Is It Hot In Here?

• Will My Ethnicity Impact My Menopause Experience? – With Fitness Expert Lavina Mehta

  How does your genetic, social and racial heritage affect your menopause? And how can you future proof your body right now? In today’s episode of ‘Is It Hot In Here?’ Dr. Naomi Potter is joined by Lavina Mehta MBE, who shares her deeply personal and compelling story about embracing menopause in the face of it being a “taboo subject” socially and culturally. She tells how making her husband do an IG Live about what she was experiencing saved many marriages. And how, as an award-winning personal trainer and wellness coach, she has developed multiple one-minute tricks to future proof her body and brain during mid-life. Join Naomi and Lavina as they play with armchair exercise and deep-dive into the ways our cultures can affect our experiences. Further reading and resources: Follow Lavina below: Lavina's Instagram: @feelgoodwithlavina Lavina's YouTube channel: ⁨@feelgoodwithlavina⁩ Lavina's book The Feel Good Fix: https://feelgoodwithlavina.com/lavina-shop/ Stay up to date with Is It Hot In Here? podcast on Instagram @hotinherepodcast_drnaomipotter Follow Dr. Naomi Potter below: Naomi’s Instagram: @dr_naomipotter Is It Hot In Here's Instagram: Naomi’s TikTok: @dr_naomipotter Naomi’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18evLF7Fep/?mibextid=wwXIfr For more information and support about menopause, you can go to: https://www.menopausecare.co.uk/ Submit a question for Naomi to read at: [email protected] #lavinamehta #drnaomipotter #menopause Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:30 South Asians go through menopause 5-6 years earlier 00:02:36 Menopause and fitness 00:03:08 Anxiety and perimenopause 00:03:30 Brain fog 00:06:51 Women's health being taboo 00:08:19 South Asian experience of menopause 00:10:10 Involving men in the menopause conversation 00:11:38 A fear of judgement within Lavina's culture 00:13:45 "We need trust" 00:14:59 Lavina's journey to becoming a personal trainer 00:18:24 Exercise snacking 00:19:54 Making exercise accessible 00:20:52 You only need 11 minutes of exercise 00:22:22 We're all sitting for too long 00:23:41 How to future proof your body 00:24:27 Lowering stress levels 00:25:07 Exercise vs HRT 00:25:31 Strength training is the answer (start now) 00:26:56 Resetting your nervous system 00:27:35 Lavina's experience on HRT 00:31:00 Talking to your mum about menopause 00:32:18 Entering menopause 00:34:37 Lavina is having a menopause party! 00:35:35 Periods being a "shameful thing" 00:36:37 Will my menopause symptoms go away? 00:38:14 Dealing with hot flushes 00:39:59 Exercises for joint pain 00:43:03 Exercises for back, neck and shoulder pain 00:44:41 Outro

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• Lost Confidence In Midlife? Listen To This! – With Self Love Expert Lou Featherstone

