Ep. 16: Flourishing Beyond Limits in Midlife with Belinda Bayliss

In this empowering episode Nichi sits down with Belinda Bayliss, founder and CEO of Flourishing Beyond Limits, to discuss the often unseen and unspoken challenges of midlife for women. Belinda shares her personal journey through early menopause following cancer treatment, shedding light on the invisible struggles women face with hormonal changes, brain fog, and feelings of being stuck or unseen. Together, they explore the importance of raising awareness about perimenopause, debunking myths around HRT, and embracing strategies for strength, mobility, and self-nourishment. Belinda also emphasises the value of connection and community, highlighting how women can reclaim their health, confidence, and power in midlife. 

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

1. Midlife as an Invisible Transition:
   • Midlife, particularly the transition through perimenopause and menopause, is often an invisible and unspoken challenge for women. 
2. The Impact of Estrogen on Women's Health:
   • Estrogen changes happen at three key life stages: puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. However, while the first two are socially accepted and supported, menopause is often ignored or misunderstood.
   • Brain fog, memory loss, and emotional changes are common but often mistaken for early dementia or stress.
3. The Need for Greater Awareness and Education:
   • There's a lack of education for both women and health professionals about the complexities of menopause and perimenopause.

    4.  Practical Strategies for Midlife Health & Flourishing:

• Physical Strength & Mobility, nutrition, community & connection and self-nourishment strategies are discussed.

   5. Belinda's Mission with Flourishing Beyond Limits:

• To empower women in midlife to flourish, feel strong, and embrace this stage of life with confidence and health.
• She offers personalised one-on-one coaching, group courses, and will soon be launching a podcast focused on midlife women.

📢 Connect with Belinda Bayliss

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flourishing_beyond_limits/#
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552008063600 
• Website: Coming soon!

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Previous Intro and Outro music: Inspirational Acoustic - Organic Harmony by Sonican; and Andrii Poradovskyi from Pixabay.  Current music: levgen Poltavskyi from Pixabay.  
Disclaimer: This content is general in nature and intended for educational purposes only.  It is not deemed as psychological treatment and does not replace the advice from your health professional or need for psychological treatment.  

