Released the week of World Menopause Day (18 October), this episode features Helen Tomlinson, the UK’s first Menopause Employment Champion. She shares why midlife isn’t a decline—it’s a power stage—and how employers can move from token gestures to real culture change.
What happens when a musical-theatre dream becomes a mission to transform workplaces for millions of women? Helen Tomlinson—Head of Inclusion at Adecco and the UK’s first Menopause Employment Champion—has used her voice to shift policy, challenge stigma and help organisations get practical about women’s health.
In this conversation, Helen shares her unconventional career path and the people-first thread that runs through it—from recruitment leadership to national advocacy. We explore the biggest misconceptions about menopause (hint: brain fog outranks hot flushes), why “policy PDFs” aren’t enough, and her four pillars of cultural change: education, allyship (and advocacy), lived experience and leadership. Helen also explains how inclusive, intergenerational cultures support midlife women to thrive, and why self-care and lifestyle changes are as critical as any workplace intervention.
We cover:
Connect with Helen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-tomlinson-4a954211/
If this resonates, check out my programme Exploding the Confidence Myth—details in the show notes.
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✨ Produced by Mary Gregory Leadership Coaching
