Women's network for mid-life wellbeing launches

A woman who challenged herself to try 50 new things before turning 50 is building a community to change women's mindsets around being middle-aged.

Lisa de-Laune tried meditation, solo travelling, learning to salsa and eating oysters as part of her efforts to "take back control" when her life became tough.

She said the difficulties included a hysterectomy, which brought on the menopause, as well as a divorce and endometriosis.

Now 52, De-Laune, from Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset, has created a support network called Women In Wellness. The group meets monthly and is open to those working in the wellness industry as well as women simply interested in their own wellbeing.

She said the first three sessions would focus on issues such as menopause and endometriosis.

Member Amy Haynes, 39, from North Somerset, said it had been "positive" having a group to connect with where she can say "actually, I'm not OK".

De-Laune said that, before she turned 50, she was "going through all of these physical issues around health, all of the worries with separation and changing jobs".

"It was hard, there was a lot of uncertainty. [But] I was determined to not look at it in that negative way," she said.

"I wanted to go into that period of my life in a positive way and take back control."

After completing her challenge to try 50 things, her perspective on being middle-aged changed, she said.

Until then she had worked in corporate jobs such as risk compliance and health and safety.

She realised she wanted to inspire other women to change their mindset and look after their wellbeing.

So, as well as the Women In Wellbeing network, she launched a business called Fifty Firsts Wellness – offering services such as coaching, training sessions and workshops.

"The whole turmoil at that time, now that I've reflected, feels like an opportunity that was handed to me," she added.

Women In Wellness member Haynes said the network had already had "a positive impact on my life".

She said: "Women sometimes can get a bit forgotten, like wellness is not something I'd massively thought about.

"It's given me more confidence to think about myself.

"I now think about my wellness more and don't plough everything I have into my family."

De-Laune is leading a free virtual Women In Wellbeing network event for those in the South West and Wales on 21 April.