✨Menopaussible✨
Menopause doesn't just change your body. It changes the questions you're willing to ask. Menopaussible is a bi-weekly newsletter for performance-driven women who want the science, the straight talk, and a clear-eyed look at what comes next.
Jun 09 • 4 min read
Waiting for the Answer Is the Problem
Waiting for the Answer Is the ProblemPLUS: Menopause misinformation is rising + a colonoscopy screening update worth knowing Estimated Reading Time: 3-4 minutes Welcome to the June 9th edition of Menopaussible—bringing you the news you can use and the ⚡ energy ⚡ you need to support your menopause journey. I'm Maria Caracci Ciccolella—mindset coach and menopause advocate. (Connect with me on IG or LinkedIn!) And just like that we are in June, six months into the year and at the tail end of graduation season here in the Northeast. It’s a season where time feels like it is flying by and moving slowly all at the same time. We’re watching the next generation move up and, in some cases, on. And somewhere in all of this transition, can be a question that doesn’t go away: What’s next for me? It’s a question that can feel almost paralyzing in its gravity, but calls for action—and the thing is: you don’t need to answer it in order to start moving. So if you’ve been waiting to know before you go—this newsletter is for you. The Expectation Nobody Warned You About I talk about this with my clients often—the expectation that the career you started out of college was “the one.” “The one” being that pursuit which built on your college-education and carried you all the way into retirement—the whole package, a fully formed answer to that "what's next?" question when it first gets asked in early adulthood. But jobs and careers can be like most other things we outgrow—the difference being that we are rarely prepared for when it happens. So we wait. We look for signs. We talk ourselves out of things. And that waiting feels responsible—why do anything if you don’t really know? Herminia Ibarra and the Working Identity In her book, Working Identity, Herminia Ibarra posits that career and identity transitions are not one time events but actually multi-year processes that require exploration and a scientific mindset. Test and learn. Then test and learn again. Yet, while thinking and analysis are part of the process, it is the action that yields the results: trying things, allowing ourselves to wander into our interests, pushing our boundaries even. The “answer” is not what precedes the moves—it’s what emerges from it. The Menopause Connection: Change Maybe to the surprise of no one reading this newsletter, the menopause transition can be a bit of an instigator in this process. Change is afoot and in some cases, this change adds challenge: values and priorities come into tension with what has been a long-running reality. Many questions surface, including: is my job or career more important than my health? Then: is this career or job in line with who I am or want at this stage? For me, it was both. Sometimes Life Decides for You Workforce reduction. So yes, count me among those who were waiting, but life has a way of forcing your hand. That said, when change was handed to me one thing was very clear: the answer to “what’s next?” was never going to be more of the same thing. That corporate-style job wasn’t an option. Thus began an exploration that has led to a marriage of old and new: a coaching practice that blends in my prior marketing and leadership experience. A practice that explores the ideas of individuals and how to achieve them, and—in the process—sometimes gives birth to a brand new business. What began as a fuzzy vision and curiosity around coaching has now become a sharper image—it just took trying some things, failing at some, and mining the lessons to get closer to the answer. ALL THE PAUSSIBILITIES You don’t need to wait for job loss—or for that matter to quit your job. In fact, if this question is nagging, just find some small way to start. The simplest way to get going is to check in with yourself—not to try and answer the question, but to take in some data so you can start moving toward it. Notice: What direction keeps pulling at you—even without a clear destination attached? That pull is data. What's one small thing you could do in the next 30 days to test that direction? Not commit to it. Just test it. What are you waiting to know before you let yourself begin? Name it. That's usually the fear. Hit reply and tell me: Do you find that you’ve been puzzling over that “next step”—waiting for the answer? That's how the exploration can start. PLUS: NEWS ITEMS Speaking of navigating without a map—a couple of news items worth your attention. When Social Media Becomes the Doctor The surge in menopause awareness has been largely positive—but experts are raising a new concern: misinformation on social media is now putting women at risk of unintended pregnancies, unnecessary medication, and missed diagnoses. According to reporting in The Guardian, doctors are seeing younger and younger women asking for HRT when what they actually need is hormonal contraception—because they believe themselves to be menopausal when they are still fertile. The consequences are concrete: misinformation can send women toward unsupported products, harmful treatment choices, and one-size-fits-all fixes for a stage of life that varies widely. The information gap that has long left women in the dark about menopause is now being filled—just not always accurately. Knowing where your information comes from has never mattered more. Evidence-based sources like the Menopause Society, ACOG, and yes, this newsletter, exist precisely for this reason. The Colonoscopy News You Shouldn't Miss Colorectal cancer screening just got more accessible. CNN reports that The American Cancer Society now recommends a blood test—the Shield test—as a screening option alongside traditional colonoscopy for adults at average risk starting at age 45. While colonoscopy remains the gold standard, the blood test offers a less invasive alternative for those who have been putting off screening. Given that colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable cancers when caught early, this is a development worth acting on. Talk to your doctor about which screening option is right for you. |
Menopause doesn't just change your body. It changes the questions you're willing to ask. Menopaussible is a bi-weekly newsletter for performance-driven women who want the science, the straight talk, and a clear-eyed look at what comes next.