Wild, Wise & Curious...

Michelle Haggerty-Wood & Lou Baker
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  • Health & Fitness
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Welcome to Wild, Wise & Curious - the podcast where midlife, perimenopause and post‑menopause become a wild awakening rather than a slow unravelling. If you’ve ever felt like you’re losing the plot, rewriting it or stepping into a new chapter, you’re in the right place. We’re Michelle & Lou - not experts, just two midlife women with lived experience, curiosity and a deep belief in the wisdom of shared stories. Michelle, a scriptwriter, has always been drawn to the power of narrative - how stories shape us, heal us and bring us together. Lou, with a background in psychology, is fascinated by the human experience and the ways we make sense of our lives. Naturally curious and happily chatty, we love listening to women’s stories and helping others feel seen, heard and valued. Wild, Wise & Curious was born from that shared love of conversation, curiosity and community. What began as two women talking honestly about our own midlife experiences has blossomed into rich, meaningful conversations with guests from all walks of life... and we LOVE it! Each episode, we sit with real women navigating anxiety, panic, hormonal chaos, identity shifts, grief, joy, rage, rebirth and everything in between. Their honesty is medicine. Their laughter is grounding. Their wisdom rises from the lives they’ve lived and the truths they’ve reclaimed. Wild, Wise & Curious is a community, a conversation and a reminder that you’re not going mad - you’re unbecoming what you were taught so you can remember who you are. Follow, subscribe and share with your midlife mates. Trigger note: we discuss anxiety, panic and emotional wellbeing, so please take care while listening. If the podcast nourishes you, you can support the show here ☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwiseandcurious Find us on Instagram & Facebook: @wild_wise_and_curious

  1. 5d ago

    From Survival to Summit:The Bridge, The Brain Fog, The Years Nobody Explained!

    Andrea was once too scared to drive over a bridge she'd crossed hundreds of times - just one symptom in years of perimenopause that brought rage, anxiety and brain fog so severe it left her wondering if she had dementia. These symptoms went unidentified for years, with no one joining the dots to perimenopause. It took watching Davina McCall's documentary for everything else to click - the "a-ha" moment that she wasn't broken, she was in fact perimenopausal, and that this was 'normal'. Now, after recognising traits of ADHD in herself, raising three children, and running her own business through all of it, Andrea has become a menopause coach and runs the  Scottish Pause Summit - a holistic event supporting women at every stage of menopause. We talk through the patchy, inconsistent nature of the current medical support, why community and shared experience matter so much, and Andrea's next chapter helping women build tech skills as they navigate career transitions alongside everything else. The summit lands on World Menopause Day, 18th October, in Glasgow. And you can find out more here: https://scottishpausesummit.co.uk To find out more about what Andrea offers - www.facebook.com/andreaclareart.uk https://www.instagram.com/andreaclareunlimited Listen wherever you get your podcasts or Pop over to YouTube to see all our faces! Enjoy this episode and fancy buying us a brew? Head over to https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwiseandcurious?status=1 #BrainFog #menopause #Perimenopause #périménopause #riteofpassage #MenopauseStories #PerimenopauseSupport #MidlifeTransformation #WomenInMidlife #Midlife #MidlifeMagic #MidlifePodcast #PerimenopauseSymptoms #MidlifeWomen #midlifechanges

    From Survival to Summit:The Bridge, The Brain Fog, The Years Nobody Explained!

