Tell us everything about Miss Menopause?

Miss Menopause was set up over four and a half years ago when nobody wanted to talk about menopause at all in the workplace or anywhere, some people thought I was completely off track, however I’m on a mission to educate everybody not just ‘women of a certain age’. My least favourite phrase by the way.

I’m not medically trained but because of my own lived experience and the continued professional development I do I feel pretty qualified.

I go into workplaces up and down the country, online, face to face, whatever the client wants and educate people, from managers and non-managers everyone is invited.

What inspired you to set Miss Menopause up?

I was an angry menopausal woman! I started to go through menopause myself seven years ago and began having all these weird and wacky things happen to me, mentally and physically and not once did I think it was menopause. I asked around a few people and knew something had to be done as no one seemed to have any information about the subject. I just knew I needed to talk about this stuff because it was hidden. At that time nobody was doing what I was doing and certainly not around here. It was really hard in the first couple of years as not many people wanted to listen, nevertheless I persevered.

Does more still need to be done on educating women about menopause? 

Many GPs in the 21st century don’t seem to have the right level of expertise that you would expect on this subject matter. My first tip would be to ask who in the practice has a specialism in menopause when you make an appointment with your GP. And if nobody does, you might even consider changing your practice. Or ask your GP for a referral to a menopause clinic – there aren’t enough on the NHS but they do exist.

It’s estimated there is less than 10% of companies are doing anything about menopause. So, there’s a long way to go, but it’s really great that more people are talking about menopause now compared to when I first started.

In my opinion, education should start in schools and should be part of the curriculum, because it’s a life event that’s going to happen to everybody, either directly or indirectly.

How did you feel about being on our billboard?

It was an adventure and an honour to be asked. I got to make connections with an amazing diverse group of women. I was so keen to be involved with the campaign as hopefully, it shows people that, if Sharon from Whitley Bay can end up on a billboard then – absolutely anything is possible.

When I set up Miss Menopause, I didn’t know it was going to be a success the way it has been. I was just somebody who lacked information and didn’t know where to find it.  I could see the impact it was having on working women, so I wanted to make sure no one else was at risk of walking away from their jobs because of ignorance and now I’ve ended up on a billboard. So, to me, the message would be if you believe in something, just go and do it, which is exactly what High Life North represents.

What do you love about High Life North?

I just love the fact that women in the North East are getting access to loads of interesting, relevant and important information, as well as all the fun stuff. High Life North is important as I feel that people in the North get left behind. There’s such a variety of interviewees and types of features and every article is so current, too.