You are not broken. You are becoming.
You are not broken. You are becoming.
Midlife and perimenopause can bring profound shifts in your body, energy, mood, and sense of self.
The Intentional Pause is a space to understand what’s happening and move through it with more clarity and self-trust.
In-person events in Denver for those navigating midlife and perimenopause.
Not feeling like yourself?
Midlife and perimenopause can feel confusing, inconsistent, and hard to make sense of.
Energy shifts.
Focus changes.
Sleep, mood, and motivation feel different.
The strategies that once worked suddenly do not.
Many of us are told this is just stress. Or aging. Or something to push through.
But there’s often more going on beneath the surface.
And without a way to make sense of it, it’s easy to feel disconnected from your body and unsure how to move forward.
Midlife is a real biological and psychological transition. Hormones change. The nervous system recalibrates. Identity and priorities come into sharper focus. This can feel unsettling, disorienting, and at times isolating.
The Intentional Pause was created as a space to slow down, understand what is happening, and move forward with intention rather than force.
The Intentional Pause Space is for you if:
You’ve been noticing changes in your body, energy, mood, or sense of self and want to better understand what’s happening
You’re learning about midlife or perimenopause, but still don’t feel clear or confident in what to do with that information
You’re tired of piecing things together on your own and want a more integrated, whole-person approach
You’re curious about how hormones, stress, and your nervous system interact and impact your daily experience
You want practical ways to support your body, not just more information
You’re craving space to pause, reflect, and reconnect with yourself
You value in-person experiences and learning alongside others in a similar season of life
This may not be a fit if you are looking for a purely symptom-management approach. This is a relational, reflective, and educational experience meant to support long-term health and well-being.
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What’s actually happening and why it matters
We will ground ourselves in what is happening in the body and brain during perimenopause and menopause, including key hormonal shifts and why this transition can feel so destabilizing. We’ll explore how stress and the nervous system interact with hormonal change, and begin building a foundation of clarity, self-compassion, and understanding.
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Why everything feels harder and how to steady yourself
Hormonal shifts can amplify stress, disrupt sleep, affect mood and focus, and leave us feeling dysregulated or depleted. Together we’ll explore how the nervous system changes in midlife, why stress hits differently now, and simple regulation practices that support steadiness, resilience, and self-trust.
We’ll look more closely at sleep changes in midlife and why nervous system regulation, rather than “perfect sleep habits,” is often the missing piece. -
Listening inward and redefining what matters
Midlife often brings a reckoning with old roles, boundaries, expectations, and patterns of self-abandonment. Together we will explore identity, intuition, and values. We’ll learn how hormonal and developmental shifts can sharpen inner wisdom, and how to rebuild trust in yourself and your body during this transition.
This includes honest, pressure-free conversations about desire, libido, and intimacy, and how self-trust and nervous system safety shape our relationship to sex in midlife. -
Nutrition, movement, recovery, and embodied support
Together we will explore how to support your body through nutrition, movement, and recovery in ways that are sustainable and compassionate. We’ll discuss midlife metabolism, strength and muscle, energy, and nourishment through a non-diet, non-punitive lens that emphasizes nourishment, capability, and care over willpower or restriction.
We’ll also address the physical aspects of sleep and sexual health, including muscle, circulation, tissue health, and why pain or discomfort are not things to push through.
What we will explore together
This retreat experience weaves education, reflection, and practical tools to support you through midlife with clarity and steadiness. Content includes a grounding practice, evidence-based education, reflective time, applied practice, conversation, and Q&A.
What you’ll leave with
A clearer understanding of what may be happening in your body and mind
Language for your experience that actually makes sense
Practical tools you can use right away
More confidence in how to support yourself and navigate next steps
A greater sense of connection to yourself and this phase of life
You do not need to push through this alone.
Midlife is not a failure or a breakdown. It is a transition that deserves attention, care, and informed support.
The Intentional Pause is an invitation to slow down, learn what your body is asking for, and move forward with education, clarity, community, and self-trust.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. The Intentional Pause is an educational and experiential one-day retreat. It is designed to help you understand what is happening in your body during perimenopause, explore nervous-system–informed practices, and reconnect with yourself during this transition.
While topics includes a guest Menopause Doctor to discuss hormone therapy and healthcare navigation, this program does not replace medical care or therapy. It complements them by giving you context, language, and agency.
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No formal diagnosis is required. Diagnosis is its own whole can of worms anyway.
Many women and AFAB enter perimenopause years before it is named or recognized. If you are noticing changes in your mood, energy, sleep, cognition, emotional resilience, or relationship with your body and suspect hormones may be part of the picture, this retreat is likely relevant.
