HOT FLASHES & COOL TOPICS

Too many women are either afraid or unclear what to ask their gynecologists regarding menopause and perimenopause.  We invited Dr. Jewel Kling from the Mayo Clinic to answer some of the top questions that her patients ask. Dr. Kling is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Chair of the Division of Women’s Health Internal Medicine, Assistant Director of the Women’s Health Center and Associate Chair o...

This week we say goodbye to midlife weight gain with Dr. Mary Claire Haver and The Galveston Diet. The Galveston Diet is the first program created by a female OBGYN physician for women in menopause. Dr. Haver created The Galveston Diet to address her own midlife weight gain.  Now with almost 70,000 midlife women as clients, she has cracked the code and found an innovative solution that actually wo...

This week we are talking pelvic health with Dr. Megan Rorabeck.  Dr. Rorabeck is a board-certified women’s health clinical specialist physical therapist and author of Amazon's #1 best-seller Between the Hips: A Practical Guide for Women. Dr. Rorabeck will explain to us exactly what muscles, organs and nerves are included in the pelvic region.  She shares how to do a proper kegel, why we tend to le...

Part 2 of our conversation with Ginger Zee is a continuation of her personal story.  After she sought in patient treatment, her life began to turn around.  She became a popular team member at Good Morning America and met the love of her life. Ginger is now on a mission through her book and her continued conversations to destigmatize mental illness and make it easier for people to find proper help....

This episode is part 1 of our 2 part conversation with Ginger Zee. Ginger is the chief meteorologist at ABC News, reporting on the nation’s weather for “Good Morning America” and across ABC News broadcasts and digital platforms. She is also a survivor.  In her first book, NATURAL DISASTER, Ginger is honest and open in sharing her struggles with mental health. In her new book, A LITTLE CLOSER TO HO...

It's the holiday time of chocolate and flowers, but who says we can't buy our own? Our guest this week is Katie Phillips, founder of The School of Self Love for Women.  Katie teaches women how to live a more authentic, aligned and empowered life.  In other words, how to unapologetically love ourselves! Katie believes we must first do our own internal work before we can find our energetic match whe...

This week we talk to Jannine Versi, COO of Elektra Health and Jacqueline Giannelli, a board certified family nurse practitioner about the benefits of testosterone use for women in menopause. We discuss the increased energy and sexual drive that testosterone can offer vs. the potential side effects.  They share how best to use testosterone and the difficulties women have in obtaining prescriptions....

Who wants to fly luxury class for free?  We mean flat bed, first class, overseas flights that are normally thousands of dollars for absolutely nothing.  Sign us up! This week we invited Owen Beiny, known to the world as The Points Partner to explain how it is possible: how to use the correct credit cards to accumulate lots of points that can then be used for mileage tickets, ubers and more.  Owen...

We continue our conversation with the amazing Cindy Williams, a/k/a Shirley Feeney of Laverne & Shirley.   We pick up as she was leaving Laverne & Shirley and pregnant with her first child.  She shares the story of how she developed the idea for a remake of Father of The Bride even though her first choice for the father was Jack Nicholson.  She raised her family while still staring in theater and...

Schlemiel, Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!  We're going to do it!  The week we shared an conversation with the incomparable Cindy Williams, a/k/a Shirley Feeney. Laverne & Shirley was a tv classic that ran from 1976-1983 and was a much loved part of our childhood.  Tuesday nights we turned on the show to watch two independent women (living in their basement apartment working at Shotz Brewer...

When Michele Obama asks you to join her Get Moving Campaign, you know you are making a difference in people's lives!  This week our guest is personal trainer Kaisa Keranen, a fitness instructor who was not only a part of that campaign but also has an M.S. in Sports Performance & Injury Prevention.   Kaisa believes we should be asking ourselves the question - "How would we like to move our body tod...

Dan Buettner is an explorer, National Geographic Fellow, award-winning journalist and producer, and New York Times bestselling author. He discovered the five places in the world – dubbed blue zones hotspots – where people live the longest, healthiest lives. On this week's episode, we talk to Dan about the 9 common traits that those who live in the Blue Zones share and about his new book, The Blue...

Do you know what ingredients are in your skincare or lotions?  Do you know what Clean Beauty means?  This week we went straight to an expert for the answers.  Kathryn Dickinson is founder of Aillea Beauty Boutiques (and online) and she has over 20 years experience in the beauty industry.  After developing severe allergies in midlife, Kathryn needed to become the industry expert in safe ingredients...

