The Happy Menopause – Details, episodes & analysis

What exactly are ultra-processed foods – and could they be making your menopause symptoms worse? Nutritionist and bestselling cookbook author Jenny Tschiesche joins Jackie to unpack the truth about what’s really in our food, how it affects our hormones, mood and metabolism, and why those clever additives can make it so hard to stop eating once we start.

Jenny shares simple, practical ways to cut back on ultra-processed foods without the guilt or overwhelm – and explains why the key to thriving through menopause is focusing on real, whole foods rather than calorie counts. Plus, as the author of Air Fryer Cookbook and The Unprocessed Air Fryer, she reveals her favourite time-saving kitchen hacks and why your air fryer might just be the ultimate tool for healthy home cooking.

If you’ve ever wondered what all the fuss about ultra-processed foods is really about, this episode is packed with empowering, down-to-earth advice you can actually use.

If you love The Happy Menopause, please tell your friends and family, and don’t forget to hit follow or subscribe and to give it a 5-star rating on your favourite podcast platform. It makes a huge difference to the algorithms that decide whether more women get to find the show -  after all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause!

Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.

Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish. And if you're tired of feeling tired and grappling with brain fog, check out  my new book: The Happy Menopause Guide to Energy; Nutrition to Rejuvenate Your Brain & Body. It's available in all the usual places. 

October is Menopause Awareness Month, and this year’s theme is Lifestyle Medicine — a subject that’s right at the heart of my work as a nutritionist. In this solo episode of The Happy Menopause, I’ll be exploring how simple, sustainable changes in the way we eat, move, sleep, and manage stress can transform your menopause experience.

We’ll look at the six key pillars of lifestyle medicine — nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management, healthy relationships, and avoiding harmful substances — and how they apply specifically to perimenopause and postmenopause. From the power of protein for energy, muscle and mood, to the benefits of leafy greens, vitamin C, and phytoestrogens, I’ll share practical diet tips that can ease symptoms such as hot flushes, brain fog, low mood, weight gain, and poor sleep.

But lifestyle medicine is about more than food. We’ll also explore the role of exercise for bone health, cardiovascular fitness and hormone balance, why stress management is so crucial for symptom control, and the sleep strategies that can help you finally get some rest. These small steps don’t replace medical treatments, but they work beautifully alongside them, helping you to address the root causes of symptoms and protect your long-term health.

Whether you’re just starting your perimenopause journey, navigating postmenopause, or supporting someone you love, this episode is packed with evidence-based advice to help you feel stronger, more resilient and more in control.

If you love The Happy Menopause, please tell your friends and family, and don’t forget to hit follow or subscribe on your favourite podcast platform. It makes a huge difference to the algorithms that decide whether more women get to find the show -  after all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause!

Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.

Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish. And if you're tired of feeling tired and grappling with brain fog, check out  my new book: The Happy Menopause Guide to Energy; Nutrition to Rejuvenate Your Brain & Body. It's available in all the usual places. 

Do you have a dream? I bet you do - most of us do! But do you dare to make it happen? It’s easy to feel stuck at this stage of life and wonder, Is this it? The truth is, it’s never too late to make a change, whether big or small.

My latest podcast guest, Sally Evans, is living proof of that. An award-winning wine producer with a small vineyard near Bordeaux, France, Sally turned her life upside down at 52. When her youngest child left home, she sold her property, studied winemaking, and before she knew it, she’d bought a small estate with a few vines. The rest, as they say, is history!

She’s written a brilliant book - Make the Midlife Move - packed with practical advice on identifying and pursuing your dream. It might be exactly what you need!

In this episode, we dive into Sally’s fascinating journey and the lessons she’s learned along the way. If you’ve ever dreamed of shaking things up, this one’s for you.

We discuss:

• How to figure out what you really want
• The key things to consider before taking the leap
• Finding the courage to make a big change
• Why change is important at any stage of life
• Overcoming obstacles and self-doubt
• Letting go of what other people think
• How change can be a tonic

Come and join us—you won’t regret it!

If you love The Happy Menopause, why not share it with your friends and family? And don’t forget to follow or subscribe on your favourite podcast platform so you never miss an episode!

