Menopause is often framed as a breakdown, but what if it’s actually a breakthrough? In this episode, we dive deep into how the hormonal shifts of midlife don’t create problems; they reveal them.

We explore how menopause strips away the “people-pleasing filter,” resurfaces childhood survival roles like caretaker or peacemaker, and forces women to confront toxic family dynamics they may have tolerated for years.

Our guest, That Menopause Guy, shares his personal story of growing up with an abusive father and how his healing journey gave him insight into the survival patterns many midlife women carry: fawning, freezing, and chronic over-functioning. We also talk about the painful parallels between medical dismissal and narcissistic abuse, and how invalidation from doctors can retraumatize women who’ve already lived through toxic family systems.

By the end of this episode, you will see why menopause is less about losing yourself and more about finally recognizing yourself clearly. You will learn why old patterns rise up in midlife, how to stop repeating them, and what steps you can take to start setting boundaries and creating emotional freedom.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

🍏 Why menopause isn’t a breakdown—it’s a clarifying awakening.

🍏How childhood trauma roles resurface in midlife and what to do about them.

🍏The ways menopause acts as a mirror, making it impossible to ignore red flags.

🍏How growing up in toxicity shapes communication, boundaries, and self-worth.

🍏The deep parallel between medical dismissal and narcissistic invalidation.

🍏Why women feel like they’re “seeing themselves clearly” for the first time.

🍏Practical first steps to break free from old survival patterns.

Ali Farhat | Women’s Weight Loss & Hormone Specialist

Certified Menopause Wellbeing Practitioner | Certified Women's Holistic Hormone Practitioner | B.S. in Kinesiology

Ali Farhat is a certified women's hormone practitioner and weight loss coach with nearly a decade of experience helping women transform their bodies and reclaim their health. But his mission took a powerful turn four years ago, when his own mother began experiencing menopause symptoms and was quickly dismissed by her doctor, misdiagnosed with depression and anxiety, and left without real solutions.

Seeing how the system failed her opened Ali’s eyes to a silent epidemic: women in menopause being ignored, misinformed, and told to “just deal with it.” That moment lit a fire in him, to become the kind of practitioner women actually need.

Now, Ali specializes in helping women in perimenopause and menopause lose stubborn weight, eliminate symptoms, and finally get the answers they’ve been searching for. He combines functional lab testing, individualized hormone support, nutrition, and fitness to create true, lasting transformations.

But more than that, Ali is leading a movement: to show that there are good men out there who genuinely want to help women thrive. In a space where male voices can be met with skepticism, Ali is breaking the mold, not by telling women what to do, but by listening, empowering, and offering real solutions with deep respect.

Known online as That Menopause Guy, Ali is changing the game by making midlife health feel empowering, not defeating. Whether it’s through his popular online programs, viral social media content, or in-person events, Ali’s bold yet deeply compassionate coaching style resonates with women who are tired of being dismissed by mainstream medicine and are ready for a real solution.

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Episode Sponsors:

Betterhelp

Going to therapy is a sign of strength, not weakness. My sponsor BetterHelp makes therapy simple, with 10% off your first month to help you get started:

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Sherrie sits down with Bridgette to explore what it means to transform toxic family patterns and step into the role of a sacred ancestor. Drawing from Bowen’s Family Systems theory, genograms, attachment work, and experiential psychotherapy, Bridgette offers a path toward breaking cycles, healing shame, and creating freedom for future generations.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

🍏 What it means to become a sacred ancestor and why mapping family systems can uncover hidden generational traumas and roles

🍏 How to separate the “survival self” you had to be in your family from the authentic self you’re becoming

🍏 Why the gilded cage metaphor explains how family systems can look good on the outside while keeping you trapped inside

🍏 Practical ways to begin reparenting your inner child and healing deep attachment wounds

🍏 How reparenting creates safety and reduces shame for survivors of toxic families

🍏 Why grieving childhood and parental relationships is essential for healing, and how corrective emotional experiences make space for authentic living

🍏 The first step you can take today to set yourself free and begin breaking generational cycles

Brigitte Marquette is a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor. In her private practice, Gilded Cage Counselling, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Brigitte supports her clients to gain insights into the family system they grew up in, heal attachment wounding, and show up in the world in a way that is authentic and meaningful to them. When exploring unhealthy family systems through a family systems and transpersonal psychological lens, we can discover embracing being a sacred ancestor as opposed to a dutiful descendant.

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Episode Sponsors:

Betterhelp

Going to therapy is a sign of strength, not weakness. My sponsor BetterHelp makes therapy simple, with 10% off your first month to help you get started:

https://betterhelp.com/drsherrie

BetterHelp, founded in 2013, is the world’s largest online therapy platform, offering accessible, affordable, and personalized mental health care.

—

Hiya

Hiya is revolutionizing children's health with a pediatrician-approved, sugar-free multivitamin designed to nourish growing kids with the essential nutrients they need—without the junk. Made with 15 key vitamins and minerals, Hiya’s chewable formula is free from artificial sweeteners, dyes, and gummy additives, offering a cleaner, healthier approach to kids’ nutrition. Trusted by parents and loved by kids, Hiya is on a mission to build lifelong wellness habits from the very first bite.

