BEST FOR: Women who are in perimenopause, or women in their 40s PREREQS: None NUMBER OF WEEKS: 6; June 5 - July 16, 2023

A random Tuesday morning, and I (Dimity) was floundering. "I kinda feel like I'm losing my mind these days," I text a friend who works in healthcare. "This perimenopause thing is no joke." Despite living a healthy lifestyle—eating my veggies, exercising most days, meditating somewhat regularly, etc.—and owning a dog-eared copy of The Menopause Manifesto, both my body and mind were not the familiar friends I'd inhabited the previous 48 years. My mood scraped the bottom most days; my sleep felt jagged; my memory had gaping, frustrating holes; and I felt like I had zero control over anything. If you're in your 40s, you may very well know what I'm talking about. (And for that, I'm sorry. It sucks.) Yes, it's easy to chuckle with a friend about having to get up in the night to change your shirt, soaked with sweat like you just ran three tempo miles: It's good bonding, right? That said, the whole perimenopause situation—hot flashes that stem from hormone fluctuations, which also contribute to poor sleep, unexpected weight gain, a cloudy mind, and other symptoms like anxiety, depression bloating, and constipation—are far from laughable. It can bring you to tears on a daily (hourly?) basis, and make you feel like you are, in fact, losing your mind. Which is why we created Talking Perimenopause: a Six-Week Salon. No, we aren't going to "fix" your perimenopause in six weeks, but we are here to help you understand what is happening to your body, in real, accessible terms. We offer doable ideas and ways to ease symptoms. We answer all your questions, and call in experts to give a deep, helpful dive into multi-level topics like exercise and hormone replacement therapy. We have enlightening conversations that provide both validation for your symptoms and offer important group connection. Along the way, we teach you to grow broccoli sprouts; define the (important) difference between estrogen, xeno-estrogens, and phytoestrogens; help you figure out if hormone therapy is a good individual call for you; remind you of the value of throwing some weight around; and, of course, make sure to laugh regularly. At the end of six weeks, you'll not only feel better physically, you'll also feel mentally connected and be ready to continue to navigate, with grace and perspective, your perimenopause.