Executive Edge:
The CEO Insight Series
Wednesday, October 21st
12:00 pm PT / 3:00 pm ET
The Perimenopause Blind Spot: Capacity, Performance, and Women at Work
Presented by Dr. Jennifer Kacmar, OB/GYN, and Rose Planer, Mental Health Therapist & FemTech Founder
Perimenopause often begins during the very years when women are reaching the height of their careers, taking on greater leadership responsibilities, managing complex demands, and contributing at their highest levels. Yet the cognitive, emotional, and physical changes that can accompany this transition remain largely absent from conversations about workplace performance and employee support.
This presentation examines perimenopause through both a medical and behavioral health lens, with a particular focus on functional capacity in the workplace. Dr. Jennifer Kacmar and Rose Planer will explore how changes in sleep, cognition, mood, stress tolerance, energy, and executive functioning can influence how women experience and navigate the workday, even when their underlying capability, expertise, and ambition remain unchanged.
The session introduces an important distinction between capability and capacity: a woman's skills and professional value have not suddenly diminished, but her available capacity may fluctuate as her biology changes. Understanding that distinction can change how women interpret their own experiences and how organizations support and retain experienced female talent.
Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of perimenopause, its potential impact on emotional health and workplace functioning, and practical ways women and organizations can recognize and respond to these changes.
The goal is not to frame perimenopause as a deficit. It is to bring an overlooked biological transition into the workplace conversation and give women better tools to understand what is happening, adapt, and continue to lead, contribute, and thrive.
Complimentary for C-Sweet members. Non-member tickets - $25.
Meet the Speakers
Rose Planer
Mental Health Therapist & FemTech Founder, Brea
Rose Planer is the Co-Founder of The Recalibrate Program and Brea, where she is helping build a new model for supporting women at work and advancing an innovative category called Capacity Intelligence.
A mental health therapist, Rose works at the intersection of women’s health, mental health, leadership, and workplace performance, with a particular focus on perimenopause and its often-overlooked impact on women’s capacity, confidence, and ability to remain fully engaged at work.
Through her clinical work, Rose has seen firsthand how highly capable and ambitious women can struggle with exhaustion, anxiety, brain fog, disrupted sleep, emotional overload, and fluctuating capacity during this transition, often at a pivotal point in their careers. Her work challenges the assumption that women should simply push through these changes and instead advocates for systems and workplaces that better recognize and support women’s evolving capacity.
Rose co-founded Brea, an AI-powered performance and capacity companion designed to help women understand their capacity in real time, navigate work and life with greater clarity, and access personalized, practical support. Developed through the combined perspectives of a therapist, an OB-GYN, and a leadership expert, Brea brings together women’s health, mental health, and workplace performance in one personalized experience.
Through The Recalibrate Program and Brea, Rose is focused on creating scalable solutions that support women while addressing broader organizational priorities including retention, leadership continuity, and sustainable performance. Her work is grounded in a simple principle: women’s capability does not disappear when their capacity changes, and the systems around them should be designed to recognize the difference.
Dr. Jennifer Kacmar
OB/GYN, Co-Founder, Brea
Jennifer Kacmar, MD, is a board-certified OB/GYN, women’s health advocate, consultant, and executive coach with more than 25 years of experience across academic medicine, clinical practice, public health, and organizational leadership. Throughout her career, she has taught, published, mentored emerging leaders, developed programs, and held senior roles within medical and volunteer organizations.
Dr. Kacmar is the co-founder of The Recalibrate Program, an initiative designed to support high-performing women navigating perimenopause and menopause. Integrating physiology, psychology, and leadership, the program provides personalized support for women and scalable solutions for organizations. She also provides executive coaching through Edit & Evolve, helping professionals strengthen communication, collaboration, and leadership performance.
Passionate about transforming awareness into meaningful action, Dr. Kacmar equips women with practical, science-based strategies to sustain their clarity, confidence, and effectiveness during pivotal stages of their careers.
***Check your calendars and join us! All event fees are non-refundable.***
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