The Second Coming of Halle Berry [VIDEO]

Summary

Podcast Summary: "The Second Coming of Halle Berry"
What Now? with Trevor Noah
Release Date: February 20, 2025

In this compelling episode of What Now? with Trevor Noah, host Trevor Noah engages in an intimate and enlightening conversation with acclaimed actress Halle Berry. The discussion delves deep into Halle's personal journey through perimenopause and menopause, the societal stigmas surrounding these phases, and her mission to redefine women's health and empowerment through her initiative, Respin 2.0.

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1. Personal Experiences with Perimenopause and Menopause

Halle Berry opens up about her unexpected and challenging experience with perimenopause, highlighting the lack of awareness and support from the medical community.

• Halle Berry (04:15): “It is to be a voice for women in midlife, a time of life that we have been so forgotten and so underserved and underappreciated.”

• Halle Berry (07:44): Shares her painful ordeal with what was initially diagnosed as herpes but later identified as a symptom related to perimenopause, emphasizing the confusion and frustration caused by inadequate medical knowledge.

Trevor Noah reflects on how medical ignorance disproportionately affects women's health, especially during menopause.

• Trevor Noah (14:10): “This is wild.”

2. Medical Gaps and Challenges for Women

The conversation exposes the significant gaps in medical education and healthcare regarding women's health issues, particularly menopause.

• Halle Berry (14:48): “We haven't been studied in the same way men have. We only were allowed to be a part of clinical studies in 1993.”

• Trevor Noah (15:22): Compares the lack of preparation for menopause to the routine prostate checks men receive, underscoring the disparity in healthcare approaches.

Halle emphasizes the urgent need for better medical training and more comprehensive care for menopausal women.

• Halle Berry (17:02): “We have not been studied in the same way men have. We only were allowed to be a part of clinical studies in 1993.”

3. Respin 2.0: Creating a Community for Women

Halle Berry introduces Respin 2.0, her initiative aimed at building a supportive community for women navigating midlife challenges.

• Halle Berry (21:20): “Respin is that place of community, but they can also not just talk and like talk about it in like a wild wild west kind of way. They can talk about it and be guided with doctors and professionals and scientists.”

Respin 2.0 offers resources, education, and professional guidance to empower women to manage their health proactively.

• Halle Berry (22:45): “We have to start taking this into our own hands. Even these women in these rural states that don't have access to care, we have to lean in.”

4. Overcoming Stigma in Hollywood and Society

Halle discusses the double standards in Hollywood regarding aging and beauty, sharing her own experiences and the societal pressures faced by women.

• Halle Berry (27:01): “We have to stay forever young. We have to stay forever 30.”

• Trevor Noah (33:20): Highlights the disparity in how aging is perceived for men and women in the entertainment industry.

Halle critiques the reductive labels women receive and asserts her multifaceted identity beyond physical appearance.

• Halle Berry (34:15): “I've worked hard to be a good actor. I work hard to be a good mother. I've worked hard at trying to be me and to just be reduced to... she's pretty.”

5. Professional and Personal Growth

The dialogue shifts to Halle's professional endeavors and how her personal health journey has influenced her career and philanthropic efforts.

• Halle Berry (50:58): “Finding Respin and finding this cause of menopause is like another one of my purposes. Like winning that Oscar that time. I was chosen to do that too.”

Halle shares how her mission to support women through menopause has become a pivotal part of her second act, intertwining her personal and professional life.

• Trevor Noah (51:47): Explores the connection between Halle's personal struggles and her drive to create impactful change.

6. Empowering Women and Future Directions

Halle emphasizes the importance of education, self-advocacy, and community support in overcoming menopause-related challenges. She advocates for comprehensive research and the development of alternative therapies beyond hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

• Halle Berry (25:54): “What you heard or what somebody else is afraid of, but we have to make these decisions based out of education.”

• Halle Berry (35:56): Discusses the inspiration behind Respin 2.0 and her commitment to being a beacon of possibility for women everywhere.

Halle calls for a cultural shift in how society views aging and women's health, aiming to dismantle the taboos and empower women to take control of their health narratives.

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Notable Quotes

• Halle Berry (04:45): “It is to be a voice for women in midlife, a time of life that we have been so forgotten and so underserved and underappreciated.”

• Trevor Noah (15:57): “Oh, wow.”

• Halle Berry (27:02): “Look around, look. You see what's happening to the faces and the people. We have to stay at all costs. We cannot age.”

• Halle Berry (34:58): “That's what you mean. I'm the perfect person to talk about this now.”

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Conclusion

This episode provides a profound and honest exploration of menopause, highlighting the intersection of gender, race, and health. Halle Berry's vulnerability and advocacy shed light on the need for better support systems and medical understanding for women in midlife. Through Respin 2.0, Halle aims to foster a community where women can openly discuss their experiences, access reliable information, and empower each other to navigate this pivotal life stage with confidence and grace.

For those unfamiliar with the challenges of menopause or seeking to understand Halle Berry's inspiring journey, this episode offers valuable insights and encourages a broader conversation about women's health and empowerment.

Transcript

[Trevor Noah]

It's always like what I call the plus one purchase in a pharmacy. No one will go in and just buy lube. No one. People are always like, oh, get a bunch of other things. Shampoo, orange juice.

[Halle Berry]

Yeah, you might buy condoms. It's not gonna go buy condoms. You're gonna throw some other stuff in.

[Trevor Noah]

No, you throw everything else in. And then you're just like, lube. And then God forbid the lube doesn't scan. Like, if it doesn't. Like if that code doesn't work. This is what now with Trevor. This episode is brought to you by Brooklinen. As the seasons shift and we spend more time at home, how are you making your bed a space that works for everything. Whether it's spending time with loved ones, sharing laughs with your pets, reading your new favorite book, or simply unwinding. For me, it's all about creating a space that's really inviting. And that's where Brooklinen comes in. You see the special thing that they've got, in my opinion, is they've got a mastering of texture. They've just figured it out. Their sheaths are so soft. Then you add in the comforter, which I'll be honest, during this winter, I've really been loving. And that, my friends, is the perfect equation. And I'm not the only person who feels this way. Brooklinen's bedding is highly tested and awarded Good Housekeeping, GQ Wire. They all rank their goods super highly. Brooklinen bedding sheets and more have over 200,000 five star reviews. So shop award winners and fan favorites in store or online at brooklinen.com that's B R O-O-K-L-I-N-E-N.com get 15% off your first order today.

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[Unknown]

You know what? The more kids you have, the harder the pregnancies become. Because if you got pregnant now and you had to run it after you.

[Halle Berry]

Well, now I'm 58, that'd be pregnant. Like be hard for that reason.

[Trevor Noah]

Is that real though? Are you sure that you're 58. No, I. I ask you this. I ask you this because, like, some people don't know. Like, maybe you don't. Like, are you sure? Sure.

[Unknown]

He's like your biological six.

[Halle Berry]

August 14th. I'm 58.

[Unknown]

He's like your biological age. That's what he's asking.

[Halle Berry]

Well, my Blyn Age is 40. I just.

