Emotions Untapped

#024 Embracing Menstrual Cycle Awareness: Healing, Self-Discovery, and Emotional Balance with Julie Lipset

• Livia Lowder • Season 2 • Episode 24

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This episode features therapist and fertility awareness educator Julie Lipsett, who shares her journey from struggling with painful, irregular periods to embracing the empowering truth that periods shouldn’t hurt. Julie's discovery of fertility awareness methods highlights the connection between menstrual health, trauma recovery, and emotional well-being.

In this episode, we explore:

  • Julie’s personal journey to understanding her menstrual health
  • The empowering practice of fertility awareness methods
  • How tracking basal body temperature and cervical fluid can aid self-awareness
  • The balance between structure and ease in creating healthy habits around the cycle
  • The role of technology vs. self-interpretation in tracking cycle data
  • Emotional fluctuations during different phases of the cycle and how to navigate them
  • Moving off hormonal birth control and what to consider during the transition
  • Understanding the perimenopausal phase and the importance of self-care
  • How menstrual cycle awareness can improve communication in relationships
  • And so much more!

You will love this episode if:

  • You struggle with painful or irregular periods and want to understand your body better.
  • You’re curious about fertility awareness methods and how they can support trauma recovery or stress management.
  • You want to build healthy, sustainable habits around your menstrual cycle.
  • You’ve considered transitioning off hormonal birth control and want practical insights.
  • You’re seeking ways to navigate emotional changes and communicate better in relationships.

This episode is a deep dive into the transformative power of menstrual cycle awareness, offering practical tools and empowering insights to support your emotional and physical well-being.

Resources from the show:
Period Repair Manual Book by Lara Briden
Taking charge of your fertility Book by Toni Weschler

If you'd like to stay connected with Julie you can find her social media links through her website:
https://www.therapywithjuliallc.com/

We love to hear from you! Please send us your feedback and questions via the text link at the top of the show notes, or DM us on Instagram

You can connect with our community, connect with us on social media and find valuable (FREE) resources on our website www.eqnation.org

Speaker 1:

Periods should not be painful, and it's one of those moments. Thinking back on it, it's like the snapshot. That like this is a moment that changed my life, because no one had ever said that to me. For starters, if you're not using it to your advantage, it's going to work to your disadvantage, right? Because we all know how terrible it feels to fight ourselves and to like just not want to get out of bed but, like gosh, I've scheduled an entire day full of meetings. Um, so it's gonna be happening, whether you're paying attention to it or not. But bringing that awareness is like in itself, just gonna bring so much more ease into our life. My like public service announcements to the world is there's nothing wrong with you, there's just a natural variation and we're not all gonna feel amazing around and like shit during our periods. It's going to kind of fluctuate.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the Emotions Untapped podcast. I'm your host, livia Lauder. This is the show where we explore the power of our thoughts, feelings and emotions and how they create our personal and professional realities In this community. We dive into better understanding, using and managing these elements of ourselves so we can live healthier, better balanced and less overwhelming lives. You'll hear conversations with experts and thought leaders from a variety of fields here to help you gain insights, strategies and tools for building and upgrading your emotional awareness and regulation techniques, and there will be a couple solo episodes with yours truly. It brings me so much joy to share this information with you, to connect with you and guide you on your journey. If you're ready to start doing the work, you can download our free seven-step guide to improving your emotional health right now. Just go to wwweqnationorg. Now let's dive in.

Speaker 2:

Julie Lipset is a New Englander, dog lover, explorer, therapist and fertility awareness educator. She believes that the menstrual cycle can be a friend and guide in our healing journeys and supports people in finding themselves through the power of listening to their bodies. In this episode, we talk about how bringing an awareness to our mental cycles can be an aid in our healing. Julie has seen it be supportive through every stage of trauma recovery. Julie, it's such a pleasure to have you on the show today. I'm really excited to have this conversation with you. This is information that I only kind of started being aware of, you know close to my 30s, and I wish that I had had this a lot earlier in my life. So I'm really excited to bring this conversation to the audience and to all those women out there who are wanting to understand their menstrual cycle a bit more. So thank you so much for being on the show today.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for having me. I'm excited to be here.

