Show Notes – Perimenopause Summit Opening

Welcome to the Perimenopause Summit ✨

This summit is so close to my heart because perimenopause is not just a list of symptoms to manage, but a powerful season of life — a natural rite of passage, and a portal into becoming your most free self.

In this opening episode, I share why I created the summit, a little of my personal story and what you can expect over the next 12 days. Together, we’ll cut through the noise, the barrage of fads, and the medicalised takeover of this season, and instead lean into the whispers of our bodies — messages that guide us to joy, softness, and empowerment.

These conversations are raw, real, and unedited — because women don’t need to be edited or silenced. You’ll hear practical advice you can action for free, alongside spiritual insights that invite you to meet yourself exactly where you are. From simple, everyday practices to deeper soul work, this summit offers tools, wisdom, and inspiration to help you embrace perimenopause not as something to endure, but as something to celebrate.

✨ What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Why perimenopause is a season of life, not something to “push through”

• My perspective on this time as a portal to freedom and self-acceptance

• The golden threads woven through the 11 conversations with our speakers

• How the summit works: one conversation released daily, straight to your private podcast feed

• How to join the community and be part of the giveaways

✨ Housekeeping:

• A new episode drops every day for 12 days. Listen in your rhythm — on a walk, while cooking, or with a quiet cup of tea.

• Join the Instagram broadcast channel for behind-the-scenes updates, bonus inspiration, and prize draws.

• Share your reflections on Instagram and tag @edwina_peden  — I’d love to hear what resonates for you, and you’ll go in the draw for our giveaways.

Perimenopause is not a season to endure — it’s a season to reclaim. Let these conversations be your companions as you step into your wise woman years with curiosity, joy, and radiance.

In this conversation, Edwina is joined by Bianca Clayton—chiropractor, educator, and movement guide—to explore how dynamic neuromuscular stabilisation (DNS) can support women in perimenopause and beyond.

✨ Reawakening Natural Movement
Bianca explains DNS as a method of reconnecting with the developmental movement patterns we all learned as babies—rolling, crawling, sitting, squatting—that form the foundation of how we move as adults. By returning to these pathways, we can restore strength, stability, and awareness, even after years of habits, injuries, or postural changes.

✨ The Breath as Foundation
At the heart of DNS is the breath. Bianca highlights how cultural conditioning—like sucking in our bellies—disrupts natural breathing, and how relearning diaphragmatic, 360-degree breath can reset our core and pelvic floor. This not only improves physical stability but also regulates the nervous system and reduces stress.

✨ Perimenopause, Pelvic Floor & Confidence
Bianca sheds light on the often-taboo topic of pelvic floor health, reminding us how central it is to confidence, sexual wellbeing, and quality of life. She explains how breath-led, functional movement can improve pelvic floor function and address common issues like incontinence, hip pain, and instability—concerns many women face in midlife.

✨ Play, Longevity & Joyful Movement
From balance and coordination to joint health, Bianca encourages women to stay curious and playful with movement—whether that’s jumping, squatting, or simply getting up and down from the floor. Longevity, she reminds us, isn’t about doing more; it’s about consistent, joyful movement that keeps us adaptable, resilient, and confident in our bodies.

🌿 What You’ll Take Away

• Practical breathing techniques to support core and pelvic floor function

• How DNS principles can ease perimenopausal symptoms like instability, hip pain, and fatigue

• The role of play and joyful movement in vitality and longevity

• Why small shifts—like moving more often when sitting—make a big difference

Bianca’s work is a reminder that sustainable, nourishing movement is possible at any age—and that midlife can be a powerful invitation to reconnect with strength, confidence, and joy.

Find Bianca (& her Hubby Darren who is an Osteopath & Ashtanga Yoga Teacher) in clinic Pacific Palms NSW and online with Banksia Movement, where they run a fabulous online movement membership. 

Instagram: @banksia.movement

In this heart-centred conversation, Edwina sits down with Ayurvedic health coach and author Jody Vassallo (The Yogic Kitchen) to explore the messy, beautiful, and empowering realities of perimenopause and menopause.

