What if menopause wasn’t something to endure—but a story to embrace, reclaim, and even celebrate?

In this powerful and deeply human conversation, storyteller, performer, and cultural icon Satori Shakoor shares her journey from the funk-filled stages of Parliament Funkadelic to the deeply personal, laugh-out-loud honesty of her one-woman film Confessions of a Menopausal Femme Fatale. With warmth, humor, and fearless truth, Satori invites women to step out of silence and into self-expression during midlife.

Through stories of music, identity, aging, and resilience, this episode dismantles shame, challenges outdated narratives about menopause, and replaces them with curiosity, compassion, and courage. If you’ve ever felt confused, exhausted, unseen, or disconnected from your body during this season, this conversation will help you reconnect with your power, your voice, and your story.

What You Will Learn

• Why menopause deserves open conversation, not silence, shame, or dismissal
• How storytelling and humor can help heal emotional, hormonal, and identity shifts in midlife
• The powerful lessons Satori learned from George Clinton about authenticity, confidence, and self-expression
• How reframing aging can restore energy, purpose, and self-trust
• Why embracing your full story—including struggle—can unlock confidence and freedom

Satori Shakoor is a dynamic storyteller, performer, and founder of Detroit’s Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers. A former background singer with George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Satori blends humor, music, and raw honesty to empower women navigating menopause, aging, and identity.

To learn more about our guest, click here:

https://hellohotflash.com/episodes/menopausal-femme-fatale

Learn how to feel clear, steady, and in control again:

https://hellohotflash.com/assessments

Listen to the limited-series podcast Christian Women and Menopause:

https://hellohotflash.com/christian-women-and-menopause

This Episode’s Sponsor is Reverse Health:

Check out Reverse Health and use promo code HOTFLASH for a 10% discount:

https://www.rgds43jd.com/G1S938/7XDN2/

If menopause has turned sleep into a nightly struggle, you’re not imagining it. Midlife insomnia is deeply connected to hormonal shifts, nervous system overload, and rising stress hormones that make rest feel out of reach. This episode offers reassurance, clarity, and practical tools to help you reclaim deeper, more restorative sleep.

We explore why sleep disruption becomes so common during menopause, how declining estrogen and progesterone affect REM sleep, and why poor sleep doesn’t just leave you tired—it impacts metabolism, mood, memory, and long-term health. You’ll also learn why quick fixes like late-night scrolling, snacking, or sleep aids often backfire and worsen the problem.

Blending science with faith, this episode reframes sleep as more than a physical function—it’s a sacred rhythm your body and spirit both need. Through practical strategies and spiritual grounding, you’ll discover how to calm racing thoughts, reduce nighttime cortisol, and create a sleep routine your body can trust again.

This conversation is especially for women who feel exhausted after meals, overwhelmed before bed, discouraged by inconsistency, or stuck in negative self-talk around health and habits. You’ll walk away with permission to stop forcing rest—and start supporting it.

• Why hormonal changes in menopause disrupt REM sleep, increase night sweats, and make falling asleep harder
• How elevated cortisol, inflammation, and poor sleep are linked to weight gain, brain fog, and long-term health risks
• The role of consistent routines, light exposure, meal timing, and sleep environment in restoring circadian rhythm
• Why quick sleep fixes often worsen insomnia and delay melatonin production
• How integrating faith, Scripture, and prayer can calm the nervous system and support deeper, more peaceful rest

Stephanie Shaw is the host of the Hello Hot Flash podcast, where she educates and empowers women navigating midlife and menopause through science-backed health conversations and faith-centered perspectives. She is also the creator of the limited-series podcast Christian Women and Menopause.

Learn how to feel clear, steady, and in control again:

https://hellohotflash.com/assessments

Listen to the limited-series podcast Christian Women and Menopause:

https://hellohotflash.com/christian-women-and-menopause

Reach out to Stephanie: https://hellohotflash.com and scroll to the bottom

Intermittent fasting is often framed as a weight-loss shortcut—but in menopause, it’s far more nuanced than that. For midlife women, fasting can influence blood sugar, inflammation, hormone balance, stress response, and even mental clarity. Done thoughtfully, it can support health. Done aggressively or without context, it can backfire.

In this episode of Hello, Hot Flash, we explore intermittent fasting through both a science-backed and faith-centered lens. You’ll learn how fasting actually works in the body during menopause, which approaches tend to be better tolerated in midlife, and why fasting has historically been used not for control—but for clarity, humility, and alignment.

If you’re eating “healthy” but still struggling with weight, energy crashes, guilt, or confusion about what your body needs now, this episode will help you move away from extremes and toward sustainable rhythms that support both your body and your spirit.

