94: Menopause Is Not the End: How to Prepare Your Body to Thrive in Midlife with Lisa Jedan
Modern Thyroid and WellnessShow Notes
What if menopause wasn’t something to fear or simply endure, but a transition you could actively prepare for? In this episode of Modern Thyroid and Wellness, McCall McPherson sits down with Lisa Jedan, creator and host of MenoPositive, to challenge the long-standing narrative that menopause automatically means decline. After a successful career in PR and marketing, where she helped build brands and shape stories, Lisa turned those same skills toward changing the conversation around women’s health and aging. Lisa shares what she has learned from interviewing experts across conventional medicine, Chinese medicine, longevity, breathwork, nutrition, and women’s health. The message she hears repeatedly is clear: hormones do not operate in isolation, and the earlier women invest in their health, the more options they may have as they age. Together, McCall and Lisa explore strength training, nutrition, metabolism, thyroid health, Hashimoto’s, mindset, digestion, protein, fiber, sustainable lifestyle changes, and why midlife may become one of the healthiest and most fulfilling chapters of a woman’s life. Key Topics Covered Why Lisa created MenoPositive Changing the narrative around menopause and aging Why menopause preparation should begin before symptoms become overwhelming How thyroid health and reproductive hormones overlap Lisa’s personal experience with Hashimoto’s Why women often put themselves last Moving from perfection toward small, sustainable health changes Why strength training becomes increasingly important during midlife Building and preserving muscle for healthy aging Protein, fiber, metabolism, and digestive health Why regular bowel movements matter Simple ways Lisa adds flaxseed and sprouts to her diet How mindset may influence the menopause experience Building trust with yourself through consistent habits Moving beyond biohacking toward “bioharmony” Why wellness optimization can become exhausting The importance of sleep, movement, and nutrition before advanced optimization Why your best years do not have to be behind you
Changing the Menopause Narrative Lisa began her career as a dancer and performer before moving into PR and marketing, where she built a career around storytelling and changing narratives. When she entered perimenopause and menopause herself, she noticed that the cultural story surrounding this stage of life did not match her experience. So much of the messaging centered on loss, decline, and everything women should expect to go wrong. Lisa wanted a different conversation. That desire became MenoPositive, a platform and philosophy built around educating women about hormone changes while showing them what they can actively do to support their health. After interviewing experts from a wide range of disciplines, Lisa says one message consistently emerges: menopause does not have to equal decline. Why We Should Prepare for Menopause Lisa makes a compelling comparison: we prepare for pregnancy, retirement, and marathons, so why do so many women arrive at one of the biggest biological transitions of their lives without preparation? Historically, women have often been taught to wait until symptoms appear and then figure out how to manage them. Lisa wants to reverse that approach. Instead of asking, “How can I manage these symptoms?” she encourages women to ask how they can prepare their bodies for a more positive menopause experience. For Lisa, this is not about perfection. It is about preparation and beginning wherever you are. Thyroid Health and Menopause Symptoms Can Overlap Lisa also lives with Hashimoto’s, giving her firsthand experience with how difficult it can be to distinguish thyroid symptoms from hormonal changes during midlife. Mood changes, libido concerns, fatigue, brain fog, and changes in how the body feels can appear across both thyroid dysfunction and perimenopause. One of the biggest lessons Hashimoto’s taught Lisa was to become curious about what her body was communicating rather than au
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