The Hotflash inc podcast
Hotflash inc is an evidence, expert and human-experience driven podcast looking for the true truth in perimenopause, menopause and beyond. In more than 100 episodes menopause and midlife journalist and host Ann Marie McQueen has spoken to a wide range of experts from around the globe, including practitioners, activists, researchers, doctors and industry leaders about this perplexing transition we still know too little about. She’s talked about her own frustrations and personal experiences. And she has connected with a perimenoposse of powerful women in the midst of a perplexing transition.Hotflash inc is among the top 1.5 percent of podcasts in the...
184: Why self-connection matters most in perimenopause with Dr Leigha Saunders
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Hosted by journalist and Hotflash Inc founder Ann Marie McQueen, this episode features Dr Leigha Saunders, a naturopathic doctor, menopause specialist and mom of two whose own postpartum sleep struggles ignited a mission to help women reclaim their rest and balance.
From her sold-out “Woman Up” event to her candid insights on burnout, radical self-responsibility, and the real roots of fatigue, Leigha and Ann Marie dig into the science and soul of women’s health. They unpack why everything is suddenly labeled “perimenopause,” the hidden role of iron deficiency, and how stress, re...
183: How Family Constellation therapy helps you heal midlife patterns
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Thank you to our sponsor, Timeline Nutrition – makers of Mitopure™, the first clinically tested Urolithin A supplement that supports cellular energy and muscle strength. Visit www.timeline.com and use the code HOTFLASH for 20% off your first order.
In this episode of the Hotflash inc Podcast, host and founder Ann Marie McQueen sits down with Laura Ghita, a Romanian psychotherapist and Family Constellation practitioner, for a deeply personal and revealing conversation about how unresolved ancestral patterns can shape our midlife experiences – and how we can shift them.
A...
182: Journalist Fiona Clark on hype, hormones and finding better science
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Thank you to Timeline for sponsoring this podcast. Powered by Mitopure®, Timeline’s clinically proven Urolithin A gummies are designed to boost energy and support healthy aging at the cellular level. Use code HOTFLASH at timeline.com for 20% off your first order.
In this episode of the Hotflash inc podcast, host and founder Ann Marie McQueen speaks with award-winning journalist, broadcaster and women’s health advocate Fiona Clark. Together they unpack how media, medicine and marketing collided to create confusion and polarization in menopause care – and wha...
181: How to stop people pleasing and start living for you with Riana Malia
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Thank you to Timeline for sponsoring this podcast. Powered by Mitopure®, Timeline’s clinically proven Urolithin A gummies are designed to boost energy and support healthy aging at the cellular level. Use code HOTFLASH at timeline.com for 20% off your first order.
In this empowering episode of the Hotflash inc podcast, journalist and founder Ann Marie McQueen speaks with Riana Malia, a transformation coach with over 20 years of experience helping ambitious women break free from emotional blocks, unconscious patterns, and limiting beliefs. Riana shares her Cle...
180 SOLO: Burnout, news about hormone therapy, Gwyneth Paltrow and three midlife questions that change everything
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Thank you to Timeline for sponsoring this podcast. Powered by Mitopure®, Timeline’s clinically proven Urolithin A gummies are designed to boost energy and support healthy aging at the cellular level. Use code HOTFLASH at timeline.com for 20% off your first order.
In this deeply personal solo episode, Hotflash inc founder Ann Marie McQueen returns to the mic to debrief after organizing and hosting the Hotflash inc Summit – including how it impacted her mind, body, and career direction.
She opens up about post-COVID healt...
179: REPLAY The Bare-Ass Minimum Approach to Thriving Through Menopause with Jennifer Jefferies
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This podcast originally ran on May 9, 2025
In this honest and energizing conversation, Ann Marie sits down with 64-year-old Australian naturopath, speaker, and wellness rebel Jennifer Jefferies – aka @presentdaywisewoman – to talk about how women can embrace midlife and menopause without fear, extremes, or pharma dependency.