[Trevor Noah]

Oh, that's me. There you go.

[Halle Berry]

That's my glycinate.

[Trevor Noah]

That's what I mean. I don't think some metabolism age the same way calendars work.

[Halle Berry]

Yeah.

[Trevor Noah]

And I think you're one of those people. Thank you. If we had to repopulate another planet, I would pick Halle Berry as one of the people, because I'd go like.

[Unknown]

Helen of Troy, basically.

[Trevor Noah]

Yeah. Essentially. That's what I would. I would do. It's so good to have you here, by the way. Thank you so much for joining us. This is. Can I tell you, I don't think I've had more fun researching somebody than researching you before this conversation, because half of the things that I found seem like conspiracy theories, but they're true because you type Halle Berry, and then all of a sudden, like, the first thing that popped up was Halle Berry Intimacy Gel. And I was like, oh, wait, no, no, this is. And I thought it was my search engine. I was like, no, no, no. Sorry, Wait, this is. No, no, me. Halle Berry as a. What is she doing? And then it was like, Halle Berry herpes. And I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa. No, no, no.

[Halle Berry]

What is.

[Trevor Noah]

I was like, what is happening to my algorithm? And then when I read through everything, I was like, oh, wow, Halle Berry is doing everything right now.

[Halle Berry]

Is she?

[Trevor Noah]

I mean, you. You. You tell me, like, you.

[Halle Berry]

You.

[Trevor Noah]

It feels like in the same way that menopause is a moment of transformation for women, it feels like you are in a menopause of life and you're turning something that people would commonly think of as the end into a new beginning.

[Halle Berry]

Well, yeah, that's how I feel. That's exactly how I feel. I am approaching my second act, and I couldn't be more excited. You know, when you find. You find a there there, and you connect to what you know is a greater purpose. We always ask ourselves when we're here, but what is my why? Why am I here? What am I meant to do? I figured out what that is. And there's joy and there's peace, and there's comfort, and there's confidence in that. Right. And so that's where I'm at.

[Trevor Noah]

And what is that if you were to distill the purpose down, what is it for Halle Berry?

[Halle Berry]

It is to be a voice for women in midlife, a time of life that we have been so forgotten and so underserved and underappreciated. And I realize that I have been chosen to be a voice. Not the voice, but a voice, a loud voice in this space to talk about what it looks like to be in our second act, what it looks like to be in midlife. What does longevity really look like for women? Right. Because we're living longer, but we've been in poor health. And why is that? Yeah, right. And why can't we redefine ourselves? And we are here for more than baby making. That's a wonderful, glorious thing that we do. But we're here for so much more than that. But the world has told us after we do that, we're done. I'm here to say, no, that's not true. That's not true. And how are we gonna live this thing out in our best health?

[Unknown]

So, Hallie, I'm so curious, because this is something me and my friends talk about a lot that we know. Like, all of our mothers went through menopause, but they've never discussed it with us. Right.

[Trevor Noah]

So they've never said anything to. Is this like an African mother thing?

[Unknown]

No, just all of this.

[Trevor Noah]

Oh, wow.

[Unknown]

All my girls are why we're always like, you know, we're like, when are perimenopause. We have lots of questions because we're like. A lot of us are going into perimenopause now, right?

[Halle Berry]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

And it's like, wait, for those who don't know what is perimenopause period before menopause, which is chaotic and very difficult for women. And you have, like, memory loss and anxiety. And you.

[Halle Berry]

And I think Perry is the worst. Once you get in the menopause, like, you're kind of on the other side of it.

[Trevor Noah]

Wow.

[Halle Berry]

Perry is where it's the hardest. I'm still in Perry, too. And I'm like, man, I got three more months, and then I'm going to be in the menopause if I don't menstruate. And, man, I'm gonna be so happy to be in that menopause.

[Unknown]

But, like, most women don't actually know what perimenopause is. Right. So it's. And it's debilitating. And me and my friends of all backgrounds, we talk about the fact that our mothers and grandmothers and great grandmothers must have gone through this.

[Halle Berry]

Of course they do.

[Unknown]

They haven't given us this guidebook. Do they even have the language for what they went through? And I'm curious how you came to it and were like, I'm gonna use this as transformation, because from my perspective and from our friends, it's just something that's shrouded in shame. Like, it's a conversation we still haven't even had with our own mothers.

[Halle Berry]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

And you're, like, out here really publicly claiming it.

[Halle Berry]

Well, I, like, you didn't know what perimenopause was. Nobody talked to me either. But I did have this feeling that I was gonna skip it. I thought I got myself off insulin at an early age. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and I got off insulin. I got off oral medication, and I found a way with food and using, you know, food as medicine to get off insulin. And I thought, whatever this perimenop thing is that happens to women around this time, I'm gonna skip it because look what I did with the diabetes diagnosis. So I'm just gonna skip this whole shit. Well, no, I didn't skip that bullshit. I realized that I was in it, and Trevor's heard this, so I'm not gonna, like, go into the gruesome details because I think.

[Trevor Noah]

No, you should. You should, because I individually have heard it. But, like, I think it's important for everyone to hear it. No, really.

[Unknown]

Everyone's heard it and it's important.

[Trevor Noah]

No, I really think it's very important to hear it, genuinely, because I like. Okay, I'll tell you. Before you even tell it, I'll tell you why I think it's important. So I think I love what you said about being chosen. You know, my mother always says sometimes you're not chosen because somebody chooses you. You're chosen because you are the best person in the best position to do something about something. And that's sometimes what being chosen means. You know what I mean? And I think in a weird way, I feel like in this moment in your life, everything that was put on you, some of it good, and some of it, even as a burden, has almost become like the chariot that you're gonna ride into this thing on. Does that make sense? And so I think. I think the story is very important because nobody is brave enough to tell it, and nobody is. Not many people are interesting enough to tell it, to be honest with you. And no, and I think. I think that's important because I heard this, like, with a few guys as well, and it was interesting to see Guys just be like, oh, wow, we gotta get into this. We gotta, like. I don't know. I don't know how to explain it. I think it was cool to see a story being told in a way that it affects women, but men are affecting men. Live with women like you're in our world. You're in our lives.

[Halle Berry]

Okay, well, pretend you didn't hear it. I didn't hear anything.

[Trevor Noah]

I didn't hear anything.

[Halle Berry]

And do all the oohs and ahs and gasping. All the right ways. Okay. So how I found out was, you know, I've been divorced three times. That's okay. I'm proud of that. Right. Having the courage to leave when something's not right. I don't think that's a bad thing. I think it's a wonderful thing to be able to do. So I'm not ashamed of that. But I have been divorced three times. I finally meet what I thought and I now know to be my person. And we are firing on all cylinders. We're getting along, and we're having the most amazing sex. I didn't even think it was possible to have something so great at this time in life. I really didn't. After three divorces, I kind of thought, oh, I'm kind of done, and I'm cool with that. But I meet this person, and we're just having the best time. All of a sudden, a year into our relationship, we had a great night of sex. I wake up in the morning and I do what we always do. I go to the bathroom. Well, I think I'm going to go to the bathroom. I sit down on the to. I cannot go to the bathroom. My body just sort of seizes up and I can't go. And I start to let a little bit out, and it's the most excruciating pain I have ever felt. Besides having a cornea scratched. There's nothing more painful than.

