Once considered a taboo subject, whispered about behind closed doors, menopause is now sparking powerful conversations – and one Victoria woman is hoping to turn up the volume on the discussion.
Having already “conquered” menopause, Kelly Coulter has launched a new video podcast ‘Meant to Pause’, sharing her journey alongside a number of guests, from health experts through to former B.C. Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau.
Funded by Telus Storyhive, the eight-episode series explores the topic of menopause, while sharing experiences and wisdom, to create a positive message about women’s post-reproductive years.
“It's different for every woman, which is something that I really want to hit home,” says Coulter.
While the podcast is intended for anyone wanting more information, Coulter hopes the series will especially help prepare young women, as “knowledge is power,” something she found lacking in her own experience.
“Especially women from my generation, I'm 62 now, when we were going through menopause, nobody was talking about it,” she says. “Mine was 10 years, I’ve heard of women going through menopause for longer than that, so women are a little nervous about it, because they only typically heard bad things.”
Coulter also hopes women experiencing menopause will be able to find reassurance and comfort about the symptoms they are experiencing, including ‘brain fog’, which can leave some people struggling with their memory.
“Do I have dementia? Or am I going into Alzheimer’s?” Coulter says, highlighting concerns women might have. “This [podcast] is a place to go to for them to understand their experience, so they don’t feel so alone, because it's scary too.”
For women in post-menopause, the podcast is a tool for empowerment, says Coulter.
“I want them to really seize that power, and see this as a positive," she says. "For women, more so than men, we are under a lot of pressure not to age ... and I want women to look forward to this part of their life."
During the ‘Meant to Pause’ series, Coulter and her guests challenge society’s attitude to menopause, asking if it could be the “ultimate blessing/liberation women are rewarded with in their life journey.”
In the first episode, Coulter’s first guest, Lisbee Ray, a reproductive health educator, leans towards her menopause experience as a blessing, helping “rid her” of hormonal issues causing her migraines.
“When the hormones stop, you become quite changed,” says Coulter. “When you're in your reproductive years, you're going through a hormonal journey every month … and so that's the blessing part, because it ends, that monthly hormonal journey is no longer a part of your life.
“For some women, it's a really big deal; for other women, it's less so. But I would say on average, once women recognize how much their hormones affect their daily life, it's quite something. I think we underrate it.”
Episodes of ‘Meant to Pause’ drop online weekly, with all eight episodes available from May 20. And Coulter already has her fingers crossed for a second season, with a number of ideas already floating around.
“I pitched an episode … that will probably talk about how we can better prepare the partners, typically men,” she says. “I would love to just continue doing the podcast as more information comes to light, because I honestly feel like we're in the very early days of understanding the possibilities of our post-menopausal journey.
"Honestly, we could talk about this like, ad nauseam."
To watch Coulter's video podcast 'Meant to Pause', visit the Telus Storyhive YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@storyhive.
