She’s Not Angry At You! What Men NEED to Know About Menopause with Thea O’Connor
Don't Let The Old Man InShow Notes
Thea O'Connor is a menopause educator, workplace consultant, and researcher who has spent years doing what almost nobody else was doing — talking to men about their experience of menopause. After her own disorienting perimenopause journey derailed what she'd planned as her "power decade," she went public on national radio in 2018 at considerable professional risk. What followed was a body of work that now reaches boardrooms, Senate inquiries, and international standards organisations.
This conversation is for every man who has ever felt confused, rejected, helpless, or like he was spending a lot of time in the doghouse without knowing why. It's also for the women in their lives who want them to understand.
Resources Mentioned Australasian Menopause Society — directory of menopause-informed doctors The Orca Effect — Thea's program for women navigating menopause in the workplace Thea's men and menopause survey — link in show notes and newsletter Elizabeth Cady Stanton — American suffragist quoted by Thea: "We shall not be in our prime before 50, and after that we shall be good for 20 years at least."
Connect with Thea O'Connor 🌐 Website /survey: https://www.thea.com.au/
Timestamped Overview 00:26 — Why Every Man Needs to Hear This 02:03 — Thea's Own Menopause Derailed Her Power Decade 03:12 — Why She Went Public at Professional Risk 05:06 — What Menopause Actually Is — The Basics 07:27 — The Symptoms Men Miss or Misread 09:28 — Dishwasher Rage — And What It Really Means 10:30 — How a Man's Attitude Affects Her Symptoms 14:39 — What Men Misinterpret as Personal Rejection 18:07 — What Men Actually Said in Thea's Interviews 19:53 — You're Still Allowed to Set Standards 22:47 — Menopause in the Workplace — The Manager's Role 29:13 — Orca Whales & Why Menopause Is a Promotion 35:16 — Fixing Hormones Won't Fix a Bad Marriage 38:34 — How Thea Feels as a Post-Menopausal Woman 40:48 — Final Words: Embrace the Change
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