In this episode, I sit down with the incredible Giselle Monbiot – therapist, breathwork facilitator, and Compassionate Inquiry practitioner – to unpack the emotional, physical, and spiritual upheaval that so many women experience in midlife.

From increased anxiety to identity shifts, they explore why perimenopause can feel like a breakdown, and how it might just be the breakthrough we didn’t know we needed.

Giselle shares her own journey through perimenopause and late-in-life ADHD diagnosis, and offers deeply compassionate, practical advice on how to navigate this phase with more self-awareness, connection, and agency. Expect science, soul, laughter, and lots of goosebump-inducing moments.

YOU’LL HEAR ABOUT:

💊 Why so many women are given SSRIs when they might actually need HRT 🌪 How perimenopause brings up unresolved trauma and identity questions 🗣️ “If it’s hysterical, it’s historical” – how past pain shows up in present reactions 🌬️ The power of breathwork to regulate the nervous system and release stored emotions 🔥 Why perimenopause can spark relationship shifts and even divorces 🌈 How this chapter can be a portal to authenticity, growth, and freedom

TOP QUOTES: “This isn’t a breakdown, it’s a breakthrough.” “You don’t need to earn your right to be heard – it’s yours already.” “Most of life is us trying to avoid pain. But healing is about learning to sit with it.”

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: – Dr. Gabor Maté and Compassionate Inquiry – The role of the vagus nerve in regulating stress – Breathwork as trauma release – Perimenopause symptom trackers – Hormone therapy vs antidepressants

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments

Lisa x

About Giselle Monbiot

Giselle Monbiot is a Compassionate Inquiry® Practitioner trained by Dr. Gabor Maté, a trauma-release specialist, and an advanced breathwork facilitator. She has spent the past 26 years guiding women through healing and transformation, helping them reconnect with their truth and step into a life where they truly thrive.

Giselle takes an integrative approach that works with the mind, body, and breath. Her work supports women in untangling deep-seated beliefs, releasing emotional burdens, and creating space for healing and growth.

She is passionate about holding a safe, nurturing space where women can explore the deeper layers of themselves, particularly during life’s transitions, such as perimenopause. This phase can bring profound shifts - physically, emotionally, and mentally - often surfacing unresolved wounds and patterns.

Through one-to-one sessions and group work, Giselle helps women move beyond self-doubt, reconnect with their inner wisdom, and cultivate resilience, clarity, and vibrancy in their lives.

Follow Giselle Monbiot

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giselle.monbiot/

Website: https://gisellemonbiot.com/

Breathwork Workshops: https://gisellemonbiot.com/courses/breathwork/

Follow Am I Crazy? Or…

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amicrazyorpodcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmICrazyOr/videos

Website: https://www.amicrazyor.com/

Podcast Host & Producer: Lisa Paasche

Podcast Editor & Producer: Luke Naylor-Perrot

LINKS + RESOURCES:

🎧 10-minute Guided Breathwork

In this episode, I sit down with Lynn Blades, an executive leadership coach and former CNN journalist, to talk about menopause, burnout, and the corporate world’s lack of support for midlife women.

Lynn spent decades coaching top leaders in global businesses, but when menopause hit, even she wasn’t fully prepared. The brain fog, the mood swings, the relentless hot flashes—she had to navigate it all while maintaining her high-powered career. And she’s not alone.

We discuss why 47% of women in senior leadership roles feel unsupported during menopause, why so many talented women leave the workforce at the peak of their careers, and what businesses must do to change the game. Lynn also shares her personal experience of burnout, the dangers of ignoring the warning signs, and the wake-up call that changed everything. This conversation is bold, honest, and deeply necessary. If you've ever felt like you're just pushing through, this episode is for you. Because the truth is, burnout and menopause are connected—and it's time we start talking about it. ✨ Lynn’s new book, The Quiet Burn, is out May 13th! We talk about why she wrote it, and how it's a must-read for ambitious women navigating stress, success, and self-care.

Grab your headphones, a cup of tea (or a fan, if the hot flashes are kicking in), and let’s dive in.

Lisa x

About Lynn Blades

Lynn Blades is an executive coach, leadership expert, and former award-winning journalist with a passion for empowering women in business. As the founder of Legacy Leadership, she helps leaders—from C-suite execs to rising stars—navigate their careers with confidence and clarity. With clients spanning industries like finance, media, and tech (think Nike, BBC, and Warner Bros.), Lynn knows what it takes to thrive in high-pressure environments.

