The Courage to Change: A Midlife Vineyard Dream with Sally Evans, Winery Owner & Author. S6. Ep. 13.

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 wantThe key things to consider before taking the leapFinding the courage to make a big changeWhy change is important at any stage of lifeOvercoming obstacles and self-doubtLetting go of what other people thinkHow change can be a tonicCome 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.comCheck 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.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, a monthly live nutrion Q&A and a whole host of other exclusive content, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

In this episode, we’re talking about strength - not weight, not size, but pure, functional strength. Because let’s be honest, we can spend way too much time worrying about one and not nearly enough about the other!Strength is vital at any age, but as we hit midlife and beyond, it becomes essential. It boosts confidence, protects our bones, and keeps us active for longer. After all, what’s the point of making it to 90 if you’re too frail to enjoy it?To explore this, I’m joined by the brilliant Christien Bird, a familiar voice on The Happy Menopause podcast. A women’s health physiotherapist with a passion for strength, Christien is in her early 60s, represents Team GB in triathlon for her age group, and has just signed up for an Ironman challenge - because she loves pushing herself! If anyone can inspire us to embrace strength, it’s her.Together, we discuss:-       The barriers holding women back from exercise – and when they start-       Why strength is so important in midlife-       How it plays a key role in avoiding frailty-       Three different exercise personas - find out which one you are!-       Practical tips for getting started, even if you’re feeling shyTune in for an inspiring and empowering conversation that will change the way you think about strength!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.comCheck 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.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, a monthly live nutrion Q&A and a whole host of other exclusive content, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

Weight loss can feel like an uphill battle for us midlife women. What worked before no longer seems effective, and that’s often due to a slowing metabolism. Years of yoyo dieting may have played a role, but this shift is also a natural part of this life stage. If your body is stuck in fat-storage mode, no amount of eating less will bring the results you’re after.But there’s hope! In this episode, I’m joined by Petronella Ravenshear, nutritionist and author of The Human Being Diet. She shares her simple yet clever approach to resetting your metabolism and escaping the frustrating plateau.We cover:How your metabolism really worksThe crucial role of diet in influencing metabolismWhy crash diets are counterproductiveWhy intermittent fasting might not suit everyoneTips to prevent weight regainWhat makes The Human Being Diet so effectivePetronella’s advice is packed with insights and practical tips. It’s reassuring to know there’s a way forward - one that helps you achieve sustainable weight loss while embracing a new, healthier lifestyle through midlife and beyond. Trust me, the benefits will ripple through every aspect of your life!If you enjoy The Happy Menopause, please spread the word to your friends and family. Don’t forget to hit follow or subscribe on your favourite platform to ensure you never miss an episode. Your support helps the podcast reach more women, because every woman deserves 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.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, a monthly live nutrion Q&A and a whole host of other exclusive content, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

Feeling a little apprehensive about the festive season? It’s not just one day, is it? The celebrations seem to start in early December and go on... and on. Your calendar fills up fast – often with events you’re not even excited about!And let’s face it, most of these involve endless food and drink, which can take a toll on your waistline, sleep, and overall wellbeing in just a few weeks.But it doesn’t have to be that way. I’m sharing some of my best tips and tricks to help you keep on track, so that you sail through the festive season, without piling on the pounds, disrupting your sleep or triggering those pesky hot flushes.Tune in for all my best advice on navigating parties; smart buffet choices; surviving Christmas dinner; mindful indulgence, and hangover hacks. This episode really is a must to help you cope with the festive season!This is the third in a series of three podcasts designed to support you through the challenges of the festive season. Check out the other episodes Pause, Stretch, Breathe: 2-Minute Yoga Tips for a Calmer Christmas, and The Overworked Woman's Guide to a Stress-Free Christmas. That way you'll get the full package of support!If you’re a fan of The Happy Menopause, please tell your friends and family about it, and make sure you click the follow or subscribe button on whichever platform you listen on to make sure you never miss an episode. It really does make a huge difference to the algorithms which influence the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can 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.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, a monthly live nutrion Q&A and a whole host of other exclusive content, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

