Angela Macgregor (00:00):

Women in their seventies when a lot of women have said, well, I'm done menopause. Well, you're not really done menopause because you have menopause until you leave this earth. So there are things that you can do later in life to help support your health going forward. So you're vibrant and you feel good. So we don't have to just sit and be silent anymore. It's not acceptable.

Michelle MacDonald (00:38):

Welcome back to Stronger by Design the show where we cut through the noise and bring you evidence, not hype on how to thrive through midlife and beyond. I'm your host Michelle MacDonald, and today we're tackling one of the most confusing and frankly most commodified spaces in women's health menopause. My guest is Angela Macgregor and she knows firsthand at 58 after years of being dismissed and left searching for answers, she launched Canada's first national Menopause show. It's a vetted evidence-based event bringing women and healthcare providers together under one roof. And here's the exciting part, Joan and I are going be speaking live at this year's show on Saturday. Full details are on the website. If you're there, come by our booth. We'd love to meet you in person. So without further ado, let's dive in. This is going to be a conversation about reclaiming power, demanding credible answers, and building the community woman deserve. Alright, let's dive right in. Angela, I want to start at the top. You founded, let me get this right. You founded the very first National Menopause Show at the age of 58 years old.

Angela Macgregor (02:00):

No, which

Michelle MacDonald (02:00):

Is incredible. 57. 57 7. That's still incredible, right? I mean, this is a major, anyone who's tried to create anything, even a party of 30 people, I mean, this is incredible. Why then? And why

Angela Macgregor (02:19):

Did I start it? Well, I, like many women suffered through what I didn't realize was perimenopause for many years, and then I transitioned into menopause. So I had been to my healthcare provider and I really just wasn't getting the answers. I was told that I was normal. If you asked my husband, if I was normal, I was not. And I had all these different symptoms. So I suffered for a very long time and I did find a doctor that could help me and I wondered why was I so hesitant and why didn't I know enough information? And the more I researched, I found that doctors, it's just not part of their curriculum, perimenopause and menopause and med school. So with the combination of having healthcare providers and we as women, we don't have a lot of information either. So I decided we needed to do something and I happened to be married to a man that produces conferences and trade shows for the last 40 years. So I had the ability to make it happen. And so the national Menopause was born and it was all the things that I wanted, the information, products and services that were going to help me with my path forward.

Michelle MacDonald (03:44):

So Angela, you've described feeling dismissed. I think many women would resonate with that. And then you also, if I can share, watched your father's health journey in his decline. He had a terminal illness, and that really opened your eyes to how fragile our healthcare system is. And we're hearing this a lot, whether you're in America or in Canada. How did that experience become part of the catalyst for building something entirely new?

Angela Macgregor (04:15):

Well, through that very traumatic experience, it certainly gave me the strength and the confidence to move forward with the National Menopause Show we needed. I knew that we needed to take steps to bring the healthcare providers and the patient together. We needed it. I saw my dad suffer for seven months in the hospital and we were his advocates. And I quickly learned that we have to be our own advocates. We have to find the path forward and we need support. So hence the National Menopause Show. I brought that together to make it easier for women.

Michelle MacDonald (04:59):

And you're not a medical insider. Your background is in real estate in trade shows. Originally a long time ago, you yourself were in trade shows, I'm sure that's where you met your husband. How did that combination of skills Yeah, and personal experience, shape what became the National Menopause Show? I think this is just so personal for you, right?

Angela Macgregor (05:19):

It is very personal and I think just having a sales background, I have the confidence to speak to people and just the experience with my dad. I mean, I've done a number of different events, philanthropic events where we've raised money for whether it be children's charities or hospice. And these are events that I created and we gave all the money to charity. So I think I have a certain level of confidence. Some may say I just jump into things and fingers crossed, but it's a whole community that makes these events happen. And also I had the confidence with my husband. I have an entire machine behind me, and I'm sure I'm not the first person that ever first woman that ever thought, oh, wouldn't it be a good idea to have a menopause show? I just happened to have the, like I said, the machine to make it happen. Really?

