“It Was Like I Had A Hundred Women at My Back”: Jen Bartram at The emPower Breakfast

In July 2025, BBC weather presenter Jen Bartram joined the emPOWER Breakfast as a guest, where she candidly opened up about the personal toll of online bullying and the pressures of life as a public-facing broadcaster. It was a powerful session with many insights shared as to how we can live much more socially vibrant and mindful lives. It wasn’t her first experience of emPOWER being a huge force for good either. Jen came to Melissa Robertson’s talk in March, Melissa was there in the capacity of her role as Director at Menopause Mandate and sharing her own experience of menopause, and what unfolded during the event went far deeper than a single conversation about resilience in the face of a changing hormonal landscape, it became a moment of transformation, empowerment, and solidarity in the face of this other invisible challenge: the menopause.

While Jen’s presence at the event was originally tied to her upcoming guest speaker slot in the spotlight, Jen is now a massive emPOWER advocate. Taking her place in the audience for the Melissa Robertson interview with Athene Parker. Melissa’s session focused on demystifying the menopause, explaining symptoms, busting myths, and laying out the practical steps women can take to advocate for their health in a system that too often fails them.

The session covered the full spectrum of symptoms (beyond the stereotypical hot flushes) and we covered the emotional and cognitive impacts of hormonal shifts that are SO unexpected and start WAY before anyone might correlate to perimenopause and menopause. We discussed what Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) options are available, and most importantly how to manage unhelpful or dismissive responses from GPs whose standard pushback is for many women to be told they’re 'too young' in their 30s or early 40s when in reality and particularly in our western culture, hormone fluctuations (Peri) can begin as early as 30.

For Jen Bartram, who is 43, the talk was revelatory.

After attending the session, Jen did something remarkable: she went to her GP and asked for HRT. As is too often the case, the initial response from the doctor was scepticism that she was 'too young,' they said. It “couldn’t possibly” be perimenopause.

But Jen was armed with knowledge! With language. With questions. And most powerfully, with the support of a community.

“I felt like I had a hundred women at my back,” she later shared with Athene in a call leading up to her own interview, describing the feeling of walking into that GP appointment with the collective strength of every woman in the room from that day. She advocated clearly for herself, listed her symptoms, explained their impact on her life, and demanded to be heard. Suffice to say she got her HRT! Suffice to say Athene was thrilled, as was Melissa when the story was shared.

This isn't just a personal victory, it’s a visible reminder of what the emPOWER Breakfast magic looks like in action.

Jen’s experience is exactly why emPOWER exists. It’s not just about gathering inspiring speakers (but let me tell you they are all incredible) or creating networking opportunities (btw…the networking we have observed has been off the scale, because it happens at such a deep level.. with jobs won, projects started and deep connections made) It’s about knowledge-sharing that catalyses real change, whether in the form of policy, personal courage, or the ability to say to a doctor: I know what’s happening to my body and I deserve support.

We’re now living longer than ever. Many women will spend nearly half of their lives post-menopause. Yet, we’re still fighting to be heard, fighting for access, and fighting the outdated assumptions that too often keep women suffering in silence.

Some women sail through menopause with ease. Others face profound physical, mental, and emotional challenges. What matters most is choice and access to support, information, and treatment so that every woman is emPOWERED to make a decision based on what is right for her individual experience.

Stories like Jen’s are a call to action, not just for women, but for workplaces, GPs, policymakers, and society at large. The idea that a woman in her early 40s is 'too young' to be struggling with menopause symptoms is not just outdated, it’s harmful. Hormonal shifts can begin in the early 30s. Dismissing them delays care, damages confidence, and can deeply affect quality of life.

Through platforms like emPOWER, we’re shifting that narrative.

Jen’s story is just one of many. But it’s also a powerful reminder that when women come together, when we share experiences, information, and encouragement we can change lives. We can move mountains. Or at the very least, navigate GP appointments with a hundred voices at our back.