In this week’s Menopause Monday chat, we take inspiration from the animal world—specifically orcas—to highlight the value of post-menopausal leadership. Research from the Universities of York and Exeter, based on 750 hours of whale footage, found that female orcas often lead their pods in the search for food, with post-menopausal females taking the lead most…

In this week’s Menopause Monday chat, we dive into the stigma surrounding menopause and its impact in the workplace. Drawing on research from Macquarie University, we explore how menopausal women are often unfairly perceived as both less warm and less competent, leading to contempt, discrimination, and even self-doubt that undermines professional confidence. We discuss practical…

In this week’s Menopause Monday chat, Thea O’Connor challenges the idea that menopause is a “modern phenomenon” caused by longer lifespans. Drawing on history and Professor Susan Mattern’s book The Slow Moon Climbs, she explains that many women in past centuries lived well beyond menopause, and that this life stage has played a vital evolutionary…

At the age of 52 I started to experience changes to the way my brain worked, especially in relation to word finding, short term memory and focus. It was very unsettling and at times, alarming. I didn’t realise that these changes were common during the menopause transition and could be considered normal.  I had no…

While women’s monthly cycle is key to the survival of the human species, it’s anexperience that is often shrouded by silence and shame. We can do better andworkplaces can help lead the way. Copyright Thea O’Connor Over the last few years year, the words ‘menopause’ and ‘menstruation’ have started to beuttered in workplaces – often…

This article was first published in In The Black magazine, October, 2021. It features Australian workplaces that are becoming menopause-friendly. Written by Susan Muldowney https://www.intheblack.com/articles/2021/10/01/time-to-talk-about-menopause-at-work When Kim Lion began to experience symptoms of menopause in her late 40s, she did what very few women in the workforce would even consider doing – she told her…