Opening reassurance and episode intro

You're not alone. You know that. It's not you. It's not something wrong with you. It's not that you're, something. You know, that you're horrible or you're becoming old and no one wants you anymore, or you can't do this anymore, or you have to, you know, it's none of that.

You're not a lot. A lot of people go through this. Recognize that so many people go through what you're going through, and there is a lot of noise. Try to drown it out and listen to your body and it'll tell you.

But you got to listen to it and then try to find the right information. Try to try to be you got to be honest with yourself. You got to say, hey, if something this is some of me too.

This might be hormonal, but is it also me? Maybe having too much sugar or this or or not exercising enough, right? Is there something else also? But the most important thing is that you're not alone.

This is doctor talk. Real talk from real doctors. Only issues that matter to you. Most. Hello, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of Double Down with doctor D.

I'm doctor daly, board certified, and today I'm joined by powerhouse lawyer Regina Campbell. Regina. It's a Type-A personality, high achiever, a lawyer, which is a field that is dominated by men.

So you guys can see why we have so much in common. And I want to have a conversation about how we can navigate in life with this personality and still perform at the level that we always perform when our hormones work, not misbehaving.

So she is in the transition through Perimenopausal menopause complex, but with education and understanding, we can achieve and continue being the person that we were always honoring.

So this episode is for women who are feeling always that change between pushing too much and slowing down, and see if you guys can grab any information that it can be useful to continue navigating through menopause and menopause and being happy.

Regina, welcome to Double Down with doctor D, please introduce yourself. Yes. Thank you so much, doctor D for having me here. I'm Regina Campbell, I'm a corporate lawyer here in Miami, Florida.

And, it's certainly a demanding job, so I'm glad to be here to help. Kind of lend some insight as to what I also go through as well as a woman during this transitional period.

So thank you for having me. Well, thank you for saying yes. I know your time is precious and expensive, so thank you, Regina.

Reginau2019s background and high-achiever lifestyle

Let's start with a little bit of you explaining our audience how it feels to go through these process of perimenopause. I'm in a box, which is a physiological transition in every women.

But when we add on all these extra ingredients of what we do day to day, is that something that you have to start, looking at it and making some changes, is something that you might just going to reinvent and, and sleep is somehow the whole starting school of what we are supposed to be doing every day.

Or there is something that you can add on to your being a lawyer, being a mother, and now being a we went in for the menopause on the same 24 hours. A schedule.

Wow. What can I tell you? It is something that is a strange. I've always been a person very, into health and fitness and very driven. Since I was very young.

I was actually even before I became a lawyer, as an entrepreneur, built several businesses in my teens, was successful, was it went to law school later, I was actually pregnant with my daughter and second year of law school running two businesses at the same time.

But this is a different stage. So how do you balance them? I could tell you, you know, and I've heard this from other women as well. You just think, okay, well I'm going to adapt.

I'm going to feel that I'm going to adapt like I always do. You know? You know, when I first got my period, it was, transition. When I'm pregnant, you know, during having periods as a transition, pregnant, it's a transition like, okay, you adjust it after pregnancy and so forth, and you just keep popping along.

And like most women, you just kind of either adjust a diet or just a little bit of exercise or just more than anything like every woman does, we just push through it.

So part of the problem is, is that the reality here with this particular transition in my life, is one I can definitely see how it started. I have some friends that it's starting honest, you know, 30, 35, you know, they can see not a lot of change, but a little bit.

I have other friends who started early 40s. Mine seem to get more dif more, more challenging. 4546 but I was absolutely just thought, okay, look at that.

Could you handle this? Okay. It looks like it's going into the phase. You know? Okay. All right. This changed, more sensitive to this. Now my allergies are acting up.

I'm getting maybe more headaches, more brain fog, and then I start to, like, talk to myself. Okay, that's probably overworked, because, like we said, how do you fit this in?

We don't even have a lot of times have the time to get sick. You know, you hear about women can literally I mean, I recall I've, I can imagine myself if I would have been, you know, already a lawyer at the time, I could see myself doing a hearing, having labor cramps and knowing when the hearings over I'd run and get to go give birth. Right?

I mean, I was just like, I had to fit it in, so to speak. And it's not that I didn't prioritize. My children were always the most important thing to be instilled, but we just kind of make it happen.

We make we just like, okay, we do this. This is a different stage. So this is okay. All right, I'm getting this problem. I'll avoid this food. Okay. I'll go get this testing.

I'm having upset stomachs. I'm having more cramps. You know, between the period. The period is acting weird. So you go and you start checking with all these doctors and most of the time they don't.

That's why you're probably strategy. Know you're probably this or maybe you're gluten intolerant. So you kind of adjust things on your own and you keep going.

You keep power housing through this. As I get closer and closer, I assume I don't know exactly where we are, where I am in my in my process, but I could definitely see it ramping up.

You know, I can't push the way I used to. I cannot go on for hours of sleep like I used to. You know, I don't be honest with you. There's something in me also that change that's not making me happy when I try to.

So it's like my own body's probably been telling me for a while, and I'm really hearing it now. I'm sure a couple of years that is saying you need to change something.

And I think that scares most women because we're like, well, what does that mean? That doesn't mean that I can't exercise then and then I can no longer do this.

I used to do it. I could no longer take the kids this and I, I'm tired more in the afternoons. And then you start realizing your body's going to make you change it.

And then we, we kind of go into panic mode. Well, wait a minute, but I have to work 12 hours a day, and I have to do with six days a week and seven days a week, and not stop and keep figuring everything out at home.

And I work and I run my business, too. I run a business. I'm not just a lawyer. So, you know, and then you realize your body's telling you something, you know, you're going to have to change something.

But if you are Type-A, I mean, God knows, everyone can immediately see I'm Type-A. Probably since I was six years old the moment they met me, you know, so there's no hiding that, you know, and I have somewhat of a perfectionist nature, so I've also had to learn different times in my life to kind of perfect does not need to happen, you know what I mean?

Sometimes you lose. You lose something that's not worth it to make something perfect. So I've had to learn some of these lessons along on the way. But when my energy, when my body was like, no, you know, I thought, okay, I'm going to tune it up more, I'm going to start doing this exercise.

I want to give it more strength. I'll give it a little bit more sleep. I started negotiating with myself and then it wasn't still was not there, you know what I mean? I'm like, man, I'm changing.

And then it's funny, I would get cranky when I would be asked to do the normal stuff that I do. I kind of figure everything out for everybody, and I just do it and keep going and do everything else I do, and then all of a sudden I'm like, does not have time for that.

Okay, so let me give up on that. Okay. Let me cut this down. And part of it is you will not be able to do everything. The reality in the same way that you were before as you're going through this change.

But let me just let you know. I think that's a good thing because it it's actually taught me, even though I knew this conceptually, this is an important topic, but I'm always going too fast.

I've been a single mother for a good amount of time now, running my own business. And, you know, there is something that I got lost. People say, hey, Red, you don't have time to do this. Sometimes.

