Leanne Morgan says menopause is a ‘booger.’ At 59, she’s turning aging into comedy gold.

Leanne Morgan is proof that age is nothing but a number. She’s the star of her own Netflix sitcom, crisscrossing the country on her Just Getting Started tour and somehow still managing to get in trouble for spoiling her grandbabies with too many dinosaurs. As she gets ready to turn 60 in October, the comedian says her cup is full — professionally, personally and in all the ways that matter most.

“I’ve had a good one,” Morgan tells me during a conversation for Yahoo’s Unapologetically series. “There have been ups and downs, but I just wouldn’t change anything. I mean, I dated some people that you wouldn’t wipe your feet on, but you know, that helped me too.”

Morgan’s humor and Southern charm are on full display as we talk about her new series, Leanne, which is inspired by her stand-up and cracked Netflix’s ranking of top 10 U.S. shows. Leanne begins as the titular character’s life is turned upside down when her husband of 33 years leaves her for another woman.

While that particular plot point doesn’t mirror Morgan’s own life, she says she was excited to show the messy, unfiltered reality of being a woman in her late 50s: menopause, heartbreak and all the ups and downs in between.

“I hope that people find joy and hope in this. It may not be divorce, but life’s hard and it kicks you in the teeth,” Morgan says. “It does it for all of us. There is hope and things to look forward to, whether it’s a new relationship, a new job, whatever. I hope [viewers] find hope in that because that’s life and that’s the truth.”

Here’s what she says about having her dream sitcom at 59, why menopause is a “booger” and how she’s learned to embrace laughter at all ages.

I know you’re happily married with three children. How did you tap into this alternate version of yourself?

That was [creator] Chuck Lorre’s idea. We didn’t want it based on my real life because that would have been weird. We said, “I think a lot of people will relate to this.” It gives you a little conflict, but even if somebody’s not going through a divorce, people have to start over all the time. He was so right doing that because I wouldn’t want it based on my real children, my real husband. It ended up being wonderful.

What are some life experiences that you drew from to portray this journey of self-discovery and reinvention that we can all relate to?

Being a mama, trying to launch children and taking care of elderly parents is very real to me. I take care of my little mom and daddy when I can. I have three children that I’ve launched into the world. And then menopause. There were a lot of things that were very similar to what I go through in real life. But yeah, the menopause, being a grandmama, your children are grown. Now what are you going to do? All of that.

Let’s start with menopause. It’s refreshing to see it talked about in a sitcom. How important was it for you to showcase a real experience that women go through?

You are right, honey. Nobody said a word. When I went through perimenopause, I thought, What?! I felt so bad. I really got into it because I did a podcast a long time ago about menopause with my nurse practitioner who did my hormones. I think I’m the only person who’s ever talked about perimenopause in a Netflix special. Then I did something with Oprah [Winfrey] on ABC about menopause health. It’s something everybody’s got to go through. It’s crazy that nobody [talks about it] — it’s part of women’s health. I do think people are going to relate to that. I do think that people are going to want to see that experience through somebody on TV. Because you’re right, they don’t show it. No question.

How would you complete this sentence? Menopause is …

A booger. But let me tell you, perimenopause is the [worst], when you’re up and down and they don’t know what to do. When you get through menopause, it’s so much better because they know what they know now and what to do for you. I feel better now that I’ve been through menopause. And I hope women see that on this show.

This show blends tough moments with humor. How important is it for your comedy to strike that balance between making people laugh but also showcasing life’s messier side at times?

I want to be real and authentic. Everybody has hard times, and everybody gets knocked down. How do you pull yourself up? There’s comedy in that. There’s comedy in bad things. [As comedians], we deal with trauma and [sadness] through laughter. That’s how my parents were when I was growing up. If something bad was happening, we used humor. I do think that’s important to have that balance and to let people know there’s hope, but be real about the things that hurt.

Talk to me about working with Chuck Lorre, which I imagine would be a comedian’s dream come true.

He flew to my house in Knoxville, Tenn., and sat on my back porch. I fed him lunch, and I still wake up in the middle of the night, thinking that the bread was stale. But Chuck Lorre, he sat on my back porch and held my grandbaby and said to me that he wanted to do a television show with me. I’m pinching myself. My husband sits and watches Big Bang Theory every night.

We kind of touched on it earlier, but did you and Chuck have a conversation about wanting to tap into this market of what it’s like to be a woman in your 50s and 60s, which feels underrepresented in the media?

Yes, we did. He did say to me, “I need your help. I’m from Long Island. I’m not from the South. I need your Southern voice, and I’ve never been through menopause.” I did tell that little sweet Chuck Lorre that I have a weak pelvic floor. I think I scared him to death. But we were very open.

Kristen Johnston plays your sister on the show. How did you create the rapport off-screen that’s so essential for your characters?

I mean this with all my heart: The minute we met, we bonded. We just held on to each other every day, and we sat in each other’s green rooms, and then on set, we would just get so tickled we could not get our breath. Plus, she taught me so much because I did not know what in the world was happening, and I’d never done anything like this, and she helped me every day and would say, “Stand here, look at that camera.” Bless her heart, she had two jobs, but it was wonderful.

We talked to her for the series, and I want to read you one of my favorite quotes from her about how women cannot win when it comes to aging. “If you get surgery, you lose. If you don’t get surgery, you lose. If you gain weight, you lose. If you lose weight, you lose.” I’d love to get your take on that.

I do think it’s tough out there for women, and I went through this at the beginning when I saw myself onscreen. I would say to her, “Where did my chin go? Look at my fanny. You could set a cafeteria tray on my fanny.” She goes, “Leanne, listen to me, look at me. Don’t let that get in your head.” I have had women out in Hollywood say to me, “Leanne, we love you because you are who you are, and you haven’t done anything. Let us enjoy that.” And I do honor that. I do want to be real, and I feel like my comedy is authentic to me, and I wanted to bring that into this show, and it is hard because I’m human.

Do you read comments on social media, or do you kind of try and stay away from it?

I try not to, my angel. Most of the time, 98% of the time, people [say] the sweetest things to me. It makes me want to bawl my eyes out, and they want to see me win, and they feel like I’m a voice for them, and it’s really been sweet. There are some people out there, God love them, who are miserable, and I just have to remember and think: What are they going through? Is their heart going through all this that they would say something mean? I just can’t read it anymore because, as Reese Witherspoon says, “Somebody’s opinion of me is none of my business.”

How have you learned to embrace yourself more unapologetically, both on and off the screen?

I think what I’ve done is I do try to talk positively to myself. … Everybody’s got that negative talk in their head, and I have it too, and then I had to remind myself: You’re doing OK. I try to love my family the best I can. I try to put more into that than I do superficial things. I want to love these grandbabies, honey, and I’m buying too many dinosaurs, I can tell you that. They told me I have to quit buying so many dinosaurs, but I just try to focus on the things that are important.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.