Are you ramping up your exercise and activity?
Whether you are hitting the walking, running or hiking trails, jumping on a bike for a ride or into the lake for a swim, or signing up for that pilates class – go for it! Walk. Run. Jump. Swim. Pilat. But, say our fabulous physical therapists, Brianna and Meagan, do your chosen activities correctly so you don’t do your body more damage than good. So here’s what not to do (and what to do instead.)
ONE. Don’t ignore your body’s warning signs and “power through” exercises that are hurting you.
Classes that work your core can be especially problematic for those with weak pelvic floor muscles, like new moms or women in perimenopause and menopause.
“I’ve been to a few core classes,” Meagan says, “and honestly, I know one Army Ranger who could do the whole workout with perfect form. If you can’t maintain perfect technique, or if you’re getting red flags from your body, you need to modify the exercises or stop so you don’t injure yourself.”
So what are the warning signs?
- If you’re leaking urine or “tooting,” Meagan says, your body is telling you there’s a mismanagement of pressure.
- If you have pain, especially highly localized pain that doesn’t improve as you continue, that’s a sign that something may be injured.
- If your hips make a pop, click, or snap sound while making some movements, you need to address the weakness in that area before continuing with more demanding exercises.
- If you can’t do the move without arching your lower back, or if you have to put your hands under your butt, modify the exercise by putting your feet on the floor or rest during this part of the program.
- If you’re compensating for pain or inability by using some other part of your body to complete the exercise, you may not be strong enough for this exercise yet. Back up, get stronger, come at it when you won’t hurt yourself.
As Meagan says, “The smart athlete will always outlast the tough athlete,” so if your body is telling you to modify, stop, or slow down, modify, stop, or slow down.
Do instead: listen to your body, modify exercises when needed, learn how to strengthen your core correctly. To test if your body is ready for challenging core work, lie on your back and find and engage (but don’t over-engage) your pelvic floor and transversus abdominis muscle (TA). Continue breathing with gentle, controlled exhalations.
If you’re able to do this and maintain it, then you can add in leg and arm movements to make the exercise more challenging. If you can’t or aren’t even sure what the heck any of this means, consider visiting a pelvic PT to learn how to exercise right. While learning to breathe and recruit your TA may not be as satisfying as an hour of sweaty Crossfit, you may save yourself from incontinence during exercise or worse, prolapse, further down the line.
TWO. Don’t hold your breath
Holding your breath is really not good for your pelvic floor, as it increases pressure on the pelvic muscles and can contribute to incontinence and prolapse.
Do instead: Breathe like you’re cooling soup any time you increase effort, our PTs say. Even if you’re just opening a heavy door, lifting, bending, twisting, or moving from sit to stand, make sure you’re breathing with a light, controlled exhale. Just don’t hold your breath.
THREE. Don’t restrict fluid to avoid having to urinate
No one wants to leak while lifting at the gym or have to desperately seek a porta potty while out for a run, but doing without water can do real damage to your body. As the weather gets warmer, we need to add more fluids so our bodies can recover properly and completely from our activity.
Do instead: Hydrate. If you’re leaking, there’s a problem; stop the exercise routine until you can get the issue diagnosed and treatment underway. If you’re concerned about needing a bathroom while out for a run or bike ride, map out a route that takes you past the city park, friendly gas station, or coffee shop about the time you usually need to go. Track your hydration and urination until you start to see patterns as the better you know your body, the better you’ll be able to map your route according to your body’s needs.
FOUR. Don’t hold your belly in during exercise or in your day-to-day life
Keeping those pelvic muscles tight all day every day is so hard on the pelvic floor, Meagan and Bri tell us, and it’s a recipe for incontinence or prolapse at some point in the future.
Do instead: let your abdominal muscles relax naturally. Don’t “suck it in” or consciously engage your core; build your core intentionally, using the exercises your PT teaches you, then it’ll be there when you need it. If you’ve done the work to build a strong core, it’ll be there and doing its thing as you exercise; you shouldn’t need to consciously engage it.
FIVE. Don’t ramp up exercise too quickly
Now that the weather’s getting warmer for many of us, there’s a tendency for folks who haven’t done much all winter to suddenly go all Ninja Warrior and overdo it. As Brianna says, “If you haven’t run for four months, maybe don’t start with a four-mile run. It’s too easy to hurt yourself and then lose interest in continuing.”
Do instead: ease back in, keep the duration short and intensity of your activity low and gradually build. Walk a mile a day for a few days, then run/walk a mile or walk two miles. Need more challenge? Walk up a hill, Bri says, or a flight of stairs. You’ll get that good cardio workout you wanted without danger of injury.
SIX. Don’t use tired, ill-fitting gear
So many of us have said some version of, “When I’m a “real’ runner, I’ll buy myself some real runner shoes.” We feel like we have to “earn” the good gear, or prove we’ll stick with it long enough to “deserve” spending the money.
Yes, gear can be expensive, and not all of it is necessary. But you are more likely to stick with an activity if you have the basic equipment you need to enjoy it and not get hurt. For runners, that means good shoes and probably good socks. Go to a running store; have them evaluate your gait and get you in the right pair of shoes.
If you dragged your bike out of the basement for Bike to Work Month, great! Now go get it fitted at a bike shop or sports medicine clinic (bonus, the latter will sometimes be able to charge your insurance for the fitting). They’ll move the seat up and down, adjust the pedals, move the handlebars until the bike is the right length and height to save strain on your spine, neck, shoulders, knees, and hips. You don’t need a $5000 triathlon bike (yet!), but you do need to make sure the bike you’re using is sized for your body.
SEVEN. Don’t accept “challenges” that push you too hard
We’ve all seen them on Facebook, our buddies doing 30 days of planks or burpees or a run streak. These challenges can be really hard on your body, Meagan says, because our bodies need rest days, especially from repetitive motion.
Do instead: launch your own challenge. Challenge yourself to breathe correctly or drink enough water for 30 days. If you don’t like doing nothing, even for a day, do a challenge that has “active rest days” built in. If you’re running four days a week, swim, bike, or rock climb the others. Allow your body to recover.
It’s always great to be out doing fun, active things. Don’t miss out on the chance to enjoy seasonal activities by sidelining yourself with an injury.
genneve is partnering with organizations dedicated to breast cancer prevention and survivor quality of life. Read more on how we’re connecting women to the best resources to make decisions about their health.
Your body is powerful.
We don’t just mean for lifting weights or doing hard physical work, though women’s bodies can certainly do that too.
We mean your body is a powerful healer. Given the right conditions as good food, enough rest, movement, etc. as your body has “an innate capacity to restore itself to health.”
Naturopathic medicine is the practice of providing ideal conditions and removing barriers for the body to get on with what it does so well.
Naturopathic medicine 101 with Dr. Jane Guiltinan
If you’ve ever wondered about naturopathic medicine or considered seeing a naturopathic doctor (ND) but just weren’t sure what to expect, Dr. Jane Guiltinan, recently retired Dean of the School of Naturopathic Medicine at Bastyr University, explains it all.
In this Part I of our two-part series on naturopathic medicine, we talked with Dr. Guiltinan about what naturopathic medicine is, how and why it works, the state of naturopathic medicine in the US, and how to find a qualified ND.
1:38 as What is naturopathic medicine?
Most of us on team Gennev are new to the idea and practice of naturopathic medicine, so we asked Dr. Guiltinan to explain the difference between naturopathic medicine and what most of us consider “traditional” western medicine.
Dr. Guiltinan described how we often get in the way of our body’s natural ability to heal itself (poor diet, too much stress, not enough exercise, etc.). Naturopathic physicians both treat and educate patients to get them to health and maintain optimal health going forward.
4:35 as Why “doctor as teacher” is so empowering for patients.
Naturopathic doctors teach their patients to become an integral part of their own healing and health. Docere, the Latin word for “teacher,” is a founding principle of naturopathic medicine. Dr. Guiltinan explained why it’s so powerfully healing to put patients in charge of their well-being.
6:20 as What it means to be aware of your own body.
In the western-medicine tradition, many of us are taught to hand over control to medical professionals as leaving us ignorant about our own bodies. How do NDs work with patients to bring them back to an awareness of their bodies? Dr. Guiltinan said all NDs practice very active listening, which can educate both the doctor and the patient. Hear how. (Bonus: margaritas are NOT off limits as woot!)
8:10 as Preventing illness before it happens
Most western medicine focuses on the treatment of illness or injury. Naturopathic medicine is also about maintaining wellness, and in an ideal world, says Dr. Guiltinan, people would visit their doctors before problems appear. NDs are working to shift our mindset from “cure” to “prevention,” and it’s a powerful sea change.
10:40 as Yeah, but are they “real” doctors?
Naturopathic doctors are unevenly credentialed and recognized across the US, and many of us aren’t sure if NDs are “real” doctors. Dr. Guiltinan takes us through how a true naturopathic physician is educated, licensed, and credentialed.
15:08 as Dr. Guiltinan’s evolving practice and career
Dr. Guiltinan has been practicing naturopathic medicine for more than 30 years, and during that time, her practice gradually evolved to focus on women’s health. Most of her patients now are women in the menopausal transition and beyond, looking for ways to maintain health as they age.
17:26 as What do women in midlife want “fixed”?
Because she has such a depth and breadth of knowledge on women in midlife, we asked Dr. Guiltinan what symptoms women in that category come to her to “fix” most often? Classically, it’s hot flashes, she told us, but naturopathic medicine can help treat a wide range of symptoms, including headaches, dry skin, vaginal dryness, weight gain, joint and muscle pain, and depression, among others.
19:25 as Why women consult an ND
Why do women come to NDs? For a variety of reasons, Dr. Guiltinan told us: they’ve exhausted “conventional” options or they want a more natural alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT), or, in many cases, they just don’t feel well but aren’t sure what the problem is.
20:44 as How to find the right ND
So, we asked Dr. Guiltinan, if I think a naturopathic doctor might be able to help me, how do I go about finding the right one? Do NDs specialize? NDs don’t have recognized specialties the way conventional Western medicine does (neurologists, dermatologists, etc.). NDs’ practices often naturally evolve around an interest or passion such as women’s health, she told us, so it’s worthwhile asking the questions to determine if an ND has a focus in the area you need.
22:18 as Is my ND legit?
I’ve decided I want to talk with an ND, we told Dr. Guiltinan. Now what do I do? Proceed with caution, Dr. Guiltinan told us: Depending on your state’s regulations, some people may be able to call themselves “naturopaths” with little formal training or licensure.
To be sure you’re getting someone qualified as an ND (whether they’re able to call themselves “doctor” or not in your state), be sure they graduated from one of the seven accredited doctoral programs in North America. States that have licensing have a state record of licensed NDs, as well as professional associations. Washington state, for example, has the Washington Association of Naturopathic Physicians. If your state doesn’t have licensing standards for NDs, you can find a credentialed naturopathic practitioner in your area on The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians site.
In our second segment, Naturopathic medicine for women in midlife & menopause: part 2, we explore with Dr. Guiltinan some specific ways naturopathic medicine can help women in menopause. Check it out and subscribe to Gennev on iTunes, SoundCloud or Stitcher, so you never miss an episode.
Dr. Jane Guiltinan recently retired as Dean of the School of Naturopathic Medicine at Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. A practicing naturopathic physician for thirty years, Dr. Guiltinan graduated from Bastyr in 1986, and has served as a clinical professor, medical director and dean of clinical affairs during her tenure there. She was the co-medical director for the first publicly funded integrated health clinic in the United States, the King County Natural Medicine Clinic. She served on the board of trustees for Harborview Medical Center, a level 1 trauma center and part of the University of Washington Medicine system for twelve years and was the first naturopathic physician on the board of a large public hospital. In 2012, she was appointed by Kathleen Sebelius, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, to the Advisory Council of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), a center within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Guiltinan’s practice is focused on women’s health, primary care, disease prevention, and wellness promotion.
If adopting one lifestyle change could ease many of your menopause symptoms, would you do it? Learn how the simple act of drinking more water could help you be healthier and have fewer menopause symptoms.
Sore gums. Burning sensations. Dry mouth. All of these can result from the hormonal changes of perimenopause and menopause. Annoying enough on their own, they can also contribute to periodontal disease, so let’s talk menopause and dry mouth.
During perimenopause, things just start to get drier: eyes, mouths, skin, hair, vaginas, sense of humor”¦.
Estrogen as and this one surprised even us as plays a very important role in the creation of saliva, and the lack of it in perimenopause and menopause can trigger a feeling of scalding, burning, numbness, itch or stickiness in the mouth or a metallic taste and increased thirst.
We already know that fluctuations in estrogen levels can impact our sense of taste partly due to lack of moisture; in more severe cases, xerostomia (dry mouth) can even make it difficult to swallow or speak.
What you need to know about menopause and dry mouth
If your mouth chronically feels dry, or if it gets progressively worse during the day, you should probably take steps to combat the problem.
Why?
Saliva, even more than your toothbrush, is your first and best line of defense against tooth decay. The film of saliva that coats your mouth protects your teeth against bacteria. It helps pass food along so it doesn’t sit in your mouth, attacking your teeth. It neutralizes acids that can break down tooth enamel and even brings in minerals to rebuild enamel.
Not only can insufficient saliva promote tooth decay, it can make it hard to break down food and increase the chance of infections like thrush. The less saliva you have, the less healthy your mouth is likely to be (and possibly, the worse your breath). And if it’s affecting your ability to access the nutrients in your food, the downstream affects can be even more severe.
What can I do to combat the effects of dry mouth?
First, you need to be sure you’re dealing with a perimenopause or menopause issue. Dry mouth can also be caused by Sjögren’s syndrome, diabetes, and several medications, including sedatives, heart medications, asthma and allergy meds, and antidepressants. Check with a doc to determine you’re not facing any of these other issues.
Burning mouth can also be caused by vitamin deficiencies as well as gastric acid reflux and anemia, so it’s good to check for those as well (here’s some tips to find safe vitamins). Plus, as we age, we can become more sensitive to substances or chemicals, so a change of toothpaste or mouthwash may be in order.
If hormonal changes are the culprit, lifestyle changes can make a big difference:
- Dehydration can contribute to dry mouth.
- Chew sugar-free gum or candy to produce more saliva (be careful not to overdo it with the artificial sweeteners, though, as they can cause gut problems of their own.)
- Check your meds. Your doc can tell you if any of those is a factor and perhaps prescribe an alternative.
- Be on the alert for signs of infection, like white patches or sore spots. See a doc or dentist if these appear.
- Smoking, alcohol, and drugs such as marijuana can worsen cottonmouth, so limit exposure to these.
- Salty, spicy, and acidic foods can make dry mouth worse.
- We recommend rinsing your mouth 4-6 times daily with a solution of 2 teaspoons of baking soda in 8 ounces of water. This can reduce cavity causing bacteria.
- There are saliva substitutes you can suck on or spray into your mouth to keep it hydrated. Ask your doc or dentist about these.
If you need help getting rid of dry mouth, a menopause-certified health coach can be helpful. Book 30 minutes for your personal consultation with a Gennev Provider.
According to a Penn State University study, smiling makes you seem more likeable, even more competent. Smiles are contagious, lifting everyone’s spirits (seriously, there’s science). Smiling a lot can actually rewire your brain to be more positive more often, turning positivity into your default response. And that can make you less stressed and more successful.
Perimenopause and menopause can be plenty challenging, so preserve your smile and your sanity! If you’re experiencing dry mouth, check with a doc or dentist, then make some changes, if necessary.
If you’ve dealt with oral issues as a result of perimenopause or menopause, what did you do about it? You know the drill as share the details with the community by leaving us a comment below, or talking to us on our Facebook page or in Midlife & Menopause Solutions, our closed Facebook group.
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It’s generally easy to tell myth from reality.
Dragons? Mythical. Clash of the Titans? Pure Greek mythology. Sasquatch? Legend, unless Harry and the Hendersons is to be believed.
When it comes to your health, especially the health of your breasts, it can be harder to distinguish what you’ve heard from what may actually cause breast cancer.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and we’re here to set the record straight.
Antiperspirant deodorants with aluminum don’t cause breast cancer.
You’ve heard: “antiperspirants block toxin-releasing sweat, so the toxins build up in breast tissue.” Or, “the aluminum in antiperspirants changes your estrogen receptors.” Or, “when you shave your armpits, you create tiny nicks that let in cancer-causing chemicals.”
Despite the pervasive myths, there is no scientific evidence that aluminum-based antiperspirants cause breast cancer.
Even the strongest aluminum-based antiperspirant doesn’t block all sweat, and sweat isn’t even how your body filters out most toxins: that work is done by your liver and kidneys. Lastly, you’re exposed to more aluminum through food than you are through your antiperspirant.
One truth: don’t wear deodorant with aluminum on the day of your mammogram. The aluminum can show up as specks on your mammogram, creating confusion for your doctor.
Still, deodorants can contain parabens and other nasty things. There may be some truth to the link between shaving your armpits and being diagnosed with breast cancer at an earlier age, though more evidence is needed.
Alternatives
If you want to stay fresh, au natural, give one of these natural deodorants a try; you might need to try a few to find the best fit for your “pits, but they do work–contrary to another myth.
Are underwire bras harmful?
Another myth: “underwire bras cause breast cancer by preventing lymph in your breasts from being reabsorbed by your body.” So, do underwire bras cause cancer? Again, there is no evidence to support this claim or any other claims that underwire causes cancer.
This rumor may have started because women who are overweight are more likely to need the support of an underwire bra than slimmer women, who can comfortably wear a bralette. Because obesity after menopause is a risk factor for breast cancer, this population will overall have a higher incidence.
But their undergarments have nothing to do with it.
Your beauty routine might be ugly for your breasts though.
A 2018 study determined that moderate to frequent use of beauty products is linked to a 10-15% higher incidence of breast cancer, but was not able to determine whether the risk is tied to specific chemicals, combinations of chemicals, or related behavioral factors.
The three p’s. Parabens (methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben), phthalates (especially monoethyl phthalate [MEP]), and synthetic phenols (including bisphenol A (BPA)) may be found in daily personal care products like soap, shampoo, nail polish, hair sprays, deodorant, sunscreen, toothpaste, lotion, foundation, lipstick, and mascara. They can all be absorbed through your skin, inhalation, or ingestion, and have mild estrogen-like properties, a breast cancer risk. More research is needed, however.
Carbon black. Would you rub coal tar on your face? Sorry to break it to you like this, but if your mascara, eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick, nail polish, or other make-up includes carbon black (also known as D&C Black #2, acetylene black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black, and thermal black) that’s exactly what you’re doing. Carbon black has been linked to all sorts of cancers and organ toxicity.
Alternatives
You can find cleaner beauty brands like Honest Beauty, RMS Beauty, Juice Beauty, Ilia, Gabriel, 100% Pure, Lawless, Plain Jane Beauty, and cocokind online, at beauty stores like Sephora or Ulta, or even Target. Note: these are all just options we’re listing for your convenience; Gennev is in no way affiliated with or profiting from any of these companies.
Hair dyes and relaxers may lead to breast cancer.
While most hair dyes are safer now than when your mother was going through menopause, there may be a link between hair products and breast cancer, especially in Black women, hairdressers, and people who dye or relax their hair frequently.
Hair dyes contained known carcinogens until the early 1980s. Today, hair dyes still have a lot of harsh chemicals (like ammonia, parabens, phthalates, and more), and researchers don’t know whether or not all of them are completely safe. Darker shades of dye have more potentially harmful chemicals.
Black women are thought to be more at risk because they are more likely to dye their hair darker colors and use relaxing agents due to prevailing stigma and discrimination against natural hair and wigs, while white women mainly dye their hair. More evidence is still needed, however.
Alternatives
Go natural! Embrace your hair’s natural state. Why should George Clooney have all the fun? Gray hair is incredibly sexy on both women and men. Curls are beautiful. Find a hairstyle that makes the most of what your mama gave you.
Switch from Oxidative (permanent) to Non-oxidative (semipermanent) dye. If you aren’t ready to embrace the gray, you can at least go with the lesser of two evils. Permanent dyes have more chemicals and oxidizing agents, like ammonia, to strip your hair of its natural pigment. This irritates your scalp and creates a point of entry for any potential carcinogens. Semipermanent dyes still have chemicals and potential to cause cancer but are gentler on your body.
Henna is the most natural permanent hair dye option. Aveda and Madison Reed are safer alternatives to most dyes, or try Manic Panic for a punk-rock pop of color. Note: these are all just options we’re listing for your convenience; Gennev is in no way affiliated with or profiting from any of these companies.
Nail polish poison
Did you know that nail salons have higher quantities of certain toxic chemicals than auto garages or oil refineries?