[Unknown]

And you've given birth without drugs, by the way. My second baby. I think it's more important we mention that.

[Halle Berry]

Painful than that. Yeah, right. And I'm like, oh, my God. And it takes me literally probably 10 minutes to just empty my bladder because I can't let it out. So I get off the toilet and I go to my guy and I say, look, I gotta go to the doctor. Like, something has happened to me and I don't know what it is. And I couldn't even put my legs together. Whatever happened in the night after that sex was bad. So we jump in the car, he drives me to See, my doctor. I get in there, and my doctor's, you know, got me on the table. He's looking up there and he says, wow, you got a new guy in your life. I said, I do. And, like, it's amazing. And he's like. He said, well, I think I know what this is. Actually, I know what this is. I've seen this before. And I said, what? He said, it's a really bad case of herpes. Like, a really bad case. And I'm like, herpes? I mean, not knocking anyone that has herpes, but I was like, herpes? I'm like, what? How do you know that? He goes, I've seen this before. This is a really bad case of herpes. Now all these things are going through my mind. Like, the love of my life, this great man, this great sex, and, wow, he gave me herpes. Like, I thought, wow, he would have told me he had herpes. Like, I thought he should have. He could have. Like, why didn't he? Going through all this stuff. And he goes, I'm gonna do the test in three days. You'll get the results back. But I'm sure. I'm pretty sure, Hal. This is herp. Herpes. So now I go down in the car. He's in the car waiting for me. I see him, I open the door, and I'm angry, and I'm sad that he didn't tell me. And I'm also mad. And I'm like, so, yo, look, so you got herpes? He's like, what? I'm like, you have herpes. He's like, I don't have herpes. I said, clearly, you have herpes, because I have herpes. And I didn't have herpes before I knew you. Now I have herpes. So you clearly gave me herpes. Wow.

[Trevor Noah]

Oh, my God.

[Halle Berry]

He's like, no, I swear I didn't. I don't think I have herpes. I said, well, let me be the first to tell you. You got herpes.

[Unknown]

Cause I got herpes.

[Halle Berry]

I didn't have it before you. So we're driving home in this argument, like, who has herpes? And we're arguing about why.

[Trevor Noah]

That's the most awkward car ride ever.

[Halle Berry]

Awkward, right? So we get home and I say to him, look, you're gonna have to go to the doctors, and you're gonna have to get a test, too, and you're gonna find out you have herpes, because now we both have herpes. And you gave it to me. So he's, okay, I'll go To the doctor, I don't feel like I have any herpes. So he goes to the doctor. We have 72 hours of just blaming each other and not knowing what to do. He gets his test back first. He comes to me, chest poked out, like I said, standing upright. Upright. You have the herpes. And I thought, oh, my God. I said, okay, I guess I have the herpes. I said, I'm sorry I've given you herpes. Like, I didn't know I wouldn't. I'm sorry. A few hours later, my doctor calls me. Before he even says anything, I'm ready to say, okay, yeah, I already know I got the herpes. He says, hallie, you don't have herpes. I'm like, I don't. I'm like, I don't have herpes. Really? He said, no, you don't. I said, well, why would you say that? He said, well, that's what it looked like, but I don't know how to explain this. But no, you. You do not have herpes. I'm like, well, what is it then? Didn't know.

[Trevor Noah]

Didn't know.

[Halle Berry]

He didn't know. He said, I don't know. I don't know.

[Unknown]

And this is like your primary care doctor had no idea.

[Halle Berry]

Okay, no. And this was the defining moment that set me on this journey. What I went through with my guy for 72 hours finding out this news the way we did, but nobody could tell me, well, why had this happened to me and what was wrong with me? And that sent me on my own journey of investigation and reconnaissance and reading. And I came to after about two or three weeks of my own individual investigation, that what was happening to me was a symptom that many women suffer from in the perimenopausal years. Now I'm 54. Someone of my doctors should have already talked to me about being in perimenopause.

[Trevor Noah]

This is wild.

[Halle Berry]

Nobody and I've got like six doctors, not one of them had a conversation. I'm 54 years old. About perimenopause.

[Unknown]

I'm not telling you how to prepare.

[Halle Berry]

For it or that it was even coming. I thought I was gonna skip it. Cause nobody talked to me about something that's not gonna happen to me.

[Trevor Noah]

Then you hear these stories happening to people like in all of medicine. So I think, you know, sometimes I think medicine is hard. Let's we acknowledge that there are many things doctors don't know, a lot of things that doctors can't figure out. And a good doctor will tell you that they're like, hey, we try our best, but oftentimes we don't know. But it's crazy how much more they don't know about women's issues.

[Halle Berry]

Yes.

[Trevor Noah]

Do you know what I mean?

[Halle Berry]

We haven't been studied in the same way men have. We only were allowed to be a part of clinical studies in 1993. 1993.

[Trevor Noah]

Oh, wow.

[Halle Berry]

Was when they started including women.

[Unknown]

But the thing is, they know we. Our periods cease at a point. Like, I would accept that, like.

[Trevor Noah]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

As a reason. Yeah. There's something you don't know, but this is not unknowable. We know that women, at a certain point, if you live long enough, you'll probably stop menstruating. And the period before that can be difficult. Well, doctors should know that, I guess.

[Trevor Noah]

But they didn't. So they didn't prepare you at all?

[Halle Berry]

Not at all.

[Trevor Noah]

No one says, hey, just so you know, you're getting to, like, for instance, okay, so when I turned 40, without fail, my doctor was just like, how old are you for even when I was like, 38. They're like, 38. They're like you're gonna need to go and get your prostate check.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Trevor Noah]

And I was like, what is that? And they're like, they're going to go and do the thing to your bum. And I was like, okay. But every stop I would go to, people would like, throw it out. They're like, throw it out, throw it out, throw it out. Even like the dentist, it was like, oh, happy birthday. Prostate time. I'm like, okay. So I just knew. Genuinely, I just knew. At 40, prostate is now a thing that gets checked. And you're telling me that.

[Halle Berry]

Wouldn't it be great if doctors told us at 40, okay, perimenopause time. Let me tell you what you gotta do to get.

[Trevor Noah]

That's crazy.

[Halle Berry]

Wouldn't that be great if they knew enough? But the truth is, only 13% of doctors in our country understand the menopausal body. And it's one chapter in medical school. That's why doctors don't know. So I don't sit here even blaming my doctor that didn't know what that was. Not his fault. Not his fault. On an institutional level, we have not been made important on any level. So it's not their fault. It's only gonna become their fault. As this conversation gets louder and louder and these doctors don't go back and get retooled, then I will start blaming them. Because when you know better, you do better. Now doctors are really starting to understand what they don't know. And menopause used to not be a thing. Nobody ever thought that it was real. It was like, just deal with it. It's just old age. It's just ugh. No, it's not just ugh. It's a real thing. And it affects more than our just our lady parts. When we lose our estrogen, the thing that. That makes women women, it affects our brain, our heart, our liver, our skin, our bones, our hair, our mood. Everything about us becomes compromised.

