Whether you're in perimenopause, menopause, or postmenopause—or supporting someone who is—this episode is full of gentle truths and nourishing permission to live this season with intention, softness, and spaciousness.

Dr. Susan Baumgaertel is a profoundly thoughtful and creative physician who passionately reframes menopause around nourishment, pleasure, and presence at its center. With decades of experience in internal medicine and a unique blend of architectural and artistic insight, Susan offers a menu of supportive, holistic, and empowering approaches for midlife and beyond.

Susan shares her own personal and professional pivots, the birth of her book The Menopause Menu, and how she is using her voice and wisdom to help women navigate midlife on their own terms—without overwhelm, shame, or shoulds.

Pearls of Wisdom:

• Menopause can be a time of pleasure, choice, and curiosity—not just a list of things to fix. Think of it as a nourishing multi-course menu, not a checklist.

• Small, thoughtful shifts what Susan calls “micro-pivots” and can lead to meaningful transformation. You don’t have to throw it all out to create a new path.

• Rather than immediately reaching for a solution, take time to pause, reflect, and listen to your body. Sustainable nourishment comes from alignment, not urgency.

• Food, body image, and health can all be approached with compassion and joy. Sugar can be healing. A walk can be creative. Your body can be art.

• The system may be broken, but your experience doesn’t have to be. Personal time, presence, and honest conversations with yourself can make a profound difference.
  
  

Reflection Questions:

• What would love do for you in menopause?

• What’s on your personal “menopause menu”? What are you choosing to nourish yourself with?

• How might you meet yourself with more grace and curiosity in this phase of life?

• What story are you telling about your body and what would it feel like to tell a more generous one?
  
  

If you're seeking deeper support during your own transition into midlife or menopause. I invite you to join me for 1:1 coaching, where you can rediscover ease, purpose, and peace in this next phase of life:
www.jessiemahoneymd.com/coaching

Or nourish yourself at a restorative, plant-forward retreat with me and like-minded women physicians:
www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreats

If you're interested in inviting me or Dr. Susan Bange to speak or lead a workshop for your team, conference, or institution, reach out here:
www.jessiemahoneymd.com/speaking

You can find Susan and her work including her gorgeous book, "The Menopause Menu", and her new conversation series “Voices with Vigor” at www.menopausemenu.com. Her refreshing and wise perspective offers a breath of fresh air in today’s noisy menopause space.

More about Dr. Susan Baumgaertel

She began her internal medicine practice in 1996, encompassing many types of clinical work over the years. In 2021, she stepped away from direct patient care to expand her impact through myMDadvocate, a virtual consultation and advocacy service that serves as a bridge between patients and the often-complex healthcare system. As a physician consultant, healthcare navigator, and medical advocate, she helps people navigate a range of issues, from referral advocacy and chronic condition management to aging gracefully and supporting caregivers through their most challenging moments. Her passion for helping women through life transitions led to the creation of MenopauseMenu, a comprehensive online resource offering evidence-based information and holistic support. This work formed the foundation for her 2023 book, “The Menopause Menu”—an all-in-one guide that transforms medical complexity into accessible wisdom. She has just launched a talk show, Voices With Vigor, showcasing guests from diverse backgrounds who share common threads of curiosity, kindness, dedication, and resilience.

Nothing shared in the Healing Medicine Podcast is medical advice.

Parenting doesn’t end when our children turn 18—it simply changes. Parenting young adult children encompasses a full spectrum of emotions such as joy, pride, longing, and grief. It requires a reevaluation of what it means to be a mother.

In this heartfelt solo episode, I share truths about parenting grown children, a role that is rarely talked about. I share the joys, grief, and surprising lessons of parenting young adult children. I offer what I hope is grounding wisdom for embracing the ongoing transitions.

Whether your kids are in college, starting careers, or building families of their own, this stage is filled with change, growth, and the need for a new kind of connection. It is a tender, bittersweet season of parenting. A phase that requires a reevaluation of what it means to be a mother.

I explore how to stay connected while letting go, how to trust your adult children, and how to show up with curiosity, compassion, and love even as your role shifts from daily involvement to occasional invitations.

Parenting young adults is a long game. Your relationship as adults will last far longer than the childhood years.
Curiosity, compassion, trust, and emotional spaciousness are the keys to connection in this season.
You can let go while still feeling deeply and accepting change doesn’t mean you stop caring.

Reflection Questions:

• How do you want to show up as a parent in this new chapter?

• What would love do in your relationship with your young adult child?

If you are ready to step more fully into this next chapter of life—whether you are redefining your role as a parent, finding your passions, or learning to let go with love—join me at one of my upcoming retreats at www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreats.

For coaching support as you navigate these transitions, visit www.jessiemahoneymd.com/coaching.

If you would like to hire me or Dr. Liang to speak or lead a workshop for your team, institution, or conference, please reach out at www.jessiemahoneymd.com/speaking or www.awakenbreath.org.

Nothing shared in the Healing Medicine Podcast is medical advice.

What if one introduction could change the entire trajectory of your career or someone else's? This week's episode is an invitation to reflect on the ripple effect of referrals, recommendations, and authentic support, especially among women in medicine.

As women in medicine, we haven't always supported one another well. In honor of Women in Medicine Month, this episode is an encouragement to change that.

I share how one beautiful moment of being recommended felt - a sense of deep gratitude, renewed purpose, and the powerful realization that women have the capacity to lift one another in ways that shift not just careers, but culture.

Building circles of support can bring joy, meaning, and positive change into our personal and professional lives.

Whether you're a natural connector or a quiet introvert, listen for practical ways to build deeper relationships, give generously, and receive with grace.

Pearls of Wisdom:

• Referrals and recommendations aren’t promotion, they’re acts of trust, generosity, and cultural change.

• Supporting another woman in medicine creates ripple effects far beyond what you may see or know.

• Authentic connections are more impactful than loud visibility. One meaningful recommendation is powerful.

• Don’t need to amplify everything. Simply share what you genuinely love and believe in.

• Deep, one-on-one conversations are as powerful and more meaningful than large-scale networking.
  
  

Reflection Questions:

• Who is one woman in medicine you could lift up this week through a referral, recommendation, or kind word?

• How would it feel to give that kind of support freely, with love?

• What ripple effect might you create by sharing authentically the work of someone you admire?
  
  

We close this episode with an invitation to become a connector.

Even if you're an introvert, even if you're just starting out, one referral, one introduction, or one moment of amplifying someone else's light can change everything for that person - and for you!

If this conversation inspires you, consider sharing it with a woman in medicine you admire.

If you’re ready to create deeper, more aligned connections in your own life and career, I’d love to support you with mindful coaching www.jessiemahoneymd.com/coaching.

To retreat with me and step into more aligned leadership and connection, explore upcoming retreats at www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreats. 2025 retreats are all sold out but I would love to meet you in 2026.

To bring conversations like this to your team or institution, connect with Dr. Jessie Mahoney at www.jessiemahoneymd.com/speaking or connect with Dr. Liang at www.awakenbreath.org.

Nothing shared in the Healing Medicine Podcast is medical advice.