Saturday November 18th 2023
Dana Drzikova MSc. Certified Menopause Support Coach and Henpicked Workplace Trainer.
Dana Drzikova was driven to set up Purple Light Midlife by her own largely negative experience of the menopause.
As a young child in Slovakia, she and her sister watched their mum suffer terrible perimenopausal symptoms undiagnosed by healthcare professionals.
When Dana herself began to experience heavy bleeding in her early forties, visits to her GP led to biopsies and other tests, with talk of her symptoms being perhaps those of cancer or fibroids. The fact that Dana might be entering early perimenopause was not addressed at first, despite her mum’s medical history.
But Dana’s symptoms – including brain fog, fatigue, weight gain, reduced confidence, low mood, anxiety, heavy and irregular bleeding, anaemia, hair and skin changes, difficulty sleeping and night sweats – worsened. Suffering each symptom at varying degrees and different times made some days very challenging.
While even healthcare professionals remain hazy about the symptoms of menopause and how they affect women, employers often have even less understanding or knowledge of the menopause and how it affects their workforce.
A stigma surrounding the menopause, and assumptions made about the impact of this life stage on women’s abilities in the workplace, can see women losing out on work and career advancement.
But women of menopausal age are the fastest-growing demographic in the workforce today – and one woman in 10 resigns due to menopause symptoms. Companies are at huge risk of losing talent from the workplace – women who have amassed knowledge and experience. The cost to employers of hiring new workers to replace these women far surpasses the cost of supporting women employees through the menopause.
Having lived and worked in different countries for several different companies, Dana has seen how women are treated in the workplace – and not one of her own employers has had a menopause policy.
“Women need support,” says Dana. “The stress of menopause can have an impact on both work and your relationships. Anything out of the blue can annoy you! You can wake up in the morning feeling anxious for no reason. You can start crying for no reason – all because your hormone levels are going up and down.”
Having studied chemistry at university, and graduating in food technology and cosmetic science, Dana’s science-based background led her to research more about this midlife phase. With more information on the treatment and lifestyle options available, and with support from her GP, coach, husband and colleagues, Dana began to feel better.
And she knew she wanted to help make the menopause a positive experience for other women. For Dana, understanding menopause matters.
She launched Purple Light Midlife as a menopause coach and trainer in the workplace to spread awareness, generate understanding and provide support.
Dana is unique in the service she offers, as not only does she deliver Henpicked-accredited training in the workplace, she also offers coaching to individual women – offering one-to-one sessions – and practises the Access Bars® technique, a light-touch treatment that helps to ease menopause symptoms.
Dana brings a science-based perspective, learned expertise and a personal experience of perimenopause. She loves to educate, support and inspire individuals and leaders so they embrace this phase of life with confidence and vitality. As an ESL speaker who has moved across countries, she understands the challenges that come with cultural differences. She knows that everyone’s menopausal journey is unique. Dana’s goal is to help you not just manage symptoms but to thrive – and enjoy your midlife in a way her mum was unable to.
Why Purple Light Midlife? Because purple is Dana’s favourite colour, and is associated with knowledge, wisdom and spirituality; and light because though it might feel as though the menopause is the end of a phase of your life, it is actually the light at the start of the next one.
You can find out more at www.purplelightmidlife.com
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