Transcript

0:01

Welcome to Shine the Spotlight. Unseen, unspoken and unstoppable. The podcast where we put a spotlight on the stories, struggles and strengths that are invisible, often go unnoticed or are in the shadows or often overlooked. I'm your host, Nikki Moran, clinical psychologist, sustainable health coach and consultant, author and passionate advocate for those navigating the invisible challenges. Here, we dive deep into the unseen experiences, unspoken truth, and unstoppable resilience of everyday people with extraordinary stories. Whether you're living with an invisible condition, facing internal battles, or holding on to a story that deserves to be told, this space is for you. Join me as we explore powerful story, practical strategies, and honest conversations designed to raise awareness, foster a deeper understanding, and inspire connection. This podcast is a place where your voice matters, your journey is valued, and you're reminded that you are seen, you are heard, and you're unstoppable. If you have a story that deserves the spotlight or know someone whose journey should be shared, I'd love to hear from you. My contact details are in the show notes. Let's shine the spotlight together. Welcome everybody to today's episode of Shine the Spotlight. Today I'm super excited to be talking to Belinda Bayliss, who's the founder and CEO of Flourishing Beyond Limits, a business focused on supporting women in midlife. Belinda is a midlife women's coach, mentor, and online educator. She's also a registered psychologist, registered yoga teacher, and holds a Master of Education. Belinda's career in mental health has allowed her to work in areas such as education, non government organization, and in her own private practice as a psychologist and entrepreneur. So I'm so excited to have you here today. Can you tell us a little bit more about you and what you do? Oh, Nikki. Thank you so much for having me today. Um, it's very exciting. Uh, so what do I do? I do a lot of things, but the thing that I'm probably most passionate about is supporting midwife women, who get to a point in their life when maybe they feel a little bit stuck or a little bit unseen. And I think that midlife has this potential to be phenomenal. And it's just about having I guess the mindset and the skills to be able to, to flourish. Absolutely. And what you're saying is so important because just from my experience and in the work I do, it does often seem to be an area that is unseen, or it gets forgotten, or you often find women really struggling, but unable to find that support. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Um, It's really curious because it is an invisible condition. It's not widely acknowledged. It's almost been taboo to talk about. If we think about our history, we often don't really recall our mothers or our grandmothers going through this stage. You know, statistically they did. It is, it is. You know, a life transition point that all women who live long enough will go through at some point, but it comes with such a, an invisible load that. Women who don't understand it, and that's most of us, to be honest, just feel like it's a point of, I can't do this anymore. I'm not who I used to be. I often sit with my client. It's like when I was younger, I could juggle seven balls and now I've got three and two are on the ground. Like it's that, it's that real space. Yeah. Um, and it's so definitely is a huge thing. It's where. Hormones can be out of control and all these other things start impacting every aspect of our functioning. And at some point, like something that I hear women say a lot is, I don't know who I am or I don't know what's wrong with me or, you know, what's going on, I can't work it out and no one seems to be able to tell me and I've got this, this and this going on. It's very impactful. Absolutely. And we, I guess, traditionally, we think of, of menopause. Now, menopause is a magical day. One day after your last, like one year after your last period. And apparently at that magical point, you'll just been in menopause. And that, that's that really traditional dated. Sort of, um, definition of it all, but what we know is that the lead up, that perimenopause can be up to 10 years and we know that postmenopause, so menopause is technically one day, then you're in postmenopause, but the whole journey is such a change. Yep. And if we think about it, it is the change in our estrogen receptors. And we see that as women in three. Points in our life, um, or three potential points in our life. So firstly, we see it in puberty. And we're super generous to young women who are going through puberty. Like they're coming out with that catty bit, you know, they can be quite nasty and it's like, Oh, you know, it's puberty. We see a change in those estrogen hormones during pregnancy. And we know this baby brain, we know that we might be a little bit more emotional or a little bit more snappy. And there's almost an acceptance in the in society and in our communities are, oh, she's just pregnant, you know, we sort of put it aside. And then we have this third point that For many of us we go through and we don't even realize it's happening and that is that we see that change in oestrogen happen in this um, menopause transition, you know, perian and postmenopause, so we've got another change in our oestrogen. So the same sort of symptoms that pop up during puberty and potentially during pregnancy, we see happening except now they're no longer accepted. We're sort of, we're older women. We should know better. Like how can you be gritchy? Why are you so emotional? Like how come you can't juggle your seven balls anymore? What's going on? Yeah. And without an understanding, women