Épisodes

  • Holding Up The Menopause Mirror: Reflecting on Identity, Career, and the Path to Self-Discovery
    Jan 7 2026
    Michelle sits down with executive coach Jo Ibbott to peel back the layers of the menopause experience that often remain hidden behind closed office doors. For many women, the physical symptoms are only half the battle; the true challenge lies in the quiet erosion of confidence and the sudden, disorienting shift in professional identity. Jo shares her personal "aha" moment and explains how the "brain fog" of menopause is more than just forgetfulness, it is a psychological hurdle that can lead even the most successful leaders to question their worth. By moving away from a culture of silent apologies and "masking" symptoms, women can reclaim their power through community and informed advocacy. Michelle and Jo share practical advice for workplace communication and the reminder that prioritising your own "oxygen mask" isn't just an act of self-care, it’s a vital strategy for thriving in your next chapter. Jo Reveals How even highly successful women often fail to connect their workplace struggles to menopause, leading to unnecessary self-doubt and the urge to resign. How menopause affects approximately 300 systems in the body, meaning psychological symptoms like anxiety and loss of focus are as medically valid as hot flashes. Why creating "safe spaces" at work like simple posters or open dialogues, can stop women from feeling like they need to apologise for their biology. Why taking time to pause and invest in your own health is a survival strategy that allows you to continue caring for others and performing at your peak. BEST MOMENTS "It’s not you, it’s perimenopause... You’re not getting less capable; it’s just that our energy levels can dip by around 30 percent." "I thought I had onset dementia... I’d burst out crying for stupid reasons. We don’t think about things like that being linked to our hormones." "Putting the oxygen mask on yourself first... it’s not selfish to do that; it’s actually survival." "I want women to stop apologising for what they’re going through. This is real, it’s medical, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of." GUEST LINKS Jo Abbott - https://courage-coaching.co.uk/about/ HOST BIO Michelle is a highly respected Physiotherapist and Menopause Wellbeing Practitioner with over two decades of experience in the health and wellness industry. After experiencing seven years of debilitating symptoms herself before realising it was perimenopause, Michelle has since dedicated her career to helping other women navigate this transformative stage of life. Her personal journey fuels her passion for educating and empowering women, as well as training businesses and health professionals through her specialised menopause and wellbeing workshops. A best-selling author and sought-after speaker, Michelle combines deep clinical expertise with relatable, real-world experience. Through her podcast, "Menopause - The Real Deal," she offers evidence-based guidance, authentic conversations, and practical strategies. Listeners trust Michelle for her empathetic understanding and her commitment to helping women thrive, making her a leading voice in the menopause space. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/michelle.kimp.9/ Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag Website www.panaceapause.co.uk
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    53 min
  • The Big Root Cause Reset: How To Identify the Missing Links Driving Your Menopause Symptoms
    Dec 31 2025
    Kate Driver is a naturopath specialising in perimenopause and menopause, who combines functional testing, personalised nutrition, and herbal medicine to get to the root of the symptoms so many women face. If you’ve ever felt like a failure after doing all you could to feel less exhausted and foggy, then hope is at hand! Kate is here this time to share 25 years of her invaluable experience in shining a light on the crucial missing links many women are desperate to identify. You'll learn about the signs of adrenal fatigue, how prolonged stress and environmental factors quietly throw your body out of balance, and the powerful, yet often overlooked, gut-hormone connection. You’ll soon be armed with real, lasting insights into how to move through midlife with clarity and confidence, and a practical set of steps to go from surviving to thriving. Kate Discusses How the adrenal and thyroid glands work together to regulate stress and metabolism, so when one is out of balance, the others will be affected Everyday environmental factors, including electromagnetic radiation (EMFs), blue light from devices, chemicals in personal care products, and even water additives like fluoride and chlorine, and how they act as major stressors that increase cortisol and inflammation, putting the body in a constant state of "fight or flight". Gut health and how it’s crucial for hormone balance. If the gut microbiome is imbalanced, it affects the conversion of thyroid hormones and the metabolism of oestrogen, which can lead to issues like constipation, gut inflammation, and hormone-driven symptoms How deep breathing, meditation, and grounding can help re-tone the vagus nerve which connects the brainstem to the organs How insulin resistance is exacerbated by high cortisol and can cause that troubling weight gain around the middle BEST