Episodes

If Joan can do it, so can you! At the age of 70 and after battling numerous health issues, Joan MacDonald did a complete 180 and got super fit! With the help of her daughter, fitness coach Michelle MacDonald, Joan is now in the best health of her life at the age of 78! She proves that it's never too late to put yourself first and age powerfully! Listen to how she did it and how you can do it too! You can find Joan on Instagram @TrainWithJoan, and find Michelle on Instagram @TheWonderWomenOffici...

Aging and care in our older years impacts all of us... Have you ever thought about how you want to live out your senior years? Have you discussed this with your own aging parents? Maybe, you’re already caring for an elderly family member or have admitted them to a long-term care facility that can help them manage a disease like dementia or assist them with mobility issues. Today in Ontario, there are 76,000 residents in long-term care homes with another 30,000 people on waitlists. In the next fi...

Are you getting mixed messages on social media about how to eat? Nutrition PhD, Dr. Adrian Chavez, reveals what's really going on behind the scenes when it comes to posts from so-called experts about nutrition on social media. And how SHOULD we plan our meals? Is plant-based better than a carnivore diet? How much protein, carbohydrates and fat should we be eating? What are the best sources of each? What about supplementation? Is intermittent fasting all that it's cracked up to be? What's the dea...

Cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer of women in Canada and USA, so how would we know if we have it? What are the risk factors and the symptoms? How do women and men present and express symptoms differently? Does ethnicity matter in your risk of developing CVD? How do we treat it and, better yet, can we prevent it altogether? What impact does the menopause transition have on our hearts as women? Does hormone therapy provide a protective factor? Dr. Sonia Anand breaks down all you need to know...

The menopause transition is marked by a long list of physical symptoms, but less discussed are the changes in our mental health. In this vital discussion, Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Menopause and Reproductive Mental Health Specialist Dr. Alison Shea discusses depression, anxiety, mood changes and many other mental health issues that arise for up to half of women, risk factors and what treatments are available. Finally, what supplements do and don't help with mood and mental health through th...

This week, meet Pauline Adeleke, 71, and Jin Cruce, 56, two women who are the definition of aging powerfully. Their stories will inspire and move you. Find Pauline online at @paulineadeleke. Find Jin Cruce online at @agingwith_style_and_grays. This episode brought to you by Felix Health. For more information, please use this link to visit Felix at www.felix.ca. Find Melissa Grelo on Instagram @MelissaGrelo and @AgingPowerfullyWithMG, or on her website AgingPowerfullyWithMelissaGrelo.com. Fin...

Women are at least twice as likely to be diagnosed with dementia as men. What do we know about its causes and what role, if any, does the menopause transition play? What are our risk factors and most importantly, what can we do today to reduce our risk of developing it? Melissa speaks with Dr. Anthony Levinson, Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences with a special focus on dementia and neuropsychiatry at McMaster University to break down dementia, our risk as women and what we can do ...

Medical and cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Renée A. Beach breaks down the different types of hair loss, the reasons behind them and what treatments work and don't work for women. Find Dr. Beach and on Instagram at @dermabeach. Brought to you by Dermalogica. Shop now at www.dermalogica.ca, or on Instagram @DermalogicaCanada. Use code: AGING POWERFULLY Find Melissa Grelo on Instagram @MelissaGrelo and @AgingPowerfullyWithMG, or on her website AgingPowerfullyWithMelissaGrelo.com. Find clips of th...

One of women's greatest superpowers is our ability to connect, share and learn from one another. In this episode, three different women share their unique experiences of perimenopause and menopause. Listen as Racquel Rodriguez, Maria Cristina Bruno and Kelly Gerred discuss when they started experiencing symptoms, who did or didn't help them navigate the journey and what they're doing about it today. One of the guests discuss entering menopause instantly after breast cancer treatments. It's a p...

EVERYONE is now talking about menopause and we know the conversation is long overdue. Unfortunately, it doesn't make accessing care any easier for people, especially for 6 million Canadians who do not have a family doctor or for the millions more who may not feel their doctor is adequately educated in menopause care. In this episode brought to you by Felix Health, medical director Dr. Kelly Anderson and Felix medical advisor and highly respected gynecologist Dr. Nathalie Gamache discuss the exc...

