Beyond the Pause is a YouTube and documentary series sharing people’s personal stories and experiences with menopause. From these stories, we learn about the next phase of life, and we celebrate changing the narrative on menopause.
Produced by: Kilam Media and Nicole Bedford Films
Directed by: Nicole Bedford and Mailyne K. Briggs
The Team
Nicole Bedford
Nicole Bedford (she/her) is a Producer and Director based in Ottawa, Canada, unceded Algonquin Territory. Her work, which usually falls in the documentary realm, regularly explores themes of power, resiliency, and community.Since launching into film in 2019, she has created and screened several short documentaries and is an alumnus of four mentorship programs (including with the DOC Institute, Women in Film and Television Toronto, and the National Film Board of Canada). In 2022, she completed her first feature documentary, the smallest steps, about women across generations working to end violence against women in Canada.Currently, she is in post-production for her second documentary feature, Roots & Mesh, about four women from rural Nova Scotia who learn to build community through song.
Mailyne K. Briggs
Mailyne K. Briggs (she/her) is a Philippines-born, Canadian-raised filmmaker, writer, and artist dedicated to socially impactful storytelling driven by purpose. In 2013 she founded Kilam Media Inc. and has since produced and directed a diverse range of projects from documentaries to commercials, music videos and short films.Her recent credits include co-producing the feature documentary I AM: Limitless (CBC Gem) and Executive Producing the short film, Performance Review, which premiered in June at Dances With Films LA. In addition to Beyond the Pause, she's developing her debut feature, Those Days of Summer, a coming-of-age story inspired by her immigrant experience, set in late 90s Ottawa.Outside of film, Mailyne is a non-profit founder, mother, and published author/illustrator of the bilingual children's book Manok. Her first novella is currently with beta readers.
The Documentary
Weaving between allegory and lived experience, Beyond the Pause provides a positive narrative and an almost mystical reimagining of menopause while also sharing core medical information and personal lived experiences.We're in the development and research phase of our documentary. This means we're researching and collecting as much information we can from people who have experienced menopause or are currently navigating it.We'd love to hear from you about your own journey and experience with menopause. Click the button below to find out how you can participate!
Mailyne K. Briggs
My curiosity about this stage of life started just before I turned 40 when I began experiencing symptoms that were unusual for me; heart palpitations, extreme fatigue, migraines and night sweats. I brushed it off as being related to my histamine intolerance but as symptoms continued I began to feel worried that something was seriously wrong with me. I booked an appointment with my doctor and while waiting, I did what any normal person would do: googled my symptoms.I was surprised to discover a word I’ve never heard of before: perimenopause, and it got me asking all sorts of questions: why is this the first time I’ve ever heard of this word? Why is no one in my family talking about it, and why is it when I bring up menopause, the reactions are usually so negative?As I slowly explored this topic more, friends began sharing their own stories, and my eldest sister (in her 60s) confided that our birth mom was menopausal at 42. It was through these conversations with friends and family that I felt some assurance that the possibility of me being in early menopause wasn't all in my head.Now in my early 40's, I’m on a mission with Nicole to learn as much as I can about this next phase of life and hear from as many women as possible: what is their experience like? How did they learn about menopause? What is there to look forward to Beyond the Pause?
Nicole Bedford
In 2021, during a hectic year working on my first feature about violence against women, I began experiencing intense mood swings. By 2022, I was regularly oscillating between overwhelming anxiety and deep, paralyzing depression. I felt like I’d lost my sense of normal.While the swings seemed all over the place, I felt they were connected to my cycle, so I began to investigate. One doctor tested my hormones, said they were normal, and suggested birth control. A therapist recommended antidepressants. A naturopath helped adjust my diet: adding more protein, iron, and vitamin D.On my own, I tried everything I could: I started exercising 6 days a week. I cut back on alcohol, ate healthier food, tried meditating, and worked hard to reduce stress. Then I met another naturopath who offered some potential answers and solutions that have thankfully led to noticeable results.While we are still uncertain whether I'm in peri or not (there's no test to diagnose it!), having her expertise and support has made me feel like balance and wellbeing is actually possible again. It has also highlighted to me the importance of women knowing their bodies and learning about peri/menopause, so they are able to access the right resources and supports when they need them.So for me, this journey comes down to that sense of possibility—that we can move from surviving to thriving—and I’m excited to help women find their "possibility" through our channel and documentary series: Beyond the Pause.
The YouTube Project
Our Channel Intro
We want to share a diverse array of people's menopause experiences on YouTube as part of our effort to share knowledge, demystify menopause, and be part of changing the narrative around this unique stage of life.The goal is to have the world’s largest, accessible, online database of women of all backgrounds talking about their personal experiences with menopause in an effort to change the negative narratives around it. By showcasing diverse experiences online, we hope women will feel better informed, understood, and supported.Are you interested in sharing your experience? You can record your own reel or participate in an interview (in person or by Zoom/Google Meets)! Reach out and let us know!Click on the button below - we can't wait to hear from you!
