Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me This?

Season 4, #11: Dr Nitu Bajekal - Finding Me in Menopause: why lifestyle matters

Nitu Bajekal is a gynaecologist with over 40 years experience in women’s health and is the author of Finding me in Menopause and co-author of Living PCOS free. She has created a web site packed with free resources to empower women to take charge of their own health. Link: https://nitubajekal.com/  Instagram: @drnitubajekal  Nitu and Joyce explore the key pillars of healthy ageing: nutrition, exercise, sleep, mental health, and social connection. Nitu emphasises the importance of strength training for bone and muscle health, plant based nutrition focused on colour and protein, and the profound impact of sleep, stress management, and self compassion.  She highlights how confidence built through physical activity, especially from a young age, supports both mental and physical resilience later in life.  Above all, she stresses that there are no quick fixes, but small, sustainable changes can have powerful effects. Her core message is clear: if you don’t make time for wellness, you will have to make time for illness.

Season 4, #10: Jinty Sheerin and Lou Hockings-Thompson – The Womenkind Collective

Jinty Sheerin and Lou Hockings-Thompson – The Womenkind Collective; spilling the tea on taboos Jinty Sheerin and Lou Hockings-Thompson are best friends and hosts of the WomenKind Collective Podcast, delivering a weekly mix of real talk, education, and humor centered on women’s health, menopause, relationships, and smashing the patriarchy. They are active campaigners, founding Exmouth's first Menopause Café and launching the #WheresMyClinic campaign for better Devon-based NHS menopause care. Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/womenkindcollective/  In this episode, Joyce is joined by the brilliant and hilarious Jinty and Lou, best friends and hosts of the WomenKind Collective Podcast. Their friendship, humour and warmth shine through from the very start, setting the tone for a conversation that is both uplifting and deeply honest.  Together, they reflect on how their podcast began during lockdown as a way to stay connected and has since grown into a much-needed space for open conversations about women’s health, menopause, relationships and the subjects that are too often left unspoken. With humour, humanity and refreshing candour, they make complex and taboo topics feel relatable and accessible. The conversation explores the changing nature of female friendship in midlife, the importance of creativity, and the value of making time for joy. Mental health, anxiety, saying no, finding comfort in simple rituals such as making tea, and the restorative power of nature all feature in this rich discussion. There is also a strong message about giving women permission to prioritise themselves, seek adventure, and embrace this stage of life with curiosity and courage.  Honest, funny and full of wisdom, this episode is a celebration of friendship, self-discovery and the many ways women can find joy as they grow older.

Season 4, #9: Breeda Bermingham, Midlife Women Rock

Breeda is a former Midwife and Community/Public Health Nurse who became interested in menopause in 2018 while completing a psychology degree. Realising how little she knew about this life stage, and how under-researched midlife women are, she went on to complete a master’s in 2020. Her dissertation, “Silence, Taboo and Midlife Women,” explored Irish women’s experiences of menopause, a topic long clouded by stigma. Breeda views menopause as a societal and cultural issue and believes that everyone, women, men, girls, and workplaces, needs better education. Having supported hundreds of women, she is convinced that education is the key to navigating this significant life stage. Her mantra is: educate, educate, educate, its life changing. Breeda is the author of the book Midlife Women Rock. She is now a sought-after speaker on menopause and midlife women, contributing to conferences and seminars across the UK and Ireland and helping to break the long-standing taboo. https://midlifewomenrockproject.com/ Instagram @midlifewomenrock  Breeda shares how her own menopause journey led her to question the silence, shame and negativity surrounding this life stage, and why education is so important in helping women understand what is happening to their bodies and minds.  Together, Joyce and Breeda discuss the need to challenge outdated narratives around ageing, the empty nest, retirement and invisibility, and instead encourage women to see midlife as a time to rediscover themselves, explore new passions and embrace freedom, purpose and growth. They also explore the practical side of thriving in midlife, including the importance of movement, strength, rest, social connection and self-care, as well as the reality that women’s experiences of perimenopause and menopause are not all the same. Breeda speaks honestly about HRT, why it can be life-changing for some women but is not the right choice for everyone, and the need to move beyond one-size-fits-all messaging. This is an uplifting and thoughtful conversation about courage, curiosity and finding joy in the years beyond fifty, with inspiring reflections on nature, adventure, health, happiness and what it really means to rock midlife.

