Take the Elevator
This podcast is purely about elevating people through individual life stories and experiences in the Elevator. In the Elevator, what's key is maybe changing your perspective; having self-actualization; embracing your purpose; and acting on it as we grow from one another. There is a whole different point of view when you look up to elevate.
Take the Elevator
352nd Floor: March Madness Menopause
March Madness takes on new meaning as we tackle the wild journey of menopause with humor, wisdom, and refreshing honesty. Joined by special guest Lovella, a healthcare communications expert with personal experience navigating "the change," we break down the physical, emotional, and relationship dynamics of this transformative life phase.
What begins as a candid conversation about hot flashes and hormone therapy quickly evolves into a deeper exploration of how menopause reshapes women's relationships with their bodies, partners, and sense of self. "When the plane is crashing, you don't know that," Lovella explains, perfectly capturing how menopause can feel from the inside while appearing like "bad behavior" from the outside. Together, we dismantle misconceptions about treatment options, physical changes, and the psychological impact of society's youth-obsessed culture on women experiencing menopause.
Beyond symptoms, our discussion reveals the unexpected gifts menopause brings – increased patience, deeper wisdom, and greater authenticity. We offer practical advice for managing everything from brain fog to decreased libido, while emphasizing the importance of partner education and communication. Whether you're approaching menopause, currently navigating it, or supporting someone who is, this episode provides both comfort and actionable strategies for embracing this significant life transition with grace and strength.
Discover why half the population deserves more than silence around this universal experience. Listen, learn, and share – because knowledge truly is power when it comes to understanding and supporting women through menopause.
Hey, it's Jen the Builder and Cory, and welcome everyone. To Take the Elevator, cory. I think this is like the 253rd episode. How about three?
Speaker 2:353.
Speaker 1:Yeah now you're about right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I can't believe it and I'm so excited about today's episode because we have a third person in the studio with us today indeed a very bright, vibrant, energetic person that has a lot of good information and knowledge she's going to share with us, and we're just so delighted to have her in the studio with us today.
Speaker 1:That's right. So if you're new to Take the Elevator, just want to put it out there that this is a podcast where we take everyday topics and we elevate it to higher perspective and we love community, we love people and we love positivity and just encouraging our friends. So we're actually going to take. It's March Madness, corey. What is typically March Madness Basketball.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I say that with that drab voice because I just can't watch sports Like I could play them when I was younger and I still could if I really wanted to today, but it just doesn't excite me. Now. A March Madness podcast. I think this is going to be exciting for a lot of people, so I'm looking forward to this one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I promise no one knows what this March Madness is today I do, and that's why we have Lovella here, and so we're going to talk about March Madness, menopause oh my gosh. Yeah, and what that game looks like, and the full on court pressure in your emotions, your mental health, your body, everything. So please welcome Lovella to the elevator. Hey Lovella, it's good to have you here.
Speaker 3:Hey there. It's a pleasure to be here. I'm really it's strangely very, very excited about today's topic.
Speaker 1:Yeah Right, I don't think we hear it enough, but I know you've plugged into multiple things regarding it, so I think it's so appropriate that you're here, but why don't you go ahead and tell everyone a little bit about yourself, anything that you want us to know?
Speaker 3:Well, gosh, you know, at my age I'm fine. But I have to laugh when you say kind of plugged into menopause and I'm like what do you mean? Because I've like I'm in it and I've gone through it and I'm still in it and I'm still gone through it. So, bella Sullivan, I'm not going to say how old I am.
Speaker 2:And you know that I'm going through menopause.
Speaker 3:That's enough. She's 25. I am, I'm 25. Early onset of menopause 25 times. You know two points, something or other. So I have an illustrious healthcare marketing and communications career. At one point I was a VP of the over seven hospitals for communications and I think what attracts me most to this podcast really is how you take those everyday subjects and you're always telling people to take that elevator and that's something that, with all of my many teams that I've had in my career is that that just gives me such joy is to bring that to my teams, right, because every individual that we work with is different, but I love being able to show people what their skillset is and then just like turn them loose.