[Unknown]

Well, the suicide rate goes up for menopausal women. That was something I read.

[Halle Berry]

And we just get put on antidepressants because we're depressed. No, we're not depressed. We're losing that hormone that makes up who we are on a cellular level. And if we don't replace that in some way, we're just gonna die slowly. And it's a tragic death because we lose our faculties to think and remember early on. Alzheimer's and dementia. Our bones get so brittle, we fall down, we break them. It lights out, right? Our heart gets compromised. More women have heart disease and heart attacks at this time of life than men do. Right? So it's not just we get. What I know I had now was vaginal atrophy. It's not just that, you know, that I've learned how to fix. I'm good now. But how do we fix our heart disease? How do we fix our brain? How do we stay virile and active and be able to walk and take care of ourselves? How do we do that without this very thing that makes us us? That's what we have to start studying.

[Trevor Noah]

We're going to continue this conversation right after this short break.

[Altra Running]

This episode is brought to you by Altra Running. Altra makes performance running shoes that are insanely comfortable with a roomy toe box and zero to low drop. This helps keep your feet in a more natural position so you can move how you were designed to. Perfect for the road, trail or gym. You could wear them for miles and forget that they're there. Stay up out there with Ultra. Try Altra for yourself with a free 30 day trial and free shipping at altrarunning.com.

[Trevor Noah]

If you love iPhone, you'll love Apple Card. It comes with the privacy and security you expect from Apple. Plus you earn up to 3% daily cash back on every purchase, which can automatically earn interest when you open a high Yield savings account through Apple Card. Apply for Apple Card in the Wallet app. Subject to credit approval. Savings is available to Apple Card Owners subject to eligibility Apple card and savings by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City branch member, FDIC terms and [e-mail] I'll tell you why I love these conversations. Because like, so, like I've told you something. Like, so I grew up with my mom, like as a single mom for most of our lives, right? And for various reasons, apartheid being one, but like, just like a single mom. But my mom, like, it's, it's, I don't realize, I, or I didn't realize how blessed I was because she shares everything with me. So when she was going through menopause, she would just like, tell me stuff that was happening to her body and she, you know, she'd be like, oh, I'm so hot. She said, oh, you must, you must thank God you're not a woman. This thing that's happening to my, she says, I'm hot and I'm cold and I'm angry and I'm tired and I'm sleepy and I'm, hi, Trevor. No, I, this woo. I, I, I don't want it. I don't want it. And then like when she was finished, she said, I feel strong. I feel like a man. I feel like a man. And I was like this, I don't know what's happening, but pretty much turned into one. No. So I love, I love these conversations and I'm in a strange way used to them, you know, because of just I guess how my mom was with me. But, but I don't know what some of the terms are, and I don't. So, like, what is vaginal atrophy?

[Halle Berry]

You should say vaginal atrophy is what 50% of the women who go through perimenopause actually experience.

[Trevor Noah]

50%.

[Halle Berry]

50%. So it's a real serious part of, I am so not alone in what I've gone through. And it's when the walls of your vagina start to actually atrophy, which means they start to fall apart and sort of disintegrate. You lose your collagen inside your vagina as we do on our faces, and we start to get wrinkles and your skin gets crepey. That's what's happening inside your vagina. And so the walls get really thin and, you know, crepey. So when you are having sex, those walls are so thin it cracks. And that's what the razor blades in the vagina feels like that I experienced. Right? And sometimes it happens during sex, but then it can happen after you've had sex. If you were like in the moment and you got your groove and you don't feel that it's cracking because you know those endorphins are kicking off and pleasure is happening. The next morning when you go to the bathroom and you try to urinate, it's when the urine touches the walls of those cracks. That's what makes it so painful.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Halle Berry]

And that's what vaginal atrophy is.

[Unknown]

I'm so curious because women aren't necessarily talking to other women about this and don't have the resources themselves. Doctors don't seem to know. Where does a woman go who's like perimenopausal or menopausal and is just trying to figure out what is going on and who can help me?

[Halle Berry]

What's funny you should say, because we have just launched Respin 2.0 and re spin Health and the whole idea of this company is about creating community. We learned that when people have other people, like minded people who are struggling with the same issue to talk to, there's strength in that. Right? There's strength in community talking to other people. You can hold each other accountable, you can brainstorm, you can share stories. Because I've learned as I've been talking about it, when I talk to other women, they go ah, aha. They instantly feel, because they can talk about it with someone who understands, who's not afraid to talk about it, who can hold space for their feelings, who know that what they're saying is true and real. They can feel less shame. They can feel not alone, less afraid. That right there is half the battle just getting them to talk about it and feel good talking. Not just talking about it, but feeling empowered by being able to talk about it. So Respin is that place of community, but they can also not just talk and like talk about it in like a wild wild west kind of way. They can talk about it and be guided with doctors and professionals and scientists.

[Trevor Noah]

Oh, so it's connected to healthcare providers as well.

[Halle Berry]

Yes.

[Trevor Noah]

Okay.

[Halle Berry]

And people that are on the cutting edge of where we are in menopause, who are doing the latest researches, Right. Running the most recent clinical trials and studies, who can tell you why HRT isn't bad for us, like we once thought 20 years ago, why that was a debunked study. That was.

[Trevor Noah]

That's hormone replacement therapy.

[Unknown]

Yes.

[Trevor Noah]

Okay, Right.

[Halle Berry]

And why that that study?

[Unknown]

And that's something I actually wanted to ask you about. Because when I. The older women who do speak about it with me are so terrified of hormone replacement therapy.

[Halle Berry]

Yes. Because of that study.

[Unknown]

Yeah. And I say, well, the study's been debunked. And you can go on Instagram and see in the comments section there's big pharma trying to kill us.

[Trevor Noah]

And.

[Altra Running]

Wow.

[Unknown]

No, but you know, because it's like breast cancer is a thing that does increase with age and people are terrified to get breast cancer.

[Halle Berry]

Yes.

[Unknown]

So there are women suffering right now who maybe are good candidates for hrt.

[Halle Berry]

Absolutely. And that's why we have to figure out what the truth is about it. And then as women, we have to make those choices for ourselves. Not because what you heard or what somebody else is afraid of, but we have to make these decisions based out of education, based on education for ourselves. Because for me, just. Just me, we have a greater chance of having cancer late in life anyway. So if that's the truth, I wanna live my second act feeling great. Not having brain fog, not flooding my laundry room every other week, not raging, not having headaches, not, you know, not worrying.

[Trevor Noah]

At the mercy of your body, it sounds like.

[Halle Berry]

Right. I wanna live my best life. And so once I did my own education, I too was afraid of hrt because I had heard those stories. But once I got into understanding why it was okay for me, I now know I'll be on this till the day I die.

[Unknown]

Oh, really?

