From 'Aging Anxiety' to 'Second Spring': A New Health Perspective for Midlife Women
When Anna Tan arrived in Singapore from the UK in February 2011, she had a four-month consulting contract and no plan to stay. The blue skies, warmth, and holiday feeling convinced her otherwise. Now 57, a Singapore citizen, she runs Coaching Go Where, coaching leadership teams at companies including Google.
But what truly sparked her latest venture was a shared sentiment among her peers: 'I'm getting old, my body is getting frail, what am I going to do?' This fear around menopause and midlife made Tan realize women need a new narrative.
What Is The AM Club? A 'Second Spring' After Menopause
The AM Club was co-founded by Anna Tan with friends Emma Noguchi Devianne and Anna Williams. The name is intentionally slippery: it can stand for After Menopause, Morning (a new dawn), Alive Mind, or Advanced Mindset.
Tan emphasizes it is not a support group for struggling women, not therapy, not a wellness retreat. It is for women who have already done their inner work—emotionally steady, financially independent, and ready to be, in Tan's favorite word, unapologetic.
She draws on the Traditional Chinese Medicine idea of menopause as a 'second spring'—not a decline, but a second flowering. 'Society sees you as expired,' she says. 'But in other cultures, when you're the elder, you're the wise elder. There's a real difference.'
Six Seasonal Archetypes: Find Your Life Season
To help women locate themselves, Tan developed a quiz built around six seasonal archetypes:
- Wild Phoenix: Rising from ashes, craving radical change
- Free Wanderer: Seeking freedom and exploration
- Intrepid Explorer: Eager to try new things
- Sovereign Wolf: Independent, self-governing
- Radiant Empress: Confident, influential
- Wise Alchemist: Integrating experience into wisdom
The two-minute quiz doesn't diagnose what to fix but shows which season you're standing in. Women who take it may be invited to a 90-minute online Circle for identity shifting—the same methodology Tan has used with corporate leaders for over a decade.
The Adventure Is the Point: From Guilin to Kenya
At its heart, The AM Club is about adventure. Tan wanted five-star hotels, an SUV, an adventure of a lifetime—but most importantly, with women who share the same mindset.
She has planned three themed expeditions:
- September 2027, Guilin/Yangshuo/Longji Rice Terraces, China: Theme 'Reinvention'—Who am I now, and who do I choose to become next?
- February 2028, Kenya: Theme 'Reclamation'—where your body remembers it's an animal, not a scheduling problem.
- May 2028, Peru (Andes to Amazon): Theme 'Revelation'—reading the dark spaces between the stars the way the Inca did.
'Reinvent, reclaim, reveal,' she sums up. 'Three a year, once we're properly flying.'
Guilt and Self-Investment: Balancing Family and Health in Midlife
A common question: What about the woman who feels that to be a good mother or wife, she has to put her own bucket list last?
Tan believes this is exactly why The AM Club exists—to help women recognize that investing in their own health and happiness is not selfish, but sustainable self-management. The hot flushes, sleep disturbances, and mood swings of menopause are real, but with community support, mindset shifts, and science-based health tracking, women can emerge from this chapter stronger than before.
For women monitoring their health metrics, the Xiaoshu Health App can sync with Apple Health to track relevant indicators, helping you scientifically manage sleep, heart rate, activity, and more during midlife, supporting your body for a 'second spring.'
Conclusion: Midlife Is Not the End, but a New Starting Point
Anna Tan's story reminds us: 57 is not 'retirement mode'—it's the beginning of 'wise elder' mode. Menopause is not decline; it's your body inviting you to rediscover yourself. Whether you choose adventure, community, or simple health tracking, the key is this—you can still make unapologetic choices for the life you want.