You know that quote about climbing the hill…? This one…

“It’s funny how, when you’re younger, you think climbing that hill is so hard, but then you realise — not only is it not that high, but there’s a snack on the other side.” Ellen DeGeneres

It’s classic, Ellen — blending motivation with a light-hearted twist. 

To me, this quote explains the conversation around menopause without the snack. We are not listening to the ladies on the other side of the hill. It’s all “yadda yadda me me me, who has the most HRT.”

I get it; hot flushes, brain fog, and ants crawling under your skin are pretty stiff hills to climb.

But here’s the part no one’s shouting from the rooftops — you do get the snack. And not just one. It’s a whole damn platter.

What’s waiting for us post-menopause isn’t some grim plateau of invisibility. It’s space. Space to think clearly, to live boldly, to care less about the nonsense and more about what actually matters.

You get your bandwidth back.

The fog lifts, and in its place is clarity. Not the frenzied clarity of your 30s or the performance-driven purpose of your 40s, but something deeper. Permission. Permission to not have to be all things to all people. To pivot, to pause, to play.

Some of us double down on careers with a vengeance — no longer bound by the politics of appeasement or the need to prove our worth. Others go off-grid, literally or metaphorically, swapping KPIs for camper vans, power suits for Pilates. Many of us just decide to be brutally honest for once — with others, but more importantly, with ourselves.

This third stage doesn’t come with a rulebook. It’s not “find your passion or perish.” It’s softer. It’s subtler. It’s about being true to your own rhythm — whether that means leading a boardroom, digging up heirloom tomatoes, or finally learning how to say “no” without adding an apologetic emoji.

Yes, the menopause conversation is still catching up — still too clinical, too commodified. But the lived reality? It can be liberating. You’ve climbed the hill. You’ve earned the view. So take the (healthy) snack, take your time — and take up space.