Sleepless in Seattle: Perimenopause, Night Sweats & Losing Your Joy with Megan Bird

In this episode, Lauren welcomes Megan Bird from Seattle, Washington—event planner turned perimenopause podcaster and newly minted menopause coach. Megan's story is one many will recognize: the perfect storm of kids, COVID, and perimenopause that drained all the joy from what used to be her dream job, leaving her confused, stuck, and searching for answers.For nearly 15 years, Megan ran a successful event planning company (70% weddings, 30% corporate—though financially the inverse), fueled by her love language of words of affirmation from grateful clients. But when her "give a shit was just tapped out," she knew something was profoundly wrong—she just didn't know what.This conversation dives into the snake oil saturating the menopause industry (from useless supplements to sketchy "qualifications"), why Megan waded through the noise to find real, evidence-based education, and how sleepless nights with sleep scores between 20-50 finally pushed her toward exploring hormone therapy. She also shares why she initially didn't plan to coach but changed her mind halfway through the diploma, and how she's now launching "Coming of Rage"—a perimenopause-focused podcast co-hosted with her best friend since age eight.If you've ever felt your joy bleeding away without understanding why, if you're waking up soaked through and changing clothes at 5:30 AM, or if you're desperately seeking real information in a sea of misinformation, Megan's story will resonate deeply.Key Points Covered:• From Dream Job to "I Don't Give a Shit": For 15 years, Megan owned an event planning company that was her pride and joy—weddings and corporate events (Xbox PR team included). She loved ushering stressed clients through high-stakes, high-budget events and basking in their gratitude: "We couldn't do this without you." That affirmation fueled her—until it didn't.• The Trifecta: Kids, COVID, Perimenopause: When kids came along, COVID hit, and perimenopause started, the things that used to feed Megan "started to really fall flat." She struggled to understand why things that made her happy no longer worked. "All my joy is bleeding away," she said. "On paper it looks like you have everything, but it felt not that."• The Confusing Soul-Searching: Megan felt "really stuck and really confused as to why I was stuck. It felt really sad." She couldn't put a finger on what was wrong—a common experience for perimenopausal women who don't yet realize what's happening.• Early Onset Dementia Fear: Lauren shares her own experience of thinking she had early-onset dementia, highlighting how common it is for women to have no idea menopause is the culprit—even healthcare professionals like Lauren with a background in performance don't always connect the dots.• The Snake Oil Industry: Megan describes the supplement industry (especially in the US) as "overwhelming"—particularly hair loss products claiming to fix perimenopausal hair loss. Her OB/GYN best friend confirmed: "That is just absolute garbage. Half of this stuff doesn't even get absorbed by your body."• The Chocolate Bar Con: Lauren shares seeing a chocolate bar with a new label and tiny new ingredient (that does nothing in that quantity) repackaged as "menopause chocolate" at twice the price. Same product, new marketing gimmick.• Sketchy "Menopause Coach" Programs: Before finding Women of a Certain Stage, Megan investigated programs that felt "very oily"—downloadable bundles of papers with no human interaction. "If you just regurgitate this 500-page printout, you can be a menopause coach. I wouldn't trust somebody with that accreditation. That feels really sketchy."• The Instagram DM Reality Check: Lauren shares a recent message from someone who took a downloadable course (no coaching assessment, no human interaction) and now doesn't know how to actually coach, get clients, or build a business. "Can you just tell me what to do?" The person was referred to a business coach because information ≠ implementation skills.• Why She Chose Women of a Certain Stage (The Big 3):Personal connection: Listening to Lauren's story resonated deeply—"I felt like I connect with this person"Top-tier experts: Meeting and learning from "movers and shakers in the industry" gave phenomenal confidenceLive, synchronous learning: "I wanted dialogue. I wanted to meet other people in the cohort. I wanted community."• Asynchronous vs. Synchronous Explained: Asynchronous means no real-time interaction—just workbooks, tests, and due dates done alone. Synchronous means face-to-face (or screen-to-screen) learning with mentors and cohort members. Megan didn't want to be "floating out there in the menopause space alone trying to grab at stuff."• AI's Role—But Humans Are Essential: Lauren discusses how AI is coming thick and fast (she attended Oracle conferences on AI back in the early 2000s), but believes deeply: "We still need that human-to-human contact. By seeing each other's eyeballs, watching body language, being in the same vicinity—that's what gives us fuel to be the best version of ourselves."Timestamps:[00:01:00] From dream job event planner to "give a shit tapped out" [00:02:00] Words of affirmation love language and client gratitude [00:04:00] Kids, COVID, perimenopause trifecta [00:06:00] Desperate for real information in the noise [00:07:00] Snake oil salesmen everywhere [00:09:00] Sketchy menopause coach programs [00:11:00] Why Women of a Certain Stage (the big 3) [00:13:00] Asynchronous vs. synchronous learning explained [00:14:00] AI is coming but humans are essential [00:16:00] Waking up at 5:30 AM in Seattle [00:17:00] Coming of Rage podcast launch [00:19:00] Coaching mind-change halfway through [00:22:00] The birthing industry comparison [00:24:00] Not everyone can deep dive for 90 hours [00:27:00] American healthcare's preventative care failure [00:29:00] Sleep: The #1 cross to bear [00:32:00] Hockey stick sleep decline and considering HRTConnect with Megan:• Instagram: @comingofrage • LinkedIn: Under construction (coming soon!) • Podcast: "Coming of Rage" launching end of February 2026Resources:• Women of a Certain Stage Menopause Coach Diploma: https://womenofacertainstage.lpages.co/menopause_coach/• Free guide: "Top 5 evidence-based menopause resources" → womenofacertainstage.com/menopause-resources• Oura Ring: Sleep and body temperature tracking• Women's Health Initiative (WHI): Original 2002 study and subsequent updatesContent Warning: This episode contains frank discussion of sleep deprivation, night sweats, loss of joy, and includes swearing. Megan's podcast "Coming of Rage" will feature "lots of swears"—listeners, you've been warned!Let us know if you're liking the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/tex...Support the show https://www.buzzsprout.com/2261882/su...Meet your Host:Lauren is the founder of Women of a Certain Stage and creator of the Become a Menopause Coach diploma program. Having experienced early menopause at 37 (diagnosed in her early 40s after initially fearing early-onset dementia), Lauren is passionate about providing real, evidence-based education in a market saturated with snake oil and misinformation.Lauren's program features live synchronous learning with top-tier experts, human-to-human connection across global time zones, and ongoing community support for 12 months post-graduation.Ready to cut through the noise and get real menopause education?Book a free discovery call: https://bookme.name/womenofacertainstage/lite/tmshJoin a live cohort where you'll learn from medical experts, practice coaching skills in real-time, and build a community that will support you for years to come—not just hand you a 500-page printout and wish you luck.Disclaimer: Information shared is for educational and entertainment purposes only and doesn't replace medical advice. Always consult with healthcare professionals for your specific situation. Sleep scores mentioned are from consumer wearable devices and should not be used for medical diagnosis.