Claire Hattrick describes losing 10 years of her life to severe joint pain that she did not initially understand as connected to menopause.
Today, she is known as The Executive Menopause Coach, delivering workplace menopause support and one-to-one coaching.
Her own experience sits at the centre of that work.
Alexander Clementine founder, Alex Perry, spoke with Claire about overlooked menopause symptoms, musculoskeletal pain, self-advocacy, symptom tracking, workplace support and why she believes education and communication matter so much.
Key takeaways
Claire Hattrick’s experience centres on severe joint pain, years spent seeking answers and the importance she now places on self-advocacy. She encourages women to trust their instincts, document changes in their body and keep asking questions. In workplaces, she believes support should be individual rather than one-size-fits-all, managers need to listen rather than become menopause experts, and policies only work when they are accompanied by open conversation and practical support.
What is the biggest misconception about menopause?
Claire’s answer is:
“That it’s all about old ladies and hot flushes.”
Her own experience did not look like that.
She says she was around 40 when her symptoms began and has never experienced a hot flush.
At the time, she had not even heard the word perimenopause.
For Claire, this narrow image of menopause can make it harder to recognise experiences that do not fit the stereotype.
What menopause symptoms does Claire think are overlooked?
Claire talks about several experiences that she feels receive less attention.
She mentions tinnitus, allergies and dry or streaming eyes.
She also talks about anxiety presenting in very specific ways.
“Nighttime driving, and driving anxiety.”
A fear of flying also became significant for her.
Claire recalls one episode of driving anxiety becoming so overwhelming that she turned back while travelling to her mother’s 70th birthday.
Looking back, she describes it as a panic attack.
Her point is:
“There’s lots of symptoms that I don’t think we talk about often enough.”
And some of those experiences can have:
“An equally debilitating effect on your life.”
What did Claire’s experience teach her about navigating menopause care?
Claire spent years trying to understand severe pain.
Her main advice from that experience is:
“Trust your instincts.”
She describes seeing numerous consultants over more than a decade while trying to understand what was happening.
Claire is careful not to frame her experience as an attack on the medical professionals involved.
Instead, she repeatedly returns to self-advocacy.
“Keep asking those questions.”
And:
“Advocate for yourself. Don’t take no for an answer. You know your body, you know when you’re not well.”
Claire believes greater awareness of menopause may mean fewer women experience the same prolonged search for answers.
How did joint pain affect Claire?
Musculoskeletal symptoms are particularly personal for Claire.
She describes what she calls menopausal joint pain as severe enough to change almost every part of her life.
“I couldn’t pick up a heavy bottle or anything like that.”
She remembers:
“I felt like my elbows were dislocating, and I felt like my knees were going to come out of the back of their sockets.”
Earlier in the conversation, Claire explains that there were periods when she could not sit, stand or walk comfortably and stopped leaving the house.
It also affected her mental health.
Despite that, she continued trying to do some form of strength training whenever she was physically able.
Claire believes joint and muscle symptoms are now being spoken about far more openly than when her own experience began.
What should women do when they notice changes in their body?
Claire recommends keeping a record.
“I would keep almost like a body diary.”
And:
“I would absolutely make notes.”
Her advice is to document what is happening rather than relying on memory when speaking to a healthcare professional.
Claire knows from her own experience that an appointment can feel overwhelming.
She recalls becoming upset during appointments and then leaving without having explained everything she wanted to discuss.
Writing things down provided another way of communicating.
“Absolutely write everything down, and you’ve got it in front of you.”
Claire’s wider message is:
“Listen to your body, and keep a record.”
Why does Claire think self-advocacy matters?
Claire believes women can become used to placing themselves at the bottom of their own priority list.
She describes women balancing children, older parents and other responsibilities while ignoring changes in their own health.
Her advice is not to keep doing that.
If somebody knows something has changed, Claire encourages them to continue seeking answers.
“You know your body.”
If one conversation does not provide the help they need, she says they can ask to speak to somebody else.
For Claire, nobody should simply accept losing years of their life without continuing to ask questions.
What does useful menopause support at work look like?
