"Hit Play Not Pause," is the name of Selene Yeagar's podcast, and we think it's perfect.
While middle age and menopause mean changes in our bodies, aging doesn't mean physical activity — even at a competitive level — is behind us.
In this episode, Gennev CEO Jill Angelo talks with Selene about how post-menopausal women can continue to perform at a high level — or just be fit and feel good in their bodies, if that's the goal.
Selene Yeager manages content for Feisty Menopause. She is also a top-selling professional health and fitness writer who lives what she writes as an NASM certified personal trainer, USA Cycling licensed coach, Pn1 certified nutrition coach, pro licensed off-road racer, and former All-American Ironman triathlete.
Learn more about Selene and hear the podcast at FeistyMenopause.com.
Remember getting out of bed when you were 30? Nothing hurt, everything moved in the right direction, nothing was stuck or rusty or sore.
You can be that way again, says Dr. Vonda Wright, double-boarded orthopedic sports surgeon, internationally recognized authority on active aging and mobility, and an innovator focused on optimizing personal and professional performance at every age.
Menopause and achy joints don't have to stop you from doing activities you love. You may need to approach activity differently, and (please don't shoot the messenger) cut back on sugar, but 50 and menopause don't mean your active life is over.
Have a listen to Jill Angelo, Gennev CEO, and Dr. Wright as they talk about movement, joint pain, and how to FACE the future.
Find Dr. Wright at DrVondaWright.com, check out her podcast Hot For Your Health, and be sure to find her books!
Gennev's #IAmThe Change campaign is a call to arms for women to speak up about how they’re transforming during their time of menopause. No more shushing women into isolation, I am the Change is meant to help us all feel a little more normal, a little more in control of this miraculous and sometimes challenging transition we’re in, and a little less lonely when the stress, sleeplessness, or relationship strain gets heavy.
We didn’t quite know where the women’s stories would take us, but we knew that it takes voices coming together to create change. The kind of change that materially changes how women will experience this menopause transition so many of us manage on a daily basis. Join us!
2020 was a tough year for women and wellness. In fact, 70% of us put our health “on hold,” pushing off preventative appointments and screenings. How is that impacting our health?
In this podcast, Gennev CEO Jill Angelo, CMO Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su, and Director of Coaching Stasi Kasianchuk discuss telehealth, menopause, and the incredible resilience of women.
Historically (and, let's face it, currently) society hasn't done a great job of valuing and centering women and women's issues.
This lack of care and attention is compounded when the woman in question is older, Black or of color, LGBTQ+, disabled, trans, or at the intersection of two or more of these identities.
Omisade Burney-Scott is changing that. Her website, Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause, is a sort of Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret for an older demographic -- intended to be a safe space for Black women to ask questions, get and give answers, and explore identity at any age.
In a society that values youth over age and rewards "anti-aging" over aging naturally, Omisade's site, podcast, and events are opportunities for women to individually and collective take back their power and identity.
In this podcast, Omisade speaks with Gennev CEO Jill Angelo about women's obligation and honor to teach younger generations about aging and menopause. As Omisade says, it's important "to see the trajectory of someone's lived experience" and understand "there's no shelf-life on evolving." Older women have important information to give, about the experience of menopause, and so much more. It's up to us to find opportunities to pass that information along.
About Omisade Burney-Scott:
Omisade Burney-Scott is a 7th generation Black Southern feminist, creative and social justice advocate.
Over the past 25 years, her “work” has been grounded in social justice movement spaces focused on the liberation of marginalized people, beginning with her own community. This commitment to liberation has manifested through advocacy work, philanthropy, community organizing and culture work.
She is the creator/curator of The Black Girls’ Guide to Surviving Menopause, a multimedia project that curates the stories of Black women as well as Black femmes and gender non-binary people who are perimenopausal, menopausal or post-menopausal.
This project is a direct result of Omisade finding herself and her peers living at the intersection of social justice movement work, creative healer identities and aging. She has chosen to use the medium of storytelling to disrupt the erasure of Black women's voices as they age through sharing their first person narratives and lived experiences.
Omisade is a member of the 1999-2001 class of the William C. Friday Fellows for Human Relations, a 2003 Southeastern Council on Foundation’s Hull Fellow and founding member NGAAP, the Next Generation of African American Philanthropy. She has served on various nonprofit boards including stone circles, Fund for Southern Communities, Spirithouse NC, Village of Wisdom, Working Films and The Beautiful Project.
She is a 1989 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and the proud mom of two sons, Che and Taj. She resides in Durham, North Carolina.
Learn more about Omisade Burney-Scott on her website. If you're looking for more information on menopause and taking care of yourself in midlife and beyond, be sure to visit Gennev.
February is Heart Health month, and here are a few things you need to know but might not:
That's enough of the bad news. Here's some good news instead.
Nutrition, exercise, and attention to gut health can go a long way toward reducing your risk of heart disease (and this is true of everyone at every age).
In this conversation with bariatric surgeon and gut-health expert Dr. Erika La Vella, Gennev Director of Health Coaching Stasi Kasianchuk asks the questions YOU need the answers to: how to maximize gut health to have a healthier heart.
You can find Dr. La Vella at lavellayourguts.com. You can make an appointment with Coach Stasi or any of our Dietitian Nutritionist coaches at Gennev.com/plans.
Resources for additional information:
I don't want to get too big. I can't lift. I'm too tired by the end of the day. I did it once but didn't see results, so I quit.
Resistance training may not be your thing, but if you're a woman over 40, you might take another look at it.
