Navigating Menopause with Lee Sumner Irwin
Lee Sumner Irwin, a seasoned teacher and retreat leader with two decades of experience, is dedicated to helping women embrace vibrancy, health, and self-worth during menopause and beyond. As a mother, grandmother, and artist, she brings a tree-hugging spirit and laughter to her journey. Overcoming challenges in her youth, Lee discovered healing tools that led her to become a therapist through psychology and occupational therapy studies. Navigating perimenopause shifted her perspective on life, and now she guides women through this transformative passage. Her book, “Radiant Wise Woman,” empowers women aged forty and beyond, dispelling myths and offering tools for hormone balance, hot flashes, anxiety, and more. Lee believes in the unique light within each woman, making menopause an opportunity for health, creativity, and optimism. MysticMag finds out more.
What can you tell us about your personal journey, Lee?
I have been on a lifelong journey to demystify the human experience. In my first chapter of life, I grew up in a difficult household with alcoholism and abuse. In college, this led to an intense study of psychology. I earned an advanced degree in Occupational Therapy and started my own therapy business specializing in services to children with cerebral palsy, autism, and other physical and mental challenges. During this time, I gave birth to my son and, as a single mom, earned my “PhD in Parenting”.
In the second chapter, I trained with leaders in the coaching profession and for over twenty years served as a transformational coach to women weathering major life transitions. On the bumpy ride through perimenopause and menopause, I discovered how to take control of my own health. And in yoga class, I met the spiritual partner and soulmate I had given up on ever having.
Now in the third chapter of life, I have emerged from the trauma I experienced as a child to reach a new sense of freedom where I claim my sovereignty and personal power. With the publication of my award-winning book, Radiant Wise Woman, I have been called a “midwife for midlife” and an “ambassador of joy”. I lead women’s retreats across the U.S., Canada, and Costa Rica, speak on stage, and appear on popular podcasts. I enjoy hiking, dancing, and discovering the wonders of life through my grandchildren’s eyes.
Your book, “Radiant Wise Woman,” speaks profoundly about navigating menopause and embracing this transition as a powerful initiation into mature feminine wisdom. Could you share what inspired you to write this book and delve into the complexities of menopause?
When I hit perimenopause in my forties, it felt like the teen years, except a hundred times worse. I was anxious, sleepless, cranky, and crying in the shower. I was used to being a multitasking whirlwind but suddenly I could barely get out of bed. I struggled to pull myself together and blamed myself for the changes