Speaker 3:I love to say that I've trained a COO. It's just, it's great stuff.
Speaker 2:Indeed, and I'm going to say this upfront, front and out the gate that everyone that is seasoned, or older, or mature is not wise. But this woman is very wise and has a vast amount of knowledge. She just told you she was a VP over seven hospitals.
Speaker 3:I had seven, three different markets.
Speaker 2:Goodness that's some good stuff right there. We're going to have a lot of fun today, guys.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so let me give an intro on how this came up. So lovella and cory and I, we work together and we've done some projects together, maybe indirectly, but our teams work very closely together, right? So I, I don't even remember exactly what it is, but I think lovelle asked me how are you? And I said I'm menopausal, like I don't even remember exactly what it is, but I think Lovell asked me how are you and I said I'm menopausal.
Speaker 1:Today's just one of those days Loaded question and so we just started talking about that. And you're really easy to open up to At least you have been for me and so I just think the world of you not just as who you are, as a leader, but also as a person. So it was easy to tell Lavella like hot flashes, like how are you coping, how are you doing all this? And it feels good when there's someone who's going through what you're going through and you don't feel crazy by yourself. And so, as we were talking about it, I said Lavella, we got to do like March Madness Menopause, and she got lit up and when people get you know, understand where you're coming from, they're just like let's do it.
Speaker 3:Oh, I love it and. I'm like you're going to call it March Madness. Oh my goodness, that's perfect, right.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about why we're having this conversation. First of all, I don't know if many people know this, but half the population is going to go through menopause and I just can't believe that there's not enough women talking about this. I talk about menopause to my daughter all the time, so she's 411 on what's about to happen and it doesn't come as a shock, right? So today we're going to dive in to the symptoms, the emotions, the coping strategies and how we can support each other through this wild ride. And, corey, what is your purpose? In March, madness, menopause Day, what can we expect from?
Speaker 2:you. I'm so glad you asked. I've been asked this question three times and I refused to answer until I was actually here. So my role today is to ask the tough questions, the important questions. Not only that I've been a participant in this March Madness Menopause for much longer than just March Pretty much, man. I don't even want to say how many years I've endured this, but when I say that I'm not being mean, what I'm actually saying is that it's a real thing and people don't recognize it as a real thing.
Speaker 2:So I just I'm here to support, but I most want to ask questions so that I can get a little bit more clarity and help some people that's out there.
Speaker 1:Let's help our men out there and women who are experiencing, women who are on, who are menopausal.
Speaker 2:First of all, can I'm gonna just start the questioning right away and jump in head first. Lovella, what is menopause to you?
Speaker 3:that's deep, he just like right out of the ballpark with that. Oh, that's another sports thing right, yeah, that's not. Clearly, I'm not a sports follower either, so I am my own sport.
Speaker 3:Um so menopause, um to me. So growing up, a quick history. So again I'm, I'm like older than tornadoes. So growing up, I had old parents to begin with. So my mom was 36, um, when she had me. So she was going through menopause when I was just kind of hitting puberty, and so it was in the household that I grew up very Southern. I grew up here in Southern California, but my parents are from Texas, so it's very Southern. You don't talk about those things, it's just it's a woman's thing. So there wasn't a lot of education. I'm aware of menopause, I understand what it is, I went to school, but for me, menopause. So when I first admitted, okay, I'm, you know, premenopausal, uh, oh, my gosh, I'm in my prime. That's not possible. I just felt like you know, everything's drying up, I'm going to die. This is like the second half of my life. I've hit the peak and now it's all downhill and it's just going to snowball.
Speaker 3:And so that was my first. When you get told that. And then I have to say, and I'm still in menopause, it's great. I mean there's horrible things in the sweats and all of the symptoms and everybody experiences that in a different way, to a different degree. But I'm actually um with the, the education and the research that I've done on that, I feel. So I think knowledge right, I guess. For me it's like knowledge is power. So the more that I understood what my body was doing and where I was headed to this beautiful post-menopausal land, which I can't wait to be there because it opens up different things. So, like the way I look at it is like pre-pubescent you have no idea what's coming. And then you know you get that wonderful monthly cycle and you're growing up, and that's great and that's horrible. I'm so glad that that's gone right, I was very thankful that that was gone, but it's just.
