How to Sail Through Perimenopause with Joy & Human Design
If you're in perimenopause, you might be asking yourself some version of these questions:
Is this it?
Surely this isn't how I'm meant to feel for the rest of my life?
Who even am I anymore?
Maybe you're waking up at 3am drenched in sweat, your mind racing with anxiety about things that never used to bother you. Maybe you're bloated, exhausted, and can't remember why you walked into a room. Maybe you're looking at your partner, your career, your life and thinking, "Is this really all there is?"
And maybe—just maybe—you're wondering if you're losing yourself entirely.
Here's what I want you to know: You're not losing yourself. You're being called home to yourself.
And perimenopause, as uncomfortable and disorienting as it can be, is actually an invitation. An invitation to come home to who you truly are beneath all the roles, responsibilities, and conditioning you've carried for decades.
Let me show you how Joy and Human Design can help you not just survive perimenopause, but sail through it with grace, clarity, and renewed purpose.
The Truth About Perimenopause (That No One Really Talks About)
Perimenopause isn't just about hot flushes and irregular periods. It's a full-spectrum experience that touches every single part of your life.
The Health of Your Body
The physical symptoms are real and often relentless:
Headaches from hormonal fluctuations and stress
Bloating and poor digestion as your metabolism changes
Weight gain and water retention that seems to appear overnight
Hot flushes as your body struggles to detoxify
Needing to pee constantly (hello, 3am bathroom trips… and the rest! )
Crushing fatigue and lethargy
Heart palpitations that make you wonder if something's seriously wrong
Strange symptoms like a hot tongue or bleeding gums
Insomnia that leaves you wired and exhausted at the same time
The Peace of Your Mind
Your mind, once super sharp and clear, might feel like it's betraying you:
Heightened anxiety about everything and nothing
Brain fog so thick you can't think straight, losing words or names that just used to spill from you mouth – unfathomable!
Zero concentration or focus
Overwhelming stress from juggling aging parents, teenage kids, and high-pressure work
Memory loss (and so much to remember!)
Emotional outbursts that shock even you (a rage I didn’t know I possesed terrified me!)
Plummeting self-esteem and endless comparison to others
The Love for Your Life
And then there's the existential crisis that no one warned you about:
Loss of love for others (thank you, low oestrogen)
Loss of zest for life itself
Looking at your relationship and asking, "Is this it?"
Looking at your career and asking, "Is this really what I want to be doing?"
The terrifying question: "Surely this ISN'T it... it can't be like this for the rest of my life?"
Tension in your marriage (separation and divorce rates spike during this time)
Tension at home as your hormones clash with your teenagers' hormones
Loss of purpose as kids leave home or you contemplate leaving work
Your Dreams and Future
Perhaps the hardest part of all:
Who am I now?
Is this really it?
Realizing your dreams have always been linked to your parents, partner, work, or kids
But what about YOUR dreams?
Loss of vision for the future
Uncertainty about what's next
Comparing yourself to others and what they have
If you're nodding along thinking, "Yes, this is me," I see you. I've been there. And I want to share something with you that changed everything for me.
The Missing Piece: My Recipe for Joy
When I was at my rock bottom in 2016—diagnosed with PTSD, clinical depression, eating disorders, nearly divorced, and completely lost—I discovered something that saved my life.
I created a recipe for Joy. Not the fluffy, "think positive" kind of joy, but deep, sustainable, life-changing joy that comes from alignment.
My recipe has four essential ingredients:
Peace of mind
Health of body
Love for life
Dreams of the future
Sound familiar? These are the exact four areas that perimenopause attacks.
And here's what's fascinating: perimenopause isn't trying to destroy you. It's trying to wake you up.
It's asking you: Which of these four areas have you been neglecting? Which dial needs to be turned up in your life?
This is why I created the Joy Power Up—a complimentary experience to help you discover what's missing and what you need to turn up the dial on in your life right now.
But if you really want to make a lasting difference—if you want to not just survive perimenopause but transform through it—there's something even more powerful I want to share with you.
The Map: Human Design
Human Design is often described as "coming home."
Home is where you feel safe, trusted, and loved. And this time, the home is YOU. Your soul's home.
It's your unique energetic DNA—a map that reveals who you truly are beneath all the roles you've played: the good parent, the dutiful daughter, the compassionate lover, the supportive friend, the competent boss, the reliable leader, the inspiration to many but you can’t see yourself.
You knew yourself once, before the world told you who to be. Before the busy-ness of life buried your true nature under layers of conditioning and ‘shoulds’.
Human Design brings you back to the REAL you.
And when it comes to perimenopause? It's an absolute game-changer.
