Dealing with crippling uncontrollable rage, anxiety, and crushing depression? Feeling like you're completely falling apart and your doctor's solution is to just ‘manage your stress’? Not sure if what you're experiencing is depression, perimenopause, or something else entirely?

You're not losing your mind, you're not broken, and you're definitely not alone.

Consider this startling statistic from the SWAN study: a woman’s risk of experiencing depression in the menopause transition is 59% if she has a previous history of depression, and 28% for those without a history of depression. Those are some big numbers. And most women, and their doctors, are unaware of this risk.

Meet Dr. Ariel Dalfen, a psychiatrist who spent 12 years running the largest women's mental health program in Ontario – where she became frustrated watching women suffer unnecessarily. As CEO and Co-founder of BRIA, a revolutionary virtual clinic, Dr. Dalfen and her Co-founder Dr. Bev Young have created the one-stop shop women desperately need: comprehensive, individualized mental health and hormone care that actually works.

In This Episode

• Why some women's brains are "hormonally sensitive" and how to identify if you're one of them
• The critical questions about your reproductive history that can predict your perimenopause experience
• How to distinguish between perimenopause symptoms, depression, and PMDD
• Why tracking your cycles gives healthcare providers game-changing data
• The non-negotiables for mental health survival in midlife
• How BRIA's team-based approach stops women from falling through the cracks
• The stigma that’s keeping women silent about their struggles
• Dr. Dalfen’s new "Menopause Mental Health Certification" program

If you've been suffering alone or thinking this is just how midlife feels, this conversation will change everything. Dr. Dalfen will show you there's so much more than just surviving – and how to start thriving.

Connect with Mikelle & Michelle at This is Perimenopause

• Email us and let us know what you think of the podcast and what topic you want us to cover next.
• Sign up for our weekly newsletter
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Instagram
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Facebook

Dr. Ariel Dalfen Bio

Dr. Ariel Dalfen is a psychiatrist with over 20 years of experience treating women across reproductive life stages: from those trying to conceive, those who are pregnant and postpartum through to the perimenopause/menopause population. She ran the largest women's mental health program in Ontario at Mount Sinai Hospital for 12 years and started the first of its kind province-wide women’s mental health telemedicine program in 2014.

In 2022, Dr. Dalfen co-founded and became the CEO of BRIA (www.betterbria.com) - a virtual care platform for women with mental health issues across reproductive life stages.

After completing her undergraduate degree at Princeton University, she attended McMaster University medical school, and then completed her specialty training in psychiatry at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Dalfen's research area explored technology innovations in women's mental health and she has published in academic medical journals.

She lectures for medical and public audiences on various topics related to women’s health and has been a medical contributor for many media outlets, from television to podcasts. In 2008, she published a book, When Baby Brings the Blues: Solutions for Postpartum Depression. This book is highly regarded and utilized by both healthcare providers and the general public.

Links for this episode

www.betterbria.com

BRIA on Instagram

In the second part of this incredible episode with Master’s level clinician and eating disorder specialist, we dive even deeper into how disordered eating shows up in ways we never expected – especially during the hormonal chaos of midlife.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why "clean eating" (clinically called orthorexia) is becoming increasingly problematic
• The deeper psychological roots beneath our food and body struggles
• How to model healthy eating behaviors for your children without passing on your own issues
• That freedom from these patterns is absolutely possible, no matter how long you've been stuck

We live in a culture that normalizes disordered eating. Luckily Kyla is here to show us what true food freedom actually looks like.

Connect with Mikelle & Michelle at This is Perimenopause

• Email us and let us know what you think of the podcast and what topic you want us to cover next.
• Sign up for our weekly newsletter
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Instagram
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Facebook

Kyla Fox Bio

Kyla Fox has established herself as a visionary and innovator, when it comes to re-framing the way Canadians think about and treat eating disorders. As someone who struggled herself with an eating disorder, Fox identified care gaps and fundamental flaws in the treatment and recovery approach. Kyla is a Master’s level clinician with degrees from both the University of Toronto in the Master’s of Social Work program as well as an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Women’s Studies. Kyla is a member of the Ontario Association of Social Workers and is registered with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. She is also a member of the Academy of Eating Disorders and the National Eating Disorders Association. With such deep and varied experience in the field, Kyla is regularly called on by Canada’s top media outlets as a special commentator on a broad list of topics, including eating disorders, self-esteem, women’s health, body image, pregnancy and body confidence and more. For more information please visit www.kylafoxcentre.com.

