Episode 8: The Power of Community & Real Science: The Mission Behind PAUSE Live
24 September 2026
In episode 8 of the Mind & Muscle Beyond 40 podcast, I sit down with Charlotte Body, the visionary founder behind PAUSE Live - the UK's leading consumer event dedicated to women's health, perimenopause, menopause, and midlife empowerment!
Charlotte shares her personal "sledgehammer" perimenopause story and explains how her frustration with conflicting advice and "meno-washing" products inspired her to build a vibrant, hype-free community where women get real, science-backed answers.
Whether you're in your 20s or your 60s, navigating hormonal shifts, or looking to reignite your daily vitality, this conversation is packed with humour, honesty, and actionable wisdom.
In this episode, we cover:
- Why PAUSE Live is for EVERY Woman: How the event serves women of all ages, covering everything from perimenopause to endometriosis, PMDD, and women's health.
- The "Sledgehammer" Season: Charlotte's personal story of symptoms hitting in her mid-40s and why biohacking her own biological baseline changed everything.
- Busting the Big HRT Myth: Why HRT is safe, evidence-based, and essential for long-term bone, brain, and heart health - plus why every woman needs to understand the "PET" stack (Progesterone, Estrogen, and Testosterone).
- What to Expect at PAUSE Live: Highlights from the upcoming event on October 10th, including over 100 doctors, the new Neurodiversity Stage, expert relationship workshops, and hands-on experience hubs.
- Addressing Male Hormones & Relationships: Why Charlotte is launching a dedicated Men's Health event on November 19th to tackle andropause, testosterone declines, and communication breakdowns in midlife.
- Quickfire Wisdom: Charlotte's non-negotiable morning routine, her take on Professor Joyce Harper's book The Joys of Living, and her best piece of advice for navigating midlife: stop caring what people think and own your strength!
Links & Special Ticket Offer:
- 🎟️ Get 20% Off PAUSE Live Tickets: Visit and use the code PAUSE20 at checkout!
- 🗓️ PAUSE Live Date: 10th October 10th 2026
- 📱 Follow PAUSE Live on Instagram:
- 📱 Follow Charlotte Body on Instagram:
- 📖 Grab my book: Project 80: Your Mind & Muscle Blueprint for Ageing Strong in your 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond. Signed copies and E-book on
Show Transcript
Anneli (00:05.752) Perfect. Charlotte, welcome to the Mind a Muscle Beyond 40 podcast. It is an absolute honor to have you on today. I literally just before I hit record was telling Charlotte how excited I am for PAUSE Live next month. It's happening on the 10th of October.
Charlotte Body (00:19.157) god. It comes around so quickly and I think in the HQ here it's the calm before the storm. It takes so much work to put PAUSE Live on but it's such a fantastic event.
Anneli (00:28.082) I bet
I can only imagine when I was looking through all the exhibitors and all the event spaces and all the experience that everything happening in the experience hub, I don't know how you do it. I mean, how long does it take you to put the entire event together?
Charlotte Body (00:37.683) I know.
Charlotte Body (00:45.565) It's probably a year in the process, but we do do other events as well. So we run events for health care professionals within the women's health space. But Pools Live is our passion. It's not for profit. We put everything back into it to help and support women that are navigating, whether it be perimenopause, menopause, postmenopause, and also all the other wonderful things that...
Anneli (00:48.012) Yeah. Yes, you do.
Anneli (00:57.57) Yeah.
Charlotte Body (01:11.209) women's health throws at us really, isn't it? So I'm excited about this year because last year we brought endometriosis at workshops in PMDD, PMOS, and this year they're completely sold out. When I say sold out, they were actually free, but we've got like over 80 people in each of them. And I think that just shows you a lot of younger women came along, whether it be with their moms, their friends or whatever.
Anneli (01:13.431) Yes.
Anneli (01:19.8) Yeah.
Mm.
Anneli (01:27.31) Wow.
Anneli (01:32.812) Wow. Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Charlotte Body (01:38.773) And we realised that there wasn't just a huge gap in midlife, there was a huge gap in women's health and some of the advice that women have been given is just completely wrong. Yeah.
Anneli (01:43.234) Mm. Yeah. Yeah.
Anneli (01:50.675) my goodness, there's so much conflicting advice. But this is actually a good place for us to start. So let's just clarify this. If you're listening to this and you're thinking that you can only come to pause live if you're in midlife, that is not the case. Think again. So what would you say is the average, yeah? Anyone can come. Any age.
Charlotte Body (02:01.342) Figure game. Yeah, think again. You can come. Anyone can come. Anyone. It's just, I know, it's just such a wonderful day. It really is. I think that, right, okay. So when you come along, the atmosphere is just electric. Women supporting women. And the celebrities that are on the live stage, the 100 doctors, the wellness warriors, people like yourself.
Anneli (02:12.962) Yeah.
Anneli (02:21.246) Mm. Yes.
Anneli (02:28.533) wow.
Charlotte Body (02:31.208) you know, that come to support the day, they're not being paid to do that. They're doing it because they generally want to help. You know, and it's all about for me, when I was navigating Perimenopause, you know, I was like, it was like being hit with a sledgehammer. In fact, actually that's a bit apt because there's a monster on Netflix at the moment, isn't there, with the, with the sledgehammer, Lizzie Borden. That's how Perimenopause feels, kids. But we don't, we don't.
Anneli (02:33.484) Yeah. Hmm.
Yeah.
Anneli (02:46.392) Wow.
Anneli (02:52.334) The slate hammer. Woo!
And and can I can I shot it so how old were you when perimen perimenopause hit?
Charlotte Body (03:03.944) Well, actually, I was like your standard, you know, like, this is how it should be. 45 was when I started to get symptoms. And then 46 is when the sledgehammer, you know, hit. And I have had pretty much every symptom that there is out there. But I think that, you know, some higher being has given them to me so that I can find out the solution, biohack them.
Anneli (03:07.874) Hmm. Okay. Okay.
Anneli (03:18.402) Wow. Yeah.
