Transforming 45

Lisa Boate
  • 5.0 (11)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Weekly

Transforming 45 is where midlife gets real. Host Lisa Boate, menopause coach and educator, dives into the truth about perimenopause, menopause, identity shifts, and midlife reinvention. Through candid stories and menopause conversations with men and women, Lisa helps listeners understand their bodies, relationships, and purpose in this powerful chapter. Honest, funny, and empowering. This is your go-to podcast for thriving through midlife transformation.

  1. 20h ago

    Raised to Push Through: ADHD, Perimenopause and Gen X Burnout

    We were taught to keep going. Work hard. Be useful. Be pleasant. Find a way to make it all fit. A lot of us got very good at that. We also got very good at hiding how much it took. In this episode of Transforming 45, I’m joined by Erin Wong, a former tech executive and the founder of Thriving Minds at Work. We talk about what happens when the demands of midlife meet changing capacity, and why women who have managed for years may start asking new questions about ADHD, burnout and the way their brains work. We get into the effort of masking, the grief that can arrive alongside change, and the pressure to measure our worth by what we get done. Erin also shares a practical way to think about restoration: finding things that give something back to you, whether you have a minute or a whole afternoon. In this conversation: Erin’s move from a corporate career into executive function coaching. The overlapping demands of work, parenting, caregiving and midlife change. Shame, burnout and the feeling that you did everything you were supposed to do. Why a conversation about getting organised can also be a conversation about rest and self-compassion. Questions about ADHD that can surface in midlife, and the importance of professional assessment. Masking, belonging and the different levels of safety people have at work. Finding restorative activities that suit your life and the time you actually have. Looking more closely at the discomfort that can come with choosing rest. Asking for help and talking about a difficult day without sharing more than you want to. Chapters 00:00 Taking off the mask in midlife01:16 Meet Erin Wong02:17 From corporate burnout to supporting women03:47 Perimenopause, executive function and midlife overload08:07 “I checked every box. Why am I not happy?”11:12 Why being busy can keep us from feeling16:39 Why women start questioning ADHD in midlife18:09 When your coping strategies stop working20:31 Sponsor: Dotty Clothing21:43 Why ADHD gets missed in girls and women23:28 Masking, rejection and showing up at work26:23 Who am I underneath the mask?29:34 Rethinking productivity, rest and restoration33:14 Is it guilt—or discomfort?34:01 One small step when you’re overwhelmed36:05 How to talk about a hard day at work38:29 Closing takeaways: compassion, rest and joy A place to begin: Think of one thing that leaves you feeling a little more like yourself. How much time does it need? A minute, five minutes, twenty minutes? Start a small list you can return to on the days when choosing feels hard. About Erin: Erin Wong is a former tech executive and the founder of Thriving Minds at Work, an executive function coaching company. She works with women navigating challenges including ADHD, burnout and the menopause transition, helping them build sustainable ways to get organised, stay focused and manage work and home life. Her approach draws on more than twenty years in the corporate world and her own midlife experience. Connect with Erin: Website: https://www.thrivingmindsatwork.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-wong-%E2%98%95-6102a316/ Book a conversation: https://calendly.com/erin-thrivingmindsatwork/30min Free Overwhelm Reset Guide (email signup; joins Erin’s community): https://www.thrivingmindsatwork.com/lm-overwhelm-rest Newsletter: https://www.thrivingmindsatwork.com/sub-to-comm-lp Paid journal: https://www.thrivingmindsatwork.com/journal Connect with Lisa: Website: https://liberatedmenopause.ca/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lboate/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Transforming45 Follow Transforming 45 in your listening app, or subscribe on YouTube. If this conversation brings someone to mind, send it her way. Content note: This conversation includes burnout, grief, masking, trauma responses and mental health. Erin is an executive function coach, not a clinician providing diagnosis in this episode. The conversation is educational and does not provide individual medical advice. Changes in attention, memory or mood deserve appropriate assessment; a podcast cannot tell you whether you have ADHD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Raised to Push Through: ADHD, Perimenopause and Gen X Burnout

