On this episode we talk all about how our food effects both our physical and mental health. Our hormones are affected tremendously by what we eat and there’s a reason why diets don’t work, they don’t give us the balance we need, for example, high protein = low mood. Clinical nutritionist and former chef Emma Ellis-Flint joins me to go deeper into this conversation, she is passionate about making a difference to our health and happiness through food and nutrition, and hopefully you’ll glean some great tips from this conversation. Here are some notes.. Emma’s website is emmasnutrition.com – as we said there are loads of recipes on there, she offers 1:1 consultations, hosts workshops and if you follow her on social media, she’s regularly posting more ideas for how to eat healthily. We talk about phytoestrogens and other great ingredients in plant food that specifically support our bodies as we go through hormone changes: Legumes, pulses and beans – soy being top of the list. Also in chickpeas, white beans/cannellini, haricot, butter beans, black beans Seeds – flaxseed/linseed, chia seed Top 3 nuts for women are almonds with skin on, walnuts and brazil nuts (just 2 a day) Dark berries on your breakfast Vegetables – kale, cauliflower, brussel sprouts Fermented food such as sauerkraut, kefir etc enhance your digestion High protein low carb are short term diets that can cause long term bloating and fatigue. Remember, high protein = low mood Exercise is also connected to gut function as well as sleep quality and emotional health. They all connect together. Emma will be back in the new year to talk about weight, but in the meantime, please do check her out online or on social media she is @emmas_nutrition Finally if you would like to contact me, please do so via my website, or click here to join our Facebook group.   COPYRIGHT 2021 PIPA GORDON

Inside My Wardrobe

092 FOODS, MOODS, AND HORMONES

Menopause is often misdiagnosed so education is paramount. If we can know what to look out for, we will be far more equipped when we go to see the GP for help and support. This week we talk to menopause specialist Sharon Hartmann from the Newson Clinic. She works both in the NHS and the private sector so she has a window on both experiences. The effects of menopause start in our early 40s, sometimes even sooner and often they are misdiagnosed as depression, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, even alzheimers – you’ll hear all about that across the next few episodes. If you haven’t yet heard the other episodes about navigating and understanding the symptoms, they are numbers 72 78 and 79. In this episode, Sharon Hartmann was keen to talk not just about menopause, but how to talk to your GP about HRT and we cover masses – from migraines to endemitriosis, depression to pelvic floors, to how to apply HRT, the 5 year myth, the WHI Study, testosterone, the mirena coil and libido …here’s a few break points: 17:00 symptoms, both physical and psychological 19:00 pelvic floor and bladder, vaginal atrophy 28:00 body identitcal HRT 33:00 HRT and whether or not to come off (short answer, no) 38:00 what to do when your GP says no 42:00 5 year myth 46:00 Is it ever too late to start? 50:00 testosterone 51:00 libido and anxiety 54:00 bad sleep and sleep hygiene 57:00 mirena coil We talk about the Newson Health clinic where you can get heaps of advice and help as being a great place to start and click here for the NICE guidelines to help you with approaching your GP. The Balance app is the other resource helpful for navigating and tracking your symptoms. Please share these episodes with friends and family, it’s so important to keep the conversation going. Thank you for listening, if you'd like to follow me on social media, you can see all my links via my website  COPYRIGHT PIPA GORDON 2021