Together they dive into:
🌼 The importance of offering alternative perspectives beyond mainstream hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
🌼 Jody’s personal journey through perimenopause and menopause, including anxiety, body changes, and her shift into deeper self-care and trust.
🌼 Ayurvedic practices for managing symptoms like hot flushes, sleep disturbances, and anxiety—through cooling foods, yoga, breathwork, and lifestyle rituals.
🌼 Why mindful eating, seasonal rhythms, and oil-based self-care (like abhyanga) can help women feel nourished and grounded.
🌼 The spiritual side of menopause: embracing this transition as a rite of passage into wisdom years.
🌼 The power of women supporting women, breaking taboos, and reclaiming perimenopause as a sacred season of life.

Resources & Mentions:

• Jody’s book: The Yogic Kitchen (offered as part of the summit giveaway)

• Jody’s podcast: Changing Seasons

• Jody’s upcoming course: Food is Medicine

• Jody's Online Community: Gather 
• Jody's Food & Yoga Tour of Japan

Find all this and more HERE

In this heartfelt and humorous conversation, Edwina is joined by speaker and creator Jane McCann to explore the raw realities and surprising gifts of perimenopause.

Jane shares her personal journey, beginning at age 43 with misdiagnosis, antidepressants, and a mental health crisis, before discovering support through social media, alternative practices, and self-care.

Together, Edwina and Jane discuss:

🌸 Perimenopause as Transformation – from the challenges of misdiagnosis to finding purpose and strength after 50. 

🌸 Empowerment in Menopause – increased confidence, sexual satisfaction, and freedom that can come in this new life stage.

🌸 Embracing Ageing Naturally – letting go of the pressure to stay youthful and instead honouring the beauty of natural change.

🌸 Body & Mind Shifts – weight gain, sleep changes, and body image, with tools like exercise, Yoga Nidra, and self-acceptance.

🌸 Daily Self-Care & Gratitude – from meditation to positive affirmations, Jane reminds us that aging is a gift and self-love is the foundation.

This episode is a blend of honesty, humour, and wisdom—an invitation to reframe perimenopause as a season of empowerment, authenticity, and deep self-care. 🌸

Connect with Jane on Instagram HERE

In this episode, Edwina is joined by yoga teacher, doula, Ayurvedic guide, and author Katie Rose to explore the power of intuition, Ayurveda, and women’s interwoven life patterns during perimenopause and beyond.

Katie shares insights from her new book The Yoni Codes, which invites women to trust themselves and reconnect with their inner wisdom. Together, she and Edwina dive into holistic strategies for navigating perimenopause—beyond pharmaceuticals—through simple, steady lifestyle choices, seasonal cleanses, and cultivating joy in everyday moments.

The conversation covers:

🌹 Self-Trust & Intuition: how perimenopause can be a gateway to rediscovering your body’s wisdom🌹 Perimenopause Strategies: holistic tools vs. HRT, from magnesium for sleep to cutting caffeine and alcohol

🌹 Ayurveda & Hormone Balance: the liver’s role, ama (toxicity), and the value of seasonal resets

🌹 The Red Thread: intergenerational patterns, ancestral trauma, and how they show up in midlife

🌹 Friendship & Connection: why laughter, sisterhood, and simple pleasures are medicine in this season

🌹 Personal Passions: honouring your “cruise”—that dream or project you’ve put off for too long

Katie and Edwina remind us that perimenopause is not a decline, but an invitation to greater empowerment, self-awareness, and joy. By slowing down, tending to our bodies, and pursuing what truly lights us up, we can transform this season into one of deep healing and growth.

✨ Tune in for wisdom, laughter, and practical tools to navigate perimenopause with grace, clarity, and self-trust.

Find Katie HERE

Buy her new book, Yoni Codes HERE

In this conversation, Edwina sits down with somatic guide, author, and women’s health advocate Kimberley Ann Johnson to explore the emotional and physiological landscape of perimenopause and menopause. Together, they unpack how these seasons of life can resurface old wounds—like sexual trauma or pregnancy loss—while also offering profound opportunities for healing and personal growth.

