Hotflash inc is an evidence, expert and human-experience driven podcast looking for the true truth in perimenopause, menopause and beyond.
In more than 100 episodes menopause and midlife journalist and host Ann Marie McQueen has spoken to a wide range of experts from around the globe, including practitioners, activists, researchers, doctors and industry leaders about this perplexing transition we still know too little about. She’s talked about her own frustrations and personal experiences. And she has connected with a perimenoposse of powerful women in the midst of a perplexing transition.
Hotflash inc is among the top 1.5 percent of podcasts in the world according to Listen Notes. It was named the number one podcast in women’s health in August 2023 by GOODPODS.
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On this episode of the Hotflash inc podcast, journalist and founder Ann Marie McQueen is joined by Dr Heidi Lescanec, a naturopathic physician based in Vancouver, BC, who brings over two decades of experience blending the latest scientific research with natural, clinically proven forms of medicine.
Heidi has coined the term The Pink Zones to describe the cultural, emotional, physical, and communal conditions that allow women to not only navigate perimenopause and menopause – but to thrive. She’s been listening to older, wiser women, and noticing the powerful patterns that emerge when we prioritize meaning, connection, and nervous system support over the relentless push to do more, be more, fix more.
From hormone health and adrenal burnout to grief, rage, and the unprocessed emotions that surface at midlife, this conversation goes beyond symptom lists and into what it really means to design this season of life, rather than just survive it.
Heidi and Ann Marie also dig into the nocebo effect, why outdated menopause narratives can actually make us feel worse, and how to reframe this transition as a gateway – not a decline.
Highlights:
Dr. Heidi Lescanec’s integrative approach to hormone health, combining science, spirituality, and food-as-medicine
Introduction to The Pink Zones: envisioning supportive environments that celebrate women's aging
Exploration of how past generations managed menopause, transforming stigma into strength
About Dr Heidi Lescanec:
Dr Heidi Lescanec is a licensed naturopathic physician practicing in Vancouver, BC. With more than 20 years of experience, she blends science-backed natural medicine with a holistic, whole-person lens – addressing mind, body, and spirit.
When this episode first ran on May 29, 2025 it was sponsored by Menolabs. Perimenopause can start earlier than you think. That’s why Menolabs is here to support you with trusted information and science-backed products like MenoFit, a probiotic designed to help relieve symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and more, all while supporting your overall wellness. Use code HOTFLASH20 for 20% off at menolabs.com
Announcing the First Hotflash inc Summit: Everything You Need to Know
In this episode, the host discusses their excitement about hosting the first Hotflash Inc. Summit from September 29th to October 4th. They detail their extensive preparation over the past three months, including interviewing 36 experts to create a comprehensive resource on menopause. The summit aims to dispel fear and provide evidence-based information on menopause. Highlights include multiple expert sessions, special workouts, guided meditations, and discussions on various health topics. The host also introduces sponsors and showcases additional options for paid all-access passes to further enhance attendees' experiences. The session aims to promote a deeper understanding of menopause, focusing on the holistic impact of this transition on mind, body, and soul.
The Hotflash inc Summit is READY + you’re invited!
From Sept 29 – Oct 3, we’re bringing you 36 powerful talks (plus bonuses!) with the smartest, boldest, straight-talking experts on perimenopause + menopause.
Expect real talk, real science + real solutions on: • Hormone therapy (what to know + what to expect) • Fascia + fitness insights (from Halle Berry’s Respin platform team) • Trauma + emotional health in this transition • Voices expanding the conversation: Black, South Asian + Muslim practitioners • Elderwomen sharing wisdom about stepping into your wise woman years
176: REPLAY Cracking the perimenopause code with Jessica Barac
Jessica Barac is a registered nutritionist, personal trainer, and the founder of What The Menopause, a women's health platform of over 950,000 women globally.
After struggling with perimenopause in her late 30s and receiving little support from traditional healthcare, Jessica made it her mission to crack the perimenopause code and regain her vibrancy. Today, she has educated millions of women through her content and developed The Pause Power Method a science-backed approach addressing metabolic dysfunction and inflammation through nutrition, movement, and lifestyle to help women improve symptoms, achieve sustainable fat loss, and step into their most powerful era yet.
