This is the last episode in this season, it's hard to believe we've done 25 episodes, but here we are. So I thought I’d wrap things up as I began back in February by telling you a bit about me and where I’m at in my menopause journey and what I've learnt along the way by talking to the amazing, vibrant , funny women I've had on the Pod, the wonderful Dr Katie and all my other brilliant experts. I've upped my movement, concentrated on what and how I eat and tweaked my HRT. Obviously each of our M...
Dec 20, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 25
In this episode I’m talking to my 5th inspirational Orca - Kate Muir, creator and producer of the “Davina Documentaries” for Channel 4 and author of the incredible book “Everything you wanted to know about the Menopause but were afraid to ask”. Kate as you can imagine, doesn’t shy away from tackling the big stuff, our chat ranges from HRT and whether we need Testosterone, the racial and socio-economic injustice and misogyny that’s rife in medicine, to the glorious reboot menopause can and should...
Dec 06, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 24
In this episode I’m talking eye health with optometrist Harps Kular and how our fluctuating hormones can affect our eyes. She’s seen a huge rise in the number of menopausal women coming to her with dry eye (which surprisingly isn’t what you’d think) and how her own struggles with perimenopause and not being taken seriously by her GP, has allowed her to really connect with her patients and give them the space to be heard about their menopausal symptoms. Harper & Cooper Opticians https://www.h...
Nov 22, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 23
As we navigate this time of our lives it becomes clear that looking after ourselves is more and more important. What we eat is vital and can even help with our symptoms. In this episode I’m talking to Menopause Nutritionist Karen Newby, author of the brilliant The Natural Menopause method. We discuss how just tiny shifts in our lifestyle and diet can make huge changes in the way our bodies cope with our fluctuating hormones to help us sail through our Menopause. She's full of really down to eart...
Nov 08, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 22
In this episode I get all political and fired up with Diane Danzebrink founder of the Make Menopause Matter campaign and Menopause Support, a not for profit organisation, full of help and resources. We’re joined by Andrea Swan, her office manager, to talk about how they’ve gone from chats round Andrea’s kitchen table to lobbying Parliament and educating future generations. Would that we all had their passion and determination. Let's pick up Diane’s fight to push women’s health further up the age...
Oct 25, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 21
This is a special episode of BMO. I was approached by an amazing organisation, Family Action, who help to transform lives by providing practical, emotional and financial support to those experiencing poverty, disadvantage and social isolation across the country. They asked me to be part of their World Menopause Day and I leapt at the chance. 1 in 10 women leave their jobs because of their menopause symptoms. That’s a truly shocking statistic and I’m sure that the majority of those would have sta...
Oct 18, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 20
In this episode I’m talking to my 4th inspirational Orca, Emma Kennedy, author, actress, former lawyer, brilliant cook, downright renaissance woman! After being hospitalised with heart palpitations she realised her Menopause, which she smugly thought was done and dusted, wasn’t done with her yet. She was wearing a heart monitor as we spoke! She has decided even with her family risk of Breast Cancer to go on a low dose of estrogen and it’s changed her life. We also talk about discovering she's go...
Oct 11, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 20
In this episode I’m continuing to discuss breast cancer with Dani Binnington who started her brilliant Podcast and organisation Menopause & Cancer after her diagnosis at the age of 33. We talk about how she coped with her very aggressive triple negative cancer and a young family, how the discovery of her BRCA gene led her to decide to have a double mastectomy and later surgery which brought on a medical menopause. She learnt to self advocate and went from being mute in her doctors appointmen...
Sep 27, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 19
In this episode I’m back talking to the wonderful Dr Katie as we carry on looking more closely at Menopause and Breast Cancer. She explains how to give yourself a proper breast exam, which I’m certainly guilty of not doing and we look again at the risks associated with being on HRT. We discuss the difficulties that can be brought about by a medical or surgical menopause and how we need to make sure that women going through this can have a conversation with a Menopause Specialist so they know wha...
