I Thought It Was Burnout. Nope, It Was Menopause

I Thought It Was Burnout. Nope, It Was Menopause

At first, I thought I was just tired.

Too many late nights. Too much coffee. Not enough sleep.
Too many projects. Too many people pulling on me.
Too much stress from working a full-time job, running a business, managing a household, and trying to keep up with the version of myself I had always been.

So I told myself I was burned out.

I cut back on calls.
I scheduled a weekend away.
I added meditation to my mornings.
I read self-help books.
I doubled down on “mindset work.”
I went to therapy.
I even went on sick leave (gasp).

But none of it worked.

The exhaustion didn’t lift.
The brain fog got worse.
My motivation tanked.
My emotions were all over the place.
I gained weight. I lost interest in food. I felt disconnected from myself.

And yet, I still didn’t know menopause was the problem.

Because no one had ever told me this is what it could look like.

When I used to hear the word “menopause,” I thought hot flashes and maybe some mood swings.

I didn’t think full-blown identity loss.
I didn’t think crippling insomnia.
I didn’t think joint pain that made it hard to stand.
I didn’t think panic attacks.
I didn’t think the complete erosion of confidence, clarity, and consistency.

But that’s exactly what was happening.

And the scariest part was that no one around me seemed to know either.

Doctors told me to reduce stress.
Friends told me to take a break.
Instagram told me to drink water and do breathwork.

But what I really needed was someone to say: “You’re not burning out. You’re in menopause.”

This was never just about burnout

Here’s the thing: I’ve been burned out before.
I know what that feels like.
But this was different.

Burnout you can come back from with rest.
Menopause is not a weekend away.
It’s not a bubble bath or a day off.
It’s a full-body transformation happening in slow motion.

One that affects your memory, your mood, your energy, your appetite, your sleep, your libido, your weight, your identity, and your nervous system.

And if you’re trying to run a business or hold a leadership position while that’s happening, it can feel impossible.

I kept thinking I wasn’t trying hard enough.
What I really needed was a new rulebook.

Because this transition isn’t about pushing through. It’s about listening.
It’s about shifting.
It’s about rebuilding your entire approach…not just to work, but to life.

Here’s what I wish someone had told me

If you feel like you’re burning out but nothing is helping…
If you feel like your drive is gone but your goals haven’t changed…
If you feel like your body is working against you and your mind is betraying you…
You might be in perimenopause or menopause.

It’s not all in your head.
It’s in your hormones.
And you are not alone.

I spent years blaming myself for not being able to bounce back.
I wasted months trying to fix symptoms instead of addressing the root.
I paid for supplements, coaching, therapy, books, labs, tests, diets, and still—I didn’t have answers.

Until one day a friend finally said: “It sounds like menopause.”
And everything started to make sense.

Menopause is a full-body business problem

This isn’t just personal. It’s professional.
Because if your body is crashing, your business will feel it.

• You’ll second guess your decisions
  
  

• You’ll struggle to show up consistently
  
  

• You’ll doubt your worth
  
  

• You’ll procrastinate or overwork
  
  

• You’ll stop enjoying what you used to love
  
  

• You’ll burn out, not from doing too much, but from being completely unsupported
  
  

And you’ll keep thinking it’s your fault.

It’s not your fault.
It’s your biology.

And the sooner we start treating menopause as a valid and impactful part of a woman’s career journey, the better.

Midlife doesn’t mean you’re losing your edge.
It means you need a different kind of support.

The version of success you built in your 30s might not work in your 40s and 50s.

That doesn’t mean you’re falling behind.
It means you’re evolving.

And evolution requires new strategies.

You may need to:

• Shift your schedule
  
  

• Rework your offers
  
  

• Take more breaks
  
  

• Delegate more tasks
  
  

• Build in margin
  
  

• Change your definition of productivity
  
  

• Align your business model with your capacity, not just your ambition
  
  

That’s not failure. That’s wisdom.

You are not less capable.
You are just navigating a different terrain.

This is the part no one prepared us for.
No one told us how to run a business with fluctuating hormones and foggy brains.
No one gave us templates for when everything that used to work… stops working.
No one said, “You’ll feel like a different person and that’s normal.”

But I will.
Because I’ve lived it.
And I’m still here.
Running a business. Helping other women do the same.
Not in spite of menopause, but because I finally built a business that works with it.

Here’s the invitation

If you’re tired of feeling like you’re the problem, let me offer you a new story.

You are not failing.
You are not weak.
You are not losing it.

You are in a powerful, potent, and under-supported phase of life.
And you deserve to be supported differently.

Let’s build a business that supports the woman you are now.
One that honours your body, protects your peace, and fuels your future.

Let’s stop treating menopause like a detour and start building the roadmap we never got.

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Menopause is a Mindf*ck. So is running a business.
We help you make sure you and your finances aren’t.

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