Mindful Moves: Trauma-Informed Insights

  When Menopause Masquerades as Poor Performance: A Call to Reframe Capability It usually begins with something subtle. She starts arriving a few minutes later than usual. Her notes might be more scattered, her words slower to find. A team member mentions that she’s “snappy” in handovers. She sighs in meetings. She rubs her temples. One day, she forgets an important detail that would normally be second nature. Then the whispers begin. “She’s struggling.” “Something’s off.” “Is she okay?” “Maybe this job is too much now.” But what if the question isn’t about performance at all? What if it’s about perimenopause or menopause , and we’ve never been taught to recognise it? The Invisible Pause Despite all the awareness campaigns and headlines, menopause remains largely invisible in the workplace. And yet, it’s not a rare experience. It’s universal for those who menstruate and reach midlife. It’s not “just a phase” or a list of symptoms on a pamphlet. It’s a full-body, full-being tr...