About Sonya
I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 47. What followed wasn't just cancer treatment; it was treatment-induced menopause, sudden and almost entirely unsupported.
I thought when active treatment ended, I'd start to feel like myself again. Instead, I felt worse. I couldn't sleep. My joints ached. My brain fog was so severe that when I forgot words mid-sentence, a GP made me feel like it might be early dementia. I gained 20kg. My relationship with myself — and with my husband — was suffering in ways I didn't know how to talk about.
I tried everything I could find. I pushed back on every closed door. And it took nearly six years before my quality of life genuinely turned around.
Six years. It should not take six years.
WHO I AM
I'm not a doctor. What I am is someone who lived this, refused to stay quiet about it, and spent 15 years working in women's health, building the knowledge and relationships to actually help.
I co-authored research on menopause depression published in the ANZ Journal of Psychiatry. I gave lived experience testimony at the Australian Senate Inquiry into Perimenopause and Menopause, not as an expert witness, but as a woman who navigated the system that doesn’t support menopause after cancer, and refused to stay silent. I hold a Certificate in Cancer Wellness Coaching and have spent over a decade interviewing, learning from and building connections with leading clinicians in this field, including Dr Louise Newson.
I host the Dear Menopause podcast, with over 130,000 downloads, more than 127 episodes, and a body of work that has helped thousands of women across Australia and beyond feel less alone and better equipped to advocate for themselves.
I speak at conferences, workplaces, and health organisations, bringing the same evidence-informed, lived experience perspective to rooms that need better conversations about menopause after cancer.
My authority here isn't adjacent. It's embodied.
WHAT I BELIEVE
Surviving cancer is not the finish line. Quality of life, and living well, is.
Too many women are sent away from their medical appointments without real answers, dismissed, rushed, or told to simply cope. That's not acceptable. Every woman navigating menopause after cancer deserves proper information, genuine support, and a say in her own healthcare.
That's what I show up to create. Every single time.
Work with me
If you're ready to stop navigating this alone, there are three ways to take the next step.
Questions You're Allowed To Ask, a free printable guide to help you prepare for the conversations that matter.
The Navigate handbook, a printable 31 page guide to help you understand your situation, take back control and walk into your every appointment knowing exactly what to ask.
A 60-minute, evidence-informed conversation specific to you, your body, and your situation. $225 AUD · Online
