You stood in DC shouting at the top of your lungs like could somebody pay attention I'm in menopause why have we accepted this we have been drinking the Kool-Aid menopause has been Hollywood's best kept secret if you weren't young you weren't valuable if you were struggling you stayed silent I mean I was a journalist for 30 years I never said the word on television even Halle Berry one of the most powerful women in the industry was told to keep quiet some people said to me ooh that's going to be a career Ender if it was this hard for her to get answers what does that mean for the rest of us he looked at me and he said I I don't want to say it I said what say it he said I can't I said menopause right he said yes and I said why can't you say that and he said I can't say that look at you I can't tell you you're in menopause and I'm like. Now she's sitting down with me on the tamson show to break the silence and to share what she's learned what still needs to change and how she's creating a space to support women through menopause what do you do on a daily basis got a whole list of stuff that I will not miss I have to take for the first time she's revealing exactly how she thrives in menopause and what every woman needs to know and if hi Berry is willing to put her name on the line to change the conversation. So are we it's only our favorite topic welcome to the tamson show let's get into it today is really a gift as I'm talking to actress and entrepreneur hi Barry hi's a menopause how do we know that well she stood on Capitol Hill last year and screamed it for all of us through her advocacy work she's pushing for better Women's Health Care education and a deeper societal understanding in an industry that really demands we fight to preserve our youth hie says there is no way we can be forever 35 at 58 she wants every woman to know menopause isn't the end what she's about to share will change how you take charge of yourself and your health forever Hal Barry welcome to the tamson show nice to see you thank you thank you for having me I've been a huge fan of yours I'm a huge fan of of course first of all I want to say it has been brilliant to see what you have done. And so needed to see what you've done because we've needed voices getting louder and louder I listened to you in an interview say that making a difference for women in midlife was the reason that you get up every day and the reason that you stay up late at night yes besides my hot flashes besides the hot flashes and night sweat. But yeah it it's become the single most important part of the work that I will do in my second act the single most important for for sure what made you know that that was where you were going to be did it happen to you did it happen to you that it came to you as this is it versus you're going through it right.
But then you kept saying like wait a minute it's not just about me. Now it's about all women right well I think the minute I realized that I was in Perry menopause I was 54 years old and I found out in the most heinous way to me to find this out and I realized that I knew. So little nobody had ever talked to me and I had this knowing that if I knew. So little and I feel like I have some worldclass doctors in California and if none of them really sat me down and talked about this time of my life and prepared me in any way that I'm sure millions and millions of other women are just as in the dark as I was. So I knew that as I advocate it for myself I would essentially be advocating for all women because you know we all if we live long enough and aging is a privilege we're all going to go through it.
But we can't go through it being stuck on stupid you know we can't go through it very well said with no information that's not that's not that's not sustainable we deserve better we do deserve better and there's a lot that has to be done to to get us to better I know you've told the story before. But can you talk about that because that story I think is heinous and shocking shocking. And so upsetting on. So many different levels yeah well first of all I thought I would skip menopause whatever that was I thought you know I got myself off insulin I'm a type two diabetic I winged myself off insulin then off oral medication. So there was a feeling of hey I can do pretty much anything I want to do if I eat right and exercise and take my prioritize my health and well-being right.
So I thought whatever menopause is I don't know much about it. But I'm sure I'm going to skip it because I'm too healthy I'm too on top of everything. So when I finally met which I believe. Now is the true love of my life I finally meet my life partner and we're having the best time to can have right and we have one night of amazing sex I wake up the next morning and I try to go to the bathroom and I can't do it I cannot do it I am in the most excruciating pain other than having a scratched cornea there was nothing more painful that I I was going through and it literally took me about 10 minutes to empty my bladder because I had to do it little bit by little bit because it was just. So painful and I went to him and I said something's really really wrong with me I have to go to the doctor right.