Speaker 3:it's just a different stage and I I feel like I'm coming into like some of the best times of my life, but I appreciate every piece that's come before that.
Speaker 1:Beautifully explained, yeah, so I'm going to explain from a nurse's perspective, just in case people don't quite understand. So menopause is officially a diagnosis when a woman goes 12 months consecutive without a period or menstruation, and then you could say, yes, this is that moment, because there is a release and a relief when you do have your period, so you're without that. But what some of us don't realize is there's a time before menopause where it's perimenopause, so there are symptoms that start to creep before and then. So it happens during, and then, as you mentioned, novella, there's the postmenopause. And when you said, I thought, oh, that sounds like paradise or the promised land, even like you know, because sometimes it can feel that intense and it can happen as early.
Speaker 1:I've heard women who start late 30s, early 40s and and so it's just different. That's the thing about this is for everyone it's different yeah so what I may be experiencing isn't what lovell is going through, and so you can pick up wisdom, you can pick up tips and how you cope and what you do, um, and then there are other things that you've got to figure out for yourself, right, right. So that's pretty much menopause. It's a rollercoaster of a ride.
Speaker 3:So it always changes. Yeah, right, so you can be in menopause and you know, for a year or two you're like oh, I don't have night sweats and I don't have.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's not me.
Speaker 3:I'm so lucky. And then Kaboom, yes Right.
Speaker 2:So I'm going to ask one more question. Yeah, so I didn't know that there was hormone therapy. There was oils and ointments and teas and all these other things that you can do to either relieve the symptoms or sometimes soothe the symptoms. Is anybody practicing that and if so, or if not, you know? Did you know about it and how has it helped? Or not even interested?
Speaker 1:Okay, so I'll talk to that. And then I know Lavella has great information on this. So I'm not on hormone therapy and I am an advocate for women making their choices on treatment or non-treatment for women making their choices on treatment or non-treatment. I'm more on the holistic side and trying other things first, like tea oils and things like that. Changing diet actually really helps too with hot flashes, right. So more fruits and vegetables, non-processed foods have really helped. So that's where I'm going to stay and I'm going to say this.
Speaker 1:I didn't share this with you, lavella, but my doctor said, jen, women typically. And he goes I know I'm a male, so don't take this like what. Would you know You're a guy? Is that right away when we go through menopause? That's the oh. I'm feeling this way because it's menopause, or I'm getting weight because it's menopause when we're not looking at our whole lifestyle.
Speaker 1:And he says, through time, through the ages, as we age, the body naturally in its state of the way it was created, is their home hormones decrease. This is normal. It wasn't until medicine came into effect that now we want to supplement those lost hormones. And he goes and I think there's something to be said about that, because there's beauty in the aging process and it's almost as if we were meant to go through it, and it shows more of our resilience as human beings and especially as women. So that's my stand on it. Right now, I don't know how my journey is going to change, and I might be. I want hormones now. This is too intense, but either way, there's no judgment on whether you take it or not, but with anything, like we've always said on, take the Elevator is get educated. Lavella, you said knowledge is power. For sure, look into things before you jump into things, right? So I don't know what treatment you're, um, you've heard of or what you're doing, lavella, but I'm here to learn from you too. Yeah, let's hear it.
Speaker 3:Everybody's experience is a little different. So, um, I'm not on any hormone therapy, um, but I do have a fantastic natural medicine doctor, and so I these wonderful little, you know menopause drops, which are very helpful, but it nothing is going to take everything away, right, and you'll see, like just when, in my case, with the um, the night sweats or the hot flashes. A lot of my hot flashes were part menopause, part stress. So I will still get a hot flash if I am superbly stressed, so can I blame menopause, because I get that hot flash before.
Speaker 3:So I'm not on any therapies, but I have. I've done a lot of research there.