Anneli (03:26.562) Yeah yes.
Charlotte Body (03:28.036) And I mean, I literally get a new one every few weeks. So itchy skin's the latest one, but I've actually found all the good ones here. But yeah, I think when we developed PAUSE, yes, the passion was there, but the education was the most important thing for me, because I have a whole drawer full of shampoos, conditioners, stuff that I brought because my hair was falling out during perimenopause.
Anneli (03:34.196) goody Yeah. Yeah, great.
Anneli (03:46.968) Yes.
Anneli (03:51.924) Mm, mm. Mm. Yeah.
Charlotte Body (03:56.317) and creams and potions and all sorts. And it's true with regards to the Menno washing. You mentioned about the exhibitors. Yes, we've got 70 exhibitors, but we have made sure we turn people away on a daily basis. We've made sure that their products and services, they're going to make a difference. know, they're not going to, I'm not going to say they're going to change your life, but they are going to make a difference. I think that's really important, isn't it? Because Menno washing is real. The Menno gold wash, whatever you want to call it. These are, you know, these are things that are happening. I am.
Anneli (04:13.388) Yeah, yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. And yeah.
Charlotte Body (04:26.172) my target audience. you know, yeah.
Anneli (04:27.896) This this is the value of it. This is why it's so wonderful like when women like us come together to do incredible things like this because we are speaking from experience and and we want to help other women find those answers. And we know that when you when you get together with other women at an event like this and you've got so many experts there and you've got you said over a hundred doctors, you've got all the information at your fingertips where it means you don't have to go and scroll late at night.
Charlotte Body (04:48.296) Yeah.
Anneli (04:53.134) Trying to find an answer and then you find something random and you try it, and of course it won't work because it's not based in science. And I love the fact that you've used the word biohacking because one of the five pillars that I coach women on and that I wrote the book on was biohacking, because it's as simple as hacking your own biology to figure out what works for your body. Because you and I, I mean, I started I started having perimetopause symptoms at 39. I mean
Charlotte Body (04:56.658) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Charlotte Body (05:05.84) Mm. Mm. Yeah. Great book.
Charlotte Body (05:14.482) Very different, yeah.
Charlotte Body (05:18.675) Yeah.
Anneli (05:19.862) And and at the end of the day, there's no right or wrong, but it's good for us to be able to talk about these things and create an event like this. Because I will also say I I this is my first year at PAUSE Live, but I'm already getting an overwhelming sense of it's a safe space. Community. Yeah.
Charlotte Body (05:22.205) No.
Charlotte Body (05:33.023) Community, I think that we use that word, but it is a community. what it is, I think, during perimenopause, ADHD came out, and it came out to play like it never has before. I think I've always mastered it. And a lot of grief comes out. There's a lot of trauma that comes out during that period.
Anneli (05:38.871) Yeah.
Anneli (05:45.4) Well, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Anneli (05:54.656) Mm, mmm, mmm, yeah.
Charlotte Body (05:58.677) I mean, and again, you do come out the other end. It's temporary, it's not forever, but when you're going through it and you can feel like you're treading water, well, treading chocolate, like literally. It's not an easy process. And I just want women to understand that you're not on your own. I think it's really hard, isn't it, with...
Anneli (06:04.024) Yeah. Yeah.
Anneli (06:09.954) Yes. Yeah it's nice and sludgy.
Anneli (06:19.201) No.
Anneli (06:25.324) Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Charlotte Body (06:27.39) for peri-menopausal women to actually come out. know, like last year, there was about 360 people that brought tickets that didn't turn up. And I know if you're listening, okay, and you think, I don't know if I wanna go with all those people. We have a new stage, which I'm really excited about, the neurodiversity stage. Now that is for people like myself, you know, that couldn't concentrate at the time.
Anneli (06:30.422) Mm.
Anneli (06:36.536) Really? my god Wow
Anneli (06:44.216) Mm.
Anneli (06:49.848) Yes.
Yeah.
Anneli (06:56.206) Mm-hmm.
Charlotte Body (06:56.34) you know, whatever that might look like, whether it be sensory issues, ADHD, it's a safe space, it's very quiet. We've got the lovely Nadia Sohala and Laura Dowling, I know. And again, these are women that are giving up their time. They, you know, they can charge 10k or whatever it might be, but they actually really want to have those conversations about, yeah. And we've got...
Anneli (06:58.591) Mm. Mm.
Anneli (07:06.991) my goodness. Exciting.
Anneli (07:13.122) Yeah.
Course, my goodness, yeah.
Like care. Mm. Mm.
Charlotte Body (07:24.476) one of the best doctors in the country that's gonna be there. And talking about getting a diagnosis if you want to, but also not getting a diagnosis, just, you know, coping and learning to live with it. Now, I'm very different with it. I mean, I have my days where it, you know, where it can be quite overwhelming, but I just want other women to know that, if you wake up on the day, when you come along, you will feel like, you know, you can come on your own.
Anneli (07:31.202) Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Anneli (07:39.296) Mm, mm, yeah.
Yes.
Charlotte Body (07:50.803) because we've got a whole team that will love and support you. And the feedback we get is, I'm so glad I came. I didn't want to come. I was really worried about it. But actually I learnt a lot and I had lot of fun. We're Essex girls here. We know how to bring the fun. We've got drinks, we've got tasting, and it's quite an immersive experience this year. We've got like a glow up bar, we've got a...
Anneli (07:51.107) Hm.
Anneli (07:54.476) Yeah.
Anneli (07:58.649) Yeah.
Mm.
Anneli (08:05.719) Yes.
Anneli (08:13.994) Love that vibe. That's important. That's yeah. my goodness, great.
Charlotte Body (08:19.528) we've got a cream, like, you know, a cream up bar, that sounds wrong. Sorry. Don't think of that as you will. I know, go, go, go. So yeah, it's, do you know what, it's such a great day out, but I think we do need to still reach more women and, you know, tell your friends, tell your colleagues. And then also it's difficult because men.
