Menopause Awareness in the Workplace

Thank you so much, and our health front today, menopause, can impact everything from sleep to concentration, but it's not something we often talk about in the workplace, but Founding Farmers is working to change that by creating a more supportive environment for women in this stage of life, and here to tell us more is Founding Farmers founder, Dan Simons. Dan, welcome back. Thanks for having me. Yes, I have to say, we've done a lot of kitchen segments. We've never done a segment like this. I want to know, why did this become a priority for you and your company? Well, when I think about what makes our restaurants and our catering company work, so much of the leadership, you know, at every level in the company is by women. And so, of course, women's health care. It should be an important topic. Yeah, to everybody. And I'm just really glad to see you as a man say that. How do you see it kind of impacting people at work? And why do people so often stay silent about it? Yeah, and Marissa, let me point out that I'm a guy, right? So what do I know about menopause and perimenopause? Well, I can't experience it. So I know my lane, I'm just a business person, but I'm also, I'm a son, I'm a brother to sisters, I'm a husband, I work with all sorts of people, lots of women. And so what's important to anyone you care about is important to you. And so perimenopause and menopause, it's a natural normal phase of life that a hundred percent of women will experience in some way. Some with symptoms, some not. And physical health, mental health, of course, this is a workplace topic. Look how many people it affects. With perimenopause, that can begin in your mid or late 30s even, so there's a huge swath of the population. What difference have you seen at Founding Farmers with your people knowing that you care, essentially? So the culture of a workplace, you know, unfortunately, so many people out there don't really enjoy their job. They don't like their workplace. They don't feel seen, valued, or heard. So the most important thing that I see, the impact of talking about perimenopause and menopause, It's just that it creates a culture where people feel that maybe what they are experiencing or what they might experience in the future is accepted and normal and destigmatized. And a big impact of that is higher retention, higher workplace morale, and you cook and you serve like you feel. So if you feel loved and seen, valued and heard at work, I think people taste it in the food and feel it in the service. And that's why we keep coming back. That's your key, one of your keys to success. Dan, where can people go to learn more about Founding Farmers and come out to your locations? You all are so popular. Thank you. So foundingfarmers.com, foundingfarmerscatering.com because we're at home, at work, wherever people want us. And then my stuff is at DanSimonSays, social media, online. And then with the holidays coming up, you're going to be busy, especially with the catering. Yes, we are. But thank you so much for showing us this side of you and your company. We appreciate it. We'll be right back with more Good Day D.C. after this quick break.