Hello, hello, welcome to another episode of Harmonia's Fault.I have a very, very special guest.We were like giddy behind the scenes.We were so excited to get started.Season two was all about womanhood and wealth, right?
So womanhood to me is more so, and wealth means to me like wellness, things that we go through as women that men in entrepreneurship don't necessarily go through, things like
periods, motherhood, fertility, even if we're not trying to conceive, it's important to have those things in place.Right.So who other than miss Barry, I'm Barry, right?She is your period bestie.
She is a menstrual health educator, a board certified integrative health practitioner, and a certified fertility awareness educator.Barry strives to advocate for women's health through helping us create hormonal harmony.
I was like, she's an advocate to.She has a podcast called in a phase.I love the vibes on the podcast and she is the creator of period school with a K because come on, put some respect on that.And it's for ambitious woman.
So Barry, thank you so, so much for coming on.I am so excited.
I am honestly so honored to be here, but I have to tell you. When you told me, like just listening to you talk about like womanhood and wealth, I started actually thinking about how fertility is actually a sign of abundance.
And so many of us don't actually know that.And I was like, oh, this is about, I have no idea where we're going to go in this episode, but just so we're clear, we're about to have a good time.
I'm so glad you mentioned that because that's exactly what I wanted it to be like.
I want us to really be in balance with ourselves, be in harmony with ourselves outside of just the finances, because everything impacts how we make money in our businesses, right?So question, what day of your cycle are you on?
So it's actually funny that you say this.I'm in my never ending luteal phase right now because I'm currently going through my first trimester. So, this is like the first public announcement of it.
And I feel so amazing, but I don't actually know which phase, right?I feel like I'm on day 1000 of the luteal phase, but I'm only, as we're recording this, I am 11 and a half weeks. But everything is just so perfect.
And like, it's just a divine appointment.So like, I have to like, I can't even really get into it in the way that I want to.But yeah, it's crazy, because I don't think I've ever felt better.
Lord.I am speechless.Yeah.First, thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you so much for sharing. I'm so excited.Many prayers for your your journey.
I'm speechless.Oh, I'm so happy for you.Congratulations.I'm so happy for you.
Yeah.So given that monkey wrench, I need a second to recover.I would say that, technically, this is like the luteal phase, because, you know, the energy is a little bit lower. But what's also happening is like the development of the placenta.
So like, she's in her fertility phase.Okay, y'all.She's in her fertility era.And it feels really good.So what phase are you in?What day are you on?
Okay, okay.She's like, am I in Ludio's face?
Right, Ludio, and it could come any day now.
Technically tomorrow, what's really side note, interesting, it came, my first day was last year during my daughter's open house, and literally tomorrow is my daughter's open house, and I pray that it's not as terrible as it was last year because... We don't need that.
But we're going to make sure that you're feeling successful and confident before the open house.I'm going to make sure you can go on a little Target run tonight so you can get what you need so you're feeling on tomorrow.Exactly.
One second.Liana, what are you doing?Why would you do that and I'm on a call?I'm very confused.I get it, but you knew that this call was coming up. Okay, go ahead.Hurry up.
I'm like... It's okay.My fiance has a four-year-old and a six-year-old and sometimes I'm recording and I'm like, but you knew, you guys, you know better.
They know better.It's okay.I get it.
I'm just confusion because we talked about this.
Okay.Hurry up.Go.Thank you.I love you.Bye.Feel better.
Okay.Very first, thank you for coming on the show.Thank you for sharing your journey so far.Do you mind telling us a bit of how you got started as a mental health educator and a board certified health, integrative health practitioner?
You know, it's so funny.I'm going to make this short and sweet as possible, but like, I just want everyone to fully know and understand this was not in the cards.Okay.
I had no intention of being the girl to talk about periods, let alone be so public about it.I went to university for political science, Arabic and German.I really thought I was going to be a diplomat.
Obviously women's health and women's rights related, but like that's where That's what I started doing, okay?That's the path I was on.In 2019, I was interviewing someone for my podcast and she said to me, periods are normal.Pain shouldn't be.
And I was like, pop your brakes.Hannah, you're not about to speed past this.Like you didn't just say what you just said because at the time I was like 24 years old and I had never heard somebody say that.
And from that day forward, I was like, I'm going to find out now in between that podcast and like what I do now, I got certified as a personal trainer, a functional nutritionist.So I had this podcast and talking to this girl.
And right after that podcast, I gave myself a 30 day challenge. to try to have a pain-free period.Because I was just like, it's not possible.Like, there's no way, especially as a black woman, there's just no way this is possible.
Lo and behold, it was possible.It happened.And I have been carrying this little flag since.
And then kind of just studying it more and realizing there were more nuances, I made the decision to get certified as an integrative health practitioner because I didn't just want to be a health coach.Nothing wrong with the standard health coach.
I just wanted something to kind of separate me And I don't know if it's like the toxic competitor in me, but like I needed this thing that was just going to take me from like, it was going to give me an edge that a lot of people didn't have.
And I got certified as a fertility awareness educator because to be honest, there's no other way to really learn about your cycle. Until I came in the picture.
But up until then, there was like no one really talking and teaching about things except for like midwives and doulas.And that wasn't my calling.Maybe one, one day, but that's how it happened.And that was 2019, I interviewed her. 2020,
The world fell apart in the most beautiful way because I had a corporate job and I got let go from my corporate job in March of 2020.But I was planning on leaving in August of 2020 anyway, so it worked out great.
I mean, to push up the timeline, my emergency funds were not set aside.I was like, whoa.But ever since 2020, I've just been able to like really step into my purpose and like share my gift of like teaching and empowering stuff.Yeah.
Oh my goodness, that is so beautiful, like how it all fell into place.
And the fact that you went from wanting to be a diplomat to really be a diplomatic when it comes to advocating for women's health, like it's like all aligned, but extremely different.
