Director and producer Sadhvi Siddhali Shree (Surviving Sex Trafficking) along with co-director and co-producer Sadhvi Anubhuti (For the Animals) are currently in production on Balance: A Perimenopause Journey, a four-part documentary series about the taboo and timely subject of women facing perimenopause, with their longtime collaborator – actress and activist Alyssa Milano.
Perimenopause, or the transition to menopause, impacts every woman on the planet and can happen at any age in her life but is one of the least understood by medical research and science. Filmmakers Sadhvi Siddhali Shree and Sadhvi Anubhuti set out to learn just what it means for all of humanity when our bodies change us. With trusted professionals, doctors, and influencers, they’re on a quest to break the stigma, educate the world, and enact change to help women achieve Balance: A Perimenopause Journey.
Milano, who serves as both executive producer and interview subject in the series, said, “While menopause is inevitable for all women, the suffering in solitude that many experience, the general lack of awareness of the physical and mental effects, and the substandard care for aging women and their hormonal health can all be dramatically improved. In our docuseries, Balance, we shed light on the relentless stigma and dismissal many perimenopausal women face when it comes to their hormonal experiences, and we advocate for increased research and support, which should include the input of women in the medical field. Under the umbrella term ‘healthcare,’ women’s health is not sufficiently prioritized here in the U.S., or in most countries around the world. With our docuseries, Balance, we aim to change that—because after all, women’s health and women’s equality go hand in hand.”
The female-led team includes Director and Producer Sadhvi Siddhali Shree, an Army Iraq-war veteran and North America’s first female Jain Monk, as well as Sadhvi Anubhuti who serves as Co-Director and Co-Producer and is also a Jain Monk.
Actress, activist, and executive producer Alyssa Milano has previously worked on multiple projects with the monk-filmmaker duo, including the feature documentaries Surviving Sex Trafficking and For the Animals.
The series features an all-star lineup of influential women’s healthcare specialists, including Dr. Heather Hirsch, MD, MS, NCM; Dr. Mary Claire Haver, Board-certified OBGYN, FACOG, CMP; Dr. Sharon Malone, MD, FACOG, CMP, MSCP and Chief Medical Officer of Alloy Health; Dr. Jessica Shepherd, OBGYN, MBA, FACOG; Dr. Julie Brush, ND at Amen Clinics; Dr. Vonda Wright, MD and orthopedic surgeon; Dr. Michelle Sands, ND at Glow Natural Wellness, Dr. Louise Newson, UK-based GP and Menopause Specialist; and Dr. Neal Barnard, a health and plant-based expert.
Dr. Heather Hirsch, who founded the menopause and midlife clinic at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston while faculty at Harvard Medical School, is now the CEO and founder of the Health by Heather Hirsch MD Collaborative (a telemedicine practice operating in nearly 30 states), the Author of Unlock Your Menopause Type, and CEO and founder of the Heather Hirsch Academy, a teaching platform and community aimed at educating clinicians (MD’s, DO’s, PA’s, NPs and pharmacists) about hormone replacement therapy in perimenopause and menopause said, “Women have been deprived of basic knowledge about their hormonal health since the dawn of time, and that changes with the BALANCE docuseries. It’s a monumental shift—one we’ve never dared to tackle until now. This docuseries will serve as a catalyst for all woman-kind, and I am deeply honored to be part of such a vital project. I simply can’t stand to see women suffering due to lack of understanding.”
Dr. Mary Claire, author of numerous books about menopause including her latest, The New Menopause, added, “My hope is that the Balance docuseries will help women understand what is happening to their bodies so that they are prepared and not blindsided. It will also help them know their therapeutic options so that they can have an informed conversation with their healthcare provider.”
For the filmmakers, the docuseries represents a deeply personal journey. As monks, they have striven their whole lives to achieve levels of balance through the three pillars of body, mind, and spirit, and have found their peaceful lives disrupted by the hormonal effects and symptoms of perimenopause – the transitional phase leading up to menopause.
“It’s not as simple as finding balance and keeping it – the cards are stacked against us – because our bodies are ever-changing, and we’ve never been taught just how drastic those changes can be. Hormone imbalance and perimenopause are simply not taught to us,” Sadhvi Siddhali Shree said. “At 38, it started with sleepless nights, high anxiety, and a moment of rage. Something changed in me and it was unsettling. I didn’t know what it was until I learned it was perimenopause.”
“Witnessing what Sadhvi Siddhali Shree was going through made me dive into my own research to find answers,” said Sadhvi Anubhuti. “We were then inspired to make a docuseries about it so that others are informed and can be empowered to be an agent for themselves. Suicidal thoughts are higher during this transition. As monks, we wish to reduce suffering in the world and so this series can save lives.”
In addition to Milano, executive producers include H.H. Acharya Shree Yogeesh and Heather Badal. The production company is Siddhayatan Tirth Productions, a non-profit production organization that also produced the feature documentaries Stopping Traffic, Surviving Sex Trafficking, and For The Animals.
Zack Tzourtzouklis is the Editor and Co-Producer, while Cesar Ramos serves as Director of Photography.