tend to go to that sense of, it must be me. Yes, exactly. There's something wrong with me. And particularly if we think about brain fog, I've had women come to my, my clinic, you know, where I work as a psychologist saying, you know, I'm really worried. And they get to a point where they say, I think it's early, early onset dementia. And I'm not saying it's not because it needs to be checked, but from just actually every woman I've seen in that space, um, it's menopause. Yeah. It is the polysages and perimenopause, that brain fog that kicks in. And it's, I can't remember, I can't recall words or what I've just read, or I used to be able to do this recipe by heart and now it doesn't seem to be there. Yeah. Because the estrogen is a brain receptor, it's a neurological receptor. And that's something I've experienced myself, and I found out I was estrogen deficient. And that estrogen plays a massive role, like you said, in that cognitive function, and that regulation, and being able to manage things. And when that's impacted, there's so many times where it just gets dismissed though. Because there just doesn't seem to be enough of it talked about, enough of it known. Yeah, and I think it I think it actually goes a little bit deeper than that. And if you look into the Senate inquiry into menopause, you know, one of the things that was highlighted there was the lack of education provided to our GPS about this space. Yeah. Um, there are GPS and I sit with women who still tell me that. You can't go on to, I can't go on to HRT because it'll give me breast cancer. You know, we had a 2000, a 2002 study that was actually released to the media before it was released in a peer review. And it was reported incorrectly, but it was so widely published that The information was taken just as grass and women all over the world were taken off HRT, which we know now has long term effects on potential for cardiac risk, where we look at, you know, potential for risk of, osteoporosis, osteopenia, we see that it changes, you know, neurological functioning. There's so many things that estrogen needs. You know, is required for in our body and women were just taken off of it. Um, I recall a conversation with a friend who. found that she was never offered HRT. And she thinks back now, and she's like, I remember, I wasn't the person I thought I was, I was this nasty person. And I knew inside, that's not who I was. But that's who I was showing up as, you know, and I gave up, I gave up my high manager's position. Because I couldn't do it anymore and there was, I just felt that it was me and I was aging, you know, in a deficit way that really wasn't aging well, I was losing it. And she now looks back and says, you know, she really believes that if HRT had been offered, then that might have been, you know, or even if it's not HRT, an understanding of what's going on. Exactly. You know, HRT is not the only line of management for transition. There's so many things. But just, you know, on my friend's story, there's that space of, they're sort of saying there's up to, the loss is something like 15. 2 billion annually. Wow. Lost through women who are either moving from full time to part time. They're losing their super earnings, they're losing potential for income, they might move into early retirement because they're not coping. So we've got all of this situation that's happening so it's not just, it's not just your period stopping. It is so much more and impacts so much more of our life. And that's one of the reasons why I'm so excited to talk to you today because this needs to be talked about more. This is such an important area. Yeah, yeah. And in my experience, isn't a typical one. I was diagnosed with cancer at 26. And so there was a, a range of treatments that happened. And for that, I was, I was actually, I moved into a medically induced menopause. Um, so at about 30, I have this really strong memory of this moment of standing in front of a classroom of young ladies who all had their blazers on and they've got their scarves on in the middle of winter in Sydney. And I'm there. In my shirt, just thinking, Oh my goodness, it's so hot. And I'm like, is it hot in here girls? And they're like, no miss. I'm like, okay, this is really weird. And the thing was that even though I'd gone through this, you know, oncology treatment. There was nothing about, this is how you need to manage what this estrogen deficit in your body is going to do. I think the best someone came up with was to, um, I was put on the contraceptive pill. And so one, probably a higher dose than I needed, but secondly, Is that I just gone through cancer, I hadn't been able to, you know, I lost my fertility, I couldn't have any more kids and all of a sudden it's like, oh, and now you need to be on the pill, like, just from a psychological standpoint, that was so hard. Yeah. So, it. I moved through all of the stages of, um, that perimenopause without having a clue what it was and it kicked in in my thirties. So all of a sudden I was way more anxious than I had been before. Like it sort of came out of the blue. Um, and it was just put down to, Oh, you're okay. It's just the cancer treatment. But it, it sort of part of me knew that it wasn't, there was sort of a change in, in how I was, my potential to study like I had previously just didn't seem to be as strong, so there was a whole heap of changes. And in fact, it took me about 20 years to find a medical professional who was confident to prescribe me HRT. They, they tried a lot of things in between, I think some antidepressants to try and stop the hot flushes and the side effects of that were actually worse than the, um, the hot flushes. So, um, the antidepressant brought on