S4. Ep. 11. Menopause Whilst Black, with Karen Arthur, Fashion Creative & Menopause Diversity Campaigner
What does your menopause look like? The chances are it’s not much like a lot of the media portrayals of the menopause! With International Women’s Day fast approaching and with a theme of Embrace Equity, I wanted to take a closer look at diversity around the menopause, because it doesn’t just happen to the tired-looking grey-haired white woman that seems to take centre stage in so many of the slightly depressing stock shots used in the media. Every woman goes through menopause – and it can happen at any age, some women experience premature menopause, others may have menopause triggered by medical treatment or a surgical intervention. And women of every ethnicity experience menopause and it’s really important to understand that the timing and some of the symptoms and risk factors can vary quite significantly if you’re black or Asian, for example. If that’s you or one of your loved ones, it’s essential to understand these key differences in order to take positive action and this month’s guest is just the woman to help us with this. Meet Karen Arthur! She’s a fashion creative, menopause diversity campaigner and host of the ground-breaking podcast Menopause Whilst Black. Karen is also the inspiration behind Wear Your Happy, because she believes passionately in the power of clothing and accessories to enhance your mood and lift your spirits. In this episode we discuss the different way that black women experience menopause and the challenges that they face. Karen talks through her own experience and the motivation behind creating her Menopause Whilst Black podcast. She’s keen to open up the menopause conversation to women of all ages and ethnicities, taking the conversation out to communities and is doing a brilliant job of it. Karen is also completely inspirational on the subject of fashion and how what you wear should make you happy. She’s a complete bundle of energy and positivity – tune in to hear her words of wisdom!If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, remember to subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode, and please give it 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on. And do tell your friends and family about it too. I’d be so grateful, because it really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause.Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for my guest. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.