The Journey

Self-growth is something I talk about a lot. To my friends, my family, my team, my clients.

“Embrace the hard bits - it’s all growth.”

But I don’t always manage to apply this to myself.

Sometimes, out of nowhere, I find myself in a dark funk. The optimism, ambition and drive are replaced by negativity, fear and doubt.

Now, I know this is normal - #NormaliseTheDarkFunks!

But in midlife, these dips can feel different. Heavier. Harder to shift.

All the usual reset strategies? They barely scratch the surface.

My mindset spirals. I feel myself withdrawing, pulling away, isolating. I’m tired in a way that sleep doesn’t fix. I’m suddenly lonely.

I catch myself searching for something external to change it. A sign, a shift, a bit of luck…

COME ON UNIVERSE, GIVE ME SOMETHING!!!

And then, out of the dark, it comes.

This time, it came in the form of a podcast with coach and author, Matt Cooke. A reminder. All that stuff about inner voice, mindset, vibrations and abundance.

It’s not new. I know this. I preach this FGS!

But suddenly it’s clear. I’ve slipped into a pattern of lack. A scarcity mindset. How can I attract the good stuff, if I’m operating from a place of depletion?

I know what I need to do..... And so, the reset begins.

It’s not instant. It’s not easy. But I’ve been here before. And I trust that once I start, the momentum will come. Slowly, steadily, I find my way back.

Back to clarity.

Back to energy.

Back to my happy self.

But the question always lingers...

Why does this happen to me? I’m a coach! I teach this stuff!

Is it my hormones again? Work? The state of the world? Family? Parents? The broken fridge? That
parking ticket? Maybe I’m changing again? Who am I?

The truth is, it’s probably all of it.

Because midlife - and particularly menopause, isn’t just one thing. It’s a convergence.

A shifting physiology.

A changing identity.

A life stage where we are all holding more than we ever have before, whether that be at work at
home or emotionally.

And all of this is playing out in a world that is fast, noisy, always-on, and constantly asking more of us.

No wonder it can feel overwhelming!

So consider this a reminder. For you, and for me. The ups and downs are part of the journey. Not a failure. But part of the transition.

Ride them. Trust them.

Because even the hardest moments are shaping you.

Like a piece of art, you are evolving, layer by layer, stroke by stroke. Even the messy parts have their place in the final canvas.

I’m a coach, and I still need these reminders. But that doesn’t make me less effective.

If anything, it makes me better because I’m living it, not just teaching it.

Ellie McCluskey | 18th April 2026