MOMENTS "I just think starting with the basics as well... getting out in the morning, getting morning sunlight, getting as much [grounding] or being out in nature as much as possible compared to being inside. That's going to actually help your health the most." "Your body is giving you these symptoms because it's telling you that you're out of balance, not because perimenopause should be symptomatic. It's actually a recalibration." "You can't heal and you can't balance your hormones, you can't stay healthy if you're constantly in this sympathetic state or the fight or flight state of stress." "You've got to trust that your body can actually heal itself. Your body knows how innately to heal itself." GUEST LINKS Kate Driver - https://theperimenopausepractitioner.com/about/ HOST BIO Michelle is a highly respected Physiotherapist and Menopause Wellbeing Practitioner with over two decades of experience in the health and wellness industry. After experiencing seven years of debilitating symptoms herself before realising it was perimenopause, Michelle has since dedicated her career to helping other women navigate this transformative stage of life. Her personal journey fuels her passion for educating and empowering women, as well as training businesses and health professionals through her specialised menopause and wellbeing workshops. A best-selling author and sought-after speaker, Michelle combines deep clinical expertise with relatable, real-world experience. Through her podcast, "Menopause - The Real Deal," she offers evidence-based guidance, authentic conversations, and practical strategies. Listeners trust Michelle for her empathetic understanding and her commitment to helping women thrive, making her a leading voice in the menopause space. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/michelle.kimp.9/ Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag Website www.panaceapause.co.uk
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    56 min
  • Busting The Four Myths That May Be Hijacking Your Menopause Journey
    Dec 24 2025
    Are you tired of being told "It's just your age" or "You're probably stressed" while your body feels like it's been hijacked? In this episode, Michelle drops the taboos and tackles four common myths that mislead women and even health professionals about perimenopause and menopause. Discover the scientific truth about when the hormonal transition can truly begin (spoiler: it's often earlier than you think), and why a "normal" blood test doesn't mean your symptoms are imaginary. Most critically, she addresses the fear surrounding HRT, clarifying the risks and benefits of modern body-identical treatments. By the end of this episode, you will have the knowledge to advocate for yourself! Michelle Reveals How the hormonal transition is driven by ovarian aging and fluctuating hormones, not a birthday rulebook. How a single blood test that catches a normal moment in between the storms does not mean your symptoms are dismissed or that "nothing is happening" Why society has defined menopause by the hot flash stereotype, yet around 30% of women never get them. How perimenopause can present in countless other ways, including severe anxiety, brain fog, joint pain, mood swings, and gut/skin changes How the pervasive fear surrounding Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) originates from a badly reported and interpreted 2002 study (the Women's Health Initiative) that used older, synthetic forms on a generally older, higher-risk population Why all women deserve conversations and informed choice, not shame or scare tactics BEST MOMENTS "Imagine being told that when you feel like your entire personality has been hijacked by a deranged hormonal demon." "Your body doesn't read the textbooks to find out when it should start perimenopause, and it knows what stage of life it is in, even if the healthcare system is still catching up." "Your blood test isn't living your life. You are." "The myth that has overstayed its welcome by about two decades... If misinformation was furniture, this one would be the mouldy armchair we should have thrown out years ago." HOST BIO Michelle is a highly respected Physiotherapist and Menopause Wellbeing Practitioner with over two decades of experience in the health and wellness industry. After experiencing seven years of debilitating symptoms herself before realising it was perimenopause, Michelle has since dedicated her career to helping other women navigate this transformative stage of life. Her personal journey fuels her passion for educating and empowering women, as well as training businesses and health professionals through her specialised menopause and wellbeing workshops. A best-selling author and sought-after speaker, Michelle combines deep clinical expertise with relatable, real-world experience. Through her podcast, "Menopause - The Real Deal," she offers evidence-based guidance, authentic conversations, and practical strategies. Listeners trust Michelle for her empathetic understanding and her commitment to helping women thrive, making her a leading voice in the menopause space. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/michelle.kimp.9/ Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag Website www.panaceapause.co.uk
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    24 min
  • Asking The Big Question: Is It Personality, or ADHD & Menopause?