  Ready to join the self love revolution? In today’s episode of ‘Is It Hot In Here?’ Dr. Naomi Potter is joined by Lou Featherstone – or as she’s better known online, Lu in Luland. Lou is a podcaster, life coach, and “accidental influencer” on a mission to help as many women as possible to find confidence during midlife. Lou’s own self-love journey started when she went for a hike up a mountain in the USA. As she reached the summit, she felt “emboldened” and decided to snap a nude photo of herself in all her glory. It’s only now that she looks back at this moment that she realises this was “a cry for help” as “she needed to be seen”. She felt ignored in her marriage, she felt that her life was stagnating as she approached her 50s, and she was desperate for me! Aren’t we all? You might not relate to the boldest of Lou’s own wakeup call. However, most women watching this will relate to aspects of this story. Of feeling lost within your 40s and 50s. Of trying to find who you are outside of being a wife or a parent or a caregiver. Of feeling that you’re getting older and leaving your confident, sexiest self in the past. Well, it doesn’t have to be like this. Together, Lou and Naomi will be talking all about how to be the best version of yourself during midlife. Despite all the hormonal changes, menopausal night sweats, and other curveballs life throws our way, there is zero reason why you cannot love yourself and embrace life – no matter your age. Further reading and resources: People over 55 are the new “problem generation” with the most STDs: https://www.economist.com/international/2025/01/02/why-people-over-the-age-of-55-are-the-new-problem-generation Survey about sex in menopause https://www.instagram.com/p/DBQinoRtUez/?hl=en&img_index=1 Follow Lou below: Lou’s Instagram: @luinluland Lou’s podcast The Self Love Revolution: https://open.spotify.com/show/5lIX9aMw18XRzsk2fX2R5o?si=5234206a4d6041c8 Lou’s website: https://luinluland.com/ Follow Dr. Naomi Potter below: Naomi’s Instagram: @dr_naomipotter Naomi’s TikTok: @dr_naomipotter Naomi’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18evLF7Fep/?mibextid=wwXIfr For more information and support about menopause, you can go to: https://www.menopausecare.co.uk/ Submit a question for Naomi to read at: [email protected] #loufeatherstone #luinluland #hotinhere Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:12 Introducing Lou Featherstone 00:13:54 How to find your voice 00:16:47 Menopause and rage 00:28:57 Lou's relationship with menopause 00:30:34 How to not get in your own way 00:37:25 Coping with criticism 00:43:39 Post natal depression 00:48:06 Lou's next chapter 00:50:28 What is self love? 00:51:47 Listener questions 01:03:19 Outro

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• "Their Brains Are Literally Different" – Parenting Teens Alongside Menopause With Lorraine Candy

  If you are trying to balance parenting teenagers while experiencing your own hormone rollercoaster, you are not the only one. In today’s episode of ‘Is It Hot In Here?’ Dr. Naomi Potter is joined by journalist, author, and podcaster Lorraine Candy. Lorraine rose through the ranks on Fleet Street to become editor of Elle magazine and Sunday Times Style, but her biggest challenge was parenting four teenage/tweenage children while she was experiencing perimenopause—“It was just so hard.” Her insomnia, rage, and brain fog were so extreme that she thought she had a brain tumour that ran up against her children’s hormones, so how did she find a way to keep peace at home? Naomi and Lorraine discuss what happens when mid-life and adolescence collide and how “medical misogyny” has led to a lack of research into ways to help support women in mid-life and normalises the idea that they are less valuable than they once were. “We have a whole row of greeting cards saying we’re idiots” says Lorraine. Together, Lorraine and Naomi shed light on how things are gradually improving and what needs to happen next. Further reading and resources: Workplace support with Amazing If: https://www.amazingif.com/ Job transition support with Careers Can Change: https://careerscanchange.co.uk/ Career coaching with Rachel Schofield: https://rachelschofield.co.uk/career-development Women over 50 represent the fastest growing segment of the UK’s workforce: https://helptogrow.campaign.gov.uk/hr/menopause-and-the-workplace/#:~:text=Women%20make%20up%20nearly%20half,someone%20in%20their%20immediate%20circle. HRT protecting women from diseases such as heart disease: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9178928/#:~:text=Initiated%20in%20women%20%3C60%20years,lowering%20fail%20to%20do%20so. Cardio Vascular Disease as a leading cause of death for women: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4834856/ Follow Lorraine below: Lorraine’s Instagram: @lorrainecandy Lorraine’s podcast Postcards From Midlife: https://www.postcardsfrommidlife.com/ Lorraine’s books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Lorraine-Candy/s?rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3ALorraine%2BCandy Lorraine’s new YouTube series about parenting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTXUyXW-xCE&list=PL7hzTyTZynYc7IGdaXNq5UAVyKpbeLEXI Follow Dr. Naomi Potter below: Naomi’s Instagram: @dr_naomipotter Naomi’s TikTok: @dr_naomipotter Naomi’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18evLF7Fep/?mibextid=wwXIfr For more information and support about menopause, you can go to: https://www.menopausecare.co.uk/ Submit a question for Naomi to read at: [email protected] #hotinhere #lorrainecandy #naomipotter

