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The Modern Midlife Collective

The Modern Midlife Collective

By: Dr. Ade Akindipe DNP MBA APRN FNP-C and Dr. Jillian Woodruff MD FACOG NCMP
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Welcome to The Modern Midlife Collective—where midlife isn’t a crisis, it’s a rebirth. Hosted by Dr. Ade Akindipe, DNP, and Dr. Jillian Woodruff, MD, this is the podcast for women ready to unapologetically own their power, thrive through the ups and downs of hormones, weight, and self-care, and show the world that thriving at 40 and beyond isn’t just possible—it’s your birthright. Biweekly, we bring you science-backed insights on hormones, menopause, longevity, and sexual health—real tools to empower women in midlife and beyond. With a fearless blend of functional medicine, real-life wisdom, and no-nonsense empowerment, we’re here to challenge the norms, break through the barriers, and help you step into a life of vitality, confidence, and unstoppable strength. Ready to rise? Let’s do this.© 2026 Dr. Ade Akindipe, DNP, MBA, APRN, FNP-C and Dr. Jillian Woodruff, MD, FACOG, NCMP Hygiene & Healthy Living Physical Illness & Disease
Episodes
  • Episode 36: The Menopause Toolkit Every Woman Needs Before Her Next Doctor's Visit

    Episode 36: The Menopause Toolkit Every Woman Needs Before Her Next Doctor's Visit
    Jul 1 2026

    What happens when a patient decides she deserves better?

    After experiencing years of frustrating symptoms and feeling dismissed by the healthcare system, Angela Jackson, LMSW, turned her own journey into a mission to help other women.

    In this episode, Angela shares the story behind her graduate capstone project—a comprehensive Perimenopause & Menopause Toolkit designed to educate women, improve communication with healthcare providers, and empower patients to become active participants in their own care. The toolkit is available as a free download in the resources below.

    Together, Dr. Jillian Woodruff and Dr. Ade Akindipe explore why so many women remain undiagnosed during perimenopause, the importance of recognizing early symptoms, racial disparities in menopause care, and how patients and providers can work together to create better outcomes.

    This conversation is a reminder that menopause isn't simply something to survive—it's a life transition women can navigate with knowledge, partnership, and confidence.

    What You'll Learn

    • Why women are frequently dismissed during perimenopause
    • The hidden symptoms many women overlook
    • How to prepare for your next healthcare appointment
    • Why patient self-advocacy changes healthcare outcomes
    • The importance of provider-patient collaboration
    • What health equity means in menopause care
    • Why thriving—not suffering—should be the goal

    Featured Guest

    Angela Jackson, LMSW

    Angela Jackson recently earned her Master of Social Work and developed a Perimenopause & Menopause Toolkit as her graduate capstone project. Grounded in trauma-informed care, patient empowerment, and health equity, the toolkit helps women understand symptoms, prepare for medical appointments, and confidently advocate for their healthcare needs.

    Key Takeaways

    • You know your body better than anyone else.
    • Your symptoms deserve to be taken seriously.
    • Perimenopause often begins years before menopause.
    • Being informed allows you to become an active participant in your healthcare.
    • The best healthcare happens through partnership—not one-sided conversations.
    • Every woman deserves to thrive during midlife.

    Suggested Chapter Markers

    00:00 – Why women often feel dismissed

    02:45 – Meet Angela Jackson

    06:00 – The inspiration behind the Menopause Toolkit

    12:00 – Learning to advocate for yourself

    16:30 – Building a toolkit for patients and providers

    20:00 – Racial disparities in menopause care

    24:00 – Why earlier conversations matter

    30:00 – Practical advice for your next doctor's appointment

    35:00 – Final reflections

    Resources Mentioned

    • Perimenopause symptom awareness
    • Patient self-advocacy
    • Shared decision-making between patients and providers
    • Trauma-informed healthcare
    • SWAN (Study of Women's Health Across the Nation)


    Free Download

    📥 Download Angela Jackson's Perimenopause & Menopause Toolkit

    Angela created this comprehensive educational toolkit to help women better understand perimenopause and menopause, recognize common symptoms, prepare for healthcare appointments, and confidently advocate for their care.

    Whether you're just beginning to notice changes or you're already navigating menopause, this free resource is designed to help you feel informed, empowered, and prepared.

    👉 Download the toolkit here
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    53 mins
  • Episode 35: Am I Crazy, or Is This Perimenopause?

