I started The Sattva Collective because I needed it myself. I didn’t know it then – not in words or structure – but in the hollow ache of silence, the weight of unspoken changes, and the quiet longing for community. Like so many South Asian women navigating midlife and menopause, I was looking for a place where I could feel seen, heard, and supported. When I couldn’t find it, I decided to build it.
Growing up in a South Asian home, we were taught many things – to be kind, to strive, to put others first. But we weren’t taught how to prepare for the moment when our hormones would shift, our bodies would change, and our sense of self would begin to unravel. We weren’t told that menopause could come with mood swings, night sweats, anxiety, and even grief. And we certainly weren’t told that it could be a portal to power, clarity, and renewal.
For years, I struggled quietly. I chalked my fatigue up to being “too busy.” My mood swings? Just stress. The aching joints, brain fog, the tears that came from nowhere – I dismissed them, as many of us do, believing that this was just part of being a woman, part of being strong. But beneath that strength was a deep loneliness, because no one was talking about it. Not in our families, not in our communities, not even in our doctors’ offices.
And that silence? It hurt.
Menopause – or more accurately, perimenopause – can begin years before your periods stop. Yet too many South Asian women enter this chapter completely unprepared, unsupported, and unseen. Our culture reveres youth, celebrates service, and often treats ageing as a decline. But what if we flipped that narrative? What if midlife wasn’t something to survive, but to honour?
That’s what The Sattva Collective was born to do.
‘Sattva’ is a Sanskrit word that speaks to purity, clarity, wisdom and harmony. And that is what I wanted for our midlife years – not chaos, not invisibility, but truth, alignment, and soulful wellbeing. The Sattva Collective is my offering to South Asian women who, like me, want to rewrite the story of midlife and menopause with grace, strength, and dignity.
Our mission is simple: to create a safe, culturally attuned space where South Asian women in midlife and menopause can be informed, empowered, and connected.
Our vision is bigger: a world where our mothers, sisters, and daughters are no longer bound by silence. A world where we can move through hormonal transitions with understanding and community support. A world where South Asian women don’t feel like they’re falling apart – but rising into their most authentic selves.
Through workshops, storytelling, education, events, and support networks, The Sattva Collective is slowly building a movement. We are on a mission to offer resources that reflect our lived experiences – not generic advice, but insight shaped by the intersection of culture, identity, and health. We speak to the woman navigating menopause while also caring for elders, supporting grown children, and working full-time. We speak to the woman who feels ashamed to talk about her body. And we speak to the woman who’s ready to reclaim her voice – even if it shakes.
Midlife is a reckoning – a return to self after years of tending to others. And menopause, in all its discomfort and wisdom, can be the invitation we didn’t know we needed. To pause. To reflect. To shed what no longer serves. And to step into the fullness of our becoming.
This journey is not just personal. It is collective.
By telling our stories, we disrupt the silence. By building community, we dismantle shame. And by honouring midlife and menopause, we honour the sacred, cyclical nature of womanhood itself.
So here we are – standing at the intersection of our roots and our routes. The roots that hold us, and the routes we now choose. I started The Sattva Collective so that no South Asian woman ever has to walk this path alone. Because you are not broken. You are becoming.
And midlife? It’s not the end of your story. It’s the beginning of your most powerful chapter yet.
MORE INFORMATION: Kiran Singh & The Sattva Collective CIC.
The exhibition ‘Unsung Heroes of World War I’ featured historical artifacts, photos and news clippings on the Asian (Indian, Nepalese Bangladeshi – the Indian subcontinent, along with Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesian soldiers in WW1, as well as other moments in South Asian history.
As the saying goes, “Like mother, like daughter.” In the case of creative talents, this couldn’t be more true. The influence of a mother’s creativity can leave a lasting impact on her children, shaping their own artistic endeavours and passions. In this journal I explore the profound impact my mother’s creative legacy has influenced me and how Sohavi was truly born. Roots to routes explores my late mothers life journey from birth in Kenya to India as a teenager and eventually returning to Kenya in her 20’s , to marry my father Sardar Tirlochan Singh Dhamu, to emigrate to London from Nairobi in October 1973 and live out the rest of her life. Despite experiencing loss and trauma, she endured difficulties n her younger years and made the best of her life in my fathers trusting hand, he led her to a new life in London.
As an update from my last article, I can say that the past year has been both adventurous and fulfilling. I’ve faced a mix of opportunities
South Asian Heritage Month dates changed to "July" from 2026 — Learn more here →