Anneli (08:23.85) A creamer up bar There's a glamour bar and a creamer up bar You're gonna see an influx of lost minute ticket sales now.
That's incredible. Yeah. Mm.
We do. Yes.
Charlotte Body (08:47.78) really want to support women going through this and over the years we've noticed that they find it really difficult. like how can I support, you it's really difficult for me. So we are actually doing a men's health event, I don't know if you're aware.
Anneli (08:48.223) Mm. Mm-hmm.
Anneli (08:56.736) Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Anneli (09:02.318) Yes. I literally I got my marketing pack in the post today with your lovely men's event posters. So I got how many show if you're watching this on YouTube, you need to look at these gorgeous leaflets. So these are the PAUSE Live leaflets, but I've got the men's event leaflets on my desk over there. But this is exciting. So you're so you're actually putting on an event for men as well.
Charlotte Body (09:07.784) Cool.
Charlotte Body (09:13.108) Cool.
Charlotte Body (09:24.264) Yeah. Well, do you know what? Over the last five years, I've just really noticed that, you know, andriopause is a thing. It is a real thing. You know, like our estrogen, know, our testosterone, all of those sorts of things, we know, but with men, that's a hard one. I usually get that one right. Testosterone, I usually get that one right. You know, has gone down. And, you know, this is an interesting fact actually, like 1972, it's gone down by 52%.
Anneli (09:32.397) Yeah.
Yes. Hmm.
So tang was there.
Yeah, yeah.
Charlotte Body (09:53.661) from 1972, that's huge. That must be lifestyle, that must be stress, that must be just a general way that we're living now. But I see men that... No, men are very, they find it difficult to talk. And so what we're trying to create, again, is a safe space where we can have these conversations about reptile dysfunction, weight gain, hair loss, relationships.
Anneli (09:55.095) My goodness. That's huge. Huge. Yeah, yep. Yep. Yep.
Anneli (10:04.834) Definitely, definitely. And it's not something that's talked about much either. Hm.
Yeah, yeah.
Anneli (10:19.608) Yeah.
Charlotte Body (10:22.93) You know, what you notice is during this midlife period, you have like a breakdown in communication. And that's really difficult. And that's because, you know, women, especially when they come out of menopause, they have been through so much that they just love themselves and love life again. I see it all the time. And men, unfortunately, become miserable, it's true, because they're not getting, they're not getting what they need because they're last on the pecking order.
Anneli (10:29.634) Yes. Yeah.
Anneli (10:36.302) Mm.
Anneli (10:42.584) Yeah.
Anneli (10:46.188) Yeah, yeah.
Anneli (10:50.274) Mm. Mm. Mm. Yeah.
Charlotte Body (10:52.136) from everybody. They're dealing with women with hormones. They're probably, lot of them are working very hard. So I do actually feel that we need to give something back for the men.
Anneli (10:58.862) Mm.
Anneli (11:02.73) I agree. I agree. There's a lot of yeah, it's a it's a it's a two way street and and it's interesting because I do think there's a loss of identity around that age, men and late alike, because they kind of question where they fit in. And if you're, you know, dealing with a partner or a wife in the first place that are facing hormonal battles, maybe you don't feel that there's a place for you to speak up and say, I'm also facing these struggles because you're trying to support her. So I think that's incredible. So when's that event?
Charlotte Body (11:08.049) It is a two ways check, you alright?
Charlotte Body (11:12.914) Yeah, yeah, definitely.
Yeah.
Charlotte Body (11:26.94) Yeah, Yeah, yeah. That's the 19th of November in London. Yeah, I know lots of women will be buying their grumpy old fellas a ticket for that. Because I get asked by women all the time. Yeah, exactly. But we I mean, we have got we have got a relationship workshop by the lovely James and Clara midlife mentors.
Anneli (11:33.826) Wow, straight after. Nice. yes. Earmark that one. F what girls, it's a pr it's a Christmas gift. Early Christmas gift That's but that's amazing, yeah.
Anneli (11:54.036) fantastic.
Charlotte Body (11:54.197) which is again, you know, really busy that one, but we'll always get everybody in because it's important. But I think, you know, lots of marriages break down within that time period. Yeah. And it is. Yeah. Kids go off. Yeah. Exactly. And I think it can be done. And you see so many people...
Anneli (11:57.293) Yeah. Yeah.
Anneli (12:02.56) Yes. And communication being one of the key things that and especially if you've been together for a long time, I guess you get so complacent, but then both of you start changing identity. So you gotta kind of revisit what you're connecting on. That sounds fantastic. Yeah. Yeah.
Charlotte Body (12:22.76) people that do get divorced and then actually think, well, we could have made that work if we just had that. So, you know, if you feel like, you know, if you're listening, you do feel like your relationship isn't what it used to be. Kids are maybe gone off to uni this year. That's always a tricky one for, especially for women. If they've been, you know, very much a homemaker, which is a really important job, don't get me wrong. But then all of a sudden, this is your time now. And I think, yeah.
Anneli (12:24.482) Mm, mm. Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Anneli (12:34.093) Yeah.
Mm mm. Yeah. Yes.
Anneli (12:43.842) Yeah. Yeah.
Anneli (12:49.762) I love that you said that. Yeah, yeah. Yes.
Charlotte Body (12:51.588) Coming along to our event, you've got the experience hub where you can try all different things, but there's so many women there that have reinvented themselves. Maybe they've come out of a corporate background. We've got the menopause, well, women in the workplace, we don't even call it menopause, but again, knowing your rights, if you're working and you're really struggling, mean, my symptoms with brain fog and sweats at the beginning, being in a meeting was just horrific.
Anneli (12:56.301) Yeah.
Anneli (13:03.811) Yeah.
Anneli (13:15.256) Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm hmm. my god. Yeah.
Charlotte Body (13:20.008) But then I got to the point where I thought, do you know what I'm gonna do? When I go into a meeting and I'm gonna say, just to let you know, I'm perimenopausal, I'm one of those days. So if I forget your name, I'm sorry, I'm not being rude. If I go bright red and start sweating, don't worry, I'm not gonna self combust. It's a hot flush and I get them quite often. Yeah, but, and that's really good advice actually to anyone.
