In this episode, I interview Nicole and Danielle of the Peri-Tales Podcast. We cover A LOT of ground. This episode is slightly longer than some of my others. The conversation was so interesting!

About our Guests:

Nicole Mena (she/her) is a licensed acupuncturist and practitioner of Chinese herbal medicine in Philadelphia. Her specialties include reproductive disorders and fertility support. Both her and her sister Danielle host the podcast Peri-tales which documents not only their perimenopause journey but also explores access to necessary and essential healthcare support for everyone going through perimenopause by interviewing guests across different fields, socio-economic backgrounds and racial backgrounds. They hope to bring more light to healthcare inequalities and limits to access with care for perimenopause.

Danielle Squillante is a mother and organizer based in western MA. She works at the Prison Policy Initiative, and is one of the founding members of the Decarcerate Western MA Bailout Project, an all volunteer community bail fund. She has served in leadership roles in DSA, and takes an anti-capitalist approach to health care and health equity.

You can find their podcast here⁠!

And as always, about your host:

Not finding the resources they needed when they hit perimenopause, The Genderqueer Menopause Coach, Lasara Firefox Allen, set out to educate themself so they could advocate effectively for their own needs. This led to a vast amount of media consumption and more and more acute awareness of how highly gendered the majority of the available materials here–with a few notable exceptions. Lasara decided at that point to become part of the solution. This culminated in Menopause Doula Training with The Menopause School, and then the GGS Menopause Coaching certification process, which Lasara is currently completing. This process of discovery has led to Lasara’s ongoing dedication toward creating a Menopause Coaching practice that is empowering and gender affirming.

As usual, you can find more info about my services here.