Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause

Black women are negotiating the different stages of menopause along with their ever evolving identifies, relationships, careers, responsibilities and societal tropes. This is a curated intergenerational exchange, a space for exploration, mentorship, intimacy and vulnerability around life, identity and change. It’s the excavation of the things that you need to know, but were never told. It’s the guide we wish we all had access to no matter our age.

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Episodes (42)

November 14, 2024 60 mins

Season of Orisii: The Burney Girls

Welcome to our 6th iteration of the ⁠Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause⁠ podcast: the Season of Orisii. Building on our international diasporic tour from last year, this season’s theme is Orisii, or ‘pairs’ in the Afric language of Yoruba. We’ve invited different types of pairs to explore the through-line between menarche and menopause. You […]
September 27, 2024 70 mins

Season of Orisii: Jasiatic Anderson Usher and Elsworth Usher

Welcome to our 6th iteration of the ⁠Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause⁠ podcast: the Season of Orisii. Building on our international diasporic tour from last year, this season's theme is Orisii, or 'pairs' in the Afric language of Yoruba. We've invited different types of pairs to explore the through-line between menarche and menopause. You will […]
August 1, 2024 74 mins

Season of Orisii: The Sisters Brown, adrienne and Autumn

Welcome to our 6th iteration of the ⁠Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause⁠ podcast: the Season of Orisii. Building on our international diasporic tour from last year, this season's theme is Orisii, or 'pairs' in the Afric language of Yoruba. We've invited different types of pairs to explore the through-line between menarche and menopause. You will […]
May 23, 2024 57 mins

Season of Orisii: Michelle Graham Freeman & Sterling Freeman

Welcome to our 6th iteration of the ⁠Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause⁠ podcast: the Season of Orisii. Building on our international diasporic tour from last year, this season's theme is Orisii, or 'pairs' in the Afric language of Yoruba. We've invited different types of pairs to explore the through-line between menarche and menopause. You […]
March 20, 2024 60 mins

Season of Orisii : gina Breedlove & Ash-lee Woodard Henderson

Welcome to our 6th iteration of the Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause podcast: the Season of Orisii. Building on our international diasporic tour from last year, this season's theme is Orisii, or 'pairs' in the Afric language of Yoruba. We've invited different types of pairs to explore the through-line between menarche and menopause. You […]

About

Black women are negotiating the different stages of menopause along with their ever evolving identifies, relationships, careers, responsibilities and societal tropes. This is a curated intergenerational exchange, a space for exploration, mentorship, intimacy and vulnerability around life, identity and change. It’s the excavation of the things that you need to know, but were never told. It’s the guide we wish we all had access to no matter our age.
  • Season of Orisii: The Burney Girls

    Welcome to our 6th iteration of the ⁠Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause⁠ podcast: the Season of Orisii. Building on our international diasporic tour from last year, this season’s theme is Orisii, or ‘pairs’ in the Afric language of Yoruba. We’ve invited different types of pairs to explore the through-line between menarche and menopause. You […]

  • Season of Orisii: Jasiatic Anderson Usher and Elsworth Usher

    Welcome to our 6th iteration of the ⁠Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause⁠ podcast: the Season of Orisii. Building on our international diasporic tour from last year, this season's theme is Orisii, or 'pairs' in the Afric language of Yoruba. We've invited different types of pairs to explore the through-line between menarche and menopause. You will […]

  • Season of Orisii: The Sisters Brown, adrienne and Autumn

    Welcome to our 6th iteration of the ⁠Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause⁠ podcast: the Season of Orisii. Building on our international diasporic tour from last year, this season's theme is Orisii, or 'pairs' in the Afric language of Yoruba. We've invited different types of pairs to explore the through-line between menarche and menopause. You will […]

  • Season of Orisii: Michelle Graham Freeman & Sterling Freeman

    Welcome to our 6th iteration of the ⁠Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause⁠ podcast: the Season of Orisii. Building on our international diasporic tour from last year, this season's theme is Orisii, or 'pairs' in the Afric language of Yoruba. We've invited different types of pairs to explore the through-line between menarche and menopause. You […]

  • Season of Orisii : gina Breedlove & Ash-lee Woodard Henderson

    Welcome to our 6th iteration of the Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause podcast: the Season of Orisii. Building on our international diasporic tour from last year, this season's theme is Orisii, or 'pairs' in the Afric language of Yoruba. We've invited different types of pairs to explore the through-line between menarche and menopause. You […]

  • BGG2SM Hits the Road Final Episode: Toronto and Puerto Rico!

