Rebranding Menopause: From Symptoms to Empowerment

Are you feeling like menopause is only a huge roadblock that's impacting every aspect of your life? Think again! Join me as I talk about  how this transition can be an opportunity to change your health, business and life, especially if you're an entrepreneur!

In this episode, I share how my own journey from a seasoned naturopathic doctor and functional medicine practitioner, to becoming an online entrepreneur at age 50, right in the middle of menopause led to huge a transformation in my business health and life. Although symptoms can be debilitating, there is also an incredible potential that menopause holds for personal growth and reinvention.

In this episode I talk about the 3 key things I have learned through my own journey and through working with countless clients in the menopause transition:

1. Rebrand Menopause: why menopause needs a serious image overhaul 
2. Menopause Meets Entrepreneurship: Why women in their 40s and 50s are thriving in business and how the hormonal shifts during menopause can actually fuel your entrepreneurial spirit.
3. Opportunity for Transformation: How  menopause can be an opportunity to reassess and redesign your health, business, and life, stepping into your power and pursuing your true passions.

Subscribe now so you never miss an episode filled with tips on thriving in menopause, business, and life! Download the free guide at menopauseismysuperpower.com/guide to start your transformation today.

Stay fabulous, menopause divas!

To download your free guide to Mastering Menopause and Midlife check out: https://menopauseisyoursuperpower.com/guide

Transcript

 [00:00:00] 

 I see so many of the women I work with totally re envisioning who they're going to be and how they're going to show up in the world. And that can be the power of menopause. So I absolutely believe that menopause needs a serious rebranding, and that we need to open up the discussion and look at menopause as more than just about physical symptoms and getting old.

I call BS on this story.  

 Hey, everybody, this is your host, Dr. Adrienne, and you are listening to the Menopause is Your Superpower podcast.  Are you an entrepreneur with an enormous vision, mission, and purpose, but menopause symptoms are holding you back?  On this show, we are going to talk about everything from mindset, to natural solutions for symptoms, and most importantly, how menopause could actually be your superpower.

Helping you elevate your life, health, and wealth. Let's dive in because it's time to start thriving. 

I see so many of the women I work with. Totally reinvisioning who they're going to be and how they're going to show up in the world. And that can be the power of menopause. So I absolutely believe that menopause needs a serious rebranding and that we need to open up the discussion and look at menopause as more than just about physical symptoms and getting old. I call BS on this story. Hi, my friends and welcome to the menopause is your super power podcast where we talk about where menopause meets entrepreneurship. 

For those of you who don't know me. I'm your host, Dr. Adrianne. I'm a naturopathic doctor and functional medicine practitioner [00:01:00] of 20 plus years. And more recently, and I think more interestingly at the age of 50 and in full-blown menopause, I stepped into the role of online entrepreneur for the first time ever. 

And what a wild mix that can be menopause plus entrepreneurship. And I'm not going to lie at times. For me, it's felt a little bit like a slow motion head on collision, like seriously, who would decide that starting a business for the first time ever an online business at 50 was a good idea. Well, apparently me. 

And it turns out according to recent studies, many more women than you think are on this journey in their forties and fifties. And the fact that they are in perimenopause or menopause, I believe is part of the story and the strength that we tap into during this time in our life. As I said, for me, it's been a bit of a wild [00:02:00] ride. And in this episode, I thought I'd share with you three things I've learned along the way. So lesson number one. Menopause, I believe needs a serious rebranding. I became fired up a couple of years ago in my practice. 

When I realized how many women I was seeing in perimenopause and menopause, who are not getting the care and the help that they should have been getting. So I started to get out there on social, talking about natural and simple tools we can use to address menopause symptoms. And at the same time, I started my online business based on a course about how to address menopause symptoms naturally. 

And I called it mastering menopause. On social I was talking about things like what's normal when it comes to symptoms, as well as what natural treatment options there are. And this was the same sort of information I was seeing out there from other content creators. And at the beginning, I felt really [00:03:00] good about sharing information like this, because it was so clear that women were incredibly thirsty for this knowledge, because let's face it. We have been kept in the dark with what to expect during this transition. And don't get me wrong. 

I think this information absolutely needs to be out there. But maybe because it's social media and fear-based headlines, grab people's attention, a lot of the talk seem to be only about catastrophizing menopause and how horrible it is. And not that it can't feel like a catastrophe, if you don't have support with getting symptoms under control. 

My God, sleepless nights because of hot flashes, the brain fog, feeling like you have permanent PMs because your hormones are all over the map and you're crying one minute and you're like raging, the next it can feel like you're [00:04:00] completely out of control. But I don't think that's the only part of the story. And after a while, I started to become aware that the picture, I myself and others were painting of menopause on social was totally one-sided and it was only about how horrific perimenopause and menopause symptoms could be. Now at the same time, I became aware of this going on in media and on social. 

