Jay Shetty Podcast

Tamsen Fadal: ''How to Lose Weight, Stop Brain Fog, and Take Back Control During Menopause!''

Have you noticed changes in your sleep? Do you sometimes feel more anxious than usual? Today, Jay sits down with Emmy award–winning journalist and bestselling author Tamsen Fadal to open up one of the most overlooked conversations in health and wellness: menopause. Tamsen shares her personal journey of confusion, discovery, and advocacy, breaking down why menopause has been shrouded in taboo for so long and how it impacts not just women’s bodies, but their emotions, relationships, and careers. Together, they explore the often-hidden symptoms of perimenopause, from brain fog and anxiety to disrupted sleep and loss of confidence, and how these challenges spill over into every aspect of life. Tamsen explains the science behind the hormonal shifts, debunks the biggest myths, and reveals practical solutions, from lifestyle changes and stress management to hormone therapy and community support. Most importantly, she reminds women that their best years are not behind them, but ahead. In this interview, you'll learn: How to Spot Early Signs of Perimenopause How to Differentiate Perimenopause from Menopause How to Support Your Family Through Menopause How to Build Healthy Midlife Habits How to Find Community During Transition How to Advocate for Yourself at the Doctor’s Office Every transition comes with challenges, but it also carries the possibility of growth, wisdom, and renewal. By breaking the silence, sharing our experiences, and embracing knowledge, we not only lighten the weight for ourselves but also create space for others to feel seen and understood. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty Join over 750,000 people to receive my most transformative wisdom directly in your inbox every single week with my free newsletter. Subscribe here. Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 01:38 Why Is Talking About Menopause Still So Taboo? 02:38 What Actually Happens to Your Body in Menopause 04:20 There Are Over 100 Symptoms! 06:09 The Hidden Struggles Women Face 08:43 Busting the Biggest Menopause Myths 10:16 The Major Hormonal Shifts Behind It All 13:45 Three Early Warning Signs 15:10 Perimenopause vs. Menopause 17:34 Should You Consider Hormone Therapy? 18:30 Lifestyle Shifts That Actually Make a Difference 22:15 Finding Strength in Community 26:08 Why Women’s Health Needs More Research 27:11 The Risks of Ignoring Symptoms 31:10 Why So Many Miss Perimenopause Signs 33:21 When to See a Menopause Specialist 35:41 What Men Need to Know 38:26 It’s Normal For Your Sex Drive to Change 42:39 Am I Too Young for Menopause? 46:28 The Truth About Hormone Therapy Side Effects 47:08 Menopause, Fertility, and the Overlap 49:20 How to Prepare for Perimenopause 51:30 Do Birth Control Pills Help? 53:03 Inspiring Stories of Women Thriving 55:19 Why It’s More Than “Just Aging” Episode Resources: https://www.tamsenfadal.com/ https://www.instagram.com/tamsenfadal/ https://www.tiktok.com/@tamsenfadal https://www.facebook.com/tamsenfadal/ https://x.com/TamsenFadal https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamsenfadal/ https://www.instagram.com/jayshetty https://www.facebook.com/jayshetty/ https://x.com/jayshetty https://www.linkedin.com/in/shettyjay/ https://www.youtube.com/@JayShettyPodcast http://jayshetty.me

Tamsen FadalguestJay Shettyhost

Aug 31, 20251h 5mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Menopause decoded: symptoms, hormone therapy, lifestyle shifts, and support systems

Menopause remains taboo largely due to ageism and sexism, which leads society and medicine to dismiss midlife women and minimize their symptoms.
Perimenopause can last 4–10 years and menopause is defined as the point after 12 months without a period, meaning many women spend a third to half of life managing related changes.
Symptoms extend far beyond hot flashes—brain fog, sleep disruption, mood shifts, weight redistribution, joint pain, dryness, and libido changes can be debilitating and disruptive to work and relationships.
Medical gaps are substantial: many clinicians receive minimal menopause training, women are often misdiagnosed (e.g., stress/depression) or prescribed quick fixes, and only a tiny fraction of research funding targets menopause.
Effective help typically combines informed medical care (including hormone therapy for eligible women), targeted lifestyle changes (sleep, strength training, protein, inflammation management), and community/partner support.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

The biggest problem is silence, not just symptoms.

Fadal argues taboo and stigma keep women from naming what’s happening, which delays care and makes normal hormonal changes feel like personal failure or “going crazy.” Normalizing the vocabulary (especially “perimenopause”) is a first intervention.

Perimenopause is often the long, confusing phase—plan for years, not weeks.

She frames perimenopause as 4–10 years of fluctuating estrogen/progesterone that can overlap with peak career and caregiving years, so women need expectations, tracking, and proactive medical conversations early.

Brain fog can be frightening and misread as cognitive disease.

Because estrogen receptors exist throughout the brain, declining/erratic estrogen can impair recall and word-finding, prompting fears of dementia/Alzheimer’s and even unnecessary neurological workups if menopause isn’t considered.

Misdiagnosis and dismissiveness are common because clinician training is limited.

Fadal cites minimal medical-school coverage and notes many women are told “it’s stress/aging” or are quickly prescribed antidepressants, which may help mood but won’t address the full symptom set (e.g., hot flashes, irregular cycles, painful sex).

Hormone therapy is a key option for eligible women, but fear persists from past headlines.

She describes how the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative messaging (“estrogen causes breast cancer”) dramatically reduced uptake (from ~44% to ~4–5%), despite current menopause-society guidance that hormone therapy is among the most effective treatments for hot flashes and vaginal dryness.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

Over half the population is gonna go through menopause, yet we don't talk about it at home. We haven't learned about it at school. We don't talk about it in the doctor's office. We often feel like our body is betraying us, and we don't know who we are anymore.

— Tamsen Fadal

We look at women that are in midlife, and we say, "Wow, their best years are behind them." Society has done that for a very, very long time, especially here in the US, and that's kind of what the medical system has done as well.

— Tamsen Fadal

One day I woke up, and I was like, "I'm a, I'm a shell of who I am, and I don't know how to find the light switch in this room. I just am in the dark."

— Tamsen Fadal

OBGYNs, their specialty sometimes got a day of training in medical school to talk about this.

— Tamsen Fadal

I love it. I wanna kiss you. I wanna be with you. You know, you're amazing. I wanna be close to you. But I didn't wanna have sex, because it was painful, quite frankly.

— Tamsen Fadal

Why menopause is still taboo (ageism/sexism)Perimenopause vs. menopause vs. post-menopause definitionsBreadth of symptoms (30+ to 100+)Brain fog, anxiety, sleep disruption, and weight changesLibido changes, painful sex, and body-wide drynessHormone therapy (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, vaginal estrogen) and WHI fear legacyLifestyle levers: sleep, strength training, protein, inflammation, stress, community

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