The good news? EVERYBODY is talking about menopause. The bad news? There is a ton of misleading guidance from so-called "experts" everywhere on social media. So how are we supposed to know what to believe? It's time to hear from the internet's favourite myth-busting, straight-talking, board certified OB/GYN, Dr. Jen Gunter. She answers YOUR questions like, "Should all women be on hormone therapy to PREVENT future diseases? What does hormone therapy help alleviate and what doesn't it? Do at-home ...

Renowned Canadian OB/GYN Dr. Wendy Wolfman discusses the 2002 Women's Health Initiative study whose results drastically and negatively altered the way doctors prescribed hormone therapy and the way women received menopause care for decades. Its findings seemed to link hormone therapy and breast cancer, or did it? Over 20 years since the study's results were released, the scientific and medical community have taken a closer look at what the study ACTUALLY found and has since come to very differen...

In this episode, Sleep Medicine Physician Dr. Woganee Filate discusses how and why women's quality of sleep often changes as she enters perimenopause and menopause. Dr. Filate lays out the many benefits of getting consistently good sleep and how a lack of it can increase risk for cardiovascular disease, dementia/Alzheimer's, metabolic issues, mood disorders and more. Finally, Dr. Filate discusses what works and what doesn't to help improve the length and quality of your sleep. Find Dr. Filate ...

Join Melissa and Emergency Medicine Specialist Dr. Amy Louis-Bayliss as they discuss preventing disease in women as they age. Is disease and illness just a natural part of the aging process? Dr. Amy says no, it doesn't have to be, however women do face unique and increased risk for several diseases such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, certain cancers and more due to fundamental shifts related to menopause. Listen to Dr. Amy give practical and accessible interventions that over time, co...

When is the last time you had a sexual education class? Maybe in elementary or high school? As an adult, where do you get your sex ed? Television? Friends? Partners? And where does pleasure education come from? In this episode, family physician and sex educator, Dr. Sheila Wijayasinghe teaches us Adult Sex Ed 101. Find Dr. Sheila on Instagram @DrSheilaW! Brought to you by Dermalogica. Shop now at www.dermalogica.ca, or on Instagram @DermalogicaCanada. Use code: AGING POWERFULLY Find Meliss...

More than one in five Canadians do not have a doctor or health care provider they can see regularly (OurCare.ca, 2023) and for those who do, physicians often do not have sufficient training in menopause care, leaving millions of women suffering needlessly for years. In this episode, family physician and menopause specialist Dr. Sarah Naomi Shaw discusses the many barriers to accessing effective menopause care in Canada, from lack of doctor training in medical school, to long waitlists for speci...

The internet's favourite myth-busting OB/GYN, Dr. Jen Gunter, is back with her latest book, "Blood: The Science, Medicine and Mythology of Menstruation." After her books, "The Vagina Bible" and "The Menopause Manifesto" both became New York Times Instant Bestsellers, Dr. Gunter in "Blood" offers a clear, no-nonsense guide to reproductive anatomy and answers all the questions you never knew you had about menstrual bleeding. Along the way, she debunks long-held myths that, surprise, are almost al...

In this powerful episode, Melissa discusses Ann Dowsett Johnston's best-selling book "Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol" on the 10th anniversary of its release. Women are drinking alcohol more than ever and Johnston discusses why this is problematic and why we can no longer afford to ignore the growing crisis of binge drinking in our "alcogenic" culture. Melissa and Ann share their personal stories of their relationship with alcohol and why you don't need to be dependent...

In the inaugural episode of Aging Powerfully, Melissa has a conversation with Heather Hirsch, MD about the ABCs and 123s of menopause. Dr. Hirsch provides the ins and outs of the different stages of the menopause transition, from perimenopause, to menopause, to postmenopause. Dr. Hirsch provides simple definitions and explanations of what is happening in each phase, and also discusses the increased risk for certain diseases and injuries that accompany this significant hormonal change. Finally, s...

Welcome to Aging Powerfully with Melissa Grelo, a new podcast launching on January 11, 2024! Join award-winning host and broadcaster, Melissa Grelo, as she interviews respected experts in the fields of menopause, nutrition, fitness, mental health, longevity, sex, stress reduction, skincare, fashion and more to help women of all ages live a healthier, stronger and longer life, no matter what age you are today! This podcast is for every woman who wants to build a life that is healthier, stronger...