What happens when you’re exhausted, you’re not sleeping, your body feels unfamiliar, and nobody has mentioned perimenopause?

In this special episode in honor of World Menopause Day of Hose Water, Hot Flashes, and Bad Decisions, Paula and Karen get personal about the changes they didn’t see coming and the conversations they wish had happened sooner. From mood shifts and sleepless nights to changing body shape and unexpected food reactions, they share what it felt like to search for answers while trying to get through everyday life.

Karen talks about the conversation that helped her recognize perimenopause, while Paula reflects on an appointment where depression was discussed but perimenopause wasn’t. Together, they explore the frustration of hearing “that’s normal” when you still don’t feel like yourself, the value of tracking what’s happening, and why it can be so hard to tell the whole story once you’re sitting in the exam room.

Of course, there’s humor. Because sometimes you need to laugh with someone who understands why you’re throwing off the blankets one minute and reaching for them the next.

This is an honest conversation about their personal experiences, the questions they’re still asking, and making room for women to talk openly about midlife.

What do you wish someone had told you about perimenopause? Share it in the comments, and send this episode to a friend who might recognize her own experience.

Subscribe for more conversations with Paula and Karen. New episodes every Thursday.

This episode shares personal experiences and is for general information, not individual medical advice.

Also, join us for our 90-minute, one-night-only Decompress Before the Holiday Stress Event. Learn more: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/decompress-before-the-holiday-stress-live-group-coaching-session-tickets-2002951520917?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

#WorldMenopauseDay #Perimenopause #Menopause #MidlifeWomen #HoseWaterHotFlashesAndBadDecisions #GenX #Millenial

What do Barbie, the corporate ladder, and that persistent voice telling us we’re not good enough have in common? They all have a place in this conversation.

In Episode 8 of Hose Water, Hot Flashes, and Bad Decisions, Paula and Karen welcome Krizel Rodriguez for an honest discussion about identity, representation, and the messages women carry from childhood into adulthood. From growing up with dolls that didn’t look like us to questioning our abilities in the workplace, we explore how those experiences can shape what we believe is possible.

Krizel shares what discovering a Mexican Barbie meant to her, why Latina representation in leadership matters personally, and her hopes for the next generation. We also talk about the self-doubt that can follow women into rooms they’ve earned the right to be in, even when their accomplishments tell a different story.

There’s room for laughter, reflection, and a conversation about what connects us across different backgrounds and experiences. Because while our stories may differ, we have plenty of reasons to listen to one another and move forward together.

What message did you grow up hearing about who you could become, and have you rewritten it? Tell us in the comments.

Subscribe to Hose Water, Hot Flashes, and Bad Decisions with Paula & Karen. New episodes every Thursday!

#HoseWaterHotFlashesAndBadDecisions #GenX #WomenSupportingWomen #SelfDoubt #RepresentationMatters #WomenInLeadership #Barbie #Podcast

We were prepared for quicksand. Processing our feelings? Not so much.

In this episode of Hose Water, Hot Flashes, and Bad Decisions, Paula and Karen revisit the other side of growing up Gen X: the frightening headlines, confusing adult conversations, and moments when everyone simply turned off the TV and moved on.

From watching the Challenger disaster in class to missing kids on milk cartons, nuclear war fears, and the Tylenol poisonings, they reflect on what they remember, what nobody explained, and how humor, sarcasm, and pushing feelings down became familiar ways to cope.

Of course, it wouldn’t be an ’80s conversation without MTV, Madonna’s lace gloves, cereal-box entertainment, latchkey life, and shoulder pads big enough to carry the whole decade. There’s also Baby Jessica, Geraldo’s empty vault, and the eternal question: why did we think quicksand would be such a major problem?

Come for the nostalgia, stay for the candid conversation about childhood fears, midlife anxiety, and looking back with a little more understanding.

What ’80s moment still sticks with you? Tell us in the comments or email hosewaterthepodcast@gmail.com.

#GenX #Comedy #80s #Challenger #Midlife #Menopause

New episodes every Thursday morning.