Speaker 3:Like I was sharing with you, jen. There's a masterclass right With Halle Berry and and several um kind of test subject ladies who kind of share their story, and then a handful of physicians who shared um information that was brand new to me. You know we're going through menopause but um it, I learned that for me. I'll back up for the, the holistic approach to that. I'm not a fan of fake hormones and weird things in my food and the older I get, the more I realize, um, you know all of the damage that's been done to you know my body and with the fast food and the convenience and you know running wild with a kid and being, you know crazy that we are, that we're work, um, so I I'm seeing now the benefits of more clean eating and things like that. So is that making a difference? I feel that it is Um, and so I'm going to go with it because it works for me. Um, but I've done.
Speaker 3:I'm not a big hormone kind of person. I'm not a give me a pill and then give me a pill, for you know what those side effects were. So what I learned in that masterclass was that there's this big fear of oh, if you take hormones you're going to get cancer. So you know, that kind of steered me away from it. But what I learned was that it's like some ridiculously teeny tiny percentage. Those hormones that are in those medications are really not tied to cervical cancer and breast cancer I would. I mean, I'm not a physician. I would absolutely suggest that everybody kind of goes and does their own research, but it's not and not and I that was kind of a shocker for me. I'm not a big PMU person. Pmu is in a lot of the medications. That's the pregnant mare urine and I'm not a fan of how they collect that. As you know, jen, I have horses and fun things like that. So I'm not a that I'm not a fan of of fan of that for my own personal reasons.
Speaker 2:Oh, I'm so tempted I got it For all the men that are listening, because there's just no way we would ever know this answer. So, for all the symptoms that women have, how many of those are misdiagnosed from just bad behavior or a bad attitude?
Speaker 1:I'm sorry, I just had to laugh because you're correlating our symptoms to bad behavior, bad mental health. I think that's so cute, so I do want to get there. It's so funny Because I was going to ask you and I think this question, your answer might segue into this. Okay, because I thought, well, lavelle and I could talk about the symptoms, but we want to ask you, from your perspective and you experiencing a menopausal woman here at home and maybe even at work, what are the symptoms that you observe and have lived through? Well, that you would think it's bad behavior?
Speaker 2:Since you asked, so you're going to turn the question on me.
Speaker 1:I sure am Okay.
Speaker 2:So no, most of the time I'll be honest. Yeah, I hear a lot about hot flashes, I hear a lot about mood swings, I hear a lot about things being uncomfortable with clothing, things being uncomfortable with hair, things being, you know, just a bunch of uncomfortable. But then there's the attitudes that come about, and so you never know if that's something that's happening because of menopause or and I'll put it on me, Did I do something stupid today?
Speaker 1:So I just deserve that you know, Got you Okay, so let's talk about mood swings, cause I think this is where it might relate. Lavella, what would you say about the mood swings?
Speaker 3:They're there.
Speaker 1:They're very there, aren't they? Oh look, my husband's not here to ask him how convenient.
Speaker 3:Yes, so the mood swings are definitely there, absolutely, and I don't know. I laugh, lori, when you say bad behavior, because I, oh gosh, I can't believe I'm admitting this. So I have actually looked at other women and thought you need to get your hormones in order, and, which is terrible, cause I should be like, oh no, we're all going through this together and let me give you a hug. It's not necessarily that way all the time.
Speaker 3:So I, I've turned on. You know my own gender, so it's like no, no, no, I, I, I'm sure I have mood swings, but when the plane is crashing, you don't know that. So, you're just still on it.
Speaker 2:See, and that's what I want. I'm thank you so much. I'm glad someone just admitted it. The plane is crashing. You Thank you so much. I'm glad someone just admitted it. The plane is crashing. You don't know what's happening. So what's happening in real time. You just got to deal with it.
Speaker 1:I'm okay with that.
Speaker 2:What I'm not okay with is someone just having bad mood swings and you have no idea what's happening and then you find out later on it was because last week I didn't take out the trash when you asked me to Right, that's the problem.
