Seven Transforming Gifts of Menopause

An Unexpected Spiritual Journey

By: Cheryl Bridges Johns

Narrated by: Nan McNamara

Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Menopause is a dramatic but largely overlooked developmental window to the second half of life. Although today's women are more aware of and actively involved in mapping their menopausal journey than generations before, many still do not see menopause as a time of important psychological and spiritual transformation.

This audiobook goes far beyond hot flashes and gets to the very heart of the midlife journey, helping women find their unique voice and speak their truth in an era of #MeToo and #ChurchToo. Coming alongside listeners as a wise spiritual guide, pastor and theologian Cheryl Bridges Johns identifies seven key developmental "tasks" of menopause and gives practical ways women can embrace each one. She encourages women to view these tasks as gifts as they experience the remarkable physical, emotional, and spiritual transformation that occurs in this stage of life.

Written in a warm and conversational tone, this audiobook helps women chart a course for the future, leading them to a renewed sense of identity, a more focused vision for life, and a deeper spirituality.

©2020 Cheryl Bridges Johns (P)2020 eChristian

Intriguing concepts

I found the title intriguing and it offered some excellent insight on the journey of Menopause.

Wouldn’t recommend except to Christians flailing in midlife

I read this book as it was recommended for a seminar I attended. Not coming from a Christian mindset, I was often relieved to find the author taking a feminist perspective and I feel grateful she is in leadership positions in her faith tradition. She seems like a thoughtful and powerful person.
Overall however, this book feels like she took a tidy and worthwhile one-hour lecture and stretched it into a book. I felt some chapters lacked distinction from each other as the author worked to fill them out. I bristled at proscriptive nonsense like “it’s ok to use hormones but don’t OVER-medicate with them” what does this even mean? I really don’t like it when people give women this idea that there’s a “right” way to navigate their menopause transition. I almost stopped reading when she took aim at women who put their “flabby thighs in tight leggings”. Ladies, one of the gifts of menopause is not giving a rip about what others think and I hope you wear whatever your heart desires. I think the author was declaring women don’t need to dress to appear younger but it didn’t land for me.
Special snark because I am a certified menopause practitioner : she touts non-sense about “natural” hormones in the beginning (this is marketing but I get that she’s not a healthcare provider and thought her sources were reliable) and she turns the “i” in perimenopause into an “a” when she pronounces it which is jarring when you have to hear it 5000 times.
I do think that women who have earnestly lived a Christian life and find themselves grappling with their midlife transformation will find more help than harm in this book. Still, I doubt I will recommend it to friends or patients.

Started strong then became negative

Maybe I did not experience all of the negative treatment as a woman. I felt this started as an educational book on menopause then it transitioned into “women being objects” I felt the author spoke as a victim. Not going to finish. Regret buying.

I did not like this book

It seemed more opinionated than facts. I can tell she is very feminist in her views. I just want to know about menapause without the politics