Purplelight Midlife

28/12/2025

Last Sunday of 2025 and walk in Cammo.

21/12/2025

This time of year invites us to pause and reflect on the journey we've traveled. If you've been navigating change, questioning your path, or rediscovering who you are beneath all the roles you've played, know that you're exactly where you need to be.
May this Christmas bring you:
✨ Moments of quiet joy
✨ Connection with those who truly see you
✨ Permission to rest, dream, and begin again
You are not too late. You are not too much or too little. You are becoming exactly who you were always meant to be, and that light within you deserves to shine brightly.

Here's to a season of gentle transformation and to the beautiful chapter ahead!

15/12/2025

Christmas netwalking and lunch with the difference. The Outsiders met at Portobello beach, exchanged secret Santa, which was the book and chocolate bar. There was also poem written by brilliant founder Katie and painted postcard by very talented Lezzane. I am so grateful for this Edinburgh group of nature lovers, last Friday of every month just puts smile on my face and shows the power of people. Happy Christmas and many more adventures for 2026!

10/12/2025

December to do list to keep your peace:
1. Focus on experiences, not things.
2. Random act of kindness.
3. Say no to holiday stress.
4. Take a quiet walk and notice what your body says. It always tells the truth.
5. Spend time with someone who makes you feel lighter.
6. Spend an hour doing something for joy. No productivity attached.
7. Look at your calendar and delete one thing immediately. Make space.
8. Revisit a decision you avoided all year.
9. Write down what drained you this year.
10. Write down the moment you felt happiest. That is your direction.
11. Write down what felt off. That is the warning.
12. Ask yourself: Who do I want to be when January arrives?

What will you DE-CIDE, DE-CLUTTER, DE-LETE this December?

23/11/2025

Are you planning your time for joy in your calendar?
It can feel impossible during menopause when we have caring responsibilities for everyone else (kids, parents, partner, work/business...) and no time left for self but your health and happiness is the most important so be kind to yourself before you can help others.
How many hours of joy will you put in your calendar?

17/11/2025

Turning 50?
NHS Scotland will send you some personal and confidential letters for health check, please treat them as love letters.
If you haven't received your screening invitations, contact your GP practice to ensure your details are up to date.
Here are your key health checks:

Bowel Screening: You'll receive a home testing kit every two years (ages 50-74). This simple test detects early signs of bowel cancer.

Breast Screening (women): Mammograms every three years between 50-70.

Eye Tests: Free NHS examinations every two years.

Dental check-ups: Continue regularly.

General Health: Book a GP check to discuss cholesterol, blood pressure, and any concerns about your weight, lifestyle, or family health history. This is a good opportunity to discuss:

Your diet and physical activity
Smoking or alcohol consumption
Mental health and wellbeing
Any specific health concerns

Don't wait for symptoms—early detection saves lives.
Visit www.nhsinform.scot or contact your GP practice.

Take charge of your

NHS inform is Scotland's national health information service helping the people in Scotland to make informed decisions about their own health and the health of the people they care for

14/11/2025

IMS Statement: US HHS Revises Black Box Warning for Menopause Hormone Therapy

Secretary Kennedy of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced the removal of certain sections of the black box warning from all menopause hormone therapies (MHT), including systemic and vaginal preparations. The black box warning noted increased risks of myocardial infarction, invasive breast cancer, pulmonary emboli, deep vein thrombosis, and dementia. HHS stated that it is working with companies to update language in product labelling to remove references to risks of cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and probable dementia.

In principle, the International Menopause Society (IMS) supports and welcomes consideration of the removal of the black box warning, with appropriate scientific review. Currently that warning applies to all types, all routes of administration, in all individuals. IMS agrees with the removal of these warnings from vaginal estrogen products, given reliable evidence in the medical and scientific literature that the systemic levels of estrogen resulting from vaginal routes of administration and the associate risks are negligible.

