Integrative & Lifestyle Medicine — Wholeness in Midlife Program
Midlife doesn't have to be a crisis.
It can be an awakening.
An 8-week, physician-led group for people moving through menopause. Grounded in science. Held in community for People of Color.
Midlife doesn't
have to be a crisis.
It can be an awakening.
Welcome to the Wholeness in Midlife Program — Neelam Pathikonda, DO, MPH
brain fog
·
weight gain with no explanation
·
3am wide awake
·
"your labs look normal"
·
months-long waitlists
·
carrying everyone else
·
night sweats
·
you are not imagining it
·
brain fog · weight gain with no explanation · 3am wide awake · "your labs look normal" · months-long waitlists · carrying everyone else · night sweats · you are not imagining it ·
THE MIRROR
You know something is off. You just can't get anyone to take it seriously.
You wake up exhausted even after you've slept. You are gaining weight without explanation. There's a fog over your brain that wasn't there before. You don't feel like yourself and don't know why.
You brought it all up at your last appointment and were told your labs look normal.
You are not imagining it. You are moving through one of the most significant biological transitions of your life, and the system around you was not built to support it. This is particularly true for women of color who are often ignored in traditional healthcare settings.
- Brain fog & memory loss every day
- Insomnia & fatigue rinse, repeat
- Unexplained weight gain despite changing nothing
- Dismissed by your doctor "it's normal"
- Months-long waitlists still waiting
- No plan, no answers until now
WHY HEALTHCARE FALLS SHORT
A years-long transition can't be handled in a fifteen-minute visit.
of menopause training is what most physicians received across all of medical school. Most of it is about hot flashes.
Primary care was designed for acute illness and chronic disease management. But here's the thing — menopause is not an illness and it's not a disease. It is a multi-year shift in the hormonal, metabolic, and emotional landscape of your body, and it deserves more than a referral and a pamphlet.
In cultures that revere women as they age — for their wisdom, leadership, and skill — women report fewer menopausal symptoms.
Which means menopause is as much a cultural and political experience as a biological one. And it means we have the ability to rewrite the script.
The philosophy — it's not self care, it's collective care"Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare."
Audre Lorde, 1988
Research shows that people who have support from others going through the menopause transition tend to feel better overall. Their symptoms improve, and they are more likely to engage in the healthy changes that support our aging bodies. We can't get this from a 15-minute visit with our doctor. This is a time of life when we need each other.
As people of color, we come from tribal traditions that value community. Our ancestors valued community as a balm and a salve. Our hyper-individualistic culture has forgotten something ancient: we don't heal in isolation. When we are cared for, we transform our ability to care for others — our children, our parents, our communities. This program brings that reciprocity of caring back by starting with you.
WHO THIS IS FOR
If this is you, you're in the right place.
You are…
- Struggling through symptoms with no clear path forward
- Waiting months for a doctor's appointment
- Feeling dismissed when you raise your concerns
- Wondering if this is perimenopause
- Craving space and time to slow down
- Frustrated and fed up
- Unable or not wanting to take hormones and wondering what else you can do
You are ready to…
- Learn your body's needs from your symptoms and lab work
- Figure out if hormone therapy is right for you
- Build a supplement and lifestyle plan that fits your life
- Be the parent, partner, and leader you want to be
- Feel balanced and whole again
- Get back to having fun and enjoying life
Open to all people going through menopause including cis women, transgender men, and non-binary folks.
INSIDE THE 8 WEEKS
Eight weeks, one turning.
Introduction & Community Building
A time to get to know each other and our journey.
Treatment Options
Is hormone therapy right for you? What about supplements? Leave with a plan for your next doctor's visit.
Diet & Metabolic Health
Food as medicine for your hormonal landscape.
Exercise
What movement actually helps, without punishing your body.
Stress Physiology
Practical tools to shift out of fight-or-flight.
Sleep
What's driving the disruption, and how to rest again.
Menopause and the Brain
What is happening in the brain as our hormones change and what this means for us.
Menopause and Pleasure
How our changing bodies means changing pleasure and how we can rediscover ourselves again.
Visioning the Future
Set up the life you want 30 years from now. Leave with your full plan.
Meditation & grounding
Every session opens by bringing you out of the to-do list and into your body.
Community support
8 to 12 people, kept small so you're witnessed, not just present.
Evidence-based information
Current menopause medicine from a physician you can actually trust.
Journal writing & reflection
Guided prompts to hear yourself again and track what's shifting.
Nervous system reset
Weekly practices that build capacity between sessions, not just during.
Action plan & visioning
A personalised, step-by-step plan for your health and your next 30 years.