I also began to see women coming into my practice who were saying they weren't there because they actually had perimenopause or menopause symptoms. But they were scared of them starting, because they saw how horrible it was on social and they just wanted to do what ever they could to prevent it from happening. Fear fear. Fear. So I started to become uncomfortable with being part of this noise. [00:05:00] So to reframe this discussion in my own mind and for myself personally, because I was feeling really disempowered in my own life, despite having all of the tools to calm symptoms. I started to look at the analogy of menopause being similar to puberty. So as you know, puberty is the beginning of course, of our menstrual years. 

And we have a rollercoaster of hormones as they start to come online. And with that rollercoaster ride, we have a lot of physical changes in our body that affect us as well as mental and emotional changes. Hm. Sounds a little familiar. Doesn't it? So I believe. That at the end of our menstrual years, we have a very similar picture happening. At the end of our menstrual years we also have a roller coaster ride of hormones that are affecting us mentally and emotionally, [00:06:00] as well as physically. So to me, there are some parallels to the beginning and the end of our hormonal years. And I just kept thinking with puberty. Well, one. Obviously, usually we don't let our girls enter into puberty with absolutely zero idea of what to expect. 

So they aren't blindsided by the experience and the changes that are going to happen to them. And this clearly needs to happen much more with menopause education so that girls and women understand the changes their body is going through during these hormonal transitions, not just puberty, but also menopause. But also with puberty, the vibe is different. 

Isn't it? We don't tend to look at puberty as this huge catastrophe. Okay. Yes. For those of us who have teenagers. We might be white knuckling at some days. And if we're just starting that [00:07:00] journey with our kids, we might be worried about how Rocky it's going to be. But we also see the other side of this transition with our children as them growing up, they're changing and they're stepping into this whole new version of themselves, their adult selves. And I really do believe that menopause needs to encompass this part of the story as well, because for sure in menopause, there are obviously symptoms. 

There's physical changes that are happening. And like for some kids in puberty, it can be much more extreme for some people than others. So there is a spectrum. But puberty is not all about physical changes. It's the evolution that's happening as well, both mentally and emotionally. And a shift on that level is absolutely happening in menopause too. There can be such a real strength that comes for [00:08:00] many women during this transition time. 

Even if the hormone symptoms are super, super rough. And many women, I think in, especially entrepreneurs, often reinvent themselves at this time. There's this really real sense of power and stepping into yourself. If you choose to tap into it. There's this sense of. Uh, feminine. Energy and being able to stand in your own power and say, you know what? 

I don't care about this anymore. I don't care what you think about this. And again, in entrepreneurship, I see so many of the women I work with. Totally reinvisioning who they're going to be and how they're going to show up in the world. And that can be the power of menopause. So I absolutely believe that menopause needs a serious rebranding and that we need to open up the discussion and look at [00:09:00] menopause as more than just about physical symptoms and getting old. I call BS on this story. Now don't get me wrong. 

I'm not denying that the physical symptoms aren't real and can't be incredibly disruptive for many women. Because I help women get on top of these symptoms every day in practice. And seriously, it's not absolutely impossible to do so by any means, there's so many things that can help with the symptoms. So that shift obviously needs to happen where there's a lot more support and access to good care that helps women calm these symptoms so that they can focus on all of the aspects of this transition, the power, the strength, the reinvention, many women, including myself, feel like there was a real calling at this time. In order to serve other people in a very different way, that there is a soul contract that I need to fulfill [00:10:00] in that this is my time to step into it. 

And I hear this from many entrepreneurs all of the time. And I really do see this with the women around me, as well as in my practice. That women come into their own during the menopause transition, they step into their own power. And it's really amazing to see what they create and what they do with this change and the changes they're starting to make both in their own life and how they show up for themselves as well as the changes they make in the wider world. 

It is so powerful. And for me, supporting women who are looking to be impactful entrepreneurs who are ready to create a ripple effect of change in this world. That's who I'm here to support. It's amazing. And it can be an incredibly powerful time and it isn't necessarily [00:11:00] just a one-sided story all about hormone symptoms.

So lesson number two. The second lesson I learned is that entrepreneurship and perimenopause and menopause do in fact mix. Yes. 

There are days when hot flashes may be keeping you up at night and you're feeling like an emotional wreck, a mental wreck, exhausted brain fogged. Burned out. Yet the research does show that women. In menopause are kicking it in business and entrepreneurship. In fact, 50 plus is the largest age group starting up a new business, get out right.

In Forbes magazine, there's a whole series of really good articles about women entrepreneurs in their forties and fifties and menopause. And again, they're talking about the research that shows that these women in this age group are more successful than our younger counterparts. And this story is definitely [00:12:00] not heard enough. So this is something we should definitely take to heart because again, the conversation out there around entrepreneurship specifically seems to be showcasing the flashy 20 and 30 year olds, often male. And that they're crazy success. With their business. And yet the research says, otherwise it's really women in their forties and fifties who are super successful. 

