Reframing Midlife as a Superpower

Approaching Your Biochemistry with Awe

By Rebekah Brown, Founder of MPOWDER

When I first began my own midlife transition, I didn’t feel powerful. I felt confused. Exhausted. My hair was falling out. I’d piled on weight. I was anxious all the time. I no longer felt capable of doing my job. And on the worst of days  I felt the world would be better off without me in it. Like so many of our community, I waited until I was on my knees until I sought help. And when I did, my symptoms were misdiagnosed. 

I learned about perimenopause through late-night sessions with Dr Google (something I wouldn’t recommend!). And the stories presented by the media plus  my own understanding of what menopause meant painted a pretty bleak picture of what my future would look like.

Menopause was a ‘decline’, a ‘loss’, the ‘end’.. but also something a bit shameful and embarrassing - a biological failure that we should hide and push on through.

But when I began to dig into the science of midlife—I realized I’d been told the wrong story.

Midlife isn’t the beginning of the end. It’s the beginning of Part 2. 

The Intelligence of Our Hormones

No one taught my generation about the brilliance of our biochemistry. And for too long, I misunderstood the role of my hormones too—seeing them as an inconvenience, reducing them to background noise until they became too loud.

But our hormones are a beautiful  orchestra of over 100 instruments. Each has a distinct role to play;  all contributing to the overall harmony of how we feel, function, and thrive. When one or two instruments fall out of tune—whether it’s estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, or others—the whole piece can sound different too.

In midlife, the melody  naturally shifts. The tempo changes. And while that adjustment can be hard to navigate, through targeted nutrition, smart supplementation,  lifestyle shifts, and greater awareness—we can help our body find a new, equally beautiful rhythm.

Meeting Your Biochemistry with Curiosity

Part of my motivation in founding MPOWDER was to reframe the way we view midlife as females. To encourage all of us to  approach our biochemistry not with fear, but with curiosity. To recognize the privilege of ageing. To carry our earned wisdom with pride.

As a researcher I want every woman to know that, when we’re well, this life stage is full to the brim of promise too;

• We’re more likely to start new businesses in midlife (and more likely to succeed than our younger male peers too!)

• We are more likely to be fueled by a greater sense of purpose and legacy

• Our empathy muscle grows; we are more able to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes

• We emerge from menopause happier; we care less what others think

Who wouldn’t want more of that?!

Research also tells us that there is much we can do to take agency for our health. From Hormone Replacement Therapy as both a treatment and a preventative measure for health span, to what we put on our plates. From emerging research into the potential of botanicals and smart supplementation to exploring the tools and practices that can help us better digest stress; now is an exciting time to be a midlife woman because we are learning more about what can support us every day.

From Surviving to Thriving

I started to get better when I really focused on food and botanicals. But before I got to ‘good change’, I had to change my view of myself. And that’s what I want for every woman reading this: a moment to pause and marvel at just how brilliant your body is.

We’re not at the end of something. We’re at the start of something extraordinary. Your body is phenomenal. And so are you.