PWN Dublin

Inspirational Stories: ​​Gráinne Schmitz – Learning Inequality by Living It

Published on February 17, 2026 by Lucy Holden

undefinedLike many women, my career has been shaped by ambition, resilience, and reinvention. I’ve experienced the workplace as a young woman finding her voice, as a mother balancing career and care, and as a returner rebuilding confidence. I’ve also navigated the three M’s that influence so many women’s working lives – menstruation, maternity, and menopause. Each stage brought unique challenges and deepened my conviction that women thrive when they are truly supported, seen, and valued.

My path has taken me across corporate roles, entrepreneurship, and leadership. I’ve felt the pressure to adapt to systems not designed with women in mind, and the empowerment that comes from creating your own path.

Today, as Head of Client Services at the Menopause Hub Academy, I help organisations understand the full scope of the three M’s and what they encompass. This includes menstruation and related conditions such as endometriosis, PCOS and PMDD; maternity and motherhood, including pregnancy care, pregnancy loss, IVF and returning to work after childbirth; and menopause, including its different stages, symptoms, treatments, challenges and workplace accommodations. My work focuses on helping organisations build inclusive, compassionate and effective workplaces that recognise and respond to these realities. When women are supported through change, they stay, they lead, and they flourish.

"Women thrive when they are truly supported, seen, and valued."

Working remotely has allowed me to build a career that works with my life, not against it. It gives me the flexibility to be present for my family while continuing to grow professionally. Yet, it has also reminded me of something essential: connection matters. No woman should navigate her career alone. Networks build confidence, community, and possibility, and remind us of our collective strength.

That belief fuels my passion for volunteering and giving back. I’m proud to mentor with Work Equal, supporting progress toward greater equity, and to volunteer as an Event Host with Professional Women’s Network Dublin, a community where women connect, learn, lead, and lift one another.

I’m driven to help change workplace policies, cultures, and systems so women no longer have to sacrifice time with their families, wellbeing, or ambition to succeed. I believe in a future of work where flexibility and progression go hand in hand, and where leadership reflects the diversity of the women stepping into it.

If my journey has taught me anything, it’s this: when women are given space, support, and opportunity to thrive, they don’t just transform their own lives, they change workplaces, communities, and futures. Together, through connection and collective action, we can make that change happen.

"No woman should navigate her career alone."