Sometimes you're so tired in there, right? The more actually closer I get to this stage in my life. Actually, I can't push, so I have to pick and choose what I do.

So then I have to start. But there's something in me that's also saying we're due to wait. Are you going to remember that you are also a woman with ideas, with dreams, with does you know your dream not just to create and make money or make a certain business, but also to sit down and put your feet in the sand and not feel like you're racing.

You're watching her because, you know what I mean? And never feel like it's enough. You know, as my kids get older, I have the 24 year old and a 20 year old.

I'm very thankful also that they have grown up. Right. So there's a lot of things, especially being raised by a single mom. They're going to have to grow.

They grow up a little faster, too. Right? And so you have to do a lot of things on their own usually. Or I've had to teach to be very independent from very young.

Now both children on the same. But also it's like, guys, I need you one.

Perimenopause symptoms and the struggle to keep pushing

It's good for you to grow up because you need to grow up. You need to learn these life lessons. You know, let's be realistic. Sometimes as a Spanish mom, I think I baby them a little too much and they'll tell me themselves, you're like, mom, you were a total pushover.

You were dying, and you would still give us what we wanted sometimes, you know what I mean? And I'm like, no laughs. Yeah, that's true. You know what I mean?

And I'm like, and you didn't need that. And you became spoiled. And then I had to like back out of that and had twice the work to undo what I did. You know what I mean?

So, but now that I'm tired and my body is like, hello? You know, I don't want to necessary give up on work as soon as I'm like, okay, should I do less work and do this?

And it's not that I should be doing as much work as I used to either. I should be working smarter, not harder, but you know it. Also, it's required me to rethink a lot of things, prioritize things, think about how I can doing differently because of course, being Type-A and driven, it's not like I'm going to say, okay, I will never do any of that again.

That's not in my vocabulary. So I've had to figure out a way. It pushed me to be more efficient, set my boundaries more, and and, you know, it's funny, people that are actually good to me and they and like, they understand me, they know understand me as a person.

They see the difference. But they're not taking it as like me being mean or also like tyrannical. They just kind of like regimens this change. She's hormonal.

She's hormonal. Yeah. Give her. Yes. They'll forgive her, you know what I mean? And I'm like, sometimes I'm like, I just flat out say it. And this is an unusual thing to say to people.

Sometimes I'm like, because some of the people I work with, I've worked for a long time, they're almost like family. I'm like, guys, I'm tired, okay, I'm going through this change in my life.

And you know what was telling me? I used to think, is it because I'm older, or is it because I'm this, is it because I'm not? It's. But it's everything.

And I'm like, you know why you can do this? I don't need to be telling you this and reminding you this. Actually, I'm stunting your growth. I'm getting frustrated.

I have to tell you five times the same thing, but I need to be like, oh, yeah, that's it. Please write it down. You know what I mean? And please do it. Help me.

Thank you. You know what I mean? So I don't have to be tyrannical either. I don't have to be. But people can see I'm short fuzed lately. And sometimes I'll tell you, doctor D a and I think we've spoken about this several times.

I don't know how to explain. Sometimes it isn't physiological. And I tell a lot of my my guy friends and my son knows this very well because he's been around two women.

Mike, it's me and my daughter with him in this house at least. And, you know, when we got our periods, because I get actually a very, very bad period and not just blood, but all of a sudden bleeding but all the symptoms.

Right. So I'm like, it is actually real. It is not. That's just going yeah. That's you know what I mean. Yes. Even as a 30 year old having my menstruation, a first of all the migraines were insane.

They still are. But I've learned how to deal with some of them. The stomach issues, the brain fog, the absolute. You know, I know people, this is not this way.

And I don't mean to take this lightly because it's not we take a lot and people actually have Tourette's. But the joke that you become like, you blurt out things that you normally would blurt out, you know, was physiological.

I could feel the change in my body as if it was like a storm coming in. It wasn't something I could control. You try to control, but it's how you felt that way.

You got the brain fog, that irritability you couldn't, You can't breathe sometimes. And to his, your allergies get worse. Literally like that with your period.

It was so much. And so women don't experience all of that. But I have even since I was very young, my periods were pretty difficult. But I'm experiencing that that too.

And I'm like, but now my body's like, no, sorry, you know what I mean? You know, so it's pushed me. No matter how much I'm driven in certain ways and I still am.

I also have I'm very hyper. So it's like my body, my mind still, in some ways, one day wants to 100 miles an hour, and the next day is like, what is my name again?

La la la la la. So and with my type of work, I can't be that way, right? You know, and then I am. I'm in a very now it's gotten better, but I'm in an industry where it's very driven by men, particularly litigation is I do transactional, just drafting documents.

But you know, primarily litigation, and you can't be off. You know what I mean? Not only from a purely competent point of view as a lawyer, you know what I mean?

And we are human. Men and women have their off days. There's no question about it. But you can't be off where you can't think you have a hearing one day.

You cannot have this brain fog that you can't remember the facts or you can't remember the the questions you want to ask or the evidence. So and I can't pick and choose those days.

And with Perimenopausal part of the problem is it's not like I can say, okay, my menstruation is coming, let me sleep the couple of days before it comes.

And and I can, I can I can even this out a little bit. Right. I can make this a little bit easier. This this process this week I'm going to go through it's not the same with pregnant.

A pause you you can't tell all of a sudden you're fine for three months and then all of a sudden you want to poop. Your energy's like the doo. Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo.

Wop bop bop bop bop. And you're like, well. That's what your hormones are doing. Exactly. Those fluctuations and peaks. That's pretty menopause. And it can be up to eight, ten years of that.

And that's a basic like we, you know, and that's where I didn't understand that until you explain that to me, nobody really the information is becoming more, you know, out there more available for everybody.

And I'm so glad Oprah just recently did, you know, a whole show with is with doctor, Mary Claire and Evelyn. Yes. But I get flavor. But honestly, did not women did not speak about this, especially in our culture.

Right, doctor? Do you like Spanish? Like is. It's like tequila, you know, you know, you keep going, la la la, and you keep sweeping, and you keep doing your work and pick up the kids and the grandkids and.

Yeah, they don't. There's a lot of women suffering out there. And then the first thing is, before I before I met you, I mean, my office is like, right, you're going to another doctor.

I know that I'm a person that does take care of myself. So something is wrong. I don't ignore something for long. If I can't figure it out like it's, you know, okay, I'm not sleeping well.

I'm like, I'm gonna go get that checked out. Maybe a little bit more than most people. Maybe I'm a little bit extra extreme on that. But I am that way because I just get nervous.

It's just boom built. Right? It's it's a little difficult to be too much. And and also it's not good to be too little to be concerned. Right. So okay, Regina, go get this checked out.

Okay. Would you go get this checked out? Okay? Okay. Endocrinologist. Okay. Gastroenterologist. Okay, I know this, and I'm having a neck problem and a shoulder lock and a dip, and I'm, like, going to all these people.