Links for this episode

Instagram: @KylaFoxRecovery

Facebook: @KylaFoxCentre

Twitter: @KylaFoxCentre

The Centre

Think eating disorders only affect teenagers? Think again. What if we told you that the food rules, exercise obsessions, and body struggles you're experiencing during perimenopause might actually be disordered eating in disguise?

Meet Kyla Fox, a Master's level clinician and eating disorder specialist who's spent 20 years revolutionizing treatment approaches. After her own struggle with an eating disorder, Kyla identified critical gaps in traditional recovery methods and founded an innovative treatment center that's helping thousands of women break free from patterns they didn't even realize they had.

From the woman who exercises for hours after eating to the one sneaking food when her partner's away (Michelle, I see you!), Kyla reveals how disordered eating shows up in ways we never expected – especially during the hormonal chaos of midlife.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• The difference between eating disorders and disordered eating
• Why perimenopause often triggers or amplifies disordered eating patterns
• The three core symptoms of disordered eating: binge, purge, and restrict
• Why exercise is actually the most common form of purging behavior

We live in a culture that normalizes disordered eating. Luckily, Kyla is here to show us what true food freedom actually looks like.

Connect with Mikelle & Michelle at This is Perimenopause

• Email us and let us know what you think of the podcast and what topic you want us to cover next.
• Sign up for our weekly newsletter
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Instagram
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Facebook

Kyla Fox Bio

Kyla Fox has established herself as a visionary and innovator, when it comes to re-framing the way Canadians think about and treat eating disorders. As someone who struggled herself with an eating disorder, Fox identified care gaps and fundamental flaws in the treatment and recovery approach. Kyla is a Master’s level clinician with degrees from both the University of Toronto in the Master’s of Social Work program as well as an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Women’s Studies. Kyla is a member of the Ontario Association of Social Workers and is registered with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. She is also a member of the Academy of Eating Disorders and the National Eating Disorders Association. With such deep and varied experience in the field, Kyla is regularly called on by Canada’s top media outlets as a special commentator on a broad list of topics, including eating disorders, self-esteem, women’s health, body image, pregnancy and body confidence and more.

For more information please visit www.kylafoxcentre.com.

Links for this episode

Instagram: @KylaFoxRecovery

Facebook: @KylaFoxCentre

Twitter: @KylaFoxCentre

The Centre

We learned so much in Season 2 from so many incredible experts, here are just a few of the mic drop moments that every woman deserves to know:

• Giving your body what it needs to function optimally and lose weight with Gina Livy.
• You DO NOT need testing to be prescribed MHT with Dr. Jen Zelovitzky.
• Understanding the increased risks we all need to manage in perimenopause with Dr. Sarah Shaw.
• Skidding into menopause with Dr. Kirsten Smith, ND and what it takes to stop the skid.
• The clip we needed to hear 10 years ago: It’s not burnout, it’s perimenopause with Janet Ko, Co-founder of The Menopause Foundation of Canada.
• Perimenopause is not a synonym for suffering with ‘the’ Menopause Chick, Shirley Weir.
• Learn what a shame bomb is and how to diffuse it with Dr. Justine Corry.

Thank you for listening and letting us be part of your journey.

This podcast is brought to you by IRIS. Daily care products made with clean ingredients for hydrated vulvas and vaginas. Use code TIP20 for 20% off at lovemyIRIS.com.

Connect with Mikelle & Michelle at This is Perimenopause

• Email us and let us know what you think of the podcast and what topic you want us to cover next.
• Sign up for our weekly newsletter
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Instagram
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Facebook

Links for this episode

Gina Livy Instagram

The Livy Method

Dr. Jen Zelovitzsky Instagram

Medcan Women’s Health

Lume on Instagram

Lume Women + Health Clinic

Dr. Kirsten Smith, ND Instagram

Work with Dr. Kirsten Smith, ND

Menopause Foundation of Canada Instagram

Menopause Foundation of Canada Website

Shirley Weir Instagram

Menopause Chicks Website

Dr. Justine Corry Instagram

Dr. Justine Corry Website

What Would Dr. Premji Do?

Before menopause was having a moment, before celebrities were talking about it, before it was cool - Dr. Shafeena Premji was already deep in the trenches helping women navigate perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause.

