My Hot Flashes Could Power Brooklyn with Dr. Aiesha Turman Artwork

Circling the Drain

A podcast about the period BEFORE you stop getting your period. The concept of a woman "circling the drain" conjures up negative imagery for some, but the origin of this as the name of the podcast has a story. A friend, in her 30's at the time, was listing her ailments to a male physician who clearly had a terrible bedside manner, because he responded to her complaints by shrugging his shoulders in a dismissive fashion and saying something like, "I don't know what to tell you. From now on, you're basically just circling the drain!" Co-hosts Ellie and Julia have been laughing at the audacity of this tone-deaf interaction ever since, and when they decided to start this podcast about the plight of the aging woman, they chose to reclaim and repurpose the phrase in the spirit of humor. Every human on the planet is circling the drain from the moment we are born. The question is, how slowly and gracefully can we spiral? And can we minimize the discomfort while we whirl? Perimenopausal co-hosts Ellie and Julia take a deep dive into the sometimes embarrassing, often hilarious, and always bewildering issues of the hormonal changes that take place in midlife. Through honest accounts, thoughtful interviews, and group panel discussions, their mission is to make you chuckle, make you nod your head in recognition, and hopefully make some scientific progress.

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Circling the Drain

My Hot Flashes Could Power Brooklyn with Dr. Aiesha Turman

August 02, 2023 • Ellie Dvorkin Dunn & Julia Granacki with Dr. Aiesha Turman • Season 3 • Episode 55

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Dr. Aiesha Turman does so many things and she does them with JOY. She is the kind of teacher that students keep in touch with for the rest of their lives, which is a rare and special thing. We totally get the appeal, because we had the best time talking to her about Reiki, Afrofuturism, literature, her work on the incredible award-winning documentary Crip Camp, and the differences AND similarities between the hormonal transitions of her mother, her daughter, and herself. You'll also get to hear about Ellie graduating from her therapist, the time Julia sharted the bed, and how strangers need to mind their own business and not offer random opinions to people they know nothing about. So much good stuff, PLUS a discount code for listeners who want to try Reiki with Dr. Turman. (You want to try it. Trust us.)

Topics and timestamps
16:35 - What is Reiki and how can it help?
23:00 - How Dr. Turman hazed her mom during HER menopause
28:20 - The importance of intergenerational conversation about menopause
36:19 - What is Afrofuturism? Dr. Turman explains.
44:35 - Discussing with puberty with her mother and her daughter
52:44 - Dr. Turman's work on the documentary Crip Camp

Handles and sites
Dr. Turman's Website
For 15% off Reiki with Dr. Turman, enter code CIRCLING at checkout
Electric Relaxation Substack
Dr. Turman's Insta
Dr. Turman's facebook

List of Resources Mentioned
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
My Awesome Black Queer Mom by Aiesha Turman
Crip Camp
The Crip Camp Educational Curriculum
The Other 50% Podcast
For 10% off Erin's Faces in the month of August, enter CTD at checkout

Other Links
Erin's Faces Affiliate Link
Julia G Wellness
We were ranked in the "60 Best Menopause Podcasts"!

https://circlingthedrainpodcast.buzzsprout.com/
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People on this episode

Ellie Dvorkin Dunn

Co-host

Julia Granacki

Co-host