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Menopause - The Real Deal

Menopause - The Real Deal

By: Michelle Rowlinson
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Summary

 "Menopause - The Real Deal" is your go-to podcast for honest, expert-driven conversations about perimenopause and menopause. Hosted by Michelle, a senior Physiotherapist, Menopause Wellbeing Practitioner, and best selling author, this podcast dives deep into the real experiences of women navigating this transformative stage of life. Each episode features insightful interviews with health professionals, business leaders, corporate women, and past clients who share their journeys, challenges, and triumphs. We debunk common myths, explore the impact of menopause on health and work life, and provide practical advice to help you manage symptoms and thrive. Whether you’re approaching perimenopause, in the midst of it, or supporting someone who is, "Menopause - The Real Deal" offers the education and support you need to embrace this phase with confidence. Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Development Personal Success Relationships Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Reclaiming Your Career After Menopause: Pushing Through The Pivot Point - with Debbie Taylor

    Reclaiming Your Career After Menopause: Pushing Through The Pivot Point - with Debbie Taylor
    May 6 2026
    This time I’m joined by life coach Debbie Taylor to talk about the reality of how perimenopause and menopause can affect women in the workplace, and why so many women are misunderstood, unsupported, or even pushed out of their jobs as a result. When perimenopause hits, we can feel like our super powers are being stripped away, replaced by brain fog, fatigue, and an overwhelming sense of disconnect at work. Couple this with a shocking lack of support from professionals who should know better, and many women can suddenly feel left behind and undervalued. Debbie talks about how she helps high-capacity women navigate this messy transition, helping them understand their nervous systems and reclaim their identity so they can move forward with hope and a renewed sense of purpose. Debbie Reveals Why many women experience a peak in career pressure just as hormonal shifts begin, leading to a perfect storm of burnout and misunderstood symptoms. Menopause isn't just about hormones; it’s an unveiling of the long-term stress and damage we've done to our nervous systems by pushing through for decades. While Hormone Replacement Therapy is a vital tool, it was originally designed for post-menopausal women; perimenopausal women often need a more nuanced approach that includes lifestyle and stress management. One in ten women leave their jobs specifically due to menopause symptoms, often because they feel managed out rather than supported by their employers. BEST MOMENTS "Menopause is the 366th day after your last period. Actually, we only experience perimenopause and post-menopause." "What most women are experiencing is not just about hormones; it's about what their nervous system is doing. What it's revealing is all this damage we've been doing to ourselves for 20 years." "We are the 'f*** it' generation. We have grown up louder than our mothers and grandmothers were ever allowed to be." "It’s the first time in my life that I love myself... to be able to step into who you actually are once you hit this era is magical." EPISODE LINKS https://messylifecoach.co.uk https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-taylor-messy-life-coach-264b7733 hello@messylifecoach.co.uk HOST BIO Michelle is a highly respected Physiotherapist and Menopause Wellbeing Practitioner with over two decades of experience in the health and wellness industry. After experiencing seven years of debilitating symptoms herself before realising it was perimenopause, Michelle has since dedicated her career to helping other women navigate this transformative stage of life. Her personal journey fuels her passion for educating and empowering women, as well as training businesses and health professionals through her specialised menopause and wellbeing workshops. A best-selling author and sought-after speaker, Michelle combines deep clinical expertise with relatable, real-world experience. Through her podcast, "Menopause - The Real Deal," she offers evidence-based guidance, authentic conversations, and practical strategies. Listeners trust Michelle for her empathetic understanding and her commitment to helping women thrive, making her a leading voice in the menopause space. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/michelle.kimp.9/ Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag Website www.panaceapause.co.uk
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    57 mins
  • Why You Feel Like You’re Losing Yourself

