When the Pause Becomes Your Power
Created from both research and lived experience, this podcast explores the emotional, physical, and identity shifts that accompany menopause. What began as a doctoral dissertation evolved into a movement, one centered on empowerment, education, and sisterhood.
MenoTheSis is not just about menopause.
It is about reclaiming identity, confidence, and voice in every season.
In this space, we talk openly about body image, confidence, hormonal changes, mental health, holistic approaches, and the realities of midlife transformation.
This is where we embrace becoming.
Where we turn pause into power.
Where women rise, relentlessly.
Your Host
Dr. LaShonda Bailey
Relentless in purpose, rooted in research, and fabulous enough to talk menopause in sunglasses.
Your Co-host
Veronica Mcdowall
Free-spirited and transforming like the wings of a butterfly, while living boldly in every chapter of life.
Stream the Latest Episodes.
Stream the Latest Episodes.
Episode 3: Menopause Preventative Care
What if we started learning about menopause BEFORE it happened? In this episode of MenoTheSis™, Dr. LaShonda Bailey and Veronica McDowell discuss the importance of menopause education, preventative care, hormonal awareness, and advocating for your health long before symptoms begin. Inspired by a women’s wellness webinar and real-life experiences, this conversation explores how many women enter menopause without understanding what’s happening to their bodies — and why education, access to care, and open conversations matter.
The episode also highlights real frustrations women face navigating treatment options, hormone therapy access, pharmacy shortages, and finding healthcare providers willing to truly listen. This conversation is honest, empowering, educational, and necessary.
✨ Topics Discussed: Preventative menopause care Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) Women’s wellness Midlife health Access to care Emotional wellness Perimenopause & Postmenopause Self-advocacy in healthcare Because women should not have to suffer in silence.
Episode Sponsor
💗 The Black Powder Movement: https://theblackpowdermovement.com The Black Powder Festival: https://theblackpowderfestival.com
Episode 2: Is It Menopause…or Is It Me?
Have you ever felt like your body was changing… and you didn’t even recognize yourself anymore? In this episode of MenoTheSis™, Dr. LaShonda Bailey and Veronica McDowell dive into the emotional, physical, and hormonal symptoms of menopause and perimenopause — from mood swings and anxiety to brain fog, fatigue, low libido, weight changes, and emotional overwhelm. Together, they explore the powerful question so many women silently ask themselves: “Is it me… or is it menopause?”
This conversation also highlights the importance of advocating for your health, understanding hormone changes, asking questions, and recognizing how menopause symptoms can overlap with other health conditions and emotional experiences. This episode is educational, transparent, funny, and deeply relatable for women navigating this transition.
✨ Topics Discussed: Menopause symptoms Hormonal imbalance Estrogen, progesterone & testosterone Mental health & menopause Low libido & intimacy Emotional wellness Women’s health advocacy You are not crazy. You are becoming.
Episode Sponsor
💗 Thinc Design Studio: https://www.thincdesignstudio.com
Episode 1: The Birth of a Movement
Hey girl hey… 💗 Welcome to the very first episode of MenoTheSis™. In this powerful introduction episode, Dr. LaShonda Bailey and co-host Veronica McDowell share the heart behind the movement, the lived experiences that inspired it, and the real conversations that led to the creation of this platform. Dr. Bailey opens up about her personal menopause journey, her doctoral dissertation — Exploring the Emotional Perceptions of Weight Gain in Menopausal Women Post-Bariatric Surgery — and how her own experiences navigating hormonal changes, emotional shifts, body image, and midlife transition became the foundation for advocacy, education, and purpose.
This episode is honest, humorous, emotional, and empowering — reminding women that they are not alone in this journey. Because this isn’t just about menopause… It’s about becoming. 💗
✨ Topics Discussed: Menopause & hormonal changes Emotional wellness Weight gain & body image Post-bariatric surgery experiences Midlife transition Women’s health advocacy
Episode Sponsor
The story behind MenoTheSis™ Beating Heart Health for Women: https://www.bhhforwomen.org