Jared opens up about the personal experiences that pushed him into this space - from watching a young girlfriend fight for a PMDD diagnosis through four years of private clinics, to a moment at a nursery gate that changed everything. He talks about building a brand rooted in clinical science and community, the uncomfortable question of whether a man has any business leading a women's health company, and why he believes the answer is a lot more nuanced than it first appears.

This one will make you think, and probably feel a lot.

What we cover

The personal story behind Evelyn Health - and why Jared couldn't walk away from this idea

What it was really like to watch someone you love navigate an undiagnosed PMDD journey in their early twenties

A medical appointment that haunts him to this day - and why it fuels everything he builds

Navigating the loaded question: can a man authentically lead a women's health brand?

The UK's women's health strategy four years on - are things actually changing, or going backwards?

Why 740,000 women were on a gynaecology waiting list in December 2025 - and what needs to shift

The case for holistic, nutrition-first treatment before defaulting to medication

What Jared wants his son Ronnie to understand about supporting the women in his life

The vision for premenstrual health - and why menopause offers a blueprint

Sponsor

Evelyn Health is dedicated to helping those struggling with PMS and PMDD through expert-led, science-backed supplements and functional foods. Having used them for over a year to manage my own hormonal health, I'm so proud to have them as a partner.

Get 20% off your first order with code HOTLINE20 at evelynhealth.com

Connect with Jared Williams

Website: https://www.evelynhealth.com/

Instagram: @evelynhealth

Timestamps

00:01:03 — Introduction to Jared Williams and Evelyn Health

00:01:43 — Jared's background: law, startups, and what led him here

00:05:00 — Why PMS and PMDD? The personal roots of Evelyn

00:07:12 — A girlfriend's four-year PMDD diagnosis journey and what it cost her

00:09:18 — The appointment that made everything feel urgent

00:12:34 — Navigating life as a male founder in women's health

00:15:16 — On allyship, inclusion, and who belongs in the room

00:19:47 — Who is Evelyn? The name, the meaning, the mission

00:21:17 — What it feels like when the product actually changes someone's life

00:24:09 — Long-term vision: what success really looks like for Jared

00:28:20 — The state of women's health in the UK: optimism, worry, and 740,000 waiting

00:33:08 — What annoys Jared about the women's health space (it's controversial)

00:38:25 — Raising Ronnie: how to talk to your son about women's health

00:40:26 — Could Evelyn ever be available on the NHS?

00:43:26 — Why we need to go holistic first — and what GPs get wrong

00:47:16 — One piece of advice for his younger self

A note on our content

This podcast explores research and lived experience around women's health and chronic conditions. Our discussions aim to reflect current evidence while acknowledging that understanding in this field continues to evolve. The content is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalised medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listeners experiencing significant or distressing symptoms should seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional.

Subscribe and connect

If this episode resonated with you, please leave a rating and hit follow - it means the world and helps more women find the Hormonal Hotline.

Edited and produced by @the32collective_

Join host Ellisha Blake on The Hormonal Hotline for an empowering conversation with Olympian and life coach Michelle Griffith Robinson. In this raw and honest episode, Michelle opens up about her journey from breaking records in Wembley to navigating the complexities of women's health and high performance. 

She shares powerful insights on managing period symptoms as an athlete, overcoming abusive relationships, and why she believes your "second act" after 50 can be your best one yet. 

Key Takeaways

The importance of advocating for yourself in medical spaces, especially regarding black women's health and the menopause.

How to utilise an "Olympic mindset" to build resilience and bounce back from life’s challenges.

The life-changing power of making the brave choice to walk away from situations that no longer serve you.

Why education and open conversations are essential to removing the shame often associated with menstrual cycles and aging.

Episode Highlights

Breaking British records and the reality of high-performance training during a menstrual cycle.

Navigating perimenopause and the impact of hormone replacement therapy on energy and relationships.

The turning point at age 30 that led Michelle to take back control of her life and eventually meet her husband.

Practical advice for parents on raising active, confident children with strong boundaries.

Sponsor

This podcast was made possible by Evelyn Health, supporting our mission to bring raw, honest, and open conversations about hormonal health to the forefront.

