What if menopause isn’t simply something to endure – but a transition we can prepare for, work with, and perhaps even grow through?

This week, I’m joined by Lisa Jedan, host of the Menopositive Podcast, for a wonderfully energising conversation about menopause, healthy ageing and the possibilities that lie on the other side of midlife.

Lisa believes we need to change the menopause narrative from one of decline to one of possibility. We talk about why so many women arrive at perimenopause feeling unprepared, why looking after ourselves so often slips to the bottom of the list, and the surprisingly simple foundations that can help us build greater health and resilience for the decades ahead.

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But our conversation goes far beyond menopause.

We explore the messages women absorb about ageing and usefulness; the value of older women in the workplace; what different generations can learn from one another; and the importance of remaining curious, engaged and open to new experiences as we grow older.

Lisa also shares a wonderfully practical philosophy: start where you are. Better health doesn’t have to mean climbing mountains, transforming your diet overnight or becoming someone you’re not. Small changes compound.

We talk about:

* changing the menopause story from decline to possibility

* preparing for perimenopause rather than simply reacting to symptoms

* the foundations of healthy ageing: eating well, moving, sleeping and listening to your body

* why small changes really do matter

* strength training, bone health and investing in your future self

* the difference between lifespan and healthspan

* ageism and the value of older women at work

* intergenerational learning

* keeping our brains curious and engaged

* the language we use about our own ageing

* why our 50s, 60s and 70s can still be vibrant, meaningful decades

As Lisa says, we may spend a very large part of our lives post-menopause. That’s a lot of life still to live.

And perhaps the most interesting question isn’t simply how we get through menopause.

It’s who we become because of it.

Feel free to share with a friend who might need to hear this episode!

ABOUT LISA JEDAN

Lisa is the host of the Menopositive Podcast, where she explores menopause, longevity and healthy ageing with experts from a wide range of disciplines.

Find Menopositive here: https://www.menopositive.life

and on your usual podcast platform, and on Instagram: @menopositive.life

ABOUT JO

My work is about challenging the tired stories we’re told about ageing and exploring what it means to live well – and keep becoming – in the second half of life.

My book, Ageing Wonderfully Well:https://geni.us/AgeingWonderfullyWell

How is your relationship with your mother?

For some of us, that relationship is warm and close. For others, it is complicated, painful or marked by something that was missing. And even when we love our mothers deeply, we may still find ourselves repeating emotional patterns we don’t fully understand.

In this episode, I’m joined by psychotherapist Vanessa Wallace to explore generational trauma and the experiences that can travel through the female line.

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Vanessa shares her own powerful story: her mother’s struggles with mental health, being sent to boarding school at nine, her years of addiction and the discovery of a painful family secret involving the grandmother she never knew.

Our conversation isn’t about blaming our mothers. It’s about becoming curious about the circumstances that shaped them – and recognising that they, too, were influenced by the women and families who came before them.

We talk about:

* What generational trauma and epigenetics mean

* Mother loss and childhood abandonment

* Why so many women carry “mother guilt”

* The emotional mirroring children need

* How wartime attitudes towards strength and emotion may still affect us

* Recognising inherited responses to stress

* Inner-child work and becoming our own loving parent

* Boundaries, people-pleasing and resentment

* Whether we can stop painful patterns passing to another generation

As Vanessa says, there is no dividing line between the “bad” generation and the “good” one. Healing is a gradual movement towards greater awareness, self-compassion and healthier ways of expressing what we feel and need.

This is a thoughtful and compassionate conversation about mothers, daughters and the stories that came before us.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of addiction, childhood abandonment, family trauma and mental ill health.

Find Vanessa

https://www.crystalclearcoaching.org/books-freebies/.

Website, courses and retreats: https://www.crystalclearcoaching.org

Healing the Mother Line: https://www.crystalclearcoaching.org/blog/healing-the-mother-line/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crystalclearcoach/

Vanessa’s forthcoming book is The Mother Solution. Her website currently lists it for autumn 2026. Crystal Clear Coaching

Find Jo

Ageing Wonderfully Well: The Good News about Midlife and Growing Older:https://geni.us/AgeingWonderfullyWell

How do you feel when you open your wardrobe?

For many women, particularly as our bodies and lives change in midlife, getting dressed can become surprisingly complicated. Clothes that once felt right no longer do. We can find ourselves buying more, wearing less, or simply wondering where the woman we used to recognise has gone.

Midlife & Beyond with Jo Blackwell is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

My guest Sarah Gale believes the answer isn’t another set of fashion rules.

Sarah is the founder of Wearing Your Worth and spent more than three decades in the fashion industry before developing a very different approach to personal style. She believes the clothes we choose can reveal much more than our taste. They can reflect the expectations, conditioning and stories we’ve absorbed about who we’re supposed to be.

We talk about what Sarah calls our “style essences”, the characteristics that express something fundamental about who we really are, and why rediscovering them can help us feel more at home in ourselves.

Our conversation ranges far beyond clothes. We explore changing bodies, our attachment to comfort, feminine power, going grey, make-up, the enormous pressure on women to remain youthful, and why midlife can be an opportunity to strip away some of those expectations rather than trying harder to conform to them.

We also talk about the example we set for younger women when we allow ourselves to age visibly and unapologetically.

If you’ve ever stood in front of a wardrobe full of clothes thinking, “None of this feels like me anymore”, this conversation may help you look at the problem rather differently.

About Sarah:

Wearing Your Worth WebsiteInstagramYouTube and podcast

Sarah Gale, former Project Runway Australia judge, seasoned fashion industry expert, and accredited coach, embarked on a remarkable journey from the competitive fashion business to explore the aesthetics of the soul.

As the Founder and visionary behind Wearing Your Worth®, Sarah has pioneered a paradigm shift in how women perceive their connection with clothing and embrace their authentic style. Her groundbreaking program empowers women to unlock profound insights into their psychological relationship with their wardrobe, transforming it into a potent tool for discovering and embodying their true essence.

Jo’s Book:

Ageing Wonderfully Well: The Good News about Midlife and Growing Older:https://geni.us/AgeingWonderfullyWell