Michelle MacDonald (06:19):

Yeah, and it's a huge endeavor. I'm sure there were some incredible wins early on, even if it again was personal just being introduced to the experts that were really part of changing the narrative around menopause or influencers or whatnot. And maybe there were some surprises too, things that you learned when you start peeking under the hood. Can you share anything that really stood out to you?

Angela Macgregor (06:47):

I think there's probably one of the best things we did was we created an advisory board that consists of doctors that are focused on menopause, women's health, and we also brought in the fold menopause champions, women that are really out there supporting other women and have a great understanding of what they're going through. So we had a lot of guidance and that was very important. This journey really allowed us to learn and also provide women with evidence-based expert led information education, which is really important. There's a lot of information out there on the internet, and it's very easy to Google your symptoms and you'll have 10, 20 different ways to help you with those symptoms. And a lot of times you need to connect with a healthcare provider that can give you the right information. And I think that's key. We have to just eliminate all the noise and look at the science, and I think that that's really what's going to help women. The National Menopause Show last year became a trusted source, and I can say that very confidently because we're seeing, we have many more exhibitors this year and also doctors over the two days of education. So I think that's testament to following the science and also taking the direction from our advisory board.

Michelle MacDonald (08:23):

I think that that's really important, right? Because even though this was your brainchild and it's an incredibly personal investment, but also your own experience and trying to solve, not just for you but for a lot of other women that are entering menopause or in menopause and are confused and want to get reliable information, but yet you still went and created that advisory board. And I think that's important, right? You are not the one ultimately deciding who's in and who's not in. It's this advisory board, am I? Is that correct?

Angela Macgregor (08:56):

That is correct, absolutely.

Michelle MacDonald (08:57):

Yes. So for women that are listening that are thinking, I want to make change, where would I even begin? Let's take it back to you. What was the very first step that you took in my menopause journey? How did you go from listening to your doctor and then getting basically a second opinion?

Angela Macgregor (09:21):

I started on hormones really, and it made all the difference in the world. The skies really opened up, and I did further research at that point where I felt that much better. I felt almost like myself again. And I thought this is, to have that experience really opened my eyes even more. And I realized there were women out there that just, I mean, they're not getting any help. They don't have the education. They don't even know what's wrong with them. And I think we touched on this before, but a lot of women don't understand what function estrogen plays in their system or progesterone. I think you have to almost take it back to menopause 1 0 1, and that's what we did at the National Menopause Show last year.

(10:20):

We had these sessions and it was Menopause 1 0 1. What is menopause? And I think for a lot of women, there's a lot, there's stigma attached to their symptoms. There's stigma attached to the weight gain, the brain fog, and they don't really understand that it could be perimenopause. And how do you make those changes? How do you feel normal? Again, I had women at the show last year and it really was amazing. And they came up to me and they said, I thought it was all by myself. And they came to the show by themselves because they wanted clarity. They wanted to confirm is this really perimenopause? Is this menopause? What can I do? And I had women thanking me and they didn't need to thank me. It was the doctors and the exhibitors that really brought this together. I just had the courage. Or some people might say that it wasn't at all courage. It was a need. It was a necessity, and I just felt very strongly that we needed to put something together to help women.

Michelle MacDonald (11:30):

One of the things that really stands out about your show, and certainly why I'm attracted to participating, my mom and I are really looking forward to speaking at your event and bringing our team there. And it's that your show is really about sticking to the evidence. And this is a tough one, right? Because everybody online claims to be evidence-based, but you've really taken that seriously. How do you decide who's credible enough to get a stage or a booth? I'd love to talk about that a little bit,

Angela Macgregor (12:02):

Right? In terms of the stage that really is curated by our advisory board in terms of the speakers and the topics, it's very important that our advisory board manages that and we can certainly recommend, but it is ultimately up to the planning committee within the advisory board that will make the decisions who speaks in the topics. That's very, very important. In terms of the exhibitor floor space, that too is really important that if there are products, ingestibles, especially that they are Health Canada approved and that there is, if they need a din number, an NP number, we do ask those questions. So it's really been a learning curve for us. I don't profess to be a menopause expert at all. So we are guided by the science testament to that is we have this year our title sponsor is Shoppers Drug Mart, and they did their due diligence to make sure that we were following the guidelines. They've been a wonderful support, but again, it's really important that we follow the science and that we are that trusted source.

