Episode 26

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Published on:

21st May 2026

The Hidden Anxiety of Menopause Nobody Warned Women About

Why does menopause suddenly make confident women feel anxious, overwhelmed, emotional, and completely unlike themselves?

In this episode of Menopause Love Lounge, the ladies get real about the menopause anxiety nobody prepares women for. From racing thoughts at 3am to questioning your confidence, identity, relationships, and purpose, this conversation dives into what’s really happening beneath the surface during perimenopause and menopause.

The lounge opens up about:

• Menopause anxiety and panic attacks

• Overthinking and intrusive thoughts

• Sleep struggles and nighttime spiraling

• Hormones, GABA, and emotional regulation

• Childhood trauma resurfacing during menopause

• Identity loss and rediscovering yourself in midlife

• Imposter syndrome and confidence struggles

• Why women suddenly need more alone time

If you’ve ever thought:

“Why am I suddenly so anxious?”

“Why do I feel like I’m losing myself?”

“Why can’t I stop overthinking everything?”

…this episode is for you.

You are not crazy. You are not alone.

🕰️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Welcome back

02:57 Laurie on anxiety

11:37 Hormones & anxiety

16:26 Andrea on imposter syndrome

20:19 Sleep anxiety

22:41 Funny sleep moment

31:08 Menopause anxiety stats

36:21 Menopause Court

45:18 Final thoughts

🔗 Links & Resources

😴 Try MenoSleep: Buy it here

🎧 Listen Here

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Stay connected with the Menopause Love Lounge:

▶ YouTube: @MenopauseLoveLounge

◎ Instagram: @menopauselovelounge

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🌐 Website: https://menopause-love-lounge.captivate.fm

✉️ Email: theladies@menopauselovelounge.com

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About the Podcast

Menopause Love Lounge

Redefining Intimacy, Identity & Relationships

Menopause Love Lounge is a menopause podcast for women in midlife who feel misunderstood, dismissed, and quietly blamed—and know that what they’re experiencing deserves more than surface-level answers.
Menopause isn’t just a hormonal transition. It’s happening inside a culture that profits from women feeling broken, depleted, and “behind”—offering quick fixes that keep us disconnected from our bodies, our relationships, and each other.
Six women talk honestly about sex after menopause, intimacy, menopause-related anxiety, emotional burnout, identity shifts, nervous system overload, boundaries, self-trust, changing relationships, and the quiet loneliness that so often defines midlife.
Many women reach this season having pulled back from female friendships—not because they don’t value them, but because years of comparison, fear of judgment, and emotional self-protection made closeness feel risky. We name that honestly, and we talk about what it takes to rebuild connection in ways that feel safe, real, and nourishing again.
Six hosts matter because no single woman gets to be the answer. This isn’t single-voice authority—it’s real women thinking together, questioning out loud, and letting complexity be honest.

This isn’t another podcast telling you what to buy, fix, or optimize.

It’s a place to slow down, tell the truth, and remember that what you’re feeling makes sense.

Welcome to the lounge.

(Hosted by Andrea Knoche, Ozzie Osborne, Dawn Wiggins, Karen Viesta, Junie Moon, and Laurie Gerber.)

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About your hosts

Andrea Knoche

Podcast host and on-air personality, Andrea is the creator of Menopause Love Lounge and host of From Mrs. to Ms. She’s passionate about honest, unfiltered conversations around reinvention in midlife, and also around menopause and the impact it has on relationships, identity, and intimacy.

Ozzie Osborne

Ozzie Osborne is a love and relationship coach grounded in attachment science and nervous system regulation. She works with individuals and couples to uncover the patterns shaping their relationships, move out of reactive cycles, and build secure, connected partnerships.

Laurie Gerber

Laurie is a love and dating coach, the host of the podcast Love at Any Age, and creator of the course Master the Art of Love. She helps women get radically honest about what they want, break unhealthy patterns, and create deeply fulfilling relationships with confidence and clarity.

Junie Moon

Love coach and shadow work expert, Junie helps women break lifelong patterns, heal emotional blocks, and reconnect with their true selves. She guides women in midlife to create deeper, more aligned relationships rooted in self-worth, authenticity, and emotional freedom.

Karen Viesta

Midlife influencer and wellness coach, Karen Viesta helps women feel more energized, confident, and turned on by life. She shares what actually works to look better, feel better, and make midlife your most vibrant and powerful chapter yet!

Dawn Wiggins

Dawn Wiggins is a licensed marriage and family therapist, homeopath, and host of Dear Divorce Diary. She helps women untangle divorce, hormones, heartbreak, and midlife identity shifts with sharp insight, nervous system healing, and deep emotional discernment. She’s known for saying the thing everyone is thinking—but may make us blush.