However, IMS does not support the removal of all warnings from systemic forms of MHT. Systemic oral or transdermal MHT can increase cardiovascular risks, breast cancer and dementia in certain populations of women, particularly those who initiate hormone therapy at later ages, or who already have evidence of these conditions. For this reason, the IMS maintains that it is important that clinicians inform women of potential risks regardless of any changes to the black box warnings. Individualised weighing of pros and cons, guided by the evidence, should be the principle of prescribing MHT and alternatives in the menopause.

Many women suffer unnecessarily from menopause symptoms, and systemic MHT can be used safely and highly effectively for the treatment of vasomotor symptoms and genitourinary symptoms of menopause, while also preserving preserve bone health. The benefits of MHT outweigh the risks for perimenopausal and younger postmenopausal women with bothersome symptoms and who otherwise have no contraindications. IMS has published World Menopause Day White papers in 2024 on menopause and MHT,https://www.imsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Menopause-and-MHT-in-2024-addressing-the-key-controversies-an-International-Menopause-Society-White-Paper.pdf
and in 2025 on lifestyle medicine,https://www.imsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMS-White-Paper-The-Role-of-Lifestyle-Medicine-in-Menopausal-Health-2025.pdf which outline our recommended key/core principles of menopause management.

Ultimately, our care of women should be led by the evidence; hence, the latest IMS Recommendations and Key Messages on Women’s Midlife Health and Menopause have been developed from rigorous systematic reviews, and are now in press, endorsed by a number of national, regional and global organisations. These Recommendations will be available online by December 2025 via the IMS website and our journal, Climacteric.

Fundamentally, the IMS believes that the labelling for menopause products should reflect evidence-based guidelines of scientific societies like the IMS and the Menopause Society through a process involving expert representatives of those societies, and that women are best served when scientific societies, healthcare services and pharmaceutical companies disseminate lay language summaries of those evidence-based guidelines to women.

04/11/2025

Today is my birthday. Can you believe that I am 50? I might look half my age ( dear supermarket cashier, you can stop asking for my ID), but I feel like double fifty (thank you menopause). Some words of wisdom:
1. Nature is your best healer.
2. Live everyday like it is your last one. Do not postpone joy.
3. Invest in yourself.
4. Practice random act of kindness.
5. Travel is the best teacher.
6. Trust your gut. Saying no to average creates space for the great. 7. Done is better than perfect.
8. Focus on what matters.
9. Build your support network.

It is a also sad day as my mum did not call me to say happy birthday. She joined my father in heaven 4 months ago. I am so grateful for everything they did for me and so lucky having them for 49 years

01/11/2025

Great walk yesterday with Outsiders Edinburgh.

28/10/2025

Have you experienced burnout? I attended a great workshop at People First Summit in Edinburgh.

25/10/2025

POI awareness is about premature menopause which happens before age of 40.

It's World POI Day! 💗

A day created to raise awareness and advocate for POI, but really, this day was created for you.

- For those who live with this life-altering condition.
- For those who have been overlooked, unheard, or misunderstood.
- For those who wake up every day to battle an invisible illness.

Today is for you, for everyone affected, everywhere in the world. We are proud to stand beside you. To be your voice. To be your community.

Happy World POI Day and thank you for your bravery, for your advocacy and for your strength to keep fighting for the care, understanding, and respect we all deserve!

19/10/2025

Art of Healing in Menopause When I first started working with women in menopause, I noticed a pattern, so many of them felt disconnected from their bodies.
They were managing symptoms, pushing through exhaustion, and carrying on with work and life… but rarely pausing to ask:
“What is my body trying to tell me?”

Healing during menopause isn’t just about balancing hormones or finding the right supplement and treatment.
It’s about listening — really listening — to yourself again.
It’s about recognising what you’ve ignored, forgiving what you’ve judged, and allowing your body to become your ally rather than your enemy.

In my coaching sessions, we create space for curiosity, honesty, and compassion so you can find answers to your questions..
That’s where healing begins.

So, I’d love to hear from you:
▪️What has your own health journey taught you?
▪️Have you ever felt unseen or unheard?
▪️What helped you reconnect with yourself?

When we speak openly, we remind the world that behind every diagnosis, every symptom, every statistic… there is a woman with a story and a voice that matters.

Let’s keep this conversation going — here, and beyond.