After meeting at a neighborhood event, two women from two very different backgrounds, Colleen Rosenblum and Bridgett Garratt, came together in their mid-50s to create a multi-dimensional podcast for middle-aged women and beyond, Hot Flashes and Cool Topics (HFCT). Rosenblum, a former attorney, pilates instructor and mom of two, and Garratt, a former elementary school teacher, small time actor and mom of two, both live locally in Franklin. The women came together over lunch and decided that there were not many platforms for middle aged women that covered a variety of topics beyond menopause.
Rosenblum and Garratt have conversations with celebrities, career experts, doctors, authors, scientists, and women who have changed careers at the age of fifty. “We had started table talks on Youtube on [topics] about making friends over fifty and empty nesting with friends of ours because we wanted the podcast to really feel like you were sitting at a table just chatting with us,” Rosenblum says. “So we don’t really limit the topics to any one particular thing.”
Rosenblum and Garratt spoke to some notable women on the recent season of their podcast. Some of these amazing prime time women include: Patricia Heaton, Marsha Mason, Melanie Chartoff, Joan Lunden, Marilu Henner, Gretchen Carlson, Carla Hall, Jean Chatzky, Carnie Wilson and more. Rosenblum and Garratt also love when listeners email them topics that they want covered on the show.
At the start of the pandemic, Rosenblum and Garratt started a series called 'Happy Hour' for their show. They got together with other podcasters and guests virtually that they’ve had on the show before and would simply chat and answer questions that viewers had. “We try to seek professionals because there are many topics Colleen and I are not professionals in,” Garratt says. “But we try to find professionals to help answer questions. We had therapists [on the show] whenever we began the pandemic because mental health is very important.” Rosenblum and Garratt want their listeners to feel empowered and know that they are not alone in what they are going through after listening to their podcast.
HFCT was recently featured in Woman’s World Magazine as a notable podcast show. You can listen to it on Spotify, Apple podcasts, and any other podcast platform available. They post new content every Wednesday with the occasional bonus show. HotFlashesCoolTopics.com