There is a season of life no one really prepares you for (well, at least no one prepared me!?!)
It sneaks up quietly.
You are experienced. Trusted. Often at the top of your game.
And suddenly, it feels like everything is happening at once.
A demanding role that requires clarity, confidence, and calm under pressure.
Teenagers who need you in ways they never did before.
Parents who now need you in ways you never imagined.
And a body that has decided to rewrite the rulebook without consulting you.
Welcome to midlife and menopause.
Also known as the Sandwich Generation.
Also known as the perfect storm.
I work with women in this season every single week. Smart. Capable. Deeply committed. And quietly wondering why something that once felt manageable now feels like pushing a boulder uphill in heels.
Let’s talk about what is really happening here.
And more importantly, what actually helps.
The Perfect Storm of Midlife Professionalism
Midlife is not a single challenge. It is convergence.
Perimenopause or menopause often arrives just as professional responsibility peaks. You are expected to lead with authority, think strategically, and be endlessly composed. At the same time, your personal life expands in complexity rather than shrinking.
Teenagers test boundaries while needing emotional presence.
Aging parents require time, advocacy, and decision making.
Your calendar is full. Your brain feels… not quite the same.
This is the Sandwich Reality.
And it is intense.
Then there is the Executive Paradox.
Executive presence has traditionally been defined as calm, decisive, energetic, and always on. Yet menopause can bring brain fog, disrupted sleep, hot flashes, anxiety spikes, and fatigue, symptoms widely documented in medical and occupational health research. (Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/symptoms-causes/syc-20353397)
So women do what they have always done.
They compensate.
They overprepare.
They hide symptoms.
They push harder.
They doubt themselves quietly.
And here is the uncomfortable truth.
Menopause related productivity loss is now estimated to cost businesses around $26 billion annually through medical costs and lost productivity, according to research led by the Mayo Clinic and reported by Forbes. (Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/naomicahn/2025/08/08/menopause-at-work-how-leaders-can-provide-support-in-the-workplace/)
Additional analysis published by TIME highlights that nearly 11 percent of women aged 45 to 60 miss work because of menopause symptoms, contributing to billions in lost workdays. (Source: https://time.com/6274622/menopause-us-economy-women-work/)
Yet it remains one of the least spoken about workplace realities.
One in ten women leave the workforce due to unsupported menopause symptoms, a trend documented in workforce and policy reporting across the UK, US, and Australia. (Source: https://www.menopause.org.au/health-info/fact-sheets/menopause-and-the-workplace)
Not because they lack ambition or skill. (Source: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/menopause-reform-work-liz-kendall-62bmf823w)
Because the system was never designed with their biology or caregiving load in mind.
For organisations looking toward 2026 and beyond, retaining women over 40 is not a nice to have. It is a strategic imperative.
For women themselves, this season requires a different approach to performance, leadership, and self trust.
Symptoms Are Systems Failures, Not Personal Failures
Let me say this clearly.
If you are struggling right now, it is not because you are broken.
It is because you are human in a system that expects you not to be.
Take cognitive load and brain fog.
Fluctuating estrogen impacts memory, attention, and processing speed. (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10540666/)
That moment where a word disappears mid sentence. The forgotten name. The slower recall.
Many women tell me they immediately jump to a familiar fear.
“Something is wrong with me.”
“Am I losing my edge?”
“What if they notice?”
This is physiology, not incompetence.
Then there is the fatigue cycle.
Night sweats interrupt sleep.
Insomnia shortens recovery.
And the second shift begins at home.
Caregiving does not end at 5 pm.
It expands into evenings, weekends, and mental bandwidth.
75% of caregivers in the workforce are women, a pattern repeatedly confirmed across OECD and labour force data sets. (Source: https://www.oecd.org/gender/data/caregiving/)
They report significantly higher burnout rates. And yet many feel unsafe asking for reasonable adjustments.
Why?
Because ageism and gender bias are real.
Because there is fear of being labelled past your prime.
Because so many women were taught that coping quietly is part of the deal.
Psychological safety disappears when silence feels safer than support.
