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There was a time when women were expected to keep quiet about menopause and get on with it. Thankfully, we’ve moved on, ...
09/09/2026

There was a time when women were expected to keep quiet about menopause and get on with it. Thankfully, we’ve moved on, but somewhere along the way the conversation has become incredibly noisy. We’re surrounded by advice about what to take, what not to take, what to eat, how to exercise, which hormones we need and what every change in our body supposedly means.

Some of that information is incredibly useful, but more information doesn’t necessarily make things clearer. Sometimes it just gives you more to worry about, another thing you think you should be doing, or another reason to wonder whether you’re getting menopause completely wrong.

Which is why the goal isn’t to have all the answers, it’s to ask better questions. What’s actually going on for me? What am I struggling with most? What have I already tried? What support do I need? And who do I trust to help me make sense of it?

You don’t need more noise or another person telling you what you should be doing. You need trusted information, but you also need to be able to trust yourself, to understand what’s happening in your body, recognise what isn’t working for you and feel confident asking the questions that matter.

Nobody knows what it feels like to live in your body better than you do.

That’s exactly why I created my Menopause Clarity Session. It’s not me telling you what to do, it’s a conversation focused on you, where we cut through everything you’ve read, heard and been told, make sense of what’s actually going on for you and work out what you need next.

If you’re tired of second-guessing yourself and want some clarity, comment CLARITY below and I’ll send you the details.

Wishing you a merry, not a miserable menopause
Jo

In 1969 Gloria Steinem spoke publicly about her own abortion. In 1971, she helped found the National Women’s Political C...
03/09/2026

In 1969 Gloria Steinem spoke publicly about her own abortion.
In 1971, she helped found the National Women’s Political Caucus.
In 1972, she co-founded Ms. magazine.
In 1978, she wrote If Men Could Menstruate, exposing the absurdity of how society treats women’s bodies.
She taught us that our bodies, our experiences and our voices matter, and that silence protects the status quo.
Those of us speaking openly today about periods, menopause, reproductive choice, equality at work and women’s right to lead are standing on the ground where Gloria laid the foundations.
She refused to accept the world as it was and did everything she could to change it for the better.
Thank you, Gloria, we’ll keep pushing.
🙏

So does HRT prevent dementia or not?You may have seen the recent headlines suggesting that HRT could reduce your risk of...
30/08/2026

So does HRT prevent dementia or not?

You may have seen the recent headlines suggesting that HRT could reduce your risk of dementia, and honestly, I can understand if your first thought was, the same as mine, what am I supposed to believe now?

We’ve spent years hearing about the risks of HRT. More recently we’ve heard that some of those risks were overstated. And now we’re seeing headlines suggesting HRT could protect us from dementia.

No wonder we are confused.

I’m not a doctor or medical researcher. I’m a coach and part of my job is helping women make sense of an increasingly noisy and confusing menopause conversation. I’ve been following the research and what UK dementia and menopause experts are saying about it.

The UK study of more than 183,000 women found an association between HRT use and a 10% lower risk of dementia, but here’s the important bit, for women who’d experienced a natural menopause, the results didn’t show that HRT reduced their overall risk. The strongest association was in women who’d had a surgical menopause.

The simple version?

This study does not prove that taking HRT will prevent dementia.
That doesn’t mean the study isn’t important. It means we need more research before turning it into advice for women.

I’m a big believer in women having accurate, non biased information so we can make our own decisions about our health. HRT can be incredibly helpful, but we don’t need to oversell it to make that true, and I think that’s the bit worth remembering when you see the headlines.

“Associated with a lower risk” is not the same as “prevents dementia”.
And “a possible link” is not the same as proof. 

Wishing you a merry, not a miserable Menopause
Jo

The study is here
https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.71679

You’re not fantasising about resigning because you hate your job.You’re fantasising about escaping how you feel at work....
19/08/2026

You’re not fantasising about resigning because you hate your job.
You’re fantasising about escaping how you feel at work.

You don’t really want to leave.
You want to stop feeling exhausted before the day has even started.

You want to stop:
Second-guessing decisions that once felt easy.
Avoiding conversations in case you lose your words.
Worrying that you’ll cry or sound incapable.

You’ve researched perimenopause and Menopause.
You may have tried HRT.
Some symptoms may have improved.
But you’re still thinking:
“I don’t know how much longer I can do this job.”

You don’t want special treatment.
You don’t want your manager questioning whether you can cope.
So you say nothing.
And quietly fantasise about resigning, even though you need the money.

You haven’t suddenly become bad at your job.
But something needs to change.

Before you hand in your notice, work out what you actually need to leave:
The job?
Or the way work feels right now?

My 75-minute Menopause Clarity Session helps you work out what needs to change before leaving your job feels like your only option.
DM me CLARITY for the booking link.

As more organisations start to think about menopause action plans, there’s a big difference between writing one and havi...
29/04/2026

As more organisations start to think about menopause action plans, there’s a big difference between writing one and having one that actually delivers.

And this is why menopause support is moving towards legislation, so support is tangible and effective, not just confined to a static document. On paper, an action plan can look brilliant, but in practice, has it actually changed anything?

