How menopause challenged me as a professional creative.

I don’t think we talk enough about what it’s like to be a freelancer whilst going through the menopause - or any difficult life transition.

I’ve worked for myself for over 10 years, running different projects at once, working with multiple clients, constantly stepping into new relationships and figuring people out.

It’s never been easy, but I’ve always been able to handle it. I prided myself on my ability to juggle whatever was thrown at me. These were not just personality traits, they felt like a fundamental part of my identity.

But the last two years, as I navigate menopause, have felt really different.

I don’t have the same resilience I used to, the financial risk feels heavier, and at times my mental health has been challenged by the lack of boundaries and constant change in my work. It’s started to feel exhausting in a way it never did before. And I’ve noticed how dysregulated I’ve been because of it.

I know a lot of that is down to the menopause, and what I’m starting to understand is that my nervous system just needs something different now.

The desire for freedom I used to value so highly in my work as a freelancer has been replaced by a need for stability, consistency and calm.

So much has been tied up in this. Letting go of my identity as someone that's able to 'handle things' and accepting I may need to step away from a decade long career, amongst many other challenges. I'm also left wondering if I should have pushed myself like this for so long, and what caused me to do so.

Thankfully, at the same time, I’ve been training as a counsellor (which also helped process all of the above!) I didn't intend for this to lead to a career change, but now I can see this way of working suits me more.

Not because it’s easy, but because it's contained. There are clearer boundaries, structure, but most of all, support. There's also a sense of purpose in the work of helping others that I think I’ve been looking for for a while.

I might even say, that I'm a better counsellor than designer, and I can't wait to qualify in July.

But I'm one of the lucky ones, what can you do if you find yourself mid menopause and struggling in this way?

From April 2026, larger employers are being encouraged to publish menopause action plans and show how they support staff.

But this guidance is built around traditional employment. If you work for yourself, there isn’t really an equivalent. No HR or ethical framework to fall back on. You’re still just expected to carry on.

Because of this, I’ve started offering 1:1 mentoring sessions.

A space to slow down, reflect, and work through some of this with support, especially if you’re navigating change, feeling overwhelmed, or realising that the way you’ve been working just isn’t sustainable anymore.

It’s not therapy, but it is informed by my counselling training, and shaped by my own experience of this transition.

You can read more on who it’s for, and how it works here.