So why not let your own voice be heard? Why not share your personal tale with a mass audience? If you’ve got an anecdote about aging and menopause, have I got the perfect forum for you!  Not Your Mother’s Book on Menopause will be your chance to contribute humorous, inspiring, and even edgy tales of how you’ve traveled that rather rocky road to true maturity.

There are some guidelines you’ll need to follow. Stories need to be true accounts, written in the first person, and between 500 and 1500 words. (There are a few additional requirements you’ll want to check out.) Otherwise, have fun; unleash all that creativity that blossoms in midlife and let menopause be your muse.

When you’ve finished, submit your story here—be sure to click on the book title for menopause. (When the book is published, a brief epilogue will appear after your story where you can share information about yourself, your blog, or additional activities you’d like to promote.)

So have at it and enjoy! Let’s let the world know that our flower power is now in full bloom. In fact, in true boomer fashion, our generation is taking the “pause” out of menopause. And Not Your Mother’s Book on Menopause will be a celebration of the ground-breaking, revolutionary, and very feisty side of fifty—won’t you add your voice to the revolution?

Seemingly everywhere one turned, there was a book or an article about this major life transition. Yet most of these pieces, informative as the were, spoke mainly of the discomfort of perimenopause and little of the wondrous freedom that comes with post-menopausal zest.

Suzanne Braun Levine and I have held many conversations on the topic. Suzanne is the former editor of Ms. magazine turned prolific author of books for women over 50. In fact, she’s just come out with her newest one, How We Love Now, Sex and the New Intimacy in Second Adulthood. Our latest discussion is a mere 15-minutes—well worth your time because Suzanne’s thoughts will resonate with you and deepen your perspective on your own journey through this remarkable stage of life.

In addition to enriching our relationships, the menopausal years provide us with numerous life-affirming freedoms. Many women report they’re happier in their third act than ever before.

Here are four freedoms that are true for me and, I’m guessing, for you as well:

The obvious—no more “feminine hygiene” products, uncomfortable bloating, or monthly mood swings. I often forget this freedom because I’ve now grown accustomed to feeling energetic and happy most every day of my life. However the cessation of one’s period is truly a cause for celebration.

Perspective—I’m freed from many of the worries of my youth. I no longer obsess about details, spend hours worrying that my words may have been misinterpreted, or feel wounded by a friend’s oversight. The realization that life is short is both a lesson in reality and immensely freeing. Perspective is truly one of the greatest gifts of age.

Learning to say “no”—This particular freedom is one Suzanne considers to be one of the most important of them all. As she puts it, it is only by learning to say “no” that our “yes” becomes authentic. In other words, we are now giving ourselves permission to “choose to” rather than to “have to.” This simple act of authenticity frees the individual and everyone in her circle of relationships… no more begrudging acceptance for us!

Learning to love myself—I’ve learned that I truly want to take care of my health, my wellbeing, and my-SELF.  As they say in the commercials, it’s “because I’m worth it!” No longer as concerned with how others may view me, I’m finally, finally realizing that I’m a valuable person in my own right. No more, “if I could just lose 10 pounds, I’d be attractive” thinking for me. I’ve become feisty!

So let’s share the good news with our younger sisters who are deep in the throes of perimenopause. Let’s let them know there is light at the end of the tunnel and, better yet, that light is big, bright, sassy, and incredibly freeing.

And be certain to check out Suzanne’s book—there’s no better way to celebrate love, sex, and the new intimacy than with an old broad’s sense of freedom!

Now it’s your turn to share. The co-publisher of several Chicken Soup for the Soul books, Dahlynn McKowen, has asked me to join her in gathering stories for a new anthology on this powerful rite of passage. Not Your Mother’s Book on Menopause will be your chance to contribute humorous, inspiring, and even edgy tales of how you’ve traveled the often rocky road to true maturity. As co-creator of the book, I’m excited to offer you the opportunity to get your work published and have your menopausal tale enjoyed by countless numbers of readers.

There are some guidelines you’ll need to follow. Stories need to be true accounts, written in the first person, and between 500 and 1500 words. (There are a few additional requirements you’ll want to check out.) Otherwise, unleash all that creativity that blossoms in midlife, have fun, and write up a snappy meno-memory you’d like to share with the world. And when you’ve finished, submit your story here—be sure to click on the book title for menopause. (When the book is published, a brief epilogue will appear after your story where you can share information about yourself, your blog, or additional activities you’d like to promote.)

As boomers, we’ve revolutionized most every other aspect of the culture… so why not experience the change in our own unique style? We’re definitely drawing upon our legendary flower-power to take the “pause” out of menopause and blast full steam ahead into life. So what better way to share your very own hot-flashing yarn than in a work entitled: “Not Your Mother’s Book on Menopause.”

Now, come to think of it, how feisty is that?!

Well that’s not our style! We boomers have taken menopause out of the closet—in fact, way out. Once the earliest of our generation hit fifty, bookstore shelves soon groaned under the weight of menopausal manuscripts touting everything from yam cream to tofu. Hot flashes turned into “power surges” and the anti-aging industry shot off like a rocket.