Speaker 2:

So you've seen firsthand how bringing awareness to our mental cycles can be supportive through every stage of healing. I'd love for you to share a little bit more about your journey and how you became so passionate about this work and about helping others.

Speaker 1:

Sure, yeah, I mean it starts how a lot of people I think their stories start when they get into work like this is. It started with my own stuff. So I've always had irregular cycles, so unpredictable periods, and anyone who has an unpredictable period that can just pop up at any time or not pop up at any time knows how much that can interfere with your life and then also just really painful periods. So I was reading the book the Period Repair Manual by Laura Bryden, which is a great book. I love her work and she has a line in there, like somewhere in the beginning of the book, where she says periods should not be painful and it's one of those moments. Thinking back on it, it's like the snapshot that, like this is a moment that changed my life because no one had ever said that to me, no one had said just even though period pain is normal and the butt of so many jokes and like oh, that's just something you have to deal with.

Speaker 1:

No one ever even hinted at the you don't have to deal with it all the time until I read that and, like you know, you said earlier, I was in my mid-20s, so it took such a long time and so many painful periods to find that out. And so from that point forward, I was just on a mission. I really needed to know more and learn more and figure out how I could regulate my cycles and not have so much pain all the time. And so she also mentions, like the Daisy thermometer, which is more of like kind of a predictive tool that people use. But I did some research on that and that led me down fertility awareness methods, which is kind of more tuning in with your own signs rather than having like an algorithm teach you or tell you whether you're fertile or not. And from there I started tracking my basal body temperature.

Speaker 1:

When that wasn't enough, I got the book taking charge of your fertility. When that wasn't enough, I got the book Taking Charge of your Fertility. When that wasn't enough, I took a four-week class with somebody I just like I had to take this teacher training program. It just, you know, it was one of those things where, like I just needed more and more and more and I was just couldn't get enough of this information. So I figured like I don't know why I'm going to this teacher training program, but I just need it in my life. And yeah, this process has seen me through so much of my own healing, like a ton of trauma processing, and I've gotten to kind of track my cycles through all of that, which is really cool to see the impact of, like, that level of stress on your cycle and then also the impact of your cycle and that level of stress. It's seen me through so much. So there's so much more I could say, but for now I think that's a good overview.

Speaker 2:

Fantastic? Yeah, it always seems to be. You know, these conversations that I have and the guests that I have on the show. It always seems to be, of course, our own trials and tribulations that lead us to curiosity, that lead us to understanding and gathering more information, that lead us to curiosity, that lead us to understanding and gathering more information, that lead us to being passionate about sharing that information with others, because there's always this element of I wish I had known this sooner or I wish I had this information, you know when this was happening, etc.

Speaker 2:

And so I love that we're all kind of on the same journey, but all in different directions at the same time. So it's fantastic to have that, you know, to bring you to the show and just to have one more person. That's like they get it right. So, and then I love the books that you mentioned. I'll definitely be including those in the show notes. So, when it comes to our cycle, I mean, obviously we have different seasons within the cycle that affect us on, you know, a daily, a weekly, a monthly basis. So let's talk about that and start to bring awareness to that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so for starters, there's kind of two main phases of our cycle.

Speaker 1:

There is our follicular phase and our luteal phase, and then, kind of within that like on an energetic level, it's often broken down into seasons, so our period being technically the beginning of our follicular phase, but that's considered kind of our inter winter, and then, once our periods are ending and are kind of moving into this more kind of like building phase, where our estrogen is starting to build up, which is very creative.

Speaker 1:

It's building up our uterine linings, it it's giving us more outward energy, or many of us not everyone has that experience it's kind of might increase our libido, our like ability to be out in the world, and then it's also going to prepare our bodies for ovulation, and so we can see the sign that we were looking at during that phase of the cycle is cervical fluid.

Speaker 1:

So it's very kind of like overall like very juicy, and this kind of like spring season.