Nail polishes can contain some pretty nasty stuff; the “toxic trio“ of formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate, and toluene; diethylhexyl phthalate (one of the phthalates mentioned earlier); and triphenyl phosphate are all known carcinogens or estrogen disrupters.
“Tough as nails” doesn’t exactly apply to your fingers; you can absorb the toxins in nail polish through your skin or the nail bed itself.
While manufacturers have phased out many (but not all) of these chemicals, you may want to toss that bottle of Sally Hensen you’ve had since your 35th birthday–and check the label on its replacement.
Women who are undergoing treatment for breast cancer or have had lymph nodes removed need to take extra caution with nail care to avoid infections that can lead to lymphodema, particularly on the impacted side of the body. Bring your own nail tools to the salon, keep your cuticles intact, or skip the manicure altogether.
Alternatives
Look for nail products that are at least “eight-free:” these do not contain dibutyl phthalate (dbp), toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, ethyl tosylamide, xylene, or triphenyl phosphate (tphp).
Zoya, Honeybee Gardens, LVX, Flora 1761, Tenoverten, Londontown, Butter London, Base Coat, Jinsoon, Côte, and Orly Breathable have options to cover almost any taste or style, and may even be available at your local pharmacy, department store, or Target. Note: these are all just options we’re listing for your convenience; Gennev is in no way affiliated with or profiting from any of these companies.
Harm in the home
The FDA requires food, cosmetics, and drugs to provide a full list of ingredients on their labels; everything else is a Wild West of chemicals, including dish soaps, detergents, disinfectants, glass cleaners, carpet cleaners, stain removers, air fresheners, and other household cleaners.
You could be exposing yourself to estrogen disrupters like triclosan, BPA, phthalates, parabens, alkylphenols, and benzophenones while doing chores and you would never know it.
Even children’s toys may not be safe.
Alternatives
Make your own cleaning products. Lemon juice, vinegar, and baking soda are all-natural cleaners that you probably already have in your pantry. Try scrubbing hard-to-remove food on stainless steel pots and pans with salt. Here are some other ideas and recipes for non-toxic DIY cleaners.
Buy products with natural ingredients. Organic cleaners like Method, Seventh Generation, Ecover, Dr. Bronners, Bon Ami, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, and Branch Basics are getting easier to find at mainstream grocery stores. Note: these are all just options we’re listing for your convenience; Gennev is in no way affiliated with or profiting from any of these companies.
One word: plastics.
You’ve seen hormone disrupting BPA, commonly found in plastics, pop up on this list a few times now. All plastics can leach chemicals like BPA if they’re heated or scratched.
Even BPA-free plastics may not be safe.
While it’s impossible to avoid plastic altogether, reduce your exposure to BPA and other chemicals by limiting canned food lined with plastic, avoid handling carbonless cash register receipts, don’t cook or heat food in plastic containers or bags, use waxed paper instead of plastic wrap, and eat out of ceramic, glass, or stainless steel dishware, never Styrofoam.
Breast practices
Talk to your doctor. If you’re concerned about your breast cancer risk, talk with your doctor or one of ours.
Always check labels. If you tend to keep and use make-up for years (which is bad for many other reasons), throw out anything that contains the potentially carcinogenic stuff listed here.
Deal with known carcinogens first. Why waste energy worrying about something that might cause breast cancer when alcohol and smoking are scientifically proven to increase your risk? Limit your alcohol intake and quit smoking. Seriously.
Avoid plastic whenever possible. We know it’s hard! You don’t need to obsess, just be more aware.
Get your annual mammogram. There are many myths around mammograms as well. The tiny risk from radiation does not outweigh the benefit of being able to pick up breast cancer in its early stages, when it is actually curable. Women 40 and over should get a mammogram every year or on the schedule recommended by their doctors.
How do you care of your breasts? Have you heard other tips for care and you’re not sure which are legit and which are myths? Join our online forums and get tips from our health care practitioners.
The Mediterranean diet is one of the best eating styles for women in menopause (and pretty much everyone, really). With an emphasis on heart- and overall body-healthy fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats, the Mediterranean diet is not only good for you, it may also help tame menopause symptoms.
Conversation with Chef Sheila Gomez of the Malibu Beach Inn
In this conversation, Gennev Menopause Coach Stasi Kasianchuk talks with Chef Sheila Gomez of the Malibu Beach Inn about the nutritional value but also the gorgeous flavors, colors, smells, and textures of the foods that make up the Mediterranean plate.
You can watch a video of their conversation on YouTube.
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The benefits of the Mediterranean diet
Gennev Menopause Coach Stasi Kasianchuk:
The Mediterranean diet is one of the most beneficial and healthful eating styles, especially for women in menopause. But many of us don’t really know why or how to cook and eat Mediterranean style. So I asked Chef Sheila Gomez, an expert in Mediterranean cuisine, to take me through the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, both to our palates and to our physical health.
Well, let’s just jump right in. So thank you, Sheila, so much, for taking the time to do this podcast with us. I will introduce myself. So I am Stasi Kasianchuk and I am a registered dietitian, exercise physiologist, and a menopause coach at Gennev. So to give you a little bit of background, Gennev is a women’s health company that focuses on supporting women during peri and menopause, and food and lifestyle play a really big role in this. So as a dietitian and exercise physiologist, I focus on helping women to find strategies that can best help them.
And today we’re going to talk with you about the Mediterranean diet. You are a chef, so I’d love for you to introduce yourself, tell the audience a little bit about yourself, where you work and what you do, and then we’ll get into that even more as we go through the podcast.
Sous Chef Sheila Gomez:
Right. Hi, I’m Sheila Gomez. I am a Sous Chef at the Carbon Beach Club at the Malibu Beach Inn in Malibu, California. And as a sous chef, I’m basically the support staff of the executive chef. So I’m doing little bit of everything. I’m ensuring food quality, training some kitchen staff, ordering the food. And basically my goal is just to put out the best food possible and give the diner a great dining experience.
Stasi:
Awesome. That sounds like a very important role. And a role that I’m sure keeps you pretty busy.
Sheila:
It sure does. Yeah.
Stasi:
Well, thinking about the Mediterranean diet and I took a look at some of the foods that you provide at the Carbon Beach Club. They look amazing. So if I’m ever in Malibu, I’ll definitely stop by. That looks delicious and definitely with a Mediterranean influence and focus there. From a health perspective, so as a dietitian, I recommend the Mediterranean diets looking at really fresh, colorful fruits and vegetables, whole foods, fish, especially wild caught fish that can be provided for the clients that have access to that. Lots of healthy fats. So your olive oil, avocado, olives, this can really help to women to manage symptoms around menopause, including inflammation, joint pain, it’s good for brain health. A lot of women experience brain fog during menopause and providing foods from the Mediterranean diet can help their, can help their brain health.
So those are some of the, the reasons that we recommend it. I would love to hear more on your perspective of your approach to preparing these foods, and what that experience has been for you. Maybe as you’ve worked over your time at the Carbon Beach Club or any other experience before that?
Sheila:
I think the Mediterranean diet allows us to, when it comes to food, it really allows the ingredients to shine. So that’s a great perspective when you look at the Mediterranean diet. So as a chef it’s almost easier because you don’t have to do so much to change the food. If you have quality, seasonal ingredients, the flavors are out of this world and you really don’t have to complicate it too much. So as a chef you almost have to like hold yourself back from changing it too much and you want to show it for what it really is.
Stasi:
That’s great to hear. I and I think that that’s okay. No problem. That’s one thing too, I think a lot of women that I work with, especially if they haven’t been used to preparing foods and now they’re focused more on their nutrition, they get the concern that eating healthy is going to taste bad or it’s not going to have flavor. It’s not going to have something that they’re going to look forward to eating. But based on what you said, the Mediterranean style of cooking really already has flavors and the preparation is really just emphasizing those flavors.
Sheila:
Exactly. When you grab like, you know, seasonal like squash, it tastes amazing. You really don’t have to do much. Sea salt and olive oil go a long way, which is a good key part of the Mediterranean diet: olive oil. There’s so much flavor in good olive oil and I think a lot of people shouldn’t shy away from the simplicity of the Mediterranean diet.
It’s not as boring as one would think, you know?
Stasi:
Yeah. Yeah. And I like that you mentioned not shying away from olive oil sometimes, because weight management is also a concern during menopause. Women think any type of oil and they automatically think fat, high calories. I can’t have that. Same thing with nuts. I hear that a lot. Oh, I can’t have nuts because they’re high in fat or they’re high in calories. And I love the, the point that you make around this is if thinking about food in terms of flavor, the Mediterranean diet, following a Mediterranean nutrition plan, gives you an opportunity to shift from calories and nutrients and really start thinking about flavor and enjoyment of the food, and in turn you get the benefit. So something like olive oil, well yes, from a calorie standpoint it is going to be higher because it is primarily or it is all fat and has higher calories. The benefits of that olive oil I would say supersede the concern around the core content, especially if it helps you to enjoy a meal. I would imagine that something prepared in olive oil is going to be much better than if it’s just prepared in a pan by itself. You might not be able to get it out of the pan also if you don’t use some type of oil.
Sheila:
Exactly. And you know, I encourage people to even just take a tablespoon of olive oil and see and like taste it and really know what you’re getting. And that’s what I love from a chef standpoint is that you really go into the flavors, individual flavors of all our ingredients. And I think we’ve kind of gotten away from that as a society sometimes with our prepackaged foods and our processed foods; like, have a spoon of olive oil.
Stasi:
Yeah, no, that’s such a good point. Do you have any recommendations on if someone’s looking to purchase a high quality olive oil, maybe for someone that’s, that really wants that top shelf olive oil, how they know that or middle of the road too, for someone that might, you know, be more budget conscious?
Sheila:
I think you want to just make sure it’s in the dark bottle and right compress olive oil. California makes great olive oils, which, I don’t think a lot of people know that you don’t have to get Italian olive oil or Spanish olive oil. Like we make California, we make olive oil here in California. So as long as there’s a harvest date, you can really see where they get their olives from and pay attention to where they’re sourcing it from. But otherwise, you know there’s a plethora of olive oils ranging from high price to low price. You just kind of know what to look for, whether it’s the packaging of the dark bottle and where the olives are sourced from. If you get a harvest date, that’s even more of a plus.
Stasi:
Awesome. That’s good to know. I’ll have to take it and check that out next time I buy olive oil as well. What about the tasting of something like olive oil? You mentioned, you know, just taking a spoonful. What should someone look for from a smell, taste standpoint?
Sheila:
There should definitely be a peppery aftertaste that ensures like the freshness of your olive oil. It should be a little bit bitter. There are different kinds of olive oils from different, you know, types of olives. But the freshness I think does come with that kick and that’s how you can tell.
Stasi:
Okay, excellent. Well, we’ll get some people out there tasting their olive oils to help with flavoring things. What other ingredients would you say are your go-tos when it comes to flavoring foods simply? You mentioned salt, pepper, olive oil, anything else that stands out to you?
Sheila
Onions and garlic are probably my top two. They can make anything taste so much better. I think they’re really underrated. You know, onions and garlic. Citrus is great. Whether it’s oranges or lemons, that always adds a wonderful element to any dish you’re making, adding some acidity. And vinegars as well. I think that, I think really just those basic ingredients will give you a rounded taste in any dish you’re doing.
Stasi:
Yeah, that’s a good point. It sounds like there’s, you know, there’s a, there’s a fat component with the olive oil and you’re getting some of the acidity balance with the vinegar or citrus and then really some of those, aromatic flavors of garlic and onions.
Sheila:
Oh, fresh herbs as well, any fresh herbs. Rosemary, oregano, mint, like there’s so many. Grab anything and try it. Cilantro, they all taste different, but they all taste wonderful.
Stasi:
Excellent. Yeah. Simple things that can make a big difference. And just to put the dietitian plug in here, all of the things you mentioned have so many nutrients and this is a great way I think thinking about the flavor aspect that you talked about. So again, changing that perspective of preparing a meal based on flavor or preparing a meal based on simplicity. And then in turn you’re adding, you get the benefit of the nutrients of all these things. So you mentioned the citrus that’s going to be a vitamin C, which is definitely an anti-inflammatory component as well. And then even some of the garlic and onions, great for the fiber components of garlic and onions, great for digestion. And then they also provide, plant chemicals, phytochemicals that can help with detoxification. So here you are preparing a flavorful meal and supporting your body at the same time. So this is great to hear.
Sheila:
I really think people forget that herbs, you know, are plants and provide nutrition.
Stasi:
Yes, I completely agree. I don’t know that we think of when you’re adding herbs to something or to add herbs, you are providing additional benefits. And they certainly lots of anti-inflammatory benefits and all the herbs that you mentioned. And in small amounts, you don’t need to have a whole bunch of cilantro on one plate to get the benefits. You can use them to add flavor without, uh, having this pile of cilantro on it unless you want it. I mean some people are cilantro fans.
Sheila:
That’s true. Yeah.
Stasi:
Well, let’s talk, you’ve mentioned a lot of these ingredients. I’d love to hear what’s some of your tips are in terms of preparing foods or even some really easy recipes to do. And what comes to mind when you, you talked a lot about just trying things and I love, it sounds like you’re really encouraging people. Just get into the kitchen, put some ingredients together and don’t be scared. Yeah.
Sheila:
See if you like it.
Stasi:
Worst case scenario, it goes in the compost, but that’s okay. but hopefully someone in the family likes it. So what have you experimented with? Maybe share, you know, obviously you have a background in, in food and culinary preparation, but things that are almost fail-proof if someone were to just throw things together and try to experiment.
Sheila:
I think if you start with a lean protein or a piece of good salmon, you have your base there. And again, it doesn’t have to be the main star of your meal, but you know, if you would like some protein, start with that and then start with a good base, whether it’s like a baked sweet potato or a cup of cooked whole grains: farro, bulger, couscous. There’s so many different grains you can start with: brown rice. So you have the protein and your grains as a base and just roast some vegetables, whether it’s squash or even more onions. cipollini onions, asparagus, have your roasted vegetables. And then, I dunno, dress it up with a little Greek yogurt with some garlic and parsley. I think it’s a great, you know, well-rounded meal. And it didn’t require a lot. You just had to cook some fish, cook some grains, roast some vegetables, and then just, you know, add some pizazz with some Greek yogurt.
Stasi:
Well, and that’s a great point too, of things that are already prepared. You don’t have to make the Greek yogurt, you know, it’s already something that you can just add. I’m again going to add more protein from the Greek yogurt. You’re going to get the benefits of the calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, a lot of nutrients packed onto that plate. And I’m envisioning this plate as well and I see just a lot of color on there. Would you say that the majority of your plates are colorful that you prepare?
Sheila:
Yeah, I mean with any vegetable you’re already adding a spectrum of colors. And then that’s usually what speaks to me. Like just throwing on a handful of herbs. Such vibrant things, you know, that you want to eat it and then you finish it off with some bright green, peppery olive oil. You’ve really got a complete meal without really trying hard. It’s really just nature’s like a table and you’re just putting it together.
Yeah, that’s what it kind of gets me excited about cooking. Like there’s so many ingredients and you can put in whatever that you feel like having as long as it’s fresh and it’s whole, wholesome. Yeah, the possibilities are endless really.
Stasi:
Yeah. The simplicity of whole food ingredients, thinking about color on your plate. And I liked the point you make too about making a plate look good. You know, when a plate looks good, I would say we all want to eat that food versus if you look down at a plate that’s just kind of blah, maybe all the same color doesn’t have, that pizazz that you talked about. So simply adding just a handful of herbs, you know, and drizzling that olive oil can really make it, you know. It’s Instagram picturesque without too much effort. It doesn’t have to be flawless.
Sheila:
Don’t give away the secret!
Stasi:
You know, but if, if everyone sat down to a meal that way or thought about your plates. You know, how much, how much nature is on your plate when you look at it is a great approach. And then also what can you do to add flavor, adding more of those herbs? Thinking about the garlic and onions as basics. I mean we’re not talking a lot of ingredients or a lot of time to prepare.
Sheila:
Yeah. Even a slice of lemon, like they can elevate anything, you know, it’s just, I feel like we’ve gotten away from a lot of just normal things that have been in front of us this whole time. You know, you don’t need the ketchup. Grab the lemon!
Stasi:
Exactly. Yes. Yeah, for sure. So that’s definitely more whole food and fresh versus ketchup that can last in your refrigerator for another couple years.
Sheila:
Lemons: Nature’s ketchup.
Stasi:
You coined it here first. Yeah. And way more anti-inflammatory properties in the lemon that you’re probably going to find in the ketchup.
Sheila:
Cheaper as well.
Stasi:
Yes, exactly.
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Stasi:
Well, one thing that comes through, I do have some clients who are vegetarian and you did mention, you know, salmon as a protein source. What would you recommend as your plant based protein source that’s go tos that fall into this style of eating?
Sheila:
I think beans and legumes are pretty amazing. You know, chickpeas, I love chickpeas and I’m a big fan of peanut butter as well. I know. Yeah, I know the jury can be out on peanut butter, but I’m a fan of peanut butter. Really nuts and quinoa’s a great one also, but there’s a lot of”¦ Tofu is great. But you know, I’m a meat eater so it’s kind of hard for me to be like, Oh I eat this also.
Stasi:
Hey, I appreciate your honesty. But you mentioned some great ones there that are going to again pack a lot of nutrients. Fiber is going to be a really great benefit of some of those plant-based fruit proteins like the chickpeas, the legumes. So another benefit there for digestion and overall gut health. And the other, I like how you also pointed out quinoa. I think a lot of people forget that quinoa is a higher protein grain and certainly can contribute to protein needs while also being a complex carbohydrate. And again, more fiber, vitamins, and minerals in that as well. Yes. Good reminders there, how to, how to incorporate things. And I think like you said, you, you can still have those even as someone that eats more meat; there’s ways to incorporate those as well.
Sheila:
Yeah. And I find that I discovered stir frying quinoa is an amazing way of just getting a quick meal and throwing in your veggies and getting your full serving of vegetables, you know?
Stasi:
Absolutely. And do you cook the quinoa first or do you just cook it in the stir fry?
Sheila:
I try. I cook the quinoa first. I’m a big fan of like preparing, uh, you know, a good amount of greens, whether it’s rice or quinoa or farro. I just like to have that on the side and it’s ready to go whenever you need a quick meal.
Stasi:
Yeah, no, that’s a good point. And so do you prepare that beforehand and then you can add it in in different ways?
Sheila:
Yeah, that’s what we usually do cause we even when feeding our staff and such, we’ll just have a good amount of, you know, precooked grains and we just toss that together with some kind of salad or we’ll make some protein into it and it’s very versatile. And I imagine that would work at the home scape as well.
Stasi:
Yeah, absolutely. And that’s a good point too from the convenience standpoint and because you can prepare those grains, you know, one day, maybe it’s on a Sunday, you prepare a large batch and then you can incorporate it into various meals throughout the week. So a little bit of meal prep. Some clients I work with love the meal prep option and they’ll prepare their meals for the week. Other people are like, please don’t tell me to prepare my meals for Monday through Friday. I don’t even know if I can get through Monday. So, so, but having that balance of here’s a simple step, just choose one thing, choose maybe one week, it’s quinoa, the next week it’s brown rice. Make a double or triple batch depending on how many people you’re cooking for. Have that in the fridge and then you can reheat it so you can add it to that stir fry. Another great option to get brightly colored vegetables there. You could add it to a salad and make kind of like a grain bowl is what comes to mind for me. Or you can just have it on the side with another lean protein and more vegetables.
Sheila:
You know what I found is also very good, versatile for whether sweet or savory: oatmeal, like steel cut oats. I don’t think a lot of people think about the savory side of oatmeal. Like you could heat some oatmeal up with some vegetable stock. And just have some roast veggies. And again, another lean piece of fish or you know, no fish or no meat, oatmeal and roasted vegetables actually are a very good thing. We kind of forget that cause we’re just thinking of our, you know, oatmeal, brown sugar and pecans.
Stasi:
Exactly. No, I love, I’ve seen more recipes for the savory oatmeal and it’s interesting, I was actually looking at some yesterday thinking I need to try that. I have not tried a savory oatmeal. But some of them just look so satisfying where you do have, like you said, I love the idea of a vegetable broth or even you know, chicken broth or beef broth that’s going to provide more depth and flavor. I think we get confined by rules of breakfast has to be sweet, you know, lunch and dinner are savory. Break the rules. We’re telling people to break the rules.
Sheila:
Savory yogurt and savory oatmeal.