    Dec 17 2025
    Welcome to an enlightening episode where we challenge a lifetime of self-doubt, while giving you two podcasts for the price of one. Michelle and her guest, Jami Shapiro, the founder of Silver Linings Transitions, author of This Explains So Much, and host of the Grandma Has ADHD podcast engage in a unique and revealing conversation for both podcasts, about how a whole generation of women have been missed or misdiagnosed because ADHD symptoms in girls and women present differently than in hyperactive boys, often leading to internal struggles and burnout rather than visible behavioural issues. Jami's journey of discovery in midlife, prompted by her child's diagnosis, has sparked a massive "lightbulb moment" for thousands of women finally connecting the dots between their struggles and ADHD, especially as they navigate perimenopause and menopause. This episode offers powerful validation for anyone who has felt foggy, forgetful, emotional, or drained, or who has spent their entire life masking their true self just to cope. Listen to a conversation full of honesty, expert insights, and the deep, shared relief of finally understanding what’s really been going on. Jami Reveals How many women are only now discovering their ADHD because their symptoms often involved internalising struggles Why women with ADHD are more likely to experience severe PMS or PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) Why hormonal shifts during perimenopause and menopause can intensify existing ADHD symptoms, making them more noticeable How the lack of recognition for female ADHD is tied to historical societal pressures for women to "hold it together." Why this legacy links back to figures who were often institutionalised or even persecuted for behaviours now associated with midlife hormonal changes and neurodiversity How finding out about ADHD later in life can bring a period of grief, but also immense relief and acceptance. BEST MOMENTS "The reason you felt scattered, sensitive, or like you're just too much your whole life wasn't personality, but undiagnosed ADHD made worse by hormonal shifts." "You have been cobbling it together your entire life. Like, you didn't even know that you were building accommodations for yourself." "There's a forgiveness that comes, a gentleness that comes with yourself. That grace." "Don't try and get that person who you were before. You're evolving. You want to literally look forward and say, 'Right, who am I now?'" GUEST LINKS Jami Shapiro - https://www.jamishapiro.me HOST BIO Michelle is a highly respected Physiotherapist and Menopause Wellbeing Practitioner with over two decades of experience in the health and wellness industry. After experiencing seven years of debilitating symptoms herself before realising it was perimenopause, Michelle has since dedicated her career to helping other women navigate this transformative stage of life. Her personal journey fuels her passion for educating and empowering women, as well as training businesses and health professionals through her specialised menopause and wellbeing workshops. A best-selling author and sought-after speaker, Michelle combines deep clinical expertise with relatable, real-world experience. Through her podcast, "Menopause - The Real Deal," she offers evidence-based guidance, authentic conversations, and practical strategies. Listeners trust Michelle for her empathetic understanding and her commitment to helping women thrive, making her a leading voice in the menopause space. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/michelle.kimp.9/ Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag Website www.panaceapause.co.uk
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    50 min
  • How to Stop Running on Empty and Reclaim Your Energy in Midlife - with Philippa Scott
    Dec 10 2025
    In this deeply compassionate no-nonsense episode, Michelle speaks with Philippa Scott, a therapist who knows exactly what it's like to be a high-performer quietly burning out behind the scenes. Philippa shares her personal journey through two major burnouts, the intense struggle of navigating parenthood and perimenopause, and why traditional self-care and mindset tools simply didn't work for her. They explore the mind-body connection, why your old trauma might be sabotaging your energy today, and how to finally break free by teaching your unconscious brain that you are safe now. Get ready to learn how to reclaim your energy, rewrite your story, and step into the powerful woman you were always meant to be Philippa Discusses The signs of burnout women often miss, including brain fog, decision fatigue, and feeling stuck in destructive thinking patterns that blur reality. How the Richards Trauma Process (TRTP) differs from traditional therapy like hypnosis by using the language of your unconscious The 'cake analogy': why ignoring the deep inner work is like trying to bake a perfect cake in a dirty kitchen, making everything harder and less effective. The significant shift from being in 'life creation mode' to 'wisdom giving mode' in midlife How old trauma patterns related to key transitions like menarche, birth, or relationships can affect how we physically do menopause. The power of teaching women to prioritise their own health and needs so they can give their best to their family, rather than their 'dregs'. BEST MOMENTS "Your system is doing the very best it can to keep you safe. So you are not broken. You're just running old software." "I was flogging myself for a workplace that did not rely on me the way my kids and my family relied on me." "We lose clarity in lots of areas of our life, and we feel stuck, or we feel like we can't move forward in any way." "You are not broken. Your old software and your old programming needs updating, and we need to turn off some of the programs that are running in the background that are causing you to sabotage yourself." GUEST LINKS https://bio.site/fantasticfutures