Speaker 3:Or bad behavior bad behavior right. So I've, I've not that it's. It's not possible to have, you know, wild mood swings. I've not experienced them. You ask my husband, he might tell you something different, but I've, I'm always concerned with the, the bad behavior due to stress, right, or just due to being, you know, kind of snippy, and it having nothing to do with with menopause from from other women, because I've, I've seen snarky men and I know they're not menopausal, so yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So to the dark, just point. You can't blame everything on menopause, because it could be behavior or just stress, and you need to manage that. I know for me and I've told you this out loud, so I've learned this. Instead of trying to figure out internally, I just tell Corey I don't know why, I'm feeling very emotional. It's one of those days. So then, corey, you know, to just kind of be sensitive or just kind of watch I think he stays away from me is the solution to that so he goes to the studio and I kind of stay in my own space and just work that out.
Speaker 1:I think another thing that adds to my mood swings at times is the brain fog. I'm used to being very sharp and I will literally think of something and within the next second I've forgotten and it just left. And I don't like that feeling. I don't because then, as a nurse and as someone who knows that people have been impacted, um, by dementia and like memory loss, like I can go in those places real quick like what is this really and why am I forgetting the way I am?
Speaker 1:right um, so that is scary because you know we're aging and that's not a way I want to go in my path of aging.
Speaker 2:Yeah so I gotta ask one more, and and here's I'm where I tell on my own self in my my age category. What I've realized is that, um, this younger generation now can't handle certain things, Uh, stress levels too high. They check out, Um and I know you guys are related to this Uh, they need, they have these special words for needing time off. They say these weird things in personal health day or something Mental health day.
Speaker 1:Mental health day.
Speaker 2:And so, with the combination and I'm talking to two women that have experienced not only life, but a part of life that some of the women have not is stress a big part of what's happening in the menopause stage of life? And if so, what do we have to look forward to in this younger generation if they've checked out on some of the simpler things in life, where a real crisis should arise?
Speaker 3:Yes, that's a really good question.
Speaker 1:So let me give some physiological things really quick. So there's, I think, a little with stress. Um, at least for me I I didn't used to stress out as much as I do now it's a very real thing, and with menopause you're decreased in hormone levels, so it also decreases your serotonin level. So serotonin is your mood. You start feeling more anxious. When your levels are lower, more depression.
Speaker 1:So sadness is a very real thing, um, and so there are also good ways to increase your serotonin level, like taking a bubble bath, going out and stepping out into the sun, eating clean, those kinds of things, plugging into the right people, listening to music, getting to a good book, right. So, as far as the younger generation, that's why I think podcasts like this that are highlighting it and bringing it to light, so they have time to prepare and say, hey, maybe I need to look at more stress coping techniques because this is going to get harder as I age, right, and just kind of be proactive and think about that as at an early age, do I think they have the ability to cope through menopause? Yes, because life gives you some really hard things and you can't check out necessarily. So I don't know if that makes sense. I think they can work it out, and if they take heed to the elderly women and learn from it, I think they're definitely steps ahead Do you have the same perspective or anything different to add to that?
Speaker 3:No, no, I do. Actually I do see that in the younger generation and again, you know, this is just perspective of looking back, going gosh. I think I was tougher, I was in that age group that there are a lot of mental health days. But I do think that it's an approved society, societal behavior and so it's almost acceptable that in a good way we brought to light that it's okay to not be okay. There's a huge movement behind mental health. So menopause is mental health. It's part of the mental health. So I think society has done a great job with identifying. You don't take your crazy cousin and stick them in the attic like they used to do in the 18 1900s. You hide them away. We bring our crazy out on the front porch and hand it lemonade now.
Speaker 1:So it's great, we have a welcome mat out for it. Exactly.
Speaker 3:So society's done a great job bringing up mental health. But do I feel that the younger generations can navigate through pre-menopause and then post-menopause? I do, as long as they educate themselves, they understand what's coming and they just really kind of embrace that. So I think knowledge, you know, for me knowledge is power, I do, we just have to empower them, right.
