1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,640 Hello everybody and welcome to a new episode of the Awaken Together podcast. 2 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:19,440 I'm Kat and today my good friend Bridget is going to be joining us as our guest speaker 3 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:22,360 talking all about periods. 4 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:28,440 It's kind of a big topic that us women have been taught that it's not cool to actually 5 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,280 vocalize and there's a lot of shame tied to it. 6 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:34,820 So I'm super excited to tell you a little bit about Bridget. 7 00:00:34,820 --> 00:00:38,320 She is one of my favorite coworkers. 8 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:39,840 We work together right now. 9 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:44,400 She's a marketing baddie and she's also a female hormone coach. 10 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:49,660 So in thinking about who to have on this topic as our speaker, she was like the first person 11 00:00:49,660 --> 00:00:50,660 to come to mind. 12 00:00:50,660 --> 00:00:54,400 So without further ado, welcome Bridget. 13 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:56,400 Hey, what's up? 14 00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:58,560 I'm so happy you're here. 15 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:02,720 I'm so thrilled to be here and I'm even more thrilled I got to pet your dog for like 20 16 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:03,720 minutes than I got here. 17 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:04,720 Oh my god. 18 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:07,720 Minnie is the happiest. 19 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:11,360 But yeah, so excited to just pick your brain a little bit. 20 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:15,880 You've been really helpful for me in my journey of getting off hormonal birth control. 21 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:16,880 Thank you. 22 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:20,400 You are honestly a big reason why I finally took the plunge and did it. 23 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:24,960 Honestly, it makes me feel so honored because I'm like, yay, what I'm doing is important. 24 00:01:24,960 --> 00:01:26,880 It's so important. 25 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:28,680 It really matters. 26 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:33,220 And yeah, I love it if you could just share a little bit with our listeners of like how 27 00:01:33,220 --> 00:01:36,920 you got into all this work, hormone health. 28 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:39,400 Yeah, it's kind of a wild story. 29 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:46,000 So when my husband and I were getting married, I decided to get back on birth control because 30 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:50,920 we were going in as newlyweds and we were like, okay, this is going to be like the exciting 31 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:51,920 times. 32 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:59,200 And I went to my gyno, got on birth control, and a couple months in, I had experienced 33 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:01,120 like very quick weight gain. 34 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:06,200 I had gained 25 pounds in three months. 35 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:11,400 And that's a that's a lot for me quickly, like over time, sure, whatever, but three 36 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:13,360 months, very fast. 37 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:18,520 And I started experiencing really intense depression and anxiety symptoms. 38 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:23,160 And as someone who has dealt with depression and anxiety since I was a teenager, I knew 39 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:24,400 what it felt like. 40 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:27,880 But these symptoms were some of the worst I had ever experienced. 41 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:33,600 I would wake up in the middle of the night with panic attacks where I couldn't breathe 42 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:35,760 for essentially no reason. 43 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:37,520 Like my life was fine. 44 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:39,080 Nothing wild was going on. 45 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:41,700 Like our marriage was doing well. 46 00:02:41,700 --> 00:02:43,480 And I just could not figure it out. 47 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:46,720 I would go to the doctor and I couldn't get answers. 48 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:50,800 And so I started thinking, OK, this this can't be real. 49 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:57,020 They're telling me that I'm fine and it's just in my head and I just need to go home 50 00:02:57,020 --> 00:02:59,440 and de-stress. 51 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,640 And that just didn't sit well in my soul. 52 00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:06,720 So I started doing my own research because that's, you know, sometimes you get pushed 53 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:09,680 to the brink and you're like, well, if no one's going to listen to me, I'm going to 54 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:10,680 figure it out myself. 55 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:11,680 Oh, yeah. 56 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:17,600 And so my first like foot in the door was actually Dr. Jolene Brighton's book, Beyond 57 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:24,400 the Pill, because I had done a bit of Googling and come to the conclusion that, oh, surprisingly, 58 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:28,040 birth control can actually impact depression and anxiety. 59 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:33,200 And if it's symptoms that you already have, it can severely amplify them. 60 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:34,200 Wow. 61 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:35,200 So I started digging in. 62 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:41,480 I purchased her book and I read her book cover to cover within just like two weeks and immediately 63 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:42,480 decided. 64 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:45,120 I went to my husband, we talked about it and we were like, OK, we're going to go off 65 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:46,120 birth control. 66 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:49,680 We're just going to like figure it out as we go along, which was terrifying because 67 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:54,640 at the time I didn't know anything about the in-depth side of cycle syncing. 68 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:59,300 I didn't know what it meant to really track my cycle or understand my period. 69 00:03:59,300 --> 00:04:04,000 And I had been so disconnected from my body that I had no clue. 70 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:06,200 And so it was terrifying at first. 71 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:09,840 We had like one pregnancy scare right away. 72 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:13,820 And after that, I was like, OK, I need to dial this in. 73 00:04:13,820 --> 00:04:19,560 So over the course of, I think, maybe four years now, I've done a ton of research. 74 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:25,920 I went and got two health coaching certifications and have read every book I can get my hands 75 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:33,520 on to really dive in and understand the in-depth female hormone cycle. 76 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:38,980 And it's so much more comprehensive than we've been led to believe. 77 00:04:38,980 --> 00:04:44,440 And it's so much more important and vital to our lives than we've led to believe. 78 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:50,040 Like it has genuinely been like scientifically shown to be another vital sign. 79 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:53,920 Like if you show up at the hospital, they're supposed to check your cycle health and they're 80 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:59,200 supposed to check your period to determine your overall well-being and health. 