nausea and stomach issues and migraines and I'm like, actually, I'll just, I'll just take the hot flushes. And it comes back to where we really sit as women. It's like, you know, just suck it up. This is just part of being a woman, accept it. Doesn't have to be. Exactly. And yeah, no such thing as just sucking that up. Just moving on. And it sounds like you have had quite a lot in your journey around all of this. It sounds like it was a lot that you've been through. Yeah, and I feel like in a way it's sort of, I got a head start on all my friends and all my colleagues. You know, I, I sort of, Oh yeah, this was in my thirties. So for me, that research, that understanding, and, I have this moment and, um, I've written a chapter in a book called empowered women empower women. And in the chapter, I refer to a conversation with a girlfriend of mine and just sitting there saying, I can't think straight. Like I'm losing, I think I'm losing my mind. I think maybe I'm stressed because isn't that what it always is. It's just stress. Yeah. Um, And she said, look, it's perimenopause. I'm like, it can't be like, I went through that in my 30s. And here I was sitting in my late 40s. And she said, well, your body might have that your brain hasn't. Yes. And I was like, what? Why haven't I heard of this? That's such an important point. Like your body might be, but it doesn't mean the brain is accepting already or even acknowledging. Well, it turns out when I finally had a GP who has a strong interest in, and I guess specializes in menopause. I still had low levels of oestrogen happening. So I was actually, despite all my treatment, there was still, I was technically still in peri, which was bizarre, like what the body does. But I think the heart of sitting with my friend in that conversation was I've been a psychologist for almost two decades. How did I not know this psychological impact at this, you know, very physically presenting function that we just think is, you know, Oh yeah, my periods are a little bit out of whack or something. How did I not know? And I started sitting with women in my rooms and this is what sort of drove me to this space is this information. Like you said before, these conversations need to be had. Absolutely. And I can pretty much guarantee when I'm sitting with somebody and they're talking about these symptoms, I'm like, could it be perimenopause? Like, I know this is a weird thing to ask as a psychologist, but where are you in that sort of like, Oh no, I'm only like 46. I can't be actually Perry can start anywhere from like 37 to 42. So I would suggest you maybe been there a while. Yeah. Yep. So I open up, it's like a light bulb moment. It is. It is. Although sometimes there needs to be a bit of, it takes a little bit to get acceptance because we all, you know, I think that, um, the generation of women who are moving into the space now, we were, you know, seventies born in seventies, um, you know, eighties and nineties chicks. And we were told we could do anything like we could be whoever we wanted. We were not going to accept. things as they were. We were going to change the world. Um, we were going to take on men and be in the same boardroom. You know, we have our 80s power suits, which were literally bigger shoulder pads so that women could have bigger presence. Um, you know, this is where we went to. And so now we're in this point of life where it's like, Oh no, just sit down, be quiet. And we're the like, I don't think so. No, exactly. And even though Like that's changing. I think women are still internalizing it, like you said before, and thinking there must be something wrong with me. Yeah, absolutely. Um, and I just think the information, as you said, it's not wide, widely enough. And actually, if I come back to the Senate report or the Senate inquiry, one of the things was about actually increasing the knowledge and the awareness around this. That was one of the recommendations out of there. Um, there was also the training up of GPs that currently sit and actually introducing it into medical courses because doctors aren't trained in menopause. It just blows my mind. And look, I don't want to, I really don't want a GP bash because that's not what I want. I think being a GP is like one of the hardest things because they need to be across everything. And I totally respect that menopause is one thing in the bucket of all of the things that they need to understand about. But at least the knowledge to say, this woman sits in this age bracket, should we maybe be considering this for them? And if I don't know enough, can I move them through to somebody who does? Yeah. Yes, I really like that. That's good. And it sounds like that your journey has inspired you to take down this coaching path for women in midlife. Oh, absolutely. I'm, I'm so passionate. I, even beyond just the menopause space, there is that whole midlife of being Feeling invisible, feeling stuck, not feeling like myself. And part of that is hormonal. Part of that is societal. So this idea that, Oh, you're old. You don't have, you're not relevant. You don't know how to use Tik TOK. And to be honest, I don't know how to use Tik TOK. And also to be honest, I don't really care. Um, But it, you know, this, I think that midlife women have this beautiful sagescence. So sagescence is that space of wisdom. You know, we've lived through things. We were also the generation, we might not know TikTok now, but we were the generation who was first starting to use computers. Yes. You know, and our fear comes from the fact that when you first got a computer, if you hit delete or didn't save your thing, you lost eight hours of work or whatever you've been working on. There was no recovery. There was