Your Joyful Years: Empowering good health and happiness beyond 50

About the lecture

Ages 50+ mark a pivotal stage in many women’s lives. As we move into post‑menopause, free from reproductive hormones, periods, and the need for contraception, many experience significant transitions: children leaving home, careers shifting or winding down, and the realisation that there may only be 20 or 30 healthy years ahead. This is not need to an ending but can be a powerful new beginning. This life stage offers an opportunity to reconnect with ourselves, reflect on what truly matters, and prioritise self‑care without guilt.

This lecture offers evidence‑based guidance and reassurance, while emphasising that there is no quick fix to long‑term health and wellbeing. Instead, it highlights the importance of sustained attention to the pillars of health, including nutrition, exercise, sleep, mental health, friendships and community, while exploring what brings meaning, purpose and joy in later life.

About the speaker

Joyce Harper is an internationally renowned, award-winning educator, Amazon bestselling author, podcaster, academic, public speaker, fertility and women’s health coach and scientist. She is Professor of Reproductive Science at University College London, Institute for Women’s Health. She has worked in the fields of fertility, genetics and reproductive science since 1987, written over 240 scientific papers and published four books. Her topics of interest are women’s health, menstruation, fertility, menopause, reproductive health education, health and lifestyle.

About the chair

Aimee Spector is Professor of Clinical Psychology of Ageing at University College London (UCL) and director of the UCL ‘Menopause Mind Lab’. Her research focuses on the development and evaluation of psychosocial interventions for ageing, with a particular interest in global health, cultural inclusivity and implementation research in low-and-middle-income countries. She also directs the International Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) centre at UCL and the ‘UCL Dementia Training Academy. She has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers, 9 book chapters and 14 books; and is international lead for University College London’s Clinical Psychology doctorate course.

Websites:

Menopause Mind Lab: www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/menopause-mind-lab

International Cognitive Stimulation Therapy Centre: www.ucl.ac.uk/international-cognitive-stimulation-therapy