    During 2023, the Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause continued to bushwack a maroon path for those menopause stories left at the margins by launching a diasporic tour that took our team to the UK, Harlem, Toronto, and Puerto Rico. Our intergenerational team has learned to hold the “both/and” dynamic tension of curating storytelling spaces […]

  • BGG2SM Hits the Road: The Harlem, NY Episode!

    Happy World Menopause Month! This year, the Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause has been deepening our intergenerational narrative shift work by co-creating peer learning exchanges to normalize the menopause experience of Black people in the UK, New York, Toronto, and Puerto Rico. We are also co-hosting intergenerational menopause storytelling events called "Orisii" ( "pairs" […]

  • BGG2SM Hits the Road: The UK Episode!

    This year, the Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause plans to deepen our intergenerational narrative shift work by co-creating peer learning exchanges to normalize the menopause experience of Black people in the UK, New York, Toronto, and Puerto Rico. We are also co-hosting intergenerational menopause storytelling events called "Orisii" ( "pairs" in Yoruba). The peer […]

  • Season 5: The Magical Menopausal Multiverse School Bus Tour!

    This year, the Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause plans to deepen our intergenerational narrative shift work by co-creating peer learning exchanges to normalize the menopause experience of Black people in the UK, New York, Toronto, and Puerto Rico.  We want to take you all along with us on our Magical Menopausal Multiverse School Bus tour! […]

  • Welcome to Black Technologies: BGG2SM Season 4 Recap!

    Welcome to the O. Estelle Butler Intragalactic Train Station, where all of our Milky Way is always within your reach. Please follow the illuminated paths to the ticket kiosk, your train line, and other needs you may have about the station. This is Omisade Burney-Scott and welcome to ‘Black Technologies of the Menopausal Multiverse.’ The […]

  • Ethos

    Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause measures our impact by the continuation of expanding and normalizing the conversations and understanding around menopause to be inclusive and centering all Black people—all gender identities, sexual expression, and ages. There is a growing ecosystem of Black people talking about menopause and aging. Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause […]

  • From Zane to Judy Blume

    There is a growing ecosystem of people talking about menopause and aging. The Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause sees ourselves as menopausal alchemists, doulas, cartographers, and advocates and has taken up an intentional role in ushering in intergenerational Black voices and narratives into the menopausal landscape.   We see our intergenerational work, healing, and […]

  • Light and Shadow: The Politics of Body Liberation

    “Above all else, Our politics initially sprang from the shared belief that Black women are inherently valuable, that our liberation is a necessity not as an adjunct to somebody else’s may because of our need as human persons for autonomy… We realize that the only people who care enough about us to work consistently for […]

  • What If?

    There is much we can learn– or maybe unlearn about menopause and aging if we apply a Speculative Fiction lens. Our current understanding of Speculative Fiction is tethered to science fiction and fantasy, and the way this genre broadens the story or narratives begging shared to include the potent age-old question of “what if.” This […]

  • Murphy's Law

    Since we launched the Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause, I have learned quite a bit about how Murphy’s Law plays a role in what we produce. We are all familiar with Murphy’s first law; if anything can go wrong, it will. However, I don’t think many of us know that there are two other […]

  • Made with Love…

    “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”  — Toni Morrison When I was a kid in the 1970s, School House Rock, short educational cartoon vignettes put to music, were ubiquitous on Saturday mornings. We learned about grammar, math and how the government […]

  • All You Gotta Do Is Say "Yes"!

