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Welcome to Generation Exceptional, the podcast for Gen X women navigating midlife like pros! Hosted by Bev Thorogood, a late-diagnosed ADHD entrepreneur who knows a thing or two about embracing life's twists and turns, this podcast is your go-to source for stories, teachings, and conversations covering everything from career transitions and business ventures to managing ADHD, health, wealth, and overall wellbeing. Join Bev and her guests as they share their experiences, insights, and lessons learned along the way in a relaxed, conversational format. Whether you're looking for inspiration to kickstart a new career path, strategies to manage ADHD, or tips for finding balance in midlife, Generation Exceptional has something for every Gen X woman. Tune in for a mix of solo episodes with Bev and engaging discussions with special guests who bring their own unique perspectives to the table. Get ready to feel empowered, inspired, and ready to conquer midlife like the exceptional woman yo...
Episodes
Thursday Jul 21, 2022
Ep 82 - Using the Vaginal Microbiome to Diagnose Perimenopause
Thursday Jul 21, 2022
Thursday Jul 21, 2022
We're all pretty familiar with the idea that we have bacteria in our gut called the microbiome and that a healthy gut leads to better health.
But did you know that we also have a vaginal microbiome and that it's possible to detect changes in hormone levels by monitoring the relative number of different microbes in the vagina?
My guest on the podcast today is the Joint CEO of Agile Life Sciences, Jan Rogers.
Jan is a scientist and, along with her colleagues, has developed a test that uses the vaginal microbiome, rather than the traditional measuring of hormones, to diagnose and manage the perimenopause/menopause transition.
In this fascinating episode Jan explains how the test works, how it can be used and why it is so much more reliable than current testing protocols.
Jan is currently (as of July 2022) looking for 1000 volunteers to help with their trials. To be eligible to help you must have been assigned female at birth and be over 38 years of age. You'll simply be asked to provide a urine sample using their testing and sampling kit, and a small number of volunteers may be asked to continue with the trial.
For further details of how to apply to be a volunteer visit https://www.menoguide.co.uk/
You can find out more about the work of Agile Life Sciences at www.agilelifesciences.com or follow Jan's work on LinkedIn
And don't forget if you're looking for support and help during your menopause/midlife transition come and join me in my lovely Facebook Group Your Best Midlife
Saturday Jul 16, 2022
Ep 81 - Life After the NHS with Helen Hutchings
Saturday Jul 16, 2022
Saturday Jul 16, 2022
I can't think of a more challenging place to work while trying to navigate the emotional and cognitive symptoms associated with perimenopause than a busy hospital as a front-line nurse.
Knowing how hard I found the brain fog, anxiety and sheer lack of energy when I was working a full time job, I at least had the benefit of being behind a desk and other people's lives weren't at risk if I made an error.
Today I'm joined by my friend and now work colleague Helen Hutchings.
Helen gave up her long and successful career as a senior nurse within the NHS earlier this year following an extended period of sick absence due, as she can now see, to the impact of menopause.
Helen is candid in sharing her sense of failing, imposterism and self doubt but also shares how the pressure of the last couple of years turned out to be the impetus she needed to find the courage to change career and explore her rediscovered passion for creating unique pieces of art.
Check out her stunning artwork at Little Bits of Wire on Facebook and Instagram as well as on her Etsy store.
And don't forget if you're looking for a supportive community of women ready to help you navigate your midlife transition through menopause, come join us in Your Best Midlife over on Facebook.
To find out how Floresco Training can support your employees through their menopause transition, through manager and colleague training, visit www.florescotraining.co.uk or get in touch at admin@florescotraining.co.uk
Thursday Jun 30, 2022
Ep 80 - Menopause and Employment Law with Emma Swan
Thursday Jun 30, 2022
Thursday Jun 30, 2022
The number of employment tribunals relating to discrimination where menopause is the reason being cited are on the rise.
But where does menopause sit in terms of UK employment law?
What should employers being doing to ensure they don't fall foul of the law?
What protection do those experiencing menopause have under UK employment law?
These are just some of the questions I put to my guest on today's episode, Emma Swan.
Emma is a Partner at Forbes and Head of Commercial Employment.
She has a wealth of experience in areas such as providing strategic level advice on employment aspects of restructures, transfers, mergers and acquisitions, advising on TUPE, conducting advocacy in Employment Tribunal cases, supporting with daily HR issues particularly discrimination issues, providing practical and strategic training and employment tribunal litigation across the country.
