Nutrition in midlife is loud so we brought in Coven Women’s Health Registered Dietitian, Nishta Saxena, to make sense of what your body actually needs in perimenopause and beyond. This episode breaks down metabolism, weight changes, hormone shifts and everything the internet gets wrong about “fixing” your body in your 40s and 50s. If you want less confusion, more confidence, and a grounded plan for nourishing yourself, this conversation is packed with clarity.

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• What a Registered Dietitian actually is and why regulated, evidence-based nutrition support matters.
• Why weight changes in perimenopause, including shifts in hormones, fat distribution and metabolism.
• GLP-1 medications (Ozempic, etc.), when they’re helpful and when they can create new problems.
• Why strength training becomes essential for health, longevity and weight stability.
• How stress, sleep and mindset impact appetite and midlife weight changes more than most diets do.
• Why nutrition is emotional, not just practical, and how to build habits that support the life you want.

Links from the episode:

• Learn more about the Weight & Nutrition programs at covenhealth.com
• Get started with the Diet & Nutrition Program or the Feel Powerful – Weight Management Program
• Follow Nishta on Instagram, @nishtasaxenard

Let’s Connect:
If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven Women’s Health at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com

This one gets personal. Dr. Michelle shares how she discovered she carries a BRCA mutation (from her dad’s side), what it meant for her 20s, and why that moment shaped her life’s work. From genetic testing and a preventive double mastectomy to building better care paths for women after cancer, this episode blends story, science, and the kind of straight-talk you wish you’d heard sooner.

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• What BRCA actually is and why you can inherit it from either parent
• How to approach genetic testing when family history is missing or complicated
• What you need to know about screening
• Michelle’s decision-making: life insurance worries, timing kids, and choosing a preventive double mastectomy
• Why “one-size-fits-all” doesn’t exist: individualized choices vs. fear-driven advice
• Menopause after cancer: Who can (and sometimes should) consider hormones, and nuanced alternatives
• The survivorship gap: Why finishing treatment isn’t the finish line and what better support looks like
• How Michelle’s experience led to Coven Health and the Feel Powerful Menopause After Cancer program (evidence, empathy, and a real plan)
  
  

If you’ve ever felt in the dark about hereditary risk or been told to simply “tough out” menopause after cancer, this conversation is for you.

Let’s Connect:
If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven on Instagram at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com

Progesterone has a reputation for being the “bad guy” in PMS but it’s also essential for balancing estrogen and protecting your uterus. In this episode, Jenn and Dr. Michelle get into the role of progesterone, why women are told they’re “estrogen dominant,” and how myths around hormones keep us confused (and sometimes taken advantage of). They also touch on the hype around testosterone for women and what the evidence actually says.

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• Progesterone 101: what it is, when it’s made, and why it matters
• The truth behind “estrogen dominance” and other buzzwords
• How progesterone can help (or worsen) PMS and perimenopausal symptoms
• Jenn’s experience with headaches, fatigue, and finding the right combination of hormone therapy
• Side effects, myths, and the importance of safe prescribing and follow-ups
• Testosterone: when it can help, what it’s not good for, and why it’s suddenly everywhere in your algorithm
• Why individualized care, not one-size-fits-all hormone promises, is the key to feeling better

This episode is equal parts myth-busting and practical education, helping you understand how different hormones actually work together — and what questions to ask if you’re considering hormone therapy.

Links from the episode:

MQ6 – Menopause Assessment Tool

Let’s Connect:
If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven Women’s Health at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com

Launching a business, raising kids, and navigating perimenopause — Jenn and Dr. Michelle bring it all to the mic in this episode about hormone therapy (or as Dr. Michelle reminds us, it’s now called menopausal hormone therapy). From personal stories to the infamous Women’s Health Initiative study, they break down what hormone therapy actually is, why so many of us were misinformed about it, and how it can support women even if you’re still getting your period.