It's full circle.It's so full circle, but I'm so grateful because like, to be honest with you,
I think what I learned in college and the rhetoric and that level of professionalism that I'm able to bring to conversations now would have never happened because people are – professionalism is not valued the way that it used to be, but I still value it.
And I think a lot of people still are like, okay, we love that you're calling us pooky.We love that you understand the conversation.But also, I need you to present.I need you to show up.And like, so it's all full circle.
And to be honest with you, it's so much better now because like, I can say what I said and not have to apologize.I said what I said and I meant that word.
When you mentioned being able to present and not being as appreciated as it was in the past, I can relate in a sense where when you speak as a Black woman growing up, speaking in a way that
It's like you code switch, right, when you're around different people.But being able to, as a child, I was kind of made fun of because I spoke proper.
And it's very interesting that it's transferable to where we are now because it's like we can talk in a way that is very proper.
for lack of a better word, but then you can also be relaxed in conversations and it just kind of ebbs and flows because you have your own business and you're able to have that flexibility.So it's interesting that you mentioned that.
I initially heard you on the Doing Well podcast with Alicia and I was like, I've been looking for someone to talk about the hormones and like how it impacts your business. When it comes to your period, can you give us a breakdown of the hormones?
Because while we kind of understand a bit, right, we don't know the details of our bodies and how our hormones integrate and act in our, in our daily lives and our period.For sure.
So this is a time where I'm going to tell all y'all, get your notebooks ready.Okay.I'm about to give you the cliff notes, but also like, a very in-depth, but like short summary.
I'm gonna try to do it in about a minute and a half, but basically here's what you need to know.There are four phases of your menstrual cycle.Throughout each phase, your body does something different.The first phase is your menstrual phase.
This is when you're on your period and you're like, try me, I dare you, right?This is like when we're like.But this is also the time where in which your energy levels and your hormone levels are usually the lowest.Specifically,
We're dealing with four, arguably five key hormones, but four that are only worth talking about right now.Estrogen, progesterone, the luteinizing hormone and the follicle stimulating hormone.These four hormone levels are like low.
So that's what you need to know.Your average period should be five to seven or three to seven days in length, according to the ACOG, which is the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecology. I know that was a lot.That's the first phase.
You're a lot.We're a lot.Okay.So stay with me.I will recap.Don't worry.The second phase of your cycle is the follicular phase.So this is post period, but pre ovulation.
This is when your energy and hormone levels are on the rise, specifically your FSH and your estrogen.So anytime you hear me say estrogen, Just think energy, like big energy.So now we're feeling good.We want to talk a little bit more.
We're feeling a little cute.Like, yes, I'll go outside.Not too much, not too much, right?
So during this time, something called the follicle stimulating hormone is pretty much massaging different eggs, helping them get ready where one egg will become dominant.
And that dominant egg is what gets released during the third phase of your cycle called ovulation.Now, listen, y'all all know what ovulation is.And if you don't know, I have a question right now.
If you don't know what ovulation is, it's the third phase of your cycle, the main event of your menstrual cycle.And believe it or not, it only happens for 16 to 32 hours max.
Now, most people would be like, why are you sharing that really depressing fact?And I'm sharing it because people don't talk about this about ovulation.People don't talk about how short that window is.
And they also don't share it that it's the five days leading up to ovulation that you're the most fertile.
it's not five days leading up to ovulation where like sperm could be waiting okay to get the egg and be like hey right so i'm just letting you know i don't know how you roll but i just want you to know that that's out there right
So ovulation, again, 16 to 32 hours.This is where your hormone levels specifically, estrogen has just surged.Another hormone that's called the luteinizing hormone that actually triggers ovulation has also surged.
And then like everything else is kind of like, right, right after ovulation. That 32-hour window.The very next moment, you are now in your luteal phase.Now, most of us know the luteal phase as a phase where you are irritable.
You don't want... It's day 28. Why are you down here?What do you need?It's day 28 of our cycle, okay?So the luteal phase I like to share is broken down into two sections, your early luteal and your late luteal.
Your early luteal phase will often mirror the energy of ovulation.So you're still feeling good.You're still feeling confident.You're still thinking right.But the moment someone's breathing or like maybe the way that they step,
irritates you because like the people in my house stomp when they walk and I'm like, why?Like who raised you to be that way?They stomp and it's just so annoying.
In that late luteal phase, you will start noticing this switch in energy, a switch in your mood, and often that's a sign that your period is on its way.Now,
I'm going to go back through really quick because I know I didn't say how long each phase is, but menstrual phase is usually three to seven days in length.It can be shorter.It can be longer.Everything is predicated on when you ovulate.
Let's say your period is actually seven days long. then day 8 through about day 13 would technically be your follicular phase.
Day 14 or day 15, it really can depend because ovulation happens when it wants to, when you feel the safest in your body, and honestly when you have enough resources like nutrients available in the body.That's when ovulation happens.
So then ovulation 16 to 32 hour window, day 14 or 15, if you have a 28 day cycle right after.So day 16 to day 28, maybe even 29, depending on how long your cycle is, that's your luteal phase.
And again, nobody wants to hear that about your luteal phase because two weeks of being irritable, like what, what do you mean?But I think it's worth putting out there that.
The best way to look at it is two weeks in two phases of high energy, two weeks in two phases of low energy.
That way you can still live your life and maybe you aren't tracking your cycle that day, or maybe you're not in the mood for eating what's ideal during your luteal fit.You won't die.It's okay.Two for me, two for you.
I just love how you broke that down.If I would have heard that like in middle school, high school, I would have been able to like really grab it and understand it.And I thought I knew my hormones, but I skipped over.
All I know is progesterone, estrogen, and we got a little bit of testosterone.Yeah.
Well, testosterone does play in the menstrual cycle.I just feel like the research there is so lacking. Like, we know you're there.We know you're doing something, but what we, like, there's, there's more that we don't know than what we do know.
