From Burnout to Breakthrough: A Midwife's Journey Through Menopause Coaching

I recently had the most incredible conversation with Katie, one of my menopause coaching students, and I just had to share her story and Journey Through The CPD Certified Menopause Coaching Diploma with you.

It's one of those conversations that reminds me exactly why I do this work – because the transformation that happens when women invest in themselves is absolutely extraordinary.

When Your World Turns Upside Down

Katie is a midwife with nearly six years of experience, someone who dedicated her life to caring for others during one of the most vulnerable and beautiful moments in their lives. But in the summer of 2024, everything changed.

She experienced what she describes as a complete breakdown – the stresses of being a midwife on the labour ward became too much to handle.

What struck me most about Katie's story was how it took her completely by surprise. She had no idea she was experiencing burnout and PTSD. One day at work, she simply couldn't function anymore. All she could do was cry, and she felt like she couldn't look after the women she was caring for.

It was devastating.

"Midwifery is what I am.

It's who I'm going to be forever, and now I can't do it," she told me.

Can you imagine having your entire identity wrapped up in your profession, only to find yourself unable to continue?

Finding Light in the Darkness

But here's where Katie's story takes a beautiful turn.

She had previously supported one of her best friends through her menopausal journey, and in that experience, she found something familiar – that same sense of purpose and fulfilment she got from working on the labour ward.

She realised she was still helping vulnerable people, just in a different way.

This realisation led her to explore menopause coaching as a way to use her skills and continue helping others. When she was researching different programmes, she told me there was one sentence that resonated with her: "I'm always learning. I've been doing this for 10 years. I'm still learning."

That constant learning mentality is precisely what she knew from midwifery and the medical profession.

The Power of Small Changes

One of the things that fascinated me about our conversation was Katie's discovery that dramatic changes aren't always necessary to make a huge difference.

She worked with practice clients during her training and saw incredible transformations from what seemed like minor adjustments.

She shared the story of one client who made just two major changes: increased her hydration and started decluttering.

They also adjusted her walking routine – she was already active with yoga and strength training, but they simply broke up her movement differently. The results? Weight loss, increased energy, and, as the client said,

"I feel lighter. I'm loving life again."

This experience perfectly illustrates what I've learnt over the past decade: you can give someone all the information in the world, but unless they have the motivation and inspiration to change, nothing happens.

Information is one thing, but implementation is something entirely different. That's where coaching becomes so powerful.

The Personal Transformation

What moved me most was hearing about Katie's own journey through the menopause plan we use in the programme. Like her clients, she recognised that she was often the one holding herself back.

The accountability, the self-respect, and taking responsibility for her own happiness – these became game-changers not just for her but for her entire family.

And here's the incredible part: Katie is now back at work and loving it. When we first spoke, she was planning to hand in her notice. She couldn't imagine going back.

But something shifted during her time away and through the programme. She went back with the intention of quitting, but after two shifts, she still hadn't written her notice.

"I'm back in my happy place, which I haven't had at work for quite a long time," she shared. Even after six months off, she found she still knew everything and was capable, competent, and confident. What an incredible boost to her self-esteem!

The Ripple Effect

What I find fascinating about burnout and menopause is how they can create these split personalities.

Katie described becoming very protective of her team while being quite challenging with anyone outside that circle. She was nurturing at home but struggling at work. It's like there were two versions of her operating in different environments.

This made me reflect on my own experience with burnout during menopause. I was overtraining, not getting enough nutrients despite having what looked like an amazing diet on paper, and definitely not getting enough sleep.

Learning about cortisol, adrenaline, oxytocin, and serotonin – understanding how different hormones are suppressed or elevated during menopause – helped me make sense of why work environments can so dramatically affect our menopause experience, and vice versa.

Looking Forward

Katie is now exploring how to use her newfound knowledge and skills. She's passionate about raising awareness and education, particularly in her local area where she's noticed a real lack of understanding about perimenopause symptoms and management options.

She's starting with coffee mornings, hoping to shift the mentality from "perimenopause is coming and my best years are behind me" to embracing this next phase of life with excitement and possibility.

I love her vision of empowering women to see that there's a long time post-menopause with life to live and things to give to people. She wants to bridge midwifery – with all the empowerment it gives to families – and menopause support.

The Bigger Picture

Katie's story reinforces something I've learnt through this work: women need to be heard, and unfortunately, the NHS often can't provide that level of listening on any level, in any department. There needs to be more research into women's health and how it impacts everything we do.

Can you imagine if we had learnt how to track our periods and understand what that meant before we even started menstruating?

How different our lives would be! Katie shared a heartbreaking story of a teacher telling a 14-year-old who had leaked through her clothes to just put a jumper around her waist and stay at school.

That's not acceptable, and it's exactly the kind of thing we need to change.

The Investment That Changes Everything

When I asked Katie what she'd say to someone considering the menopause coach diploma, her response was perfect:

"It is an investment, but there is potential to make money out of it at the end. But for me, it's definitely changed my perspective on life."

She went from being very pessimistic about the future last summer, not knowing what would happen after her world was flipped upside down, to feeling like the diploma made a huge difference in her recovery, mindset, and future.

This is something I didn't even consider when I first designed the programme – how many people would come through and have that personal benefit, making those personal shifts and changes?

That's why everyone now goes through the menopause plan as part of their training, whether they're menopausal or not.

At its core, it's really a comprehensive health coaching programme that can benefit anyone struggling with health challenges.

The Wake-Up Call We All Need

Katie left me with such wise words: sometimes you need a wake-up call to realise that the lines can be quite blurry.

You might need to listen to an outsider – a colleague, partner, sibling, or child – to see that everything is not quite as well as you thought.

In hindsight, she could see areas where she was snapping left, right, and centre, but she had no idea at the time. If someone had said, "Are you all right? You're grumpier than you used to be; it might have helped her see what was happening sooner.

Her advice?

Talk to yourself like you would talk to your best friend. If you're not accepting the feedback you're getting or giving yourself the right advice, then you need to look at yourself.

A Story of Hope

Katie's journey from breakdown to breakthrough gives me so much hope. She went from being unable to function at work to loving her job again.

From feeling like her identity was shattered to finding new ways to use her skills and help others. From pessimism about the future to excitement about the possibilities ahead.

The result is the power of investing in yourself, of taking time to understand what's happening in your body and mind, and of learning tools that can help you support not just yourself but other women going through similar experiences.

Katie's story reminds us that sometimes our greatest challenges can become our greatest opportunities. Her breakdown led to a breakthrough that's not just changing her life but will undoubtedly change the lives of all the women she'll support in the future.

That's the ripple effect of menopause coaching – when one woman invests in herself, the benefits extend far beyond her own life. And that's exactly why this work matters so much.

If Katie's story resonates with you and you're curious about menopause coaching, I'd love to connect.

You can find me on LinkedIn or visit our website, www.womenofacertainstage.com, to learn more about our programs and how they might support your own journey.

Catch the full video below: