Magnificent Midlife

In this episode, I welcome back Dr Kathryn Mannix to the podcast. Kathryn’s first interview was titled Talking About Death because that’s exactly what we did. Kathryn spent many years as a palliative care doctor and wrote the best-selling book With The End In Mind. Here we’re talking about her latest book Listen: How to Find the Words for Tender Conversations. This is a powerful and moving conversation which I hope you will love as much as I did. We talk about: The experience of recording Kathryn’s own audiobook Why Kathryn felt this book needed to be written after her first one What it means to have a tender conversation Why listening is so important when it comes to having these conversations How we can get better at listening The power of silence Some of the wonderful stories in the book How to have tender conversations in a professional context Moving away from trying to fix someone’s problems Some of the ways we can encourage others to open up The devastating impact of Covid on communication in a h

Jennifer Arthurton is the creator and founder of Old Chicks Know Sh*t, a community and podcast (of the same name) designed to inspire and support midlife women in chasing their dreams and creating a kick-ass next chapter. Having made her midlife course corrections, she’s a passionate advocate of the inherent power and knowledge that women possess, at a time when they often feel overlooked and doubt themselves most. We talk about: How Jennifer got so passionate about changing midlife narratives Jennifer’s own menopause and midlife experience How she reinvented herself after reaching rock bottom How so much of what we believe about midlife, menopause and aging is wrong What makes Jennifer angry about what women are told/believe about getting older How women can get very stuck in midlife and how to get unstuck How women can step up to lead more What Jennifer has learnt from doing her own podcast How Jennifer has changed the perception of midlife for her own daughter What Jennifer most wants women to know a

Kate Codrington is the author of Second Spring: the self-care guide to menopause, which is a rather lovely and revolutionary new book. She’s a menstrual and menopause mentor, speaker, workshop facilitator, writer, podcaster and a therapist for nearly 30 years. She’s passionate about bringing a more holistic approach to the menopause transition and to enabling women to embrace fully this powerful stage of life. We talk about: Where Kate is in her menopause journey How the book is very different to other books on menopause How Kate sees menopause as something very positive How cyclicality is core to the book and how this impacts women throughout life The earthiness of the book and the power that comes from that Yoga Nidra and its role in the book and in our menopause transition The importance of going inward in menopause Embracing the change rather than fighting it Menopause as a spiritual journey Things that annoy us both about the prevailing menopause narratives What Kate learnt from her own menopause t

My guest today is Keren Etkin, the Gerontechnologist. She’s a gerontologist who’s written a fascinating book called The Agetech Revolution: A book about the intersection of aging and technology. We dig into the fascinating area of technology designed especially for older people. We talk about: How Keren got so passionate about agetech What agetech is and why we need it Why we’ll still need agetech when the digital natives are older The impact of Covid on the agetech industry Digital exclusion and touch screens How best to develop technology for older people The importance of aging in place Cultural differences towards aging What needs to be considered when building technology for older people Keren’s agetech predictions or the next 5, 10 and 20 years How we can all get better at embracing technology in general And more! Find more about Keren: Keren's website: thegerontechnologist.com Linkedin | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify Keren's book: The AgeTech Revolution If you enjoyed this episode, p

Elizabeth Joseph describes herself as a social media menopause guinea pig. She’s on a journey of perimenopausal transformation. We dig into exactly what that means. Elizabeth is so much fun and I know you're going to be entertained by her perimenopausal antics! We talk about: What Elizabeth means by being a social media menopause guinea pig How her Instagram feed has grown and what it’s about Why she does what she does Ending the taboo about menopause The funny remedies she’s tried in her perimenopausal journey The importance of being prepared and talking about menopause Going back to her dramatic, entertainment roots Building a community on social media Getting kids involved in menopause conversations What Elizabeth has learnt through her menopause journey What she wants other midlife women to know And more! Find out more about Elizabeth Joseph: Elizabeth's Instagram If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and leave a review on iTunes or wherever you’re listening. Find out how t

