Episode
Reinventing Life After 60: Elizabeth Perkins Talks Menopause, Women’s Health & Finding Herself Again (Replay)
- Podcast
- HOT FLASHES & COOL TOPICS
- Published
- Aug 12, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2444
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hot-flashes-cool-topics-696264/episodes/reinventing-life-after-60-elizabeth-perkins-talks-menopause-women-s-health-finding-herself-again-replay/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/hot-flashes-cool-topics-696264/reinventing-life-after-60-elizabeth-perkins-talks-menopause-women-s-health-finding-herself-again-replay.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
SEASON 8 STARTS NEXT WEEK! In our final replay episode of Season 7, we revisit our conversation with actress and advocate Elizabeth Perkins. Elizabeth shares her personal experiences with reinvention, motherhood, menopause, women’s health, and the freedom that comes from finally putting yourself first. After four decades as an actress and nearly four decades as a mother and caretaker, Elizabeth explains why she ultimately left Los Angeles and moved across the country to Western Massachusetts. She describes the liberating experience of driving cross-country alone, building a close-knit community, reconnecting with creativity, and creating a dedicated art studio for her mixed-media collage work. Elizabeth also speaks candidly about what it means to enter a new chapter of life after raising children and caring for aging parents. She reflects on the pressure women face to remain caretakers, the guilt that can accompany putting yourself first, and why the years after 60 can become an opportunity for profound reinvention rather than a period of slowing down. Elizabeth recounts years of being dismissed while experiencing severe symptoms, ultimately discovering dangerously high blood glucose and being diagnosed with late-onset autoimmune diabetes shortly before undergoing a full hysterectomy. She also discusses the challenges of navigating menopause and surgical menopause, the importance of listening to women's symptoms, and the need for better research, education, and individualized healthcare. This episode is ultimately about finding your voice, reclaiming your identity, embracing creativity, building community, and giving yourself permission to dream again.