Emma is a Legal 500 recommended lawyer.
So I was keen to exploit that experience and expertise to help us all understand the law better when it comes to menopause and the workplace.
You can contact Emma at www.forbessolicitors.co.uk or find her on LinkedIn
You can download a copy of our Workplace Menopause Checklist HERE and do a quick and dirty audit of how menopause friendly your workplace is.
And finally, if you're a woman over 40 looking for support and a friendly community of other midlife women navigating their midlife transition, come and join me in Your Best Midlife over on Facebook.
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
Ep 79 - ADHD in Women and the link with low Oestrogen with Hayley Brackley
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
I've recently discovered that I almost certainly have ADHD which has come as a bit of a surprise at the ripe old age of 56, but it definitely answers a lot of questions for me.
It would also appear that my ADHD symptoms have become much more pronounced with the onset of peri-menopause, which got me wondering if there's a link between ADHD and low oestrogen.
Turns out there almost certainly is.
I'm joined in this episode by my good friend and my neurodiversity coach Hayley Brackley.
Hayley is a therapeutic coach and trainer and the owner of Great Minds Don't, offering impactful development, leadership and therapeutic coaching to allow individuals to let go of the strings holding them back, both professionally and personally.
In 2020, Hayley was nominated for an ITV National Diversity Award, under the category of Positive Role Model, this followed her work with individuals who considered themselves to be from a minority group, and Hayley embracing being herself - Hayley has ADHD and Dyslexia and will often be found sharing her story to help others to do the same.
Diagnosed with ADHD as a teenager she is also starting to recognise that she has many autistic traits too.
I love Hayley's no nonsense approach to neurodiversity and the way she's able to make complex things understandable. She has been an inspiration to me as we've worked together through my own journey of discovery around undiagnosed ADHD.
I believe there are very many women who have undiagnosed neurodivergence who would benefit greatly from knowing how conditions such as ADHD manifest in women, since currently diagnosis and information is still biased towards the male norm.
To find out more about Hayley you can find her active on LinkedIn or check out her website Great Minds Don't
Links to additional help and support throughout menopause and beyond:
Your Best Midlife Facebook Group
Monday May 23, 2022
Ep 78 - Making Your Social Media Look Amazing with Nicky Pasquier
Monday May 23, 2022
Monday May 23, 2022
Whether you're a business owner or just someone who loves to share on Social Media, great looking graphics are going to entice your friends, followers and potential clients to engage with your content.
And it has never been easier to create professional looking graphics, even for those of us with the creative skills of a shovel.
My guest today has built her business around helping others to stand out with gorgeous looking graphics and video.
Nicky Pasquier left her job as a senior legal PA in Civil Litigation in 2013 and started her business without any previous experience and with no financial safety net. Yes another Gen X'er who made the jump from the corporate world into doing what she loves for herself, you're going to love Nicky's 'throw caution to the wind' story of reaching her midlife turning point..
She is now a Canva Expert, Canva Creator and Canva Champion and loves teaching small businesses how to successfully market their brands on line using branded visual content.
Check out the many ways Nicky can help you look amazing through her range of done for you graphics and customisable templates at https://www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk/
You can also get a free 45 day trial of Canva Pro, rather than the usual 30 days, using Nicky's link here https://bit.ly/Nicky45 which will give you plenty of time to really get to know Canva and play around.
And to help you learn what to do, Nicky has a fantastic YouTube channel packed with loads of 'how to' videos so you can learn all the tricks and tools during your trial. https://www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk/free-canva-tutorials
Wednesday May 04, 2022
Ep 77 - Getting to Know Your Pelvic Floor with Caroline Carty
Wednesday May 04, 2022
Wednesday May 04, 2022
What if everything you've been told about how to look after your pelvic floor was wrong, and all those endless kegel exercises were actually doing you more harm that good?
I'm joined today by Caroline Carty, lawyer turned somatic yoga teacher who very candidly shares her story of struggling with a pelvic prolapse. Despite spending many years teaching her class members all about the benefits of pelvic floor exercises the research suggests that this may actually not be the best solution.
Caroline is an experienced yoga teacher who is passionate about the potential of yoga to heal bodies and minds and transform lives. Originally trained with The British Wheel of Yoga (BWY.Dip) with further qualifications in Meditation. Also a qualified Somatics Exercise Coach and a registered teacher of Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs (YHLB). Caroline sits on the UK Steering Group of YHLB, a social enterprise whose aim is to promote better back care throughout the UK.
