Middling Along

Professor Joyce Harper on the forthcoming national Menopause Education and Support Programme

In this episode of the podcast I chat to Professor Joyce Harper - an award-winning educator, author, podcaster, academic, and scientist. She is Professor of Reproductive Science at University College London in the Institute for Women’s Health where she is Head of the Reproductive Science and Society Group. I’m very grateful that Joyce agreed to come and chat to me about her work leading the development of a UK Menopause Education and Support Programme.

Joyce and her team are already well into the discovery phase of researching what the programme should include - and here’s the fun part - if you’re listening to this close to the release date in 2024, you can participate in their research by completing this survey: https://ifwh.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8CVKG2I1RZzHGXI or by joining one of the focus groups: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/global-health/uk-national-menopause-education-and-support-programme 

 

The team is very keen to get feedback and input from as broad a range of participants as possible - so if you have things to say, please get in touch with them! 

We also talk about Joyce’s podcast - Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me This? - and her love of cold water swimming - she's even co-authored a scientific paper all about the impact of cold water swimming on menstrual and perimenopausal symptoms: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38271095/ (free to read)

You can also find her at www.joyceharper.com and follow her on Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok and Linkedin

 

If you enjoy the podcast please help us grow by sharing this episode, or writing a review.

You can also find me at www.thetripleshift.org 

connect with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmacthomas/ 

follow along on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/middlingalong_podcast/

or subscribe to my Substack at https://middlingalong.substack.com/ 

Tate Smith on the trans male experience of menopause

My guest this time is Tate Smith - an award-winning trans activist, consultant, and speaker. Tate's accolades include being named one of Attitude Magazine's 10 LGBTQ+ Trailblazers To Watch Out For In The Future, and in 2022 he was selected as a LinkedIn Top Voice, and nominated for PinkNews' Community Role Model.

He speaks on topics including the effects of testosterone, intersectionality, family and workplace acceptance, toxic masculinity, men’s mental health, trans male menopause, male privilege and more.

I confess, before this interview my understanding of trans lived experiences was fairly minimal. Tate shares with us his transitioning journey - starting aged 16 when he first realised his discomfort living in a female-presenting body was something that he could do something about, through coming out to friends and family, going back into the closet for two years, and then undergoing surgery and testosterone therapy. 

Tate explains gender dysphoria, and a little of the physical, mental, and financial toll of waiting to transition (opting to do so privately instead of waiting many years to be seen on the NHS).

He also explains how hormone therapy propelled him headlong into an early menopause, something that neither he, nor the medical professionals he saw were prepared for, and a topic that is not really spoken about in the trans community. Tate is now working with NHS researchers to develop practical guidance for GPs, to help others who go through this in future.

We discuss the steps that workplaces can take to be more inclusive and how we as individuals can be trans allies (see some of the resources he mentions, listed below). We also talk about how parents and carers can best support young people in their lives that come out as trans or express curiosity about transitioning.

You can find Tate at https://www.tatesmith.uk/ and at the links below

 

Resources:

https://www.wecreatespace.co/glossary 

https://www.stonewall.org.uk/list-lgbtq-terms 

Disclosure on Netflix 

Tate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tate-smith-6331b2152/ 

Tate on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tatemichaelsmith/ 

Charities: Gendered Intelligence and Mermaids - both offer support for families and children, residential camps etc

Find out more about the annual trans day of visibility here https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/blog/trans-day-visibility-global-perspective 

 

If you enjoy the podcast please help us grow by sharing this episode, or writing a review.

You can also find me at www.thetripleshift.org 

connect with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmacthomas/ 

follow along on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/middlingalong_podcast/

or subscribe to my Substack at https://middlingalong.substack.com/ 

Anna Allerton on working smarter through perimenopause

My guest this time is Anna Allerton…a former journalist and TV producer who spent 17 years at Sky where she was an industry leader in women’s sports journalism and was listed in Management Today’s ‘35 Under 35’.

She’s the founder of Allerton Coaching and is a business coach and consultant specializing in perimenopause. 

Anna started to experience crippling anxiety at the end of her maternity leave with her second child, at just 38 years old, compounded by horrendous brain fog whilst dealing with sleep deprivation, and a stressful job. 

