The Menopause Monologues: Bringing Menopause Into the Spotlight
Menopause is universal.
Silence around it has been cultural.
In this episode, I sit down with Lulu Braunstein, Carrie Vanhouten, and Lisa Anne Morrison, the creators of The Menopause Monologues, a live theatrical movement bringing menopause out of the darkness and into the spotlight, one real-life story at a time.
This is not just a performance.
It is women telling the stories our mothers and grandmothers could not tell. Publicly. Embodied. Without apology.
And yes, that includes a pink vagina puppet.
What We Talk About
• How The Menopause Monologues began
• The cultural silence around perimenopause and menopause
• Medical dismissal and why so many women feel unprepared
• Why live theater creates a different kind of impact than information alone
• Humor, rage, grief, and relief in midlife
• Their three pillars: Listening. Sharing. Serving.
• Why they include a menopause-trained clinician for live post-show Q&A
• Healthcare equality across race, income, and gender identity
• Redefining what sexy means in midlife
Why This Production Matters
As a nurse, I care deeply about access, language, and informed care.
What I respect about this work is that it does not stop at storytelling. After each performance, they bring in a menopause-trained clinician for a live Q and A. That is not decorative. It is service.
Validation matters.
Validation plus access is where change begins.
The Menopause Monologues is built on three pillars.
Listening.
Sharing.
Serving.
It is theater.
It is community.
It is cultural disruption in the best sense of the word.
A Moment That Stayed With Me
At the end of our conversation*, I asked each of them the same question I ask every guest.
What does sexy mean to you right now?
Their answers were grounded, funny, and honest.
They talked about:
• Freedom from the male gaze
• Humor as power
• Ferocious self-acceptance
• Appreciating stretch marks and wrinkles as evidence of a life lived
• Speaking more openly and expressing what they actually feel
Menopause as an Inflection Point
Menopause is not a decline.
It is an inflection point.
A recalibration.
A reorientation.
A moment when many women begin asking how they actually want to feel rather than how they are expected to appear.
The Menopause Monologues creates space for that conversation in community, in public, and yes, in the spotlight.
Connect with The Menopause Monologues
Website: The Menopause Monologues®
Instagram: @the.menopausemonologues
Listen to the Full Episode
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*A Note About the Closing
Due to a technical glitch at the end of our recording, the final segment of our live conversation was lost. I reached back out to each of the creators, and they graciously recorded their responses to the question I ask every guest.
What does sexy mean to you right now?
You will hear their individual reflections at the close of this episode. I am grateful for their generosity, and I think their answers are worth the extra effort.
About the Creators
Lulu Braunstein, Producer and Co Founder
Raised in a theatrical family in the UK, Lulu has spent much of her life immersed in performance and production. After years producing live televised events in London and directing elementary school musicals in Northern California, she co founded The Menopause Monologues to bring empathy, language, and community to a life stage too often misunderstood.
Carrie Vanhouten, Creator and Co Founder
Carrie is a theater trained creative, lifelong feminist, and Reiki master who blends performance, activism, and healing in her work. Through The Menopause Monologues, she uses storytelling as a tool for cultural change and women’s advocacy.
Lisa Anne Morrison, Director and Co Founder
With over 25 years of professional theater experience across stage and television, Lisa directs work at the intersection of art and activism. Her leadership in The Menopause Monologues centers on amplifying women’s voices and building community through live performance.
Content Note
This episode includes adult language and candid discussions about sexuality and the body.
About the Host
Dvora Citron, RN, MS, NBC-HWC
Founder, slant2plants®
Creator of Sexy in Your 60s™
Master’s-prepared Registered Nurse with over 40 years of clinical experience and a Lifestyle Medicine–certified Health & Wellbeing Coach specializing in women’s health after 50.
Website: https://www.slant2plants.com
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sexy-in-your-60s/id1855753795
Program Page: https://www.slant2plants.com/sexyinyour60s
Instagram: @slant2plants
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dvoracitronslant2plants/
FREE GIFT: Download the free Sexy in Your 60s Starter Guide:
Sexy in Your 60s Starter Guide
