On a recent cold sunny Sunday morning, as I moved some Little Bluestem grass plants to another part of my yard, I contemplated what I wanted to say in this very first post on my new website.
I can’t even believe I have my own business with a website let alone a whole new career far different than anything I’ve done so far. But I did it. After hard work and study, I obtained my certification in health and wellness coaching from the National Board of Health & Wellness Coaching and my certification in personal training from the National Academy of Sports Medicine and massage therapy license from the State Medical Board of Ohio. Clients have paid me for my coaching and massage therapy services!
Getting my business off the ground hasn’t been the smoothest ride. Sometimes it feels like everything’s going great and I’m driving on newly repaved roads and other times snags pop up and it’s like I’m navigating potholes or driving right into them. Despite the ups and downs and many unknowns, I’ve never once thought I’m making a mistake or that I’m not cut out to try something new.
I laugh a little when I think it took entering perimenopause to feel ready for change — to need change. There are a lot of experts and literature and podcasts telling us all the negatives that happen when our estrogen levels get low or disappear, but one book gave me the words to explain the positives I had been feeling. Lisa Mosconi writes in her 2024 book, The Menopause Brain, that menopause can be a “menostart” or “second adulthood” for the “many women who experience [the perimenopause and menopause transition] as a turning point” that positively shifts these women’s “interests, priorities, and attitudes.” (p. 97). She writes about women in menopause who start new careers, explore new places, relationships, and interests, and engage in “renewed health and self-care practices.” (p. 97). For me, it took entering perimenopause and treating my symptoms with menopausal hormone therapy (MHT; also known as HRT) to start a regular weight-lifting practice, change a skincare routine to one that incorporated appropriate moisturization, and update my diet to include foods and a couple of supplements that supported heart, bone, and brain health. It also gave me the courage to leave my very safe career as an attorney to become an entrepreneur and start Juneberry Wellness. Every one of the changes I’ve implemented came after I shared my story with a woman I trusted and for that woman to share her thoughts, questions, and advice.
Getting back to my garden. Right now, my native perennials are starting to fade, die back, and prepare to grow again next year. Now is the perfect time to transplant seedlings from their pots into the ground. They will spend the next several months growing deep roots. Some will be ready to flower in the spring and summer. Some will continue to grow their roots even deeper; maybe we’ll see some leaves new year, maybe we won’t. Sometimes it takes native plants three seasons to bloom - they sleep, then creep, before they finally leap. I hope it doesn’t take me that long to build my practice into what I envision but if it takes some time for my roots to take hold and my business to flourish, so be it. I’m in it for the long haul and I welcome you all to join me and work with me as a trusted woman in your circle.
