Why I started The Shift, a community for women 40+

It began long before I understood what it was

My symptoms started in my early 40s, and today I'm 59 and seven years into full menopause. At first I didn't realise it was all connected. I slept worse, woke far too early, felt heart palpitations and a restlessness I couldn't find any reason for, and my energy could vanish before the day had really begun.

I did what so many of us do: I googled myself half to death and got advice from every direction. I was told I just needed to sleep more, stress less and think positively, while my body clearly had very different plans.

I was going through menopause with no one to ask, and that was perhaps the hardest part of all.

I was far from the only one

Over 22 years with LNDA, I have talked with hundreds of women all over Norway about skin, change, confidence and menopause. Many of them described exactly what I was feeling: that they no longer recognised themselves, and that they wondered whether it was stress, age or menopause.

That's when I understood how many of us walk around with the same questions, and how few get good answers.

We didn't need yet another Facebook group

There are plenty of free groups where women share advice, and I have read those long threads myself, the ones that leave you even more unsure. Advice that contradicts itself, and people who mean well but are going through something completely different from you, rarely give you the calm you are looking for.

I wanted a place with clarity, with explanations that make sense, a language ordinary women recognise themselves in, and small, concrete steps that fit into the life you already have. That's why I created The Shift, the place I wish had existed when I was in the middle of it all.

I like to describe The Shift as a living magazine for women over 40. Everything is about menopause and the life around it, and you can read, watch and listen whenever it suits you. New articles, videos and podcast episodes are added all the time, and experts and inspiring women share what they know. There are no ads, and it's for members only.

What we do together

Every month we explore one theme, such as sleep, energy, stress, skin, hormones or joy of life. The topics that hit exactly where body and life are right now spark the most conversation, and stress, hormone therapy, hair, sleep and the creaky body have resonated especially strongly.

Together with May Britt, who is an NLP coach and skin therapist and has been part of the Linda universe for 20 years, I make the podcast «Mellom oss». There we talk honestly about most of what we go through, with a good dose of self-irony and humour.

RESET is for you if you want a clear start and a framework. You can begin with 7 days to get going, or follow the programme over 5 weeks to create change step by step.

You don't have to say anything to belong

One of the loveliest things I have seen is that many members drop by regularly to read, listen and recognise themselves, without necessarily writing anything themselves. The Shift is meant to be a place where you can take exactly what you need, at your own pace, and where you don't have to explain yourself from scratch every time.

I want you to be taken seriously without being turned into a patient, and to understand your body without drowning in advice.

My journey ahead

I have built LNDA over 22 years, and the road ahead for me is about being a voice for women in the menopause years. This stage of life has been taboo for far too long, and I want to help talk about it out loud, honestly and with warmth.

Much can be difficult in these years, but there is also so much that is wonderful, like the experience, the self-assurance and the inner strength we have built.

Linda