Today we’re talking about the gut and gut health. We have discussed the importance of the gut microbiome in previous podcasts but never in relation to perimenopause and menopause. And that’s because no one really knew that was a thing until very recently. But it makes sense though since our gut and the biodiversity of the microbiome affects every other aspect of our health why wouldn’t our hormone balance be involved in some way.

What does detoxification have to do with menopause? Turns out quite a bit. Today I want to connect the dots between toxicity in our environment, our diet and our nervous system and how that can show up in menopause symptoms and what we can do to buffer ourselves in that transition.

We know there’s more to being healthy than what western medicine would have us believe. A lot more. Particularly for women. We are far more complex physically, mentally and emotionally.

The fact is that health isn’t the absence of disease just like pain doesn’t always equal injury or illness. And the natural aging process is not a disease.

Our modern culture has stripped women of the sacredness of our bodies. Cut us off (sometimes literally) from our intuition. We are hyper sexualized from a young age and then shamed for our sexuality. Modern feminism has masculinized womanhood in the workplace and stripped all honor and reverence away from motherhood at home.

Is it any wonder that women feel exhausted trying to please everyone and have forgotten how to please themselves?

If there’s one thing that every woman I know complains about, it's sleep deprivation. There’s a reason they use it for torture, oops I mean enhanced interrogation. Sleep disturbance every once in a while, a night or 2 here and there, is not a problem. More than 3 nights a week might be. Now I thought it was just me but apparently waking between 2 and 4 AM every night like clock work is pretty common for women in perimenopause and menopause. So today we’re going to take a look at why that happens and what you do about it.

We’ve talked about sleep, nutrition and movement and the things you can do, the small simple things you can do every single day that can have big lasting effects not just on your physical health but also your mental health. The last piece to the puzzle is connection. And it’s a big piece. Bigger than just one solo episode. So I thought I’d bring in some examples of how we can find connections between our health choices and our health and resilience. My guest today is Beth Kruger. Beth is a women's wellness educator, yoga instructor and coach. She’s spent her career supporting women through childbirth, lactation, pregnancy and fertility. She’s a business owner and entrepreneur and has led many women’s wellness retreats all over the world. Her current focus is on menopause and helping women over 40 through this transition.