Kimberley shares her own journey through menopause and midlife transitions, from navigating rage and letting go of motherhood dreams to finding joy in life’s natural rhythms. She offers a compassionate perspective on how declining estrogen changes our relationships, emotions, and nervous system responses, and why perimenopause can feel like a “wet clay” moment—tender, impressionable, and ripe for transformation.

The conversation dives into:

🐆 Trauma & Perimenopause: why unresolved hurts resurface and how to approach them

🐆 The Nervous System Tiers: understanding safety, energy, and rest responses

🐆 Rage & Self-Care: expressing emotions in healthy, embodied ways

🐆 Societal Narratives: challenging the medicalised and “fix-it” approach to menopause

🐆 Embracing Ageing: reclaiming joy, wisdom, and ancestral continuity in midlife

Kimberley and Edwina both highlight the importance of simple, grounding practices—consistent meals, rest, movement in nature, and connecting with other women—while reminding us that joy and pleasure are just as vital as symptom management.

✨ This is a rich, real, and deeply affirming conversation about honouring perimenopause and menopause as sacred rites of passage.

Find Kimberley HERE

In this episode of the Perimenopause Summit, Edwina is joined by Ayurvedic practitioner and Vedic wisdom teacher Laura Plumb for a heart-opening conversation on beauty, consciousness, and the sacred transition of perimenopause.

Laura shares how true beauty is not just skin deep, but a higher state of consciousness—an invitation to presence, connection, and living from the heart. Together, she and Edwina explore how Ayurveda guides women through midlife with practical, nourishing practices that support rest, vitality, and emotional balance.

The conversation includes:

🌙 Beauty as Consciousness: shifting from outer appearance to inner radiance and presence

🌙 Ayurvedic Wisdom for Midlife: oil massage, grounding rituals, and foods that build ojas (life energy)

🌙 Self-Love & Intergenerational Care: replenishing yourself while honouring ancestral rhythms

🌙 Detox & Prevention: daily habits and simple meals to support digestion and protect against modern toxins

🌙 Emotional Release: the healing power of Yoga Nidra and meditation for nervous system reset

🌙 Embracing the Wisdom Years: menopause as a rite of passage into alignment, reflection, and self-acceptance

Laura reminds us that perimenopause is not something to fix, but a threshold into deeper embodiment, wisdom, and self-love. By simplifying daily rhythms, resting more, and tending to body and spirit with kindness, this transition becomes a path of radiance rather than resistance.

✨ Tune in for a soulful exploration of Ayurveda, beauty, and the wisdom of menopause—with practices you can begin today.

Find Laura HERE

In this gentle, insightful conversation, Dr. Lauren and I explore how perimenopause can impact our mental health — and how we can meet the emotional ups and downs with compassion, community, and practical tools to feel supported through this season.

In this Perimenopause Summit episode, Edwina speaks with Nat Kringoudis—women’s health expert, doctor of Chinese medicine, and hormone specialist—about navigating the real drivers of perimenopause symptoms and reclaiming this season as an upgrade, not a downgrade.

Nat brings over two decades of experience helping women understand their hormones and challenges the common belief that symptoms are just about estrogen decline. Instead, she explains how stress and falling progesterone play a central role, and why nervous system regulation, protein, sleep, and weight training are non-negotiables for thriving in midlife.

The conversation covers:

💪 Hormones & Stress: why progesterone decline (and cortisol competition) are often at the root of symptoms

💪 Nervous System Care: practical ways to regulate stress and support resilience in daily life

💪 Sleep & Rhythm: why being in bed by 10 pm is essential for hormone health

💪 Protein & Fibre: how much women really need and why they’re vital for hormones and detoxification 💪 Weight Training: building muscle as one of the best protectors for brain, bone, and cardiovascular health

💪 Hormone Testing: why comprehensive baseline tests matter and how to interpret results beyond “normal” ranges

💪 Reframing Menopause: Nat’s powerful perspective—“an upgrade, not a downgrade”—on this life stage

Nat also shares her own midlife experiences and resources, including her hormone quiz, podcast, and practical guides for women ready to take charge of their health.

✨ This conversation is packed with truth, empowerment, and science-meets-wisdom insights to help women approach perimenopause and menopause with strength, clarity, and confidence.

