Here’s What Women Leaders Actually Need To Perform At Their Peak Through Menopause at Work
Four years ago, I launched The Menopause Maze because I couldn’t find the solution I needed.
After 20 years leading as a CEO, building companies and operating in high-stakes deal rooms and boardrooms, I hit a point where I felt professionally disconnected from the version of myself I’d always known.
Not incapable, not lacking ambition and not suddenly unable to lead. But operating differently in a way that was impacting my pace, progression and performance.
And what frustrated me most? Everything available focused on awareness and wellness.
I didn’t need another support circle. I didn’t need another sound bath. I didn’t need more information. And I certainly didn’t need to hear one more person tell me menopause was my “superpower.” What I needed was a commercially serious solution that helped women like me to continue to lead, perform, progress and grow at the top of business without menopause quietly changing the trajectory of everything they’d spent decades building.
And after years of research and conversations with women leaders in FTSE, Fortune and high-growth businesses, I discovered something alarming. There was almost nothing on the market built specifically for women operating in high-performance business environments.
No strategic executive performance infrastructure. No commercially focused menopause at work support. No fast-track solutions designed for women leading under pressure in deal rooms, boardrooms and growth businesses.
So I built one.
Why Awareness Was Never Enough
One of the biggest mistakes businesses still make when it comes to menopause at work is assuming awareness alone solves the problem.
It doesn’t.
Menopause awareness matters, but awareness without solutions changes very little for women operating at the highest levels of business. Because the women leaders we work with - the C-suite executives, the women in deal rooms, boardrooms and decision rooms of multi-million and billion dollar decisions are not looking for another internal awareness campaign. It doesn't help them.
They are looking for ways to:
continue leading at peak performance
retain confidence and executive presence
maintain authority in high-stakes environments
accelerate progression into C-suite leadership
protect earning power and influence
continue operating effectively in complex commercial environments
source discreet solutions that can produce the specific transformations they require.
That requires something far more commercially serious and it requires personalised strategy, performance support, executive recalibration and commercially intelligent solutions from experts that have sat in the very seats of power these women are now in.
The reality is that many high-performing women leaders quietly experience:
slower decision-making
reduced confidence
increased hesitation
lower visibility
executive fatigue
disrupted communication
changes in cognitive pace
loss of professional certainty
Not because they suddenly lack capability, but because menopause is affecting their executive performance in environments where the stakes are enormous. And in many cases, they are trying to navigate that completely alone.
Women's Networks can play a huge role in supporting women through menopause at work.
“Fiona McKay from The Menopause Maze came highly recommended. She gave our women's network a proven performance framework, has phenomenal executive tools showing our women how they can keep growing their careers with her NOPAUSE™ method through all stages of menopause.
In addition, we also rolled out her NOPAUSE™ diagnostic for our network members. It is brilliant, giving so much information and providing individual and personalised professional prescriptions, so women can lead at peak performance and progress in their careers.”
— Simi Ghandi-Whittaker, Mitie Women's Network
Menopause at Work Is a Leadership Performance Issue
For too long, menopause at work has been positioned primarily as a wellbeing conversation, but in high-performance environments, menopause is also a leadership performance issue.
It impacts:
progression
promotability
confidence
executive presence
leadership visibility
commercial performance
communication
influence
retention
leadership team effeciveness
succession pipelines
This matters enormously for businesses.
Particularly in:
PE-backed companies
investment firms
professional services
high-growth businesses
enterprise leadership environments
Because these businesses depend on leadership continuity. They depend on experienced women staying visible, progressing and performing at the highest levels. Yet many organisations still underestimate the commercial cost of losing senior women at the exact point they should be stepping into bigger leadership, greater influence and higher-value opportunities.
The companies recognising this early are already outperforming.
They are retaining stronger women leaders, they are converting leadership pipelines more effectively, they are reducing hidden executive performance risk. And they are creating commercially stronger leadership infrastructures. This is no longer simply a wellbeing conversation. It is a business and executive performance critical requirement.
