| | | | Menopause isn’t a niche issue—it’s a life stage that half the population will experience. And yet, a recent Mayo Clinic study found that more than 80% of midlife women experiencing menopause symptoms aren’t getting medical care to manage them.
These aren’t mild symptoms, either. Sleep disturbances, weight gain, brain fog, sexual dysfunction—more than a third of women in the study reported symptoms so disruptive they interfered with daily life, work, relationships and overall well-being.
Still, most are not getting care. Why?
We’ve heard it before—“I didn’t realize there were treatment options” or “I figured it was just part of getting older.” Others feel their doctors aren’t trained to help. And in too many cases, they’re right.
What this tells us is something we’ve known all along: The system wasn’t built with women at the center. But studies like this are the first step in changing that. They put data behind the lived experience of millions of women. And they give us more fuel for the fight to make menopause care standard—not specialty.
At Flow Space, we’ll keep covering the science. But just as importantly, we’ll keep elevating the stories that make it matter. If you’ve felt dismissed or unsupported, know this: You are seen. And change is coming. |
| Meet the Health Expert Who’s Building a Smarter Way to Age Well For years, Dr. Jen Ashton was a trusted voice in homes across the country—bringing medical expertise to ABC News, Good Morning America and GMA3 as the network’s chief medical correspondent. But after more than a decade of covering everything from global pandemics to Super Bowls, she made a bold move: walking away from network television to launch Ajenda, a platform focused entirely on women’s health, nutrition and weight management.
With a master’s degree in nutrition and board certifications in OB-GYN and obesity medicine, Ashton has always blended evidence-based rigor with real-world practicality. Now, she’s channeling that expertise into a new mission—empowering women to take control of their well-being with science-backed, judgment-free tools.
We caught up with Ashton to talk about big transitions, entrepreneurial surprises and the power of staying present—even with an overflowing inbox. |
You walked away from a very high-profile role on TV to start your own company. How did you know it was the right time? Well, I think a lot went into my decision to step away from my role as chief medical correspondent at ABC News. I had been there for 12 years. I had been doing live network television for over 16 years at the same time as running a busy solo practice. And it was a combination of factors. You know, I thought that I really was at the stage in my life and career where I wanted to focus much more narrowly on weight, nutrition and women's health—that's what I'm board certified in.
I really didn't want to talk about things like COVID or bird flu or influenza anymore, which was part of my job at ABC. I enjoyed it while I was doing it, but I got to the point where I really wanted to just focus all of my bandwidth on those three areas, and I wanted to be able to do it from anywhere in the country. That worked better with my new personal situation, because having just gotten married two plus years ago, I really wanted to be able to do my work from wherever my husband is, and he travels even more than I do.
That’s a big shift—personally and professionally. What was it like to step away from a role that had defined so much of your career, and bet on yourself in a new way? I kind of felt like one of those professional athletes who wants to go out at the top of their game, not when they start making mistakes. And I had really been honored to have the role and position that I had had for so long. I had won four Emmys and a Columbia DuPont award, and I had been to the White House and the Super Bowl, and met all kinds of incredible people and covered all kinds of unbelievable stories that were national and global medical headlines, and I was ready for a new challenge. So it just felt right to me.
What has surprised you most about becoming an entrepreneur? Oh, I think one of the things that surprised me the most about starting Ajenda and my own company is how hard it is. You know, I had never done anything like this before, and very much like medicine, and very much like journalism, I set out by learning from people who have done it before and who are experts in this. And I feel really fortunate that I was able to hire a great team whose strengths are not my strengths. And together, we're making it work. So, it's been fun, but it's also definitely been scary.
How do you find flow—that moment, or ability, to be fully immersed and present in the moment—in your life? Well, my CEO and I now, when we get really, really stressed, we go “woosah,” and it kind of makes us laugh. But I think that I've always liked being busy. I've always liked the unpredictable nature of both medicine and news media and journalism, and I definitely have that in Ajenda and my new life.
And I think that the way I find flow is to just be 100% present wherever I am. So you know, my calendar and my to-do list and my inbox is just overflowing—pardon the pun—but it's still going to be overflowing an hour from now. So when I'm somewhere for work or somewhere with my family or somewhere with my husband, I just try to block all of that out and focus on where I am, what I'm doing, who I'm with, so that I can get the most out of it and also give the most to it. And so far, it's working. |
The Real Rules of Aging Well We’ve been sold a version of longevity that’s long on lifespan and short on reality. A cold plunge here, a supplement stack there, maybe a VO2 max test if you’re feeling ambitious. But for women—especially in midlife—aging well isn’t about flashy fixes or optimization for optimization’s sake. It’s about closing the gap between how long we live and how well we live. And that means looking inward, not just forward.
Across the board, women live longer than men. But we also spend more time in poor health, managing chronic conditions that chip away at our vitality and well-being. This isn’t just biology—it’s also a byproduct of the caregiving load we shoulder, the financial trade-offs we make and the historical underfunding of research on women’s health. Longevity may be the buzzword of the moment, but the truth is: Women have always been biohackers—long before the term existed. We’ve had to be.
What’s changing now is the landscape. We’re finally seeing tools, protocols and research that center female bodies and female aging. Experts in the space agree: The real levers of longevity for women are foundational, not faddish. That means prioritizing muscle health, eating for metabolic stability, sleeping well and tracking personal biomarkers—not just for the sake of data, but for self-awareness. And yes, a good pair of walking shoes and a solid pillow help, too. |
LISTENING to Good Hang with Amy Poehler . In the latest episode, Jennifer Lawrence drops in, and Poehler casually mentions that itchy ears can be a perimenopause symptom ( true!). It’s a small moment—but one that reminds us how powerful it is when midlife realities show up in mainstream conversation.
READING The Big M: 13 Writers Take Back the Story of Menopause, a bold, funny and deeply personal essay collection that reframes menopause not as an ending, but a story worth telling—on women’s own terms.
EXPLORING how different types—and combinations—of exercise may help ease menopause symptoms. A new study from Peloton and Respin Health marks a long-overdue shift: real research aimed at real bodies, offering evidence-based guidance for how women can move through midlife.
APPLAUDING the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science for its historic 98th Academy Awards nominations released today. In a refreshing twist, every nominated actress—except Elle Fanning—is aged 35 or over. |
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