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The Sweaty Pillow We're not just about hot flashes and night sweats, we're a community of women navigating menopause.

S2, Ep8 | The Menopause Brain: Brain Fog, Sleep & Your Future Brain HealthThis episode is for every woman who has lost h...
10/15/2026

S2, Ep8 | The Menopause Brain: Brain Fog, Sleep & Your Future Brain Health

This episode is for every woman who has lost her train of thought mid-sentence and wondered, “What the hell is happening to my brain?”
The word you can’t find. The sleep you can’t seem to get. The unsettling feeling that you don’t quite recognize yourself.

Lara sits down with Dr. Manna Semby, known as “The Menopause Brain Doctor,” for a conversation about menopause, memory, and the questions women deserve answers to.

A naturopathic doctor, Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, and founder of Aruna Personalized Medicine, Dr. Semby brings both professional knowledge and deeply personal experience to this conversation.
Her own experiences with menopause, burnout, breast cancer, and profound brain fog helped shape her work—and her determination to become a doctor who keeps looking for ways to help.

Lara and Dr. Semby explore changes in sleep, mood, and cognition during perimenopause, the difference between brain fog and concerns that deserve further attention, and the questions surrounding hormones, menopause, and long-term brain health.
They also discuss Alzheimer’s risk, the importance of understanding your family history, and what women can ask their clinicians when something feels different.

Because forgetting a word can feel like more than a momentary lapse. It can shake your confidence and leave you wondering what it means for your future.
And because this is The Sweaty Pillow, we make room for the honest, frightening parts of that experience—and for a conversation about learning, asking questions, and finding support.

🎙️ October 15, 2026 Live Now

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Connect with Dr. Manna Semby on Instagram:
Learn more about Aruna Personalized Medicine: https://arunamed.com

Connect with host Lara Smith on Instagram:

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The Sweaty Pillow Podcast provides general information only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare professional for medical concerns.

10/14/2026

Why does something you’ve done for years suddenly take so much mental effort?

Dr. Manna Semby explores brain energy during perimenopause—and why thinking, remembering and focusing can feel harder than before.

🎙️ Tomorrow on The Sweaty Pillow: The Menopause Brain
Season 2, Episode 8 with Dr. Manna Semby
Available at 12:01 a.m.

Send this to the friend who keeps saying, “My brain is exhausted.”

What can you do today for the brain you’ll depend on tomorrow?“Educate yourself. Learn the red flags. Learn what you can...
10/13/2026

What can you do today for the brain you’ll depend on tomorrow?

“Educate yourself. Learn the red flags. Learn what you can do. You can take action today to change the trajectory of your long-term brain aging.”
— Dr. Manna Semby

Dr. Manna encourages women to understand their brain health, recognize changes worth discussing, and ask informed questions about their care.
Her message gives us somewhere to begin: learn what to look for, understand your options, and bring your concerns to your clinician.

You don’t have to figure everything out at once. Your next step might be one question:
“What should I be paying attention to for my long-term brain health?”

Save this as a reminder—and share it with a woman who deserves to be part of this conversation.

10/12/2026

“My memory just isn’t as good as it used to be.”

It might start with a passing comment to a friend. A word you can’t find. A shorter fuse. Small changes you notice, then brush aside.
As Lara puts it in this conversation with Dr. Manna Semby, it can be a slow burn. You don’t necessarily wake up one morning feeling dramatically different. The changes build gradually—until you realize you haven’t felt like yourself for a while.

When did you start noticing? What’s changed? Have you mentioned it to your clinician?
Join the conversation about paying attention to your experience—and putting those quiet, gradual changes into words.

What was the first change you noticed in perimenopause?

10/10/2026

**Your period still shows up. But your sleep, mood and patience have left the chat.**
That’s part of what can make perimenopause so confusing. You’re still having periods, yet you feel different—and you’re trying to understand why.

Dr. Manna Semby explains how inconsistent ovulation and changes in progesterone during perimenopause can affect sleep, mood stability and anxiety.

Her point: the changes can begin well before your periods stop. And for some women, that transition can feel more challenging than menopause itself.
If you’ve been lying awake wondering, **“Why don’t I feel like myself?”** this conversation may help you put words to what you’re experiencing.

Save this for your next appointment—or share it with a friend who’s in the thick of it.

10/09/2026

“This is what I’m experiencing. What do I need to do?”

Sometimes, that’s the most important question you can bring to your clinician.
In our upcoming episode, Dr. Manna Semby, “The Menopause Brain Doctor,” encourages women to learn about changes in memory and thinking, understand the red flags, and seek support when something feels different.

A concern isn’t a diagnosis. But it deserves a conversation.
We talk about understanding your symptoms and the steps you can take today to support your long-term brain health.

🎙️ The Sweaty Pillow | Season 2, Episode 8
🗓️ Launching October 15 at 12:01 a.m.

Save this—and share it with someone who’s been wondering, “Is this just menopause?”
Dr. Manna Semby | Menopause Brain Doctor

10/07/2026

“This is what I’m experiencing. What do I need to do?”

Sometimes, that’s the most important question you can bring to your clinician.
In our upcoming episode, Dr. Manna Semby, “The Menopause Brain Doctor,” encourages women to learn about changes in memory and thinking, understand the red flags, and seek support when something feels different.

A concern isn’t a diagnosis. But it deserves a conversation.
We talk about understanding your symptoms and the steps you can take today to support your long-term brain health.

🎙️ The Sweaty Pillow | Season 2, Episode 8
🗓️ Launching October 15 at 12:01 a.m.

Save this—and share it with someone who’s been wondering, “Is this just menopause?”

“What the hell is happening to my brain?”The word you can’t find. The name you suddenly forget. The thought that disappe...
10/03/2026

“What the hell is happening to my brain?”
The word you can’t find. The name you suddenly forget. The thought that disappears halfway through a sentence.
If this feels familiar, our next episode is one you’ll want to hear.

On October 15, The Sweaty Pillow welcomes Dr. Manna Semby, “The Menopause Brain Doctor,” for a conversation about the side of menopause we don’t talk about enough: what’s happening in our brains.
We’ll explore brain fog, memory and focus, the connection between sleep and cognition, and the questions surrounding menopause, hormones and Alzheimer’s risk—including what we know and what we’re still learning.

Plus: what can we do today to protect our future brain?

🎙️ Season 2, Episode 8: The Menopause Brain
🗓️ Launching October 15 at 12:01 a.m.

Save the date—and send this to the friend who’s been saying, “I just don’t feel like myself.”

10/01/2026

Women in their 40s and 50s are often at the height of their careers while raising teenagers, caring for aging parents, and trying to understand changes in their own bodies.
And when they finally ask for help, too many leave feeling dismissed.
In this conversation with Gina Livy, Lara reflects on the 15-year journey that began with a simple need: “Can I just get a doctor who will listen to me?”
Our mothers were often expected to put up with it. We’re asking questions, sharing what’s happening, and refusing to let the next generation go through it alone.

When you first sought help for a midlife symptom, did you feel heard?

Listen to Lara and Gina’s full conversation on The Sweaty Pillow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or watch it on YouTube.

09/30/2026

If you could go back and speak to your younger self, would you tell her to make different choices?
Gina Livy wouldn’t. She’d tell her that some hard things are coming—and that she’ll make it through them.
“You’re gonna be okay.”
Sometimes that’s what we most need to hear, especially when we’re in the middle of something and can’t yet see the other side.
What would you tell your younger self?
Listen to Gina’s full conversation with Lara on The Sweaty Pillow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or watch it on YouTube.

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