Women's Health Club Real Talk Episide 3: Jenny Powell on her hysterectomy journey, yoga, burnout and when she interviewed Arnold Schwarzenegger

🎙️ REAL TALK PODCAST

Episode 3: Jenny Powell — “I waited too long…”

There’s something powerful about hearing a woman say: “I thought I just had to get on with it.”

In this episode of Real Talk, Abi Owers and Dr Mahshid Amiry sit down with broadcaster Jenny Powell for one of the most honest conversations yet.

This isn’t just a story about a hysterectomy. It’s about what happens when women put themselves last for too long.

Jenny shares the reality behind years of ignored symptoms, misdiagnosis, and the moment she finally said enough is enough. From flooding and exhaustion to a 1kg uterus caused by fibroids and adenomyosis, this is the side of women’s health we don’t talk about enough.

But it doesn’t stop there.

This episode moves beyond surgery into something bigger: burnout, hormones, anxiety, social media pressure, and the shift towards slower, more intentional living.

If you’ve ever normalised symptoms, delayed getting help, or told yourself “it’s probably just perimenopause”… this conversation might change everything.

🔍 What we cover

• The symptoms Jenny ignored for years — and why so many women do the same
• The reality of hysterectomy: before, during and after
• Why women’s health is still being dismissed and underfunded
• The dangerous rise of self-diagnosis
• Recovery, hormones and the truth about healing timelines
• Burnout, anxiety and modern life overwhelm
• Yoga, breathwork and the shift to slower living
• Social media, comparison and confidence in the next generation
• Why “you are the prize” is advice every woman needs to hear

⏱️ Key moments & timestamps

00:01 — Introduction What this episode is really about: more than just hysterectomy

02:00 — The moment everything changed Posting from her hospital bed and reaching millions of women

03:10 — “Women put themselves last” Why Jenny delayed treatment for years

03:50 — The symptoms no one talks about Flooding, pain, exhaustion — and thinking it was “normal”

06:49 — The system is failing women Long waits, lack of trust, and going private

09:01 — The danger of self-diagnosis Why not everything is “just perimenopause”

11:08 — Recovery reality check Going back to work too soon and the crash that followed

13:20 — The year it took to feel ‘right’ again Hormones, mindset and true recovery

15:47 — “Yoga changed my life” Why it became her number one recommendation

22:27 — Burnout and modern life Why we’re all doing too much — and what needs to change

25:10 — Social media & authenticity Why being real matters more than ever

37:45 — “You are the prize” The advice she’d give her younger self

42:15 — Slow living vs the ‘matrix’ Why we need to reconnect with nature and simplicity

54:09 — Final advice When to seek help and why persistence matters