What You Will Learn

• What intermittent fasting is—and why it’s not a diet, cleanse, or quick fix
• How fasting affects insulin, inflammation, metabolism, and cellular repair during menopause
• The most common intermittent fasting methods and how to approach them safely in midlife
• Why cortisol, sleep, and stress regulation matter more than longer fasts for menopausal women
• How fasting can create space for clarity, reflection, and spiritual grounding without shame or pressure

Stephanie Shaw is the host of the Hello Hot Flash podcast, where she educates and empowers women navigating midlife and menopause through science-backed health conversations and faith-centered perspectives. She is also the creator of the limited-series podcast Christian Women and Menopause.

Learn how to feel clear, steady, and in control again:

https://hellohotflash.com/assessments

Listen to the limited-series podcast Christian Women and Menopause:

https://hellohotflash.com/christian-women-and-menopause

If you’ve ever felt like willpower isn’t enough—whether you’re trying to lose weight, stop smoking, or break long-standing habits—this episode offers a completely different approach.

In this conversation, Stephanie Shaw sits down with Rita Black, a clinical hypnotherapist with more than 20 years of experience helping people create lasting change through subconscious reprogramming. Rita explains why traditional dieting, restriction, and “trying harder” often backfire in midlife—and how hypnosis works beneath the surface to realign beliefs, identity, and behavior.

For women navigating hormonal shifts, fatigue, weight resistance, and self-doubt, this episode reframes change as mastery, not punishment. Rita shares why habits like emotional eating, nighttime overeating, or smoking aren’t failures of discipline—but signals from the subconscious mind. When the conscious mind and subconscious beliefs are misaligned, even the healthiest intentions can feel exhausting or impossible to maintain.

You’ll also hear why metabolism, stress, and identity play a powerful role in midlife weight gain—and how hypnosis can help reduce internal resistance, quiet negative self-talk, and restore a sense of control. This episode is especially helpful if you feel overwhelmed, stuck in “all-or-nothing” thinking, or frustrated that what used to work no longer does.

If you’re ready to stop fighting your body and start working with your mind, this episode will shift how you see change—starting from the inside out.

• • Why habits like overeating or smoking are driven by subconscious patterns, not lack of willpower
  • How hypnosis works to realign beliefs, identity, and behavior for lasting change
  • The connection between stress, metabolism, and weight resistance in midlife
  • Why viewing health as mastery—not dieting—leads to more sustainable results
  • How subconscious reframing can reduce self-sabotage and negative self-talk

About Our Guest

Rita Black C.Ht. is a clinical hypnotherapist and leading expert in both the arenas of smoking cessation and weight loss. She is the author of the best selling From Fat to Thin Thinking:Unlock Your Mind for Permanent Weight Loss and the host of the Thin Thinking podcast. To learn more about our guest, click here: https://hellohotflash.com/episodes/stop-smoking-lose-weight

• • • Learn how to feel clear, steady, and in control again. https://hellohotflash.com/assessments
    • The limited-series podcast Christian Women and Menopause teaches what the Bible says about stress, anxiety, health, and confidence in midlife. Listen here: https://hellohotflash.com/christian-women-and-menopause

This episode is sponsored by Reverse Health. Use promo code HOTFLASH for 10% off: https://www.rgds43jd.com/G1S938/7XDN2/

For decades, women have been told their symptoms are “normal,” “just stress,” or something they need to push through. But what if the problem isn’t your body—it's a healthcare system that hasn’t been built with women in mind?

In this powerful episode, Stephanie Shaw sits down with award-winning journalist and author Meghan Rabbitt to unpack why so many women in midlife feel unheard, dismissed, or confused about their health—and what it actually takes to change that. Meghan shares insights from her book New Rules of Women’s Health, revealing how women can move from passive patients to informed, confident advocates.

This conversation is especially important for women navigating menopause, fatigue, stubborn weight changes, and energy crashes—who are often told “everything looks normal” while feeling anything but. Meghan breaks down how to prepare for medical appointments, ask better questions, and recognize when something isn’t being fully addressed.

You’ll also hear why involving partners and loved ones in women’s health conversations matters more than ever, and how bridging the gender gap in healthcare understanding can lead to better outcomes—not just for women, but for families as a whole.

If you’ve ever left an appointment feeling dismissed, overwhelmed, or unsure of your next step, this episode will help you reclaim your voice and your confidence in caring for your health.

• Why women are more likely to experience medical gaslighting—and how to prevent it
• How to prepare for healthcare appointments so your concerns are taken seriously
• Tools for navigating complex health decisions during menopause and midlife
• The importance of understanding medical information instead of outsourcing your authority
• How involving partners and allies can improve women’s long-term health outcomes

About Our Guest: Meghan Rabbitt is an award-winning journalist, author, and women’s health advocate. Through her book New Rules of Women’s Health, she empowers women with practical, evidence-based tools to navigate healthcare, advocate for proper care, and bridge the gender gap in medical understanding.

To learn more about our guest, click here: https://hellohotflash.com/episodes/new-rules-meghan-rabbitt

Learn how to feel clear, steady, and in control again: https://hellohotflash.com/assessments

Listen to the limited-series podcast Christian Women and Menopause: https://hellohotflash.com/christian-women-and-menopause

Show Notes

Life in midlife can feel like a constant sprint—especially during perimenopause and post-menopause. Between shifting hormones, changing energy levels, and the mental load of work, family, and health, many women find themselves simply trying to get through the day. But surviving is not the same as thriving.