091 MENOPAUSE, HRT AND HOW TO APPROACH YOUR GP

In this show we talk about anxiety, change, careers, teenagers, parenting, failure, adventure – all sorts! Cai Graham, author of The Teen Toolbox, is a parent and teen coach and joins me in a multi tasking episode. We talk about what teenagers need, what is going on in their lives, their unconscious minds, and how to cope with moodiness through to self harm. We also talk about taking control of our own lives, whatever stage we may be at, and embracing change as and when it comes. We touch on grief, depression and anxiety.  Cai can be found on all platforms and her resources are available via her website at caigraham.com her book The Teen Toolbox is widely available, click here to order on Amazon. Other things mentioned in the show: Aristotle quote “happiness consists in achieving, through the course of a whole lifetime, all the goods – health, wealth, knowledge, friends etc – that lead to the perfection of human nature and to the enrichment of human life. This requires us to make choices, some of which may be very difficult”.   Other episodes mentioned Menopause episodes so far  #72 #78 #79 #88 Lucinda Gordon Lennox “Nobody is Broken” #54 Cathy Madavan - When Life Throws A Bowling Bowl in Your Path If you would like to get in touch with me, all my links are available on my website pipagordon.co.uk and please feel free to join our Facebook group page for further conversations.   COPYRIGHT 2021 PIPA GORDON

090 WHAT IF THERE'S NO SABRE-TOOTH TIGER

It's all in this podcast! First up, we have a catch up after what has been a much longer than anticipated break, and then we talk with Lindsey Beveridge about her recovery from addiction and how she became a nutritional therapist. We hear about the needs of our bodies and how we can help ourselves form new habits as we come out of the experience of Covid and lockdown. We discuss the damage alcohol can do, but also how poor diet affects us long term. Lindsey talks about what we are aiming for, how to go about it, and even what is an acceptable amount to drink - and if you are on HRT, why it's important not to drink at all. She touches on cravings, burnout, genes, food intolerance, even how nutrition can support us during the menopause. Lindsey’s website is www.recovery-nutrition.co.uk if you would like to read more about the work she does or get in touch with her. If you’d like to get in touch with me, all my links are on www.pipagordon.co.uk COPYRIGHT 2021 PIPA GORDON

089 Gut health, Alcohol and Making Life Changes

088 BIG T LITTLE T TRAUMA IS TRAUMA

Why are we exhausted? Why are we not racing out of the gates now the restrictions are being lifted? Why are we feeling flat? Shouldn't we be feeling more excited and energised?  We have longed for freedom and now that it is here, we don't have the energy for it. Why is that? In this episode we begin to talk about the exhaustion that comes from prolonged stress, trauma and shock management. I saw a car accident last night and after calling 999 and reeling from the shock, I went numb. I needed to recharge after a surge of cortisol flooded my body to deal with what had happened. It's a similar thing going on right now as we start to step back into life, we are exhausted from coping and there is still more to cope with as we are far from out of the woods. It's been a while since I've been on - it's so good to catch up! You can join the Inside My Wardrobe facebook group page and come and find me, your host Pipa Gordon on social media. All the links can be found here on my website   COPYRIGHT 2021 PIPA GORDON

087 GOOD GRIEF THIS IS EXHAUSTING

For the last episode of this year I threw open the floor to our facebook group and let them ask the questions via my husband Brian who added his beautiful mellow tones to the podcast! We talk about all the insights and learns from 2020, favourite conversations, hopes for 2021, George Clooney’s hair, padded pants, all sorts! Particular episodes we referred back to were: And here’s the link as promised! Ellen Carr #81 – fascinating insight on our doshas #64 - let’s talk about racism #blm #62 with Angie Fadel – clocking shoulds Saying no – Mandy Saligari #70 …and of course there are loads more – plus episode #42 where I mention Robert Waldinger https://robertwaldinger.com/author/bob-waldinger/ and his TED talk “how to have a happy life” You’ve been great company this year – do come and join in on the Facebook page, have a WONDERFUL Christmas, whatever it might look like and I look forward to talking to you on the other side xx

