Episode 7

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Published on:

12th Nov 2025

Perimenopause: The Truths Your Doctor Didn’t Tell You About

If you’ve been told you’re “too young,” “just stressed,” or “fine on paper”… welcome to perimenopause.

In this episode of Menopause Love Lounge, six women pull back the curtain on perimenopause—the long, confusing, often-dismissed phase before menopause that explains so many of the symptoms women are quietly struggling with.

This is the stuff most of us weren’t warned about. Not because it’s rare—but because it’s poorly explained, under-taught, and frequently brushed off.

We talk about:

  • Perimenopause symptoms that don’t get taken seriously
  • Anxiety, mood swings, irritability, and emotional whiplash
  • Insomnia, night sweats, and the dreaded 3 a.m. wake-up
  • Brain fog, memory lapses, and “why can’t I think?” moments
  • Weight changes, hot flashes, and feeling unfamiliar in your own body
  • Why women are often misdiagnosed—or told it’s “just stress”
  • How long perimenopause can actually last (spoiler: longer than you think)

We also talk honestly about what helps—and what doesn’t—without turning this into a medical lecture or a panic spiral.

This episode isn’t about scaring you or telling you what to do. It’s about connecting the dots, trusting what you’re feeling, and realizing you’re not broken—you’re in a phase no one properly explained.

If you’ve been thinking, “Something is off, but no one is listening,” this conversation is for you.

Welcome to the lounge.

Menopause Love Lounge dives into menopause, perimenopause, hormone health, hormone replacement therapy, adrenal fatigue, hot flashes, and night sweats—and how they intertwine with love, intimacy, identity, midlife relationships, dating, marriage, divorce, libido, and emotional wellness, helping women navigate midlife with confidence, connection, and pleasure.

Where to find the ladies...@menopauselovelounge

Email: theladies@menopauselovelounge.com

Andrea Knoche@from.mrs.2.ms

Ozzie Osborne@IamOzzieOsborne

Karen Viesta@wellegantwoman

Dawn Wiggins@DawnWiggins

Laurie Gerber@LaurieGerber_Coach

Junie Moon@midlifeloveoutloud

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.