Protecting leadership capability during menopause
Most organisations are unintentionally losing experienced female leaders during perimenopause and menopause. They don't realise why.
We help them retain capability, protect succession and sustain performance.
When addressed strategically, menopause becomes a leadership advantage, not a liability.
"Jaclyn's effectiveness as a thought partner has challenged and provoked divergent thinking that has had immediate impact for me personally and in my role."
Angela Lewis - Associate Director, Environmental Research Group, Imperial College London
The leadership retention risk organisations rarely plan for
Organisations have spent decades building female leadership pipelines. Yet during the perimenopause and menopause transition, many experienced women step back or leave the workforce entirely, often at the very point they reach their most valuable leadership years.
The workforce impact
- Around 28% of postmenopausal Australian women experience symptoms that impact their workforce participation.
- Research suggests menopause may contribute to around 10% of women retiring each year, representing an estimated $17 billion loss in income and superannuation.
- Many more reduce hours, step back from leadership roles, or quietly disengage from career progression during this stage.
(Sources: Australian Government Office for Women; Women's Budget Statement 2022–23; Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees.)
For organisations, the implications are significant. When experienced leaders step away unexpectedly, businesses lose:
- leadership capability
- institutional knowledge
- succession continuity
- return on leadership development investment
Replacing senior employees can cost 1.5–2× their annual salary, before considering the wider disruption to teams and organisational performance.
Across economies, the productivity and capability losses associated with menopause in the workplace are estimated to run into billions each year.
Menopause Leadership works with organisations to protect leadership capability, retain experienced women, and sustain executive performance through this transition.
Menopause is not simply a wellbeing issue.
It is a leadership retention risk for organisations.
In many organisations, the impact of perimenopause is rarely recognised as menopause.
It appears as confidence shifts, burnout, reduced visibility or unexpected exits among experienced women.
Without awareness of the underlying transition, these patterns are often interpreted as individual performance issues rather than a predictable leadership life stage.
During perimenopause, high-performing women may experience shifts in confidence, cognition or energy. Without strategic awareness, organisations misinterpret this as disengagement and lose valuable capability.
The loss of experienced leaders is both costly and preventable. When menopause is ignored, organisations risk:
- Succession disruption
- Cost of replacing experienced leaders
- Loss of cultural continuity
- Performance impact at senior and operational levels
Explore strategic leadership support
For organisations
Supporting women through menopause is not a wellbeing add-on. It is a leadership, performance and retention priority.
Explore organisational supportFor individuals
Clear, grounded support for women navigating peri-menopause and menopause.
Explore individual support
Our work with organisations
We work with organisations to protect leadership capability and ensure experienced women remain supported, visible and progressing.
This work sits at the intersection of strategy, leadership and culture.
How organisations typically engage
Organisations typically engage across four areas depending on their needs and stage of development.
- Strategic Integration
Aligning board and senior leaders, and reviewing policy, culture and talent strategy to embed menopause into organisational systems. - Leadership & Manager Capability
Developing leaders and managers so they can recognise patterns, respond effectively and sustain performance across teams. - Organisational Education
Building shared language and understanding to support psychological safety and informed decision-making. - Targeted Coaching for Key Women
Performance-focused coaching for experienced leaders so they maintain confidence, influence and leadership presence during transition.
Organisations may engage in one area or adopt the full framework depending on organisational priorities and stage of development.
Work with us as an organisation"Jaclyn has an incredible wealth of knowledge in leadership."
Greg Tress - Head of International Solutions, DHL eCommerce
How this work is different
Menopause is often approached as a wellbeing or HR awareness issue.
Menopause Leadership operates at a strategic and operational level.
We focus on:
- Protecting leadership capability
- Retaining experienced talent
- Sustaining executive performance
- Strengthening succession and organisational culture
This is not a general wellbeing program.
It is a strategic leadership and organisational performance advisory designed to reduce preventable retention risk.
About Jaclyn Russell
Jaclyn Russell is a leadership advisor and executive coach with experience in senior organisational roles and strategy.
While working at director level, she experienced early menopause at 42. At that time, there was little organisational language or structural support around it. She also observed similar patterns among other high-performing women: confidence shifts, burnout and unexpected exits that were often misinterpreted rather than understood.
What became clear was not only the personal impact, but the broader leadership and retention implications for organisations.
Drawing on her leadership coaching and organisational strategy experience, Jaclyn established Menopause Leadership to address menopause not as a wellbeing topic, but as a leadership and performance priority.
Her work bridges the gap between awareness and strategic response, helping organisations retain and strengthen experienced female leaders through this transition.
Learn more about Jaclyn →How we work with individuals
Perimenopause and menopause can shift confidence, clarity and energy – even for capable, high-performing women.
You may still be leading, delivering and carrying responsibility. But internally, something feels different.
This work focuses on sustaining your leadership and performance during transition.
Together we work on:
- Restoring grounded confidence
- Maintaining influence and leadership presence
- Adjusting how you work strategically rather than pushing harder
- Navigating decisions with clarity and steadiness
- Protecting your trajectory rather than stepping back prematurely
Support is available through:
- 1:1 private leadership coaching
- Structured small group programmes
This work is practical, focused and forward-looking, grounded in understanding what is happening so you can respond deliberately rather than reactively.
Work with us as an individual
Ready to begin?
If this work aligns with your organisational or leadership priorities, we can begin with an initial scoping discussion to determine the appropriate level of engagement.
