In this Goddess Journey meditation, we explore the symbolic energies of the 8/8 Lion's Gate and the August 12 South Node Solar Eclipse. Rather than asking you to strive for more, this practice offers something far more courageous: permission to slow down, soften, and receive.

As the Year of the Fire Horse and the Universal Year 1 invite bold new beginnings, this meditation reminds us that every beginning first requires space. Before something new can enter, something old must be released.T

Whether you connect with the symbolism of astrology or simply appreciate it as a beautiful metaphor for personal reflection, this meditation is an opportunity to pause, breathe, and trust the unfolding of your own journey.

Journal Reflection:

• What feels complete in this season of my life?
• What am I ready to release with gratitude?
• Where have I confused constant doing with my worth?
• What would it feel like to trust life enough to receive?
• If I rested without guilt, what might become possible?

Continue Your Goddess Journey

If this meditation resonated with you, subscribe so you never miss a new episode in the Goddess Journey Meditation Series, where we explore the intersection of women's wisdom, nervous system healing, science, and spirituality.

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Support the show

Meet the host, Mary, a certified Menopause Doula and Women’s Coaching Specialist. She is also a corporate educator, helping forward-thinking organizations foster a menopause-friendly workplace and design policies and accommodations for employees.

Click to learn more https://emmeellecoaching.com/menopauseatwork

Turn your menopause transition into a transformation with the Menopause Intelligence Course (MQ), an 8-module, self-paced learning experience, empowering you to take agency over your health and make informed decisions with your healthcare team.

Connect:

• Instagram @menopausedisruptorpodcast
• LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/maryhelenlee/
• Subscribe on Substack @emmeellecoaching

Disclaimer: Information shared is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional.

In this episode, Mary welcomes functional medicine practitioner Cindy Dupuie, who shares her deeply personal journey from experiencing early menopause after a stressful divorce to becoming one of the leading voices helping women understand the root causes of hormonal changes. Together they unpack why menopause is about far more than hot flashes and why estrogen influences nearly every tissue and organ in the body.

The conversation explores the principles of functional medicine, emphasizing how hormones, digestion, inflammation, the microbiome, and metabolic health are deeply interconnected. Cindy explains why declining estrogen can contribute to digestive problems including acid reflux, food sensitivities, constipation, SIBO, leaky gut, and poor bile production, while also discussing how hormone therapy may support long-term brain, heart, and bone health beyond symptom relief.

Mary and Cindy also discuss the current barriers women face in today's healthcare system, the importance of becoming educated advocates for your own health, and why individualized care—not one-size-fits-all medicine—is essential for thriving throughout midlife and beyond.

Whether you're navigating perimenopause, menopause, or simply want to understand how your body changes with age, this episode offers practical insights, empowering perspectives, and hope for building a healthier future.

Connect:

• 🌐 A Living Balance https://alivingbalance.net

Resources Mentioned:

• Dr. Mark Hyman — https://drhyman.com
• Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) — https://www.ifm.org
• Dr. Ben Lynch — https://www.drbenlynch.com
• Dirty Genes by Dr. Ben Lynch — https://www.drbenlynch.com/dirty-genes/
• Seeking Health — https://www.seekinghealth.com
• Dr. Tim Spector (ZOE) — https://zoe.com/learn/author/tim-spector

Let us know if you're liking the show!

Support the show

Meet the host, Mary, a certified Menopause Doula and Women’s Coaching Specialist. She is also a corporate educator, helping forward-thinking organizations foster a menopause-friendly workplace and design policies and accommodations for employees.

Click to learn more https://emmeellecoaching.com/menopauseatwork

Turn your menopause transition into a transformation with the Menopause Intelligence Course (MQ), an 8-module, self-paced learning experience, empowering you to take agency over your health and make informed decisions with your healthcare team.

Connect:

• Instagram @menopausedisruptorpodcast
• LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/maryhelenlee/
• Subscribe on Substack @emmeellecoaching

Disclaimer: Information shared is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional.

Is the productivity crisis in the workforce actually an ageism crisis?

In this episode, I sit down with Lucy Standing, Chartered Psychologist and founder of Brave Starts, CIC – a non profit organisation supporting 300 – 400 people a year to plan and consider their future career development. Lucy specialising in mid career development with specific expertise in the ageing population.

Together, we explore ageism in the workplace, reinvention after 50, the rise of "quilted careers," and why many experienced professionals are choosing a a pay cut for fulfilling work that brings purpose and meaning.

Lucy challenges the outdated belief that our value declines with age and shares compelling evidence that resilience, emotional intelligence, experience, and purpose-driven leadership often peak in midlife. She has contributed hert research to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and spoken in the UK Parliament on ageing and employment policy.

Lucy is co-author of Age Against the Machine with Martin Hyde and Dr. Maggi Evans that argues the talent shortage gripping British business isn't a talent problem - it's a filtering problem.

Connect:

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucystanding/

Brave Starts:
https://www.bravestarts.com/

Let us know if you're liking the show!

I would love it if you could support the show. Go into the show notes and click on the button where you read "support the show." You have the option to donate monthly, $3, 5, 8, 10. Be a loyal supporter for as long as you want with recurring fee as little of three as $3 a month, and opt out at any time. Each investment goes directly back into producing episodes with even better content, improved audio quality, and we'll go a long way in bringing great guests onto the show.

Support the show

Meet the host, Mary, a certified Menopause Doula and Women’s Coaching Specialist. She is also a corporate educator, helping forward-thinking organizations foster a menopause-friendly workplace and design policies and accommodations for employees.

Click to learn more https://emmeellecoaching.com/menopauseatwork

Turn your menopause transition into a transformation with the Menopause Intelligence Course (MQ), an 8-module, self-paced learning experience, empowering you to take agency over your health and make informed decisions with your healthcare team.

Connect:

• Instagram @menopausedisruptorpodcast
• LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/maryhelenlee/
• Subscribe on Substack @emmeellecoaching

Disclaimer: Information shared is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional.