Menopause often arrives at a pivotal time in a woman's career—just as she steps into her most senior, strategic roles. For women in leadership, this transition doesn't happen in isolation. It intersects directly with high-stakes responsibilities, visibility, and decision-making. And yet, in most boardrooms and C-suites, menopause remains one of the last taboos.

While many organisations are beginning to recognise the importance of wellbeing, many of them are failing to recognise the high-stakes and personalised nature of these issues, leaving women leaders to navigate this transition in their business and the boardroom without any resources that specifically tackles the solutions and professional expertise they need to keep leading to their highest level. This oversight places organisations at risk of losing its most valuable leadership talent - talent that is currently in role and talent in the leadership pipeline, talent that is simply irreplaceable.

The Hidden Career Impact of Menopause for Female Leaders

Research shows that menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, sleep disturbances, and cognitive changes can significantly impact their performance and decision-making capabilities. But so does reduced risk appetite, questioning decision making and feeling that they are losing their executive edge and peak performance.

The reality is that menopause is not just a personal issue; it’s a business imperative that requires tailored multi-dimensional support to ensure women leaders can continue leading with confidence and clarity and not have to consider or make the devastating decision to either compromise their leadership and business growth ambitions, cut-back on their hours so they can privately find time to recharge against the unrelenting demands of the boardroom, or curtail their leadership career completely and quit their boardroom lives. Women may begin to turn down opportunities, avoid travel or event exit roles early - not because of capability, but due to lack of support.

NOPAUSE™ Coaching: A Targeted Framework for Women in Leadership

This is where executive coaching for women leaders becomes a game-changer.

Menopause should never be the reason you slow down, step back, or second-guess your leadership potential. With the right strategies, support and mindset, you can continue to scale your success, sustain your energy and show up as the leader you are meant to be.

Our mission at Lightbulb has always been clear in putting gender acceleration into the heart of business growth strategies and ESG solutions for leaders, portfolio companies and their private equity investors. Our sister company, The Menopause Maze was born out of the recognition that traditional support systems and symptoms sessions are not enough for women leaders in menopause and current interventions are not working. We understand that the demands placed on women in leadership roles are unique and require a nuanced and dimensional approach that shifts from symptoms into executive strategy.

Menopause career coaching provides the specialised support that helps boardroom women- C-suite women and aspiring C-suite leaders (C minus 1) maintain peak performance, take the guess work out of growth issues alongside menopause, and enable them to lead and live without limits whilst still achieving both their health and career aspirations. In short, so there is NOPAUSE™ to their leadership lives in menopause.

Women who use the NOPAUSE™ method:

Retain executive edge and avoid loss of leadership impact.
Maintain strategic clarity and decision-making power.
Command boardroom presence and avoid the confidence dips that often come with menopause.
Implement our evidence -backed method to sustain leadership success alongside successful growth and scale.

It also provides a highly confidential space to work through challenges that may feel risky to raise in the workplace as a leader in the very top seat whilst having the unique business advisory input to continue with growth all with a researched and evidence backed method.

It's not an either or choice for women to choose between their health and hard-earned careers and nor should it be a choice that employers end up having to navigate either.

The Business Case for Coaching for Female Executives Through Menopause

Supporting senior women through menopause isn't just the right thing to do—it's smart business.

When organisations invest in executive coaching for women at this stage, they:

Improve leadership retention and reduce top-talent turnover
Strengthen inclusive leadership pipelines
Maximise the ROI of long-term leadership development investments
Reach and achieve key growth investor required milestones.

A recent HR Benefits Research Paper from The Menopause Maze highlights the tangible benefits of investing in menopause-specific support. Companies that prioritise career coaching for menopausal leadership employees have reported:

a 58% improvement in performance,
a 51% reduction in sickness absence,
and a 65% increase in career progression for women.

Failing to support women through menopause is a missed opportunity to harness their most experienced, strategic years. When women are supported, they scale.

Final Thoughts: From Pause to Power

Menopause doesn't have to stall careers. In fact, with the right support, it can become a catalyst for growth.

Executive coaching for women is no longer a nice-to-have; it's a necessity for any organisation serious about retaining and empowering its top female talent. And for women leaders? It's the key to sustaining their momentum, amplifying their voice, and leading without limits—through every phase of life.

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About The Author

Fiona McKay is the world’s premier menopause career coach on a mission to make menopause a central part of business growth, human capital planning, talent and retention strategies, with a central pillar driving of economic prosperity for women and gender acceleration for economies. Through her work with our sister company The Menopause Maze, she ensures that every female leader has the specific executive resources and support she needs to grow her leadership, executive career and her company from peri-menopause to post-menopause.

Her tailored and trade-marked executive and business growth strategies called NOPAUSE™, not only address boardroom requirments but also focus on retaining leadership edge, enhancing executive presence, building new networks and creating personalised strategy plans, equipping women leaders to continue to achieve their biggest career aspirations and business growth goals without compromise. This is crucial for women who are determined to maintain peak performance and lead without limits during their most challenging professional phase - menopause.

Ready to futureproof your leadership? Explore our executive coaching options at The Menopause Maze.