81 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:05,460 Which is crazy because that's new as in, I don't know, the last 10 years or so. 82 00:05:05,460 --> 00:05:10,680 And that's it's so important and we don't pay attention to it. 83 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:16,240 And we're so disconnected from our bodies that if, oh, if you have really bad cramps 84 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:21,600 or if your breasts are sore or if you have headaches, like, oh, that's just PMS. 85 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:23,360 Like everyone has PMS. 86 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:28,600 It's no big deal when in a perfect world, we would not experience any issues and we 87 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:32,240 would be like bleeding free and live in our best life. 88 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:39,720 Yeah, you were telling me about this yesterday at work and that blew my mind that like experiencing 89 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:45,960 really sore boobs, like leading up to your period isn't just to be expected for everybody. 90 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:47,080 No, it shouldn't. 91 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:51,080 It shouldn't be something that we all have to deal with. 92 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:58,960 Cramps, headaches, fatigue, muscle soreness, just like overall mental tiredness. 93 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:07,280 I mean, anxiety, depression, mood shifts, acne, even any of that stuff shouldn't actually 94 00:06:07,280 --> 00:06:10,080 be something we have to deal with. 95 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:16,080 And we have been so conditioned that, oh, women are just hormonal. 96 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:21,700 Women they just get angry one time of month and we just, oh, women are crazy. 97 00:06:21,700 --> 00:06:23,440 We just got to expect that. 98 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:25,320 People with female hormones are crazy. 99 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:27,360 Like, we just have to expect that. 100 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:28,940 Like, whatever. 101 00:06:28,940 --> 00:06:32,680 And that's just been ingrained and taught to us by the patriarchy. 102 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:34,200 That's not reality. 103 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:39,480 That is something that has been given to us and force fed to us to keep us in our places 104 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:40,960 and out of our power. 105 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:42,360 Oh my God. 106 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:46,640 Well, for so many things I want to say. 107 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:50,120 First, why does this happen to us? 108 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:56,640 In terms of the body, why do we experience the acne, the sore boobs, the really intense 109 00:06:56,640 --> 00:06:57,640 cycles? 110 00:06:57,640 --> 00:06:58,640 Like, what are some of the reasons? 111 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:00,200 I'm sure there's so many. 112 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:06,440 There are so many, but in layman's terms, it's a symptom or a sign of a hormone imbalance. 113 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:11,720 So like me personally right now, a couple of weeks ago, I went on a trip for my anniversary 114 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:13,520 and we were living large. 115 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:15,920 We were eating pizza for every meal. 116 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:19,200 We were drinking so many booze. 117 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:20,640 We were having a great time. 118 00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:25,540 However, when I came home, my body was like, what the fuck, bro? 119 00:07:25,540 --> 00:07:26,800 Why did you do that? 120 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:33,800 And so now, as I am currently menstruating today, I have had very gnarly PMS, which isn't 121 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:35,520 something that I commonly deal with. 122 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:41,760 Normally it's like, oh, maybe like a little bit off, but not like where I'm laid out and 123 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:42,760 have migraine. 124 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:49,700 You know, and it's typically because, oh, like for me, I have high estrogen. 125 00:07:49,700 --> 00:07:58,840 So when you have high estrogen, you can sometimes have sore breasts, mood swings, acne, and 126 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:02,400 headaches are very common symptoms of having higher estrogen. 127 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:07,800 They are also symptoms of other hormone imbalances as well, but they are the ones most commonly 128 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:11,760 connected to estrogen. 129 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:19,680 And yeah, right now I'm trying to even them back out and get myself like back to homeostasis 130 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:26,120 which is not a fun process, but it's so valuable when you can even yourself out and know because 131 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:34,080 I know that how I am right now, this is not who I am because I know what how I feel when 132 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:41,320 I'm healthy is like, and a hormone imbalance is not anything to be scared of. 133 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:44,280 It's not anything that's going to destroy your life. 134 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:48,080 It's not going to, I mean, completely fuck you over. 135 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:53,640 It makes you feel like shit for sure, but it's not the end of the world and it is fixable. 136 00:08:53,640 --> 00:09:00,920 Like with the right workout routine, the right food in your body, the right like exercise. 137 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:06,400 I already said workout, but like movement even outside of exercise, like going on walks 138 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:13,000 or things along those lines can so heavily impact you and heal you. 139 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:17,520 And even time with friends, like what we're doing right now, like that is a healing part 140 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:19,240 of the process. 141 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:21,200 And it's just, it's so crazy. 142 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:26,000 And I mean, hormone imbalance is a hormone imbalance and we honestly, we all have them. 143 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:29,800 Like they're that's, that's just the reality of it. 144 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:33,200 Like every woman on the planet probably has a hormone imbalance. 145 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:36,320 Every person with female hormones probably has a hormone imbalance. 146 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:40,300 Like we just, we just, yeah, we just do. 147 00:09:40,300 --> 00:09:41,400 It's what you eat. 148 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:44,440 It's the products you put on and in your body. 149 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:46,080 It's the environment that you're in. 150 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:47,480 It's your job. 151 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:49,320 It's your exercise. 152 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:55,080 It's what you drink, what you listen to, what you watch, everything affects it. 153 00:09:55,080 --> 00:09:56,080 It's insane. 154 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:57,080 Mind boggling. 155 00:09:57,080 --> 00:09:58,080 Yeah. 156 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:03,360 Well, one thing that comes to mind too is PCOS, right? 157 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:05,120 Like polycystic ovarian syndrome. 158 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:10,880 I have some friends who have experienced this in the past, some former clients too, who 159 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:14,440 I've worked with and I'm not like a hormone coach. 160 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:21,360 So one thing that while I was researching, working with these women on the topic is that 161 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:27,640 one of the first things that doctors recommend to them as teens is to get on hormonal birth 162 00:10:27,640 --> 00:10:29,200 control. 163 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:31,120 How do you feel about that? 164 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:32,720 I mean, okay. 165 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:37,160 So take this at the grain of salt because I'm not a doctor, but I don't think that should 166 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:40,560 be the first step in the process. 167 00:10:40,560 --> 00:10:45,120 I firmly believe that there should be other avenues considered. 168 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:51,880 I think unfortunately a lot of our amazing doctors on this planet have so much education 169 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:56,920 around their speciality, but the body is not just one part. 170 00:10:56,920 --> 00:11:01,840 The body is a whole and all of our systems are intertwined and work together. 