A fun and inspiring conversation with the very wise and straight-talking Lori Saitz about how to move from just feeling fine to feeling truly fantastic. It may seem scary but getting beyond the fear is where the magic happens. And who wants to just stay at fine? Lori Saitz is a writer, speaker, and broadcaster with a passion for using meditation and gratitude to change lives and help women achieve their goals. She's also the host of the Fine is a 4-Letter Word Podcast. We talk about: What happened to Lori to make her change direction and do what she does now How Lori found the strength to move on and to create something different How to trust that what we're building now will keep us excited and unhappy long enough? Why it's scary to get quiet and listen to our inner voice Lori's trilogy for success What Lori’s meditation practice looks like on a daily basis What meditation enables Lori to do in her life Why we should all be thinking about gratitude Cultural differences when it comes to gratitude and po

Anne Michaud is a veteran political journalist who reported for the Wall Street Journal and Newsday. She was named columnist of the year by the New York News Publishers Association. She recently published a new edition of her book Why They Stay: Sex scandals, deals, and hidden agendas of eight political wives. It’s a riveting read! It's fascinating to explore the similarities and differences between how political wives behave and the rest of us! We talk about: Why Anne chose to update her book The common traits of women who stay in marriages after husbands have cheated  Why Elizabeth Woodville is the perfect embodiment of these common traits The British couple Anne included in the book and why she specifically included them How the behaviors of these wives have changed over the years How the Trumps are different to everybody that Anne had previously researched Who most surprised Anne amongst the couples she researched  What motivated Anne to write this book The parallels and differences between politica

Dr Louann Brizendine is the best-selling author of The Female Brain and is here to talk to me about her latest book, The Upgrade: How the female brain gets stronger and better in midlife and beyond. The Upgrade amounts to a celebration of how women can step into their power and an entirely new—and radically positive—understanding of aging. We talk about: Why Louann wrote The Upgrade How our brains get stronger and better as we age and especially after menopause How menopause impacts our brains What the post menopause (upgrade) brain changes enable us to do How women can sometimes sabotage the upgrade How life gets better for women with each passing decade What we need to make the most of the upgrade The impact of stress on older women How to upgrade the gut brain team The importance of social connection Embracing the wisdom and power of the upgrade And more! Find more about Louann: Louann's website: louannbrizendine.com Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Linkedin Louann's book: The Upgrade: How t

A very special 100th episode of the podcast as I welcome the first man on to the podcast, my husband Mark Estdale, who has shared my Magnificent Midlife journey over the last sixteen years. We talk about: Our support animal How I managed to persuade Mark to come on my podcast How Ashton Applewhite’s words on ageism impacted us both The importance of learning and being open as we move through midlife Getting men to embrace this period, especially for the women in their lives The rollercoaster of Rachel’s early menopause diagnosis and how it happened Reversing the early menopause diagnosis for a time The pain of secondary infertility How we both became aware of the negative narratives around women, menopause and aging  Learning to appreciate the cyclicality of women and the power that can come from that Society’s attitudes towards menstruation, menopause and lack of awareness How and why heterosexual relationships can break down in midlife The evolution of our relationship including our sexual one The mi

Clarissa Kristjansson is a Mindfulness and Menopause expert, author of The Mindful Menopause, and host of the brilliant Thriving Thru Menopause podcast. She’s on a mission to change the way women approach menopause and aging. The last time we got together, we had such a brilliant conversation, on her podcast, I just had to share her with you. We both get quite hot under the collar about a lot of the same issues. We talk about: How Clarissa got so passionate about menopause Why it’s so important to take a holistic approach to menopause The importance of mindfulness when it comes to a good menopause experience What annoys Clarissa about the prevailing narratives surrounding menopause The myths around menopause How women can be proactive and not just reactive about their menopause experience The use of data when it comes to menopause Understanding and contextualizing data presented Menopause at work Sexism and ageism and their insidious intersection The female brain drain in midlife Making work work better