Like so many others, Anna was fobbed off with anti-depressants multiple times, and only her dogged journalistic skills and refusal to take no for an answer led her to an eventual perimenopause diagnosis… Her experiences led her to change career and retrain as an executive coach - listen in to find out more about what an exec coach actually is (and does - or doesn’t do), as well as hearing more about why Anna is passionate about sharing her story to help others who might be dealing with outbursts of rage, raging insomnia, or a whole host of other symptoms, whilst juggling the demands of toddler tantrums, potty-training and weaning feel less alone!

 

We also cover:

• the most common issues that her clients tend to struggle with in the workplace;
• some of the practical strategies that Anna has seen work really well to overcome some of these
• why she is a huge fan of symptom logging to help us work smarter
• what parallels she sees to recent developments in women’s sport that she has applied in her work

 

You can find Anna at https://www.allertoncoaching.com and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/allertoncoaching/

 

 

If you enjoy the podcast please help us grow by sharing this episode, or writing a review.

You can also find me at www.thetripleshift.org 

connect with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmacthomas/ 

follow along on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/middlingalong_podcast/

or subscribe to my Substack at https://middlingalong.substack.com/ 

Leigh Walters-James on the importance of male allies at work

In this episode I am joined by Leigh Walters-James who is a Managing Director with Accenture in the UK. Leigh is an advocate for inclusion and diversity and sponsor of the Accenture Accent on Gender and MenoWarriors initiatives within the UK. Leigh’s colleagues Jill Ross and Sarah Garton were interviewed here on the podcast last year to talk about what Accenture has been doing to move the needle on menopause in the workplace, and having met Leigh in person, I’m delighted that he agreed to come on and talk to me about the role of male allyship.

Given that Accenture has been so proactive on the topic of menopause for many years now, Leigh has lots of learning to share, including:

• how important it is for men to learn about menopause so they can recognise if and when it impacts someone in their team;
• discuss it openly and often to help normalize it as a topic of conversation;
• share progress and best practice across office locations, and with customers where appropriate; 
• don’t overthink it too much - just start somewhere - where that is will be different for each organization so do it in a way that works where you are;
• culture may not be as much of a barrier as you think it will;
• get comfortable being uncomfortable - listen for more on Leigh’s tips for involving male colleagues in the conversations;
• the critical role of male sponsors and top-down support;
• don’t ‘segregate’ sessions into those for just women or just men;
• breaking down the taboo also opens the door for men to be open and honest about their own health/mental health challenges, and their vulnerabilities: it’s a win-win;
• becoming a ‘go to guy’ for menopause can get you a lot of attention at parties! 

 

Most, if not all, of these apply whatever the size of the organization - or available budget.

If you'd like to catch up with the earlier episode with Sarah and Jill, you can find it at https://middlingalong.com/episodes/middling-along-jill-ross-and-sarah-garton-on-developing-a-community-of-menowarriors-at-accenture/

 

 

If you enjoy the podcast please help us grow by sharing this episode, or writing a review.

You can also find me at www.thetripleshift.org 

connect with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmacthomas/ 

follow along on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/middlingalong_podcast/

or subscribe to my Substack at https://middlingalong.substack.com/ 

Abby Langer busts a bunch of nutritional myths and misinformation

My guest this time is Abby Langer - Abby has been a Registered Dietitian since 1999 - she has worked extensively both in clinical nutrition, and nutrition media and consulting, has won awards for her teaching and has served for three years on her regulatory college’s council. She’s passionate about all aspects of nutrition, from physiology to teaching to cooking. Her approach to nutrition is permissive and relaxed, and she is a true believer in living your best life without dieting. She has written in depth about debunking fad diets and nutrition myths - some of which we’ll be covering in this interview!

 

We kick off talking about the ‘firehose’ of nutrition information available on social media that can be either overwhelming, misleading, or both. Abby recommends some dependable accounts to follow over on Instagram (other than her own of course - and these are listed out below).