Speaker 1:

It's like this building moving into summer, like there isn't really kind of a hormonal shift necessarily other than the building estrogen, but a lot of us can kind of feel it energetically, where we're just feeling a lot more like going out in the world and a lot more, maybe sexy, or for some people that's a lot of anxiety, like kind of just thinking about how our summer, like as now that we're coming to the end of summer, how that feels for all of us, kind of frantic. And then we go into our inner fall after ovulation and that's our luteal phase, which is this kind of frantic. And then we go into our inner fall after ovulation and that's our luteal phase, which is this kind of like slow going inward, kind of downward, like closing in, where we can kind of integrate all of this stuff that we planted during the other seasons of our cycle and then we start all over again. So we kind of have this internal like provided structure for us that gives us so much balance in our lives.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I love that and it's very helpful, I know, for myself to kind of draw a bit of a map and to kind of see it on paper as well and to kind of follow along that way.

Speaker 2:

But I definitely, for me personally, have noticed, you know, there'll be times where I'm feeling way more social, right, like I'm just craving that interaction with other humans. And then there's other time where I'm like, oh, you know, I'm just, I'm happy, just kind of chilling at home and doing nothing and taking care of myself a little bit more, you know, making nice foods and all that kind of stuff. But yeah, you definitely, without maybe even understanding these different phases, I think most women can probably say that they've definitely felt these like different things throughout the month. Right, and I guess, like, once we kind of can put the pieces together and connect the dots, then we can start to actually utilize it to our advantage, I suppose. So I guess my next question would be you know, how important is it for entrepreneurs or you know, business people, especially spirit led, you know entrepreneurs and women out there how important is it for us and them to really understand these different phases and how can we actually begin to kind of utilize these to our advantage.

Speaker 1:

Yeah well, I mean, I think, for starters, if you're not using it to your advantage, it's going to work to your disadvantage, right? Because we all know how terrible it feels to fight ourselves and to like just not want to get out of bed but like, oh my gosh, I scheduled an entire day full of meetings. So it's going to be happening, whether you're paying attention to it or not. But bringing that awareness is like in itself just going to bring so much more ease into our lives. Also, as entrepreneurs or someone who's trying to like kind of start your own business.

Speaker 1:

Like we're busy, we've got a lot on our plates and we also have so much control.

Speaker 1:

Like on the flip side, we have a lot of control over our schedules.

Speaker 1:

We don't have to be on all the time and we can set boundaries around our schedule.

Speaker 1:

And you know, like what I try to do is like when I know my period's coming, so once ovulate, I know I've got two weeks before my period and I do try to clear my schedule the best I can.

Speaker 1:

It doesn't always happen, but if you're able to, that's a really wonderful thing to do and then kind of like take advantage of that like growth phase when we are a little more creative. We have all that and our bodies, our bodies are just like everything's growing, everything's being creative, so we can kind of use that ebb and flow. I mean, like anyone who might follow me on Instagram, I'll have weeks where I'm posting a ton and then I'll just stop and try to do it intuitively. I don't want to push it, I'm just trying to kind of like when things are coming to me I'll post, and it does seem to kind of have some like corally before I am to my cycle. I don't like to be prescriptive, because some people might actually feel more like they have the ability to sit down and focus during their luteal phase, even though that wouldn't be considered a more creative point in the cycle.

Speaker 2:

But it's really kind of tuning into your own patterns and rhythms and seeing how you can like work with that instead of against yourself okay, cool, I love that point that you just brought up, that you know, even though there is kind of this structure around it, it can actually feel different and show up differently for different people yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1:

And I think we kind of fall into this trap when we're saying, well for the season. This is how we should be feeling like. I've definitely had points in my life where I've been like, well, I don't feel that way. What's wrong with me, and so my like public service announcements to the world is there's nothing wrong with you. There's just a natural variation and we're not all going to feel amazing around ovulation and like shit during our periods. It's gonna kind of fluctuate. We'll be right back after a quick break.