Stasi:
Stepping outside the box of which, finding those flavors is another way to decrease sugar intake. Which you know, as a population we know that that continues to increase. And there’s places for sugar. You know, I think it will be with clients that are trying to find a balance there, there’s a lot of people want to decrease their amount of sugar and that’s a great way to do it though, is by focusing more on those savory flavors. It doesn’t mean you have to take out flavor altogether, but let’s swap them. And that, and decreasing sugar for women during menopause can really help to better manage hot flashes and joint pain. It, you can even help improve sleep and also moodiness, and dealing with mood changes. So great benefit there and still be able to have some enjoyment of experimenting with something else.
Sheila:
And I think people need to just remember like when they’re cooking for themselves and making meals for themselves, they’re taking control of their sugar intake. You know, cause going out for a salad that you think is just a salad can contain a lot of sugar without, because you haven’t prepared it, you don’t know what we’re adding in the restaurant, I can be adding, you know, two cups of sugar to your salad. You don’t know that. So when people take the time and prepare food for themselves, they really are taking a big step in taking control of their health.
Stasi:
Absolutely. Yeah. And I think that’s a good point too, of food preparation is an opportunity to take control. During menopause, there’s a lot of things out of your control, but focusing on those things that you can control can be a really great benefit from a health standpoint and also from a psychological standpoint where there is that, you know, this is something I can do right now and I’m going to focus on that. Whether it’s for just yourself or even for your family.
Sheila:
Yeah. Take the power back.
Stasi:
Exactly. Your hormones, your hormones may be out of control, but you could still prepare a meal simply.
Sheila:
Yeah. Don’t blame the hormones.
Stasi:
Exactly. They, they, uh, they can’t, the hormones are not going to dictate whether you’re making a meal or not. You can still do that. Based off of your experience, and do you have any resources that you would recommend, whether it’s someone that’s just starting to get into cooking this way, whether it’s a book or website, or just tips for when you’re looking for ingredients like this that could help someone get started?
Sheila:
I mean, the Internet is really everyone’s best friend. I don’t know, specific sites, but even just when we were talking about the Mediterranean diet, I just put, put those two words in and the results were endless, you know? But actually I also encourage people going to the library and just looking at the cookbooks that they have there. You don’t have to spend money on a cookbook, but you can visibly see the beautiful pictures of vegetarian cookbooks or Mediterranean cookbooks. There’s so many resources out there. But I’m a fan of the Internet and also the public library and having a physical book that you can hold and that provides so much inspiration.
Stasi:
Yeah. Well, and it aligns with what your recommendations are in terms of preparing a Mediterranean style food. Keep it simple. Just do stick to a simple Google search, see what comes up, get some inspiration of ideas to try or go to your local library where you can check out various books and see the pictures, which I think the pictures, like we talked about, just the color of really getting an idea of like this is what simple cooking can look like and what your plate can look like and, and not being, not having to worry that it needs to take a lot of time or that needs to take a lot of energy, but just being able to visualize that and go for color.
Sheila:
Yeah. I’m also a fan of people trusting themselves. Like I think people are very much like, Oh, I don’t cook. I don’t know. It’s like, but you know, everyone knows what they want to eat, what makes them feel good and it’s this trusting yourself again to make good decisions and you know. You’re not going to poison yourself with your cooking, I promise.
Stasi:
Yes, exactly. And if the first bite, it doesn’t taste that good, then maybe you know, try again tomorrow.
Sheila:
Exactly. It’s just one meal. That’s what I also tell myself. Like when the pressure is like, hitting you hard about cooking this dish. It’s just one meal. Chances are you’re going to eat again and it’s going to be better. And you won’t make the same mistake that you did “ if you made a mistake.
Stasi:
Yeah, exactly. Sometimes mistakes could maybe turn into the best secret ingredients.
Sheila:
Genius! Half of cooking was a mistake.
Stasi:
Yeah, exactly.
Sheila:
But we’re not here to talk about that.
Stasi:
Well, I do think that might be a good, no, maybe not chocolate chip cookies, but what about”¦ we talked about savory, there’s a lot of savory and flavor in Mediterranean style foods, but what about dessert? Do you prepare those in your work? Are there more Mediterranean style desserts that come to mind?
Sheila:
Mediterranean style desserts. I mean, I really think the Mediterranean style desserts focus on fresh fruit. Some honey, maybe, perhaps a little, you know, a little cheese. That’s what I find too. You know, and honestly, those are great together. Nuts and honey and a little, again, yogurt. It’s a great dessert. Fresh fruit with some honey also. Delicious. Yeah. And you know, panna cotta is not super Mediterranean but you know, in that, in the essence of this like a little dairy and also highlighted with fresh fruit. It’s delicious. But again, it’s back to keeping it simple as far as dessert.
Stasi:
Yeah. And I think that’s a great way too to be able to, like you said, the fruit, you get a little bit of sweetness, add a little bit of honey, but you’re in control of how much honey you add. If you want a little bit more and then balance it with maybe a couple of slices of cheese. So you have also some of that savory or, or the yogurt where you’re going to get some sweet and then also a lot of nutrients. And that’s what I find that women do experience as their hormones are fluctuating, sugar cravings. I mean buttons, you know, often if they suppress those and say, I’m going off all sugar, I’m not having any sugar at all, then it comes back with roaring vengeance of yes, you will have sugar. And then all of a sudden it’s like mindlessly to the store for the ice cream. Exactly. Yeah. So having something, preparing ahead of time, having fresh fruit available, a little bit of honey, little bit of yogurt. Cheese can be a great way to counter that.
Sheila:
Or you can bake. If you want things more cooked, like bake the whole apple, bake the whole pear and then sprinkle some, no, maybe a little brown sugar. I think you’ll be all right.
Stasi:
Yeah. Yeah. Great. That’s amazing that when you add heat to fruit, tht how it can bring some of those flavors together or concentrate some of the natural sugars in there.
Sheila:
Yeah. I think it allows, the Mediterranean diet allows you to be more creative because you know, it’s not confining you. I think you’re just trying to find new ways to enjoy foods that are really good for you.
Stasi:
Yeah, exactly that creativity. Well, I like the all of these points that you had. I think, you know, the takeaways that I have are: keep things simple, you know, try fresh ingredients, herbs add a lot of flavor. Onions and garlic add a lot of flavor, find your favorite olive oil. And then also don’t be afraid to get into the kitchen and just experiment, look at your plates. It should be a plate from nature, the majority of it. And really start thinking about flavors as opposed to calories and nutrients. Using a different lens to look through and building meals can provide a lot of nutrients and enjoyment around the food which is also really important. Yeah. Any other take home points that you have at this point or, uh, information you want to provide about the Carbon Beach Club? Anything as we finish up here?
Sheilaa;
Really not so much, but you know, I think everyone should just remember it doesn’t take that much time to cook yourself a good meal, whether it’s a salad or soup like it “¦ Though some of these things can take as little as 10 minutes. You know, you just gotta want to do it and you know, take a chance, throw it in the pot “ what’s the worst that can happen?
Stasi:
Exactly. Consider it an adventure and an activity for the day. A learning experience.
Sheila:
Yeah. And it’s a great connection with yourself when you’re preparing your own food. You know, you don’t need a chef like me to do it for you. You can do it. No one knows your body better than you and you know, why not feed yourself at times.
Stasi:
Absolutely. Yeah. Great. A great message there, just in terms of the overall connection into what your body needs and listening to that and then experimenting with actually making the food for it. Well, Sheila, thank you so much for your time and information. We appreciate this and really enjoy having this conversation with you.
Sheila:
Oh, I had a great time. Thank you so much.
Stasi:
Thank you.
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Thank you for listening to this episode of the Gennev podcast. Remember, you can subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and just about anywhere you get your podcasts. Gennev’s your online destination for menopause doctors, coaches, products, and education. You can find us at Gennev.com. Thank
During the COVID 19 quarantine, many are looking for ways to maintain social and community connection.
Menopause can also be isolating, as women choose to stay home rather than face the possible embarrassment of a hot flash, flooding period, or other disruptive, hard-to-hide menopause symptom.
At Gennev, we don’t believe menopause symptoms should be considered embarrassing, ever. We also know that loneliness can be unhealthy.
So we invited psychiatrist Dr. Swapna Vaidya to talk with Gennev’s Director of Health Coaching, Stasi Kasianchuk, about ways we can stay connected “ through menopause, and through a pandemic.
Watch the video of this conversation on the Gennev YouTube channel, and don’t forget to subscribe!
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Even as we slowly emerge, many are choosing to continue isolating to protect themselves or vulnerable family members. How are you dealing with the isolation? Have you found ways to connect with others that are getting you through? Or are you concerned you may be too isolated? Find connection with the Gennev Community and learn ways to rejoin the world at the pace that feels right to you.
Stasi Kasianchuk, Gennev Health Coach
Dr. Swapna Vaidya, Psychiatrist
Stasi
All right, so welcome everyone to our wealth weekly wellness webinar. Great to have you all here. Excited today to welcome back. I think our most popular guest right now who has is now on her third return, Swapna Vaidya and she is a psychiatrist and she is going to introduce herself and give a little bit more on her background. But today we are going to be talking about this idea around community, what that means right now during this pandemic and what it can, what we can do to use community to support us and how that might look as things start to transition as things are opening up and we’re looking at what this new beginning is going to be. All right. Swapna hello!
Swapna
Hi. Wow Stacy, that was quite an introduction. I’m honored. You know that you guys keep inviting me because I feel like I learned so much from each of you and I have a confession. I have signed up for your webinars, all of your webinars. I have been listening and learning so much. So, I really appreciate this website and this initiative that you know, Jill has created. It’s such a great support system for women. So, you know, very good question Stacy. As we were talking about the community and the essence of it, you know, as we are approaching more or less the six week or the seventh week of this pandemic and I mean I’ve lost count to be honest with you, easy to do, right? I mean it’s becoming so diverse; it’s becoming such a challenging issue as to how do we now pivot and what is this new normal to think about. And then as I communicate with other physician colleagues or I communicate with friends, we’re not on the front lines for each of them. It’s a different new normal and it’s a different experience. So, when I talk about what we should do, I think I would like to tailor it to individual approaches or family-based approaches rather than one size fits all.
There have been a lot of physicians who have been traumatized by this. They see the worst of the worst and it is true and we don’t know how this wider still acting and ravaging the human body. And I feel like my frontline physician folks, they are suffering from some amount of acute stress disorder and PTSD volunteer for the line which is in support line. And I feel privileged and honored that I can at least lend my support in that direction.
But hearing the stories are pretty daunting. But on the other hand, then we have different States which have seen different levels of cases. And now the question of economy opening that up as well as going back to some modality of routine is coming. And you know, when you see these different Facebook sites or support systems, there are all these diversifying views and I often find that people tend to judge not necessarily consciously but in an unconscious way because we are trying to portray what is it exactly that we would want to do. What I tried to say before is that one size won’t fit all. True. It’s so important to understand and have a talk with your family, you know, your unit members and see, Hey, where are we with our comfort level? What do we like to do? Do we like to socially distant walk or do you think that I can have a play date? You know, and kind of like with some families that I can trust. Right? You know, one of the women on Facebook, she said something to the effect of, don’t judge me. You know, I’m just, I have to send my kids to daycare and whatnot. And I just had to tell her there are no judgments here. You know what they’re, are, they’re difficult choices, difficult choices.
And I think all we can do is to be compassionate towards each other. Not beat each other down. Because what might be the situation for one family might not be the same for others. You know, some families might have caregivers, they may maybe lucky to have nannies, some just don’t have that option. Or do we do and how do we keep us safe with whatever knowledge that we have and filing. Follow the CDC guidelines of masking and hand washing and keeping ourselves socially distant as much as possible. It’s so important.
Stasi
That’s a great point. And there’s a lot of you illustrate that there’s a lot of moving parts and there’s a lot of layers and each person is experiencing their own, their own experience, their own pandemic and everyone can be having a different, a different experience around that swap. Now when we think about community generally speaking, related to mental health, what role, well I guess first the question is what is community so we can get everyone kind of on the same page with that from your perspective and then what role, the follow-up is, what role does that play in mental health?
Swapna
You know, we’ll bait questions and such an important, timely questions. You know, for me community is basic humanity. It’s literally the fact that we are all human beings. We are going through this unique experience, unprecedented experience and we are all in sort of these unchartered waters is really knowing what to do. But we are chaotic. We are anxious, we are getting restless, we are getting anxious. What we could do is to reach out to each other, you know, the human chain. That’s the most important chain here. I mean, for the sake of the widest, we should socially distance, right? But then on the other hand, paradoxically for emotional connection, it’s so important and in a way we are blessed. Like we do have technology, we have platforms that virtually connect. It might not be the same and I do agree that it’s, you know, you may miss the human touch, you miss seeing that person in front of you.
But these, there are some alternatives that you can reach out to. And community is exactly that. You define your community and you’ll find those people and make, make them your tribe. Community is tribe and what does tribe do? Support you.
Stasi
Yeah. That support and that support is key, especially during uncertain times. People, we need that support and balance. And what role, I mean, you touched a little bit on this, but, from your perspective and your training and background, what, how does community connect to supporting mental health and provide support? But what is, what is happening there in that connection?
Swapna
So, you know, I”ll tell you tell from our practice, I practice at a non-profit Hospital I am the medical director there. And what I see there is that we actually are very blessed that we work within public health.
The King County public health initiative has been extremely helpful, extremely forthcoming with the resources that they have provided for our patients. Whether it is shelters some of our less fortunate patients who don’t have a home to shelter in or a home to isolate and quarantine in. They have all been up to outreach, you know, so there are teams of outreach which are homeless outreach teams, which actually go to patients” places and see if they have enough medications and have enough food. And so I think that I have really found through this experience just such caring communities out there when it comes to outpatient mental health treatment, we actively corroborate and collaborate with them to make sure that our patients who have suffered a, a crisis within our inpatient systems are now getting the proper continuity of care that is community.
We want to make sure they have enough medications, they have enough resources, they have enough you know, a place to kind of quarantine if they need to or to isolate. And it”s, it’s so important to even ask this question, “what is it that I can do?” you know, what is it that you need? Because you need that. You may have Stacy so much more different from the need of somebody who was in acute crisis. Yeah, yeah. As a community, having an empathic listening point of view and providing the supports as much as you can, partnering with all these great resources and initiatives. You know, a hospital, a health system has a lot of initiatives and a lot of resources. As I said, that they have partnered with the public health and have helped tremendously within this crisis system.
Stasi
Yeah, no, that’s a good point too.
The, again, going back to those layers and community, providing that support and looking at how it is a collective effort, there isn’t one single healthcare provider probably in your system that could go out and do all of this. It’s a collective effort to support greater, greater people and really for that greater good and bringing people together is really powerful and can also help you know, they, that giving effort as a community can help other individuals feel like they’re doing something. They’re acting and they’re, serving in a way that can support their own mental health. Perhaps, it’s a two-way street.
Swapna
You know, you actually touched upon some very crucial points. So, it’s about your defense mechanisms. What you talked about was altruism. That’s such a mature defense mechanism that how can you help your community during these very trying times? You know, if your channel, your anxiety or your channel, the way you’re coping towards such a way that can also help your fellow human beings, that’s such a beautiful thing that happened even in this crisis.
Stasi
Yeah. Some of the goods, the silver linings and focusing on what you can control versus when it’s so easy to look at things that are out of your control, channeling that energy to the one thing or two or three things that you can do within your control is, is really powerful. It is.
Swapna
And you know, it doesn’t have to be such a huge initiative where you don’t have to overburden yourself but also find something that you connect with. Would be the way you share. Even if you share your experience. That’s what we are sharing with your community.
Stasi
Like fun and we had I don’t know if you saw, but on our Tuesday webinar, we actually featured a group of, of women who had come together to be able to support community with food. And then in turn we’re supporting restaurants and it’s kinda, it’s snowballing.
People are catching on and they want to give, and they want to do something so doing little things like that, it doesn’t have to be that big project. It could certainly even be something small. But there is that act of kindness, that act of doing something for just the fact that it’s the right thing to do really has some, some power right now in what we’re seeing and what we’re experiencing.
Swapna
Yeah, I was actually inspired, you know, I did listen to that talk and I was very inspired by what these women are achieved and you know, how that sort of like brought these women together for this common initiative and common good and kind of like, you know, translated into then a cascading effect of, you know, becoming more and more of it because kindness pays off. Right. You can kind of like see that and, and, and embrace that very positive and caring side of humanity that I think this pandemic has definitely showed us.
Stasi
Yeah, absolutely. Good to look on the positive side of things. Well related to that, what, and you’ve touched on a little bit this as well, but I want to bring it cause we are as Gennev looks to support women, especially during menopause, but how does community during this time, why is it important and why is it especially important for women?
Swapna
You know and again I think we are sort of gonna see the same thing. It’s the gender issue. It’s all of that. But honestly, I think they did some study which was a very small study that they found out. They surveyed a few women during this pandemic, and they found out how many hours they were putting in at work and work was everything. Right? Work doesn”t have to be just that they were working from home, but also the other things which could include taking care of your kids to get homework done. And you know, there was a significant difference in the amount of time the husband’s put in.
And then the question became why is that, right?
I mean, so yes, there is this traditional sort of ingrained way of how women have been culturally brought up or taught that we are the naturals, we are the caregivers. But this is not the normal natural time. These are unprecedented times, right? Men continue to sort of say that, okay, I’m going to take as much as I can. They may risk becoming overstressed and overburden. Well, I feel very important for men and women both, and I’m not going to just sort of like really actually, make it about gender. I’m just going to make it about partnership. Whoever’s in your household right now just bought and divide the chores or say, okay, listen, if I do the dishes, can you do this or anything like that or try to do something for each other. I don’t feel you’re the one carrying the brunt of this family.
Stasi
Yeah no, it’s interesting. And as I’ve been talking with my clients this week, especially as you said at the beginning where week seven, six, we’re not really sure, but it’s been going on long enough that we can’t really remember when it started. And as women just do, they go, they get the job done. They are, if they’re working, they’re still working, they’re taking care of their kids, their family, whatever their responsibilities are. And it’s easy to just go, go, go until all of a sudden something’s, something’s not right or something’s not feeling good. And I would say that’s, I’ve seen that in a lot of clients over the past couple of weeks where they’re realizing, Hey, something’s up. And some of them have realized they’re tired, they’re more fatigued, there’s not as many boundaries. So there’s not even the time in your car from work to home to decompress you, you leave your office and walk into the kitchen and start making dinner. , so these things that we take for granted of being able to take a breath, being able to take a step back isn’t there as much or what example, I had a client this week realized she hadn’t taken a vacation. They couldn’t go on spring break. And that was usually a time that they would rejuvenate. And then she realized, I just kept working and now I haven’t had a vacation. I haven’t had any days off. It feels weird to take a day off and stay home. Right? What is the deal?
Swapna
One of my patients told me, it’s like the Groundhog Day, right? You wake up the same day, you live it now you don’t know which month you’re in. I mean, almost the end of May. So, it’s just a, we all are sort of experiencing this unchartered way of a time. the whole concept of it has changed. We don’t know where we are right now. where are we going? Where are we coming from? You know, women really need to know that the fact is that they will and should ask for help. , and I feel like the husbands has stepping up and the partners are stepping up or you know their friends are stepping up because everybody has recognized that we really don’t know how long this is going to happen. Yeah. It can be coming the state’s opening too soon. You know, those other questions are still there. And again, those are the uncertainties that we have to now make it as if they are a part of our existence. Exactly.
Yeah. And that’s a you talked about the partnership and certainly household it was a community, whether it’s two people, six people, whatever, whoever’s in the household. , what about other aspects of community do you, for women, do you see that what other areas do you see might be beneficial for women to bring community to support them right now?
You know, I mean one of them is this platform, Jenny. I honestly feel like I’m being a problem. I’m not biased. I’m really finding out and you know, listening to the webinars, I’m telling you that there was so much that I learned. I feel like connecting to something that really gives you the sense of identity but make it something positive. Right? Like for me, I’ve connected with a lot of my school friends that I’ve known since I was five years old. I’m not going to tell you my age, but, and we are really talking about some things that we done when we were 10 or 11 and ones that are coming out of it. I mean they’re mind blowing like layers and connecting to that depth of who we will. That is a community. It could be your colleagues at work. I think one of my friends was saying they have a happier sort of like a virtual happy hour, you know, it’s kind of like an interesting game they play, it’s a word game and they divide teams and the teams virtual and it all sounded very complicated she works in Amazon, maybe one day we will get there.