Your support helps more women discover the podcast - because every woman deserves a happy menopause.

For even more expert advice and exclusive content, join The Happy Menopause Club! You'll get access to bonus episodes, a monthly live nutrition Q&A, articles, video masterclasses, and more. Visit www.thehappymenopause.com

Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.

Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish. And if you're tired of feeling tired and grappling with brain fog, check out  my new book: The Happy Menopause Guide to Energy; Nutrition to Rejuvenate Your Brain & Body. It's available in all the usual places. 

It’s that time of year when you might be looking to lose a few pounds which isn’t an easy task for women in midlife. As if the menopause wasn’t tough enough, with all the different symptoms you experience, the gradual increase in weight that comes with the menopause can often feel like the last straw! This is the time in life where even women who’ve never had to watch their weight may start to notice that the pounds are creeping on and most women find that it takes a lot more effort to shift a spare tyre than it used to. But help is at hand with this month's guest: the brilliant Dr Zoe Harcombe joins me to talk through her tips for successful weight loss.

Zoe is a researcher, author and specialist in weight management and obesity. It’s an area she’s always been passionate about, even when she was working full-time as a senior executive for a large blue chip organisation, where she somehow found time to publish 3 books on the subject! In 2007, she left to become a full-time researcher, and this culminated in the publication of The Obesity Epidemic: What caused it? How can we stop it? Zoe has also published numerous academic papers and her Harcombe Diet Club is an online community for people who are seeking support in developing a healthier lifestyle. Her advice is definitely worth listening to, so tune in to hear what she’s got to say!

You'll discover Zoe's 3-step approach to successful weight management, learn why fat is your friend during the menopause and discover a brilliant new tip to stop to snacking in the evening.

If you've enjoyed this episode please leave a review on Apple iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts as it helps to spread the word, so that new listeners can find the show and join The Happy Menopause party. 

Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.

Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish. And if you're tired of feeling tired and grappling with brain fog, check out  my new book: The Happy Menopause Guide to Energy; Nutrition to Rejuvenate Your Brain & Body. It's available in all the usual places. 

Hot flushes can be a real nightmare for some women during the menopause. They're disruptive, embarrassing and uncomfortable, especially at work, in a social situation or at night. So what can we do about it? There are lots of ways that diet and lifestyle can pro-actively address hot flushes, and there are also some fabulous clothes out there that can help you keep your cool when you’re temperature is soaring. In this episode I take a look at some practical food and fashion solutions which will make a real difference to the way that you look and feel.

Tune in for The Happy Menopause Top Ten countdown of diet and lifestyle tips to relieve your hot flushes and discover a fabulous fashion collection designed to keep you cool, no matter how bad your night sweats. Meet Nancy Zeffman and Eileen Willett, two inspiring women who set out to change the face of fashion for menopausal women when they founded their brand Cucumber Clothing just two years ago. Using clever tech fibres and drawing on Eileen’s fashion background, they’ve produced some truly gorgeous clothes. Their mission is to keep you looking and feeling cool, so that you’re happy and confident during the day and much more comfortable at night. Any woman who struggles with hot flushes and night sweats will definitely want to hear what they’ve got to say.

Forget everything you thought you knew about natural fibres being the best and discover a whole new world of femtech clothing which are specially designed to make you look and feel good throughout the menopause. And it's not just about looking good! Cucumber Clothing has a strong sustainable ethos at every level, from the sourcing through to the packaging and labelling. It's a truly impressive story of what two determined women can achieve!

Listen in to get your promotional code for 15% off the Cucumber Clothing range, so you can treat yourself this Christmas. Check the Show Notes for this episode on my website for more information and Terms & Conditions. 

If you've enjoyed this episode please leave a review on Apple iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts as it helps to spread the word, so that new listeners can find the show and join The Happy Menopause party. 

Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.

Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish. And if you're tired of feeling tired and grappling with brain fog, check out  my new book: The Happy Menopause Guide to Energy; Nutrition to Rejuvenate Your Brain & Body. It's available in all the usual places. 