As one of Canada's earliest certified menopause practitioners (2015) and a board member of the Canadian Menopause Society, she's seen it all. Thousands of patients. Every symptom combination. Every misconception. Every treatment - success and failure. This isn't theoretical knowledge - this is a decade of real women, real problems, and real solutions.

In This Episode

• The biggest misconceptions she's debunked after seeing thousands of patients
• How her approach has evolved from 2015 to now - and what she wishes she'd known earlier
• What your mother’s perimenopause and menopause experience might help you predict
• Why "biology beats chronology" when it comes to hormone therapy decisions
• Her personal strength training transformation and how it changed how she counsels patients
• Plus, a sneak peak into the revolutionary women’s clinic she's building

This podcast is brought to you by IRIS. Daily care products made with clean ingredients for hydrated vulva and vaginas. Use code TIP20 for 20% off at lovemyIRIS.com.

Connect with Mikelle & Michelle at This is Perimenopause

• Email us and let us know what you think of the podcast and what topic you want us to cover next.
• Sign up for our weekly newsletter
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Instagram
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Facebook

Dr. Shafeena Premji

Dr. Shafeena Premji is a nationally recognized family physician and menopause care leader dedicated to advancing women's health through compassionate, evidence-based, and individualized care. With over a decade of experience, she has built an impactful career as the Founder and Medical Director of three women’s health–focused clinics, including her most recent one, "Milestone – Menopause Centre of Southern Alberta", a visionary center created to provide comprehensive, community-based menopause care rooted in validation, education, and empowerment.

A Certified Menopause Society Practitioner since 2015 and a Board Member of the Canadian Menopause Society since 2020, Dr. Premji is committed to reshaping how menopause is understood, treated, and experienced in Canada. She also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of the Menopause Foundation of Canada, where she contributes to national advocacy, policy development, and public education.

Links for this episode

Mahogany Medical Clinic

Dr. Shafeena Premji on Instagram

Dr. Shafeena Premji on LinkedIn

Canadian Menopause Society

The OG menopause trailblazer is back on The TIP Podcast to share what she’s been up to. And she’s been busy. In the last year Shirley Weir has launched a new platform called The Nest, a soft place for Menopause Chicks to land and her Facebook group hit 59,0000 members.

Shirley worked with the Women’s Health Research Network in BC to support the HER-BC study, investigating the health experiences of midlife women and the impacts of menopause. She created Speak Menopause, to help us focus on the agency we each have when it comes to decisions about our own health.

And never one to rest on her laurels, on her birthday she crafted a list of the 58 things she wants to see change in women’s health in the next 42 years, before she turns 100. Today she’s giving us a sneak peek and inspiring us to help make her list a reality.

In This Episode

• Less than 7% of all health research dollars are allocated to women’s research, and that number has not changed in 13 years
• Why our medical providers need at least as much information, direction, and input as we provide to our hairdressers
• Why Shirley is done with the pervasive gatekeeping in women’s health
• Why we all need to take recurring UTIs more seriously, and
• The alarming numbers involved in Pad Math: incontinence pads are meant to be temporary, not a solution.

We all deserve to feel amazing. Thank you, Shirley, for your dedication to helping us figure out how to make that happen.

Connect with Mikelle & Michelle at This is Perimenopause

• Email us and let us know what you think of the podcast and what topic you want us to cover next.
• Sign up for our weekly newsletter
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Instagram
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Facebook

Shirley Weir Bio

Shirley Weir is a women's health advocate, author, and the founder of MenopauseChicks.com. With over a decade of experience in menopause education, Shirley has become a trusted voice in the field, empowering women to take charge of their midlife health journey.

Launched in 2012, MenopauseChicks.com has grown into a thriving online community with over 300,000 members, providing evidence-based information and support for women navigating perimenopause and beyond. Shirley's work addresses critical gaps in women's health education, particularly in areas like vaginal health, where her research shows 77% of women have questions but struggle to find reliable answers.

A three-time author and TEDx speaker, Shirley has been featured in various media outlets and has even tweeted for Oprah. She hosts a popular podcast and regularly speaks at conferences and corporate events, advocating for menopause-inclusive workplaces.

Shirley's mission extends beyond education to developing thoroughly-researched products that address common menopausal concerns. Her ultimate goal? To ensure that every woman has the resources and support to feel amazing during this transformative life stage.

Links for this episode

Menopause Chicks Website

Shirley Weir on Instagram

Shirley Weir on Facebook

The HER-BC Report