Small Achievable Goals co-creators on making menopause funny — and tackling their own shame in the process
In a Q interview, Meredith MacNeill and Jennifer Whalen discuss their new CBC sitcom
In the new CBC sitcom Small Achievable Goals, co-creators Meredith MacNeill and Jennifer Whalen star as Kris and Julie, two women who are navigating menopause while working at a podcast production company.
As alumni of Baroness von Sketch Show, MacNeill and Whalen are used to tackling life's messy realities with fearless and subversive humour. But when it came to shooting some of the scenes for Small Achievable Goals, they were surprised to discover that they felt quite vulnerable at times.
In an interview with Q guest host Talia Schlanger, MacNeill says she experienced some personal shame and embarrassment that made her question whether she was the right advocate for menopause.
"In the pilot we really wanted to show flash bleeding and any shame around period blood," MacNeill tells Schlanger.
"As I was getting the blood put on my dress, I was filled head to toe with fear…. I actually was filled with such deep shame and I couldn't believe it. I was so confused in the moment. So the thing that I was so excited to share and show my 14-year-old daughter and really push this shameless thing about having period blood, and having flash bleeding, and bleeding through your clothes, I remember the second before I stepped out, I was … extremely nervous and I felt personal shame as Meredith."
Together, MacNeill and Whalen decided the only way to overcome that shame was to make jokes about it.
The comedy duo came up with the idea for the show after experiencing some of their own menopause symptoms, which can include hot flashes, night sweats, bladder control issues, irregular periods, and moodiness and irritability.
"If you research menopause, everything that you discover is miserable," Whalen says. "It feels like it's unending…. I think I really wanted to have a laugh about it because some of it was just so crazy. And that's kind of, I feel, for me, the best way to deal with hard things."
You can watch Small Achievable Goals on CBC and CBC Gem starting Tuesday, Feb. 25.
The full interview with Meredith MacNeill and Jennifer Whalen is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Meredith MacNeill and Jennifer Whalen produced by Lise Hosein.
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