Do you spend most of your time thinking about and looking after other people? It’s something women seem hardwired to do, but how good are you at looking after yourself and putting your health and happiness first? Our nurturing gene seems to have a blind spot when it comes to our own wellbeing, yet the menopause is the very time when self-care is incredibly important. “Your health in those 10 years before the menopause can actually affect how easy your transition is through it.” Wise words indeed from this month’s guest! 

In this episode I speak to Dr Louise Wiseman, a former GP, now health writer and motivator for women, whose first book “Your Best Life - A Doctor’s Secret Guide to Radiant Health Over 40” is due for release in Summer 2020. Louise has researched and written about all aspects of women’s health alongside the process of healthy ageing and has worked with specialists at the forefront of their fields. She’s interviewed 45 prolific women for the book to see how 'real women think' and what influences their attitudes to health and life over 40.  The result is a fascinating snapshot of female life now, alongside evidence-based information to empower you to live your best life possible whatever your age!

Louise and I discuss the importance of self-care and empowering women to put themselves and their health at the top of the list, because this is your time and both you and your loved ones will benefit if you’re feeling strong, happy and confident. 

For more information about Louise and the work that she does, as well as helpful resources related to this episode, check out the Show Notes on my website.
 
If you've enjoyed this episode please leave a review on Apple iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts as it helps the show get found by new listeners who will really benefit.
 
 

Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.

Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish. And if you're tired of feeling tired and grappling with brain fog, check out  my new book: The Happy Menopause Guide to Energy; Nutrition to Rejuvenate Your Brain & Body. It's available in all the usual places. 

It’s World Menopause Day today and we’re celebrating women in midlife with this special episode. There’s no better day to be busting the taboo about discussing the menopause and raising awareness of the different symptoms women experience and the range of solutions available to them, which is why I’m speaking to the brilliant team from Pausitivity. They’ve made it their business to get menopause information out there and have been having a lot of fun long the way. It’s a great story, so tune in and enjoy!

In this episode, I speak to three very different women, who’d never met before and who still haven’t met in person. They came together through social media due to their frustration with the lack of menopause information available for women and their determination to do something about it. Karen Kenning, Elizabeth Carr-Ellis and Clare Shepherd are the founders of the Pausitivity poster campaign. They always say, if you want something done ask a busy woman, and the Pausitivity women have certainly got things done! They’ve taken Twitter by storm and are doing quite an amazing job of raising awareness about the menopause. 

Listen to their fascinating stories and learn about their journey to get their Know Your Menopause symptoms poster in every doctor’s surgery. Their #PosterSelfie campaign is causing a real stir, receiving support from GPs, MPs, health campaigners and celebrities. They’ve even managed to get several guys on board, including Tony Hadley and Jeremy Vine! It's a very inspiring story and a real testament to the power of positivity and friendship.

For more information about this episode and to find helpful links in the show notes, visit my website. 
 
If you've enjoyed this episode please leave a review on Apple iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts as it helps the show get found by new listeners who will really benefit.

Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.

Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish. And if you're tired of feeling tired and grappling with brain fog, check out  my new book: The Happy Menopause Guide to Energy; Nutrition to Rejuvenate Your Brain & Body. It's available in all the usual places. 

It’s World Menopause Day, so we are celebrating women in midlife and shouting about the menopause in all its glory. Over the past year, the taboo around discussing the menopause has been gradually chipped away, which is encouraging, but there’s very little portrayal of the menopause in the arts, so I’m excited to tell you all about new play called Mid Life which is coming to the Barbican in London in February 2020. We have 2 free tickets to give away, so tune in to find out how you could be the lucky winner.

In this episode, I speak to award-winning author Sheila Chapman who has written a play called Mid Life which charts the experiences of three very different women and their journey through the menopause. Dr Isabel De Salis is also joining us remotely and her research project is an important part of the picture. The play aims to bust myths about midlife and the menopause, and Sheila drew on some of the key themes of Isabel’s interviews with menopausal women to develop the script and to give the characters a truly authentic voice. I’m pretty sure you’ll recognise several of the challenges they face, so that you’ll laugh and cry along with them if you go to see the play!