The build-up to Christmas can be hectic and stressful, and the thought of carving out a full hour for a yoga class (or any workout) when there’s so much to do can just add to the pressure. This is the 2nd in my 3-part series to help you cope with the challenges of the festive season. I’m releasing them on Thursdays through December or you can listen to all of them straight away, by signing up at www.TheHappyMenopause.comIn this episode, I chat with menopause yoga expert Libby Stevenson, who’s full of tips to help us stay calm and balanced during this busy time of year.Libby shares simple, discreet yoga stretches and breathing techniques that you can do at your desk or even in the supermarket queue. No one will notice, and you’ll get the lift you need to manage looming deadlines or tackle festive tasks. We cover a series of 2-minute tips to target everything from back ache to insomnia, as well as how to manage overwhelm and find calm and balance. There are some brilliant quick wins here that suit everyone, whether you’re new to yoga or an old hand at the practice. This episode is full of practical advice. and I love how simple and discreet Libby’s suggestions are. I’m sure you’ll find them useful!This is the second in a series of three podcasts designed to support you through the challenges of the festive season. If you’re a member of The Happy Menopause Club, you can listen to the whole series right away. For non-members, the next episode, Christmas Nutrition Tips: Your Guide to a Balanced Festive Season to help you navigate parties,  dinners, and all the food and drink challenges, will drop on 19th December. And go back and check out the first one: The Overworked Woman's Guide to a Stress-Free Christmas. If you can't wait until 19th December, you can get access to all the advice straight away, so that you sail through the season stress-free. Just head to The Happy Menopause.com and join for just £6 per month.If you’re a fan of The Happy Menopause, please tell your friends and family about it, and make sure you click the follow or subscribe button on whichever platform you listen on to make sure you never miss an episode. It really does make a huge difference to the algorithms which influence the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can 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.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, a monthly live nutrion Q&A and a whole host of other exclusive content, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

Christmas can be a lot of fun and create some wonderful memories. But let’s face it, all that festive joy doesn’t happen by accident. Behind the scenes, pulling all the strings and juggling all the plates, there’s usually a woman making the magic happen. We really do take on a lot at this time of year. So, if you’re already feeling overwhelmed by all the planning, shopping, wrapping, prepping, and cooking that lies ahead, don’t worry—help is at hand.In this episode, I’m chatting with Chartered Psychologist Jess Baker, the author of the excellent book The Super Helper Syndrome: A Survival Guide for Compassionate People. She’s here to help us establish some boundaries, banish guilt and avoid overloading ourselves - just what we need at this time of year.Jess has some brilliant advice to get you through the season while still having fun. Tune in we dive into some tricky festive scenarios—I’m pretty sure you’ll recognise them! —now you’ll learn how to handle them with confidence and ease.This is the first in a series of three podcasts designed to support you through the challenges of the festive season. If you’re a member of The Happy Menopause Club, you can listen to the whole series right away. For non-members, the next episode - 2-Minute Yoga Tips for a Calmer Christmas —will be available on 12th December, and the final one, Christmas Nutrition Tips: Your Guide to a Balanced Festive Season to help you navigate parties,  dinners and all the food and drink challenges, will drop on 19th December. But if you’d like access to all the advice straight away, so you can sail through the season stress-free, head to The Happy Menopause.com and join for just £6 per month.If you’re a fan of The Happy Menopause, please tell your friends and family about it, and make sure you click the follow or subscribe button on whichever platform you listen on to make sure you never miss an episode. It really does make a huge difference to the algorithms which influence the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can 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.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, a monthly live nutrion Q&A and a whole host of other exclusive content, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

 For many of us, alcohol is woven into our lives, whether it’s a glass of wine at dinner or a night out with friends. It provides the backdrop to most big occasions, both happy and sad. But how does it affect us during menopause, when our bodies are changing in so many ways? And how does it influence our hormones and our health? The festive season is fast approaching, and with that can come a lot of pressure, because there’s always a lot to do, and our social schedule can fill up alarmingly. So, this episode is all about forward planning to help you get through this hectic time unscathed. I take a closer look at our relationship with alcohol, how it may be affecting our menopause experience, and how small shifts in our approach to drinking could make a big difference to our health.My guest is the brilliant Sarah Williamson, life coach and founder of Drink Less, Live Better, and author of an excellent book of the same name. But trust me! There’s no preaching here. In 2019 she decided to take a break from alcohol for one year... and hasn't gone back to it, there was no rock-bottom, no drama - just a feeling that perhaps alcohol wasn't providing all the benefits she thought it was.  She’s found that the relationship with alcohol is often the final bit of the jigsaw for many midlife women in getting a handle on their wellbeing. Sarah talks a lot of sense, and I love her practical, compassionate and non-judgemental approach. You’ll find some very helpful advice in this episode on how to manage your relationship with alcohol. Join The Happy Menopause Club to access this month's bonus episode: Drink Smarter, Not More: 7 Quick Wins for Cutting Back This Festive Season. If you’re a fan of The Happy Menopause, please tell your friends and family about it, and make sure you click the follow or subscribe button on whichever platform you listen on to make sure you never miss an episode. It really does make a huge difference to the algorithms which influence the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can 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.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, a monthly live nutrion Q&A and a whole host of other exclusive content, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

