Magnificent Midlife

A very special 100th episode of the podcast as I welcome the first man on to the podcast, my husband Mark Estdale, who has shared my Magnificent Midlife journey over the last sixteen years. We talk about: Our support animal How I managed to persuade Mark to come on my podcast How Ashton Applewhite’s words on ageism impacted us both The importance of learning and being open as we move through midlife Getting men to embrace this period, especially for the women in their lives The rollercoaster of Rachel’s early menopause diagnosis and how it happened Reversing the early menopause diagnosis for a time The pain of secondary infertility How we both became aware of the negative narratives around women, menopause and aging  Learning to appreciate the cyclicality of women and the power that can come from that Society’s attitudes towards menstruation, menopause and lack of awareness How and why heterosexual relationships can break down in midlife The evolution of our relationship including our sexual one The mi

Clarissa Kristjansson is a Mindfulness and Menopause expert, author of The Mindful Menopause, and host of the brilliant Thriving Thru Menopause podcast. She’s on a mission to change the way women approach menopause and aging. The last time we got together, we had such a brilliant conversation, on her podcast, I just had to share her with you. We both get quite hot under the collar about a lot of the same issues. We talk about: How Clarissa got so passionate about menopause Why it’s so important to take a holistic approach to menopause The importance of mindfulness when it comes to a good menopause experience What annoys Clarissa about the prevailing narratives surrounding menopause The myths around menopause How women can be proactive and not just reactive about their menopause experience The use of data when it comes to menopause Understanding and contextualizing data presented Menopause at work Sexism and ageism and their insidious intersection The female brain drain in midlife Making work work better

Dr Christine Li is the Procrastination Coach. She’s a clinical psychologist who helps people find their creativity, confidence and calm. She has a wonderful podcast called Make Time For Success. Why do we so easily get in our own way? Why is it easier to procrastinate and what can we do about that? Listen in to find out how we can realize our personal power. This is a very fun and empowering episode. We talk about: Why Christine has focused in on procrastination Why we procrastinate, especially women Ways in which we procrastinate How we can stop procrastinating The role of anxiety in procrastination What Christine has learnt from doing a podcast The intimacy and authenticity of podcasting What she has learnt from her podcast guests What I have learnt from my podcast guests – Christine turns the tables on Rachel And more! Find more about Christine: Christine's website: www.procrastinationcoach.com Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Listen to her podcast: www.maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com f you

I interview Person Irresponsible, the incognito author of Everything You Ever Taught Me, about her solo trek along the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada and her experience of being an alcoholic. This is a hilarious and very inspiring interview, with incredible vulnerability, wit and wisdom from PI. This amazing woman walked 2,650 miles, carried everything she needed on her back and did 70% of the trek alone. We talk about: Why PI is incognito What it means to be a recovering alcoholic How alcohol consumption and dependence has increased exponentially during the pandemic When drinking becomes alcoholism Why she decided to do this crazy trek What it means to be a thru-hiker The people PI met on the hike Walking together versus walking alone Being a solo female on the trail Being a thru-hiker during the Covid pandemic What PI learnt about herself from the trek Why she’s thinking of doing another long trek The impact of coming home after something this huge The pain of walking 2,650 miles What she l

Dr. Alyssa Kuhn is a physical therapist and osteoarthritis specialist, and founder of Keep the Adventure Alive. She specializes in osteoarthritis treatment because she found people were getting premature surgeries and ending up with life-changing pain in their 40s and 50s because of this condition. She says this can be prevented when you know what options you have and other ways you can find pain relief, aside from surgery. We talk about: Why pain and weakness are not inevitable with age How Alyssa got so passionate about this topic What we can do to protect ourselves from pain as we age Why osteoarthritis is a big issue, especially for women How women can best cope if we get a diagnosis of osteoarthritis How osteoarthritis differs from regular arthritis How we can reduce the likelihood of developing osteoarthritis What we can do to limit the impact of osteoarthritis How to master arthritis naturally What it means to still be able to adventure with osteoarthritis What we can do about knee, ankle and hip

