Lakeville resident shares resources and builds community to demystify menopause

LAKEVILLE — A Lakeville resident and wellness coach is creating spaces and sharing health tips for people experiencing menopause.

Colleen Sutcliffe is on a path to demystify the symptoms of peri- and postmenopause through health coaching, creating community and a dose of humor. Along with hosting free workshops, she recently began a club for women to find answers and companionship while aging healthily.

She said she wants to spark conversations and education about a rarely-discussed aspect of women’s health.

“No one ever talked about it in my generation, we didn't hear about it from our mothers or grandmothers,” Sutcliffe said.

She said a “winding path” of job experiences led her to her current role as a health coach. She previously worked as a theatre director and teacher, and worked a short stint as a massage therapist. 

She said she became a certified personal trainer after looking for a job that would help herself and others find healthy ways to mitigate menopausal symptoms. 

“As I started getting a little bit older and experiencing some of the symptoms of perimenopause, I thought, ‘these are the people I can help,’” she said. “It came during my own journey to finding how we get through this.”

During perimenopause, the time leading up to the end of menstruation, sharp declines in hormones can reduce bone density and muscle mass. Sutcliffe said strength training can help keep muscles strong and resilient in daily tasks. Poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle can compound these effects and cause a quicker decline in health if nothing is done about it, she said. 

“I want women to be able to toss their grandchild up in the air, reach things in the cabinet and do a deep bend or a squat without hurting their back,” she said.

She said people interested in starting exercises at home can begin with functional body-weight movements like squatting and doing pushups with proper form and lifting household items. She said people don’t have to start with lifting weights. 

Continuing to move makes a big difference, she said, and simple exercises like walking, going up stairs and practicing balance are good places to start.

Sutcliffe has been a personal trainer for about four years, and has been a health coach nearly as long. She said health coaching comes down to helping people understand their individual health goals, and creating a tailored path to get there. 

Her work helps people understand the behaviors clients want to change, and how to do so in their own terms and abilities. 

At the end of the day, Sutcliffe sees herself as a regular person — far from the fitness gurus and online influencers often associated with personal training work.

“I just want to be able to come alongside people and help them be able to do functional, daily life skills for the rest of their life,” she said.

Her work often brings her to the Lakeville Public Library for free events where community members can gain knowledge on healthy habits to ease symptoms of post and perimenopause. 

She has also brought her Hysterical Women’s Club to the area. The name is a nod to the way women’s health concerns can still not be taken seriously in the health care industry. 

“It's a safe space for women to come and get some answers and tips on health related things,” she said. “It’s also about knowing there's a community and other people experiencing the same kind of things.”

She said the club is in its early days, but meetings will be held once a month and are open for those seeking wellness tips.

The Hysterical Women's Club will meet on the second Tuesday of each month at The Soulful Palette in Middleboro, and the fourth Wednesday of the month at Bella Harmony Studio in Lakeville.

The next meeting is Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 6:30 p.m. at Bella Harmony Studio. Visit Sutcliffe’s Facebook page for more information on upcoming workshops, club meeting details and more.