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Navigating menopause as a Latina woman often means facing it alone - without adequate information, representation, or community support. On this episode of Pleasure in the Pause, host Gabriella Espinosa sits down with Emmy-winning journalist and entrepreneur Gaby Natale to discuss how she's revolutionizing menopause education for Latinas through her groundbreaking bilingual platform, Menopausia.com.

Whether you're struggling with medically-induced menopause after breast cancer treatment, searching for reliable information in Spanish, or simply tired of outdated depictions of midlife women, this conversation offers validation, solutions, and a roadmap for reclaiming your power during this transformative life stage. Gaby shares her journey from breast cancer survivor to menopause advocate, revealing why Latinas experience longer transitions and how breaking the silence can literally save lives.

Highlights from our discussion include:

• Stop waiting for permission or copying what others do. Real transformation happens when you trust your own vision before the world validates it.

• The menopause transition lasts approximately two years longer for Latina women, with the average age being 48 instead of 51. 

• Women in the US typically see 4-5 different doctors before finding adequate menopause solutions.

• Gaby's "Virtuous Circle" model identifies seven archetypes that drive successful transformation.

• The depressing, outdated imagery typically used to portray menopausal women perpetuates shame and invisibility.

Menopause doesn't have to be navigated in isolation or shame. By sharing our stories, breaking cultural silence, and accessing reliable bilingual resources, we can ensure the next generation of women enters this transition with knowledge, community, and confidence.

How Breast Cancer Survivor Gaby Natale Built the First Bilingual Menopause Platform

When Gaby Natale finished her breast cancer treatment, she thought the hardest part was over. She was wrong.

The three-time Emmy-winning journalist found herself thrust into medically-induced menopause with no warning about what was coming. Hot flashes hit her at random. Sleep became impossible. Her body felt foreign. And when she went looking for answers, she discovered something shocking: reliable information about menopause for Latina women barely existed.

That gap between what women need and what's actually available? That's where Menopausia.com was born.

The Reality Check That Changes Everything

Here’s what most people don’t know: Latina women face menopause transitions lasting about 8.5 years versus 6.5 years for white women, and onset often comes earlier—age 48 instead of 51.

That means two extra years of symptoms, often without resources, representation, or language-appropriate care. For many, cultural stigma adds another layer of silence.

For Gaby, already the first Latina to win three consecutive Daytime Emmys and the first Hispanic author published by HarperCollins Leadership, this was another “first” she never wanted: being alone in a medical journey with no clear answers.

When Your Body Becomes a Stranger

Medically induced menopause doesn’t ease you in - it throws you in headfirst.

After treatment, Gaby went from regular cycles to none. Symptoms hit all at once: hot flashes, insomnia, mood swings, vaginal dryness. “During treatment, all your focus is survival,” Gaby explains. “Afterward, you realize the menopause symptoms have arrived - all at the same time.”

If a journalist trained to research and sift through information struggled, what hope did other women have? That question fueled her mission.

The Information Desert

Gaby started researching everything she could find about menopause. What she discovered was frustrating:

• Information was scattered across hundreds of websites with no central resource

• Different sources contradicted each other, especially for breast cancer survivors

• There was a gray area around which therapies were safe for her specific situation

• New research kept emerging, making older information outdated

• When she searched in Spanish, there was even less available

She realized something critical: if someone with her education, training, and resources struggled this much, countless other women were suffering without answers.

The bilingual gap was particularly striking. Many Latina women are more comfortable discussing health topics in Spanish, especially intimate ones. But the menopause information ecosystem acted like Spanish speakers didn't exist.

The Birth of Something New

This is where most people would just complain. Gaby built something instead.

She founded Menopausia.com (menopause in Spanish) as the first bilingual FemTech platform dedicated to perimenopause and menopause. Not bilingual as an afterthought—bilingual from the ground up, with identical content in English and Spanish.

But she didn't just want to create another information website. She wanted to build a home.

The three pillars of Menopausia.com:

1. Information you can trust - Expert-vetted content organized around three sections: Feel Good, Look Good, and The Good Life (because women are more than just symptoms to manage)

2. Community support - A forum where women can share experiences, ask questions, and find solidarity (with options for anonymous posting because shame still exists)

3. Real solutions - The Meno Shop, an e-commerce store that's searchable by symptom, not product category

The Images That Tell a Thousand Lies

Gaby talks about something most of us have noticed but haven't named: the depressing way media portrays menopausal women.

You know the images. Woman holding her forehead in despair. Woman pinching belly fat with a look of disgust. Woman looking lost and confused. These visuals are everywhere, reinforcing the message that menopause equals decline, irrelevance, and defeat.

Menopausia.com refuses to echo that narrative.

