Here’s a quick version, because I can talk forever about how I became a Menopause Doula and created The Menopause School to teach others.
My background as a Biologist, Holistic Therapist, Lecturer, and Social Media Marketer provides an eclectic mix of skills, that were the backdrop to creating The Menopause School.
In 2017 I took perimenopause by the horns and made peace with it. I don’t think you can say you beat or won against perimenopause. I think it’s far more successful if you find a relationship in which you become one.
It turns out my previous life experiences had done little to prepare me for the curious journey from periods to postmenopause. I later discovered this was the case for almost everyone I met who sat still long to have a conversation with me about menopause.
Retrospectively, I now know that the beginning had started at least 6 years before. The classic sadness, insomnia, palpitations, crushing fatigue, and brain fog symptoms had been present on and off for many years. Mix in some ‘why can’t I drive in the dark anymore’ scary moments, tinnitus that went on for days, plantar fasciitis so taking one step was agony, and spontaneous vertigo – you had a mysterious disease no one had heard of.
As a Holistic therapist for many years with my own business, I had never learned anything about menopause and how it could have affected my clients. As a Biology teacher, I knew only 2 pages in a GCSE textbook about hormones existed.
For me, the worst part about menopausing was the unknown. The anxiety that came with each new weird and wonderful health challenge was exhausting. By the time I got to 2017, the year I was going to be 50, I had used my skills and science-driven mind to devise a Food & Mood Diary, worked out a good movement routine, and identified lots of other triggers. I remember thinking how much easier it would have been if there had been someone to talk to. I simply wanted to reach out, have a conversation, and get some advice. Maybe someone like a Menopause Doula. I couldn’t find one so I decided to become one.
I started to explore how I could help others and it soon became apparent that there was no particular place or way of learning about menstrual health and menopause for Holistic Health & Wellness Therapists and other Complementary Alternative Practitioners. From this point forward The Menopause School started to take shape and officially opened its doors in September 2021. Driven by a passion to change the face of menstrual and menopause health education, I believe that this is possible by creating as many information touch points with menstruators as possible.
My aim is to create a global collective of Menopause Doulas. Saving lives, changing the world, one menopause at a time.
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