It's great for so many things: building and maintaining muscle mass. Helping you sleep better at night. Helping you manage midlife and menopause concerns like weight gain, hot flashes, insomnia, fatigue, poor balance, and weakening bones.
You know as you get older that your body changes: muscles shrink, metabolism slows, body can look and feel less toned. Resistance training, done right, can help with those things, as well as improve core strength for better balance and generally lift your mood and confidence.
In this podcast, Gennev Director of Health Coaching Stasi Kasianchuk speaks with owner and founder of Driven Fitness, Erica Roselius. A full-time fitness professional and coach for more than 13 years, Erica works primarily with over 40s to help them manage weight and increase muscle.
Why is it so important for women to incorporate resistance training? How can they benefit, and what risks do they take if they don't move more?
Listen, then find Erica at Driven Fitness and Stasi at Gennev for more information.
You've been having hot flashes for a while. You still have periods, but sometimes you might go a month or two with nothing. You haven't felt much joy lately, sleep doesn't come as easily as it used to, and you're tired all the way to your bones.
How long is all of this going to last?
There's no hormone test that will tell you where you are in your menopause transition. Unfortunately, in perimenopause when symptoms first start to appear, your hormones are fluctuating so much, you might test as menopausal today but not tomorrow.
That doesn't mean you just grit your teeth and hope it's not the "20 years" you've heard about from others. Gennev's unique menopause assessment looks at your symptoms, your medical history, and your cycles to help you understand where you are -- and what might be coming next.
Knowing where you are means you understand when the changes in your body are normal and when they maybe signal a need for some medical attention. Knowing means you can prepare for the symptoms that may follow.
In this podcast, OB/GYN, Chief Medical Officer, and menopause specialist Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su talks with Gennev CEO Jill Angelo about the Menopause Assessment she created for Gennev. They discuss the science behind it, the benefits of the data collected for both the woman who took it and the women who are coming up to perimenopause behind her.
They also take on the issue of privacy with personal data and the many ways Gennev can help women have an easier, healthier menopause.
Curious? Take the free Gennev Menopause Assessment and find out where you are in your menopause transition.
Sugar is bad for my health, therefore I can't have any and am a weak person if I eat a donut.
Well, no. Human beings are really good at holding seemingly mutually exclusive positions (sugar is bad/I love sugar) at the same time. We're also really good at then feeling guilty and flawed for holding both ideas simultaneously.
Women are often caught in this bind in midlife: our culture celebrates youth, therefore aging must be "bad." Except that aging brings a whole lot of good with it, including experience, wisdom, and frankly, caring a whole lot less what "culture" has to say about our value.
Holding two views at once isn't crazy or wrong or weak; it can even be empowering. There's a tension in the gray space between that can cause stress, but it's also often a source of creation, of reimagining, of growth.
In this fascinating conversation between Gennev Director of Health Coaching Stasi Kasianchuk and regular guest metabolic surgeon and gut health expert Dr. Erika La Vella, they explore the "tension of duality."
It doesn't have to be either/or (either sugar OR good health), so learn to embrace your "and."
Discover more from Dr. La Vella on her website LaVellaYourGuts.com. Be sure to check out all of her podcasts with Gennev at Gennev.com. And if you're ready to take the next step to better health in menopause, connect with a Health Coach at Gennev.com/plans.
Talk to Meg Mathews for 30 seconds, and you'll know you're in the presence of a force.
Known for her work in marketing, music, fashion, and design, she is a highly accomplished woman with a big life and a big energy to sustain it. Now she's putting that drive and savvy behind educating the world about menopause.
Her new book The New Hot is a must-read for anyone dealing with menopause (and their partners). She takes on the taboos with common sense, humor, and a brook-no-BS born from years of being a celebrity.
In this conversation with Gennev CEO Jill Angelo, Meg tells her personal story, and how the lack of good information and advice around menopause drove her to become a resource for others needing help.
Meg is a powerful advocate for women and trans individuals dealing with symptoms; she is also dedicated to helping others learn to advocate for themselves.
Meg Mathews is an icon of the nineties Brit-pop scene, a former music industry executive, and the ex-wife of Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher. In 2017, she launched Megs Menopause, a platform dedicated to breaking the stigma around menopause. In 2018, she held her first annual conference for menopause information and discussion. That same year, she was awarded the Inspiring Public Figure Award by the Inspiring Leadership Trust. She lives in London.
Learn more about Meg Mathews at her website, megsmenopause.com, or follow her on Twitter, @MegMathews, or Instagram, @megmathewsofficial_.
Follow Gennev at gennev.com, on Twitter @MyGennev, and on Instagram, @MyGennev.
Ada Calhoun's Book Why Can't We Sleep? was an instant New York Times bestseller.
Gen X women are finding it hauntingly and painfully and upliftingly familiar.
Gen X women are ... unhappy. Not all of them, not all of the time, but certainly there is more of a cloud over this generation than others. Sandwiched eternally between the much larger, much louder Boomer and Millennial cohorts, Gen X has been overlooked and ignored like the latchkey kids we so essentially are.
And that's doubly true of the women of Gen X, who are now aging into "invisibility" - those supposedly unsexy years after 40.
Ada Calhoun wanted to know why we're such a miserable bunch, so she started asking. Two hundred interviews with Gen X women later, she's got answers, and she shared them in this fabulous podcast with Gen Xer (and what an irony that my computer's spellcheck doesn't recognize "Xer"), Gennev CEO Jill Angelo.
Hear their conversation about the price of trying to have it all, what it's like to be the first generation not to do better than our parents did, and why perimenopause and menopause are making it even harder on the women of the forgotten generation.
Spoiler: it's not all bad news. But there is some.