Women In Wellness: Andrea Donsky On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Tyler Gallagher
Starting a stress management/mindfulness practice can help me understand ways to better cope with the stress and the mental health portion of this phase. Nourishing my adrenal glands is also important since they play a major role when it comes to releasing stress hormones.
As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Andrea Donsky.
Andrea is a Nutritionist, Media Personality, Entrepreneur, Best-Selling Author, Health & Wellness Lifestyle Expert, Menopause Educator and Podcast Host. She is the Co-Founder of NaturallySavvy.com — a multiple award-winning website, and Wearemorphus.com (together with her business partner of 22 years, Randy Boyer). Among her numerous publications, Andrea co-authored the best-selling book “Unjunk Your Junk Food” published by Simon and Schuster. She also co-authored “Label Lessons: Your Guide to a Healthy Shopping Cart,” and “Label Lessons: Unjunk Your Kid’s Lunch Box.” Andrea hosts the weekly Morphus podcast, and appears as a Healthy Living Expert on TV across North America.
Andrea has more than 21 years of experience in the health & wellness space, and is a Multiple Award-Winning Influencer. She was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award” for her work as a Nutritionist by CSNNAA (2018), was honored with the first ever “Shifter of the Year Award” at Shiftcon Media (2018), was named a “Top 100 Health Influencer” by Optimyz Magazine (2018, 2019 & 2021), was named one of the “Top 100 Most Responsible Health Influencers” in the U.S. by New Hope Network (2020), and was named one of Canada’s Most Inspiring Women by Marquee Magazine (2021). The John Holtmann — CHFA Industry Leadership Award Recipient (2022)
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Please share your “backstory” and why you became a menopause educator
I had my third child at the age of 41. At 42, I started feeling “off,” like something or someone had taken over my body and mind. I was having strange symptoms, including uncontrollable mood swings, night sweats, weight gain, shoulder pain, sleep issues, increased appetite…and the list went on and on. I didn’t think much of it and just brushed it off as postpartum hormonal changes. Then, two months after my 47th birthday, I got my first hot flash and everything changed. It finally clicked that the symptoms I’d been experiencing for five years were due to menopause — something I knew nothing about. So I made it my mission to find out as much as I could about this stage of life. I thought if I didn’t know anything about it — and it was my job — then perhaps others didn’t know either. And I was right.
Now I spend hours researching, reading, interviewing, speaking to as many people as possible, listening to their stories, and doing research on myself to see what works and what doesn’t — and I love every minute of it. My 22 years of experience as an expert in the health and wellness industry has prepared me for providing education and solutions for women in this phase of life when it comes to nutrition, lifestyle, and supplements. My passion is learning as much as I can and then sharing what I learn with others.
What were the main lessons or takeaways you’ve gathered from starting the journey to educate others on menopause?
I realized I wasn’t alone in how I felt or in how little I knew or understood about menopause. I didn’t even know there was a difference between perimenopause and menopause! I also didn’t know how many symptoms there were. I felt like I was going crazy…but I learned through my incredible TikTok community that so many women feel the same way. We aren’t alone because we have each other.
What are some of the biggest misconceptions about menopause and what are the truths? Share a few examples.
One of the biggest misconceptions is the age women can start perimenopause or go into menopause. Many women are told they’re too young so they’re often dismissed by their doctors or health care providers. We now know we can start perimenopause as early as 35 (roughly 10 years before menopause) — and sometimes even earlier, as many women have shared with me. The average age of menopause in North America is 51½.
Another misconception is the number of symptoms there are. When I first started perimenopause, I heard from someone who started an app that there were 20 to 40 symptoms; but because I was so curious about the number (I love data!), I started tracking them myself and discovered there are more than 85 of them. Think about that for a minute…there are 85+ different signs and symptoms of menopause and many of them are not well known, like itchy ears, easy bruising, fatigue, and pain. I posted the full list on my website here where people can read about each one of them.
Another misconception is that menopause is a myth, or it doesn’t exist. This one makes me laugh because it’s simply not true. However, as silly as it may sound, women are being told how they feel is all in their minds, or that they’re exaggerating their symptoms, or they’re just having a bad day. Unfortunately menopause gaslighting is real and many women are being dismissed for how they feel. This needs to change.
When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
I love this question because it’s my “why.” It’s the reason I do what I do. I was recently honored with the prestigious John Holtmann Leadership Award for my work in the health and wellness industry over the past 22 years. I’m passionate about educating others through my work be it through my TV and radio appearances, social media, talks, books, podcasts, websites, etc.. When I learn something new I share it with others because I want them to know what I know. I want them to understand what’s happening to their bodies. Being left in the dark about something that’s physically and mentally happening to us is extremely difficult, so education is my way of empowering women to take charge of their symptoms and their health.
I also love research. The more data, the better. I love it so much that we are doing our own research on perimenopause and menopause so we can share the results with our community. I’d love for your readers to complete this survey on sleep and this one on the 85+ signs and symptoms. They are both super short.
Share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing as they go through menopause?
What we did before perimenopause and menopause has to be unlearned, and we have to relearn how to eat, manage our stress, exercise, work, be in relationships, etc.
Nutrition is very important at this stage for many reasons, including brain health, focus, heart health, weight, liver health, blood sugar regulation, etc. It’s key to focus on eating more protein, veggies, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates.
In addition, it’s really important for both our physical and mental health to make sure we’re hydrated, to take supplements, and to incorporate some form of exercise into our lives. That doesn’t have to mean going to a gym — even taking a walk around the block can be really beneficial.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
We’ve already started one! My company, Morphus is a no-judgment zone for open discussion about menopause through our various social media channels, including Instagram and TikTok (@andreadonsky), where we have an incredibly supportive community who learns from each other.
And I believe as women we are stronger together, so I have partnered with other menopause warriors to banish the stigma and change the conversation around menopause. Two in particular are: Ann Marie McQueen, an award-winning journalist and the founder of Hotflash, Inc., who co-hosted the Menopause Shift Summit with me, and Tamsen Fadal, a journalist and news anchor at WPIX in New York City, who initiated the campaign #menpausetok on TikTok, of which I am a part of.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Menopause” and why?
- I am not alone. Millions of people are going through the same thing at the same time — or have gone though it already.
- It’s okay to just be and not take on new challenges or work too hard during perimenopause when I’m not feeling up to it. I need to understand how my body is calibrating and how it needs time to go through the chrysalis to become the beautiful butterfly on the other side. Some days, that may present as not wanting to do anything or not being able to focus or concentrate…and I need to be understanding of myself when that happens.
- I need to ask more questions. Speaking to other women (my mom, grandmother, friends, etc.) and my health care provider about it can help me be better prepared.
- I shouldn’t blame myself for things that are out of my control.
- Starting a stress management/mindfulness practice can help me understand ways to better cope with the stress and the mental health portion of this phase. Nourishing my adrenal glands is also important since they play a major role when it comes to releasing stress hormones.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Mental health is very important to me, as many of us in perimenopause and menopause start to feel like we are “losing it” from an emotional standpoint. For example, one minute we might laugh, the next minute we may cry, the next minute we are raging, and then we’re back to laughing the minute after. We are on such a rollercoaster of emotions, and I want women to know that they’re not going crazy and, again, that they’re not alone.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
Follow me on TikTok (@andreadonsky), subscribe to my newsletter and listen/subscribe to my ‘Menopause Reimagined’ podcast.
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
Women In Wellness: Andrea Donsky On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.