According to the World Economic Forum, improving women’s participation and progression in leadership remains one of the most commercially significant economic opportunities globally. At the same time, CIPD research continues to show that many women still feel unsupported navigating menopause at work.
The gap between awareness and commercially effective action remains enormous.
What High-Performing Women Actually Need During Menopause at Work
High-performing women do not need to lower ambition. They do not need to quietly disappear. And they do not need to accept reduced visibility or slowed progression as the inevitable career compromise.
What they need is:
strategic support
executive performance infrastructure
fast-track clarity
commercially intelligent coaching
leadership-focused solutions
personalised performance strategies
support built specifically for high-performance business environments
That is why we built The NOPAUSE™ Method.
The NOPAUSE™ Method was designed specifically to help women leaders continue leading without limits through menopause at work.
It combines:
executive performance diagnostics
executive peak performance coaching
commercially focused menopause solutions
progression strategies
workplace leadership insight
high-performance recalibration
The goal is not simply to help women “cope.” The goal is to help women continue accelerating.
Because some of the most commercially valuable women leaders in business today are currently operating during the exact decade they should be compounding career capital, building equity, securing board seats and stepping into their highest levels of leadership. That's also the peri to post menopause decade.
Why PE-Backed and High-Growth Businesses Should Care
In PE-backed and high-growth environments, leadership continuity matters.
Execution matters.
Succession matters.
And leadership performance matters.
Yet menopause-related leadership disruption remains one of the most commercially overlooked risks in many businesses.
Women are often navigating:
major investment decisions
acquisitions and integrations
exits
board appointments
growth phases
restructuring
complex leadership transitions
while simultaneously trying to manage symptoms that can affect:
cognitive performance
confidence
communication
pace
sleep
resilience
emotional regulation
That creates commercial risk, because when highly experienced women slow down, step back or disappear from leadership pipelines entirely, businesses lose:
decades of expertise
succession candidates
leadership continuity
strategic insight
commercial experience
intellectual property
future board talent
This is why forward-thinking organisations are now treating menopause at work as a strategic leadership issue and not a wellbeing one alone, ensuring that they convert their pipeline of women leaders and improve their representation of women on boards and in leadership teams - a subject well researched and analysed in the UK for the FTSE 350 report.
The Commercial Cost of Losing Women at the Top
Many businesses still underestimate the cost of losing experienced women leaders.
But the commercial consequences are significant.
When women quietly compromise careers because of unmanaged menopause-related performance disruption, organisations lose:
future executives
board candidates
commercially experienced operators
leadership continuity
promotion pipelines
institutional knowledge
client relationships
commercial momentum
Women also lose personally.
They lose:
progression
earning power
confidence
influence
authority
visibility
opportunities
equity potential
And perhaps most importantly, many lose belief in themselves at the exact point they should be stepping into bigger leadership.
That is the problem The Menopause Maze exists to solve.
The NOPAUSE™ Method
Over the last four years, The Menopause Maze has:
worked with C-suite women at the highest levels in boardroom leadership across major brands and growth companies
supported women leaders to win deals in multi- million and billion-pound environments
helped women continue leading in high-stakes deal rooms and boardrooms
built the NOPAUSE™ Method
won national and international awards
expanded internationally and launched into the US market
Our work is focused on helping women leaders to continue leading at the highest levels without menopause quietly changing the outcome.
The NOPAUSE™ Diagnostic
A commercially focused executive performance diagnostic identifying where menopause is impacting leadership performance, progression, confidence, executive presence and career trajectory.
The NOPAUSE™ Advantage
Strategic executive support for high-performing women navigating menopause at work in high-stakes business environments.
The NOPAUSE™ Accelerator
Designed for specifically for founders, C-suite women and women leading in PE-backed and high-growth businesses to gain specific peak performance results in 90 days or less. You'll rebuild your leadership impact and influence, and implement a high-performance, personalised menopause strategy and professional prescription™ aligned with your current leadership career, business priorities and boardroom growth goals in a critical quarter.