  2. Oct 29

    Menopause, Work and the Fight for Better Care with Trish Barbato

    What happens when menopause symptoms start changing what you can manage at work, and getting help becomes another job? Trish Barbato had spent years working toward a leadership goal. When the opportunity arrived, menopause symptoms and difficulty getting care stood in the way. That experience helped bring her to the work she now does as Co-Founder and Director of the Menopause Foundation of Canada. Trish joins me on Transforming 45 after we shared a stage at Queen’s Park. We talk about what women carry when care is hard to access, how workplace rules can make an already difficult day worse, and why employers need to understand the experience and knowledge they risk losing. We walk through the Foundation’s seven policy priorities, covering provider education, equitable care, physician payment, treatment access, research, workplace support and public awareness. We also talk about practical changes employers can make now, including reviewing existing policies and making room for basic needs such as washroom access. I share an experience from my years in the classroom that still makes me angry. Women have been expected to keep going through circumstances that deserve a much more humane response. This conversation is part of the advocacy I want more people to hear as menopause policy moves into public debate. If it resonates, listen, share it, and use the Foundation’s letter campaign to tell your elected representatives why this matters to you. Listeners will take away How gaps in menopause care can affect career choices and financial security. What the seven policy priorities ask governments to address. Why education and small workplace changes can make support more accessible. How to add a personal story to a letter to elected representatives. Connect with the Menopause Foundation of Canada: Take action: https://menopausefoundationcanada.ca/change/ Read the agenda: https://menopausefoundationcanada.ca/mpac/ Sign the Free HRT in Ontario petition: https://freehrtontario.ca/ Connect with Lisa: https://liberatedmenopause.ca/ For workplace learning: https://link.flowi.io/widget/bookings/menoempower • Instagram @lboate Interested in beautiful Canadian made clothes? Head to dotty.ca This conversation discusses advocacy and lived experience. Treatment decisions need individual assessment with a qualified healthcare professional. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  3. Oct 22

    Reclaiming Your Voice in Midlife with Barbara McAfee

    What parts of yourself have you learned to keep quiet? Voice coach, author and singer-songwriter Barbara McAfee joins Lisa Boate for a conversation about finding your voice in midlife, letting go of old expectations and making room for more of who you are. Barbara talks about the grief that can come with change, the fear of singing in front of other people and the lasting effect of being told your voice does not belong. We explore her five-element approach to vocal expression, what it means to be heard and how music can help us notice the people and moments we might otherwise pass by. There is humour here, and room for the hard stuff. A conversation for anyone getting curious about what she wants to say next. In this episode: Letting go of who you thought you were supposed to be Welcoming back the younger, wilder and less polished parts of yourself Grief, self-criticism and the expectations we carry into midlife Barbara’s experience of changing vocal capacity as she gets older Earth, fire, water, metal and air in her Five Elements Framework The story of a woman who sang happy birthday to her sons after years of believing she could not sing Camp songs, memory and the experience of singing together Barbara’s personal reframe for stage fright Making things we love and allowing ourselves to appreciate them Listening for someone’s intention as well as their words Chapters: 00:00 Preview and show intro 01:15 Welcome and introducing Barbara McAfee 01:40 Why women feel they lose their voice in midlife 03:46 Welcoming the parts of yourself you have kept quiet 05:06 Grief and the way we talk to ourselves 09:05 Letting go of the life you expected 11:38 Seeing the pattern in your life 13:41 A changing voice and room to play 16:39 Feeling safe enough to speak freely 16:55 Barbara’s five elements of vocal expression 18:27 How we respond to tone of voice 20:19 Dottie sponsor break 21:36 How our voices affect one another 23:12 The lasting impact of being told you cannot sing 24:45 Camp songs and the memories we carry 28:06 Why singing can feel so vulnerable 29:15 Barbara’s reframe for stage fright 32:13 Giving your wildness room 33:57 Appreciating what you create 35:21 Music and noticing the people around us 36:57 Rapid fire: water and a voice that keeps growing 37:58 What being heard really means 38:54 Where to connect with Barbara and closing About Barbara Barbara McAfee is a voice coach, author, keynote speaker and singer-songwriter with more than 30 years of experience in vocal coaching and performance. She is the author of Full Voice and Vocal Intelligence and the founder of the Morning Star Singers volunteer hospice choir. Connect with Barbara Website and coaching: https://www.barbaramcafee.com/ Books: https://www.barbaramcafee.com/store.html Five Elements practices: https://www.barbaramcafee.com/vocal-intelligence.html Music: https://barbaramcafee.bandcamp.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/mcafeemusic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbaramcafeesings/ Connect with Lisa Website: https://liberatedmenopause.ca/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lboate/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Transforming45 Follow Transforming 45 in your listening app. If this conversation brings someone to mind, send it her way. Content note: This episode includes strong language and discussion of grief and death. Barbara shares her own experiences and approach to voice work. This conversation is not individual medical advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Reclaiming Your Voice in Midlife with Barbara McAfee