But so, this is how the tech companies are reaching out and doing things. And then, it could be you know, your family, your family group, right, that you have probably not been in touch with for many times. Your cousin reunion. So many simple ways of doing it. For me, I’m also very much involved on the Facebook physician group, physician moms, and you know, I honestly get so much information and support from these women who are going through the same thing that I’m going through and balancing their careers and balancing this new normal. So whichever way you find yourself connecting in a positive way, that’s the key thing. Don’t get involved in some negative cycles that don’t get in these kinds of like Twitter Wars or Facebook Wars. You know, that’s not the point of this. We have social media, let’s utilize it to nurture our souls not go down.
Stasi
That’s such a good point. And I like how you covered a lot of different avenues for community. So, there’s community, through social media, that’s definitely option. And if you can find a Facebook group that you have common interests, perhaps it’s a mix of people you know, and people you don’t know. So, there’s that balance. It could be a community like Gennev, I love that example. We are a community and we’re welcoming all women in. and we want to be able to provide that support and that collective, especially with menopause as our focus, this menopause, adding menopause to a pandemic. I’ve been telling clients that they, they’re going to get an award if you went through menopause, if you’re going through menopause during this pandemic, you deserve an award because there’s just like some, some type of T shirt that says, I, I’m in menopause in a pandemic or I went through menopause and a pandemic because it is, it adds another layer to things. But being able to know you’re not alone, what you’re going through is a normal process and that is part of, part of the process. But you can ask for help. And again, giving that permission and help might just be a listening ear help might be what are some resources that I can use right now so that’s a great point. I love that. Obvious. I, I am biased, but as with you as well, I’m 100% fan of Gennev and what they’re doing. I wouldn’t work for a company if I didn’t believe in it. So, definitely a shout out to Gennev right there.
Swapna
Definitely. And you know, like as, as, as a woman myself going through changes, I have to say that it has helped me tremendously to understand what resources there are. I could do what could fit me my sort of like, you know, lifestyle and I especially love the Michelle Obama. Yes. I just loved that there was this way of kind of connecting in this way of emailing me or anyone else who’s going through this pandemic and make that I am not able to go towards my regular resources. I’m not able to go and have my, you know, Oh, let’s have a girl’s night or anything like that. We used to take those things for granted. Remember, I mean, remember the time when I go, yeah, that’s not happening, but it can’t happen virtually. It can Happen in a way that through community such as these I’ve been through, you know, blogs, it can happen through exchange of ideas and thoughts. I think through this, I mean, again, I know that this, these are challenging times, but I mean, I don’t know, maybe I am an optimist, which is kind, I kind of, you know, I think I have one, but I want to be a realist a bit, but I really want to say that I think through this that are opportunities to discover yourself, you know, to reinvent yourself and to pivot and see what else is out there. What else about yourself that you haven’t discovered to kind of sit and think and pause and see, you know?
Stasi
Yeah, absolutely. No, that’s a great point too of just how can you use this time to your advantage, this a time that we’ve never had before and I don’t think many people are going to want it to repeat, whether it does in different renditions, time will tell but how can you use it to your advantage? And that’s another conversation I’ve been having and, and maybe not the new normal, you know, sometimes thinking about we don’t know what normal is anymore. So, I’ve been using the concept of a new beginning. This is your opportunity to start something new and to take with you from this time what you want to take with it and what do you want to leave behind and start thinking that through.
Swapna
And I hear what you’re saying, Stasi.
Stasi
Thank you. You know, the sudden there’s something about the normal thing that I might, I don’t know how to define normal anymore. So, let’s think of a new word. but what I hear you’re saying too is just the part of what can support us in this new beginning is finding ways that we aren’t remaining isolated. Isolation is may not serve us long-term and while we have to do this physical isolation, how can we maintain socially connected and the community, whether it be family, friends, or , online platform, of colleagues or people you don’t even know has benefits to helping to start that new beginning.
Swapna
Absolutely. You know, I think that we can just really cannot I mean we have to sort of understand how community is the only thing that’s going to get us through this because this is a shared experience, you know, and the thing that can also help us out, you know, as we feel this anxiety or we feel like we’re getting depressed or you’re getting this instead of putting these labels, you know, I really feel cause that it’s important to understand what the context of these labels are, not alone. So, outreach and ask your friend, Hey, how you doing it? What’s happening with your kid? You know what I mean? Like it doesn’t seem to listen to me. Mommy fail mommy. So, I mean, and then I forgive myself and I say, hey look, he had no time yet. He’s having a stressful time. You know, I know screen time is a bit much more in my house and I used to allow, but there are ways that he’s coping too. I mean, what can I offer in that situation? And then we exchange ideas and then somebody will say, hey listen, have you thought about downloading this particular app? You know, my kids seems to like it. That’s the idea right there. So, we are learning from each other on so many levels. What happens that helps my kid. But most of the time it doesn’t. I try my hardest and best to kind of get him into interested and invested in different things. But that’s the community. This is what I’m talking about. A community that builds you up a that enhances you, that knows your soul, that makes you feel warm and fuzzy, you know, that is what you want to actually strive towards.
Stasi
Yes, exactly. That. I like how you use that term nurturing right now. I think we can all use a little nurturing, because there’s, there’s a drain on us and whether we realize it or not, what I notice and myself included, it’s like you’re just going along doing things and thankful for, to be healthy during this time. So, we think we see all this sickness and if we’re healthy, we think we should be okay. And when the reality is, like you mentioned, everybody’s situation is different and there may be times where I may be okay, I’m not in a hospital, but there are other areas where okay, I could use a little nurturing because it hasn’t happened.
Swapna
No, I mean, and speak of communities. So, I think I was telling you about, so I have a medical school friends on WhatsApp and one of my medical school friend’s daughter I mean, I think she’s wise beyond her years she actually writes a blog and I was, I just, I told her I’m going to use this, but she writes, and she talks about this concept, it’s a Danish concept. It’s from Denmark. It’s called hygge, H Y G G E but it’s pronounced Hooga. And I was like, what is that what does that mean, what is that? And she says it’s a mindset. It’s a mindset that makes you feel connected to what you’re going through. And it could be drinking a nice chocolate like that. I like a hot chocolate, she said, or just, you know, just being still in my mind or maybe painting, maybe not even doing anything, but that’s hygge.
So, try to find what is your inner hygge, you know, and it doesn’t have to be a comparative anything. It just has to resonate with you. She said it. No wonder she’s like, well look, people in Denmark and then they go through these very harsh winters and the happiness quotient of the index is not that bad there. So, I am telling you it’s, it’s funny that my friend is also a psychiatrist and I told her, your daughter’s completely following in your footsteps, you know, I think so. Our children teach us, you know, I mean having their insight into their world and how they will be going on that teaches us.
Stasi
And I think, you know, what you’re talking about too is being open to communities in different ways. Being open to that connection in different forms and we’ll have to, we’ll have to get that resource that you mentioned, and we’ll send it in the follow-up with this podcast. Cause that’s a great concept of really trying to be present and listen to what do you need in this moment to feel most comfortable. And it can look like a lot of different things. As a dietician, there’s been a lot of conversations I’ve been asked about food. And food is an area of comfort and lot of people find comfort in food. And there’s this, there’s a conflict. If someone’s trying to improve their nutrition choices and eat foods that we classify typically as healthier, but we know those comfort foods are typically refined carbohydrates are higher in fat. I ice cream comes to mind. Bread, there’s been a lot of bread baking, but I’ve had conversations on if that is what you need right now, it’s okay to give yourself permission to enjoy those foods rather than eat those foods and feel guilty about it. And then that perpetuates the cycle. Let’s talk about, you know, what that comfort looks like and then what are other things that can provide you comfort so, you’re balancing.
Swapna
and you know, absolutely. And I think, see this is the balance, you actually nailed it. So, one con you know, or extend and sort of take the other extreme of hygge and say, “Oh that is my who I’m going to overeat.” Because you have to understand the consequences. It was also balanced how you’re balancing your life right now. It could be about rewarding and it could be having cheat days here and there, but it’s also important about being centered. So, if you find other ways of coping and other ways of redefining your hygge, you know, which could be, as I said, perhaps immersing yourself in a book that you love to read week like me. So, somebody who is creative and can paint. Or for some people it might be having, you know, just kind of like a conversation with their friends that they have a scheduled date with their friends, they say, and you look forward to it. So, you have to be, find something in your life or in the time right now to look forward to. Something gives you fun. You know, it could be the connection with somebody that you will haven’t spoken to for a long time. It will be the great book that you always wanted to read, and they will have time things such as that or cooking a healthy meal. I mean we have you right here, Stasi. Healthy meals can also taste very nice.
Stasi
Absolutely. and having options around that or trying, trying to cook for the first time if you’re home more and, and, and embracing that process and learning from it. or perhaps you join a cooking community. There are resources. I know one of our guests formally, Monica Jacobson, she was way back at the beginning of our webinar series, she’s offering cooking classes on through, I think they’re through their online, the virtual cooking classes. And she does once a month, she does them with kids. And so, you can bring your kids and then there’s this large group and she’s leading those things so, that”s another thing, looking for those resources where you can you can find that community, learn a new skill, learn something you enjoy and something to maybe pass the time.
Swapna
Maybe some kitchen disasters, you know, I mean, I’ve even tried to get my son because here’s who goes cookies. Let’s start a bit sorry. So, it gives them a little insight as to, you know, how much sugar goes, and things and you might want to be balanced when it’s hard to teach a five-year-old.
Stasi
Yeah, that’s a lot. But good for you for I’m starting give young, you know.
Swapna
I said, well you’re not work. Let’s kind of like do something cause I’m bored. I’m bored. I said, okay, well then you know, and then we made a little mini-series. It was chef Shawn.
That’s great. He said at the end, subscribe to my channel to watch YouTube.
Stasi
He pays attention!
Swapna
Too much I tell you these kids are raised in an environment I don”t even know there will be studies done later.
Stasi
Yeah, it’ll be interesting studies done on this whole situation, the whole pandemic. We’re going to learn a lot right now
Historically, it’s been tough to start a business that caters specifically to women. Investors have often been reluctant to invest in a business focused on menopause, for example.
But that’s changing, with female entrepreneurs leading the charge, forming partnerships to support one another and the women they serve.
A Chat With Handful Active Wear CEO Jennifer Ferguson On Supporting Women
In this podcast, Health Coach Stasi Kasianchuk talks with CEO of Handful Active Wear Jennifer Ferguson and CEO of Gennev Jill Angelo about women, business, and the business of supporting women.
Love Handful? We do too! Listen to the podcast for a special code to save on Handful.
If you’d like to watch the video of their conversation, visit (and subscribe to) our YouTube channel.
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Are you an entrepreneur or interested in becoming one? We’d love to hear about your trials and triumphs, so join us on the Gennev Community Forums!
TRANSCRIPT
Stasi Kasianchuk, Gennev Director of Health Coaching
I am Stasi Kasianchuk. I’m the registered dietitian, nutritionist and exercise physiologist and Gennev’s Director of Health Coaching. And I am absolutely thrilled to have both Jennifer, the CEO and owner of Handful Bras and Jill, Gennev’s CEO here today. The story it’s been an evolving process, this collaboration for this webinar and podcast. And I have to say I happen, you know, working for Jill. I know about her story and starting Gennev and obviously I work for the company and when I learned about when I learned about Handful Bras and their mission and read about Jennifer on her website, I was like, I gotta get to know her. And so and what ended up happening that when we’ll talk about this today we have some collaborations with Handful as the pandemic rolled out over the past several months and saw this opportunity to really come together with other women supporting women businesses that support women. And as I talked with Jennifer and knowing Jill, I was like this, we got to get these women together. So we’re going to do that today. So welcome Jennifer to our Gennev wellness pod, podcast and webinars that we have weekly, sometimes more than once a week. And can you just introduce yourself to our audience, give us a background on you and who you are. So we know more about you and Handful.
Jennifer Ferguson, CEO and founder, Handful
My name is Jennifer Ferguson and I’m the founder and CEO of Handful, which is active wear that supports you to grab life by the handful. And I have a background, I’ve just grown up active my whole life and then have been a group fitness instructor for over 20 years. And I was frustrated with the amount of changes I needed to have in my gym bag to try and keep up with my active, versatile, on-the-go lifestyle. And so after searching in vain for a base layer that could carry me from weekend to work to work out, launched Handful over a dozen years ago. I mean, we’re coming up almost on 15 years and come to find out other women were looking for these versatile items. And then we’ve grown from our bras, which were the hero to bottoms and tops as well. So thanks for having us.
Stasi
Excellent. Great. Well, I look forward to hearing more about Handful throughout the webinar. Jill, can you, for those of our audience that don’t know about your story and starting Gennev and, and your background, can you share?
Jill Angelo, CEO and co-founder, Gennev
Yeah, for sure. First of all, Jen, welcome. It’s fun to have other women entrepreneurs who are doing things for women. It’s just always fun to come together. So it’s, it’s really awesome to have you with us today. I’m Jill Angelo. I’m the co founder of Gennev. We started back in 2016 so about four years ago. And Gennev is, you know a virtual clinic and community for women in menopause. My story is, you know, I’ve spent my entire career in the tech space. I’ve had 20 years’ experience working in technology. First for a small software company that got acquired by Microsoft and I was at Microsoft for about 15 years. And you know, coming out of that experience, my personal passion has always been on women and girls confidence specifically and their development. And I was on a sabbatical from Microsoft, met my co founder who is credited with building Neutrogena.
And she really had, I think, a clear vision around menopause and how little women were served and how much they suffer in silence. And from that, you know, we, one thing led to another and you know, we decided to start Gennev because my experience working with women and senior women at Microsoft. I was as the chief of staff to the CMO, I did a lot to nurture our senior women’s networking group. And as we, as I heard their conversations transition over time from, you know, having babies, worklife balance, you know, postpartum to, well, my body’s changing, you know, I’m really tired all the time. Or has anyone had a hot flash? Like some of these things started to come out. It was something in the workplace we had never ever addressed. And so as I met my cofounder and we started to talk about menopause we saw a real opportunity to address something for women that just isn’t being met today. And so we found it. I founded Gennev we, and it’s gone from there into into what we offer today is as full range telehealth services for women, products and community and education all around menopause.
Stasi
Excellent. Yeah, that’s a great, just gives a good background and still in the story again around women and how much we do need to support and we need companies that support women as well. Jennifer, could you share your story on how you started Handful and where, what the aspect of focusing and supporting women, where that comes from for your company?
Jennifer
I as I mentioned earlier, I wasn’t feeling like I was being properly supported by my equipment, my, my active wear. And I was tired of sacrificing fashion for function, for feel. If something was fashionable, it certainly wasn’t functional and it certainly didn’t feel good. And if something did feel good, it, it didn’t look good. And as women, you know, we deserve to have our cake and eat it too. And so Handful really is stemmed from what we call the Handful High Five, and it’s the F words. We swear by fashion, function, feel, fun, and fight against breast cancer. And so our products are versatile to be worn, as I said from weekend to work to work out and it supports us literally and figuratively.
We have an optional modesty padding, a hidden pocket that is also for the one and eight women still getting diagnosed with breast cancer. And so you can wear the pads, not wear the pads, you can stack them up, you can also stash essentials. I’ve got my handy dandy lip gloss in there. Because women want to be hands free. So we want things that are functional, that are also fashionable and also feel good and also support a bigger cause. And so I started just after searching in vain for a product that I was missing and then I grew the team. And less than a handful of years ago, we decided to go full time. And I have brought on CFO, COO from Intel. Interesting. When you’re telling a story how a lot of the big corporation you’d get your experience and then you find your passion and you get to use it there. So I get to work with Jody our, our right hand woman, Tina manages the behind the scenes shoot, the silent but deadly accounts receivable, payable, et cetera.
And then we brought on Cary Goldberg, who’s our Director of Survivor Relations and she was a late stage three over a dozen year survivor and she is double mastectomy, no reconstruction, and she wears three pads on each side and is physically measuring half an inch taller. And it’s really such a metaphor for all of us of having proper equipment that feels good. It has us open our heart literally and figuratively to the world and stand taller. And that is just so important. That Handful is 100 of that a hundred percent about support. And then we’ve grown our team from there since then and we worked with a lot of amazing independent contractors. Our internal sales woman, she is a fitness instructor. Her motto is when in doubt dance it out. And we have, we take ourselves our products seriously, but we try not to take ourselves too seriously. So we have fun color names. So we’re all about the fun and the feel and the function and also the fight against breast cancer.
Stasi
That’s awesome. And such, I like the, you know, both of your stories interesting. They have technology backgrounds there, but that there’s also this idea that women don’t, we don’t need, shouldn’t be suffering, we shouldn’t be suffering. We should be supported. And when there’s something that you, both of you saw an area, a gap that had potential to be filled with a service and then you built a company that aligns with that, with that support as the focus. The whole company is built around that. So that’s fabulous to, to see. For both of you thinking your, your career, was it there always, was there ever an idea of when you started out as a working woman that you would be the leader of companies like the ones that you are right now?
Jill
For me? No. I’ll start there. I, you know, I grew up in a pretty entrepreneurial family. I grew up on a cattle ranch in North Dakota and it was like, you know, all hands on deck all the time and we had people that worked with us as well and I thought, I never want to be responsible for someone’s paycheck. Like, that’s too much responsibility, I could never do that. I want to work for a place where I can get out in the world and I don’t have to, you know, be so concerned about everything all the time. That was kind of my feeling, just having grown up through that. And it’s interesting how you come full circle because you know, I spent 20 years in kind of corporate, a corporate space and it was awesome. I loved it, but I was ready.
I was ready to do something with a big impact. And that’s what drove me to this, not because I desired to really start my own company or to, you know, think about, you know, the, the, the PNL or, you know, hire a team and so forth. I love all those things now. But it was the mission or the this needs to change sort of thing that really moved me to start this. And and I guess, and now more than ever, I kind of draw on my roots. So I don’t know, Jennifer, how it was for you, but I certainly, this was not in my plan. But now I’m, I’m really, really glad that I’m here.
Jennifer
Well, it’s interesting. I was born and raised in Montana and we also had a ranch, I did not grow up on the cattle ranch, but there were three times more sheep than people. And so if something needed to get done and you had a pulse, you know, I actually had someone in the South, you know, they talk about opening the doors for women. And I said, Oh, well, I, I, my family, we opened doors if someone’s hands are full. And this person said to me, Oh, that’s right, and you’re from the do it yourself state. I mean, if I sat there and waited for someone to open the door for me with three times more sheep than people that I might be standing there a while, and I didn’t realize it, but I, yes, it’s always been do it yourself and figure it out.
But at the same time, I’ve always been very passionate getting to work with a team. I’ve always been a team sport person, but I was fortunate, I didn’t really grow up with the labels because there were so few of us. I played on the boys soccer team. I got to play on, on basketball, gymnastics, anything that required. So it didn’t matter what your height was, what your, your age, nationality. I mean if you could participate, jump in and play. And so I feel really fortunate. I did grow up, I was one of the first people in my crew to get a computer. I mean, it was like the size of my body, of course, my first computer. And so I think I thought, Oh, I want to be the first female president of IBM. I mean, I just thought, you know, technology was so exciting and, and I just, I grew up with raised with a can do attitude.
I wasn’t, you know, told Oh women do this and not. So I always was very driven about getting to work with a team and work hard. And so I, that was always what I thought. Of course from here to there is never a straight line. So a couple children later, I’ve always taught fitness classes and then missing products that were versatile had led me to be launching this particular company. And then getting to work with an amazing team. It definitely goes with that. If you love what you do, you don’t work a day in your life. So I definitely feel very fortunate to have amazing team I get to work with and the amazing customers as well.
Stasi
That’s awesome. Yeah. No, I think I like what you said too about having that can do attitude of this is what we can do this. And I think that that’s something that talking with a lot of women, especially during menopause, when things are changing, things are different. And when that question comes up of I’m in either I’m in a different body or I’m in the same body feeling different. Can I do the things that I used to be able to do? And I would say that’s what we, a lot of conversations on. Yes, you can and it may look differently, but how is that going to, what is it going to look like now? Because you still can do those things. So I appreciate you emphasizing that can do piece. I think more women need to hear that because we can do things.
And we need that support to do that. Exactly. Excellent. Well, with my next question for both of you, it kind of along those same lines, is why is it important to support other women? And maybe generally. And then more specifically during this time around COVID 19. It was interesting when I reached out, I think I got in contact with Syd Sydney on your team, Jennifer. And she said, you know, it’s interesting. I reached out saying, how can we support you? What can we do? And she came back and said, we’re doing the same thing. We actually have some other things in the works around this with some other women run companies. So obviously that, that train of thought came up. Why, why do you think this is important right now?