no undo. So, you know, our early experiences, we've paved the way for all the amazing things that sit here now, just as the women after us. We'll pave the way going forward as well. Uh, but I don't think that we necessarily need to sit down and be quiet. I think we need to be loud and heard. Absolutely. I love that. Loud and heard. Yes, all the way. And when you talk about midlife, so are you talking about, the perimenopause, menopause? And that for me is, is one part of it. I think that we, we need to understand what's happening hormonally. We need to also look at where our mindset sits. So when our mindset is, we have a tendency to go, Oh, when I was 25. Like if I'd only looked at, you know, how I looked when I was 25 and how my face looked or what my body looked like, or, you know, the energy I had, we do this looking over our shoulder. But if we really think about 25, for a lot of us, we weren't exactly sure who we were. We were trying to establish careers and establish relationships and think about children. And there was an awful lot going on at 25 that didn't make it the magical time we sort of look back on. Yes. And I want, I really love the idea of women finding the mindset to think about the magical time we're actually in, you know, parental, parenting responsibilities are still there, but they're different. You know, now we're not, I mean, most of us, we're not having, we're certainly, there's very few of us who are changing nappies. Um, or having to actively feed our children, you know, there's no more spoon feeding. Um, we are still actively parenting, but it's more in that we're moving more to that space of being parent coaches where we're on the sidelines saying, come on, this is the best way to go. We're not in there having to hold a hand. So there's a freedom that comes with that mindset. There's a wisdom of knowing who we are. For most of us, there's more financial freedom that we've, than we've had previously. We're not in. You know, some of us are still are, and I acknowledge that, but for a lot of us, we've established in our ways, we, we've managed to get this far. And I think there's a more stable foundation we're working on to be amazing. Um, we have more freedom now, whether that's freedom in work or whether that's freedom to travel or whether that's freedom just to choose what you do with your day, because there's maybe not 10 other people having that idea of, you know, obligations of what's going to happen with your time. And so I think mindset is really important. I think that we need to focus on our health. Which I think we, I think we're good in that in our 20s. And I think somewhere in our 30s and 40s, we tend to drop that off because life gets in the way. We don't have time to go to the gym because I have to run my daughter to dance, or I've got to finish this report and I need to get that done. And, or I need to, you know, this always seems to be another pressure. Oh, I need to go shopping. I need to do dinner. I need to. And so we don't have that, that time or the energy because of the stage of life we're in to maybe look at our health. Moving into midlife, and I don't have an age bracket for midlife. Yeah, there isn't really one, is there? No, and it's a very divisive polarizing term for lots of people. I tend to use the word Gen X because I just think Gen X chicks are happy to be Gen X chicks. Yeah, yeah. Um, but I definitely think that we need to look at our health and that is, and there's some really great work coming out about. The different way we eat in midlife, that our body has different needs. We don't need the carbohydrates. We need the protein, protein. We need to build and be strong. One of the things that, if you start to sort of delve into the wisdom and knowledge and joyful space that is menopause and perimenopause and midlife, and whichever term you're using to research it, getting stronger. Making sure that we're mobile, because what we do now is going to dictate where we are in our 70s or our 80s. Um, the research into, into women breaking hips is, is just devastating. If you break a hip, there's something like, your 30 percent survival for the first 12 months. Wow. Goodness. It is. It is devastating. Women live longer, but they don't live healthier. If we think about who sits with chronic illness, 80 percent of chronic illness is women. Yep. That's right. If we look at who's using the wheelie walkers. Yes. We really look, it's women. If we observe who it is in age, age cares, it's women who live longer, but they don't live healthy. And so for me in this midlife, now is our time to lean into that wisdom and power that we have to go, I need to be strong. I need to be mobile. I need the capacity to be able to get myself up off the ground. If I fall over. All of this is just resonating and just so amazing and everything that you're saying it really does need a focus in that space. Like what you're doing is absolutely brilliant. Well, thank you. And I really, I'm probably talking too much, but I'm really passionate about this space. I think it's really important because if we want to live the third of our life that sits in midlife and beyond, I Healthily. And take advantage of all the hard work we put in to get us up to now, like, let's make it amazing. Let's not make it average. Let's not feel that we can't, you know, when we have the time to travel, let's still have the capacity to travel. Yep. And whether that is jaunting overseas or taking off to Bali or getting in a camper trailer and, you know, doing the, doing the lab, you know, let's, let's have the ability to do it. Let's do it. Eat right. Let's make sure we're getting protein so that our muscles, um, are strong. Let's make sure that we can get up