So like when I'm talking about the menstrual cycle, estrogen, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, and I really do like to add cortisol in there. but I like to add cortisol in there as like the big dog.
Cortisol actually has nothing to do with your menstrual cycle, but if it's high enough, it will stop your menstrual cycle.
Mm-hmm.I'm glad you mentioned that, because when it comes to being a woman, right, and running a business, we are prone to burning out.And I hear a buzzword of, like, high cortisol, high cortisol this, high cortisol that.
Can you tell us a little bit about like how we could manage our period or like managing our cycles to be able to like reduce high cortisol levels to avoid burnout?
Listen, I can show you better than I can tell you.When I first started in this space, I taught something called optimize your flow.It's like my signature workshop that literally helps you get your life.
It tells you about your body, helps you create balance, but it teaches you how to use it for business.So we're increasing our profits, our performance and our productivity using our cycle.Cortisol. I want you to think of cortisol as Beyonce.
I want you to think of cortisol as Taylor Swift.She's like the one that is in control of like everything.And I call her a she because she has big feminine energy.Okay.Big feminine energy in the sense of she can stop everything.
she can move everything forward.And essentially when people are saying like, I'm so high cortisol, what you're saying is I'm really stressed and I don't know my personal capacity.
So I want you to come back down to earth, go touch some grass, literally go ground outside.Like that's the first thing, because that's going to decrease the cortisol and it's also going to help reset your nervous system.
So we often hear people talk about like, oh, I'm rewiring my brain, my nervous system, all of this.What does that mean?Like Kelly on Instagram, what are you talking about?Be real.Like, what do you mean?
And I'm just, I'm going to tell you what I see because I'm just like, I'm consuming the content as somebody who is very aware of what high cortisol is.And I'm just like, I don't even know what you mean.Like what?So that being said,
Decreasing your cortisol resets the nervous system.It gets you out of fight or flight and into rest and digest.When you're in rest and digest, that's when we can avoid productivity burnout.
That's when we can avoid feeling flat at the end of the day, needing the 3 p.m.coffee when we are in rest and digest.But when you're in fight or flight, not only are you dealing sometimes with painful periods.
You are also dealing with irregular cycles.You could also be dealing with the burnout and the fatigue.You could be dealing with so many different hormonal imbalances.So what we're trying to do is decrease the cortisol so that it's at a baseline
while also keeping it where it needs to be.Because what you often hear is high cortisol, but nobody's talking about low cortisol and how that can actually negatively impact your menstrual cycle too.It's all a feedback loop.
And I'm really trying to not go down a rabbit hole.Sorry, but y'all don't let Kelly on Instagram make cortisol seem like it is something that's going to control you.You can control it.Drop out of your head and into your body.
The easiest way to do this is to control your breathing.Hold it for like eight to 10 seconds.Some people like mouth breathing.Some people prefer to breathe through the nose right there. You're good.All right.You don't have to worry about it.
When I say go touch the earth, like I know it kind of gave Jackie, I know when she like tells people to go touch grass because that's immediately where my head went.
But like grounding helps take the negative charges out of the body and direct them somewhere else.Now, if you were to say, Barry, how do you help people balance?What should we do?Two for me, two for you.
Remember, there's two phases of your cycle that are high energy, high output. There are two phases of your cycle that are low energy, high input for you.Right?So we have our internal world.We have our external world.
You need to know which phase you're in.And so once you understand which phase you're in, you're able to like stack your day, get the support that you need.I know you're probably thinking, girl, which are high and which are low.So let's recap.
Your low energy phases are going to be your luteal phase and your menstrual phase.
So when you're PMSing, when you're on your period, your high energy phases are that follicular and ovulatory phase and that early luteal phase, like before somebody's breathing bothers you.That's where it is, okay?Before the breathing bothers you.
Does that kind of answer your question? Yes, it does.Very helpful.I haven't heard of cortisol to that extent and the way that you explained it.
So it's like really helpful to kind of like put it all together of like, okay, my, how my hormones are working together through my, throughout my face, but then cortisol, it's like, okay, you control it, but it runs a show in a way, depending on how high or high, how low it is.
So that's really helpful.That's really helpful.Okay. Speaking of your periods, right?When you're running a business, you mentioned like creating, syncing your cycle to create productivity, profit, as well as that there's a third P in there.
Can you explain a little bit more about cycle syncing as a business owner?
Yeah.So what's funny is the practice of cycle syncing.Let me give credit where credit's due.Elisa Vitti is a woman who trademarked cycle syncing.I think this was a methodology that was like way before her, but she like popularized it.
And so I love to give credit where credit's due.She talks about cycle syncing from the lens of like nutrition and like wellness. I like to talk about aligning with your cycle from the lens of business because I'm about my business.
And the moment I found out that the brain changes throughout the menstrual cycle, you can't tell me anything. Okay.That means you're spending even changes throughout your menstrual cycle.
And I'm not, there's no gas on like, I am not capping when I say that.
So here's, I'm talking about when I say productivity performance and profits, what I'm saying is the first phase of your menstrual cycle is for planning menstrual phase plan because of how your brain is operating.
There's 25% more connectivity between the right and left hemispheres.So why not brainstorm? You feel creative, great.Write the vision, make it plain, right?Back to two and two, right?
That's like what we hear, but we don't hear it from this practical sense.The second phase of your cycle, the follicular phase, there's more actual analytical capacity and empathetic capacity in the follicular phase.
So this is where I always tell people, do a little bit of action planning and a little bit more analysis, like get ready to ramp things up. because it really depends on the type of business you have.