And don't get me wrong, I don't think that it's necessarily all these doctors. Excuse me? All these doctors and I, they're doing their job now. I run a test. Right? You're fine.

You know what I mean? You don't have anything. You're good. Right? Yes. But why do I still feel this way? You know, I'm exercising, I eat, right, all these things are happening, and then I'm, you know, and the reality is I go to some gynecologist, and because I'm still my menstruation is still regular.

It is till this day. I mean, I'm 50 years old. You're fine. No, I can't be. And I know I'm. Not candidates for hormonal replacement because you are not menopause, which the the definition is 12 months without your period.

I used to have. It's a note. And the irony is, it's like the way that I am nice when I, when I met you, I spoke to you and I said, but it feels like I'm having symptoms of PMS, so to speak, or the different things that happened to me during PMS.

Exact. Month, and then my sleep is good and then is bad, and then I literally would try to like, okay, Regina, three days before you menstruation, do this, but don't do this.

I need this after bring up. I was literally like, like trying to self-diagnose myself and fix myself. And then what I would work would work for three months with a change and, food or what I would do or sleep three months later.

I guess when my hormones change again, it wouldn't work. So I'm like, this is crazy. And I said, okay, Regina. Okay, I see when you get older, you got to slow down and you got a disease in that.

And I'm like, first of all, I don't necessarily like believe it has to be that way, if anything. Also, you you still human. We're still men and women of, you know, at a certain age that have dreams and thoughts and things they want to do.

It's not like we should just roll over or go to bed and, you know, that's it. Our lives are over. But I said, you know, but this is real. Yes, this is real.

So what is the answer? Because I don't let anything like this go. If it affects my quality of life or it affects my relationship, my kids, I'm like, nope, sorry, I'm going until I figure this one out, you know?

So. So how do you do all this in a 24 hour day? I think the first thing is, I think we need to speak to ourselves as our bodies are changing. Don't let anybody tell you, doctor or otherwise, that you're crazy.

You know, the thing is, some people have fibromyalgia. Okay? That could be why your pain, your joints are hurting. But it doesn't mean that your hormonal changes are not either adding to it or changing initially how you're feeling.

That if you have anxiety or did a health disorder and you're seeing that it's expressing itself differently, you're not crazy. Stop and ask maybe why is it you?

Are you under more stress? Are you changing your diet or something happening? Is it hormonal? It was so important, I think, to look for this answer. And sometimes we just have to be our best at it or, you know, because, you know, doctor, like my my, my, you know, my my primary is wonderful.

She's like, she's a little bit younger than me. So she knows she's going to be going through what I'm going through. So she's actually watching me go and read, what are you doing?

I, you know, how did you how did you feel better. How did what's going on? You know, because I think the answer is not straightforward and it depends on people's personalities.

And like, I have a friend of mine that she has her ear itches a lot. Yes. I'm like. But you look it up. It is possibly one of the symptoms or hormonal change.

Who on earth would think that? You know? So I think you need to listen to your body. Don't be scared of it. Don't be like, oh my God, that's here. It's over.

My life is over. Not at all. If anything, Doctor Dee, I think and what you've helped me understand by this process and kind of helping me get on HRT and stuff.

Yes, that's personal, but I don't mind sharing it because I want to help people. It's a scary thing, but because you think you've heard of the different studies and I am someone that reads, I try to read everything that I can on especially I tend to start something that sounded initial controversial, right?

When I start understanding why 20 years ago the studies people had concerns and how limited those studies were at the time, and why it's not reflective of the current hormones that exist today.

Like as a as a person. I took that apart and I said, okay.

Getting answers, HRT, and lifestyle adjustments

And when we talk to a doctor that will speak to me about this, and you answered all my questions, I'd say, I feel like this, and why can't we do this?

But why does this happen? But if you give me HRT, how? How is that different than the pill? And I remember I'd ask you all those questions to understand and to feel comfortable with it.

But I think many women don't. Or they're worried about what does that mean or not mean. And of course, HRT is not right for everybody. People you could you feel, you know, more better a doctor.

So exactly when if you're prone to blood clotting or certain things. Right. But it is a life changer. It's not perfect. Nothing in life is perfect because you still have to exercise, eat right, control your stress.

Which kind of goes brings us back to your initial question. You got to limit what you do in a 24 hour day. You got to look at your life differently. And it's not a bad thing, because sometimes we need that jolt to make a change that makes our lives better and makes it prioritize ourselves.

You know that you were right to say, I just had a pool, though, Regina. Sit in that pool and don't do anything for half anybody wants a half an hour, do you know what I mean?

And, then I get feelings of being Regina again because I've been like Regina the mom. Regina the boss for so long. Previously. Regina the wife. You know what I mean?

But Regina got a cut loss in her 20s. Being so dutiful. So between our cultures, right? I mean, my father is from the Midwest. My mother's Puerto Rican, so I have, like, bi culture in many ways.

Right? I'm raised very Puerto Rican, but my mother is very Hispanic. Certain concepts and cultural ideologies that come with that or, you know, notions of a woman's duty, not just the wrong way to say it, but women do what moms are.

And moms, particularly special Spanish cultures, are very dedicated. We're very high on our kids, you know what I mean? And that's not a bad thing. But we are in a new life or a new world.

There is, you know, especially being in America, there's a different things that are expected. Children are different. There's different societal norms.

There's different, you know, expectations. And I live between both those worlds. So, you know, that was hard for me. My mother. You live in a lot of different worlds.

Well, first, let me just summarize something that's fantastic for me. I'm going to invite you to every workshop that I'm doing for the women. I just need to tell you that many of the things that you say are so right on point that when we're physicians from decide on any professional medical provider is giving you a little bit of education.

We go exactly from the points that you're going to first point you did, which I adore, and is the whole, the whole, a likeness of PMS with this transition.

This is exactly what defines me as a physician is I used to treat adolescents in an adolescent clinic called these men a real clinic because they were having a lot of painful periods.

But it didn't stop there. It was the rest of the symptoms. I mean, a girl can go all the way to an a schizophrenic attack out of PMS. So this girl will my go to finish hospital for 1 or 2 days in a mental institution.

Meantime, we'll figure it out. What's happening? PMS, those same hormones that is the same hormones, but at different in every human, in every woman and human too, because men have and, estrogen.

But we're not going to talk about what what they do on them. You go. So it just gets very nice and cyclic during our reproductive years. I'm just 8 to 10 years prior to our stopping start fluctuating, fluctuating operating.

And it's those peaks that gives you different symptoms. And then you talked about the symptoms. My second part of education, which I have you seen the book of Marie Claire.

However it can be more than a hundred different symptoms. The each of the ear canal is something that people go really? And yes. So what happened exactly?

What happened to you? A woman who takes care of herself. That he decides. You know what? I have gastric problems. Let me go to the specialist of the gastrointestinal system I heart palpitations.

