Middling Along

By: Emma Thomas
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  • Summary

  • Middling Along is the podcast for ‘midults‘ who want to spend their middle years thriving, not just surviving. Voted as one of the Top 25 podcasts for midlife and menopause at https://www.lattelounge.co.uk/podcasts-about-the-menopause/ - Emma speaks to a wide range of guests who entertain, inform, and inspire in equal measure!
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Episodes
  • Special Edition: The Panorama Menopause documentary and implications for menopause care with Dr Beth Thomas

    Special Edition: The Panorama Menopause documentary and implications for menopause care with Dr Beth Thomas
    Oct 16 2024

    In this extra podcast episode, we dive into the recent BBC Panorama documentary’s portrayal of the menopause industry.

    Our guest, Dr Beth Thomas, GP, British Menopause Society accredited specialist at Everything Menopause, and clinical lead at Managing the Menopause, shares her expert insights on the complexities of menopause treatment, the importance of individualized care, and the implications of the documentary on both healthcare providers and women seeking menopause support.

    This episode covers

    • A brief look at the documentary’s critique of a prominent menopause clinic and its implications for the wider industry.
    • Beth explains the current British Menopause Society (BMS) and NICE guidelines for oestrogen dosing. Risks of oestrogen doses beyond current guidelines, and why individualized care is essential.
    • Common issues with absorption and how switching between patches, gels, and sprays can improve outcomes for some women.
    • Discussion of the challenges faced by women in accessing quality menopause care through the NHS.
    • The need for more research and clinical trials on HRT and menopause treatments.
    • The importance of patient consent and shared decision-making.
    • Recognizing that HRT is not a cure-all and the value of a holistic approach during the menopause transition.

    Links and Resources:

    • Watch the BBC Panorama Documentary on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0023jdn
    • Advice on HRT: https://www.womens-health-concern.org/help-and-advice/factsheets/
    • Previous interview with Paula Rastrick, a participant in the Panorama documentary: https://middlingalong.com/episodes/middling-along-paula-rastrick-on-our-brain-body-connection-in-perimenopause-could-you-be-an-hsp/

    If you enjoy the podcast please help us grow by sharing this episode, or writing a short review online!

    If your workplace wants to become more ‘menopause friendly’ then please let them know about the work I do at http://www.managingthemenopause.com

    You can also find me over on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/middlingalong_podcast/ and https://www.instagram.com/managingthemenopause

    Join our newsletter, The Messy Middle: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/323784/90772270045202190/share

    We’re delighted to be listed as one of the Top 25 podcasts for midlife and menopause here: https://www.lattelounge.co.uk/podcasts-about-the-menopause/
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    17 mins
  • Dr Stella Duffy wants you to know it's better on the other side!

    Dr Stella Duffy wants you to know it's better on the other side!
    Oct 2 2024

    My guest today is Dr Stella Duffy OBE - she is an existential psychotherapist, has recently completed her PhD, has written 17 novels, 15 plays, and 70 short stories, and in previous incarnations has been an actor, theatre-director, comedian and much much more…including being on the steering committee that started the Women’s Equality Party!

    Having previously survived two encounters with cancer, last year, with no warning, she suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm that very nearly killed her. Despite this, she recovered and went on to finish her PhD exploring the experiences of post-menopausal women.

    We start off with me asking Stella to explain what existential psychotherapy is (because I definitely had no clue!). She outlines the approach as asking clients, “what choices have you made; what choices do you want to keep making; what choices are you making because you believe you have no choice; where do you want to change; and where are you right now?”

    We also talk about how her second round of breast cancer felt like “a big slap in the face,” having made a subconscious deal with the Universe that trading the loss of her fertility due to aggressive cancer treatment would allow her to fully recover and continue to live cancer-free.

    We move on to discuss the dearth of “post-menopausal” voices in the Menosphere - something I hope the podcast can go some way to addressing even in small part. The “industry” doesn’t want to hear from happy, satisfied, thriving post-menopausal women, Stella points out, because then we won’t buy in to needing to be “fixed” in quite the same way… As she herself can attest: “It’s better ‘out the other side’…”! On the flip side, her theory is that as regards the diverse voices we’re not hearing (the women who aren’t talking about their symptoms) their voices are absent not because they aren’t experiencing symptoms but because other, even harder stuff is going on in their lives. When people haven’t needed to deal with difficulties in life before, then menopause comes as a shock. She also argues that perhaps the anger and anxiety that often accompany menopause are valid responses to being surrounded by patriarchy, sexism and misogyny?