 

We also cover:

• Why she doesn’t recommend intermittent fasting or ‘no carb’ diets
• The cultural pressures to stay slim and not age visibly
• Why alcohol may be sabotaging our efforts to improve nutrition, and the uptick she has seen in women’s alcohol consumption over her career 
• Inflammation - what is, and isn’t ‘inflammatory’ and why the internet loves to demonize specific ingredients
• Eggs are great (happily for me, because I’m a huge egg fan)
• Why dietary fibre is the unsung hero that needs a better PR team, and how to get more of it
• Why she doesn’t feed her family organic food 
• ‘Red Flags’ to look out for when consuming content online about nutrition
• Her ‘pet peeve’ nutritional nonsense
• And finally her top three tips for midlife 

 

You can find Abby at https://abbylangernutrition.com/ and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/langernutrition 

 

The other accounts Abby recommends are:

https://www.instagram.com/bdccarpenter/

https://www.instagram.com/soheefit/

https://www.instagram.com/drjengunter/

https://www.instagram.com/amanda.thebe/ (you can listen to my interview with Amanda here: https://middlingalong.com/episodes/middling-along-4-amanda-thebe-on-why-strength-training-is-so-critical-for-midlife-women/) 

If you enjoy the podcast please help us grow by sharing this episode, or writing a review.

You can also find me at www.thetripleshift.org 

connect with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmacthomas/ 

follow along on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/middlingalong_podcast/

or subscribe to my Substack at https://middlingalong.substack.com/ 

Anna Kilpatrick on The Joy of Enough

I know you’re going to love this interview with Anna Kilpatrick, blogger and Instagram ‘outfluencer’ @not.needing.new

Anna spent 23 years as a teacher, but when her children’s father had a catastrophic stroke in 2012, it utterly changed all their lives.

Anna talks candidly about how the huge change in personal circumstances impacted her (and the family) and how ultimately she came to realise that living with less, gave her more freedom to be there for her children when they needed her.

Anna is a passionate advocate for both preloved fashion, the main topic of her Instagram account, but also ‘the joy of enough’ - living with only what we truly need, and not being sucked into the constant feeding frenzy of ‘needing new’ things to make us happy.

We also talk ‘comparisonitis’ and how we face that down, the shame and stigma that can still attach to preloved clothing and why she is so passionate about proving you can still be stylish on a seriously tiny budget, and her ‘lifeboat analogy’ which really did make me stop in my tracks, perhaps it will resonate with you too…

You can find Anna at https://www.notneedingnew.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/not.needing.new/

 

 

If you enjoy the podcast please help us grow by sharing this episode, or writing a review.

You can also find me at www.thetripleshift.org 

connect with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmacthomas/ 

follow along on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/middlingalong_podcast/

or subscribe to my Substack at https://middlingalong.substack.com/ 

Mari Williams on progesterone sensitivity in perimenopause

This time I welcome Mari Williams - author, leadership coach, podcaster, therapist and mediator. I connected with Mari online about three years ago, and when we caught up recently she mentioned that she really wanted to share her experiences of perimenopause, HRT, progesterone sensitivity, and how deeply the psychological symptoms of perimenopause had impacted her - even as someone with her background in therapy and coaching…

As someone who, in her words, was used to ‘good mental health’, Mari was taken aback by the extent of her psychological and emotional symptoms - so much so that her life was turned upside down by them and she experienced suicidal thoughts. The imposter thoughts, lack of confidence, and social anxiety also led to her seriously considering scaling back her successful business. As someone who had previously suffered with PMDD, it took this crisis in her mental health for a specialist to diagnose that she was reacting badly to the progesterone element of her HRT - once her oestrogen had been increased and the progesterone was changed to being taken vaginally, her mood lifted dramatically in just five days. 

We also talk a little about how childhood trauma can impact on severity of perimenopause symptoms, the importance of listening to our own bodies, and how important it is to look into family histories and patterns. 

 

You can find Mari online at https://www.mari-williams.com/

If you think you may be sensitive to progesterone you can find out more at https://www.balance-menopause.com/menopause-library/prgesterone-intolerance-factsheet/ 

 

 

If you enjoy the podcast please help us grow by sharing this episode, or writing a review.

You can also find me at www.thetripleshift.org 

connect with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmacthomas/ 

follow along on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/middlingalong_podcast/

or subscribe to my Substack at https://middlingalong.substack.com/ 

Dr Katie Barber on the NICE draft guidelines

In this slightly shorter than usual episode we welcome back to the podcast Dr Katie Barber, GP and menopause specialist. Our topic is the draft NICE guidelines for menopause, which caused quite a lot of attention in the media when the draft was released for consultation earlier in 2023 - particularly with reference to the focus on CBT for symptom management.