So I'm going to give you guys like the overall, the broad stuff, and then we can get a little more micro.During the third phase of your cycle, ovulation, your hippocampus and your amygdala, so your capacity to actually be personable,
And like magnetic, as everybody likes to say, is just at its highest capacity because of the actual activity of the brain.The brain is like, I'm on, I'm feeling good.You said what?Who?Where?I'm there.Like, this is a time where
You're creating, you're communicating, and you're connecting.The moment ovulation is over, your brain actually switches in the amount of activity.Your prefrontal cortex just basically means you're getting more primal in that luteal phase.
And so your brain says it's time to turn within because there's a chance I might be pregnant.And so I have to make sure my house is in order.So this is the time where you do evaluation. And you might be saying, Barry, that was a lot.
What's the easiest way to remember this?Pace.Like, you know, when you're pacing yourself when you're running?P for planning.A, action and analysis.C, creation, communication, connection.E, evaluation.
And I like to say edits, too, because sometimes you need to edit your routine.Pace can apply to every aspect of life, but especially business. Business is a marathon, not a sprint.
I had to learn the hard way because nobody told me I was going to be running a business as soon as I was running a business.I was like, Oh, bootstrap.Oh, okay.Like I'm learning.Okay.Right.
So with that being said, let's say for instance, you are, let's say you are a, a service-based entrepreneur like yourself, right?So you provide a great service.
On your period, maybe what you're taking time to do is make your projections for the month.What do I know is happening?What do I know is coming in?Who do I know is going out?Like those things, okay?Then in the follicular phase, action and analysis.
How many people do I need to talk to?How much content needs to be created?What type of content needs to be created, if any, right?Then during ovulation, this is when you talk, don't shut up. You're glowing.Keep going.Use it.
And I always tell people, if you want to work that 15 hour day because it feels good, do it.Especially during ovulation.This is the time where once upon a time, I used to pitch myself to like whoever needed a pitch.
This was also the time where I would pitch like different, anything that involved me being externally facing.
the moment you know you're in that late luteal phase and you are irritable because somebody got smart with you over email because they really do do it.Okay.We need to evaluate immediately.Is this worth giving my time to?
Like, are you really, are they really feeling froggish?Like, I don't know.Right.But this is a time where we turn within and really evaluate things.So for me, this often reflects like,
end of the month stuff is a little bit different now given where i'm at in my life but this would usually for me it would line up with end of month and like if you're like okay but i'm in my luteal phase and it's the middle of the month
okay that's fine what do you need to assess in both your personal and professional life what do you need to evaluate because we know sometimes like people like to pick fights and maybe it's not on purpose but then it's also just like but was it like are we sure it wasn't like um walk me through this right so i i'm saying all that to say that
as a service-based entrepreneur, you might have a very different business than somebody who's like an influencer, right?Or maybe a very different business than somebody who's a hairstylist.
But at a high level, you can still use this concept of pace to increase your productivity, to increase your performance.And that means increasing the way that you show up, increase your bottom line.
I promise you I'm not going to do a launch unless I'm ovulating.Because why, why would I?Like, and I in my workshop, I actually teach like this eight week launch plan.
Because that way we can have a runway of how to launch when to launch and utilizing your energy because I promise you if you're trying to attract new customers and clients when you're PMSing, you're going to probably attract the wrong people.
That is so true.What's interesting about the different phases is when I'm on sales calls, they tend to typically happen during my luteal phase.
However, I feel like during my luteal phase, I'm able to increase my conversions because I'm really understanding and in real time. I'm being really, not necessarily critical, but I'm like into the details of like, okay, what's really going on?
Like, how am I able to be more intuitive?Maybe that's the word.Maybe it's more intuitive of someone's needs, like when I'm on a discovery call and I'm able to increase my conversions there.And my first webinar was during my luteal phase.
So I'm like, I'm always in this luteal phase, child.So I'm like,
Well, your brain is primal then, right?Your brain is thinking about how to get your house in order and secure things for yourself.So you can actually use that to your advantage.
But like, if you're really, you know, we have different industries, but they're complementary at the same time.Like, you're wealth, I'm health.For me, I don't, I teach people not to talk to people during their luteal phase.
And that's just because I know how communication is. But for you, people get touchy about money.People have a lot of feelings.So maybe it is good for you to be interviewing people and doing your sales calls during your luteal phase.
I love that for you.I would encourage you to try it during ovulation just to see, is the close a little bit more seamless?Because you have the details, but what's the energetic capacity?
Are we having a little bit more fun and giggling and laughing a little bit more? I know you're in your luteal phase, but I have to say the vibes are right.The vibes are right.
I will say I've been taking a lot of care of myself because when you mentioned like your menstrual cycle, like the menstrual phase with planning, I'm like, if I could get out of bed, like my periods have historically been
traumatic for me like I started at 10 and we mentioned offline that you know the first year to 14 months as you mentioned are sporadic in a bit so yeah mine was wasn't necessarily like on target or like every single month and it really was irregular until high school but then in high school it was I missed school for days like I would have all the symptoms I would throw up I would be in bed I'll have heavy periods
I would have different ultrasounds to check my ovaries because I would have cysts on my ovaries.I was going through it.And then I have my daughter.Yeah, a little bit better.But then it's a whole rabbit hole with birth control and all those things.
And even now, my period from last month was terrible, but this month I've been taking better care of myself.I feel like I have undiagnosed endometriosis, I have fibroids, all these things.
But if I exercise or walk, at least in my luteal phase, I need to walk long distances because that helps me regulate, as well as not eat certain foods, like certain meats to inflame myself during my cycle. It's a whole mess.
I love that you said this because I think now's a really good time to remind people of two things.Number one, what your mind dwells on, your body acts upon.
What often happens is we are told that our period is going to be painful before we even get our period.Right.So that's what we start believing.And I hate to say that it physically manifests itself.
But baby, when I tell you the moment I changed the way I looked at my period, when I said it's not a problem, but it's my power, truly. Like your girl was in a documentary talking about her periods.Like what?Never in a million years.
With like people like Gloria Steinem who is like a women's rights like advocate, right?Like never in a million years did I imagine this is what my path would take me down.
