While it’s encouraging that menopause is finally getting some attention, for some women the transition can feel like a mystery.
“It’s ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous,” says TV and radio host Jenny Powell, who says the onset of menopause symptoms “crept up” on her. And I’m the type who makes an effort to monitor my own well-being; I take my health very seriously. And when you think you’re doing that, you figure you’ll be able to stop any potential problems they might cause before they even start.
Contrary to popular belief, menopause and perimenopause are nothing like that. This situation gradually immerses you until suddenly, you’re immersed in it. And now you’re an official “That person” who insists, “That isn’t me, and this isn’t me.”
The fact that “It’s got so many layers to it and it’s so individual” and your needs can change from one week to the next doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. Powell, 54, continues, “But I don’t want to be too negative about it either.” I have a son and a daughter. If they say things like “Oh my God, I don’t want this time of my life, I’m dreading menopause – is it going to be like that?” I don’t want them to be prepared.
She says the “good” thing is that people are talking about it. “And it’s encouraging individuals to prioritize self-care and treat their bodies with a little more respect. It’s teaching me and other women that our own health and happiness come first; only then can we take care of anyone else’s.
As the mother of Connie, 21, and Pollyanna, 13, from her first marriage to Toby Baxendale (Powell and her daughters currently reside in Cheshire with Powell’s fiancé, sports therapist Martin Lowe, although Connie has been away at university in London and recently graduated), all of this has been mixed in with Powell’s grief.
The Greatest Hits Radio host, whose father Leslie died in July 2021 at the age of 93, reflects, “My dad died right in the middle of it, which took me right back to square one when I thought I was getting closer to being myself again.”
She continues, “It took me a while to let myself grieve.” “That’s a wacky one, woe. For the simple reason that it is not something, you give much thought to until it actually occurs to you. And she’s “really grateful” that she had her yoga equipment, to begin with.
Jenny Powell reflects, “Dad was on palliative care and was given two weeks to live; he lasted 12. When you’re expecting something and it keeps getting delayed, it can be very stressful. We took care of him at home for about nine weeks before I could get him into a nice hospice.
In addition, I always went to yoga before talking to my dad, as that was my support system. Simply going to yoga helped me feel stronger, and everyone there was so welcoming. Without a doubt, it was a huge help to me.
And even though he’s dead, I still feel a connection to him through yoga. As our sessions come to a close, I make a conscious effort to close my eyes and feel a reconnection with my dad. But I’ll be eternally grateful that I started doing yoga when I did.
Powell, a “Late starter,” didn’t begin playing until he was 50. For as long as she can remember, she’s been aware that it’s “Really important at this stage of life” to take care of your bones, flexibility, and mobility. She claims, however, that one hour of yoga “sorts out everything – mind, body, and soul” and has been “a game-changer.”
She is ecstatic about the newfound awareness of her breath and cannot stop talking about it. It helps her get her bearings before performing in front of an audience, for instance. With menopause comes a greater frequency of “I don’t want to be me today” feelings. Sometimes I have to really put in some effort, so what I do is stand to the side and focus on my breathing. She continues, “It’s incredible what that can do for you. I attribute that success to practicing yoga; it has become one of my primary resources.
Powell has also been raving about how good she feels these days thanks to bone broth, which she says has helped her digestive system, hair, and skin. She first learned about “Boiling up bones” to make broth from her mother when she was young, and thanks to Martin, she is once again familiar with the process.
Powell says, “He’s really into nutrition and real food, he started me off on all that.” “I didn’t know what coconut oil was or why it was good for you until Martin showed me how to make bone broth on my own. We’ve been keeping it at home for some time. As I was boiling a chicken carcass for 24 hours, Pollyanna would come in and say, “You’re making broth, aren’t you?”
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She has recently joined forces with Boosh to promote their organic broths, which she praises for being “Laden with collagen” (and because she can avoid spending all day boiling her own chicken carcasses by purchasing them in pre-made jars).
Even now, it’s a great pleasure to go to work each day. Powell, who began his career in television presenting in the 1980s and gained widespread recognition on ITV’s Wheel Of Fortune in the mid-1990s, is now primarily involved in radio and live events like festivals. Along with fellow radio personality Kelly Pegg, she hosts the podcast The Hot Mess Mums Club. But these days, she’s much more selective.
In other words, Jenny Powell is fine with declining. “If I start to feel like ‘Oop, I’m doing too much,’ I will always make sure to schedule in some time for me. You think, “Oh, I can’t do that; I have to keep going, keep going” when you’re young. When I was younger, I worried a lot more.
Her current objective is to “Work consistently” without letting her work “take over.”
Events are my favorite thing ever because of the people who attend them, and I started a podcast so that I could better manage my time and schedule. If, however, [work] starts to seriously interfere with things like holidays, my family, and my way of life, I will have to take a step back.
“I’m at that point where I just want to do what I like doing,” Powell says. There’s a time to worry and feel like you have to say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. Then comes the part where you get to pick out the fun stuff.
Jennifer Powell is helping Boosh Foods spread the word about the many health advantages of their organic bone broth. Go to booshfoods.com for more details.