Now I don't know what this is it's not a bladder infection it's not there's something really wrong. So I go to the doctor and my doctor who I had for a very long time did the examination upon looking up there he said I can tell you exactly what this is. Okay what he said this is a bad case of herpes and I said herpes how do I have herpes he said I don't know. But I'll do the test because I I should do it. But I'm telling you that's what it is I'll call you in three days when I get the results and I was horrified I may have this new guy in my life where and not that herpes is a death sentence.
But you would just think if we're in a relationship and if you have herpes you would just share that information it's not a deal breaker. But I would like to know that. So I go down there to him and I say. So what. So you got herpes he said I don't have herpes I'm like well yeah you do because.
Now I have herpes and I didn't have it before I knew you. So yeah you do and we did this dance back and forth and he was convinced he didn't have it. So he did the responsible thing well I told him you're going to go get a test because we're going to find out that you do have herpes because somehow. So we do this test and for 72 hours we are both just questioning each other and why wouldn't you tell me this like it's really it's. Okay and you know trust comes into play and you just you know.
So we do that whole day. And so first of all he gets his phone call First his doctor calls him and says well nope you don't have herpes. So he's like told you I don't have herpes and good thing you didn't give it to me I don't know why you have it. But thank God I don't my doctor calls about two hours after that and says the same thing you don't have herpes I said I I don't have herpes and he's like did do you want to have herpes I'm like no. But you told me I had herpes and.
Now then what do I have what is this then did not know don't don't know. But it's not herpes you know it was kind of like be glad about that I was glad about that. But I was even more disturbed because I didn't have an answer for what I did have then. So that was the inciting incident that sort of sent me down the rabbit hole of doing my own investigation and reconnaissance and reading and reading and realizing that it was you know dry vagina syndrome all of our orifice get dry right eyes mouth and vagina and I've got dry all three right and that got me on my journey of Discovery and what made me realize I would be a part of rein and you know building a company that would be the company that I wished I had the support that I wish I had. So I didn't have to arrive at this moment at 4 just Gob smacked and not having one of my doctors having had a conversation with me about this time of life they should have been having it with me when I was 40 right.
But now I'm 54. So almost 15 years into this change of life nobody had talked to me about it I'm sorry that you went through that and especially when I think about that initial diagnosis and I think about those 72 hours with somebody that you you care about you're getting to know you've been intimate with. Now you know this is somebody you want to be with and to have that lack of feeling of trust and I mean just it's awful on. So many different levels it is you know and and it's also I think cruel to make a diagnosis before you've done a test yeah you know that's something all doctors should know never do that no never never tell someone something like that before. You know what you know please read a chapter on menopause yeah somewhere please just one I want to talk talk about rein health and I want to talk about what you've done because it is.
So needed it is. So necessary it's going to bring women who have don't even know how confused they're going to be during this time information. So they don't feel confused can you talk about the platform where where the idea came from and what you hope it does for women and Community I will talk about it. But I have to say this it's doing the same thing your book is doing you're teaching us how to menopause thank you know and I know I I have gained. So much information from reading your book and it's also just realizing I'm not alone there's.
So many stories that I go yep yep yep yep and it's. So affirming and reassuring when you can read words of other women. So thank you for your book being a guide it's going to be sort of our Bible at rein thank I want you to know that because we all need a book to go to you know to find the answers thank you for that we're all in this together right well. But rein came about because as I said I wanted to build the community that I wish I had what I've learned is that the more I can talk to women even the conversations we've had here today the more I can talk to other women the better I feel we all go through it in such a different way there's 100 symptoms of menopause for God's sakes and we all go through it differently. So having a community that we can talk to other women that we can hear from just right away helps us to destigmatize it we have to get it out of our bodies we have to talk about what's happened to us how much how little we we know about it we have to ask each other questions.
So that's a big part of what re spin is a community of like-minded women and men we're going to have some forums for men because men need to understand what's happening every man knows a Woman Loves a Woman works with a woman right has a daughter. So men need to you know also be educated. But so it's about community and then the respin is about care how do we get the best care for ourselves right. So we have health coaches that will be there to help hold your hand help you devise a plan for yourself give you the most accurate information based on science right and clinical trials and studies not just wild wild west well I heard this I heard that. But always fact based information that we can rely on as women because I believe that when we make decisions for ourselves from an educated place we feel empowered nobody telling us what to do we are deciding what to do based on the information that we've been given right and then I think those are therapies or or plans that we can stick to because we know why we're doing it and we kind of have chosen it and I think it's it's true when we say most people need some support to go through this I know I've needed support in my whole life I haven't I've done nothing alone no.
