The Missing Piece in the Perimenopause Conversation

Take A Breath

May 19, 2026 ∙ 33 mins
Episode 35

About

In this episode, I’m sharing a big realisation I’ve had recently, one that feels like a real full-circle moment for me. Nearly 10 years ago, I left my teaching career feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, anxious and completely disconnected from myself… although at the time, I had no idea that perimenopause was playing such a huge role in how I was feeling. 

Looking back now, I can see that this was the beginning of a much deeper journey into understanding stress, the nervous system and what my body was really trying to tell me.

Over the years, I immersed myself in learning - from coaching to breathwork and nervous system regulation - while also supporting hunderes of other women navigating midlife. 

And the one thing I kept seeing over and over again was that so many women weren’t simply struggling with hormones alone… they were living with chronically overwhelmed nervous systems.

In this episode, I explore why perimenopause can suddenly make life feel harder to cope with, why so many women feel like they’ve “lost themselves”, and how hormonal changes can make the nervous system far more sensitive to stress. 

I also share why learning to regulate my nervous system changed everything for me, and why I now believe this is one of the missing pieces in the perimenopause conversation. 

In this episode, I share:

  •  How hormonal changes affect the nervous system and our ability to cope with stress 
  •  Why anxiety, overwhelm, irritability and exhaustion often intensify during midlife 
  •  The connection between chronic stress, survival mode and feeling “not like yourself anymore” 
  •  How breathwork and nervous system regulation helped me feel calmer, steadier and more like myself again

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Information

Podcast

Take A Breath

Episode

35

Date

May 19, 2026

Length

33 mins
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Take A Breath

A podcast for creating practical calm in the messy middle of midlife. This is your space to pause.  Because life in midlife is full-on. Between work, family, menopause, and the mental load, your nervous system can easily end up in constant overdrive — leaving you feeling exhausted, reactive, and overwhelmed by even the smallest things.  […]

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