The NOPAUSE™ Method for Workplaces
Commercially focused menopause at work strategy helping organisations retain and progress stronger women leaders, strengthen succession pipelines and reduce leadership performance risk with diagnostics, development, coaching and consulting including menopause action plans.
Built for:
PE-backed businesses
investment firms
professional services
enterprise organisations
high-growth companies
"The results speak for themselves: women converting decades of career capital into equity and C-suite roles, companies outperforming competitors, and a methodology NOPAUSE™ that treats this as the leadership and performance issue it actually is, not a wellbeing footnote.”
— Nadine Dereza, Broadcaster, Journalist and Non-Exec Director
Join The Executive Boardroom Briefing
As we move into the next phase of growth, we’ll be sharing more strategic insights, leadership briefings and executive performance thinking designed specifically for women navigating menopause at work in high-performance environments.
Join the Executive Boardroom Briefing for:
strategic leadership insights
executive performance thinking
menopause at work intelligence
workplace trends
private invitations
early access to new products and solutions
Frequently Asked Questions About Menopause at Work and Executive Performance
How does menopause affect executive performance?
Menopause can affect executive performance through changes in confidence, concentration, sleep, communication, resilience, emotional regulation and cognitive pace. In high-performance business environments, these changes can impact performance, pace and progression, resulting in reduced visibility and leadership confidence if not addressed strategically.
Why is menopause at work a leadership issue?
Menopause at work becomes a leadership issue when it impacts progression, retention, confidence, executive presence and leadership continuity. Many senior women experience performance disruption during the exact decade they should be progressing into more senior leadership and board positions.
What support do women leaders actually need during menopause?
Women leaders often need commercially focused executive performance support rather than generic awareness initiatives. This can include executive coaching, strategic leadership support, personalised peak performance strategies and solutions designed specifically for high-performance business environments.
What is the NOPAUSE™ Method?
The NOPAUSE™ Method is a commercially focused menopause at work framework designed to help women continue leading, performing and progressing at the highest levels of business without menopause quietly affecting leadership trajectory or executive performance.
Why should PE-backed businesses care about menopause at work?
PE-backed businesses depend on leadership continuity, succession strength and commercial execution. Losing experienced women leaders or women leaders operating at sub-peak performance due to menopause can create significant commercial and operational risk.
What is a professional menopause coach?
A professional menopause coach supports executive women leaders navigating menopause in the context of leadership, progression, confidence, executive performance and career trajectory in boardrooms, decision rooms and deal rooms. The focus is on helping professional women continue performing and progressing successfully at work and equipping them to lead without limits in the most demanding businesses and executive boardrooms.
About The Author
Fiona McKay is the multi-award winning CEO of The Menopause Maze™ . She the world's only professional menopause coach, peak performance coach and business strategist for elite, executive women leaders in boardrooms. She has been awarded the coveted titles of Global 100 Winner in M&A 2026, Best Executive Menopause Support in The Global Pharma Awards, Career Coach of The Year 2025, Business Advisor of The Year 2025, The Most Influential Women's Health and Career Support Business Women and Menopause Champion of The Year. She is the Menopause Career Coach C-suite women and workplaces go to when they want to achieve their biggest career and boldest business growth goals so they can lead limitlessly through all stages of menopause.
She is a featured strategic menopause career and business coach in The FT, The Guardian, The Independent, OK Magazine and as a menopause business and boardroom expert on live TV including BBC News and ITV News.
Fiona is also available for keynote speaking, panel chairing and conference hosting at menopause awareness month events, women's leadership and business conferences and for fronting brand campaigns as a leading menopause influencer.
The Menopause Maze works globally with the world's leading business women leaders in the UK, US and beyond.
You can connect with Fiona at: fmckay@themenopausemaze.com.