The Hotflash inc podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

This podcast originally ran on 17 July 2025

In this deep-dive episode, independent researcher and Energy Balance Podcast host Jay Feldman walks Hotflash inc founder Ann Marie McQueen through his bioenergetic approach to health, exploring how modern life disrupts our energy systems and misleads us around hormones.

Jay explains why perimenopause symptoms aren’t necessarily signs of estrogen deficiency, what progesterone’s underrated role is, and how metabolism, stress, and gut health all converge to influence the midlife transition.His work has been instrumental in helping Ann Marie connect the dots between her own thyroid, gut health, fatty liver, and hormonal changes. If you’re curious, overwhelmed, or stuck between conflicting advice – this one’s for you.

Highlights:

Why the mainstream medical model didn’t cut it for Jay
How energy production impacts reproductive hormones
The cultural lie of “eat less, move more”
Seed oils, PUFAs and what they’re doing to your metabolism
Sunscreens, toenail polish, and endocrine disruption
Why low estrogen blood levels don’t tell the whole story
What your liver and gut have to do with your hormones
Why estrogen replacement might be a band-aid, not a solution

Guest bio
Jay Feldman is a health coach, independent researcher, and the host of the Energy Balance Podcast. With a background in neuroscience and exercise physiology, he takes a bioenergetic approach to health that focuses on restoring cellular energy and dismantling modern myths around nutrition, metabolism, and hormones. Jay’s personal mission is to help people heal by reconnecting them with their bodies and understanding how modern life throws off our internal systems.

Work with Jay & explore more

• Website: jayfeldmanwellness.com
• Free Guide: jayfeldmanwellness.com/guide
• Podcast: The Energy Balance Podcast

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

Web: hotflashinc.com
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Instagram: @hotflashinc
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Unlocking the Hidden Layers or Menopause: Trauma, Hypnosis, and Inner Work with Sally Garozzo

Join host Ann Marie McQueen as she delves into the transformative journey of menopause with Sally Garozzo, a clinical hypnotherapist and podcast host. Sally specializes in menopause, complex trauma, and the long-term impact of early life stress. She works with women who sense that menopause is more than just a hormonal disruption, helping them understand it as an identity and emotional recalibration. Sally hosts The Menopause Mindset Podcast and offers individual and group sessions to support women during midlife and beyond.

Highlights:

• 01:02 - The sense that menopause is more than just hormones
• 02:25 - Understanding menopause as a catalyst for emotional sensitivity
• 04:36 - The limitations of traditional medical paradigms for complex stories
• 06:54 - The metaphor of menopause as a tide revealing buried issues
• 09:20 - The impact of childhood and family dynamics on menopause
• 12:02 - The mind-body connection and how perspective influences symptoms
• 17:41 - Personal stories of anxiety, panic, and recognition of trauma
• 24:05 - The science of hypnosis: focus, suggestion, and energy work
• 31:20 - Skills training for mind and body—neurobics and perspective shifts
• 42:48 - How trauma and nervous system dysregulation amplify menopausal challenges
• 44:50 - Words of hope: deep work, attunement, and community support

Resources & Links:

• Marisa Peer - Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT)

Connect with Sally Garrozzo:

• Instagram
• Website

Disclaimer: This episode emphasizes that menopause is not just a hormonal event but a profound inner transition. Healing involves understanding, acknowledging, and working through emotional wounds with compassion, practical tools, and expert guidance. This episode is for information and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice; always seek out an expert for proper medical treatment. 

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In this solo episode of the Hotflash inc Podcast, host and founder Ann Marie McQueen dives into the rising conversation around ADHD and perimenopause. Drawing from personal experience, research, and lived insight, Ann Marie explores how midlife hormone shifts may intersect with neurodivergence – and how confusing, frustrating and illuminating that process can be. This episode is a candid, powerful reflection on mental health, executive function and how being a woman in midlife calls for compassion and curiosity.

Thank you to our sponsor, Timeline Nutrition – makers of Mitopure™, the first clinically tested Urolithin A supplement that supports cellular energy and muscle strength. Visit www.timeline.com and use the code HOTFLASH for 20% off your first order.

Highlights

• Ann Marie reflects on the constant battle to get information right in a world full of misinformation.
• The emerging connection between perimenopause, ADHD, and hormonal changes.
• Research shows ADHD traits can intensify menopausal symptoms—even in undiagnosed women.
• Ann Marie shares her own experience recognizing lifelong ADHD tendencies.
• Sensory sensitivity, rejection sensitivity, and how they show up in midlife.
• Why she hasn’t pursued an official diagnosis – and how nervous system healing has helped.
• The pain of not being taken seriously when you open up about neurodivergence.
• Testosterone’s overlooked role in executive function and how HRT may help.
• Why a holistic approach is essential for navigating neurodivergence in midlife.
• The power of being seen and heard – how a simple conversation at work changed everything.

This podcast 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. With more than 30 years in journalism, Ann Marie provides evidence-based content, expert interviews, and deeply personal conversations to help women around the world navigate this pivotal life stage.