  2. Sep 25

    The Return: From Breaking Point to Supporting Other Women Through Their Shifts

    In this episode we welcome back Rowena - returning for her second conversation with us and bringing a deeper, more honest look at what happened when her menopause journey reached breaking point. Rowena talks about the early symptoms she brushed aside, the slow creep of exhaustion and the moment everything tipped over: three months without sleep, spiralling mental health and feeling like she was disappearing inside her own life. It was a friend who encouraged her to try HRT - which became the shift she didn’t know she needed. Her mood lifted, her clarity returned and she began to feel like herself again. We explore the importance of hormone testing, the frustration of navigating GPs who may overlook or minimise menopause symptoms and the relief that comes when someone finally listens. Rowena shares how this experience didn’t just change her wellbeing - it changed her direction. It led her to become a menopause coach, using what she learned to support other women through their shifts, offering mind, body and soul guidance rooted in lived experience. This conversation is a gentle, grounded return - to Rowena’s story, to her voice and to the truth that menopause can be both a crisis and a calling. It’s about what happens when you come back to yourself, and then turn that understanding outward to help other women find their way too. To find out more about what Rowena is doing, visit www.lilaclotuswellbeing.com or see her over on her socials:  Facebook: Lilac Lotus Wellbeing- Coaching, Mindfulness and Hypnotherapy Insta: @lilaclotuswellbeing Enjoy this episode and fancy buying us a brew? Head over to https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwiseandcurious?status=1

    The Return: From Breaking Point to Supporting Other Women Through Their Shifts

  3. Sep 18

    Shift Happens: Reinventing Yourself One 'Tweak a Week'

    In this episode of Wild, Wise & Curious, we explore how perimenopause can become a season of reinvention - not through big dramatic overhauls, but through small, sustainable shifts. Our guest, Traci, shares how a hysterectomy at 45 and then a sudden rise in blood pressure became her first clues that she was in perimenopause. Instead of returning to yo‑yo dieting, she began making gentle lifestyle changes - her “tweak a week” approach - adjusting diet, movement, rest and recovery. These tweaks lowered her metabolic age, rebuilt her energy and helped her maintain muscle through midlife. She now teaches these principles through her 12‑week programme, Shift, encouraging women to use bite‑sized exercise and simple routines to support their wellbeing. We talk about joint pain, sleep struggles, community and the idea of midlife as a time to rewrite your story - one 'tweak a week'.   If you want to know more about what Traci is doing - follow her on her socials and find all her details below. Social Media Links: Instagram : @thetracishift FB: Shift Coaching : https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567510014560 TikTok : @traci.lowdenstoole Free Workshop : How to make Weight Loss Sustainable. Because nobody wants to lose weight just to find it again! Available here: https://pages.neemacoaching.uk/webinar-registration Free Guide – 5 Metabolism Boosters to help busy ambitious women lose weight for good: https://pages.neemacoaching.uk/free-guide-1 If you've enjoyed this episode or any other and you fancy buying us a cuppa - head over tohttps://buymeacoffee.com/wildwiseandcurious?status=1

    Shift Happens: Reinventing Yourself One 'Tweak a Week'

  4. Sep 11

    A Midlife Leap Into Van Life

    After years working in senior roles across health services and universities, Nicky reached a point where the pace, pressure and perimenopause‑linked anxiety and brain fog made her rethink everything. Together with her husband, they prepared a five‑year plan: retire at 55 and travel across Europe in a van. What followed was a mix of determination, creativity and midlife courage - designing a van's interior inside their flat in Wales, sending friends to view it during lockdown because they couldn’t travel and slowly building the life they’d been imagining. Somewhere along the way, they adopted a dog who now travels with them - adding companionship, chaos and joy to life on the road. Five years in, Nicky’s written a book capturing those early adventures: the learning curves, the mishaps, the unexpected detours and the steady unfolding of a life lived differently. In this episode, Nicky shares how perimenopause disrupted the norm, how she stepped away from a stressful senior career, and how she’s now living full‑time across Europe - travelling, dog‑sitting, exploring new places and embracing the freedom she once only planned on paper. This episode defo had us searching 'Campervans' on the internet... AGAIN! If you’d like to follow more of Nicky’s journey, you can read her book and find her on socials to see where she’s travelling and what she's up to next. Retired and Inspired2020 on FB  @retired.and.inspired2020 on Instagram Retired and Inspired Pet Services - pet sitting  https://www.retiredinspiredpetservices.co.uk/home   Book: Retired and Inspired: finding our own way. Nicky Genders Amazon only  https://amzn.eu/d/0dLL3dHC

