I’ve been thinking about community a lot lately.
How much do we need it? As women, most all of us thrive on connection.
And when we’re going through life’s transitions, connecting with others going through the same thing kind of makes it more palatable.
Personally, I’ve got my community of women to whom I go to with the most personal of things. I’ve got a very small handful of friends (like 3-5 max) that I share life’s ups and downs. Things about my marriage, my family, even shameful mistakes that I’ve made. I’ve learned that I feel better when I share with others that I trust…even if there is no amount of advice that can help me recover…quickly.
But how about going through menopause? Is it something that you want to share with others?
For menopause and health topics, I broaden my net. I’m willing to share my experiences with other women of all levels of closeness to me, because women’s health is a “sisterhood” type of topic that creates a common bond, even when a personal relationship doesn’t exist.
Menopause levels the playing field. We’re all going to go through it.
I commonly find that my role with Gennev makes me a safe place for women to share all types of gnarly health symptoms including mood swings, painful sex, vaginal dryness, and the all-too-common insomnia that especially nails women in the workplace.
One woman even went so far to call me “the vagina whisperer.”
I’m struggling to land on what our Gennev community needs to be as we grow beyond the thousands of women we serve today. Is it a support group or health Q&A forum?
Do you find comfort in sharing/listening in a closed Facebook group, like the one Gennev hosts called Midlife & Menopause Solutions?
Or would you rather browse a general menopause FAQ forum to seek out questions and answers from health practitioners and like-minded women?
And is a menopause community something you want to bring your friends into, or something that you want to do anonymously?
I want to hear what you want your community to be. Is it simply a place to connect with like-minded women? Or a place to get answers and solutions for feeling better in your body?
Email me at jill@gennev.com
Have a great weekend!
JIll
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