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone who might benefit –  and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review the show. To get the latest research and real talk on perimenopause, menopause, and midlife straight to your inbox, subscribe to the Hotflash inc newsletter at hotflashinc.com.

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Episode website: Hotflashinc

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This episode and all of season 1 is sponsored by Become clothing.

Themes: seed oils, nutrition, hot flashes, supplements, perimenopause, menopause, processed foods, nutrition, insulin resistance

Summary: Andrea Donsky is a registered holistic nutritionist, entrepreneur and television personality based in Toronto; co-founder of naturallysavvy.com and new company called Morphus, which is all about menopause supplements. We talk about how to approach menopause via diet, lifestyle and supplements, what her menopause experience was like, and how much better life can be when you do some work on yourself through this transition.

Highlights:
•her own menopause experience (4.45)
•how she dealt with horrid hot flashes without HRT (8.45)
•why you need to be careful with menopause supplements (11.10)
•why you need a trusted wellness team - even if it's online (15.30)
•how exactly to switch up nutrition to lesson symptoms (17.45)
•the problem with seed oils (22.00)
•what foods can help and hinder during perimenopause (27.20)
•insulin resistance + menopausal weight gain (28.30)
•see a doctor even if it’s a known perimenopause symptom (31.25)
•the weirdest perimenopause symptoms (33.00)
•signs you are deficient in this important mineral (33.45)
•why this is so much more than a physical transition (47.45)

Where to find Andrea:
TikTok: @Andrea Donsky
Instagram: @wearemorphus @naturallysavvy
Web: Naturallysavvy.com
Podcast: Morphus for Menopause; Naturally Savvy 

SPONSORS: Become anti-flush cooling clothing | Use code HOTFLASHINC to get a 20 percent discount.The Ritual by Pure | Use code HOTFLASH to get the first month free.

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

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Episode website: Hotflashinc

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Ann Marie talks about the parallel effort involved in tackling two very different things: her first hiking trip in Turkey and the Menopause Shift Summit (June 21-23), and all the growth and euphoria that comes with making things new things happen, even if you have to go through the same fear, anger and inner resistance every time.

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

Web: hotflashinc.com
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Instagram: @hotflashinc
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Episode website: Hotflashinc

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In the last 3+ years longtime friends Patty Pappas and Carrie Mapes have completely transformed how THC and CBD can be delivered to help people through peri/menopause, all without any psychoactive effect. They were stay-at-home moms when they dreamed up and launched their fast-growing California-based company Hello Again, which recently expanded from Everyday and Sleep versions beyond the midlife bracket. The details of how they became game-changing entrepreneurs and executed their vision –  in a pandemic, no less – is rare, awe-inspiring and relevant to all of us. Stay tuned to hear the fascinating story of how they continue to beat the odds and their perimenopause symptoms, too. 

Highlights: 

• How Hello Again was born out of a need for new symptom solutions
• Carrie and Patty’s particular perimenopause issues (and why HRT wasn’t enough)
• How and why THC + CBD work with our body’s endocannabanoid system
• Why it had to be a “vagitory”
• How their  “vagitory” impacts  gentiourinary syndrome of menopause 
• Why the 80s “war on drugs” still messes with us
• New Hello Again products + expansion plans
• Their take on the wisdom of menopause  

Where to find Hello Again:

Web: HelloAgainproducts.comInstagram: @HelloAgainProducts

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

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TikTok: @hotflashinc
Instagram: @hotflashinc
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Episode website: Hotflashinc

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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.

Where to find her:

Website: thepinkzones.com

Substack: substack.com/@thepinkzones

IG: @drheidilescanec

Episode sponsor: Thanks to Menolabs for sponsoring this episode. 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 

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

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Instagram: @hotflashinc
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Episode website: Hotflashinc

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In this episode of the Hotflash inc Podcast, Ann Marie McQueen speaks with Dr Nicky Keay, a medical doctor specializing in exercise endocrinology. With a career dedicated to understanding how lifestyle, nutrition, and movement impact hormones, Dr Keay brings a unique perspective to perimenopause, menopause, and female hormone health.

Dr Keay is the author of Hormones, Health, and Human Potential and editor of the anthology Myths of Menopause. She also serves as an Honorary Clinical Lecturer at University College London and is a medical advisor to the Scottish Ballet.

Highlights include:
- The "hormone orchestra" analogy and why balancing all hormones – not just estrogen – is key to long-term health.
- Why perimenopause is like The Odyssey, filled with challenges but also opportunities for growth.
- The myths of menopause, including how social media sirens influence women’s decisions. (She explains)
- How exercise, nutrition, and sleep impact hormonal balance during perimenopause and menopause.

Key highlights from this episode:
- Understanding the hormonal orchestra – and why balance is key.
- How perimenopause is like the teenage years – but in reverse.
- Why mindset matters – your thoughts can literally impact your hormone levels.
- The best exercise approaches for hormonal health at different life stages.
- The truth about testosterone – who really needs it?
- Why HRT should be personalized – and the problem with "one-size-fits-all" hormone prescriptions.
- The progesterone debate – why it’s necessary even after a hysterectomy.

Thank you to our sponsor Timeline Nutrition
Mitopure supports cellular energy and longevity—now available with a 10% discount! Visit timeline.com/HOTFLASH and use the code HOTFLASH to claim your offer!