Timestamps

00:00:58 Introduction to Olympian Michelle Griffith Robinson 

00:07:31 Breaking records and walking into the Atlanta Olympics 

00:09:40 The lack of period education in professional sports 

00:15:00 Advocating for black women's health and medical equity 

00:21:40 Navigating perimenopause, HRT, and midlife confidence 

00:29:02 Overcoming abusive relationships and reclaiming power 

00:33:50 The dress that changed everything on Michelle’s 30th birthday 

00:38:22 Secrets to a 24-year marriage and the value of therapy 

00:43:38 Living life with no second chances after personal loss 

00:47:32 Lessons on motherhood and being authentically you

Connect With Michelle Griffith Robinson

Website: https://www.michellegriffithrobinson.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-griffith-robinson-oly-86361a15/ 

Instagram: @michellegriffithrobinson 

Facebook: Michelle Griffith Robinson 

YouTube: Michelle Griffith Robinson OLY

Evelyn Health is dedicated to helping those struggling with PMS and PMDD through expert-led, science-backed supplements and functional foods. Having used them for over a year to manage my own hormonal health, I’m so proud to have them as a partner.

Get 20% off your first order with code HOTLINE20 at evelynhealth.com

Connect And Subscribe

Thank you for joining us on The Hormonal Hotline podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating!

Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

Celia opens up about her 6+ year journey to diagnosis, navigating a traumatic birth, postpartum depression she kept entirely hidden, suicidal ideation, the breakdown of her marriage, and the moment a YouTube video of a stranger crying changed everything. She also shares what actually helped — from overhauling her diet and tailoring her workouts to her cycle, to building a nonprofit that takes women to their GP appointments when no one else will.

This one is for anyone who has ever been told their pain isn't real, waited years to be taken seriously, or wondered if they'll ever feel like themselves again.

What we cover

Celia explains what PMDD actually is — and what it isn't. It's not a hormonal imbalance. 

She walks through her diagnosis journey in full: the traumatic birth of her son Jaden, undiagnosed postpartum depression she silently managed alone for months, and the years of cycling through rage, suicidal thoughts, and brief windows of feeling fine - which made it almost impossible to convince anyone something was seriously wrong.

Celia describes being offered chemical menopause and ovary removal before anyone suggested changing her diet — and how she rejected it all, went home, researched, and managed to reduce her symptoms by around 70% through nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle changes alone.

The two also get into the economic reality of PMDD: what it means for women's careers, relationships, and sense of self when half of every month is effectively written off - and why the healthcare system, built around a healthy young Caucasian male, is simply not designed to catch this.

Celia rounds things off talking about the PMDD app she's developing, the community events she runs in Newham, and why she now goes into GP appointments with other women who don't have the confidence to fight for themselves.

Key takeaways

PMDD is a brain sensitivity condition, not a hormonal imbalance. Your hormones can be completely normal — it's how your brain reacts to their natural rise and fall that's the problem.

Getting a PMDD diagnosis can take years, partly because symptoms like rage, suicidal ideation, and extreme low mood only show up for one or two weeks a month. Outside of that window, you look completely fine - which makes you easy to dismiss.

Tracking your cycle is one of the most powerful self-advocacy tools you have. Bringing a documented pattern to a GP appointment changes the conversation.

Diet and lifestyle changes can make a significant difference. Anti-inflammatory foods, cutting alcohol (especially during the luteal phase), and adapting your exercise to where you are in your cycle are worth trying before accepting more extreme medical interventions.

You don't have to go to appointments alone. There are charities, advocates, and GP guides available - and if you're in London, Celia will literally come with you.

Don't let your pain be in vain. Both Ellisha and Celia have turned their hardest years into something that helps other women. It does get better — and you are not alone in this.

Important Links

Celia's Organisation – Understanding My Body Through Mind

The PMDD Project (UK's first PMDD-dedicated charity) – thepmddproject.org

The Advocacy People (free advocacy support) – theadvocacypeople.org.uk

Mind – Getting a PMDD Diagnosis – mind.org.uk

Evelyn Health – evelynhealth.com (use code HOTLINE20 for 20% off)

About Celia Manuel

Celia Manuel is a women's health advocate and founder of Understanding My Body Through Mind, a nonprofit supporting women — particularly those from underserved communities — in navigating PMDD and hormonal health. She organises community events, provides education on the menstrual cycle and self-advocacy, and is currently developing a dedicated PMDD app. She is also a mother to her son Jaden, based in Newham, London.