171 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:09,200 And nutrition and lifestyle play a huge, huge part in that. 172 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:14,000 So literally going to McDonald's, I'm not hating on McDonald's, I love me some french 173 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:16,040 fries and some ice cream. 174 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:21,000 Don't get me wrong here, but if I'm eating McDonald's five times a week versus one time 175 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:24,720 a week, that is really impacting my hormones. 176 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:31,000 Versus if I'm having a smoothie for breakfast along with a piece of toast and some walnuts, 177 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:33,520 that is helping my hormones. 178 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:39,800 And it's not to say that weight has really much to do with it or anything along those 179 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:40,800 lines. 180 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:43,720 It's like, okay, what is your body telling you by how you feel? 181 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:46,320 Do you feel good right now? 182 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:48,320 Not like, oh, my pants don't fit. 183 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:50,920 It's like, yeah, sure, your pants don't fit, buy a bigger pair. 184 00:11:50,920 --> 00:11:54,260 But do you feel mentally aware? 185 00:11:54,260 --> 00:11:57,440 Do you feel like you have energy to hang out with your friends today? 186 00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:01,840 Do you feel like you can go to that meeting at work and not take a nap in the back of 187 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:02,840 the room? 188 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:06,280 There are so many things that we can consider when it comes to health. 189 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:11,160 And I personally, like when I was 14, I got put on birth control, hormonal birth control, 190 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:12,160 just for acne. 191 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:13,160 Wow. 192 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:14,160 They didn't ask questions. 193 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:15,640 My mom, I mean, my mom didn't know anything. 194 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:19,640 She didn't ask questions, but they were like, hey, slap it on you. 195 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:25,640 And I was on birth control for eight years as a teen in my early 20s, which is why I 196 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:29,720 had to get back on it when I was getting married because I hadn't been on it for such a long 197 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:30,720 time. 198 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:31,720 I was like, it's fine, whatever. 199 00:12:31,720 --> 00:12:39,640 But it's like what it does is it disconnects you from how you're actually feeling. 200 00:12:39,640 --> 00:12:43,040 So when you go on hormonal birth control, essentially what it does is it stops your 201 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:44,460 natural hormone production. 202 00:12:44,460 --> 00:12:49,820 So you don't ovulate because when you're not ovulating, you can't get pregnant. 203 00:12:49,820 --> 00:12:53,820 So when it stops it, great. 204 00:12:53,820 --> 00:12:54,820 We're not ovulating. 205 00:12:54,820 --> 00:12:55,820 Okay, we can't get pregnant. 206 00:12:55,820 --> 00:12:56,820 Like that's a win. 207 00:12:56,820 --> 00:12:59,920 And I'm not going to say that birth control is like this horrible thing because it's done 208 00:12:59,920 --> 00:13:03,720 a lot for women and people with female hormones. 209 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:07,360 It's done so much for us, which shout out, we probably wouldn't be able to vote if we 210 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:09,840 didn't have that sort of thing. 211 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:11,280 It's crazy. 212 00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:17,560 But it completely disconnects us in a way that says, hey, I'm going to get rid of your 213 00:13:17,560 --> 00:13:21,440 real hormones and I'm going to replace them with these synthetic hormones. 214 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:25,400 And I'm going to tell your body what it's feeling and I'm just going to cover up the 215 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:26,400 symptoms. 216 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:27,400 I'm not actually healing you. 217 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:34,080 I'm just kind of putting a bandaid on it so you can survive the thing versus healing, 218 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:38,000 which looks so much longer and so different. 219 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:42,280 And I know that you're kind of in the process of healing from hormonal birth control right 220 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:46,440 now and it's a long process. 221 00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:52,880 Because typically, in most cases, it can take one month for every year that you are on hormonal 222 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:55,960 birth control to heal your real hormones. 223 00:13:55,960 --> 00:14:01,440 That, yeah, learning that from you was like earth shattering for me thinking about like 224 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:05,960 I was on birth control, hormonal birth control for 11 years straight. 225 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:12,560 And then I took a little bit of a break before that, but cumulatively, probably like 16 years. 226 00:14:12,560 --> 00:14:19,040 And so thinking about how it'll take me at least about a year for my body to fully heal, 227 00:14:19,040 --> 00:14:21,720 to fully heal, that's earth shattering. 228 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:29,120 And it's just crazy because thinking like one day I want kids and my whole idea is to 229 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:36,160 have my body be in a really good healed shape where I'm not, my hormones are happy, my period's 230 00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:37,160 normal. 231 00:14:37,160 --> 00:14:43,800 I've had that like 11 months to a year where I'm just completely on my own and just balanced 232 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:44,800 out. 233 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:50,960 And so, yeah, I mean, kind of going back to one thing you said about modern medicine and 234 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:56,400 doctors and all of that, they're trained really, really well to treat symptoms. 235 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:57,400 Yes. 236 00:14:57,400 --> 00:14:59,440 Not the root cause. 237 00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:02,920 And so I think that's also why we're seeing so much of this. 238 00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:10,080 Like in our nutrition school, IIN, that we both did, a big thing that I remember learning 239 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:16,400 is that in modern medicine, doctors, they are so knowledgeable on so many things, but 240 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:19,560 diet and lifestyle is not one. 241 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:20,560 Yes. 242 00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:21,560 Yeah. 243 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:22,560 Yeah. 244 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:26,560 And so I have a funny little anecdote about this. 245 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:32,960 So my entire life, I had had really gnarly stomach issues and I would go to the doctor 246 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:33,960 and they're like, oh, you're just anxious. 247 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:34,960 You're just anxious. 248 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:35,960 And I was like, I don't know. 249 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:36,960 It doesn't feel like anxiety. 250 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:38,880 Like I know what anxiety feels like, doesn't feel like this. 251 00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:43,760 And when I turned 22, I had like the worst stomach pain of my entire life. 252 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:46,480 I went to multiple doctors, had multiple blood tests done. 253 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:52,440 I literally, this is so dramatic, but I legitimately thought I was dying like, cause I could not 254 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:53,440 get out of bed. 255 00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:56,080 I would get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and my roommate would 256 00:15:56,080 --> 00:16:00,040 find me like passed out on the floor in the hallway of our dorm, like trying to walk to 257 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:01,040 the bathroom. 