Siri Has Menopause Too

Gina Anguiano: Welcome to Mind you'd Business, where we

Inger Hiller: talk about fun stuff, hard stuff, and everything in between.

Gina Anguiano: I'm Gina Anguiano.

Inger Hiller: And I'm Inger Hiller.

Gina Anguiano: Let's get into it.

Inger Hiller: All right, here we go.

Gina Anguiano: I don't know what I'm doing. I'm just here. Well, did you have a good weekend?

Inger Hiller: I sure did. I sure did. Um, what'd you do?

Gina Anguiano: We went to a place called Aspen Cellar Wines or Aspen Cellars or something. It's right on the river. So you can have wine on the

Inger Hiller: river or on the rocks of Aspen?

Gina Anguiano: No, it's in Bailey.

Inger Hiller: Okay.

Gina Anguiano: An hour away.

Inger Hiller: Maybe Jason surprised you, right? Like, with this overnight trip and all that.

Gina Anguiano: And it's doable. It's again, only an hour away. You have to make a reservation, though, so I definitely suggest doing that. But I'm telling you, it's a must if you're in Colorado.

Inger Hiller: Okay, well, this is a nice change from the. The last time you had a weekend. You said that, uh, you had a bad experience. So it's good to balance that out with some good stuff. Right.

Gina Anguiano: So funny people are watching and they're texting me, asking, okay, what was the name of the restaurant?

Inger Hiller: Oh, no. Well, there you go. I mean, you have to text her directly. They gotta have an inside track to your. To you to be able to get that insider information, right?

Gina Anguiano: Yep.

Inger Hiller: Well, I didn't do anything overnight, but we did do a pretty awesome. A, uh, crawfish boil. Have you ever done a crawfish boil? A real crawfish boil?

Gina Anguiano: I'm not a fan, but I'll still go because I like the spicy, spicy corn or shrimp or whatever.

Inger Hiller: Okay, well, there's no shrimp there.

Gina Anguiano: Um, the ones I've been to.

Inger Hiller: Okay, well, we just did straight up crawfish. It's my ninth annual. I didn't host it, but my good friends hosted it and they do a great job. They have all this crawfish, uh, flown in, and they're all alive and wiggling in the bucket. And then they put them in the. It's not oil, it's water. But they scream in the bucket. Um, and then I think it's just crazy. You stand around the table and. And you crack them open all in, suck it out, and there's just like a whole big bunch of people anyway. And he did seven rounds.

Gina Anguiano: Wow. How many people were there?

Inger Hiller: There was like 65 people there.

Gina Anguiano: Oh, that's expensive.

Inger Hiller: Oh, yes. I mean, when he told me how much by the pound that stuff costs.

Gina Anguiano: Oh, yeah.

Inger Hiller: Woo.

Gina Anguiano: I heard.

Inger Hiller: But it was good. It was good. And we came dressed up full in. I shouldn't say in costume, but just kind of in costume as we do.

Gina Anguiano: What costume?

Inger Hiller: Well, I wore a white dress that was covered in crawf and JD wore a white shirt covered in crawfish.

Gina Anguiano: Oh, that's funny.

Inger Hiller: We stood out. But, you know, in a good way.

Gina Anguiano: That's awesome.

Inger Hiller: But, uh, yeah. So tell me about what. What you really want to talk about. You mentioned this in the last episode.

Gina Anguiano: I'm here. I'm here. I am here. And it's hard for me to be anywhere right now because just the change in life that we go through and it's crazy. I just. I forget things. I don't write things down. They're not in my calendar. If they're not my calendar, it's not happening. So I've learned that. I've learned I need to put it in my calendar.

Inger Hiller: Well, I am proud of you for making it out because some of the times I've called you, you're like, I'm not getting out today or thank you for getting me out, because I do both.

Gina Anguiano: Yes, exactly.

Inger Hiller: Well, I think what you're talking about is what a lot of the listeners and the viewers have said they wanted to hear about. And that's menopause. Um, and basically it's different for everybody. Alright, so where are you in the process?

Gina Anguiano: I'm in it, so I.

Inger Hiller: You're full on in it?

Gina Anguiano: Yes, but I also take hormones. I have a patch. I have, um. What is it? Ah, dissolvable testosterone. And I take progesterone at night. So.

Inger Hiller: Dang, you've got a lot of like, things that you're doing to help you with it.

Gina Anguiano: Well, I mean, it took two years to do that. I had to find a good doctor, which I found. And she. I mean, when I say it took two years. See, the brain fog is happening and

Inger Hiller: then all my words.