LEARN FROM THE EXPERTS IN THE FIELD
Susanna Barkataki
Author of Embrace Yoga's Roots and Ignite Your Yoga. Founder of the Ignite Institute and globally recognized voice on yogic leadership and social change. She bridges the gap between traditional masters in India and the modern clinical needs of the West.
Dame Sadie
Known as the pleasure missionary. A somatic sensualist whose life goal is to help others access the healing potential of pleasure. Certified Somatic Sex Educator and Sexological Bodyworker with 20 years experience in the erotic arts and a passion for expanding your pleasure narrative.
Shash Yázhí Charley
(Diné) Indigenous activist and healer dedicated to promoting indigenous self-determination and sustainable movements for Native communities.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Everything inside your eight weeks.
- 8 live group sessionsTwo hours weekly with Neelam and your cohort, scheduled around the group
- Session recordingsEducational content recorded; community sharing stays private
- Personalised action planA step-by-step wellness plan built from your baseline health and goals
- Community CircleA private group to stay connected between sessions
- Weekly nervous system practicesShort practices to use between sessions
Held in community
Neelam validated my feelings, symptoms, and concerns rather than just going off my 'normal' labs. She made me feel seen.
FORMER CLIENT
"Neelam is an amazing, knowledgeable guide who helps participants find workable solutions they can tailor to their own needs."
PROGRAM PARTICIPANT
"Neelam is an amazing, knowledgeable guide who helps participants find workable solutions they can tailor to their own needs."
PROGRAM PARTICIPANT
"Neelam is an amazing, knowledgeable guide who helps participants find workable solutions they can tailor to their own needs."
PROGRAM PARTICIPANT
THE INVESTMENT
Three rates. Same program.
Pricing works on a sliding scale so the program stays accessible across income levels. You choose the rate that fits your situation — no application, no questions asked.
The full program, priced for accessibility.
or $297 × 2 payment plan- All 8 live sessions included
- Recordings & action plan included
- Community Circle included
Everything in the program, plus private 1:1 consultation time with Neelam.
or $397 × 2 payment plan- Everything in Community included
- 30-min 1:1 session with Neelam included
For those who can give more, so others can join at the community rate.
or $497 × 2 payment plan- Everything in Regular included
- 30-min 1:1 session with Neelam included
- Bonus exclusive resources included
All payments are non-refundable once the cohort begins. If you're unable to continue, your payment may be transferred to a future cohort — reach out before the start date if your situation changes.
Neelam Pathikonda, DO, MPH
ABOUT NEELAM
I am right here with you.
I know menopause because I'm right in the middle of it myself. Four years ago I started gaining weight without changing a thing about my diet or exercise. The insomnia, irritability, and night sweats came soon after — complicated by long COVID, MCAS, and an ankle injury that kept me from walking properly for nearly nine months. For a long time I didn't even know these things were connected, but it turns out they are all more common during perimenopause.
Medical school gave me fewer than four hours on menopause, and the message was essentially: it's natural, wait it out. That wasn't good enough. So I trained further and sought out the answers I needed for myself and for you. The thing that helped the most was talking with friends going through it too. All of this is what I want to offer to you.
QUESTIONS
You've got questions. We've got answers.
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Anyone going through menopause who wants real information, medical support, and community — cis women, transgender men, and non-binary people. If you're in perimenopause and just starting to notice changes, you belong here too.
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Most primary care appointments give you fifteen minutes. This program gives you eight weeks, a small group, and a physician moving through the same transition herself. You leave with an actual plan, not just a referral.
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Current medical knowledge about your transition, a personalised action plan, clarity on whether hormone therapy fits you, a community that understands, and tools for your nervous system, sleep, and metabolic health that last well beyond the eight weeks.
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The educational portions are recorded so you can revisit them. Community sharing stays private to protect the space we build together.
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Life happens. You'll have recordings and the Community Circle through the week, and if you know in advance, tell us — we'll make sure you're not left behind.
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Pricing works on a sliding scale with three rates: a $500 community rate ($297 × 2), a $700 regular rate that includes a 30-minute 1:1 session with Neelam ($397 × 2), and a $900 sustainer rate that includes the 1:1 session plus bonus exclusive resources ($497 × 2). You choose the rate that fits your situation, and every rate can be paid in full or split into two payments at checkout.
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Absolutely. The earlier you start, the more useful it is. Perimenopause can begin years before your last period, and having the information and community from the beginning changes how you move through it.
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Send a message through the contact page — Neelam's team aims to respond within two business days.
You deserve to feel good in your body.
Join the next cohort of the Wholeness in Midlife Program — eight weeks of knowledge, community, and a plan that carries you through this transition and beyond.