World Menopause Day 2022: Mandy Chainey and Julie Marks from Together in conversation

World Menopause Day takes place on 18 October each year to raise awareness, break the stigma and highlight the support options available for improving health and wellbeing. For the day this year two of our members of staff who are part of our Peri Menopause and Menopause Inclusion Group shared a conversation on their lived experience of the menopause. Mandy Chainey is People Inclusion Manager at Together and appears on the right in the videos while Julie Marks is Office Manager at our Norfolk Integrated Housing and Community Support Service and appears on the left in the videos.

In this first film, Mandy and Julie discuss the symptoms they experienced with the menopause and share lived experience in the hope of increasing awareness and knowledge:

In the second video Mandy and Julie consider the impact the menopause has on mental health and how that interacts with working for a mental health charity. They consider the scope for talking about that at work and being open with colleagues about it:

In the final film Mandy and Julie explain how they are both part of Together’s Peri Menopause and Menopause Inclusion Group and describe how that has been helpful to them providing peer support and developing clear policies:

Thank you to Mandy and Julie for taking part in these films and for haring their lived experiences.