Jen brings over 30 years of clinical experience, a surfboard, and a no-BS attitude to the conversation. Once a burned-out pharmaceutical rep, she made a full 180 after hitting the wall in her 20s and rebuilding her health using naturopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and her belov...
178: REPLAY Finding our Pink Zones: How women really thrive in perimenopause, menopause + midlife with Dr. Heidi Lescanec, ND
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This podcast originally ran on May 29, 2025
On this episode of the Hotflash inc podcast, journalist and founder Ann Marie McQueen is joined by Dr Heidi Lescanec, a naturopathic physician based in Vancouver, BC, who brings over two decades of experience blending the latest scientific research with natural, clinically proven forms of medicine.
Heidi has coined the term The Pink Zones to describe the cultural, emotional, physical, and communal conditions that allow women to not only navigate perimenopause and menopause – but to thrive. She’s been listening to olde...
177: SOLO Inside the Hotflash inc Summit
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Announcing the First Hotflash inc Summit: Everything You Need to Know
In this episode, the host discusses their excitement about hosting the first Hotflash Inc. Summit from September 29th to October 4th. They detail their extensive preparation over the past three months, including interviewing 36 experts to create a comprehensive resource on menopause. The summit aims to dispel fear and provide evidence-based information on menopause. Highlights include multiple expert sessions, special workouts, guided meditations, and discussions on various health topics. The host also introduces sponsors and showcases additional options for...
176: REPLAY Cracking the perimenopause code with Jessica Barac
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This podcast originally ran on 13 March 2025
Jessica Barac is a registered nutritionist, personal trainer, and the founder of What The Menopause, a women's health platform of over 950,000 women globally.
After struggling with perimenopause in her late 30s and receiving little support from traditional healthcare, Jessica made it her mission to crack the perimenopause code and regain her vibrancy. Today, she has educated millions of women through her content and developed The Pause Power Method a science-backed approach addressing metabolic dysfunction and inflammation through nutrition, movement, and lifestyle...
175: SOLO Updates, books deals and what's next
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In this solo episode, journalist and founder Ann Marie McQueen shares an honest update on her journey with Hotflash inc, the challenges and triumphs of building a community for women in midlife, and her personal experiences navigating menopause.
Highlights include:
The story behind launching Hotflash inc and the drive to create meaningful resources for womenReflections on career pivots, imposter syndrome and embracing the role of entrepreneurThe emotional impact of losing a parent and how it shaped her approach to work and life.Book deals or no book dealsWhat's...174: REPLAY Your midlife brain health action plan with neurologist Dr Teryn Clarke
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This podcast originally ran on February 13, 2025
In this episode of Hotflash inc, GenX journalist and host Ann Marie McQueen sits down with neurologist and award-winning dementia care professional Dr Teryn Clarke to discuss the science and lifestyle strategies that can reduce the risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease, which disproportionately affect women.
Drawing from her book, Brain Health Action Plan: Simple, Science-Backed Lifestyle Changes that Optimize Cognitive Fitness and Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk Dr Clarke shares part actionable tips to improve brain health today and prote...
173: REPLAY Why Do Women Go Through Menopause? with Dr Deena Emera
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This podcast originally ran on March 26th, 2025
In this episode of the Hotflash inc Podcast, GenX journalist Ann Marie McQueen sits down with Dr Deena Emera, an evolutionary geneticist, senior scientist at the Buck Institute’s Buck Center for Healthy Aging in Women, and author of A Brief History of the Female Body: An Evolutionary Look at How and Why the Female Form Came to Be.
Dr Emera’s research focuses on the genetic basis of reproductive longevity in mammals, and in this fascinating discussion, she breaks down...
172: REPLAY The Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause with Dr Vonda Wright
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This podcast originally ran on July 10, 2024
In this episode Florida orthopedic sports medicine surgeon Dr Vonda Wright published a review paper Climacteric, the journal of the International Menopause Society, introducing Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause. The paper has been shared widely across social media, and this interview with Dr Wright is an edited version from last year diving into Dr Wright’s efforts to create awareness of this constellation of muscle and joint problems experienced during perimenopause.
