Pleasure in the Pause: Midlife Conversations About Menopause, Sex & Pleasure

Gabriella Espinosa
  • 4.4 (13)
  • SEXUALITY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Menopause doesn't mean the end of pleasure — it’s a new beginning! Pleasure in the Pause is the podcast redefining midlife for women ready to reconnect with their bodies, pleasure, and power — at every stage of the menopause journey and beyond. Hosted by Gabriella Espinosa, certified menopause coach and sexual health advocate, each episode features informative and thought-provoking conversations with doctors, thought leaders, and wellness experts on hormones, sexual health, desire, and healthy aging. Expect actionable strategies and empowering insights to help you feel more confident, energized, and connected to your body — no matter your age. Together, we’ll reframe the conversation around pleasure, sex, and midlife so you can be the best advocate for your body — in and out of the bedroom. Because PLEASURE HAS NO EXPIRATION DATE! Say YES! to Pleasure at www.pleasureinthepause.com

  1. 102 | When Mother's Day Hurts, Modern Loss, Grief, and Finding Meaning with Rebecca Soffer

    1D AGO

    102 | When Mother's Day Hurts, Modern Loss, Grief, and Finding Meaning with Rebecca Soffer

    There is a version of Mother's Day we all know. The brunches, the bouquets, the Hallmark cards. And then there is the version so many women carry quietly underneath — the grief of a mother who is gone, of never becoming one, of a child lost, of the mother we needed and never had, and the grief of a mother who is still here but already somehow leaving. This episode of Pleasure in the Pause makes space for that fuller truth. Host Gabriela Espinosa sits down with Rebecca Soffer, co-founder of Modern Loss and bestselling author of the Modern Loss Handbook, for one of the most tender and honest conversations this show has ever had. Whether Mother's Day brings up something heavy for you this year or you are simply learning to live alongside a loss that has no clear shape, this episode gives you permission to feel all of it. Rebecca Soffer is cofounder of Modern Loss, a media platform and global movement offering creative, meaningful and resonant content and connection addressing the long arc of grief. She is also the author of the bestselling The Modern Loss Handbook: An Interactive Guide to Moving Through Grief and Building Your Resilience and of Modern Loss: Candid Conversation About Grief. Beginners Welcome, and writes the Modern Loss Substack, one of the platform's top Health and Wellness publications. KEY TAKEAWAYS Grief is broader than you think. Estrangement, infertility, miscarriage, caregiving burnout, and anticipatory loss all count — even when the culture does not offer a card for them.Anticipatory grief is grief happening right now. If you are watching someone you love slowly change, you are already grieving. You do not need to wait for the official loss to seek support.Naming the hard thing is where healing begins. You do not have to name it to everyone — but saying it out loud, even just to yourself, is how clarity starts to arrive.You are allowed to call an audible on hard days. Let the day be the day. You do not have to perform grief or perform celebration. Make a plan that feels right and change it the moment it does not.Returning to pleasure after loss is not a betrayal. Intimacy, touch, and joy are the body's way of insisting it is still alive. Pleasure is part of how we move through loss, not away from it.Grief does not move in a straight line. It lives in us, shifts with us, and shows up in the most unexpected moments years after we thought we had made peace with it. What changes is not that it goes away. What changes is that we get better at knowing what we need when it arrives. CONNECT WITH REBECCA SOFFER:  Website Instagram Substack Modern Loss Handbook | Book RESOURCES: Ep 101: Dr Bralove Article by Colin Campbell CONNECT WITH GABRIELLA ESPINOSA: Instagram LinkedIn Work with Gabriella!  Full episodes on YouTube. The information shared on Pleasure in the Pause is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any decisions about your health or treatment. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or Pleasure in the Pause.