Speaker 2:

I hope you're loving the show so far. The personal development journey can feel lonely sometimes, but it doesn't have to. We are here to help each other succeed at figuring out this whole growth thing. So come be a part of the conversation at wwweqnationorg. There you'll find links to our free community, which is full of valuable resources to get you feeling unstuck, less stressed and more connected to yourself and the people around you. And if this podcast does bring you value which I'm sure it will chances are it will do the same for someone else in your life. We are all about bringing value to the collective. So share this episode directly with a friend or pop it on your socials with your biggest aha moment from today's show, and don't forget to tag us at Livia Lauder. That's L-I-V-I-A dot, l-o-w-d-e-r Right, let's get back to it.

Speaker 1:

So I guess, on that note, you know how do we create the habit of really tuning in, listening to our bodies because we're all individuals and really gathering that information that we need to make it the most effective really kind of follows this like very balanced, like masculine versus feminine energy, however you want to say it this kind of like learning a structure and rules versus like how to fit into your life and how to bring like ease to this habit. So, generally, like there are kind of things that you have to be doing. You have to be taking your temperature at a certain time and there's tools to help with that if that's not for you. But you have to be getting accurate basal body temperature reads. You have to be checking cervical fluid. You kind of have to know how to categorize that and put it all down on a chart. But then that like at least for me, the next part is the fun part, which is like how do you fit this into your life? How can you think of it as like something that you're actually getting something out of. It's. Oh, I have to do this, or I'm going to accidentally get pregnant, or I have to do this, because then my chart won't be perfect.

Speaker 1:

How can you feel excited to take your temperature in the morning because you really want to see if you've ovulated or not, or you really want to see if you're getting your period that day and you can see that in your temperature, or how can you think of checking your cervical fluid as just taking a minute to like take a deep breath, not need to rush out of the bathroom to go like do the next thing, but like really kind of check in with your body and then kind of the same with, like your energy and how you're feeling, like that's just a moment of mindfulness.

Speaker 1:

So I think it's not easy to slow down when we're used to going so much, but finding any way that it can feel fun or motivating or exciting or, you know, like something that you want to incorporate in your life, reminding yourself of your why, why are you doing this in the first place, is all going to help to build the habit. And then, of course, like working with somebody, one on one, to be like, okay, well, these are the habits that aren't sticking, like, what can I do to help get them to stick?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I noticed for myself.

Speaker 2:

I was actually using what was it called Natural Cycles app, which we'll talk a little bit about apps a little later on but I was using that for a while and they send you the thermometer, you know, until you wake up in the morning, you take the temperature, and I was finding it very difficult to create that habit of waking up first thing and taking my temperature right away.

Speaker 2:

I would even, you know, leave it on my bedside table or I'd have it in the bathroom, which was kind of the first place that I went to. But it was very hard to continue that habit. Say, for example, if I went and slept somewhere else or I was, you know, away for the weekend, or my environment changed. I found it very difficult to instill those habits. So I'm wondering, you know, if there's also a level of kind of self-discipline that needs to happen in the beginning, until you can start to uncover this information and start realizing, oh, this is actually super helpful for me and kind of getting those benefits, and then it maybe kind of makes the habit a little bit easier to stick with, right?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, absolutely. And, like you know, I think that you have to kind of it's a leap of faith to trust like, okay, getting up at the same time every morning and taking my temperature is going to actually pay off. But yeah, yeah, it does get easier over time, like that's really just. You know it becomes the kind of thing that you can't imagine living without.

Speaker 2:

At some point, yeah, well, that's right. Right, that's like what a habit is right at some point. It's like it is just a part of how it is, and how did I ever live without this? And I think we both kind of have you know, uncovering this and finding this information, like later on in life and especially yourself that has really delved into it. It's like I'm sure you're like how like it just it's mind boggling how you didn't have this information before and how you weren't utilizing it to your advantage.

Speaker 1:

It becomes this kind of like grounding force in your life. To just like you, just know it's just like okay, I know that it's morning.

Speaker 2:

I also know I'm in my follicular phase, so yeah, and I imagine like, as you continue to use these tools, like the temperature taking and, like you said, taking the time to to check, check in with our bodies and understand what's going on um, it gets like easier along the way as well.

Speaker 1:

Yeah yeah, it's the kind of thing that like builds and builds and even at this point, when I'm teaching people and talking to people about this all the time, like I'm still just learning so much more about myself and discovering things, so it never you can continue to like, learn about yourself and learn about this practice forever.

