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The next wave of menopausal women is here. Millennials (born 1981–1996)—with the oldest now 44—are marching into the transition. And no, they’re not “all set.” They’re still running into poor care, confusion about hormone therapy, and real mental-health turbulence. Many are also rolling straight from postpartum into perimenopause—stacking new physical and emotional challenges. This week’s guest, licensed clinical social worker and women’s health advocate Lauren Tetenbaum, is on a mission to make it smoother for her generation with her new book, Millennial Menopause: Preparing for Perimenopause, Menopause, and Life’s Next Period. We dig into what she found, what millennial women need right now, and how we can build a better future.

Lauren Tetenbaum, LCSW, JD, PMH-C is a licensed clinical social worker, women's rights advocate, and writer dedicated to supporting and empowering women through life transitions. With experience as both a lawyer and a psychotherapist, Lauren specializes in counseling women navigating identity shifts related to motherhood, career, and reproductive health. Lauren frequently contributes thought leadership to media and professional organizations; she is the author of the 2025 book Millennial Menopause: Preparing for Perimenopause, Menopause, and Life's Next Period. Learn more about Lauren at thecounseLaur.com.

Resources: 

Millennial Menopause: Preparing for Perimenopause, Menopause, and Life's Next Period, here.

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Kim Beckinsale and Alina McMaster, both in their mid-50s, race with Mountain Designs Wild Women, along with their teammates Cass Kimlin and Del Lloyd, who are both over 40. The team made history last year by becoming the first all-female team to win the 450 km Legend Expedition Race along Australia’s Great Ocean Road, finishing in 73:09:27 and outracing men half their age. They unpack how women-only team chemistry—less ego, more communication, and strategic towing/help—can be a superpower over multi-day, map-and-compass courses on little sleep. They also share how their training has evolved with age (fewer “flog yourself” sessions, sharper intensity, bigger recovery) and how menopause shows up (heat management, sleep shifts, mood) without slowing performance. Kim and Alina are currently at Expedition Canada 2025, getting ready to tackle a 750+ km trek–bike–paddle course starting September 25. Follow along: www.expeditionracecanada.ca

Kim Beckinsale is a Health & PE teacher at Sunshine Beach SHS with 36+ years in education and prior leadership roles at Coorparoo and Cleveland District SHS. Queensland School Sport Life Member (2013) and Triathlon 30-year service awardee (2022). A triathlete since the early ’90s and adventure racer since 2004, she holds coaching quals across triathlon, athletics, paddling, MTB, orienteering, plus Remote First Aid & CPR. Co-owner of Tri Adventure (f. 2009), which coaches athletes and runs The Wild Women Adventure Race (2012, Australia’s first all-female AR) and The Amazons Australia (2025, first ARWS all-women’s event).

Alina McMaster is Australian Partner at Eventplus and Owner/CEO of AROC Sport, organizing outdoor endurance events. Co-founded Ultra-Trail Australia in 2008 (then The North Face 100), which grew into the world’s second-largest trail event before its sale to Ironman in 2018. A former Australian cross-country ski champion and World Cup/Universiade representative, she dominated domestic multisport (Winter Classic, JLW Challenge, Sri Chinmoy Triple Tri, Jindabyne). In the late ’90s–early 2000s, she and husband Tom Landon-Smith raced on one of the top adventure racing teams globally.

Resources

Historic Win for the Mountain Designs Wild Women Team at Legend Race in Australia, Wild & Co.

AR World Series, Expedition Canada

Wild Women in action video clips. 

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Eighty percent of us will develop fibroids by age 50–making them an epidemic nobody talks about. Tennis legend Venus Williams, 45, has recently spoken up about the debilitating pain, fatigue, and heavy bleeding she suffered with due to fibroids for literally decades. This week we talk with the doctor who finally helped her find relief, Dr. Taraneh Shirazian, Founder and Director of the Center for Fibroid Care at NYU Langone Health. We shine some much needed light on what fibroids are, common symptoms, how fibroids intersect with perimenopause, menopause, and hormone therapy, and what we can do about them. 