Michelle MacDonald (13:31):

I'm sure it's getting more and more contentious these days. And I know you've got the American show as well opening up, and we were talking yesterday, you've had to turn down some companies in high profile speakers who could have brought in money or attention, but why was drawing that line so important to you?

Angela Macgregor (13:52):

I think especially with both shows, of course, but for the National Menopause Show in Toronto, what's really important is we are providing education to patients, so to speak. We as women are all patients in some capacity. We are not only educating the patients, but we have a new healthcare provider track for are educating healthcare providers. And that's on the Friday prior to the National Menopause Show for general practitioners and also for nurse practitioners on the Saturday. So there's many levels of education at this event. So it's really important that we have trusted sources that the information we say we're providing is correct and that we're following the science. That's really important.

Michelle MacDonald (15:00):

That's huge actually, I just want to tease that out a little bit. You slip that in, there's education for doctors and that's on the Friday night, correct?

Angela Macgregor (15:07):

That's on the Friday during the day. And then for the nurse practitioners, it's on the Saturday

Michelle MacDonald (15:15):

And doctors and nurse practitioners that are interested in following up there. And I'm sure there's a ton that are going to be listening that are interested in that, where they find that information out,

Angela Macgregor (15:25):

That information can be found on the website. There is something separate just for the HCP healthcare providers, and that is not something that I'm involved in. That's very much a planning committee, a scientific committee that has driven that. So I really can't speak to a lot of that information, but I can certainly,

Michelle MacDonald (15:50):

You just know what's happening

Angela Macgregor (15:54):

That is separate from the National Menopause Show, but it is in combination, especially with the nurse practitioners on the Saturday,

Michelle MacDonald (16:01):

That's huge because you got to educate the educate.

Angela Macgregor (16:05):

We're encouraging all the healthcare providers to come over the weekend, and of course they'll have passes to do that as well. So it's really,

Michelle MacDonald (16:12):

They get credits for that.

Angela Macgregor (16:13):

Yes, and that's the doctors do for the nurses. There's so many nurses, nurse practitioners out there that are in that age group as well that they've worked long shift hours and so forth, and menopause has been very disruptive to them. So it's twofold. This event really is a hybrid event that's bringing different layers of education to the public and to the healthcare providers.

Michelle MacDonald (16:46):

It's really exciting. Not only has your show grown, because last year it was just one day and it was really about, I think it was really about educating Jane, right? The civilian, the gal, us. But now it's branching out more into also bringing in education for the providers, and that's huge. We do know that the education, the medical system is fragile. I was listening to someone on, maybe it was Amanda Thieves Instagram page, or maybe it was Melissa Grillo, but there was a doctor saying that it takes about, maybe I'm going to get this number wrong, but something like seven years or more to create a new doctor in the Canadian system. And we're looking at a shortage, a real shortage. And so this is alarming, of course, because then we also have this whole new space of a woman's health. I mean, it's not new, but we're actually focusing on it. And then we've got to add that the mix and get education and normalizing conversations around menopause.

Angela Macgregor (17:56):

I think it's important that women have access to care, and this is one of the components of the show. It's access to care. So there are different areas or different options for women when they come to the show. They can see what their options are and what are next steps, how can they get help, whether it's private healthcare or if it's public healthcare, just we want to be able to give women options. That's really, really important.

Michelle MacDonald (18:29):

And trying to get the conversation more on the same page. Again, it's just so tough for your average Jane to get into this space and hearing experts vehemently disagreeing, and in fact, not even having conversations. It's alarming. Well, what am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to go left or am I supposed to go right? Do I take the red pill? Do I take the blue pill? And so it's really important that we have these same page conversations.

