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In May we hosted a Couch Conversation with our friends at Revel on the subject of mental health during menopause. This oft-overlooked subject is crucial to our overall well-being, and like Kindra CEO Catherine Balsam-Schwaber says, “This should not be like Fight Club. The First Rule of menopause should be to talk about menopause.” So we decided to do just that! 

The intimate evening included a collection of lovely women from the Los Angeles area who gathered to explore the topic of mental health with experts Dr. Suzanne Gilberg Lenz and Nora Plesent in a discussion hosted by Tulani Bridgewater-Kowalski. We all learned, shared, and laughed a lot! Here are three of our biggest takeaways from the evening:

You’re never as alone as you think you are. 

We often hear from Revelers that our community has helped them realize that their experiences are normal and shared. This evening was no different, everyone had stories of brain fog, anxiety, and disrupted sleep. And no, we’re not all going crazy - we’re experiencing a massive hormonal shift. 

Estrogen, of which we’re now in short supply, plays a significant role in our mental well-being. Among many other complex functions, it’s involved in the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate your mood, and helps ensure that there’s enough of it for your body to use. With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that an estimated 20 percent of women experience depression at some point during menopause. One event attendee swore by the Core Supplement as her go-to for brain fog and mood swing support. Learn more about this daily menopause wellness supplement here.

We deserve to be celebrated. 

Many women at the event talked about how menopause can feel like puberty’s ugly step-sister, an equally ginormous life shift that is shuffled to the side and discussed in hushed tones rather than celebrated as a right of passage. We all decided to change that mode of thinking - the idea of a Menopause Party Planning company was floated. And, as it would turn out Kindra has created Say More Conversation Cards which would be great conversation starters at any Menopause Party!

One size doesn’t fit all. 

There isn’t one magic pill or trick to make all your menopause symptoms vanish, but thankfully there are lots of options to make them manageable! 

When it comes to mental health it’s never a bad idea to find a talk therapist or support group that works for you. By suggestion of Dr. Suzanne, you need to experiment and curate what’s in your Menopause Toolbox: what are the tools and resources you rely on when everything becomes just a bit too much. This could be meditation, taking a walk, calling a friend. The most important this is finding what works for you. And while some may opt for hormonal treatments there are also lots of other options to explore. Here are some non-hormonal products from Kinda that you may want to check out.

Thank you to our fabulous experts! 

• Kindra Medical Advisor, women's health & integrative medicine expert, and author of the upcoming book The Menopause Bootcamp, Dr. Suzanne is a hard-core science nerd with a deep respect for the holistic approach to health and life. 

• Nora Plesent has been supporting women personally and professionally for over 40 years. In 2018, Nora opened The Gathering, a serene and nurturing space for women to connect, relax and recharge. The Gathering hosts women’s wellness events that include meditation, yoga, sound baths, great food, and other programs that encourage well-being and growth.

• Tulani Bridgewater-Kowalski was born into music. Together with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Tulani expanded DDB Productions into a full-fledged international management and production firm. This naturally dovetails with her efforts with The Woodshed Network, which seeks to build community, support and mentorship for Women in Jazz.

Tags: Community