The Hotflash inc podcast 182: Journalist Fiona Clark on hype, hormones and finding better science
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In this episode of the Hotflash inc podcast, host and founder Ann Marie McQueen speaks with award-winning journalist, broadcaster and women’s health advocate Fiona Clark. Together they unpack how media, medicine and marketing collided to create confusion and polarization in menopause care – and what needs to change.
Fiona, co-founder of the Menopause Research and Education Fund, shares why she wrote Meno Wars, the impact of social media “medical influencers,” how evidence gets cherry-picked and misused, and why better data, plain-language summaries and shared decision-making are vital for women’s health. They also discuss vaginal health – including her own issues – testosterone, GLP-1s, trauma, diet culture and the urgent need for more menopause research funding.
Highlights
- How the menopause movement went off the rails,
- The rise of medical influencers and how misinformation spreads online
- What hormone therapy can and can’t do
- The overlooked importance of vaginal health and simple, effective treatments
- How marketing shapes narratives
- Why anger is valid, and how women can demand better data, research, and care
About Fiona Clark
Fiona Clark is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and women’s health advocate. She is the author of Meno Wars: Why Menopause’s Moment Has Gone Horribly Wrong, which examines how media, medicine and marketing have shaped today’s menopause narrative. Fiona is also co-founder of the Menopause Research and Education Fund, dedicated to improving scientific research, education and equity in women’s health.
Meno Wars: wherever books are sold
IG: @fiona_c
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