Angela Macgregor (18:56):

There is a lot of confusion out there, and we want to be able to provide clarity.

Michelle MacDonald (19:04):

Yeah, the feeling is come to this show and you'll walk away with clarity versus more in Instagram. It's just so noisy. And so let's talk about that a little bit. The conversation is getting crazy. I think you've probably seen massive changes just in, well, the menopause show was last year, but you would've created that what one year runtime. So let's say two years. You've probably seen massive changes in this space, both for the good and for the not so good. We're seeing, of course, testosterone. We're seeing LPs being sold as the be all and end all for menopause now, all kinds of supplements. We've got influencers charging six figures to speak about menopause. How do you keep your van open to dialogue without it becoming this free-for-all?

Angela Macgregor (19:54):

I think we just go back to evidence-based and expert led. I think that's really important. It's very easy to Google, and I mentioned that earlier. It's very easy to go online, to go onto Instagram and see what the latest and greatest is. But I think what the National Menopause Show offers is something tangible where we have iterated a phenomenal program over two days and also phenomenal exhibit floor with trusted products and services. And I think that's a really good starting point for women to come to the show and see what the science is telling us and make your decision from there. Everybody, we have to be able to give women options and you can make up your own mind what you want to do, but if we are doing women a real disservice, if we don't have the right information, the right education for them. So I think for two days you can come and you're going to learn something new every single day. We're not repeating the program.

Michelle MacDonald (21:06):

Can you tell us a little bit the space, how many people are going, even if it's roughly you're going to come to the show, it's two days you've got speakers. Can you give us an idea of the lineup and then in terms of the booth, what can somebody experience? Why would they want to come to the show? What are they going to find out about? Can you talk about that at all?

Angela Macgregor (21:28):

Sure, sure. So in terms of speaking, I mean we have Menopause 1 0 1. The program is set up with an introductory of what menopause is. We have topics on brain fog, sleep, obesity, weight gain, skin hair changes, all the things that we're not really talking about or maybe some of the things that we don't really realize. Some of the symptoms are connected to perimenopause. So it'ss, mental health, mental health is so important. A lot of times women in their thirties and forties, there's a lot of changes happening in the world, whether they're done having their babies or we're in the sandwich generation with their parents, caregivers, kids, going off to,

Michelle MacDonald (22:16):

I've never of that before, the sandwich generation, but it's bang on. You've got the elderly that you're taking care of, you've got kids going through college or it's a lot.

Angela Macgregor (22:24):

It is a lot.

Michelle MacDonald (22:25):

And careers, a lot of these women are handling their hormones, mom and dad kids, and they're at the pinnacle of their career. They have financial stress and responsibilities,

Angela Macgregor (22:35):

Right? And then you have your health on top of that, which a lot of times we're not taking care of ourselves the way we should because we're multitaskers and we're looking after everybody else but ourselves.

Michelle MacDonald (22:48):

And how do you take care of your health beyond pharmacological intervention? Always. There's like every year there's a new fad. Do this, eat protein, don't eat protein, eat fat, don't eat fat.

Angela Macgregor (23:00):

There is a lot, lot out there, a lot of noise really. And what I've seen is since we started this event or launched this event, there's a lot of companies and individuals that are capitalizing on menopause, so to speak. And it's a little discouraging at times because menopause can lend itself to many different interpretations. But we have to again, go back to the science and I think that's really what's going to drive the success of this event is a trusted, we are a trusted source. We have Shoppers Drug Mart, who is exhibiting at the show. They have one of the largest booths there. We're really excited. I'm not sure exactly they're going to do, but I know there's lots of fun things that they're going to be bringing into the fold. They'll have a lot of representatives there. We have some private clinics there. We have, it's layered and layered and layered up with really cool things.