She also represents YHLB in the All Party Parliamentary Group on yoga in society.
Caroline has an extensive knowledge of anatomy and physiology which informs her work with yoga as therapy particularly helping people with chronic back pain
Caroline says "My interest in Women's health and gynaecology stems from my own experience of living with prolapse including many years of research, self-treatment and surgery. In sharing my experience with my students, I have discovered a huge silent majority of women dealing with the debilitating, humiliating and embarrassing effects of pelvic organ prolapse.
My mission in this area is to shine a light on this topic, to support women to step out of shame and demand better treatment options. There is very exciting new research in this area and new treatment options are coming....."
Caroline references the work of Anna Crowle, a physiotherapist who specialises in women's health using biotensegrity and myofascial release.
You can find Caroline via her website https://yogawithcarolinecarty.co.uk
Thursday Apr 07, 2022
Ep 76 - Do You Have A Good Money Mindset with Samantha Bradford
Thursday Apr 07, 2022
Thursday Apr 07, 2022
My guest on the podcast today is Samantha Bradford.
Sam is a financial advisor and money mindset coach and has a long pedigree in the corporate financial world.
But when she made the jump to setting up her own business, Simplicity Financial Planning, she found that mindset, especially for women, was a big hurdle to independent wealth and financial growth.
So we're focusing today on the mind blocks that stop us reaching our true earning potential. We discuss the different money archetypes and Sam shares her thoughts and ideas for shifting our money mindset from one of lack and scarcity to one of abundance and opportunity.
Sam says: "2 Years ago, I followed my heart and stepped away from my employed adviser role with Barclays Wealth and set up my own business. I named my business Simplicity because I was frustrated with how complicated information within the financial services industry is to understand, when it is so important for people's long time financial future.
Time after time I’ve witnessed a client’s inertia rather than them risking ‘getting it wrong’; I’ve seen clients being talked down to and just plain not understanding what’s being shared with them. It doesn’t have to be like that and so I set up Simplicity.
Our aim is to put our clients at ease around money and help them see things differently.
During the past 18 months, I have also focused on the emotional side of money and am now a qualified Money Coach. I founded and run the Women’s Wealth Canvas where our mission is to help women build an enduring wealth plan through education, community and empowerment. It’s a 12 week programme designed to help women dream big and feel confident around money and money matters.
I also have my own Podcast (‘Financial Chat from the Chicken Coop – how to grow your financial freedom’) which educates around money topics and money emotions.
You can find out more about the work Sam does via her website Simplicity Financial Planning, connect with her on LinkedIn and Instagram or by joining her free Facebook Group The Wealth Canvas
And of course if you love a good podcast (which you obviously do as you're here!) check out Sam's podcast Financial Chat from the Chicken Coop
Sunday Mar 13, 2022
Ep 75 - Sharing our Menopause Stories with Becky Webber and Kim Gowing
Sunday Mar 13, 2022
Sunday Mar 13, 2022
There's something amazing happens when women come together to share their stories. You suddenly feel less alone. You feel a part of something bigger. You get that reassurance of knowing we're in this together. Today I'm chatting with two wonderful, inspiring women who are sharing their menopause stories to help breakdown the stigma of being a midlife woman going through menopause. Kim Gowing is a Canadian living in the UK. She is a Change Management Consultant and the founder of the group The Hot Ladies, a virtual network for women experiencing menopause. Kim hosts The Hot Ladies LinkedIn group and also a monthly online live get together where women can chat, share stories and tips and basically support each other through this sometimes turbulent transition. Fancy joining? Here's the link: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8975313/ Becky Webber is The Operations Director of one of the UK's leading recruitment specialists companies and the driving force behind the Menopause for Business LinkedIn Page. Becky took the massively brave decision to share her menopause story with her work colleagues for International Women's Day 2022 as part of the #breakthebias theme and has been blown away by the positive impact her story sharing has had. If you fancy giving Becky's LinkedIn page a follow here's the link: https://www.linkedin.com/company/7622... Today we're putting the menopause world to rights as we simply chat through our respective journeys. We hope that by sharing, you'll feel reassured that you're not in this alone. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button so you don't miss out on future episodes. For more support for women over 40, around menopause and thriving through midlife, come and join my Facebook Group Your Best Midlife https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourb... For more resources head over to https://linktr.ee/Bev_Thorogood
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