But because I switched the narrative of my period is my problem to my period is my power. and operated in that, we're good to go.You know, like I've had the best relationship with my period.
Like we really are, like when we locked in, when we locked in, ain't no switching up.But also you talked about timelines and you're like, okay, so this is what happened when I was younger.
I've noticed in the last month I've been taking care of myself.I tell everybody your period today is a reflection of your life 90 days ago. Because what a lot of people want me to say is it's going to change right now.
Yeah, I can teach you some different techniques, but it takes 90 days for an egg to actually mature.90 to 100 days. And yes, the egg itself isn't necessarily what's coming out during your period.It's actually that uterine lining.
But that also tells you, because right after the follicle stimulating hormone, like basically the one egg that becomes dominant, that follicle kind of breaks down and it starts to create something called the corpus luteum.
The corpus luteum is what produces progesterone. So your egg health is directly associated with how you experience your period.
So what that means is, okay, if we're starting today to improve our relationship with our cycle, that means 90 days from now is probably going to be the best period yet. Now it might not feel good that first few cycles, right?
We have to hold on to the vision because we're like, is it working?I'm doing a lot.Is it working?It is working, but it's those small incremental changes that make the biggest impact.
And I think often with our bodies, especially with health, like health is the one thing where we want it to be instantaneous, but it's like. How many years did you not feel good?
Okay, at least give yourself that many months to improve your health, right?So this is to say that maybe 90 days ago, you were feeling a little bit better and you caught yourself.And you said, I'm gonna make an active change.
So like, from this day forward, by the time this podcast episode is live, I expect you to be like, girl, yeah, what do we do?What do we do?
I'll definitely DM you.So when you mentioned that earlier, you mentioned that you were working on your period to have a painless period.
So let's talk about like, as we're running businesses and we have things, ailments like endometriosis, fibroids, PCOS, how can we improve our periods to have either like less pain, painless, and even with heavy bleeding?
Girl, okay, let's start with heavy bleeding because this is my favorite one.The reason I say heavy bleeding is my favorite is because truly, like, I just created like a little digital guide for people about heavy bleeding.
And I, earlier this year, I didn't realize how fast this was happening for people.If you are somebody who has a heavy bleed right now, there is one thing I really want you to start increasing.And that is your zinc intake.Now,
This is after testing on 36 different women and increase in zinc.And when I say testing, like they all went through my program period bootcamp and increase their zinc levels.
And on the next call, they were like, Barry, my period went from three days of a heavy flow and two days of a moderate flow to only two days of a moderate flow in one day or two days of a lighter flow.What did you do? Are you kidding?
I'm telling you right now, it's zinc.For me, zinc, it has to be the thing because when I look in the research and the way zinc works, basically, I was just like, there's no way.
There's too many people telling me that the only thing they did was up their zinc intake and they also upped vitamin D, especially women of color.I serve everybody, but black women, I was like, look,
use some vitamin d if you live in the midwest like me there is no sun right now it's bright okay butterflies in the sky but no sun so with that being said if you're dealing with a heavy bleed i would increase your zinc intake um another thing i would do is highly this goes for anybody dealing with like a chronic condition or just a lot of period pain
I changed my cycle by implementing Elisa Vitti's way of cycle syncing.I just couldn't stick to it because there was too many details.And I was like, this is not practical for me.Like I'm not always at the grocery store with this book or like, no.
So I teach something called the fab four or the core four.Proper hydration, remineralization and supplementation, nutrition optimization, and nervous system regulation. Proper hydration means more than just drinking your Stanley's, okay, y'all?
Like, they cute or whatever.But get some minerals in your water.Get some coconut water, aloe vera juice, maybe a hibiscus or red raspberry leaf tea.Those are gonna support you.
And if you're dealing with a lot of pain and a chronic condition, the first half of your cycle, drink red raspberry leaf tea.The second half of your cycle, drink hibiscus teas.
Both of those are gonna support your liver, and that's gonna help decrease a lot of the pain. That's just off the top of my head.I'm like, just kind of ripping.I apologize.No, no, no, this is beautiful.Like, thank you.
Oh my goodness.The second element is remineralizing and supplementing.So I don't know how many of y'all are familiar with Dr. Sebi.But I remember the first time I saw this, I was like, what is this male on when it comes to CMOS?
Then I found out how important minerals are for creating, storing, and releasing hormones.I'm eating seaweed and sea moss every day.Period.Okay?That and colostrum.
Now, what I recommend for somebody who has fibroids might be a little bit different than what I would recommend for somebody who has PCOS, but at the bare minimum, we can all benefit from a little bit more zinc and a little bit more vitamin D, especially if you have a heavy bleed.
Vitamin D is quite literally both a nutrient and it's also a hormone, and it is the only Only element of hormones, like your cells in your body, every single one has a receptor for vitamin D. That's how essential it is.
But they don't tell us this though.And then they'll tell us to go stand in the sun.And like, what's crazy is if you have melanin.Right. my body's not only absorbing it, it's also blocking it.
So it's not even at the same time like converting, bro, what are you doing?So for any of you who are like, Barry, what's the best vitamin D?I personally like this like liquid one from Guru Nanda.
You can get it out Walmart or Amazon for like 11 to $15, depending on where you live.And you just take it and you put it under your tongue.Maybe you mix it in water if you're like, that's too strong of a taste, super simple there.
When I say nutrition optimization, y'all, don't be mad.Don't shoot the messenger, okay?Okay.Protect her at all costs.Okay.I am just saying, one thing about me is I love collard greens.I love dressing.I love mac and cheese.
I love every ounce of soul food that I grew up with. But I also know I don't want to look like my auntie who's got the thick wrist.No shade to her.I just want to look a little bit different, okay?
So what I had to learn how to do is really eat better and not less.So how can I still enjoy my favorite foods and like cook them a little differently? So I didn't tell my mom this, but like my, we do soul soul food Sunday in my house.
