40 here

Listen: The Impact Of EDC's & Xenoestrogens On Menopause here

Watch: How Gut Health Affects Your Menopause Journey here

Happy Go Tummy® here

LotsaLocks® here

Women On Fire® is sponsored by MenoMe®

• Follow MenoMe® on Instagram here

• Follow MenoMe® on Facebook here

• Visit the website here

• Subscribe to the YouTube channel to watch the interviews here 

We're honoured you've joined Women On Fire® and hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, we would be grateful if you would leave us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts or subscribe to our YouTube channel. That way, we can reach as many women as possible with Women On Fire®.

Disclaimer: Our Mini Pauses® are for information purposes only. They come from a holistic vantage point and from collating (often conflicting) scientific data if it's available. They should not take the place of medical advice.

menoverse, peri, menopause, postmenopause, midlife, millennopause, millennials, perimenopause, hormonal changes, symptoms, post-menopause

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we explore the Millennopause Era and the Menoverse! (Oh, and we should probably add Menoposse in there too!)

Jenna chats about the seismic shift that's occurred around peri, menopause and post-menopause over the past 10 years and the rise and rise of the Menoverse and Millennopause. Because millennials have grown up and entered peri and they're taking it by the reins.

Takeaways

• The Menoverse is the world of menopause which is super-relevant for all women from their mid-30s.

• The Menoverse and Millennopause are real. So, let's get educated.

• Peri aka perimenopause begins earlier than you might think and it's not a one-and-done overnight experience.

• The key to a smoother ride is understanding the hormonal changes and symptoms associated with peri.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:03 Menoverse, Millennopause and Peri

02:03 Who Are Millennials? And Gen Xers?

04:02 Changes Can Your Begin In Your 30s

05:11 Peri Symptoms

06:03 Not Just About Your Ovaries

06:20 Peri: Depression & Anxiety

06:43 Quick Fire Knowledge Nuggets

10:00 You're So Lucky!

Episode Resources:

Millennials Are Rebranding Menopause Unherd

Hark, The Millennial Death Wail New York Times (Paywall)

Episode #104 How Will I Know I'm In Perimenopause?

Merry Peri® here

Happy Go Tummy® here

Women On Fire® is sponsored by MenoMe®

• Follow MenoMe® on Instagram here

• Follow MenoMe® on Facebook here

• Visit the website here

• Subscribe to the YouTube channel to watch the interviews here 

We're honoured you've joined Women On Fire® and hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, we would be grateful if you would leave us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts or subscribe to our YouTube channel. That way, we can reach as many women as possible with Women On Fire®.

Disclaimer: Our Mini Pauses® are for information purposes only. They come from a holistic vantage point and from collating (often conflicting) scientific data if it's available. They should not take the place of medical advice.

menoverse, peri, menopause, postmenopause, midlife, millennopause, millennials, perimenopause, hormonal changes, symptoms, post-menopause

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

We're privileged to feature Professor Jayashri Kulkarni AM on this episode - a woman who is globally renowned as a leader and expert in the field of women's mental health. She's also a passionate advocate for midlife women.

Among her many accolades and achievements, Professor Kulkarni is the director and founder of HER Centre Australia @ Monash University, which is dedicated to understanding and treating mental illnesses experienced by women. Indeed, Professor Kulkarni has conducted world-first research into the link between our reproductive hormones and mental health.

A Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists since 1989, she was awarded a PhD from Monash University in 1997 for her thesis “Women and Psychosis”. A major area of her research involves psychoneuroendocrine studies of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in women with severe mental illnesses. In particular, she has pioneered the use of estrogen as a new treatment in schizophrenia.

Professor Kulkarni received an Order of Australia (AM) in 2019 for her services to Medicine. In 2024, she received two prestigious awards from The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP): the Ian Simpson Award for “the most outstanding contributions to clinical psychiatry through service to patients and the community” and the RANZCP Senior Research Award, for “the most significant contribution to psychiatric research in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand over the preceding five years”.

As you can imagine Professor Kulkarni is a very busy woman and her knowledge and wisdom is sought after so we hope you (and your GP) gain a lot from this episode.

In this episode, we talk about:

• About Professor Kulkarni(1:03)

• The link between reproductive hormones and mental health (4:44)

• Questionnaire about depression in menopause (5:19)

• Menopause depression is different - what are the signs? (5:29)

• The statistics - this is a significant time of mental health change for many women. (7:25)

• Let's not forget the men because this is everyone's business (9:30)

• Menopausal mood disorder and the brain (10:45)

• Beware of misdiagnosis (12:20)

• The link between hormones, the brain and menopause (14:47)

• We need to re-look at the way society looks at menopause (16:22)

• Don't stigmatise women who struggle (18:57)

• Know your numbers ladies (20:37)

• Taking the holistic approach to menopause (21:19)

• Make your needs known loudly and assertively (24;15)

• Blood tests can't show what's happening in the brain (24:43)

• Women are very good at knowing what is going on in their bodies (25:20)

• Message for GPs and women who are aged around 40 (26:08)

Would you rather see our smiling faces? 

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here 

Episode Resources:

• HER Centre Australia

  https://www.monash.edu/medicine/her-centre

• Get MENO-D: a rating scale to detect menopause in depression here https://www.maprc.org.au/sites/www.maprc.org.au/files/MENO-D_0.pdf

  
  

Women On Fire® is sponsored by MenoMe®

• Follow MenoMe® on Instagram here

• Follow MenoMe® on Facebook here

• Visit the website here

• Subscribe to the YouTube channel to watch the interviews here 

We're honoured you've joined Women On Fire® and hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, we would be grateful if you would leave us a 5-star review wherever you listen to your podcasts or subscribe to our YouTube channel. That way, we can reach as many women as possible with Women On Fire®.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.