Speaker 2:

Love that. Yeah, so we mentioned apps just before and we had a little chat in our pre-interview and you mentioned to me. You know apps sometimes aren't as helpful as they seem, so the way that you approach your work and the way that you teach, the style that you teach in, does differentiate from how these apps are working. I'd love for you to share a little bit more about that with us about that with us.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so the methods that I teach are completely self-interpreted, so we're not using any like algorithms or there's no red or green days. It's really just like you're taking the information from your body and you're learning how to interpret that and in like the context of your whole cycle and like putting it on a chart, but also, yeah, just like based on what your goals are, if you want to get pregnant or not, or like how badly you want to get pregnant or not get pregnant, or you know just what kind of goals you have for yourself in your life. Um, so I think how I think about it is like so many people who come to fertility awareness are coming because they came off hormonal birth control and they want to know themselves better. My story was coming off hormonal birth control and just because, like there was this inner like knowing that I just needed to know myself better, like something was missing and I just needed to get these hormones out of my system. I didn't know why. I didn't know. You know why I was doing this.

Speaker 1:

Everyone thought it was kind of crazy. My doctor was, like, are you sure? Like are you sure you want to do this? Um, and I hear that a lot is like some people just feel like they want to know themselves better and so you're taking away so many barriers from between yourself and your cycle and and your, your mind and um, when you're coming off hormonal birth control and I think that something like an app is adding another layer between there, because you're coming off hormonal birth control and I think that something like an app is adding another layer between there, because you're kind of relying on this app right, like you're not knowing why it's a red or a green day, or maybe it's kind of giving you a vague like oh, you've already ovulated so you can't get pregnant right now, but it's not giving you like the direct connection. And so I think that like learning a self-interpreted method, like what I teach, is kind of facilitating that connection as opposed to like creating more barriers.

Speaker 2:

Right, yeah, that makes total sense, because then you're relying on the app and you're still not really tuning into yourself, which is what bringing awareness to your menstrual cycle is all about. It's about understanding yourself.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and like you said, with motivation, like you're just so much more motivated when you know what you're looking for. Like if I'm getting up and I'm taking my temperature right away because I want to see if it hit this like higher level that I know I need to get to, to know that I've ovulated, like there's just going to be so much more motivation than like, oh well, my partner is not around or I'm not having sex today. I don't really need to know if it's a red or green day.

Speaker 2:

It's not going to have the same like excitement with it when it's just, you know, giving you this information that may or may not apply to your life on a day-to-day basis basis, yeah, I can relate to that actually, because I, again, you know, I was using the app and I kind of figured out how many days into my cycle I start ovulating and then for how many days I am ovulating.

Speaker 2:

So then I would just kind of look at it on calendar and be like, oh, okay, well, at day 12, like you know, be careful when having sex, or like use protection, or you know, because I'm not interested in getting pregnant. So I was like, OK, and then for the next, you know however many days after that, and then, other than that, I kind of just ignored it, like I didn't even really pay attention. So but it's, you know, obviously, as you're saying, like it's, it kind of took away from the motivation of doing it, when I kind of had, oh, you know, the very foundational basic level of understanding that I needed to have in order to just not get pregnant, and other than that it was like, oh, I'm too busy to care, Like I don't.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, and that's totally like when people end up slipping up and making mistakes and getting pregnant because, like, your cycle can change from cycle to cycle and it could be that you ovulate later and you are looking at a calendar and saying, yeah, I ovulated and you haven't, um, so and yeah, so that can be a slippery slope.

Speaker 1:

Uh, coming from people not totally understanding why they're taking their temperature every day, or like not fully understanding, like, what they're getting out of it. Um, also, like, if you're not interested in using this for contraception or even conception, you're going to get a lot more out of it from that standpoint to, like the connection with your body but also understanding your health. There's so much, as somebody trained to read charts, that I can see on a chart that you're not going to get from basal body temperature alone. You're going to have so much more context. So, even if you're not using this for contraception like you just don't have that concern for whatever reason this can still be an amazing practice that you can have just for you, not for, you know, any other purpose of preventing pregnancy.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, fantastic. So back to kind of the actual phases in the cycle just for a moment. What are some of the kind of psychological elements to that that when we are, you know, in these different phases and kind of how it's affecting kind of just our thoughts, feelings and emotions?

