Marriane turns 50 this year and is now two years post-menopause, after entering perimenopause at 45. She struggled with her symptoms, such as hot flushes and brain fog, in her corporate job. “I suddenly felt very anxious, I would cry a lot, and that’s just not me. At one point I felt like I was losing my marbles,” she says. Thankfully, her workplace has a solid menopause policy with a wealth of support for their employees. This helped Marriane be open, honest and unapologetic with her colleagues whenever she was struggling.

“Most of my team are women and I’m just very frank and candid with them. One day I might have a fan and be dripping with sweat, another day I’ll have forgotten my train of thought in a presentation, but I’m not ashamed and don’t feel like I need to apologise for it. If I feel hot, the fan comes out!”

Marriane has continued to be candid about her menopausal journey on her Instagram platform, knowing it’s a great way for other women to find out more about symptoms, treatments, and to know that they’re not alone. For anyone going through it, she says,

“Don’t be ashamed, don’t be embarrassed, just talk about it.”