Episode highlights
Jessica's journey from struggling with perimenopause to launching What The Menopause.
The power of humor: Why memes about menopause resonated with so many women.
Recognizing perimenopause: The symptoms that caught Jessica by surprise and how she finally connected the dots.
The impact on family life: Jessica’s husband’s plea to “figure it out” and how her symptoms affected her loved ones.
Connecting the dots: Why so many women don’t realize that symptoms like anxiety, depression, dry mouth, tinnitus, and frozen shoulder can be linked to perimenopause.
The power of movement: How strength training, walking, and lifestyle shifts hold everything together in midlife.
Quitting alcohol: The tough but transformative decision to stop drinking and how it changed Jessica’s life.
Reframing midlife: The importance of thinking about your 8-year-old and 80-year-old self when making life decisions.
Top Quote
“Perimenopause calls on you to take a very hard look at yourself – if you’re willing to do it.” – Jessica Barac
Thank you to our sponsor Timeline Nutrition at the time of this original episode release: Mitopure supports cellular energy and longevity — now available with a 10% discount! Visit and use the code HOTFLASH to claim your offer!
In this solo episode, journalist and founder Ann Marie McQueen shares an honest update on her journey with Hotflash inc, the challenges and triumphs of building a community for women in midlife, and her personal experiences navigating menopause.
Highlights include:
The story behind launching Hotflash inc and the drive to create meaningful resources for women
Reflections on career pivots, imposter syndrome and embracing the role of entrepreneur
The emotional impact of losing a parent and how it shaped her approach to work and life.
Book deals or no book deals
What's next: the HF inc Hormone Therapy Navigator, the Hotflash inc Summit and the Perimenopause Game Plan
Insights from interviews for the upcoming Hotflash inc Summit
Why the mainstream menopause narrative needs to be broadened
The importance of self-advocacy, asking questions, doing your own research and finding community support
New genre: menopause cookbooks
Encouragement to trust your instincts, embrace change and give yourself grace through transitions
In this episode of Hotflash inc, GenX journalist and host Ann Marie McQueen sits down with neurologist and award-winning dementia care professional Dr Teryn Clarke to discuss the science and lifestyle strategies that can reduce the risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease, which disproportionately affect women.
Drawing from her book, Brain Health Action Plan: Simple, Science-Backed Lifestyle Changes that Optimize Cognitive Fitness and Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk Dr Clarke shares part actionable tips to improve brain health today and protect it for the long term.
Episode highlights:
Dr Teryn Clarke’s personal motivation
The power of exercise and low sugar diets
The surprising immediate benefits of brain-healthy habits
Type 3 diabetes
Intermittent fasting explained
Seed oils
Hormone therapy and
Iron buildup in women post-menopause
Key supplements for brain health
The emotional connection: how stress, loneliness, and trauma increase dementia risk
The critical link between hearing, vision, and dementia prevention
Why brain stimulation matters: exercise, learning, and meaningful social connections
🔑 Top Quote
“Genetics load the gun, but environment pulls the trigger.” – Dr Teryn Clarke
📝 About the Guest Dr Teryn Clarke is a neurologist in Southern California and was named “Dementia Care Professional of the Year” by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America in 2015. She is passionate about educating people on the modifiable lifestyle factors that can prevent cognitive decline and is the author of , a practical, science-based guide to optimizing brain health.
173: REPLAY Why Do Women Go Through Menopause? with Dr Deena Emera
In this episode of the Hotflash inc Podcast, GenX journalist Ann Marie McQueen sits down with Dr Deena Emera, an evolutionary geneticist, senior scientist at the Buck Institute’s Buck Center for Healthy Aging in Women, and author of A Brief History of the Female Body: An Evolutionary Look at How and Why the Female Form Came to Be.
Dr Emera’s research focuses on the genetic basis of reproductive longevity in mammals, and in this fascinating discussion, she breaks down the evolution of menopause, why female bodies age the way they do, and what modern science is uncovering about ovarian health and longevity.
