From Donna’s Desk

Subject: Personal Climate Control

Yes, I’m having hot flashes.
Yes, they show up like surprise auditors.
No, I will not apologize for assembling a small wind farm at my desk.

Here’s what no one tells you about menopause at work: It’s a body thermostat with a sense of humor, and it likes to pick meetings with executives. You learn to layer. You learn to breathe. You learn where every cold pack and functioning vent lives in a three-floor radius. And you hope (wildly) that your competence is the thing people remember, not the fan orchestra playing backup.

So let’s normalize the obvious:

• Colleagues are human beings with bodies that do things.
  
  

• Ice is a love language.
  
  

If you lead people, make space for this conversation. If you work with people, assume someone nearby is quietly negotiating with their biology and would appreciate empathy more than advice. 

Tell me:

• What small mercy helps when your body and your calendar refuse to cooperate?
  
  

• What has your workplace done (well or very poorly) to support real humans with real thermoregulation?
  
  

I’ll be here, resetting expectations and circuits.

Donna

#IamDonnaLake #MenopauseAtWork #MiddleManagementMagic #BringIce

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