About Pat Duckworth

Hi, I’m Pat Duckworth, the Founder of Smarter Menopause. I am a Women’s Health and Workplace Menopause Strategist specialising in working with businesses and organisations who are committed to supporting women colleagues at menopause

When I started working in public service I had a goal – to become a Senior Civil Servant. Thirty years later I had worked my way up through professional roles, management roles and finally corporate roles. I became a senior civil servant working in a big Government department in Central London. I had achieved the success I was looking for!

And then, one sunny Spring morning, I was walking to work and I realised there were tears running down my face. I was feeling stressed out and like my brain had gone out of focus. I thought that I needed new glasses so that I could see more clearly. I had been a champion sleeper before, but now every night was disturbed. I thought I understood menopause but this was the reality. I knew that I couldn’t talk to my manager about what I was experiencing. In fact, I couldn’t talk to anyone at work.

I needed to take action. I needed to take care of my health in order to get through the menopause transition with my sanity intact.

Over the next twelve months I enrolled on a part-time course to become a therapist and coach. I took early retirement and set up in practice.  Two years later, I wrote my first book ‘Hot Women, Cool Solutions’ to bring together everything I had learnt from my own experience and working with clients to relieve menopause symptoms.

Now, I want to pay it forward. I don’t want other women to have to struggle through this stage on their own. I am determined to make sure they can remain healthy and visible, and achieve their dreams at midlife and beyond.

I know that there are so many organisations and employers who don’t understand the impact that menopause can have and the risks involved in ignoring this issue. I work with these organisations to break down the taboo and create a more inclusive workplace for everyone.

From research and from my experience I understand that when women receive appropriate support in the workplace they are able to work more efficiently and effectively. Women who feel they can speak openly to their managers about what they are experiencing are likely to have less sick absence, better relationships with colleagues and improved morale

That process starts with giving leaders and managers the information and knowledge they need to understand how menopause can affect their female colleagues.