  4. Oct 16

    Beauty on Your Own Terms: A Midlife Reinvention

    What happens when the dream you worked for no longer fits—and the woman in the mirror begins to change too? In this episode of Transforming 45, Lisa sits down with Sway Brows founder Tanny Diep to talk about failure, burnout, beauty, business and the courage to reinvent yourself more than once. Tanny shares how being kicked out of college, selling door-to-door, working in fashion and completing an unexpected yoga teacher training shaped the artist, educator and entrepreneur she is today. The conversation goes far beyond permanent makeup. Lisa and Tanny explore the vulnerability of changing faces, the difference between beauty as performance and beauty as self-expression, and why confidence cannot be researched or perfectly planned—it has to be built through action This Episode Is About Why reinvention is rarely a straight line What rejection can teach us about resilience Recognizing when a once-right dream no longer fits The relationship between burnout, worth and identity Why beauty treatments can be an act of agency and self-connection How changes to our face and body can affect midlife confidence Building confidence through small, consistent action Creating a business rooted in service, freedom and meaningful work You’ll Hear: How Tanny recovered after losing a full scholarship and being kicked out of college Why door-to-door sales became unexpected training for entrepreneurship What fashion taught her about creativity, business and knowing when to leave How yoga helped her move from blame and burnout toward self-awareness The client experience that changed the way she understood permanent makeup Why eyebrows can be deeply connected to identity and self-recognition Why Tanny keeps returning to building, teaching and serving clients Tanny’s mind-body-spirit approach to rebuilding confidence The Big Takeaway: You are allowed to change the dream. This conversation offers room to reconsider work, beauty and success as your life changes, then begin with a small action that feels useful to you. About Tanny Diep: Tanny Diep is the founder of Sway Brows, a beauty entrepreneur, permanent makeup artist, educator and marketing mentor helping beauty professionals build profitable, scalable brands. After growing a multi-service beauty business specializing in permanent makeup for brows, lip blush, eyeliner and plasma skin rejuvenation, she now teaches artists to master both their craft and their marketing through training, coaching and practical business strategy. Connect with Tanny: Training and coaching: www.swaybrows.com Services studio: www.swayinked.com PMU supplies: www.theswaystore.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swaybrows/ Connect with Lisa: Website: https://liberatedmenopause.ca Email: lisa@liberatedmenopause.ca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lboate/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Beauty on Your Own Terms: A Midlife Reinvention

  5. Oct 8

    Did You Lose Your Libido or Never Get to Know It? Desire After 45 with Dr. Lori Brotto

    Come find me at the National Menopause Show, October 17–18, 2026, at the International Centre in Mississauga. I’ll be recording Transforming 45 from the show floor. Use TRANSFORM45 for 15% off tickets: https://nationalmenopauseshow.com/ Have you really lost your libido, or were you never given the space, language or permission to discover your desire in the first place? In this honest conversation, Lisa sits down with psychologist and sexual-health researcher Dr. Lori Brotto, author of Better Sex Through Mindfulness. Together, they unpack the myths women have inherited about desire and how exhaustion, stress, pain, medication and relationship context can shape our sexual lives. We talk about knowing your body, what menopause can change, preparing for conversations with a healthcare practitioner, and what to say when your concerns are dismissed. We also explore how partners can talk about sex without making one person responsible for fixing everything. Maybe pleasure in midlife begins with getting curious about who we are now. Sexual health is health, and this conversation gives us language for something many of us have carried quietly. What listeners will take away: Desire can depend on what is happening within us, around us and in our relationships. Knowing what feels good helps us communicate what we want. Pain, discomfort and changes in desire are legitimate topics for healthcare. A conversation with a partner can start with: “I heard something that made me curious about us.” Chapters: 00:00 Did we lose desire—or never get to know it? 01:33 What sexual desire actually is 03:13 Have I ever felt desire in my own skin? 06:33 What “I’ve lost my libido” can mean 08:34 Sex education, agency and inherited stories 12:38 Knowing your body and what feels good 15:10 Hormones, menopause and sexual comfort 17:38 Why a blood test cannot tell the whole story 18:58 Shame, self-discovery and support 22:32 Midlife women and the demand for better healthcare 27:22 Preparing to talk to your healthcare provider 28:42 Sexual health is health 30:15 Responding when your concerns are dismissed 31:53 Alcohol, sleep and arousal 33:40 Talking with a partner about timing and sex 35:53 How partners’ bodies and roles can change too 38:22 A first step toward sexual self-awareness 40:22 How to begin the conversation with your partner 41:08 What Lisa is taking away CONNECT WITH LORI Website and books: https://www.loribrotto.com/ Research lab: https://brottolab.med.ubc.ca/ CONNECT WITH LISA https://liberatedmenopause.ca/ Instagram: @lboate Transforming 45 is a space for honest conversations about midlife transformation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  6. Oct 1

    You Did Everything Right. Why Does Midlife Feel So Wrong?

