Donna Klassen- Let's Talk Menopause, CBT and Change
The word ‘menopause’ was not used in Donna’s household growing up, even when her mother underwent a hysterectomy. But Donna knew. Donna Klassen, co-founder of Let's Talk Menopause, dedicates herself to providing a platform that educates, destigmatizes, and offers vital community support surrounding menopause. She and I may have different experiences of Menopause but we both come at it with the same heart and a desire to ensure nobody feels isolated or alone during this deeply nuanced life transition. Diagnosed with estrogen-positive breast cancer at 52, Donna's journey into postmenopause was accelerated following a double mastectomy and an oophorectomy. As she grappled with symptoms like hot flashes and brain fog, she was met with a notable absence of guidance from her medical community. Drawing from her tenure as a clinician and director at The Motherhood Center of New York, where she witnessed the transformative power of community in areas like infertility and postpartum depression, Donna is passionate about championing menopause and ensuring it's understood and supported by all. In this episode we discuss attitudes, progress and legislation in the US compared to the UK just as the bill for the Menopause Research and Equity Act 2023 was going to Congress. Donna is all about the very simple but powerful, ‘and’. Nothing need be one or the other, it can be many things and this is especially true when it comes to menopause symptoms and, in fact, this whole life phase which is a time of vulnerability and opportunity. She encourages us all to put ourselves out there and ‘Go Big!’ You can find Donna on the website and on social media as @letstalkmenopause and I believe even at the time of release, you can still fill out a form HERE that allows you to write directly to your member of Congress and leads to the website letstalkmenopause.org You can handpick your Menopause Therapist right HERE