This is an issue close to Dr Wright’s heart: it was t...
171: REPLAY The Metabolism Reset with Lara Briden
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This podcast originally ran on July 4, 2024
Hotflash inc – the platform designed to find the true truth in perimenopause, menopause and beyond – makes a return to the podcast world this week!
In the first episode back journalist and host Ann Marie McQueen interviews Lara Briden, an expert in women's health and author of the new book The Metabolism Reset.
They discuss the complexity of this entire subject, insulin resistance, the impact of modern diets, and the importance of understanding how our bodies respond to different types of fo...
170: How blockchain could finally fix the menopause research gap
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In this episode of the Hotflash inc podcast, host and founder Ann Marie McQueen takes you into a whole new realm of possibility: decentralized science, or DeSci. Joining her is Mack Stachowiak, a physicist, software architect and healthcare innovator who is pioneering the integration of blockchain, AI, and Web3 into healthcare as co-founder of Axon DAO.
You might be thinking, “why are you talking about this?” – and we get it. Crypto and blockchain can feel like a foreign language. But this conversation reveals how decentralized science could completely change the game when i...
169: SOLO Hormone therapy confusion, five years of Hotflash inc, and how to figure out what's right for you
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In this powerful solo episode, Hotflash inc founder and host Ann Marie McQueen reflects on the five-year journey of building the platform, from launching her first newsletter in 2020 to preparing for the first Hotflash inc Summit and her first product launch – a much-needed tool to help women navigate the hormone therapy maze.
Ann Marie opens up about how far the conversation has come, how far it still has to go, and what she’s learned through thousands of hours of research, interviews, and real-life experience. She unpacks the polarizing hormone therapy spac...
168: Is estrogen really the problem? Jay Feldman breaks down what’s actually driving your midlife symptoms
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In this deep-dive episode, independent researcher and Energy Balance Podcast host Jay Feldman walks Hotflash inc founder Ann Marie McQueen through his bioenergetic approach to health, exploring how modern life disrupts our energy systems and misleads us around hormones.
Jay explains why perimenopause symptoms aren’t necessarily signs of estrogen deficiency, what progesterone’s underrated role is, and how metabolism, stress, and gut health all converge to influence the midlife transition.His work has been instrumental in helping Ann Marie connect the dots between her own thyroid, gut health, fatty liver, and...
167: Dr Lara Briden unpacks what really matters in midlife
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In this episode of the Hotflash inc podcast, host and founder Ann Marie McQueen sits down with Dr Lara Briden – a naturopath, women’s health speaker, and author of Period Repair Manual, Hormone Repair Manual, and Metabolism Repair for Women. Together, they unpack some of the buzziest and most confusing midlife health trends: from hormone therapy + GLP-1 combos to supplement overwhelm, vaginal estrogen, and the sudden concern over labia shrinkage.
Dr Briden brings a refreshing and deeply grounded perspective to the conversation, challenging common narratives and reminding us of the biological bril...
166: From Scotch to hot flashes: Carin Luna-Ostaseski’s journey to perimenopause
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In this episode of the Hotflash inc Podcast, founder and host Ann Marie McQueen talks with serial entrepreneur Carin Luna-Ostaseski – creator of Hot or Just Me?, a comprehensive online platform supporting women through perimenopause and menopause.
Carin’s path from successful whiskey founder to menopause advocate is anything but ordinary. After launching the first American woman and Hispanic-created Scotch whisky (SIA), and pioneering a grant program for underserved entrepreneurs, she found herself navigating hot flashes, anxiety, insomnia and more. Rather than suffer silently, she launched a new venture focused on offering trus...
165: SOLO Let's maybe cool it a bit on the supplements
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This week’s solo episode is all about supplements – the good, the bad, and the potentially dangerous. I open up about my own rocky road with pills, powders, and tinctures, including the time I returned a popular fat burner in the early 2000s and, more recently, when I accidentally took five times the recommended dose of desiccated thyroid.