Sep 13, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 18
This episode is the first of 4 episodes looking more closely at Breast Cancer and the Menopause. I’m talking to the irrepressible Suzanne Bull MBE about her estrogen positive breast cancer diagnosis in 2020 and being thrown into a medical menopause. How all that coupled with her disability made it doubly hard to pick apart her symptoms and add a global pandemic into the mix, it gave Suzanne some really tough conversations and hard choices. But as ever, she came out fighting. Suzanne is founder o...
Aug 30, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 17
In this episode I’m talking to my 3rd inspirational Orca, Katie Day, author and motivational speaker. After her precocious puberty at the age of 5 and then a crippling menopause where she found herself contemplating ending her life, she's dedicated her life to helping women navigate their menopause and most importantly embrace their midlife. She’s passionate about how this time of life can lead us to becoming a better version of ourselves, more powerful and potent than ever. Katie’s so brilliant...
Aug 16, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 16
When we’re gripped by our Menopausal symptoms it can feel like the world around us is caving in and our jobs that we were totally on top of can suddenly feel overwhelming. In this episode I’m talking to Sally Neale, Chief Human Resources Officer for a multinational about how even minor tweaks and adjustments in the workplace can have a huge impact. To ensure when we're struggling with our symptoms we feel supported to stay in the workforce, as we have so much to bring to an organisation. How dai...
Aug 02, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 15
In this episode I’m chatting about the importance of movement with Personal Trainer Nikki Faldo who specialises in Peri to Post Menopause. How we should shift our focus from weight loss and looking younger, to a mindset where the goal is being more mobile, feeling stronger and being healthier to power through this next stage of our lives both physically and mentally. How "little and often" to fit it in around our day is the key rather than setting ourselves unachievable goals which just set us u...
Jul 19, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 14
We all know that navigating the early stages of our menopause can feel impossible at times. The symptoms sneak up on us and get subsumed into the stresses of our everyday lives. Having someone to talk to can be a lifeline and in this episode I’m chatting to Lou & Lize, 2 lifelong friends about how much they helped each other recognise the crazy early symptoms. Severe wind anyone!? How they tried every supplement and lifestyle change before going down the HRT route, but it wasn’t the fear of ...
Jul 05, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 13
We’ve all heard the horror stories of GPs dismissing menopausal symptoms and women being gaslit or refused treatment. Understandably we can be put off from going to get help. And if we do get to see a GP sometimes it can feel as though our knowledge is more up to date than theirs. In this episode Dr Katie discusses how things are slowly changing and how it’s up to us to do our homework and take ownership of our treatment and to not be afraid to state what it is we want. And she has some amazing ...
Jun 21, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 12
In this episode I’m talking to my 2nd inspirational Orca, Carol Decker, 80s legend best known for fronting T’pau about her lifelong struggle with her hormones. Accidentally discovering she had osteoporosis and what she’s done to combat it, and the joys of rediscovering her sex life. To keep up to date with what Carol and T'pau are up to visit https://www.tpau.co.uk/ or follow her @ tpaucaroldecker If you want to join in and Be More Orca, head to https://www.bemoreorcapod.co.uk/ or follow me @be....
Jun 07, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 11
It’s easy to feel invisible as a woman at this stage of our lives. We don’t see ourselves in our books or on our screens, but Jo Heap is a women on a mission to change all that. She saw her Menopause as a chance to reinvent herself and follow her dreams of being a writer. She’s fascinated by the stories of women over 50 and determined to show what life is really like for us. London Hormone Clinic https://www.londonhormoneclinic.com If you want to join in and Be More Orca, head to bemoreorcapod.c...
May 24, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 10
In this episode I'm talking to Jo Darling, an acupuncturist and Chinese medicine practitioner who’s passion for helping women through the Menopause led her to create Menopoised, a little magnet which helps to alleviate hot flushes. And we discuss how acupuncture can massively help us during Menopause and that we should all be embracing the ancient Chinese practice of Yang Sheng - the nourishment of life. Which focuses on how we eat, sleep, rest and most importantly our mindset. So we can live we...