Jennifer
Oh, I mean, one of my favorite messages now more than ever important is asking for help doesn’t mean you’re giving up. It means you’re not willing to give up. And I think that’s so powerful. And I think, you know, you look at people, you don’t always know what’s going on with them. And so I really encourage us to be really clear with what we need help with, how we can help, women love to help. And I mean that’s what has us get up and do what we do every day at Handful is supporting women. And the stories we get from people, I mean just Jill talking off camera beforehand, your running group wore Handful. And if a friend was getting married and, and that’s what we do. We come together, we celebrate. And I just, there’s an analogy when you run, if you run a mountain, you’re, you’re not supposed to look at the top because you just want to lay down and take a nap and it just doesn’t seem possible.
So you give yourself a little mile markers, you go, Oh, there’s, there’s that tree and Oh, there’s that sign. I’m going to just, that’s, you know, it’s the journey and one step at a time. And definitely having that support is priceless. There’s statistics that having just one friend, how important friendships and support is better for your health than quitting smoking. Of course, that is also, but like exponentially, it makes a world of difference. And so that is really what, what we’re all about is, is providing support for women. We receive it. Cary, our Director of Survivor Relationships has this amazing motto of you make it through the fire and you reach back through to pull someone else through. And so sometimes when I go outside of the fire, you know, looking for a hand and other times we’re back pulling through. So you know, that’s, that’s just why we get up and do what we do every day.
Jill
Yeah. I love the Director of Survivor Relations. I just think that’s really it says, it says it all in her title. You know, just to add on to your points around women supporting women, especially right now in these moments. You know, we often say women are on the front lines in many ways, so they’re essential workers. That term has become a new, you know, kind of a new term right now with women in healthcare with, with workers on the front lines, anywhere, men or women. And, but in particular what we’re watching right now is obviously women going through the menopausal transition. They, you know, hormonal changes creates mood changes and anxiety and stress in and of itself. It creates challenges sleeping in and of itself. It creates changes in metabolism and eating habits in and of itself.
You pile on COVID 19, and the stress and all the things, the uncertainty that’s related to right now, it just compounds all those things. So oftentimes when you look at, you know, the resilience of a woman that is headed into menopause and hand or has, you know, just started to experience some of those symptoms and is really figuring out how to manage them so that she can kind of take control of them and preserve her quality of life. The preparation women have done for menopause in many ways kind of almost has prepared them for quarantine or for this moment I think of extreme uncertainty because those things are just amplified. So I think in any case women who are managing their menopausal symptoms the more that we can support them and also help them through this moment because we’ve got a lot of those tools. Those programs though, you know, women who work with Stasi as our Director of Health Coaching with our HealthFix membership. We’re working with women on these sorts of things every single day.
And the more that we can, you know, double down and do that with more women during this time who might be suffering from those aspects of what, you know, uncertainty and this pandemic has brought the better. You know, one additional thing that we’ve done to support women during this pandemic was to expand our services. So our physicians are all OB GYN and they have obviously incredible experience in menopause and gynecology. But many of them have primary care experience as well. So we’ve expanded our telehealth services to also address primary care concerns.
Cause we’ve had women who come to us wondering if I’m having a hot flash or is it a fever and should I be concerned. And so there’s again, a heightened sense of, you know, concern and questions and anxiety right now. And the more that we can be here to support women through that transition and to partner with companies like Handful to have collective good in our work together. That’s all goodness. And that’s, that’s what we love to do. It’s what makes what we do even more meaningful.
Stasi
Yeah. Excellent. Yeah. No, I think both, you know, both of you mentioned just really the importance of coming together and recognizing that asking for help is a strength. To your point, Jennifer of there could, there’s messaging in cultures you know, our culture sometimes that that becomes, that’s a weakness. When in fact it really is a strength to capitalize on, on leaning in on each other.
And like you said Jennifer, the reaching through the flame when you’ve gone through the flame reaching through to help someone else come through. And that’s similar in menopause, you know, whether it’s someone that’s trend is gone through the process of menopause and has insight to provide and can support other women or as we are learning from on the coaching side and our telemedicine side. Let us give you the resources to help you be successful. And there’s no shame in asking for that help. We’re here to support you and all coming together to do that. I always think I have this vision of that. Like if we all hold hands in this world, it’s just going to be a much better place. And so especially on, you know, when there are things that women have in common, having that, that support is really important.
So that’s excellent. Well, with you know, some of the things that we have done too now working together we’ve been able to you know, with Handful we have a giveaway coming up that brings on other companies. Handful has generously offered that if you use the code GENNEV, you can get 20% off of their products. What about these companies coming together and women women run, women supporting companies coming together. How do you see that supporting the industry as a whole and making a statement? You know, we usually, we see so much competition and territorial and people are in silos and we’re breaking down those silos. So I’d love to get your vision on those, on that concept.
Jennifer
Yeah. Okay if I jump in here? I actually just got off a call right before this with this amazing group. They call them Movers and Makers through Title Nine, which I don’t know if you’re familiar with that amazing company, but Title IX was a legal bill that was my parents were fighting for me. I remember the picketing to give with a girls equal gym space. And so when I grew up being from such a small town, our basketball season was a totally different season because the men’s were a certain season and we didn’t have enough gym space. So we, we played in a different season. So my best friend was this amazing basketball player and scouts could not scout her because she played during a totally different season. And so Title IX of course has changed that. And if there is a voice team, you have to have a girls team at the same time and equal space.
So this amazing company Title Nine led by this awesome CEO, founder Missy, she 30 years ago, one of the original gangsters, I say just, you know, women supporting women and being active and they have our group, they have a group of us together right now. And oftentimes our brands would compete as you’ve mentioned. And yet we’re coming together. How can we, I mean I definitely together we’re stronger, you know, the acronym TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More. I definitely agree with that. And I think there’s a different place for all of us. And I oftentimes I’m on network panels and they say what’s it like to be a woman in business. I, I pretty much everyone I work with are women. You know, our customers are women. We’re women you know, it’s obviously about supporting women. So there’s other genders and pronouns that support women as well, but predominantly, and I do really we work with women around support and so that’s what we work with.
And so even around the whole COVID as we were mentioning, and you were all were talking about working with physicians. I mean we have physicians that wear our product, I mean life’s a sport that profession, certainly a sport about being scrubbed up and one of the nurse, you know, bra strap would fall down and the, the surgeon’s like, why aren’t you wearing Handful? And so, so it’s great to give a code for people to be introduced to, to our product. And then also for the first responders this month because that was a huge thing. You know, the first week this happened, I felt like I got whiplash. I think it was a metaphor for all of us. You know, we’re just driving down the road, we slam on the breaks, we get completely rear-ended. And so we’re all kind of not sure what to do.
And then all of a sudden I was just overwhelmed with, you know, heaven forbid a company goes under, I mean, we’ve got to go under clawing for support. We’ve got to be supporting people to the very end. And so how can we help these first responders? And so we looked at what some of the other amazing women companies were doing. This other awesome women company email. They were giving a code for their bras and then they shared how the program they use. And then we piggyback. So now we’re giving 40% off for first responders so you can get on our website and we’re and then like breast cancer survivors, we give 30% off year round. I mean, we’re just all about people that are you know, dealing with extra challenges. We just know that that high five helps people keep going when they need it the most. And so a hundred percent banding together. And the big topic on our last call that I just haven’t stopped thinking I’m going to keep thinking is, you know, what do we all stand for and how can we come together to support that in a bigger way? And how can we be more inclusive and hold hands with more people of different ages, shapes, sizes, nationalities. So that’s definitely a goal of ours and we appreciate you bringing us all together to just keep that conversation going.
Stasi
Yeah, yeah. A great thing to do. In terms of just being able to, like you said, different companies coming together, we all have a role and we can highlight each other’s strengths and pick each other up. Sorry, Jill, what were you gonna say?
Jill
Yeah, no, I, you know, and I think one thing I love about even the, the fun, the great kind of partnership and promotion we’re doing together, Jennifer this week or in this period of time around, you know, just offering discounts and support to women across our different solutions and products. We typically tend to think about partnering, you know, like for us with brands focused on the menopause space or whatever. And I think stepping back to say, what do women in general need right now? And how can we support them better?
I think from a partnership perspective, you always are able to serve more. Like, why not do the work for the consumer to see other supportive products and/ or services that she’s going to need versus her having to go out and quote unquote shop for it or do her own research. When we come together because we have like-minded missions and we have different aspects of what we do, whether it overlaps or even if it doesn’t in our products and our services, I think it’s just so, so women are have enough to do already. So the more that we can again come together to give her a curated set of mission driven women. So, you know, you feel good about doing business with them in the first place as a consumer. But second of all, she didn’t have to go out and research all that or she’s also feeling supported in whatever benefits or discounts you’re providing her.
I just, I that’s just the right way to do things. I think as well, you know, coming from the corporate space where in an era where women really, we all had to, there weren’t as many of us or you know, it wasn’t the kind of climate where women lifted each other up because the way performance reviews were done or whatever. That’s an era that’s starting to evolve and change. I think, especially as entrepreneurs, you know what it’s like to be alone and to build your business alone and you don’t wish that on anybody. And so you start to really bind together because I kind of get what some of the struggles or some of the things you had to go through Jennifer, to start your business and to get it to where it is backed by a mission that you have. And it’s just such a community is so important no matter what change you’re going through. And as we even build businesses, as business owners, I think the coming together, while it’s good for the consumer it’s really good for us too because it gives us just a sounding board and like-minded group of people that get us that we can share the challenges with as with as well as the successes. And if we all win together, that’s a really amazing feeling too.
Jennifer
Yes. I, I heard a thing once that something which all practice my whole life is to be the most enlightened you wish upon others what you wish upon yourself. And it’s so amazing to get to celebrate the wins and sometimes it’s not you getting the win, but how great to to reach out and celebrate each other. And I think if we can take each other’s wins upon us as our own win and you know, there is really devastating compare-and-despair that’s out there, especially, you know, on the, in the social media world. And you know, just wish it was more of a high five celebrating each other rather than like, Oh man, I know she did that and how come not me? It’s like, well, high five she did that even though I haven’t done that, I might not ever do that. So I really try to come from that. I feel like I can come from that place of celebrating others as if it were my own win, I’m just better for all of us. So it’s, it’s great to get partners with likeminded support.
Stasi
Yeah. And I think that’s something too that can be hard for women in menopause when I’m working with them is that they are compare, they’re either comparing to their self from before or other women and that that experience is unique. So how can we help focus on, you know, changing that conversation to celebrating the wins of other people and celebrating our wins. We have wins too. Even if they’re not, they don’t look exactly like someone else. How can we celebrate our own wins? And then together collectively, that positive energy, that forward mode, that forward movement. Is is good for everyone as a whole.
Jill
Yeah. It’s just like what you see on the news right now when they wheel a COVID patient who was really ill out of the intensive care unit and everyone comes around and celebrates them, they’re all feeling obviously great for that patient. But they’re also celebrating the work they had to do together to, to keep them healthy and get them back to health. I just think that that is just, you know, it’s, it’s unfortunate that it takes moments of challenge and sadness and difficulty to bring out the best of human beings in our collective nature to want to be together, celebrate each other, you know, but you see so many examples of it right now, which is super motivating. So if there’s a silver lining that’s, that’s one, that’s a big one right now.
Jennifer
Yeah. Well, and you mentioned earlier though, it’s kind of like your friend getting married. I mean, you were celebrating, you know, so I do think it is an important reminder, especially as entrepreneurs like any, anyone, you know, we always feel like the inbox is exploding. And there’s so much to do, but it’s so important to stop and celebrate what you have accomplished. And, and yeah, I think bringing people together to do that is exponentially powerful. And I just love that we’re, we’re talking about menopause. I love that we live in a day and age where we can, we talk about things. I’m the youngest of four, so I’m always saying like, now when did you guys go through it and when did Mom go through it? And just trying to give myself an idea. And I just, I feel so grateful that we live in an era where we can talk about those things because I do think to all your point, the support and the resource, I need to just have to figure all this out in private is, yeah, no, we, we’ve all got too many other bigger, better things to deal with that if people like your company and our company can hand them resources so that they
Working out has gotten trickier lately, and not just because we’re all trying to exercise at home with less space and equipment than we’re used to.
As our bodies change over time, it is normal for our exercise routine to need adjustment as well. In this podcast, Gennev Director of Health Coaching Stasi Kasianchuk talks with Robin Jones, owner of the barre3 studio in Corvallis, Oregon, about how to move safely and effectively for all-round better health.
Watch the video of this conversation on YouTube.
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TRANSCRIPT
Stasi Kasianchuk
I’m really excited today to have Robin Jones here from barre3 Corvallis. I am Stasi Kasianchuk, I’m a registered dietitian nutritionist, exercise physiologist, and the Director of Gennev’s Health Coaching. And this topic today, the Workout for Michelle Obama’s Generation is so timely with the launching of her movie, Becoming. Robin, you’re going to hear her story about how this all connects and it really does come back to how women of Michelle’s Obama’s generation of this perimenopause, post-menopause phase can find movement to support their body. So Robin, great to have you here. Robin is a friend of mine and the owner of the barre3 studio that I am a part of, so really excited and really appreciate your time. Can you introduce yourself and tell us about yourself, tell us about you for our audience?
Robin Jones
Yes. Hi, Stasi and thank you so much for inviting me to chat with you today. It’s really quite an honor to get to share what we do at barre3 and kind of how I got there. My name is Robin and I am the studio owner of barre3 Corvallis here in Oregon. And I came to be here serendipitously, frankly because I was looking to scratch my own itch. I was born in San Diego and my husband was born and raised in Corvallis and at the time that I found barre as a practice, we were growing two small businesses. And I was really looking for a way to break up my day and move my body in a way that felt good. And I discovered barre because all these studios opened in San Diego, kind of one after the other and I fell in love with a space that had an amazing community.
And that is something that really resonated with me. And one of the things that no one tells you really about business ownership is that it can get really lonely. And so you’re, you’re working here on your laptop all day long and, and you’re trying to plan all these things and sometimes you just need a break and meet people and talk to people. And for me, scheduling my barre class mid day was exactly that. So I would go take a class and I would get to meet like minded people and move with them. And so quickly my practice became something so much more than exercise. And when we ended up moving to Corvallis in 2012 I really felt the need to bring this practice to this community because if I needed something like that I felt like somebody else out there probably needed it too. So after a long while trying to figure out how to make it happen, in addition to having two other small growing businesses we worked it out and opened in 2014. So I’m really excited to be here and really the community piece of barre3 has a lot to do with why I love it so much. So.
Stasi Kasianchuk
Yeah, no, I appreciate that Robin and giving that background and I will attest to the fact that you have an amazing community there. Definitely part of the reason that I am part of your barre3 studio. The workouts are obviously great and we’ll talk a little bit more about that. But having that community and that support and if anything now more than ever, that community is so important. So so thank you for six years ago creating something that’s so supportive today during a pandemic still. So I appreciate that. So we’ll I definitely want to hear more about your story and what you’ve learned in the six years of being part of barre3. But I wanted to go into the title of our talk today because when I first reached out to you and told you about Gennev and and asked you to be a part of one of our webinars, you shared this amazing story of getting to actually see Michelle Obama as a part of Oprah’s tour. And I’d love for you to talk about this connection and why we’re talking about barre3 as a workout that Michelle Obama’s generation could do.
Robin Jones
Yes. Oh my gosh. So I had the privilege of going to see Michelle Obama when she was doing her Becoming tour here in Portland. And then again had the privilege to see her in early this year, February or so in Brooklyn when she was touring with Oprah’s 2020 Vision tour. And she’s just inspiring to me on a lot of different capacities. But particularly what stood out for me when I saw her this year was when Oprah asked her about what she appreciated most about her body. And obviously with like the work we do at barre3, you know, her answers was like what really resonated with me and what she focused on was just about loving her body because it was hers and hers alone. And that she really tries hard not to judge it and she really tries to honor it and to realize that it’s changing.
Right. And I love, she had said that our bodies are living things and so we’re, we’re not machines and that we need to fuel it and we need to feed it and we need to take care of it and it needs sunshine and all these wonderful things because if we don’t take care of it, then our body starts to fail us as we age. And it seems so simple, but when she puts it in those terms, it’s like, it’s like, yeah, that’s exactly right. Like our bodies are changing as we age, as we grow older, as we develop. And, and my body today at 40 is not the same as the body that I had at 20 and I think that so often a lot of women try to create this sort of future unattainable goal of like, I want my body to be like it was when it was 20.
And I love what Michelle Obama had said at the time because she likened it to, to being 20 years old and trying to fit into your overalls when you were 10. Right? Like, it’s, it’s, it seems like, obviously like, no, that’s like unrealistic. Like why would you ever want to do that? And, and she said so often women have that mindset. Like, I want my body to be what it was like pre-baby. I want my body to be what it was like, you know, when I was in my early twenties. And what I love about what she said is that what really she focuses on as far as wellness is just appreciating and loving her body as it is in this present moment. And she talked about specifically like her body at 56 is so different than her body at 36. And so why should I try to move it in the way that I moved it when I was in my thirties because now I’m in my fifties and what it needs today is just so different and, and I felt like that was such a healthy mindset. And I feel like that’s certainly, I, myself included, have battled those thoughts of like, Oh gosh, you look at your pictures from before and you’re like, why? Oh man, I wish I could look like that again. And then you realize, well, like why, I mean my body has changed so much. It’s experienced so much. So like why not just honor your body as it is today? So I really loved that piece of it.
Stasi Kasianchuk
No, that’s so important. I think, you know, working with women in peri and post-menopause, it’s a hard time. Not only is your body changing, but because of the hormonal changes that can also change how you’re feeling day to day, moment to moment. And that, those are some of the conversations I have with my clients is really about, okay, what, what having them understand what is happening. And it really does tie into that dynamic that dynamic process we go through as humans and especially as women. And especially if, if you have had children, like you’ve experienced some of these, these dramatic changes of your body and menopause is another one of those and you bring up such a great point and that you movement is still important. Movement can still have so many benefits from health related benefits to mental health, to just being able to provide that balance and support, but it may not look the same and that’s okay. And I think giving people permission to explore something new and different can be scary because it’s new and different, but it can also be exciting. And when they find what works can really be helpful.
Robin Jones
Oh, completely. And I think that’s the other piece of what Michelle had said is she’s like, I have to find my own balance and I have to walk my own path. Right? And I have to, to know what that looks like for me in my present moment. Right? So I may have ran marathons when I was younger, but that’s just not what my body needs right now. And that’s just not what I need to do with it right now. And I think that’s like the struggle, right? Because we can also overdo it. We can also like diet and exercise really hard and look a certain way or, or, or weigh a certain amount and then, but at the end of the day, our bodies are like broken inside because it’s not what we need. Right. And I think that’s so much of what I love about barre3 is that it really is adaptable to different bodies, changing bodies.
And that every day the practice is different. It feels different and it, and it gives us space to be present in our bodies and to realize this is what I need today and, or this is not what I need today. And then to modify and adapt to what, what we, what we need today.
Stasi Kasianchuk
Yeah, it has really a great balance of a lot of different things. For our audience members that may not know about barre3, can you give us a breakdown of what does it entail and what is the approach so that it really is for every body that wants to try it?
Robin Jones
Yeah, no, definitely. So barre3 is a full body balanced workout combining strength conditioning, cardio, and mindfulness. And again, like what I really love about barre3, it’s low impact movement. And so it allows us to age gracefully without pain, which is really important as our bodies change our movement really, it embraces listening to your body, right?
So we offer lots of ways to adapt, to modify. You can take it up a notch, you can take it back a notch. It depending on what you need and, and again, like every day is different. But also it’s like a movement that focuses really on like the feeling and movement, creating joy and like what that feels like in your bones and your muscles. And it isn’t about you need to do it this specific way and it’s regimented. And if you don’t do it right, then you feel like you’ve failed in some capacity. It really isn’t about that. And so, so I love that because it releases us from this pressure of like that future unattainable goal, right? Like, so if I can hold a plank for five minutes, then, Oh yeah. I finally like have achieved this like this, like some pinnacle of success.
Like barre3 isn’t about that. It really is about tuning inward and listening to what your body needs. And Hey, like if you’re going to hold that plank for a minute, then awesome, good job. Feel that success and feel what that feels like to feel strong in your body, but if not, and you need to modify, you need to come down to your forearms or something, other position that feels kinder where you can also feel that same level of success good for you. Right. So I love that those are the different elements of barre3 that I’m really proud of. And then the last bit of it it was really that mindfulness practice, right? So instead of just doing as the instructor does, it really is like listening to what you need and, and being really truly present and like the muscles you’re working and, and what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. So really being able to educate our clients on how this benefits their body for functional movement every day I think is a big part of what we do.