    1h 2m
  2. 101 | How To Find Your Way Back To Pleasure: Healing Trauma With Brooke Bralove

    APR 29

    101 | How To Find Your Way Back To Pleasure: Healing Trauma With Brooke Bralove

    Have you ever wondered why intimacy feels harder than it should? Why desire feels distant, or why being fully present in your body during sex feels just out of reach — even when everything else in your life seems fine? Most women in midlife assume it is hormones. And sometimes it is. But sometimes the story runs deeper, back through experiences the body absorbed and quietly held onto. In this episode of Pleasure in the Pause, Gabriella sits down with licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and AASECT certified sex therapist Brooke Bralove for one of the most important conversations this show has ever had. They go deep into what trauma actually is, how it lives in the nervous system, and how it shapes desire, arousal, and the ability to feel safe in intimacy in ways most women never connect. They also explore a remarkable and fast-working therapy called Accelerated Resolution Therapy, or ART, and how it is helping women finally feel present and safe in their bodies again. This is a tender topic. If anything in this episode stirs something up for you, please give yourself permission to pause and take whatever space you need. Brooke Bralove is a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and AASECT certified sex therapist with over 20 years in private practice. She specializes in trauma, sexual health, and emotional healing, helping individuals and couples move through anxiety, trauma, and relationship challenges so they can feel more connected, confident, and fully themselves. A trained Accelerated Resolution Therapy practitioner and sought after speaker, Brooke is known for her warmth, her insight, and her gift for making complex emotional and neurological processes feel accessible and real. She practices in Bethesda, Maryland just outside Washington DC.  Key Insights Trauma is broader than most women realize.The body holds onto experiences long after the mind has moved on.Low libido is not always hormonal. Accelerated Resolution Therapy works fast.You are more than your past sexual experiences.This conversation is for every woman who has ever wondered why pleasure feels so far away — and never thought to look at her history for the answer. The body is not broken. It is protecting itself the only way it knows how. And with the right support, it can learn that it is safe to open again.  If you're seeking to reclaim your pleasure and vitality, join Gabriella at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.pleasureinthepause.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for this enlightening journey into the heart of female pleasure and empowerment. CONNECT WITH BROOKE BRALOVE: LinkedIn Instagram Website CONNECT WITH GABRIELLA ESPINOSA: Instagram LinkedIn Work with Gabriella!  Full episodes on YouTube. The information shared on Pleasure in the Pause is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any decisions about your health or treatment. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or Pleasure in the Pause.

    56 min
  3. 100 | Celebrating 100 Episodes Of Pleasure In The Pause: What These Conversations Have Revealed

    APR 22

    100 | Celebrating 100 Episodes Of Pleasure In The Pause: What These Conversations Have Revealed

    This is a milestone episode. Episode 100 of Pleasure in the Pause marks two years of bold, honest conversations about women's bodies, pleasure, and sexual health in midlife — and this one is personal. For the first time, host Gabriela Espinosa steps out from behind the microphone and into the hot seat, interviewed by her friend and fellow midlife health advocate Karen Cerezo. If you have ever felt dismissed by a doctor, confused by the changes in your body, or quietly assumed that pleasure was something you would just have to let go of in this chapter of life — this episode is your reminder that you are not alone, and that assumption is wrong. Gabriela shares the deeply personal story behind why she started this podcast, what she learned from 100 conversations with leading experts in sexual health and intimacy, and where the conversation is headed next. From the surprising gap in women's knowledge about their own anatomy, to cutting-edge medical tools most women have never heard of, to what it really means to step into your sixties with intention — this episode covers it all. Karen Cerezo is a nationally board-certified health coach, certified personal trainer, menopause expert, TEDx speaker, and founder of Lifestyle Fitness. With over a decade of experience helping women in midlife navigate perimenopause and beyond, Karen blends science-backed education with real-life practicality to help women reclaim strength in their bodies, their choices, and their confidence. Karen specializes in menopause education, hormone health, strength training after 45, and the hidden cost of ignoring midlife health in the workplace. She is the author of Navigating Menopause: A Comprehensive Wellness Tracking Journal and a sought-after speaker who makes complex hormone conversations clear, relatable, and actionable.  Highlights from our discussion include: Sexual pleasure in midlife is not over — it just looks different.Systemic hormones and local hormone therapy are not the same thing — and most women are only doing one when they may need both.Knowing your own anatomy is the foundation of self-advocacy.Pelvic floor therapy is one of the most underused and most effective tools available to women in midlife. Pleasure is broader than the bedroom.This podcast started because Gabriela had no language for what was happening in her own body. A hundred episodes later, that conversation has reached women in 106 countries — and it is just getting started. If this episode resonated, subscribe to Pleasure in the Pause and share it with a woman in your life who needs to hear it. And if you have been part of this community from the beginning, thank you. This milestone belongs to you, too. CONNECT WITH KAREN CEREZO: Website: https://www.midlifehealthcoach.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlife_health_coach/ CONNECT WITH GABRIELLA ESPINOSA: Instagram LinkedIn Work with Gabriella!  Full episodes on YouTube. The information shared on Pleasure in the Pause is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any decisions about your health or treatment. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or Pleasure in the Pause.

