The Menopause Maze: Making Midlife Leadership a Strategic L&D Priority with Fiona McKay
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Menopause at work is not a policy box to tick.
In this HR L&D episode, Nick Day sits down with Fiona McKay, founder of The Menopause Maze, to unpack how menopause affects leadership performance, talent pipelines, and boardroom readiness. You will learn why a symptom-only lens misses the real career impacts, how the “invisible filter” quietly shapes who gets promoted, and what HR and L&D can do to turn menopause into a leadership advantage.
We cover data-driven diagnostics, the No Pause Scorecard, manager upskilling, and confidential coaching routes that protect privacy while improving performance and retention.
Watch to move from awareness to action and build an inclusive, high-performance culture that keeps your best women.
Connect with Fiona: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fionamckay/
The Menopause Maze Website: https://www.themenopausemaze.com/
Workplace Scorecard: https://www.themenopausemaze.com/menopause-at-work-scorecard-for-workplaces
Nick Day’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickday/
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(00:00) Preview and intro
(02:25) Who Fiona McKay is and her mission (The Menopause Maze)
(04:07) Menopause as an overlooked strategic blind spot
(06:49) Why HR/L&D must lead or risk stall and attrition
(11:06) Myths, symptom distribution, and the “invisible filter”
(14:01) Equipping senior women for boardroom performance
(16:02) Succession planning when symptoms peak
(18:02) Data point: 73% would move for a menopause career coach
(20:27) No Pause Scorecard and data diagnostic explained
(23:07) Confidential coaching routes for leaders (B2B and direct)
(26:19) Designing lifecycle-aware leadership development
(28:25) Talent attraction and Gen Alpha expectations
(29:42) Practical L&D actions: on-demand learning and manager support
(31:50) Four immediate actions for organisations
(33:46) Culture, inclusion, and the ripple effect beyond work
(37:00) HR L&D Vault: resource, lesson, and future advice
