Perimenopause Symptoms, Identity Loss & Emotional Changes in Midlife | You’re Not Broken, You’re Becoming | Hot Flushes & Higher Self

0:01 Soraya: Welcome to Hot Flashes and Higher Self, the podcast where midlife becomes your awakening. I'm Saraya, the clinical hypnotherapist and adaptive transformation therapist guiding women through paramedicals and beyond, embracing transformation rather than just symptom management. Each week, myself and inspiring women in wellness will dive into mindset shifts, somatic tools, spiritual practices, and the candor stories that move us towards our limitless selves. So, if you're navigating perimenopause, menopause, or simply just wondering what's next for me, then you're in the right place.

0:38 Soraya: Let's ride together mind, body, and spirit. This is Hot Flashes and Higher Self. Hi and welcome to the very first episode of Hot Flashes and Higher Self. My name's Soraya, and I'm super excited about this episode because I've been dreaming about having my own podcast for a few years now, and I've probably listened to about a hundred of them. I just love self-development in general, and I love listening to other people's stories and I love learning. And this idea of creating a space where we can have really deep conversations has been on my mind for a long time.

1:20 Soraya: So it's one of those things I've been putting off, but we are here now. So hello everyone. Thank you for being here. Whether you know me personally or you just stumbled upon me during a late night scroll or you're in the midst of some kind of big life shift. I'm so glad that you chose to press play. Now, a bit about this podcast, it was

Why I created Hot Flashes & Higher Self

1:42 Speaker: born out of something that caught me completely off guard, which is perimenopause.

My perimenopause journey

1:46 Speaker: It didn't arrive with a nice little label or any explanation. It basically came with night sweats, mood swings, anxiety, irritability, and this deep sense that something was shifting, and I couldn't really name it. So at first I thought I might just be really exhausted having, you know, five kids running around, that mental overload, feeling burnt out, maybe hormonal. But it just kept happening. I'd wake up drenched in sweat, feeling perfectly calm one moment, and then completely overwhelmed the next.

2:24 Speaker: And underneath it all, there was this really deep emotional unraveling. Like all this old stuff I thought I'd already dealt with was really back up to the surface. But I still couldn't connect the dots right away. Because like so many women, I hadn't really been told what perimenopause feel like, especially emotionally or energetically. I mean, obviously everyone knows what menopause is, it's when your periods stop. But outside of that, I didn't know what peramenopause was, actually. So eventually I started speaking to friends, just quietly at first, you know, is it me or kind of conversations?

3:00 Speaker: And then suddenly it was like this collective exhale. When I heard, yes, that's happening to me too. I thought I was losing it. I had no idea it started this early. I didn't feel like myself anymore. And then through my work as a clinical hypnotherapist and rapid transformational therapist, I started seeing the same thing in my clients. These incredible women that were holding on to decades of emotion, sullenly feeling they could no longer keep it together. It was just like a dam had been cracked open and all this water was flooding through.

3:32 Speaker: They'd been strong, holding it down for everyone else. But now their bodies and minds were asking for something more. And I completely get it because I've lived that too. After having my fifth child, something inside of me shifted.

Losing & reclaiming my identity after baby #5

3:46 Speaker: Of course, I was knee-deep in motherhood. I had four other children under the age of eight. So it was kind of manic. But there was a part of me that started waking up. I found myself reaching for the old self-development books I used to love in my twenties and listening to uplifting podcasts.

Rediscovering my love of psychology and personal growth

4:05 Speaker: You know, the ones that light a fire in you and make you think everything's possible. And then something just simply clicked. That spark. The one I thought back when I started psychology at university was still inside of me. See, I'd always had a deep passion for understanding people, for helping others heal. But kind of life got in the way. After getting married and having my first child, I just felt all these other responsibilities. Um, I just kind of got into work. I was working just to make money.

4:36 Speaker: It wasn't anything that sparked any fire inside of me. I didn't feel any connection to that work, it was just money coming in, you know, life was going on. But then after baby number five, I started reconnecting with me, with that part of me that existed before motherhood. And I realized, as bad as it may sound, I just didn't want to be a mum, a wife. I wanted to remember who I was authentically. So that's the journey that led me back into studying. And I took the leap and trained to become a therapist.