Speaker 1:And I think that's something that women should take on more. I love what you said, lavella. When we go into that judging space, like oh God, she needs some hormones and women can be really hard on one another we sure are and so just kind of making a switch, changing the tide on that and welcoming other places to exist, because, like, for example, I think of society today and the emphasis is on youth and looking a certain way, and so when you're going through menopause, your level of confidence can really be shaken, because I don't look like that. In fact, my skin's drying and now I'm gaining weight and I'm forgetting things. So I'm you know, it's almost like imposter syndrome to my whole existence Right, and so I think bringing the generations together and appreciating and learning from another is really powerful in this space.
Speaker 2:So I'm going to ask this question because I know this is going to be helpful for us men. This question because I know this is going to be helpful for us men. We do go through our midlife crisis and sometimes hair loss, sometimes other functions not happening completely, but we hold all that inside. We just buckle down and say you know what, that's nobody's business. I'm not talking about this with anyone. My question to you you mentioned a few things. You mentioned a few things Skin drying, not feeling as vibrant. I know I've heard hair loss yeah, Hair thinning, oh and okay.
Speaker 1:So not just with hair loss, but then you gain hair in places you shouldn't.
Speaker 2:Right, right Right.
Speaker 1:What is happening to my face? There's hair here. Cory, I'm gonna need your razor and shaving cream.
Speaker 2:So can, with us knowing this, can you guys walk a man through number one, what that's like, and then number two, how you're dealing with it, so that we can understand? Because, see, a lot of men aren't thinking like that. We're like, oh, she's beautiful, she's this, she's that, and you're thinking to yourself I'm going through this, I'm going through that. You don't have a clue, and we really don't, so can you help us with that?
Speaker 3:I'm going to jump in.
Speaker 2:I love it, that one's fun.
Speaker 1:That's fun.
Speaker 3:That's fun. So again, knowledge is power. So I'm aware of what's coming, I'm aware of that hair didn't used to be there and oh, look it's. Not only is it there, it's gray. So on top of that wonderfulness, so it's what I tell my I don't, I approach it in just a okay. So this is kind of happening and you know, now I need to pluck that or shave that, or it's part of the journey, it's part of the journey Right.
Speaker 3:It's just kind of. For me it's part of the journey and my husband has no clue that I've got hair in weird spots. And I do agree with what you said earlier, jen, that like society right, our culture is it's. You know, we only pluck the beautiful, ripe fruit. So when you're younger you're seen as more desirable and then that's what you know, all of those wonderful creams and the injections and that's. That's just a society thing.
Speaker 3:I would love to change society so that you appreciate the younger generation for the phase that they're in and then, as they age, you appreciate, you know the young ladies and the young men and then, as we, that there's a whole new appreciation for the experience. There's a lot of cultures that the older you are, the more revered you are, and I think that we my philosophy is that we could just embrace each of those sessions in our lives and be appreciated for those pieces that we bring and accept our losses, the things that we've lost, like my hair, my hair's thinning. My husband doesn't see any of those things. I think he's blind when he looks at me.
Speaker 3:I think he still thinks he sees the 30-year-old. So from a man's perspective I would say I'm sure when you look at Jen you see her as the 20 something year old, and when you first met and you don't see anything but that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then again beautifully said, very beautiful, very well, um, we don't know what we don't know and what we're not taught, um. And then we say silly thinking that you know we're cracking a joke, and it's like penetrating, it's hurting, it's scratching that surface, and so I really want men to take a deep breath and take some of this in so that they can understand what's happening.
Speaker 1:Yeah, knowledge is power, and if you have the power to not say that silly thing, then you've just gained a little bit more crown yeah, one thing I definitely want to touch on it since we're bringing the men in and as you're going through changes too is part of menopause is a decreased libido, and that's something that we don't talk a lot about too, and and Lavelle and I were talking about all the changes with that. So I think just imagining a space where your body's going through change and you're feeling not so cute, a little insecure, obviously for those reasons, libido will go down and then, physiologically, dry skin equals just a dry period like yeah, it's like I'm just in a dry spell like you know, sahara desert, yeah pretty much, pretty much, and so that's why it even makes more sense for the promised land when you said post-menopause.
