Menopause Chicks: This Show is Not About Menopause Shirley Weir, Menopause Chicks

Today, I have a special guest and an extra special surprise for you…as we wrap up this season of This Show is Not About Menopause. I met Robin Joy last year when she joined the Menopause Chicks team. What a gift…and now I have the pleasure of sharing one of Robin’s gifts with YOU! I often refer to Robin as a “unicorn” because, in addition to ensuring all things run smoothly at Menopause Chicks, Robin is also a sexual health expert, a women’s health advocate AND she is my new favourite yoga and mindfulness teacher! Today, Robin is leading all of us in a holiday mindfulness meditation! Just when you thought the benefits of meditation and mindfulness couldn’t get any better…along comes Robin…and CHOCOLATE!. So please grab yourself a piece of your favourite chocolate, get comfy and experience the magic of this calming exercise with me. xo

Today’s episode is dear to my heart. My guest is the person who, 11 years ago, when I didn’t know what I didn’t know, answered the door when I came knocking. Dr. Jerilynn Prior is a medical doctor, endocrinologist, world-renowned researcher, author, a thought leader in women's hormone health and osteoporosis, and famous for her research and advocacy around perimenopause and progesterone. Many members of the Menopause Chicks community know Dr. Prior as the founder of the Center for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research [CEMCOR for short.] I am deeply grateful for Dr. Prior’s wisdom and guidance in women’s and honoured to have her sit beside me today.

Being curious about “some good clean fun” led me to invite today’s guest, Sarah Kate, to the show today for a conversation about making alcohol-free choices! This past year inspired me to find tasty, non-alcoholic versions of my favourite beverages…but this conversation goes beyond taste. Sarah Kate and I talk about how to explain your choice not to drink to your friends or others in social situations. I really wanted to include this conversation in the This Show is Not About Menopause line-up to highlight recent changes to the Health Canada guidelines for safe alcohol consumption. More people than ever are making the choice to stop, limit or re-think alcohol and Sarah Kate is on a mission to help you find the best available options!

Today I’m so thrilled to introduce you to someone who started as a client, became a friend, then a mentor, and is now a coach for Menopause Chicks…which means my own personal coach and cheerleader. Colleen Kelly is a changemaker and I’ve invited her on the show today to talk about what it means to change conversations, and to influence long-term impact through advocacy and educational endeavours. This conversation is full of nuggets of wisdom that apply to the mission of Menopause Chicks but will also be inspiring for anyone invested in creating meaningful change in their lives and the world we live in. I think you’re really going to enjoy this conversation.

I have a prediction for 2024. We’re about to have a lot of sex, sometimes with a partner! I’m so thrilled to invite Cass & Leah to the show today. They own an incredible online sexual wellness boutique, Intimate Wellbeing, designed specifically for midlife women. Cass and Leah are changing the conversation about sexual health. They joined me to talk about their journey including some of the challenges they’ve faced along the way, and their amazing success with normalizing conversations about sexual pleasure and well-being for midlife (and beyond) women.

Joining me today is registered psychologist and co-founder of the West Coast Centre for Sex Therapy, Dr. Carolin Klein. It is always a treat to follow smart people on Instagram who share their important research and body of work, and then have the opportunity to meet them in person. Dr. Klein works with a team of registered psychologists and registered clinical counselors who talk about sex all day long! Today, she has brought those important conversations to us. We cover a wide range of topics in our chat–from shame around sex and our bodies to the pleasure gap. This is such an important conversation for all women to be having so I hope you get as much out of this conversation as I did!