Stasi Kasianchuk
Yeah, such a holistic approach and I’ll, and I love the mindfulness piece when that was added a few years ago I’ll be the first to admit that I am not going to do mindfulness practice even though I know the benefits of it unless someone’s telling me I have to do it. So incorporating it into a class is genius and I look forward to that five minutes at the end where I have permission to focus on my breath to slow down and to breathe.
Robin Jones
A hundred percent. And what I feel like the value is there as a, we still have an opportunity to educate right on that piece of like why mindfulness is important and how it can serve our body physically. Like it isn’t just this like if they’re y’all woo, like take a moment to clear your mind. Like it isn’t really that that there are actual physical benefits to focusing on breath and that’s an educational moment right in our class to, to give clients that space to do it too. But also to explain like the benefits of lowering anxiety and stress and lowering your blood pressure and allowing your like diaphragm to expand and contract and create like elasticity there. Right. Versus like, so much of us are used to kind of sucking it in, you know, like holding our, our belly in and not allowing it to like be mobile because like, Oh, we got to like fit in these jeans and we’ve got to, you know, look a certain way and, and we’ve lost that ability to like mobilize our diaphragm. So those like very physical reasons to practice mindfulness, I think is definitely an educational bit for us to continue to, to share.
Stasi Kasianchuk
Yeah. No, it’s such a great way to incorporate it in a way that’s tangible too. Sometimes mindfulness, automatically people jump to, Oh, I have to do an hour of meditation. I’m going to get bored. My mind’s going to wander. I can’t do it, then I feel defeated. So it’s no, it’s five minutes of what you can do. And even those five minutes, you know, and can provide benefits, especially when you start to do them over time. And especially for women with menopause, I mean that the mindfulness practice can help with hot flashes. The exercise can help with hot flashes, it can help to support sleep, everything’s all connected and it can be a great simple way. It’s economical. You don’t have to pay anything for it. And you’re just focusing on your breath. So I think that that is a really great great piece to add to that.
Robin Jones
It’s so simple, right? But it’s like, it’s so simple, but we, we often don’t do it. And I love it, the thing about breath work, it’s like, it’s like the one function in our body that happens both consciously and unconsciously. Right? Like we breathe when we’re alive. We don’t have to, we do it even if we’re not thinking about it. Right. Also have the power to control it, to like harness that and like manipulate it in a way to better serve us. It’s like amazing.
Stasi Kasianchuk
Yeah, no, it’s definitely and it’s something, it’s very easy to take for granted that, you know, we’re just going to breathe on our own, but by providing that additional support we can make, are we going to enhance our body’s efficiency of every breath by retraining it a little bit. Can you also share a, one of the other things that I think barre3 is really helpful for, especially for women that are either starting an exercise program or restarting and with menopause there can be more joint pain. The decreasing estrogen levels can result in more inflammation. Sometimes that appears in joints for some women and that can make them fearful of starting exercise. Can you also talk about the structure of how barre3 has been put together with professionals? It’s not just, you know, Oh, here’s the workout for today. This, this sounds good, that there’s methods, there’s training. And there’s a, there’s a method to the madness in terms of how the workouts are built.
Robin Jones
For sure a hundred percent. And that’s one of the things I’m most proud of, to be part of a franchise who has so much of a commitment and investment in research and development on the body, right? So barre3 is has always been low impact to be accessible. And we focus a lot on isometric holds, which is where the body, the muscles are taxed at its maximum and you’re, all you’re doing is simply holding, right? So you’re sitting in a chair or you’re in power leg or you’re in a horse pose, a wide turnout position, and you’re just, it’s like a moment of stillness, right? Your body is working really, really hard. And then we layer in this small range of movement. So it’s like a one inch range of movement, which when people hear barre, they’re like, Oh, it’s those tiny little things.
You know that, that, that you feel so much of a burn but you don’t even, it doesn’t look like you’re doing very much. And that is like an isometric hold with a little bit of release really is what it is. So your muscles are working really hard, but you’re giving it a little bit of a break every time you move. And then on top of that, we layer in dynamic movement, right? So that ability to flush out the oxygen and blood back to the muscles that need it. So we layer in that kind of strategically, that three layer process all throughout class and we work the entire body. So it’s really efficient. So we heat the cardiovascular system, we open up our hips, we open up all the joints and then we move into these elements where we like work the leg muscles and then we work the back body muscles. And then we work the core, which is abdominals and glutes. And then go back to like breath work and then move our body in ways that you don’t normally move your body. Right? So like laterally. So important to move your body 360 so that when you do functional things at home like garden and you’re like turning and twisting and all these things that your muscles are there to support you in the ways where it can prevent injury.
Stasi Kasianchuk
Excellent. So many benefits there and, and that translation to, to everyday activity. You know, and barre3 if you’re someone that wants to train for a five K or some type of athletic event, barre3 can serve that. But its foundation is in those everyday movements so that you can enjoy life, that you can feel good doing life’s lifestyle activities and enjoy the workout too. Cause there’s certainly, again, coming back to that community and that connection that you have in that 60 minutes.
Robin Jones
Exactly, exactly. I mean one of my proudest things is that our oldest client today is eight, has been 81 was 81. Youngest is 14. Right. So to like have an offering of a practice where you can give someone who is [missing] a place where they can feel successful and moving their body equivalent to a 14 year old or we’ve even had Olympic athletes in our studio, it’s like to be able to offer something of that wide of a spectrum. I think it’s such a gift to be able to share because you know, everyone can feel successful in the practice, can feel challenged in their practice, but they’re doing it in ways that are very different looking. Right. It isn’t just like this one how to do it this way. So yeah. I love that so much about it.
Stasi Kasianchuk
That’s awesome. Yeah, no, I think it serves a wide range of people. Well, Robin with your six years of working here or start or opening the studio and getting it established. And you talked about your story in terms of why you started barre3, now as you look back and with what you have learned, did you imagine six years ago that this would be the journey that’s unfolded?
Robin Jones
Certainly not. No. Sure. It’s, it’s, it’s been such a wild ride in the best way possible. And what I’ve learned in the last six years has like absolutely nothing to do with like business or ability. I mean, and, and this is like one of those things, right? Where we, I do it and I’ll speak for my team: We all do it. We do because we love it. And so there’s a reason why we’re all motivated in that capacity. And I think for me, I’ve learned so much about the power of the collective spirit and in particularly right now in this moment where we’re engaging with our clients on a virtual level, right? We don’t get to interact with them like we normally do. There’s so much power in like the ability to help each other mentally and emotionally when we are doing things together, right and, and even scientifically, the power and the joy of movement and how moving together even virtually can stimulate joy.
Right? And so that has been such a big learning for me. I mean, obviously like I opened the studio because I wanted a place to work out. And then I got all these ancillary beautiful benefits out of being able to be the owner, right? I have this wonderful community and all these amazing friends. And but then going back to owning the studio for six years, I think I also learned that investing in people goes a much longer way than investing in things and widgets and whatnot. And that’s always been kind of my primary driver is my team. And when I say invest in people, I don’t mean money. I mean, I mean time, right? And really getting to know the people who you surround yourself with I think goes a long way as far as like even personal emotional benefit. And so that’s been really beautiful.
I’ve learned also that like everyone has like an inherent native genius and sometimes you just need somebody else to remind you or to tell you or to open your eyes to what that is. And so I’ve had the benefit of being able to do that for other people. And I’ve also had the benefit of being able to receive that and realizing for myself like some of what are those things are. And so that’s been really beautiful. So yeah, lots of things I learned from barre3 that I, I didn’t think that’s what I was going to get out of it. And I think too, just learning to accept, like, and be happy for my body for how it is instead of criticizing it for what it’s not. That was a big learning for me. As far as like fitness, right? Like I, I, I think early on when I first opened the studio a lot of self doubt, a lot of, well I’ve never done this before.
I’ve never taught fitness. I don’t know how to teach exercise and a lot of self doubt of I don’t, I don’t look like the typical fitness guru. Like I don’t have those abs. I don’t look that way. You know, there was a lot of self doubt there and I think there was a lot of self criticism of like, I don’t look the part so I certainly can’t be successful in the part. And that was a big learning for me over the last six years of like, you don’t need to look a part, like you have the ability to make an impact without looking a certain way. And, and, and then even though it’s still in everyday practice, that like self-criticism has gotten quieter. And so I think that’s that’s a been a beautiful gift for sure.
Stasi Kasianchuk
Yeah, that’s a, that’s great to hear that you’ve been challenged in that way and then have really overcome that. And it reminds me of, I still remember the moment of when I had gone to the the barre3 in the vineyard event in June, I think it was June of 2018, 2018 and you were leading an exercise class for like over a hundred people out in this vineyard which was an amazing setting. Hopefully we’ll get to do that again someday. But I remember specifically you meant, you telling us that we’re doing an exercise and again, these exercises that are small movements. No one be fooled “ if you have not tried them and you’re like, ah, no, I don’t do small movements, it’s too easy. Try to hold these small movements for extended period of time. They get really hard. But you brought up the fact that we can, we have the power to change the conversations we have with ourselves in our head.
And that just always stuck out with me. It was at a time where I was having particular challenges and it really hit me to say, no, I can, I can change this conversation. I have complete control over this. I may not know exactly what the outcome’s going to be, but the conversation here and now, I can work on changing that. And that’s always stuck with me and someone who does also appreciate challenging my body through movement. I like how that can translate into other areas of my life. And now working with women in menopause that it is a challenge. It’s really hard. When you really feel that you wake up the next day and your, your body is different and those feelings are real and having to challenge those conversations can be really difficult. Can you share some of what, how you challenge your conversations as over the last six years when those doubtful voices were louder than they are now?
Robin Jones
Hmm. It’s, it’s a practice. It is, it is hard and, and I every day I think I’m reminded that we still have a lot of work to do, right? Like I still feel like so many people, or I guess self-awareness is like one piece of it for me. It’s like when in those moments when I have those tendencies to be like, ah, that that was not the best of what I have to offer and I start to spiral into like self criticism. It just, I just create this like moment of self awareness of like, okay, I’m feeling that. Right? And I’m having that thought and then I have to like separate, right? Like my thought from like, okay, what’s reality? Right? So like, yeah, maybe that class wasn’t how I wanted it to be and I whatever, like it wasn’t perfect. And that’s okay.
And I think I just like, I allow myself to just become aware that I’m having these thoughts and it’s not that I like, it’s not an exercise really of like, okay Robin, stop thinking about that. Right? Like it really is just like, okay, how’s the thought? Like that’s fine and, but just know like that thought doesn’t define you. It doesn’t, it doesn’t define who you are. It was a passing thing. Like you, you didn’t do what you expected to do in that moment, but that moment is past, right? Like it’s over. That was a temporary thing, so like move on. I think to me that, but it’s taken a lot of work, like self discovery work for me to get to that point where I’m just like, okay, you can still have that thought. And then oftentimes I just reach out to girlfriends and be like, eh, like, like yesterday I had reached out to Brodick and Rachel, I’m just like, no, there’s just some days you’re just sick of the sound of your own voice.
Like I like taught last night and I’m just like, I am just sick of the sound of my own voice. And I, I had planned to say certain things and like for me, often if it doesn’t resonate, I won’t say it. But there’s just those moments, right? And so for me, I reached out to my friends and I’m like, Hey, this is how I was feeling. It was kind of feeling funky and you know, they, they’re just like a sounding board and they helped me realize again, like, okay, that’s fine that you feel that way, but the reality is probably it doesn’t translate that way. Or people do want to hear what you have to say and things like that. But so, so creating awareness I think was like the first part of like, I’m having these thoughts and not letting it control like my behavior.
And then also having good sounding boards, right? Like that community piece, those friends again who you can be really vulnerable and honest with and say when you have those moments and those thoughts how I’m kind of feeling kind of funky, is that real? Is that not real? Okay. And if they tell me it’s not real, I’m like, okay, I’m just going to like acknowledge that wasn’t real and then I’m going to move on. You know? So I think it’s okay to have those feelings of self doubt every so often. It just happens, I mean it’s natural, but then if you have a healthy community, healthy people around you who can be your sounding board and if you can just not beat yourself up so much about it. Right. I think that’s like, that’s the biggest, that’s the biggest thing. And then again, like what we practice, we get really good at.
So if I keep practicing that, Hey, I’m, I’m, I’m doing enough. Yeah, I’m doing fine, I’m okay. Right. Even the simplest things, like if I can keep just practicing that, then I think it like ends up being better. But it’s, it’s like we still have a lot of work to do, right? To help other people have those realizations and to help other people feel really comfortable that there isn’t this future unattainable goal and that where you are right now is okay and if you’re feeling a certain way today, it’s okay and it’s a temporary passing moment.
Stasi Kasianchuk
I love that. Those are all such great reminders. And I think, you know, the, one of the things we’re doing here at Gennev is we want to change the conversation around menopause. That it shouldn’t be this dreaded, shameful time of a woman’s life. We’re all going to go through it. Every woman does, every woman has. And that piece I think you talked about about building the community is also really supportive for women too. Even though every woman’s menopausal experience can be unique, knowing that other women are going through this or will, and having the courage perhaps to be a little vulnerable. And like you shared yesterday with, you know, your community of sharing, this is how I’m feeling right now. And then have that conversation of, well, is this, is this real and in menopause you really are probably feeling that right now. But it can pass and menopause itself is not forever. So there is that time through it, but, the power of talking about it, I think that’s what I seen so much with women is let’s just talk about what’s going on. It may not go away, but just talking about it turns down the volume. It gets it out of the head.
Robin Jones
A hundred percent and I think that that shared experience, right? It requires us to be vulnerable to have these shared experiences. But to your point, like it helps to, helps you realize that Hey, this is normal in some capacity or other people feel that so it’s okay. And that’s the biggest thing, right? We fight like this idea that we’re the only ones feeling this way. It’s like this and this notion of like lonely, like I am the only one going through this particular thing. And with menopause I can imagine, right? It’s like I’m the only one feeling these things in my body. I’m the only one experiencing these changes in my body when the reality is, it’s like, no, like a lot of a lot of women who are going through menopause probably have felt the same way, but like to your point, we don’t talk about it enough, right? Like we don’t share that enough. And so people feel like they’re alone in that experience.
Stasi Kasianchuk
And the, the loneliness ends up being more detrimental than sometimes the symptoms depending on that. Yeah. Yeah. Well, and an
We’re all looking for ways to optimize our health and especially our immunity “ things we tend to take for granted when we’re feeling good and there isn’t a pandemic going on.
The basic ways we strengthen our immune response are the same, whether we’re worried about COVID-19 or the flu or staying healthier through menopause: wash hands often, don’t touch your face, eat well, sleep well, exercise.
However, we live in world of pre-packaged food that’s high in sugar, bad fats, salt, and calories, but low in nutrients “ and it’s easy to get, doesn’t require much prep time, and let’s admit it, it tastes pretty good. That can make getting the right nutrients in the right amounts at the right times more challenging.
To help women ensure they fill nutritional gaps, Gennev Director of Health Coaching Stasi Kasianchuk and Naturopathic Physician Wendy Ellis teamed up on a webinar all about how to supplement. See the video of their conversation on YouTube.
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Of course, there’s no substitute for a healthy, balanced diet, but when that’s just not possible, supplements can help. And stay turned for Gennev’s supplement pack for women “ created by Dr. Ellis to provide nutritional support but also to help manage menopause symptoms in this challenging time of life. Coming soon!
Also, check out Dr. Ellis’ article on how to choose the right supplements, so you know what you’re getting!
TRANSCRIPT:
Stasi Kasianchuk
I am Stasi Kasianchuk. I’m a registered dietician, nutritionist, exercise physiologist, and Director of Gennev’s Health Coaching Program. And today I’m really excited to have one of our consulting physicians Dr. Wendy Ellis. She’s a naturopath and she also has her own practice in Seattle and I’m going to give her a chance to talk about her role with Gennev and a little bit more about herself. So Wendy, go ahead and introduce yourself.
Dr. Wendy Ellis
Sure, thank you. As Stasi mentioned, actually Stasi and I had the opportunity to work at another wellness company a couple of years back. So it’s really nice to be working with people who already have a shared interest. I’ve been in practice since 2002, which is a long time and really focused more on menopause starting in 2005. So I’ve taken my practice really along the way. I’ve done work in genetics and I’ve done work with other physicians, but I’m currently in my own practice primarily focusing on menopause. But it’s been really great to consult with Gennev since last summer with some of our products, which we’ll talk about that are specific for menopause.
But we’ll also soon be doing telemedicine consultations for menopausal women as well. It’s something that I feel very passionate about, especially as I approach menopause myself. But I really like menopause in practice because I feel like it’s, it really doesn’t just involve giving someone hormone replacement. It involves every aspect of their health, whether it be how well they’re sleeping or are they exercising, are they, you know, we are at increased risks for so many things just by going into menopause. And so I feel like it’s really great to hit on all the many aspects of health while helping them through menopause.
Stasi Kasianchuk
Excellent. Well, we, and I, are very glad to have you as a part of Gennev and excited about this topic today. You mentioned menopause puts women at greater risk or there are different challenges women face during menopause. And right now as we’re going, as we’re in this pandemic with COVID19, I’m getting a lot of questions from women of “What can I take? What can I do?” And I know you have a background with your medical training around supplements. So we brought you on today to really discuss the supplements. And just could you start off by talking about immune function COVID19 and how do supplements play a role here if they do? But give the audience just a basis on some of the things to be thinking about this virus and our immune system.
Dr. Wendy Ellis
Right? So if we think about the public in general, like what we’ve really noted with the data that’s been collected thus far and Coronaviruses are not a new virus, although this is a new strain of Coronavirus that’s new to all of us. And so when it comes to viruses like that, it really depends. I really liked a quote that I heard the other day that really said, we need to not so much focus on the virus so much as we need to focus on the host, which is, you know, which is us. And so whether we have a host that is a five-year-old person or an 85-year-old person, I think one of the most important things that we can do is have a, have good foundational health to be able to fight viruses off because the data there’s a study out of Italy now that suggests that 80 are actually 43% of people that are infected have no symptoms.
And so, you know, we can’t just, you know, as especially as we start to unfold our rollout of re-introduction to life, we’re going to be exposed to people and what we can do to reduce our own risk as to the most important thing. And so that’s when supplements come in.
There are certain supplements that really help improve our immune system. And I know that if we look at data about, you know, traditional studies that have looked at supplements, oftentimes supplements fail. And it’s because they’ll take someone that’s in a full-blown outbreak of something or a full-blown health condition. And just by giving them a vitamin, it’s not going to just automatically take it away because you’re looking at years and years or decades of damage. And just by taking, for example, vitamin D or a B vitamin, it’s not going to undo that damage.
But what we can do is we can prepare our bodies with supplements to improve our immune systems. So our bodies are stronger and more able to actually fight off a virus because this more, this recent virus basically starts in the nose and it basically has all of the head symptoms. So people will have headaches, congestion, sore throats, you know, sometimes they’ll have body aches. But if we can stop the replication of the virus by taking things like vitamin a and vitamin D those are the things that can actually help ramp up your immune system to fight the virus. So the counts are reduced. So it doesn’t further travel down into the body and become a more aggressive viral illness.
Stasi Kasianchuk
Got it. So it’s about supporting, again going back to that host, it’s supporting what’s already there. Not creating something new and not completely, you know, eliminating any symptoms you may have. It’s more helping your body to fight the virus that’s in there.
Dr. Wendy Ellis
Exactly. And what I think the challenge is… yes, there are some antiviral medications, but very frequently those medications have to be started at the first onset of the virus before it replicates and invades all of our cells and starts mutating. And so if we can support the body while the virus is in its lower counts by taking things like vitamin D or vitamin a or herbs and we can talk about some of the most important things that we recommend then you can basically try to keep that at Bay and help the body’s innate ability to support this sort of immune system to work for us instead of against us. Exactly. Okay. So working with what you have, I guess is the summary of that piece of it. Yeah, exactly. And you know, it’s like the virus attacks our bodies, basically, it sort of goes undetected for sometimes a week or two before our bodies are able to, before the immune system is saying, “Hey wait, there’s something here that shouldn’t be here. I’m going to mount a response against it.”
So, to try not to get too technical, we have something called cytokines. And cytokines are there: they could either be pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory. So as most of us are on this webinar, we’re sitting here in a chair and our bodies are producing more interleukin six which is an inflammatory cytokine. But if we got up and we went for a run after this, then our body is in response to exercise, produce more of the anti-inflammatory cytokines like interleukin 10 and so, you know, I think the most important thing is to support our bodies, not only with supplements but also with lifestyle factors that create more of an anti-inflammatory response with our cytokines versus further producing more of those inflammatory cytokines. So the whole idea of, you know, some of the medications that are being recommended or suggested by sort of laypeople, some of those really work to reduce that cytokine storm that they’re discussing.