Dr. Taraneh Shirazian is the Founder and Director of the Center for Fibroid Care at NYU Langone Grossman School of Medicine, a state-of-the-art wellness center that takes a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to treating fibroids, abnormal uterine bleeding, and pelvic pain while prioritizing patients’ life goals, including family planning. A minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon and Associate Professor at NYU Langone, she also directs Global Women’s Health in OBGYN and at NYU’s College of Global Public Health, where she has taught for seven years. She is the Founder and President of Saving Mothers, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing preventable maternal deaths worldwide. Recognized as a leader in women’s health and an advocate for patient education and empowerment, Dr. Shirazian specializes in fibroids, endometriosis, ovarian cysts, pelvic pain, and abnormal bleeding, and is frequently featured as a women’s health expert on major media outlets including CBS, CNN, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Newsweek, and The Wall Street Journal. You can follow her on Instagram @drshirazian

Resources:

Venus Williams Opens Up About Her 30-Year Fibroids Journey, Self Magazine

Venus Williams Shares Her Journey with Uterine Fibroids & Advocates for Women’s Health, NYU Langone Health NewsHub

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Buckle up for a trip (pun intended) into the midlife brain. This week we sit down with neuroscientist Dr. Grace Blest-Hopley to connect the dots between cannabinoids, psychedelics, trauma, and the menopause transition. We cover CBD/THC for sleep, anxiety, pain, and inflammation; how the endocannabinoid system works, and how psychedelics like psilocybin act on serotonin pathways, reduce neuroinflammation, and promote neuroplasticity—potentially countering some brain changes seen with estrogen loss. We also dig into trauma (including why PTSD risk and expression differ by sex), the importance of set, setting, and skilled facilitation, who should not use psychedelics, the legal/clinical landscape, and much more. Curious about midlife brain health and whether these therapies are worth exploring? This one’s for you.

Dr. Grace Blest-Hopley is a neuroscientist with 12 years experience researching cannabis, cannabinoids, and psychedelics. Grace completed her PhD in Neuroscience at King's College London and currently serves as the Chief Scientific Officer at NWPharma Tech. She is the Research Director at Heroic Hearts Project, a charity that supports combat veterans with mental health challenges resulting from trauma and is also the founder of Hystelica, a community focused on understanding women's biology for safe and effective psychedelic use. In addition to her research and professional roles, she has served as an officer in the British Army Reserve. Dr. Blest-Hopley advocates for the therapeutic potential of these substances and strives to advance the field of psychedelic research. Her work contributes to promoting a better understanding of women's biology in relation to psychedelics. You can learn more about her and her work at hystelica.com

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Growing up in sport, this week’s guest was often told her body wasn’t “right”—too muscular, not tall enough, never thin enough—and those messages followed her into adulthood through the pressures of work, marriage, motherhood, and loss. Her turning point came in a hotel gym, where she discovered the power of fueling well, eating enough protein, and lifting heavy. What began as a shift from self-medicating with alcohol to self-empowering with weights eventually led her to bodybuilding, a sport that both celebrates and sometimes complicates women’s bodies. We dig into how eating more can transform health and performance, what it really takes to step on stage, how perimenopause shows up with rage, panic, and fatigue, and why muscle is the “metabolic 401k” every woman needs. This is a conversation about rewriting the script—replacing “small and skinny” with “strong and powerful”—and embracing the bodies we were meant to have. You can learn more about her work at AnneMarieChaker.com

Anne Marie Chaker is a veteran journalist and professional bodybuilder. During her two-decade career at The Wall Street Journal, she held reporting jobs all over the paper, from the Journal’s regional editions to the Spot News Desk during the September 11 attack. She has covered everything from politics to news events, consumer trends, education, the workplace, and the major sociological shifts of our time. Chaker lives in the Washington, D.C., area with her partner, Rick; daughters Juliette and Sylvie; and their overeager pup, Ninja. Her latest book is LIFT: How Women Can Reclaim Their Physical Power and Transform Their Lives. 

Resources:

LIFT: How Women Can Reclaim Their Physical Power and Transform Their Lives here

Anne Marie Chaker Substack here

I Never Thought I’d Write This: I Am a Female Bodybuilder, Wall Street Journal 

I’m 50, in Perimenopause—and About to Compete as a Pro Bodybuilder, Daily Beast

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At 65, Diane Grim was the oldest woman competing at the Western States 100–widely considered one of the toughest organized trail runs in the United States–this year. It was her first ever 100 miler and she didn’t even start running till she was in her 50s, but as she says, every mile, every step is a gift, so why not? She didn’t have the day she hoped for, but she left filled with pride, hope of better days to come, and a newfound goal to wrap up some unfinished business. This week she shares her successes, failures, her crazy training days during menopause, and why you’re never too old to be young again. 

Diane is a former bike racer turned trail runner at age 50, and she hasn’t literally or figuratively backpedaled since! Diane’s trail friends call her “MacGyver” thanks to her love of problem-solving and making things on the fly. She runs by the motto: If you can’t run fast, run smart. Every mile is a gift! Anywhere outside is Diane’s happy place and you can find her hammock camping, landscaping, building stuff or running through the woods like a kid! Diane is so grateful to be running Western States, proudly sponsored by the HOKA Outreach Program.

