“Just because I look good doesn’t mean I feel good.”
Anica, Silvana and I joined 300 fabulous women at the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour today for Prevention Magazine’s World Menopause 2026 event, for conversations, connections, education and laughter. Personally I love the energy you get in a room full of curious women!
We heard about perimenopause, menopause, changing bodies and how we want to age, and underneath it all was something very simple: we need to keep talking, so fewer women feel they’re doing this alone.
Mary Coustas, as her fabulous alter ego Effie, opened the day with some very familiar experiences: foggy, groggy, itchy and bitchy. And those were some of the more fun ones!
Her take on menopause? Me, pause? I don’t stop for anyone.
Funny, yes. But that message about looking good while not feeling great really landed.
We can be dressed, smiling, working, looking after everyone else and getting on with it. From the outside, everything appears perfectly fine.
It’s a reminder to ask how someone is feeling, and give them space to answer.
Menopause symptoms: everyone’s experience is different
Prevention editor Zoe guided the day’s conversations, beginning with Dr Ginni Mansberg.
Ginni has been my GP and introduced me to MHRT several years ago, so this was particularly personal. It was lovely to hear her speak and to give her a hug. I also picked up a copy of her new book.
She spoke about the different constellation of symptoms women can experience. Your symptoms might look very different from your friend’s.
Sleep, brain health and thinking ahead
Neuroscientist Dr Sarah McKay covered brain health, including dementia and the importance of paying attention to hearing loss in midlife.
My takeaways were to protect your sleep, stay intellectually active and find your own way of easing chronic stress.
When you’re exhausted, everything else can feel that much harder. If that sounds familiar, the Australasian Menopause Society has useful information on menopause and sleep.
When Mary returned to the stage as herself, she spoke about not understanding or knowing perimenopause and menopause before experiencing them, and looking back at how she might have supported friends differently.
I suspect many of us could relate.
Things can go under the radar when we don’t know what we’re looking for. Education gives us a chance to recognise more, ask better questions and support each other sooner.
Her reflections on lifespan and healthspan prompted me too. How do I want to age? How do I want to feel, and what do I want to keep doing?
What does your 80-year-old self need from you today?
Amelia Phillips gave us that very question to consider. Her three S’s were strong, stable and supple, with the memorable reminder that “motion is lotion” in terms of our joints.
I liked her focus on working with your body and what you can control. Finding ways to make movement, strength and mobility part of your life, with support that suits your circumstances, and working around those niggles.
Dr Georgia Rigas continued the conversation about metabolic health and changing bodies. Her pear-to-apple analogy brought a little fruit salad into the room, alongside a discussion of waist-to-height ratio and where fat is carried.
CBD & Surburbs a quote that will stick with me (and my larger middle section).
My takeaway was to understand what’s changing and seek individual advice, rather than make assumptions from appearances.
Her strongest message was to find your own wraparound care system. A GP, a dietitian, an exercise professional. People who listen and help you work out what you need.
And if you aren’t being heard, keep looking for someone who will listen.
Dressing your changing body: it’s just a number
As a designer, I hear women talk about changing bodies all the time. A waistband that used to feel comfortable. A favourite shape that suddenly doesn’t feel right. Frustration with a size label.
At Philosophy, our message is simple: dress for your life now, your body now. Which is why we gifted a tape measure for the event goodie bags, accompanied by these words:
“This tape measure isn’t here to define you. It’s here to help you find your fit.”
Bodies change. Measurements change. Especially through menopause. Bigger, smaller, different from what you’re used to: your measurements are simply information to help you choose clothes that fit your body as it is today.
Knowing them can make shopping easier, with fewer returns and less hassle. Our Philosophy Australia size guide is there to help you put that tape measure to use.
Comfort is not the enemy of style!
Let’s keep the conversation going
Between the speakers, a beautiful two-course lunch and conversations around the room, there was so much to take away.
Thank you to Prevention magazine, especially my wonderful connection Melissa, for making Anica, Silvana and I feel so welcome. To all the speakers and sponsors, and to my friend Sam from Let’s be frank… Skincare, who I had the pleasure of sitting with.
And to everyone I chatted with: thank you for making it such a wonderful day.
I’ll borrow a catchphrase from sponsor Berlei: “I’m hot. But I’m powerful.”
Let’s keep talking, asking and listening. Conversation, combined with education, is how we help stop women feeling alone in this stage of their lives.
If this brings a friend to mind, send it to her. It might be a lovely way to start a conversation.
Ali x
