by Olivia Preston and Sujany Baleswaran
As a woman approaches menopause, the chapter of life where menstrual cycles come to a halt, you are greeted with mood swings, tiredness, hot flashes and the endless fluctuating of hormones. You find yourself navigating your life with this extra burden. We spoke to Eunice Decampi, a leading specialist in nutrition and health, and a menopause awareness advocate, to share her perspective on wellness and menopause. Eunice believes that nature holds the key to our everyday wellness, combining a science-based transformation with the wisdom of nature and life.
It’s a process of tapping into my femininity and nourishing it – being stronger and more confident to interact with others without any fear.
What does well-being mean to you?
Wellbeing is a state of positive physical, mental and emotional health that makes me live a fulfilled creative life. Wellbeing is multi-dimensional, so finding balance in all areas of your life is very important.
Finding balance is a process that takes time to get right. I focus on my internal elements (mind and health) – I want to feel grounded, calm and motivated first, then I can deal with any external elements like family, work and social. This is what works for me.
Menopause is often clouded in uncertainty and the unknown, every woman’s experience is different. Why is investing in your health vital?
Being healthy is not just the absence of disease. You are not unconsciously healthy – one must make decisions and take mindful actions that lead to good health. The menopause transition is a period in a woman’s life to make those positive lifestyle and behavioural changes. It requires time, energy, and money. Investing in your health will help women understand the changes to their body during menopause and will also discover solutions to manage symptoms. Without good health, life doesn’t mean much.
Your approach to midlife stresses is holistic. Why is a holistic approach to menopause treatment more beneficial?
Menopause is a normal part of life, not a diagnosis, and there are healthful, natural ways to manage the changes in your mind and body. A holistic approach addresses the root cause of hormonal imbalances during menopause, it is sustainable and makes menopause more manageable.
Looking at my own experiences, my biggest challenge was mood swings, I was irritable and didn’t understand my changing mood. Menopause is personal, there is no warning to this transition in life, so it was difficult for me to manage the change.
A holistic approach is about looking at the bigger picture, and this is something that was instilled in me from a young age. I grew up believing that my body was my home and that I should look after it. I’ve always lived my life wholly, and I’m aware of the impact of my actions on my health and overall wellbeing.
My mission is to empower midlife women to take full responsibility and control of their life. I educate and encourage women to RE-THINK their health and choose what works for them. Personally, I feel taking HRT is fighting with the natural process of menopause instead of embracing it. My approach is simple, I’m passionate about working with the whole person, mind, body, and soul. I work with mindful women, and my unique methodology is founded on four principles: mindset, nutrition, movement and living/working environment.
Helping women through their midlife struggles, women empowerment is at the forefront of your mission. Why is it so important to empower these women, especially during this time?
It’s my calling. The midlife phase comes with frustrations, confusion, and can be unsettling. My goal is to help women to change their mindset and behaviours by empowering them with tools they can use to make positive lifestyles choices to improve their overall health and wellness so they can live their lives boundlessly.
Empowerment is the ability to take charge of my own life. It’s a process of tapping into my femininity and nourishing it – being stronger and more confident to interact with others without any fear.
What is a big misconception about menopause that you hope to rectify?
Menopause cannot be treated.
While menopause is not an illness, it’s a normal and natural process, it can be challenging and disruptive. Not all women will experience menopause the same. Better education and better tools will make women feel empowered to make positive lifestyle changes to be healthy and energetic without resorting to expensive supplements and endless medications.
As the body changes with hormonal imbalance, most women worry about the health risk emerging as oestrogen levels decline. Weight gain, heart disease, and osteoporosis are the biggest worries, even women who have no health issues before menopause, have these worries.
You have turned your knowledge of menopause into a business with a mission to help others. Stepping away from nutrition and menopause awareness, you are also an interior designer. Is there a root mission behind both of these businesses? What was the catalyst for you starting your business?
Solving a problem was the catalyst for me. People want to live in beautiful houses but a) they don’t know how to make their living spaces as beautiful as they would want them to be, b) not having time to decorate and c) is money, not having the budget to design the spaces. With this in mind, I came up with a solution to help busy professionals so they too can live not just in a beautiful house, but a comfortable and functional space at an affordable price.
Lots of people do what I do, and over the years I’ve learnt that what we do is not as important as how we do it.
What is your message for mothers who are thinking of starting their own business?
You can have it all. Have a CLEAR VISION on where you want to go, and everything else can be figured out. I’m a multi-passionate entrepreneur who is an introvert with a public face, if I can run successful businesses, you can too.
You may face the challenges of creating a work-life balance at the beginning, but it is always possible.
- Find your passion – your passion will make you survive any obstacles you may encounter on your journey.
- Do not be ashamed to ask for support.
- Look for good mentors, because running a business can be a lonely and stressful journey.