Gina Anguiano: I know. But in the two years I was trying different things and so finally we nailed it. So it took me that long to finally under control. So if you're not in it and you're going to be in it, I'm.

Inger Hiller: I think I'm past it. I think I. It hit me early, you know, I had perimenopause. And.

Gina Anguiano: How old were you?

Inger Hiller: I mean, I was like 44 when it started happening. You know, I'm 49 now. And it's done. No, it's over. Yeah, I mean, I guess I should say the worst of it is over. The. The Hot flashes. When you're in the car, uh, and you're driving zero degrees out, and you

Gina Anguiano: roll your window down, it feels so good.

Inger Hiller: And I'm wearing a coat, and I. I feel the need to. I'd rather get in an accident than keep this coat on right now. And I want to take that thing off. And, uh, yeah, went through that. And then, um, also the waking up in the middle of the night being, uh. Hot.

Gina Anguiano: Wet.

Inger Hiller: Yes. Right.

Gina Anguiano: Sweaty.

Inger Hiller: Sweaty. And, like, for a while, I'm m. Like, it must be just the red wine. But then I would go without red wine for a long time, and I'm like, I'm still waking up in the middle of the night, and I'm still hot.

Gina Anguiano: But did you know it was happening?

Inger Hiller: I didn't know exactly what it was when it was happening. But looking back, I mean, certainly the hot. And while I'm driving and needing to strip down, no matter where you are, when or where, um, that I kind of realized I knew that was going on.

Gina Anguiano: Yeah. And I speak openly about it. I'm not embarrassed. I don't care about aging. I don't care about a lot of things anymore. So I'm very open to, like, putting it out on social media and letting people know, you know, especially get them checked before, you know, get preventative, because it's not fun.

Inger Hiller: How do you do preventatives? You're talking about these hormones that you're doing.

Gina Anguiano: Uh, yeah. Go check your levels. Go check your levels. Definitely check your levels first. Because I was, like, down really low on all of them. I was a zombie. I couldn't wait for Jason to go to work. So I feel like this is all about me, and I don't mean it to be all about me, but I did. I was just, like, a zombie. Just please don't talk to me. Just leave. And I felt bad.

Inger Hiller: Yeah. I don't think. I mean, mine didn't hit me like that, but definitely the brain fog where I forget things constantly. And I'm just gonna. Anytime my husband says, uh, I. You seriously. He does this thing seriously. Right now. You're seriously asking me right that right now? And that means, like, he told me five minutes ago. And then I'm asking him again.

Gina Anguiano: I'll ask you again.

Inger Hiller: And now I'm just gonna have to say, like, it's menopause, honey.

Gina Anguiano: Yeah.

Inger Hiller: You know, that's all it is. You know, I'm gonna blame it on that.

Gina Anguiano: Remembering people's names. You can tell me, and I'll forget right away. And I've been called out on that because someone got really upset at me for not remembering her name, even though she's like, we've met before, Gina, many times. And I'm like, oh, shoot. And I told her, I said, you know what? I'm sorry, but I'm going to ask you again next time I see you.

Inger Hiller: Did you get over it?

Gina Anguiano: I don't know. I just. I apologize because I was sorry. I'm like, oh, um. It's true. It's what I'm going to do.

Inger Hiller: Well, I mean, I think, you know, I mean, you have to keep 10,000 people that you know in names in your head. It's really tricky.

Gina Anguiano: Yeah, it is, for sure. How about you? Do you have, like. Did you ever, like, if you're trying to talk and like me, you know, you can't, like, your words come out really funny or weird. So Siri, whatever. She. That's why all my social media stuff is all messed up all the time.

Inger Hiller: Because. Because you tell Siri to post.

Gina Anguiano: I talk on my phone, and I'm probably mumbling, you know, words that she doesn't recognize.

Inger Hiller: Oh, my gosh. Well, my daughter, she does. She is surprised because I talk to Siri a lot, uh, to send text messages and things, and I just can't be bothered to, like, listen to, you know, how Siri repeats it back and you have the opportunity to fix it before sending it. Uh, and so I never wait to listen because I can't. Who has time. Who has time to let Siri talk and tell me again what I've said? And so I will constantly. I will constantly just hit send, send, send. Which, unfortunately, you know, Siri butchers my son's name every time. My husband will write back when I say, you know, Sven needs to get such and such for dinner. And he'll say, who is Ben? So that happens quite often. Siri does mess that up. So how do we. What do we blame Siri's mistakes on?

Gina Anguiano: Menopause?

Inger Hiller: I mean, Siri has menopause, too.

Gina Anguiano: No, she doesn't hear my words correctly.