Let me go to the specialist of the heart and then none of those are specialists which are very focus on this system that they're experts on. Put together one thing, the most physiological thing that is happening to us through our 40s and 50s and especially menopausal menopause, which is can be related to that.

We don't want to say everything has to be just what it in the bag, like the menopause is there. No, but is something that we could take in account to proceed to give you that, that, that the healing process that the taking care of that specific symptom that you might be doing a change in your function of day to day.

So the next point that you touch, which is again, very important thing when your symptoms should be treated, and it's when you feel that your life is, has been touched in a certain way and is interesting.

And that's why I find that you are the perfect guest is because being a very busy woman, right job wise, your mother, all your mother, responsibilities and obviously beyond responsibilities is all that you want to give to your kids.

And being having a cultural background, like being like Hispanic, I have to say more than half, because it's your mother. And the mothers are always, like, putting that on us.

And since I get to know you more and more, I can see how you are totally being embedded in the Latina kind of culture. All these together, which takes a lot of time from us.

And the hormones add on, we just have to be juggling, juggling, juggling, and without perspective of the cultural perspective that we have. So you talked about once is not, is not I'm not it's not making me function the way that I used to function.

You said it. We can't not be off. And you touch another new point, which is we are trying to educate the world, including the corporations, including the work environment for our coworkers, their male counterparts counterpart.

Being as educated as we are to understand now, we can use hormones as a as an excuse. I will use them, leave ages, use them before, but in summer and somehow they have to understand that you don't have to take it personally.

I am irritated today for A, B or C, I'm in a different space today because my body's in a different space. Yes, but a person like you and you said it and I love that you said it is like Mother Nature gave you stop and said, I'm sorry.

I know you're in control unit perfection is you control most of the things in your life, but this one is controlled by me. This is Mother Nature giving you an opportunity.

This is not a problem. It's an opportunity for you to almost start requests. You need what's important. And that's the big question, right? What's important for now on because, Regina, we're going to spend 40% of our lives in menopause, right?

Because our lifespan is getting longer and longer. So women are going to getting once they any menopause, post menopause is forever, right? So then that menopause period can be 30 to 40% of your life span.

So it is super important that we prepare for that. And since we were such a Type-A personality perfectionist that we prepare so much in our 20s to be the perfect career woman in our 30s, well, now Mother Nature is telling you you did a great job as a mother, but your your kids are needing you less and less.

They told you so. Yeah. So you are a great lawyer. But you know what? Maybe too much is too much. Yeah. So it is fantastic. That is almost a spiritual awakening that Mother Nature and hormones are just, like, bringing up to the table.

And so. And you touched life is stuff. So this is the next question because, you know, I'm a lifestyle doctor and I love the idea. Of course I do. I'm a menopause society 35 because I'm big in education and I do the things that is right.

Everything that is science so for me is important. But life is dull. Going back into the basics of nutrition, exercise, stress management, sleep management, mindful connections, all these pillars are there.

They're obvious to all of us are so difficult to put in our daily schedule. Yes, unless there is a big scare. Right. So I will have patients here scare. All right.

It's like I have to do something about it because this is a survival mechanism. So I think this is Regina going through a pretty menopause, trying to fit in her schedule like you were saying, you we try to push it through, but it's a moment that maybe up to open space to this lifestyle would you be like, you know, or you are in the process willing to let go some of these very strong work responsibilities to open a space for Regina, that Regina that really now has to take care of herself and let allow those pillars to be part of her daily routine.

Yes. And I could tell you, if you don't, you need to one mother Nature's God is going to direct you. There's no question, because if you don't, it's going to come out somewhere else.

You're going to ruin relationships. Whether it's romantic one, friendships, things that nature trying to continue to push too hard, potentially business relationships.

And it's not meant to be that way. You know, sometimes if you don't I don't prioritize myself. And I have like literally tried I literally eat almost every meal standing up or working, you know, the exception, let's say go out with dinner was fronts, which they're always trying to get me out so that I can they can pull me away, so to speak.

And just the simplicity of like, because it seems overwhelming sometimes you're like, okay, wow, I'm going to make a change. But wow, it wasn't enough.

You didn't realize how far deep in the rabbit hole you were, to the point that you might be more effective if you were able to stand outside of your body and watch yourself, you probably would be able to say, there's actually even a better way of doing this.

But you get so used to push, push, push, push, head down, push, push, push, push that you're not even on you. Actually, at least I was a person that always try to step back and grow.

How can I grow? How can I improve something? You know, I might have created something and sometimes it's fine by itself, but there might be something else that I want to do or add to it.

And in make sure you do that. So I would, for instance, start veg. You are going to have lunch, you're going to sit here. So my stomach hurts, but I feel like the food is here half the time.

But I want to know why I don't feel well, but unfortunately it's not a forte. It's a good thing. It's it's more worse now. So my body's like, no, you know.

So you're going to sit here, Regina. And even if you're going to take an extra ten minutes. Ten minutes seems like a lifetime to you. But to me, right, you're going to slow down and you're going to eat your food.

You're going to chew one bite at a time, okay? And you're going to learn how to slow down. You can't do it all immediately, right? My life doesn't lend itself to that because I have so much responsibility.

But it's require me to change things. So, okay, you're going to sit here and you're going to eat Regina. When you're done eating, you're taking it not.

You know what I mean? So it sounds and God knows everyone's been telling me this forever, but it's true. And it really doesn't take that much longer, so there's little things you put into it.

So, for instance, I do find that eating more protein, more fruits, vegetables, I eat a lot of meat. Lean, lean, like, you know, turkeys, chickens, fish.

Basically. It is amazing how my body actually responds even to it better now. So that that might be hard because I love sugar, too. To be honest with you, I love desserts.

As you could tell, I look like a five year old speaking about them. But I'm like, okay. It just doesn't feel right anymore. It does mess with my body a little bit more, but I don't want to give it up either. I love it. So can Reg substitute this in the morning?

Okay, so so to that in the evening okay. If you don't feel so tired. The other problem with perimenopausal is that I used to be able to before lift a lot of weights like heavy weights.

And you know I didn't get like huge or anything. But if I try to do that now, my body's tired. It doesn't want to do it in the same way as it used to, or I'm tired.

I come home from work and I don't have the same energy to push through. Or if I work at 8 or 9:00 at night, I'm not sleeping that night. So I can't do that either, because I need to prioritize sleeping.

So, okay, Regina, do 20 or 30 minutes a day of small resistance band training, a little bit of cardio, make some things that find a way. You know, I feel better, right?

So you add your changes. Has to be a little by little to put these pillars back in again. Say no to somebody. Don't fix someone's work. Make them do it.

You know what I mean? Change your behavior. Boundary lines are huge ones. You just it just seems overwhelming. Especially when you're typing because you're so used to doing so much and and this and that and Diana that, you know, I don't actually mind letting go, but sometimes people don't maybe realize they can't follow the way that you do it.