And basically, you know, we can, we can work on that with basic lifestyle things. And obviously, a cytokine storm is a very dangerous thing and that happens much further on in the, in the disease state. And also the people who are more susceptible to that are people who have high blood pressure. They already have lung conditions. They have. Actually I pulled some data on that and in some of the studies that have been done, I think one-third of patients who succumb to the disease had preexisting lung disease nearly as many had type two diabetes and then at least half as many as half have high blood pressure. So, of course, those are things that happen for a long time before. And so anything we can do at present to reduce our risk of those diseases is going to help us in the long run.
Stasi Kasianchuk
I love how you made that connection. It’s not, there’s no one-stop shopping. There’s not a one fix-all for this. And so much, again goes back to how can you make yourself the healthiest environment and those lifestyle things, which we’ll definitely talk about. You know, that’s my, that’s my favorite area to get into. On how that can help. How you can decrease blood pressure or improve blood pressure markers, improve blood sugar management, and then, in turn, decreases stress on your body and can support your immune system.
Dr. Wendy Ellis
Yeah, and I think there’s a lot too. There’s a lot to be said about, you know, we’re working on things like a vaccine, right? But viruses, they mutate. So when they go into the cell, they start to replicate and they replicate at a very rapid pace. And then mistakes get made in the, in the RNA to, to would that replication. And so with this virus, it’s actually a slow, a slower mutation. So a vaccine will be helpful for us. However, I always tell patients that, you know, this year it’s the Covid-19 virus. In the next coming years, there will be other viruses that were not vaccinated against because they’re new. And so vaccines, although are very important, just like flu vaccines, can be very important. We can’t predict what viruses are going to come in the future. And so we need to prepare our bodies as best we can to help our bodies innately fight that off instead of trying to think of all the vaccinations that we could possibly need. Cause we just don’t know.
Stasi Kasianchuk
Yeah, absolutely. And what a great way just to be more proactive than reactive. So we’re setting ourselves up for success. Yep, exactly. Well, let’s start talking with some of those supplements that can help with that. I know I’ve received questions from clients just tell me what supplements to take, what should I be buying? And it looks like the supplement industry is doing very well right now. So it’s kind of interesting to see what’s marketed out there. It would love to hear how you approach this as a credentialed, experienced practitioner with training and expertise around supplements. How do you approach this with your patients and what would you recommend right now?
Dr. Wendy Ellis
Well, when this first rolled out in March in the state of Washington I put a newsletter out that really was trying to help patients know which supplements are the best for this. And this was independent of any health condition that someone might already have. And so for those of us in the Pacific Northwest, actually, you know, most of the US, we’re low in vitamin D. Most of us are low in vitamin D because we have jobs that have us working inside most of the time. And even when we’re out in the sun, I mean, in Washington, read a latitude that even when we’re out in the sun, we don’t get a whole lot of vitamin D except for a few months of the year. And so because of that, and, and even when we’re outside, we’re covering ourselves with sunscreen because we’re trying to avoid skin cancer.
So we’re basically at risk of having low vitamin D levels. And I think that people who have darker skin pigment or even at more a higher risk of having vitamin D deficiency. And then as we’re, we’re a society with a lot of obesity and obesity also decreases our vitamin D levels. We just automatically, you know, are, have reduced vitamin D and so we have a lot of risk factors that are innately built-in. So vitamin D. If there was one supplement that I would recommend taking across the board, it’s vitamin D and vitamin D is a very important antiviral. It’s anti-inflammatory. Again, vitamin D is not, you know, you can’t get a virus and just take a bunch of vitamin D and expect that it’s going to cure everything. But it’s a really important vitamin for our immune system, for mental health, for our bones.
There is just so much that vitamin D does for us. There’s a lot of information about vitamin D and cancers and how it reduces cancer risk. And again, you can’t get cancer and take a bunch of vitamin D and expect it to go away. But if you have a long history, or a longer history, of taking vitamin D that is protective for you and then the dose of how much to take. Of course, this depends on how old you are, what your skin color is, whether you are overweight, whether you’re pre- or post-menopausal. And it’s not so much, I think a lot of the data, it makes me a little crazy because it says, well, you know, it used to be 400 IUs, which was definitely not enough to get us up to a healthy blood level. So it really depends on your blood level more than it depends on the dose that you take. So when it comes to vitamins like vitamin D, it is a fat-soluble vitamin. You can take too much of it, which can be detrimental. But the sort of one of the most stringent it’s the, it used to be, let’s see. Oh my gosh, I can’t believe this is my perimenopause moment. It makes her participants feel better.
But the endocrine society used to recommend like, you know, 400 units. And then it was like, well, our vitamin D levels in the blood need to be at least at 30. But they’re safer. The upper limit is 4,000 units and that’s across the board. And so most of my patients, I do recommend that they take 4,000 units per day. And what this does is it gets the blood level up to a point where usually around 40 to 50, which is a level that is sort of going to help our immune system help our bone density, reduce association with certain cancer risks. So I’d say 2000 to 4,000 I use depending on, you know, depending on the patient, but you can test your vitamin D in the blood. It tends to be a more expensive test. Insurance companies are very stringent on what health conditions it will pay vitamin D for. And so a lot of doctors just won’t order it. So I would say that two to 4,000 units would be recommended, not only for longterm general health but also for helping avoid viruses.
Stasi Kasianchuk
Excellent. That’s a good recommendation. And gives, it gives a range for people to work with. We have a couple of questions on vitamin D. So one is that the accumulation of taking vitamin D is what matters. So should we start taking it now or for not if we leave that…
Dr. Wendy Ellis
Definitely. Absolutely. And you know, if you’re a post-menopausal female, vitamin D is one of the best things for your bone density as well. And there are pretty good studies on reducing breast cancer risk with adequate vitamin D intake. Of course, as with any health condition, it’s never just one thing. And so you always have to consider all the contributing factors that play into that.
Stasi Kasianchuk
Okay. So vitamin D is a piece of the puzzle. It’s not the be-all and end-all. Exactly. Another question here on vitamin D is, is there a supplement that you should not take with vitamin D at the same time if there are any counter counteractive effects?
Dr. Wendy Ellis
Not off the top of my head. It’s a, it’s a pretty well-known supplement that’s very safe. I do recommend women take it in the morning because it can interfere with sleep if taken at night for certain individuals.
Stasi Kasianchuk
That’s good to know. Alright, well vitamin D sounds like an important one to be starting with. And taking starting vitamin D if you aren’t looking at your dose if you are. And then considering getting your blood levels tested, if you can if that works with your physician. And once we’re able to go back to doctor’s offices and do lab tests, what else are there? Are there other vitamins, supplements, minerals, herbs that you think?
Dr. Wendy Ellis
And again, there are so many and so I chose my favorites. So the other one that I am using a lot of is vitamin C. There’s a lot of really good evidence for vitamin C as an antiviral. And so vitamin C is one of these nutrients that’s readily available. It’s easy to take if you take too much, you can get loose stools. There’s actually a website that I really encourage patients to check out. It’s the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon state university. And what I really like about it is that it’s really well-referenced and you can type in on the search at the top of the, at the top of the page and type in any nutrient and it gives you probably more than you ever wanted to know about every vitamin and mineral that we use.
And so vitamin C is, is being recommended generally below 2000 milligrams per day. They recommend that you should consult a doctor before taking any higher doses than that. Okay. There are some doctors that are using vitamin C, an IV form, for patients who are actively fighting the virus. And in IB form, you can use much higher values like 25 to 50 grams. However, most of us should be taking somewhere between 502,000 grams of vitamin C or milligrams of vitamin C per day. It’s, you know, we also have to think about all of those underlying some systems. Like we want it to be anti-inflammatory, we want it to be an antioxidant and we also want it to be antiviral. So vitamin C is another really great, really safe over the counter supplement that it’s really good at fighting viruses. There’s also a lot of research on zinc and you know, if we think about all of the things that you would take if trying to avoid a cold or flu, you know, we think vitamin C, vitamin D, we think zinc and zinc is one of those minerals that is very well-tolerated by people.
There’s one study that people developed a copper deficiency from taking too much zinc. It was actually people who were using Polident for putting their dentures in really high doses of zinc. But I’d say most multivitamins have 15 to 30 milligrams of zinc and usually they have one or two milligrams of copper. And zinc is also a very good antiviral. And then people who actually pulled some studies and it, it actually inadequate levels of zinc limited the individual’s response to fight infection. But when actually given oral supplementation in the study and actually found that it reduces the incidence of acute respiratory tract infections, of course, we’re worried about, we’re worried about lung health right now. It reduced it by 5% and it shortened the recovery. Wow. so, and again, a lot of these things I pulled from the Linus Pauling website and you can have, you can find references there. But zinc is one of those minerals that can really upset your stomach if you don’t take it with enough food. And so that is a big caveat for that is you have to take it with food.
Stasi Kasianchuk
All right. Good reminder there. And we’ll make sure to link that Linus Pauling in the followup email to all of our participants. So thank you for providing that resource.
Dr. Wendy Ellis
Yeah, it’s an excellent resource. And that’s, that’s the other thing, you have to be really careful about reading blogs and you have to know like, you know, just like we want good supplements and we can talk about how you find good supplements. You have to be really careful online. You know, what you read and where the data is coming from and you have to make sure it’s referenced. And for every study that supports something, there’s two studies that, that don’t support that. And so, fortunately, we have an epidemiologist on staff Dr. Rebecca, and so she’s really helpful in helping us determine, you know, is this a good study or is this not a good study? So that’s an important thing.
Stasi Kasianchuk
Yeah, I like that you pointed that out, that we’re here to support you. And when you’re working with your patients, I’m working with my clients. I want you to have information that’s going to help you. And that is really going to be reputable cause it can be easy to get bogged down by all the information that’s out there. And if you don’t have the background in health-related fields or the training that you and Dr. Rebecca have, you can get taken advantage of. And that’s not fair either.
Dr. Wendy Ellis
Right? Exactly. Exactly. The other supplement that I have been using not only for my family but recommending for patients is vitamin A. Vitamin A is found in fish. Which, you know, we also, we, we see Cod liver oil is generally a good way to get your vitamin an in there if you want it to also get your Omega-three fatty acids. But vitamin a is really important for the health of the nasal pharynx as well. And so the mucosal membrane actually produces retinoic acid and we know that it’s very antiviral and anti-inflammatory. You just like vitamin D, vitamin a is a fat-soluble vitamin and so you can overdose on that. So you don’t want to use high doses of that for long periods of time. There are some studies and recommendations that recommend taking like 50 to 100,000 units of vitamin a, but that’s something that a doctor should prescribe for you and something that you should be monitored for.
And the other thing is if you, obviously we’re dealing with mostly peri and post-menopausal women who are not trying for pregnancy, but vitamin A can be very dangerous and high doses for fetuses. So you want it. So generally what I recommend is 10,000 units, which is very safe across the board of vitamin a supplementation just as further immune support to, to aid in the immune system that you mentioned that we already have. We’re trying to, we’re not trying to replace something, we’re trying to give the nutrients to the body that it uses to actually improve and work our new system.
Stasi Kasianchuk
Excellent. Yeah. No, it’s such a good point of theirs. Again, balancing and that there’s not one pill that works. It’s how, how does this work in conjunction, and what is it looking to support? Exactly. Exactly. What question I get with my clients is, Oh, well especially with vitamin C actually, well if, if a thousand milligrams is good, then why do I stop at 2000? I was, should I take more? Is it okay to take 5,000? I hear it’s water-soluble. I’ll just pee it out. With the things you’ve mentioned with each of them, I heard vitamin C and the zinc and vitamin A more does not necessarily equate to better. Exactly. Is there a parameter or risk, an awareness that people should be?
Dr. Wendy Ellis
Yeah. And, and, and the thing is, if it’s water-soluble, you’ve urinated out with magnesium or vitamin C, it can give you very loose stools. And so obviously that’s a negative side effect. But some vitamins like vitamin a can be toxic to the liver if you take too much. And so we worry about toxicity and clinical studies actually, you know, there’s, there’s a threshold to when things are helpful. And so, you know, there’s a lot of research that hasn’t been done on supplements. And so, you know, it’s, if you, if you go to any major medical journal and you try to look up studies on nutrients, a lot of the studies will say, well, it’s thought to do this, but we’re really not sure. It’s the same with pharmaceuticals. And so if we look at what we typically take in a diet, supplements are above and beyond that, but we want to make sure that we’re not taking something that’s going to damage our kidneys or our liver or create a nutrient deficiency, like the zinc thing. If you take too much, think you can deplete copper. And so too much of one thing can absolutely create tissue damage but also create other nutrient deficiencies.
Stasi Kasianchuk
Okay, good to keep in mind that more is not always better and there’s a reason for those limitations. And then also from a cost standpoint, you don’t want to be taking more than you need, that’s going to cost more money and you’re going to run out of those supplements.
Dr. Wendy Ellis
Exactly. And I will say that I spend a lot of time talking people off supplements because we read things and we want to avoid Alzheimer’s or we want to avoid all these things. And so people take them presumptively, but your kidneys have to process those, your liver has to process those. And so I actually have seen liver enzymes or kidney issues secondary to people taking too many supplements. Yeah, that’s it.
Stasi Kasianchuk
Great reminder. About some of those risks there. Are there any, if anything else that you would recommend, are those the three main favorites right now?
Dr. Wendy Ellis
Yeah, so there was some press about melatonin. And so I felt like I needed to bring up melatonin cause I thought someone would ask that. And melatonin is obviously what our bodies produce to help us sleep. And so our bodies are triggered to make melatonin when our rooms are dark. And so if you’ve gone through any of the, of the genetic programs especially the ones pertaining to sleep, we talk about melatonin, we talk about sleep habits and having lights off in your room and trying to go, go to bed, you know, when it’s nighttime and wake up in the morning and get as much daylight as we can. And so melatonin is something that I think we’re lacking because we’re living in a society where our rooms are often not that dark and people are sleeping less or they’re not sleeping enough because they’re having hot flashes.
And so they’re, the reason why sleep is beneficial to us is that it restores a lot of things, but we’re making a lot of melatonin that’s helping us sleep. But that melatonin is actually acting as an antiviral as well. So I pulled some data on this because it’s kind of new to me as something that you would use to actually reduce your viral risk. And actually it’s been shown to decrease some of the inflammatory markers that are, have been associated. So interleukin six is one of those cytokines that actually tends to be high and people who have coven and melatonin have been shown to reduce that. It also has been shown to reduce the reactive protein and also tumor necrosis factor, which is another inflammatory marker. So the studies have shown that at six milligrams this actually improved outcomes in people who are suffering from severe multiple sclerosis.
This was something that was 25 milligrams of melatonin. Okay. But also it’s been shown to lower blood pressure. It reduces proinflammatory cytokines. And actually there’s some research about whether it may help blood pressure, but again, too much, it’s not good. And so melatonin has some anticancer properties and so I’ll have, yesterday I had a patient who was self-diagnosing herself and was taking 60 milligrams and our bodies make about 0.3 to 0.8 milligrams when we’re sleeping. And so my tendency is to get that naturally through actually going to bed in a darkened room instead of taking melatonin. If you do take melatonin, it’s recommended to take three milligrams or less. Okay. Yeah. So that’s another one. That has gotten a lot of press. Well thanks for clarifying that. And again, going back to the more may not be better working with what your body has first and then you know, there’s the whole, there’s a lot of antiviral herbs.
And the thing about herbs is that we just haven’t done enough study about them to know what the safe profiles, safety profiles are. So if you go onto the generic website and you look at some of the herbs that we use for hot flashes, we really include the safety parameters. And any drug, drug, drug, herb interactions. Because I think a lot of herbs, we just don’t fully understand the mechanism of action and we don’t know how they interact with other medications. And we’re not sure if we’re taking a good formula though. A lot of herbs come from overseas and the FDA doesn’t regulate supplements. And so it’s, you don’t know whether you’re taking something that has been grown in pesticide, you don’t know whether it’s actually just cellulose in the capsule. A lot of people take [inaudible] other herbs because they have a high potency of berberine, which is you know, we, it’s almost like an antibiotic herb.
And so if we think about immune health and we think about antibiotics, like 90% of our immune systems and the GI tract. And so if you take an antibiotic and you basically decimate your microbiome temporarily, then your immune system is affected because of that. So if you take berberine long term to treat or prevent a virus, then you could be doing damage on the other side, with decreasing urinate and the other day by affecting the microbiome back to that balancing act. So I think the earth question is a really individual one and a hard one. And I think it needs to be discussed with your doctor because of all the potential side effects. Okay. Good reminder there. So the other thing is that certain health conditions or diseases or just living in this environment with depleted soil that we, we tend to have certain nutrient deficiencies as menopausal women not only because of life but also because of certain things that are increased over time secondary to, you know, just the aging female body.
And so some of those nutrients we’ve put together a vitality pack for women which is not a multivitamin. And I think it’s really important to stress that it’s not a multivitamin. It’s really more of a vitamin specific for the clinical nutrient deficiencies that have been noted in women who are approaching or in menopause. So it’s generally, it’s, it’s something that I created because I just kept supplementing th
Midlife and (peri)menopause can shake our confidence: belly fat in our body, the fear of bursting into tears or rage, unpredictable cycles, and the list goes on.
It really doesn’t have to be that way.
Amy Schmidt of Fearlessly Facing Fifty says we all have a kernel of confidence within us, and if we can tap into it and match it with our new creativity, power, independence, and hard-earned experience, we are genuinely a force to be reckoned with.
Listen to her conversation with Gennev CEO Jill Angelo for information and inspiration.
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Have you experienced a resurgence of confidence and creativity, or are you still waiting for that fire to ignite? We’d love to hear how you’re taking advantage of this very productive time of life or what you need to get going. Join the conversation on Gennev’s community forums.
TRANSCRIPT:
Jill Angelo
We are live welcome to the generic weekly webinars series. I love this time because it’s when we get to get out of our own homes, if you will, and businesses to talk about what other people are doing in, you know, women’s health and in menopause and in the second half of life for women. And today I’m, I’m just really honored to have Amy Schmidt of Fearlessly Facing Fifty with us. So welcome Amy.
Amy Schmidt
Oh, thanks so much Jill. I know it’s a mouthful, isn’t it? I had to run through that several times when I, when I started, when it got the name Fearlessly Facing Fifty. That’s a lot of F’s.
Jill Angelo
My first question and even before you introduce yourself, Where did Fearlessly Facing Fifty come from?
Amy Schmidt
Well, you know what? It came because all of this really happened about six or seven months before I turned 50. So the fearless part was a word that I love because I look as fear at fearless, as being brave and so fearlessly facing being brave, facing 50. Because you know, it’s, it’s a big number. It’s, you know, it’s, it’s out there. I mean, I’m 50 and I can remember my mom turning 50 and sitting there and thinking, looking at her when I was about 12 and thinking that’s an old mom, you know, she’s getting ready for a birthday party and here I am 50. So I think the Fearlessly Facing Fifty part for me is really my story. I just decided that I had been, as you’ll probably hear along this interview on a journey like most women and just have decided I’m going all in. It’s, you know, if not now, when, why not be fearless?
Jill Angelo
That’s great. Well, let’s back up then as we, you marched up to 50, like tell us introduce yourself first of all and just explain what you do.
Amy Schmidt
Yeah. Okay, great question. You know what? I think I’m like many women. We kind of mastered the art of reinvention. I think that’s really what we do. So over the course of the last 27 years, I’ve been married and married my college sweetheart. I have raised three children. My, our youngest is 16, so we still have one in the house, but two are basically grown and flown. One is a young adult working in New York city. The other one is a sophomore in college. You know, when I look back and I think 27 years ago where I was, I was in news broadcasting and journalism. That was my passion, writing, storytelling, broadcasting, and then has the trajectory of my husband’s career started to take off. And I think this is synonymous with a lot of women that were born in the late sixties, early seventies.