Anneli (13:36.334) Good for you for saying that. That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah, that's great advice. Yeah. Speak up.
Charlotte Body (13:45.237) The first time I said it, I obviously had a complete meltdown with the hot flash. was probably when we needed resuscitation. But once I'd said it a couple of times, I honed it and I thought, you know, this is actually quite good because the rest of the people in the room are, okay, we've got this, you know, and we should be able to say that, shouldn't we?
Anneli (13:49.226) Of course, yeah.
Anneli (13:57.433) You know what? That is incredible. Yeah.
Anneli (14:05.634) You should. And I do think people respect you a lot more for your honesty and your vulnerability. I've one of the biggest things that I've learned over the last year, s I've learned to be more vulnerable, and to be more honest. And it's actually created so many more connection points because at the end of the day, that's what other human beings relate to. So as fellow women who are also facing these things, it's so refreshing to hear actually you can just say, This is what's happening. It is what it is. I'm owning it. So that's awesome. Yeah.
Charlotte Body (14:09.588) Mmm.
Charlotte Body (14:16.424) Good. Yeah.
Charlotte Body (14:26.523) Yeah
Charlotte Body (14:32.114) Yeah, and I think that and I think you've hit the nail on the head there as well. I think you get to that point where we use women want to please all the time. So we are yes, women, you know, we have the friends, you know, that, you know, if you've got kids, you've got, know, the friends, you know, that you're with that you probably wouldn't usually have. You get to our age and you don't you don't have those people because you don't tolerate fools. You know, you don't want to have your time is precious. You don't want to deal with people that aren't, you know, filling up your cup
Anneli (14:40.726) God, yeah. Yeah.
Anneli (14:49.047) Yeah.
Mm. Yeah. No.
Anneli (15:01.077) No, I agree.
Charlotte Body (15:01.756) So you're much more likely to say, no, this isn't for me. I'm not being rude, I don't... Where before we've been, yes, yes, yes. And all of a sudden you find that inner strength in you to say, no.
Anneli (15:05.827) Yeah.
Yeah, I don't agree. Yeah.
Mm, mm.
Anneli (15:16.278) You do.
And it's so liberating and I do think I always talk about the invisible load because all of the women that I see in my life they walk around with this invisible load. And sometimes you can tell how heavy it is. And funnily enough, when you were just saying about come along to the event because it's you're doing it for you, this is quite literally a treat yourself situation. Come to the event, this is your time for you, figure out what you love. How? Come and make new friends because it's you're never to ultimate new friends. And I think it's so incredible when women
Charlotte Body (15:23.924) Mmm.
Charlotte Body (15:27.521) yeah. Yeah.
Charlotte Body (15:37.564) Mm-hmm.
Anneli (15:48.387) come together at in a space that's maybe a little bit different for them. Maybe you learn something new about yourself or you just kind of relax a bit for the day and this is potentially what you've what you've needed this entire year. So, you know.
Charlotte Body (15:52.538) Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah. And I think, I think that is the thing people do take quite a lot away from it. You know, it's a shame we can only do it once a year. But we might be looking at doing it, you know, like as as a road, you know, road show and maybe go into other areas because, know, we know how expensive it is to get to London. You know, we keep the tickets, you know, at a reasonable price. get a really good goody bag. You get lots of freebies. You get to try lots of new things. And, you know, and I think that's really important. It's at St. PAUSE as well.
Anneli (16:05.314) Yeah. Yeah.
Anneli (16:12.106) Ooh, yeah. Love that. Mm. Mm mm.
Anneli (16:19.842) Yeah. Yeah.
Anneli (16:27.938) Yeah. Hmm. Yes. What a setting. While we're talking about tickets, Charlotte, can you quickly just tell the listeners where they can get tickets from, how much tickets are, and what kind of offers you've got going on at the moment. Mmm. Lovely.
Charlotte Body (16:29.576) So can literally see St. PAUSE right opposite, which is, I know it's beautiful.
Charlotte Body (16:41.936) we've got a special offer for you today. We're actually, literally, this week has been crazy with tickets. So if you want to get them, go to Poolslive.com, use the code POOLS20, P-A-U-S-E-20, and you'll get a 20 % discount at the moment, which I think is really good. Yeah. And then book, yeah.
Anneli (17:00.16) Mm-hmm. Ooh, I'm gonna stick that in the show notes and in the comments. PAUSE 20 for 20% off. Mm.
Charlotte Body (17:08.008) And then you've got all of the experience hubs. can, you've got sound baths, yoga, tapping. And that always makes me laugh that one because I just want to just... Or I don't tap. You know, that would be quite good, wouldn't it? Yeah.
Anneli (17:16.296) Tabby tabby tabby tabby tabby.
Or adult type, I'd be down for that. What do you do if so if you've booked your ticket but you've not do you do you need to select your experiences at the time of booking the ticket? Okay, great. Good. Okay, great. So you could still do that after you buy your ticket? Yes, good.
Charlotte Body (17:28.052) No, you can do that after you can go back into your account after and it's only five pound a session is you know, is as cheap as a packet of chips or a coffee, suppose these days. Yeah, and also like you can, I think if there's two of you go in, there's a discount as well. You know, there's all sorts of things happening. And we just want to reach as many people as possible. And it's people like yourself. So I really appreciate you having me on your podcast. And that, you know, that are doing that. And I've definitely got
Anneli (17:42.53) Yes. Fab. Yes. Yeah.
it's an honour.
Charlotte Body (17:54.629) at Arm envy because you just look fabulous, darling. Absolutely fabulous.
Anneli (17:59.119) We were before we started recording we were talking about strength training and I'm I'm the person who tells all my friends to lift the heavy weights. That's what I'm about. I'm like put down the lightweights, lift the heavyweights. But ultimately the goal is to be as strong as possible by the time I'm eighty. That's the plan.