The Hotflash inc Podcast is one of the Top 60 Menopause Podcasts

Connect with Dr Nicky Keay:
Website: www.nickykeayfitness.com
Instagram: @drnickykeay
X: @drnickykeay
Books: Hormones, Health, and Human Potential and Myths of Menopause (Editor)

"Your hormones aren’t your enemy – they are your greatest tool for health and vitality. Learn to harness them, not fear them."  Dr Nicky Keay

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

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Episode website: Hotflashinc

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Thank you To our sponsors For making this episode possible:

Timeline: Use code HOTFLASH33 for 33% off your order of Mitopure at Timeline Nutrition.

In this episode of the Hotflash inc Podcast, host Ann Marie McQueen 
speaks with  Dr Jerilynn Prior, a professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of British Columbia and the head of the Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research (CeMCOR). For over 40 years, Dr. Prior has been a trailblazer in understanding women’s hormones, championing the crucial role of progesterone alongside estrogen in women’s health.

We dive into:

• Why obstetrics and gynecology might not be the best specialties for addressing women’s hormonal health
• The persistent misconception of estrogen as “the women’s hormone” and why it’s wrong to label anyone as “estrogen deficient.”
• How progesterone is essential in balancing estrogen’s effects, protecting our bodies, and supporting overall health.
• The dangers of conflating bioidentical progesterone with synthetic progestins.
• Why ovulation is critical for lifelong health and how the birth control pill can impact young women’s peak bone mass.
• Her research findings on progesterone as an effective treatment for perimenopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and heavy flow.

Dr. Prior also sheds light on the challenges researchers face in advancing women's health due to systemic biases in funding and publishing. She shares her hopes for the future and emphasizes the need for a paradigm shift in how we approach women’s reproductive health.

Special thanks to Dr. Prior for her invaluable contributions to women’s health and her unwavering dedication to advancing our understanding of hormones, ovulation, and the menopause transition.

To engage with CeMCOR: 

• CeMCOR (Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research)
  • Website: www.cemcor.ubc.ca
  • Facebook: CeMCOR Facebook Page
  • X: @CeMCOR
  • Instagram: @cemcor_research
  • YouTube: CeMCOR Channel

The Hotflash inc Podcast has been selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 60 Menopause Podcasts on the web.

Subscribe to the Hotflash inc Podcast wherever you get your podcasts to never miss an episode! 

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

Web: hotflashinc.com
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Episode website: Hotflashinc

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On this solo episode of the Hotflash inc Podcast, journalist and founder Ann Marie McQueen breaks down one of the biggest developments in menopause care in years: the FDA’s decision to remove the black box warning on vaginal and topical estrogen. Ann Marie unpacks what this means, what it doesn’t mean, and what we’re not being told in the flurry of headlines and social media excitement. She also shares insight from two menopause certified practitioners who are upcoming guest on the podcast – US ob-gyn Dr. Rachel Pope and Canadian naturopathic doctor Dr. Kirsten Smith – and reflects on the legacy of Dr Burt Webb, a beloved podcast guest and women’s health champion.

Thank you to our sponsor, Timeline Nutrition – makers of Mitopure™, the first clinically tested Urolithin A supplement that supports cellular energy and muscle strength. Visit www.timeline.com and use the code HOTFLASH for 20% off your first order.

It’s not too late to get an All Access Pass to the Hotflash inc Summit! You get lifetime access to the videos, as well as Hotflash inc Summit Book of Knowledge (top takeaways from all the interviews) and the BETA version of the Hotflash inc Hormone Therapy Navigator.

Highlights

• The FDA’s removal of the black box warning on vaginal and topical estrogen — what it really means
• The disconnect between science and media messaging
• Expert insights from Dr. Kirsten Smith and Dr. Rachel Pope on nuance, safety, and responsible communication
• Why sudden menopause isn’t the same as natural menopause — and why that distinction matters
• The quiet truth about progestins vs. progesterone
• Social media, private practice, and the influencer-doctor economy
• Vaginal options like DHEA and testosterone — and what’s missing from the conversation
• Three questions to ask yourself before starting hormone therapy
• Remembering Dr. Burt Webb — one of Ann Marie’s favorite guests

This is a solo episode hosted by Ann Marie McQueen. Additional expert commentary is provided by:

• Dr. Kirsten Smith, a naturopathic doctor practicing in Canada and Costa Rica with a focus on women’s health and hormone balancing.
• Dr. Rachel Pope, obstetrician-gynecologist, Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, and associate professor at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center.
• Dr. Burt Webb, late OB/GYN and beloved advocate for women’s vaginal and hormonal health.

This podcast 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. With more than 30 years in journalism, Ann Marie provides evidence-based content, expert interviews, and deeply personal conversations to help women around the world navigate this piv

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

Web: hotflashinc.com
Newsletter: Hotflash inc. on Substack
TikTok: @hotflashinc
Instagram: @hotflashinc
X: @hotflashinc

Episode website: Hotflashinc

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | YouTube | Substack

See hotflashinc.com/privacy-policy for privacy information