Suzanne Yates is an acclaimed international therapist, teacher, author, researcher, and innovator, author of 3 books and now working on the 4th, she works with people at all stages of their lives: from babies and pregnant mothers to the elderly. Her specialty is women’s health. A published author and expert in the field of pre and postnatal shiatsu and bodywork, she has been teaching parents, doctors, midwives, shiatsu therapists, and massage practitioners worldwide for the past 30 + years. She taught me pregnancy shiatsu back in the naughties. Suzanne shares: Chinese Medicine view of menopa ..read more

Exploring how we can come to terms with the end of biological fertility and how creative fertility increases postmenopause. You’ll hear five different women, all in different circumstances and each story just blew me away. There is so much courage, healing, endurance and resilience in this coming to terms and I hope you’ll feel as inspired as I was. You should know though, that many of life tragedies are discussed in this episode including baby loss, sexual abuse and suicide so if you’re having a fragile day of it, maybe come back to this episode later. Some of the interviewees wished to stay ..read more

This is the fifth piece in the Threads of Friendship series, you can read the words in the text below Dearest Rachel, We met in Silence in another millennium, another world, Two heart-sore travellers searching for peace. Sharing that dusty little house in the middle of nowhere, We came to trust each other with our scars and our secrets. Over quarter of a century of friendship, we’ve shape-shifted together. You’ve stood beside me in my deepest pain and my greatest joy. You’ve challenged me in ways no-one else would dare! Pushed me to see things another way, to change, to grow. Our fallings ou ..read more

Decent and Rising: women’s stories and the embodiment of the Innana myth is a book for anyone who has ever felt lost, a failure, that they’re getting sucked deep into dark places that most people would regard as mad. Written by Carly Mountain, a psychotherapist and women’s initiatory guide, who specialises in working with sexuality, relationships and embodiment. The book is published by Womancraft and I just loved it. I first came across this story through Angela Farmer, who you’ll remember from this earlier episode, but Carly takes it to a deeper level. Last week I was lucky enough to have a ..read more

My guest this time is Laura Shuckburgh. Laura is is a Menopause Coach and an NLP Practitioner. The founder of  Menopause Unleashed Retreats  and  Marvellous Midlife she has recently written a digital menopause awareness product for the ted Learning group. You can usually find her in her home on wheels in the French Countryside. We talk about the positive change and growth that menopause can bring, even though the challenges are present, we can rise. Though Laura had a tough perimenopause she shares the journey of:  How she became more authentically myself M ..read more

Plus 12 things I learned writing my first book A year ago today, Second Spring was pushed out into the world, blinking in the bright February light. Next to parenting and my relationship, the creation of this book has taught me more about myself than I thought possible and not all of it very comfortable.   There is a lot of mystique around writing a book, there’s perceived glamour and status and I would like to lift the veil on this one and share some of my process around Second Spring. If you are a writer or a dreamer, I hope reading this might save you some pain and some time.   Fo ..read more

This episode focussed on debunking the narrative that claims menopause is a deficiency that requires fixing, instead of a normal, healthy life event that ushers us into a vibrant, engaged maturity.  I feel that if menopause is asking us to love ourselves better, to deepen our relationship to ourselves, then HRT can really help with that, allowing us to put ourselves first. But though HRT can be a life-saver, when it’s used for a long time to continue to push through when our resources are already depleted, without making any lifestyle changes, it is just saving up problems for later. Rac ..read more

This episode is all about how the understanding of ourselves as cyclical beings can help us navigate the climate emergency. Giulietta Durante of Hormones in Harmony, Natasha Richardson from Forage Botanicals and period educator Tara Ghosh all kindly volunteered to share their wisdom and experience, we talk about: ·      How to manage climate anxiety ·      How to manage your nervous system and make a difference ·      How living cyclically helps you and the planet ·      How to have difficult conversations about the climate ..read more

In which I chat to host Emma Thomas about the seasons of pre-, peri-, and post-menopause: from our Autumn of editing out the things that no longer serve us, where we slow down, and recalibrate after years of looking after others, to our Winter, accepting, softening and hunkering down, to our Second Spring as rebirth and a time for discovering new creative pursuits. You can listen here The post Embracing Second Spring on Middling Along Podcast appeared first on Kate Codrington ..read more

A chewy topic, so seldom discussed in the fertility world so I was delighted to bring the support of a seasonal lens to Sarah Holland’s Fertile Mindset podcast. An introduction to the seasonal view of the menstrual cycle and how this can support us. The seasons that apply to the menopausal part of life. Hear about Kate’s “hug of a book” Second Spring, which includes tons of self-care to prepare for and then live through menopause and beyond. What women who are becoming parents during this time most need by way of support and self-care. You can find the full episode here. The post Fert ..read more