Sheila has big ambitions to extend the show and the important messages it contains beyond the theatre to reach a wider audience. She’d like to put on shows for free in community centres, places of work and in libraries and host discussions which capture the diverse voices of all kinds of different women, which could be incorporated into future iterations of the show and also into a book that will be published next year. If you’d like to support this brilliant work and help Mid Life go on tour, you can make a donation via Sheila’s crowdfunder. 

For more information about this episode, details of the crowdfunder and how to win tickets to see the play at the Barbican, check out the show notes on my website.
 
If you've enjoyed this episode please leave a review on Apple iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts as it helps the show get found by new listeners who will really benefit.

Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.

Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish. And if you're tired of feeling tired and grappling with brain fog, check out  my new book: The Happy Menopause Guide to Energy; Nutrition to Rejuvenate Your Brain & Body. It's available in all the usual places. 

Have you ever had a little wee when you sneeze, cough or exercise? Honestly? Because it wouldn’t be surprising. It’s called stress incontinence and it happens to 1 in 3 women, yet it’s the one thing we never speak about. 40% of women are too embarrassed to consult their doctor about it and just accept what the media has coyly termed “whoops” moments as an inevitable part of ageing. But it doesn’t have to be that way – for many women, the issue can be corrected in as little as 6 weeks with the right support.

In this episode, I speak to women’s health physiotherapist Myra Robson, who specialises in pelvic health at Lewisham Hospital in London, supporting women with stress incontinence and prolapse. She’s absolutely passionate about getting the message out there and is part of the Pelvic Roar campaign team which raises awareness about pelvic health. She’s also the founder of the awarding-winning Squeezy app, to help us all keep on track with our pelvic floor exercises.

“Common, not normal” is her view on leaking and she unravels the mysteries of the pelvic floor, so you understand exactly what’s going on when you leak and how you can stop it.

There’s an awful lot of help out there, once you know where to look, and in many cases the solution can be very simple, so there’s no reason to assume you’ll have to pad up for the rest of your life. Myra explains how to do your pelvic floor exercises correctly, so join us for a ‘squeeze-along’ and find out what inspired her to create the brilliant Squeezy app, which I think every woman should have on her phone. It certainly helps me to keep on track with my exercises.

Resolving your pelvic floor issues can be life-changing and make for a happier and healthier midlife and old age. Follow Myra’s advice and you’ll be able to laugh, sneeze and run to your heart’s content and never have another whoops moment.

For more information about this episode and links in the show notes visit http://www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast. 

If you've enjoyed this episode please leave a review on Apple iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts as it helps the show get found by new listeners who will really benefit.

Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.

Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish. And if you're tired of feeling tired and grappling with brain fog, check out  my new book: The Happy Menopause Guide to Energy; Nutrition to Rejuvenate Your Brain & Body. It's available in all the usual places. 

The menopause can be stressful enough for women without the challenges of dealing with it in front of your colleagues. 75% of women of menopausal age are in work and will be affected by a range of symptoms, from hot flushes which are uncomfortable and can embarrassing; flooding which can be a nightmare if access to a toilet is restricted; or anxiety and loss of confidence which might impact your performance.

In this episode, I’m talking to Julie Dennis, a specialist trainer and menopause coach who runs workplace workshops to support women in midlife. She’s full of practical ideas to help you navigate the challenge of the menopause at work and sensible strategies to ensure that you get the support you need from your employer. She’s also got some great advice for line managers on how to offer tangible support to their female workforce during the menopause. 

There are so many ways that life can be made easier for you and we discuss everything from mini USB fans and sanitary supplies to flexible working and occupational health support. Even very simple changes can help to make life bearable when menopause symptoms start to affect you at work and Julie seems to have a clever solution for everything. This episode aims to empower you to take control of your environment and make sure that you get the support you need, so that you feel more confident about coping with the menopause at work.

Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.

Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish. And if you're tired of feeling tired and grappling with brain fog, check out  my new book: The Happy Menopause Guide to Energy; Nutrition to Rejuvenate Your Brain & Body. It's available in all the usual places.