www.fantasticfuture.com.au HOST BIO Michelle is a highly respected Physiotherapist and Menopause Wellbeing Practitioner with over two decades of experience in the health and wellness industry. After experiencing seven years of debilitating symptoms herself before realising it was perimenopause, Michelle has since dedicated her career to helping other women navigate this transformative stage of life. Her personal journey fuels her passion for educating and empowering women, as well as training businesses and health professionals through her specialised menopause and wellbeing workshops. A best-selling author and sought-after speaker, Michelle combines deep clinical expertise with relatable, real-world experience. Through her podcast, "Menopause - The Real Deal," she offers evidence-based guidance, authentic conversations, and practical strategies. Listeners trust Michelle for her empathetic understanding and her commitment to helping women thrive, making her a leading voice in the menopause space. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/michelle.kimp.9/ Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag Website www.panaceapause.co.uk
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    49 min
  • Menopause Is Not the End: Starting Again in Midlife with Ildikó Sealey
    Dec 3 2025
    What if the masterpiece you're meant to create wasn't in your twenties but in your second act, and it's only just getting started? This time Michelle speaks with Ildiko Sealey, creator of the podcast New Business in Later Life and The Routine Club. Ildiko is proof that reinvention doesn't come with a deadline, detailing her journey from art school and social housing to studying textiles and training as an adult educator. Along the way, she began to understand her own neurodivergence. Now, she mentors entrepreneurs to prioritise their health and mindset so they can sustain what they're building. We talk about starting over in midlife, the unexpected side of menopause, identity shifts, confidence crashes, and how to rebuild when life hands you a blank canvas. Ildiko Discusses How she came to London, worked in social housing for 14 years, and then returned to university at age 38 to pursue textiles, gaining confidence and life experience that shaped her current path. How the severe brain fog was by far the hardest symptom to cope with, making thinking difficult on a minute-by-minute basis for over a year. HRT side effects like breast tenderness, 6 kg of weight gain, and the return of pre-menstrual emotional symptoms which led her to stop, opting instead for Evening Primrose Oil which helps manage emotional imbalance. Her pivot to business coaching, driven by the realisation that her own strength was her morning routine How her podcast was inspired by being asked how it felt to be 50 and realising that if she didn't pursue her dreams now, when would she? BEST MOMENTS "It was literally like with 20 years life experience, it was like going back to being like 18. It was absolutely fabulous." "Brain fog. For me, that was by far the hardest thing to cope with... I would literally take a breath to say something, and by the time I finished taking a breath, I would forget what I was going to say." "I do fully embrace that my business will only ever be as healthy as I am." "You need to be determined to do it. Then you take the action, then you get the result, and that gives you that, 'Wow, I've done it!' and then you go again." GUEST LINKS Ildiko Sealey - https://www.encorepreneurs.club/ HOST BIO Michelle is a highly respected Physiotherapist and Menopause Wellbeing Practitioner with over two decades of experience in the health and wellness industry. After experiencing seven years of debilitating symptoms herself before realising it was perimenopause, Michelle has since dedicated her career to helping other women navigate this transformative stage of life. Her personal journey fuels her passion for educating and empowering women, as well as training businesses and health professionals through her specialised menopause and wellbeing workshops. A best-selling author and sought-after speaker, Michelle combines deep clinical expertise with relatable, real-world experience. Through her podcast, "Menopause - The Real Deal," she offers evidence-based guidance, authentic conversations, and practical strategies. Listeners trust Michelle for her empathetic understanding and her commitment to helping women thrive, making her a leading voice in the menopause space. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/michelle.kimp.9/ Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag Website www.panaceapause.co.uk
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    1 h et 2 min
  • Hormones, Pain Management & Finding Balance During Menopause with Dr. Bradley Shepherd
    Nov 26 2025
    Welcome back to the podcast where we get real about midlife health and help you stop surviving and start thriving. This time, Michelle dives into a topic so many women deal with in silence: chronic, dragging, frustrating pain. Her guest is Dr. Bradley Shepherd, a chiropractor and functional medicine practitioner who specialises in helping women in their 40s and 50s reduce chronic pain by addressing the root causes of hormone and nutrient imbalances through Nutritional Endocrine Modulation. Dr. Shepherd, who grew up surrounded by women and their health struggles, explains how hormones and nutrition hold the key to reclaiming energy, improving sleep, and clearing brain fog. If you're tired of being told your pain is just part of getting older, this episode is a must-listen Dr Shepherd Discusses Why he focused on women in their 40s and 50s who are often dismissed by healthcare professionals, especially when their hormones start to shift toward menopause. How hormonal imbalances can manifest as physical pain; low oestrogen can lead to increased joint and spine disc degeneration, and low testosterone can cause fatigue, muscle aches, and