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In this episode, Ann Marie McQueen speaks with globally recognized strategist Dr Lydia Kostopoulos, whose work spans emerging technology, national security, and macrotrends. But it’s her deep interest in human performance and healthy aging that brings her into the perimenopause conversation.

Lydia shares her experience preparing for this life phase with intention, data, and strategy – including a military-style “perimenopause game plan”. Through her Project N of 1 series and personal research, she’s built a unique, highly organized approach to symptom tracking, risk assessment, and hormone therapy prep – while emphasizing emotional and psychological resilience.

What we cover:
• Why Lydia created her Perimenopause Game Plan series as part of Project N of 1
• Her strategic approach to tracking symptoms, health data, and preparing for hormone therapy
• Insights from interviewing women across generations, disciplines, and cultures
• Why mental and emotional health are critical pillars of healthy aging

Quote:
“If you don’t know you have choices, then you never had a choice.” – Dr Lydia Kostopoulos

Resources & Links:
Perimenopause Game Plan YouTube Playlist
Dr Lydia Kostopoulos on LinkedIn
Instagram: @hilydiak
X @lkcyber

Episode sponsor: Thanks to Menolabs for sponsoring this episode. Perimenopause can start earlier than you think. That’s why Menolabs is here to support you with trusted information and science-backed products like MenoFit, a probiotic designed to help relieve symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and more, all while supporting your overall wellness. Use code HOTFLASH20 for 20% off at menolabs.com

*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend who’s navigating big transitions. Leave a review, subscribe, and don’t forget to follow me on Instagram at @hotflashinc for daily inspiration and support in midlife and beyond.

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

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Are psychedelics a missing key to personal transformation in midlife?

This week, I speak with Rob Grover and Gary Logan, the founders of The Journeymen Collective, a luxury guided psilocybin retreat company based in the mountains outside Vancouver, BC. These two have helped entrepreneurs, performers, couples—and yes, many women navigating perimenopause, menopause, and midlife transitions—use guided mushroom journeys to reconnect to themselves and release emotional burdens that therapy, medication, or self-help books haven’t resolved.

We talk grief, depression, anxiety, the inner critic, and how to tap into the body’s sacred intelligence when everything feels disconnected. Rob and Gary explain the difference between “tripping” and undergoing a true guided journey, and why that distinction matters so deeply for healing and growth.

Highlights:

• “Most people who find us have done the therapy, read the books, tried the biohacking—and still feel stuck.”– Rob Grover
• “This isn’t about escaping—it’s about meeting yourself more deeply than ever before.” – Gary Logan
• How grief led both Rob and Gary to their first journeys with magic mushrooms—and why it changed everything.
• Why psilocybin is not a shortcut or magic bullet, but a profound reset for the nervous system.
• The science, spirituality, and deep preparation that goes into their luxury retreats.
• Why talk therapy for 10 years often gets outpaced by 4 days of immersive guided work.
• A frank and beautiful discussion about anger, sadness, menopause symptoms—and how they’re often calls to listen to the body, not suppress it.

Links + resources:

• Learn more: The Journeymen Collective
• Follow Rob and Gary on Instagram and LinkedIn
• Mentioned: Red School: Menstruality Education
• Research: MAPS – Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
• Use code HOTFLASH20 for 20% off at MenoLabs.com

Episode sponsor: Thanks to Menolabs for sponsoring this episode. Use code HOTFLASH20 for 20% off at menolabs.com

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

Web: hotflashinc.com
Newsletter: Hotflash inc. on Substack
TikTok: @hotflashinc
Instagram: @hotflashinc
X: @hotflashinc

Episode website: Hotflashinc

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | YouTube | Substack

See hotflashinc.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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In this honest and energizing conversation, Ann Marie sits down with 64-year-old Australian naturopath, speaker, and wellness rebel Jennifer Jefferies – aka @presentdaywisewoman – to talk about how women can embrace midlife and menopause without fear, extremes, or pharma dependency.

Jen brings over 30 years of clinical experience, a surfboard, and a no-BS attitude to the conversation. Once a burned-out pharmaceutical rep, she made a full 180 after hitting the wall in her 20s and rebuilding her health using naturopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and her beloved “bare-ass minimum” (BAM) approach to wellness.

This is a must-listen episode for any woman feeling confused, overwhelmed, or exhausted by the barrage of menopause messages out there.

Highlights include:

• Why we’re told menopause is a disaster – and why it doesn’t have to be
• How adrenal burnout is at the core of crappy perimenopause (even if your doctor won’t admit it)
• The truth about estrogen “deficiency” and why we’re not meant to keep producing it forever
• What Western medicine gets wrong about hormone therapy
• The rise of adrenal fatigue in the pandemic aftermath
• Jen’s Bare-Ass Minimum Plan to restore vitality, joy, and hormonal balance
• Why she swears by: going to bed before 10 p.m., eating close to nature 80% of the time, and having fun – yes, fun!
• What happens when we stop outsourcing our health and tune into our own wisdom

About Jennifer Jefferies:
Jennifer Jefferies is a veteran naturopath, speaker, author, and wellness educator with over three decades of clinical experience. Based on the Gold Coast of Australia, she’s known for her refreshingly simple, radically realistic, and unapologetically fun approach to health and aging. She surfs at sunrise, gardens in her downtime, and helps women around the world step into their power.

Where to find her:

IG @thepresentdaywisewoman
Learn more: jenniferjefferies.com

Ann Marie’s Takeaway:
If you’ve been overwhelmed by the ever-moving bar of “what you should be doing” in midlife – from maxing out protein to lifting impossible weights – this episode is your permission slip to reset. Jen’s message is simple: go back to basics, listen to yourself, and live from a place of prevention.

Episode sponsor:

Thanks to Menolabs for sponsoring this episode. Use code HOTFLASH20 for 20% off at menolabs.com

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

Web: hotflashinc.com
Newsletter: Hotflash inc. on Substack
TikTok: @hotflashinc
Instagram: @hotflashinc
X: @hotflashinc

Episode website: Hotflashinc

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | YouTube | Substack

See hotflashinc.com/privacy-policy for privacy information