If you like ticking a box, make sure you can tick these off your list, because if you can, you’ll have a menopause action plan that actually works.

1. Is your menopause action plan clear and actionable?
Does it work for the people who need it, not just the department that wrote it.
2. Is it visible?
Do people know it exists and understand what support is available and how to access it.
3. Are your managers trained and confident?
Not just aware, but able to listen, respond and have informed, sensitive conversations.
4. Are there clear support pathways?
Can people access support without red tape or relying on one person.
5. Are workplace adjustments normalised and communicated?
Are practical changes part of how work happens, not exceptions.
6. Does it connect to the wider organisation?
Is it linked to retention, culture and your people strategy.

If you’re building a menopause action plan and want it to work in practice, not just on paper, I’ve developed a menopause strategy that organisations are already using as a foundation.

If you’d like a copy, send me a DM or email [email protected]

From April this year, employers with 250+ employees are being encouraged to publish menopause action plans, with this ex...
27/04/2026

From April this year, employers with 250+ employees are being encouraged to publish menopause action plans, with this expected to become mandatory by 2027.

On paper, it looks straightforward, create a policy, write a plan, but a menopause action plan is just words, it’s effectiveness will show up in real time. 

For example, you have a manager sitting with someone who is totally capable of doing their job, but due to hormonal changes, they are:
exhausted
anxious
struggling to concentrate

That manger has been trained, they understand the potential impact of menopause, they listen, know what reasonable adjustments they can make, and can signpost to an internal menopause support group.

All great, but the next part is what most organisations haven’t worked through, because awareness is just part of the solution, it’s the STARTING point. 

Beyond an online information library and group chats, people need somewhere to go next for real confidential support, and this is where coaching comes in. It’s a space for your people to 
make sense of what’s changing, physically and cognitively.
Work through what’s happening to their performance
Rebuild their confidence

So after that conversation with a manager, does your organisation have something meaningful to offer? 

If you’re thinking about how coaching fits into your menopause action plan, I’m already working with organisations to build this in. My Reset programme is designed specifically to support midlife employees, and when you compare it to the cost of replacing some of your most experienced people, it’s a no-brainer. 

If you’d like to have a chat send me a DM or email [email protected] 

A menopause action plan isn’t just about compliance or meeting future requirements and it’s also not about creating extr...
23/04/2026

A menopause action plan isn’t just about compliance or meeting future requirements and it’s also not about creating extra work or red tape.

It’s about recognising and understanding a natural hormonal transition that around 51% of the population will experience and the impact that has on their working lives.

So what are the many benefits for employers?

Retention improves because experienced, talented people are less likely to step back or leave.

Engagement increases because when people feel understood and supported, they stay more connected to their work and their teams.

Productivity stabilises and improves, not by expecting more, but by supporting people to perform at their best in a different way.

Risk reduces because you have clearer processes and better conversations, so fewer issues escalate.

And for employees?

Increased psychological safety, knowing that support is available to you, and you know where to go to access it.

Confidence in being able to speak openly about how you feel without worrying about how it will be perceived.

Practical support and adjustments that make day-to-day work more manageable

A sense of being valued, not just for what you deliver, but for who you are and where you are in life.

A menopause action plan isn’t another policy, it’s how your organisation thinks about performance, retention, capability and the long-term value of an ageing workforce.

If you’re thinking about what this could look like in practice, I’ve developed a menopause strategy that organisations are already using as a foundation.

If you’d like a copy, send me a DM or email me [email protected]

Most managers aren’t avoiding menopause because they don’t care, they’re avoiding it because they don’t know how to hand...
22/04/2026

Most managers aren’t avoiding menopause because they don’t care, they’re avoiding it because they don’t know how to handle it.
Menopause doesn’t just present as physical symptoms, the complexity of this natural hormonal transition has a psychological impact, and what shows up at work doesn’t look like “menopause.”

It can look like:
– a change in performance
– a dip in confidence
– unexplained absence
– a colleague taking a step back in meetings
– tension where there perhaps wasn’t any before
And so it becomes a performance issue, because organisations don’t fully understand the drivers behind hormonal change, and at the same time, employees don’t feel safe enough to express what they are experiencing and the impact.

This isn’t because they don’t need support, but because they’re weighing it up:
What will this change about how I’m seen?
Will it affect my credibility?
Is it worth saying something… or easier to just manage it myself?
So you end up with capable, experienced people stepping back or leaving.

Policies exist, and intentions are good, but when manager’s haven’t been equipped to confidently handle these conversations, that’s the blind spot.

I’m coming together with Matthew Wilkinson from Authentic Learning for a LinkedIn Live, The Manager’s Blind Spot – Why Menopause Is a Leadership Issue.
We’ll be talking about:
– What menopause can look like at work
– Why many women stay silent
– Why managers avoid the conversation
– Where policy breaks down in practice
– What good leadership looks like instead
And importantly, what managers can start doing immediately.

📅 Tuesday 28 April
⏰ 11:00–11:30 GMT

If you manage people, or support those who do, this is a conversation worth being part of.

Leadership InclusiveWorkplaces

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Brighton And Hove
BN1, BN2, BN3, BN41

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