If you’ve ever wondered why menopause exists, how it evolved, and whether science will ever be able to delay or even prevent it, this episode is for you.
Highlights:
Understanding evolutionary biology (it's not boring, promise)
The evolutionary mystery of menopause
What animals do go through menopause?
Why all women didn't used to die at 50 (and what actually happened)
How modern life has changed menopause
Why Dr Emera needs bowhead whale ovaries
Can we really end menopause?
The truth about the Grandmother Hypothesis
Quote:
"Menopause itself isn’t surprising – if you live long enough, you will run out of eggs. What’s unique about humans is that we have such a long post-reproductive life stage. That’s the real mystery we need to solve." – Dr Deena Emera
In this episode Florida orthopedic sports medicine surgeon Dr Vonda Wright published a review paper Climacteric, the journal of the International Menopause Society, introducing Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause. The paper has been shared widely across social media, and this interview with Dr Wright is an edited version from last year diving into Dr Wright’s efforts to create awareness of this constellation of muscle and joint problems experienced during perimenopause.
This is an issue close to Dr Wright’s heart: it was the first thing she went though in perimenopause.
Listen in as she explains why MSM is her mission, just what happens to our bones and muscles as we get older, and delves into the need for proper diagnosis and preventive measures such as exercise and diet, and the importance of estrogen in maintaining bone health.
Hotflash inc – the platform designed to find the true truth in perimenopause, menopause and beyond – makes a return to the podcast world this week!
In the first episode back journalist and host Ann Marie McQueen interviews Lara Briden, an expert in women's health and author of the new book The Metabolism Reset.
They discuss the complexity of this entire subject, insulin resistance, the impact of modern diets, and the importance of understanding how our bodies respond to different types of food and exercise.
Briden, a naturopathic doctor and author of period repair manual and hormone repair manual, shares her valuable and moderate insights on achieving metabolic health through tailored approaches, emphasizing gentler methods and the importance of addressing underlying health issues like gut health and autoimmunity.
This episode aims to help listeners understand and manage their metabolic health effectively during the menopause transition.
Highlights:
00:48 Introducing Midi Health
01:21 Lara Briden's Influence and new book
02:04 Conversation with Lara Briden
03:31 Understanding Metabolic Health
05:42 The Role of Hunger and Satiety
14:50 Impact of Modern Food Environment
21:30 Debate on Vegetable Oils
28:06 Navigating Food Allergies in Restaurants
28:27 Understanding Metabolic Endotoxemia
28:47 Gut Health and Metabolic Health Connection
29:54 Patient Stories: Gut Health and Insulin Resistance
34:52 Exploring Insulin Resistance
37:27 Signs and Diagnosis of Insulin Resistance
40:30 Treatment Approaches for Insulin Resistance
43:20 Perimenopause and Insulin Resistance
43:34 The Importance of Movement and Protein
170: How blockchain could finally fix the menopause research gap
In this episode of the Hotflash inc podcast, host and founder Ann Marie McQueen takes you into a whole new realm of possibility: decentralized science, or DeSci. Joining her is Mack Stachowiak, a physicist, software architect and healthcare innovator who is pioneering the integration of blockchain, AI, and Web3 into healthcare as co-founder of Axon DAO.
You might be thinking, “why are you talking about this?” – and we get it. Crypto and blockchain can feel like a foreign language. But this conversation reveals how decentralized science could completely change the game when it comes to the lack of menopause and midlife research – by putting data ownership and funding power into the hands of individuals and communities.
Mack shares how Axon DAO’s platform allows people to share and monetize their health data (ethically and consensually), explains how voice biomarkers can detect hormone fluctuations, and shares mulitple menopause-specific projects he wants to launch right now – but needs the right researchers and community to do it.
This episode is for anyone tired of waiting for “more data” – and ready to build the systems we need now.
Episode highlights:
1:30 – What is decentralized science (DeSci) and why should we care?