    48 min
  4. 99 | Your Body Is Speaking— Here’s How To Listen (A Simple Practice For Midlife Women)

    APR 15

    99 | Your Body Is Speaking— Here’s How To Listen (A Simple Practice For Midlife Women)

    Have you ever struggled to put words to what you're feeling — in your body, in the bedroom, or even in your doctor's office? You're not alone, and it's not your fault. Most of us were never taught the language of our own bodies, and that silence comes at a real cost: disconnection in intimate relationships, unspoken pain, and leaving healthcare appointments feeling dismissed and unheard. In this solo episode of Pleasure in the Pause, host Gabriela Espinosa explores what intimacy actually requires — not performance, not perfect words, but the ability to sense what's happening inside you and give it a name. Drawing on her work as an intimacy and attraction facilitator and a panel talk she gave at South by Southwest, Gabriela walks you through the neuroscience of body awareness (interoception), the three layers of intimacy practice, and a simple three-word framework — notice, feel, name — you can start using today. Embodiment Tune-In Guided Audio. Create a practice of connecting to your body, tuning in to what there is to be felt and accessing the pleasure that lives within you. Highlights from our discussion include: Intimacy starts with self-connection, not technique. Your body is already speaking — learn to hear it.Disconnection costs you in intimacy and healthcare.The practice is simple: notice, feel, name.Build the muscle in ordinary moments.What would change for you if you could clearly say I need to slow down — or I want more of that? That clarity isn't about confidence. It's vocabulary. Start small: today, pause once and name one sensation in your body. That's where it begins. CONNECT WITH GABRIELLA ESPINOSA: Instagram LinkedIn Work with Gabriella!  Full episodes on YouTube. The information shared on Pleasure in the Pause is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any decisions about your health or treatment. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or Pleasure in the Pause.

    23 min
  5. 98 | When Longing Becomes Your Lover: Understanding Romantic Obsession And Finding Your Way Back To Authentic Love With Amanda McCracken

    APR 8

    98 | When Longing Becomes Your Lover: Understanding Romantic Obsession And Finding Your Way Back To Authentic Love With Amanda McCracken