The platform features vibrant, confident women because that's reality. Women in menopause aren't losing in life - they're hitting their highest career achievements and earning potential. They're making household purchasing decisions. They're running companies and raising families and starting new ventures.

Research backs this up. Menopause typically coincides with women's peak earning years and professional influence. So why do we keep showing them as defeated and declining?

Representation matters because it shapes what we believe is possible.

The Pioneer Spirit That Breaks Barriers

Gaby has a framework she shares with audiences worldwide: the pioneer spirit versus the emulator mindset.

Most of us spend our lives as emulators. We watch what everyone else does and copy it. We wait for validation before moving forward. We seek permission before taking risks.

Emulators don't move the world forward. They perpetuate the status quo.

Pioneers do something different. They trust their vision before the world validates it. They see opportunities before others catch up. They act on ideas that don't have proof of concept yet.

"Discomfort is our wake-up call to pioneer," Gaby says. When things aren't working -when the status quo isn't enough - that's the signal to reinvent.

She's lived this philosophy from the beginning. Coming to the United States at 24 with no family or friends. Starting a media career from scratch. Refusing to fit into the two stereotypes local news offered Latina women: the hyper-sexualized weather girl or the formal news anchor with no personality.

"I don't want to be a wannabe. I want to be me," she explains. That decision to show up as her full self—not a sanitized, acceptable version- unlocked everything that came next.

The Virtuous Circle of Reinvention

In her bestselling book The Virtuous Circle, Gaby shares seven archetypes that guide reinvention: Dreamer, Architect, Maker, Apprentice, Warrior, Champion, and Leader.

The circle is continuous - once you achieve one goal, you return to dreaming the next. Knowing which archetype you need to activate helps you stay resilient through change

Gaby admits the Warrior comes naturally to her- she perseveres well. But the Dreamer? That's her weak spot. When things go wrong, she disconnects from visualization and falls into negative self-talk.

Knowing this helps her compensate. When she catches herself in that pattern, she can deliberately activate the Dreamer archetype again.

The Statistics That Should Outrage You

On average, women in the U.S. see 4–5 doctors before receiving adequate menopause care.

Add language barriers and cultural stigma, and the problem deepens. Many Latina women hesitate to question doctors, but as Gaby insists: self-advocacy isn’t optional in a system that fails women.

“No one looks better silent,” she reminds us. Whether in the doctor’s office or in your own home, your voice is your power.

What self-advocacy looks like:

• Naming your symptoms specifically instead of downplaying them

• Asking about all available treatment options, not just what's offered first

• Requesting second opinions when something doesn't feel right

• Bringing written lists of symptoms and questions to appointments

• Refusing to accept "this is just part of aging" as the only answer

What You Can Do Right Now

You don't have to build a platform to make a difference. You can start shifting the conversation today.

Immediate actions you can take:

• Stop hiding your symptoms from people who could support you

• Use the actual word "menopause" instead of euphemisms

• Ask your doctor specific questions about treatment options

• Connect with other women going through the transition

• Challenge depressing or demeaning menopause imagery when you see it

• Share reliable resources with women who need them

If you read this and thought "my mother needs to hear this" or "my sister is going through this" - send it to them. Forward the information. Start the conversation.

Every time one woman speaks up, it makes it easier for the next woman to do the same.

The Legacy Goal That Matters Most

Gaby’s vision is clear: let’s be the last generation that carries menopause shame.

Imagine if workplaces ignored pregnancy entirely. That’s how we treat menopause now—a major transition, invisible in public life.

The goal isn’t just information or products. It’s cultural transformation: a world where women can navigate menopause with dignity, knowledge, and community.

About Gaby Natale:

Gaby Natale is a three-time Daytime Emmy Award-winning journalist, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and leadership speaker. She made history as the first Latina to win three consecutive Daytime Emmys and the first Hispanic author published by HarperCollins Leadership. Recognized by People Magazine as one of the 25 Most Powerful Latinas and by Success Magazine as a Woman of Influence, Gaby is also a breast cancer survivor and official ambassador for Susan G. Komen.

Most recently, she founded Menopausia.com, the first bilingual FemTech platform dedicated to Latinas navigating perimenopause and menopause. Her bestselling book, The Virtuous Circle, provides a framework for reinvention and breaking barriers. Connect with her on Instagram @gabynatale and explore Menopausia.com for comprehensive menopause resources in English and Spanish.

Learn more about Menopausia.com here: https://menopausia.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/menopausiacom/

Connect with Gaby here: 

https://www.instagram.com/gabynatale/

https://www.youtube.com/@GabyNataleOK

Buy Gaby's book The Virtuous Circle here: https://a.co/d/1XFKKNF

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