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, plus a whole load of exclusive advice around menopause, 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, plus a whole load of exclusive advice around menopause, 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, plus a whole load of exclusive advice around menopause, 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.