Charlotte Body (18:06.492) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
I love that. And there's been some great role models recently, hasn't there? Even in the social sector of women that are in their 70s and 80s and they're still dancing and doing, you know, and that's what we all aspire to do. And I think you have got to look after your body. Yeah. Yeah.
Anneli (18:17.438) Mmm yes. god. Yes. Yeah. That's it. You've gotta be like for me, the main thing is independence. And the the the eighty year old version of me that I visualize is she's kicking ass and she's going for walks and she's doing things, she's carrying her own shoppings. I'm like, we gotta prepare for that. I wanna ask you a couple of and dancing on tables. Yes, for sure. That's why I train legs all the time. That's important.
Charlotte Body (18:33.276) Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, mine's dancing on tables.
Anneli (18:46.89) I just want to touch on a couple of things. so
Anneli (18:54.658) Well, firstly, I I want kind of your perspective on so obviously when you started PAUSE life, how many years have you been running?
Charlotte Body (19:01.78) Four years, this one, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Anneli (19:03.106) Four years. So, and it kind of came from a place of your own experience and you created this event and then you brought people together. Do you genuinely do you find so in your experience over the last four years, do you find that women coming together to an event like this actually helps them to accelerate their the solutions they find for their individual bodies versus trying to do it alone? What is the value of that community aspect?
Charlotte Body (19:23.572) That's... Yeah, I expect that. That's really interesting. think, unfortunately, a lot of women are in denial that they're even going through it. And that, I mean, how I was, you know, it took like probably three or four people, five visits to the GP to actually realise that this was a thing. What is perimenopause? You know, why is this happening to me? And we look younger and we feel younger than we ever have. So, like, you where do we go with that?
Anneli (19:31.266) Yes.
Anneli (19:38.273) Mm.
Anneli (19:45.634) Yeah. Mm, mm hmm, mm-hmm.
Anneli (19:52.898) Yeah.
Charlotte Body (19:53.525) But, also people are going into perimenopause a lot younger. You know, girls are starting periods a lot younger, things that, you know, change. So you can't have like one definition. I think it was easier for me because I did have friends that had gone through it or were going through it. But then speaking to other ladies that I've done podcasts with or met through polls that were in their thirties, I've got a woman who was 25. You haven't got that friendship group that going through the same things. So it's very difficult. So I think.
Anneli (19:59.843) That's it.
No.
Right, right.
Anneli (20:12.748) Yeah, yeah. God, yeah.
Anneli (20:21.058) Yeah.
Charlotte Body (20:22.846) Coming along to PAUSE eye, you do get that sense of, it's all right, we're all in it together. So even if you think, I get a lot of younger girls say, I'm gonna bring my mum along to this because she won't admit it, but she's definitely got it. She's definitely got it. Whatever it is. She's got it. But I also don't want, you know, there's lots of women, okay. Angela Ripham, she's amazing woman. I've had the opportunity to interview her a couple of times.
Anneli (20:27.682) Yeah.
Anneli (20:32.332) Yeah. Yes. Yeah. She's definitely g
Anneli (20:41.964) Skyway.
Anneli (20:48.045) Yes.
Charlotte Body (20:51.22) And she didn't have any symptoms at all. And I think there is this guilt and stigma around women that don't have any symptoms, but 20 % of women don't have any symptoms. And that's good for them, but there's still reasons to come to PAUSE Live don't you worry. Because it's not just about health, it's so much more than that. And I think that's the thing, it's about being the best you that you can be.
Anneli (20:53.538) Wow. Yeah.
Anneli (21:01.26) Yeah yeah.
Anneli (21:06.283) Exactly.
Anneli (21:12.078) Mm, mm.
Anneli (21:17.858) Yes, I love that. Hmm.
Charlotte Body (21:18.888) you know, and finding yourself again, you know, how you, I actually was ever so cocky, full of myself when, before I went into perimenopause. And I'm actually much, I'm more empathetic. I would never would have done a passion project. It would always been about making money, do, do. And I actually like myself a lot more than I did when I looked back at Charlotte, who was quite cocky in her perimenopause, you know. So that's quite interesting, isn't it?
Anneli (21:31.388) Right, right.
Mm.
Anneli (21:44.568) Wow. Yeah. It's like a rebirth. Mm. Yeah.
Charlotte Body (21:48.469) It is, and I know people say it's a bit of a cliche, why shouldn't we rebirth, you know? Yeah. I mean, I wouldn't want to go through childbirth again, but I don't mind a bit of rebirth. Let's not do that again. No. Yeah. Yeah.
Anneli (21:52.578) Well, who cares? It's your it's you know, you again you're owning it and you're now
Yeah, let's let's not that's a whole different kiddle of fish. Let's let that go. no, I'd love it. I love that you said that. And it is like I do think it the reason I wanted to talk I wanted to get you onto the podcast was to kind of like because women still suffer in silence and we still think that we need to try and hack it on your own. And when I have conversations with the woman in my world and sometimes we'll talk about, you know, I'm a big believer you've got to be able to advocate for yourself.
Charlotte Body (22:16.05) Mm.
Anneli (22:26.988) And you've got agency over your own body. You've got to be the person sitting in front of the GP and going, right, I would like this tested, I would like this done. But because a lot of women don't feel they have the confidence to do that, or they don't quite want to admit that they're going through this thing. But this is exactly why events like PAUSE Live is so important because it makes it okay to talk about it. It's okay to be going through this. You're not going through this alone. And this will not last forever. This too shall pass. So yeah.
Charlotte Body (22:41.789) Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah.
Charlotte Body (22:51.132) Yeah, yeah, and I think you're really right there. And I think also different communities go through different symptoms, like, you know, black African women go through it much earlier, and they have different symptoms, like stronger symptoms, you know, and there's all sorts of different so for me, when I started Pools Eye, one of the most important things I said to the team, I do not want this aimed at white middle class women, because everybody
Anneli (22:58.328) Hm. Yeah.
Anneli (23:04.813) Yeah.
