How do you feel about ageing? Have you started to write yourself off, or are you making the most of life? There’s a reason I called this podcast The Happy Menopause, and that’s because I firmly believe this stage of life is our time. Not an ending, but a door opening to a whole new world of opportunity, confidence and empowerment.
Building on this notion of grasping life with both hands, I’m joined by Professor Joyce Harper to talk about her inspiring new book Your Joyful Years: Empowering Good Health and Happiness Beyond 50
Drawing on intimate interviews with 50 women, Joyce explores what life can look like beyond menopause and how we can make these years some of the most fulfilling yet.
We talk about everything from self-care and health to friendship, purpose and finding the confidence to put yourself back at the centre of your life. It’s an honest, uplifting conversation that challenges the outdated narrative around ageing and reminds us what’s really possible.
Are you ready to embrace your joyful years?
Show Notes
Visit Joyce’s website to find out more about the work that she does.
Pick up your copy of Joyce’s brilliant books: Your Joyful Years: Empowering Good Health & Happiness After 50 and Your Fertile Years: What You Need to Know to Make Informed Choices.
Follow Joyce on Instagram and TikTok
Biography
Joyce Harper is an internationally renowned, award-winning educator, Amazon bestselling author, podcaster, academic, public speaker, fertility and women’s health coach and scientist. She is Professor of Reproductive Science at University College London, Institute for Women’s Health. She has worked in the fields of fertility, genetics and reproductive science since 1987, written over 240 scientific papers and published four books. Her topics of interest are women’s health, menstruation, fertility, menopause, reproductive health education, health and lifestyle.
Joyce is passionate about empowering women to live their best lives through good health and happiness. Her last book, Your Fertile Years: What you need to know to make informed choices, published by Sheldon Press, 2021, explores women’s health from puberty to menopause. Her new book, Your Joyful Years: Empowering good health and happiness beyond 50, is an Amazon Bestseller and shares the wisdom of 50 women over 50 who are thriving. She is currently writing her final book in the series, Your Final Years, about death and grief.
Her podcast, Why didn’t anyone tell me this? is listened to in over 90 countries, is in the top 10% of podcasts globally and is in season 4. She regularly appears in the UK press, radio and TV.
She is co-leading the development of a UK Menopause Education and Support Programme, called InTune, with support from key organisations to ensure everyone is educated about menopause (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/global-health/uk-national-menopause-education-and-support-programme).
Joyce is co-founder of the UK Fertility Education Initiative (www.fertilityed.uk) and co-founder of the International Reproductive Health Education Collaboration. She is working with schools in the UK and globally to help deliver reproductive health education.
She is an ambassador for Wellbeing of Women and is working on establishing support for mothers and daughters suffering from endometriosis and education about periods in schools. She is also an ambassador for Pads on a Roll, a product which gives free period pads in toilet cubicles.
Joyce is an avid cold-water swimmer and is one of the founding members of a research network SwimHer, looking at women’s health and cold-water swimming. She published the world’s first paper on how cold-water swimming affects menstrual and menopause symptoms.
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