    Have you ever been so consumed by someone just out of reach that you checked your phone obsessively, fantasized endlessly, and somehow wanted them even more because they weren't fully available? There's actually a name for it — and in this episode of Pleasure in the Pause, Gabriella sits down with journalist, author, and limerence expert Amanda McCracken to talk about why so many of us get stuck chasing love instead of receiving it. At the heart of this conversation is a truth so many midlife women are quietly sitting with: we are all longing to be truly seen. But real love only becomes possible when we believe we are worthy of receiving it. Amanda McCracken is an award-winning journalist passionate about experiences that highlight the intersection of wellness, travel, and relationships. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, Vogue, National Geographic, Elle, NPR, Outside, ESPN, SELF, Runner’s World, and many others. She published her first article about longing in 2013, which led to additional articles featuring personal anecdotes and deep research and interviews with the BBC and Katie Couric. She is now considered a “limerence expert” and intimacy advocate. Her 2023 TED Talk, “How Longing Keeps Us From Healthy Relationships,” and her podcast, The Longing Lab, highlight how longing can become self sabotaging and shares how to change our patterns of longing. McCracken is also a part-time university instructor, massage therapist, triathlon coach, and competitive athlete.  Highlights from our discussion include: What limerence actually is, how it differs from a crush, and why today's dating culture — apps, social media, hookup culture — makes it more common than ever.Why the brain gets hooked on the chase: the trigger, the behavior, and the dopamine reward loop that keeps so many of us stuck.The moment Amanda realized she was more comfortable longing for love than actually having it — and what that revealed about her deeper fear of intimacy.The practical tools that helped her break the pattern, including cognitive reappraisal, nervous system work, EMDR, and a nightly mantra her therapist gave her.What healthy, realistic love actually feels like in midlife — and why Amanda says she trusted her husband before she loved him.CONNECT WITH AMANDA MCCRACKEN: Website My book: When Longing Becomes Your Lover My podcast: The Longing Lab Watch my TEDx talk Read my NYT story on limerence Instagram: @amandajmccracken TikTok: @thelonginglab CONNECT WITH GABRIELLA ESPINOSA: Instagram LinkedIn Work with Gabriella!  Full episodes on YouTube. The information shared on Pleasure in the Pause is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any decisions about your health or treatment. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or Pleasure in the Pause.

    45 min
  6. 97 | This Is 60: A New Way to Step Into This Decade

    APR 1

    97 | This Is 60: A New Way to Step Into This Decade

    Are you approaching a milestone birthday and feeling a mix of excitement and that quiet inner voice telling you to slow down, fade back, or play small? You are not alone — and in this special solo episode of Pleasure in the Pause, host Gabriella Espinosa turns 60 and invites you into one of the most honest, tender, and empowering conversations she has ever shared. This is not a list of anti-aging tips. This is a celebration of what it means to grow into yourself — more rooted, more unapologetic, and more alive than ever — while also being real about the moments when the old stories still creep in. Highlights from this episode include: Why turning 60 doesn't feel like fading. It feels like a deepening, and how Gabriella is stepping into this decade with more of herself, not less.The heavy cloak moment: how even the most grounded women can still be visited by the voice that says you've had your moment, and what to do when it shows up.How to move through life's transitions from a place of growth and openness rather than fear and uncertainty.Why “you don't look 60" is a compliment worth questioning, and the words that actually honor a woman at this stage of life.A powerful reflection prompt to help you ask: Who is the woman I am becoming now?Midlife is not the beginning of decline. It is a threshold — a moment to shed the roles, the expectations, and the versions of yourself that no longer fit. If something in this episode landed for you, notice where you are already choosing not to shrink. Then share this episode with one woman who needs to hear it. That is how we change the narrative together. CONNECT WITH GABRIELLA ESPINOSA: Instagram LinkedIn Work with Gabriella!  Full episodes on YouTube. The information shared on Pleasure in the Pause is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any decisions about your health or treatment. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or Pleasure in the Pause.

    18 min
  7. 96 | Dressing For The Woman You're Becoming: Style, Aging & Self-Discovery with Christine Morrison

    MAR 25

    96 | Dressing For The Woman You're Becoming: Style, Aging & Self-Discovery with Christine Morrison