Be Part of Our Project
1) You can participate in an interview (in person or by Zoom/Google Meets).
2) You can film your own Reel - up to 3min sharing your experience and send it to us.
3) You can connect us with someone we can interview!
Donate to Our Project
This is currently a self-funded project by both of us. We would greatly appreciate any donations to support our work and time as independent filmmakers. If you're interested in donating to the film, please send us an email!
Share this With Others
Share our YT channel, our website and our social media, Beyond the Pause, with anyone who you know that might be interested in this next phase of life. This is an excellent source of data and research being collected and shared for free.
Participate
Thank you for wanting to participate in Beyond the Pause!Please select how you'll be participating in the documentary and YT channel by submitting your interest, completing the survey or submitting your reel.You can choose one option or all three!
How to Participate
1.
Submit Your Interest
2.
Send Us Your Own Recording
*Note this will take you to a Google Form where you can submit your reel. Please contact us if you experience any issues.
3.
Answer a Survey Sharing Your Experience
*Note this will take you to a Google Form that will take 15 minutes to complete. Please contact us if you experience any issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we use the term "women"?
While we use the word women to talk about the menopause experience, we recognize that not all people who go through menopause identify as women. We want to be inclusive and ensure that anyone who menstruates, regardless of gender identity, feels welcome here. Our goal is to provide a space for learning, sharing, and connecting for anyone navigating this stage of life.
How are you differentiating between the YT Channel and the Documentary?
The YouTube channel will feature full-length, casual style interviews sharing people’s experiences with perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause. These interviews will allow viewers to find stories that are similar to their experiences so they don’t feel alone in what they are experiencing themselves.The documentary will pull from these interviews as appropriate (and where consent has been provided) in order to assemble a feature-length film that draws on the wisdom of ancient myths and folklore from cultures around the world to challenge negative narratives of the peri/menopause experience, and weave a different narrative where women can find a life of meaning and purpose Beyond the Pause.
What if I'm not experiencing menopause, or I’m someone who knows or is interested in supporting someone in menopause, how do I participate?
If you're not experiencing menopause, but you still want to participate, feel free to submit a reel with questions that you have about menopause for us to share and our community can help to answer!If you know someone who is experiencing menopause, and you want to help them out, you can share our project with them, or you are also welcome to submit a reel with questions that our community can help answer!
What happens if I want to submit a reel?
If you submit a reel, we will review it to determine whether it meets our community standards for sharing on our social media channels. If yes, we'll edit your reel slightly, add our branding and captions, and trim the beginning/end or any ums/ahs to make sure it meets the Reels/Shorts requirement of under the 3min mark. We will then schedule it for sharing across our social media channels! Please note, as a small, independent team, it may take us a few days to weeks to prepare everything. We are thankful for your patience!
What happens if I want to participate in an interview?
If you are interested in participating in an interview, please complete our Interview Interest form on the Participate page.Tell us a bit about your menopause journey and what you are interested in sharing as part of an interview. If we have the capacity to conduct an interview with you (either online or in-person), we will work with you to book an interview on a date/time that’s convenient for you. Once your interview is complete, we will lightly edit it, and share it on our project YouTube page so others can benefit from hearing your story!Note: Participating in an interview may not result in being featured in the documentary.
Who is this documentary and community for?
This documentary and community is for everyone. We know, we know, that’s super general (and so not the way to target an audience), but we truly believe that knowledge about menopause should be everyone’s wheelhouse! We want all people – women, men, non-binary folks – to be able to share and hear from others about their menopause experiences.Have a remarkable, or super positive, or neutral story to share about your menopause experience? Share it so others know they are not alone.Not a person who will experience menopause but have questions so you can support someone who will? Send them in! Our community wants to help you find answers!Well past menopause and excited to share how awesome life is Beyond the Pause (sorry, we had to), send us your advice, tips, and pointers so those who are approaching this big transition know that it’s not a super scary experience!Ultimately, this project is about building a community of support so we’re all able to learn about and navigate the menopause transition!
Why are you the ones doing this project?
While we are not medical experts or doctors, we felt that this project is important because this is a part of our life that we are entering, with not a lot of understanding or knowledge on the matter. We can’t speak for others, but we want to create a space that allows for others who have navigated this phase of life to speak for themselves and share their own experience so that we can help other women, like ourselves, to feel less alone.
Contact Us
*Email: beyondthepausefilm (at) gmail (dot) com