Nevertheless, there remains a big part of menopause that’s often overlooked. In our rush to push back the hands of time, we tend to forget the words Margaret Meade coined so long ago: post-menopausal zest. This powerful surprise Mother Nature gifts to those of us on the feisty side of fifty, is multi-faceted and rich. If we choose to embrace this time in our lives, we can reach our full potential in ways often denied to us in younger years.

We gain perspective: Menopause is the midlife marker that allows us to evaluate where we’ve been and what we hope to accomplish in our lives. Even major losses like the death of our parents can become valuable learning experiences as they make us realize we can no longer take relationships or our lives for granted.

Our creativity takes off: Once our bodies can no longer produce children, the flow of creativity shifts to wanting to leave our mark upon the world. Perhaps this takes form through the careful design of a beautiful garden, writing your memoir, entertaining your friends and family with flair and great food, or taking an art class. Whatever your method of choice, be certain to use this time to allow self-expression to take a major role in your life.

We find our voice: Shifting hormones, years of catering to the needs of others, and the blossoming desire to leave our unique mark come together to compel us to speak our minds in new and forceful ways. As my friend Suzanne Braun Levine likes to say, we learn that “no” is not a four letter word. We find our power; we recognize our own drives and desires are as important as those of others and we want to make a difference in our own right.

So carpe diem! If there ever was a day to seize, that day is now. Celebrate your creativity, express your voice, and realize that this is YOUR time. And as I say at the close of each of my radio shows: Go out and show the world just how feisty a woman over fifty can be!

Now we’re facing a similar dilemma. Many of the so-called experts are touting the miraculous properties of bio-identical hormones. Are these hormones safe? Are they the “natural way” to health and wellbeing after the change? Are they for YOU?

As is the case with so many of the supplements, food additives, and medicines we take, there are a ton of differing opinions on the matter. Thankfully, Staness Jonekos and Dr. Wendy Klein have joined forces to write the definitive book on menopause entitled: The Menopause Makeover: The Ultimate Guide to Taking Control of Your Health and Beauty During Menopause.

Their areas of expertise meshed perfectly to write the book because Staness is an award-winning television writer, producer and director who helped to launch Oprah Winfrey’s television network, Oxygen Media. She also co-executive produced the inaugural season of Celebrity Fit Club. But, most of all, she had her own significant struggles with the change of life and chronicles her journey from feeling overweight, down, and desperate to feeling better than ever before. Dr. Klein is a national leader in women’s health and an Associate Professor Emeritus of Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.

Please give yourself the gift of listening to our broadcast on Blog Talk Radio. I promise you’ll learn the truth behind hormones, what the science is showing to be the best way to take them, and the lifestyle changes you can make that will have you feeling fabulous in no time!

Also, be sure and check out the Menopause Makeover. It’s packed with all the information you’ll need to make the right decisions for yourself. And, there’s a step-by-step action plan so you can’t lose! (Actually, you will lose—things like unwanted weight, mood swings, hot flashes and lots of other less than fun aspects of the change!)

You can find out more about the book and the amazing results of the Menopause Makeover by checking out their website. After all, it’s tough to feel feisty when you’re feeling dumpy, grumpy, itchy, and hot—so get going—the Menopause Makeover will have you fit and feisty in just 12 weeks!

Women who were reared in the 1950s and ‘60s will especially relate to how difficult this lesson can be. Not only did society teach us to nurture above all else, Mother Nature played a role in ensuring our instinct to care for others by hardwiring our brains to do just that. But, as Suzanne reminds us, at midlife our hormones become more balanced. The magic of menopause empowers us to take charge of our lives, speak out in new ways, and finally learn to put ourselves near the top of our own to-do lists.

So spend some time on your SELF (a mere fifteen minutes) and listen to Suzanne share her personal thoughts on self-care. Among other stories, you’ll hear:

• The “lice-lesson” one woman learned the hard way
• The power of a certain flower
• Shaving both legs in a single day?!

As Suzanne wrote in her book: “Doing unto yourself is not about me; it is about taking practical and emotional responsibility for the rest of your life.”

But, wait! Real help is on the way! Staness Jonekos and Wendy Klein, M.D., have joined forces to create The Menopause Makeover: The Ultimate Guide to Taking Control of Your Health and Beauty During Menopause. This remarkable book outlines a 12-week program that walks you through all the steps you’ll need to reclaim your figure (belly fat be gone!), reenergize and motivate yourself to actually celebrate the change, and rekindle your zest for life. A tall order, I realize, and yet they’ve done it!

After all, Staness knows whereof she speaks. At 47, she was preparing for her upcoming nuptials to her very own Prince Charming when she ran smack-dab up against all the less than charming aspects of the change. Being one of those blessed creatures who’d never before really worried about her weight, she gained 25 pounds in less than 6 months. She also suffered from hot flashes, moodiness, and all the rest—not exactly the stereotype princess destined to share the matrimonial throne with her prince.

