Rebecca Suart has been a Social Researcher in the Civil Service since graduating from her PhD in Education at the University of Nottingham in 2022. She started her academic journey and onto a PhD in her 40s after taking a career break from Further Education. Alongside her PhD, Rebecca worked in a number of universities as a lecturer and researcher in the field of Vocational Education and Training. In this episode, Rebecca shares how the menopause crept up on her during her academic studies, and how she hadn’t realised that some of her early symptoms were in fact the perimenopause!  She acknowledges the difficulty of the mid-life PhD, not least of which that it often co-occurs with other stressful life events such as dealing with adolescent children and ageing parents, as well as the menopause.  Rebecca explores the practical steps she took to get help and how she invested in her well-being so that she could get to the end of her PhD.  Through her experience, Rebecca offers hope that, with support, friendship and a holistic approach, you can navigate this difficult period and achieve your PhD. The doctor we mention in the episode is Louise Newson aka the menopause doctor.  You can find her here:  https://www.instagram.com/menopause_doctor/?hl=en   If you would like a useful weekly email to support you on your PhD journey you can sign up for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’ here:  https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft