Let me take you back to the time when I asked myself the same question… At 42 I visited my doctor.

I was exhausted, night sweats had left me sleep-deprived and irritable. Only to be told I was too young to be peri-menopausal.

When you’re exhausted and low you don’t always have the energy to question the advice you’re given but I knew he was wrong. And I trusted my intuition enough to keep looking.

Eventually, I visited an alternative doctor. I was emotional by the time I reached his office and he wondered if I was depressed. But I knew my body, I just needed sleep. He helped and within weeks I felt like a different woman!

Emotionally my recovery began when I started to prioritise myself. I began to explore yoga, meditation, and mindfulness. I studied Reiki and discovered Emotional Freedom Technique (tapping) through my doctor. But it was hard to stick with it - I didn’t have a supportive space where I could talk about “spiritual things” - and many people reacted negatively when I did.

I still hadn’t discovered the mindset work that would shift everything and create lasting change. My 50s were transformational, I was learning to create a more positive mindset, accept all the parts of my story, and listen more deeply to my intuition. Reprogramming my mind allowed me to approach my life and work with more mindfulness and heart-centred presence.

Too many women are struggling to navigate menopause, neglecting their own needs, and feeling lost, exhausted, and taken for granted. The doctor doesn’t seem to have the answers they need and they’re not sure how to make space for the new woman that’s emerging.

We begin by understanding our physiology. The nervous system, which is made up of our brain, spinal cord, and nerves, sends messages throughout our entire body. The autonomic nervous system has two parts, the parasympathetic nervous system which allows our body to “rest and digest” and the sympathetic nervous system which prepares our body for “fight or flight”. When our bodies are in a constant state of stress the sympathetic nervous system increases the production of chemicals like adrenaline and cortisol. These chemicals are only meant to be in our body for a short amount of time - just enough for us to get away from the danger.

However, chronic stress means our body is constantly pumping out cortisol which is absorbed by most of our body’s cells - where it wreaks havoc. At the same time, our peri-menopausal bodies have reduced levels of oestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. The decline in hormones isn’t a slow, steady decline. It’s erratic, which means some days you feel on top of the world, and other days you just want to stay in bed and not speak to anyone.

Oestrogen is a hormone that affects almost every cell in our bodies and that is why there are 34 symptoms ranging from hot flushes to formication.

This hormonal cocktail is leaving us and our endocrine system completely exhausted/out of whack. It feels as though life will never be the same.

Women just want to feel back to normal again. By calming our bodies and nervous system, the chemicals are rebalanced, the brain fog eases and we feel more balanced, calmer, and more in control.

It’s also common for trauma to bubble to the surface at this stage of life as our hormones fluctuate. I trained with the iapc&m in mindfulness coaching so I could offer support to women as they learn to deal with their inner critic (you know that voice that says you’re never enough or you’re too much or you don’t deserve to be healthy, happy, loved), improve their mindset and rebuild self-belief.

As we do this work, it’s important to surround ourselves with a community of people who support us, reinforce our self-belief, and cheer us on. I designed the Menopause Membership to support, educate and encourage mid-life women. I help them feel motivated, balanced, and ready to take on the world!

It makes me sad to hear so many women suffering, feeling lost and lonely so it's my mission to reframe menopause, celebrate the benefits, and show our sisters the opportunities this liberating stage of life brings.

When we embrace menopause we can learn to: Embrace our beautiful, powerful, feminine energy Confidently to let go of careers and relationships that don’t serve us Explore new opportunities and experiences with authenticity Own the wisdom, strength, and peace that life experiences have taught us

Engage in communities to share stories and talk Advocate for healthcare, treatments, and research that are increasingly available Allow more time for ourselves to slow down and explore spirituality Freedom from periods! Inspire others (if you don’t believe me ask your friends) Embrace the attitude that “You only live once...” I believe that by making ourselves a priority and using daily mindfulness we can temporarily drop our roles, rest, and receive inner peace as we lower our stress response, and flood our bodies with endorphins and oxytocin leaving us better equipped to cope with our hectic days.

We all have the capacity to create a mindset that supports self-belief and confidence. A mindset that empowers us to live life on our terms while making decisions that are in alignment with our values and goals. I want to make a difference, so my mission is to help overwhelmed, menopausal women not to survive but to THRIVE!!!