A lot of us kind of said, okay, we made the choice too, I stayed home and started following this trajectory of, of Tim’s career. So in 1997, I stepped away from after broadcasting going into corporate America and had my daughter. And from there, you know, art of reinvention, you just pick up, we moved a lot of times because Tim’s trajectory was about every two to three years we were moving. So 11 moves, one abroad for six years, three kids later involved in everything under the sun. Like a lot of women, you know, they immersed themselves in their community. I continued to write I sat on boards, I did all of the stuff that I was doing and enjoying it, but then all of a sudden we moved back to the United States. I had lost my parents gone through some health issues myself and said, you know what, I gotta start doing some stuff for me. And so it was a little bit of a pivot and I just decided it’s my time and I have a voice and I’m very passionate about, as you’ll hear about women and empowering and encouraging women just to put the fear aside and just to forge ahead. So that’s kind of, you know, from broadcasting to writing to community involvement to mom, daughter, wife, all of those things, you know, that’s pretty much my story.
Jill Angelo
It’s a lot of, a lot of roles to fill and and a lot of women are doing the same thing, you know, they’re, they’re doing it all. One thing I wanted to ask you when you, when you knew it was time to start doing something for you, was it a moment? Did it, was it over time and you were just like in this uncomfortable place and all of a sudden you’re like, I got to do something for me or talk us through what that felt like and how did you know?
Amy Schmidt
Ah, that’s a great question. You know, I think it’s through this, this part of life for women. You know, you look at this journey and all of a sudden you get to this point and you’re a wife and a mother and a daughter and a sister. But where did Amy go? And I think it really hit me one time when my husband was getting ready for work and the kids, I’m getting ready to get him off to school and he yells to me and he says, Hey Amy, Hey mom, would you grab the dry cleaning? You know, on the way home, no problem. Of course I’ll drive. Yeah, we’ll get the dry cleaning, but I’m not your mom. I’m Amy. And you have those moments. And you kind of just continue to forge ahead and think. But it was a little bit of a stop me in my tracks moment because I thought, where did Amy go?
You know, you lose your identity. So for me I had lost my parents when we lived in Germany, which was a big part of it is a big part of my story and it’s in my book lost both of them and I wasn’t able to make it back in time to see either of them, which is, is really at this age when we’re dealing with aging parents and caregiving and things like that. And I was a country away. I was in Germany. That was a challenge for me when we got back to the U S I had some issues with just anxiety, which was a lot menopause based, perimenopause based, all of those things kind of culminating. But yet I was having all of these conversations with my friends and we’re all talking about the same things, hot flashes sleepless nights, anxiety, all these things. And I’m thinking, you know what, there needs to be a voice out there advocating and opening the dialogue for women. That was my moment when I said I’m going to do this. I’m passionate about it. My network is broad. I have the wonderful friends and community all over the country and world. So why not start sharing this and inspire each other to start talking about things that otherwise we kind of just push to the side.
Jill Angelo
You know, I think that’s so inspiring because to think that, okay, what I’m experiencing might be something that other women are experiencing. It’s our native. We naturally think we’re the only one or we’re going crazy or what’s wrong with me. And instead you took that and flipped it and you said, I hate, I bet there’s other women that are going through this. Talk us through a little bit how I think that’s brave and bold and thank you. You know, cause you’re, you’re touching women. You like, you’re reaching them. Talk a little bit about. The notion of fear because it’s in, it’s in your, your title of Fearlessly Facing Fifty. Talk A little bit about that because I think fear is something we don’t, we don’t want to talk about it. It makes us appear vulnerable.
Amy Schmidt
Exactly. And I think we do all have fears. I mean, we do, we all have them. And at this age we start fearing things about our health. We start fearing things about our parents falling or not taking medicine or fearing about relationships that are changing and should we have done something different. So fear is a part of everything. And I think that what we need to do as women and what I really love is that we’ve all got this confidence that’s just kind of hidden under these layers because we’ve been doing so many things and so many experiences and we just keep it all going. That’s just what women do. We mastered the art of reinvention and multitasking. And so, you know, you just have to overcome your fear by honoring your confidence and finding that again, finding that voice and realizing that this beautiful piece of art that you’ve created, this masterpiece of all of these things along your journey all fit together and you have an incredible story to share.
And I think that’s where women get stopped because they think, Oh, I wish I looked like I did 20 years ago. Wow, I wish I still had that. You know, that heart of flutter with my husband that I don’t have as much anymore because everything’s changed. Or I wish I could still ski the black diamonds without wearing that. I’m gonna need a knee replacement or something because you know, that’s where we are. We have those fears, but we can’t allow them to stop us. We just have to continue to make a plan to forge ahead. And I think women just need to switch that lens a little bit instead of looking back with that Norman Rockwell-ish, you know, memories of things in the past and the kids with the sweaters that matched and everything else is to shift that to living in looking forward and all that you can accomplish and do, whether it’s enrolling back in school, if you haven’t finished.
I’ve met some incredible women that have just taken on these journeys, these new leaps of faith and said, you know what, just going to do it. Volunteer for an organization, write a book, you know, start a podcast. All of those things you can do. So that’s kind of where, where it all comes from. So it’s everybody’s fearful of things and we are, we have a tendency to do that to ourselves. You know, we, we get so fearful of not having it perfect or waiting for everything to be perfect, that know we just can’t do that. We just can’t wait. We just got to jump in. And like my book is called Cannonball and I’m a big believer in just cannon balling off and making this huge splash. That’s what we have to do.
Jill Angelo
Well let’s, let’s talk about that because you started when you, when you decided, Hey, I’m going to bring my story to life. I’m going to start reaching other women and building this community of, of women like me. You started with a podcast and, and your, your community and your following has grown. And so there’s a hunger for the message that you’re bringing and it’s, it’s culminated very soon in, in your first book that you’re publishing. And so I want to talk about Cannonball. I love the title, but you know, it’s my favorite swimming move. But you know what, talk about where you started and why podcasting. Cause you obviously leaned into your publishing or your media background or your news caster background.
Amy Schmidt
It did. And I do look at that as all little pieces of the puzzle. For me, it’s all allowed me to have more confidence in doing this. So, you know, six months before I turned 50, I said, you know what, I’m having these conversations. Like I said with women, we’re all sharing this common thread. Just now need to start talking about this stuff. We need to start talking about menopause. I never talked about it with my mom. You know, we never had those conversations. And so I put in a local Facebook community group. I said, you know what? Anybody know how to start a podcast because I really had no idea. Was it a button on your computer? You know, who knows? I wasn’t even really an avid podcast listener at that point. And this wasn’t that long ago. And podcasts have been around forever.
And so a really nice young guy, I could be, his mom came over and sat down with me in my office and said, okay, Mrs. Schmidt, tell me what you want to do. And I said, well, first of all, you can call me Amy and next, you know what? I want you to show me what I need to get, but I want to do it. I want to be this, this, embrace, this lifetime learning, which I think we need to do as women. I want to do it soup to nuts, show me what to do. So we added things to my Amazon cart. I became an Amazon affiliate. He set me up to do that too. I had no idea. And you know, many trips to Google, to the genius, I mean to the genius bar at Apple and you know, they’d be like, Hey Amy, what are you working on now putting together this podcast?
And so for me, the interview part of the podcast is very easy because that’s just part of kind of my wiring. I think I’m a conversationalist by nature, so that’s very easy. But you know, the technical part of it, editing and producing and all of that, it’s all self taught. I mean, I learned it. This young guy came in and kind of helped me set some things up, but I do it all soup to nuts. So it just shows that you don’t have to be technologically crazy savvy to start something like this. And so I pride myself in that part of my story because it wasn’t perfect. It still isn’t perfect. And I can still remember that day when I pushed the record button and just went for it. Took a deep breath and just said, I’m just going for it. And with that, it’s just been incredible. And I think I’m a true Testament to the message that needs to get out there to women. Women thrive on community, they thrive on connection and conversation. And in this podcast is just, I love to share these stories. So these incredible women doing amazing things like yourself, just incredible. You know, it makes you path your, your cross paths just cross with such inspiring women. You just want to keep going. You just crave it.
Jill Angelo
It feeds you. It’s feeds you. to pause for one second for if anyone’s just tuning in. We’re live on Facebook and we’re also, I’m obviously recording the webinar through zoom. This is the Gennev weekly webinars series. But this is a special edition one. We had an opportunity to bring Amy Schmidt of fearlessly facing 50 on with us today. She’s got a new book coming out that we’re going to talk about next. But I just wanted to preface Gennv weekly podcast. I’m Jill Angelo, I’m the CEO and founder of Gennev. And again, I’m thrilled to have Amy here.
Talking a little bit about your podcast and bringing stories to light and it fulfilling you. How do you pick the women that you talk to on your podcast? And what do you hope their stories bring to your listeners?
Amy Schmidt
Mm, I love that. You know, and at first it was really just utilizing my network and I think that’s something that women sometimes stand back and say, I mean, I talk to women all the time and they say, Oh, Hey, I don’t, I don’t have a network. I’m not a business person. I don’t have a network. You do have a network. And I think my first guests were people that have been a part of my life inspired me in different ways along my journey. And so I said, Hey, would you be a guest from there is kind of culminated into culminated into women reaching out to me and saying, Hey, I have an incredible story. I would love to share it. You know, in my podcast is kind of a three pronged approach. So I share these inspiring stories of women doing crazy cool things.
And then I have experts that come on and talk about top of mind topics like menopause, women’s health, anything, aging parents. And then I have celebrities as well that come on and share their journey, which is just incredible. But you know, the women, my whole objective with my podcast and when I sign off every time I just take a deep breath and say, I hope that inspired somebody to take action because that’s what it’s about. If something in there resonated and I just, I get so much, it just feeds me in such a way. And I learned so much from each podcast, had a wonderful guest on one of my first podcasts. A young woman who is now probably 51, and her son at 17 had a massive stroke and ended up being in a state of Lockton syndrome, which means he can only move his eyes.
He cannot walk, he cannot talk. He was in division one, signed a university of Fort Mercer college to play division one lacrosse. And here’s a woman who I know through another friend. So utilizing my network and I reached out to her and you can just hear in the podcast, sharing her story. One was so brave, but it also touched the heart of so many people listening. She got reach-outs from women all around the world that said, wow, I’m a caregiver for my child, or I’m 50 and going through this. And that’s, that’s the power of the podcast for me, you know, and that’s really how I find my stories. I do a lot of research of course, but there’s just so many women that have incredible journeys to share. Hmm.
Jill Angelo
That’s it’s amazing, you know. And even that she would come and share that.
I’m sure in a way for her, it’s part of the healing process too, right? We’ve got a talk. Yeah. What, you know, as you, as you you’ve been doing Fearlessly Facing Fifty podcast series for how long now?
Amy Schmidt
I started in October was my first podcast. I really launched Fearlessly Facing Fifty in my company back in, I guess it was about June, June or July. But the podcast button actually was like mid to late October, so yeah. Pretty cool.
Jill Angelo
That’s amazing. And through that, you have been on this journey of creating a book, Cannonball. Tell us a little bit about the book, first of all it’s coming out very soon. Talk a little bit about the book and then let’s, then I want to know what was your journey? When did you say I need to start writing this down or capturing it and, and we need to publish this.
Amy Schmidt
Yeah. Okay. Well, Cannonball is, is, I love the title too. And, and my publisher in New York City, we’ve had to do everything by zoom now, which has been for our first book has been challenging but so much fun. I was a competitive swimmer all my life. I was, that was my identity swimming up and down and following a black line from, you know, early six year old. I think I won the cutest swimsuit in the sixth and under all the way through college. That was me searching for validation and a lot of ways which I’ve uncovered through writing this book, but to Cannonball for me is a visual. And when I talk to women, I have them just take a deep breath and close their eyes and I say, okay, I want you to picture two diving boards, one low board and one high board.
And standing on the low diving board is a woman in her early thirties. Pretty well put together, has a tattoo on her wrist that she doesn’t remember where she got it cause it was a fun girl’s weekend and she’s got little kids and she’s in a bikini and she’s to go to the end of the diving board. But she just can’t quite get there. She just, she’s worried that like keep saying, come on, come on, just go. And she just can’t go. She’s nervous. And then you kind of look at this high dive, which, you know, back in the day there used to be high dives. Now I don’t think they have many more because of insurance, but the high dive, I pictured myself climbing all the way up to the top, not stopping, not skipping a rung, just going all the way to the top and just running and Cannon balling off.
And it’s not going to be pretty, you know, I say in the book, it’s probably going to, you’re going to start ugly. It’s going to be uncomfortable. You might need a you know, some type of chiropractor appointment afterwards, but you’re going to cannonball off and make this huge splash and everybody’s going to be looking at you and it doesn’t matter because you have that confidence. So Cannonball for me is my story compiled combined with women stories, inspiring stories that I have run across in my journey and share them as well. And then at the end of each chapter are strategies and reflections that you can apply to your life so that you can find that confidence to just cannonball off and just, you know, go forward.
Jill Angelo
I love that. And before we start taking some questions, when is the book expected to come out?
Amy Schmidt
May 19th is what we’re shooting for. Yeah, the interior design is going right now and it’ll be available on Amazon. It’ll be available in bookstores too, but Amazon will be the way to get it now. So and I think we’re going to give away a copy on a this, which would be great.
Jill Angelo
And we’ll, and we grabbed, I think, one of the exercises that you’ve got in the book. So we’re going to talk about that a little bit later, but just did it from your Instagram feed. So well, good. Well first of all, I want to invite people to ask questions. We will make this a fluid conversation. I know I’ve kind of been drilling Amy with my questions, but from time to time we’ll certainly take your questions. So please via the chat or via hand raise, you can submit questions either way.
We do have a question that I’d like to take now from Debbie and Amy, This is for you Conducting a job search over 50 can be so competence defeating as age discrimination is a real thing. What are some competence builders you would recommend for the well-seasoned job seeker?
Amy Schmidt
That’s a great question and I would love for this person to reach out to the podcast and go ahead and search Fearlessly Facing Fifty podcasts because two weeks ago I had on Lori Knutson, who talked about this very thing and it’s a two part series. The first part dropped. And it’s all about finding that confidence and selling yourself in your resume and building your resume. And I think one of the pearls that that I’ve learned from this and you know, reapplying in the job force and things is that women, we second guess ourselves right off the bat, you know, we look at the job qualifications and we say, Ooh, I can do that. Not that, Oh shoot. Nope. And then they just say, I’m not going to submit my resume. I’m just not even going to do it.
So I always say in my book, I said something about your finger hovers over the send button cause you just, just don’t think you’ve reached all those qualifications. Whereas men will look at it and even if they don’t have the qualifications, they submit it, you know? So it’s, it’s that difference. So I just encourage you to put together your story of all that you’ve accomplished and what you’ve done and, and you know, and then talk to somebody like Lori who’s a career specialist that can kind of put that in a way in your resume because resumes are different now as we get older. There’s certain things that you do put on there and there’s certain things you don’t and then just go for it. You know, what’s the worst case scenario is kind of how I go through life. What’s the worst case scenario you learn from the experience. Even if you don’t get the interview or the job, you’ve still, you’ve still accomplished so much just in pushing send.
Jill Angelo
Yeah. You know, and I think even to add on to that is stay authentic to who you are. If you’re worried about appearing old, you know, lean into that wisdom. You have experience that a younger 30 something or 20 something won’t have. I was on a just a happy hour webinar with another community the other day and, and they, one individual in particular was talking, he was he was in his, in his late fifties. He had worked at Airbnb and he said, all my colleagues, in fact, my boss was not even 30. And he said, you know, I said to my boss one day, or my manager, like, I’m, I, I’m not contributing in the same way. And the younger individual, which I thought was kind of insightful for a 20, something kind of said, you know, I hired you for your wisdom, not, you know, your tech or digital savvy or your startup savvy. I hired you for your wisdom.
And I think too often we undermine the wisdom that we carry. And I think to even see it, like you said, you know, even consulting with Laurie or even with a man that you might trust, if you articulated your accomplishments, you know, to a guy, I bet they could pitch it in such a way that you’d be like, Whoa, I’m all that, you know. So like, right. Just to add to your comments I think there’s, we undersell wisdom and use somebody else to, to help kind of pitch that back to you.
Amy Schmidt
Yes. Use your resources. I agree a hundred percent.
Jill Angelo
Do you, Amy in, you know, the conversations that you go through, like, do you see trends. Like is it a lot of looking for jobs? Is it restarting careers? Is it dealing with anxiety? Is it dealing with divorce? Like are there certain amongst your community that you see time and again, or is it, is it a huge diverse kind of set of challenges and opportunities?
Amy Schmidt
Great question. You know, it’s a lot of what you said. It’s a lot of reentering the workforce, but it’s also, I recently had a round table with a group of women that have been with the same company for 25 and 30 years and you know, they’re worried that all of a sudden they’re going to go in and they’re being downsized or you get those words, I’m sorry you’re not, you know, you’re not, you’re not going to be in this position anymore. We can offer you this, but you know, it’s, it’s, it’s that whole shift. So I see a lot around career, a lot around fear of getting back out in the career and feeling outdated around technology. I see that a lot. There’s a trend around women thinking, Oh, I don’t know about social media. It makes me too nervous, but yet then we become antisocial and we actually need that connection.
So some things around technology, a lot around relationships whether it be with your spouse or partner, whether it be with your adult children, your parents. I see a lot around relationship changes and just embracing those changes and realizing that it’s all very normal. And silver divorces, that’s something we have coming up on our show notes. It’s very common. We have a lot of health issues. We have a lot of menopausal issues, a lot of questions about hormones and you know, all those types of things that we deal with as women. So it’s very multifaceted and I think that’s why the conversations around midlife and beyond are so important because they are so multifaceted. They really are. It’s driven by so many different things.
Jill Angelo
Yeah. Yeah. You know, I think this next question, we just got another one in. Kind of takes us back to the title of this webinar around creativity and confidence and menopause and during this kind of menopause time of life and this individual, Jennifer says, Amy, how do you think we could use this COVID situation to help grow our confidence and creativity?
Amy Schmidt
Hmm. Wow, Jennifer, that is a great question. I think it’s searching within yourself and I think, you know, women tend to kind of put themselves on the back burner and now with this COVID situation you might be navigating completely differently with a house full of adult kids again like I have. And then there’s that whole new level of stress and sometimes you tend to put yourself on the back burner.
So I think making yourself a priority again is really what we can do at this time. Use this time to, you know, use the time because I am looking at this as a bit of a gift of time that we never have. And when we fast forward six months, we’re going to crave this time when we’re back to our originally scheduled programming. So use this time to kind of turn that lens inward and say, what is it Jennifer, that I really want to do? Where can I really add value? And then take those steps on that journey. You know, it’s something, it’s a, it can be a real time for self discovery.
Jill Angelo
That’s great. I even saw a post yesterday around what things, we don’t want to go back to normal. And I, I thought that was kind of an interesting way to think about how can you use what’s happening that you actually like right now to become your new normal, you know, coming through this scenario.
Amy Schmidt
Yeah, that’s, that’s a really interesting thing because, you know, when do you ever have dinners with your kids and your family all sitting around the table? I mean, those are things that we will crave at times. So just take each day and look at it as a new opportunity.
Jill Angelo
Do you think that as you crossed that 50 year old threshold, your obviously your confidence, you’ve talked about the bravery and the confidence that you’ve had to just like hit that button for the first podcast or what just do it. But creativity, have you felt that it’s gone up or changed as the older you get?
Amy Schmidt
Yeah, I think so. You take more risks around it, you know, because you know there’s always going to be judgers. So it doesn’t matter. Even with writing my book, I mean I have started this book, Jill, I can’t tell you how many times. I mean I really have, I’ve started and stopped it because of fear getting in the way of me not being confident with thinking people were going to read it or thinking it was going to add value. So my creativity is, has really, really grown and I’m wanting to learn different things. Like I really am embracing this lifetime learning. Maybe because I have a little bit more time. My kids are older, I have a little bit more time. I have a great relationship with my spouse who’s able to say, you know, what? Pursue that honey, pursue that passion. So I feel very lucky that way, but I do feel like, yeah, it just, it is a time to be creative and really reflect inward and find out where your gifts are because everybody has them.
Jill Angelo
How how about for the woman who feels like she doesn’t have as much time? Are there suggestions you have for allowing your inner creative to come out or to explore or seek that out?
Amy Schmidt
Yeah, I think it’s just really taking that time again to really self reflect and find where your passions are, whether it’s enrolling in a class, you know, maybe you’ve always wanted to take that art class. I mean, I talked to so many women and that is a common thread. I’ve always wanted to take a watercolor class or I’ve always wanted to learn how to take, you know, wonderful photographs, all of those things. So you have to just, even if you’re busy, take that time, make it a priority and put it on your list of things you want to accomplish. You don’t have to have a massive, huge list, have one thing and set three little goals to get there every day and then you’ll accomplish it. You know, I think there’s a lot of ways we can do that.
Jill Angelo
Yeah. Yeah. One thing that we saw you posted I think in, it’s, it’s called “Reflections on acceptin