Find Nat HERE

We dive into the real truth about fasting for women — why our bodies need a different approach, how to sync fasting with your cycle, and how to do it wisely in perimenopause. You’ll walk away with practical insights and gentle, cycle-aligned ways to use fasting as a supportive tool for your hormones, energy, and vitality in this season of life.

In this beautiful session, Edwina is joined by yoga therapist and mentor Rachel Nokes to explore the gifts of mantra yoga and goddess teachings as companions on the perimenopause journey. Rachel shares her personal reflections on entering her fifties, moving through midlife transitions, and finding deep purpose and authenticity through spiritual practice.

Together, Edwina and Rachel dive into:

🌸 Midlife as Transformation – embracing perimenopause as a sacred season of change, with space for reflection on grief, purpose, and life choices.

🌸 Goddess Teachings – how archetypes such as Durga and Saraswati offer strength, balance, and empowerment during this stage of life.

🌸 The Power of Chanting – Rachel’s journey with the Durga Suktam, and how precision in Sanskrit chanting (diacritics, notes, breathwork) becomes a meditative and transformative practice.

🌸 Guided Meditation – a gentle introduction to Sanskrit chanting, including mantras invoking Kanyakumari, Durga, and Gayatri.

🌸 Durga Energy – connecting with the protective and supportive qualities of the divine feminine for empowerment in perimenopause.

Rachel also introduces her upcoming offerings:

✨ The Becoming – her online membership weaving yoga philosophy and mantra chanting.

✨ A Way of the Goddess retreat in North Bali (November).

✨ A spiritual Yatra to India (January).

Books mentioned:

• Living Your Unlived Life by Robert A. Johnson and Jerry M. Ruhl—a classic Jungian guide to midlife transformation:
• Awakening Shakti: The Goddesses of Yoga - Sally Kempton
• Hagitute - Sharon Blackie 

Download the mantra notation/diacritics for the Durga Gayatri HERE

This session is a reminder that perimenopause can be more than a physical shift—it can be a season of sacred expansion, creativity, and devotion. 🌸

In this enlightening episode, we dive deep into this deeply personal journey of a remarkable woman, Shae Spry, who shares her unique experience with cancer, menopause, and the transformative power of self-awareness and community.

✨ Her Story
Diagnosed with breast cancer at just 24 years old while working in a refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border, Shae opens up about the whirlwind of emotions and medical procedures that followed. Because her cancer was hormone-responsive, she entered a medically induced menopause that lasted for five years—beginning when she was only 25.

✨ The Turning Point
Shae speaks candidly about the lack of resources for younger women navigating similar challenges and why she felt compelled to share her story. On her 30th birthday, she made a pivotal decision to leave her job at a cancer hospital and travel—a choice that not only changed her life path but also led her to meet her now-husband, Mark, in Berlin. Around this time, her menstrual cycle also returned after years of hormonal suppression, marking a new chapter in her journey.

✨ Perimenopause & Intimacy
We explore the physical and emotional aspects of her ongoing experience with perimenopause—from fatigue and mood swings to the tender challenges of intimacy. She shares the importance of open communication in relationships, especially when it comes to sexual health during transitional phases.

✨ Wisdom & Resilience
Her story is infused with lessons in self-trust, intuition, and the importance of listening to our bodies. Shae encourages women to embrace their femininity and honour the natural cycles of life. Together, we also discuss the broader societal implications—why supportive workplace policies, open dialogue, and community care are so needed in the conversation around women’s health.

🌿 What You’ll Take Away
This heartfelt episode shines a light on:

• The realities of navigating cancer and medically induced menopause at a young age
• The role of yoga, holistic wellness, and travel in her healing journey
• How perimenopause impacts relationships and intimacy
• The power of self-awareness, community, and storytelling in women’s health

Join us for this moving conversation that celebrates resilience, self-discovery, and the beauty of womanhood.

Connect with Shae on instagram HERE

Join Edwina in this sacred closing circle as we wrap up The Perimenopause Summit: Rise in Grace. Edwina will share heartfelt insights from our time together and offer gentle guidance on how to carry this wisdom forward — so you can keep moving through perimenopause, and life, in deep connection and grace.