Stephanie Shaw is a multi-certified Holistic Health & Wellness Coach. Through Hello, Hot Flash, Stephanie helps midlife women navigate this transition by providing listeners with science-based knowledge and the confidence to get answers to their health questions. Hello, Hot Flash listeners learn to advocate for their minds and body, implement self-care regiments and rediscover their passion for life. Stephanie and the medical guest experts help listeners see blind spots that could cost them their job, relationship, or life.
Having a thriving public affairs and business development career as an executive at a Fortune 500 and a stint as a television cooking show host, along with the knowledge she gained when recovering from a 2-year illness, Stephanie took the tools she learned in business and launched a podcast. Stephanie has dedicated her life to pouring into others. She is passionate about teaching women the importance of self-care and the joy that can come from going through menopause.
Stephanie says, “my audience can expect information on how to take a holistic approach to hot flashes, low libido, and all the "stuff" that comes with being menopausal. The doctors and practitioners provide evidence-based knowledge, a lot of laughter, and real-life stories that prove taking a root-cause approach to your health can heal your body.”
As a podcast host and content creator of Mastering Menopause, launching in spring 2023, Stephanie seeks to inspire millions of women to make this part of their lives the best part of their lives.
Stephanie Shaw, Hello, Hot Flash
Stephanie Shaw, you have been named a Top 20 Most Influential Women, a Top Five MVP People Under Forty, a two-time ATHENA nominee, and a Youngstown State University Penguin Woman On the Move. What’s your mission and driving force behind what you do?
My mission is to help midlife women better understand the self-healing power of the body. By that, I mean teaching people how eating whole food, moving their bodies, and eliminating stress can help slow the aging process. My mission ‒ empower individuals to take control of their health.
I spent two years trying to uncover why my body was breaking down – auras, rapid heartbeat, anxiety, hair loss – and the list went on. I went to 18 different doctors and two world-renowned medical facilities and spent $20,000 out of pocket, and I could not find a solution. It was not until I started working with a naturopathic doctor who helped me get to the root cause – poor diet, foods that don't work for my body, lack of exercise, and stress – did my body begin to heal.
I can best accomplish my mission by weekly providing evidence-based information that helps women get to the root cause.
Your podcast is called Hello, Hot Flash. Why Hello, Hot Flash, why not Goodbye, Hot Flash? Why is it important to educate ourselves on midlife health issues? And is this podcast only for midlife women?
The podcast was created with women ages 40+ in mind. Women who are perimenopausal, menopausal, or postmenopausal. Women suffering from unexplained weight gain, low libido, sleepless nights, mood swings, and, of course, women suffering from hot flashes. I decided to name the podcast Hello, Hot Flash as a sign that this is a time to embrace this new era of your life. And while media, society, and even we as women think of it as a time of "getting old" and "feeling out of control of our bodies," it's also a time when we have been seasoned, and what happens when you put a little seasoning on your fries; it takes them to the next level. Midlife women often have more confidence, and they better understand what conversations need to happen now and what can wait. Many women are also in a much better place financially, which gives an entirely new meaning to the word freedom. So, I say – Hello, Hot Flash – bring it on!
And while this can be a great time, we also need to know what is going on in our bodies.
When your libido decreases, or you wake up with your sheets soaking wet, or you don't understand how to prepare for a doctor's visit ‒ you need to know what to do without the only options being taking a pill or allowing the doctor to dodge in and out of the room leaving you more confused than when you arrived. You, we, need a resource that provides information on evidence-based topics impacting our lives, our jobs, and our families. That's why we must educate ourselves.
On the podcast, the conversations can be raw – I felt the urge to shed a tear more than once. The conversations can be fun – way more than once, I've burst out in laughter.
And the conversations can be life-changing. For example, I learned from a dietician what to do when diagnosed with Kidney Disease. Little did I know that within two weeks of that interview, a family member would be diagnosed with Stage 3A. When I heard the news, I knew precisely what I needed to do – diet changes to suggest, ways to advocate (and boy, did this come in handy), and what Stage 3A means. Episode 67, How Nutrition Impacts Your Kidney Health, airs February 23, 2023.
While the conversations on Hello, Hot Flash are designed with women in mind, let the men in your life know this is also available for them. For example, hormonal changes in a woman's body may cause women not to want to be intimate. Some women experience pain. Bringing your partner into these conversations will help the two of you come up with solutions that support a healthy, vibrant relationship.
When you speak to your podcast listeners, is there a common challenge many of them face? How are you helping them meet this challenge?