May 10, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 9
In this episode I'm back talking to Dr Katie and we’re looking at the alternatives to HRT that your GP can prescribe. We discuss how certain antidepressants can actually help with hot flushes and night sweats, rather than the fear of just being given them as a misdiagnosis of your Menopause. How Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can be a game changer and she casts her medics eye over some of the herbal remedies and what to be cautious about. https://www.womens-health-concern.org women’s health conce...
Apr 26, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In this episode I’d like you to meet the indomitable Natalie Beresford, who was at the top of her career working as a Frontline Response Inspector for Thames Valley Police and felt like she'd finally arrived at a place where nothing could phase her. But then her Menopausal symptoms crippled her and her world fell apart. She was determined that no women would ever experience what she went through. She’s worked tirelessly and her legacy is that TVP is now an accredited Menopause Friendly Employer....
Apr 12, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In this episode I’m chatting to the brilliant Jen Brister, comedian, author, podcaster and now she’s added angry menopausal woman to her bow. About being gaslit by her GP, having hot flushes whilst doing her act live on stage and whether her angry persona was partly born out of being Menopausal when her career was taking off! Try and grab tickets for Jen's sell out The Optimist tour http://www.jenbrister.co.uk/gigs/ Listen to her hilarious WTB podcast https://shows.acast.com/wtb/episodes Or foll...
Mar 29, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In this episode I’m back talking to Dr Katie and we’re unpacking the behemoth that is HRT. I think this is what most women consider to be the hot topic of Menopause. Do you or don’t you? Should you or shouldn't you? Dr Katie lays out all the facts so you can make an informed choice about your own body. Women's Health Concern Infographic understanding the Risks of Breast Cancer and HRT https://www.womens-health-concern.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/WHC-UnderstandingRisksofBreastCancer-MARCH2017....
Mar 15, 2023•59 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In this episode I'd like you to meet Judy, Theo and Chloe, 3 mums who prove that there's a hell of a lot more bubbling under the surface on the school run than the fixed smiles and cheery hellos let on. We'll be talking about being told by your GP to go away because you're not Menopausal enough, the importance of talking to our daughters and sons about the entire hormonal lifespan of a woman, not just the start and getting to a point where we're not apologising for being Menopausal anymore. Host...
Mar 01, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 4
I'd like you to meet Dr Katie Barber. She's going to be BMO's resident Menopause Specialist. In this episode we find out about her own menopause journey and how she didn't even recognise the symptoms in herself despite her years of training. So I think we can cut ourselves a bit of slack! Dr Katie runs her own Private Menopause Clinic https://www.oxfordmenopause.com/ If you want to join in head to https://www.bemoreorcapod.co.uk or follow me @be.more.orca Presented and Edited by India Fisher Pro...
Feb 15, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 3
In this episode I talk to Eleanor, Charlotte and Debra 3 mates going through the Menopause, about having their symptoms mansplained by a 30 year old GP, magic menopause mushrooms and the hilarious realities of progesterone pessaries. Believe me this conversation is an eye opener! Bristol Fungarium https://bristolfungarium.com use code BMO15 to get 15% off your order FB Forum Menopause Support Network https://www.facebook.com/groups/384849495215750 Fussy deodorant https://www.getfussy.com If you ...
Feb 01, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Hi, my name's India Fisher, when the Menopause hit I had no idea what was going on with me. I just knew I was falling apart. In this introductory episode I open up about my story; some of it funny, some brutally honest. We shouldn't all be suffering in silence, we need to talk to each other. So I'm getting the ball rolling. Oh and I explain the Orca thing! If you want to join in head to https://www.bemoreorcapod.co.uk or @be.more.orca Presented and Edited by India Fisher Produced by James Whittl...
Feb 01, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 1