086 Hindsight is 2020

This week we hear from Emma Simpson, scientist and writer, wife and mum, and someone who experienced multiple traumas over a short period of time that turned her life inside out and resulted in her developing clinical depression, followed by chronic fatigue syndrome and a mast cell disorder. In this episode we hear Emma’s devastating story, about how she has learned to deal with PTSD and grief, about depression, anxiety, about over achieving, pushing away pain and the eventual breakdown that would see everything rise to the surface. If it wasn’t for Emma’s friends and family, she says she wouldn’t have made it through. This is such a real and honest tale of how life can change overnight and that the only way through, is by taking one step at a time. You can read Emma’s blog by clicking here you can also follow her on Instagram @lovelifelemonstones and if you’d like to get in touch with her for any coaching and conversation, then you can find her here on Linkedin. You can also find out more about The Winne Mabaso Foundation she mentioned here Finally, the fabulous quote she shared with us is: Ego says “once everything falls into place, I’ll find peace” Spirit says “find your peace, and then everything will fall into place” Finally, all the other episodes, show notes, links and ways to contact me are all on my website, pipagordon.co.uk and our Facebook group page  

085 Life, Loss & Lemonstones

2020 has been hard in so many ways, but like in any trauma or tough time in life, how we cope is often determined by the story we choose to tell ourselves. Here's a moving podcast illustrating how to find strength when we keep going anyway. Accepting who we are and where we are at, gives us so much power and once we find that place, we begin the journey of healing and freedom! This episode is perfectly timed as so much change has occurred this year in all of our lives. Much of it for the better, but also with lots of trauma and sadness in the mix. Nina Chesworth's story is a real example of courage, determination and resilience. She has had to overcome trauma in a way that none of us would ever imagine. Having become severely short sighted after having the flu when just 2 years old, had multiple operations that would succeed and then fail after a time taking her through years of torture; then in her adult years, had 2 separate accidents that each involved losing an eye. She kept strong for everyone else, until the final accident when she came apart and fell into a deep depression. Her resilience however, unfailing, eventually found the lifeline to pull her back out. She’s an inspiration and a true example of HOW to keep going when we are struggling to see the way forwards …. In this incredibly inspiring episode we talk about how Nina has developed practices to maintain a good place when it comes to her mental health, how she manages the ongoing stress that comes from Charles Bonnet Syndrome, a syndrome of hallucinations that comes about with sight loss; she talks about how her friends and family have been her support line and how she's had to rebuild her life over and over, clinging on to the determination that protects her independence and ability to be productive, creative, help others and most importantly be a mum. Nina has a degree in Design and art direction despite her visual impairment at the time, started her own business making her own handmade jewellery, and began the creative craft café in Manchester where people could come and express their creativity in order to help their mental health. Nina continues to support others with their mental health all the while adjusting and working with her own. Our mental health is an ongoing journey and the tips and insights that she shares during this episode are doable for us all. Do check out The Bridge and Sister Stories  so if those sounded like they could be helpful to you, definitely take a look. Also remember that we have a Facebook group page where you are always safe to come and offload to those who will support you, and please remember, as Nina said, things always get better. Nina's Blog - www.blindbbutsound.co.uk Twitter account @blind_but_sound Instagram and Facebook as @NinaChesworth  

