Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Let's talk about sex, baby!

Sarah and I interview Dr. Lori Brotto, psychologist, professor, and renowned sexual health researcher about women’s desire in midlife.

This is a discussion you won’t want to miss! Topics include the difference between spontaneous and responsive desire, the impact of midlife hormonal changes on desire, the connection between stress and lowered desire, how to identify your personal “gas pedals v brakes” when it comes to desire, the importance of scheduling intimacy and sex, and the impact of mindfulness on desire. This is a jam-packed episode that will give you a brand-new perspective on desire!

Grab Wendy and Sarah’s free perimenopause/menopause checklist, here: www.wendymccallum.com/perichecklist

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Dr. Sarah Baillie, N.D. co-hosts with me as we interview Dr. Ghazvinian, a functional medicine practitioner and change strategist for menopause in the workplace.

We review recent survey results from midlife employees, discuss how hormonal issues can negatively impact corporate women in midlife, and the lack of support in most workplaces around perimenopause and menopause.

We also discuss how this lack of awareness and wellness policy is costing corporate North America.

Finally, we brainstorm some practical strategies women can use to raise this issue and start the missing conversation in their own workplace.

Let’s band together and be the change!

More about Dr. Ghazvinian: https://www.reivas.com/

Wondering if you’re in perimenopause or menopause? Grab our free checklist at www.wendymccallum.com/perichecklist

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

In this week's episode, Dr. Sarah Baillie, N.D., and I celebrate European company Vodaphone’s global commitment to supporting its employees through menopause. The company has issued a ground-breaking report and rolled out a training and awareness program to all its employees in relation to hormonal and life stages.

We review the report’s findings and suggestions and provide our two cents on how we can help this inclusionary movement gain traction in North America.

You’re not going to want to miss this one – the report and its recommendations will blow your mind.

Grab our perimenopause checklist, here: https://www.wendymccallum.com/learn-with-wendy

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Sarah and I discuss the key things women need to know to advocate effectively for themselves and navigate our complex health care system in midlife, particularly with respect to their perimenopause and menopausal symptoms. Sarah explains why women often require a team of caregivers instead of one doctor, your rights as a patient, the difference between conventional pharmaceutical BHRT and compounded hormones, and what to do if you’re questioning the advice you’ve been given. I share my experience building my own team and navigating the health care system since dropping into full menopause very suddenly in 2020. There are so many great tips in this episode – don’t skip this one!

Grab Wendy and Sarah’s free peri/menopause checklist, here: www.wendymccallum.com/perichecklist

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

I interview my friend and colleague Pam, who suffered a severe uterine prolapse in October 2018 while at a spin class. Pam shares her story of diagnosis, treatment, and recovery in the hope it might help other women who are struggling with prolapse and feeling alone and unsupported. Pam and I discuss the piecemeal nature of women’s health care, the importance of candid conversations around women’s reproductive health, and the role a good pelvic floor therapist can play when it comes to thriving in midlife. If you don’t know what a uterine prolapse, pessary, or vaginal vault suspension is, listen to this episode. To improve women’s pelvic floor wellness, we need to start talking about it more!

Prolapse Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/184143085606

Association for Pelvic Organ Prolapse Support: https://www.pelvicorganprolapsesupport.org/

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Inspired by a song called “I’ve Got No More Fuc#$ to Give” that I stumbled across on YouTube,  Sarah and I share how our feeling of having “no more fuc#$ to give” has shown up in our personal and work lives, and how common a headspace this seems to be for all women in midlife.

We discuss why this is happening, from a social, emotional, and hormonal perspective, and what to do about it if you’re feeling guilty about caring less. We also consider whether this midlife phenomenon isn’t really more a “shifting of fuc#$” as opposed to “having less fuc#$”, and how that shifting might benefit you as well as the other people in your life, including your children. Are you the adult you want your kids to become?

Join Sarah and me for a spirited, fun conversation with an important undercurrent: it’s totally OK to start focussing on you again as you move into your...

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below. 

On my 50^th birthday, I reflect on my life to date, my fears about hitting 50, and the surprising (and refreshing!) reality that came with the actual day. I share my goals for this decade including my commitment to having “fun for fun’s sake” and “filling up my joy bucket” to help me in the transition to empty nester that is coming soon.

“This is 50” will be a regular installment of the podcast going forward – sometimes featuring a 50-something guest with a story to share around her 50s to date, sometimes an update on my 50^th year, and sometimes a conversation with the always-popular Bite-Sized Balance co-host, Dr. Sarah Baillie.

Free resources here: www.wendymccallum.com/learnwithwendy

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Sarah and I reflect on the first Women Talking Frankly coaching program that we ran in the early summer, including a discussion of our favourite parts and the lessons we learned from the incredible group of women in this first iteration of the missing conversation around women’s burnout, hormones, and midlife.

We talk about new bits of the missing conversation that bear exploring in future episodes, including the complicated nature of women’s libido in midlife, the gifts of pelvic floor therapy, the importance of boundaries when it comes to creating a life you don’t want to escape from, and weight management during perimenopause and menopause.

Grab our free perimenopause/menopause checklist, here: www.wendymccallum.com/perichecklist

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Bite-Sized Balance is back!

In the Season 2 opener, Sarah and I reminisce about how we spent our summer, including our shared “dirty little secret” and our deepening friendship.

We update listeners on our personal hormonal journeys and experiences with hormone replacement therapy and Sarah explains the unexpected possible impact of the COVID-19 vaccine on her cycle.

We discuss the piecemeal nature of care for women in midlife in Canada and the role the patriarchy’s approach to women’s health plays in that.

Grab our new perimenopause/menopause checklist, here: www.wendymccallum.com/perichecklist

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Sarah and I share a very exciting announcement (Women Talking Frankly: The Missing Conversation About Hormones, Burnout, and Midlife is officially open for registration!) and answer a couple of great questions from Bite-Sized Balance listeners around how to close the stress cycle when you get home from work (and it feels like you’re just starting your second job!) and practical steps women can take NOW to improve their sleep during midlife. This episode is jam-packed with useful information on topics we simply don’t talk about enough as women!

WTF Program Info: https://www.wendymccallum.com/wtf