Before coaching, she worked as a journalist with networks like CNN, BBC, and Showtime, sharpening her skills in communication and storytelling. Now, she channels that expertise into helping leaders find their voice, avoid burnout, and step into their power. She also chairs the board of New Curators and mentors young professionals through Creative Access.

Her upcoming book, The Quiet Burn, is a call to action for ambitious women to embrace their power, take off their invisible Superwoman cape (that often feels like a noose) and prioritise themselves. Underscoring that self-care is essential for personal and professional success.

Follow Lynn Blades

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnblades/

Website: https://lynnblades.com/

Preorder Lynn’s NEW Book “The Quiet Burn” (out 15th May!): https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-quiet-burn/lynn-blades//9781639081301

Follow Am I Crazy? Or…

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amicrazyorpodcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmICrazyOr/videos

Website: https://www.amicrazyor.com/

Podcast Host & Producer: Lisa Paasche

Podcast Editor & Producer: Luke Naylor-Perrot

Links:

Fawcett Society: Landmark Study Menopausal Women let Down by Employers and Healthcare Providers

https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/news/landmark-study-menopausal-women-let-down-by-employers-and-healthcare-providers

Shattering the Silence about Menopause

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shattering-the-silence-about-menopause-12-month-progress-report/shattering-the-silence-about-menopause-12-month-progress-report

In this episode, I sit down with Holly Tennock, who faced something most women don’t expect at just 38—premature menopause. Not perimenopause, but full menopause. Her period stopped. And everything she thought she knew about herself shifted overnight.

A decade earlier, Holly had founded and grown a thriving PR agency, successfully selling and exiting the business in 2019—all while juggling motherhood and home life. The challenges were tough, but they were also motivating. Then, suddenly, what once felt like an exciting challenge began to feel insurmountable. Brain fog, memory struggles, and an overwhelming sense that something was just… off. She blamed stress, but deep down, she knew there was more to the story.

The reality? Holly was experiencing Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI)—a condition that affects 1 in 100 women, causing the ovaries to stop functioning before the age of 40. Reduced estrogen. Irregular or absent periods. A premature menopause that turned her world upside down.

And then, another revelation: ADHD. Diagnosed not once, but twice (because she didn’t believe it the first time). The connection between ADHD and menopause is profound—hormonal shifts impact dopamine and serotonin levels, intensifying symptoms like brain fog, emotional dysregulation, and difficulty concentrating. Many women only discover their ADHD during menopause, and 83% report worsening symptoms. Women with ADHD are also 40% more likely to experience depression in perimenopause.

Holly’s story mirrors my own in so many ways. This conversation is raw, vulnerable, and deeply honest—a shared experience of two women who thought they could handle it all… until we couldn’t. And what happened when we finally had to put on our own oxygen masks first.

Grab the tissues—this one’s going to hit deep. Because sometimes, it’s in the breaking that we let the light in. 💛

Lisa x

About Holly Tennock

Holly Tennock is a serial entrepreneur and accredited professional coach. She grew a hot list of the world’s leading health-tech brands with the PR agency she sold in 2019 and is now CEO founder of Wilder Work, an offsite company reconnecting teams in biodiversity restoration sites across the UK.

The equity seeking matchmaking site for businesses and high-impact, memorable, nature led offsites is discovering and evidencing the best ways employees and leaders can reconnect in ways that increase economic growth and restore biodiversity.

This entrepreneurial pivot to focus on restoring joy to leaders and their teams came from Holly’s desire to reconnect with her own sense of purpose and values following a premature menopause diagnosis at 38, medically attributed to stress, post agency sale.

Follow Holly Tennock

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollytennock/

Wilder Work: https://wilder.work/

Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/wilder/work-wilder-weekly

Follow Am I Crazy? Or…

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amicrazyorpodcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmICrazyOr/videos

Website: https://www.amicrazyor.com/

Podcast Host & Producer: Lisa Paasche

Podcast Editor & Producer: Luke Naylor-Perrot

Links:

How Perimenopause and Menopause Impact ADHD Symptoms

https://www.additudemag.com/menopause-perimenopause-adhd-research/

Risk of Depression in Menopausal Stages

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032724006438?via%3Dihub

Book Recommendation - Miranda July “On All Fours”

https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Fours-Miranda-July/dp/1838853448