Lisa M. Carroll, retired USAF Colonel and menopause author
About

I'm Lisa.

Retired USAF Colonel and Judge Advocate. Menopause author. Speaker on women's leadership, performance, and the body that holds them both.

From the briefing room to the bookshelf.

"I was mid-brief to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when my first hot flash hit like an ambush."

Full uniform. Fifteen people around a conference table. A 3-Star General waiting for my brief. And suddenly — heat surging from my feet to my scalp, heart hammering, sweat soaking through. I thought I was having a heart attack. It was menopause — and five doctors told me to wait it out.

An ardent explorer of the human condition, I am an author who transforms personal adversity into global advocacy. When my own encounter with menopause revealed a stark void in accessible, empathetic resources for women, I rose to the challenge. Trading my Air Force uniform for a writer's quill, this retired Judge Advocate embarked on a mission to empower women through knowledge.

My decade-long journey through perimenopause imbues my writing with authenticity and deep understanding. I weave my experiences not just as an author, but as a mother, partner, friend, and self-proclaimed goofball — creating a tapestry that resonates with women everywhere.

Equally at home in a courtroom, an Air Force base, or applying my perfect lipliner, I'm as multifaceted as the women I write for. Through candid exploration of menopause — and now women's leadership — the mission is clear: to ensure no woman faces menopause feeling isolated, unprepared, or misunderstood.

Lisa M. Carroll Retired USAF Colonel · Judge Advocate · Author · Speaker · Founder, NYC GIRL

Bring this conversation to your audience.

I speak to organizations, conferences, and women's leadership programs about menopause, performance, and what it actually takes to lead through both. Sharp, plain-spoken, no fluff.

Topic 01

The Only Woman in the Room

Two decades as a Judge Advocate in the Air Force, often the only woman at the table, often outranking men twice my tenure. What I learned about authority, voice, when to fight and when to absorb — and how to lead without becoming the thing you fought against. A women's leadership keynote for any audience moving into senior roles.

Topic 02

Mid-Brief, Mid-Hot Flash

Women in senior roles are doing two jobs after 45 — running the meeting and managing a body in transition that nobody warned them about. What that costs, what it requires, and what organizations get wrong. For corporate menopause initiatives, women's ERGs, healthcare conferences, and women-in-leadership summits.

Topic 03

From Uniform to Civilian

What the military teaches you about leading through change — and what civilian organizations get wrong about resilience. A leadership keynote on the transition itself: what you carry, what you unlearn, and how to lead through your own pivot. For executive education, leadership cohorts, and women in transition.

Workshop & Simulation Facilitation

Trained facilitator. Boardroom Simulations through The Boardroom (Switzerland), plus custom leadership workshops on commission.

Panel Moderation

Trained moderator. Conferences and corporate events on women's leadership, menopause in the workplace, and women in male-dominated industries.

Online Formats

Keynotes and workshops delivered virtually. Webinars, virtual cohort sessions, and recorded series for distributed audiences.

Ready to book me to speak?

Tell me about your audience, your event, and what you want them to walk away with. I'll come back with a tailored proposal.