In 2019 I had an idea for a book about perimenopause and midlife – (almost all) publishers told me no one was interested in middle-aged women. This week one was named a National Book Award finalist
Bravo bravo BRAVO! I’m always a little sad and frustrated that you’re not recognised more for your integral part in all of this; of shining a light on this VERY NORMAL part of womanhood and getting it out in the open. I always direct women to The Shift because I’m fiercely proud of what you’ve created, curated and grown over the years. It is needed, it is welcome and it is brilliant. Keep being amazing, Sam xxx
Ah Jenny, thank you. It’s because of you and the other women who stepped up to talk about their experiences that I was able to write The Shift at all. Xx
Thank you for writing this. I “discovered” that I was in menopause when I was 40, after my wife and I decided to have a baby. My mother had been 38 and just never told me because she assumed that it wouldn’t have “mattered” since I was a lesbian. Everything changed: work, perception of who I was as a publishing executive, sex, heart health, memory, immune system, how my body was suddenly so different in every possible way, my place in the world. My wife, ten years my senior, went through it simultaneously (no one ever talks about this: two women under the same roof going through it at the same time). And yet: we were both told by the medical establishment in the states, “go home, have a cup of tea and a spa day, and you’ll feel better.” Meanwhile: grief over not being able to have a baby, chronic exhaustion as caregiver for an elder, job loss, sudden invisibility, grief over what I had apparently lost with no sense of what was around the corner, and a body I simply no longer recognized.
When I read this post, I wanted to scream YES, THANK YOU SAM. I mean, wtf does it take for this to finally be a public conversation? How many years?🙏🏻
How incredibly generous you are @sambaker, the Cassandra of the menopause conversation highlighting the triumphs of your fellow writers — a true inspiration and always ahead of the curve.
A big thank you Sam for your brilliant book, your thoughtful words here, and your insightful and inspiring podcast. You and the other wonderful women writers and campaigners have helped us to be more open with each other about our struggles and triumphs through our midlife and beyond!
Second newsletter in a row this morning about menopause, so it definitely is getting an airing! (The other was Milli Hill's.) Thanks for what you've done/are doing to bring it into regular conversations, Sam.
I started on HRT combined patches several years after menopause, because by then I was really noticing the effects of plummeting oestrogen. It suits me really well, but I know there's no one-size-fits-all. Always interested to read/hear what other people's experiences are.
Bravo bravo BRAVO! I’m always a little sad and frustrated that you’re not recognised more for your integral part in all of this; of shining a light on this VERY NORMAL part of womanhood and getting it out in the open. I always direct women to The Shift because I’m fiercely proud of what you’ve created, curated and grown over the years. It is needed, it is welcome and it is brilliant. Keep being amazing, Sam xxx
Ah Jenny, thank you. It’s because of you and the other women who stepped up to talk about their experiences that I was able to write The Shift at all. Xx
Thank you for writing this. I “discovered” that I was in menopause when I was 40, after my wife and I decided to have a baby. My mother had been 38 and just never told me because she assumed that it wouldn’t have “mattered” since I was a lesbian. Everything changed: work, perception of who I was as a publishing executive, sex, heart health, memory, immune system, how my body was suddenly so different in every possible way, my place in the world. My wife, ten years my senior, went through it simultaneously (no one ever talks about this: two women under the same roof going through it at the same time). And yet: we were both told by the medical establishment in the states, “go home, have a cup of tea and a spa day, and you’ll feel better.” Meanwhile: grief over not being able to have a baby, chronic exhaustion as caregiver for an elder, job loss, sudden invisibility, grief over what I had apparently lost with no sense of what was around the corner, and a body I simply no longer recognized.
When I read this post, I wanted to scream YES, THANK YOU SAM. I mean, wtf does it take for this to finally be a public conversation? How many years?🙏🏻
Thank you for your always thoughtful words Elissa. “She assumed it wouldn’t have mattered since I was a lesbian…” 😞
How incredibly generous you are @sambaker, the Cassandra of the menopause conversation highlighting the triumphs of your fellow writers — a true inspiration and always ahead of the curve.
And we all know what happened to Cassandra 😂
A big thank you Sam for your brilliant book, your thoughtful words here, and your insightful and inspiring podcast. You and the other wonderful women writers and campaigners have helped us to be more open with each other about our struggles and triumphs through our midlife and beyond!
THANK YOU!! 🙌🏼
Your writing came at the exact right time for me and I appreciate it so much!
Second newsletter in a row this morning about menopause, so it definitely is getting an airing! (The other was Milli Hill's.) Thanks for what you've done/are doing to bring it into regular conversations, Sam.
I started on HRT combined patches several years after menopause, because by then I was really noticing the effects of plummeting oestrogen. It suits me really well, but I know there's no one-size-fits-all. Always interested to read/hear what other people's experiences are.