Perimenopause, motherhood, and burnout aren’t separate struggles. They’re converging realities for many high-performing women in midlife. In this opening episode of Unapologetic Edge, Philippa explains what’s actually happening when capacity changes, coping stops working, and self-blame creeps in.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why perimenopause, motherhood, and burnout amplify each other
• How midlife changes stress tolerance, emotional capacity, and recovery
• Why does insight and “coping better” stop working at this stage of life
• The hidden cost of pushing through exhaustion and emotional labour
• Why nothing has gone wrong, even if everything feels harder

This episode sets the foundation for the entire podcast. It’s an orientation, not a fix. A place to exhale and finally make sense of what you’re experiencing.

Who this episode is for

• Professional women navigating perimenopause
• Mothers in midlife feeling stretched, reactive, or depleted
• Women experiencing burnout despite insight, success, or therapy
• Anyone sensing that their old ways of functioning no longer fit

Key themes

Perimenopause, Midlife motherhood, Burnout, Capacity and stress tolerance, Emotional labour, Identity shifts, High-performing women

What’s next

In Episode 2, we’ll look at the difference between activated emotions and triggers, and why confusing the two keeps many women exhausted and self-doubting.

About the host

Philippa is the founder of Unapologetic Edge. She works with high-performing women navigating perimenopause, motherhood, burnout, and repeating emotional patterns. Her work focuses on helping women understand what’s happening beneath the surface and why willpower and insight alone aren’t enough in this phase of life.

www.unapologeticedge.com