About Me

As a woman in my 40s, I look back at my work life so far and recognise how lucky I’ve been. Working in different offices - from corporate to semi-government and FMCG - each had their own culture and practices. With varying types of support and wildly different management styles, I was able to grow and develop my career in digital marketing.

Going through pregnancy and the return-to-work process twice, as well as the onset of perimenopause, I found each of these experience different, mainly due to the managers I reported to and the support options available. At times, I had to vouch for myself and ask for what I needed, while other times I had supportive leaders that could see I needed help and reached out to ask what they could do.

That made all the difference.

When I hit my early 40s my energy levels plummeted along with my ability to concentrate. It became harder to stay on top of things, retain information and even finish my sentences. I was lucky to be in an organisation that had support systems in place, so I could get help and get back to feeling like myself again. It’s been a long journey and even today there are days when I find it hard to think clearly, but ultimately I’m in a good place.

Over the years, navigating perimenopause has involved seeing my GP, an Endocrinologist, a Naturopath and a Menopause Certified GP. I’ve had to change what I eat and how I exercise. Sleep is key to my ability to function, but it still goes up and down at times. This is all normal and so is needing to constantly adjust things as my hormones shift over time.

I realised along the way that not all women have the same experience. While businesses want to support their staff, they’re not always equipped to handle these types of conversations or understand how to support women with understanding. That’s where I come in, helping bring awareness to organisations, understanding to leaders and education to those who need it.

Adele