This episode is both a cautionary tale and an invitation to slow down, listen to your body, and ask what you really need – beyond the bottle. If you’ve been gagging on supplements, feeling...
164: Busting menopause muscle myths with kinesiology professor Dr Stuart Phillips
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In this episode of the Hot Flash inc Podcast, host Annemarie McQueen sits down with Dr Stuart Phillips, a professor of Kinesiology at McMaster University, to explore the intricacies of exercise, aging, and nutrition, particularly focusing on the impact of these factors during perimenopause and menopause. They discuss common societal pressures and misinformation women face around exercise and health during midlife, emphasizing the importance of consistent and practical workout routines. Dr Phillips debunks myths about hormone therapy, estrogen, and muscle health, and offers evidence-based recommendations for maintaining physical function and overall well-being. Tune...
163: What hypnosis has to do with the gut–brain connection and healing in perimenopause with Dr Tiffany Duffing
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Welcome to the Hotflash inc Podcast! I’m Ann Marie McQueen, journalist and founder of Hotflash Inc, and today I’m joined by Dr Tiffany Duffing, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist, US Army Veteran, and co-founder of GI Psychology. Dr Duffing is an expert in the gut–brain connection, integrative therapy and clinical hypnosis for GI disorders, chronic pain, insomnia, and anxiety. There is such an intersection with everything we are facing in perimenopause, so stay tuned as we dive into the science behind one of the most practical tools for healing.
Hi...
162: Why your pelvic floor matters more than you think in perimenopause with Dr Sara Reardon
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This week on the Hotflash inc Podcast, I’m talking with board-certified pelvic floor physical therapist Dr Sara Reardon, aka The Vagina Whisperer. With 650,000 followers on Instagram and 8 million TikTok views, Sara has become a trusted source for breaking down pelvic floor health in a way that’s clear, empowering and, yes, even fun.
Her upcoming book, FLOORED: A Woman’s Guide to Pelvic Floor Health at Every Age and Stage (out June 10 from HarperCollins Park Row), is an honest, comprehensive guide to the often-ignored foundation of our bodies. In our conver...
161: Finding our Pink Zones: How women really thrive in perimenopause, menopause + midlife with Dr. Heidi Lescanec, ND
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On this episode of the Hotflash inc podcast, journalist and founder Ann Marie McQueen is joined by Dr Heidi Lescanec, a naturopathic physician based in Vancouver, BC, who brings over two decades of experience blending the latest scientific research with natural, clinically proven forms of medicine.
Heidi has coined the term The Pink Zones to describe the cultural, emotional, physical, and communal conditions that allow women to not only navigate perimenopause and menopause – but to thrive. She’s been listening to older, wiser women, and noticing the powerful patterns that emerge when...
160: Your Perimenopause Game Plan with Dr Lydia Kostopoulos
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In this episode, Ann Marie McQueen speaks with globally recognized strategist Dr Lydia Kostopoulos, whose work spans emerging technology, national security, and macrotrends. But it’s her deep interest in human performance and healthy aging that brings her into the perimenopause conversation.
Lydia shares her experience preparing for this life phase with intention, data, and strategy – including a military-style “perimenopause game plan”. Through her Project N of 1 series and personal research, she’s built a unique, highly organized approach to symptom tracking, risk assessment, and hormone therapy prep – while emphasizing emotional and psycholo...
159: Can magic mushrooms help you heal in midlife? Talking psychedelic therapy and seeking more with The Journeymen Collective
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Are psychedelics a missing key to personal transformation in midlife?
This week, I speak with Rob Grover and Gary Logan, the founders of The Journeymen Collective, a luxury guided psilocybin retreat company based in the mountains outside Vancouver, BC. These two have helped entrepreneurs, performers, couples—and yes, many women navigating perimenopause, menopause, and midlife transitions—use guided mushroom journeys to reconnect to themselves and release emotional burdens that therapy, medication, or self-help books haven’t resolved.
We talk grief, depression, anxiety, the inner critic, and how to tap into t...