Becoming a therapist

5:07 Speaker: And what began as a personal reconnection turned into a professional transformation. So now that's why after a few years, after helping my clients with different sorts of issues, I kind of lean more towards helping women um in this kind of age bracket. So why did this podcast start now? Why now? I mean, I mentioned earlier I've been thinking about doing a podcast for some time. I because I love listening to podcasts and I love the connection. But I've chosen to do this podcast helping women through this transition because of my own experience.

5:49 Speaker: So when my period started becoming irregular and I had these mood swings I mentioned earlier, I went to see my GP and there wasn't really much discussion. She casually suggested I just start HRT. There was no emotional context, no bigger conversation, it was just a prescription. And it just made me realize how little space there is for women to actually talk about this. And when I was younger, I used to think that being in your 40s meant you were old. I mean, the golden girls were meant to be in their 40s, which is crazy.

6:19 Speaker: That used to be the benchmark of being over the hill. But we have to redefine aging, and that is happening, I guess, more and more so. I mean, even this morning I found a video of a 72-year-old woman who trains six times a week, and she's glowing.

The 72-year-old woman who inspired me today

6:35 Speaker: She's got toned arms, strong legs, vibrant energy, and she's not trying to stay young. She's just fully alive in her body, and it was so inspiring. So we're not past it. In fact, many of us are just getting started. And there's so many other social media accounts I follow of other really inspiring women who, for them, it's just a number, the age, and they're just getting on with their life, living their best life. There's even this experiment I read about when they placed a group of older people into an environment that mirrored their youth.

7:06 Speaker: It was music from their era, old decor, magazines from the time, and another group stayed in modern setting. And guess what happened? The people immersed in the past performed better cognitively and physically. They felt younger and their bodies responded, which blew me away. And it reinforced something I deeply believe. That aging is not a decline, it's an evolution. And this time of life, it can be the best part when we finally get to just show up as our most unapologetic truest selves. And as I began working with more and more women, I realized something else.

7:41 Speaker: We don't just need information, we need community. Which is why I started hosting these women's retreats. And these retreats are held over two days, and it's a time where women are just held and supported by a team of incredible practitioners. And we bring together body work, energy healing, yoga, somatic therapy, nutrition, nerve assist and regulation, all the layers that support healing and integration. And that spirit, that same spirit of nourishment and truth-telling, I guess that's why I got this download to create this podcast.

8:13 Speaker: It's a place to connect and support women in the next chapter of their lives. So, what can we expect from hot flashes and higher self? So, some weeks will just be me, just sharing tools, stories, and insights from my work and personal life. Whereas other weeks I'll be joined by phenomenal women in wellness, be there hormone experts, therapists, movement guides, coaches, and more. And we'll be exploring topics like what perimenopause actually feels like, how trauma and suppression live in the body, practical tools for sleep, stress, rage, and cravings, and how to reconnect with the self underneath all the shows.

8:52 Speaker: Because this isn't about fixing ourselves, it's about remembering who we've always been. So if you're in the middle of this transition, whether the symptoms just started or you're riding wave after wave, here's what I want you to know. You're not alone, you're not crazy, you're not broken, you're becoming.

You’re not broken — you’re becoming

9:12 Speaker: And you don't have to go through it on your own. If you're curious about working with me one-to-one or joining on one of our upcoming retreats, I'd love to connect with you. And you can find all my details in the episode description. And if this episode resonated with you, please follow the show, leave a quick review or share it with a woman in your life who needs to hear it. Because that's how community grows, woman to woman, stories to story. Until next time, remember to fill your own cup before helping anyone else.

9:42 Speaker: And trust that your higher self is already guiding you along the way. Thanks so much for listening to Hot Flashes and Higher Self. And if something in today's episode spoke to you and you're feeling ready for deeper support, then you can book a one-to-one session with me. I work with women around the world to help them shift from stuck to self-led. And if you're craving real connection, movement, rest, and reset, then check out the women's retreats I host. They're a beautiful mix of healing, hot yoga, incredible food, and soul deep conversations and connections.

10:17 Speaker: And you can find all the details at www.ls-therapy.com or come hang out with me on Instagram @LimitlessSelf Therapy. You can also reach me directly anytime at soraya@ ls-therapy.com. I'd love to connect. Take care of you, fill that cup of yours, and remember your next chapter is already unfolding.