And why is our story not out there? Why is this not who we see at the front and center of entrepreneurship? Pretty amazing huh? And I think this all relates to the menopause transition because there's a real change mentally for many women in perimenopause and menopause. So a part of this relates to the changes, in our brain that happened during menopause. Estrogen talks to the centers of our brain, they're all about connection and nurturing the social group. Which means being nice. [00:13:00] Non-conforming confrontational, helping others, people pleasing, not rocking the boat. And as estrogen levels drop a little bit, a lot of us are a little bit more willing to say. 

You know what. This isn't working for me. Or speaking our truth or telling people exactly what we think. And internally, I don't know if you've had these moments. You're like, holy. I can't believe I just said that out loud. I can't believe I really said that. And then the followup is often, oh, well, I don't actually really care. It's so incredibly liberating, not to be crippled by people pleasing all the time. 

And so that definitely can be a positive in terms of the menopause transition. And because of this shift, a lot of women will do an inventory of where they're at [00:14:00] in life at this time, consciously or unconsciously. And for many of us there's things we want to do differently. We want to see different things maybe for ourselves in terms of family, and providing for them are pro providing a legacy. We want to restructure our business because it no longer feels like it's in alignment who us, or how it's structured, just isn't working for us and our energy levels anymore. It's just way too much darn work. 

And we're saying, you know, Done with burnout and slogging. 

And here's the other thing I've noticed as I look around at women in business around me. And that is that this is a time where there's a real drive for a lot of women to put something out there into the world that has an impact or creates a change that they really feel needs to be out there. And again, I don't think this is coincidence that these women are in their late forties and early fifties who [00:15:00] are starting this. 

This is seriously when a woman can step into her own power and what she is called to do the ripple effect, again, of change that she wants to, and maybe needs to be in this world. Why she's here. So menopause and entrepreneurship, in my opinion, do indeed mix. 

And lastly, number three. And that is menopause is a massive opportunity for change. I've seen this in my life. And I've seen this in the lives of many of the women I've worked with. It's a chance to change everything. Health-wise business-wise finance wise, life wise. There's something about the creative process that shifts during menopause, as well as the fact that we can't get away with the same old stuff that we put up with before, like burning the candle at both ends, saying [00:16:00] yes to every request for help. Not getting enough sleep, eating like. Um, eating. Eating terrible food makes us feel terrible. To the power of 10. And this really leads many women to step back for a moment and take inventory because we're like, I just can't keep doing it this way anymore. If we look at where we're at, when it comes to our business, to our physical health, to our mental and emotional health, to everything, we begin to see an opportunity. Where if we take it and we step into it with this idea of being the conscious architect. Of the second half of our adult life. What it's going to look like. 

Then we can change everything. If we decide how we're going to show up for the second half. And take those steps. We can hit it out of the park. On the flip [00:17:00] side, if we don't decide how we want to show up what I see time and again in my practice is that slowly there is an erosion happening in terms of health. Things like blood pressure is creeping up. 

Joints are getting achy. Cholesterol is starting to climb, maybe burnout with business or feeling unhappy with life in general. And there's a reason why statistically women in perimenopause and menopause are the largest group to be prescribed antidepressants. So I think it's because we cut. Off or. We suppress that calling in order to step into our authentic selves. Our sovereign queen energy. So this is a time where we really have an opportunity to step in and say, you know what? These things aren't working for me. And this is what I want my future to look like. And when we ask ourselves the question, what do I need to [00:18:00] do and change to get there? Well, for me, this has been an incredibly empowering journey, both in terms of my physical health. Feeling better and stronger than I have in 20 years, as well as business wise, recreating my business in a way that's in alignment with who I am. 

And it's incredibly empowering. And it was the pain of this. Transition physically and emotionally that forced me to decide that this just wasn't going to fly and I was going to do things totally differently. And let me tell you, I feel so good in my own skin. Most days, my energy's fantastic. My moods are great. 

I'm happy with who I am and I'm having more fun. And in work, I'm in flow state so much more now then grind and with changing my business to be an extension of who I am now that I know who I am and [00:19:00] putting that at the forefront, the, and the impact I want to have in this world. Well, it's changed everything exponentially for me. 

All right, my friend, I'm going to wrap it up here. I hope you found these three lessons. Interesting. I'd love to hear if any of these lessons I've learned actually resonates with you. So definitely drop me a line in future episodes are going to be once a week. And I can't wait to dive in with you on how to kick it in menopause in business health and life. 

So please make sure you subscribe so you don't miss a single episode. 

Oh, and I created an awesome free guide called four steps to harnessing menopause as your super power. So that you can create the impact you're born for and the life you've only dreamed of. So in it, I go through the four specific phases that I go through with my clients [00:20:00] in order to get this massive transition and transformation. 

So women can show up as the impactful entrepreneurs that they are. And have that ripple effect of change they want in the world as well as for their own health, their own business and their life. If you're interested, just go to menopauseismysuperpower.com/guide. 

And I'll put the link in my show notes to. All right, my beautiful menopause divas have an awesome week. Don't forget to hit subscribe and I'll see you next episode. Stay fabulous.