Hey Friend,
I am Charmaine Shaw, The Menopausian Ally
I know first-hand how difficult menopause can be. On the other hand, I also know through my own breakthrough that to navigate menopause well, you must understand your triggers. This discovery inspired me to become an ally for women in menopause. I teach practical skills, strategies, and evidence-based solutions to empower women to experience better menopause at work, home, or on the go.
How I Can Help You
Feel Better
Discover science-based tools with proven results that improve your sleep, stabilize your mood, and give you the energy and vitality to do what matters to you now. You can continue being productive, fulfilling your dreams, and enjoying better relationships while experiencing newfound confidence.
Look Better
Understand how your unique body changes in menopause so you can identify the factors affecting your weight gain, sleep-wake issues, stressful feelings, and more. Looking good comes down to knowing what’s happening inside so you can make better choices on the outside for your body.
Function Better
Everything in your environment and lifestyle can now impact your well-being. Knowing your triggers at work, home, or on the go will increase your sense of control over what is happening. You don’t have to be a victim of frequent hot flashes, brain fog, and more. Recognize your triggers, change them, and take control back.
Story
My Story
The Perimenopause Years
Like many women, I was unprepared for the shift that would take place midlife in my well-being.
So, when I got into my early 40s and my body started acting up, it scared me. Several out-of-character moments occurred—from anxious thoughts to brain freeze to unpredictable mood swings. I attributed it to stress, convincing myself that all I needed was a break.
But this wasn’t my only symptom — I was also struggling to sleep and battling a nervous stomach as if an alien had taken over my body and mind. I was terrified about what could be happening beneath the surface.
It Took Several Doctor Visits Before I Knew My Issues Were Due to Transitioning into Menopause.
I remember telling my doctor about my symptoms for the umpteenth time. They felt like a matter of life and death to me, yet he seemed unphased. After scribbling down some notes, he looked at me and said: “I believe you are in perimenopause.” It was a word I’d never heard before. And just like that, I was unceremoniously ushered out of the office with a bag of pills. There was no explanation to help me deal with this strangeness that had taken over my mind and body.
Something Natural Should Not Be This Difficult.
Despite the medication, I struggled, but my doctor couldn’t help me. I felt terrible and even became suicidal — but whenever I talked to people about my symptoms, they’d say the same thing: “It can’t be that bad.” I thought I must be mentally ill.
I struggled with anxiety and depression and had to stop working. It didn’t make sense that menopause, which our bodies were designed to go through naturally, should be this difficult.
Eventually, I Decided to Take My Well-Being into My Own Hands.
I had always been resilient, from childhood to being responsible for myself as a teenager. I realized that I now needed to take matters of my well-being into my own hands. I devoured every book about menopause to understand what was happening. I found some relief with herbalist concoctions and supplements. I was slowly getting my life back. But, as soon as I thought I had found the magic pill, it would stop working, the symptom worsened, or a new symptom suddenly appeared.
I felt that something was missing, but I didn’t know what. My resilience in refusing to accept that suffering was the course would lead me to start to track my symptoms.
Most Doctors Are Failing Women in Menopause. They Treat the Symptoms, but they Can’t Treat the Triggers.
So, for over a year, I kept an inventory of my symptoms using a few practices that helped me begin to see that there were patterns of behaviors and factors in my environment that were contributing to my symptoms. No doctors were able to tell me this. But what was clear was that everything now affected me differently, even my very thinking and the products I used.
Knowing Your Triggers and How and What to Change is the Key.
As I figured out the root causes of symptoms and made changes, my sense of control over how I was feeling dramatically improved; for the first time, I realized it wasn’t that I was helpless to symptoms or that this was a time of suffering, but I needed to learn about my well-being differently. I now know what concoction I need and what I need to change. I have now learned to recognize warning signs and how to stop full-blown symptoms from occurring. More importantly, I no longer felt like an alien had taken over my body. I was in control of how I felt at work, at home, or on the go.
I Can Help You. I Help Women Experience Better Menopause.
This inspired me to become an ally for women as I realized how unprepared we are to navigate the menopause transition. I teach practical skills and strategies and evidence-based solutions through my one-on-one coaching, courses, workshops and live presentations that empower women in how to take control, relieve symptoms at work, at home, or on the go, and improve overall well-being.
A Few Quick Facts About Me
Certified Menopause Coach. Health & Life Coach. Mindset Coach… and more
Former Corporate Executive. MBA University of New Orleans.
Published Author. Speaker. Host of The Menopausian Ally Podcast.
Gemini. Moonlight Dancer. Gym Lover. Love to Laugh. Lives in LA