I started this blog because for the first time in years I finally could. For a long time, I couldn’t focus. Like many of you know too well, menopause brain fog can rob you of your memory, your clarity, and even your motivation.
I’ve had so many great ideas over the past couple of years… but they would disappear, completely forgotten until someone mentioned them again.
During the height of my brain fog, I was overwhelmed by even the simplest things. Reading long messages or emails felt impossible.
But then I started hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and slowly, things began to shift. I found myself at the library again, reading four or five lighthearted books a week.
I wasn’t diving into anything too deep or complex…just easing my mind back into joy.
Slowly, I regained confidence. Then, the urge to write poetry returned… just a little here and there. I began scribbling down my thoughts, catching pieces of my soul I hadn’t been able to reach for a while.
And now, I’ve reached a place where I can sit down and write full articles. Even in bed, ideas come to me, and I have to force myself to choose sleep over writing.
That’s how I knew: Now is the time.
My Menopause Recovery Timeline: From Brain Fog to Five Novels
April 19, 2024 — I started HRT. I marked it on my paper calendar because I knew it was significant, though I couldn’t have imagined what would follow.
(HRT was the right choice for my journey, but I know it’s not an option or preference for everyone. Whatever your path to healing looks like, please know there is hope.)
June 17, 2024 — I sent my husband the first article for this blog. By then, I’d already written about 30 articles while he built the site. I wasn’t waiting for permission or the perfect platform. I was writing because I finally could.
May 20, 2025 — I started writing my first novel. The idea had been building, and suddenly I knew: I could do this. I could sustain the focus for an entire book.
The months since — I’ve written five novels in about six months. Two rom-coms, a three-part historical fiction/past life regression/romance series, an erotica, a children’s book, a book about surviving menopause, and one about the return of my libido (yes, that came back too, hence the erotica). I’m currently working on something different…a story about at 17, a girl begins to navigate the shadows that will shape her life. This is her story of healing...of laying her younger self to rest, and finding the strength to move forward.
I share this timeline not to boast, but to show you what’s possible — from brain fog so thick I couldn’t read an email or text…to five complete novels in roughly six months.
I wrote them for me, for my sanity and not for publication. The writing itself was the healing. Sales would only be icing…I already had the cake.
Writing While I Can
I don’t take this clarity for granted. It’s still fragile, and I know how quickly things can change. But while I have the mental focus and space to write — and while the inspiration keeps tapping me on the shoulder — I will share my story.
I’ll write my blog. I’ll keep the words flowing for as long as they come.
This blog is just as much for me as it is for you. It gives me the opportunity to reflect, to process, and to share my experiences the way others once shared theirs with me… women who had the courage to speak out.
The women who made their voices heard even when it felt hard, even when it felt vulnerable. Now I get to pay it forward.
It’s an emotional experience for me to open up and share so much of myself. It’s not easy to be vulnerable, to admit where we struggle or where we’ve been hurt.
But in doing so, I’m learning that there’s power in sharing. By opening up, I create space for others to feel seen, to feel heard, and to know they are not alone in this journey.
A Place for You, Too
And for you, I hope this blog becomes a place of comfort — a place where you feel at home, knowing you’re not alone. Where you are reminded that you can flourish, even through the struggles.
A place where we can come together, share, and support each other as we navigate this journey.
I’ve been on this path for some time, and I know how hard it can be. But I also know how powerful it is to keep going. And I want you to know that you can keep going too. No matter how rocky the road gets, you are never alone.
Together, we are stronger. We are resilient. And we will flourish.
If this blog resonates with you, I’d love to hear your story too. Leave a comment, share your experience, or simply know that you’re not alone. We’re in this together.
“Even when it is foggy, remember that the light eventually returns. And when it does, we write, we share, we flourish.”
Love,
Claudine