Reclaiming Your Presence as an Individual
This is where I want to gently challenge the idea that you simply need to push through.
High performance, as I define it, is not about grinding harder.
It is about succeeding beyond standard norms consistently over the long term while maintaining wellbeing and relationships.
That means adapting how you lead yourself.
The Cognitive Offload Method
When brain fog hits in the afternoon, do not demand peak cognitive performance from yourself. Build systems that hold the thinking for you.
Document decisions.
Use structured agendas.
Leverage AI tools for summaries, reminders, and first drafts.
Create templates so you are not reinventing the wheel on tired days.
This is not cheating.
It is intelligent self leadership.
Biological Prime Time
Most women notice their clarity is strongest in the morning. This is when cortisol rhythms and hormone stability often support sharper thinking.
Audit your energy honestly.
Schedule high stakes meetings, presentations, and decision making earlier where possible. Protect that window. Treat it as your strategic asset.
I have watched women reclaim confidence simply by working with their biology instead of judging it.
The Micro Recovery Protocol
Hot flashes in the boardroom are no one’s idea of fun.
Practical strategies matter.
Breathable fabrics.
Layers you can remove discreetly.
Portable cooling devices.
Strategic pauses to regulate your nervous system.
Sometimes the most powerful move is giving yourself permission to pause without apologising.
Presence is not about pretending nothing is happening.
It is about staying grounded when it is.
What Workplaces Can Do Beyond Awareness
Awareness campaigns are not enough. Women do not need posters. They need practical change.
Flexibility That Actually Flexes
Working from home is not a cure all.
What matters is asynchronous, results based work.
This allows for rest after sleepless nights.
It allows for medical appointments or eldercare emergencies.
It respects outcomes over optics.
Flexibility must bend to reality, not just policy.
The Menopause Friendly Office
Physical adjustments are simple and powerful.
Desktop fans.
Temperature controlled quiet rooms.
Flexible dress codes that allow for comfort and professionalism.
Cultural shifts matter just as much.
Menopause specific employee resource groups.
Midlife champions who normalise conversation and advocate for change.
Language that treats this stage as a transition, not a liability.
Inclusive Benefits
Health plans that cover hormone replacement therapy where appropriate.
Access to specialised nutritional and wellbeing coaching.
Eldercare concierge services that reduce invisible labour.
These supports directly impact productivity, retention, and loyalty.
And in many jurisdictions, hopefully 2026 will bring mandatory menopause action plans for large employers. The shift is coming whether organisations are ready or not.
The Leadership Shift We Actually Need
This moment is bigger than menopause.
It is about normalising the lifecycle.
Managers need training to distinguish between true performance issues and life stage symptoms. (Source: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace)
Too often, capable women are judged through outdated lenses.
Supporting midlife transitions strengthens the leadership pipeline. It keeps experienced women visible. It protects diversity at the top.
And for women themselves, there is an invitation here.
To stop interpreting this season as decline.
To see it as refinement.
To recognise the wisdom that only lived experience brings.
I more often think of this stage as moving from proving to choosing.
Choosing where your energy goes.
Choosing what actually matters.
Choosing leadership that is grounded, humane, and real.
This is not the end of your impact.
It is a power play.
One that asks you to lead differently.
With clarity. With boundaries. With self trust.
And yes, with support.
Because you were never meant to do this alone.
Remember, you can unleash your unique version of success.
Your Coach
Stephanie
Ready to Ignite Your SPARK?
As a Certified High Performance, Wayfinder and Imposter Syndrome Informed Coach, I’m here to support you on this transformative journey. Whether it’s in your career, health, or relationships, my coaching programs are designed to help you achieve heightened and sustained levels of performance and potential. Are you ready to embrace these inner shifts then let’s embark on this journey together!
Whenever you’re ready, here are a few ways I can support you:
Access your FREE Online Training – and learn how you can immediately hit higher levels of performance and potential in all you do!
Take the High Performance Questionnaire – to understand if you’re ready to go to the next level and live a life full of engagement, joy and confidence…
Book a Chat – so we can breakthrough what you’re currently challenged with and take the next action towards living the life of your dreams!