In this episode of Wild, Wise & Curious, we hear from Tash, who was just 34 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Chemotherapy brought on a chemical menopause, and soon after, genetic testing revealed the BRCA gene — leading to surgery and a surgical menopause in quick succession.

With little guidance from medical professionals, Tash turned to her sister-in-law — who had undergone a total hysterectomy after her own early diagnosis — for support and practical guidance. Today, they run a support group for women navigating early and surgical menopause, providing the community and conversation they once needed themselves.

Tash shares how she is trying to embrace a holistic life while navigating the ongoing changes: simplifying daily demands as much as possible while raising four children, staying positive when energy is low, making mindful choices about what goes in and onto her body, and finding strength in movement — including training for a half marathon.

This episode is a grounded, honest conversation about navigating chemical and surgical menopause after cancer, highlighting how self-awareness, community, and holistic practices can help women move forward with clarity and resilience.

If you're interested in finding out more, please see Tash's support group details below - including a link to donate to her marathon run!

Episode Blurb: Our guest, Claudia, shares her journey through the often confusing landscape of perimenopause. For years, it felt like a process of elimination — heightened anxiety, forgetfulness and shifts that didn’t seem tied to her period. “I didn’t even know what perimenopause was,” she admits.

Over time, Claudia began piecing things together: planning her life in line with her cycles, leaning into her energy when she felt dynamic and allowing herself to rest — or even cancel plans — when she didn’t. What began as survival grew into a deeper connection with the natural world and with herself.

Claudia also reflects on her career pivots — from HR to paralegal, and now embracing the Reiki she had studied years earlier, not knowing why. Today, that early curiosity makes sense, as she steps into the work that truly lights her up. Her story is a reminder that when we stop forcing what doesn’t fit and start following our bliss, we make space for renewal, possibility and joy.

Episode Blurb:

When perimenopause arrived, Emily felt as though the map of her life had been snatched away. Her energy waned, emotions surged and the life she once knew no longer fit. Searching for a way forward, she turned inward — not realising that what she’d discover would transform everything.

In this soulful and inspiring conversation, Emily shares how navigating the shadows of midlife led her to discover her “inner house” — a sacred space of truth, creativity and joy. Guided by her higher self, she began writing a book, composing music and — most movingly — returning to a lifelong love of singing. Though she hadn’t sung since childhood, reconnecting with her voice opened a new chapter of expression and aliveness. Today, she leads singing circles, is preparing to publish her first book, and has recorded two albums that reflect her radiant spirit.

This story is full of life, hope, and the courage to begin again.

Show Notes:

You can find out more about Emily's journey and her offerings over on her website www.emilydoe.com

Emily also talks about Human Design - Ra Uru Hu

Sarah started her periods at 9. Years later, she had a uterine ablation to manage heavy bleeding — and then, in her late 30s, everything began to shift. Mood swings, vertigo, anxiety, an internal thermostat gone rogue, and a nervous system that completely rejected driving in the dark.

In 2019, she was told it was perimenopause. But a question kept nagging: Did the ablation bring it on early? Or did it all start long before — with a body that switched on far too soon?

Our guest — a radio DJ, teacher, and mum of three boys — shares her raw and honest journey through unexpected hormonal chaos and the challenge of navigating it all without HRT. She’s not against HRT, but feels that if this transition is inevitable, it might as well be faced now rather than put off.

Told with sharp humour and vulnerability, it’s a story of learning how many ways women can fall apart — and how we somehow start piecing it all back together.

🔥 Expect real talk, raw honesty, and plenty of “why didn’t anyone tell me this?” moments.

⚠️ Warning: May cause moments of “OH MY GOD, ME TOO.”

This week on Wild, Wise & Curious, we meet Lainey, who hit her breaking point—and then chose to rebuild. A seasoned therapist, she had all the tools... but when rage and emotional chaos took over, even her best practices weren’t enough. After trying HRT and realising it wasn’t her path, a chance encounter with Dr. David Hamilton’s work on How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body flipped a vital switch.