Tonya Carter is a Relationship Transformation Coach. She's full of wisdom about relationships, coping through divorce and also just about who we are and can become as we go through life. She's the author of “Divorce Your Story: A Woman’s Guide to ‎Heal & Thrive after Divorce” and she runs a 12-week Program called (T.H.R.I.V.E) that stretches ‎women to look within to awaken their voice, evolve relationally, and lead personally and ‎professionally in all areas of life.‎ We talk about: How Tonya came to specialize in relationship transformation Ways women can get stuck in certain narratives especially in midlife What we can do to stop us getting caught up in regret What other things women need to divorce, as well as their partner The relationship patterns women tend to repeat How women can thrive after divorce What having a growth mindset means when it comes to life post divorce How we can embrace our singleness and why that’s important Creating new narratives around what is possible for us The importa

Have you ever wanted to do something completely different to what you actually do? My guest Dr Kristina Dervaitis is an obstetrician and gynecologist who has reinvented herself as a singer/songwriter and released a beautiful new album. Now she does both her passions and has modified her life to make that work. She's battled with imposter syndrome and gone ahead with her dreams, and the result is sublime. We talk about her dramatic midlife reinvention. We talk about: When Kristina first wanted to be a professional singer About her musical background How she juggles singing with being a gynecologist Her contraception advice on YouTube The inspiration for her songs and how she comes up with the lyrics Learning to dream again and stay open to possibility Using writing to process pain and grief Deciding not to have children despite working in obstetrics What the future holds for her medical and singing careers Doing the work to make dreams happen Kristina’s advice for women who have unfulfilled dreams And

Trigger Warning: Sexual Abuse Laura Davis is the author of 6 non-fiction books which have sold more than 1.8 million copies. She’s talking here mainly about her latest book, her first memoir: The Burning Light of Two Stars: A Mother-Daughter Story. I finished the book the day before recording, and was profoundly moved by it. I was also very tearful. I’m grateful to Laura for sharing her story and giving me the opportunity to read it. I recommend the book for all women as we're all daughters. And many of us have people who we'd like to be closer to. We talk about: Why Laura wrote this particular book The challenge of untying the mother-daughter knot Digging deep to tell such a vulnerable story The impact of life trauma on women’s passion and purpose Coming to terms with life trauma Helping people heal from trauma and especially sexual abuse Coping with family estrangement What Laura has learnt about mother-daughter relationships How Laura’s feelings towards her mother changed as she got older and s

Jo Pybus is a writer, feminist and what she calls late-onset to many things. She’s an Ironman (Ironwoman) and represented Australia in triathlon and cycling in her 40s. She’s latterly become a writer and a champion for raising awareness of menopause. Her mantra is better late than never! We talk about: What inspires Jo and what being late onset means to her Why Jo set herself extreme physical challenges Running 102km in perimenopause How physical activity helped her cope with grief Having a low intolerance to regret How women can stop settling for the way things are How she learnt that her body needed to adapt through perimenopause Why we need to talk about menopause more What it means to be a late onset feminist The Me Too movement and the way we see things differently now Menopause and history The importance of managing our stress well How to set yourself up to take action Recognising what no longer serves us Accepting that we may need more sleep The challenge and joy of dancing What Jo wants for wome

Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugh Wurlitzer are the founders of Red School and the authors of Wild Power: Discover the Magic of Your Menstrual Cycle and Awaken the Feminine Path to Power. These two remarkable women have a book on menopause coming out in 2022 and I can’t wait! This is such an empowering conversation about the innate power of women. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! We talk about: What their book Wild Power is all about The importance of Menstrual Cycle Awareness (MCA) How menopause prompted Alexandra to change course and focus on menstruality How Alexandra and Sjanie met and how Red School came about How Red School is preparing for Sjanie’s menopause How being in tune with our menstrual cycle can make menopause less of a trial than it’s usually portrayed as being The Red School view of menopause What women can do to prepare for a good menopause transition The awakening that comes with menopause Changing the narrative around menopause and making self-care non-negotiable The changes tha

