Menopause Chicks: This Show is Not About Menopause

What we discussed: 

• An endocrinologist’s explanation of both estrogen and progesterone 
• Hormone health, mental health–and considerations for the role of stress in our overall health, but especially in perimenopause
• If you are going to track anything–track your menstrual cycle + both physical changes (such as breast tenderness, cramping, vasomotor symptoms) and emotional/mental health changes, such as mood. Dr. Prior explains the r...

What we discussed: 

• Sarah Kate’s mission and why she started her online publication, Some Good Clean Fun”
• Sarah’s transition from thinking she needed wine to cope with stress to enjoying the benefits of a “clearer head”
• Sarah shares her best shopping tips for non-alcoholic beverages online and at the store 
• How to feel more confident (and less awkward) about ordering a non-alcoholic beverage when you’re out at a restaurant or bar w...

What we discussed: 

• Colleen’s change-making work in the area of volunteerism, the non-for-profit sector
• How we traditionally interpret words like “volunteer” and “menopause” and why that must change
• Choosing to compromise vs what we will never compromise on when it comes to our  life’s work 
• How important paradigm-shifting language is for rethinking how we see the world 
• The power of language and the words we use 
• Continuing to do ou...

What we discussed: 

• The story behind Intimate Wellbeing & why Cass and Leah are so dedicated to changing the conversation about sexual pleasure for midlife women. 
• How the Intimate Wellbeing brand has evolved from its initial concept of being an accessible online store to becoming a recognized sexual health education community 
• What happened when Cass & Leah started talking more openly about sexuality with their friends and how im...

What we discussed

• The biggest questions Dr. Klein gets asked at her clinic like, “Am I normal?”
• The questions women have about wanting to be sexual with their partner and also being a professional woman
• The pleasure gap, the masturbation gap, faking orgasms, shame, stigma & more!
• Why there’s a overfocus on intercourse in heterosexual couples
• The importance of educating women at a young age about their anatomy before they begin explo...

What we discussed:

• How Dr. Pawa’s car accident was a catalyst in shifting her career focus to women’s health and hormones
• Why the Canadian healthcare model is lacking when it comes to holistic, integrative, and preventative health and how led to a system where doctors are reimbursed for treating a symptom, rather than looking at the whole person
• The ongoing struggle medical doctors face because time and resources are limited 
• Dr. P...

What we discussed: 

• Dr. Pawa dissects stress and explains what the allostatic burden load is and how it impacts the ovaries
• How you can use Dr. Pawa’s “BMW Method” to engage the vagus nerve in order to reduce stress
• Why Dr. Pawa wants all of us to create a “to be” list instead of a “to-do” list
• Dr. Pawa shares how she incorporates mindfulness and stress reduction practices in her own life
• How stress and hormones affect sleep
• How slee...

Do you know your numbers?

What we discussed:

• Why women shouldn’t assume that everything they’re experiencing as they are getting older is related to aging or hormone changes
• Why Dr. Alex recommends having conversations about your family history and personal health history early–even before perimenopause and definitely before postmenopause
• The importance of understanding the definition of heart disease risk factors vs. heart disease
• ...

Listen in and learn…

• How the negative language and dialogue around menopause leaves an impression on all women–especially younger women
• How my own experience with perimenopause affected the way I interacted with my family and made me realize I needed to take action & prioritize my health
• How Amy views her IUD (intrauterine device) as an investment in her quality of life and why she thinks it’s one of the best health decisions she’...

Are you ready to be your own best breast advocate?

Listen in and learn… 

• What dense breasts are, how common they are, what you need to know and what the implications of having dense breasts can be.
• Why having dense breasts can make it harder to spot cancer on a mammogram
• The advocacy work Dense Breasts Canada is doing to get provinces to inform women of their breast density status 
• Province-to-province disparities for minimum recomm...

We ALL have a role to play in un-doing biases standing in the way of women’s health.

Are you ready to reframe the conversation about inclusivity?

Listen in and learn…

• How the culture and vibe in gym settings have felt exclusionary and off-putting for many people, making access to fitness inequitable for people who live in larger bodies 
• How Big Fit Girl aims to change fitness culture through educating kinesiology students, wellness...

Are you ready to change the conversation around menopause? 

Listen in and find out…

• How my first experience with AI (artificial intelligence) was when my name was printed beside words I didn’t write
• How throwing every adverse health concern into a bucket and labeling it “menopause symptoms” is not only setting women’s health back; it is dangerous to women’s future heart health, brain health, bone health, vulva & vaginal health and...

Welcome to the very first episode of This Show is Not About Menopause!

I’m your host, Shirley Weir. I'm 56 years old. I reached menopause when I was 49, and I am the founder of MenopauseChicks.com, an online educational platform, trusted for quality health information and designed to remind everyone: WE DESERVE to FEEL AMAZING!

In this welcome episode, I talk about the meaning behind the name of my show and all the aspects of women’s...

Ready to put your pelvic health at the top of your to-do list? 

Listen in and learn… 

• What it means to prioritize our vulva, vagina, bladder and overall pelvic health
• What incontinence means, what incontinence can cost, and your options for preventing AND treating
• How to tell if you might be one of the 50% of women who have pelvic organ prolapse and what you can do! 
• Why your lower back pain might be a sign of pelvic floor dysfuncti...

Ready to Feel Amazing? 

Listen in & learn…

• Why the Women’s Health Initiative Study set women’s health care back in 2002, and why we don’t need to be afraid of hormone replacement therapy as a treatment for the most common symptoms of hormone decline. 
• Why your family doctor might not have the answers you’re looking for, and may feel as frustrated about that too, and what you can do about it. 
• How women can take well-being into thei...