Speaker 1:

like. Again, I don't like to be super prescriptive, but there is kind of this general like um, you know, maybe things feeling a little brighter and sunnier around ovulation and then, like you know, during your luteal phase or like, as you get closer to your period, it is a lot more common for that to be when a lot of content comes up that you haven't been paying attention to. So that's when people tend to kind of feel a little more sad or a little more frustrated and angry I hate my partner is very common during this time and I think it's just helpful for people to hear that, because it's like it doesn't mean you know you actually do. It just means that your hormones are doing something. So I like to talk to people about like taking those emotions seriously and those thoughts seriously. You don't have to act on them right away because there can be a little more of a tendency to be maybe a little more impulsive because you're acting out of anger or anxiety or sadness, but pay attention to them, like they're there for a reason and they're something like your hormones aren't creating these hard emotions. They're like something that's just wired in your body and they need to be released and they can come up for healing yeah, if you give them the chance.

Speaker 1:

So I've seen in my own process, but also like when I'm also a therapist.

Speaker 1:

So when I work with people, like the cycle can be this amazing way to kind of like, first of all, give people a break from the hard stuff when you're feeling a little better, but also that's when you can work on things like coping skills and self-care and kind of like the more like all right, what am I going to strategize? How am I going to deal with these emotions when they come up? Or this is what came up last time. So how do I want to deal with that in my life? And then there's just so ready for when these emotions do come up. I've seen so much incredible healing come up in therapy sessions because their hormones are just bringing this stuff to the surface that's just ready to be processed. And so I've done like trauma processing with clients that like they weren't able to do in other phases of their cycle because they were PMSing, and that's something that like at least what they're telling me is that that's stuck, like those same things weren't necessarily coming up in the same way.

Speaker 2:

Wow, that's so interesting actually, yeah, so you really really fall, yeah, yeah, and because of your background as well, and as you are a therapist, it really gives you a really like well-rounded kind of approach and I love that. So I guess the next question I'd love to ask you is you know, obviously this conversation is going to be a lot geared towards the women, but you mentioned partners earlier and it's also really powerful for partners male partners, you know male and female relationships for the males to understand what's kind of going on in their partner's body and in their mind and all throughout these different phases of the cycle and all throughout these different phases of the cycle. So what would you say is some important information for men to understand when it comes to, you know, women being on this journey of having more awareness around this?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I mean, I think, first of all, just like we're not going to be the same every day, like how men's hormones and fertility and then by like, like the product of that is also maybe like their sex drive or libido or like, you know, what they want is going to be very similar from day to day. Of course, we're all human, so it's not going to be exactly the same, but the fluctuations are going to be way bigger in women and it's not that, like these are, one phase of the cycle is better than the other. It's just that one phase of the cycle might fit more the other. It's just that one phase of the cycle might fit more closely into how we think we should be than the other. In reality, our cycle is giving us the opportunity to experience a full range of human emotion and humanity, and there's so much we can get out of that.

Speaker 1:

Maybe some phases of the cycle when you're feeling a little more crazy, and some of some phases of the cycle when you're feeling a little more crazy, and some of the phases of the cycle where you're feeling a little bit more tender, and as a partner a male partner to a woman, to someone who is cycling you have the opportunity to kind of like, go on this ride with her and appreciate all of the different ways that your partner can be and find all those different parts of yourself as well, and so don't fight it. If you're a male partner to someone who has a menstrual cycle, just don't fight it. Like, go along with it, get to know her and how she's doing. It can be such a beautiful way to open up communication with your partner and to really get to know each other on a like, a more deep level.

Speaker 1:

Um, and like. You know, if you're not communicating, it's going to be confusing and this is going to be like a shift in perspective, because it's not kind of how we're told that we can be. Like, we're kind of told that, oh, you just take a pill and you're available, you know sexually all the time in the same way, with no like, with no exceptions. Um, but it really can be so beautiful to get to know somebody for all of who they are, as opposed to just who you want them to be or who make them fantastic.