Speaker 1:But so those are just some of the things, and I think, like in this space that we're creating now, I think it's important for partners to talk about it, yeah, and it's okay to externalize it. It is kind of scary to admit hey, this is what I'm going through or this is what I'm thinking. I'm still very much attracted to you. You've had this conversation with me, corey. I still desire you, but I'm almost scared because I don't know what's going to set you off. Like, is this okay right now, or is she going through something that maybe I shouldn't? This might be too much on her Right. So I think our conversations have really helped the process.
Speaker 2:I think we forget and I'm hoping Lavella speaks to this we forget as we get older that you know. Number one we have to be sensitive when we talk to our mates and our spouse.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Number two we think, if we say something and it's not appropriate or it doesn't land right, that they should just get over it and let's move on. But some of these things happen and it's long lasting. You're reminded of it later on in the day or in the year or in the month. And so how do you deal with that Lavella, when conversations need to be had but the approach wasn't quite right, how do you double back to say I know this guy still loves me. You know what I mean.
Speaker 3:Funny how he's looking at me because you know I am working on my finesse in communication. I was raised with brothers. My sister was a lot older than me. She was kind of like out of the house when I grew up. So, um, I I'm. When you said that you know, men just kind of age and we deal with things and we don't talk about it, I laugh because I'm definitely a boy's mom. I was always telling my son oh, walk it off suck it up and walk it off.
Speaker 2:You'll be fine.
Speaker 3:I'm definitely a tough mom, so I am a blunt communicator. And so as I've aged, as I've approached, and I'm living in the menopause land, that is something that I can say. That menopause has benefited me is it's given me a little more ability to recognize that my impact with my words on other humans and especially my husband. It we, we were together a very long time before we got married because you know I'm very independent um, a lot, of, a lot of issues to to work through, but my husband's wonderfully stuck with me that whole time. So I'm a blunt, direct communicator. And so when my husband, before he left, I took him to the airport yesterday before he left, he said something to me and I just you know that whole Linda Blair head thing kind of spinning around like like, I know that you did not mean to say that and he goes correct based on your face, right?
Speaker 3:that was correct. So, instead of just whipping around and, you know, threatening to to bury him and call him off on the horse because you know, that's possible. It's. The menopause has given me the ability to take a pause and I'm appreciating, right my husband and how he is, how he'll communicate with me, and so before I would just you know, right after him, and so menopause has kind of helped me slow down just a little bit. So I'm going to take that as a win from menopause with my age and experience.
Speaker 2:Women 100, menopause 1. Hey, there's some ground to gain here.
Speaker 1:I like that well, I love that perspective because there is winning in menopause we've talked about all these oh you, beware caution and there is beauty and strength in menopause because you're transitioning and it's something new. So anytime you go through that there's a growth because they're stretching. For me, how it's changed me is I am okay with not being so quick on my feet. There is a certain kind of false confidence I developed through the years because I was just so quick-witted, I could do this. I came up with things. I didn't need sleep. Remember those days, corey, where my energy was always up and I didn't slow down for anything or anybody. And this has definitely taught me the beauty of patience, endurance, the importance of sustaining power versus just being able to maintain and keep going, power versus just being able to maintain and keep going. So it definitely has been, I feel, a big part of my spiritual journey in life, because you really have to tap into something deeper.
Speaker 2:So I really like this picture being painted. I'm seeing levels of maturity, levels of development and levels of growth that are taking place in women that should be appreciated and not frowned upon, and so I just know if more of these kind of conversations are being had, the easier it will be for it to translate to us that don't go through this.
Speaker 2:You know and we have our own Egypt to walk through, so to speak. But I appreciate the picture you both have painted. Before we get out of here, what I really want to do is hand it over to Lavella. Is there anything you want us to know about you? What you're doing? Any adventures coming up or happening in your life? How?
Speaker 3:long is your podcast or happening in your life?
Speaker 2:How long is?
Speaker 3:your podcast. I'm always moving and shaking and I'm super busy, but I have learned again. Maybe I can credit menopause with this. I really love what you said about patience and the spirituality and kind of bringing that thought back to the work that we do. I've just recently I'm almost done so I've just recently kind of completed a session with a professional and life coach and it's been super helpful. So one of my new endeavors I do have a company and I'm moving into the crisis communications consulting Nice. So in that we were kind of chatting earlier that it really excites me, not ha ha ha, we're going through this, ha ha, we're going through this, but more.