So why should we have to menopause alone loan. So we need a community and we need a coach to help us do that and help us make the right decisions for ourself if we want to get HRT we'll help you find your path to HRT if you want to go a more holistic route because most a lot of people don't want to go on HRT that's fine we'll help you find what that path should be help you figure out how to eat better how to exercise everything changes when you get to this time of life and we'll be there to do that and one of the big things that we're doing at rein is the more we can talk to women the more information we can put into our AI database and that's how we'll be able to actually figure out how women are going through menopause we have to get the information we have to hear from women we have to understand how we're all experiencing this time of life in a different way that's how we're going to get information it's almost like we're going to start studying us at respin. So we can actually gain that data for ourselves along with the clinical trials and studies that are going on. But it's. So necessary because no one has studied us really the fact that we are essentially begging people to study us at this point and that's really what is happening you you stood in in in DC shouting at the top of your lungs like could somebody pay attention yes and people did.
But that is the first time people have started paying attention and it's it's just shocking to me well because it's been such a taboo you know and as women you know we have to claim ownership in that taboo because we've been drinking the Kool-Aid we've been brainwashed and we've been made to believe that it is taboo we can't talk about it and we've also been made to believe that we're only valuable if we're forever 35 yeah right and we've believe I know when I was 35 I thought that I thought my God one thing I don't want to do is get old y you know. But now that I'm older I'm like this is the best thing I could have done I'm still here I'm smarter I'm Wiser I'm more confident like this is an amazing place to it's a blessing to age it really is what do you love about this time in life because I mean I just have my own thoughts about what I love and I was just like you I was like 30 30 if I get Beyond this they're not going to want I'm they're not going to want me anymore in the workplace you feel like in your relationships you'll be less desirable like all of these things you know play you know work a havoc on our on on on us psychologically and it's hard and then when we look around we see women today turning themselves in the monsters to stay eternally 35 you know it's some point we have to stop that and allow ourselves to do what we're born to do which is age. But find a graceful way to do it. So that we don't turn ourselves into versions of a shell of who we really are because we're searching for Eternal youth it's just why is that the goal why does that have to be the goal I don't know I think about it. Now and I and I actually think about like what what have I learned on the on the other side of this right my mother didn't let live past 51.
So I never had that road map of what happens next. And so seeing women of of our age doing beautiful things I mean a second chapter you you have done. So much and there's. So much more I can see that you're doing with respin and it's just it's got to be tremendous every day to know the impact that you're going to have on women not just our age. But the younger generation who should know this at 40 years old who should know this at 35 years old yes and respin will be a place for them too we'll have younger forums and younger you know groups and chats because they need to know what to expect you know you know better you do better.
So when they know how to prepare for midlife they'll they will arrive at midlife in a much better much more empowered place and I also want them to know it's nothing to be afraid of I know it's nothing to be afraid of right what would you like to see happen with regard to the research and the clinical trials that need to be done at this point because I know that you've had your finger on the pulse of those I know you're very aware of everything that's going on in DC. But there's there's. So many different areas that we have to do we do we we we have work to do in every area you know because you know estrogen is in every cell of our body. So it affects every organ in our body our brains our hearts our bones you know all of our systems are run off estrogen. And so when that you know changes everything about our body changes.
And so we need more research in every single area quite honestly and I know that it affects brown and black women disproportionately you know and I want to know why is that yeah why is that nobody's been able to answer that question we know that it's true. But I'm searching for the why because if we can figure out the why maybe we can mitigate that fact you know. But we don't know why. So more research more research more no we don't we hear that symptoms can start earlier last longer and be more intense and nobody can say why that's going on you know how to how to talk about Lifestyle Changes how to talk about hormonal versus non- hormonal it's it's shocking that this is really the first part of that conversation and most women are getting that information from from Community or from online and not even doctors at this point yes and you know and I feel like doctors and I don't blame doctors and I don't even blame my doctor that misdiagnosed me I really don't he did the best he could he wasn't educated in school right on on on our menopausal body it wasn't made to be a subject that had great importance. So it's not really his fault.