    JOIN ME AT THE NATIONAL MENOPAUSE SHOW Come for honest conversations, practical information and a whole lot of midlife connection. When: Oct 17, 2026–Oct 18, 2026 | 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Where: The International Centre, Hall 5, Mississauga, Ontario. I’ll be podcasting from the show floor, including a live conversation with Jessica Holmes on Saturday. Come say hello! Use my code TRANSFORM45 for 15% off your tickets. Tickets: National Menopause Show tickets What happens when you’ve done everything “right”—and still find yourself asking, Who am I now? Around her 50th birthday, Jennifer Arthurton faced divorce, unemployment, an empty nest and illness. The checklist she’d followed no longer offered an answer for what came next. In this episode of Transforming 45, Jennifer and Lisa Boate talk honestly about the grief and anger that can come with a changing identity, the energy it takes to perform a perfect life, and the small questions that can bring you back to yourself. Jennifer shares how writing opened a door to creativity she hadn’t recognised, why stillness was so uncomfortable, and how she learned to ask harder questions without taking responsibility for everyone else’s reaction. You’ll hear about: Letting go of the “good girl” script Finding identity beyond work, marriage and motherhood Listening to your preferences instead of automatically accommodating everyone Practising self-trust through small everyday choices Building community that supports you and challenges you Chapters: 00:00 Who am I now? Introducing Jennifer Arthurton 01:40 The corporate checklist and the “good girl” script 04:37 Divorce, empty nest and the grief behind starting over 08:04 Finding an identity beyond your roles 10:41 Discovering creativity and Old Chicks Know Sh*t 13:56 The energy cost of performing a perfect life 19:15 Learning to stop—and making room for stillness 23:23 Practising self-trust through small choices 25:24 Lisa’s personal experience of stillness and memory 28:25 What do I want? Questions and boundaries 30:44 People-pleasing and asking difficult questions 32:17 Community, collaboration and being fully expressed 38:36 Jennifer’s personal perspective on menopause and purpose 41:11 Trusting yourself in your next chapter About Jennifer Jennifer Arthurton is the founder of Old Chicks Know Sh*t, a platform, podcast and community supporting women navigating midlife and their next chapter. In the conversation, she also discusses her Maven Collective community. CONNECT WITH JENNIFER Instagram: @oldchicksknowshit Facebook: Jennifer on Facebook Website: Old Chicks Know Sh*t Podcast: Old Chicks Know Sh*t Podcast CONNECT WITH LISA Website: Liberated Menopause Consulting & Coaching Email: lisa@liberatedmenopause.ca Instagram: @lboate Facebook: Lisa on Facebook Facebook community: Join Lisa’s community Follow Transforming 45 in your listening app so the next conversation is easy to find. If this episode makes you think of someone, send it to her. Personal experiences and perspectives are shared in this episode; they do not establish causes of illness or replace individual healthcare advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  7. Sep 24

    The Beautiful Badass Bod Era: How fashion can help create a midlife revolution

    Get tickets for the National Menopause Show, October 17–18, 2026: https://nationalmenopauseshow.com/buy-tickets/ Use code TRANSFORM45. Has your body changed in perimenopause or menopause and suddenly your clothes don’t feel like you anymore? Heather Bolt, founder of Dotty Clothing, joins Lisa Boate for a funny, honest conversation about midlife fashion, changing bodies, body confidence and what happens when we stop trying to dress the woman we used to be. We talk about the messages Gen X women inherited about our bodies, the ridiculous rules around dressing “age appropriately,” sensory and body changes in midlife, colour, comfort, visibility and why getting dressed can be a surprisingly powerful part of reclaiming your identity. Because the goal isn’t to get your old body back. It’s to dress the body you have now in a way that makes you feel like yourself. And sometimes, as Heather puts it, we need to remember who the hell we are. In this episode: • How perimenopause and menopause can change the way clothes feel and fit • Why “age appropriate” style rules deserve to be questioned • Body confidence after 40 and 50 • The messages Gen X women learned about taking up space • Dressing for the body you have instead of waiting for your body to change • Using colour, comfort and personal style to reconnect with yourself • Why midlife can be the moment we stop disappearing Chapters 00:00 How to Dress a Changing Midlife Body 00:47 How Clothes Change How We Feel 02:34 “I’m 56. It’s My Time to Shine” 03:51 Who Decided What’s Age Appropriate? 05:10 Dressing for Perimenopause & Menopause Body Changes 08:25 Let Go of Clothes That Make You Feel Like Garbage 14:00 Fashion, Body Confidence & Taking Up Space 24:00 What Gen X Learned About Women’s Bodies 34:00 Colour, Visibility & Midlife Style 39:48 Why Midlife Women Are Done Disappearing 44:07 Remember Who the Hell You Are 47:30 Dress for How You Want to Feel Connect with Heather: Dotty: https://www.dotty.ca/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dottyclothing/ Connect with Lisa: Website: liberatedmenopause.ca Email: lisa@liberatedmenopause.ca Instagram: @lboate YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Transforming45 If you’re figuring out who you are in this version of midlife, subscribe to Transforming 45. These are the conversations we should have been having all along. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  8. Sep 17

