Award Winning Hypnotherapy Brighton & Online

Mental health challenges at menopause are the un-sung symptoms of this transition and for many, it may be the first time that anxiety or depression have been experienced. 

My guest today is Chris McDonald.  She's a Holistic Licensed Therapist and owns a group online practice, “Path to Hope Counseling”. 

In today's episode, we discuss:

What holistic therapy entails that other therapies don't.
If you don't do this one thing (even if you're having therapy), nothing is going to work.
How to overcome the challenges of personal responsibility.
What resilience is and what it is not.
Sleep - what to do if you wake up in the middle of the night.
The power of radical acceptance and the reason it's so difficult to do.
The most incredible thing I've found to help me self soothe.  
Cooking and creativity.
What might be better than talk therapy if you're dysregulated.
Breaking the cycle of depression.
How this particular group of people can help you to...

If you're anything like me, you've purchased hundreds of aromatherapy oils in the past with the full intention of using them in your baths, in diffusers and in your massage oils, only to then wonder 'are they really working?'  Promptly abandoning them only to repeat the cycle a year later. 

My guest today is listed as one of America's most influential aromatherapists.  She's also the New York State representative for the Alliance of International Aromatherapists, so she knows a thing or two about the contents of these mysterious little bottles.  

In our long awaited conversation we spoke about:

What makes an essential oil so powerful.
 How smells affects the nervous system.
 The properties of essential oils.
 How essential oils actually affect our bodies.
 How to really work with and appreciate essential oils.
 Aromatherapy post hysterectomy.
 Aromatherapy for symptoms management during menopause.
...

Mammograms & scans are important as we get older but despite having one every year, my guest, Kelli Jaecks, discovered she had breast cancer in 2019 resulting in a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery.  

Needless to say, this is a powerful episode.

Kelli is a self-care strategist, published author, professional speaker, and coach. She works with organizations who want to optimize their team’s total wellness so they can have a more productive and engaged workforce. She also coaches groups and individuals to achieve their health and wellness goals.

We talk about:

Breast cancer can still appear even without lumps
 Breast cancer risks are always multi factorial 
 It's not always caused by the HRT
 Having a victor mentality over breast cancer (rather than victim)
 Double Mastectomy and Breast Reconstruction
 The consequences of oestrogen blockers
 The power of routine
 Maintaining positivity and...

Controlling how you decide to show up in the patriarchal world as a menopausal woman, is really up to you.

You do know that YOU get to decide don't you?  In some countries, that choice is taken away, so if you DO have the choice, honour it and use it wisely.  

Want to stick to bedroom activism instead?  I'm right there with you.
 Want to wear oversized prints, enormous earrings and red lipstick?  Do it.
 Want to have casual sex with someone younger?  Try it.  
 What to just sleep all day this Sunday?  Do it.

This life changing conversation with Kath Berry put some fire back in my belly and I did not expect this conversation to end up where it did!  

Kath Berry is an Acupuncture Educator with over 25 years of clinical experience.  She also has a Masters Degree in Drug and Alcohol Addiction Medicine and is now the co-author of a text book called Menopause: A Comprehensive Guide for Practitioners.

In today's...

The grief, the loss, the conflict I felt a few years after I terminated a pregnancy and realised I probably wasn't going to get pregnant again was intense.  Being a woman is flipping hard sometimes.   But over the years, I've done a lot of internal clearing.  At the beginning of the year I made a very powerful decision.  

Many women choose to be childfree through their lives but some women don't and being child-less feels empty, painful and full of sorrow.

So how to we navigate these painful emotions if being a mother is something we've always wanted?

In this video we're going to look at the two mindset shift options you have if you are peri menopausal, still having periods and are struggling with the idea of not having a child. 

Links in video:  
Six Steps To Dealing With Difficult Emotions  
How to Get More Pleasure at Menopause
Two Part/Six Step Mini Course and Free Hypnosis called How To Create Phenomenal Self Esteem - Grab it here