Vicky Midwood is a health, nutrition, and lifestyle coach who specializes in helping people with disordered eating or drinking. I know this is an issue for many women, especially as a coping mechanism in midlife, so I’m delighted to share Vicky’s wisdom and experience on tackling this. We talk about: The difference between disordered eating and addictive behavior The common signs of disordered eating Vicky’s own story of disordered eating and addiction Why many of us use food and drink to help manage our stress The impact of Covid on addictive behavior Things that are common to sufferers The shame associated with eating disorders and addiction How to get off auto pilot when it comes to food and alcohol How to self soothe without food and alcohol Why balancing blood sugar levels is so important And more! Find out more about Vicky: Vicky’s website: vickymidwood.com Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Linkedin | Youtube If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and leave a review on iTunes or where

Nicki Williams is a nutritionist, author, speaker, and women’s health expert. She’s the author of the excellent book, It’s Not You, It’s Your Hormones. We often focus mainly on our sex hormones, but there are lots more to consider, especially in midlife. We talk about: How Nicki first got interested in hormones How unprepared she was for the changes of perimenopause Why we need to consider more hormones than just our sex hormones in midlife and beyond – we have over 100 hormones! The Feisty Four hormones that can cause us most trouble: cortisol, thyroid, insulin and estrogen The importance of diet and lifestyle How we can take better care of our hormonal balance The importance of stress management Looking after the gut and liver Why HRT may not be the panacea we want it to be in midlife Understanding our thyroid What to consider when things start to change in midlife How we tolerate certain things less well as we age Eliminating things like gluten and dairy short term to monitor any impact Being open to poss

Deb Johnstone is a transformational coach, a professional speaker, a mindset coach amongst other things, and recently, a qualified yoga coach. She especially works to help women rediscover themselves in midlife. This podcast is full of wisdom for how we can live our very best lives in midlife and beyond. We talk about: Why and how Deb moved from the UK to Australia Coping when the kids leave home The events that led to her own personal transformation Coping with domestic borders under Covid Why midlife is such an opportunity for women What holds women back from living their best lives How women can rediscover themselves in midlife The importance of taking time to reevaluate life in midlife Finding creativity in midlife  Being a grandmother and the transformation that represents The three levels of change (be, do, have) Starting a new chapter as a Grandma during COVID The things you notice as an observer with grandkids Asking yourself ‘What else makes me me?” And more! Find out more about Deb: Deb’

Breeda Bermingham is a social entrepreneur, founder of the Midlife Women Rock Project and has just published a wonderful book Midlife Women Rock: A Menopause Story for a New Generation.  She’s a former midwife and nurse so she knows a lot about women’s health. She also went back to full-time education at 49 and completed a psychology degree and a master's in sociology. Pretty impressive huh! This is a truly amazing conversation. Breeda moved me to tears with her wisdom and passion! We talk about: Why Breeda wanted to write her book and is passionate about changing the current narrative around menopause. Why it’s so important to change the narrative around menopause – puberty and pregnancy may be hard but the overarching narrative is positive – not so menopause. The importance of crushing the taboo and opening up conversations. How women have been silenced for too long.  The medicalization of menopause and the impact of the book Feminine Forever. Breeda’s Menopause Cafes in Ireland. The women interviewe

A solo episode with Rachel talking about her just-published book, Magnificent Midlife: Transform Your Middle Years, Menopause and Beyond! She talks about: The difficulties of writing a book Midlife as so much more than just menopause How once we get the messy stuff sorted, we can create a magnificent next chapter Why she wrote the book and what’s in it How her early menopause diagnosis became the catalyst for a whole new life A sneak peek at some of the content Understanding the hormonal fluctuations of perimenopause Coping with secondary infertility Learning about the impact of diet and lifestyle on hormonal balance How we might go about rebranding menopause The experience of women going through menopause in other cultures How ageism and the patriarchy effect our experience of menopause How ageism towards women is particularly bad in Anglo-Saxon cultures The range of things available to help our midlife transition The over-medicalization of menopause Negative language associated with menopause The possibili