258 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:04,320 Luckily she was in school to be a nurse, so she loved it. 259 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:07,320 She was like, oh my God, I get to use all the things I'm learning at school. 260 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:09,320 And I was like, this is a great study. 261 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:11,160 I was like, this is great. 262 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:15,800 So I finally decided to like leave school and go back and live with my parents because 263 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:18,240 I was like, I am so physically ill. 264 00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:20,480 I shouldn't be walking to school. 265 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:22,240 I shouldn't be walking to class. 266 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:26,720 So I go home and my mom's like, Hey, my friend told me about this really cool homeopathic 267 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:29,440 doctor and this is in Dallas, Texas. 268 00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:32,040 And I'm like, okay, I've literally tried everything. 269 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:34,920 Like take me to whoever, whatever. 270 00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:40,600 So I go in, I meet with this doctor and he like sets intentions and like brings in peace 271 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:41,600 into the room. 272 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:46,480 And before we even start the examination, he does a couple of presses on my like pelvis 273 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:47,480 and stomach. 274 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:50,080 He's like, okay, I'm going to have you go do a blood test. 275 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:51,280 He does blood tests. 276 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:52,400 I come back in the office. 277 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:56,840 I answer more questions and he's like, okay, well, good news is you're not dying. 278 00:16:56,840 --> 00:17:00,480 We have to wait a little while to get your blood test results, but I think you're severely 279 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:01,800 allergic to gluten. 280 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:02,800 Wow. 281 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:04,680 And I'm like, what is gluten? 282 00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:08,760 Like this was before everything and its mom was gluten free. 283 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:09,760 Right. 284 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:11,720 And I'm like, okay, like tell me more about it. 285 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:15,800 So he's like for the next two weeks, I want you to go home and just completely cut out 286 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:19,320 all gluten and come back to me and see how you feel and we'll go over your blood test 287 00:17:19,320 --> 00:17:20,440 results. 288 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:25,360 So I turns out I completely removed gluten, literally healed in a week. 289 00:17:25,360 --> 00:17:26,360 Oh my God. 290 00:17:26,360 --> 00:17:27,360 That's insane. 291 00:17:27,360 --> 00:17:28,360 Absolutely wild. 292 00:17:28,360 --> 00:17:34,080 Like I, since that day, it's been, I don't know, eight years, nine years since I was 293 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:39,280 in his office and have not experienced even remotely the same pain that I did before because 294 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:40,600 I cut gluten out of my diet. 295 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:42,640 And that's like so crazy. 296 00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:47,000 And just like one of the ways, but it's like Western medicine didn't catch this. 297 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:53,600 And because this person was trained on how lifestyle and nutrition also interacts and 298 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:57,520 impacts the body, I was able to like find healing in that. 299 00:17:57,520 --> 00:17:58,520 And I was like, holy mackerel. 300 00:17:58,520 --> 00:17:59,520 Oh my gosh. 301 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:04,880 And that's why like viewing health holistically is the only way that we can be doing it. 302 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:05,880 So important. 303 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:06,880 Oh my gosh. 304 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:08,880 I'm so happy you found those answers. 305 00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:09,880 Finally. 306 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:10,880 Same. 307 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:11,880 God. 308 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:12,880 Yeah. 309 00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:13,880 So, wow. 310 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:22,120 I mean, going back to like doctors using birth control as a crutch to treat like acne to 311 00:18:22,120 --> 00:18:26,320 treat PCOS to treat so many different things. 312 00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:32,760 Like it seems like a very much product of our society of like easy fixes. 313 00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:34,360 Just like serotonin hits. 314 00:18:34,360 --> 00:18:37,320 Just like quick fixes, easy wins. 315 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:41,920 And it's kind of like a laziness, I think. 316 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:49,480 Yeah, I struggle with that because I have such a soft spot for doctors, which is like 317 00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:53,720 kind of silly because they kind of have screwed me over in so many circumstances. 318 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:57,820 But it's also that like they're not trained in school. 319 00:18:57,820 --> 00:18:58,820 They don't know. 320 00:18:58,820 --> 00:19:03,760 So most of the doctors that we're going in to see have, I mean, yes, they could go seek 321 00:19:03,760 --> 00:19:09,040 out and they could all go get health integrative health coach degrees and certifications. 322 00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:12,760 And yes, but like they've already done 12 years of school, like adding in another six 323 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:15,920 months to a year is not probably doesn't sound super appealing. 324 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:16,920 Right. 325 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:19,400 So yes, they could do that. 326 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:22,400 But also like they don't have that education. 327 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:28,040 So I have so much grace for it because we are in this space now where people like you 328 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:34,480 and me and dietitians and all of these kinds of people who do understand more about nutrition 329 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:40,320 and lifestyle exist on the planet, which is really cool because we get to kind of partner 330 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:46,120 with doctors in a way that's like, OK, like you read their blood tests or you take their 331 00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:48,560 blood tests and I'll read them or however. 332 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:52,640 And then we can go over that and decide based off of that, like what the best plan to get 333 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:54,280 them started with would be. 334 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:58,800 Because in every instance, like sometimes you do need medication, you know, especially 335 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:00,320 for like mental health stuff. 336 00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:01,320 Yeah. 337 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:02,320 Right. 338 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:05,800 Like in some instances, Western medicine is so valuable and so important. 339 00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:11,120 But in other instances, it's like, OK, we wouldn't necessarily need as much medication 340 00:20:11,120 --> 00:20:16,000 if we would just like swap this for this other thing. 341 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:18,340 It's like such a good perspective. 342 00:20:18,340 --> 00:20:19,880 And I so agree. 343 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:23,200 And it becomes a point of like, who's teaching the doctors? 344 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:26,360 How can we get this information into their hands? 345 00:20:26,360 --> 00:20:28,480 We could tear down the patriarchy. 346 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:29,480 Seriously. 