Find Celia at understandingmybodythroughmind.org

Our partner — Evelyn Health

Evelyn Health is dedicated to helping those struggling with PMS and PMDD through expert-led, science-backed supplements and functional foods. Having used them for over a year to manage my own hormonal health, I'm so proud to have them as a partner.

Get 20% off your first order with code HOTLINE20 at evelynhealth.com

A note from us

This podcast explores research and lived experience around women's health and chronic conditions. Our discussions aim to reflect current evidence while acknowledging that understanding in this field continues to evolve. The content is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalised medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listeners experiencing significant or distressing symptoms should seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional.

If you've ever felt like a completely different person in the two weeks before your period — spiralling, overwhelmed, unable to get out of bed — this one is for you. Ellisha sits down with Elena Venturelli, a PhD researcher, women's health educator, and PMDD sufferer herself, to break down what PMDD actually is, why it's so chronically misunderstood, and what the future of PMDD research looks like.

They also go somewhere raw and real: the link between PMDD and trauma, abusive relationships, and the years of self-blame that so many of us carry without ever knowing why.

What we cover

• 
  What PMDD actually is, and why it's not just 'bad PMS'
• The symptoms that hit differently: visceral depression, rage, emotional reactivity, and that instant relief the moment your period arrives
• Why a blood test won't diagnose PMDD and what's actually going on in the brain
• The hormonal belt Elena is developing to monitor women's hormones 24/7 (yes, really)
• Elena's own PMDD story, from symptoms at 14, diagnosis at 17, the youngest ever HRT, and a four-year abusive relationship that took everything
• Why people with PMDD are more vulnerable to gaslighting and abusive relationships
• The trauma-PMDD link
• The heritability rate and why that doesn't have to be a sentence
• The hormones-gut-brain triad: Elena's framework for managing PMDD holistically
• Why women's health research is built on a foundation of studying men and what needs to change
• Quick fire: the one symptom you didn't realise was hormonal, what Elena would add to the NHS, and what she wishes someone had validated sooner

About Elena Venturelli

Elena is a PhD researcher working to develop better tools for studying women's hormones - because the current ones were designed around male bodies. She's also a women's health educator, PMDD sufferer, and coach for women with hormonal sensitivities. Follow her work and find her content across social media.

Our sponsor

Evelyn Health is dedicated to helping those struggling with PMS and PMDD through expert-led, science-backed supplements and functional foods. Having used them for over a year to manage my own hormonal health, I'm so proud to have them as a partner.

Get 20% off your first order with code HOTLINE20 at evelynhealth.com

evelynhealth.com

Resources & further reading

IAPMD (International Association for Premenstrual Disorders) — iapmd.org

The PMDD Project — thepmddproject.com

Vicious Cycle: Making PMDD Visible — a documentary on PMDD awareness

NICE guidelines on PMDD — nice.org.uk

Sources

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11496889/

https://womensmentalhealth.org/specialty-clinics/pms-and-pmdd/the-etiology-of-pmdd/

Follow Elena

Find Elena's research, educational content, and coaching on Instagram and TikTok - search @elenaventurelli for the latest updates on her hormone monitoring device and PMDD insights.

Follow the show

Subscribe to The Hormonal Hotline on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube so you never miss an episode. If this episode helped you feel less alone, please leave us a review - it means the world and helps more women find the show.

Got a dilemma or want to share your story? Slide into our DMs or submit anonymously - all the details are in our bio.

Disclaimer

This podcast explores research and lived experience around women's health and chronic conditions. Our discussions aim to reflect current evidence while acknowledging that understanding in this field continues to evolve. The content is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalised medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listeners experiencing significant or distressing symptoms should seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional.

Whether you're in the thick of trying to get a diagnosis, feeling completely alone with your symptoms, or just desperate to know someone else gets it - this one's for you.

