Hot Flash and Sassy Podcast: The Relief of Finding Someone Who Understands

Two women. Two different menopause journeys. One conversation a lot more women need to be having.

Sometimes, the conversation that changes things happens after the meeting is over.

For Holly Wiskamp and Renee Famula, the women behind Hot Flash and Sassy, it began with an honest exchange about hormones, symptoms, and what they were experiencing in their own bodies. Both had undergone hysterectomies and started hormone replacement therapy, or HRT. But until they began talking, they hadn’t realized how much they could relate to each other.

Holly remembers a conversation in a conference room after a meeting. As they went back and forth about their “issues,” something shifted.

They felt validated.

“That was the first time we mentioned starting a podcast to help other women feel normal,” Holly shares.

Turning that idea into a podcast took several months. Before they could speak publicly, they needed time to get comfortable sharing privately—even with each other.

Finding the Courage to Talk

Holly understands why some women prefer to keep their experiences private. She felt that way herself.

“Even when it was just her and I talking, we treaded lightly as to not say too much,” she explains.

With each conversation, they shared a little more. What had initially felt uncomfortable became easier to discuss. That growing sense of safety eventually gave them the courage to bring those conversations to a wider audience.

Their purpose was bigger than telling their own stories.

“The point of our podcast is not to just share our story, but to make women feel validated.”

Since launching Hot Flash and Sassy, they have heard from women with many different experiences. Some are comfortable speaking openly. Others reach out privately, looking for a place to ask questions or share something they haven’t felt able to say elsewhere.

For Holly, those responses reinforce why the podcast matters. Symptoms that feel embarrassing, strange, or difficult to explain can leave women feeling isolated. Hearing someone else describe a similar experience can bring an unexpected sense of relief.

Learning About Herself Along the Way

The conversations have also changed how Holly understands her own experience.

“The biggest is that I am not alone, I am not weird, I am not going through something that no one can understand,” she says.

Through the podcast, she has learned about different approaches women use to manage their symptoms and the questions they bring to their healthcare providers. For her, that learning has helped replace a sense of simply getting through each day with hope that she can feel better.

At 40, Holly says she feels better than she ever has.

Her experience is personal, but the encouragement she wants to share is clear: women deserve to ask questions, seek support, and explore care that fits their needs.

The Conversations That Stay With Her

Asked which guest or episode has made the greatest impression, Holly says she has learned something from every guest.

One standout was nurse Judy Smart, their HRT specialist. Even though Holly and Renee already knew her through their care, having her on the podcast gave them another opportunity to learn. Their conversations with Judy appear in “HRT: The Real Tea” and “HRT: More Tea, Please.”

Holly also recalls a discussion about omega-3s, prompted by Renee’s research. After struggling with cystic acne throughout her adult life, Holly says she noticed an improvement in her skin after starting a supplement. It is her own experience, rather than a treatment recommendation; decisions about supplements and dosing belong in a conversation with a qualified healthcare professional.

Another meaningful episode featured Holly’s mother.

“She is the one that brought HRT into my life and first to talk to me about hormones,” Holly shares. “She is a fantastic woman!”

That conversation reflects something at the heart of the podcast: the difference it can make when one woman opens a door for another.

Making Room for the Uncomfortable Questions

Looking ahead, Holly is excited to welcome more experts and more women willing to speak candidly.

She especially wants to make room for the symptoms people hesitate to mention—the ones that feel too weird or embarrassing to bring up.

There is something deeply relieving, she says, about hearing another woman share an experience you recognize.

Those moments don’t require everyone’s journey to be identical. They simply remind women that they have someone to talk to.

For a woman discovering Hot Flash and Sassy while struggling with changes in her body, Holly hopes the podcast offers reassurance and a starting point for asking questions. She wants listeners to know they have options and deserve support in finding what works for them.

“You are not alone and you are not crazy.”

Why These Conversations Matter to Me

As I’ve listened to Hot Flash and Sassy, I’ve appreciated the guidance and understanding Holly and Renee offer through real conversation. Their humor and wit make it easier to talk honestly about what so many women experience during perimenopause—including the things we might hesitate to say out loud.

Listening helps me feel less alone. It reminds me that we’re all going through something, even when our experiences look different. Sometimes, hearing another woman describe something you recognize is enough to make you think, “Okay, it’s not just me.”

But I also think about the women who are still keeping their experiences to themselves. When we feel withdrawn or uncomfortable talking about what’s happening, podcasts like this can help open the conversation. That matters for us—and for the women coming behind us.

For older millennials beginning to navigate this stage of life, I want them to know there is support. They deserve to feel comfortable asking their healthcare providers questions about their symptoms and the options available to them. Too many women before us suffered quietly, and many of us have done the same.

I know that from my own experience. Looking back, I feel I waited far too long to begin my HRT journey. I didn’t start until age 50, after spending upwards of 10 years on birth control that, for me, masked symptoms rather than helping me fully understand what was happening.

In my doctor’s defense, HRT had been brought up a couple of years earlier. At the time, though, the cost felt out of reach. It later became more affordable for me, and I was finally able to move forward.

That’s part of why these conversations mean so much to me. I want more women to have the information, confidence, and support to ask questions sooner. Holly and Renee are helping make those questions easier to say out loud.

The Conversation Continues

Since launching in January 2026, Hot Flash and Sassy has grown into its second season, with more than 20 episodes for new listeners to explore. Earlier conversations cover sleep, fatigue, brain fog, skin changes, relationships, and personal experiences with HRT.

Season 2 opened September 4 with “Hot Flashes, Summer Splashes & a Little Pee.” In the approximately 29-minute episode, Holly and Renee reconnect after their summer break, share how symptoms showed up during their adventures, and recount a memorable race-day mishap. They also offer a preview of the conversations ahead.

On September 18, “Mister Hot Flash & Sassy” brought a partner’s perspective to the microphone. Holly’s husband, Jake, joins Renee for a roughly 20-minute conversation about love, patience, communication, and navigating menopause together.

What began as a cautious conversation between two women is now an invitation for others to speak, listen, laugh, and feel understood.

You can join them by listening to Hot Flash and Sassy on Spotify or Amazon Music, and follow Hot Flash & Sassy on Facebook for updates.

And GlowInto will be joining the conversation soon! Stay tuned for the release date of our episode coming this fall. I’m looking forward to pulling up a chair and adding my voice to a conversation more women deserve to hear.