If you haven’t yet, you can listen to the main interview with Julie here. Below are the questions submitted by the SMP online learning community that Julie and I discuss in this segment of our conversation. Julie also explains what it can look like to do the shadow work that is so important for anyone who is truly seeking healing and inner peace.
I guess one question I’ve been grappling with lately is about knowing when I should honor the need to slow down and not push myself during the menopausal transition, or if I’m using menopause as a cop out to not challenge myself more in my career. I really related to the comment in her video where she mentions feeling kind of lost and thinking maybe if I just move, or change jobs, I’ll feel better. I’m normally a go-getter and always pushing myself to achieve more but lately I haven’t been feeling motivated. Maybe it’s better for me to not make any changes or push myself and just stay still with my experience? I’m definitely in the throes of late stage perimenopause and my oldest is going off to college in the fall, and my parents are both dealing with health issues.
To add, I normally would want to model being hard working and self motivated in my work for my kids, and have some feelings of guilt if they see me as “slacking off”.
This Welcome to Holland piece is referenced in the next question:
I'm in my late 50's - past the menopause - sliding into the later part of life. While my daughter (16) is ramping up. I see many similarities - not feeling comfortable in this changing body, not feeling attractive, fear of what this next stage means especially now that I'm Holland and not Italy. I try not to do too much math, the fears of not being around to help my daughter navigate is hard. Not sure what the question her is. Something like, how to mother when the kid is ramping up to adulthood, and I'm on the off ramp?
Adding to that, managing the changes into retirement, my value as women, the whole journey of life as a women - while my daughter's gender ID feels like an invalidation of the journey of womanhood.