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• Why Jenn’s personal experience with MHT shifted how she thinks about perimenopause
• The truth about having a regular cycle and being in perimenopause
• How decades of misinformation created a generation of scared and untreated women
• What’s changed in the science since the early 2000s and why the risks aren’t as scary as the headlines made them sound
• What “bioidentical” actually means (and why it’s more marketing than medicine)
• Why individualized, evidence-based prescribing matters and how Coven approaches it differently

If you’ve ever wondered if hormone therapy was “only for your mom,” this episode is here to set the record straight.

Let’s Connect:

If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven Women’s Health at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com

Insomnia. Mood swings. Hair changes. Libido shifts. The random chin hair that wasn’t there yesterday. Perimenopause can feel like your body is playing a cruel joke – all while you’re managing careers, kids, partners, and aging parents. In this episode, Jenn and Dr. Michelle get real about what perimenopause actually is, why it’s unpredictable, and how you can tell if you’re in it.

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• What perimenopause really means and when it starts (hint: often earlier than you think)
• Why early vs. late perimenopause symptoms can look so different
• How perimenopause impacts sleep, mood, libido, and energy
• Why tests aren’t the answer (and what doctors often miss)
• The link between perimenopause and confidence at work, relationships, and self-esteem
• Symptoms you should never ignore — and when to push for more investigation
• The role of hormone therapy, lifestyle shifts, and support in feeling like yourself again

Because yes, perimenopause is hard, but you don’t have to do it alone.

Let’s Connect:

If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven Women’s Health at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com

Hormones aren’t just about hot flashes and mood swings. They’re the keys and locks that control almost everything in our bodies. But how do they actually work, and what happens when things feel “off”? In this episode, Jenn asks the questions we’re all wondering (sometimes straight from her group chat), while Dr. Michelle breaks down hormones in plain English, with analogies that actually make sense.

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• What hormones really are and how they function in your body
• The menstrual cycle explained step-by-step, without the jargon
• PMS, PMDD, and why some people struggle more than others
• The myth of “balancing” your hormones vs. optimizing them
• Why your period isn’t the only marker of perimenopause or menopause
• How to track your own data to feel more empowered in your care

This is your crash course in hormones, no thousand dollar influencer program needed.

Let’s Connect

If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven Women’s Health at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com

What happens when a menopause expert meets an entrepreneur with serious health challenges? You get Coven Women’s Health and now, this podcast. In our first episode, Dr. Michelle and Jenn introduce each other (with raw honesty), share the story of their “meet-cute” that turned into a business partnership, and talk about why building a new model of women’s healthcare is so necessary.

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• The hamster, the basement, and the original “Michelle + Jenn jingle”
• Michelle’s expertise as one of Canada’s top menopause specialists (and why she became passionate about this work)
• Jenn’s health journey, self-advocacy, and what it’s like to be dismissed in the system
• The failures of “universal” healthcare and why so many women feel unsupported
• Why Coven Women’s Health is built on community, multidisciplinary care, and accessibility for all women
• What “Coven” really means (hint: witches, power, and a love of Hocus Pocus)

If you’ve ever felt dismissed in your health journey or wished there was a place that actually listened – this is your invitation to the Coven.

Let’s Connect

If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven Women’s Health at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com

Hysterical Women is the women’s health podcast that makes hormones make sense and creates a safe space where women can be as hysterical as they’d like. Hosted by Dr. Michelle Jacobson and Jenn Patterson, co-founders of Coven Women’s Health, this show is your dose of no nonsense education, empathy, and humour.

We’re here to dig into the questions you’ve been Googling at 2 a.m., the symptoms that freak you out and the things your doctor can’t explain – from PMS and perimenopause to insomnia, sex (or lack of), and everything in between.

No jargon, no judgment – just honest conversations about your body, your hormonal health, and your options.

Because being heard and supported in your health shouldn’t be rare. It should be the standard.

Welcome to the Coven. You belong here.

Let’s Connect:

If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com