Speaker 3:I've discovered that during crisis, you know, be it a website crisis or a social media crisis, or in my, my uh, uh career has been in healthcare, and so I think back at all of the healthcare crises we had channel two, channel nine, show up in my parking lot and, yeah, high desert of California, of all places, I think they were on their way to Vegas, but so they showed up in my parking lot and those points in my career and there were many of them that is where I performed stellar. Where I performed stellar, I mean, it was because I don't. Some people, when a crisis happens, they just their brains just kind of short out. Mine slows down and it's process and it's like I you know, it's almost like I know what to do. So, anyway, in that discovery, this will be one of my new ventures, but then I'm super busy. We talked about the farm that I have.
Speaker 3:I have horses and all of them need to be exercised and four and a half acres of fun things to do and I like to bake and so I'm just super busy to bake and so I'm just super busy. But as I go through menopause, as I age and I kind of slow down, it's given me the ability to be busy in the right things, those things that fulfill me right.
Speaker 3:That get me through menopause. You talked about, you know, going out in the sun and absorbing, you know, the rays of sunlight or having tea or doing something that kind of fulfills your heart. Music For me it's the horses. It's getting out and you know, and getting dirty and in good things yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I love that you've introduced exercise to our listeners, because that's another way to get through menopause is exercise, and because joint pain is a real thing in this phase. So there's that piece. Um, I do need to say this because we have listeners like okay, so you all are talking about if I, if I don't want to take hormones, what can do instead? So I really want to drop some gems here Balanced diet, exercising regularly, getting sleep, like that's so important. But some foods that you can look for are foods that are rich in omega-3s, calcium and vitamin D, because those promote bone health and mood stability. I recommend avoiding too much caffeine, alcohol, processed foods, right, and other alternative treatments you can look into are things like acupuncture or herbal supplements, and what I mean here is there's things like the maca root or the evening primrose oil. Those are very helpful. Hot flash peppermint oil on your temples has been great, but just wanted to share that. There's so many things that nature provides. L-theanine, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, love that Absolutely.
Speaker 1:And my takeaway from all of this is this is that we go through menopause and, yes, your body's changing. But I think with that and Lovella, you've proven our point I love. Everything that you've brought up here is that as our bodies change, so is our wisdom and our strength and resilience. It just takes it to a whole nother level.
Speaker 2:My takeaway is that this conversation was nowhere near as scary as I thought it was.
Speaker 1:And we never got to your bad behavior. But I think did that help.
Speaker 2:I think it was probably a better thing than if we didn't.
Speaker 1:Great, that was my, my takeaways. That was the funniest moment ever. I almost could not get myself back on this on this episode. I thought I was going to lose it when you said it.
Speaker 2:Lavella, do you want to add some takeaways from this, or yeah?
Speaker 3:sure, I thought you were going to continue speaking um, so my takeaway um from this is that I think that the the story right the the experiences that both genders are feeling through this right.
Speaker 3:So, jen and I go through this, but we're dragging you right along, right, we're dragging our wonderful partners right along with us through this process. So I'm an advocate of you know again, I've said it like a million times like knowledge is power, but I feel that. So it's one thing to listen to someone else and to absorb that knowledge, right, and they'll tell you their experience. But I, I would encourage the listeners to share, right. There's one thing to listen and to carry everybody else's experiences, but you have to be able to. You can't carry all of that. You have to be able to express that.
Speaker 1:So share right, communicate, talk to people and get that you know off of your heart Beautifully said Well, this has been great Way better than I thought it was going to be. I love, I love, love, love this episode and I hope everyone here has too. If you know anyone, anyone. So half the population guys share this episode with half the pop. No, all of them.
Speaker 2:Men and women need to hear, we're gonna go through it too, one way or another exactly, exactly.
Speaker 1:So thanks for being here, and you know us to take the elevator. We say look up and let's elevate.
