Show Notes
I’m filmmaker and musician Alicia J. Rose, and I want to empower women with the energy to start a revolution. By 2030, one billion women will be in menopause. One. Billion. Imagine if every man’s balls fell off by 50 - do you think the world would let that slide? Welcome to menopause: complete hormonal castration. And perimenopause? She’s the chaotic, sh*tty opening act that none of us can escape. The worst part? We’re seeking help from a medical system that keeps spreading the lie that hormone replacement therapy causes breast cancer — misinformation that’s been harming women’s health since 2002. That’s why I’m making MENOPUNKS — a feature documentary in-production and podcast about menopause, perimenopause, quality of life and the creative process. It’s time to set the record straight about HRT, and give people the tools to self-advocate for their bodies, their energy, and their sanity. Because women can’t do good if they don’t feel good. Because gender-affirming care is a human right. Because hormones are healthcare. And because it’s way past time to reclaim our health and raise some hell — as MENOPUNKS. So join me as I pull back the curtain on the filmmaking journey, swap stories with incredible musicians, artists, and menopause experts, and expose one of the biggest medical cover-ups in modern history. Are you a MENOPUNK? LFG⚡️
MENOPUNKS.com
More from ⚡️MENOPUNKS PODCAST ⚡️
⚡️In this episode we dive into Oregon State Representative Annessa Hartman’s journey through public service, stage 3 cervical cancer, and sudden medically induced menopause. She reflects on representing her community as an Indigenous woman, navigating party politics, and advocating for more responsive healthcare. She also shares the physical and emotional impact of treatment and menopause, highlighting the need for earlier screening, better support, and more open conversations about women’s health. ⚡️
⚡️In Ep 50 Congresswoman Maxine Dexter joins us to discuss peri/menopause, hormone therapy, and why access to HRT matters. Drawing on her experience as a physician, policymaker, and patient, Dexter reflects on her perimenopause symptoms and the effect of treatment, what’s behind lingering fears around HRT, medication access, and the need for evidence-based care. She also connects menopause care with reproductive rights and gender-affirming care, arguing that medical decisions belong with patients and clinicians, and she lays out ways people can advocate for better access with universal healthcare for all!⚡️
⚡️On this weeks episode we get to chat with the Queen of our dreams Jane Wiedlin, innovative guitarist and songwriter of The Go-Go's and author of upcoming tell-all "TMI" and ask all of the burning questions! The bucket list is real folks!😍 We talk about the band’s origin in the LA punk scene, how they broke through with pop-forward songs, and why their all-female success was so groundbreaking. We also get deep on creativity, sexism, bipolar disorder, menopause, hormone therapy, and Jane’s new memoir and protest album. We dive into Jane’s path from glitter rock to Hollywood punk, the realities of touring 300 days a year, and the legacy of being the first all-female band to write, play, and hit number one on the charts. We also break into a frank, practical conversation about midlife health, quality of life, and what it means to fight for yourself as a woman in this wild sh*tshow of a world! ⚡️
⚡️This week we get the absolute gift of talking with brilliant entertainer/activist and the ACLU'S first-ever Artist Ambassador for Transgender Justice MISS PEPPERMINT ! ⚡️
⚡️In this week's In this weeks episode Alicia and Jibz Cameron AKA Dynasty Handbag connect the dots between creativity, survival, bipolar disorder and the ways women and AFAB people have been under-treated for decades. We get into her feral childhood origin story and fierce memoir “Hell in a Handbag”, her brilliantly strange alchemy of performance and autobiography, how trauma, queerness, and art shaped her persona, and how hormone access, mental health, and midlife care is a deeply political issue. We also dive into hacks for self-advocacy, the exhausting estrogen patch shortage 🤬, how sharing stories with community can be life saving, overcoming struggles with body image, aging, neurodivergence, masking, the need for rest AND SO MUCH MORE! ⚡️