You do not need to be certain. In fact, if you’re not sure but know it’s coming, this would be a great place for you to gain the skills, knowledge necessary to prepare.
Curiosity is enough.
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Information alone rarely leads to integration.
This experience offers:
In-person connection and conversation
A small group
Space to reflect, process, and make meaning
Nervous-system–informed practices, not just content
Guidance and facilitation throughout the retreat
Many of us already have information. What is often missing is space, support, and context to integrate it.
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Very.
This transition often brings uncertainty, vulnerability, and questions about identity, health, and the future. Feeling hesitant does not mean this is the wrong choice. It often means you are standing at the edge of something meaningful.
You do not need to have everything figured out to begin.
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The Intentional Pause is designed for women and AFAB in midlife who are curious about what is changing in their bodies, energy, mood, or sense of self and want informed, grounded support through this transition.
You do not need to know whether you are in perimenopause or menopause to participate.
The ideal participant may:
Have heard about perimenopause but feel unsure how it applies to them
Be noticing subtle or confusing changes and want clarity rather than guesswork
Want evidence-based education to better understand hormones, stress, and the nervous system
Value reflection, self-awareness, and learning in community
Feel ready to slow down and listen more closely to what their body is communicating
Some participants will arrive with a clear understanding of where they are in this transition. Others will arrive with questions, curiosity, or uncertainty. Both are welcome.
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Yes. This program is open to women and AFAB (assigned female at birth) individuals navigating perimenopause, menopause, or the midlife transition.
While experiences of midlife and hormonal change can vary widely across gender identities, this space is grounded in respect, consent, and inclusion. My facilitation approach centers nervous system awareness, autonomy, and honoring each person’s lived experience.
I also want to name that I continue to learn alongside participants. If you have specific needs, language requests, or questions about fit, please reach out at chrissy@chrissychard.com. I’d love to chat.
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You can reach me anytime via our contact page or email at chrissy@courageousparents.com. We try to respond quickly—usually within one to two business days.
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My approach is grounded, relational, and evidence-informed. I bring together nervous system science, exercise physiology, developmental psychology, leadership coaching, and lived experience to create spaces that are both structured and human.
You can expect:
A calm, steady presence that does not rush or fix
Clear facilitation with room for reflection and honest conversation
Practical education alongside space to integrate what you are learning
Respect for autonomy, choice, and different lived experiences
I am not here to tell you what to do or who to be. My role is to help you slow down, make sense of what is happening in your body and nervous system, and reconnect with your own wisdom and self-trust.
This work is thoughtful and supportive, and it is also real. We name what is hard, we stay grounded in evidence, and we make space for growth without pressure to perform or “do it right.”
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There is no single “right” choice, and no verification process. I trust participants to choose the tier that aligns with their current financial reality.
If paying the full cost feels accessible and does not create stress, that helps sustain this work and allows scholarship spots to exist.
If a lower tier feels more realistic and allows you to participate without stretching yourself thin, the Community-Supported Tuition is an appropriate choice.
Scholarship Tuition is intended for those who would otherwise be unable to join.
This retreat is designed to support regulation, reflection, and growth. Choosing a price point that allows you to arrive grounded and present is part of the work.
Your Facilitators
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Your Facilitators |
Chrissy Chard, PhD
Primary Facilitator, Coach, Researcher, and Educator
Dr. Chrissy Chard is an ICF-certified coach, TEDx speaker, and educator whose work sits at the intersection of nervous system science, leadership, and reparenting across life transitions. She holds a PhD from the Health and Exercise Science Department at Colorado State University, and brings over a decade of experience supporting women to become more self-led in how they live, parent, and lead. Her evidence-informed, trauma-aware approach integrates neuroscience, embodiment, and values-based leadership to help women build self-trust, regulate under pressure, and interrupt inherited patterns that no longer serve them. Dr. Chard is known for her grounded, compassionate style and her ability to translate complex science into practical tools for sustainable wellbeing and aligned leadership.
You can learn more about her work here.
Jordan Mendoza, MD
Menopause Expert, Guest Presenter, and Physician
Dr. Jordan Mendoza is a board-certified OB-GYN, Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP), and ISSWSH Fellow with a clinical focus on perimenopause, menopause, and midlife women’s health. She is the founder of Elevated Menopause Care, a direct-care specialty practice dedicated to evidence-based, individualized menopause and sexual-health care. Dr. Mendoza brings over a decade of experience caring for midlife women and is known for her clear, compassionate approach to complex and often misunderstood transitions. Her work centers on helping women understand what is happening in their bodies, navigate hormone therapy and other treatment options, and advocate for themselves within a healthcare system that too often dismisses midlife symptoms.
You can learn more about her work at Elevated Menopause Care.
