Gender bias in healthcare, menopause and midlife shame - with Jinty Sheerin and Lou Hockings-Thompson

This week, Lise is joined by **Jinty Sheerin and Lou Hockings-Thompson**, founders of The Womenkind Collective, podcast hosts, menopause campaigners and co-authors of a forthcoming book on gender bias in healthcare. What began as two lifelong friends chatting over FaceTime during lockdown has grown into a thriving community helping thousands of women navigate midlife, menopause, health, identity and everything in between. This conversation goes far beyond hot flushes and HRT. Together, they explore the hidden ways women are taught to minimise their pain, the shocking reality of gender bias in healthcare and why speaking openly about our experiences matters more than ever. **In this episode, join Lise and discover:** - How two hairdresser friends turned lockdown conversations into the hugely successful Womenkind Collective - Why women can wait years longer for diagnosis and treatment, including the average eight-year wait for endometriosis diagnosis - Why so many women mistake perimenopause symptoms for serious illness, including dementia, anxiety disorders and chronic health conditions - The concept of internalised misogyny and how it can influence healthcare experiences, even among women themselves - Honest reflections on anxiety, exhaustion, body changes, vaginal health and the shame many women carry silently through midlife **Quote of the episode** *"I've felt shame at the time, but now I think I celebrate it as a post-menopausal woman."* **– Jinty Sheerin** Useful links - The Womenkind Collective [Spill The Tea Podcast](https://linktr.ee/Womenkindcollective?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=dbd58dd1-4bab-4e6a-b21b-28b67f1f5728) - Instagram: The Womankind Collective - *Tackling Gender Bias in the Healthcare System: What Patient Stories Teach Us About Implementing Systemic Change* by Jinty Sheerin and Lou Hockings-Thompson: Pre-order now **Be a part of the show: Here's how to get in touch...** - Follow the show and get all the links you need on LinkTree - https://linktr.ee/walking\_this\_way - Email us: walkingthisway@hotmail.com - Use the get in touch form HERE - https://tr.ee/r-ePylKE8H - Send us a voice message HERE- https://www.speakpipe.com/WalkingThisWay *Produced by* The Good Studio *-* thegoodstudio.co.uk