3:10 – Why most people – including doctors – don’t even know DeSci exists
6:45 – How blockchain-backed tokens fund research in a faster, fairer way
12:00 – Why Axon DAO gives users full control over their health data
14:15 – How scientists can build research platforms using Axon DAO
18:55 – Using sleep data to support menopausal women
20:00 – How voice analysis can detect stress, PTSD, and even vagus nerve dysfunction
26:30 – How Mack’s team is handling data privacy and regulatory compliance
169: SOLO Hormone therapy confusion, five years of Hotflash inc, and how to figure out what's right for you
In this powerful solo episode, Hotflash inc founder and host Ann Marie McQueen reflects on the five-year journey of building the platform, from launching her first newsletter in 2020 to preparing for the first Hotflash inc Summit and her first product launch – a much-needed tool to help women navigate the hormone therapy maze.
Ann Marie opens up about how far the conversation has come, how far it still has to go, and what she’s learned through thousands of hours of research, interviews, and real-life experience. She unpacks the polarizing hormone therapy space – from the self-proclaimed “thought leaders” to the quiet majority of women who are still confused, cautious, or feeling pushed in every direction.
Plus, a deeply relatable share from a harpist and UAE changemaker Shelley Frost, founder of The Fridge Entertainment, who talks about her turning point with hormone therapy after years of struggling with sleep and overwhelm.
This is a must-listen for anyone who’s ever felt stuck between extremes when it comes to midlife, hormones, and who to trust.
Highlights:
The story behind launching the first Hotflash Inc newsletter in 2020
The content-is-product philosophy
Ann Marie’s early fear of using the words “menopause” or “perimenopause”
What has (and hasn’t) changed in five years
Why the hormonal transition isn’t the problem – it reveals deeper issues
Hormone therapy doesn’t always prevent disease, and the research is nuanced
The middle path between estrogen fear and hormone therapy evangelism
Women can’t just "get it together" – trauma and real-life responsibilities are at play
Messaging trends and repeated doctor scripts that look a lot like PR
The supplement smear campaign: is it manufactured?
Shelley Frost shares her transformation after starting hormone therapy
Real messages from women who can’t tolerate MHT – and feel pressured to keep trying
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Discover shows related to The Hotflash inc podcast, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
Meet some of the powerhouse voices shaping the conversation: Stacy London • Dr. Mariza Snyder • Kim Vopni • Dr. Stacy Barczak Baker
And the best part? 🎉 It’s virtual and completely free to attend.
I’m Ann Marie, founder of Hotflash inc and the only journalist in the world taking a holistic, no-sides approach to this transition. My mission: to give you clarity, not fear, and help you find what feels right for YOU.
Sponsor for the original episode was Timeline Nutrition Mitopure supports cellular energy and longevity. You can still visit https://shop.timeline.com/HOTFLASHINC and use the code HOTFLASHINC for an exclusive discount.
This episode was originally sponsored by Timeline Nutrition. Mitopure supports cellular energy and longevity. Visit https://shop.timeline.com/HOTFLASHINC where you can still grab 20% off with code HOTFLASHINC
Host bio: This episode is hosted by Ann Marie McQueen, journalist and founder of Hotflash Inc – the world’s only reader-supported, research-based platform covering all aspects of menopause and midlife. A Canadian-made, UAE-based journalist with 30 years of experience, Ann Marie launched Hotflash Inc to help women find evidence, expert insight, and honest conversations that reflect the full spectrum of the midlife experience. Through her newsletter, podcast, social channels, events, and upcoming course Your Perimenopause Game Plan, she’s building a global community rooted in truth, curiosity, and empowerment.
Behind the scenes: doctors admit they’re worried about the current messaging
Physiologic dosing and why it’s so controversial
The full hormone therapy belief system spectrum, mapped out
The confusing (and dangerous) mix-up between progesterone and progestin
Ann Marie’s first product: a tool to help women figure out HRT for themselves
What’s coming next: the Hotflash Inc Summit, the course, the book
A reminder that midlife is about remembering who’s really calling the shots
Shoutout to our sponsor MenoLabs – makers of MenoFit, a science-backed probiotic designed to relieve symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats while supporting overall wellness. Hotflash Inc listeners get 20% off with code HOTFLASH20 at menolabs.com.
