Once considered a taboo subject, whispered about behind closed doors, menopause is now sparking powerful conversations 乌鸦传媒� and one Victoria woman is hoping to turn up the volume on the discussion.

Having already 乌鸦传媒渃onquered乌鸦传媒� menopause, Kelly Coulter has launched a new video podcast 乌鸦传媒楳eant to Pause乌鸦传媒�, sharing her journey alongside a number of guests, from health experts through to former B.C. Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau.

Funded by Telus Storyhive, the eight-episode series explores the topic of menopause, while sharing experiences and wisdom, to create a positive message about women乌鸦传媒檚 post-reproductive years.

乌鸦传媒淚t's different for every woman, which is something that I really want to hit home,乌鸦传媒� says Coulter.

While the podcast is intended for anyone wanting more information, Coulter hopes the series will especially help prepare young women, as 乌鸦传媒渒nowledge is power,乌鸦传媒� something she found lacking in her own experience.

乌鸦传媒淓specially women from my generation, I'm 62 now, when we were going through menopause, nobody was talking about it,乌鸦传媒� she says. 乌鸦传媒淢ine was 10 years, I乌鸦传媒檝e heard of women going through menopause for longer than that, so women are a little nervous about it, because they only typically heard bad things.乌鸦传媒� 

Coulter also hopes women experiencing menopause will be able to find reassurance and comfort about the symptoms they are experiencing, including 乌鸦传媒榖rain fog乌鸦传媒�, which can leave some people struggling with their memory.

乌鸦传媒淒o I have dementia? Or am I going into Alzheimer乌鸦传媒檚?乌鸦传媒� Coulter says, highlighting concerns women might have. 乌鸦传媒淭his [podcast] is a place to go to for them to understand their experience, so they don乌鸦传媒檛 feel so alone, because it's scary too.乌鸦传媒� 

For women in post-menopause, the podcast is a tool for empowerment, says Coulter.

乌鸦传媒淚 want them to really seize that power, and see this as a positive," she says. "For women, more so than men, we are under a lot of pressure not to age ... and I want women to look forward to this part of their life."

During the 乌鸦传媒楳eant to Pause乌鸦传媒� series, Coulter and her guests challenge society乌鸦传媒檚 attitude to menopause, asking if it could be the 乌鸦传媒渦ltimate blessing/liberation women are rewarded with in their life journey.乌鸦传媒�

In the first episode, Coulter乌鸦传媒檚 first guest, Lisbee Ray, a reproductive health educator, leans towards her menopause experience as a blessing, helping 乌鸦传媒渞id her乌鸦传媒� of hormonal issues causing her migraines.

乌鸦传媒淲hen the hormones stop, you become quite changed,乌鸦传媒� says Coulter. 乌鸦传媒淲hen you're in your reproductive years, you're going through a hormonal journey every month 乌鸦传媒� and so that's the blessing part, because it ends, that monthly hormonal journey is no longer a part of your life.

乌鸦传媒淔or some women, it's a really big deal; for other women, it's less so. But I would say on average, once women recognize how much their hormones affect their daily life, it's quite something. I think we underrate it.乌鸦传媒�

Episodes of 乌鸦传媒楳eant to Pause乌鸦传媒� drop online weekly, with all eight episodes available from May 20. And Coulter already has her fingers crossed for a second season, with a number of ideas already floating around.

乌鸦传媒淚 pitched an episode 乌鸦传媒� that will probably talk about how we can better prepare the partners, typically men,乌鸦传媒� she says. 乌鸦传媒淚 would love to just continue doing the podcast as more information comes to light, because I honestly feel like we're in the very early days of understanding the possibilities of our post-menopausal journey. 

"Honestly, we could talk about this like, ad nauseam."

To watch Coulter's video podcast 'Meant to Pause', visit the Telus Storyhive YouTube channel: .