So you end up micromanaging. You end up being too much on top of them. And I try to teach vice my, you know, and I'm like, no, you guys need to learn to do this.

You need to pick this up. Don't come to me with this until you've done this. Why? Because if not, it's double and triple the works for me. And I can't figure out a way to back out of everything I've done.

So there's just different ways of doing this. It's hard. That's my an example in my life. Somebody else may choose, you know what? Maybe I'm not going to go to three classes a week of different types of exercise.

I'll do two, and I'll do certain things at home in the morning for 20 minutes each morning. It just looks different for everybody. But I think you need to be honest with yourself.

Like you said, Doctor date, you have to take apart issues because I also have a very stressful life, so I never have heart issues. I'm someone that literally can.

My heart rate goes into the 40s, literally drops in the middle. I could be talking here and I might go to 40 while we're talking. So I don't really have any heart issues, but I had an issue with SVT.

And people don't realize. But sometimes you're in pregnancy and perimenopause all of a sudden. Ascvd, you know what I mean? Or heart issues. And the doctor, I realize I'm dealing with stress differently.

My body's dealing with it differently. And I was causing it. I had to find a way to tone it down, and it's amazing. I was really way up here and I'm turning it down.

I'm so probably here, and I got to get to here, but it's taking a long time for me to realize it because I, you know, let's be honest, you're when you're driven like this, you're negotiating with life.

You're like, yeah, but I think I can push a little bit more today like I did before. And this week I'll do this and I will do that. And you tone it down, and then you try to bring it back up again.

And you need to realize that you need to bring your life to a certain every day needs to change. You know what I mean? And you have to be willing to make that change, permanent.

Doesn't mean you don't have some days that are difficult or whatever, but, so it's it's it looks different for everybody. But I had to be honest with myself.

Okay. Reg, are you doing this? Are you doing that? Are you going to bed two Lane? Is that why you're sleeping? Interrupted. So, like you talked about, you give me progesterone to offset it because I have difficulty sleeping and to protect because I have.

I still have a uterus. Right. And so you have to have progesterone. Okay, but when I don't sleep, did I not whine down? Did I not do certain things in life that also like when I started not sleeping all of a sudden?

So I think you're going to have to change it. Is that change it for a month or two. It's changing it changing your life. And I do think it's more liberating.

I also think I've heard of a lot of women. I do some, you know, I do. It's a lot of families, right, in the corporate business. And sometimes I even help them with their divorces, particularly collaborative.

And that nature. Right. When they have difficulty figuring out how to divide businesses that are hard. Right. And a lot of marriages are falling apart during this stage of women's lives.

And that is sad because also, one men may not realize everything that we're going through, right? And even if they do, if we as women don't recognize it and keep trying to push these envelopes and not recognize what's happening to our body from a mental, physical point of view and change something.

We're angry at our partners. We're distancing from them. Not just a decrease in having sex, but talking to them. Frustration, irritability, like all of a sudden it's like that, you know?

And it doesn't have to be that way. So that's a shame. I see some women we've talked about this after. Do some women just leave their careers or stop go to part time because they feel like, oh, I can't do it anymore.

I'm done, you know? And it's a shame because I I'll be honest, I see a lot of vibrant 60, 70 and 80 year old women that run, run 30 year olds around circles and circles.

Latina culture, family expectations, and identity

Yes, yes. So it doesn't have to be that way. It doesn't, but it requires to understand. If you don't know, then you don't know, right? And that's why that's what Marie Claire Haber again, she's back into the into the conversation, which I adore her as well.

She really did okay herself in the past ten years just to create awareness because we had to. This is the first generation, our generation, that it is in decline in awareness.

And the next conversation is the legacy that we're leaving behind. Right. It was it was a moment that it was not explained to the girls how they go through puberty.

Right now. It's of course, that is there has been our generation started our mothers history explaining to us what was happening. And so it was not taking us like, I'm generalizing not everybody, but at least that generation is start taking away.

I don't know if it's a taboo or it was not supposed to be told to a little girl that she's about to bleed or. But at least it was. It's becoming the norm for us that.

Yeah, let me talk about a period and let me talk about the menses. Even to the male teenagers. We educate them and we educate them to respect that specific physiological change in the female teenagers.

So that part, it's now like kind of going into more education, a higher education kind of a stage. Now is this part, this part is us being educated. You know, what I want for them were mothers.

They didn't know either. They just all the they are is resilient and going through and pushing through the symptoms. And because the symptoms are so different, an example of your symptoms, for example, you're not a big basal motor symptoms.

Right. Which 90% of the women do and they cannot tolerate it. And it's very clear the menopause society's steered that. This is one of the reasons why we will restart hormone replacement.

It's not your main one, but you have other symptoms that really will make, you know, function, not functional. Your migraines, your inflammatory state about immune diseases, all these things have a something to say as well.

I mean, they have to be treated. And now a part of the hormone replacement. Yes. Lifestyle choices have been proven that not only in synergism with the hormones, the symptoms can get better, but also sometimes the hormones are not the option for different reasons.

You're no candidate or you don't want to. That is highly respectful as well. You don't need to. And all those specific symptoms are not really responding to the hormone that we're trying to to replace.

Then you have alternatives. And from the lifestyle choices, that is many. And it's always a positive thing when you make changes. But going into the balance, I love the way how you put it.

You are going into little steps. You were very specific. I'll try to include these two days of resistance training by with bands, so maybe they're going to be in your beautiful bag that I saw last time.

Your your Saint Laurent bag that I saw last time. So bands on the side and she's going to be in your beautiful law firm is doing the little ones that counts.

That's resistance and that counts. That's the investing in your muscle again, the organ of longevity. So that's that's impressive. But I want to go a little bit into our background of the Latinas because let's put you there.

You're Latina two. I mean, I have a very good friend of mine who's a lawyer, too, and she's Irish. And she told me last time, what's with you and the whole Latina community?

What about you? I'm feeling like out. And I'm like, no, because what I'm going to do, I'm going to do it. From the cultural point of view, every culture has different features, and he may apply a minor apply to you.

If they don't apply to you, you're going to say, Lucky me. I grew up in a different culture. The light for Latinas in general. We come from a culture, and through the years it has been a culture that is very.

Women are the givers. We are the one who we're taught how to wear the one cleaning with, the one cooking with one giving to them is a very selfless type of culture.

On the other side, we have a where moms were strong and you have to be strong. You have to be independent. Don't depend, don't trust. A lot of a lot of you know our brain to go for it.

It's almost like, I know you were born Type-A, but is always. Like. If you were not born Type-A, but you were born in a Latin environment, in a family with a very strong Latin mother.

Yes, you will polish you to a Type-A. Yes, yes. And you will try to, you know, be resilient and strong and go through and add on being selfless and a giver.

So everything is about to give them. Be strong and don't break. And it has to a one point vulnerability just hit us in the face and say no, no, you have to self dedicate time for you.

