Steph Bradshaw & Alica Barwell – NZ Police

I’ve been involved in pro bono education and advocacy around the experience of menopause at work since September 2021. In those three and a half years the conversation has become more open amongst women, organisations have begun to see the importance of supporting this phase of life, and the government and medical profession are SLOWLY getting on with making changes in healthcare, pharmaceutical support and employment law.

As part of my giving of time energy and attention to this cause, I’ve curated and hosted a FREE to attend ‘live on-line’ web series called ‘Pause for Thought’: conversations that invite you to ‘pause for thought’ – to stop, to listen, and to think deeply as we:

– share stories of women’s lived experiences
– hear from experts in the various fields that support this stage of life
– learn from ‘case study’ organisations about how they’re supporting peri/menopause in the workplace; and
– understand how we can ALL play our part in creating positive change: for ourselves, for the women around us, and within our organisations.

Episode 16 marks the final instalment of the Pause for Thought as my attention moves into the development of our business katebilling.com and the launch of our new Pathmaker Community, a human-centred development membership for midlife women leaders.

In this final conversation, we hear the story of the NZ Police ‘MenoSupport Network’, initiated by Steph Bradshaw and Alica Barwell.

Steph is a seasoned police detective with over three decades of experience in law enforcement. Starting her career with West Midlands Police in the UK in 1986, she served there for 21 years before emigrating to New Zealand in 2008. Since then, Steph has been a detective with New Zealand Police, based in Whangarei, Northland.

In August 2021, Steph experienced a life-changing injury that sparked a journey of self-education about perimenopause and menopause. Through her exploration, she gained a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities this transition presents, particularly in the workplace.

Alica is a dedicated police dispatcher with 17 years of service in the Southern Emergency Communications Centre, Christchurch. Balancing the demands of shift work, Alica’s personal perimenopause journey and her passion for advocacy led her and Steph to co-establish the New Zealand Police Menopause Support Network in December 2022.

In this final Pause for Thought conversation Steph, Alica and I talk about:

• Their personal peri/menopause journeys
• How the NZ Police MenoSupport Network came about
• The challenges for uniformed officers and shift workers experiencing peri/menopause at work
• Forming the Cross-Agency Menopause Network with NZ Defence, Corrections, and the Fire Service
• Highlights and lessons learned in their first two years; and
• Advice for other organisations to better support peri/menopause at work.