Season 4, #8: Jackie Lynch: Nutrition for a happy menopause

S4, #8. Jackie Lynch: Nutrition for a happy menopause Jackie Lynch is an award-winning nutritionist, menopause specialist, author, and workshop facilitator. In 2010, she founded the WellWellWell nutrition clinic, specialising in women’s health and the menopause. Named the Menopause Nutrition Clinic of the Year 2020-21, Jackie is also the host of the lifestyle podcast The Happy Menopause, and is a successful author, and TV guest expert. She has appeared on programmes including Channel 4’s Superfoods. Jackie’s podcast was shortlisted for the 2021 and 2022 International Women’s Podcast Awards. She is the author of The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish, which was highly commended at the 2021 UK Health & Wellbeing Awards. And her latest book was published in 2025 - The Happy Menopause Guide to Energy: Nutrition to Rejuvenate Your Brain & Body.  https://www.well-well-well.co.uk/about/  @wellwellwellUK  In this episode, Joyce is joined by nutritionist Jackie Lynch to explore how food and lifestyle can support women through perimenopause, menopause and beyond. Jackie shares her own menopause journey, explains how stress shaped her symptoms, and describes why she became so passionate about menopause nutrition. They unpack why there is no true “quick fix” for menopause symptoms. Instead, they focus on practical, evidence-based steps such as getting the basics right with protein, fats and carbohydrates, supporting energy through balanced meals, and recognising the powerful effects of stress, self-care and good nutrition on physical and mental wellbeing. They also tackle some of the biggest myths and trends in women’s health, including the dangers of social media misinformation, the booming menopause supplement market, ultra-processed foods, sugar cravings, weight-loss jabs, smoothies, soya, and the fear-driven messaging around weight gain in midlife. Jackie offers a refreshingly realistic view of healthy ageing, emphasising that longevity is not just about living longer, but about extending health span through nourishing food, movement, sleep and stress reduction. The episode closes on a warm and inspiring note, with Jackie reflecting on ageing, adventure, happiness and the advice she would give her younger self: trust your instincts, try new things, and make the most of life.

Season 4, #7: Amber Lort-Phillips: Feel good - your way

The Big Retreat Festival Amber is the founder of The Big Retreat Festival, a four-day wellbeing and adventure festival set in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Since launching in 2018, the festival has grown into one of the UK’s most inspiring feel-good events, blending yoga, wild swimming, music, talks, food, nature, community and much more. Amber created The Big Retreat to offer people space to reset, reconnect and rediscover joy in a supportive, unpretentious environment.  https://www.thebigretreatfestival.com/ https://www.bigretreatcambridgeshire.com/  Instagram: @thebigretreatfestival  How can you improve your wellbeing? What is the best way for you to relax and reset? You may have tried yoga, sound baths, and meditation, but what other ways are there? In this podcast – Amber and Joyce give you some ideas of ways to do this.  The Big Retreat offers more than 300 events in a safe, welcoming space, so you can shape your own experience. It’s a brilliant place to try new wellbeing practices, meet like-minded people, and feel part of a supportive community — especially as around 20% of attendees come on their own.  Joyce and Amber did a research study with the festival-goers in 2025 to explore their experience of the festival and see what events improved their mental and physical health, decreased stress and increased happiness. Rated highly were the setting itself, the Feel Good Field, the yoga and soul space, the sense of community and the friendly atmosphere of the festival. 2026 will be the first year Amber organises two events – one in the traditional site in Pembrokeshire plus a new event in Cambridgeshire.