This is a special episode which shines a spotlight on nutrition to celebrate World Menopause Day, It’s actually a re-release of one of my most popular episodes, which I thought you might like to discover or rediscover, because it’s packed with useful information and foodie tips. I thought it was important to focus on foods to balance out my other special, which is on this year’s WMD theme of HRT. In that episode, BMS menopause specialist Kathy Abernethy debunks some of the myths and mysteries around HRT. But whether you take HRT or not, the right nutrition is incredibly important. The better you eat, the more effective your HRT will be. Because it’s basically just hormones. The body still needs to know what to do with those hormones, and this is where your diet comes in. Different nutrients are key catalysts in the chain reaction of our hormones that affect all the systems in our body. And if you’re not taking HRT, the right food is even more important to help you manage your symptoms.In this episode, I’ve picked out my 10 favourite foods to support a healthy menopause. There’s something for everyone in there, and there might be a couple of surprises too! Get your notebooks ready so you can plan your menopause-friendly shopping list!If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, please do leave a 5-star rating and a review on Apple podcasts or whichever platform you listen on and make sure you tell all your friends – it makes a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast and really helps to spread the word. Because 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.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, a monthly live nutrion Q&A and a whole host of other exclusive content, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

HRT (or MHT) isn’t natural territory for The Happy Menopause podcast, but as it’s the theme for this year’s World Menopause Day, I thought it would be remiss of me not to cover it.HRT has become a pretty contentious issue in recent years, with a lot of people being very entrenched in the strongly for or strongly against position. And amongst all that there are quite a lot of self-styled experts, who are anything but expert in the matter! I’ve been concerned to see the impact this has had on women in midlife, who’ve often become confused, fearful or distressed about the lack of clarity and some of the disturbing messages about the risks if you do take it or the risks if you don’t take it. As with all things, there is nuance here, so for this episode I’ve reached out to the excellent Kathy Abernethy whose menopause credentials are beyond question. She’s a trained nurse and BMS menopause specialist who’s been working as a clinician in the menopause arena since the 90s. Kathy is a hugely respected figure and has helped thousands of women over the years with her evidence-based advice and clinical support. She came on the show in Season 2 to talk about solutions for vaginal dryness, and I was delighted to welcome her back to shine a light on HRT, provide clarity and bust some of the many myths that are out there. We explore 12 key questions and myths about HRT. We look whether you can be too old or too young; how your medical history affects things; whether you’re just putting off the inevitable; what happens if you don’t take it; and more. Tune in for the inside track and a balanced, evidence-based view of this complex subject from someone who’s a genuine expert. If you’re interested in the diet and lifestyle side of menopause management, check out my other World Menopause Day special on 10 Foods to Focus on for the Menopause. And if you want ongoing support every month, you really should consider joining The Happy Menopause Club for bonus episodes, articles, Q&As and videos at thehappymenopause.com.If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode and please give it a 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on, I’d be so grateful. And do tell your friends and family about it too. It really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can 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.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, a monthly live nutrion Q&A and a whole host of other exclusive content, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

Aromatherapy is much more complex than just lighting a scented candle. The essential oils of flowers, plants, wood, nuts or seeds can have a powerful effect on the body. In this episode, we explore how aromatherapy might support us in midlife, menopause and beyond. My guest is Amy Anthony, a certified aromatherapist and aromatherapy educator who’s an expert in this intricate area. She practices as an aromatherapist in New York City and has taught at the former New York Institute for Aromatherapy and the Centre for Aromatic Studies. We talk about the multitude of ways that aromatherapy can support our health and wellbeing. Amy explains the different essential oils and how they can help us.  She also shares some practical advice on how we can use them safely.  We discuss the brilliance of bergamot, the restorative powers of rose, how rosemary can revitalise us and why we should love lavender. It’s an absolutely fascinating session – she even shares a couple of recipes that you can find in the show notes on my website. If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode and please give it a 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on, I’d be so grateful. And do tell your friends and family about it too. It really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can 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.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, a monthly live nutrion Q&A and a whole host of other exclusive content, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.