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.

In this remote episode of Wild, Wise & Curious, we connect with Sarah — a British woman living in the U.S, who only recently discovered the word perimenopause… at age 50. Until she stumbled across this very podcast, it simply wasn’t on her radar.

After removing her coil, Sarah was suddenly hit with intense, heavy periods that felt like a flashback to her teenage years. She’s not sure if she’s in perimenopause — and that’s exactly what makes her story so powerful.

From fertility struggles, a miscarriage and an emotionally complicated pregnancy, to the silence surrounding women’s health in both the UK and the U.S, Sarah brings warmth, honesty and a generous dose of humour to the conversation.

This isn’t a symptom checklist — it’s a lived experience. One that reminds us how easy it is to be left in the dark about our own health, and how powerful it is when we start to speak up.

This episode includes discussion of miscarriage and a complicated pregnancy, which may be sensitive or triggering for some listeners. Please take care while listening.

A quick heads-up as well: this was recorded remotely with our guest joining us from the U.S, so you may notice a little echo or audio feedback at times. Thanks for bearing with us — it’s worth it for the story.

In this episode of Wild, Wise & Curious, we meet Dawn, whose early reproductive years were smooth—regular periods, minimal discomfort and no issues while on the pill. But in her 40s, things began to shift: mood changes, ovulation pain, joint aches, itchy skin, UTIs, tummy pain and brain fog.

While caring for her unwell mother, Dawn began to feel increasingly disconnected from her own body. Unaware she was entering perimenopause, she was told she was “depressed”, but she knew it was something more. Starting HRT offered some relief, but even that brought its own challenges.

Through it all, Dawn found strength in the things that brought her back to herself—gardening, being in nature, reflexology, monthly massages and singing with her beloved community choir, Groby Sings. A breathwork retreat, aromatherapy oils and reconnecting with her senses all became part of her healing toolkit.

This is an honest, empowering conversation about self-trust, resilience and finding joy and grounding in the middle of life’s biggest transition.

After years of heavy periods, endometriosis and passing clots, our guest, Jill, underwent a hysterectomy at just 44—only to be thrust into surgical menopause with no information, no guidance and no idea what to expect. In this honest and eye-opening episode, Jill shares the reality no one warned her about: the hormonal chaos, the mental health crash, the physical changes—including having to learn how to go to the toilet again—and the emotional toll of being completely unprepared.

Jill opens up about slathering on too much HRT, going cold turkey and the grief of losing not only her job, but friendships too. Yet in the aftermath, she’s become a fierce advocate—dropping leaflets at her GP’s office and speaking out so that others don’t have to face surgical menopause alone.

Now, she’s finding her footing through movement, sound baths, supplements and the right HRT balance. Jill's story is raw, real and a powerful reminder that while every menopause journey is different, none of them should be faced in silence.

Show Notes:

Maisie Hill's book - Powerful