loss of strength. How this approach tests hormone and nutrient levels to correct imbalances using concentrated food-based supplements rather than just isolated vitamins Why pain, mood issues (depression/anxiety), and gut inflammation are deeply interconnected and influence each other through shared neurotransmitters, creating a cycle where one imbalance affects the entire body. Common yet often missed issues like low DHEA (needed to make testosterone and oestrogen), and insulin resistance (common in perimenopause) BEST MOMENTS "I've noticed that that population tends to be dismissed by a lot of healthcare professionals... I think there's a great need, and they tend to be dismissed by a lot of the medical profession." "Why don't we make sure that the nutrients that make oestrogen and help regulate oestrogen, why don't we make sure that those nutrients are in place first?" "I don't think you can influence one neurotransmitter, say in the brain, without influencing what's going on in the gut with gut inflammation and vice versa." "Listen to your body, listen to what it's saying, try to figure out what it's telling you, because sometimes a migraine headache can be say, 'Okay, something's out of balance,' and it can be as simple as that." TO CONNECT WITH BRADLEY https://www.facebook.com/groups/naturalpainreliefsolutiongroup https://www.facebook.com/DrBrad/ https://www.instagram.com/drbshepherd/ Email: drbshepherd@shepherdfunctionalhealth.com HOST BIO Michelle is a highly respected Physiotherapist and Menopause Wellbeing Practitioner with over two decades of experience in the health and wellness industry. After experiencing seven years of debilitating symptoms herself before realising it was perimenopause, Michelle has since dedicated her career to helping other women navigate this transformative stage of life. Her personal journey fuels her passion for educating and empowering women, as well as training businesses and health professionals through her specialised menopause and wellbeing workshops. A best-selling author and sought-after speaker, Michelle combines deep clinical expertise with relatable, real-world experience. Through her podcast, "Menopause - The Real Deal," she offers evidence-based guidance, authentic conversations, and practical strategies. Listeners trust Michelle for her empathetic understanding and her commitment to helping women thrive, making her a leading voice in the menopause space. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/michelle.kimp.9/ Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag Website www.panaceapause.co.uk
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    45 min
  • Alexia Murray On TikTok, Menopause Humour & How To Turn Discomfort Into Laughter
    Nov 19 2025
    What happens when a confident, creative powerhouse suddenly finds her motivation, identity, and career confidence dipped in fog? This time, Michelle goes international with guest Alexia Murray, an actress, writer, and creative force who thought she was ready for perimenopause, but was shocked by its impact. Alexia shares the story of her five months of depression and total loss of confidence, and how she turned her pain into viral power by launching a hilarious character on TikTok that’s opening up conversations and making thousands of women feel seen and laugh through the madness Alexia Discusses The preconceived idea that her transition would be easy because she had always considered herself strong The five months of darkness, sleepless nights, and total loss of confidence in her identity and career The key turning point - a speech about getting knocked down and getting back up, which served as the spark she needed to stop waiting for external validation and create her own content. How exercise provided a huge boost in endorphins and helped her get out of her depression. Her funny, authentic TikTok character and how it became a way to find the "funny bit" in her own struggles, which in turn led to a community of support for thousands of women. BEST MOMENTS "I felt like a failure, a complete failure, a failure in my job, a failure as a mother, a failure... it was just like, all of the all of the hard work and struggle... it was all suddenly drained." "I was just very vulnerable right then I think, and at the end of that workshop I thought, what, what am I doing? Like this, I just felt so tired and so hopeless... that was the moment when it just completely hit me." "Success is about how many times you get knocked down and how many times you get up. Because if you get knocked down and you stay down, then that's the end of the game, right?" “The endorphins are amazing, and they also helped me, I think... one thing leads to another, so you get the endorphins going and your day looks better." HOST BIO Michelle is a highly respected Physiotherapist and Menopause Wellbeing Practitioner with over two decades of experience in the health and wellness industry. After experiencing seven years of debilitating symptoms herself before realising it was perimenopause, Michelle has since dedicated her career to helping other women navigate this transformative stage of life. Her personal journey fuels her passion for educating and empowering women, as well as training businesses and health professionals through her specialised menopause and wellbeing workshops. A best-selling author and sought-after speaker, Michelle combines deep clinical expertise with relatable, real-world experience. Through her podcast, "Menopause - The Real Deal," she offers evidence-based guidance, authentic conversations, and practical strategies. Listeners trust Michelle for her empathetic understanding and her commitment to helping women thrive, making her a leading voice in the menopause space. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/michelle.kimp.9/ Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag Website www.panaceapause.co.uk
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    42 min