Personal trainer Kelly Mepham, of Great Thurlow, near Haverhill, branches out into corporate menopause awareness training

A personal trainer is offering a new corporate service aimed at increasing understanding and awareness of what for many is a bit of a taboo subject.

And with October being Menopause Awareness Month, the decision by Train In Sync founder Kelly Mepham to promote her new services is perfectly timed.

Kelly, of Little Thurlow, near Haverhill, a PT for 10 years, was prompted to move into educating employers and employees on the menopause after seeing its impact on some of her clients.

Having recently delivered a Supporting Women’s Health – Menopause Awareness workshop to staff at a major UK brand based in London’s Canary Wharf, Kelly, 44, said: “The corporate side of things is where I want to be doing a lot of my work going forward.

“My whole ethos is about supporting women and I can reach more women working in the corporate world then I can by doing one-to-ones.”

Kelly initially provides whole company workshops to raise menopause awareness, highlighting the struggles and challenges menopausal women can go through.

She also works with line managers to show how they could help menopausal team members.

HR and occupational health support, which includes showing employers how to put any relevant policy changes into place, how to provide best practice and supporting their implementation, is also part of Kelly’s offer.

Individuals also receive help and support, including follow-up support, such as being given guidance on managing symptoms and lifestyle changes.

And the need for what Train In Sync can provide is evidenced by research, said Kelly.

Research shows that one in four women consider leaving their job because they find it hard to keep doing it while going through the menopause and that a company will spend £30,500 to replace an employee that was earning £25,000 but had to leave because they were not managing their symptoms very well.

While online learning is an option, said Kelly, face-to-face sessions are always more productive.

The mum-of-two said menopause awareness training was now taking up a lot more of her time.

She said: “I can see myself doing this virtually full-time in the future, if I’m honest.

“The whole thing about working with companies is that I can help more women.

“If you think about it, I have got 30 clients on my books. Here, I can help 30 people in just one room.”

To contact Kelly about her menopause awareness work, email her at kelly@traininsync.com