Speaker 2:

Um, one question we kind of didn't discuss already, but I'd just love to throw it out there. You just kind of reminded me of it by being mentioning, you know, like, if those that are on contraception, those that are taking a pill, and how that kind of just like regulate, like it makes everything just kind of like a flat line, obviously you had your own journey with that and you came off of that. What would you say to those listening now that are on some sort of prescription contraceptive and have maybe explored different options and are now considering, you know, completely coming off of it? If you want to share like a little bit of your personal experience and how that changed for you, yeah, just what would you say to those?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I mean, I think like it can definitely be nerve wracking, like we're kind of, as it's kind of assumed, you're going to be on birth control. But I love to just tell people that you have options. You don't have to be. If it's not working for you, that's totally okay. And our reproductive systems aren't as black and white as like either you're trying to get pregnant or you're not, right, I mean it can. There's this like whole spectrum here of like you cannot be sure what you want, what you want. You can also not want to get pregnant and not be shutting off your reproductive system.

Speaker 1:

These methods do work. They're, you know, like the rhythm method where, um, you're kind of just guessing and like that does have a much lower efficacy rate. Um, so if you want to come off of hormonal birth control and being first just be gentle with yourself, because it can be quite a process Make sure that you're nourishing your body as much as you can in all ways, making sure you're just eating really nutrient-dense foods so you can kind of support your body's ability to clear all that out, but also emotionally giving yourself a lot of grace and trust and know that it's going to be okay. It can be a leap of faith, but there's people out there who are willing and so ready to help you with this process.

Speaker 2:

Fantastic. I love that I was sharing with a friend of mine that I was going to be doing this episode. After our pre-interview I was like, oh, I had the best conversation with this woman and you know, we're going to talk about the menstrual cycle. And I said to them you know, it's crazy how I'm only really starting to kind of understand these things in the last couple of years of my life and in the back half of my 20s and into my 30s, you know, back half of my 20s and into my 30s. And the woman that I was talking to was, oh, I'm so excited for this. I'm perimenopausal, so this is going to be fantastic for me. So I'd love to kind of shift the conversation to those women, because that is our audience as well. What kind of changes or maybe expectations could they kind of have moving into that phase in relation to their menstrual cycle?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I mean, that could be its own podcast. And like there's so many professional like people who just kind of focus on that, I mean, I think, just acknowledging that there's going to be change and that that's normal and healthy and it's not that there's something wrong with you. It's uncomfortable, for sure that there's something wrong with you. It's uncomfortable, for sure, um, but there's nothing wrong with you. Your body's doing what it's supposed to be doing and this is kind of like transitioning you into a whole new phase of your life.

Speaker 1:

Um, I think that, like something like a fertility awareness practice can be helpful, because it can be that grounding force when things are changing so much, and it can kind of help you be like all right, this is just my body doing its thing. Like I am ovulating, or maybe you're not, and that's okay, and then you kind of get to watch the process. Um, yeah, this is such a big topic, for sure, um, that, like you know, everyone's body is just going to respond to it so differently. And so, like, I think, with perimenopause, knowing like what are you willing to tolerate and what are you not, like there are so many options, from like holistic to working with your doctor and just like figuring out what's right for you and like kind of digging deep to figure out like, are these feelings coming up that are going to be cleared out, like this is part of what you need to really your um or leaving your reproductive years that it can benefit you for the rest of your life, or are these things that you really just can't deal with right now?

Speaker 2:

fantastic thanks for answering that question. I know it kind of came out of left field. We hadn't discussed that prior, but, um, I had kind of thought about it as we were talking so I just wanted to, yeah, throw it out there. You mentioned, you know, the benefits of working with someone who has obviously training and experience in this and how beneficial that can be and obviously you're, you know, very knowledgeable in this topic and you have a lot to share and a lot of experience working with other clients and with women along their journeys. So you host a monthly cycle charting meetup for people who are interested in, you know, delving a little bit deeper into this, and I'm actually signed up for the Monday coming up, which I'm really excited about. Yeah, I'm really looking forward to that. I'd love for you to just share a little bit more about kind of how that program runs and what are the takeaways from that and what are women kind of understanding more about themselves in that space.