How Human Design Helps with Perimenopause Symptoms
Here's where it gets really interesting. In Human Design, we have nine energy centres (chakras) that regulate the flow of energy around our body. Each one relates to specific bodily functions.
When you know the links, you can do an energy cleanse for each part and address your symptoms at their energetic root.
The Energy Centres and Your Perimenopause Symptoms
Crown Chakra → Pineal gland → influences your circadian rhythm and melatonin (sleep and wake cycles) Struggling with insomnia? Start here.
Ajna/Mind Chakra → Pituitary gland → metabolism, stress response, water balance Brain fog, weight gain, and anxiety? This is your centre.
Throat Chakra → Thyroid → regulates hormones for metabolism, digestion, heart rate, body temperature Hot flushes, weight changes, heart palpitations? Your throat centre needs attention.
G Centre → Liver → detoxification, digestion, metabolism, vitamin/mineral storage, protein synthesis Bloating, digestive issues, inability to detox? This is where to focus.
Heart/Ego Chakra → Stomach, Gallbladder, Thymus, Heart Digestive issues, immunity problems, heart palpitations? Your heart centre is calling.
Solar Plexus → Kidneys, Pancreas, Bladder, Lungs, Nervous system Emotional outbursts, anxiety, frequent urination? Your solar plexus needs clearing.
Sacral → Fertility organs (ovaries), gut, digestion This is ground zero for hormonal changes. If you're in perimenopause, your sacral centre needs love.
Spleen → Lymphatic system, immunity, water drainage (ears, nose, tongue) Bleeding gums, hot tongue, water retention? Your spleen centre holds the key.
Root → Adrenal system → stress response, blood pressure, metabolism Exhaustion, stress, low energy? Your root is depleted.
When you understand your unique Human Design chart, you can see which of your centres are defined (consistent energy) and which are open (taking in and amplifying energy from others).
This is HUGE during perimenopause because it shows you:
Where you're energetically vulnerable
Why certain symptoms hit you harder than others
How to protect and cleanse your energy based on YOUR unique design
[Sign up for an energy cleanse here]
Your Decision-Making Authority: The Game-Changer
When we are plagued with procrastination in Peri-Menopause - One of the most powerful parts of Human Design is understanding your authority—how you're designed to make decisions.
This is critical during perimenopause because this is when we're asking ourselves the biggest questions:
Should I stay in this relationship?
Should I leave this job?
Shall I sell up and travel the world?
What do I actually want for the rest of my life?
Making decisions from your mind during perimenopause (when your mind is foggy, anxious, and overwhelmed) is a recipe for disaster.
Your Human Design shows you how to make decisions from your body's wisdom instead:
Solar Plexus Authority → You need to ride your waves of emotion and find the truth OVER TIME, not in the heated moment. (Perfect for managing emotional outbursts!)
Sacral Authority → Trust your gut response—the immediate yes or no from your body. (This is your truth beneath the mental noise.)
Splenic Authority → Your intuition, your spidey senses, that strong splenic urge that KNOWS the right answer. (Listen to those subtle whispers.)
Self/G Centre Authority → Your soul's compass—you won't be able to explain it, but there's a deep inner knowing and pull. (This is your purpose calling.)
Ego Authority → Your heart's desire! Allow love (not ego) to guide you. (What does your heart truly want?)
Lunar Authority → Give yourself time between each cycle to feel into all possibilities and get clarity. (Perfect for Reflectors navigating big life decisions.)
When you make decisions according to YOUR authority, everything shifts. You stop second-guessing yourself. You stop asking everyone else's opinion. You start trusting yourself again.
And trust? That's the antidote to perimenopause anxiety.
Your Energy Type: Understanding Your Inner Light
During perimenopause, many women feel like their light is dimming. They're exhausted, depleted, disconnected from their spark.
But here's the truth: your light isn't dimming. You've just been trying to shine in a way that isn't true to your design.
Human Design shows you that there are five energy types, and each one has a different kind of inner light:
Generators → You're the light that everyone comes to when they feel dim or low. You spark others to life. But your light only stays bright when you're doing what you LOVE. Perimenopause is asking: Are you still lit up by what you're doing?
Manifesting Generators → You're the multi-coloured light—bright, shiny, and here to be TOO MUCH. You give others permission to have many interests too. But you need VARIETY to stay energized. Perimenopause might be showing you that you've been doing the same thing for too long.
Projectors → You shine the light on the present and show us all how we can be better, what isn't working. But you NEED rest and recognition. Perimenopause exhaustion might be your body screaming: "You've been working like a Generator and it's not sustainable!"
Manifestors → You shine a light into the future, showing us how we can evolve and do things differently. You're the brave creators going where we haven't dared to go yet. Perimenopause might be your initiation into your next bold move.