off the ground. Um, in our household, we have little laptop tables that we will sit on the floor and eat dinner. Um, because Every day I want to be on the ground and getting up off the ground. That's brilliant. Like just that simple little strategy can make big differences. Yep. Yep. I was listening to, um, Dr. Von der Wright the other day and she talked about balance. And for her, she recommends, so she's a, orthopedic surgeon, who is very vocal in this space. And she talked about, we need balance. So brush your teeth on one leg. So it doesn't have to be going to the gym for hours. It's the incidental little things that we can do. So, you know, yoga, Pilates are great for that flexible thing, but we also need to lift. We need to be strong and that might be actually carrying the groceries from the car. Even if you've got a beautiful supportive partner who's saying, I'll grab those for you. Like, no, I can grab them because we need to be strong and we need to be healthy because we need to flourish in this amazing part of our life. So Belle, you were just mentioned about, about how we can flourish in this time. And you mentioned those strategies that don't have to be hours at the gym and all this hard work. It can just be those things that we can integrate into living. Yeah, absolutely. And that, like, that's just amazing. It's things I've never even thought of. And it's, it is incidental. You know, we live in a society that promotes self care and I am not a fan. I'm a psychologist, menopausal, midlife coach, but I'm not a fan of self care because I think it's, it seems to be just one more thing we put on an already full plate. I am very much about self nourishing and self nurturing. in incidental moments. Where's a moment in my day where I can sit, can I actually enjoy my cup of tea? Can I, can I drink it before it's cold? You know, little moments that we put in there. And I think that the space of, you know, midlife health. is similar. Can I carry, can I carry my own groceries? And if I can't, then what do I need to do to be able to carry my own groceries? If I can see that that's an area that needs work. Balancing is so important to our longevity, and strong core. So You know, do I go and do a Pilates class or do I take up something that's going to strengthen my core or do, as I suggested a moment ago, do I stand on one foot when I brush my teeth? And another thing I've had suggested is for women to see, to stand on their tiptoes, like we used to do when we were little and to see how long we can stand before we fall, because that balancing is super important and we don't want to get to the point where we notice that we can't balance anymore before we try. Yep. That's just all amazing points that you've brought up that I think all our listeners could really take on board. Yeah, I think another really important thing to put on, you know, into my bucket of what helps us flourish in midlife is definitely, um, connection and community. That's another thing because we often will, there's, there's a transition point in life where our kids with, we've got all of our friends who are usually. All of our kids, friends, parents, because we've had to sit at the hockey game or the netball game or the football game and you inadvertently make friends, it's also easier to go with the park, you know, catch up with somebody, go to a park where your kids are playing together. And then there's this point where all of a sudden they get licenses. And they don't need you anymore. I have, I have this really strong memory of my son getting his license and, and he spent, you know, and still races BMX, which is eight hours of hanging out with other parents. That's, that's what we've been doing, you know, for the last decade for him, actually a bit longer. So all of these, you know, friendships of 10 years or more, and all of a sudden he's like, I don't need you to come to the track. I can drive myself. I'm like, that's really beautiful for him. But this is also a space where I held connection as well with other mums and, and, you know, knowing the dads and, and I was involved in the sport and I was officiating and, and all of a sudden it's like, Oh, we've Actually, you don't, you don't need to come mum. And you notice that you do turn up, but because they're all, a lot of them have all raced together for years, the mums that you know are also being told the same thing. Yeah. And we lose that, we lose that connection. We might be the older person in the workplace now as people move on. So all of a sudden we maybe don't want to hang out with the 30 year olds. On a Friday, we want to do something different, but reestablishing those connections are super important, particularly when we get to this tricky phase of life. Like I loved how you just resonated so much when I told the story about my son going, you know, but we need other women who understand, but that just pulls the heartstrings. We need other women to understand brain fog, or the fact that I'm not as strong as I used to be, or I can't do what I used to be, or I'm dropping all of my juggling balls. Like, I think these are really important things, so I think connection and community is another really strong point that is part of the missing, um, the missing jigsaw puzzle piece. Yeah, yep. It's really interesting. In Melbourne, um, there are a couple of places that have opened up as menopause cafes. Wow. So, you know, there is, there's a small movement towards that reestablishing connection. But I, I really feel it needs to be much stronger because women, I always say, and anyone who knows me will have heard this, is that women can be the worst. But when we are together and we connect and we support each other, we are phenomenal. We