Kya began her career as a nurse and has since worked in the family violence, suicide prevention and mental health space as an educator. She also delivers Mental Health First Aid training for organisations, corporations and the general public. But mostly she likes pottering, walking her dog and staring at a nice view. Some people might call it being idle and she’s okay with that.

Lucy is an educator and has worked with teenagers in schools for 25 years. Mostly as a Science teacher, although this has morphed over the years into including Textiles and Outdoor Ed whenever possible. She is a maker, a doer and gets a kick out of talking to people. She also loves sewing and fluffing about in the garden.  Every now and again Lucy needs to take a leaf out of Kya’s book and slow down and check out the views, that is her Menopause promise to herself.

Together they created The Upshot in 2018, on the mighty MainFM 94.9, Castlemaine’s local community radio station. It started as a show about Podcasts they were listening to and interviewing people around town. Pretty soon, it became dedicated to speaking to members of their community and delving into the stories of their lives. They endeavour to continue their love affair with Castlemaine and interview everyone in the Shire before they call it a day.

Having started talking about podcasts on the Upshot, Kya and Lucy are now jumping on the Podcast bandwagon themselves, creating The Pause, a series about Perimenopause and Menopause. Keen to share information about what supports are available, they spoke to local specialists and champions, interviewed lots of local people and heard back from many of the community via a menopause survey. Using this gold mine of information they have created a 10 part radio series that is unapologetically hyperlocal, unforgettably candid and incredibly informative. It’s also heartfelt, joyful and sobering so grab yourself a cuppa, settle into your favourite chair and get ready to feel empowered and know that what you’re experiencing is real.