109 That Was 2022
Women What Whistle
In this episode I talk with Michaela Hyde from Marriage Foundation. It's more of a personal chat and debrief of 2022 really in which we cover empty nest syndrome, long term relationships, living with chronic pain, Michaela's menopause journey and my return to education. We also talk about HRT and also other techniques for resilience that help us survive the ups and downs of life. As promised, here are the menopause-specific episodes: 104 To HRT or Not with Sharon Hartmann (this is an edited-down version of 91, Menopause HRT and your GP) 103 - Diane Danzebrink talks about her surgical...
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108 Cliteracy and The G-Spot
Women What Whistle
Sex therapist Emma Waring joins me for part 2, following on from episode 107, ‘Is Your Sex Life Dutiful or Beautiful?’ to discuss the more intimate side of pleasure and our sexual relationships. We discuss orgasms, how the clitoris works, how vibrators can improve our sex lives and she reveals the all-important location of the not-so-elusive G-Spot. (Did you know that 96% of women need clitoral stimulation to orgasm? Hollywood might have us think otherwise). Emma shows various vibrators during this episode which we describe for audio-only purposes, however we did also film the conversation...
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107 Your Sexlife, Dutiful or Beautiful?
Women What Whistle
In this episode we talk about equality in sex and relationships. We delve into the roots of cultural and religious writings that have informed a male superiority over the centuries, where women's shame around sex, nakedness and physical desire comes from, how we can recognise if our sexual script is skewed/damaged, and what to do about it. NB trigger warning at 15 minutes where Emma describes the action of rape, it is no more than one minute long. Once again, Emma is fantastic and gives us lots to think about. If you've not heard the first episode she did, Episode 94 'What is Good Sex?'...
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106 Helena Croft: Once a Shy Girl, Now A Warrior For Women
Women What Whistle
10 years ago, Helena Croft founded Streetlight UK. Prostitution and trafficking is a very real issue. It’s quite of the moment to suggest that sex work is empowering, but Helena has a very different and experienced take on this narrative which is currently being pushed about. This episode is a conversation of two halves. First is about how Helena overcame terrible shyness and uncontrollable blushing that often held her back in life. And then how her faith helped her find her voice, which began her transition into politics. 10 years ago, she then founded Streetlight UK which gives support to...
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105 Not Scary For Cary
Women What Whistle
In this podcast episode, author talks to me about her epic midlife adventure in which she went back to university, already as a mum of twins, and having also navigated divorce. She accidentally fell in love and decided to relocate to Sweden once she graduated… and then found out she was carrying more than suitcases! I’m not so sure she set out for it to be an adventure but it really was, and then, of course, hormones began to change so she had some more navigating to do. During that time, she’s raising twins, a new baby, paddleboarding, cold water swimming and writing short stories and...
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104 To HRT or Not?
Women What Whistle
This is an edited-down version of podcast episode 91 in which Menopause specialist Sharon Hartmann discusses hormone change with me and how we can best navigate it. She covers things like when hormone change begins, what can instigate it outside of the natural rhythm of life, and then she covers various symptoms, some more unknown than others. We also discuss natural v HRT (spoiler: topically applied HRT IS a natural product), the difference between gel, patches and spray; the importance of how you apply, testosterone, the Mirena coil, and also the length of time to take HRT and if it's ever...
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103 Diane Danzebrink on menopause, breaking point and activism
Women What Whistle
This week we talk with Diane Danzebrink, campaigner, psychotherapist and menopause expert about her experience of menopause which was brought on by surgery for a hysterectomy, after discovering she had ovarian cysts, endometriosis, adenomyosis and a large fibroid. So severe were the psychological effects of menopause that it almost resulted in Diane ending her life. She tells the story in this episode. Her website is and you can sign the petition (please do because it’s getting very close to the all-important 200k) . There are also extensive available on her website, she also records a...
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102 Brave Enough
Women What Whistle
Grief is something that we’ve all found ourselves talking about with the loss of Queen Elizabeth. It has a profound impact on us and during this collective time, many of us have experienced the pain of other losses rise to the surface. In this episode, we talk to Jo Moseley, who found herself feeling at the end of herself after her own journey of grief and in the midst of menopause. Almost accidentally she turned it around and literally paddled her way out. She’s now a filmmaker, podcaster and writer, and the first woman to stand up paddleboard the 162 coast-to-coast trail from the west to...
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101 What Is Normal? Does it even exist?
Women What Whistle
Here we go, the first episode of Women What Whistle, renamed and revamped and very much about not falling in line or fading away. It’s about finding our brave through the stories of other women who’ve had to find theirs. We start this week with a conversation laying out the concept that challenges our perception of normal. We so often berate ourselves for not being like someone else, but ultimately, normal is most beneficial when measured against ourselves. Dr Sarah Chaney, historian of nursing and emotions, joins me for a conversation in which we talk about how this concept of...
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100 Coming Out and The Story So Far
Women What Whistle
THE STORY SO FAR: Welcome to our final episode from inside the wardrobe. We are relaunching with a slightly new focus in the Autumn which I explain about in this episode The previous episodes I signpost are: Menopause: 72, 78, 79, 91, 92, 93 The 5 love languages: 25 What is good sex: 94 Eating disorders or food related: 29 76 92 95 Grief and depression: 49 84 85 The link to my website is The link for subscribing to Women What Whistle is And the link to our Facebook group page is As ever, thank you so much for listening – much love all round!!
info_outlineIn this episode with @themenopausepsychologist we talk about navigating the impact that hormones have on our psychological state and subsequent mental health. We discuss the 3 stages of being a woman, from childhood, to puberty through to motherhood and into what has the potential to be our most fulfilling years, post menopause.
Until now, hormone influence on our lives really hasn’t been discussed or understood much at all. They affect us from our teen years and learning how to recognise what happens and manage ourselves around our cycles is something that you may or may not have become the expert in.
How to cope with the myriad of emotions that come with our menstrual cycle is vital because hormones have a tremendous impact on our lives at every age and stage. Dr Becky Quicke’s understanding of our cycle and how we are affected on a daily basis is eye opening. She has some incredible insight on the importance of tuning into our menstruation pattern and how if we can work WITH that monthly cycle, we can be so much more prepared for the years of hormone change as the menopause approaches.
She talks about developing the skills to navigate through hormonal storms throughout life, and then with the use of what is called psychological flexibility, how we respond to the symptoms of menopause such as anxiety, depression, brain fog and tearfulness, so that we can experience that third initiation, or stage of our lives in as positive way as possible.
Hormones can influence the way we feel, and this can mean we feel depressed, suffer mood swings, tearfulness, brain fog, a reduction in confidence, become easily irritable, we lose our sense of joy at the drop of a hat, lose touch with ourselves, forget things easily, lose the ability to concentrate – often so much so that we end up feeling forced to make changes to life and work that perhaps we might not have made otherwise.
The 3 step awareness that Becky talks about in the acronym “NOW” is something you can find more about on her website:
- NOTICE WHAT IS GOING ON
- OPENNESS TO OUR SENSES
- WRAP YOURSELF IN SELF COMPASSION
And whilst we are talking about this in Menopause awareness month, this is something that effects all of us, both women, and the men in our lives so please share this episode with your friends and loved ones as there is so much brilliant advice and knowledge in here.
Finally these are the links to all the different things Becky and I refer to during the episode:
Red School and their book Wild Power
Becky’s free resource on how to cope with anxiety
Instagram @themenopausepsychologist