What we cover

What endometriosis actually is - from the basics to the types most people have never heard of, including thoracic and deep infiltrating endo.

The reality of living with endo before diagnosis - Thanai's nine years of being dismissed, the impact on her mental health, and the toll of chronic, invisible pain.

Racial disparities in women's healthcare - why Black women face a harder road to diagnosis and what needs to change.

Heat therapy, TENS machines and self-advocacy - practical tools for managing endo pain and getting the medical support you deserve.

The role of the pill in masking symptoms - and what could happen when you come off it.

This Won't End Me - how Thanai built a community-led non-profit from a drawing of a uterus she made in therapy during COVID.

Using art as a healing tool - why creativity and community go hand in hand when you're navigating a chronic condition.

Three listener dilemmas - including how to push through pain without people around you understanding, when to seek help if you've been dismissed before, and how to share your story online without feeling too exposed.

About Thanai Caesar

Thanai Caesar is the CEO and founder of This Won't End Me (TWEM) - a UK and Canadian non-profit raising awareness of endometriosis, menstrual health and reproductive health. Through storytelling, workshops, exhibitions and community events, TWEM creates space for women to feel less alone in their diagnosis.

Follow Thanai: @thiswontendme

Find out more about This Won't End Me

Read Imogen Hooker's blog: My Health is My Job

This week's dilemmas

Dilemma 1

"If sharing your story could help others feel less alone but also makes you feel vulnerable, how do you decide what parts of your experience to make public? I really want to start a page but I'm scared I'll give away too much of myself."

Dilemma 2

"If your pain is super severe but invisible to others, how do you decide when it's serious enough to seek help - especially if past experiences have made you feel dismissed?"

Dilemma 3

"Do you push through the pain or cancel plans, knowing people might not understand?"

Resources mentioned

Under the Belt (documentary) — directed by Shannon Cohn

This Won't End Me — community events, blog and storytelling platform

Endometriosis UK — information and support

Imogen Hooker — My Health is My Job

Our sponsor: Evelyn Health

Evelyn Health is dedicated to helping those struggling with PMS and PMDD through expert-led, science-backed supplements and functional foods. Having used them for over a year to manage my own hormonal health, I'm so proud to have them as a partner.

Get 20% off your first order with code HOTLINE20 at evelynhealth.com

Shop Evelyn Health

A note from us

This podcast explores research and lived experience around women's health and chronic conditions. Our discussions aim to reflect current evidence while acknowledging that understanding in this field continues to evolve. The content is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalised medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listeners experiencing significant or distressing symptoms should seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional.

Follow the Hormonal Hotline

Subscribe, leave a review and share with a friend who needs to hear this.

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We get into period taboos, self-advocacy at the GP, pelvic floor health, sustainable period care, and the link between hormones and mental health. Plus: the Hormone Hotline opens for its first anonymous listener dilemmas.

Key Insights

• Pain is never normal, even if your mum said so. Missing school, missing work, flooding through a pad - these are signs, not facts of life. If your period is disrupting your daily functioning, it's worth investigating.
• A symptoms diary is your most powerful tool. Track your cycle, pain, mood, and symptoms before any GP appointment. Go in prepared. Take someone with you. Ask for a second opinion if you feel you’ve been dismissed.
• Your hormones are not the enemy. Learn your cycle and you start working with it, not against it. Knowing you're in your luteal phase doesn't make you weak, it makes you informed.
• Period care is healthcare. The vagina is one of the most absorbent organs in the body. What you use during your period matters - for the environment and for your health.
• Hormones and mental health are deeply intertwined. For many women, exploring the impact of their cycle can be the missing piece in their treatment plan. By integrating hormonal health into the conversation, we can better support those navigating PMDD, perimenopause, and postpartum

Timestamps

00:56 - Introductions. Ellisha meets Coni & Kelly, co-founders of Nixi Body.

03:40 - How Nixi Body started: Kelly's painful periods, bladder leaks, and a prototype pair of knickers designed at her kitchen table.

05:42 - Coni joins the story: women's health clients, a free social media class, and a very good business partnership.