[Halle Berry]

Yes. Because I'm gonna d. And I'm gonna die feeling good about life change.

[Trevor Noah]

We don't know if that's a fact.

[Halle Berry]

We don't know I'm gonna die.

[Trevor Noah]

We assume you think you'll die, but I might not. I mean, you say you're 58. We don't know.

[Unknown]

We don't. I don't know.

[Trevor Noah]

There might be like a future generation having this conversation. So, Haley, as the first thousand year old person, what do you feel about. Let me ask you a few questions.

[Halle Berry]

Oh, God, I better not be here.

[Trevor Noah]

From an ignorant. From an ignorant perspective, like, you know, for people who are either scared or unsuitable for hormone replacement therapy, are there. Are there other options? Are there non options, HRT options?

[Halle Berry]

Yeah, there are. There are other options on the market that women can try that are afraid or who, you know, legit cannot go on hormone replacement. There are those women out there. But that's why I've been in Washington trying to get this bill passed, this menopause bill with $265 million bill, because we need more research, we need more education, we need more therapies developed so that HRT will not be the best solution right now. Arguably, if you can take it, it is the best solution. But we're working with doctors and with the government to try to with other therapies because not every woman will feel like that's the right choice for her. I get that. And we should have the right to do hormone or do a non hormonal remedy. We should have the right to make that choice for us.

[Trevor Noah]

The right and the range, yes.

[Unknown]

Curious. Like drinking bone broth, collagen supplements. Would that help?

[Halle Berry]

Yes, yes, all of that help. I'm on bone broth. Been on that for like six years. Bone broth supplements, a good quality collagen, though all collagen is not graded equal. But a good collagen, absolutely.

[Unknown]

Okay, so from the inside out you can do.

[Halle Berry]

Yeah, you can do some of the work. But sometimes I'm finding for the more severe vaginal atrophies, that's like the slow boat from China. Like you might be done having sex before it gets fixed. So you might have to find another remedy like the VFIT or hrt, you know, or vaginal inserts. Estradiol. Vaginal inserts we're now finding are actually very, very helpful too.

[Trevor Noah]

So I would understand if, like this was a conversation that women didn't have with men. I'd love to know, like, why women don't have it with women or why it isn't like I don't even. Again, this is very ignorant of me, but I don't understand why there's any shame attached to it. What is it about it that is shameful?

[Halle Berry]

Well, I can tell you one thing. Because we live in a world where as women, we have been sold the ideology that we have to stay forever young. We have to stay forever 30.

[Trevor Noah]

Oh, damn right.

[Halle Berry]

And look, look around, look. You see what's happening to the faces and the people. We have to stay at all costs. We cannot age. We are only valuable when we are young and virile and forever 30, 35. And that's why we don't have the conversations, because we have bought into that and we don't want to get old either. So we're not going to talk about that with each other. Women are talking about how they can stay young.

[Trevor Noah]

Young, right?

[Halle Berry]

What they can do with the different procedures they can do and how can you. That's what we're talking about, where we are also victims of this way of thinking. The goal should not be to stay forever 30. The goal should be to age gracefully, have the confidence to be able to do that, knowing that our real value lies within, not externally. Because we're fighting for external youth because the inside is doing what the inside is doing. Yeah.

[Trevor Noah]

Welcome to a special part of the show, Best Drive Ever, which is brought to you today by Audi. Audi has taken a huge leap forward with their all new, fully electric Audi Q6E Tron, featuring effortless power, serious acceleration, and the most advanced tech of any Audi ever. You know, I remember my first electric car like it was yesterday. And it wasn't just any electric car. It was the Audi E tron, not the Q6, unluckily, but it was. And it wasn't just the E Tron. Believe it or not, it was the very first one off the production line. I've loved cars. Like, my whole entire life, I've loved cars. But my first electric car, that was something special because the E Tron wasn't just an electric car. You know, I remember stepping into that car. It felt like I was stepping into the future, a future that I'd always imagined. You know, it felt like a car the way I wanted a car to feel. It felt special. It was really designed well. It was beautiful looking. It had everything that was familiar to me, but there was an element of the future that was. There was something beyond my mind. The hum of the engine was replaced by a quiet confidence. There was a seamless acceleration. The way the road felt different, it was smoother, it was more connected, almost like the car was an extension of the journey itself. And when I was thinking about this experience, I was thinking about how my love for driving started long before that moment. As a kid, I was never in a rush to get anywhere. Because for me, the best part wasn't the destination, it literally was the drive. You know, I remember my mom taking us home from church. And instead of heading straight back, she'd take the long way. We'd weave through different neighborhoods and we'd play this game where we'd guess who lived behind the walls and what their lives were like. Some streets were lined with jacaranda trees, their petals painting the road purple. Others stretched wide open, endless tarmac leading to places unknown. I never wanted the ride to end because in those moments, the car wasn't just a way to get somewhere, it was a part of the experience itself. And I think that's what makes a truly great car. It doesn't just move you from A to B, it moves you. It makes the journey feel effortless. It turns silence into serenity and transforms motion into something meaningful. And when you're in a great car with great people, oh, that's when the real Magic happens, you know, think about it. That's when you have the deepest conversations, the biggest laughs, the kind of moments that stay with you long after you've turned that ignition off. And that's exactly what the Audi Q6E Tron is all about. Power, precision, and the kind of driving experience that reminds you why the road will always be a place of possibility. And then, when you're done with your road trip, the Q6E Tron can come back to the real world with you as your everyday car. For instance, the fully electric Q6E Tron features a new panoramic digital stage. Plus you can add an optional screen for front seat passengers. So if you wanted to watch my specials or this podcast in there, you could. Just a suggestion. I mean, you could watch whatever you like. Experience powerful performance, smooth and refined driving dynamics, and a comfortable ride. You'll look and feel confident and in command of the road in this sporty, perfectly proportioned and fully electric SUV. Learn more at audiusa.com Always pay careful attention to the road and do not drive while distracted. You see, it's interesting that you say that. That's what I mean by reading up on your life and why. I feel like chosen is a situation that you were in and you've accepted. Because when I, when I look at the journey of Halle Berry, I've gone back to interviews that you did in, like, 1992. Just like random moments with local newspapers. And it's amazing. No, it's, it's really amazing to see how you were trying to pitch yourself as a serious actor, somebody who's in the game, as somebody who takes their craft seriously. And without failing, your beauty will always be put first before everything. And by the way, I'm not even, like, judging people. Cause I know I'm part of them. I'm not like, sitting here like, I was like, I'm not gonna be here. Like, no, I was. You say Halle Berry and then I was like, hallelujah.

[Unknown]

You get what I'm saying?

