An ex Training Manager turned entrepreneur is preparing to take to the stage in front of 850 people this month, as part of her mission to share her inspiring story of how she has become ‘The Disruptive Menopause Mentor’ after building a business on the back of her self-education, when the system failed her.

Passionate about showing others what’s possible, Jane Pangbourne, 58, from Market Harborough, Leicestershire, is excited to announce that she will be sharing her advice on ‘Unlearning Menopause’ as she sets to challenge myths and misconceptions around all things hormones and HRT at The Big Festoon later this month – the UK’s fastest growing inclusive personal and business development event.
Taking to the stage in front of 6 and 7 figure business owners and founders from across the globe, Jane will be taking her place at the event which runs on 30th and 31st October in Bolton to ‘start conversations that matter’ following in the footsteps of internationally renowned entrepreneur Daniel Priestley, pop sensation Natasha Hamilton, and music sensation and brand founder Lisa Maffia.
Having spent the last 6 months training for this moment, Jane will join global motivational speaker, international speaker coach, bestselling author and award-winning business leader Dani Wallace, who is hosting The Big Festoon at Bolton Stadium.

On being involved in this event, and being given a prestigious platform through which to share her message,

Jane said: “It is time for me to get louder with my message, as still too many people are being fed misinformation – and I am seeing first-hand how this is leading to huge declines in mental health. We all deserve to live the life we want and not to have our hormones dictate our quality of life – I want to make sure more people feel empowered as a result of a greater understanding of what’s available to help them”.

Dani added, “I am so excited to see Jane take to the stage and take up some space with her message. What she has to share is so powerful and needs to be heard by more people! Public speaking fear (glossophobia) still sees the majority of people shy away from stepping up on stage, so Jane is in a very small minority of people being brave enough to make an impact in this way- we need to get behind them with our support!”.

Jane, who is recognised as one of the UK’s Top 30 menopause influencers 2025 and is the No.1 Bestselling author of ‘I Choose Menopause’ established her business in 2017 after her menopause journey began at just 37 years old, when she entered premature perimenopause – medically known as Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI). She struggled for years to access proper help, during which time she suffered several job losses due to a lack of support at work, finally only getting the help she needed after doing extensive research herself and being her own fierce advocate.

Since then, she has become an active champion for others and has gathered over 55,000 signatures calling for better advice to be offered to patients via GPs and won a community award from META, recognising her for being in the top 2-3% of online global communities.

Recommended by Doctors and healthcare professionals, Jane is the founder of ‘Menopausal Not Mad’. She is a Level 6 certified Women’s Health Practitioner, a qualified nutritionist, and holds certificates in CBT, training, and assessment. She is on a mission to remove the fear and confusion around menopause for ALL people – including men and the LGBTQIA+ community.

She added, “People come to me when no one else is listening. I’ve been told I am ‘a bubble of hope’ in this confusing arena. That’s all I want to be – hope for people who feel lost.”

The Big Festoon takes place during World Menopause Month and falls during half term, so this year it is also running a Mini Festoon, so children and young people can also come and experience their own event that will offer a fun, creative and empowering programme for children. With storytelling, workshops, and hands-on challenges focused on communication, teamwork, and emotional intelligence, this is designed to help young people build confidence and curiosity.

Set within the backdrop of inclusivity, the talks within The Big Festoon will explore topics spanning Business Growth, Human Design, Identity, Sales and Wellbeing.

Dani said: “This isn’t your usual business event – what we explore here are subjects that matter on a very human level – not just on a business level. We talk fears, and limiting beliefs, and about what success really looks and feels like”.

This year’s Big Festoon is proudly supported by a line-up of inspirational partners: High Level, ADHD360, Shaa Wasmund MBE, The Bloomfields, MenoAid — The Menopause Subscription Box, and Expert Empires.

Recognised as a ‘safe space’ for minority and underrepresented groups, The Big Festoon is designed with accessibility at its core, and Dani likes to think of it as ‘a place people can call home’. The event celebrates people from all backgrounds and lived experiences, united under her core belief that “we are better together” and “we all do well when we all do well.”