Inger Hiller: Yeah, I'm saying I'm going with Siri as menopause. Yeah, she's having some troubles.

Gina Anguiano: I agree. I like that better. It's not my fault, exactly.

Inger Hiller: I'm not taking any blame.

Gina Anguiano: I tell my girls because we had this conversation. They laugh at my text messages. Like, the other day, my daughter sent a picture of her in reading glasses. And she not. No, just regular glasses, not sunglasses. But, um, she said, hey, do you guys like these pictures? And I Said, and she said, I think I'm gonna try on some boxy looking ones. And I said my reply was, oh, I want to see the boxing ones on you and see what they look like. And it came out as boxing and not boxy.

Inger Hiller: Well, did they send you a box?

Gina Anguiano: Yes, yes. Um, a little meme or whatever.

Inger Hiller: Or throw it. Nice.

Gina Anguiano: It's funny.

Inger Hiller: So what do we do to prevent it? You mentioned there's preventative. What can we do to battle it? Prevent it, deal with it. What do you do?

Gina Anguiano: Number one, like I said, go check your blood. Check your. I, I am not a doctor for at all. This is just my own advice. In my opinion. I wish I would have checked my blood work. I wish I would have gone sooner to check it because I had no idea what was going on. I knew when I had hot flashes that, you know, I'm kind of getting there. But then, yeah, you stop your cycle and you don't stop your cycle. And then you stop and then you don't. And then it's like, oh, Lord, what am m. I. What's happening? Get a good doctor. Find a good doctor.

Inger Hiller: What about these cooling beds? Don't they have these cooling beds that are supposed to help you out? Do you have one of those?

Gina Anguiano: I also do an advertisement for that too, but I, I'm an ambassador for Cozy Earth. And of course I have their sheets and I have blankets and I have all the things. Okay, so good. But yes, those cooling pillows and blankets, uh, they're amazing.

Inger Hiller: Okay.

Gina Anguiano: They are amazing. They're a must for sure.

Inger Hiller: See, I get so cold at night too. So I go back and forth. Yeah, I mean, yes, I get cold. So you can have all my blankets. So I have, I have double down down comforters on me at any given time. But, but they're double down comforters. And then, and then I kick them all off and then they're. And off, on, off on. I guess that's my only method. I really don't have any answers. I just deal with it, um, and bitch about it.

Gina Anguiano: I guess I'm curious if menopause has changed how you run your business.

Inger Hiller: Um, well, I mean, okay, I guess, yes, my business. Basically my entire team knows this and if they're listening, they'll definitely know this is that you cannot reach me, really past 8:00 clock p.m. uh, need to be in bed.

Gina Anguiano: Is, uh, that why I get text messages at 6:00am?

Inger Hiller: Yeah, I mean, 5:00am if you'll handle it. No.

Gina Anguiano: Yeah.

Inger Hiller: So basically I'm in bed sometimes seven, seven Eight. I don't know. Um, and obviously if I'm in the middle of a. Middle of a real estate transaction, uh, negotiation, that's when I will break the rule. But just your average everyday questions. I mean, I am literally unavailable, uh, for work after 8pm for sure. But I will start at 5am setting my, uh, text messages, scheduling them to send out, which, if anyone hasn't learned that the iPhone can schedule your text messages. So I'm just buzzing away.

Gina Anguiano: Do mine for 8:00am instead of 6.

Inger Hiller: Okay. You're tired of getting my 6:00am text.

Gina Anguiano: No, I'm not. I'm not. That's totally fine. I won't hear it anyway until. Unless I'm kind of awake.

Inger Hiller: But that would be my biggest thing that I think has changed because of my sleep patterns. Because, you know, sometimes I'm up so early, but I need to get in bed that early in order to, like, counteract, uh, the up in the middle of the night bs.

Gina Anguiano: Does Ben have, like, nighttime things going on? Like at church or youth group or school? Sports, I think.

Inger Hiller: Well, you know, he was doing some basketball and things that were a little bit later into the night. But, you know, I managed to get that all worked out before 8pm so

Gina Anguiano: it all worked out okay. Well, that's good. I mean, obviously you're good about shutting your brain off, which is amazing.

Inger Hiller: Well, it depends.

Gina Anguiano: Do you sleep good at night?

Inger Hiller: Uh, sometimes. Sometimes I do.

Gina Anguiano: And I'm bragging about it because I love my sleep. Thank God. That's, like, one thing I am so good at, and I sleep so good.

Inger Hiller: How do you do it?

Gina Anguiano: I have no idea. I don't know. God's like, you're going through everything else. You can have a good night's sleep.