Resources:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DLYYfiPPtw0/

https://trailsisters.net/women-of-wser/#:~:text=the%20Panelists%20%26%20Host-,Diane%20Grim,t%20run%20fast%2C%20run%20smart.

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She did it. At 10:06 a.m. on May 24th, two-time guest Jeannette McGill stood on top of the world. Jeannette, 52, summited Mount Everest after three years of navigating hot flashes, heavy, erratic periods, joint pain, stubborn injuries, brain fog, and maybe most difficult of all for a high altitude mountaineer–newfound fear that made tasks that once came easily feel overwhelming. Along the way, including two abandoned summit attempts, Jeannette learned that through the power and support of community and with patience, persistence, and practice you can get through even the darkest of tunnels to reach your goals. She shares her journey and the wisdom learned along the way this week.

Jeannette McGill is the first South African woman to summit Manaslu and the first-ever South African to climb Dhaulagiri - two of the 14 8,000-meter (26,000 feet) mountains in the world. She is passionate about supporting others to achieve their outdoor goals through her mountain mentoring and leads bespoke adventures in the Australian Alps and Nepal. Her portfolio career also includes industrial technology management, and she has a PhD from the Colorado School of Mines. You can learn more about her and her work as a mentor and guide at www.mcgillsmountains.com/

Resources

Menopause Lessons from the Mountains with Jeannette McGill (Episode 89)

Fear and the Quest for Everest in Menopause with Jeannette McGill (Episode 195)

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How many times have we heard that weight loss and maintenance is simply “calories in, calories out?” Well, the equation may be rooted in thermodynamics, but the reality is biology, history, hormones, and a whole lot more. This week, endocrinologist and Harvard obesity researcher Dr. Jody Dushay breaks down why this concept is far more complex than the numbers on a food label or how many calories our devices tell us we’ve burned. From how your body actually absorbs calories to how (or not) it expends them, we explore how and why weight gain and loss anything but straightforward—especially during menopause, when shifting body composition, gut microbiome changes, altered insulin responses, and evolving hormone levels, create a whole new metabolic landscape. As you’ll see, your body isn’t a calculator—it’s a dynamic, adapting system. We also revisit GLP-1 drugs, which are increasingly popular with midlife women, and where they fit in this whole equation (so to speak). 

Jody Dushay, MD, MMSc, is an endocrinologist at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is also the founder and director of Well Powered, a comprehensive wellness and weight management program. Dr Dushay has studied the effect of pharmacotherapies and dietary interventions on body weight for years, including a large single-site study examining the effects of a glucagon-like peptide receptor agonist on body weight in obese women without diabetes. As a triathlete, she has qualified for Kona 3 times and came in 2nd in her age group at the 2020 Ironman World Championship in St George. You can learn more about her and her work at wellpowered.org.

Resources:

Dr. Jody Dushay’s research:

Short-term exenatide treatment leads to significant weight loss in a subset of obese women without diabetes

Weight Loss Outcomes Among Early High Responders to Exenatide Treatment: A Randomized, Placebo Controlled Study in Overweight and Obese Women

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For the longest time, endurance athletes avoided the weight room, afraid unwanted muscles would weigh them down, while strength athletes all but kicked cardio to the curb. Now we know that no matter if you’re running an ultra or competing in a CrossFit competition, the right blend of cardio and strength is the secret sauce for success–especially once you hit midlife and menopause. This week, renowned exercise physiologist Dr. Alyssa Olenick dives in on how our hormones impact our muscles, metabolism, and general physiology, and how the right blend of hybrid training can help you stay strong, fit, healthy, and injury free during and beyond the menopause transition.

This episode originally dropped on January 8, 2025.

Dr. Alyssa Olenick holds a PhD in exercise physiology and is a certified sports nutritionist and CrossFit Level 2 Trainer. Alyssa completed her doctoral training in exercise and human metabolism, sex differences, and menstrual cycle physiology. She also completed a postdoctoral research fellow investigating the areas of menopause and metabolism. As a coach she specializes in the areas of endurance, strength, and hybrid training. She runs her online business ‘Doc Lyss Fitness’ and training programs ‘The Lyss Method’. She is also a strength athlete, ultra-marathon runner, and all-around fitness lover who is passionate about educating people on science-based fitness to get them into the gyms and on the roads/trails — or often, doing both at the same time! You can learn more about Dr. Alyssa Olenick and her programs at www.doclyssfitness.com

Resources

How to exercise for menopause with Dr. Alyssa Olenick on YouTube

Menopausal Women Need Unique Muscle Making Guidelines, Feisty Menopause Blog

Resistance training alters body composition in middle-aged women depending on menopause - A 20-week control trial, BMC Women's Health

Effect of Concurrent Training on Body Composition and Gut Microbiota in Postmenopausal Women with Overweight or Obesity, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

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