With less than 2,000 signatures needed to make the total 200,000, I felt it was a great opportunity to re-release Diane's Episode for any of you who may have missed it and to get those signature numbers up! I will leave the link right here to sign the petition - please do if you haven't already .

The word ‘menopause’ was not used in Donna’s household growing up, even when her mother underwent a hysterectomy. But Donna knew. Donna Klassen, co-founder of Let's Talk Menopause, dedicates herself to providing a platform that educates, destigmatizes, and offers vital community support surrounding menopause.  

She and I may have different experiences of Menopause but we both come at it with the same heart and a desire to ensure nobody feels isolated or alone during this deeply nuanced life transition. 

Diagnosed with estrogen-positive breast cancer at 52, Donna's journey into postmenopause was accelerated following a double mastectomy and an oophorectomy. As she grappled with symptoms like hot flashes and brain fog, she was met with a notable absence of guidance from her medical community. Drawing from her tenure as a clinician and director at The Motherhood Center of New York, where she witnessed the transformative power of community in areas like infertility and postpartum depression, Donna is passionate about championing menopause and ensuring it's understood and supported by all.

In this episode we discuss attitudes, progress and legislation in the US compared to the UK just as the bill for the Menopause Research and Equity Act 2023 was going to Congress.

Donna is all about the very simple but powerful, ‘and’. Nothing need be one or the other, it can be many things and this is especially true when it comes to menopause symptoms and, in fact, this whole life phase which is a time of vulnerability and opportunity. She encourages us all to put ourselves out there and ‘Go Big!’

You can find Donna on the website and on social media as @letstalkmenopause and I believe even at the time of release, you can still fill out a form HERE that allows you to write directly to your member of Congress and leads to the website letstalkmenopause.org 

You can handpick your Menopause Therapist right HERE

When I started this podcast, I was thinking of women of a similar age to me who were going through the Menopause Transition. I soon learned there are many types of Menopause, all equally significant and rarely spoken about. The list includes surgical menopause, early menopause, premature menopause and trans menopause.

Today, I have the privilege of being able to share a trans male menopause story. 

Tate Smith is an award-winning trans activist, consultant, and speaker, passionate about trans male visibility, educating others and debunking common myths surrounding trans people. Tate's accolades include being named one of Attitude Magazine's 10 LGBTQ+ Trailblazers To Watch Out For In The Future, and in 2022 he was selected as a LinkedIn Top Voice, and nominated for PinkNews' Community Role Model.

I was so delighted to meet Tate to hear his deeply personal, often challenging experience which he tells with candour, charm and humour, no mean feat given the level of vulnerability he opens himself up to. There are so many avenues we could have ventured down as there is so much to talk about - isn't there always?! We had to discuss testosterone and its effects - bear in mind here Tate's end game but also listen out for the potential benefits - we also touch on male privilege and insights he has gained having presented female for 19 years and now living as his true, male self. 

His menopause symptoms will be familiar to many of you and, as he says, "we're all in this together". 

You can find Tate as @tatemichaelsmith on IG, and Linked In and at https://tatesmith.uk

Go to Real Menopause Therapy HERE

I hope you have a peaceful and joyful holiday period and I look forward to seeing you in 2024.