Why I write these guides
I am in my fifties. I have had the 3 a.m. waking, the brain fog that makes you lose a word mid-sentence, the exhaustion that sleep does not fix, the sudden heat, the stubborn weight that arrived without any change in how I eat. Most of what is in these books, I have lived. Some of it I am still living.
When it started, I went looking for answers and found two kinds of writing. Clinical papers I had to read three times to understand. And article after article of vague advice — drink more water, try yoga, reduce stress — written by people who had clearly never woken at three in the morning with their heart going.
What I wanted was something in between: plain language, honest about what is known and what is not, and practical enough to do something with tomorrow morning. It did not exist, so I started writing it.
The other half of this
Before any of it, I spent years as a carer. Sick women. Older people. The kind of care that is measured in small daily things — helping someone eat, getting through a bad night, explaining to a family what is happening and what to expect.
That work taught me something no research paper does: how it actually feels to be the person whose body has stopped cooperating, and how it feels to be the family standing next to them not knowing what to do. It is why one of these books is written for families after a stroke rather than for women in menopause. Both come from the same place.
How the guides are put together
I read the published research — public health sources, clinical guidance, peer-reviewed studies — and I translate it into plain English. Where the evidence is strong, I say so. Where it is thin or contested, I say that too, instead of pretending otherwise.
Every guide is built around something you can act on: a protocol, a tracker, a set of sheets you can fill in and take to your doctor. I am a great believer in walking into an appointment with two weeks of written evidence instead of trying to describe a year of symptoms in ten minutes.
Who these are for
Women in their forties, fifties and beyond who are being told that what they are feeling is normal, or stress, or just their age — and who would like to understand it properly. And the families and carers of people who need looking after.
What you will find on this site
- The books — practical guides on sleep, brain fog, cortisol, gut health, the vagus nerve, nutrition and perimenopause. See all of them.
- Free resources — a 146-page perimenopause workbook and a focus checklist, both free.
- A free BMI calculator — no sign-up, no data stored. Use it here, along with plain-English articles about what the number does and does not tell you.
What I am not
I have no medical qualifications and I am not a clinician. I do not diagnose, and I do not prescribe. Nothing I write is a substitute for talking to your own doctor, and none of it should be used to delay getting help.
What I offer is different, and I think it is worth something: someone who has read the research carefully, lived a good part of the subject, and sat at the bedside of people who needed care — writing it down in language you do not need a degree to follow.
Important
Everything on this site and in these books is for information and education only. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not a treatment plan. If you have concerns about your health, please speak to a qualified healthcare professional about your own situation.
Get in touch
If something in a book helped, or if you found a mistake, I would like to know. Write to me here.