(24:05):

There's companies that will be launching their products at our event, which is really exciting. So it's fun. Last year it was fun. It was so exciting just to see all these women and we didn't give ourselves enough time. We had women line up at eight 30 in the morning and they left at seven o'clock at night. That's why we're running it over two days. So we don't have that mad rush of it's going to be a little bit calmer. It's just going to be a little easier to get around. It was wonderful from a show perspective, but from an attendee perspective, we want to make the experience even better for them. So it's over two days. It's going to be fun. There's all kinds of really, really cool, interesting products and services that are going to help with women's health. There's, if you want to talk sex, you can talk sex or just pelvic health, brain health, you name it, we have it at this show.

Michelle MacDonald (25:15):

So if you're a woman that is, say you're in this small town in Ontario and you're having a hard time even, because I know it can be hard if you don't have a family doctor, even there's a wait list to even get to see another family doctor. And then depending on your location, that can be challenging. So I'm thinking of someone coming to the show. What could she hope to get out of this beyond education? Will there be a way is other apps that you can hook up with a provider or get some, as you said, tangible outcomes, tangible help.

Angela Macgregor (25:54):

There's a number of companies on the show floor that do have apps, access to their information, their products and services online. You mentioned a small town girl. That's exactly what I am. I'm a small town girl, and it can be

Michelle MacDonald (26:10):

Tough in Canada right now. My mom doesn't have a family doctor.

Angela Macgregor (26:15):

I mean, that's crazy. It's crazy that it's access to care brain with Joan

Michelle MacDonald (26:18):

Doesn't have a family doctor.

Angela Macgregor (26:20):

Wow. Good thing she's so healthy,

Michelle MacDonald (26:23):

Right? Yeah. Well, we went to Cleveland Clinic, I'm like, let's get her into Cleveland Clinic. And we had her fully done. But that's not always an option for people too. It's not always an

Angela Macgregor (26:33):

Option. But there will be options for women if they come to the show and they can have, number one, a better understanding of what they're going through and what next steps are. And there's products and services on that show floor that can support them in their journey that will really support them. And there's different levels of care as we know in Canada. And again, we want women to leave the show feeling empowered and feeling like they have a plan. The most important thing is what the show and I was hoping for last year, and I was just so amazed was we really created a community. It's a safe place for women to come in and just talk. Everybody has this common thread all these women have, and the smiles on their face, it was incredible. The energy in the hall was unbelievable. It was like Christmas morning really. It was just like, wow, we found our space. So I'm so excited about that, so excited.

Michelle MacDonald (27:42):

Honestly, I can't wait to be there, and I'm so glad to be part of it in a small way and just get that message out there. We have a lot of clients in Canada, and I can think of some even four years ago that we're going through some pretty tough menopausal issues, and it just felt like there was nowhere to go and the conversations they just weren't having with their doctors. And it's difficult and can to shop around for new doctors, they should go private.

Angela Macgregor (28:15):

And we have to shift the silence and get rid of the stigma and just allow women to talk and just have the freedom to share some of their symptoms or what do they do? And I found that some of the symptoms I had experienced, I didn't realize they were related to perimenopause. I had no idea. I was shocked. Really?

Michelle MacDonald (28:48):

It's not just a conversation for older women too. I mean, if you're a younger person, you want to be attending the show and learn about a very normal process in the female reproductive cycle, right?

Angela Macgregor (29:00):

You do. I think it's for all women really in their thirties and beyond. I think one of our objectives should be to get the women that are even in their late twenties, to have a better understanding of what they're going to go through. And women in their seventies when a lot of women have said, well, I'm done menopause. Well, you're not really done menopause because you have menopause until you leave this earth. So there are things that you can do later in life to help support your health going forward. So you're vibrant and you feel good. So we don't have to just sit and be silent anymore. It's not acceptable.

