The Deal Dilemma: Are You Playing It Too Safe? Menopause at Work: The Hidden Career Handbrake
Menopause at Work: The Hidden Career Handbrake
Menopause at work affects millions of senior women in leadership, yet it remains an invisible challenge. While companies invest in diversity and retention, few recognize how menopause impacts decision-making, negotiation confidence, and executive performance. The result? Missed opportunities, weakened influence, and career-limiting hesitation.
The good news? It doesn’t have to be this way. In this blog, I break down how menopause influences business leadership, why executive women are playing it safer in negotiations and the effects, and how you can reclaim your edge to continue leading without limits.
The Hidden Handbrake in Deal-Making
For decades, I pushed hard, negotiated big, and took bold risks that paid off. And I see this same drive in the elite women I work with. But recently, many of them tell me something feels different.
Not in their capability.
Not in their ambition.
But in the hidden handbrake that’s creeping into their deal-making.
📉 Hesitating when they’d normally push.
📉 Compromising when they’d usually counter.
📉 Playing it safer—for fear of getting it “wrong.”
This isn’t a matter of skill or strategy. It’s the micro moments of menopause messing with executive instinct—and having macro impact.
The Business Cost of Menopause at Work
Menopause is rarely discussed in leadership circles, yet it has a direct impact on business outcomes. For businesses, this isn’t just a personal challenge—it’s a financial and strategic risk. When executive women lose their edge, entire organizations suffer from weaker negotiations, lower valuations, and missed opportunities.
At a time when companies are striving for greater leadership diversity, ignoring menopause as a performance factor puts organizations at risk of losing top talent at the peak of their careers. The World Economic Forum highlights that gender-balanced leadership improves business outcomes, yet menopause is quietly reducing executive women's presence in boardrooms (WEF). High-profile leaders, such as Mairead McGuinness, a former EU commissioner, have spoken about how menopause-related insomnia and anxiety affected their careers (The Times).
How to Reclaim Your Executive Edge
Menopause doesn’t have to limit your leadership. Here’s how you get back in control:
Understand What’s Happening to You
The hesitation you feel isn’t “losing your touch.” It’s a physiological shift. Recognizing it is the first step to reversing its impact.Stop Seeing This as a Weakness
You’re not less capable. You’re facing an invisible challenge that millions of high-achieving women go through. The key is working with it, not against it.Take a Proactive Approach
Whether it’s hormone therapy, executive coaching, or performance optimization strategies, there are solutions. I work with top-tier women to ensure menopause doesn’t interfere with their deals, decisions, or career trajectory.Rebuild Decision-Making Confidence
The hesitation you feel can be reversed. Cognitive resilience strategies, deal rehearsal techniques, and executive menopause career and negotiation coaching are all ways to get back in the driver’s seat.Work With an Expert Who Gets It
You wouldn’t go to a generalist for a complex M&A deal—so why go to one for menopause in leadership? This is my domain. I help elite women remove the hidden handbrake and lead without limits so you can achieve your biggest career ambitions and boldest business growth goals.
It’s Time to Get Back to Bold, Decisive Leadership
If this is resonating, let’s talk.
I specialize in helping high-performing women in business and the boardroom turn menopause from a career obstacle into a strategic advantage.
🚀 Book a consultation with me today because the best deals don’t wait!
🔗 Work with me 1:1 to regain your edge
🔗 Read more insights on executive menopause strategy