    “This body does not bare destruction well. This body likes warm drops of rain and bare feet. Toes grounding in rich soil, and having my scalp greased. To move and to stretch just a little beyond reach, There is glory over there, a hallelujah in my feet. This body likes hot sun on bare shoulders, […]

  • Menopausal Multiverse Dispatch: Season 3 Recap!

    At the end of each podcast episode, I close by saying, “we will see you again on the dark side of the moon”. I chose this language because of the way moon phases have been divinely associated with menstruation throughout antiquity. The dark side of the moon is under the dominion of the crone, the […]

  • Grief, Rage and the Liminality of Menopause

    “Often, when people talk about going through “the change”, it brings up all the images of a tearful, rageful, sweaty and emotional woman. This journey is not seen or held up as a positive transformation with a spectrum of stages and manifestations, but an ending to be cloaked in fear. Another, more potent way to […]

  • Nothing but an OG Thang…

    Last year, in the middle of the pandemic, I was perusing through social media when something caught my eye. It was a post of the Original Bad Girl of Comedy, Luenell, modeling Savage x Fenty lingerie. BE STILL MY BEATING HEART! When I tell you our big sis/auntie Luenell was giving us something we could […]

  • Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause meets Stacy London and the State of Menopause!

    “There is no face of menopause. Why are there no celebrities and personalities out there really promoting menopause? It’s not a one comment conversation. It is not a one-time acknowledgement issue. It’s not a fad. This is a fact of life. And there’s nobody willing to take it on because frankly, I think they, it […]

  • Is There a Doctor in The House?

    The doctors are in the house!  You have asked for it and here it is! Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause is so excited to bring you all this fantastic interview with OB/GYNs Dr. Cindy Duke and Dr. Arianna Sholes-Douglas. We talked about what menopause is and what it is not, sex and menopause, menopause […]

  • Nonlinear

    “Transformation doesn’t happen in a linear way, at least not one we can always track. It happens in cycles, convergences, explosions. If we release the framyework of failure, we can realize that we are in iterative cycles, and we can keep asking ourselves—– how do I learn from this? Emotional growth is nonlinerar.” adrienne maree […]

  • From Calabash with Love

    “The calabash is a domesticated plant that depends on us for its survival, like wheat or almonds. Its closest wild relatives grow in Africa. When people domesticated the gourd, they bred a rugged, light-weight shell that could hold up for years. Archaeologists have found pieces of calabash dating back 11,000 in East Asia. In the […]

  • The Sweetest Taboo

    Before we jump in: a note on our content for this episode.  “The Sweetest Taboo” episode is a candid conversation with Sexologist Goody Howard about sexuality and sexual expression. It is created for adult audiences only. We advise listener discretion for graphic conversation about sexual expression, frank portrayal of sexuality, discussion of sex toys and […]

  • BONUS BIRTHDAY EPISODE: Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause Meets HBO's Lovecraft Country!

    It’s my birthday y’all!  So grateful for another rotation around the sun. So grateful for this 54 year old body that continues to carry me and teach me about how to love, heal and take risk to be more of who I am meant to be. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate […]

  • The Millennial Takeover!

    “As a culture worker who belongs to an oppressed people my job is to make revolution irresistible.” Toni Cade Bambara When my sister and I were little girls, we developed a skill set to be present in rooms with my mother and her best girlfriends without being detected. If we could be quiet and not […]

  • Sisters of the Yam

    “We are often ‘too busy’ to find time for solitude. And yet it is in the stillness that we also learn how to be with ourselves in a spirit of acceptance and peace. Then when we re-enter community, we are able to extend this acceptance to others. Without knowing how to be alone, we cannot […]

  • Can I get a Witness?