But I will start blaming doctors because. Now that we're out here talking about it loud and proud and we're demanding that they that we deserve better I am going to start blaming doctors if they don't go back and get retooled and they don't really work very hard to understand what's happening to half the population for half of their life I think it will become something that I think they should be held accountable for pretty soon yeah I I agree with you and especially because there are. So many different solutions out there that we're seeing more and more come up and lifestyle changes have to be part of that solution it can be poo pooed as you know do do this one pill or this one patch or this one thing and everything else is just you know optional yeah and because we go through it all. So differently how can it be like a one you know it's not a one trick pony when you were at the capital and you shouted I'm in menopause did you did you know the reaction that was going to get when you when you went back and looked at it I I just I could feel it was in your you know it's just like in your it just came from you you know and I I I was. So happy I when saw that the first time I went oh thank goodness somebody she is saying this out loud did you did you have any idea when you went back and looked at that no didn't care yeah I love I was.
So angry in that moment. So angry why were you. So angry because I had to be there and I had to be shouting and I had to wake people up to the importance of this topic you know I I was angry when I really realized that I reached 54 and nobody had talked to me about this I was angry I felt that I had been seen for. So long and uncared for you know and marginalized and I I was angry I was really angry when I first went to Washington and I tried to you know keep my lid on because I wanted to do some good work. But I I was seething I I was really seething that I even had to be there fighting for the basic human rights of women and 20124 at the time yeah it's it's stunning and not all reaction has been like thank you.
So much right you've had re we you've had a lot of different I think we all have had a lot of different reaction. But you've had people come up to you directly and say yeah H why why why are you doing this yeah and like I just told you earlier that you know sometimes when I talk in these Health you know seminars or talks to group of people I look out in the audience and I see the face of usually men and they just look Gob smacked or they looked bored or they're looking at their watch or their phone or like they're not really interested and they come up to me afterwards and they're like n ah that was hard to hear I I I don't know if I needed to hear that and I said you don't know if you needed to hear that I said I don't know if I need to be going through this. But guess what I am and there's nothing I can do about it. So you're gonna have to hear it buddy I'm really sorry. But you're going to have to hear it and that part has been liberating to sort of force it on some people because we're not going to get changed if we don't we will not get people to wake up if we don't make them sit through some uncomfortable conversations talk about things they don't want to talk about right women you have to be able to talk with your husbands about what's going on with your body I have a friend that almost got a divorce he was married for 22 years he said to me one day he said I don't know what's wrong with my wife I think I'm going to get a divorce I said what do you mean what's wrong with your wife why is it her fault he said every time I go to try to touch her and I want to get intimate she pulls away I think she's cheating she no longer wants me anymore we have no sex life anymore more and I said let me tell you something go talk to her about what's going on down there go talk to her about the fact that she might be going through menopause and he said I I'm I can't talk to my wife about that I said this is your problem you have to go talk to her about it and he swore to me he couldn't I can't do that she's already not into me if I try to make her feel like she's old I can kiss her goodbye I said go talk to her I'm requiring you to go talk to her that and.
You know what he found out that every time he went to touch her it's not that she didn't want him she thought that every touch or every moment that she felt like he was trying to be intimate it was going to lead to sex and sex had become. So painful she didn't want to have sex. So she was just trying to avoid it at all cost. But it had nothing to do with her desire to be with him or she was still in love with him and they almost got a divorce he almost filed for a divorce because he was sure she was no no longer interested who's probably having an affair oh my gosh was. So grateful were they.