    The Practical Magic of Coven Health

    “It’s not a problem that you can’t keep it together enough. It’s a problem that you have too much to keep together.” — Dr. Michelle Jacobson What happens when a leading menopause specialist and a seasoned business builder decide that “this is just how it is” is no longer an acceptable answer? In this episode, Lisa sits down with Dr. Michelle Jacobson and Jenn Patterson, co-founders of Coven Health, to explore why women’s healthcare so often feels fragmented—and what becomes possible when care is evidence-informed, collaborative and built around the whole woman. They talk honestly about perimenopause, migraine, iron deficiency, anxiety, rage, libido, medical dismissal and the impossible pressure to keep everything together. They also unpack why individualized care matters, why a patient must have agency in every treatment plan, and how better education now could change the experience of the next generation. In this epsiode: How a two-and-a-half-year specialist wait list helped inspire a new model of care Why publicly funded physician care is only one piece of comprehensive health support How migraines, mood changes, fatigue and rage can intersect with the menopause transition Why not every midlife symptom is “just hormones” The value of prioritizing one meaningful health change at a time What true patient-centred care and informed choice look like How Gen X women were trained to keep it together—and what that has cost us Why teaching the full life cycle of women’s health could change everything The deeper meaning behind the name Coven Chapters: 00:00 Meet Dr. Michelle Jacobson and Jenn Patterson 01:37 Building a Better Model for Women’s Healthcare 04:12 Jenn’s Journey from Patient to Co-Founder 07:10 Why Women Struggle to Find the Right Care 08:56 Public Healthcare, Private Clinics and the Missing Nuance 12:17 Closing the Gaps in Women’s Healthcare 14:29 What’s Missing from the Menopause Conversation 19:20 Migraines, Anxiety and Early Perimenopause 20:14 Menopause Rage—and the Power Inside It 25:25 Why Women Feel They Must Keep It All Together 28:44 What We’re Teaching the Next Generation 30:13 Supporting Women Earlier in Their Lives 31:59 The Menopause Education Gap 37:39 What Patient-Centred Care Actually Looks Like 43:33 Why the Name Coven? 47:14 Final Thoughts and Where to Find Coven About the guests: Dr. Michelle Jacobson is an OB-GYN and menopause specialist whose work focuses on evidence-informed, individualized women’s healthcare. Jenn Patterson is an entrepreneur, business leader and CEO of Coven Health. Together, they are building a collaborative model designed to help women feel heard, informed and supported across midlife and beyond. Connect with Coven Health: Website: https://www.covenhealth.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/covenhealth/ Connect with Lisa: Website: https://liberatedmenopause.ca Email: lisa@liberatedmenopause.ca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lboate/ And come connect with Coven in person at The National Menopause Show! 📍 International Centre, Hall 5 📅 October 17 & 18, 2026 🎟️ Use code TRANSFORM45 for 15% off your tickets. Gather your own coven and come join us. This episode is for education and conversation only. It does not replace individualized medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Speak with a qualified healthcare professional about your own symptoms and care. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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5
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

Transforming 45 is where midlife gets real. Host Lisa Boate, menopause coach and educator, dives into the truth about perimenopause, menopause, identity shifts, and midlife reinvention. Through candid stories and menopause conversations with men and women, Lisa helps listeners understand their bodies, relationships, and purpose in this powerful chapter. Honest, funny, and empowering. This is your go-to podcast for thriving through midlife transformation.

Information

  • Creator
    Lisa Boate
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    198
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Lisa Boate
  • Show Website
    Transforming 45

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