Marny Requa explains that life transitions such as becoming a parent and menopause are not just short-term changes and then everything returns to "normal." They are major life transitions that deserve to be acknowledged, honored, and planned for. However, as Marny explains, we are not doing these things well on institutional, cultural, nor societal levels. She tells her own story about how she internalized these larger societal notions as a professor transitioning into parenthood, the challenges it presented, and the importance of giving ourselves grace. Marny also shows the huge positive impact available to our society if we shift our thinking and see life transitions for what they are (see the resources she mentions below). Find Marny at [email protected], on Instagram @worklifeshifts , or linkedin.com/in/marny-requa

Marny offers these resources for exploring this topic further:

Nancy Schlossberg on life transitions: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gYXeH2MnzatL3oIeglQGG_kRDBLIx5-l/view

Neuroplasticity & father's brains: Abraham et al academic article linked here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1402569111

Slate article on neuroplasticity that mentions the above research here: https://slate.com/human-interest/2018/06/fatherhood-makes-men-better-at-work-and-at-home-research-shows.html

Center for Parental Leave Leadership website for resources on support during parental leave: https://cplleadership.com/

North American Menopause Society: https://www.menopause.org/