The GFSB’s latest Wellbeing & Health in the Workplace session, Menopause & Stress, brought together a packed room of attendees at an event sponsored by Infinity Group and catered by Freska. The focus was on practical strategies for managing stress and wellbeing in the workplace during menopause.

Karen Jacobson: Food as “Nature’s Medicine”

Functional Nutritionist Karen Jacobson opened with a call to look inside the body:

“Food can either be nature’s medicine or the slowest form of poison.”

She highlighted the role of hormones like insulin and cortisol in driving stress and weight gain. Karen’s key message was that balancing blood sugar and nutrition is central to feeling more in control during menopause.

Petra Boddington: “You Don’t Have to Struggle”

Petra Boddington, Gibraltar’s licensed Menopause Champion, emphasised that menopause can be a positive new phase:

“You don’t have to suffer, you don’t have to struggle in menopause, in fact, it can be your best era yet.”

She shared her own story of misdiagnosed symptoms and highlighted the importance of tools like exercise, HRT, and vaginal oestrogen:

“When your oestrogen drops, we have oestrogen receptors in every cell in our body. So when your oestrogen drops, what can happen then is your bones can become weak, your heart, your major organs, your skin thins and you are then at risk.”

Daisy Davis: The Power of the Mind

Hypnotherapist and NLP Practitioner Daisy Davis spoke about mindset and stress relief techniques:

“We can’t always change the stressors in our lives, but we can change how we respond to them.”

Her focus was on mindfulness tools that can be used discreetly in the office, such as breathing exercises and grounding techniques to ease tension during the working day.

Why it Matters

The event reinforced that menopause is both a workplace and wellbeing issue, impacting focus, resilience, and long-term health. Attendees left with practical strategies they could apply immediately and a clearer sense of how workplaces can support employees through this life stage.

Next Event

The Wellness Series continues on 23 October with The Doctor’s Panel: Menopause Matters at Work – an open and honest conversation about how menopause impacts women in the workplace and what can be done about it. From symptoms to productivity, confidence and support systems, the expert panel will explore real-world challenges and practical solutions to help create healthier, more inclusive work environments.