Claire describes it as:
“Creating open and informed culture where women feel safe to speak out.”
She acknowledges that not every woman will feel comfortable discussing intimate symptoms with a manager or colleague.
For some organisations, she sees a role for an external person whom employees can speak to privately.
But practical support also matters.
Claire talks about reasonable adjustments that reflect the individual job and the individual person.
For example, somebody may need more frequent breaks, changes to where or how they work, or another practical adjustment that allows them to remain in their role.
Her approach is:
“Taking each individual organisation and looking at how I can support.”
Why does Claire want workplaces to retain women?
Claire repeatedly talks about experienced women leaving or reducing their hours because they do not feel adequately supported.
“We want to keep women in the workplace. They’ve worked damn hard, and we’re losing all this talent.”
For her, that applies whether somebody holds a senior leadership position or works in another role they value.
“Why should they leave?”
She believes workplaces need education, open conversation and practical support rather than simply expecting employees to manage privately.
What should organisations consider when creating menopause support?
Claire does not believe the same approach will work everywhere.
“It really is down to the individual company.”
Her recommendation is to involve employees in the conversation.
She asks:
“What do we need to keep you all in your job roles? What would help?”
Claire therefore argues against blanket solutions.
Different jobs create different practical needs, and different people will need different support.
She also believes menopause policies themselves should remain simple and that managers should know where they can signpost somebody for further support.
Most importantly, the policy needs to be accompanied by conversation.
“If you’re not talking to your staff and having those open, honest conversations, you kind of go around in circles.”
Is flexible working the answer?
Claire sees both advantages and disadvantages.
Working from home may make some symptoms easier to manage.
But Claire also reflects on her own experience of using home as somewhere to hide when she was struggling.
“It was good to hide at home. That’s not good for your mental health.”
She therefore does not see flexible working as a universal answer.
“It’s not a generic one-size-fits-all.”
Claire talks particularly openly about loneliness.
Reflecting on her own menopause experience, she says:
“If there’s one word, I would say, I was very lonely.”
For her, flexibility needs to reflect the person, their circumstances and their job rather than becoming another blanket policy.
What conversations do managers need to be able to have?
Claire says:
“They don’t need to be experts.”
Instead:
“They need to be really good at listening.”
But listening should also be followed by action.
Claire believes managers need to know where to signpost someone, allow space for appointments where appropriate and recognise that some employees will want privacy.
She also warns against judging one person’s experience against somebody else’s.
A manager whose partner had an uncomplicated menopause should not assume a colleague will experience the same thing.
For Claire, useful conversations require:
“A little bit of understanding”
And:
“A bit of empathy, be a bit compassionate.”
What is Claire’s message to men?
Claire wants men involved.
“Be part of the conversation, don’t shy away.”
She says men sometimes hesitate to ask questions because they worry they may sound silly.
Her answer is:
“No question is ever silly. Ever.”
She encourages men to learn, listen and offer practical support without feeling they need to have every answer.
She also advises:
“Pick your moments.”
For Claire, a calmer conversation may be more helpful than trying to raise something when somebody is already overwhelmed.
Ultimately:
“Just be part of the conversation.”
What is Claire’s biggest piece of advice for someone entering perimenopause?
Her answer begins:
“Education, education, education.”
Claire wants people to understand possible changes before reaching the point where they feel completely overwhelmed.
She also returns to the themes running throughout her own story:
“Advocate for yourself.”
“You know your body.”
“Speak up.”
That applies in healthcare and at work.
If something is affecting somebody’s ability to work, Claire encourages them to give their workplace an opportunity to support them before simply leaving.
Her closing message is:
“Communication is key.”
About Claire Hattrick
Claire Hattrick, known as The Executive Menopause Coach, delivers menopause education in workplaces and provides one-to-one coaching.
Her move into this work followed her own experience of living for years with severe joint pain and struggling to understand what was happening to her.
Claire now uses that lived experience to encourage greater menopause education, earlier conversations, self-advocacy and more practical workplace support.
This conversation forms part of Alexander Clementine’s Expert Conversations, sharing perspectives from people working across menopause and women’s health.