[Trevor Noah]

But I, but I, I, it's, it's such a strange thing because someone would go like, oh, but it's like a good problem. But I feel like you are the embodiment of that in a very specific way. And now you're using some of that experience to try and rally against the idea. Because you are the epitome of that. And you work in an industry where many actresses have said across the board, God forbid a wrinkle starts popping out the corner of your eye, out the corner of your mouth, and all of a sudden they're like, do you want to play someone's mom? And the roles dry up and, you know, everything disappears. Whereas, like, George Clooney, he's still the heartthrob. Him and Brad Pitt. Let's do it, baby. No one's like, wait, they're how old? No, everyone's just like, george Clooney, Brad Pitt. Oh, yeah. But if, like, two women of the same age in Hollywood was trying to do that, someone would go, huh, that's an interesting. What is that, like a mom's weekend movie?

[Unknown]

What is a MILF movie?

[Halle Berry]

I guess it's a MILF movie.

[Trevor Noah]

Yeah.

[Halle Berry]

Then we're MILF cougars.

[Trevor Noah]

Cougars. I'd love to know, like, how you. How you've dealt with that. Because it can be hard, I can only assume to, on the one hand, have something that people see as an asset, and it is in some ways, but then also deal with the limitations that comes with. In allowing you to be your fullest self as a person.

[Halle Berry]

Yeah, yeah. And it has been. You know, I feel like this is a very hard thing to say because, you know, people often are, you know, oh, poor you. Oh, yeah, no, yeah, you told you're pretty. God damn it. You know, and I know that. So it's. This is a hard thing to say, but it's something that. And I think I've said this recently. I have longed to hear somebody say anything else other than that. Anything else, you could call me, you know, she's a curse.

[Trevor Noah]

You can say anything.

[Halle Berry]

You can say she's a motherfucking bitch. I'd almost rather them say that at this point than just the same thing I've heard for four decades, you know, because I know that I'm more than this. And I feel like that's always so reductive, you know, it's just reductive. I've worked hard to be a good actor. I work hard to be a good mother. I've worked hard at trying to be me and to just be reduced to. Oh, she's pretty. Is. Is at 58. It's a hard pill to swallow these days. And so you're right. I think this cause has given me a platform to talk about something other than that. And if I have been known as that my whole life, I'm the perfect person to talk about this.

[Trevor Noah]

Yes, that's exactly what I mean.

[Halle Berry]

That's what you mean. I'm the perfect person to talk about this now.

[Unknown]

Is that why you're claiming, like, probably the most unsexy gruesome. Experience beyond the actual act of giving birth, which is very ugly. It's beautiful, but it's ugly if you see it up front. Menopause. And this is just like. It's not something that most women would have the courage to claim publicly. And do you think you're trying to claim it for yourself in part because you want to get away from that perception of perfection and beauty?

[Halle Berry]

And maybe I didn't choose it consciously, but like you said, Trevor, it's chosen me because I am the right person to talk about it. Right. Because you would think someone like me would. I'd be the last one talking about it. But, see, I've never. You know, I don't ride on that beauty horse that people always want to put me on. So I woke up one morning with this idea. Oh, I'm gonna tell this story. When this happened to me, I had no trepidation about telling it. Like, none.

[Trevor Noah]

Was there anyone in your circle who was like, haley, what are you doing? Like, surely there was some. I can only imagine, like, the world of agents, managers, you know, everything. Because there is the idea of Halle Berry. I wonder if there was just anyone who was like, halle, you can't. You can't. Like, what are you doing? Surely there was a little doubt, maybe.

[Halle Berry]

But I always had the right answer. I would say to people that said, this is gonna. This might level your career. And I said, I have been black in this body and a woman my whole career. What's harder than that?

[Unknown]

Damn.

[Halle Berry]

So this doesn't scare me. I've always been behind the eight ball, and I made it, and I'm still here doing things on my own terms. So what's harder than that? Nothing.

[Trevor Noah]

Damn.

[Halle Berry]

So no fear. I'm used to it.

[Unknown]

I was gonna ask about the black womanhood piece because I think that, like, when you drill down black women and menopause and just like reproductive health in general is just a maze, and we're misdiagnosed and under diagnosed, so what would you say?

[Halle Berry]

And we're at greater risk. We suffer disproportionately.

[Unknown]

Disproportionately. So what. What would you say to black women specifically, Especially those that maybe don't even have the tools and the vocabulary to understand what's happening with their body.

[Halle Berry]

We have to start taking this into our own hands. Even these women in these rural states that don't have access to care, we have to lean in. We have to do our own education. Because we've got a while before the medical world catches up to where we are and can offer us really what we deserve. We're on the precipice of that right now. So we as women have to one realize it's happening. We have to start talking about it. That thing that nobody did and we have to lean in and we have to do our own research. We have to question our doctors. If our doctors don't know about our bodies, guess what, ladies? Get a new doctor. And you know, as women, we have a hard time doing that. We have a hard time standing up for ourselves, going to our male doctors that we've had for maybe 15, 20 years and saying, hey bud, you don't know about my body, I'm out of here. These are the kinds of decisions we have to start making for ourselves because we deserve health care and we deserve doctors that understand what's happening and not many do. So we have to search them out. And maybe sometimes you have to have a doctor that's in another state that you can connect with, that can guide you. You might not be able just to go see your doctor that you always went to go see. You might have to look outside those boundaries and find a place where you can really get the information you need and be cared for. And we have to do it ourselves. And we can't keep our heads in the mud and think that it's going to skip me because that's what I thought. No, ignorant, we cannot come from that place. We have to go do the work and start educating ourselves and make some tough choices.

[Trevor Noah]

I only realized how opaque this world was when. So I saw you in Sweden. We were in Stockholm, right? And you were speaking and you were, you were sharing like some of your experience. And I'll never forget how like, like if you've never been to Sweden, like if you've never been to Scandinavia, understand something. The Scandinavians are the most put together, non disruptive, polite people you will ever come across.

[Halle Berry]

Oh, so polite. Yeah.

[Trevor Noah]

They're like, hey, you keep to yourself. Everyone does their own thing. You've all got your own house and let's keep it moving. Do you know what I mean? Like, it's very, very, very polite society. And when Halle was speaking on stage, people like, it was, it was amazing because it was like watching the human body go through two conflicting emotions at the same time. On the one hand you would see these, like these, these Scandinavian women, like stiffen up like, you shouldn't be saying this, but then their heads would turn like, tell me more, tell me more. And then afterwards we were having some conversations and One elderly woman came up to me and she says, yeah, that Helle Berry. Quite a story to tell. I don't know if I would have told it the same way. But yeah, I'm glad she spoke. But yeah, that was quite intimate. It, yeah, because now we know she has a vagina. And I was like, but we all, we should surely. But it was really amazing to see this because, you know, you would think, you know, you say rural, you, you think, but it is amazing to see how pervasive a shame or like, or like an idea can be.

[Halle Berry]

And I'm like, did you not think I had a vagina?

[Trevor Noah]

But this is what it made me wonder, like. So when I think of what you, the journey that you're on now, you know, when I like intimacy gel, for instance, I, I, I love that it seems like you've taken something that was a kernel of an idea and you, you're growing it into like a forest of, of, you know, of acknowledgement in a way. Because, like, intimacy gel already people are just like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, wait. Lubricant. Wait, wait, what, what's happening here?

[Unknown]

And she's getting great reviews, by the way. Tabitha Brown.

