When Everything Stops Working
My client, Susan was 52, a teacher, and mother of three.
By the time she contacted me, she was hitting a wall.
Her mood was all over the place, especially after a long Summer of ‘indulgences’.
Her body felt ‘out of balance’. Her energy vanished by lunchtime and she was pushing herself through work, home life, and endless attempts at “fixing” herself.
She wasn’t looking forward to yet another dark, depressing winter, she said to me.
She’d tried countless new diets. She’d started and stopped exercise plans. She’d bought a cupboard full of pills and powders her friends and ‘google’ recommended.
None of it helped, particularly because she didn’t have the energy to stick to anything.
When her GP (Doctor) finally suggested antidepressants, (without suggesting anything else), she contacted me.
“I needed someone to help put some order in my health. I felt so alone, like noone else was ‘getting me’ or going through the same thing. ” she told me.
“Like a great big spring clean: throwing out the old habits, foods and others that were no longer any good for me and showing me what would genuinely help me go through this period of my life.”
Susan, UK
Resonating with you? Keep reading.
You’re Not Lazy, Broken, or Failing. You’re in Hormonal Survival Mode.
Women 40+ are told that this chaos: the exhaustion, mood swings, stubborn weight, brain fog, poor sleep – is just part of midlife. That it’s “normal” or that we’re just not trying hard enough.
And that anti-depressants and HRT are likely the best answers to all our ills.
But the truth is:
Your body is giving you signals. Not symptoms to suppress.
Those signals often mean your adrenals are burnt out and your progesterone is depleted, especially if you’ve been running on stress hormones for years (hello, life).
And when your hormones are in survival mode, so are you. And it’s then nearly impossible to get the right amount of energy and motivation to stick to anything.
And however much it may feel that way, that’s not your body going against you: it’s your body trying to protect you. It’s screaming out for help.
Let’s break it down…
🔻 What’s Actually Going On In Your Body (and Why It Feels So Wrong Right Now)
When you’re in perimenopause or menopause, your hormonal foundation is already shifting. But add chronic stress on top, and here’s what happens:
- Your body pumps out cortisol to help you cope
- But to make cortisol, it steals resources from progesterone
- Low progesterone = anxiety, moodiness, weight gain, poor sleep, low libido
- Over time, cortisol also crashes, leaving you exhausted and emotionally drained.
You start your day needing coffee to function.
You crash by 3pm or after lunch.
You wake up at 2am with a racing mind.
You feel too tired to exercise, and then beat yourself up for not trying harder.
Sound familiar?
🌿 The Real Fix Isn’t More Willpower: It’s Nervous System and Hormone Support
What Susan needed wasn’t another thing to do. But she definitely didn’t need to suppress her symptoms either.
She needed a reset.
Structure. Clarity. Nourishment.
A way to rebuild her energy from the inside out, without the guilt.
Here are 4 of the first shifts we made together (the same ones I guide women through in my 1-2-1 coaching and membership group):
1. Work With the Seasons: Don’t Fight them
This season is not the time to “power through” and start a new bootcamp.
Your body wants warmth, rhythm, and restorative energy.
Try:
- Mid-morning walks, not early HIIT sessions (they kick up your cortisol levels too much)
- Quinoa porridge or lentil soup instead of smoothies (too often full of sugars and not nourishing or satisfying enough)
- Dimmed lights after 8pm to help with melatonin and better sleep.
2. Hydrate Like a Hormone Pro
Cold water and caffeinated or even herbal hot drinks all day can dehydrate you more than you think.
Instead:
- Drink room temperature , sipped slowly
- Add a pinch of Celtic sea salt or a dash of spirulina once a day to replenish adrenal minerals
- Stop drinking water during meals if you have bloating or reflux
3. Stop Skipping Breakfast (It’s Sabotaging You)
Eating within an hour of waking helps stabilise your blood sugar, mood and energy.
It also tells your body: “We’re safe.”
Easy ideas:
- Quinoa porridge with berries + nut butter
- Chia pudding with seeds + warming spices (I love mine with cardamon and cinnamon)
- Or try a few scrambled eggs on a good homemade gluten free bread (I offer some great recipes in the membership!)
4. Get Off the Stress-Craving-Guilt Rollercoaster
Cravings aren’t weakness. They’re a sign your nervous system is dysregulated.
What helps instead:
- Protein at every meal
- A calming turmeric latte instead of evening sugar binges
- Breathwork or vagus nerve techniques (we explore these in the group, too)
Ready to Stop Guessing and Start Healing?
If you’re like Susan: exhausted, overwhelmed, and unsure what actually works, you don’t need another plan.
You need support. Structure. Accountability and reassurance that you’re not alone.
That’s exactly what you’ll find in the
📌 Rebalance Circle
A supportive community for women 40+ to help you restore your hormones, calm your gut, and reset your mindset,
🦋 so you can reclaim your energy, confidence, and spark.
Inside, you’ll get:
✨ Live group calls + personal guidance from me
✨ Recipes, rituals, and routines tailored for hormone, gut, mental health
✨ A like-minded community of women who get it
✨ Real solutions, not one-size-fits-all advice
💬 Book Your Free Clarity Call
Let’s talk. No pressure. No judgement. We will have a genuine conversation to explore whether the membership is right for you.
📞 Click here to book your free call
Because you deserve more than just surviving.
You deserve to feel like you again: calm, energised, balanced and looking forward to the day ahead.
Every day. 💝
❤️ From Chaos to Clarity
Susan’s story isn’t rare.
It’s what happens when a woman finally gets the right kind of support.
Her moods settled. Her energy returned. She no longer feared her body or food. She felt like herself again.
And you can too. 🌺