Episode 4 – Is It Perimenopause… or Do I Just Hate Everyone?

In this episode of Fannying Around, we chat with Katie — global events boss, mum of three, and a woman juggling a big career, teenagers, school runs and the creeping suspicion that something hormonal might be going on.

Katie is almost 42 and loving life… most of the time. But like many women entering perimenopause, she’s started noticing some strange shifts. One minute everything feels overwhelming and everyone is annoying. The next minute she’s fine again. Sound familiar?

We talk about the slow creep of perimenopause symptoms, mood swings, intrusive thoughts, anxiety, and why so many women don’t recognise what’s happening until they’re already deep in it.

Katie shares how she’s approaching midlife with a positive mindset, from taking small “micro moments” for herself (sometimes hiding in the car for five minutes of peace) to learning how to say no without guilt.

Along the way we also discuss:

• Why perimenopause often starts earlier than we think
• How symptoms can creep in quietly
• Why women are often misdiagnosed with anxiety or depression
• The importance of understanding your hormones
• Practical ways to look after your body and mind during midlife

This is an honest, funny and reassuring conversation about navigating perimenopause while still living a very full life.

Because menopause isn’t the end of anything — it’s just another chapter.

And sometimes… yes… it might explain why everyone is suddenly so annoying!

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

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Rachel was the woman who didn’t have time for menopause.

International marketing director, travelling the world, running a side hustle, and somehow still finding time to compete in ballroom dancing. Life was busy, exciting and very full.

So when the early signs of menopause crept in, Rachel did what many high-achieving women do — she powered through it.

She was wary of HRT, decided to go the “natural” route, and told herself she’d just get on with it.

Then life changed overnight.

Rachel suddenly lost her father, and grief collided with everything else already going on in her body. Headaches worsened, weight crept on, confidence dipped, and the energy she once had, both for work and the dance floor started to disappear.

The turning point didn’t come from a doctor. It came from a coffee with a friend who gently told her something she hadn’t quite admitted to herself yet:

“You’re not yourself anymore.”

In this episode Rachel talks honestly about career pressure, grief, weight gain, body confidence and the strange moment when the life you’ve carefully built suddenly feels harder to navigate.

And we also tackle a question many women quietly wonder about…

When does menopause actually end?

(Spoiler alert: it doesn’t exactly work like that.)

A candid conversation about pushing through, asking for help, and rediscovering confidence when your body and life, change at the same time.

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Horrendous hormonal headaches everyday since her 20s. Doctors. neurologists and rheumatologists… Finally a gynaecologist.

Lisa’s story is what happens when you go in search of HRT….and get a stage 3 cancer diagnosis.

Fu*k a 🦆

Lisa’s story is one of clarity and courage and what happens when you don’t take any shit, arm yourself with the right info and ruddy well hope for the best! 🤞🏻

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Our very first episode! This week we’re fannying around with Taz, whose story doesn’t begin with menopause… it begins with puberty.

From the very start, Taz felt like something wasn’t quite right. What followed was years of hormone sensitivity, misdiagnosed mental health struggles, PMDD, fertility challenges, and a long, complicated journey with HRT that ultimately led to her making the huge decision to have a hysterectomy in her late 30s.

"I always thought I was just a bit bonkers!"

It’s funny in places, brutal in others, and painfully relatable for anyone who’s ever felt dismissed, misunderstood, or like they were “just downright crackers!”.

We talk libido, diagnosis, treatment roulette, radical decisions, and what happens when you finally say: enough.

Let's Fanny Around with Taz then!

Fanny Around with us! We'd love to hear your story