084 The Story You Tell Yourself

This has been an immensely difficult year for everyone – in different ways we have made sacrifices, managed stress, illness, loss …the list for everyone is different. Whether its been isolation and loneliness, or fear for loved ones who you can’t see, or managing children whilst working, or desperately trying to find creative ways around running a business so that you can keep your head above water – we’ve all gone through it and everywhere I turn right now, people are tired, fed up, hanging on by a thread. In the news this morning there was a piece on how anti social behaviour and abuse is escalating in supermarkets ….. but it really highlights the mental state that some are in, there are many fragile people walking around on the brink So for my wrapping up of the people pleasing series, I want to finish with the importance of understanding how we are effected by life and what goes on around us and giving ourselves the freedom to roll with some punches – I don’t mean being tossed by the waves, we have a responsibility to manage how we respond to negative feelings but at the same time, it’s important that we acknowledge and understand what we are feeling – for ourselves. We’ve been a generation of goal setting reach for the stars and that’s great, the world has offered so many opportunities to us however right now, it’s so much more important that we take the gas off, that we allow ourselves to feel our way through the rest of this pandemic, to be connected to our feelings so that we don’t come out the other side disorientated or burned out but instead, we come out grounded, knowing what really matters One of the things this second lockdown highlighted for me was realising how quickly we had reverted back to life as we knew it pre Covid just in the last couple of months… shopping, seeing friends, people were having parties, meeting in restaurants, sitting close together …as if it had all gone away and we had forgotten. If anything, we can use this as a reminder that despite all the horrific things going on during lockdown, all the stresses and strains, we also all began to pair down and connect with the things that matter most. A friend of mine tweeted this morning about how low she’s been feeling of late …. Brian and I were talking over coffee this morning about the exhaustion we are all feeling right now – he was saying it’s a bit like when you learn something new, your brain gets tired – and we’ve all had to learn so much “new” this year – in the past we could go to work, go to the shops, go on holiday, all on auto pilot without having to think, everything was so familiar to us and suddenly this year that has all changed, very little is familiar, we are always having to think, be aware, do things a different way – of course we are exhausted! One of the things we have talked about over the last few weeks has been menopause as last month was menopause awareness month so add to that the influence on hormones in our lives, whether it’s your monthly cycle or hormone change in perimenopause or post menopause, add to that all the different stresses and strains being carried by those around us, add to that the not knowing of what’s ahead – yes the vaccines look really promising but we aren’t there yet – it’s difficult – let’s acknowledge that. . The reason I’ve included this as the final part of the people pleasing series is because it is vital that as part of learning about who we are, about getting to know ourselves and be ourselves, that we also learn to be comfortable in ourselves during the difficult times and give ourselves what we need – rest, support, a good book, a podcast, a walk in the woods …whatever it might be. That we learn to lean on each other, feel our feelings, not sweep them under the carpet but allow ourselves to mirror the seasons, right now to prepare for hibernation – we’ve earned it this year!!!! We NEED to rest and reset. Usually this time of year I start to plan ahead for the following year but as that process has begun, I’ve started to think about how I’m going to nurture myself and my family first, as Gayle Johnson talked about back in episode 75, use journaling and creative ways to process through emotions and really get in touch with ourselves, last week we talked about cold water swimming and how shocking our body into fight or flight, learning how to breathe through that panic response enables our neural pathways and physical responses to become stronger and more resilient to stress – in fact next week we have an incredible guest on who is the most inspirational example of living through trauma and coming out the other side – and that’s really what this year has been for us, By definition, a A traumatic event is an incident that causes physical, emotional, spiritual, or psychological harm in which we might feel threatened, anxious, or frightened as a result. The reactions to trauma can include exhaustion, confusion, sadness, anxiety, agitation, numbness, dissociation, confusion ….all sorts. So in becoming more of ourselves, in grounding ourselves stronger in who we are and what we want from life, we also need to know and understand the other side of that coin, be able to recognise our negative feelings, where they have come from and sometimes allow ourselves to go through that muddy puddle, even sit in it for a while. We can’t rush these things – that’s something I learned through my divorce, I was devastated when I heard it would take a good couple of years to grieve and feel like myself again but that person was so right - and we can’t rush Covid either, we are here, we are moving forwards and we have all been marked in one way or another by 2020 – remember its generally the bad stuff in life that we learn from so let’s not race back to life as we knew it, let’s take the time to reflect deeper into ourselves, to get to know who we are and how we are feeling, allow ourselves to feel the Autumn and Winter of this year because Spring comes next and then summer. So however life is looking for you right now, keep going but be kind to yourself, be aware of what you need so that you can be even more of yourself both through the good times and the more difficult ones. I think you’ll love next week’s episode, it’s an incredible story of resilience In the meantime, take care, keep washing your hands and wearing your masks and if you’re feeling frayed around the edges, that’s ok, spring isn’t too far away – in fact it’s about the same distance as we are now from when we came out of the first lockdown – and that doesn’t seem to far now does it? Other episodes in this series: #73 Part 1: get to know yourself – how can you be yourself unless you know who you are, start to notice and be curious #74 Part 2: continuing with getting to know yourself, take it further and start to ask yourself about your opinions – read, think, question – be curious! Often people become people pleasers not because they are wanting to be liked, but because they just don’t know their own answers. How can you find your tribe, your people, if you don’t know what defines you? Why join a netball team when you prefer to be on water? #77 Part 3: boundaries – learning to say no and that realising that when you give your power away, when you’re always saying yes and standing aside, it opens you UP TO FEELING VIOLATED and ABUSED  #83 Part 4: today – putting all those things together in many ways is really simple but then the final point is this – life happens – and it’s all very well knowing the colourful side, but we are whole people and we also need to know our darkness. Brene Brown says “You can’t selectively numb your emotions” and in the same way, we can’t only know what we want, we also need to know what we feel …. #75 – writing for healing – Gayle Johnson #76 – How To Eat and Be Happy - eating disorders with Michelle Scott #72 #78 #79 Menopause and how hormones dramatically effect the way we do live #81 Ellen Carr – knowing your dosha and going with the seasons #82 – Chilly Dippers with Olivia Sharron  