    Episode 35: Am I Crazy, or Is This Perimenopause?
    Jun 17 2026
    Am I Crazy, or Is This Perimenopause?The Modern Midlife Collective PodcastEpisode OverviewHave you been told your labs are normal -- but you still don't feel like yourself? Are you waking up at 3 a.m., snapping at people you love, forgetting words mid-sentence, and wondering what is happening to your body? Before you assume the worst, there's something you need to hear: you are not crazy. You may be in perimenopause.In this foundational episode, Dr. Jillian Woodruff, MD, FACOG, MSCP, and Dr. Ade Akindipe, DNP, break down everything women need to know about the menopausal transition -- what it actually is, why it begins earlier than most women expect, and why the symptom list goes so far beyond hot flashes. They explain why perimenopause is a clinical diagnosis rather than a laboratory one, what the research actually shows about hormones and brain health, and what to do if you have already been dismissed by a provider who told you your numbers look fine.This episode also addresses why so many perimenopausal symptoms are misattributed to anxiety, stress, or aging -- and what the full, evidence-based picture actually looks like. If you have been searching for someone to finally connect the dots, this is that conversation.Key Takeaways• Perimenopause can begin in the late 30s and lasts an average of four to ten years -- and women can be fully symptomatic while still having regular menstrual cycles.• Hormone levels fluctuate dramatically during this transition. A single blood draw is a snapshot, not the full film. Perimenopause is a clinical diagnosis based on symptoms, history, and patterns over time.• Estrogen receptors are found in the brain, bones, heart, blood vessels, bladder, skin, and muscles. When estrogen fluctuates, women feel it throughout their entire body -- which explains why the symptom list seems so disconnected.• The SWAN Study (Study of Women's Health Across the Nation), one of the largest long-term studies of the menopausal transition, confirmed that sleep disruption, mood changes, cognitive complaints, and hot flashes commonly emerge during perimenopause -- often well before the final menstrual period.• Cognitive changes -- word-finding difficulties, brain fog, and memory lapses -- are common during perimenopause and are typically temporary and hormone-related. They are not early dementia.• Tracking your symptoms over four to six weeks -- including sleep, mood, energy, cycle changes, hot flashes, brain fog, and joint pain -- gives your clinician critical information that a single lab result cannot provide.• Evidence-based treatment options exist. There is no clinical or moral virtue in suffering through this transition without support.Topics DiscussedWhat perimenopause is and how it differs from menopause, why perimenopause can begin in the late 30s, the hormone fluctuation pattern during perimenopause and why it is not a steady decline, the full symptom spectrum of perimenopause including neurological, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, urogenital, and metabolic symptoms, the SWAN Study and what it tells us about the menopausal transition, estrogen and the brain including research from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, the ACOG position on perimenopause symptom onset, why perimenopause is a clinical diagnosis and not a laboratory diagnosis, the limitations of hormone testing and what labs actually tell us, conditions that mimic perimenopause including thyroid disease, iron deficiency, and insulin resistance, why perimenopausal anxiety is frequently misattributed to stress, the cognitive changes of perimenopause and why they are temporary, building your midlife foundation using the CARESS framework, how to find a Menopause Society certified practitioner, listener questions addressing the most common perimenopause misconceptionsYour Five-Step Perimenopause Action Plan1. Track your symptoms for four to six weeks. Include sleep, mood, energy, hot flashes, brain fog, cycle changes, joint pain, and libido. Patterns are data your clinician needs.2. Know your family history. Ask when your mother or sisters reached menopause and whether they experienced osteoporosis, heart disease, or cognitive changes.3. Build your midlife foundation. Prioritize protein at every meal, resistance training two to three times per week, daily movement, stress management, and sleep. The CARESS framework is a place to start.4. Find a clinician with menopause-specific training. The Menopause Society maintains a certified practitioner directory at menopause.org.5. Give yourself grace. You are not weak. You are not lazy. You are moving through a transition -- and you deserve support during it.Resources MentionedThe Menopause Society certified practitioner directory: menopause.orgACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists): acog.orgSWAN Study (Study of Women's Health Across the Nation): swanstudy.orgModern Gynecology and Skin: moderngynalaska.comRejuvenate Health and ...
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    43 mins
  • Episode 34: "I'm in Perimenopause — How Do I Know When It's Time to Start Estrogen?"

