Why I Started the Over 50 Sisterhood

A few years ago, I found myself in a place I never imagined I would be. From the outside, my life probably looked fine. Inside, I felt completely lost.

When my three children had all grown up and started living their own lives, it hit me much harder than I ever imagined it would. After 17 years of raising them on my own, I suddenly found myself asking… “Who am I now?”

For so many years, my purpose had been looking after everyone else. Somewhere along the way, I had stopped looking after me.

Looking back now, I realise it was not just one thing. I was navigating perimenopause without understanding how much it was affecting me. My mental health was declining. I had gained weight. Not long before that, I had undergone a double hip replacement. It felt like every part of my life was changing at once.

There were days when I genuinely felt like my life was over. I felt lost, and I honestly did not know how to find my way back.

Something had to change. I made the decision to ask for help. Finding the right doctor changed my life. For the first time, I felt heard.

I found the right medical support, started treating the underlying causes instead of just the symptoms, improved my physical and mental health, lost almost 30 kilograms and, little by little, began to feel like myself again.

Looking back now, I realise I was not failing. I was simply navigating a stage of life that so many women experience, yet far too few of us truly understand.

We are not taught enough about perimenopause. We are not taught enough about how dramatically our hormones can affect our physical and mental wellbeing. And too many women spend years thinking they simply have to “push through” because nobody has ever told them there may be another way.

As I came out the other side, I began talking more openly about my journey. That is when something incredible happened. Women started sharing their stories with me — women with completely different lives, backgrounds and experiences, yet so many shared similar feelings. Some were navigating menopause. Some were caring for ageing parents. Some had children leaving home. Some had lost partners. Some were rebuilding after divorce. Some had moved somewhere new where they knew nobody. Some had simply spent so many years looking after everyone else that they had forgotten how to look after themselves.

“I thought I was the only one.”

Time and time again I heard those same words. That was the moment I realised this community needed to exist.

Not because women need fixing. Because women deserve connection. They deserve trusted information. They deserve genuine friendships. They deserve somewhere they can ask questions without judgement. Somewhere they can laugh. Somewhere they can cry. Somewhere they can celebrate. Somewhere they can simply be themselves.

I also realised there was no single trusted place where women over 50 could find everything they needed — a place to meet new friends, discover local catch ups, learn from trusted experts, ask questions, and find businesses and services that genuinely care about women over 50. A place where getting older is celebrated instead of feared.

That is why I created the Over 50 Sisterhood Community. Not because I have all the answers, but because I know how powerful it is when women support women.

My goal is not to create the biggest community for women over 50. My goal is to create one of the most trusted.

What We Are Building

The Over 50 Sisterhood is becoming so much more than a Facebook community. Together, we are building a trusted place where women over 50 can connect, learn, laugh, support one another and create genuine friendships.

Our free Members Website has been designed to make it easy to discover local catch ups, create your own events and connect with women in your local area. As our community continues to grow, so will our website. Over time we will be adding:

• Local catch ups and community events.
• Expert speakers covering topics that matter to women over 50.
• Recordings of our live events, so members anywhere in the world can access them.
• A growing library of trusted information.
• A member business directory supporting women in business.
• Carefully selected businesses, products and services that align with our values.

Whether you are looking for someone to enjoy a coffee with, a walking buddy, a local catch up, trusted information or simply somewhere you feel understood… my hope is that you will find it here. No matter where you live in Australia or around the world, I want every woman who joins the Over 50 Sisterhood to feel like she belongs.

Looking Ahead

This is only the beginning. My dream is to build one of the world’s most trusted communities for women over 50 — a place where friendships begin, where conversations matter, where expert knowledge is easy to access, and where women support one another through every stage of life.

And where every woman knows that getting older does not mean life gets smaller. Because today, I believe the exact opposite. I believe our 50s and beyond can become some of the most rewarding years of our lives.

Sometimes all we need is the right support. Trusted information. Genuine friendships. And a community that reminds us we are never alone.