Carla Hall is hitting a milestone next year: turning 60, or in her words, “sexty.” Although she’s accomplished more than most in her lifetime — she’s been an actor, a talk show host, a caterer, a model and even an accountant — the chef said she’s hoping to continue to evolve by leaning more into her sexuality. “In this day and age when women are talking more about menopause, with the wisdom and being comfortable with myself comes my femininity and my sexuality and I think that’s worth exploring,” she says. “I would like that to be one of my pillars in my 60th year.”
With menopause, Hall highlights, there’s a lot of ups and downs. “I think we focus on the thorns — brain fog, hot flashes, and mood changes — but I think some of the roses, especially now, are the conversations that are happening, bringing women together.” For example, one of the thorns is changes in sexual function as you go through menopause. However, the rose is that you can do something about it.
There’s a lot you can do to take control of your health aside from just menopause, Hall notes. “I’m so passionate about brain health,” says Hall. “My grandmother had Alzheimer’s and my mother has just been diagnosed, in recent years, with mild dementia, and when I took a DNA test, it was revealed that I carry the gene for late-onset Alzheimer’s.”
While the result was disappointing, if not surprising, she’s not letting that get in her way. “In looking at my DNA, it’s like, what can I do now to prevent it,” she says, noting that she avoids foods she knows are triggers, such as sugar. “As I got older, I started to understand food as medicine. The older I get, the more I understand what my body needs to be healthy.”