This week, philanthropist Melinda French Gates pledged $215 million towards perimenopause and menopause care — describing it as an area that has been "under-researched, underfunded and neglected for far too long."
She's right.
And here in the UK, we know it too.
For so long, women in their 40s and 50s have been navigating one of the most significant transitions of their lives largely alone. Dismissed by doctors. Confused by their own bodies. Quietly wondering why their confidence, their energy, their sense of self has started to shift — and being told it's just part of getting older.
As a wealthy American woman, Melinda found that for herself and many of her female friends, even with excellent insurance and access to top medical professionals, the menopause journey was confusing and often lonely, with long waits for diagnoses, multiple medical appointments and symptoms that at times derailed daily life.
It is not just part of getting older.
It is a profound hormonal, neurological, physical and emotional transition that deserves to be named, understood and properly supported.
Thankfully due to the ‘the Davina effect’, and other campaigners including Penny Lancaster, Mariella Frostrup and MP Carolyn Harris taking the menopause conversation all the way to Westminster, a shift has already begun in the UK.
Eventually the research funded by Melinda French Gates will filter through to the Uk but you don’t have to wait for the world to catch up before you get the support you deserve.
That is what Change Your Spots exists to do.
Not with medication. Not with a one-size-fits-all solution. But with warm, personalised, 1:1 coaching that sees the whole woman — her health, her identity, her relationships, her purpose — and walks alongside her through this season with clarity, genuine understanding and the tools to thrive.
Come Change Your Spots with me 🐆