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• Dame Kelly Holmes: "I Hate The Ageing Process"

  How did Dame Kelly Holmes go from a world-class runner to unable to do a single press-up? In today’s episode of ‘Is It Hot In Here?’ Dr. Naomi Potter is joined by one of the UK’s most-loved athletes, two-time Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes. Kelly talks Dr. Naomi through her hormone journey – starting in the military, where women’s health was not discussed, and as an international athlete suffering from periods so excruciating she would be “crawling off the track” and “carried to the doctor’s.” She also shares her struggles to accept the change in her body’s performance and, after years of strict medical monitoring in international athletics, why she rejected the idea of taking the hormones so many women rely on in mid-life. Together, Dr. Naomi Potter and Kelly unpick the ups and downs of Kelly’s career and the resilience that has driven her to achieve greatness and how understanding the medical, physical, and emotional changes has helped her to regain her strength (both mental and physical) and embrace the future. Follow Dame Kelly Holmes below: Kelly’s Instagram: @damekellyholmes Kelly’s TikTok: @damekellyholmes Learn more about Kelly’s mission to empower more women with The Athena Effect: https://athenaeffectevents.co.uk/ Follow Athena Effects on Instagram: @athenaeffectevents Follow Dr. Naomi Potter below: Naomi’s Instagram: @dr_naomipotter Naomi’s TikTok: @dr_naomipotter Naomi’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18evLF7Fep/?mibextid=wwXIfr For more information and support about menopause, you can go to: https://www.menopausecare.co.uk/ Submit a question for Naomi to read at: [email protected] #HotInHere #Menopause #KellyHolmes Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:16 Dame Kelly Holmes' early career 00:03:29 An Olympian's mindset 00:08:27 A fear of ageing 00:11:20 "I don't feel strong anymore" 00:14:41 Feeling weaker during menopause 00:18:27 Considering HRT 00:22:49 How much HRT should I be taking? 00:23:49 Bleeding after menopause 00:26:07 Feeling strong and healthy in midlife 00:32:18 How do I know if I need HRT? 00:36:14 Testosterone during menopause 00:40:22 Can you come on and off HRT? 00:43:25 Will past women's health issues affect your menopause? 00:45:38 Excruciating period pains during Olympic races 00:50:06 Preparing for midlife earlier 00:51:05 Does your ethnicity affect menopause? 00:54:04 What's next for Kelly? 00:56:01 Will your menopause experience by the same as your mum's? 00:58:17 Could menopause hide other symptoms? 01:00:12 Exercise recommendations during menopause 01:04:01 Outro

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• Introducing Is It Hot In Here? A New Podcast With Dr Naomi Potter

  Welcome to the brand new podcast, Is It Hot In Here? Be sure to follow so you'll be notified when new episodes drop! Part open-clinic, part talk show, this podcast is for all the women seeking insight, reassurance, empathy and answers while navigating midlife. Your host is the woman's health and menopause specialist Dr Naomi Potter. Each week, Naomi is joined by a high-profile guest in an open clinic. Together, they unpick the physical, mental and emotional changes that so many of us relate to, while Naomi’s guests share their personal stories, open up about their difficulties, and laugh about some of their more bewildering challenges. But best of all, Naomi and her guests offer explanations and solutions to issues experienced by so many women, but very rarely talked about. They will also answer questions sent in by listeners with empathy, humour and medical insight. Upcoming guests include Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes talking about the difficulty a world class faces when her body stops functioning the way it always has, former Hello! magazine editor Rosie Dixon explaining how she dealt with mid-life career burn out, broadcaster Lisa Snowdon on how an early menopause diagnosis hit when she was still considering whether to have children and many, many more. All with their own, unique stories. Episode 1 will be out on Monday 24th February. Follow now so you don't miss it! Naomi’s Instagram: @dr_naomipotter Naomi’s TikTok: @dr_naomipotter Naomi’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18evLF7Fep/?mibextid=wwXIfr For more information and support about menopause, go to: ​​https://www.menopausecare.co.uk/

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