The consultation process closes in early January 2024, and no doubt the final version of the guidelines will be significantly different to this draft version. That said, I’m really grateful to Katie for giving us the benefit of her measured and nuanced take on this emotive topic, including:

• What the NICE guidelines actually are, for anyone who isn’t familiar with them;
• That CBT isn’t a ‘new’ addition to the guidelines, and can be a part of a ‘toolkit’ of options, including for those who can’t take HRT;
• The need for more research in several areas, including those on gender-affirming hormone treatment and HRT, breast cancer patients, and outcomes for ethnic minority groups;
• The overarching need for informed choice - as always - with both the benefits of HRT being clearly articulated as well as the risks. 

You can find Katie at https://www.oxfordmenopause.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/oxford_menopause/ and previously on the podcast at https://middlingalong.com/episodes/middling-along-dr-katie-barber-helps-us-get-to-grips-with-testosterone-dos-and-donts/ and https://middlingalong.com/episodes/middling-along-23-dr-katie-barber-on-menopause-myths-and-misconceptions/

 

If you enjoy the podcast please help us grow by sharing this episode, or writing a review.

You can also find me at www.thetripleshift.org 

connect with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmacthomas/ 

follow along on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/middlingalong_podcast/

or subscribe to my Substack at https://middlingalong.substack.com/ 

Erica Davies on rediscovering our midlife fashion mojo

My guest this time is Erica Davies - a former fashion editor who has worked with some of the UK’s biggest newspapers, magazines and brands…She founded the hugely popular blog the-edited.com and now has an audience of more than 200,000 followers on Instagram. She’s passionate about encouraging women to make bold, confident and happiness-inducing choices through their clothing and interiors, and her most recent book, Style Chapters, was published earlier this year…and would make a fab Christmas present if you still have any friends or family members to buy for!

 

We talk about 

• where the inspiration for the book came from
• Erica’s advice for changing body shapes in midlife and rethinking what might have worked for us before but doesn't now
• Insider fashion editor tips for figuring out what is flattering - for example for anyone feeling ‘tummy-self-conscious’ 
• Her advice for getting out of a 'style funk'
• Getting the best out of second hand/preloved shopping
• Tips for staying chic whilst dressing to cope with menopause symptoms 
• Dopamine dressing and being more playful with our fashion choices for increasing our confidence 
• And just for fun, Erica’s three ‘Desert Island Dresses’ that she’d pick if she could only keep three…

 

You can find Erica at www.the-edited.com  or https://www.instagram.com/erica_davies

 

If you enjoy the podcast please help us grow by sharing this episode, or writing a review.

You can also find me at www.thetripleshift.org 

connect with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmacthomas/ 

follow along on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/middlingalong_podcast/

or subscribe to my Substack at https://middlingalong.substack.com/ 

 

 

Dr Beth Thomas on the latest science and treatments for menopause symptoms

In this episode we catch up with Dr Beth Thomas - who works with me at Managing the Menopause as our clinical lead, is a GP, and a menopause specialist seeing private clients with Everything Menopause.

 

We are covering - only a little belatedly - the latest research and developments that were presented this summer at the British Menopause Society conference. So if you’d like to find out more about what an expert in menopause is excited about, listen on to hear about:

• Fezolinetant (Veozah) - and when we might expect to hear more about this new class of drug for vasomotor symptoms being available for those who can’t take HRT 
• Why rates of endometrial cancer have greatly increased over the last decade
• The ‘Rule of 20’ for addressing weight gain in menopause
• Some fascinating facts about our gut microbiome and why this is the next big thing
• Ethnic differences in menopause symptoms, onset, and access to care
• Female-specific risk factors for increased risk of cardiovascular disease
• How to deal with sleep disturbance - and why you should care about ‘WASO’
• And last, but by no means least, tune in to find out about ‘Beth’s Rule’ and why we might all want to Be More Beth! 

 

You can find Beth at https://www.instagram.com/dr.beththomas/ 

 

If you enjoy the podcast please help us grow by sharing this episode, or writing a review.

You can also find me at www.thetripleshift.org 

connect with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmacthomas/ 

follow along on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/middlingalong_podcast/

or subscribe to my Substack at https://middlingalong.substack.com/