Dr Christine Li is the Procrastination Coach. She’s a clinical psychologist who helps people find their creativity, confidence and calm. She has a wonderful podcast called Make Time For Success. Why do we so easily get in our own way? Why is it easier to procrastinate and what can we do about that? Listen in to find out how we can realize our personal power. This is a very fun and empowering episode. We talk about: Why Christine has focused in on procrastination Why we procrastinate, especially women Ways in which we procrastinate How we can stop procrastinating The role of anxiety in procrastination What Christine has learnt from doing a podcast The intimacy and authenticity of podcasting What she has learnt from her podcast guests What I have learnt from my podcast guests – Christine turns the tables on Rachel And more! Find more about Christine: Christine's website: www.procrastinationcoach.com Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Listen to her podcast: www.maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com f you

I interview Person Irresponsible, the incognito author of Everything You Ever Taught Me, about her solo trek along the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada and her experience of being an alcoholic. This is a hilarious and very inspiring interview, with incredible vulnerability, wit and wisdom from PI. This amazing woman walked 2,650 miles, carried everything she needed on her back and did 70% of the trek alone. We talk about: Why PI is incognito What it means to be a recovering alcoholic How alcohol consumption and dependence has increased exponentially during the pandemic When drinking becomes alcoholism Why she decided to do this crazy trek What it means to be a thru-hiker The people PI met on the hike Walking together versus walking alone Being a solo female on the trail Being a thru-hiker during the Covid pandemic What PI learnt about herself from the trek Why she’s thinking of doing another long trek The impact of coming home after something this huge The pain of walking 2,650 miles What she l

Dr. Alyssa Kuhn is a physical therapist and osteoarthritis specialist, and founder of Keep the Adventure Alive. She specializes in osteoarthritis treatment because she found people were getting premature surgeries and ending up with life-changing pain in their 40s and 50s because of this condition. She says this can be prevented when you know what options you have and other ways you can find pain relief, aside from surgery. We talk about: Why pain and weakness are not inevitable with age How Alyssa got so passionate about this topic What we can do to protect ourselves from pain as we age Why osteoarthritis is a big issue, especially for women How women can best cope if we get a diagnosis of osteoarthritis How osteoarthritis differs from regular arthritis How we can reduce the likelihood of developing osteoarthritis What we can do to limit the impact of osteoarthritis How to master arthritis naturally What it means to still be able to adventure with osteoarthritis What we can do about knee, ankle and hip

Tonya Carter is a Relationship Transformation Coach. She's full of wisdom about relationships, coping through divorce and also just about who we are and can become as we go through life. She's the author of “Divorce Your Story: A Woman’s Guide to ‎Heal & Thrive after Divorce” and she runs a 12-week Program called (T.H.R.I.V.E) that stretches ‎women to look within to awaken their voice, evolve relationally, and lead personally and ‎professionally in all areas of life.‎ We talk about: How Tonya came to specialize in relationship transformation Ways women can get stuck in certain narratives especially in midlife What we can do to stop us getting caught up in regret What other things women need to divorce, as well as their partner The relationship patterns women tend to repeat How women can thrive after divorce What having a growth mindset means when it comes to life post divorce How we can embrace our singleness and why that’s important Creating new narratives around what is possible for us The importa

Have you ever wanted to do something completely different to what you actually do? My guest Dr Kristina Dervaitis is an obstetrician and gynecologist who has reinvented herself as a singer/songwriter and released a beautiful new album. Now she does both her passions and has modified her life to make that work. She's battled with imposter syndrome and gone ahead with her dreams, and the result is sublime. We talk about her dramatic midlife reinvention. We talk about: When Kristina first wanted to be a professional singer About her musical background How she juggles singing with being a gynecologist Her contraception advice on YouTube The inspiration for her songs and how she comes up with the lyrics Learning to dream again and stay open to possibility Using writing to process pain and grief Deciding not to have children despite working in obstetrics What the future holds for her medical and singing careers Doing the work to make dreams happen Kristina’s advice for women who have unfulfilled dreams And