Anneli (23:08.184) Yeah.
Anneli (23:17.987) Mm, mmm. Yes, yes. Love that. Yeah. Yes.
Charlotte Body (23:20.69) get some perimenopause, you know, and we need to make sure that everyone's included. And last year I had a beautiful woman come up to me and she said, do you know what, well done Charlotte, because I didn't expect to see so many people that look like me. And I said, well, do you know what? said, I'm really pleased that you said that, because for us it's really important that we reach everybody. And I think that's, know, that's, know, testament to what we did at the beginning, which was made sure that we reached out to.
Anneli (23:33.806) That's wow. Yeah. Mm.
Yeah. Yeah.
Anneli (23:45.398) Yes, wow.
Charlotte Body (23:48.831) to everybody, because everyone's included and, know, ethnicity, that's a hard one for me as well, was always, ethnicity, I haven't been drinking like tequila at lunchtime or something like that. Yeah, I've just been up since six. But yeah, yeah, I know. But I think it's really important that everybody feels part of something. And we do have a habit of going down that rabbit hole where it's all celebrities.
Anneli (23:55.095) What wait, what did you say? What was that with? I'm not even gonna have a go at that one. I'll let you have the one.
Yeah. well that that totally explains it. No, that's co so good. Mm. Yeah.
Yeah.
Charlotte Body (24:19.173) And that's not what we're about. All these women here are supporting each other and you're one of them. So thank you for being part of it.
Anneli (24:21.224) Mm. Mm. That's fantastic. And I'm I'm I'm really proud of being ambassador and I'm really excited to be there. And I think I want to try and keep this chat short and sweet because I want you guys to go and just grab a ticket to come to PAUSE Live. And if you pop in pause twenty, you can get twenty percent off. So don't miss out. But it's on the tenth of October, so that's coming soon.
Charlotte Body (24:38.992) Hahaha
Yeah, that's how it is.
Anneli (24:46.154) Make a day of it, make a weekend of it. I'm coming down with a friend. We are staying over, we are making a thing of it because we want to have the best time. But I know, exactly. And also why do we do this as women? We we try and justify why. There's no there you don't need a why. You just need to do it. So before we Well, exactly. It's a great location.
Charlotte Body (24:48.627) Yeah
Yeah, your lover. Any excuse girls to get to have a day out, isn't it as well?
I know, yeah. Just do it, yeah, just do it. And there's some lovely hotels around there and you know, and I'm sure the weather will still be nice. And you can start your Christmas shopping, I always say that. I mentioned it, I mentioned the C word, sorry, sorry.
Anneli (25:10.302) my goodness, that's true. That is true. Well, I mean, I've I've heard it twenty times already, and I was kind of like, you guys, we need to slow down, but it is it is true. So, you know, you can get ahead of the curve. Charlotte, before we before we go, I'm gonna ask you four quick fire questions, because I thought that'd be fun thing to end the show with. Number one, what is one health or wellness habit that you do every single day, no matter how chaotic life gets?
Charlotte Body (25:17.249) Yeah, ignore.
Charlotte Body (25:28.18) Ooh, I love that.
Charlotte Body (25:39.541) Ooh, this is really interesting actually, because what I've done recently is have a bit of a morning pattern of what I do. Does that make sense? Which I, you know, having, yeah, that's it, not a pattern a routine Yeah. Which for an ADHD woman who runs her own business and juggles a lot of balls, that's quite difficult. So that has really helped me. Well, I meditate for 10 minutes, morning meditation.
Anneli (25:49.324) Yes. A morning routine. Yes. Love it. I love that.
Mm.
Anneli (26:00.725) Yeah, I imagine so. What is so what is your morning routine now?
Love.
Charlotte Body (26:08.34) You know, just on YouTube. In ten minutes, there I am. And then I like to get fit with Rick. He's really hot.
Anneli (26:16.494) Ooh, fit with Rick. That sounds like a hot guy, name.
Charlotte Body (26:19.636) If I'm not training with my PT, that is. And then I make my smoothie. I've got like a ginger shot, a beetroot shot. But I've never been that person before. like, yeah, a few months. yeah, and even at the weekends I do it as well, which I think is really important as well.
Anneli (26:24.052) You're with rip.
Anneli (26:27.97) Lovely.
Anneli (26:34.382) This is awesome. And how long have you been doing this new routine? That's awesome. So now it's part of who you are. Yeah.
Anneli (26:45.08) I love that you said that because this is the thing with with habits. It's become a habit and then what happens, it becomes part of your identity. I was trying to I explained this to a client the other day where I said to her, You are now a woman who strength trains three times a week. It's who you are. You no longer go, Should I strength train? This is who you are. So your amazing morning routine is now who you are. That's awesome. Love that.
Charlotte Body (26:48.499) Yeah.
Charlotte Body (26:52.114) Yeah.
Charlotte Body (26:58.258) Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Exactly, and I think for me, like with the YouTube particularly, finding something that you like, you know, I sit at a desk, not all day, but a lot of the day, especially when I'm really busy. So doing something that's got lots of steps in it, you know, all of those, you can find anything you like really in this day and age. So you just gotta find your thing, haven't you?
Anneli (27:09.432) Hm.
Anneli (27:13.398) Yes. Yeah, yep. Being sedentary. Mm-hmm.
Anneli (27:22.474) yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, you do, and you just gotta you there's no that you don't need to do it perfectly, you don't need to be a pro, you just need to do the thing, move your body, and you I bet you feel so much better for it. Yeah.
Charlotte Body (27:26.772) you know, find that morning routine.
Charlotte Body (27:31.558) No, I mean, I'm definitely not doing it perfectly. a hundred percent. And I think that's the thing. And even when you, never regret a workout, do you? Never. And you never regret getting up early and you know, doing what you've got to do. yeah. So that's my answer to them. There you go.
Anneli (27:40.96) God, never. Never ever ever ever. That's awesome. Yeah.
Yeah. I love that. That's a solid morning routine. Love that. Question number two. What is the single biggest myth about midlife or menopause that you wish women would stop believing right now?