347 00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:30,480 Oh my God. 348 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:34,760 I mean, at the end of the day, like that is the root cause. 349 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:36,640 That is the root cause of all of it. 350 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:39,560 But that's another topic for another time. 351 00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:41,000 It's all intertwined, right? 352 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:42,000 Yeah. 353 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:47,800 With you, it's I say this a lot, but we're in the age of Aquarius where old patterns, 354 00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:49,040 there's no space for it. 355 00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:56,440 And so this uprising of female energy and she's in a way at that patriarchal block. 356 00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:57,440 We're doing it. 357 00:20:57,440 --> 00:20:58,440 Yeah. 358 00:20:58,440 --> 00:20:59,440 Just a lot of time. 359 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:03,360 When you say female energy, it just makes me really excited because the women that I've 360 00:21:03,360 --> 00:21:08,840 worked with, like seeing them step into their power through connecting to their bodies or 361 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:15,960 like reconnecting to the true body that they live in is like one of the most impactful 362 00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:19,360 and beautiful things I've ever seen. 363 00:21:19,360 --> 00:21:24,600 I had this amazing client earlier this year and they came to me and they were like, I 364 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:25,600 just don't feel feminine. 365 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:29,120 Like I don't feel feminine in my body and I want to reconnect my feminine. 366 00:21:29,120 --> 00:21:33,320 And through working with them, we discovered that it's not necessarily that they don't 367 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:35,480 that they need to reconnect to their feminine. 368 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:41,000 It was that they needed to reframe how they viewed feminine and masculine within themselves 369 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:48,120 because there are some people who are women and identify as women that present more masculinely 370 00:21:48,120 --> 00:21:50,000 and that is totally okay. 371 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:51,880 That doesn't mean you don't have feminine energy. 372 00:21:51,880 --> 00:21:58,720 It just means that within you, your person, it's flowing differently and that's not bad. 373 00:21:58,720 --> 00:22:03,160 But through working with this client, we were able to understand that like, oh, their masculine 374 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:07,180 energy is actually working really well with their feminine energy. 375 00:22:07,180 --> 00:22:11,560 And when they're hanging out with these people that have very high feminine energy, like 376 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:18,680 their partner, they even doubt and we're so cohesive and so sweet together. 377 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:20,720 And it was just like one of the most amazing things. 378 00:22:20,720 --> 00:22:25,360 And it was so cool to see them realize like, oh, there's not actually anything wrong with 379 00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:26,360 me. 380 00:22:26,360 --> 00:22:30,540 Like I'm totally perfect and awesome. 381 00:22:30,540 --> 00:22:33,100 Just the way that I am, I just needed to step into it. 382 00:22:33,100 --> 00:22:35,600 And it was like, it was, it was so cool. 383 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:38,480 And I just like literally could cry thinking about them because like that was just the 384 00:22:38,480 --> 00:22:39,960 sweetest moment ever. 385 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:42,040 It sounds so empowering. 386 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:48,280 And that's also where I see like the spiritual side of all of this work coming into play. 387 00:22:48,280 --> 00:22:49,280 Yes. 388 00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:54,400 One in a past episode, Jen and I talked about with astrology, reading your chart, you can 389 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:59,040 literally get a breakdown of your feminine and your masculine and how that balance works 390 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:00,040 out. 391 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:04,080 And with both Jen and I, we have more masculine placements than our husbands do. 392 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:10,600 And so we feel that like on a soul level because like here we are like being super strong independent 393 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:17,920 women and having husbands who like really encourage us to feel and talk about our emotions. 394 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:19,120 Yeah, that's so awesome. 395 00:23:19,120 --> 00:23:24,760 Just like this watery element that both of us air signs really lack in our charts. 396 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:29,080 And so yeah, I think it all it's like yes and it's all together. 397 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:31,560 Yeah, it's so fucking cool. 398 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:38,120 Like just when we lean into that and what's so crazy is when we're on any type of hormonal 399 00:23:38,120 --> 00:23:44,000 birth control, whether it's an IUD or a pill or a patch or an implant, whatever it is, 400 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:49,000 right, we because our body is not creating hormones anymore and it's being replaced 401 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:53,080 with chemicals or like chemical versions of hormones. 402 00:23:53,080 --> 00:23:59,040 We the receptor that sends our brain signals of what's truly going on is like basically 403 00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:02,400 just like shut down the lights turned off, it's on pause. 404 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:07,360 So when you're experiencing emotion, like there have actually been studies on this that 405 00:24:07,360 --> 00:24:13,680 people have not chosen partners who are true to them because of being on hormonal birth 406 00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:14,680 control. 407 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:18,880 Like it literally changes the way that your brain chemistry can work. 408 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:23,520 So like there are many people who have like gone off of hormonal birth control within 409 00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:27,680 a relationship and been like, oh my god, like I'm not straight. 410 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:34,960 Or like, oh my god, you are like way too similar to me and like this just isn't like this just 411 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:35,960 doesn't work. 412 00:24:35,960 --> 00:24:43,840 And it's so crazy to just see how when we are not connected to ourselves, our decisions 413 00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:44,840 change. 414 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:45,840 Yeah. 415 00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:49,480 And so when we are able to reconnect to our bodies and listen to the signals that sending 416 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:55,520 us into connect to our emotions and things like that, we become better business people. 417 00:24:55,520 --> 00:24:56,880 We become better partners. 418 00:24:56,880 --> 00:24:58,280 We become better friends. 419 00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:05,040 We become better dog and cat moms and parents and plant parents and like literally better 420 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:06,600 in every way. 421 00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:11,680 And this I've seen so much my own relationship with my husband because before when I was 422 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:16,800 on the pill, I was like, I could not communicate anything clearly. 423 00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:20,100 Like we would get in arguments and I would just absolutely shut down. 424 00:25:20,100 --> 00:25:26,140 And now I have the clarity to be like, okay, like I'm feeling this and what I need from 425 00:25:26,140 --> 00:25:27,520 you is this. 426 00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:32,560 And it's just helped him and me connect so much more deeply because I can advocate for 427 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:39,240 myself and he's also able to hear me better because I'm not reacting in a crazy, like 428 00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:41,000 not true to me way. 429 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:42,000 Yeah. 430 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:43,000 Which is so insane. 