09:29 - The system let Kelly down, not her body. Coni reflects on helping Kelly reframe her experience.

10:12 - Normalising pain. Why even elite athletes don't know their periods aren't normal.

13:33 - The biggest menstrual taboos. Language, shame, and why calling things by their name actually matters.

17:30 — Self-advocacy tools: symptoms diaries, taking someone to appointments, and being audacious.

23:29 — Ellisha on her PMDD diagnosis. How isolating it felt even with support around her.

23:48 — Coni on postpartum hormonal health and the ripple effect that nobody warns you about past three months.

27:13 — PMS management with a baby. What worked before doesn't always work now.

33:07 — Period care and sustainability. 11,000 disposable products in a lifetime. The health and environmental case for switching.

52:17 — Coni explains the menstrual cycle using pop girls: oestrogen = Taylor Swift & Sabrina Carpenter; progesterone = Billie Eilish & Olivia Rodrigo.

This Episode Is Brought To You By Evelyn Health

Evelyn Health is dedicated to helping those struggling with PMS and PMDD through expert-led, science-backed supplements and functional foods. Having used them for over a year to manage my own hormonal health, I'm so proud to have them as a partner.

Get 20% off your first order with code HOTLINE20 at evelynhealth.com

Get 15% off Nixi Body with code HOTLINE15! at nixibody.com

Connect & Subscribe

If this resonated, share it with someone who needs it. One conversation really can change a woman's health trajectory - it's the whole reason we're here.

Got a dilemma for the Hormone Hotline? Submit it anonymously and send us your dilemma’s via our IG DM’s! Have a listen, leave a review, and come find us.

Follow Nixi Body at @nixibody and reach out to Coni and Kelly in the DMs.

A Note On Our Content

This podcast explores research and lived experience around women's health and chronic conditions. Our discussions aim to reflect current evidence while acknowledging that understanding in this field continues to evolve. The content is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalised medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listeners experiencing significant or distressing symptoms should seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional.

You’re not dramatic. You’re not lazy. And you’re not imagining it.

Welcome to The Hormonal Hotline - the straight-talking, supportive girls’ group chat for young women navigating PMDD, women’s health, hormonal imbalances, and misunderstood women’s health issues.

Hosted by Ellisha - your resident big sister, fellow struggler, and open book — this podcast creates space for honest conversations about:

• Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)

• Women’s health 

• Hormonal mood swings and anxiety

• Burnout and executive dysfunction

• Being dismissed by doctors

• The impact of symptoms on relationships and careers

  
  

If you’ve ever left a GP appointment feeling unheard…
If you’re chronically online researching symptoms at 2am…
If you’re overwhelmed by information but still feel unsupported…

This podcast is for you.

We know what it’s like to look “fine” on the outside but feel completely dysregulated internally. We know how isolating hormonal and neurodivergent health struggles can be - especially when they’re minimised, misdiagnosed, or misunderstood.

It’s time to change the narrative.

What to Expect Each Week

Raw & Relatable Conversations

No inaccessible celebrities. No medical jargon overload.

Just real stories from everyday women navigating PMDD, women’s health, hormonal health challenges, and mental health struggles - shared openly and honestly.

Because sometimes the most powerful thing you can hear is, “Me too.”

The Hormone Hotline

Each week, we unpack anonymous listener dilemmas - from PMDD relationship conflict to ADHD burnout at work - and offer grounded, big-sister advice that feels practical, not preachy.

Support without shame. Guidance without overwhelm.

Self-Advocacy & Education

You’ll learn how to:

• Advocate for yourself at medical appointments

• Better understand your hormonal patterns

• Communicate your needs confidently

• Move from information overload to informed action

Because understanding your body and brain is the first step toward feeling empowered.

Women’s health deserves better conversations.

PMDD is often misdiagnosed.
Women’s Health in women is frequently overlooked.
Hormonal symptoms are normalised until they become debilitating.

You deserve clarity.
You deserve community.
You deserve to feel heard.

If you’re ready to stop chronic comparison and start healing — this is your space.

Hit follow and join the chat.

You aren’t falling behind.
And you are absolutely not alone. 💛

Click here to view the episode transcript.