[Halle Berry]

Shout out to Tabitha Brown. Tabitha.

[Trevor Noah]

So that's what I mean.

[Halle Berry]

Gifts you just get from people.

[Trevor Noah]

But this is something that was, again, it has a different type of taboo, right? So if menopause is the taboo of, of, oh, my body's not working the way it's quote unquote supposed to work. And if I'm now aging and I'm quote, unquote, you know, I'm fading out or I'm aging out, this is another taboo. It's like, oh, oh, sex like lubricant or like any of these things.

[Halle Berry]

Do you know what I mean?

[Trevor Noah]

This is such a, like another taboo. So.

[Halle Berry]

And it's my goal to change that.

[Trevor Noah]

Yes.

[Halle Berry]

This is my, I want women to go in there and say, do you have. Let spin. I need some, let's spin. Do you have it? And feel no shame. Because sex does get better on the other side.

[Trevor Noah]

This is, this is what I want to get into is the like, if something is not improved, then it'll always remain bad. It might, it might even get worse. Right? And I couldn't help wonder, reading everything about the intimacy gel, I was like, how many people are not having sex anymore not because they can't, but because they don't know how to.

[Halle Berry]

Yes.

[Trevor Noah]

And then you're speaking about this like, yes. Why was sex as important in a way as like, just the treating of the menopause itself, because it seems like one is like a pleasure thing and the other one's like your body. So why. Why sex?

[Halle Berry]

Well, it's both. And I, first of all, I created a product that I most needed, right? And I think whenever somebody introduces a product into the market or they're an entrepreneur and they have an idea for something, I find the most interesting companies to me are when they have founders that created to fill a need that they have, right? And that's how, you know, you put your heart and your soul into it. And it's probably going to be a good product because they were trying to help themselves, but by doing so, they help millions of other people, right? So I was just trying to help myself get through this time, thinking, what can I do so that I can continue doing that thing that makes me me, Right? Because I just told you I found my guy.

[Unknown]

I know you're having great sex.

[Trevor Noah]

Can't be the end of sex.

[Halle Berry]

Now I'm like, God, this is a joke. I finally found him. So it really came out of a need to help myself. But in doing so, I started to realize, oh, I'm not the only woman suffering from this. This is a conversation that we all need to start having because. And it's not just pleasure, you know, for men to stay connected to their optimal good health, they have to keep having sex. You guys have to keep having that thing, which is why you got the blue pill right away when it was a problem. Boom. Right? Well, women are the same way. We have to keep having sex, too. It's a part of staying healthy. It's a part of our systems that must operate like your systems operate. Right. It's just we don't get thought of that way because you know what happens when men need to continue having sex if their partner, who's about their same age, can't keep having sex. Traditionally, nothing against my men, because I love you guys.

[Trevor Noah]

Oh, no, that's fine.

[Halle Berry]

Because what you guys do is, you know, well, you'll just go get another younger woman and keep doing the thing you need to do. We cannot, right? If our system shuts down, we can't go get another man because we can't get.

[Unknown]

You could get someone younger.

[Halle Berry]

Not in. This ain't worth it. No, because he's gonna want what he's gonna want. So, no, I have to keep this working. But because as women, we failed to keep it working. There have been so many divorces just for that reason. So many. I'll tell you a Story I have a friend who remained nameless. But he came to me and he said, hallie, I'm gonna get a divorce. And I've known him a long time. And I was like, but what? You love your wife? Like, what is happening? This was like two years ago. And he said, she just doesn't want me anymore. Like, I don't know what has happened. We were doing so good. I thought we were gonna ride this thing out. I would go to her, I would try to touch her, and she would pull away and she's got someone else or something. She's just. She doesn't feel it for me anymore.

[Trevor Noah]

Damn.

[Halle Berry]

And I just said, wow. And I couldn't believe it. And I was just formulating all of my ideas about what I'm doing now about menopause and how she might be feeling. And I said to him, I said, this is gonna sound crazy to you, but go home and start a conversation with her about perimenopause and just start asking her how she's feeling down there. Is she feeling dry? Is she feeling headache y Like, just go have a conversation. I told him all the things to say. Two weeks later, I see him again. He's like, oh, my God, Hallie, you were right. She did not. It's not that she didn't want me. She thought that every time I touched her, I was going to want sex. And she knew that that was so painful for her, and she didn't want to feel that. And she was tired of faking it. She was tired of having it be so excruciating painful, but had to act like it wasn't hurting at all. And he was like, that's what it was all about. Because she couldn't even talk to him to tell him that. Right? And so that's when I knew that, oh, my God, this is an issue that we have to talk about and how intimately men are a part of this conversation. And how many marriages have broken up because they were on the verge of a divorce? And once they could talk about this, now they're thriving again. She's been a part of re spin. She's got her. Let's spin. She did her V fit, you know, vaginal device.

[Unknown]

Oh, tell me about the vfat.

[Halle Berry]

Well, it's another thing. It's like a red light therapy device, you know, just like we do on our faces now for anti aging and collagen building that goes into the vagina and it rebuilds the vaginal walls. And it's like, can actually help thicken your Walls again. So that you don't. So you have more elasticity in your vagina walls when you're having intercourse.

[Unknown]

This is so techie and feeling.

[Trevor Noah]

Yeah, this is a rock and roll world.

[Unknown]

Oh, my gosh.

[Trevor Noah]

I'm just a tech fan. So I'm.

[Unknown]

You're like, what?

[Trevor Noah]

I'm just like, huh. Just like, huh. Tell me. Tell me more about how all so.

[Unknown]

And how long would.

[Halle Berry]

And it's amazing.

[Unknown]

How long do you put it up you. Is it daily? Like, what's the regimen?

[Halle Berry]

You do it daily? Well, this is how I worked for me. I did it daily for about three weeks. And then after that, it's just maintenance. It's once a week or once every two weeks. You got that? And you're let spin. And you know, you get some hormone replacement therapy or you do some supplements that you like, and then you find out you can be back off to the races, you know, juicy as peach all again. But you just have to know the things to do right so that you. You don't, like, become a desert. You have to just know. And when we know, we will do right. So, you know, don't go anywhere.

[Trevor Noah]

Cause we got more. What now after this.

[Unknown]

For, like a woman at home who's maybe like in her early 70s, is it too late for her? Can she jump on this train and try the VFIT and the gel and the hormone replacement therapy? Because sometimes it feels like the conversation is good to 40s, to, like late 50s.

[Halle Berry]

She can certainly jump into the vfit. She can do the let spin hormones. That's something she'd have to talk to a menopause doctor about to be sure. Because I have heard that if it. If you don't start the therapy early enough, it can. That's when it can be an issue. If you start too late in life. 70, maybe too late. That's not what I should be answering today. I think that's what you need to go.

[Unknown]

So the message is, actually, we need to. Women can, as early as possible, be.

