Midrising Conversations · Episode 06
When your brain, mood and body begin behaving differently, it can be hard to tell whether it’s perimenopause, ordinary life or both arriving at once.
Perimenopause doesn’t arrive with a neat announcement explaining what’s happening and what to expect.
For some women, the changes are obvious. For others, they’re gradual, inconsistent or barely noticeable. Brain fog, forgotten words, shifting moods and disrupted sleep can all become part of the picture, but there’s no single version of what this phase is supposed to feel like.
In Episode 6 of Midrising Conversations, Barbara Scalzi shares her experience of perimenopause while Gill Townsend brings a very different perspective. Together, they explore what happens when two women in a similar stage of life experience the transition in completely different ways.
About this episode
We’re taught what to expect from puberty, but many women reach perimenopause with very little understanding of how long it can last, how differently it can present or how deeply it may affect everyday life.
This conversation isn’t about creating another checklist of symptoms. It’s about acknowledging the confusion, comparing two very different experiences and recognising that there’s no single correct way to move through this stage.
In this conversation
- The early signs of perimenopause and how easily they can be missed
- Brain fog, forgotten words and the fear that you’re losing your mind
- Mood changes, irritability and emotional shifts
- Why perimenopause can last years rather than months
- The pressure to fix every symptom immediately
- Why two women of a similar age can have completely different experiences
- Whether the changes are hormonal, part of life or impossible to separate
A note before listening
This is a personal conversation about our own experiences and perspectives. It isn’t medical advice and shouldn’t be used to diagnose or treat symptoms.
If you’re concerned about changes in your body, mood, memory, sleep or menstrual cycle, speak with a qualified healthcare professional who can consider your individual circumstances.
This episode is for you if…
- You’ve started wondering whether the changes you’re noticing could be hormonal
- Your memory, concentration or moods don’t feel quite like they used to
- You’re confused because your experience doesn’t match anyone else’s
- You feel pressure to fix yourself without fully understanding what’s happening
- You need reassurance that there’s no single correct way to experience perimenopause
The Midrising takeaway
Different doesn’t mean wrong. There is no single version of perimenopause that every woman is meant to recognise herself in.
Understanding this stage begins with paying attention to your own experience rather than measuring it against somebody else’s. What feels significant to you deserves to be taken seriously, even when it doesn’t fit a tidy list.
One question to take with you
What has changed for me, and have I been giving myself enough space to notice it?
About Midrising Conversations
Midrising Conversations is an honest podcast for women navigating the middle shift: the gradual changes in identity, ambition, relationships, bodies, priorities and what comes next.
Hosted by Gill Townsend in Australia and Barbara Scalzi in Thailand, these are direct conversations for grown-ups. No hype, no hustle and no pressure to become a brand-new person by next Tuesday.
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