And that's because my fiance, he's white.His kids are white.They're not really, they don't know the culture like that.And I really want them to experience it.Right.So with that being said, he loves soul food.I love soul food.
I just don't like the high sodium that comes with it.Right.I don't like the itis that comes after.So what we do is instead of cooking my grains basically in like Chicken broth.I'll do bone broth.Right.Real simple switch.
Because let's be honest, we're denaturing all of the nutrients that's probably in there by how long we're cooking them down, okay?But we're not sacrificing flavor for anything or anyone, right?
So when I say nutrition optimization, I want you to realize you can one, have all your favorite foods, just cook them a little bit differently. Number two, people always ask me, Barry, how can I eat in sync with my cycle?
And I used to be the girl to give the grocery list.And y'all, if you still want a grocery list, I have one.I'm not going to front.I have it because I created it.This is how I started my journey.That was a few years ago.Talk to me now.
I just use ROYGBIV, just like the rainbow.So at the bare minimum, it's always protein, healthy fat, and fiber.Well, what's fiber?Think about your fruits and your vegetables.
Depending on which phase of your cycle you're in, you're going to eat a different color of the rainbow.So in your menstrual phase, you're going to focus in on red and orange produce.
your follicular phase as well as your ovulatory phase you're going to focus on that like yellow green sometimes those blue things okay that's going to support the nutrients that you actually need but in addition to that it's going to start preparing the liver to detox in your luteal phase you're going to say okay well now i've got
Indigo and violet foods left basically, right?ROYGBIV, like all I've got are indigo and violets.Sometimes your blues too, wherever you want to be.But those are your cruciferous vegetables.
Those are going to help detox the liver, which is going to help get those high levels of estrogen out of the body so that you can have a lighter flow.Again, That's how we optimize nutrition.ROYGBIV.If you want your grocery list, go ahead.
I'm not mad at you, but I promise you, if I ovulate in the middle of my week, but I've already done my grocery shopping, I'm probably not going back to the grocery store because that's not how my household runs.We have a meal plan and we follow it.
Okay?Okay.That's just me.That's me.Okay? And I always like to tell people, think of it as like, if you grocery shop biweekly, you're going to have two phases where you're doing certain foods, you have two phases where you're doing other foods.
And it's pretty simple once you just kind of wrap your head around of like two weeks and two weeks.Two for me, two for you.Like it's super simple in my opinion.Then the last element is nervous system regulation.
This is the most important part of everything, anything, everything I'm going to say today, literally. Your nervous system controls every aspect of your endocrine system.Your endocrine system is where your hormones are.
Your nervous system is your sympathetic and parasympathetic. Wait, you mean to tell me the fight and flight, the rest and digest is directly connected to like everything else going on?Yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you.
So when I tell you to go touch the ground, okay, go touch grass, I'm only saying it because it's helping your hormones. Now, there are a lot of people who like to get deep, wonderful and spiritual with nervous system regulation.I totally could.
I just don't because for me, I like to be tactical.Okay.So get up, go for your walk, whether you're going to walk your dog or you just need to move around.Go journal. pray.
Whatever you need to do to get yourself in like a calm state multiple times a day is going to support you one in getting rid of your painful periods, two navigating a chronic condition, and three regulating your hormones overall.
Y'all, I know that was a lot, but like when I tell you, I'm not new to this, I'm true to this.This is like what I love to talk about.
Sure is.I'm like, I can't wait to listen back.I'm taking these notes in my head, but to take them even more when I listen back, I am so excited.I'm learning so, so, so, so much.When it comes to
Running a business, right, we self-sacrifice so much as business owners.
How can women balance their business responsibilities while prioritizing their health, getting the appropriate medical care that they need with any of these conditions that they may have while running their businesses?
You have to understand your personal capacity and your priorities.Your business doesn't run without you. And I don't say that because I'm insensitive.I know the delivery was like real direct, but it's something I had to learn.
When I say your business doesn't run without you, like, yes, you can have all these different automations and different things like that.But like your business is really only as healthy and as successful as you physically are.
I remember running myself into the ground leading up to the launch of my first business.It was so great.But I also remember waking up every single morning and saying, okay, I've had my journal time.And in addition to that, I'm going to walk a mile.
This is a non-negotiable.So I would encourage anybody who's dealing with
you know a chronic condition specifically where you're medically going into different things too like when you have to go to your doctors and different things like that because I understand that can be really frustrating like
I'm so grateful I haven't had to navigate that, but at the same time, I'm just like, there's appointments coming up and I'm like, oh, this is right in the middle of my day.
I say identify your personal capacity, meaning understand what the top three things are that you need to get done for your personal health and well-being, your energy and your emotions.
from there, understand and prioritize the top three things that need to get done in your business.And like, please hear me when I say this, Instagram is cute, but if you're not an influencer, it is not a top priority.
Because I have it bad where I'm like, I need a content plan.No, keep doing what you've been doing.And I'm saying that with love because I see people be more consumed by creating content than they are generating sales.
And then they're like, I'm stressed.I'm sick.Well, Instagram is part of the marketing, but it isn't the marketing. is part of the sales, but it isn't the sales, right?Like nurture your community, but nurture yourself.
So I'd say identify your personal capacity.What do you have the ability to do?Do it, delete it or delegate it.So either you and only you can do it.So you do it, delete it because it's been on your to-do list for too long.
And you know, you're not getting around to it.Like me and Pinterest, just not happening.I need to do it, but it's just not happening right now.Delegate it, maybe even hire an assistant, you know,
Maybe you can have just like different things set up so that you're not just running everything by yourself, but also give yourself space. You don't have to get everything done in the day, do you?It feels like it.Mm hmm.
It feels like I'm not gonna lie.I'm just like looking at my to do list today.And I'm like, I have so much to film today.And I'm like, you also have tomorrow and the next day, like, it's cool.Like, obviously, I want to maximize my day, right.