083 Why We Are Feeling Exhausted

Welcome to another episode of Inside My Wardrobe – I was originally going to call this “Keeeep Talking” as it’s Strictly Come Dancing season but then I remembered “just keep swimming, swimming swimming” – and I couldn’t really move on from that. You have to have seen the movie Nemo to get the title.  “Just Keep Swimming” is Dory’s line, played by Ellen DeGeneres and her motto taught to her by her Mum, when life gets hard, to just keep swimming …. This week’s guest came about after #76 “How To Eat And Be Happy” with therapist from the Recovery Centre,  Michelle Scott talking about eating disorders – she asked if I would be interested to talk to Olivia Hammond – Founder of Chilly Dippers which is a cold water swimming community that is growing across the UK to encourage not just physical wellbeing but to help people find and develop natural coping mechanisms for dealing with every day stress and anxiety – which of course was a definite yes from me because I hand on heart believe that the more comfortable we are with ourselves, our emotions, our feelings and learning how to express them, the easier life gets – it doesn’t stop the mountains from standing in our way, but when you have confidence in every aspect of who you are and where you’ve been, you develop a strength that carries you forwards over mountains and through the storms which are inevitable – how boring would it be to sit on a beach all day every day? I’ve talked before about how I was going to spend a weekend with a group of friends walking up Snowdon and down again but as life would have it, a family emergency cropped up which meant I couldn’t go but when they all came back, no one talked about reaching the top, it was all about the journey and who struggled and who slipped and then the champagne in the hot tub afterwards – mountains are good particularly when we climb them with friends. In this episode we talk about the importance of talking, of community, of looking around and seeing that we aren’t climbing the mountain on our own, so it’s important to express how we feel and then there’s this amazing effect that cold water swimming has – not just in the camaraderie around a hot chocolate afterwards, but also about how physically shocking your body into fight or flight helps bypass the mind and speed up the process of freeing our instinct to help us become people who have confidence in our own ability to cope when the going gets tough. It’s been proven to: Encourage Better sleep Improves circulation A Natural high Increases your metabolism Boosts your immune system Enhances happiness – releases endorphins Is great for the skin The premise of Chilly Dippers (www.chillydippers.com), is a mental health initiative set up by Olivia Sharron whilst at The University of Edinburgh to encourage more natural coping mechanisms for dealing with everyday stresses and anxieties. The focus is on how cold-water swimming and its mental and physical health benefits really takes people out of their normal routines, for even 5 minutes of something different to really help them gain some perspective of their worries.  Olivia says “I had noticed too frequently, so many of my friends battling with mental health issues and not being able to speak about it. Luckily, through the many ‘Chilly Dips’ I have hosted up in Edinburgh and in London’s Serpentine Lido - we have been able to challenge the taboo around mental health through opening up opportunities for likeminded people to share their stories / or simply just engage in a fun, outdoor activity”.  You’ve heard me waxing lyrical about the benefits of Japanese practise of forest bathing. It has been proven that intentionally spending time around trees, walking through woods and forests lower heart rate and blood pressure, reduces stress hormone production, boosts your immune system and improves the overall feelings of wellbeing – it just goes to show the importance of being aware of all the natural world has for us. On top of that, Chris Evans has been singing the praises of cold showers for months so you don’t necessarily have to take the whole plunge although I have to say, from those I know who do it, it seems to be addictive, my aunt in her 50s swims all year round in the sea in south west Wales – she posted a photo just the other day after they came out of their lockdown, the first thing she and a group of women did was to leap in the car and head to the beach, in November – and it’s cold on the welsh coast ALL year!! Lorraine Candy, editor of Style Magazine in the Sunday times recently wrote a piece on how HRT and cold water swimming together have really helped her through the menopause – and she only learned how to do the front crawl in her late 40s so there’s hope for us all! You don’t have to be a natural or seasoned swimmer – “the endorphin high lasts for some time, I can only liken the buzz to the heady days of the 90s rave scene” https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8895561/Icy-dips-lidos-lakes-sea-daily-high-good-HRT.html People make extraordinary claims about how cold water swimming has literally saved their lives because it’s had such a profound effect on their mental and physical health – stress relief, depression – all caused by the body learning how to protect itself when faced with a surge in cortisol https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/cold-water-swimming-why-an-icy-dip-is-good-for-your-mental-and-physical-health/ https://www.iprshealth.com/news/8-benefits-of-cold-water-swimming/   Cold water swimming may help defend from dementia by stimulating latent hibernation protein, scientists say 'Cold-shock' protein - RBM3 - was first identified in mice after they were cooled It was found to trigger the removal and then regrowth of synapses in the brain Scientists wanted to see whether humans would also be able to make the protein And tests on lido swimmers have confirmed people can also produce it So the evidence is there, for ALL ages there is a huge benefit to cold water swimming but equally, and so importantly as Olivia pointed out, the importance of talking can never be underestimated. A few weeks ago we did a couple of episodes on what Dr Becky Quicke referred to as the third initiation of a woman’s life – of menopause, and of stepping into your queendom and being there for all the other younger women who cross your path so whatever age you are, reach out, not just to your peers, but to those older than you and to those younger than you, we are not designed to live isolated and disconnected lives, we thrive on connection and community so keep swimming and keep talking – and come and join in our Facebook group page as there are women of all ages ready to connect and share together. Links are dotted through the notes but the main one for Olivia is www.chillydippers.com and my website where you can find all the podcast episodes and more www.pipagordon.co.uk  

