About a month ago I posted the picture below across my social media channels, then sat back and waited for the LinkedIn police to arrive! Anyone that uses that professional networking platform regularly will be only too aware of how some people are very tetchy about what should and should not be shared there. I could feel the blue polyester suit brigade getting all hot under the collar. 
Not because they were having a hot flush but because the subject of hormones and menopause is certainly not in their business repertoire.
Meet Miss Menopause
What actually happened was the complete opposite of what I expected. The musings of a menopausal micro business specialist had the widest reach I have ever had for a post on LinkedIn – just under 3000 views, 62 reactions and 43 comments. Tagged in one of those comments by the fab Ian Farrar, Managing Director and Business Coach at Far North, was the awesome Sharon MacArthur. Turns out Sharon is Miss Menopause, spending most of her working day educating employers and their workforces across the UK about the impact of menopause in the workplace. Sharon and I arranged a Zoom meet up to chat about her work and mine, it was better than any counselling session listening to Sharon talk about her menopause experience and why she now does what she does.
Choose To Challenge
Only days after Sharon and I’s little chat, Ian shared on social media about the Celebration of International Women’s Day he would be hosting on the Industry Angel Business Podcast. Choose To Challenge was the IWD 2021 theme and I pitched an idea to him. I wanted to interview Sharon as part of that celebration ‘Choose To Challenge – Talking Menopause In The Workplace’. Ian accepted even though Sharon and I are two opinionated Northern ladies who have been known to swear now and then.
Thanks to Mischa Steele, Marketing Co-ordinator at Far North, we now have a bonus edition video of my interview with Sharon to share with you. Be warned, I do say the ‘F’ word and there is the odd Sh1t or two but we have not ruined Ian’s Podcast career so that is a relief.
I am hoping to persuade Sharon to do a regular Miss Menopause Show with me to raise awareness of this hot topic, it is certainly not spoken about enough by either gender. Until then though here is the Industry Angel Business Podcast Talking Menopause at Work Bonus session for you to enjoy – hopefully it will get us all talking a little more about hormone imbalance and menopause.