So Staness got busy. Borrowing from the organizational skills of her wedding planner, she researched, organized, and wrote (along with her medical expert, Dr. Klein) the definitive source on managing all aspects of the change. Using check-lists, charts, and planners, the book guides you to understand the necessary steps and changes you’ll need to accomplish, monitor your progress, and celebrate your ultimate success.

Staness tells us all about her program in our 15-minute interview on Feisty Side of Fifty Radio. If you’re suffering from unwanted, age-related changes to your body and mood, be sure and check it out and don’t forget to visit her site for even more information. Your time will be well spent, I promise!

The Menopause Makeover may just prove the answer to your midlife dreams. Whether you’re perimenopausal or post menopausal, this program will help you shed pounds and inches, raise your energy level, help you from feeling cranky, boost your libido, provide you with some great beauty tips, and much more. No doubt about it—this makeover will make you feel even more fabulous on the feisty side of fifty!

Recently, I was visiting one of my favorite sites, Midlife With a Vengeance. It covers topics of health and wellbeing for baby boomer women and I usually come away inspired and armed with new information about food, exercise and other tips for healthy aging. This visit, however, I came away angry.

Always in the forefront, Midlife reports on a number of health related events in the news. This particular post was about a news item that should concern each of us a lot. And, yes, as women over fifty we should get angry… in fact, we should get very angry.

The news is this: insurance companies are attempting to put “drive-through mastectomies” into mainstream medical practice. This means that women who have undergone surgery to remove their breasts would be treated as outpatients and sent home the very same day of their surgery.

Can you imagine the physical and emotional toll of having your breast(s) removed and then sent home to deal with the aftermath of this invasive and heart wrenching surgery on your own? Aside from the incredible impact on your life, you’d be required to deal with your medications, drains, and pain management without benefit of trained hospital staff on hand to help.

The world has conspired to pull off some pretty lousy treatment of women over the past several millennia and this is no exception. However, it is rather shocking to realize, in an industrialized nation in the twenty-first century, such an unenlightened stance could even be considered. 

Please join me in signing a petition supporting The Bipartisan Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act, which requires a minimum two-day hospital stay for mastectomy patients. The LifeTime Channel has dedicated a special page on their website and makes this process a simple one. It only takes a moment and, if there ever was a cause that called for women over fifty to unite our voices in support, this is it. Let’s let Congress know how we feel and let’s end this barbaric practice now and forever!

One of the most difficult transitions women face is the double blockbuster hit of going through the hormonal havoc of peri-menopause at the same time their nest is emptying. It seems that at the very stage your children are rebelling and leaving you, both emotionally and physically, your very own body is rebelling and leaving you too. You get the sense that living inside your skin is no longer a familiar place (both emotionally and physically) and it’s an uncomfortable experience indeed. 

My friend, Mags, over at The Magnolia Diaries has a great post on some of the very real and distressing symptoms that many women experience. These are by no means easy to endure and peri-menopause can be a time of genuine suffering.

Nevertheless, as someone on the other side of the change, I’m telling you to hang on. Full-fledged menopause is just around the corner and it’s a wonderful period in a woman’s life, if you look at it that way. Menopause brings about emotional and hormonal equilibrium, revitalizes your energies, and gives you the nudge to “go for it”—it’s your time and you’ve earned it.

I was recently on the television talk show View From the Bay with my friend, Maure Quilter, Marriage Family Therapist, discussing this very topic. (The segment is only a couple of minutes and I’d love to have you take a look.) 

After menopause, ratios of testosterone to estrogen rise and women experience a merging of their male and female energies. Although nurturing will always be part of our make-up, we have an increasingly insistent drive to express ourselves and leave our unique mark upon the world.

So, go out there and feather your own nest with new interests, take risks and expand your own horizons. Step away from familiar behavior and head for new and exciting directions and goals. This truly IS your time and you HAVE earned it!

Did you know that a postmenopausal woman has up to twenty times the amount of testosterone per unit of estrogen than an ovulating woman? After a woman’s ovaries have essentially ceased production of estrogen, the adrenals continue to manufacture testosterone. This amazing fact means that midlife women typically become more male-like in our attitudes and behaviors. We are more likely to turn our focus from an outward one, trying to please others, to an inward focus: trying to please ourselves. In fact, we strong-willed old broads exhibit a far greater urge to express our independence, self-assertion, and mastery.

In Gail Sheehy’s seminal work, The Silent Passage, that brought menopause blasting out of the closet, she wrote: “Once the ovarian transition is complete, a woman enters a new state of equilibrium… Think of it as discarding the shell of the reproductive self—who came into being in adolescence—and coming out the other side to coalescence… It is a time when all the wisdom a woman has gathered from fifty years of experience in living comes together. Once she is no longer confined to the culture’s definition of a woman as a primarily sexual object and breeder, a full unity of her feminine and masculine sides is possible. As she moves beyond gender definition, she gains new license to speak her mind and initiate action.”

So, my postmenopausal friends, ask yourself the following:

How are you speaking your mind?

How are you coming up with new ways to express yourself?

How are you honoring your own needs and values?

How are you initiating action?

Just a few questions to ponder as you take your own, unique, and self-defined journey into the second season of life.