Susan Saunders is the co-author of the best-selling book, The Age-Well Project, and author of her latest book, The Age-Well Plan which is a blueprint for how to age well. Susan’s already been on the podcast to tell us all about what we can do to age well. That was Episode 76. This time, we’re going to talk specifically about what we can do to promote our brain health. We talk about: Why brain health is so important and personal to Susan How she lives with the knowledge of having the APOE gene How inflammation hurts us as we age How to reduce the impact of inflammation What “zombies” are when it comes to ageing How to reduce and prevent zombies in the body as we age What fisetin and quercetin are and where we can find them in our everyday diets The Mediterranean diet Understanding our ancestors’ diets and how it can help us in the modern world Intermittent fasting – what it is, why it’s good and why people like Susan do it The benefits of taking a cold shower Why we need to think about our gut health and why

Mariann Aalda is an American actress, a performance artist, a stand-up comedian, and an age-full evangelist. She considers age to be her superpower and is determined we should all age shamelessly. We talk about: Eliminating ageism by being age-full Mariann’s career in acting What helped Mariann get back into acting Clubhouse as an important platform that gives everyone a voice Mariann’s views on menopause Why saying “No” is so important Being diagnosed with cancer and how it changed Mariann’s view on life Why it’s important to know your limits What Mariann does in terms of fitness  What we need to change in the world to enable women to age shamelessly Mariann’s solo show, “Getting old is a bitch, but I’m gonna wrestle that bitch to the ground” Embracing female dominant characteristics Learning how to pivot in life And more! Find out more about Mariann: Mariann’s website: mariannaaldainherprime.com Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Linkedin If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and leave a r

Karen Skidmore is a marketing consultant and business advisor with a particular interest in helping midlife women scale their small businesses without burning out. She’s also had a lot of reinventions as she has moved through her midlife shifts. We talk about: How Karen successfully made the transition from working in a corporate world to building her own business Why Karen was always ahead of the curve How Karen managed to balance family life and business in an ongoing basis considering different transitions  The potential of businesses going virtual in reaching global audience over the coming years  Necessity is the mother of invention. Karen’s Embrace 2.0 event What inspired Karen to write her book, “True Profit Business” Karen’s journey in figuring out what kind of business really suited her How Karen sees business as three energies The systems and processes that we can apply to life and at the same time, in our business Having a routine to support you How we can factor in our cycles The different energi

Michelle Weidenbenner is an author, speaker, and podcaster. She’s also the proud mother of a recovering addict. She has made it her mission to help other mothers of addicts.  We talk about: Michelle’s story and how she came to do what she does How she came to terms with what was happening in her family and how she dealt with it How Michelle advises women to cope and deal with their child’s addiction The crippling fear that Michelle used to feel What faith means to Michelle and how it has helped her The advice she’d give to someone who doesn’t have faith, to help with addiction What mothers can do if they have concerns about their child becoming addicted Why letting go is a key theme of Michelle’s work when working with women The steps in letting go What Michelle wants moms to know about addiction and looking after their addicted child And more! Michelle’s website: michelleweidenbenner.com Download Michelle’s Guide: Moms Letting Go Without Giving Up, 7 Steps to Self-Recovery Join Michelle’s Facebook Group: M

Meet Alexandra Boyd, a woman of many talents! She’s an actress, in Mr Holland’s Opus, Titanic, and Coronation Street to name just a very few, a screenwriter and film director, a video games icon, a singer, and a campaigner. She’s also been incredibly brave recently in her personal life for love! We talk about: How she crossed the ocean for love in midlife How she made the decision to give up one life for another one What it’s like living in a mobile home in the woods Moving from being in front of the camera to behind it About her feature film Widow’s Walk and how that came to be made Basing her film in the county where she grew up – Suffolk How she secured Virginia McKenna in one of the lead roles Holding the film premiere at Bafta Championing other women in the film industry through her new foundation, Artemisia’s Daughters And more! Find out more about Alexandra: Alexandra’s website: www.alexandraboyd.co.uk Her foundation: www.artemisiasdaughters.org Her film: Watch the trailer of Widow’s W