    Episode 34: "I'm in Perimenopause — How Do I Know When It's Time to Start Estrogen?"
    Jun 3 2026
    I’m in Perimenopause — How Do I Know When It’s Time to Start Estrogen?Episode OverviewIn this solo episode, Dr. Jillian Woodruff tackles one of the most common and nuanced questions in menopause medicine: How do you know when it’s time to start estrogen?Recorded while on a family vacation on the East Coast — because some topics are too important to wait — Dr. Jillian walks through the practical clinical framework she uses every day in her practice. She covers the signals she looks for, why laboratory results alone are not enough to guide this decision, and why perimenopause is often the optimal time to begin the conversation — not years later when symptoms have already disrupted sleep, mood, cognition, intimacy, and quality of life.The episode also covers the relationship between estrogen and periods — including why estrogen can sometimes make bleeding worse in early perimenopause — the non-negotiable role of progesterone in any woman with a uterus on systemic estrogen, and a full discussion of Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM) and why painful sex, vaginal dryness, and recurrent UTIs are treatable and should never be accepted as inevitable parts of aging.Key TakeawaysYou do not have to wait until symptoms become severe before discussing hormone therapy.Perimenopause is often the ideal time to begin evaluating treatment options.New symptoms matter more than isolated laboratory values.Hot flashes and night sweats are more than inconveniences and can affect overall health and quality of life.Early bone loss may be an important reason to discuss hormone therapy.Mood and cognitive changes may have hormonal contributors.Progesterone is often the first hormonal intervention considered in early perimenopause.Women with a uterus who use systemic estrogen require endometrial protection with progesterone or a progestin.Vaginal estrogen is a separate treatment category from systemic hormone therapy and has a different risk profile.GSM is common, progressive, and highly treatable.Resources MentionedThe Menopause Society certified provider finder: www.menopause.orgSend your questions: connect@modernmidlifecollective.comWatch the video version: youtube.com/@drjillianwoodruff (available June 10, 2026)www.modernmidlifecollective.comAbout Dr. Jillian Woodruff, MDDr. Jillian Woodruff, MD is a board-certified OB-GYN, gynecologic surgeon, and Menopause Society Certified Practitioner. She is the founder of Modern Gynecology & Skin in Anchorage, Alaska, and co-host of The Modern Midlife Collective podcast with Dr. Ade Akindipe, DNP.SCIENTIFIC REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHYProfessional GuidelinesThe Menopause Society. The 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement of The Menopause Society. Menopause. 2022;29(7):767–794.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Hormone Therapy for Menopause. ACOG Practice Guidance and FAQ. Washington, DC: ACOG; updated 2022.SWAN Study — Vasomotor Symptoms and DurationAvis NE, Crawford SL, Greendale G, et al. Duration of menopausal vasomotor symptoms over the menopause transition. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(4):531–539.SWAN Study — Vasomotor Symptoms and Cardiovascular RiskThurston RC, El Khoudary SR, Sutton-Tyrrell K, et al. Vasomotor symptoms and cardiovascular risk in midlife women. Menopause. 2011;18(2):146–151.Perimenopausal Depression and PMDD HistoryCohen LS, Soares CN, Vitonis AF, Otto MW, Harlow BL. Risk for new onset of depression during the menopausal transition: the Harvard Study of Moods and Cycles. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2006;63(4):385–390.Freeman EW, Sammel MD, Liu L, Gracia CR. Association of hormones and menopausal status with depressed mood in women with no history of depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2004;61(1):62–70.GSM — Management and TreatmentFaubion SS, Larkin LC, Stuenkel CA, et al. Management of genitourinary syndrome of menopause in women with or at high risk for breast cancer. Menopause. 2018;25(6):596–608.Faubion SS, Sood R, Kapoor E. Genitourinary syndrome of menopause: management strategies for the clinician. Mayo Clin Proc. 2017;92(12):1842–1849.Bone Loss and Estrogen in PerimenopauseSowers MR, Zheng H, Jannausch ML, et al. Amount of bone loss in relation to time around the final menstrual period and follicle-stimulating hormone staging of the transmenopause. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010;95(5):2155–2162.Perimenopause as Clinical Diagnosis — Lab LimitationsSantoro N, Roeca C, Peters BA, Neal-Perry G. The menopause transition: signs, symptoms, and management options. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2021;106(1):1–15.Endometrial Protection — Unopposed EstrogenGrady D, Gebretsadik T, Kerlikowske K, Ernster V, Petitti D. Hormone replacement therapy and endometrial cancer risk: a meta-analysis. Obstet Gynecol. 1995;85(2):304–313.
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    25 mins
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