[Halle Berry]

On this journey and start thinking about it at 35, at 35. Because, you know, our childbearing years are 25 to 35. And at 35, that's when the estrogen starts to leave. And we have to start realizing, okay, this Perry is coming upon us. So at 35, I think we have to start talking to our doctors. If they're not talking to you, talk to them. Get the right doctor and start talking about it. What can I do so that I sail through to this moment? Right. And that I don't suffer the way the women before me have suffered.

[Trevor Noah]

Before we lose you, I. I'd love to know how this journey has been informed by or has affected your professional slash sort of life journey. And I know the two are connected, but I. I can't help but see all the links between them. You know, like Christiana and I will talk about all the time with, let's say, pregnancy or motherhood and how it clashes with the way we've built corporate life. And you're in an industry that's unique, but at the same time isn't really in some ways in that, like, you know, if you're a woman in Hollywood, if you're a woman in certain jobs, you know, how you look, how you're perceived, how you're seen, affects your ability to work or not work. And I'd love to know how have you navigated a world that has told you you don't hold as much value when you're building up all these other different facets of yourself that do hold value? Because there's a moment before Spin where Halle Berry is, as you said, you. You found another thing, and this is your second act. But I'd love to know how you were navigating that experience, because it can be a scary one for people in all walks of life. I just think Hollywood gets all the shine, but I think many people will experience that where they go, oh, I didn't know what to do once my kids left for college. I'd always identified as a mom, and I was raising these kids, and now they're gone. And. And I just realized now my career as a mom is sort of over in that way. Or someone goes, oh, I've now gone back to the office. And, you know, my career is this. Oh, I've left the office. And I'm struggling with the way the world has now changed its perception of me. I'd love to know how you. How you navigated it, what you experienced and what you learned. And if you learned something from this part of it, that's. That's sort of helped you, or if it was part of the reason that re spin started.

[Halle Berry]

It's certainly part of the reason that re spin started. I. I struggled to understand what this company was. I knew it was always re spinning everything we thought we knew, but I didn't have a there there. I didn't have the real purpose of what the there there was. And when I realized that menopause needs the biggest re spin of all, then I realized, oh, that's what, that's why I've been building this company. Even if I didn't, even when I didn't know why really, I figured out why, which lets me know that it was happening, you know, to me and for me, because I didn't really have it thought out, but yet I was building something, which is why I know it's chosen me. I just had to get caught up to it. Right. But it chose me, clearly.

[Trevor Noah]

Was there a part of you that was afraid though, that you were, you know, because you're building this thing, but there's also this other world that you've, I mean, you're an Oscar winning actress. Like, let's never forget that. Do you know what I mean? Like it's, you're an Oscar winning actress. History making, history making, Oscar winning actress. So it's not even, you know, it's not like, oh yeah, you act and it's not like you're a good actress. No, no, no, you can't get high. It's a gold medal at the Olympics. Do you get what I'm saying? So I, I wonder like, how much fear was attached to that. How are you dealing with that? Yes, you're making respin, but before that you're letting go in some ways of something and, you know, you don't know what that journey will or won't be. And so I think a lot of people would be, would be served by knowing, like, you know, just how did Halle Berry figure out what for many people is a really tough time in their lives before you find the next thing.

[Halle Berry]

But I think this goes back to the thing I said earlier, and that is being born a black woman. I feel like, I have always felt like I sat at the bottom of society. Damn right. White man, black man, white woman, black woman. So I've always felt at the bottom, never feeling like I was defeated because I was at the bottom. Never feeling like I couldn't dream big because I was at the bottom. Never feeling like I wasn't worthy or capable because I was, was at the bottom. But I always have known that I'm going to have to work 10 times harder than everybody else to get anywhere just to get a step up from the bottom. I'm going to have to work harder than a white man or a white woman or a black man. I'm going to have to work that much harder because we sit at the bottom. And so that feeling, I think, has been what has propelled me my whole life. I've never been afraid of hard work. I'VE always known that anything was possible. If I decide that, it's so. I've always known my worth and my value, even when I've been struggling and I've been afraid because I knew what my core values were all about. I had a fifth grade teacher. Her name is Yvonne Sim. She's a beautiful black woman that took me under her wing when I was 10 years old. And everything that makes me me is her. That she took the time to pour into me. And you know how I knew I was valuable? Because this teacher who didn't have to take time, she wasn't my mother. She didn't bring me into the world. She didn't owe me. But because this beautiful, smart, wise woman took me under her wing and invested in me. She poured that into me, and that gave me value. I knew I must be special, I must be of value if this woman would take her time every day after school to pour into me, pour into me, pour into me, pour into me. And that's what I've carried. I've known that worth and that value from a very young age.

[Trevor Noah]

That's beautiful.

[Halle Berry]

And I haven't allowed people to dim my light even when I've gone. We know the things I've gone through. Many of them have been public. I'm going through shit right now. I don't care. It's just things that you go through, you grow through, you learn. That's why we're here, right? But I've always just known I have value here and I have a purpose. So finding respin and finding this cause of menopause is like, oh, another one of my purposes. Like winning that Oscar that time. I was chosen to do that too. To open that door. I knew it was bigger than right. I hope this year someone stands next to me. This year I hope it happens. Because I'm tired of occupying that space alone. I hope some hope. I hope this is the year, right? But even if it's not, I was chosen in that moment to be a beacon of possibility, right? And I do think it served that purpose. And I think I'm sitting in this moment also talking about menopause and telling my own story and being bald and bold. It's also to be a beacon of possibility as where we can go as women and what we deserve. And knowing that we're more than this shell, right? That we are complicated, we are beautiful, we are strong. We deserve a second act. We deserve all things good. We've raised our children, we've sacrificed our bodies, right? We've given what we have to give. I can't believe we live in a world that now says we got nothing for you. Sorry. I don't believe that. Right. But I know we have to change that for ourselves. And I. And I realize this is my second act purpose to help change that narrative. That's my purpose.

[Trevor Noah]

It's amazing the teacher poured into you and I feel like you're now pouring into everybody else.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Trevor Noah]

And you poured into us. This was more fun than I could have expected.

[Halle Berry]

I'm so happy to be here.

[Trevor Noah]

This is so much fun.

[Unknown]

Stay longer.

[Trevor Noah]

I know you'll come back. You'll come back. There'll be more respin the. I can see it. It's going to like.

[Unknown]

I want the supplements. That's what I'm ready for.

[Trevor Noah]

That's the next thing we're doing.

[Unknown]

See, we're working on the supplement.

[Trevor Noah]

I knew it. It's infinite.

[Halle Berry]

We're working on.

[Unknown]

Okay, great.

[Trevor Noah]

It's going to be. Thank you so much for joining us and thank you for sharing. Thank you for pouring your hearts out. Thank you. You know, thank you for being you.

[Halle Berry]

Thank you.

[Trevor Noah]

What now with Trevor Noah is produced by Spotify Studios in partnership with Date Zero Productions. The show is executive produced by Trevor Noah, Sanaz Yamin and Jodi Avigan. Our senior producer is Jess Hackle. Claire Slaughter is our producer. Music, mixing and mastering by Hannis Brown. Thank you so much for listening. Join me next Thursday for another episode of what Now.