Inger Hiller: God, I just. I internalize everything that's going on at work, and I play it over and over and over in my brain and, you know, with clients and with. How. Why is this house not under contract? Why is this, you know, what is happening? What could I be doing different? What could I be doing better? You know, all of that just plays out all night long. And I have to. I have a. I have a way to get myself back to sleep, and I grab my iPad in the middle of the night, which is kind of counterintuitive. People say, don't look at screens, and it's the light and all the business. But, uh, I grab my iPad and I play these adventure games. I don't know if you. Have you ever played these adventure games where it asks, like, a lot of Dialogue and decision making and things and discussion. Um, and so I'll be reading the dialogue and just. I'm done, you know.

Gina Anguiano: So reading does put you to sleep. Yeah.

Inger Hiller: And I can't just read a book because I don't want to wake up my husband and I'm turning the light on and all that. So I do the iPad.

Gina Anguiano: He'll be okay.

Inger Hiller: He'll be all right.

Gina Anguiano: Right. It's all about you.

Inger Hiller: What has menopause not taken from you? What is it not, like, gotten in your way? Like, how has it not gotten in your way? How have you, like, accomplished? Despite. Despite menopause?

Gina Anguiano: Okay. That. I thought it was going to be an easier question, and it's not because I can't even think of anything right now. What is it not taken from me? It's not taken. The ability to not care what people think. I don't know. Like, that's something that's definitely a plus because I'm there. But I don't know. How about you?

Inger Hiller: Well, I mean, uh, here's what I will say. There's two things I think about when I think about what menopause has not taken from me. And it's a two part answer. And that is, um, one of the things I think about in middle age is that, you know, people always ask, does it feel like you're invisible when you are, you know, a woman of a certain age, over 40, over 50, whatever it is, um, do you feel like, invisible out in the world? And honestly, I feel like it's kind of a superpower because you can turn. And this is just kind of related to menopause. And I feel like you can turn your superpower of invisibility cloak on and off. Because if you, if you go into a store and you're like, okay, I actually just want to be invisible. I don't want anyone talking to me. I want to do my thing. I want to go about what I'm doing and I don't want anyone to talk to me. And I feel like you can, but then you can. But we can switch that Karen mode on and be like, if you don't pay attention to me, there's going to be trouble. And so it's like a superpower, actually. So people get down on the fact that I'm invisible. People aren't looking at me anymore. Well, you just, you just have to tweak how to use it.

Gina Anguiano: So before you become a Karen, I tried this and it really does work.

Inger Hiller: Hey, shout out to all the Karens that are my Friends love you. Not you guys.

Gina Anguiano: I can't believe I said that because I don't usually use that word.

Inger Hiller: Sorry.

Gina Anguiano: That's okay. But before you do, before I do, I've learned to just put a little smile on. Even though I have the right of way and they're coming at me or whatever, I'm just like, I just move. And uh, instead of me like looking at them being upset and waiting for them to move, go around and just try smiling.

Inger Hiller: Okay.

Gina Anguiano: Just saying, just try smiling.

Inger Hiller: Well maybe when you're smiling in your head you can be saying oh bless your heart.

Gina Anguiano: In my way, they don't know my thoughts.

Inger Hiller: Right. They don't know what's in your head.

Gina Anguiano: And it's all in there.

Inger Hiller: Right. And I will say the second part of my answer to that is, you know anyone that's going through a birthday that I said this when I turned 40 and I haven't turned 50 yet, that's next year. But I think it's only going to be amplified. But when I turned 40, um, I thought it was completely liberating because there was a time in my life where basically if I got uh, a steak that I ordered in a nice restaurant and it wasn't quite right. I don't want to be a bother and I'm not going to say anything and I'm just, you know, we'll just let it go. Once I turn 40, I say I paid X amount of dollars for this steak and this is not accurate. I want a new one. And so uh, and I think that that's just liberty. I'm m not just not going to take everybody's shit anymore, you know.

Gina Anguiano: So I think this is really good and I feel like we should continue this conversation because there's so much more I have to say and I feel like people, you have to say too and I feel like people would want to hear it.

Inger Hiller: Well yeah, this is just the tip of the iceberg on this conversation because we could talk all day about uh, uh, the different things we do, the different things that we uh, you know, can, can do to combat that and just kind of like our everyday, you know, everyday day to day life and how we deal with it. So. All right, well uh, on that note, tune in next week for part two of uh. I don't know if it's the menopause episode, but maybe it's, it's the, it's the 40s 50s episode or just you.

Gina Anguiano: We'll figure it out.

Inger Hiller: All things fun and hard. That's what we do. See you next time.

Gina Anguiano: Bye.