We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Charyn Harris. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Charyn below.

Hi Charyn, thanks for joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

After a lengthy stint as a tour manager, I took a break and started working with a lovely nonprofit arts organization in Los Angeles. We had an all-female staff and every woman was complaining about hot flashes except me. Even more odd, I was older than all of them and was not experiencing any of the harsher symptoms. I joked about starting a support group for menopausal women. At 62, my hormones are in the normal range and I still have a cycle, which happens in only 1% of women.

My colleagues were all in. My idea was to have a professional come in and have a fireside chat. I put the event together and low and behold, about thirteen women showed up with all kinds of stories about their menopause experience. Coincidentally, an acquaintance of mine was holding a conference that was all about the ‘”pause.”

While at the conference, I met Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, who happened to go to high school with a friend of mine. It turned out that Dr. Suzanne was also one of the leading voices in what was becoming a menopause movement. I soon invited her to speak at one of my menopause gatherings, which again was well attended. She also encouraged me to take it a step further. I received my certification as a Menopause Doula under Dr. Gilberg-Lenz. I began to realize that a lot of women still had no clue as to what would happen during the final third of their lives. I also learned about the medical injustices that Black and Brown women faced. As an educator, I felt compelled to go back to the classroom and learn more about how I could play a role in educating and ensuring women have the proper care, access, and respect they need and deserve as they move through this delicate transition. It pained me to fully understand the frustration of melanated women. I also have had experiences with medical professionals who have leaned toward unnecessary surgeries or have tried to be dismissive when I insisted that something needed to be addressed. If I can help more women speak up and advocate during this time, I can help save lives and possibly relationships.

Charyn, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

When I spoke to other women about menopause, there is generally an awkwardness. Some women dismiss it while others honestly don’t know much about it, which is totally mind boggling. Menopause is probably the most critical transition of a woman’s life and it is also a rite of passage. Since I noticed there was a strong need and demand for the educational piece, I decided to launch “Melanated Menopause” as a platform that provides culturally rooted education and resources to address all stages of the menopause journey. Speaking about menopause should not cause embarrassment and it should not make us feel like we are ‘less than.’ We also don’t need to suffer through hot flashes, insomnia, or any of the other symptoms that may develop.

I began to realize that our thoughts around menopause are misleading. Our ignorance and reluctance to have the necessary conversations and seek the information needed can also affect our mortality. It has been widely documented that melanated women are more likely to have a different experience around menopause. We have higher stress levels connected with daily life than white women; We are more likely to be dismissed by medical practitioners and we tend to not listen to our bodies as much. My practice provides a full spectrum of the information we need to know to continue living full and productive lives.

I offer a series of one-on-one sessions, group workshops, and virtual webinars. Topics can range anywhere from hot flashes, cortisol education, hormone replacement therapy to reclaiming intimacy or educating your partner. I can create and scale bespoke courses for companies as well. There is a growing demand for policies around menopause in the workplace. Businesses should consider how to adapt since women are now being vocal about it.

I’m excited to start a monthly series with WOC Therapy House in the Valley Glen area of The San Fernando Valley starting in the summer 2025, that will incorporate yoga provided by Yoga with Tee while I provide an easy-to-digest curriculum to help women plan and advocate for optimal care during their menopause journey. This is the perfect combination to build a sustainable wellness strategy that is integrated with lifestyle adjustments. This series will incorporate keybote speakers, special gift items and more.

I am starting a collaboration with Dr. Kudzai Dombo, Director of Advocacy and Outreach for Alloy Health, who is absoluetly brilliant and is among the leading advocates for normalized the menopause experience for melanated women.

I have been selected as the Outreach Partner for MenoMatch, which I’m really excited about. MenoMatch is a matchmaker for women to connect with menopause and midlife specialists they connect with. It’s really exciting since I get to help shine the light on small businesses and can help them grow.

Consider that 6,000 women enter menopause every day, most with no idea of hot it will impact them.

Over 24 million women in the workforce are affected by the symptoms of menopause with about 26% that consider leaving their positions.

Only about 1500 Medical professionals in the U.S. are trained Menopause and Homone wellness

Black women in particular have long faced medical injustices, are least likely to be offered treatments for symptoms, and are more likely to be offered surgery as an option. Most of these surgeries are not medically necessary.

My goal is to ensure my clients and event attendees walk away with a firm understanding of how move forward in managing any symptoms, speaking up for themselves and mitigating any health issues. It’s critical to listen without judging, interrupting, or correcting. Menopause can be traumatic but I am to put women at ease and empower them.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I have worked in the music industry for a good amount of my adult life. I was fortunate enough to land some pretty amazing positions. Most notably, I toured with Barry White as a keyboardist from 1995-2001. Later, I went on to work with Macy Gray as part of her management team and handled her tour management for many years. I still love playing music and do so regularly. I also manage an amazing vocalist/rapper, COOKIE. who is about to rewrite history.

The pandemic was hard on all of us. Along with the changes in the music industry, it made me take a deeper look at what I wanted to achieve in my life. When I first thought about this space, it was like dipping my toe into the water. I wasn’t sure if I would want to jump in. I don’t need another hobby for sure, and I always envisioned myself being in on something innovative. I took some time to figure out if this would be a viable shift for me. I have to say that it is extremely freeing, especially for me being the age that I am. I can help people, I can educate, be a leader in this field, and continue to pursue my passion for management and performing. I’m still at ground zero with everyone who is building standards around how women can be supported in this phase of life. This is a pivot with a purpose.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Succeeding in my field or any field is a matter of balance. Everybody has a different definition of success. I’ve always said that the amount of talent that you have is subjective. I find that the ability to build and create community makes all the difference when it comes to being successful. People want to connect to people and their stories. They either feel a connection or they don’t. This has been the case even before ocial media. It’s important to have clarity and maintain focus on your goals, Consistency is another important factor. I keep a checklist so I can make sure I am reaching my goals. I also think it is important to surround yourself with experts that can help you develop best practices.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://melanatedmeno.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melanatedmenopause/
• Other: Substack: https://melanatedmenopause.substack.com/

  WOC Therapy: https://woctherapy.com/

Image Credits

Theran Alexander