Welcome to November! If there’s one thing I’m proud of about Beginning is Now–and profoundly grateful for–it’s the way that from the very beginning, we’ve been able to talk about all those things someone once told us we weren’t supposed to talk about. (Whose idea was that, anyway?) 

I was recently on a stage, speaking at a conference, and someone told me I was down to earth. I said, “Why, because I’ve had 14 hot flashes while I’m up here?” And people actually clapped! The idea that that’s supposed to be something I don’t share? Forget it. There’s power in knowledge, and when you shed light on things like that, they’re no longer threatening and scary.

The problem is historical. We’re not taught to celebrate ourselves, especially once we reach a certain age–and then that’s reinforced because we’re not marketed to. It’s part of a rhetoric that’s repeated and repeated. There are whole cultures organized around women being not seen or heard. But there’s a lot of power in being a woman of a certain age: a long life lived has a lot of experience in it! 

The amazing capacity of a woman can almost seem like too much for people in our society to handle at times–people are sometimes frightened of a woman using her outside voice–but at BIN, we want to honor those voices and encourage them. 

What makes me feel so great about this community is that there’s no judgment here, and we’re not lecturing anyone: we’re all in this together. We’re here to talk about menopause, sex, relationships, bodies, money, parenting, advocating for ourselves, taking up space–and we’re all a part of the same conversation. No one is excluded. 

Anything endured in silence can really be lonely and festering–but when you have a community like this that’s a safe place, we can learn from one another and teach each other. It’s such a relief to me to know I’m not alone.

So let’s keep talking. Nothing is off the table here, and I’m so glad you’re here for the conversation. 

xo, Brooke