Be selfish on many things that are a whole can be share. I mean you can just ask the husband, the boyfriend or the girlfriend or whoever is your partner and including your kids that you know what responsibilities at home belong to everybody.

Cooking at home belongs to everybody, and that's something that is important. But I want your opinion on how much of these Latin women, female kind of perspective culture has been, influencing your life, since you were six years old, because you been a big, strong woman going through a very young age.

Yeah. So, I mean, I'm an interesting character. I honestly knew I wanted to be a lawyer, and I was six years old, so I was like a little old soul. So it's like a double whammy.

On top of being a Type-A personality. My mother was raised. The reality is, is my grandmother was very much a traditional Spanish mother and grandmother, so everything was about the children taking care of them, serving them, ironing the shirt.

They weren't supposed to even, like, bend down to do anything, you know what I mean? Like they take care of everything. Everything's. Everything's there and it's position.

And the reality is, unfortunately, sometimes the men in those houses would actually even do less. So sometimes they would teach the daughter to do a lot of the work to help the mother, and sort of in preparation of being like a mother themselves, eventually taking care of the children.

And that was several generations ago. Right. It's also when life was a little bit more simpler. You know, life was not as complicated nowadays. You honestly have to have them for the most part to income.

You know, families, the roles have expanded even in some of our Spanish countries. But I was raised in the United States, so I definitely had what a lot of people call me as bicultural.

Right. I very much you can put me in the middle of, you know, the middle of any, you know, city and Miami and I can mix with any Latina group and they don't think anything of it.

Despite my name, I sound like it can resonate with it, understand their customs, where they come from, different to from different countries. Right. You know, the slight distinctions.

And you can put me in a home that they're not Spanish, you know, they're from England or from some other European country that's not Spanish origin. And I can fit in, understand or American, you know, border in America.

And I can understand also the distinctions of why they do certain things and why maybe even what we do might look so different to them and vice versa.

Right? Often I have people telling me, Regina, that. But why, why, why do they why do they throw great. Why do they have grapes a new year, you know what I mean?

Why do they have the 12 grapes? I yeah, well, you can start over there over the shoulders, which actually some other cultures do that too. Why do they have these little things and stuff and the and the saints and and that'd be my American friend saying that.

And when I was young, they used a lot of my American friends would come because I grew up in Miami Springs and they would come in my house and my mom, we just screamed, to be honest with you, you.

Yeah, getting coffee? Yeah. You know, and my friends are like, mom, what's wrong with your mom? Why she's so mad. Just. I'm not asking you to be my food, you know what I mean?

But, you know, meanwhile, you go into, like, my Spanish friends would ask me. They know Susie talks to her mother like that. My mother would slap the daylights out of me.

You know what I mean? Now, obviously, we're a different society. Was slapping chocolates and stuff was a thing a little bit more my generation before.

Right now, you cannot do that. Even though I know our mothers intended well and everything but our grandmothers, because it. You know what I mean? But at the same time, it's like they're like little white but a white.

Last thing I see, why do they do it that way? So and I can honestly bridge that and understand both because I did have I was raised by a Latina mother.

But at the same time, I grew up in a, in a schools in Miami and with other American, other cultural, you know, other cultures also, but a lot of American kids, too.

So and my father was American, you know what I mean? So it was, you know, it's interesting the thing with being Latina and I'm sure it's the same with a lot of maybe other cultures that have very strong presences and taboos. Or.

You know, traditions. Right? Depending on whatever it is we all love, like my big, you know, big Fat Greek Wedding, I forget exactly to call because we all laugh even though we're not Greek.

We kind of can understand when we see their superstitions and the things that they believe were the way they say things. We kind of laugh. We go, hehe, we have our own right.

So we can kind of understand the distinctions. But when you do that, the expectation on you, particularly being a Latina woman, you know, and, and and child and daughter, it is overwhelming.

It is on top of being Type-A. You have that pressure to be that right, to not upset, you have to also be this. But also I had to be independent and strong and educated and and it's like, wow, how are you supposed to do all this once, you know what I mean?

So it's I, it wasn't like a little bit older and also society because the society that we live in and being I was an entrepreneur from very young. So I started businesses from very young.

I've, I've had to learn the finance world, Wall Street world, not just law, all these different things, businesses, different industries, things of that nature to understand the intricacies of them, to understand that distinction to them and deal with different people, people from different cultures, you know, different races, different backgrounds, socioeconomic everything.

So being Type-A doesn't mean also that I can just I got to see the world the way I see it. To understand this world, I have to understand also the way the people are, because I'm that right.

I'm just one way. It's my way. It's who I am. But it doesn't mean that's the only way to do things right. He doesn't mean that I don't appreciate and learn, actually, which is part of the growth from different culture, different people, different personalities, different styles, different everything. Right?

From psychological, everything you learn. You know what, gosh, they did it that way. And you know what? She's happy. She didn't have to be perfect like me.

I shouldn't have to be like that. And I would learn from different Latina mothers that kind of were bridging that gap. I learned from other American mothers, British mothers, everything how they do things. I'm like, you know what? But it also works to, you know, try to incorporate some of these things into that life.

And then as we get older, also, I think some of the moms from this gender are moms are starting to understand my mother had to work three jobs. She was a single mom too, so she kind of understood the rigors of this world and was not so tough on me to be.

Exactly. You always have to serve only the family. You have to make sure the kids are always perfect and everything is perfect for them, and you're never in a bad mood and you're taking care of your husband or your boyfriend, and you're doing everything.

You know what I mean? She kind of, I think, had to let go of some of that because of her circumstances. So she was a little bit less forceful with us, with that, you know what I mean?

But it was ever so present. No, Danica, I you know what I mean. You have to do it this way. You have to do that way. So it was it's very, very difficult.

And I'm in Miami, so there's a lot of there's a lot of mixtures of different like Latin people right from different. We're all Spanish Hispanic, but they're different cultures.

They have their own different cultural norms. So it becomes very hard. What is expected of me, some people think I they come in and I have, a male Hispanic client and I don't know what they're going to expect.

Do they expect me to take on a traditional role or more middle role? And then I say to myself, you know what? I'm just going to be myself. You know what I mean?

Hopefully I've taken the the good out of both sides, you know what I mean? I've everything in this world I've learned. And you like me or you don't. So I've had to learn. And maybe that's with age, too.

I learn. I'm like, you know, I got to be myself. Either you like me or you don't, you know? And I'm not somebody that will sugarcoat it for you. I don't tell my clients what they want to hear.

You know, I tell them like a doctor, you can say, yes, go be 20 cakes. You'll be fine, because that's what you do. Like you got to say, not not no. And sometimes I do that. And I think they understand me.

When you're authentic and you're genuine about something and you're saying it for someone's own good. So being Latina, I have had that extra pressure.

And as I got older, I've had to learn to just let it let go and let be. Let me be and hopefully, like me and people seem to understand that distinction, so relate to me all like a lot of Hispanics that, you know, I walk in and speak to them and it's like they're like, yeah, she's one of us, you know what I mean?