    A Midlife Leap Into Van Life

  5. Jul 25

    See You in September - After a Little Lie‑Down

    Back Soon - Just Having a Little Lie‑Down   As we wrap this run of episodes, we want to say a huge thank you to every guest who sat with us and shared their stories - the midlife shifts, the early‑menopause journeys, the healing, humour, courage, chaos and of course the messy, beautiful rites of passage that shape us all.   We like to think we've made some lifelong friends   And to every one of you who listens, watches, shares, messages and shows up for this space - you’re right at the heart of it all - the reason we do what we do and love it so very much. We’re all part of one big Wild, Wise & Curious circle, weaving our conversations together, showing up for each other and making this community what it is.   We’re stepping back for a few weeks now (cold drinks, shade, rest, dreaming) and we’ll be back in September with more episodes, more voices, more midlife stories, more early‑menopause journeys and more of the grounded magic we’re creating together.   We thank you. We love you. Have a great summer Michelle & Lou xxx   If you fancy being a guest on the show - get in touch - info@wildwiseandcurious.com Listen wherever you get your podcasts Or head to YouTube to see all our faces. Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwiseandcurious #WildWiseAndCurious #NewEpisode #PerimenopauseSupport #BrainFog #MidlifePodcast #WomenInMidlife #CoachingJourney #ParentingPressure #SelfCompassion #ReclaimingYourLife #MidlifeUnravelling

    See You in September - After a Little Lie‑Down

  6. Jul 3

    Perimenopause, Brain Fog & Rising From Our Own Ashes

    In this episode of Wild, Wise & Curious, we sit down with Jody for a powerful conversation about perimenopause, brain fog, identity and rebuilding your life when everything feels like it’s falling apart. Jody shares how her perimenopause symptoms collided with a difficult chapter - the end of her marriage, caring for three children with additional needs, losing her father and leaving her teaching career of 23 years. Brain fog became her biggest challenge, impacting her confidence, clarity and ability to function in the classroom. Together, we explore: the confusion of perimenopause symptoms being mistaken for anxiety the grief of losing old routines, roles and versions of ourselves parenting children with additional needs while trying to care for yourself rebuilding self‑trust through journaling, meditation, breath work, Pilates and yoga the guilt women carry modern parenting pressures and the exhaustion of trying to ‘do it all’ Jody’s evolution from teaching and selling make-up and skin products - to coaching, boundaries work and supporting other mums creating new systems, new expectations and new ways of living that actually work It’s an episode about self‑compassion, survival and slowly finding your way back to yourself. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or head to YouTube to see all our faces. ☕ Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwiseandcurious   To find out more about Jody’s offerings, see below: https://thereclamation.my.canva.site Insta: Jody_r66 FB: https://www.facebook.com/jody.ruston FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thereclaimedcollective

    Perimenopause, Brain Fog & Rising From Our Own Ashes

  7. Jun 26

    ADHD, Perimenopause & Reclaiming Our Own Story

    ADHD, Perimenopause & Reclaiming Our Own Story This week on Wild, Wise & Curious, we dive into a powerful conversation about ADHD, perimenopause, identity and the emotional weight so many women carry without language for it. Our guest, Claudia, returns to the show and shares her recent ADHD diagnosis and how perimenopause has amplified everything - anxiety, focus, PMS, overwhelm. She talks openly about the shame she held around career choices, money decisions and struggling in traditional work environments and how finally having a diagnosis has reframed her entire story. Together, we explore: ADHD symptoms intensifying during perimenopause learning differences + the messy journey toward diagnosis academic struggles, burnout and working in ways that actually suit us evolving coaching practices: Reiki, transformational coaching, equine work, HR + culture advisory solopreneur pressure, networking dread and social media fatigue HRT, hormone journeys and medication fears why so many women are only now discovering their neurodivergence It’s an episode about self‑understanding, good old midlife unravelling and the courage to rewrite your own story. Listen here or head to YouTube to see all our faces. Find out more about Claudia’s offerings: FB - Claudia De Silva Reiki and Coaching Insta: @Claudiadesilvareiki Website: www.claudiadesilvacoaching.co.uk