Michelle MacDonald (29:46):

Yeah, it's not. And tapping into community so important, normalizing this stage of life and then having those open conversations. Stress is an incredible amplifier of negative health outcomes. We know that. There's lots of research supporting that, normalizing these conversations, having an outlet, being able to talk about these things, get a resolution, start that journey towards better health, whether it's pharmacological or it's understanding your lifestyle has to change. I, I think it was Dr. Stuart Phillips was on the show, and he was saying, the older you get, and this is for men and women, you have to become more precise. When you're younger, you can kind of do whatever and the paint will land. But as you get older, you've got to be more precise about what are the things that you are going to implement for your personal lifestyle, your routine, that give you that, as you said, that thriving, abundant lifestyle, not just ticking off the years on the calendar, but you want to jump out of bed and be agile and ready to take a bite at a life until you go, so that's right. Yeah. It's just incredible what you're doing. I'm excited to be at the show. Well,

Angela Macgregor (30:59):

We're very excited to have you. Very excited.

Michelle MacDonald (31:03):

So let's make this show a sellout. Let's have every possible woman that could benefit from these conversations to show up. It is, as you said, you've got an advisory board that are very particular about vetting the show. That's why Joan and I are being a part of it. We'll be there on Saturday. We'll be there all day. We've got a booth for both days. And if you haven't bought a ticket, can people still buy tickets,

Angela Macgregor (31:32):

Angel? Yes. Yes. We're encouraging you to buy a ticket. Get your spot. The National menopause show.com.

Michelle MacDonald (31:40):

If somebody wants a booth, are there still booths available or is that that sonar

Angela Macgregor (31:45):

For Toronto? No, we have sold out the show and then we expanded and we are, no, I don't think there is. Certainly if a company is interested, they can give us a call. But we are maxed out. We are maxed

Michelle MacDonald (32:04):

Out. Wow,

Angela Macgregor (32:05):

That's, congratulations

Michelle MacDonald (32:06):

On that. That's

Angela Macgregor (32:06):

Incredible. Thank you. We're just thrilled. We're so thrilled with it and we're so excited that you and your mom are coming. I think that is going to be one of the many highlights. Certainly I will be sitting in on your session. We're excited for sure. I'm going to be sitting in on that. I'm going to try and sit in on, I need this show. I need this show. I need to learn from one year to the next. So really, the shoemaker's kids have no shoes. So last year didn't have the time to sit in on every session. But this year,

Michelle MacDonald (32:37):

This year going to, you've got to make time for it. You've created something truly, truly legendary and just huge congratulations. It's not easy. I started my business in my fifties. It's not easy starting a business in your fifties, and despite everything, despite menopause and symptoms and all of that, you've created something, a beautiful platform that has undoubtedly helped hundreds, if not thousands of women. So keep on going.

Angela Macgregor (33:05):

Well, thank you, Michelle. We're really excited. We're really excited. And you know what? It's inspiration, inspirational for you to come on or to ask me onto the podcast. And you started your business a little later in life. And I am fearless. I think because I have women supporting me like yourself, and women need to support women. We do. We need to support women because we're all in it together.

Michelle MacDonald (33:34):

We're all in it together. That's a good byline for the show. Thank you, Angela, for being on the show. And guys,

Angela Macgregor (33:40):

Thank

Michelle MacDonald (33:40):

You. All the information to attend the show is in the show notes. Please share this podcast with a friend that needs to hear this. The show's going to be incredible, and we'll see you there. Angela's stories prove that one woman's frustration can spark a movement. The National Menopause Show isn't about gimmicks or fads, it's about science, community, and giving women real options. Here are the takeaways I want you to leave with. Number one, menopause isn't an endpoint. Your health needs a full plan. No matter how old you are, evidence matters. Not all experts are credible. Three community's power. You don't have to do this alone. Why would you remember Joan and I will be speaking live at the show on Saturday? Check the website for details. Come by your booth to connect with us in person. If this episode gave you clarity or shifted your perspective, please share it with the friend. Leave us a review. It helps keeps stronger by design. In the top 1% guys of podcast worldwide, it amplifies the message that aging powerfully is possible when you demand the truth and live by the evidence.