431 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:44,000 I resonate too. 432 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:45,520 I resonate with that too. 433 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:50,960 And it feels like it feels like hormonal birth control acts as like a mask for intuitions 434 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:52,960 in some ways. 435 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:58,600 And yeah, for me, when I was on the pill, I called myself like the steadiest person I 436 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:01,000 ever knew, which is a weird thing to say. 437 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:02,000 Right? 438 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:06,140 Like Kyle would say it and like I had friends who would just say, yeah, you're always happy. 439 00:26:06,140 --> 00:26:08,700 Like you're always just so steady and good. 440 00:26:08,700 --> 00:26:11,480 And I'd be like, yeah, I am. 441 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:12,480 I'm the best. 442 00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:13,480 I know. 443 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:17,680 I feel great all the time to a point where it was like maybe a little weird. 444 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:18,680 Yeah. 445 00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:23,560 And then getting off the pill, I was completely rocked. 446 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:28,720 Like I was for the first two months just, and it didn't show up until maybe like a month 447 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:29,720 in. 448 00:26:29,720 --> 00:26:35,800 But I around the time where I should have gotten my period based on like, yeah, I think 449 00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:36,800 I remember this. 450 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:37,800 You remember? 451 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:38,800 Yeah. 452 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:39,800 It was one day at work where I just started crying. 453 00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:40,800 Yeah. 454 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:43,600 When we were doing our personal check in of like, how are you? 455 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:46,960 And I was just like, I just started tearing up. 456 00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:50,800 I was like not steady, which also totally okay. 457 00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:51,800 Yeah. 458 00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:55,760 It just felt so on me that I was just shocked. 459 00:26:55,760 --> 00:26:58,760 And any little thing would set me off. 460 00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:04,680 And I remember talking with Kyle because my cancer, my water husband just like so in touch 461 00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:06,120 with his emotions. 462 00:27:06,120 --> 00:27:10,160 And I remember being like, is this how you feel all the time? 463 00:27:10,160 --> 00:27:11,840 He's like, yeah, dude. 464 00:27:11,840 --> 00:27:19,080 I was just like previously so like unable to really connect with like the highs and 465 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:26,040 the lows because I was just so flat line steady all the time that it has now like that I have 466 00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:29,800 leveled out my hormones a bit in three months since getting off of it. 467 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:33,080 Still haven't gotten my period, but it'll come. 468 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:34,080 Not pregnant. 469 00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:36,400 This happened to me last time I got off the pill. 470 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:38,800 I didn't get it for nine months, just to say. 471 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:40,720 So I'm not really concerned. 472 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:41,720 We can do it. 473 00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:42,720 We're here. 474 00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:43,720 We're doing it. 475 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:46,680 We're able to connect so much more. 476 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:52,360 Because I have that sense of like empathy because I've felt now the highs and the lows 477 00:27:52,360 --> 00:27:55,360 and I feel it more regularly on an ongoing basis. 478 00:27:55,360 --> 00:27:58,720 It's done wonders for our relationship too. 479 00:27:58,720 --> 00:27:59,720 I love that. 480 00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:01,520 That's so good. 481 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:05,980 It's also like I think with what you do work wise, like working with so many different 482 00:28:05,980 --> 00:28:10,960 people and personalities, it helps you to be able to really connect to them how they 483 00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:17,680 need it in a way that's authentic versus like having to try and show up in that way when 484 00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:22,760 you're like, but I don't feel like I can match you there because I haven't necessarily experienced 485 00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:26,440 that emotion for myself recently or, you know, exactly. 486 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:29,760 Like I'm great at holding space before. 487 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:35,840 It's because like I was just steady all the time and I had like a built in guard. 488 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:39,240 Like I take on people's energies because I was just so steady. 489 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:42,600 And now I'm enjoying holding space for a different reason. 490 00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:47,760 It's like I can connect a little bit deeper heart to heart. 491 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:51,040 But I can still draw my energy back and like put those ties. 492 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:55,720 Which that is such a valuable lesson to learn to like even through this process is understanding 493 00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:59,440 where your energy ends and where someone else's begins. 494 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:03,040 Because when we aren't connected to our bodies, we can't figure that out. 495 00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:06,800 It's so hard to be like, oh, that's not mine. 496 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:12,080 To not keep it or to like rinse it off or to throw it away or to like just literally 497 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:13,800 say that's not my energy. 498 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:15,840 We have a good friend at work. 499 00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:21,720 And if someone comes in their space, that's like kind of off or like has bad vibes, they 500 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:25,480 will literally out loud say that's not mine. 501 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:27,120 I'm not keeping it. 502 00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:28,120 Take it back. 503 00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:32,160 Like after the person leaves, obviously, like you're not going to say to their face like, 504 00:29:32,160 --> 00:29:34,000 hey, you have bad energy. 505 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:39,320 But like once they walk away and they're in their own area and like it's safe with people 506 00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:41,080 that they know they're like, that's not my energy. 507 00:29:41,080 --> 00:29:42,080 I'm not keeping that. 508 00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:44,960 And I'm like, that is so impressive. 509 00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:49,160 Just to understand and recognize that and be so in touch with yourself and your body 510 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:52,520 and understand like, okay, like, I don't need to absorb that today. 511 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:54,120 Yeah, hell yeah. 512 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:55,120 So cool. 513 00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:56,120 I love it so much. 514 00:29:56,120 --> 00:29:57,120 That's a great tip. 515 00:29:57,120 --> 00:29:58,120 Yeah, throw it off. 516 00:29:58,120 --> 00:29:59,120 Practice that more. 517 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:00,120 Just like speak it. 518 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:02,240 Yeah, we all needed you. 519 00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:03,240 Exactly. 520 00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:08,880 So I feel like we've gotten to the bottom that getting off of hormonal birth control, 521 00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:13,400 if you're in the place in your life to do so, I mean, even to switch to another form 522 00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:17,320 of birth control potentially is kind of like a spiritual practice. 523 00:30:17,320 --> 00:30:19,520 I would say yeah, I'd say so. 524 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:20,520 Right. 