Uncomfortable Community Conversations are where we tackle what some would say is the hard or taboo stuff, because growth happens in the uncomfortable, and that’s what we want for our community, small businesses, and you. It’s where we stop being nice and start getting real.
Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause
When folks registered they were asked a couple key questions: What’s one thing you’re hoping to leave with, and What’s one thing you want to know, or wish others knew about women navigating perimenopause/menopause?
Our registrants understood the assignment and brought many responses to the table. Attendees hoped to leave with three main things; First, they wanted connection and community. They wanted a chance to meet other women navigating this stage, hear shared experiences, and build relationships with leaders who want to thrive and help others thrive.
Women are not only a driving force in Michigan’s workforce, they also own nearly half of our small businesses; that makes supporting women through every stage of their careers, including midlife, essential to the strength of our small business economy. Creating a more menopause-friendly workplace starts with awareness, empathy and practical flexibility – meeting people where they are so they can continue to lead, contribute and grow.
Perimenopause results in a brutal shift in energy, productivity, motivation, and mental clarity. Our bodies, brains, energy, priorities; it all changes in the blink of an eye, and women-owned businesses are ill-prepared to deal with it. We are leading companies, people, and navigating and holding up the world while the general public gets the ‘ick’ at the mention of our bodies, physicians hand out antidepressants as a solution, and there is little to no education or awareness on the subject.
We covered a ton in one Uncomfortable Conversation, and still, we barely scratched the surface. Half the women in that room have been dealing with this for years and either didn’t know what was going on, or didn’t have the right people to go to for help. Our mothers suffered in silence, but we are not willing to do that shit any longer. These conversations aren’t happening nearly enough- not at work, not at the doctor’s office, not at the dinner table. So let’s keep the conversation going, and get loud about it. It is time that the rest of the world understands how perimenopause affects half its population.
Dr. Karen May is a chiropractic sports physician and Certified in Chronic Intractable Pain and Neuropathy, practicing since 2003. Her career has spanned elite sports medicine — including a stint as team physician for USA Bobsled and Skeleton — as well as caring for pregnant moms and newborns and helping women navigate life’s transitions, always grounded in a belief in food as medicine and the body’s own capacity to heal. In 2017, that expertise was tested when a rare surgical complication left her fighting nerve damage in her own body. Drawing on decades of clinical practice and training, she rebuilt her health from the ground up — and has since helped thousands of people do the same. With over 20 years in holistic health care, she speaks today as both physician and peer: a woman navigating her own perimenopausal years while running a business and raising a family.
Dr. Diana Bitner is a board-certified OB/GYN specializing in midlife, menopause, and sexual health. She is co-founder of true. Women’s Health, a concierge practice in West Michigan focused on helping women thrive through midlife while reducing chronic conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, depression, and diabetes. Dr. Bitner is the author of I Want to Age Like That! and has published peer-reviewed research on menopause care. She was named Menopause Practitioner of the Year by The Menopause Society in 2015. Dr. Bitner is committed to translating evidence into practical, scalable solutions that improve women’s health, confidence, and participation at work and in life.
Cheryl Bergman is a statewide policy leader advancing economic opportunity and improved health outcomes for women in Michigan. Appointed Executive Director of the Michigan Women’s Commission by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2019, she leads work across public policy, workforce participation, and women’s health, bringing together employers, healthcare experts, advocates, and policymakers to address issues including economic security, affordable child care, and midlife women’s health.
Previously, Cheryl helped advance women’s political leadership through historic campaigns that elected Michigan’s first woman U.S. Senator and first woman Governor, and served as Senior Advisor on Governor Whitmer’s successful 2018 campaign. A Michigan State University graduate in Journalism, she lives in East Lansing and serves as Chair of the advisory board of Potter Park Zoo.
Brain Fog causes delayed decision making, forgotten action items, and errors we can’t afford to make – finances, compliance, legal, and God knows what else.
Insomnia triggers chronic fatigue, leading to missed opportunities, low stamina, and rescheduled everything.
Anxiety and rage erase executive presence, straining relationships with employees, clients, vendors, and everyone else.
Uncomfortable Community Conversations are where we tackle what some would say is the hard or taboo stuff, because growth happens in the uncomfortable, and that’s what we want for our community, small businesses, and you.
You can sit around and complain about it, or you can do something to change it, and we’ve chosen the latter.
