Jennifer Whalen wasn91裸聊视频檛 quite prepared for the intensity of menopause.

91裸聊视频淵ou hear about hot flashes, but then you actually experience it and you91裸聊视频檙e like, oh, my body is on fire,91裸聊视频� said the 54-year-old actor, who started experiencing symptoms during the pandemic.

91裸聊视频淚t starts in your chest and you actually feel like you might spontaneously combust. It should be called inferno flashes.91裸聊视频�

But what surprised her the most was how scarce information was about the bodily transition, which occurs when the ovaries stop producing eggs and estrogen and progesterone levels decline.

91裸聊视频淚 was just shocked by how little I knew about it,91裸聊视频� she shared during an interview at CBC headquarters.

91裸聊视频淓verything I learned about menopause was so relentlessly negative and depressing and there was such a lack of research, lack of medical training on it.91裸聊视频�

Still, Whalen couldn91裸聊视频檛 help but see the comedic gold in her situation. So she called up her friend and fellow 91裸聊视频淏aroness von Sketch Show91裸聊视频� alum Meredith MacNeill with an idea for 91裸聊视频渁 menopause office comedy.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚 just thought, what if we could make a really joyful comedy about something that people perceived to be negative?91裸聊视频�

They co-created 91裸聊视频淪mall Achievable Goals,91裸聊视频� premiering Tuesday on CBC, which follows two polar-opposite women thrown together by work and their shared hormonal journey. Whalen stars as Julie, a seasoned 50-year-old podcast producer whose career ambitions get derailed by those 91裸聊视频渋nferno flashes91裸聊视频� and menopause-fuelled bursts of rage. MacNeill plays Kris, a free-spirited 40-something beauty influencer who lands a podcast deal 91裸聊视频� only to be blindsided by an alarmingly heavy period on her first day.

91裸聊视频淲e fought hard to put period blood in the show,91裸聊视频� said MacNeill, who, like her character, has been experiencing perimenopause in real life.

Though the blood was fake, MacNeill recalled feeling 91裸聊视频渋nternal shame91裸聊视频� when filming scenes where her pad and clothes were meant to look soaked.

While 91裸聊视频淪mall Achievable Goals91裸聊视频� finds humour in menopause, it also confronts the stigma surrounding it in the workplace.

91裸聊视频淎 lot of women are let go because of menopause,91裸聊视频� said MacNeill, who91裸聊视频檚 47. 91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 studies done that show women start to actually leave their jobs as well because there91裸聊视频檚 so much shame and they don91裸聊视频檛 want to talk about it. They can91裸聊视频檛 deal with it. And there91裸聊视频檚 not really a lot of help out there for them.91裸聊视频�

A University of British Columbia study conducted last year surveyed more than 1,500 women in the province and found that one-third reported menopause symptoms impacting their jobs.

MacNeill felt ill-equipped for menopause, having grown up in a family where it was never openly discussed.

91裸聊视频淢y mom didn91裸聊视频檛 talk about it. I think that this stage of life as a woman is not celebrated. You91裸聊视频檙e told to experience it with great shame,91裸聊视频� she said.

MacNeill said the lack of information on menopause leaves many women struggling to identify its symptoms. When she began experiencing crippling anxiety during perimenopause, discovering the cause brought her a sense of relief.

91裸聊视频淲ith anxiety, you tend to attach it to self-worth or your job or a relationship. The gift of menopause is you can say, 91裸聊视频業 can91裸聊视频檛 attach it to anything.91裸聊视频� It91裸聊视频檚 just a feeling that you91裸聊视频檙e having in your body.91裸聊视频�

Whalen believes menopause is seldom discussed openly because there are 91裸聊视频渟ocial and financial penalties91裸聊视频� for saying you91裸聊视频檙e experiencing it, whether in the dating world or the workplace.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 a marker that you91裸聊视频檝e gotten to a certain age and we live in a very ageist society. There91裸聊视频檚 so much to lose and not a lot to gain (by talking about it),91裸聊视频� she said.

91裸聊视频淚 also think there91裸聊视频檚 a larger thing where it really feels like your value as a human ends when you are no longer fertile.91裸聊视频�

But the pair hope their comedy can highlight the positive aspects of this stage in life, from the end of menstrual cycles to greater self-confidence.

In one scene, Julie taps into her menopausal fury like it91裸聊视频檚 a superpower, delivering a raw, unfiltered blast of honesty to her boss.

91裸聊视频淲hen you reach middle age, you get to a point where you just don91裸聊视频檛 give a crap anymore, and in the best possible way,91裸聊视频� said Whalen.

91裸聊视频淵ou91裸聊视频檙e like, 91裸聊视频業 don91裸聊视频檛 line up to go to clubs anymore.91裸聊视频� There are certain things where you91裸聊视频檙e just like, 91裸聊视频楴ope, nope, nope.91裸聊视频� And you have a great sense of yourself, which allows you to be able to say what you think.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 so much joy and power and fun that comes with getting older as a woman,91裸聊视频� added MacNeill.

91裸聊视频淭he only reason it feels hard is because the male gaze says that it is. But being out from under the gaze is so freeing.91裸聊视频