Tan has always had an entrepreneurial streak. In secondary school, she sold limited-edition Air Jordan sneakers on community marketplace Carousell. During the pandemic, she launched an Instagram page to showcase home-based businesses.
While she admitted she doesn’t have first-hand experience with menopause – being in her twenties – Tan stressed her personal connection to the cause, having seen what her mother has gone through.
She sees having a young team as an advantage in getting the message across and make the conversation around menopause more approachable.
“By integrating a more modern, tech-savvy approach, we’re also reaching the daughters, colleagues and younger family members of women going through menopause, helping them understand how they can offer support,” she said.
STARTING IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MENOPAUSE
Tan revealed that the general reaction to Surety’s work has been overwhelmingly positive, “but there’s still a long way to go in terms of open dialogue”. One thing that has surprised her is that middle-aged women are not as shy as she perceived.
“In Singapore, many women still find it uncomfortable to talk about menopause, largely because it’s seen as taboo or as something too private to discuss publicly,” she said. “However, once we start these conversations, I’ve noticed a sense of relief among many women – they want to talk about it, they just don’t always know how to start.
“The younger generation, too, is becoming more receptive to discussing women’s health issues but, overall, there’s still a lot of learning and unlearning that needs to happen. Surety’s mission is to help foster that dialogue and remove the stigma surrounding menopause,” she added.
Surety is gearing up for its biggest event yet – the Menopause Festival 2024, which takes place on Nov 9. It brings together experts, healthcare providers and women from all walks of life to talk openly about menopause, with panel discussions, interactive sessions and networking opportunities.
