I thought about sharing the email.
For a moment it felt justified. The reply I’d received was polite, careful, and quietly infuriating. A request to promote a Menopause event had been met with the explanation that the subject matter would not be suitable or appropriate for all of their audience. They couldn’t segment their database effectively. Social media would be fine. Just not the full list of their clients or people who work in their nine offices!!
I felt the familiar heat. The frustration of seeing menopause still treated as something that needs managing, containing, or carefully side-stepped in 2026. 2026!!!!
The disappointment of recognising how easily a legitimate workplace health and equality issue can be framed as potentially awkward or inappropriate. And underneath it, the tired recognition that this soft form of stigma is still doing quiet damage. The kind that tells women their reality is best kept slightly out of view.
I nearly posted the screenshot. I was furious. But then I stopped.
Because the louder, sharper response might have felt satisfying for five minutes, but it would almost certainly have closed more doors than it opened. People rarely learn when they feel shamed. Defensiveness shuts down curiosity, and curiosity is the only thing that reliably moves organisations forward. If the goal is real change, better understanding, better policies, better cultures then education must stay possible. That means leaving room for people to get it wrong, sit with discomfort, and still come closer rather than retreat.
So I decided not to share the email.
Instead, I’m sharing what it brought up in me. The frustration is real. The gap it reveals is real. And the reason we continue this work is real too. Because while some organisations are still deciding that menopause isn’t quite suitable for everyone, women are living it every day in those same workplaces managing symptoms, second-guessing themselves, and too often staying silent because the culture hasn’t yet made it safe or normal to speak. It’s also, apparently, not suitable for those that may indirectly affected through partners, colleagues, sisters, mothers and friends.
This is why the work still matters. Not to catch people out. Not to win arguments. But to keep making the conversation approachable enough that more people can step into it, learn, and do better. Progress doesn’t come from perfect organisations. It comes from the ones willing to look at their blind spots without being publicly flogged for having them.
I’ll keep choosing the longer route. The one that holds the truth clearly and still leaves the door open. Because the women currently navigating menopause at work don’t need us to be the loudest voice in the room. They need more rooms where their experience is treated as ordinary, relevant, and worthy of proper attention.
That is still the work. And that is why we keep showing up for it.
Ready to take the next step?
If you’re navigating symptoms yourself, Kathryn Colas is hosting The Menopause Reset this September. It’s free to attend and designed to help you reclaim clarity and confidence through change. Join here
If you’re a trainer, coach, or workplace leader who wants to create those “more rooms” where menopause is treated as ordinary and worthy of proper attention, explore our courses. We offer training for independent professionals looking to become Executive Menopause Coaches, as well as options tailored for organisations.
The conversation only grows when more of us show up for it. For more information contact natasha@kathryncolasacademy.com | 07903096519