Charlotte Body (27:57.864) Ooh.
Charlotte Body (28:03.316) Okay, well I think for me is the myth is that HRT isn't safe, it is safe. I work with some of the best professors and doctors in the country. You can take HRT, when you've had cancer, we do a menopause and cancer workshop, that is always unfortunately full, but they do advise you, the doctors, on what you can and can't take, and I think that's really important.
Anneli (28:12.034) Yes.
Anneli (28:32.771) Yes.
Charlotte Body (28:32.788) I've met so many women over the years that really struggled with not only having their cancer treatment, then going into menopause. And sometimes that can be just as hard as a treatment that you've already had. And it's sort of like, suck it up. You've just got over cancer, that's good. But no, you don't have to suck it up. There's lots of things you can do. I'm not saying that your GP would prescribe pacifically, but I think let's, HRT,
Anneli (28:36.846) Hmm. Hmm. Hmm.
Yeah.
Anneli (28:48.803) Hm.
Anneli (28:54.03) Yeah.
Charlotte Body (29:01.168) saves a lot of people. It's good for bones. It's good for dementia. It's good for hearts. And I, you know, I see a lot of women and women that I know that had lived a party life in London that are so against taking any HRT now. And it's just, yeah, it's really sad. So there are holistic ways of doing it, but I see people really suffering. Don't suffer in silence, you know.
Anneli (29:02.786) Yes. Yes. Brain health. Yep.
Anneli (29:11.8) Mm. Mm.
that makes me sad. Yeah, it's sad. Yeah.
Of course. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Charlotte Body (29:31.038) Do your research. Look at the, look at the evidence. Look at the evidence. that's, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Anneli (29:32.832) I was just gonna say that, yeah. Yeah. Look at the evidence, do your own research, follow the right people. You know, like you just say it, like you know, follow the specialists who know what they're talking about and then
Charlotte Body (29:43.997) Yeah. And make sure you get, see, make sure you ask for PET, progesterone, estrogen, testosterone. That's what every woman needs. And, what, what, what other balance that might look like. so I think we need to be having those conversations because it's not just estrogen patches. If you're not having progesterone without estrogen, know, and if your testosterone is down, that's the one that actually makes you feel really good and still gives you that sexual drive and makes you feel like a woman. So I, I'm.
Anneli (29:52.792) Great advice. Yeah.
Anneli (29:58.691) We do yeah. No.
Anneli (30:08.226) Yeah. Yeah.
Charlotte Body (30:13.192) By the way, I'm no medical professional here. But I do know that it does change women's lives and I don't think we should be scared of it. So yeah, that would be my biggest myth there.
Anneli (30:18.816) It does. It yeah, being I love that, like being open to it. And I do I do love that we've actually touched on that because that's something I talk about all the time. So again, it's kind of like doing your research, being open to I'm like, No, I'm down. Cut Awesome. No, that's great. Love that. Okay. inspiration. Let's get onto that one quick. So what is one book or podcast that has completely shifted your perspective recently?
Charlotte Body (30:24.264) Yeah.
Charlotte Body (30:27.826) good. It would have been worse if you said no. Yeah, that's not making the cut.
Charlotte Body (30:46.996) well, Professor Joyce Harper's book was just absolutely fantastic. think I did a book review on it and now I can't remember. It's called The Joys of Living. it so I met Joyce at a housework music rave. So she's like professor of reproductive at UCLA. And
Anneli (31:12.483) Yeah.
Charlotte Body (31:14.674) you know, we were just amazed that we shared the same love of dance and music and her book, it's 50 women, I think, and all their different views of their, you know, their midlife. And it's got, it's inspirational. I've listened to, again, it feels like a bit like a PAUSE live. So yeah, I think she's very inspirational. You know, she's been for a divorce. She's got two children. I just found out she's in her sixties and I was like, what? Because when I did the book review, I wrote, you know, that we're
Anneli (31:18.146) Wow.
Anneli (31:25.782) Wow.
Anneli (31:32.219) I love that.
Anneli (31:41.549) Wow.
Charlotte Body (31:43.601) in our 50s and we still love dancing and the joys that she's brought to her own life, whether it be cobbled to swim in, she's a real testament to anything goes. She's on the rave dance floor. Yeah.
Anneli (31:50.584) Yeah.
Anneli (31:56.813) I love that. my god, I love that. You know what? It's so important, like when I when I tell women to visualize their 80 year old self, like I always I always talk to them about the youthfulness and about how your mindset dictates everything. You decide, like, and that's the whole narrative around midlife and after 40, etc. This whole like slow down narrative. Hell no. Not on our watch. It's not happening. No, not on our watch. Okay, last question for you.
Charlotte Body (32:11.1) Yeah, of it does. Yeah.
Charlotte Body (32:18.568) Yeah, no, not anymore. Yeah, no, it's not happening. I love that.
good.
Anneli (32:26.474) What is the best advice what is the best piece of advice you've ever received about building a community or navigating your forties and beyond? What would you say?
Charlotte Body (32:34.1) Mmm.
or the best advice is not to give a fuck really. think, yeah, I mean really don't give a fuck because for me, I cared far too much about what people thought about me. And especially at that time in that perimenopause where I was like, you know, everyone can see that I don't, you know, that I'm not myself. I lost my confidence, didn't want to go out, all of those sort of things. And then when I got to that point, that,
Anneli (32:41.102) I love that.
Anneli (32:46.262) That's like a good
Yeah. Yeah.
Anneli (32:56.462) Mm.
Anneli (33:00.376) Yeah.
Mm.
Charlotte Body (33:06.676) that time when I said, you know what, I'm perimenopausal. And not only did I own it, I went and set up events and that's owning it. yeah, think, yeah, yeah. And also believe in yourself. think I say to women all the time, this will pass and it will make you a better person, which it does, a stronger person.
Anneli (33:10.926) Yeah.
Anneli (33:14.956) Yeah. I love that. You've gone I'm just gonna take that and use it. Yeah, great. Yeah.