The biggest challenge I see with women who listen to the podcast is they don’t always know there is an option to pharmaceuticals. I want listeners to understand that drugs are not the only solution to mood swings, hot flashes, hair loss (non-genetic), low energy, and sleepless nights. The podcast informs listeners about lifestyle changes they can make to create an easier midlife transition.
Eat whole food. I also coach women using the protocol I created to help me overcome my two-year illness ‒ The Mind Body Business Method and one of the first things we talk about is shopping the perimeter, not the rows. When you go to the grocery store, all of the whole fresh food is located on the perimeter of the store – plant-based dairy, grass-fed meat, fruits, and vegetables; while all of the processed foods – canned goods, cereals, chips, soda – are in the rows.
Practice mindfulness. Eliminate Stress. This is different for everyone. Perhaps journaling, meditation, forest bathing, walking, or meeting with a therapist or accountability partner. Anything that will help keep your cortisol levels under control.
Drink water. Period. Nothing more to say here.
Move. You don't have to run a marathon or become a bodybuilder, but you need to move. Women 40+ begin to lose muscle mass, and menopausal women have a greater chance of heart disease and osteoporosis when they don't exercise. Exercise should include strength training.
You talk a lot about the root cause and the importance of finding the root cause of your health symptoms in your talks, podcast interviews, and when you speak. What’s so important about this, and how do you help your listeners find the root cause?
Getting to the root cause is the number one way women can heal their bodies. I believe there is a root cause to every ailment – either you eat the wrong foods, you allow the stressors of life to make you sick, or you believe the story "because my mom had diabetes, so will I; it runs in the family."
My root causes – poor diet, lack of exercise, emotional stress, lack of self-care, and a few people who shall remain nameless.
Once you do the work to understand why you are sick or why you continue to have "hot flashes," you can work to resolve the problem.
For example, while it may be true that all of your family members have diabetes – I like to challenge people to dig deeper. Are there eating habits that keep you stuck, mindset issues that cause you to assimilate, family trauma, or have you reminded yourself so much that everyone else has diabetes, so you will get it too, that your body now is convinced of the lie?
Have you ever volunteered at an American Cancer Society Relay For Life? If so, I'm sure you've heard the stories – I was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer 20 years ago, I was told I had six months to live ten years ago – have you ever thought about what makes them different? Have you noticed these folks are also team captains, the ones with the pinkest bling and the ones walking around with a smile on their faces? I'm convinced they decided to have cancer but not let cancer have them. They got to the root cause, diet, mindset, trauma – went to their doctors and said not me! Now, let me be very clear. Some people do all the root cause digging and, unfortunately, still leave us. But I look at it like this, wouldn't you rather work on the root cause and get your body as well as humanly possible instead of staying stuck? That's what I did. That's what many of my guests have done. And that's what we try to do with the podcast – help you uncover the root cause so you can get through menopause naturally and with grace.
Hello, Hot Flash can leave you with many aha moments when you hear yourself in the conversation. Plenty of our episodes dig deep so you can get insight into the path you should take to help you get to the root cause.
People would love to hear more about your journey. What are the top 3 things you did to turn your purpose into pain?
Great question! I worked on my mind, body, and soul.
Mind
1. I let go of emotional baggage. Things and people that no longer served me and where I needed to go to heal my body were either cut entirely out of my life, given boundaries, or allowed to change in a way that supported my health journey.
Body
2. I stopped eating sugar and dairy, eliminated meat, and began eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. I went hard for about six months, taking my food to restaurants and weddings. I now operate with an 85/15 rule meaning 85% of the food I eat has to be whole good food. I also started to exercise. I love to walk and am an obsessed hot yoga fan—a good type of obsession.
Soul
3. I fed my soul with the word of God. This was the foundation. As I began to believe, not just know, what He says about me, my mind and body began to heal.
So, what’s the next big goal or project for your business?
My next big stretch goal is to get 10,000 downloads per month. I recently partnered with an international radio station that will run episodes to their engaged audience; this is huge for a reasonably new podcast. They liked our work and our message.
I also have a stretch goal that will allow Hello, Hot Flash to develop or partner with a developer of a holistic wellness product for menopausal women. Real ingredients. Honest marketing.
If you are ready to kickstart your healing journey, please visit here for free health & wellness support. And don't forget spring 2023; we will launch our self-paced course Mastering Menopause.
For more information, follow Stephanie on her website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. And in spring 2023, check out her new YouTube channel and visit my website for more info!
