By: Kristine Kennedy
An Honest Conversation About Menopause, Work And Leadership
An interview with Debbie Harris, Menopause Mapping Strategist, Certified Menopause Coaching Specialist, TEDx speaker, and award-winning author
Many women reach the height of their experience just as menopause symptoms begin to affect sleep, concentration, confidence, or stamina. Debbie Harris explains why this isn’t a story about diminished ability, but about protecting talent workplaces cannot afford to lose.
Why Does Menopause Belong In A Conversation About Leadership?
Because the timing is impossible to ignore. Menopause often arrives when women have decades of knowledge, responsibility, and judgment. They may be leading teams, building companies, caring for family members, and making their most consequential decisions.
If symptoms begin affecting sleep, concentration, mood, or physical comfort, a woman may question herself before she understands what is happening. The workplace may see a change in performance without seeing the health issue beneath it. Valuable talent can be sidelined in silence. When I was practicing my TEDx in front of my mom, she said, “I used to walk out of meetings because of hot flashes.”
This isn’t a new challenge, but it has become far more visible as Baby Boomers and Gen X women have remained active in the workforce through perimenopause and postmenopause.
Did Your Own Work Change The Way You Understood This?
Yes. As a business owner, I was accustomed to pushing through and holding everything together. When my sleep was disrupted and my energy changed, my first instinct was not to examine the whole picture. It was to expect more from myself.
That is common among accomplished women. We know how to perform under pressure, so we can become very skilled at hiding what something is costing us. When I was experiencing hot flashes, night sweats, rage, weight gain, and mood swings, I didn’t know where to turn. I didn’t have a Map to guide me. I had tons of information on my breast cancer, but nothing to inform and assist with menopause.
Running my own business felt like walking through fire every day. What would I forget to do? Would I lose my temper on a client? How would I ever get a full night’s sleep again?
I want every woman to know that she isn’t alone, she isn’t broken, and guidance and options are available during this natural biological phase of her life.
Which Symptoms Can Affect Work?
The experience varies widely. Some women have few or no disruptive symptoms. Others may deal with hot flashes, unpredictable bleeding, poor sleep, fatigue, anxiety, mood changes, urinary symptoms, headaches, joint pain, or difficulty with memory and concentration.
A symptom does not erase competence. But a night of broken sleep can affect anyone’s attention and patience. A hot flash during a presentation can be distracting. The relevant question is not whether a woman is still capable. It is what support allows her capability to remain visible.
Why Might Women In Leadership Stay Silent?
They may fear being seen as old, unstable, less committed, or no longer promotable. Women have worked too hard to gain authority to risk having a normal life transition used against them. That fear is not imaginary, because age and gender stereotypes still shape how behavior is interpreted. Or she may simply not know what is going on with her body. It is difficult to communicate something you aren’t sure how to express or explain.
Silence can carry its own cost. A woman may withdraw from visibility, decline travel, avoid a promotion, or consider leaving without ever naming the manageable issue that helped drive the decision.
What Is The Danger Of Framing Menopause Only As A Workplace Problem?
It can create a new stereotype. Menopause is not a universal crisis, and women should not be presumed impaired because of their age. Some experience little disruption, while others need meaningful support for a period. Menopause is a normal biological transition, just like puberty and pregnancy. The truth is, most women experience some symptoms or changes during perimenopause and postmenopause, although the degree of disruption varies considerably.
The goal is neither denial nor overstatement. It is a culture where an individual can ask for what she needs without having her future quietly downgraded.
What Can Employers And Leaders Do Differently?
Start with education, privacy, and flexibility. Review whether health benefits include appropriate menopause care. Train managers to respond without jokes, judgment, or amateur medical advice. Practical options may include temperature control, access to breaks and restrooms, schedule flexibility, remote work when appropriate, and time for healthcare appointments. A simple desk fan, or more frequent bathroom breaks in meetings, can make a meaningful difference.
The Menopause Society also cautions that solutions should fit the woman, the work, and the environment. A thoughtful workplace does not impose one program on everyone. It creates safe ways to discuss individual needs and measures whether its actions actually help.
How Can A Woman Advocate For Herself Without Disclosing More Than She Wants To?
Begin with the work impact and the specific support she needs. A woman might say, ‘I am managing a health issue that has disrupted my sleep. For the next several weeks, I would like to adjust my start time on days without early meetings.’ She does not owe colleagues her complete medical story.
It also helps to document symptoms, prepare questions for a qualified healthcare professional, review workplace policies, and decide in advance what information feels appropriate to share.
What Do You Most Want Women And Employers To Understand?
Menopause should not become a quiet exit ramp from leadership. A woman may need information, medical care, a practical adjustment, or simply permission to stop interpreting every change as a loss of ability.
Experienced women are not expendable. When workplaces respond with intelligence instead of stigma, women can protect their health, continue contributing, and lead with the depth that only experience can bring. Role models, mentoring, training, and the experience of midlife women are assets to an organization.
About Debbie Harris
Debbie Harris is a Menopause Mapping Strategist, Certified Menopause Coaching Specialist, Certified Hypnotist, TEDx speaker, and award-winning author of Dieting Sucks for Women Over 40: 30 to Life. She helps women identify their priorities, ask better questions, and build their own Menopause Map. Her work is educational and does not replace individualized medical care. Learn more at 30tolife.org.
Editorial Sources
- The Menopause Society, Menopause and the Workplace: Consensus Recommendations, 2024
- Faubion et al., Impact of Menopause Symptoms on Women in the Workplace, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2023
- The Menopause Society, Menopause and Cognition, patient education
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Menopause experiences vary, and readers should consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding symptoms or treatment options. Workplace accommodations may also vary by employer and applicable law.