Reflectors → You shine our light back to us so we can see how brilliant we are—and into our shadows so we can do the inner work. You're deeply affected by your environment. Perimenopause might be showing you it's time to change your environment entirely.
When you understand your energy type, you stop trying to force yourself to work, rest, and live like everyone else. You honour YOUR design. And suddenly, you have energy again.
Your Profile: Your True Nature and Leadership Style
Your Human Design also reveals your profile—one of 12 combinations that shows your true nature and leadership style.
This is who you came here to be. Your gift to the world.
During perimenopause, when you're asking "Who am I?" and "What's my purpose?"—your profile gives you the answer.
It shows you:
How you're meant to learn and grow
How you naturally lead and influence
What role you play in other people's lives
How you're designed to move through life's transitions
Perimenopause IS a transition. And when you know your profile, you can navigate it with grace instead of resistance.
The Fear Gates: Your Dreams' Trusted Allies
Here's something fascinating that happens during perimenopause: we fear dreaming as we get older.
Just when you're asking yourself "What about MY dreams?" and "Is this really it?"—fear shows up to keep you small, to keep you safe, to keep you from reaching for more.
But here's what Human Design reveals: those fears aren't random. They're specific. And they're actually there to HELP you, not stop you.
They say that your dreams are on the other side of fear – but I disagree! My dreams have all come true when I have walked hand in hand WITH my fears as they show me the way, what I need to mitigate so I can walk confidently and courageously forward.
In your Spleen centre, there are seven fear gates. These fears become the echoes that co-exist alongside our dreams. When you know they're there just to support you in making your dream come true—NOT to stop or limit you—everything changes.
They become your trusted allies to guide you... if you just listen.
The key is knowing which fears are actually YOURS (defined in your chart) and which ones you've learned or absorbed from others (open in your chart).
Here are the seven fear gates and how to work WITH them during perimenopause:
Gate 48: "I'm not good enough."
This is the fear of inadequacy. It shows up when you're considering that new career, that creative project, that bold dream.
Your answer: "Ok, how can I be better? Or is my best good enough?"
Sometimes growth is the answer. Sometimes self-acceptance is. Your Human Design shows you which.
Gate 18: "I don't belong at this table. They don't have my best interests at heart."
This is the fear of authority and judgment. It whispers that you're too old, too late, not qualified enough.
Your answer: "I DO belong. My experiences may be different, but they will add value and contrast to make a whole."
Your lived experience—including perimenopause—is your authority.
Gate 44: "What went wrong last time will happen again."
This is the fear of the past repeating. Maybe your last business failed. Maybe your last relationship ended. Maybe you tried something before and it didn't work.
Your answer: "Ok—what did I learn from that experience? Looking at it in hindsight, what would I do differently to influence a different outcome? Remember—I am different now. This is a completely different set of circumstances."
You're not the same woman you were before perimenopause. You're wiser now.
Gate 32: "What if I fail? I am a failure again."
This is the fear of failure. It's especially loud during perimenopause when you're already feeling like your body is "failing" you.
Your answer: "But what if I FLY?! And if I do 'fail,' I will have learned a lesson—because if we aren't winning, we are learning. That's not failing. And remember—the experience may have failed, but YOU aren't a failure."
Perimenopause is teaching you resilience. Use it.
Gate 50: "But what about this enormous responsibility? What about my current responsibilities?"
This is the fear of responsibility. You're already juggling so much—aging parents, teenage kids, demanding work. How can you possibly add a DREAM to the mix?
Your answer: "What are my values? This is where I stay true to what really matters, and THAT is the responsibility I carry."
Maybe your dream isn't extra. Maybe it's essential. Maybe it's the thing that will bring joy back into your life and make you better at ALL your responsibilities.
Gate 28: "What is my purpose here?"
This is the existential fear. The big one. The one that keeps you up at 3am during perimenopause asking, "What's the point?"
Your answer: "My purpose is to LIVE, to LOVE, to ENJOY this one magical life I have been given. So let's play the game of life and play the hand I have been given."
Perimenopause isn't the end of purpose. It's the beginning of PURPOSE 2.0—the one that's actually YOURS.
Gate 57: "What if by doing this, I lose everything I have?"
This is the fear of the future. What if you leave your job and can't pay your bills? What if you end your relationship and end up alone? What if you change everything and it's a mistake?
Your answer: "TRUST. You will survive! This dream has been given to you, and what falls away is making room for better."
Perimenopause is already showing you what's not working. Trust that what's meant for you won't pass you by.
When you know YOUR fear gates—which ones are consistently in your design and which ones you're just picking up from the world around you—you can stop letting fear run the show.
