Menopause is not just hormonal.
It’s historical. Cultural. Political. Personal.

In this powerful Black History Month conversation, Dr. Arianna sits down with Omisade Burney-Scott — cultural worker, storyteller, and founder of The Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause — to radically expand how we understand midlife.

This episode challenges the narrow, binary narrative that has long defined menopause in the United States and asks a deeper question:

Who has been centered in this conversation — and who has been left out?

Together, we explore:

• The concept of the Menopausal Multiverse

• How menopause has been flattened into a limited medical narrative

• “Weathering” — the biological impact of chronic stress and generational trauma

• Why reproductive justice includes menopause

• Cultural identity and how it shapes healthcare access and outcomes

• The power of language — and why “ladies” may not be the right default

• How we create safe containers for new narratives to emerge

This conversation goes beyond symptoms and prescriptions.

It’s about who is seen.
Who is heard.
And who has historically been excluded from care.

Listen with curiosity.
Listen with openness.
Because this one may stretch you — in the best way.

About Our Guest

Omisade Burney-Scott (she/her) is a Black Southern, 7th-generation North Carolinian feminist, cultural worker, and social justice advocate with decades of experience in nonprofit leadership and philanthropy. She is the creator of The Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause, a multimedia narrative-shift project rooted in reproductive justice and cultural storytelling.

Timestamped Breakdown

00:00 – Opening reflections & Black History Month framing
03:45 – Introducing Omisade and her work
06:20 – The Menopausal Multiverse explained
11:10 – How menopause became a narrow, binary narrative
15:30 – Identity, race & lived experience in midlife health
20:40 – Weathering: chronic stress & generational trauma
27:15 – Reproductive justice in midlife
33:50 – Who gets centered in menopause conversations
39:10 – Language, inclusion & cultural competency
44:25 – Expanding care beyond hormones alone
49:40 – What providers must understand
55:15 – Final reflections on widening the frame of care

Resources & Links

🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube
📍 Book a menopause consultation at Tula Wellness
📘 Buy The Menopause Myth: What Your Mother, Doctor, and Friends Haven’t Shared About Life After 35
📊 Take the Menopause IQ self-assessment
📖 Download a free chapter of The Menopause Myth
📱 Follow Dr. Arianna on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn

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