Trigger Warning: Sexual Abuse Laura Davis is the author of 6 non-fiction books which have sold more than 1.8 million copies. She’s talking here mainly about her latest book, her first memoir: The Burning Light of Two Stars: A Mother-Daughter Story. I finished the book the day before recording, and was profoundly moved by it. I was also very tearful. I’m grateful to Laura for sharing her story and giving me the opportunity to read it. I recommend the book for all women as we're all daughters. And many of us have people who we'd like to be closer to. We talk about: Why Laura wrote this particular book The challenge of untying the mother-daughter knot Digging deep to tell such a vulnerable story The impact of life trauma on women’s passion and purpose Coming to terms with life trauma Helping people heal from trauma and especially sexual abuse Coping with family estrangement What Laura has learnt about mother-daughter relationships How Laura’s feelings towards her mother changed as she got older and s

Jo Pybus is a writer, feminist and what she calls late-onset to many things. She’s an Ironman (Ironwoman) and represented Australia in triathlon and cycling in her 40s. She’s latterly become a writer and a champion for raising awareness of menopause. Her mantra is better late than never! We talk about: What inspires Jo and what being late onset means to her Why Jo set herself extreme physical challenges Running 102km in perimenopause How physical activity helped her cope with grief Having a low intolerance to regret How women can stop settling for the way things are How she learnt that her body needed to adapt through perimenopause Why we need to talk about menopause more What it means to be a late onset feminist The Me Too movement and the way we see things differently now Menopause and history The importance of managing our stress well How to set yourself up to take action Recognising what no longer serves us Accepting that we may need more sleep The challenge and joy of dancing What Jo wants for wome

Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugh Wurlitzer are the founders of Red School and the authors of Wild Power: Discover the Magic of Your Menstrual Cycle and Awaken the Feminine Path to Power. These two remarkable women have a book on menopause coming out in 2022 and I can’t wait! This is such an empowering conversation about the innate power of women. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! We talk about: What their book Wild Power is all about The importance of Menstrual Cycle Awareness (MCA) How menopause prompted Alexandra to change course and focus on menstruality How Alexandra and Sjanie met and how Red School came about How Red School is preparing for Sjanie’s menopause How being in tune with our menstrual cycle can make menopause less of a trial than it’s usually portrayed as being The Red School view of menopause What women can do to prepare for a good menopause transition The awakening that comes with menopause Changing the narrative around menopause and making self-care non-negotiable The changes tha

Vicky Midwood is a health, nutrition, and lifestyle coach who specializes in helping people with disordered eating or drinking. I know this is an issue for many women, especially as a coping mechanism in midlife, so I’m delighted to share Vicky’s wisdom and experience on tackling this. We talk about: The difference between disordered eating and addictive behavior The common signs of disordered eating Vicky’s own story of disordered eating and addiction Why many of us use food and drink to help manage our stress The impact of Covid on addictive behavior Things that are common to sufferers The shame associated with eating disorders and addiction How to get off auto pilot when it comes to food and alcohol How to self soothe without food and alcohol Why balancing blood sugar levels is so important And more! Find out more about Vicky: Vicky’s website: vickymidwood.com Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Linkedin | Youtube If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and leave a review on iTunes or where

Nicki Williams is a nutritionist, author, speaker, and women’s health expert. She’s the author of the excellent book, It’s Not You, It’s Your Hormones. We often focus mainly on our sex hormones, but there are lots more to consider, especially in midlife. We talk about: How Nicki first got interested in hormones How unprepared she was for the changes of perimenopause Why we need to consider more hormones than just our sex hormones in midlife and beyond – we have over 100 hormones! The Feisty Four hormones that can cause us most trouble: cortisol, thyroid, insulin and estrogen The importance of diet and lifestyle How we can take better care of our hormonal balance The importance of stress management Looking after the gut and liver Why HRT may not be the panacea we want it to be in midlife Understanding our thyroid What to consider when things start to change in midlife How we tolerate certain things less well as we age Eliminating things like gluten and dairy short term to monitor any impact Being open to poss