But also do your best to work smarter rather than harder. during those follicular and ovulatory phases.So when you're in your luteal or menstrual phase, you can kind of give yourself like the grace that you need to like just rest.
And I know you're gonna say like, Perry, that's so hard.Okay, you want to choose your hard now or later?
Somebody's got to say it like it is.So it'll be me. I mean, you know, obviously if you're going through surgery or something like that, the only thing that matters is you.
But there's a lot of preventative things we can do beforehand, like straight up.I think one thing I've noticed with female entrepreneurs is like, we want to wear the weight of the world on our shoulder. And I'm good for it.
I'd be wearing it like my shoulders.
Right.No, that's not your weight to carry.The only thing that matters, I teach something called perfect.It's an acronym that helps me prioritize where things are.P personal health and wellbeing, E energy and emotions, R relationships, F finances.
E. Environment.C. Career.T. Time.Perfect.That's the priority for me, in that order.Because at the end of the day, I'm the one catching everything.If I'm not good, how are you gonna be good?
That hole, I never understood that hole, like you can't pour from an empty cup. until like two years ago when I met my fiance's kids.
And I was like, Oh, now I get when you don't have, I will say this when you don't have kids, there's just certain things you don't know.And that will never cross your mind.
Now that they're in the picture and like they're with us 50% of the time, I'm like, okay.
Um, yeah, I've got to get up at 5am because if you're screaming loud, and not trying to scream, but like, it's 6am and you're speaking super loud in my ear, right?No, no, I got to get up at five.I have to have my me time before I'm dealing with you.
Oh my goodness, that brings back memories when, even now she's 10, but when my daughter was about three or four, like I would speak to her like she was like an adult.
I'm like, yeah, we need to figure out how we can make sure that you stay in your crib or you stay in your room until it's time to get up because girl.You know, what kills me is like, they don't even call for daddy.
How y'all calling for me?Non-existent. And he just be relishing.And I'm like, you think this is cute?You go, you go.I know they call for me because they like their cuddles in the morning, their breakfast and different things like that.
And I'm a morning person, right?I know my personal capacity is like, after 3 p.m.I'm no good.I'm no good.I wanna start unwinding for the day. So in the morning, like, I'm their girl.I'm the one that's up, got the routine going, like, we got this.
We're good.Dad is still like, I'm trying to figure out what are you doing with your life?Like, I've been to the gym already.What are you doing with your life? There were days where before I got pregnant, I was up at 4.45 going to the gym.
My gym opens at 5, so I needed 15 minutes to get ready.First one in at 5, one of the first to leave at 5.30, 5.45, and the second group is coming in.You're late.You're late at first.
Because for me, it was one of those things where if I wasn't getting my workout in, starting my day, it wasn't happening. Now my workout routine is very different because my body is very different than what it used to be.
So I had to like adjust like, Oh, so I just need to start going on these 45 minute walks with my dog because like, truly running the way that I used to is just not helping me right now.Like, I want to throw up after finish.I finished a run now.
Yeah.And good that you're listening to your body on that.Yeah.The furthest I got with cycle syncing is I do like having exercises specific to my cycle.So with my follicular stage, I love going on runs.
I am that girl, like when I, like, I feel so energized and I tried to run to my luteal and I was like, I want to barf.I feel terrible.
I'm going to tell you the best thing you can do.So I keep saying two for me, two for you, two for high energy, two for low energy, two for the external world, two for your internal world.
In your luteal and menstrual phases, I highly recommend people do more of your lower intensity, active recovery, flexibility, mobility things.Because one, it feels really good to stretch.Static stretching feels so different now.
I don't know what it is.When I was younger, I didn't appreciate it.Now, I'm like, oh, yes.Okay, I got a good stretch in, right?What's also happening is when you're exercising, it does increase cortisol.
Yes, it gives you endorphins and endorphins make you happy, right?But it also increases cortisol.So that applies additional stress to the body and in the bloodstream.So that can be really uncomfortable if you're already high cortisol.
If you already have a lot going on, like prostaglandins are the things that make us cramp.And high levels of prostaglandins.How did they get high?Inflammation.Well, what contributes to inflammation?Cortisol.
So how can we lower our cortisol to lower inflammation to decrease prostaglandins?We can do one thing simple, change how we're working out in sync with our cycle.We can do those lower intensity active recovery based things.
And also stretching actually causes a soft muscle tissue to stretch out too.Soft muscle tissue is actually like helping the uterus, like shed the uterine lining.That's why we have prostaglandins.
They're expanding and contracting the soft muscle tissue to get that out. So can we just stretch a little bit more, a little bit deeper?We can.And then when you're in that follicular ovulatory phase, I always say strength, power, resistance.
Cause I was a sprinter.She's a runner.She's a track star.I'm retired, you know.I'm a little retarded now, but I understand that I just feel better when I'm doing things that are a little bit more explosive.
You can't tell me I'm not on the Olympic team. What?What am I doing?Got the flow Joe here.So yeah, that's how I that's kind of how I help people exercise.Because for me, it's like, I want you to just move your body and listen to your body.Ultimately.
If you like going to f45, you do that.We're not the same. Okay?We're not the same.I prefer being on the trail or going on the track, like, you know, being in the gym.That's just what I like.But I'm going to respect what you like too.
I'm also going to say like, hey, you notice working out is not feeling really good.Well, one, I told you.Number two, just switch how you're working out.
That is so true.That is so true. When we, when you talked about, um, I know it's going to feel a little bit left, but doing what's right for your body.When it comes to me, I have un, I self-diagnosed myself for endometriosis, right?
Because I feel like I have all the symptoms where I just feel inflamed depending on what I eat.And what I tend to do out of fear is I just, I just fast. I'm like, let me just fast not eat anything because I love you.
I'm sorry.I love you.That was not right of me.Okay.