    When I was in my late 20s, I felt like I was going through a tremendous identity shift and growth spurt. The shift was from a more conventional aspirtationally bougie identity of my early 20s to one that was seeking to find my authentic self. The self at home in this body and understanding the […]

  • Healing is your birthright

    Emergency Care Of Open Wounds/When It Hurts by Indigo Calmly rinse the wound with copious amounts of cold tap water. This will significantly reduce the possibilities of infection. If available, use clean linen applied firmly against the wound to inhibit bleeding. If the pressure is not adequate, do it again. Another method allows the bottom […]

  • Between a rock and a hard place…

    Things I remember about being 12… Faded Glory jeans A terrible hair cut that took 2 years to grow out My parents got divorced Starting junior high school Being kissed for the first time Being pressured to have sex for the first time Starting my period  Starting a friendship that became a sisterhood that has […]

  • My Sister's Keeper…

    “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” ― audre lorde  When I started this podcast last year, I started with a vision of centering the narratives of Black women around menopause and ageing that resonated with me. Of course that meant that as […]

  • The Star of a Story

    ” we would never leave you. we would never leave you here. we would never leave the world like this. that’s why we put you here. you hear us? we put maps behind your eyes and over the entire sky. we put stories everywhere you stepped. but child services would have called it neglect.”  Dub […]

  • When Saturn Returns, Again…

    Many of us who follow astrology recall our first Saturn Return in our late 20’s. Some people refer to your Saturn Return as a “cosmic rites of passage”, a time period that happens between your 27th and 29th year of life and can last about 3 years (what fun). It is during that time that […]

  • Being Well is Gonna Cost You

    “There she is. . . the “too much” woman. The one who loves too hard, feels too deeply, asks too often, desires too much. There she is taking up too much space, with her laughter, her curves, her honesty, her sexuality. Her presence is as tall as a tree, as wide as a mountain. Her […]

  • Tea and Toddies

    ” Sister, You’ve been on my mind Sister, we’re two of a kind So sister, I’m keepin’ my eyes on you I betcha think I don’t know nothin’ But singin’ the blues Oh sister, have I got news for you I’m somethin’ I hope you think That you’re somethin’ too…” Miss Celie’s Blues, The Color […]

  • Gifts From The Oracle: The Muse and The Medicine

    North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green drops blessings like ripe mango into our laps. Walls breathe a heavy sighs of relief as she shreds the puny narratives we have about who we are and our power to reanimate and reclaim our medicine… our magic. She calls forth specters who resemble our own shadows and […]

  • Aperture: Leo Season

    Lionsgate Stardate 080819 Sovereignty, Awakening, Creativity, Power, Prosperity, Portal, Stargate … Infinity. It’s Leo season and in this episode of The Black Girls Guide to Surviving Menopause, we are honored to share our interview with Leo Lana Garland with you!  Lana Garland IS aperture. She is the portal through which our diverse narratives as Black […]

  • It’s Cancer Season! Meet Crone Delores “Mama Dee” Eaton!

    Delores Sanky “Mama Dee” Eaton was born June 30, 1930 in Montgomery, Alabama. My mother, Mary Kinsey Mcconner Burney, Ibaiye, was born 16 days later on July 16th that same year in Pitt County, North Carolina. Though born under different circumstances and realities in the American south, their paths in life were oddly similar. If […]

  • Listener Letters!

    Hey Folks! The response to The Black Girls’ Guide to Surviving Menopause has been amazing! Thank you to all our new listeners and subscribers. We want to hear from you! Send us a listener letter to decolonizingthecrone@gmail and in the subject line put “LISTENER LETTER”. Your letters can be questions or thoughts that we can […]

  • The Dark Side of the Moon

    This is a new place. 52, divorced, one adult child, one preteen about to start middle school, parents gone, and reimagining what my work identity will be after 25 years of social justice work. It feels so foreign, exciting and scary. When did I arrive on the dark side of the moon? Am I alone […]

  • What is the Black Girls' Guide to Menopause?

    What is the Black Girls Guide to Surviving Menopause? Who is Omisade Burney-Scott and why does she want to curate spaces and dialogues which Black women over 50 that cultivates open conversations about “the change”, shapeshifting, menopause, love, life, white supremacy, patriarchy, moon phases and the crone identities? There is no guide, book, journal or […]

  • Running vs Walking for Fast Fat Loss in Menopause

    Fast fat loss in menopause is not really the goal. Let’s be realistic and say this right out of the gate. Fast fat loss is a myth.  You may, however, drop inflammation fairly quickly with the right type of exercise.    Part 1: The Fat Burning Fundamentals Let’s start with the basics. When we talk […]