And but I'm also telling them, I am not going to have all of your nor I understand them. You tell me that in your family it happens this way. And this is what you like to do with your business.

I understand it, but it doesn't mean that you have to impress upon. They don't have to be you don't. They don't have to push you to be what they are. And you don't have to be. You have to push them to be what they are.

You have to accept people the way they are. Yes. Right. But I was about to tell you that I find that how fortunate you are to be exposed to different cultures and not only being exposed, but understand them, because you have to almost understand deeply how these other cultures that on the other side, you said it, it was hard because knowing all these things is like was the spectating of my client, since my client knows that I represent.

Right. Because somehow we represent what we're showing, right? We represent we're female, we represent, we have these background, right? So we represent and people expect from us.

And I can see in a career or in a job, the one that you have on your 30s, it is important almost to deliver what the other person is expecting. But now bring it back into the conversation.

Mother nature at this point is like, you know, I'm me and let's see if I can help. But that's me. That's what it really. I define myself with what I feel, who I am in this earth and this is what I'm going to propose to you.

Take it or not. So interesting. But before we finish this point, I want you to explain to our audience what the grapes means and what it means to put salt behind one of your shoulders and what the word glitter means.

Okay, okay, okay. So in Puerto Rican cultures, we usually you and I may there might be other Hispanic cultures that do this to our Latin cultures too.

But instead we have a great for every month of the year. So in New Year's, you're supposed to. Part of the tradition is not just with champagne, is that it is to have 12 grapes.

So for one for each, like for good luck, for one for each month of the new year coming up. Okay. And salt sometimes release and art. And a lot of times with Puerto Rican cultures and maybe other cultures, it's just to like throw like, while you also throw a rice too.

But it's like to just, okay, get rid of the bad stuff, you know what I mean? Get, you know, by. Then you cheat. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. You know, glitter, which is so funny.

I didn't realize how until I start seeing some of these reels of these memes on the internet, which is not for nothing. They're funny. That actually the origin of it really comes a lot from the era, right?

Because lot of Spanish words come from the Arab. Yes. Yes, yes. And, but you also see Arab cultures too, with the chocolate. So technically an Arabic root.

But there it does the actual word itself.

Education, boundaries, and support through menopause

But you, you see Arab cultures and moms in them teasing how they also are going to whack their grown son, grown from, you know, daughters, whatever and whatever age for misbehaving, you know, behave bad.

But it's a sandal. It's a slipper. Yeah. You know what I mean. Besides those. Yeah. So you know what I mean is so funny because I also asked my my Russian, my Russian law critic at the time, you know, he's a Russian, Ukrainian, you know, combination of parent.

I think that's one of each. True. And I'm like, we laugh at the junk because, you know, he's learning a lot of Spanish and everything else. And he's like, I'm like, I'm like, do you guys have that?

Do you guys. There is yeah, of course we do. We do. So called a John Clay. And I'm like, oh, you guys too. Oh. Okay. You know, every mother in the world, in every country has some sort of little sleeper flip flop that why is important.

Regina, explain to an audience why that is sleeper is important. Because the reality is and I listen and I'm I'm I also do I I'm a lawyer so I can't tell everyone to go hit their child or anything, but that's not what I mean. You know what I mean?

But the reality is you're misbehaving as a child. Like, you know, children sometimes are absolutely impossible and they're not listening to you. It's like, okay, be quiet. I'm driving.

Okay? Be quiet, I'm driving or I'm on the phone, right? And you're not listening, and you're ignoring her because, you know, your mother's busy and she can't send you to the room or yell at you at the time, so you keep blah blah, blah, blah, blah, blah blah, right?

She grabs the shoe and she will whack you with it or throw it at you. Okay, to shut up? She doesn't hurt you. It's like a fire or like a slap on the. But you know what I mean?

I mean, I guess sometimes they can hit you a little hard, and then your parents are never. I mean, you know, the difference is someone's trying to hurt you. Yeah.

It's like, oh, yeah. You know, it. Was like a threat, that mini threat there. Yeah. Because you can say it verbally to just shut up or just do this or I'm going to think like that.

Yes. The problem is sometimes you're doing when, you know, they can't say it because they're on the phone. They can't be like, oh yeah, they're, you know, like so they grab the shoe.

It's like, they throw it across the room, you know? And I used to say my mother was Clint Eastwood with her shoes because Jesus, that woman was like a boomerang sometimes, like around you.

Right on the wall. What was was there? Yeah. Yes. I don't know how she made a shoe do that. Defied gravity, but she did. You know what I mean? So, you know, and I don't, and I think it's important.

I think sometimes in our society we are a little bit too focused. Oh, my God, you can't do that. And that's horrible. Don't get me wrong, I don't I don't fault anyone for having different styles for using a chocolate or an actual chocolate.

I just can't tell you to use one as a lawyer. Not the United States. Even as a doctor. No no. No. Yeah. You can't use, other people. Yes. Correct. You know, so and I'm not saying there's other other styling parenting ways that don't work.

That's not what I mean. Other cultures have different ways to do things, and that's fine. But I think we have to do is be open to understand that we're all different.

And when people talk about it, where does that come from? What is the origin of what is people's intent? Because nowadays I think people just kind of like share these things.

This is why I'm I wanted to talk about this and I talk about myself personally too. It becomes so taboo, certain things and we close our mind to it and different culture, different people all suffer from this.

And just because this is a technically a woman's issue doesn't mean that we just focus only on women and men are left out. When men go to their own things as well.

But you know, and we need to be as women, we need to be cognizant of that, too. It doesn't mean that it's just us. It doesn't mean that it's, you know, we we're all human, you know, the only reason why I talk about sometimes also teaching my son and talking to my guy friends, because I'm very close to it.

I'm like, but like, I've just they know me. I'm like one of the guys for most of the time. But when they say certain things, I'm like, no, guys, this is this way.

This is for real men. This happens, that happens. And, you know, we have these talks. It's just so they understand that we're not manipulating, we're not playing games.

We actually go through this ten as a time. I go, guys, my PMS symptoms are like having a bad flu like that. The stomach, the head, the body, eggs, the there's the joint pains.

Because I want you to understand this isn't me. Just, you know, wanting like wanting a free ride and not do what I need to do because I have pain. No, it's pretty bad.

And physiologically, it changes you. Psychologically, I change my mood. Literally changes about you. If I could, what if I could do a full body like testing at the moment it's happening, I guarantee you my hormones and my neurotransmitters and all these things, sending messages to all the different organs would light up or light down, you know, be decreased or increase.

Because the more I read about, you know, stuff and I try to understand the human body, I'm like, this is physiological. You know, people don't realize the also, you know, estrogen, estrogen is right is triggered from the brain.

But you know, you adrenal glands produce some of it. The ovaries produce some of it. It goes in every organ. That's why we're so affected. This isn't just you stop reproducing, you know.