So grateful to you for that because pushing that yeah that wouldn't have happened no it wouldn't have happened and this is he would have been a part of that statistic you know you you're married for 20 25 years and then you just think you've lost the spark of your relationship because you're not communicating about the things that really matter at that time of life you're too afraid it's too stigmatized. And so you just stay quiet and you and you divorce and. Now they're thriving oh I love hearing that you notice though how these all kind of fall into these patterns because I completely the minute you said that I was like I bet that she's scared it's going to lead to sex like that's that's what I was thinking because I understand it I I went through it I got remarried at 50 years old. And so in and those those are real those are real things that you don't want to you don't even know how to talk about right even if you think you do know how to talk about them right. But something I learned you have it in your book too is that why does that time of life like when you when you're at this stage and you're going through menopause it gets better and why because like you said it's true for me too you take your time.
Now you have to take your time. Now so it's no longer a in our youth it could sometimes be like a wham bam thank you Ma totally. Now it can't be no wham bam you have to take time and it becomes an experience. Now that I. So look forward to because you just have to take your time.
So we can get to where we need to get and when we get there it's like a whole new experience. And so I want women to know it does get better once. You know what to do you know better you do better it it does get better I love that I want them to hear that from you because I I think that it's it's sometimes hard to convey that when you're going through the the painful sex and and feeling low libido feeling not attract feeling not confident of yourself all those things just kind of pile on and you don't know where to begin unraveling at all. But it does get better and I I think there's a there's a couple of things that you know women should know they have to get to know themselves too and I think we haven't spent a lot of time doing that I mean or even being taught how to do that and get comfortable with ourselves too and our and our changing bodies you know realizing we're not going to be forever 35 and who wants to be. But find the beauty in this stage and have self-acceptance have self-love we can't expect someone else to accept us and love us if we can't do that for ourselves right.
So we have to work on that and only we can make those shifts you are very clear at who you are and that's always it's a that's a really beautiful thing when somebody knows who they are and they understand. You know what they believe and and what's next for them and I know that doesn't always it comes easy it comes with a lot of of work where did you get that feeling and that confidence and that understanding at this age of who you are being a black woman I have always had to have a clear understanding of who I was in every stage you know I I have felt behind the eightball my whole life being a black woman like a double whammy and I've always had to fake it until I'm you know fake it till you make it syndrome I've had I had to believe in myself when nobody believed in me in order to get anywhere. And so now that I reached this stage of my life it's the same philosophy that I still carry with me I I I had to believe in my own worth since I can remember believing anything. And so the ability to believe in my own worth. Now that I've reached this new stage of life and I'm morphing into another version of myself I've got to believe it before I can get other people to believe that this is a very valuable stage of life for me and that I'm just getting started with something new I have to believe that because I've always had to believe that about myself.
So that's my journey I well I love that and I can I can feel it and and I think that people want to know where to find that confidence you know this is a is a difficult time. But when they see you feeling confident about talking about it talking about menopause I have to imagine most of Hollywood's like oh thank goodness she's saying this finally somebody is speaking for us because I know that those are those are careers and those are that's where you're trying to be forever 25 for goodness sake well you know when I first sort of put the word out to some feelers to my close Inner Circle that I was going to. Now go on this second act menopause movement you'd be surprised some people said to me oo that's going to be a career Ender are you ready to just go do that and quit acting because gosh that could be really are you sure you want to align yourself with the word menopause like. You know what that means and you know and I said that's exactly why I want to align my name with that word because that's what needs to change you're saying that we're not enough because we're going through a natural part of being a woman you're diminishing me because I'm doing something that I have no choice not to do and you're diminishing me for that you're the ones thinking about this in a wrong way not me and that's exactly why I'm doing it and if I don't have any more parts then and that's not I don't have any more parts and that's not what's happened at all it's not what's going to happen because I say no that's not going to happen absolutely that's not going to happen absolutely I'm. So glad you did I'm.