    Have you ever stood in front of your closet full of clothes and thought, what in the world do I wear? Not excited, not inspired, just stuck. In this conversation on Pleasure in the Pause, host Gabriella Espinosa sits down with Christine Morrison, renowned journalist and author of Clothes Minded: Fashionable Essays About Finding Yourself, to explore how clothing becomes intertwined with the moments that shape us, from joy and ambition to grief, motherhood, and reinvention.  This episode explores what it means to open your closet not with pressure but with curiosity, how to dress for the woman you are becoming instead of the woman you used to be, and why style in midlife is about self-expression, not constraint. Christine Morrison is a renowned journalist and the creator of writing in black and white, a newsletter and online platform that explores fashion and beauty through the lens of aging. Every day, she challenges conventional narratives about growing older. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and in campaigns for major fashion and beauty brands. A former Calvin Klein Vice President and current member of THE BOARD, Morrison brings sharp insight and personal perspective to Clothes Minded: Fashionable Essays About Finding Yourself, a collection of essays on style, identity and self-discovery. Highlights from our discussion include: Fashion is not frivolousThe white crisp shirt as superhero capeDismiss the "age appropriate" rulesCertain clothes hold entire chapters of your lifeCONNECT WITH CHRISTINE MORRISON: Instagram Substack Buy Clothes Minded on Amazon CONNECT WITH GABRIELLA ESPINOSA: Instagram LinkedIn Work with Gabriella!  Full episodes on YouTube. The information shared on Pleasure in the Pause is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any decisions about your health or treatment. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or Pleasure in the Pause.

    48 min
  8. 95 | How To Build Meaningful Female Friendships In Midlife

    MAR 19

    95 | How To Build Meaningful Female Friendships In Midlife

    Are you feeling lonely even though you are busy? Wondering where your friendships went when life got so full? This solo episode explores why friendship in midlife is not a luxury but essential to your health and longevity, and gives you five practical ways to build the connections that will carry you into the next chapter of your life. In this deeply personal solo episode, Gabriella Espinosa shares the story of gathering friends from across the country at her home in Austin for South by Southwest to celebrate turning 60. That weekend reminded her that connection is everything, and sparked this research backed conversation about friendship, loneliness, and health in midlife. This episode is a reminder that friendship in midlife does not happen by accident. It is something we choose, tend to, and create with intention. Highlights from our discussion include: The Harvard Study of Adult Development discovered how your relationships at age 50 can predict how healthy you will be at age 80. Recent AARP research shows that four in ten US adults age 45 and older report feeling lonely. Why nurturing relationships is as critical to health as eating well and exercising.Five practical approaches for building meaningful friendships in midlife.How some of Gabriella's most meaningful friendships today started on social media. If this episode resonated with you, send it to one woman you care about. Not as a forward, but as an act of friendship. That is how we build community, one conversation at a time. Resources Mentioned: Harvard Study of Adult Development https://www.adultdevelopmentstudy.org AARP Loneliness & Social Connections Study 2025 (primary) https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/social-leisure/relationships/loneliness-social-connections-2025/ AARP: Instagram | Website  The Riveter: Instagram: @theriveterco → theriveterco.com Entreprenistas: Instagram @entreprenistas→ entreprenistas.com Midlife Collective: Instagram @mlifecollective Lizzie Bermudez Walk & Talk San Francisco: Instagram @lizziebtv  Katie Fogarty: Instagram @acertainagepod -> A Certain Age Podcast CONNECT WITH GABRIELLA ESPINOSA: Instagram LinkedIn Work with Gabriella!  Full episodes on YouTube. The information shared on Pleasure in the Pause is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any decisions about your health or treatment. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or Pleasure in the Pause.

    28 min
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4.4
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Menopause doesn't mean the end of pleasure — it’s a new beginning! Pleasure in the Pause is the podcast redefining midlife for women ready to reconnect with their bodies, pleasure, and power — at every stage of the menopause journey and beyond. Hosted by Gabriella Espinosa, certified menopause coach and sexual health advocate, each episode features informative and thought-provoking conversations with doctors, thought leaders, and wellness experts on hormones, sexual health, desire, and healthy aging. Expect actionable strategies and empowering insights to help you feel more confident, energized, and connected to your body — no matter your age. Together, we’ll reframe the conversation around pleasure, sex, and midlife so you can be the best advocate for your body — in and out of the bedroom. Because PLEASURE HAS NO EXPIRATION DATE! Say YES! to Pleasure at www.pleasureinthepause.com

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