are a power to be reckoned with. We can change the world because we've always done it. And I just love that. And I'm just so grateful for all of the amazing women in my world and they know who they are. And you're aware, you know, most of them. But just this space where we can be so supported in the things that we want to do, the changes we want to be in the world, the, the things we're passionate about and, and women connecting in really flourishing ways is just, it's intimidating because it's so amazing. Oh, that just excites me so much. And it is just so true. I think when you're isolated on your own, you can become your own worst enemy, when you, and your biggest barrier to that health and happiness and, and when you actually are connected and supported and, oh, amazing things can happen, life changing things can happen. And if we come back to my realization moment of perimenopause, it didn't happen in a doctor's surgery. No. It happened having breakfast with a girlfriend. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that is just so amazing. It's just so inspiring talking to you today. Thank you. Now with your flourishing beyond limits, so is that the sort of thing you're hoping to be able to do in the coaching space? Absolutely. Absolutely. Working one to one women with women. So it is a lot of what I've just shared here, but it's so personalized, like it's really lovely to listen to a podcast and take a few things away, but often people will do, but what about me? My story is slightly different. My situation is slightly different. You might be a woman, a woman who's in this space. But has never chosen or been able to have children. So your experience is going to be different again. How does this then apply to me? You know, I didn't get baby brain. I don't understand this brain fog. It's the first time I've had it. So I think there's a real space for that. The other thing on that's the other area around flourishing is that community and connection. So my sort of. My hope and forward movement is definitely I am about to run a small focus group of my course offering, um, which touches on a lot of what we've talked about today, but in a lot more in an in depth and personalized way. So that is hopefully will be out. There is a plan for a podcast on, for midlife women. In the middle of the year to be launched. And it's very fitting. Oh, absolutely. And, and it will be, I, um, I've sort of, you know, what it tends, what it will be and what I'd like it to be right now might be different, but it's really about talking to both people who are professionally working in, in this space with the knowledge that they bring. I also want to talk to women who've lived this, or women who are living this. Like I think there's power in. Variance. So I want to, I want to bring again, voices. Yes. The voices of the people who have lived it and experienced it. They're the expert. Absolutely. So that's, that's another passion piece going there. So there's lots of little things I just, as you've said previously. This just needs to be out there wider. And that's my mission. I just want women to know that midlife is not a crisis. Oh, I love your mission and it excites me so much. And I just cannot wait for the amazing things you're going to do and just. The support and connection these women are going to experience from working with you. Thank you, Nikki. That's really lovely to hear. And how can people know more about you or where can they find you? Like, I will put everything in the show notes for people to connect and find out more about you and your offerings. But is there anything else you would like to add or let them know? I think at the moment the best place to sort of connect and find me is, is both on, on Facebook and Instagram. Facebook is where our people hang out. Um, Instagram is cause I like posting on Instagram. Um, it's fun, but yeah, you'll, you'll hear these types of things, the same voice and putting in a name. To the face or face to the name, so to speak. So I think social media is a really good place. Um, the website is under construction because the perfectionist self needs to get over that a little bit and just put something out there. And I'm sure lots of your, you know, audience will understand that, that space of, uh, it just needs to be one more edit. So, uh, it is about pressing the button on the edits and putting it out there so that hopefully, we'll be up and running. I'm very guilty for that too, but I will put the links in the show notes so people can connect. And I think it has been amazing talking to you and just the takeaways from today's, discussion as well. So thank you so much, Belle. Oh, I really appreciate the opportunity to chat with you. It's been amazing. Thanks. Bye. Bye. Thank you for joining me on this episode of Shine the Spotlight, unseen, unspoken, and unstoppable podcast. I hope today's conversation has left you feeling inspired, empowered, or having a greater understanding. Whether you're facing something unseen, carrying something unspoken, of finding your way to become unstoppable. Know that you're not alone. If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Together we can shine the spotlight where it's needed most. Your support helps these important stories reach more people who need this heard. And remember, this is your platform too. If you or someone you know has an inspiring story of resilience, a voice that needs to be heard, Or a topic that deserves to be explored. I'd love to feature it on the podcast. Reach out, or you can find me on social media. Their details are in the show notes. Your story could be the spotlight that someone else needs to hear. 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