So glad I'm. So glad you've had your voice and I'm I I think that I mean it's it's going to change this narrative and we're going to get rid of that word taboo at some point what is. So necessary what would you tell 35-year-old hie oh girl do not fear aging CU I was afraid of it at 35 if I'm honest I was like every woman I don't want that to happen to me I would tell myself honey don't be afraid of that you're going to feel your like your best self then and at 35 I couldn't have imagined that. But I couldn't have imagined sitting in a room and feeling like no matter who's on the other side of me I can say exactly what I want to say whether you like it or not always be respectful and kind because I want people to treat me that way. But I have a right to have my feelings I have a right to say exactly what I want to say and I didn't feel that way at 35 I was still the dancing bear I was still trying to please everybody and I wanted everybody to like me and I wanted to be the good girl and I wanted and I'm no longer her I'm no longer her and that feels.
So empowered and I wish my 35-year-old self knew that this day was coming I love that though because everybody gets that everyone everyone feels that I want everyone to like me I want everyone. But I think we get here because of what we've because of the roads right because of what we gone through what we haven't gone through who we've met along the way and. And so maybe it's true we can't get here a moment before we get here because it's those life experiences I guess that allow us to be here today as women of almost the same age saying I don't really care what anybody thinks about me anymore I'm sure glad you're here yeah thank you you you know you've taken on a whole new business career pivot there's a lot that goes with it had there been stresses along the way has it been exciting along the way what do you what do you want to see happen with with rein and and where it goes and I know there's different pillars of it and I think that the pillars are very unique and very necessary for the wholeness of a woman yes well it's been the last I'd say two and a half years in the making and building and it's been exciting to. Now be an entrepreneur and a Founder a co-founder it's been challenging I've never had to go out and work. So hard to raise money like the whole VC world that's not my you know I'm an actor an arti like that's been a whole you know adventure for me and I've learned.
So much and I've learned how hard it is you can have an idea and want to do something. But in order to make that happen I had to align myself with the best of the best and find a bunch of really smart people that were as passionate about this cause as I am and it took time to find those people and align with those people we had to find the most perfect coaches because coaching is. So much a part of what rein offers and the joys have been we did a beta over the summer and we sort of tested our model and to find out that 90% of the women reported increase in the way they felt and increased benefits from going through our program two-thirds of the women actually had Improvement and we weren't selling them anything we didn't have a product to put them on we gave them coaching information and Community other likeminded women and it shifted them in a major major way. So that's what led us know we're on to something this is what women really need and we're not preaching we're not telling them how to do it we're just providing a safe place to hug them hold them and help them figure it out and give them really the state-of-the-art the most accurate information as we get it we'll be passing it passing it along it's. So great because there's.
So much misinformation confusion and you know and everyone's going back and forth and I think to have a a solid place with science back an incredible you know Board of advisors with with a Medical Board of advisers that you have which is a beautiful thing to see yes I don't know about you I didn't understand the definition of community growing. Now now that I look back on it it's very different. Now than it was then I thought like I got a couple of got a couple girlfriends and yeah they're they're my people and it's all good yeah. Now I understand what community means it means something very different to me and it actually does hold me up in a in a whole different way yes and we need that you know and especially as women we need that and we need that during this time because we have we have a lot of work to do to change culture around how we're seen in our later years we have a lot of work to do to destigmatize menopause I mean I I don't I don't even like the word anymore I know like I want to trying to come up with another word at rean that we can call it you know we have a lot of work to do and it's going to take every single one of us in this movement you know to lock arms and support each other right and and this is other thing I want to do I want us to start having having siestas you know how we have baby showers wedding showers when a woman realizes that she's in the menopause you know 365 days and you know you're in it I think that woman's family it's their duty to give that woman aesta love and celebrate her I love that like we do every other milestone in our life right aest yes we should be celebrating it that changes those words I said the day that taboo doesn't come next to the word menopause it will be the day that we know that we have really changed this narrative and seen and I want it to be I'm in menopause you get a shester like I wanted to feel festive I'll hope you throw the first one for somebody I love that do it that would be amazing to show up at a woman's house that would be great there's some beauty in that beauty in in the celebration of all of it and I I know that you know relationships with girlfriends come into play I know with family things come into play love comes into play I mean this is a time that I never thought I never thought that that was part of this. But that's where I feel like that beautiful part of midlife comes comes together for us all yes and we can have all of it you know we don't have to lose one single ounce of what made our life full when we were in our 20s and 30s yeah I just I just think it gets I think it gets actually a lot better Lisa mone's book I know I was there you had gone through it backward and forward as I did the book is brilliant in.