You can hear the fear, thank it for trying to protect you, and move forward anyway.
Because here's the truth: your dreams didn't come with an expiration date. Perimenopause isn't the end. It's the invitation to finally go after what YOU want.
Why This Matters Now
You might be thinking, "This all sounds interesting, Ali, but I just want to stop sweating through my sheets and remember where I put my keys."
I get it. I really do.
But here's what I learned through my own journey from rock bottom to brilliance:
When you align with love, you amplify your joy.
When you amplify your joy, you accelerate success on your terms.
And when you know your Human Design, you have the MAP to do all of it.
You stop fighting against yourself. You stop comparing yourself to others. You stop wondering if something's wrong with you.
You start living in alignment with who you truly are. And from that place? Everything—including perimenopause—becomes easier.
Your symptoms don't disappear overnight (though many women report significant improvements when they start living in alignment). But your RELATIONSHIP with them changes.
You understand what your body is asking for. You know how to make decisions from your authority. You protect your energy according to your design. You honour your type's need for rest, variety, recognition, or freedom.
And suddenly, perimenopause isn't something happening TO you. It's something happening FOR you.
An invitation to come home to yourself. To turn up the dial on joy. To reclaim your dreams. To remind yourself: "THIS is Who I am. "
How to Start Sailing Through Perimenopause
If this resonates with you, here's where to begin:
1. Discover What's Missing
Take the Joy Power Up (complimentary experience) to find out which dial you need to turn up in your life right now. Is it the health of your body? The peace of your mind? Love for your life? Dreams for your future?
2. Get Your Energetic Blueprint
Book a You in HD™ session to receive your personalised Human Design report. Discover how you're designed to make confident decisions, protect your energy, and create harmony in your life, work, and relationships. This is your permission slip to finally live fully aligned with who you know you are.
3. Cleanse Your Energy
Sign up for a chakra energy cleanse based on YOUR specific chart. Clear the energetic blocks that are amplifying your perimenopause symptoms.
4. Join Joy in HD™
If you're ready to go deeper, Joy in HD™ is a 12-week immersive experience that helps you move from burnout (or boredom) to brilliance and from resistance to flow. You'll learn how to use Joy as a strategy and Human Design as the map to amplify it—creating health in your body, peace in your mind, confidence in your work, and connection in your relationships.
5. Get Ongoing Support
Join The Love Club membership—your all-access pass to my full library of teachings, tools, and weekly support. Think Netflix for your soul. I'm your personal life librarian, helping you find exactly what you need, when you need it, to feel truly alive again.
6. Work with Me Privately
If you need dedicated, personalised support, Brilliance 1:1 mentorship is where we look at ALL of you—the health of your body, the peace of your mind, the challenges in the boardroom, and the love (or lack of it) in your bedroom. This is the single, powerful space where every part of you is seen and supported.
The Truth About Perimenopause
Here's what I wish someone had told me:
Perimenopause isn't the end of your vitality, your purpose, or your joy. It's not the beginning of "getting old" or "giving up."
Perimenopause is a portal.
It's your body's way of saying: "Everything that wasn't true to you? We're burning it away. Everything you've been pretending? We're not doing that anymore. Everything you've been ignoring? It's time to listen."
Yes, it's uncomfortable. Yes, it's disorienting. Yes, it can feel like you're losing yourself.
But what if you're not losing yourself? What if you are finally seeing yourself truthfully, in high definition for the first time?
What if all the roles you've played—the good girl, the people-pleaser, the one who holds it all together—what if perimenopause is your invitation to let those masks fall away and reveal who you truly are underneath?
You don't need to just survive perimenopause. You can sail through it.
With Joy as your compass and Human Design as your map, you can navigate these waters with grace, clarity, and a renewed sense of purpose.
Because as you go through perimenopause? There's a woman waiting to guide you.
She's confident. She's clear. She knows what she wants and she's not apologizing for it. She's living in alignment with her true nature. She's turned up the dial on joy in every area of her life.
She's brilliant.
And she's you.
Ready to start sailing? Let's begin.
Book Your You in HD™ Session
Join Joy in HD™
Explore The Love Club
Apply for Brilliance 1:1
Hello, my name is Ali. And I'm here to help you come home to yourself.
Love always
Ali xo
#remindertobebrilliant #thebrilliantyears #livebrilliantlyalive
Sailing through PM
At almost 50 I was asked to be a model! This is me overcoming my fear of being seen, facing the ugly voices in my head that make me so anxious about being judged for how I look …
This is also me loving this era of my life thanks to JOY & Human Design.
“I don’t know how I would have got through the day without you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
