Hot Flashes, Cold Takes

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Your body can change overnight and your calendar still expects you to be sharp, upbeat, and “professional.” Madison Butler is joined by HR consultant Talia Edmondson, founder of HRB Consulting, to talk about the perimenopause stack: irregular cycles, brain fog, insomnia, hot flashes, histamine reactions, and the mental health load of trying to act like nothing is happening. We get honest about how unprepared so many of us are, especially when women’s health was never discussed at home, and why saying it out loud is the first step to getting real support. 

We also dig into the workplace side, because perimenopause, menopause, anemia, and hormonal shifts are not “personal problems” when they affect focus, memory, energy, and confidence at work. Talia shares how People teams and leaders can introduce practical, non-awkward conversations, build inclusive policies, and design employee benefits that meet actual needs. We cover feedback surveys, using data to win buy-in, health insurance realities like out-of-network specialists, and creative approaches to coverage when care isn’t accessible where employees live. 

From there, we zoom out to the pressure cooker of diet culture, body image, GLP-1 ads, and social media, plus the very real spiral that happens when clothing sizes are inconsistent and your closet stops feeling safe. You’ll hear tactics for self-advocacy with clinicians (including asking them to document symptoms), thoughts on HRT myths and hormone replacement therapy, and a grounding question for tough days: “Are you good enough for today?” If this conversation helps, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s white-knuckling it, and leave a review so more people can find it.

Work with Talia: https://www.hrnbconsulting.com/

Connect with Talia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taliaedmundson/

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