So many ways yes what did you see in that book what did that book do for you that was the first book I read on the subject and it's the first time I realized how much our lack of estrogen affects our brain right and I realized it was more than a hot flash it was more just feeling uncomfortable that if we didn't get that if I didn't get this under control it could really have really damaging effects as I went down the path of life as I call it and I was fascinated by that and that's also part of why I went to Washington because I thought this is a real this is a real problem yeah that's happening here and when we're told just to grit our teeth and bear it it's really causing us major health issues even if we could bear it. So what what is that going to mean for us on the other side of bearing that it could be early dementia Alzheimer's like we really have to start taking this seriously and her book that was a huge eye openening wakeup call for me yeah I think it was for me too understanding the long-term ramifications when you're talking about brain cardiovascular bone I had I I just thought if you got through the symptoms then that would be. Okay I didn't understand it at one point there's really long-term Health consequences of all of it that's what we all thought that it's just symptom management right EXA know doing to our bodies exactly right. But now we know what do you do on a daily basis do you have do you have some must Doos in terms of I mean you've you've always been like this with your health. But are there some things that have changed or shifted in the past I don't know three or four or five years there has I'm on like probably 16 vitamins.
Now I can match you I can mat you to my 12 I got a whole list of stuff that I will not miss I have to take I'm religious about it I have studied all the different things that I'm taking that I write for my body within an inch of my life I believe in every single one of them and I will not miss it no no matter what that's been really important I still you know work out pretty you know religiously and. Now it's very much for Optimum good health like I don't want to fall down and like break a hip because as we know that could be the beginning of the end. So keeping my lean muscle mass on is important I started taking testosterone which I never thought I ignorantly I thought I'm not trying to grow hair on my chest like you know do you notice the difference with it I do me tooo yeah I know and I have more I found it again I found my liido right isn't it good when you find that again it's really good it was MIA for a little while. But I also I eat differently. Now I used to be keto because that's how I manage my diabetes and.
Now I've learned at this stage life I need a little carbs I need that for energy because my energy levels are different and I manage my sugar you know by cutting out other things. But there little adjustments that I've had to make along the way as I've really understood what's happening in in my body because you know we all have different bodies and go through it differently yeah I think with there. So many symptoms when when women hear 34 it's one thing when they hear. Now we've talked about over a hundred symptoms it's it's shocking. But not.
So shocking because when you look at what estrogen does at all different areas from eyes your mouth your ears it's just it's unbelievable and women felt like they were losing it not realizing it was it was all that I went to see my eye doctor and I couldn't see I was seeing these white sort of flashes through and I went to him and I said and I said what is this and he looked at me and he said oh no I I I don't want to say it I said what say it he said I I can't I said say it he said I can't I said menopause right oh he said yes I think it's because of what are you in the Perry. Now I think it's because of that and I said why can't you say that and he said I can't say that look at you I can't tell you you're in menopause and I'm like oh my gosh I said this is why I'm doing what I'm doing if our health care practitioners can't say the words to us how can they treat us no isn't that stunning though that's stunning because what he told me was that do you think it was going to insult you yes he's worried about I'm like you should be worried about me going blind and my ducks drying up that insulting me get over insulting doctor please and what was that was it lack of estrogen yes was really I know lack of estrogen the the glands that are under my under all of our eyes here start to dry up because we get dry eyes dry mouth dry vagina right. So they start to dry up the problem is once those glands dry up you don't get them back. Okay and you have major problems for the rest of your life with dry eyes and all the complications that that causes. And so luckily he found the courage to tell me about this just in the nick of time.