    ADHD, Perimenopause & Reclaiming Our Own Story

  8. Jun 19

    The Woman Who Spent Years Working on Her Mind - Until Her Body Spoke Louder

    Clare’s story is one of those rare conversations that stays with you long after you’ve heard it. She didn’t know she was in perimenopause - not until a colleague gently suggested she might want to get checked after noticing she was a little 'shouty'. A women’s‑health specialist confirmed she was already well into menopause, and because of her stage, HRT back then - just wasn’t an option. What followed was a natural, cold‑turkey transition layered with complexity: Clare has BPES, a genetic eye condition linked to early ovarian failure, and shortly after her diagnosis she was hit with something even bigger - salivary gland cancer. Radiotherapy to her neck, mouth and pituitary gland changed everything. She describes becoming a 'non‑person', with cancer treatment overshadowing every menopause symptom. Through all of this, Clare was raising young children, working in not‑for‑profits, training people in psychosocial support, and serving as a community first aider. After 20 years of listening to her mind, she realised she needed to listen to her body too. Meditation, breathwork, EFT, nature, walking her dog, and spiritual practice became her anchors. The cancer treatment meant she lost her voice - devastating for a trainer and speaker - but she found new ways to be with herself. She trained at a spiritual college, met her spiritual centre co‑founder and together they founded; Talking Spirit, and now offer emotional‑baggage clearing, soul‑led therapy, mediumship, past‑life work, retreats and more. And over time Clare also reclaimed her voice. Clare is calm, full of quiet magic and absolutely infectious. Her story is one of resilience, intuition and deep listening. And we wanted to listen to her all day - we're sure you will too x To find out more about Clare's offerings: https://www.talkingspirit.co.uk/ Insta: clare.liza36 Clare's daughter also has a podcast called: Two Chocolate Cakes & Their Mistakes - where two friends talk about their mistakes and their imperfections. We'll be checking that out too x

    The Woman Who Spent Years Working on Her Mind - Until Her Body Spoke Louder
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About

Welcome to Wild, Wise & Curious - the podcast where midlife, perimenopause and post‑menopause become a wild awakening rather than a slow unravelling. If you’ve ever felt like you’re losing the plot, rewriting it or stepping into a new chapter, you’re in the right place. We’re Michelle & Lou - not experts, just two midlife women with lived experience, curiosity and a deep belief in the wisdom of shared stories. Michelle, a scriptwriter, has always been drawn to the power of narrative - how stories shape us, heal us and bring us together. Lou, with a background in psychology, is fascinated by the human experience and the ways we make sense of our lives. Naturally curious and happily chatty, we love listening to women’s stories and helping others feel seen, heard and valued. Wild, Wise & Curious was born from that shared love of conversation, curiosity and community. What began as two women talking honestly about our own midlife experiences has blossomed into rich, meaningful conversations with guests from all walks of life... and we LOVE it! Each episode, we sit with real women navigating anxiety, panic, hormonal chaos, identity shifts, grief, joy, rage, rebirth and everything in between. Their honesty is medicine. Their laughter is grounding. Their wisdom rises from the lives they’ve lived and the truths they’ve reclaimed. Wild, Wise & Curious is a community, a conversation and a reminder that you’re not going mad - you’re unbecoming what you were taught so you can remember who you are. Follow, subscribe and share with your midlife mates. Trigger note: we discuss anxiety, panic and emotional wellbeing, so please take care while listening. If the podcast nourishes you, you can support the show here ☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwiseandcurious Find us on Instagram & Facebook: @wild_wise_and_curious

Information

  • Creator
    Michelle Haggerty-Wood & Lou Baker
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    64
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Wild, Wise & Curious...