What followed? A radical journey of self-healing, deep self-care, and shedding the layers of a life that no longer fit. Post-divorce, she’s now selling her house, eyeing land abroad and courageously crafting a whole new chapter—wild, wise and deeply curious about what comes next.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever felt lost in the storm and dared to imagine something better on the other side. Prepare to be inspired.

Show Notes:

How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body (book) by David R Hamilton

Velvet Crisis - formed through the Unglamourous project in Leicester - The Unglamorous Project is a grassroots music initiative in Leicester that empowers women—regardless of prior experience—to form bands, learn instruments and perform live. Founded by Ruth Miller, it sprang to life with the bold "66 Days to Your Debut" challenge, and has since flourished into a vibrant, supportive community, sparking a wave of all-female bands across the city. Discover more at unglamorous.co.uk

If you are interested in chatting with Lainey about being a part of her book which focuses on finding the magic in menopause, please email her at lainywills1@gmail.com

What happens when menopause doesn’t knock gently, but kicks the flipping front door down?

In this powerful episode, we meet Lisa—a woman who was catapulted into surgical menopause overnight, with no roadmap, no guidance and a body she no longer recognised.

From battling crippling anxiety, tinnitus and skin-crawling sensations, to navigating the chaos of finding the right balance of HRT, Lisa had to relearn herself—physically and emotionally. And instead of staying silent, she turned her experience into action.

Now, she’s part of a team supporting thousands of women through their own surgical menopause journeys—making sure no one is left in the dark the way she was. Because no one knows if they—or someone they love—could be thrust into surgical menopause at any moment.

This is raw, real and soooooo important. To find out more about Lisa's support group, check them out on Instagram @surgicalmenouksupportgroup

In this Wild, Wise & Curious Festival Special, we invite you into the heart of Barefoot Festival, where we shared a magical, intimate moment inside a bell tent with one of the most soul-stirring women we’ve had the joy to sit with.

Surrounded by jingling bells, drifting melodies from nearby stages and the earthy energy of the festival, we talked with Cate, a radiant woman & women’s circle facilitator and devoted mother to her 'tribe'. Cate’s navigating the deep waters of perimenopause, the uncertainty of epilepsy symptoms and the heartbreak of profound, stacked grief—having lost her father and her mother within weeks of each other - and then several others close to her in a short period.

Always one to turn to the natural and the mystical, this chapter also called her to something different: antidepressants, self-compassion, and 'nanna naps'. With HRT off the table due to a family history of breast cancer, she’s finding her way—feet growing (literally, a size and a half!), spirit deepening and heart wide open.

This conversation is festival-soaked, full of laughter, truth, raw vulnerability and womanly wisdom. Cate reminds us what it means to walk through the fog and still reach for the light.

To find out more about Cate who is a tarot reader, spiritual coach, best selling author and who offers monthly online women's circles, please visit her website - https://www.catemcmurray.co.uk/

Show Notes

Just a heads up... there is some strong language - but that's nothing new on our show.

In this warm, honest, and laugh-out-loud episode, a mother and daughter share their very different journeys through perimenopause and beyond.

One navigated anxiety, aching bones, and exhaustion—struggling to get out of bed—before finding relief and renewed energy, mostly thanks to HRT, with testosterone making the biggest difference. The other recalls a time when her periods were all over the place, long before kids and big life changes, and burning sanitary pads on the fire was just how it was done.

Together, they explore:

• The emotional and physical highs and lows of shifting hormones

• How mental health and hormones intersect, and the difference treatment can make

• The pressure of aging in a world obsessed with youth and perfection

• Men’s quieter, often overlooked hormonal changes

• Finding confidence, joy, and strength in your own skin—at every age

A heartfelt, hilarious conversation about aging, identity and the shared experiences that connect generations of women.