Use my link 👉 https://hiyahealth.pxf.io/c/5964558/1730519/20098 to get 50% off of your first order with HIYA and free delivery!

*****

MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

📌 [Book] I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou - https://www.amazon.com/Know-Why-Caged-Bird-Sings/dp/0345514408

CONNECT WITH BRIGITTE:

📌 Website: https://gildedcagecounselling.com/

📌 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gildedcagecounselling/

*****

MY LATEST BOOK!!!

Adult Survivors of Emotionally Abusive Parents: How to Heal, Cultivate Emotional Resilience, and Build the Life and Love You Deserve - https://amzn.to/3UhURWI

*****

MY TEDx TALK:

📌 TEDx Talk Not All Parents Are Good by Dr. Sherrie Campbell - https://youtu.be/deyHwDkG7oc

BOOKS BY DR. SHERRIE:

⚉ Adult Survivors of Toxic Family Members: Tools to Maintain Boundaries, Deal with Criticism, and Heal from Shame After Ties Have Been Cut. - https://amzn.to/3L3sMuA

⚉ But It’s Your Family…: Cutting Ties with Toxic Family Members and Loving Yourself in the Aftermath - https://amzn.to/3tuNQEn

⚉ Your Pocket Therapist: Quick Hacks for

In this deeply resonant episode of Sherapy Sessions, Dr. Sherrie Campbell welcomes Tamarin Michel, a clinical psychologist turned holistic healer, to explore the profound impact of toxic family dynamics, navigating complex in-law situations, and the transformative potential of somatic healing and inner child work.

Topics include:

🍏 the power of somatic healing

🍏 how we hold trauma in our bodies

🍏 family dynamics are the common denominator in the creation of trauma

🍏 why reparenting ourselves is important

🍏 why setting boundaries is the path to your personal freedom

🍏 the profound value of developing the self-control to not engage in emotional games

🍏 the challenges in dealing with invasive in-laws

🍏 strategies to maintain emotional distance

Tamarin Michel is the founder of EmpowHER Healing, where she integrates clinical psychology with spirituality to offer a holistic approach to healing. Holding a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, she has a background in private practice in Los Angeles before relocating to Sydney, Australia.

Tamarin’s unique journey spans from working in Beverly Hills clinics to facilitating retreats in Bali, blending clinical expertise with intuitive energy work. She is dedicated to guiding individuals toward reclaiming their personal power, healing generational trauma, and embodying lasting peace and purpose.

*****

Episode Sponsors:

Betterhelp

Going to therapy is a sign of strength, not weakness. My sponsor BetterHelp makes therapy simple, with 10% off your first month to help you get started:

https://betterhelp.com/drsherrie

BetterHelp, founded in 2013, is the world’s largest online therapy platform, offering accessible, affordable, and personalized mental health care.

—

Hiya

Hiya is revolutionizing children's health with a pediatrician-approved, sugar-free multivitamin designed to nourish growing kids with the essential nutrients they need—without the junk. Made with 15 key vitamins and minerals, Hiya’s chewable formula is free from artificial sweeteners, dyes, and gummy additives, offering a cleaner, healthier approach to kids’ nutrition. Trusted by parents and loved by kids, Hiya is on a mission to build lifelong wellness habits from the very first bite.

Use my link 👉 https://hiyahealth.pxf.io/c/5964558/1730519/20098 to get 50% off of your first order with HIYA and free delivery!

*****

MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

📌 [Book] The Mastery of Love: A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship by Don Miguel Ruiz - https://www.amazon.com/Mastery-Love-Practical-Relationship-Toltec/dp/1878424424

CONNECT WITH TAMARIN:

📌 Website: https://www.empowherhealing.com/

📌 Email: tamarin@empowherhealing.com

📌 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empowherhealing/

*****

MY LATEST BOOK!!!

Adult Survivors of Emotionally Abusive Parents: How to Heal, Cultivate Emotional Resilience, and Build the Life and Love You Deserve - https://amzn.to/3UhURWI

*****

MY TEDx TALK:

📌 TEDx Talk Not All Parents Are Good by Dr. Sherrie Campbell - https://youtu.be/deyHwDkG7oc

BOOKS BY DR. SHERRIE:

⚉ Adult Survivors of Toxic Family Members: Tools to Maintain Boundaries, Deal with Criticism, and Heal from Shame After Ties Have Been Cut. - https://amzn.to/3L3sMuA

⚉ But It’s Your Family…: Cutting Ties with Toxic Family Members and Loving Yourself in the Aftermath - https://amzn.to/3tuNQEn

⚉ Your Pocket Therapist: Quick Hacks for Dealing with Toxic People While Empowering Yourself - https://amzn.to/3JBql1R

⚉ Success Equations: A Path to Living an Emotionally Wealthy Life - https://amzn.to/3uobd1u

⚉ Loving Yourself: The Mastery of Being Your Own Person - https://amzn.to/36mlXp5...