{"id":117427,"date":"2025-09-03T19:06:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T19:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/117427\/"},"modified":"2025-09-03T19:06:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T19:06:08","slug":"if-i-decide-to-let-that-define-me-i-lose-myself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/117427\/","title":{"rendered":"‘If I decide to let that define me, I lose myself’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/p>\n

The 50-year-old author and mental health advocate opened up about menopause, losing her father and more. (Image via Getty Images\/Yahoo Canada Illustration)<\/p>\n

Sophie Gr\u00e9goire Trudeau<\/a> has a presence that\u2019s hard to define. The author and mental health advocate has an otherworldly poise about her that could be intimidating, but instead it creates an invisible haven to open up and be vulnerable. Her hair is free and wild and she speaks at a rapid-fire rate \u2014 but there is no small talk with Gr\u00e9goire Trudeau. Everything is an opportunity to learn \u2014 and to grow.<\/p>\n

Life has changed quite a bit for the former TV broadcaster. After separating from her husband of 18 years, former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau<\/a> in 2023, the mother-of-three was hard at work on her first book<\/a>, Closer Together: Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other. The best-selling debut was a culmination of her life\u2019s learnings so far, with anecdotes about her life and upbringing interwoven with lessons from people she admires, like trauma expert Gabor Mat\u00e9 and family therapist Terrence Real. It was an offering to the world; an act of service to bring others along on the never-ending journey towards authenticity, understanding and ultimately healing.<\/p>\n

Yahoo Canada recently spoke to Gr\u00e9goire Trudeau about menopause, grief and navigating life in the public eye.<\/p>\n

Follow your arrow<\/p>\n

Although she was no longer the \u201cunofficial” First Lady of Canada, Gr\u00e9goire Trudeau continues her work raising mental health awareness and living well through her own platform online. At 50, she\u2019s exploring topics that resonate with many of her follows: purpose, heartbreak and, yes, menopause.<\/p>\n

\"Sophie<\/p>\n

Sophie Gr\u00e9goire Trudeau spoke to Yahoo Canada about life, loss and more. (Image courtesy of Sophie Gr\u00e9goire Trudeau)<\/p>\n

\u201cI look at 50-year-old women around me and I feel like we\u2019re at such inflection points in our lives. How we perceive our bodies, our minds, our families and how we contribute to the world\u2026,\u201d she said. \u201cMenopause is what I would like to call a mature stage of life where you have decisions to make that either follow your authentic self or go against it. And I know for a fact as a woman that when you go against it, you\u2019re the one who suffers in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like with many areas of her life, Gr\u00e9goire Trudeau views this stage of life with a holistic approach, blending science-based facts about hormones and lesser known symptoms along with \u201chow it can affect relationships and even our mothering.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfiltered conversations with the names you know: Unapologetically<\/a> is a Yahoo Life series in which people get the chance to share how they live their best life \u2014 out loud and in colour. <\/p>\n

‘The only health that I have is mine’<\/p>\n

While the public conversation around menopause is changing, Gr\u00e9goire Trudeau recognizes that it takes \u201ca load of courage\u201d for people to be vulnerable. She\u2019s often the first one to wade into the waters of a \u201ctaboo\u201d topic, with other women following suit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m in perimenopause right now, but falling into menopause,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople think \u2018I still have my menstrual cycle, so I\u2019m not in perimenopause.\u2019 Wrong. It can be sleep disturbances, anxious thoughts, tachycardia, burning mouth sensation\u2026 .There\u2019s a lot of different symptoms in different women and we can\u2019t judge each other for what we\u2019re going through\u2026 .\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Gr\u00e9goire<\/p>\n

Gr\u00e9goire Trudeau published her first book, Closer Together, in 2024. (Image via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

But aside from conversation there\u2019s action \u2014 which includes having access to doctor who can provide accurate hormone assessments and \u201cintervene\u201d in appropriate doses.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now it\u2019s pretty much, \u2018Try this and see how you feel.\u2019 So I\u2019m going through this \u2014 with progesterone and estrogen and natural supplements,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m being very mindful of what I\u2019m reading, what I\u2019m taking in, because I want to make the right decisions because it\u2019s the only body that I have. It\u2019s the only health that I have is mine. I hope that women are supported as well on their own journey because you shouldn\u2019t have to feel alone in all of this and not know how to be guided properly.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘I’m letting go of the sadness’<\/p>\n

Gr\u00e9goire Trudeau\u2019s quest to understand herself and connect with others isn’t new.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a curious child. I was an affectionate child. I was an only child, so in order to feel seen and loved,\u201d she explained while wiping away tears. The topic of childhood and family is heavy with emotion as she recently marked the first anniversary of her father, Jean Gr\u00e9goire\u2019s death. \u201cI had loving parents, but there was addiction on both sides of my family in different ways. It was intergenerational.\u201d<\/p>\n

The loss of a parent has opened up a new realm of grief for Gr\u00e9goire Trudeau to seek to understand and learn to carry with her.<\/p>\n

\"Sophie<\/p>\n

Sophie Gr\u00e9goire Trudeau. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to try to hide my sadness through grief. In grief there are so many different sections \u2014 denial, anger, despair, sadness and acceptance. I\u2019m letting go of the sadness. There\u2019s lots of tears rolling,\u201d she said. \u201cI tell my kids, \u2018I\u2019m sad today. I miss my Dad.\u2019 And then I go inside myself.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a way I\u2019ve never felt closer to him,\u201d she continued. \u201cYou get to a profound realm because what\u2019s not tangible or seeable sometimes is more potent\u2026 It reminds us of our own mortality. Life is short, but it\u2019s wide. You decide what you want to do with your precious time. We have to make that choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sacred self<\/p>\n

Although there’s an openness to Gr\u00e9goire Trudeau in her willingness to share about her life, there’s a firm boundary when those experiences involve others \u2014 particularly Trudeau and their three children. There are some things that aren’t hers to share \u2014and not for the public to know. But her desire to protect her personal life does little to quell media interest and social media discourse about her family.<\/p>\n

“When stuff happens in my life, my body will react. I\u2019m a human being. I will like it [or] I will dislike it. I\u2019ll want to cry, scream or whatever \u2014 I let that out. Those emotions arise very quickly. The body gives you all the cues to what\u2019s happening. I let it out…,” she said. “There\u2019s what\u2019s said in the media and then there\u2019s my life.”<\/p>\n

\"Canada's<\/p>\n

Gr\u00e9goire Trudeau and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced their separation in 2023. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

But what’s said about her life online doesn’t reflect her experience when she meets people in real life. She becomes teary-eyed when she thinks of her time on the “co-political path” and travelling around the country to meet Canadians.<\/p>\n

“Everywhere I went, I was very lucky. I got love,” she said.<\/p>\n

While the outside noise may have intensified in recent years, Gr\u00e9goire Trudeau has done her best to maintain a healthy distinction between the public aspect of her life and the wholeness of her identity.<\/p>\n

“If I decide to let that define me, I lose myself,” she said. “This is true for me or for every human being on the planet. If you let the outside world define you, you won\u2019t have the sacredness of knowing who you are\u2026I also see others behaviours in a different light and I try to have compassion.”<\/p>\n

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.<\/p>\n

Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA<\/a>! Follow us on Twitter<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n