082 Just Keep (Cold Water) Swimming

During this episode we talk with writer and holistic therapist Ellen Carr about connecting with our bodies at a deep level so that we can discover who we are and find fulfilment and joy in life. We talk about how the seasons around us affect us according to our Dosha, we talk about masculine and feminine energy, how the Western culture in which we live promotes more of a goal based masculine existence which pushes us away from the nurture and reflective nature of the feminine energy. We all need both, but as a society, we have become incredibly linear which isn’t good for us so we talk about lots of different ways we can find balance and develop non-linear ways of being that will help us to feel good about and connected to our lives. It’s a beautiful conversation laden with wisdom and once again, lots of food for thought. You can find all the information we talked about by clicking this link to Ellen’s website http://being-change.com/  take the Dosha quiz if you’re up for it and come and find me on my website or social media :) and here's the story of the fisherman: There was once a businessman who was sitting by the beach in a small Brazilian village. As he sat, he saw a Brazilian fisherman rowing a small boat towards the shore having caught quite few big fish. The businessman was impressed and asked the fisherman, “How long does it take you to catch so many fish?” The fisherman replied, “Oh, just a short while.” “Then why don’t you stay longer at sea and catch even more?” The businessman was astonished. “This is enough to feed my whole family,” the fisherman said. The businessman then asked, “So, what do you do for the rest of the day?” The fisherman replied, “Well, I usually wake up early in the morning, go out to sea and catch a few fish, then go back and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I take a nap with my wife, and evening comes, I join my buddies in the village for a drink — we play guitar, sing and dance throughout the night.” The businessman offered a suggestion to the fisherman. “I am a PhD in business management. I could help you to become a more successful person. From now on, you should spend more time at sea and try to catch as many fish as possible. When you have saved enough money, you could buy a bigger boat and catch even more fish. Soon you will be able to afford to buy more boats, set up your own company, your own production plant for canned food and distribution network. By then, you will have moved out of this village and to Sao Paulo, where you can set up HQ to manage your other branches.” The fisherman continues, “And after that?” The businessman laughs heartily, “After that, you can live like a king in your own house, and when the time is right, you can go public and float your shares in the Stock Exchange, and you will be rich.” The fisherman asks, “And after that?” The businessman says, “After that, you can finally retire, you can move to a house by the fishing village, wake up early in the morning, catch a few fish, then return home to play with kids, have a nice afternoon nap with your wife, and when evening comes, you can join your buddies for a drink, play the guitar, sing and dance throughout the night!” The fisherman was puzzled, “Isn’t that what I am doing now?”