525 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:21,960 So yeah, thinking about that. 526 00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:26,440 And for any listeners that we might have who are interested to potentially start this process 527 00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:27,440 for themselves. 528 00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:28,440 Yeah. 529 00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:31,640 What like first intro tips would you give? 530 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:36,800 First intro tips would be do your research before you get off and be prepared before 531 00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:39,280 you get off for the shifts. 532 00:30:39,280 --> 00:30:43,600 Because a lot of people that I have had the pleasure of working with or know as friends 533 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:48,840 and have like given recommendations to kind of just like this is what I did. 534 00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:50,960 I kind of like read a book and was like, fuck it. 535 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:53,360 I'm just literally stopping the pill tomorrow. 536 00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:54,540 Hell girl. 537 00:30:54,540 --> 00:30:56,520 Which isn't recommended. 538 00:30:56,520 --> 00:30:58,960 You shouldn't just like stop taking the pill. 539 00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:04,480 You kind of need to like taper off of it because your body's used to taking it. 540 00:31:04,480 --> 00:31:08,920 That if you just like jump ship, it could mess you up a little bit more than you needed 541 00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:09,920 it to. 542 00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:12,240 I am a testament to that. 543 00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:16,800 So I would recommend slowly if you're on the pill, tapering it off. 544 00:31:16,800 --> 00:31:21,820 And if you have like an IUD, I have a really good girlfriend who got her IUD out earlier 545 00:31:21,820 --> 00:31:27,940 this year and she prepared a month in advance to get her IUD out. 546 00:31:27,940 --> 00:31:34,520 And I want to say this is like, if you go to your gynecologist and they are not a functional 547 00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:39,600 gynecologist or a homeopathic gynecologist or someone who understands the other side 548 00:31:39,600 --> 00:31:45,560 of medicine, like nutritional lifestyle based, they will encourage you to stay on the pill 549 00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:50,380 most likely and kind of not. 550 00:31:50,380 --> 00:31:55,020 This is my friend's case and this was in my case as well as they were very adamant about 551 00:31:55,020 --> 00:32:00,440 us not getting off of hormonal birth control because, oh, it's going to mess you up and 552 00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:03,520 you're going to all of your all of your signs and symptoms are going to come back and you're 553 00:32:03,520 --> 00:32:04,960 going to feel worse than before. 554 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:09,520 And like, yes, all of that is true, but it's not a reason to stay on birth control. 555 00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:10,920 Seriously. 556 00:32:10,920 --> 00:32:14,520 And it's also they aren't providing you with another resource. 557 00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:17,200 They're not providing you with education. 558 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:21,320 And my recommendation would be if you really personally want to get off of hormonal birth 559 00:32:21,320 --> 00:32:25,760 control, like go into the situation ready to advocate for yourself. 560 00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:29,800 And if you can't advocate for yourself, bring someone in your life who you know can advocate 561 00:32:29,800 --> 00:32:32,280 for you well on your behalf. 562 00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:36,120 That's an awesome tip because like I know for me, if I told my husband, hey, I want 563 00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:40,040 to go off hormonal birth control and we went to the doctor and I was feeling wishy washy, 564 00:32:40,040 --> 00:32:45,660 he would advocate very heavily for me because I mean, well now he knows that I'm so much 565 00:32:45,660 --> 00:32:48,920 better off of birth control because I actually understand myself. 566 00:32:48,920 --> 00:32:54,220 But also like he wants me to feel healthy and well and he wants to fight for me in any 567 00:32:54,220 --> 00:32:55,220 case scenario. 568 00:32:55,220 --> 00:33:01,020 So if you have a friend like that, a parent, a partner, anybody that can advocate for you 569 00:33:01,020 --> 00:33:04,680 if you're not in the space to do that for yourself, invite them along into your journey 570 00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:07,080 because we all need that support. 571 00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:14,200 And outside of that, I would say give yourself a month to prepare knowing what kind of food 572 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:19,280 you should eat coming off the pill that will help get your hormones in line, that can help 573 00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:22,640 ease you into the process. 574 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:27,360 My best recommendation if you want something like if you can't hire a health coach or a 575 00:33:27,360 --> 00:33:33,680 hormone coach would be to buy the book Beyond the Pill by Dr. Jolene Brighton and the book 576 00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:36,000 Woman Code by Alyssa Vede. 577 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:40,640 Those are my top two recommendations for people who want to do the research themselves and 578 00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:48,300 want to learn how to come off the pill in a healthy, holistic, sustainable way. 579 00:33:48,300 --> 00:33:51,760 Just because all of our bodies are so different. 580 00:33:51,760 --> 00:33:58,720 This is a big thing they teach to us in IIN where Kat and I both went is bio individuality. 581 00:33:58,720 --> 00:34:04,600 How I am coming off the pill might be so different than how Kat experienced coming off the pill. 582 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:10,240 And my friend who came off her IUD is so different than how I experienced it. 583 00:34:10,240 --> 00:34:12,680 She bounced back super quickly. 584 00:34:12,680 --> 00:34:16,920 Her body within two and a half months, she was having her period regularly. 585 00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:19,400 She was not having really bad cramps. 586 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:21,720 She bounced back very, very quickly. 587 00:34:21,720 --> 00:34:26,560 But I also believe that's because she started prepping herself before. 588 00:34:26,560 --> 00:34:35,480 And then I would say my next recommendation would be to use a condom every single time 589 00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:41,000 you have sex until you understand your cycle. 590 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:47,840 Because personal snafus over here, if you don't, you could wind up with a pregnancy 591 00:34:47,840 --> 00:34:48,840 scare. 592 00:34:48,840 --> 00:34:51,040 And usually, that's not what you want. 593 00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:53,080 No, not right away. 594 00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:55,120 Any of us like pregnancy scares. 595 00:34:55,120 --> 00:34:56,680 I think it's safe to say. 596 00:34:56,680 --> 00:34:59,380 Yeah, we're trying to avoid those at all costs, most likely. 597 00:34:59,380 --> 00:35:03,080 So I would say like, go into talk with your partner. 598 00:35:03,080 --> 00:35:07,200 And most likely, if your partner is supportive of you coming off the pill, they will be like, 599 00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:09,840 oh, for sure, like, I'll totally use a condom. 600 00:35:09,840 --> 00:35:13,040 And if they don't, that's a whole other discussion for another day. 601 00:35:13,040 --> 00:35:15,520 Yeah, let's really reconsider that partner. 602 00:35:15,520 --> 00:35:19,480 But you know, that's just my personal opinion. 603 00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:25,280 But use a condom every single time until you are very, very, very dialed into your cycle. 604 00:35:25,280 --> 00:35:30,400 And then my next recommendation would be to start taking it easier on yourself when it 605 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:32,480 comes to physical movement. 606 00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:35,840 Like if you know, in the next month and a half, you want to come off the pill, like 607 00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:38,640 maybe don't train for a marathon. 608 00:35:38,640 --> 00:35:41,640 You know, let's do some disheveled girl walks. 609 00:35:41,640 --> 00:35:44,280 Let's let's do some pilates. 610 00:35:44,280 --> 00:35:45,360 Let's go to yoga. 611 00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:51,160 Like maybe don't do a sculpt class like maybe do like a power vinyasa or like, like a cool 612 00:35:51,160 --> 00:35:57,700 down or some Hatha or something like more chill and really focus on like slowing down 613 00:35:57,700 --> 00:36:02,340 your body and tuning in and listening more. 614 00:36:02,340 --> 00:36:07,800 And also I would strongly advocate, I'm sure met Kat would as well for meditation. 