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Ladies, we live in a world that often tells us to keep it together. To hold it all in. To keep marching on, no matter how heavy life feels.
But here’s the truth, when we sit down with a woman we trust, pour out our hearts, and feel truly seen, something extra ordinary happens inside us.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. What started as an innocent scroll through Instagram neuroscience accounts has turned into a proper wormhole of research. Because I wanted to understand why our all-female midlife adventures don’t just feel fun, but are genuinely and deeply good for us.
The science is fascinating, and honestly, it feels like the missing piece of the menopause conversation. Whether you're joining a group or considering solo travel for midlife discovery, there's something special that happens when women connect through travel.
Apparently when we share our worries with other women, our brains release oxytocin, the bonding hormone that creates a sense of trust and connection. At the same time, cortisol, our main stress hormone, starts to drop.
So oxytocin isn’t just a feel-good chemical – it actively counteracts the effects of chronic stress, lowering our blood pressure, calming the heart, and helping the nervous system reset.
Scientists call this co-regulation - our nervous systems literally syncing up to help each other feel safe again.
One of the most interesting studies I came across used brain scans to watch this happen in real time.
When women talked about painful emotions in a safe relationship, the amygdala, the fear centre of the brain, became visibly calmer.
The vagus nerve, which acts like the body’s built-in calming switch, also responded by lowering inflammation, slowing breathing, and restoring balance (this will give the HBD diet a run for its money).
It’s not just anecdotal, it’s measurable and even your digestion improves, your muscles soften and your thoughts get clearer – no wonder I feel a million dollars on my Midlife adventures.
And there’s something unique about female-to-female connection. Research from UCLA has shown that oestrogen actually amplifies the calming, bonding effects of oxytocin.
That means when women come together, the chemical response is stronger - like a double hit of HRT.
And this is the part I think so many of us are craving, even if we don’t always have the words for it.
Because when you scroll Instagram, what do you see?
Posts about:
✅ Biohacking your hormones
✅ Fasting
✅ Lifting heavy weights
✅ Eating nothing but protein
✅ Cold plunges and saunas
And look, I’m not against any of that – I am currently fasting and lifting a weight while I wait for my bath to run. There’s value in looking after your body. But I sometimes wonder if we’ve started to believe menopause is a problem to fix, rather than a season to live.
What if connection, joy, and midlife solo travel are just as powerful as all the supplements and routines?
What if sitting around a campfire with other women, swapping stories, feeling seen, and remembering who you are is its own kind of medicine, maybe the most important one of all?
Midlife is a time when hormones are shifting, identities are evolving, and priorities are reshaping themselves. Menopause can feel like an unravelling, but it’s also an opportunity to weave a new kind of life.
A life built on authenticity, courage, and sisterhood.
This is why our all-female solo travel adventures mean so much to me, not just as “trips,” but as spaces where we can put all the masks down. Where you don’t have to be the strong one all the time. Where you can be exactly how you are, and feel completely accepted.
I’ll never forget the night I was camping at 4,200 feet in Peru with my old school friend, Kirsty.
There was a storm raging outside, the wind battering the tent, freezing rain dripping through every seam. I had altitude sickness and was curled up in a damp sleeping bag, feeling absolutely wretched.
And as the team leader, I was supposed to be the resilient, upbeat one, the person holding it all together. But there I was, in the dark, wet, overwhelmed, and having a little cry.
If I’d been with my husband, he probably would have tried to engineer an elaborate solution to the leaking tent while also wondering why I hadn’t followed basic tent-management protocol and put my clothes in a dry bag.
But Kirsty just sat beside me. She didn’t try to fix it. She didn’t judge. She put her arm around me and let me feel what I was feeling.
And you know what? Within minutes, my heart rate settled. My breathing calmed. My mind cleared.
I put my wet clothes back on, crawled out into the freezing dawn, and carried on with the day.
That’s co-regulation in action. That’s the power of women’s friendship.
When we travel together, when we hike and laugh and share stories late into the night, we’re not just making memories.
We are literally rewiring our brains.
We’re lowering cortisol, raising oxytocin, and activating a cascade of healing chemicals that leave us feeling clearer, lighter, and more grounded.
We’re creating neural pathways of safety and connection, which buffer us against stress long after the trip ends.
This is why, when you come home, you often feel more resilient. More yourself. Less alone.
So if you’re feeling overwhelmed, if midlife feels uncertain, if you’ve been taught to “just get on with it,” please hear this: you’re not alone.
You don’t have to biohack your way into being okay.
You can also connect.
You can also adventure.
You can also be held.
Because this is how we come home to ourselves.
Together.
If this resonates with you, I’d love you to take a look at our Midlife Adventures. You’ll find all the details on the Midlife page of our website. Maybe it’s the catalyst you’ve been waiting for.
With love and solidarity, Milly
Work alongside indigenous communities in the Sacred Valley, helping with education, infrastructure, and sustainable farming initiatives that support local families. Then, venture deep into the Amazon to protect vital ecosystems and rescue wildlife, learning firsthand about conservation in one of the most biodiverse places on earth.
Looking for a unique, meaningful adventure designed around your group? Our Tailored Travel programmes allow you to create a bespoke itinerary for groups of 8 or more, heading to the most exciting and rewarding destinations across Africa, Asia, Central and South America.