Anneli (33:28.258) Yeah.
Anneli (33:31.754) One hundred percent. Yeah.
Charlotte Body (33:33.013) And we've still got a lot of living to do, girl, haven't we, in that bit. So think me and you are definitely on the same page. And know that anyone listening that doesn't feel that strong at the moment, I've been where you are. And I wish that there'd been something for PAUSE, like PAUSE Live to support me in my out of need. So I've done this for you, girls. Get your ass up there.
Anneli (33:36.749) Yes.
Anneli (33:44.418) Hmm. Yeah.
Anneli (33:53.103) I love this. This is I exactly get your ass there. PAUSE 20, 20% off. You need to go there. I'm really glad that you said this because last year I lost my mum last September. So it's literally been it's the year, it's a year since she's gone. It kind of still feels like yesterday. But losing my mum has changed me fundamentally as a person, and it inspired me to write my book, Project 80. And when I wrote the book, I realized
Charlotte Body (34:06.196) so hard yeah I passed
Charlotte Body (34:19.001) I love that.
Anneli (34:21.12) This is a tribute to Mum but also a awakening. It's an awakening for women to understand that it is never too late and it doesn't matter what you're facing right now because we're all facing stuff. Let's be honest. None of us are out here. It's not all rainbows and unicorns, but it's the knowledge that you can make it through this. You just have to be open. You've got to be able to let people in, but understand as well that it's it's okay to not be okay.
Charlotte Body (34:26.941) Yeah.
Charlotte Body (34:33.628) Yeah, yeah. god no.
Charlotte Body (34:45.224) Mm.
Charlotte Body (34:50.58) Yeah, I agree. And I think it's a really difficult, it's like a sandwich effect, isn't it? You've got elderly parents, you know, and you might have younger children because people have them or you might have, you know, whatever that sandwich looks like, it's a shit sandwich a lot of the time, isn't it? And, you know, and what you've done is you've embraced that, which I'd love to read. I'd love to read the book and do a book review. brilliant.
Anneli (34:51.67) And it's it's yeah, none of us are perfect, right?
Anneli (34:57.558) Yeah. Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Anneli (35:13.868) Yeah. I I'm gonna bring you a copy. I'm gonna show you one right now because I mean this is she's I keep joking and saying she's a beefy girl 'cause she's two hundred and ninety three pages long. But it's it's like a blueprint for owning your shit, getting strong and taking better care of yourself because woman mum was a nurse and she took care of everyone else but herself. So I realized
Charlotte Body (35:19.572) Look at that! Woo-woo!
Charlotte Body (35:25.63) She's good. She's, yeah.
Charlotte Body (35:31.292) Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, yeah. And we see that so many times, don't we? You know? Yeah. Yeah.
Anneli (35:38.989) Th this is what we do. It's hardwired into us as women. And so it's the c it's the combination of taking better care of yourself and giving less of a shit about what other people think about you, caring for yourself. Because a lot of women still think, no, I don't want to be selfish. But it's not about that. You have to take care of yourself to be able to take care of the eighty year old version of you. That's the reality.
Charlotte Body (35:47.228) Yeah, good. Yeah. Yeah.
Hmm, I know. Yeah.
Yeah, exactly. And you know, it's been really interesting speaking to you because I love that you're visualizing the 80 year old, because no one really wants to do that. But what a blessing to get to a certain age in life. My mum's 85 and I went round there Saturday and she's painting the bathroom.
Anneli (36:05.708) Hmm. No.
Right? wow.
my god, she sounds like a legend.
Charlotte Body (36:17.128) I said, mom, why are you not using like one of your, you know, your son-in-laws to direct you, the builders or whatever. and she said, I just thought I'd get it done myself, darling. And you know, and that's quite inspirational, isn't it? But I think you have Margaret, she's great. She's knackered today, but you know, she still gets her hair done. She gets, know, and I think, I just want to be like, I just want to be like her, be active.
Anneli (36:29.678) That's what's your mum's name? Well Margaret. We all want to be Margaret when we're eighty-five, eighty four. I mean pff What a babe. Whatever. That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah.
Charlotte Body (36:45.128) But you know, it does change in your body is so important. I bones, you know, I didn't realize how many aches and pains that you know, that you get as you get older. And I think with the strength training, that's really good. So we've got we've got a brilliant topic actually on bones. We've got two specialists speaking about bone health. But again, we need to be looking after those so that when we do get to 80 year old self, we can still do the worm and you know, the splits and yeah.
Anneli (36:51.064) Hugely important. Yeah. Yeah. Mm.
And
Anneli (37:03.521) fantastic.
Anneli (37:09.556) Exactly. Yeah. Yeah, and and dance on the table.
I love that. Charlotte, it's been an absolute dream talking to you today. So, I'm gonna stick all the details in the comments and in the show notes where you can get your tickets from. 10th of October in St. PAUSE. Come and join us. It's gonna be incredible. And if you enjoyed today's episode, leave us a little, you know, little five star or you know, join my channel, whatever it is. But please go and follow PAUSE Live on Instagram. What is your Instagram handle? Just pause live. I mean, simple, right? Just pause live.
Charlotte Body (37:25.95) Thank you.
Charlotte Body (37:30.589) Yes!
Charlotte Body (37:43.006) Just pause live, yeah. Just pause live and follow me, the body. With an X as the body, so you can't miss me. Yeah, thank you.
Anneli (37:47.814) yes. The body. I love that. Love that vibe. I'll stick that in the notes as well. but I'm so excited to see you next month. thank you for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to talk about PAUSE Live. And it's always awesome to meet someone who's as passionate as I am about women and and women's health and just doing doing stuff for ourselves.
Charlotte Body (38:03.034) I really enjoyed it. Always good to talk.
Charlotte Body (38:09.416) Yeah. See you on the 10th, guys. Bye.
Anneli (38:13.378) See you on the tenth. Thanks, Charlotte. Bye.
Charlotte Body (38:19.861) So I'm going to start.