 |
Navigating Menopause After CancerFormerly The Menopause and Cancer Podcast Author: Dani Binnington Language: en Genres: Health & Fitness, Medicine, Mental Health Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
Listen Now...
Episode 232 - Normalise it and Stop the Silence Around Medical Menopause
Episode 232
Tuesday, 25 August, 2026
Let's stop the toxic positivity! Just because active cancer treatment may have ended, we don't have to be endlessly positive and grateful for it all. What comes next can be hard.That's why I invited Jessica Zucker, clinical psychologist, author of the bestselling book ‘Normalize It: Upending the Silence, Stigma, and Shame that Pervade Women's Lives’ and breast cancer survivor, to talk about the long silence that often follows women through miscarriage, breast cancer, tamoxifen and medical menopause.Jessica and I talk about what it means to live with the aftermath of treatment, when the symptoms linger, the uncertainty stays, and the pressure to keep smiling can feel almost unbearable.We also discuss the hidden toll of tamoxifen, the emotional impact of medical menopause, and why phrases like “you’re a warrior” or “at least” can sometimes do more harm than good.Jessica was so open about how even she, as a psychologist, found the experience of tamoxifen and long-term side effects surprising and difficult.We talk about exhaustion, brain fog, loss of creativity, grief, perfectionism and the illusion of control, and why so much of this still goes unsaid.This is a conversation about naming the harder parts out loud, and making space for honesty, nuance and connection.Key topicsThe pressure to stay positive after cancer and the harm of toxic positivityJessica’s experience of tamoxifen and medical menopauseExhaustion, brain fog and the emotional impact of treatment side effectsGrief, uncertainty and the pressure to make the “right” decisionsFind Jessica’s fantastic book ‘Normalize It: Upending the Silence, Stigma, and Shame That Shape Women's Lives’ here https://a.co/d/0hLfwz2zEpisode Highlights:00:00 Intro04:07 Discussing the stigma of grief09:08 Getting a life-changing diagnosis12:43 Discussing cancer diagnosis and treatment13:54 Discussing tamoxifen23:10 Therapists seeking therapy for themselves24:38 Coping with tamoxifen side effects28:43 Pressure of Being a Cancer Warrior31:57 Controlling health outcomes reality check37:30 Coping with grief and aging42:58 Sharing personal challenges for impactA little favour...If you enjoy listening each week, I'd love to ask one small favour. Would you consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts?Every review helps more people discover the podcast, and with your support we've now grown into one of the top 1% of podcasts worldwide. That's something we've achieved together, and I'm so incredibly grateful.Leave a review here:Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/navigating-menopause-after-cancer/id1631842514Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3OhAwupemqzdI6sCXCZLSXThank you for being part of this wonderful community. xConnect with us:For more information and resources, visit our website: www.menopauseandcancer.org Follow us on Instagram @menopause_and_cancerFind us on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@NavigatingMenopauseAfterCancer Join my NEW blog ‘Still Becoming’ on Substack: https://substack.com/@danibinnington?...Buy my book ‘Navigating Menopause After Cancer’: https://amzn.eu/d/07dUoYBbJoin our Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/menopauseandcancerchathub
