An industry without competition?

I must admit I love the ‘back to routine’ of ‘back to school’. It’s when I jam pack my week with meetings and line up my to-do lists. I’ve kicked off the first week reaching out to new women in the menopause space – from podcasts to brands to services. It’s so exciting for me to see these amazing women putting their brave selves forward to create something for all women.

The other day someone suggested I reach out to a woman who has a podcast around menopause and women’s health. She’s located in the US so she’s ‘not competition’. ‘Competition’? Hmmm. In the menopause space – everything is new. Everything is confusing. We went from little to no information to complete information overload. It’s as confusing as ever and as dangerous as ever if women buy into the wrong information. It’s a time we need more champions, experts, and voices. There’s more than one fashion magazine, right?

?Brave new world

The thing that sticks out about that comment on ‘competition’ is that we, as women, are creating this whole new market around menopause. We are coming together, taking huge risks, blowing through our savings, and working our asses off to create world where women feel safe and educated about their health. Finally. There is a ton of money out there to help support our brands and our audience. This isn’t ‘us or them’.

There is no competition in this new world. Ask most women in this space and they will say that all new voices, new products, new services that come to the table are helping to normalize the conversation. To help grow the market. That allows women to feel comfortable to ask questions and seek help. It allows for brands to develop products based on feedback, instead of guesswork, from this community. We are not in competition with each other. In fact, I would argue that making women feel they must compete is an old narrative. One we’re willing to throw in the trash because it simply doesn’t work in our new world.

?Can I get you a seat?

Many women in this space felt aged out of their careers and so they created their own future. In our space, there isn’t just one seat at the table – there is an entire boardroom. We aren’t here to tear each other down to get ahead, we are the true representation of #womensupportingwomen because we will all thrive if we can make menopause a household word instead of a stigmatic and shameful thing we whisper.

There is no competition amongst us, there is only collaboration. Our only real competition is old stereotypes and false information. Now, stand back and watch us work to empower each other. This is where the real change is going to happen.

Who's with me?