615 00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:11,920 Meditation is such a great way to learn how to listen to yourself more clearly and to 616 00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:16,280 sit with yourself more clearly because that is something while being on birth control 617 00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:20,200 that you don't necessarily get the power to do. 618 00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:23,540 So when you come off, everything's going to be crazy. 619 00:36:23,540 --> 00:36:27,840 And you'll really want to learn how to tune in and understand like what's actually happening 620 00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:34,800 versus what's like a symptom of coming off the pill or what is like your hormones waving 621 00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:38,640 and know what your true north is. 622 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:39,640 Absolutely. 623 00:36:39,640 --> 00:36:45,560 So it sounds like leaning into the feminine energies of like slowness, the left side, 624 00:36:45,560 --> 00:36:48,640 the cool side, slowing down and. 625 00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:49,640 Yeah. 626 00:36:49,640 --> 00:36:51,920 If I could, I can do bullet points for you. 627 00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:56,320 So talk with your doctor, ease off of birth control. 628 00:36:56,320 --> 00:36:58,380 If you can, I would ease different. 629 00:36:58,380 --> 00:37:01,840 If you can't advocate for yourself, bring someone with you. 630 00:37:01,840 --> 00:37:05,720 Start to prepare a month in advance by doing research. 631 00:37:05,720 --> 00:37:10,360 Read some books like Beyond the Pill by Dr. Jolene Brighton and Woman Code by Elissa 632 00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:13,200 Vitti or listen to them if you're more of a listener. 633 00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:14,200 That's me. 634 00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:16,980 I mean, it's great for a walk. 635 00:37:16,980 --> 00:37:18,200 Slow down your movement. 636 00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:21,880 So take it slow and add in meditation. 637 00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:22,880 Amazing tips. 638 00:37:22,880 --> 00:37:24,800 I wish I had asked you about this. 639 00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:29,080 Before, I just lost my pill at Electric Forest and decided that's it. 640 00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:30,080 It's a sign from the universe. 641 00:37:30,080 --> 00:37:31,080 We're doing it. 642 00:37:31,080 --> 00:37:33,040 We're getting off it right now. 643 00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:34,600 And then I found it like two months later. 644 00:37:34,600 --> 00:37:36,600 I was like, well, we're off. 645 00:37:36,600 --> 00:37:41,800 I will say if that does happen to any of the listeners, do not be worried. 646 00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:43,120 Kat's handling it very well. 647 00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:44,120 Thank you. 648 00:37:44,120 --> 00:37:46,320 And you also like I did the same thing. 649 00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:49,220 I was just like, I'm getting off the pill tomorrow. 650 00:37:49,220 --> 00:37:53,720 So I just like literally threw away my pill pack and was like, we're doing it. 651 00:37:53,720 --> 00:37:55,680 Not the best idea, but it's not the end of the world. 652 00:37:55,680 --> 00:38:00,300 You can still totally heal your hormones and you can work your way back to equilibrium. 653 00:38:00,300 --> 00:38:04,320 It just might look a little bit differently than if you are able to prepare. 654 00:38:04,320 --> 00:38:08,680 So if that does happen to you or if you are just a wild card and you decide, fuck it, 655 00:38:08,680 --> 00:38:10,860 I'm going to throw it away and I don't care. 656 00:38:10,860 --> 00:38:11,860 You know what? 657 00:38:11,860 --> 00:38:12,860 We can do this. 658 00:38:12,860 --> 00:38:13,860 You've got it. 659 00:38:13,860 --> 00:38:14,860 You're fine. 660 00:38:14,860 --> 00:38:20,160 And I also want to say that clearly after hearing all of this knowledge from Bridget, 661 00:38:20,160 --> 00:38:27,020 she is an expert on this and this is literally what she does as a female hormone health coach. 662 00:38:27,020 --> 00:38:33,720 So ways to connect with Bridget because she, I mean, if any of this sounds like a lot of 663 00:38:33,720 --> 00:38:37,360 information, it is. 664 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:43,600 It would be such a great service to yourself to tap into someone who could help you high 665 00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:49,200 level with all of this and get into it and just have a little cheerleader because you're 666 00:38:49,200 --> 00:38:50,200 so that for me. 667 00:38:50,200 --> 00:38:51,200 Thanks. 668 00:38:51,200 --> 00:38:52,200 Thank you. 669 00:38:52,200 --> 00:38:53,200 Yeah. 670 00:38:53,200 --> 00:38:56,480 What are some ways that our listeners can connect with you? 671 00:38:56,480 --> 00:39:03,280 Well on Instagram, I am at the desertmoon.co and I also have a TikTok, but that's just 672 00:39:03,280 --> 00:39:04,720 outfit of the days. 673 00:39:04,720 --> 00:39:09,160 So if you are interested in hormones, Instagram is the place to be. 674 00:39:09,160 --> 00:39:13,460 If you're interested in outfits, TikTok is the place to be, which is the desertmoonco 675 00:39:13,460 --> 00:39:15,200 all one. 676 00:39:15,200 --> 00:39:21,680 And then I have a website, which is the desertmoon.co also linked in my bio on TikTok and on Instagram. 677 00:39:21,680 --> 00:39:28,080 And I recently, this has been something very requested and released a female hormones for 678 00:39:28,080 --> 00:39:29,860 the bros guide. 679 00:39:29,860 --> 00:39:36,960 So one thing I've come across in my work is that a lot of men have a hard time understanding 680 00:39:36,960 --> 00:39:42,720 all of the in-depthness of the female hormone cycle because it's not within their bodies. 681 00:39:42,720 --> 00:39:45,640 So of course they're going to connect very differently. 682 00:39:45,640 --> 00:39:50,000 And through working on this myself and helping friends, I've just learned and discovered 683 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:56,660 that like boyfriends, partners, husbands, brothers, cousins, dads, all need the education. 684 00:39:56,660 --> 00:40:04,320 So this guide is a very layman's terms breakdown of the cycle phases, cycle syncing, how to 685 00:40:04,320 --> 00:40:10,480 plan a date for your partner in whatever phase they're in, foods, things like that. 686 00:40:10,480 --> 00:40:18,360 So easy to grasp booklet I wrote on behalf of men for men or people who identify as men 687 00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:22,400 so they can connect more easily to the feminine piece of the hormone cycle. 688 00:40:22,400 --> 00:40:24,800 Kat, thank you so much for creating that. 689 00:40:24,800 --> 00:40:28,040 I'm literally going to go on your website after this and buy it. 690 00:40:28,040 --> 00:40:29,040 It's $20. 691 00:40:29,040 --> 00:40:30,040 $15. 692 00:40:30,040 --> 00:40:31,040 What a steal. 693 00:40:31,040 --> 00:40:32,040 What a steal. 694 00:40:32,040 --> 00:40:34,280 And it has been vetted by many, many men. 695 00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:42,240 I've had my brothers, my dad, my husband, all of my husband's friends read through this 696 00:40:42,240 --> 00:40:44,920 and my brother-in-law and give me notes. 697 00:40:44,920 --> 00:40:45,920 Amazing. 698 00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:47,640 And so it's been very vetted by men. 699 00:40:47,640 --> 00:40:48,640 You've done your research. 700 00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:49,640 You're handsome. 701 00:40:49,640 --> 00:40:50,640 Yeah, I tried. 702 00:40:50,640 --> 00:40:51,640 Amazing. 703 00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:54,640 Oh, I can't wait to dig into that. 704 00:40:54,640 --> 00:41:00,280 And listeners, if you have any further questions for us, for Brigitte, connect with us on social 705 00:41:00,280 --> 00:41:06,960 at Awaken Together podcast or the desertmoon.co and we, I feel like I want to have you on 706 00:41:06,960 --> 00:41:09,440 again for all the details of the cycle. 707 00:41:09,440 --> 00:41:10,440 I'll be back. 708 00:41:10,440 --> 00:41:11,440 Oh yeah. 709 00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:12,440 There's so much we can learn from you. 710 00:41:12,440 --> 00:41:13,440 Oh, there's a lot. 711 00:41:13,440 --> 00:41:15,000 Thank you so much. 712 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:18,200 Yeah, I had so much fun being here and I just, I love it. 713 00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:20,320 I'm so glad we get to spend so much time together. 714 00:41:20,320 --> 00:41:21,320 Me too. 715 00:41:21,320 --> 00:41:22,320 I love you. 716 00:41:22,320 --> 00:41:23,320 I love you. 717 00:41:23,320 --> 00:41:24,320 All right, everybody. 718 00:41:24,320 --> 00:41:25,320 We'll see you next time. 719 00:41:25,320 --> 00:41:26,320 Bye. 720 00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:31,320 Bye.