081 Balancing Your Dosha

If you think that stepping into your Queendom alludes you, have a listen to this episode. A story of dogged determination, poor health advice, employment rejection and then a wonderful turnaround thanks to dogged determination and refusal to sit on the shelf! Serena Gay has spent her entire life as a broadcaster but then along came menopause, coupled with a major relocation and everything seemed to hit brick walls - until she decided that she wasn't done yet, she had plenty to offer and that "no" wasn't good enough! Serena's story highlights the importance of self esteem, awareness and a positive mindset to keep on going and to always keep learning. Menopause could have stopped her but she decided otherwise.  Listening to her story and funny anecdotes shows that even when life doesn't go to plan, when the body starts to change and the world seems like it isn't interested, THAT is the time to step into our Queendom and enter this next phase of life with passion, purpose and humour! We only end up on the shelf if we agree to sit there – like everything, my favourite and life changing lyric from back in the 80s when I heard it for the first time, as relevant in my teenage years as it is now and always will be – LIFE, IS , WHAT, WE MAKE IT. No one says it's going to be easy, but let's face it, the good stuff never is and we know that! So in wanting to keep our feet on the ground as always, this is Serena Gay, broadcaster and podcast producer talking about the gritty bits of getting older, additional struggles brought on by the menopause and how she has learned to manage her ongoing symptoms such as migraines and weight gain (spoiler alert, it's in the title) - enjoy! Serena's facebook group page is here: podcasting blueprint for business owners” Our podcast group page is here: Inside My Wardrobe And please as always reach out to me, I would love to hear from you. Pipa x

080 Lipstick and Bloody Mindedness

In 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 Quicke website  Becky’s free resource on how to cope with anxiety  Instagram @themenopausepsychologist  Facebook @beckyquicke  Our facebook group page  My website pipagordon.co.uk  