    Why You Feel Like You’re Losing Yourself
    Apr 29 2026
    If you’ve been feeling like a stranger in your own body, waking up at 3:00 AM with a racing heart or snapping at your loved ones for no clear reason, I want you to know that you are not going crazy and you are certainly not alone. For too long, our experiences have been dismissed as "just stress" or "just your hormones," but in this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on what is actually happening inside your brain. My goal is to move us past the labels of anxiety or burnout and into a place of true understanding and self-compassion. This phase of life is a challenge, but when we understand the why behind our symptoms, we can stop blaming ourselves and start finding the support we truly deserve to feel like ourselves again. Michelle Reveals How progesterone is the calming hormone that supports GABA, your brain's natural chill-out neurotransmitter Why oestrogen doesn't just regulate your cycle; it influences a cocktail of vital neurotransmitters meaning fluctuations can cause everything from memory lapses to a total loss of drive. How your stress response system (the HPA axis) becomes much more reactive during menopause, making it harder for your body to come back down after a stressful event Why menopausal symptoms mimic clinical anxiety, burnout, or even ADHD, many women are given a label rather than an explanation, leading to treatments that address the surface symptoms BEST MOMENTS "These hormones are not just sitting there quietly in the background. They are interacting directly with your brain." "You’re tired, but your brain won’t switch off... your mind decides now is the perfect time to replay every conversation you’ve ever had since 1998." "It’s not that you’ve suddenly become less capable... it’s that the chemical environment your brain relies on to function properly is no longer stable." "No woman needs to be suffering through this completely natural phase of life. With the right education and support, it can feel very different." HOST BIO Michelle is a highly respected Physiotherapist and Menopause Wellbeing Practitioner with over two decades of experience in the health and wellness industry. After experiencing seven years of debilitating symptoms herself before realising it was perimenopause, Michelle has since dedicated her career to helping other women navigate this transformative stage of life. Her personal journey fuels her passion for educating and empowering women, as well as training businesses and health professionals through her specialised menopause and wellbeing workshops. A best-selling author and sought-after speaker, Michelle combines deep clinical expertise with relatable, real-world experience. Through her podcast, "Menopause - The Real Deal," she offers evidence-based guidance, authentic conversations, and practical strategies. Listeners trust Michelle for her empathetic understanding and her commitment to helping women thrive, making her a leading voice in the menopause space. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/michelle.kimp.9/ Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag Website www.panaceapause.co.uk
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    16 mins
  • The Truth About Perimenopause, ADHD, and Brain Health - with Dr. Saara Haapanen

    The Truth About Perimenopause, ADHD, and Brain Health - with Dr. Saara Haapanen
    Apr 22 2026
    This time, I talk to performance and wellness expert Dr. Saara Haapanen to uncover why so many high-functioning women feel like they are losing their focus and motivation during perimenopause. We explore the fascinating and often overlooked link between hormonal fluctuations and neurodiversity, specifically how the drop in oestrogen can unmask ADHD traits or cause existing coping strategies to crumble. Dr. Saara shares her powerful "13 M's" framework to help us understand the various factors affecting our performance, moving us away from all-or-nothing thinking and toward small, sustainable wins. It’s a conversation that’ll leave you feeling validated, informed, and hopeful, equipped with practical tools like movement-based regulation and mindset shifts to help you reclaim your sense of self and thrive through this transition Saara Reveals Why oestrogen levels fluctuate wildly during perimenopause before eventually declining, and how these shifts can significantly impair motivation, focus, and emotional regulation. How many women discover they have ADHD during perimenopause because the hormonal support they relied on to mask their symptoms disappears. How you can physically grow the part of the brain that handles difficult tasks by making and keeping small promises to yourself Why sustainable wellness isn't about massive overhauls; it is about timeline splits, where making a choice that is just 1% better for your future self can create a trajectory for long-term success. BEST MOMENTS "If you would never utter these words to your best friend or to another human being, why are you uttering them to yourself?" "There's no wagon. You're not on or off the wagon. You have every single day of your life... it’s about making a choice for your future self in that moment." "ADHD is a superpower as long as you know how to work with it." "If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you, but your ACC is the part of your brain that you can grow every time you do something hard." SHOW RESOURCES https://drsaara.com/ https://www.moveatworkchallenge.com/ADHDhabits HOST BIO Michelle is a highly respected Physiotherapist and Menopause Wellbeing Practitioner with over two decades of experience in the health and wellness industry. After experiencing seven years of debilitating symptoms herself before realising it was perimenopause, Michelle has since dedicated her career to helping other women navigate this transformative stage of life. Her personal journey fuels her passion for educating and empowering women, as well as training businesses and health professionals through her specialised menopause and wellbeing workshops. A best-selling author and sought-after speaker, Michelle combines deep clinical expertise with relatable, real-world experience. Through her podcast, "Menopause - The Real Deal," she offers evidence-based guidance, authentic conversations, and practical strategies. Listeners trust Michelle for her empathetic understanding and her commitment to helping women thrive, making her a leading voice in the menopause space. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/michelle.kimp.9/ Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag Website www.panaceapause.co.uk
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
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