    We also look at different global experiences of menopause: she cites research that compared Highland Mayan Guatemalan women to those in the US - where despite similar levels of osteoporosis, the Guatemalan women had no fractures due to diet and lifestyle differences (high calcium in their water, exercise throughout life (carrying water for miles well into their 70s), and absence of alcohol. (They also call their hot flushes: “the rising of the animal spirit” which I think perhaps should be a ‘thing’ here too!). What else can we learn from other cultures - especially where older adults are treated with respect - but also what can we learn from studying those who have ‘sailed though’ menopause - what were they doing differently in earlier life that might be influencing their experiences?

    We move on to confronting our own internalized ageism and finding our own ways to age on our own terms - to articulate what we want from our ‘one wild and precious life.’ Flexing those “I want” muscles doesn’t always come easily - and as we agree towards the end of our chat…We don’t have to figure it all out overnight!

    You can find out more about Stella and her work at https://stelladuffytherapy.co.uk/

    If you enjoy the podcast please consider sharing this episode, or writing a short review online!

    If your workplace wants to become more ‘menopause friendly’ then please let them know about the work I do at http://www.managingthemenopause.com

    You can also find me over on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/middlingalong_podcast/ and https://www.instagram.com/managingthemenopause

    Join our newsletter, The Messy Middle, for fortnightly(ish) goodness into your Inbox: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/323784/90772270045202190/share

    We’re delighted to be listed as one of the Top 25 podcasts for midlife and menopause here: https://www.lattelounge.co.uk/podcasts-about-the-menopause/
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    42 mins
  • Kate Codrington is back - and she wants you to be kinder to yourself!

    Kate Codrington is back - and she wants you to be kinder to yourself!
    Sep 12 2024
    This time on the podcast we welcome back Kate Codrington, author of Second Spring, to talk about her new book The Perimenopause Journal, which was published this week.. Kate’s new book is a lovingly created year-long journal which can be started at any point in your perimenopause journey and builds on her writing around the different seasons of pre/peri- and post-menopause in Second Spring (although you certainly don’t need to have read this to use the Journal). Within you’ll find journaling prompts and guides that help you figure out which of the different types of seasonal self-care are right for you as you navigate the rollercoaster of perimenopause. As Kate herself outlines, there’s no time in our lives where the prompt “How can I be kinder to myself?” is not appropriate, but perimenopause is surely one time where we desperately need to allow ourselves more kindness, gentleness, and forgiveness. She describes perimenopause as a process of refinement - showing us what isn’t working for us, what is not serving us in life. In this sense the Journal is a helpful vehicle for us to be able to look back over a period of time and see how we have developed our self-kindness practices. The positives of perimenopause - which are much more available to us when we are well rested - include getting clear on our needs and how to get our needs met - which can be easier said than done given we have (generally) been socialized to put our needs last. Processing this can reveal to us the gap between who we actually are and how we have sold ourselves short. The act of writing things down in a journal helps us build the muscle of articulating what we need. This practice - of accepting our vulnerability and strength, claiming lost parts of ourselves - takes time and however we choose to deal with perimenopause (whether we take HRT or not), this inner process is still likely to be going on… We joke about ‘enforced rest and respite’ for perimenopausal folk (we can dream!) - but the journal really is a framework for enabling what our minds and bodies are calling out for. The Perimenopause Journal also gives you access to some of Kate’s fantastic yoga nidra meditations (accessible using the QR codes in the book) for 20-minute doses of deep restorative rest, as well as intention-setting meditations each month. We unpack a little of my skepticism around moon phases which are used as an anchor in the journal - Kate gently explains why exploring and noting how we feel in relation to the phases of the moon can be supportive especially once the rhythm of other cycles has gone. I love Kate’s description of the journal as “a soft-lined nest for you to rest in’ - and who would not want that! You can find out more about Kate’s work and writing (and access her free resource library, including some yoga nidra recordings) at www.katecodrington.co.uk The Perimenopause Journal is published by David and Charles: https://www.davidandcharles.com/books/diaries-letters-journals/the-perimenopause-journal-9781446313589/ Second Spring is available in paperback: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/second-spring-kate-codrington/5752562?ean=9780008469771 If you enjoy the podcast and would like to help me keep it running (on a shoestring!) please consider buying me a ‘virtual coffee’ at Ko-fi.com/middlingalong - or you can support me in a non-monetary way by sharing this episode, or writing a short review online! If your workplace wants to become more ‘menopause friendly’ then please let them know about the work I do at http://www.managingthemenopause.com You can also find me over on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/middlingalong_podcast/ and https://www.instagram.com/managingthemenopause Join our newsletter, The Messy Middle, for fortnightly(ish) goodness into your Inbox: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/323784/90772270045202190/share We’re delighted to be listed as one of the Top 25 podcasts for midlife and menopause here: https://www.lattelounge.co.uk/podcasts-about-the-menopause/
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    30 mins

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