The holidays can be a stressful time for many people who have lost a loved one or may be caring for someone who is ill.  We invited Dr. Kathryn Mannix to discuss death, palliative care and how to have those difficult conversations.   Dr. Mannix has over 30 years of experience and has witnessed 10,000 - 15,000 deaths.  In her book With The End in Mind, Dr. Mannix explains that the process of death...

This episode is the audio portion from our recent Revel Session with Dr. Lisa Larkin.  Hot Flashes & Cool Topics podcast is currently hosting a 6 month series on Menopause and Positive Aging on the Revel platform. www.hellorevel.com We were excited to have Dr. Larkin as our expert guest for the Surgical Menopause and HRT session.  Trained at Yale, and the University of Chicago, Dr. Lisa Larkin is...

Another installment in our Make Midlife Easier for the holidays!  This episode we talk to Lisa Schmitz from Walking Cradles Shoes about how shoes for women can be comfortable but still stylish.  We have found a solution for your sore feet with Walking Cradles.  The Walking Cradle Company offers unique, stylish and comfortable women's shoes in a broad array of sizes and widths: Including slim, narr...

This week we are talking about sleep! Lack of sleep and sleep anxiety are common complaints for women in midlife and beyond.  We have invited Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg to share practical ways to stop the dread of the bed.  Dr. Schneeberg, PsyD, is a sleep psychologist, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine and the director of the behavioral sleep program at Connecticut Children’s Medi...

This week we enjoy an amazing conversation with multiple Emmy and Golden Globe winning actress Sharon Gless.   Sharon is best know for her roles as Christine Cagney in Cagney and Lacey and Debbie Novotny in Queer as Folk but her first series role started in 1973.  She has been nonstop acting since that time. In her new Memoir: Apparently There Were Complaints, she shares her journey and retells fu...

This week Colleen and Bridgett are doing things a little different.  After many requests for our personal experiences with perimenopause, menopause and midlife, we are updating our stories.  We are also adding in a holiday cheer! The episode will begin with our annual "Can Bridgett Guess the Cost?".  Each year, we explore the Neiman Marcus Holiday Gift Guide (Extravagant Gift section) and Colleen...

Our guest this week is Dr. Rochelle Calvert, author of Healing With Nature, Nature - Based Mindfulness and Somatic Meditations to Heal Trauma.  Did you know that almost 70% of adults have experienced some form of trauma in their lives?  Dr. Calvert explains that "trauma" is an umbrella term for events and/or circumstances in your life that cause distress and anxiety.  For example, a pandemic is a...

Our bonus episodes in November are featuring products that we believe help make midlife easier.  Today we are talking to the CEO of Cefaly, Jen Trainor McDermott.  CEFALY is the only over the counter medical device that treats active migraine attacks and helps to prevent future attacks. Most migraines involve the trigeminal nerve, the largest and most complex cranial nerve.  CEFALY sends tiny elec...

We can never have too many tools in our menopause tool box.  On this week's episode, we talk to Dr. Mariza Snyder about her new book The Essential Oils Menopause Solution Book.  From peppermint to lavender, frankincense to vetiver, we talk about what are essential oils and how they can help with menopausal symptoms including insomnia, headaches, anxiety, fatigue and even food cravings.  Dr. Snyder...

This week we speak to Florence LaRue, six time Grammy Award winner and lead singer of the legendary group The 5th Dimension. Ms. LaRue has been busy touring with The 5th Dimension, her one woman show and re-exploring the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival in Questlove's "Summer of Soul".  In addition, she has written a book on beauty, aging and self-improvement, Grace in Your Second Act.  She shares he...

In today’s episode, we share an extremely important conversation with Dr. Pederson to discuss the risk assessment for breast cancer, genetic testing, 3D mammograms, and the correlation between breast density and breast cancer. Dr Holly Pederson is Director of Medical Breast Services at Cleveland Clinic and an expert on breast cancer and its risk factors. Dr. Pederson explains that risk assessment...

On this episode, we talk to Michele Stanten, a walking coach, ACE-certified fitness instructor and co-author of The Walking Solution and author of Walk Off Weight, Walk Your Way to Better Health.  Too many people discount walking as a form of exercise but Michele explains the physical and mental benefits of a walking exercise routine.  She has also partnered with Gennev (the online telehealth prog...