At Acorn Training, we’re proud to champion open conversations and meaningful action around menopause in the workplace. Our Menopause Working Group has been instrumental in developing a supportive approach, creating a new internal policy, delivering training, and providing helpful resources to raise awareness and understanding across the organisation. We believe education is key. Our goal is to ensure that everyone at every level feels confident recognising symptoms, offering support, and having open conversations. By equipping our team with the right tools and understanding, we’re creating a workplace where people feel supported, empowered, and never alone.
To mark this month, we’re sharing blog posts and information via our communications channels, read our Assistant Director of Employability and Justice, Niki’s journey here:
“I never imagined menopause would be such a defining chapter in my life. It crept in quietly at first—subtle shifts in mood, sleep that felt less restful, and a body that no longer responded the way it used to. I brushed it off, thinking it was just stress or age. But soon, the signs became louder: hot flushes that arrived like tidal waves, nights soaked in sweat, and a foggy mind that made even simple tasks feel like climbing a mountain, I constantly questioned myself in relation to work, forgetting things, feeling useless, feeling less of myself, this was the hardest hurdle to jump over.
At first, I felt betrayed by my own body. I had always been strong, capable, and in control. Suddenly, I was navigating a storm I hadn’t prepared for. The emotional toll was just as intense—waves of anxiety, moments of inexplicable sadness, and a push pull fight in relation to my questioning my work abilities, this went to the extreme and I clearly remember the deepest suicidal thoughts, all of which I saved for home, battling through and hiding my insecurities at work, keeping smiling making jokes about my lack of memory, my own incompetence, not sharing as I couldn’t see anyone “like me” or so I thought!
But slowly, I began to shift. I started listening to my body instead of fighting it. I sought out stories from other women, and in their words, I found echoes of my own experience. I learned that menopause isn’t just an ending—it’s a transformation. A shedding of old skin. A chance to redefine what it means to be me.
I began to prioritise self-care in ways I never had before. Being open with others and gave myself permission to rest without guilt. I spoke more openly with friends, and those conversations—raw, honest, and sometimes hilarious—became lifelines. This also spurred me into action at work and Im hopeful that the Policy, the training, the information all bought together by a band of individuals (your Menopause Champions) makes a difference to hopefully ensure a better understanding of the “dreaded menopause” but what we can do to support all of our staff throughout their journey.
Menopause taught me resilience. It reminded me that change, even when uncomfortable, can be a gateway to growth. I’m still on this journey, and some days are harder than others. But I’ve come to see this phase not as a decline, but as a powerful evolution.”