079 Beyond The Bleed

Our hormones have for many years been subjected to shameful jibes however, they are immensely powerful and the driving force behind so much of who we are, hence the title of this episode. The thing is, they also change as we transition into the next phase of our lives around our mid/late 40s and when they begin to change, we can find the impact on our emotional, mental and physical health to be a huge shock to the system if we aren't informed about what to expect. If we can understand what’s going on, and manage the change with support, the next phase of life has the opportunity to be even more fulfilling and wonderful. The trouble is, we often switch off to its inevitability and think that its nothing to worry about until the hot flushes start which couldn’t be further from the truth! Just like achy joints, osteoporosis, brittle bones, and forgetfulness are NOT just an inevitable sign of ageing, they are all connected to hormone change which we can do so much about when we actually understand what is going on within our body. It actually starts in your early 40s so it’s important to know what to look out for, hot flushes are much further down the line so in this episode we literally list the lot! The trouble is, until recently, none of this has been talked about, menopause has been laden with shame, guilt and misunderstanding. The symptoms are way beyond what we have always thought and so when you know what to look out for, you are far more likely to be able to navigate this next phase of your life successfully and that’s what we are talking about in this episode, the symptoms to be looking out for. Davina McCall was on Loose Women the other day and said how awful the menopause had been for her because she never knew, because no one had ever told her what to expect – and that is the case for nearly everyone …until now, partly thanks to my guest this week, Diane Danzebrink who has been central to this becoming a national conversation and raising an army of women who have said enough is enough, this needs to be understood and addressed properly. Diane even took the conversation right into the houses of parliament and lobbied for change, successfully -  she is a hero! As women, we often pride ourselves on getting on with things and that’s all very well but in “just getting on with it” we are actually denying ourselves of the support that we could really benefit from, but even worse, we are allowing the stigma to continue because we are stigmatising it ourselves by saying that we SHOULD just get on with it. So, we can either arm ourselves with information, or we can exacerbate the issue.  We have had to cover up and keep quiet about this significant functional change in our bodies for generations, for the longest time women were just seen as the child bearers and once they were done bearing and raising children, they should be put out to graze and quietly fade away – a disgraceful concept today. The life expectancy for women used to be mid 50 but now there’s an entire life to be had beyond our biologically productive years, we have much more life ahead of us but it can be dramatically effected by hormone deficiency when the body begins to change if we aren't supported correctly. In this episode, I am joined by Diane Danzebrink, founder of the menopause support campaign and the driving force behind the #makemenopausematter movement to talk about what to look out for and the list is quite a lot to swallow – Anxiety Low moods Depressed Mood swings Tearfulness Brain fog Reduced confidence Irritability Loss of joy Poor memory Poor concentration Difficulty sleeping Fatigue Increased headaches Heart palpitations Hot flushes Night sweats Painful or aching muscles and joints Changes to periods Vaginal or vulval symptoms Urinary symptoms Loss of libido Dry skin Dry eyes Changes to oral health Changes to your hair Weight gain Feeling dizzy or feint Changes to hearing – some people hear buzzing and ringing, tinnitus type symptoms Restless legs Changes to body odour Increase in allergies if you had them before Changes to digestion – gut and bowel health The list is quite a shock to the system when you realise the effect that hormone change can have on our bodies but as you will hear Diane say, the more we talk about it, the more we normalise it. So please share and post away, use #makemenopausematter and please sign the petition because it is vital that education is increased particularly for GPs. If you’ve not yet heard episode 72, a beginners guide to the menopause and HRT with Dr Zoe Hodson, she talked about how GPs are barely trained AT ALL on the menopause or HRT and that is often why so many women are stranded with their symptoms, just feeling like their life and body is falling apart, when actually so much of what they’re going through is manageable – remember our hormones are amazing things, they are NOTHING to be ashamed of, they are PART of being a woman and ESSENTIAL to life – it’s crazy that we’ve had to suffer in silence for so long, and for many, it really is suffering, for years. Please don’t let that be you, and please let’s not let our children have to go through the same CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION to improve the education of our GPS and if you would like to find out more, here is the link to Diane’s website  Also if you’ve not listened to Episode 72, here’s the link to my chat with Dr Zoe Hodson “A Beginners Guide to Menopause and HRT” and remember to subscribe so you don’t miss next week’s episode on managing mental health during this very important part of our lives. Please feel free to join in on the Facebook group page called INSIDE MY WARDROBE and come and find me on pipagordon.co.uk  

078 The Power of Hormones: Knowing & Navigating the Symptoms of Menopause with Diane Danzebrink

Candid conversations on relationships, parenting and identity with broadcaster Pipa Gordon who takes a rummage through who we are and how we do life both on the inside and out. "Inside My Wardrobe" is literally recorded from inside her own wardrobe as in her madly busy household, she says it’s about the quietest place she could find.