You know, having eggs, it affects everything. So I look at everything like that when people sometimes tell me I'm hypermobile also. So everyone. So I just so flexible.

But I didn't realize it came with other issues. So some of my symptoms in perimenopause are exaggerated or they get worse. So okay, Raj, you got to do your stability exercises for certain because I'm very lax.

So I have a lot of issues, you know, like different problems. Basically, I could be unbalanced from walking if I don't keep my legs properly, like, like stability exercises straight.

So then it affects the nene, the hip people like oh ignore there is a reason why this is what I see. Other people say things I try to say. I don't dismiss people, you know what I mean?

You know, do some people use physical and mental things to to manipulate people? Because I'm a lawyer, I see a bit of everything. Yes. But stop and give someone the benefit of the doubt.

Whether it's a cultural difference, a physical difference among, you know, some people walking out there fighting cancer and walking around and going to the grocery store, trying to struggle to get food, you know, and then they might go slower.

You're angry with them. They should not realizing what they're going through and actually does. Still people still be very kind. And I'm over here complaining about my wife.

Sometimes I'm like, okay, you know what perspective, you know? So it's same thing with perimenopausal in selves, but also also understand that what we're going through also affects other people as well. They may not understand it.

So you are going through it, but then you have to say, okay, I need to own this a little bit. What can I do to help to go through this? And what can I do to help educate people?

I don't want you don't lose your spouse. You don't want your boyfriend. You don't want to be fighting with your children or fighting with your colleagues or your coworkers because of something that maybe you need to just be like, listen, when I'm quiet like this, can you just give me a moment? You don't have to be rude to something.

You have to explain that you're going through brain fog. You can just say, you know, what do you mean? I just need to just know that maybe you need a quiet moment to yourself.

You know what? Could you mind? You know, just close the door of the office and and work. Because you know that you need a little bit more headspace to, to get through that moment than right going in there rather than trying to do everything.

Well, I have to answer all these questions because I'm always did this. So I have to do a million things at once. Know, maybe you need to just sit in quiet and it will help you feel better, and it'll help your circumstances in general.

We just don't ever think it's an option as the kind of people we are especially Type-A. But as women, we just think, oh, you got a kid going? No, no, there's other ways.

Well, you're a genius. You're a genius. You just follow the pillar of community and mindful relationships out of life as well, because the first four are very easy to add on.

Even the fifth one, which is, toxic substances that we say, right. The whole test, great wine and, the hot flashes, we can talk about that, but the community.

Right. So how are we going to put the sixth pillar, which is very important, which is actually the most important pillars for longevity actually, and cognitive.

And so it's, it's known that a human that is well surrounded by the right people can stay a cognitive use it for longer periods. For a long time I meant this.

You just put it in the perspective of perimenopausal menopause. I love it is just about be mindful about the persons that are around you. Yes, we can be readable, yes we can, but everybody is going through something extra, something different.

The fact that we are having this specific moment, a brain fog, or at moments with disability, doesn't mean that the person that we have in front of us might be going through something else as well.

And the kindness and kind of connection is absolutely important. Yes it is. And the other thing is the way to help that it is it's 100% important. And also the way to help some of these things is, is also in taking some responsibility in the sense that you are maybe going through a change and what you might need is different.

Instead of doing the ten things at once that you always did, maybe you need to stop that and turn around and say, no, I'm just going to do this one. I'm irritable around this.

Let me slow down that way. You know, it's a tool. You know what I mean? To get through it and not to put people. I'm sorry, guys, my head hurts right now. Do you mind?

Rather than get frustrated when people, when they don't know what you're going through or they can't, you know, like I don't, they see that I work 15 hours a day and and I could be tired.

You know what? There's, you know, because I do that sometimes I'm like, why don't people recognize that that sometimes they do this and I go above and beyond and it's like, you know what, wait a minute here.

Let me think about this differently. You know what I mean? It's about communication, too. I think a lot of things. Yes. Thank you for this talk, Regina.

This has been amazing. It has been like a super cool, natural conversation that we could have. I am very impressed by how much knowledge you have about the pre-menopausal menopause. I'm so happy.

Obviously, coming from your background and the way you are, that you really put yourself out there and educate yourself to the most important information because it's so much noise out there.

I have many patients who come to me as I listen. Can you just clear the noise for me? That's all that I need because everything that I read is just overwhelming.

And I'm like, of course I can. I can totally do that.

Final advice and closing remarks

From a very science, evidence based medicine and whatever our institutions are asking us to, what kind of information to pass on. So you got it. You indeed know everything about how we are going through this transition, how intuition plays a very important role, how it is okay to slow down and to let go certain things, and that it is important to start redefining how we want to live our lives for the for this moment on, to make it as happy as possible, because that's, that's basically what we're here for, to be, to be happy and whatever gives us joy.

Right. So before we wrap up, I would like you just to send one message to our audience as a woman, as a woman going through these symptoms, as a woman going through a life that happens every day and you're in the process of changing habits.

What is this one specific message that you would like to give to our audience? You're not alone. You know that. It's not you. It's not something wrong with you.

It's not that you're, something. You know, that you're horrible or you're becoming old and no one wants you anymore, or. Or you can't do this anymore, or you have to, you know, it's none of that.

You're not alone. A lot of people go through this. Recognize that. So many people go through what you're going through, and there is a lot of noise. Try to drown it out and listen to your body and it'll tell you, but you got to listen to it and then try to find the right information.

Try to try to be you got to be honest with yourself. You got to say, hey, if something this is some of me too. This might be hormonal, but is it also me maybe having too much sugar or this or or not exercising enough, right?

Is there something else also? But the most important thing is that you're not alone. And you're. Thank you for that message. And can you please tell our audience how they can find you?

You're the lawyer in you, gives you this case as well. It is so important that the people that we go for help, you're the person that actually is helping as well and is different ways that we're helping.

But that is so important that that person is listening to you and you relate to that person. So of course, with this child, will can feel you and can see through.

Please let everybody know what's the name of your firm and where they can find you. Yeah. So, the name of my firm is the Campbell Law Group, and we're located in Coral Gables, Florida.

But we do do work all throughout all throughout Florida, basically, you know, works, contracts all different to anything pretty much related to a business.

For the most part. We do, including litigation. But we're we're highly focused on corporations, basically in business, business issues and law. Oh, you know, Regina Campbell and how lucky I am to have her on my podcast today.

So thank you again for listening to me. And, be ready for my next episode. See you then. Bye bye. Thank you for tuning in to Doctor Talks. We hope today's episode has enlightened and inspired you on your path to optimal health.

Each day is a new opportunity to make choices that empower your well-being. For more insights and strategies, subscribe to our podcast and visit our website w ww di doctor Talksport.com.

Stay connected, stay healthy and join us next time on Doctor Talks. Real talks from real doctors on the issues that matter to you most.

Regina Campbell

Perimenopause & Power: Regina Campbell on Thriving Through Change