Speaker 1:

Yeah. So I open that up to people, regardless of if you're already charting or if you're interested in charting, like wherever you are in your process. And it's been a really great way of people kind of coming together and getting to share their experiences. Like a lot of the things even we talked about today, everyone kind of got to share about. And so if, like, you are thinking about coming off hormonal birth control and you're like, oh my gosh, I don't know if this is right for me, that that could be a great way to hear it from other people who are practicing this and who have already, like gone through this process. It's also just been a great way to kind of like ask questions about, like well, how do you get started? What do you do? Like why would I? Why would I do this? People can share, like I'm having this issue with my chart or with my cycle and I just want to kind of figure out, you know, see if anyone has feedback. So it's really kind of a community building space where I just want this to be a safe space where we can talk about all these things that it's so hard to find outlets for. We've also done a WhatsApp group, which is just kind of starting to get off the ground. For, in between, like anyone who's shown up can be part of that, to kind of keep the conversation going and connect with anyone conversation going and connect with anyone.

Speaker 1:

And then I also teach kind of four week classes that will give you all the information you need to know from like what are like the visuals of like what is going on with your hormones throughout your cycle, to like how do you read your signs, how do you put that on the chart and how do you interpret it. And then I follow that up with individual sessions. So the there are ways to like feel very confident. Like that's kind of the best way I found to feel really confident in your practice. So, yeah, lots of ways to work with me and to be able to not have to go through this alone. Like this can be a big thing, especially if you're trying to use it for contraception. A big thing to try to do alone, especially if you're trying to use it for contraception. A big thing to try to do alone. But I mean, I know me. For me personally I didn't really feel confident until I took a class. So I am really happy I can offer that for other people.

Speaker 2:

Fantastic. Well, you know it's a very intentional practice. It's a very intentionally focused activity and something to pay attention to, like you say, on a day-to-day basis. And having that support is so powerful and, just like you say, creating that safe space for community, for people to bounce off each other and share kind of their own experiences and then have you know the guide of a professional in that space as well to kind of answer those questions and provide feedback. Such an incredible opportunity for people to connect and those that are really interested in understanding themselves better. I think this is a really beautiful space. So thank you for creating that. Where is the best place to reach you? Where can we find you?

Speaker 1:

Sure, yeah. So my website is therapywithjuliallccom. I'm also on Instagram, so it's julielipset, that's L-I-P-S-E-T-T. Dot F-A-E for Fertility Awareness Educator, and so, yeah, I'm happy to connect with anyone on either of those places, and that's where you could definitely find more about what I have coming up and what's next.

Speaker 2:

Fantastic. And any final thoughts before we wrap up.

Speaker 2:

Thank you, I mean, I love talking about this, it's you know, it fills me up to get to talk about this and to share this information, and so I'm just looking forward to hearing it back and hearing what people have. You know, any feedback people have for me or questions. I love to talk to people, love to bring you into the membership. I think that's another place where you can connect with you, know this audience and answer some questions. I think that would bring a lot of value and I just really appreciate you being here. I can tell you know when you do talk about it, you completely light up and it's just really beautiful to see that you are so passionate about this work and about helping others understand it. So thank you for being here, Thank you for sharing all your knowledge and I look forward to collaborating in the future. Yeah, same Thank you.

Speaker 2:

That's a wrap on today's episode. I am beyond grateful for your participation in today's conversation. My intention is that the information shared here today has inspired you to deepen your understanding of your emotional health and that of the people around you. When you're ready to start sharpening your tools, head to wwweqnationorg and download our free seven-step guide to upgrading your emotional health. Our website is the best place to connect with our community and get access to free resources. You can also send us your questions through our social media channels linked on the website wwweqnationorg. All the resources from today's show will be in the show notes and, before you go, make sure you hit follow so you don't miss an episode. I'm libya louder. See you next time on emotions untapped.