In 2022, I wrote my Joy of Menopause Manifesto. It was raw, unfiltered, and born out of both frustration and hope. I wrote it after years of being dismissed by “the experts,” told that my symptoms were “just stress” or that I was “overly anxious.” Meanwhile, my body was screaming.
- Hot flashes that drenched me in sweat in the middle of meetings.
- Anxiety and panic attacks left me shaky and ashamed.
- Sleep problems, brain fog, weight gain, and joint pain made me feel like a stranger in my own skin.
Even with a Yale degree in public health, studies in neuroscience in Paris, and certifications in nutrition and coaching, I was not spared. I knew the science, but I was still dismissed.
That’s when I realized: the problem wasn’t me.
The problem was the silence, the shame, and a medical system that has too often treated menopause as either a punchline or a pathology.
Where We Were
Back then, menopause felt like a secret diagnosis. Something you whispered about with girlfriends but never dared mention at work. Something to “manage quietly” so you didn’t look weak, irrational, or less capable.
The numbers still stop me in my tracks:
- 6,000 women reach menopause every single day in the U.S. Source Whiteley et al., 2013, Impact of Menopausal Symptoms on Quality of Life
- A 2023 article “Experience and severity of menopause symptoms” reports that only about 54% of women seek medical input for menopausal symptoms (i.e. nearly half do not)
- By 2020, more than 50 million U.S. women were already in menopause or post-menopause. and yet stigma made it feel like we were alone.
Source: Hodis & Mack, 2023
If that’s a disease, we’re in trouble. But menopause isn’t a disease. It’s a natural transition, one every woman who lives long enough will face.
And yet, too many of us have suffered in silence, hidden in shame, or been stigmatized by the very systems designed to help us.
Where We Are Now
Fast forward to today, it’s 2025. October is Menopause Awareness Month, and October 18 is World Menopause Day. Something is shifting.
Companies are beginning to acknowledge that hot flashes at work aren’t just a “personal issue”; they’re a performance and productivity issue. Studies show menopause-related absenteeism costs the U.S. over $1.8 billion annually.
Women are speaking up. Policymakers and HR leaders are starting to pay attention. And more women are refusing to accept the old story, the one that says menopause makes us less. Instead, we’re claiming the truth: menopause can be a doorway into more power, more wisdom, more joy.
The revolution I dreamed about in my manifesto? It’s happening. Slowly, imperfectly, but undeniably.
Why I Do This Work
I started this journey because I know what it feels like to be dismissed, to sit in that boardroom drenched in sweat, feeling my credibility drip away with every hot flash. I know the despair of thinking: If I can’t figure this out, with all my training and resources, what hope is there for women everywhere who don’t have access?
That was the moment I decided no woman should have to navigate this alone.
My work today is about more than easing symptoms. It’s about dismantling stigma. It’s about creating workplaces where women can thrive, not just survive, through this transition. It’s about building communities where joy replaces shame, and where women can see themselves as powerful, beautiful, and whole.
Where We’re Headed
Here’s the truth: we’ve come far, but we still have work to do.
- Menopause education and support deserve to be woven into workplace wellness, healthcare, and everyday conversations.
- We need policies that recognize the reality of women in menopause transition.
- We need managers trained to support, not sideline, talented women navigating this season.
But most of all, we need women to keep choosing joy as an act of resistance. Because when we do, we show the world that menopause is not the end of vitality, it’s the beginning of a different kind of brilliance.
This Menopause Awareness Month, I celebrate how far we’ve come, and recommit to the work still ahead.
To every woman reading this: You are not broken. You are not alone. And you do not have to shrink in silence.
The joy of menopause is real. And together, we can make sure it’s the story every woman gets to live.
Your Next Step
Don’t wait for change, be part of it now. This Menopause Awareness Month, share this blog with a friend, colleague, or loved one who needs to hear it.
Your health, your joy, and your future can’t wait.