Why I Created RISE ( A Perimenopause & Menopause Lifestyle Program)
- amanda4860
- Jul 24
- 4 min read
I don’t think I had even turned 40 when I woke one night completely covered in sweat.
My first thought was, Am I getting sick? Then another thought followed: Was that a hot flush?
Surely I was too young.
I had worked in health and supported women for almost 20 years. As a dietitian, I understood nutrition, chronic disease and the importance of looking after your health. Because I also live with chronic inflammatory conditions, I was used to listening closely to my body.
Yet I had no idea what perimenopause might actually feel like—or what to expect next.
When the changes didn’t make sense
Over the following years, the symptoms gradually progressed.
My sleep became less predictable. I started forgetting things and struggled to find words that should have come easily. My body composition changed, particularly around my middle. My energy, recovery and response to food and exercise no longer felt the same.
The frustrating part was that many of the strategies I had been taught—and had used successfully with clients—didn’t seem to work in the same way for me anymore.
I wasn’t lacking nutrition knowledge. I wasn’t simply “not trying hard enough”. My body was changing, and I needed to understand why.
I approached my GP for help on three separate occasions. I was told that I might be doing too much or that I wasn’t in menopause.
I knew I wasn’t in menopause yet. That was the point.
I was trying to understand what was happening during the years leading up to it: perimenopause.
I left those appointments without the explanations or practical support I was looking for, I was frustrated and lost, so I began my own learning journey (and also found a GP who listened).
Turning confusion into deeper knowledge
I started researching the hormonal, metabolic and inflammatory changes that can occur during midlife.
I explored why women may notice changes in sleep, mood, cognition, muscle, body composition, cholesterol, insulin sensitivity, gut health and recovery—sometimes before they recognise changes in their menstrual cycle.
The more I learned, the more I realised how significant the gap was.
If I could work in health for two decades and still feel confused and unprepared, how many other women were quietly wondering:
What is happening to me?
Why don’t the things that used to work seem to work anymore?
Is this normal—and what can I actually do about it?
I also recognised that midlife health couldn’t be reduced to a list of foods to eat or avoid. Women needed information that connected the dots between hormones, inflammation, nutrition, strength, sleep, stress, pelvic health and healthy ageing.
Most importantly, they needed realistic strategies that could fit into an already busy life.
Building the right expertise and support
I am an Accredited Practising Dietitian with more than 20 years of experience and a Bachelor of Health Science in Nutrition and Dietetics. I am also a qualified Level 3 Wellness Coach, a GSS Certified Menopause Coaching Specialist and Monash University FODMAP trained.
My professional development helped me bring together nutrition science, menopause education and practical behaviour-change coaching. My personal experience helped me understand how vulnerable and frustrating this stage can feel—even when you are doing your best.
I also began connecting with like-minded health professionals, including GPs, women’s health physiotherapists and movement professionals. Each brought an important part of the picture.
These conversations helped shape the program I wished I had been able to access when my own symptoms began.
That program became Rural Women RISE.
Why RISE is different
RISE is a six-week midlife health program for women navigating perimenopause, menopause and healthy ageing.
It was created to help women move beyond confusing and conflicting health messages. The program explains what may be changing in your body and helps you identify the practical actions most likely to support your health.
Across the program, we explore:
Perimenopause, menopause and what may be happening in your body
Nutrition for energy, inflammation and metabolic health
Strength, muscle, bone health and healthy ageing
Sleep, stress, brain fog and cognition
Changes in weight and body composition
Gut health, hormones and pelvic health
Realistic habits that can be maintained beyond the program
RISE is not about handing every woman the same rigid plan. It is about giving you the knowledge, tools and support to make informed decisions for your own body and circumstances.
It also creates something many women are missing: connection with others who are experiencing similar changes.
You don’t need to wait until things get worse
You do not need to wait until your periods stop—or until your symptoms become overwhelming—to start supporting your midlife health.
If you would like education, practical strategies and the support of a small group, I would love to welcome you into a current or future RISE program.
If you have more complex health concerns, would prefer private support or need an approach tailored to your symptoms, medical history and lifestyle, an individual dietetic and menopause coaching consultation may be a better place to begin.
Looking back, I wish I had understood earlier that I wasn’t failing and I wasn’t imagining the changes.
My body was moving through a significant transition—and I needed different information, different strategies and the right support.
That is why I created RISE: so other women don’t have to navigate midlife feeling confused, dismissed or alone.
Amanda Mannes, Accredited Practising Dietitian, Wellness Coach and Menopause Coaching Specialist
Accept Health
Comments