PESA Digital PD: The Perimenopausal Brain at Work

The Perimenopausal Brain at Work

Understanding cognitive, emotional and relational shifts, and why they matter in schools

Presented by Co-Founders of Fluxx:

• Berni Cooper, MAPP, BSocSci Hons (Psych), SFHEA; and

• Nicole Border, MAPP, MHSci, BA Hons (Psych)

Somewhere in a school today, a teacher is sitting in a meeting, and the name of one of her students has simply disappeared from her mind. She thinks she's losing her edge. She isn't.

While public conversation around perimenopause tends to focus narrowly on hormones and hot flushes, many women describe the cognitive, emotional and relational changes as the most disruptive: brain fog, word loss, emotional intensity, reduced tolerance and a sense of no longer feeling like themselves.

As pressure builds across schools in Term 2, many women find these changes become harder to ignore. Drawing on neuroscience and psychology, this session introduces participants to the perimenopausal brain, explores how behavioural and relational shifts can impact teams, classrooms and home life, and explains why periods of transition often become “noisy” before they settle. The session holds two truths at once: perimenopause can be genuinely hard, and it can also open the way for greater clarity, depth and self-knowledge.

Participants will leave with:

• Language to name what they are experiencing, with compassion rather than self-criticism.

• An understanding of the perimenopausal brain and why cognitive and emotional changes occur.

• Insight into how these shifts affect teams, classrooms and home life, and why transitions often feel "noisy" before they settle.

• A deeper understanding of their changing boundaries, reactions and evolving relationships.

• A feeling of being less alone in what they are navigating.

This session is for everyone! Colleagues, leaders and partners welcome.

For those working or living alongside someone navigating this transition, the session offers a clearer, more compassionate way of understanding what they may be seeing in colleagues, partners and friends.

Format: Interactive workshop · Suitable for: All staff

About the presenters

Nicole Border and Berni Cooper are the co-founders of Fluxx, a psychology-led Brisbane-based business that creates practical tools to help people meet change with greater clarity and confidence. Both are creative thinkers and published authors with deep expertise in wellbeing, systems change, and leadership. At Fluxx, their goal is to demystify mental wellbeing and translate psychological research into tools that feel relevant, usable and genuinely helpful.

Berni is a wellbeing specialist, leadership coach, and creative educator with over 20 years' experience in higher education and systems change. Former Associate Director of Wellbeing Strategy at QUT, she holds a Master's in Applied Positive Psychology and is a published author and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Through Fluxx, she delivers practical, evidence-based wellbeing that helps people lead themselves and others more thoughtfully.

Nicole is a wellbeing strategist, systems thinker, and presenter with over 15 years' experience in health promotion, higher education, and strategic leadership. With Masters qualifications in public health and applied positive psychology, she is a published author known for making complex ideas clear and actionable. As co-founder of Fluxx, she designs bite-sized wellbeing bootcamps that blend systems thinking, science, and humour.