  • Ep #158: Bone Health Breakthroughs for Perimenopause and Menopause with Harleen Laroia

    In this podcast episode, we tackle bone health in perimenopause and menopause with expert guidance and real-world solutions. Host Andrea Donsky—a nutritionist with over 20 years of experience, menopause educator, published menopause researcher, and co-founder of WeAreMorphus. Joining her is Harlene Laroia, director of OsteoStrong Oakville and Toronto, who has dedicated her career to helping […]

  • 226 Start Cycle Syncing. The Secret To Feeling Better In Perimenopause with Laura Federico and Morgan Miller

    In this episode of Hello Hot Flash, we explore how cycle tracking—yes, even during perimenopause—can help you better understand your body, improve your mental health, and support hormonal balance. Guests Laura Federico and Morgan Miller, co-authors of The Cycle Book, explain how tuning into your cycle phases can reveal early signs of hormonal imbalance and […]

  • Thursday Thoughts – People Pleasing

    On today’s Thursday Thoughts, Lucy & I are talking about people pleasing. We all do it – particularly women – but is it actually serving us? The need to belong and be liked often sees us doing or saying things that aren’t in alignment with who we truly are. When we put the needs of […]

  • Peanut Butter Isn't Protein! How to hit protein goals without going over your calories

    Peanut Butter Isn't Protein! How to hit protein goals without going over your calories Not all “high protein” products are created equal — and in today’s episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on the sneaky marketing that’s making you overshoot calories, carbs, and fats while still falling short on your protein goals. I’ll walk you […]

  • Take Up Space: A Perimenopause Body Builder on Her Strength Journey

    A Perimenopause bodybuilder shares her story on how to take up space and the history of women being strong before skinny.  Book author, Anne Marie Chaker, will surprise you about women’s empowerment and when skinny reared its ugly head. Stay ‘til the end and listen to a very subtle challenge we’ll give you about messages […]

  • Ep 488 A New Way to Party Without the Weight Gain

    Learn how I transformed my celebration season from a 6-week food free-for-all into mindful moments of savoring joy without the weight gain. Get the full show notes and information here: https://drdebbutler.com/488  

  • 20 – Hormones and metabolism: Unlocking the science with Professor Franck Mauvais-Jarvis

    “I don’t understand why we’re not shouting this from the rooftops, a simple medicine, a natural hormone, that can reduce the risk of both diabetes and breast cancer. That’s incredibly important, isn’t it?”      This week, Dr Louise Newson is joined by Franck Mauvais-Jarvis, Professor of Medicine at Tulane University and an endocrinologist specialising in […]

  • #136: Eat for Menopause: Symptom-Led Cooking with Karen Newby

    This week on Menomorphosis, I’m joined once again by the wonderful Karen Newby — nutritionist, author, and the go-to guide for using food to support your body through menopause. We’re diving into her brand-new book, The Natural Menopause Method Cookbook — a refreshing, symptom-led approach that takes the guesswork out of eating well during this […]

  • Eat for Menopause: Symptom-Led Cooking with Karen Newby

    This week on Menomorphosis, I’m joined once again by the wonderful Karen Newby — nutritionist, author, and the go-to guide for using food to support your body through menopause. We’re diving into her brand-new book, The Natural Menopause Method Cookbook — a refreshing, symptom-led approach that takes the guesswork out of eating well during this […]

  • Parenting, perimenopause & the mental load: Protecting your wellbeing in midlife

    In this episode of Meera’s Menopause Podcast, we dive into the emotional and mental toll of parenting in midlife – especially when layered with the hormonal shifts of perimenopause and menopause. I’m joined by parenting expert and author Anita Cleare to explore the often invisible mental load carried by mothers, how it affects our resilience, […]

Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause

Black women are negotiating the different stages of menopause along with their ever evolving identifies, relationships, careers, responsibilities and societal tropes. This is a curated intergenerational exchange, a space for exploration, mentorship, intimacy and vulnerability around life, identity and change. It’s the excavation of the things that you need to know, but were never told. […]

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