Red Hot Mamas In Charge of Change.
By: Red Hot Mamas
Published: February 9, 2025
Are you in the NYC Metro area? We want to hear about your experience with menopause – and possibly tell your story on video.
We know that not all menopause experiences are created equal. Still, there are millions of women who are in various stages of menopause or perimenopause and in various degrees of confusion. They have countless legitimate questions: may not know what’s going on, let alone whom to ask; and may even feel lost. They are experiencing symptoms, yet, for example, feel they are too young for things like hot flashes, sleep disruptions, mood swings, weight gain, hair thinning, memory fog and the myriads of other effects of hormone fluctuations that have thrown them off balance in their lives.
This is where YOU come in. Our health video production team would like to find TWO women who would share their personal stories of menopause – what they went through physically and emotionally, and what they learned – from ways of coping, to how all of these changes affected not just them but others in their lives; to what they would tell other women that they wished they had known ahead of time.
The two women we are seeking will have had very different experiences:
Natural menopause–This woman will tell her story of how things started, what she was feeling, and how she navigated it all throughout the process. She will also speak about whether it was a difficult and confusing time for her. How did she learn about what she was going through, what to do, what to expect? What did she hear, what did she learn about hormone therapy, was it ever discussed? What advice would she give to other women going through menopause?
Surgical menopause-For several reasons, the ovaries sometimes need to be surgically removed (oophorectomy). If the woman was premenopausal at the time of the surgery, this can plunge her quickly into menopause. The woman for this video would be on the ‘younger side’ – still in her child-rearing years – as surgical menopause clearly impacts family planning. And with this major life change – a sudden loss of the ability to have children, there is, naturally, an increased likelihood of depression, feelings of being “less of a woman”, fearing that sex or their relationship will be different, and more. She will also talk about the options she found that helped most in managing her symptoms and what she would tell other women who may also be navigating this difficult challenge in their own lives.
Importantly, we are seeking women to not only share their story and particular experience with menopause but also who can be honest, open and as vulnerable as possible. When it comes to health/medical personal video storytelling, the more ‘real’ and even ‘raw’ a person is, the more deeply those watching connect with and relate to them and, as a result, the more likely they are to be proactive and take action for their own health.
If you are interested in telling your story and being featured, please reach out to Wayne Barbin. Health and Medical Content Video Producer, via email or cell by Friday, February 14.
He will schedule a brief Zoom call with you to learn more about your story, explain the project, and answer your questions, needs and concerns. If you become a participant in this project, Wayne and a small video crew would come to you in late February/early March to do a shoot that will take the better part of a day (on-camera interview + some ‘scenes’ of you doing some activities inside and/or outside of your home (the more ‘visual’ and ‘active’, the better. Wayne will explain. The final product will be a 5-minute video profile of you and your menopause story.
These two videos will be hosted by a division of WebMD, called “WebMD Ignite”. They are the team that produces health/medical/medical information videos you may have seen in your doctor’s office; hospital; waiting rooms; and other areas where health consumers can be reached and educated through ‘place-based media’.
Your personal story will make a dramatic impact to help women better prepare for and understand menopause. It will also elicit support and understanding from others about your experience.
Thank you for your time, effort and consideration!
Wayne Barbin
202.257.6969
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE REPLY BY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14 TO WAYNE BARBIN, HEALTH AND MEDICAL CONTENT VIDEO PRODUCER -202.257.6969 or email: wharbin@gmail.com
