Meet the life coaches helping women navigate midlife with clarity, control and choices

Meet some of the midlife coaches - here to help you navigate a period of profound change.

"If you deal with it in a healthy fashion then I think you come out the other side a better person. I've got so much more energy now than I ever had in my early 50s before the menopause."— Julie Walters, actress.

There are many articles, websites, and webinars now on managing menopause and the benefits of HRT, when you are going through ‘the change.’ 

Not many moons ago, ‘the change’ would have elicited an ‘oh no’ response when you heard someone mention they were going through it. 

Roll on 2023 and it is anything but negative. You just need to make adjustments and change fragments of your life to enjoy a sense of wellbeing and vitality. And, depending on your symptoms, you can start by exploring menopause without HRT.

Menopause experts all extol the benefits of getting enough sleep; avoiding caffeine and cigarettes; eating a balanced diet; exercising regularly; and practicing relaxation techniques. 

But what about other holistic methods combining mentoring, clinical hypnosis, introducing new outdoor activities, and changing your usual nutrition behaviours?

Rachel Gotto; midlife transition coach, clinical hypnotherapist, TEDx speaker, and bestselling author

Rachel Gotto is a midlife transition coach, clinical hypnotherapist, TEDx speaker, and bestselling author who offers holistic ways to live your best life. 

She has overcome personal tragedies and traumas and knows what has worked for her and supports her clients with bespoke practices that work for them individually. 

Her own menopause treatment included cold therapy, reducing sugar intake, and shifting her mindset. 

Taking HRT was never an option for Rachel and she believes that, “Our wiring is predominantly for reproduction and once this stops, we actually activate another deeper part of ourselves. When you look at the old lady in the tribe, she was the advisor, the wise old woman, this is what I look forward to.” 

Cold water therapy saw her bathing in a cold bath at night which had ‘incredible effects’ and she also made big changes to her diet. 

“I completely reduced sugar, grains, and wheat and ate a low carbohydrate diet.” 

Rachel offers a range of coaching services at rachelgotta.com, depending on where you are in your midlife. 

Throughout each programme, she explores accountability, goals, mental clarity, motivation, and the next steps to embracing this time in your life. 

“By reprogramming your mind, you can reach true success.” 

Alana Kirk, The Mid Life Coach

CHECKING IN

Alana Kirk is a mother of three girls and also a mid-life coach. 

Like Rachel, she offers solutions that encompass her own experiences. 

“Women used to be deemed old once they had raised a family, but now we are younger for longer and living vibrant lives post family rearing. Midlife can be messy as we juggle careers, families, parent care and even divorce and in that mayhem women, being pulled in many directions, can lose sense of themselves, or get stuck not knowing what's next.” 

This is where Alana steps in. “I always begin with a process of 'self-discovery' to see who, where, and how [my clients] are now. They might be working off old goals, or definitions of success made at another time of life that now, with a bit more life experience, need updating.

“It's like checking in to identify (or reconnect with) your strengths and values so that you can make the best decisions for you; what's worked, what hasn't, what has changed, what are your needs, what are your ambitions now for the current circumstances of your life.” 

This check-in with who you are now, also includes how you are, with a look at health to make sure peri-menopausal symptoms like anxiety, difficulty sleeping, mood swings and many others aren't impacting everyday life and decision-making capacity. 

“Women face enormous biological changes at midlife, and yet often are not aware how much it can impact their confidence and clarity.” 

One of her favourite aspects of coaching is watching a woman come alive with curiosity and the awareness that she can make more choices than she thinks. 

“I often compare coaching to putting on a pair of glasses and seeing clearly again for perhaps the first time in a while, to find clarity, confidence, and sometimes the courage to live this unique extended midlife on your terms.” 

Information on all of Alana’s programmes can be found here on The Midlife Coach.

Rachel Graham, Nutritional Therapist and Medicinal Chef

A DIFFERENT APPROACH

Focusing on the inside by integrating the above mentoring, coaching and hypnotherapy practices can have huge benefits. 

Another area to look at modifying is diet and nutrition. 

Rachel Graham is a Nutritional Therapist and Medicinal Chef and believes in managing menopause by making key dietary changes. 

She has recently published a 400-page Medicinal Cookbook with a difference, The Menopause Kitchen. 

It focuses on eight key nutrients including omega-3, protein, and antioxidants that are important for women at this life stage to effectively balance our hormones, transform our menopause and futureproof our health.

“Embracing all the other non-medicalised options can really build a very strong foundation for your health and will enhance the benefits of HRT if you do decide to opt for that at some point,” Rachel explains. 

“Menopause is not a static experience and often our symptoms change, so it’s important to keep an open mind in terms of your treatment approach.” 

Henny Flynn, life coach

Henny Flynn is a PCC-accredited coach and retreat host and has also overcome her menopause symptoms with a self-help approach. 

She helps people make and manage lasting change through deepening self-awareness with profound self-compassion. 

Henny has a special interest in supporting women experiencing menopause and is also the founder of the Compassionate Menopause support group.

Henny made changes that helped her through menopause by altering her nutrition, self-talk, mindset, opening up to new people and new experiences, accessing new knowledge and allowing herself to be completely self-aware and self-compassionate. 

It has worked well for her and she is now building a retreat for people to come and stay and receive 1-1 coaching with her in a remote setting near Hereford in the UK. hennyflynn.co.uk 

These are recommendations to try if you want to take a more holistic approach first and are apprehensive about taking HRT or other medical solutions. 

Menopause is part of the natural ageing process and lifestyle choices you made in your 20s, 30s, 40s will not suit your body as it advances with age. 

It’s best to do plenty of research and ask your friends and family what practices and solutions they are implementing. 

It is as the name suggests ‘a pause’ in your life so it can pass without difficulty if you discover the right answers.