In this short but powerful episode, we explore what it really means to meditate on God all day—not as a formal practice reserved for quiet mornings, but as a way of living that shapes your thoughts, decisions, and responses in every moment. Grounded in Scripture and real-life experience, this segment connects faith, mindset, and intentional living during seasons of physical and emotional change.

Using Psalm 19:14 and Joshua 1:8 as anchors, this episode reframes meditation as an active, daily alignment of your heart and mind with God’s Word. You’ll hear how intentional meditation—just like intentional health goals—creates clarity, steadiness, and direction, even when your body feels unpredictable.

This conversation is especially meaningful for women navigating menopause who feel overwhelmed, depleted, or disconnected from themselves and from God. True healing doesn’t come from faith alone or physical strategies alone—it comes when both work together. Even one intentional minute, repeated throughout the day, can restore peace, confidence, and purpose.

What You Will Learn

• Why meditating on God’s Word throughout the day matters more than a single quiet-time routine
• How subconscious thought patterns influence stress, energy, and emotional resilience during menopause
• The connection between intentional meditation, mindset, and aligning daily actions with your values
• Simple, practical ways to integrate Scripture and prayer into ordinary moments
• How consistent, small acts of faith can lead to deep spiritual and emotional transformation

Show Notes

Menopause is often treated as a reproductive milestone—but the brain may be the most impacted organ of all. As estrogen declines, many women experience brain fog, memory changes, mood shifts, and rising concern about long-term neurological health. This episode reframes menopause as a critical window for protecting the brain, not something to simply “push through.”

Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl, neurologist and professor at UCLA, explains why women are more vulnerable than men to conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis—and how estrogen plays a central, protective role. She shares science-backed insights into Estriol, a patented form of estrogen that targets the brain’s estrogen receptor beta, offering neuroprotection while reducing breast-related risks.

This conversation empowers women to move beyond fear-based messaging around hormone therapy and instead understand how individualized estrogen treatment, combined with lifestyle support, can protect cognitive health and quality of life in midlife and beyond.

What You Will Learn

• Why declining estrogen during menopause directly impacts brain health, cognition, and inflammation
• How Estriol differs from traditional estrogen therapies and why it may offer safer neuroprotection
• The connection between estrogen, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease risk in women
• Why individualized hormone therapy matters more than one-size-fits-all approaches
• How lifestyle strategies work alongside estrogen therapy to support long-term cognitive well-being

About Our Guest:

Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl is a renowned neurologist and professor at UCLA, specializing in women’s brain health, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease. Her research focuses on estrogen therapy and neuroprotection during menopause.

To learn more about our guest, click here:https://hellohotflash.com/episodes/brain-health-Rhonda-Voskuhl-UCLA

There’s a moment many women in midlife know all too well.

You finally get the doctor’s appointment. You’ve waited weeks. You’ve rehearsed your symptoms. You walk in determined to speak up—and then something shifts. The room feels cold. The appointment feels rushed. And suddenly, the woman who leads, manages, and carries so much… goes quiet.

In this episode, we talk honestly about that hesitation—and why it’s so common during menopause. Hormonal symptoms are often minimized, misunderstood, or brushed aside, leaving women doubting their bodies, their instincts, and even their faith.

Using Esther 4:16 as our spiritual anchor, this conversation reframes health advocacy as an act of stewardship, not self-centeredness. Esther didn’t speak up because it was comfortable—she spoke up because she was called. And the same is true for women navigating menopause today.

We explore how silence, self-minimizing, and “just dealing with it” quietly erode health, confidence, and capacity. And we unpack why advocating for your care—asking questions, seeking clarity, requesting support—is not a lack of faith, but a faithful response to the responsibility God entrusted to you.

This episode is a reminder that you were not called to endure unnecessary suffering. You were called to pursue wisdom, healing, and support—with courage, clarity, and holy boldness.

• Why menopause symptoms are often minimized—and how that leads women to silence themselves
• Why speaking up about your health is not arrogance, weakness, or lack of faith
• How preparation, prayer, and support strengthen confidence in medical settings
• A mindset shift that replaces self-doubt with discernment and spiritual authority

This is a solo episode with Stephanie Shaw, host of the Hello, Hot Flash podcast, where science-backed menopause education meets faith-filled encouragement.

Join Us For - Menopause Isn’t Just Hormonal – A Faith-and-Science Path to Healing in Midlife. This is a live workshop created for women who feel overwhelmed, foggy, or disconnected in midlife and want clarity without fear. You’ll learn what’s really happening in your body, why symptoms aren’t “just hormones,” and how faith, science, and practical next steps work together to restore steadiness and confidence. This workshop is educational, grounding, and designed to help you feel informed, supported, and back in control. Learn more at https://hellohotflash.com/workshop