158: The Bare-Ass Minimum Approach to Thriving Through Menopause with Jennifer Jefferies
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In this honest and energizing conversation, Ann Marie sits down with 64-year-old Australian naturopath, speaker, and wellness rebel Jennifer Jefferies – aka @presentdaywisewoman – to talk about how women can embrace midlife and menopause without fear, extremes, or pharma dependency.
Jen brings over 30 years of clinical experience, a surfboard, and a no-BS attitude to the conversation. Once a burned-out pharmaceutical rep, she made a full 180 after hitting the wall in her 20s and rebuilding her health using naturopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and her beloved “bare-ass minimum” (BAM) approach to wellness.
This is...
157: REPLAY 80s supermodel Kim Alexis: 'Hormones are natural too'
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This podcast originally ran on July 11, 2024
In this episode, host and midlife and menopause journalist Ann Marie McQueen speaks with iconic American model Kim Alexis.
They explore Kim's extensive career when she dominated the modeling industry. They talk about what it was like to appear on over 500 magazine – sometimes all of them at once – and cover her journey through competitive sports, her faith, clean living, marriage and menopause.
Kim shares personal stories about her transition into menopause, her choice to use hormone therapy – and the controversial delivery method...
156: REPLAY Unraveling the truth about testosterone and menopause with Professor Susan Davis
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This podcast originally ran on August 1, 2024
You may have been hearing a lot about testosterone lately – what it is, why we need it, why we can’t get it… I’ve gone to Melbourne, Australia to ask an expert in women’s hormones across our lifespan, and one of the few people who has studied testosterone in-depth.
Professor Susan Davis is a clinician researcher, consulting endocrinologist and head of the Monash University Women’s Health Research Program in Melbourne.
She is going to help us to tackle the current...
155: REPLAY Let's optimize our hormones and not get cancer with Dr Leigh Erin Connealy
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This podcast originally ran on October 15, 2024.
Hotflash inc founder and host Ann Marie McQueen sits down with Dr Leigh Erin Connealy, a leading figure in integrative medicine, known for her unique approach in combining conventional and alternative treatments in addressing chronic illnesses and cancer. Dr Connealy is the founder of the Center for New Medicine and the Cancer Center for Healing in Irvine, California and author of two books: The Cancer Revolution and the Be Perfectly Healthy. She is also co-founder of leading hormone brand, Raena Health.
She talks...
154: REPLAY Dr Vikram Talaulikar: Straight facts about hormone therapy
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This podcast originally ran on October 21, 2023.
This week we get down to basics, and basics are exactly what we need in this confusing world right now. This is THE podcast to listen to if you are confused about all things to do with taking hormone therapy.
Dr Vikram Sinai Talaulikar is a specialist in reproductive medicine at University College London Hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust and an associate professor in Women’s Health at the University College London. He graduated in medicine in India in 2003 and completed a postgraduate degr...
153: REPLAY 21 questions about hormone therapy
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This is a replay of Episode 129, originally aired on 16 November 2024.
In this solo episode, Hotflash inc podcast host and founder Ann Marie McQueen writes down all the questions she has about hormone therapy (and what we hear about hormone therapy).
This is a long time coming: she's been researching perimenopause, menopause, and women's midlife health for 5+ years now.
Settle in. And if you have any questions of your own, use that handy text message feature and send them our way.
The Hotflash inc Podcast...
152: Why Do Women Go Through Menopause? with Dr Deena Emera
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In this episode of the Hotflash inc Podcast, GenX journalist Ann Marie McQueen sits down with Dr Deena Emera, an evolutionary geneticist, senior scientist at the Buck Institute’s Buck Center for Healthy Aging in Women, and author of A Brief History of the Female Body: An Evolutionary Look at How and Why the Female Form Came to Be.
Dr Emera’s research focuses on the genetic basis of reproductive longevity in mammals, and in this fascinating discussion, she breaks down the evolution of menopause, why female bodies age the way they...
