| | | | We’ve long known the path to leadership is filled with systemic barriers for women—from biased evaluations to disproportionate caregiving expectations. But what happens when you layer menopause on top of all that?
New research from the Harvard Business Review offers a refreshing perspective: menopause doesn’t have to be a setback. In fact, for many senior women leaders, it became a turning point.
Researchers followed 64 peri- and postmenopausal women in high-level roles and uncovered what they describe as a “hero’s journey.” First came disruption—brain fog, hot flashes, insomnia. Then came the quest—for answers, tools and support. Along the way, these women gained new skills, leaned on peer networks and emerged with renewed purpose and clarity.
Even more inspiring? Many became changemakers—pushing for better policies, mentoring others and working to dismantle stigma from the inside out.
It’s a reminder that menopause isn’t the end of our ascent. For many, it marks the start of something even more powerful. |
| Meet the Digital Pioneer Helping Women Find Their People—And Their Power Gina Pell has always been ahead of her time. As a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of The What Alliance, she’s spent the last two decades creating vibrant communities that uplift women through curiosity, connection and candid conversations. Known for coining the term “Perennials”—a generation-defying mindset—Pell champions the idea that growth doesn’t stop with age, it deepens.
Today, as content chief at The What Media and a fierce advocate for women’s well-being, she continues to create space for meaningful dialogue—especially around the messy, beautiful transitions of midlife. In an interview with Flow Space, Pell didn’t hold back on the relationship shifts no one warns you about during menopause, the next wave in women’s health, and why her north star will always be: helping women help each other. |
What's one topic midlife women are interested in that isn't being talked about enough? I know you have so many conversations with your community about every possible topic. What do you think is one thing that keeps coming up that you wish got more attention? Something I don't hear a lot about is how during menopause, I've seen a lot of relationships get blown up and ended, and I don't think that's talked about a lot. Just being older than a lot of my friends, I try to counsel friends to just take their time in making the decisions. Because the endings that I've seen happen seem radically dramatic and out of character. And so I try to counsel my friends to just take some time and try to recenter if we're making these major life decisions. That's something I don't really see spoken about a lot, just like blowing things up. I'm not blaming the woman who's going to menopause. I think we have so many hormones coursing through us. It's like how a teenager behaves when they're going through adolescence. You do a lot of crazy things. Yeah, I've seen some pretty crazy things, very out of character things being done, and then they mellow out later. And a lot of my friends have said, you know, they made some major mistakes, and they wish they could walk it back, but sometimes it's too late.
Thinking more broadly about women's health, what do you think is coming next? You're in the seat of all innovation. So, what are you seeing that is exciting to you about women's health? If I mean, the obvious… that almost everybody's going to be microdosing GLP-1s.Taking GLP-1s, that seems pretty obvious. But you know what I think about all the time, and talk about with my friends, is, how far are we going to go for beauty? I mean, I think you could see that with The Substance this year, and the irony is that you Demi Moore did an incredible job in The Substance, but then you look at her, as she's the embodiment of going too far.
We don’t ever want to judge other women's bodies or choices, but I feel that we should bring more into the discussion of how far we're going to go for beauty. I personally stopped using any Botox or fillers in 2022 because I just thought to what end? Am I going to be pumping my face full of poisons until I'm 90 years old? And I think that these conversations should be brought up, because I think that true confidence is allowing yourself to really be yourself.
You have built so many businesses. You've been a leader in so many ways. What still motivates you every morning to get out of bed and do your thing? Women and helping women. I’ve been in women’s media since 1999, and that business has evolved into The What Media and The What Alliance with my partner Amy Parker, and we're all about helping women level up and connecting to each other and connecting to what they need. And that's what gets us out of bed in the morning—helping women.
How do you find flow—that moment, or ability, to be fully immersed and present in the moment—in your life? Really leaning in and really seeing. Really leaning into the people that you're connected with in a deep and non-superficial way. |
Changing the Conversation on Care Caregiving has long been seen as a quiet role—something women step into without question, often invisibly and without support. But as the population ages and caregiving becomes a shared, deeply personal experience for more women in midlife, it’s clear that the narrative is evolving.
This week, we’re spotlighting a new caregiving reality—one where women are not only caring for aging parents or partners, but also beginning to reckon with what their own futures might require. Who will care for us? What do we want that care to look like? And how do we talk about it—openly, early and without shame?
These questions live at the intersection of love, identity and preparation. They show up in difficult conversations about driving, finances and memory loss. They surface in quiet realizations about how relationships shift when roles change. And they demand that we move past silence or assumptions and toward honest, empathetic planning—for others and for ourselves.
What’s emerging is not just a new language for caregiving, but a new model: one rooted in agency, emotional clarity and community. Whether it’s initiating gentle conversations, making legal or financial preparations or imagining alternative support systems beyond traditional family structures, the goal is the same—preserving dignity while reducing isolation.
Caregiving will look different for everyone, but the throughline is clear: it’s not just something we do for others. It’s something we must learn to do for ourselves, too. |
LISTENING to "So Your Parents Are Old ," the brutally honest new podcast from journalist Vanessa Grigoriadis. With raw, funny and refreshingly unfiltered conversations about the chaos of caring for aging parents—from Medicaid nightmares to storage-unit meltdowns—it’s a must-hear for anyone navigating this emotional life stage.
READING My Mother’s Money by financial journalist and certified financial planner Beth Pinsker, a deeply practical—and deeply human—guide to financial caregiving. From navigating power of attorney and long-term care budgets to having those tough, emotional conversations with aging parents, this book offers clear advice and hard-won wisdom for one of life’s most complex roles.
EXPLORING Hello Inside, the newly launched app that brings continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and real-time insights to women’s metabolic health in the U.S. Already popular in Europe, the platform goes beyond weight loss to support menopause and sustainable lifestyle change—with AI-powered coaching that helps women understand how food, stress, sleep, and movement impact their health.
MOVING with Pvolve’s new six-week Menopause Strong program designed to help women thrive through perimenopause, menopause and beyond. Built around what your body truly needs during this life stage, the series combines strength training, cardio and recovery to support muscle mass, bone health and stress reduction. |
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