But I still had to get like an $8,000 treatment of like lipof flow and radio frequency that insurance does not cover. But that's what I was facing because nobody dared to have the conversation with me and warn me that this would be happening and put me on some other kind of Maintenance and care plan before that happened and I was again fear fous and I didn't blame my doctor because he is afraid because it's such a stigma he doesn't want to talk about this his patience. So all of these things that happened tamson just let me know I am on the right path to getting people to talk about this and this is something I have to do it's not even a want it's I have to do this there's no choice you're spe heading a conversation that is long overdue and needs to be had yes we have to have and all of us have to have it your spe heading heading one as well we all have to have it we're in this together I see you working on Instagram all the time what are you doing cuz we need to know that I samon I'm doing all kinds of stuff what I have learned. Now that I've gotten down the path of life that I have to do things differently I used to do a lot of cardio right. Now I do no cardio I'm trying to put muscle mass on.
So I do I lift weights. Now and I never used to lift weights before I only did my own body weight and cardio and cycling and running. Now I just do pretty much boring what I find boring. But it's necessary for this stage of life really just heavier weights than I've ever lifted and I do it probably two days more a week than I used to wow that's great though right yeah is it funny that we avoided the the waight room for a long time like I it it wasn't even I didn't even think about it was like where the guys were in their sweating and I because I never wanted to get like muscle you know I wanted to just stay healthy I was doing it to manage my diabetes. But I didn't want to be musly and.
Now I'm lifting heavy weights and I'm still not getting muscly I'm just like holding on to the muscle I have to the and that's important at this agage of. So important. So important that we do that to protect the bones yes yes everybody wants to know go-to products it's going to be a big part of of respin there's going to be products on there correct yes what are some of your go-to right. Now well one that I really love that I had a hand in helping create is a product called let spin it's a collab that I did with joyx and rein and it's the first product that we have helped design at rein because it you know it met the need of the co-founder and I think that's where my focus was when we first you know started to build the brand how can I help myself help my intimacy yes I was struggling big time there. And so we came up with this let's spin and and let me tell you you're going to spin you're going to spin with let's spin take a spin I'm really proud of it yeah it's a it's a it it works it really does work been a godsend yeah that's what we need.
But I also love this product I started taking creatine recently as and I this product by called create it's a creatine they're little Gummy sugar-free gummies you just take two of those a day and that's really been my go-to wonderful I also got an eight sleep do you have an eight sleep no I don't somebody else was telling me about this is it great it's great what because your side can be cool and yes side can be cool what is your side down to is there a is it a like 65 or something I don't how does it do it well it's not necessar you don't know the temperature you just like you're on on a one or you're like a minus one 2 3 4 or you're 8 n 10 10 being very warm. So you can adjust your side from your partner's side that's great and it fluctuates all through the night it starts to learn your sleep habits and then it starts to be on aut pilot and it adjusts for you based on what it's learning about you as you sleep on it night after night it gives you a sleep score in the morning kind of like you know any kind of you know life bit or Fitbit. But it's just been you know I no longer have to use my ceiling fan that I installed because. Now I'm I'm at the right temperature in my bed every night and it's been a game changer for me oh that's great it's great for relationships too I have a feeling because I'm always pulling everything off of me and pushing it over the outside of the bed yes no more I have to try that yeah thank you you have said that menopause needs a Rebrand what does that Rebrand look like I think you know we need to understand that this is not a time of life that we should be afraid of that we should not talk about right we should realize that what we are going through is something that's normal and very natural where we don't have a disease we're not sick this is the most normal and natural thing that we can do it's about about our female longevity that's really what it's about right it's it's it's the second half of of our life and it's nothing to be ashamed of or to fear and a pretty beautiful half yeah very beautiful half thank you. So much thank you for you are.
So wonderful you're just a very very special person thank you her words her wisdom menopause isn't the end it's the beginning of your second act hi Berry has proved this hie thank you. So much for teaching teing us how to move forward with confidence let's continue this conversation for ourselves and for others if you have questions or comments I would love to hear them message us at the tamson show and remember this is a brand new show. So please subscribe and rate us wherever you get your podcasts the tamson show is an original production by authentic executive producers Scott Weinberger Kevin Bennett and Rebecca Gerson brand director Johanna offn our line producer is Sabrina Sur editing by Zach Smith and Marquee Harris