151: Shredding menopause silence with Tamsen Fadal
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In this episode of the Hotflash inc Podcast, host Ann Marie McQueen sits down with fellow journalist and midlife advocate, Tamsen Fadal. A veteran Emmy Award-winning news anchor, Tamsen has transformed her career into a powerful force for women in midlife. From creating the groundbreaking PBS documentary The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause to her upcoming book How To Menopause (out March 2025), Tamsen is on a mission to change the conversation around menopause, confidence and aging.
Connect with Tamsen Fadal:
Website: www.tamsenfadal.comIG: @tamsenfadalTikTok: @tamsenfadalYouTube...150: Cracking the perimenopause code with Jessica Barac
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Jessica Barac is a registered nutritionist, personal trainer, and the founder of What The Menopause, a women's health platform of over 950,000 women globally.
After struggling with perimenopause in her late 30s and receiving little support from traditional healthcare, Jessica made it her mission to crack the perimenopause code and regain her vibrancy. Today, she has educated millions of women through her content and developed The Pause Power Method a science-backed approach addressing metabolic dysfunction and inflammation through nutrition, movement, and lifestyle to help women improve symptoms, achieve sustainable fat loss, and s...
149: SOLO I get texts, trust and what the birds taught me
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In this special solo episode, Ann Marie McQueen shares reader letters, explores the journey of trusting yourself with hormone therapy, and reflects on a touching encounter with a tiny bird that left a lasting impression.
From listener messages that validate the power of open conversations about menopause to deep thoughts on aging, self-trust, and the emotional rollercoaster of hormone therapy, this episode is a candid, heartfelt exploration of what it means to navigate midlife with awareness and resilience.
Highlights from this episode:
Why text messages from l...148: Science-backed holistic healing for migraines with Diane Ducarme
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Thank you to our sponsor Timeline Nutrition Mitopure supports cellular energy and longevity—now available with a 10% discount! Visit timeline.com/HOTFLASH and use the code HOTFLASH to claim your offer!
In this episode of The Hotflash inc Podcast journalist and host Ann Marie McQueen Ann Marie sits down with Diane Ducarme, founder and CEO of Migraine Heroes, to uncover the root causes of migraines and discuss how a holistic, science-backed approach can lead to relief and resilience.
Diane blends Western medicine, Eastern healing practices, and advanced te...
147: Yoga for menopause and beyond with Niamh Daly
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Thank you to our sponsor Timeline Nutrition Mitopure supports cellular energy and longevity—now available with a 10% discount! Visit timeline.com/HOTFLASH and use the code HOTFLASH to claim your offer!
In this episode Gen X journalist Ann Marie McQueen sits down with Niamh Daly, a yoga educator, menopause specialist and the creator of Yoga for Menopause & Beyond teacher training. Based in Ireland, she helps women worldwide navigate perimenopause and postmenopause with evidence-based, body-first yoga practices. Her latest book offers an empowering, re...
146: BONUS: The power of cellular nutrition & Urolithin A with Jennifer Scheinman, RDN
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Thank you to our sponsor Timeline Nutrition Mitopure supports cellular energy and longevity—now available with a 10% discount! Visit timeline.com/HOTFLASH and use the code HOTFLASH to claim your offer!
Welcome to another episode of The Hotflash inc Podcast, where journalist and host Ann Marie McQueen explores all things perimenopause, menopause, midlife, and beyond. In this episode, Ann Marie sits down with Jennifer Scheinman, a registered dietitian nutritionist with over 20 years of experience in functional and integrative nutrition. As the senior manager of Nutrition Affairs at Timeline Nutrition, Je...
145: Your midlife brain health action plan with neurologist Dr Teryn Clarke
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Thank you to our sponsor Timeline Nutrition Mitopure supports cellular energy and longevity—now available with a 10% discount! Visit timeline.com/HOTFLASH and use the code HOTFLASH to claim your offer!
In this episode of Hotflash inc, GenX journalist and host Ann Marie McQueen sits down with neurologist and award-winning dementia care professional Dr Teryn Clarke to discuss the science and lifestyle strategies that can reduce the risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease, which disproportionately affect women.
Drawing from her book, Brain Health Action Plan: Simpl...
