It’s January in San Francisco. It’s cold inside Kate’s house. Her boiler broke the day I arrived and we’re wearing puffy coats and hats in her kitchen. We’re together for the weekend to design our first AfterShock workshop/retreat. In between bursts of structured “curriculum” writing, we do what we do best: Talk.

Three words you’ve probably never seen in a headline. But there’s a point, believe me. And it begins with the first word: compromise.

I am certainly not the first, nor am I the last to discuss ageism and how it is a horrible construct that benefits a multitude of industries rooted in capitalism, with no benefits to society. But as I am now of that age, just dancing my way into the front door of it, I wanted to write down my experience and observations.

And, ALSO… Madonna.

I’ve been thinking a lot these past two days, with the news of Russia’s – well, Putin’s – invasion of the Ukraine. Thinking about how fragile peace is and how slow evolution feels after my 50+ years on this planet. How are we talking about a Russian invasion and potential nuclear attack in 2022?

Forty. I was divorced after 10 years of marriage and in love again. I was active and healthy, learning to ski, race Triathlons and complete a Half Iron race in my early 40’s. I had an interesting job with a nice title and paycheck. Life was pretty good save for some sticky blended family dynamics.

At first, I was really sad when I officially became an “empty nester,” it felt a bit like a death – of what was, of what could have been, of all of the things that I could have done/should have done.

There’s more to solving the health challenges that accompany menopause than hot flashes, sagging skin, dry vaginas, and trying to fit into your skinny jeans.

Yes, there is life after the shock of menopause. I call it the Rise. Menopause isn’t dainty. It’s an upheaval in our body, mind and spirit. In the roadway of our lives, think of it as a Dip. All of a sudden, the ground beneath your feet gives way. You stumble. Your stomach drops. What’s going on, you wonder?

Women have their mothers, aunts, or older sisters to guide them through puberty but are often left to navigate menopause alone during another monumentally important time in their lives.