f you’re feeling a little… floaty… coming out of the summer months, you’re not alone. As the years go by, I find it takes a bit more grace and time to recalibrate after a break. So, wherever you are, whether you’re rocking your business or giving yourself permission to ease back in, know that you are exactly where you need to be.
Today, I want to talk about a topic that is so fundamental to our experience as women, yet so often misunderstood: our menstrual cycle.
This isn’t just for those with a physical womb. If you’re a partner, a parent, a friend, or simply a human who wants to understand the women in your life better, this perspective is for you, too.
For most of my life, I saw my period as an inconvenience. Something to be hidden, controlled, and ultimately, ashamed of. And this was despite growing up in France, a relatively forward-thinking country where it wasn’t an explicit taboo. The shame was quieter, more insidious, woven into the fabric of “how things are done.”
The message was clear: this is messy. This is a problem. This is something to work against.
What if I told you it’s the exact opposite? What if your cycle is your most ancient source of wisdom, power, and creative potential?
My Story: a disconnected beginning
My first memory of my cycle is one of control, not understanding.
I got my first period around 13 or 14. By 15, I was on the contraceptive pill. While it was for contraception, the primary pitch to me was to “control” my cycle—to make it predictable, to minimize the “hassle.”
For nearly two decades, I saw my body as chaotic. I bought into the myth that being “hormonal” meant being unreliable or “too emotional.” I apologized for my inherent nature. I silenced my body’s wisdom before I ever learned its language.
I had zero clue about the different phases—ovulation, menstruation, the beautiful hormonal dance of vitality and energy. The only thing that was obvious was that bleeding was an inconvenience to be managed.
Back then, my choice wasn’t an embodied one; it was a reaction to a culture of disconnection. Today, as a woman in my 40s, I make choices from a place of awareness. That is the crucial difference.
The cultural lie we were sold
Many of us were initiated into womanhood with whispers of shame:
- Hide your products.
- Pray no blood leaks through.
- Don’t talk about it.
- Take a pill to make it (and all its “symptoms”) disappear.
We grew up believing this natural, life-giving process was a messy flaw. This disconnect isn’t just emotional; it manifests physically. Painful cramps, debilitating migraines (I’ve been rushed to the hospital from the pain), PCOS, and heavy bleeding are often our body’s cries for us to listen.
We were taught that our cyclical nature—with its waves and fluctuations—made us less reliable than our masculine counterparts. We were told to fight our inherent design to fit a linear, constant, “productive” mold.
This mindset only leads to frustration and suffering—mental, emotional, and physical.
The shift: Seeing your cycle as a map
My perspective didn’t change until I began to see my cycle not as a problem, but as a blueprint for vitality.
Your womb is a creative cauldron—a center of life and transformation. Whether it’s present, absent, bleeding, or in transition (pregnancy, menopause), this space holds profound wisdom. Our cyclical nature isn’t a weakness; it’s our greatest strategic advantage.
The key is to stop fighting the current and start riding the waves..
The four seasons of your cycle: a practical guide
Imagine your cycle not as a binary state of “bleeding” or “not bleeding,” but as four distinct seasons, each with its own energy and superpower.
- Menstruation (Winter – Your Bleed)
- Energy: Introspective, quiet, releasing.
- Your Superpower: Letting go of what no longer serves you. This is a time for deep rest, reflection, and intuition.
- My Practice: I protect this time fiercely. I block my calendar, cancel social plans, and give myself permission to do “winter” activities: deleting old files, clearing out drawers, journaling, and resting. It’s not unproductive; it’s essential maintenance that makes space for new creation.
- Pre-Ovulation (Spring)/ The follicular phase
- Energy: Renewal, rising energy, new ideas.
- Your Superpower: Planting seeds. This is a time for brainstorming, planning, and feeling the spark of new possibilities.
- My Practice: I capture every idea without judgment. I start new projects, map out goals, and lean into the feeling of excitement without needing to execute perfectly yet.
- Ovulation (Summer)
- Energy: Radiant, confident, magnetic.
- Your Superpower: Getting sh*t done! This is your peak energy phase. Your inner fire is burning brightest.
- My Practice: I schedule important meetings, record podcasts, launch projects, and socialize. This is when I’m most “on,” and I structure my workload to capitalize on this natural high.
- Premenstrual (Autumn) / The luteal phase
- Energy: Sensitive, discerning, turning inward.
- Your Superpower: Assessment and refinement. Your sensitivity is your inner compass, telling you what’s working and what isn’t.
- My Practice: I slow down again. I review the month, edit work, and make adjustments. Instead of seeing irritability as a flaw, I ask, “What is this sensation telling me needs to change?”
How to start syncing with your rhythm (without overwhelming yourself)
This isn’t about adding another item to your perfectionist to-do list. It’s about gentle awareness. Start here:
- Track Just One Thing: Begin by simply tracking your menstruation. Use your phone’s calendar or an app. The goal isn’t control; it’s prediction and awareness.
- Protect Your “Winter”: This is the most radical and impactful step. For one cycle, block off the first 1-2 days of your bleed. No meetings, no social events. See how it feels to honor your body’s need for rest without guilt.
- Ask One Question: Throughout your day, check in: “What season am I in, and what does this energy support?” Don’t force a summer output in your winter. Reschedule if you can.
When you sync with your rhythm, you:
Transform “mood swings” into a powerful intuitive compass.With love,
Stop fighting fatigue and start harnessing your natural energy highs.
Honor rest without guilt and say goodbye to chronic burnout.
This is how we reclaim our power
We were told our nature was not to be trusted. I’m here to tell you that is a lie.
This isn’t about doing less; it’s about achieving more by working with your body’s genius, not against it. Imagine pulling from a constantly refueled tank instead of an empty one. Your potential for creative, powerful output becomes limitless.
This is the work of embodiment. This is the work of reclaiming your confidence from the inside out.
A Final Invitation
If this resonates—if you felt a tug in your bones reading this—it might be time to explore this deeper. This wisdom naturally weaves its way into my one-on-one coaching, where we work holistically to help you live a more embodied, confident, and cyclical life.
My VIP coaching container is a space where we uncover what’s holding you back and harness your innate power, cycle and all.
If you’re ready to stop fighting your nature and start channeling it as your greatest advantage, [DM me or book a call here] to explore how we can work together.
PS: If this landed deep? listen to The Stripped Podcast (this is episode #25).
