Menopause Chicks: This Show is Not About Menopause

In this deeply personal and powerful episode, host Shirley Weir sits down with her daughter Keira for an intimate conversation about women's health, menopause, generational shifts, and breaking the stigma around talking about our bodies. From the meaning behind Keira's "JOY" tattoo to the transformative jar exercise, this conversation spans three generations and explores how we can all become better health advocates.

Being curious about “some good clean fun” led me to invite today’s guest, Sarah Kate, to the show today for a conversation about making alcohol-free choices! This past year inspired me to find tasty, non-alcoholic versions of my favourite beverages…but this conversation goes beyond taste. Sarah Kate and I talk about how to explain your choice not to drink to your friends or others in social situations. I really wanted to include this conversation in the This Show is Not About Menopause line-up to highlight recent changes to the Health Canada guidelines for safe alcohol consumption. More people than ever are making the choice to stop, limit or re-think alcohol and Sarah Kate is on a mission to help you find the best available options!

I have a prediction for 2024. We’re about to have a lot of sex, sometimes with a partner! I’m so thrilled to invite Cass & Leah to the show today. They own an incredible online sexual wellness boutique, Intimate Wellbeing, designed specifically for midlife women. Cass and Leah are changing the conversation about sexual health. They joined me to talk about their journey including some of the challenges they’ve faced along the way, and their amazing success with normalizing conversations about sexual pleasure and well-being for midlife (and beyond) women.

Today, I’m excited to share part one of my conversation with Dr. Bal Pawa–a true leader in women’s midlife health and integrated health. Dr. Pawa is a medical doctor, a pharmacist, a co-founder of the West Coast Women's Clinic in Vancouver, a Harvard-trained mind-body expert, a TEDx speaker, and the author of The Mind-body Cure. She is also a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, is instrumental in changing how practitioners learn about perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause care, and she has a wealth of invaluable knowledge to share…so much so that our conversation extended over two episodes!

Today, Dr. Alex Verge joins me for an important conversation about women’s heart health. Dr. Alex is a naturopathic doctor based in Guelph, Ontario who is passionate about elevating the women’s heart health conversation. The data tells us that every 22 minutes, a woman dies of heart disease in Canada, and the hard truth is that much of this is preventable. Many of us have at least one risk factor for heart disease–including the decline of estrogen that occurs postmenopause, so we simply can not talk about menopause without talking about women’s heart health. Dr. Alex is here to ignite more curiosity about women’s heart health, and give us the much-needed reminder, that when it comes to cardiovascular health, we need to know our numbers, and to discuss those numbers with our health team.

Today, my guest is Jennie Dale, the co-founder and executive director of Dense Breasts Canada. Jenny is a fellow women's health advocate, and I consider her a rockstar in this area! In this episode, we’re going to ensure that you have the most up-to-date news as it relates to breast density in Canada–what it is, what you need to know in terms of screening options and how best to have that conversation with your health team. Jennie is here to fill in the blanks on differences that still exist province-to-province, to teach us all about dense breasts and why being informed about this is important for your future healthcare. Plus, Jennie shares the Dense Breasts Canada’s Advocacy Toolkit so we can be prepared for our next doctor’s appointment.

I had never even heard the phrase “pelvic floor” - until I met Kim. Kim Vopni is the Vagina Coach and Creator of the award-winning Buff Muff app, and she's my go-to person for all things related to vulva, vaginal bladder, and pelvic health. Her journey to becoming the Vagina Coach started with a desire to prevent tearing during childbirth and eventually landed with her realizing the importance of pelvic floor health through all ages & stages–especially perimenopause, menopause & postmenopause. After listening to this conversation, you’ll definitely be adding a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist to your speed-dial and booking your first…or next appointment.

There’s a lot to feel passionate about when it comes to women’s midlife health & this heartfelt conversation with Gynecologist, Dr. Nathalie Gamache, is the reminder we all need to take action on our own well-being; we need to ROAR!. A woman of many talents, Dr. Gamache shares her journey from teaching high school zoology to becoming a gynecologist and highlights her immense wisdom about women’s health and how to remain active & vibrant through midlife and beyond. After listening to this conversation, you’ll feel fired up, better educated, and ready to put your name at the top of your to-do list!