No, I get it.I know it was not the best, but it's like. what else is your girl gonna do?And also, I'm a very picky eater.I'm working on this.I gotta do what I have to do.I'll be 34 this year.So it's like, girl, we gotta figure something out.
Okay, so let's talk about fasting really quick.Guys, I don't hate it.I just don't love it.Okay, you have to fast like a girl. You cannot be fasting in your luteal phase.Your body needs more calories.It's about to get rid of stuff.
You cannot be fasting in your menstrual phase.Your body needs more calories.It's about to get rid of stuff.If you insist on fasting, do it in your follicular phase and leading up to ovulation.That's how I recommend it.
There's actually a book called Fast Like a Girl by Dr. Mindy Perez.I personally never read the book.I didn't feel like I needed to just because I'm so in tune with my cycle and I'm like, You won't catch me fasting.I like to eat.You just won't.
But I know a lot of people like fasting because there's so many benefits, right?Decrease in inflammation, maybe a little bit of weight loss depends on what works for you.
But I would say if you're going to fast, do it in that follicular and ovulatory phase.And the moment you kind of, it's worth noting your metabolism, your resting metabolic rate increases just after ovulation.So you're hungrier anyways.Right.
might need to eat, okay?Now, with that being said for you, because you're like, look, I'm a picky eater.I don't really know.
I would actually encourage you to one, do a food sensitivity test just to kind of know which foods, like you might know, like, okay, let's just say it's pork chops.They make you inflame.
I don't know why that's who I'm picking, but that's who I'm picking today.Pork chops.Every time I eat pork chops, I get inflamed.Okay, fine.What else?You know, No, you don't necessarily have to get the test.
I think it's just easier to get a test done because it'll also tell you not only what foods but like it can tell you about heavy metals, it can tell you about so many different things.So I'd recommend that and I would also recommend broths.
So have you ever had miso soup or like a hot and sour soup? I've had before.Okay.
Things like that can actually be really good for people who have chronic conditions like endo or fibroids or endiomyosis, if I'm not mistaken, that's how it's pronounced.
I could have mispronounced it, but broths are really good because they have a level of protein and a level of collagen. that come along with them.And while we're here on the collagen topic, collagen is not a complete protein, okay?
So don't try to substitute it.Don't do that.Not cute, okay?But I do think it's worth just kind of knowing like something warm can be really helpful for like easing the discomfort that you're physically feeling.
And also looking at different like cuisines. I'm a, I love soul food, yes, but I also, girl, give me some Thai, give me some drunken noodles over here, like, give me some Indian food, okay?
Like, that's how I, you would think, like, I should have my own cooking show, I'm not gonna lie, like, yeah. I will watch every time.Okay.I feel like it's so funny because it's like, I really do struggle.Like, I'm like, I don't know the difference.
Why do I smash the garlic instead of mince the garlic?Like, I'm like, literally on AI like chat GPT.What's the difference between smashed and minced garlic?I know what it looks like, but what flavors, right?
I'm saying this to say that there's a lot of different workarounds aside from fasting.I know fasting feels good because you're like, at least I'm not inflamed, right?For now.
It's a short-term solution, so I will respect that, but I'm also like there's other options out there.Another thing I would really, really recommend, I feel like every time I get on a podcast,
There is a supplement called PMS and period support from Semaine Health.Okay.When I say I have, I have been recommending this since the company started.And I think they're like four years old now.I will die on this Hill.
It is truly the best thing I have ever discovered for period pain and also migraines too.Or like just soreness, like instead of taking Tylenol in my house, we take this. Really?
My fiance has no clue that he's taking something for PMS and period support.You don't need to know that that is what you're taking.It's because the ingredients are so good for inflammation in the body.
And two of the founders, they're twins, they actually have endometriosis.So they were really intentional with creating this supplement.And I think that, you know, if you are in that pain,
They say use as directed, but I've also heard both the founders, Kat and Lar, the sisters, and Lar's husband Matt, he's like a scientist and formulated everything.So it's like a family thing, which I love.
Laura and Kat, if I'm not mistaken, they take like three in the morning, three in the middle of the day, three in the evening.Like you increase based off of what you need.They recommend you start two and two, but like everybody's different.
Again, for me, it's like, I don't have a painful period anymore.And I still take this because I'm like, just in the, I don't even want to feel the slightest cramp.I don't even want to know you, like bye.Okay.That's, that's not for us.So.
Yeah, it's ghetto.It's, I remember experiencing my first cramp for the longest time.So I was cramp free in 2019.I got a cramp in May of 2020, because I had lost my job in March.And that security of like, how am I going to take care of myself?
I did everything right.Literally checked all y'all boxes and I still lost my job.My hormones, everything was so tense.And I was like, oh, I don't like this feeling.Oh my God, I don't like it.Take this from me.
And I text him to Maine and I have not had a cramp since. I still use it when I'm feeling sore, like right now, I am very, very sore in a lot of different places.And I think it's my body trying to learn what to do.
So I take my Smain and I'm perfectly fine.You can get it at Target, you can get it at Walmart, AGB and stuff like that.
Like they have, I normally just send people to Target or Walmart because I'm like, for the most part, you can find those at all those places.
We will most definitely have it in the show notes because... It's when I say it's the best, like, and it's like, for me, when I say something is the best, I mean it because it's been clinically proven.I'm not like, Oh my God, try this.
This is so... No, if something's trash, I will tell you.I'm not going to hold you up because that's my name out there.I will put my neck on the line for this.And if it's like, here's the thing.
it's not going to work the same for everybody in the sense of like, I don't have pain as is.So for me, live and love you to loca after taking it, you know, whereas for you, you might be like, well, I'm not pain free, but I'm out of bed today.
So it's a small incremental thing that will make a really big difference.You pair that with your fab four, proper hydration, remineralization, nutrition, and nervous system.Good.You're golden.
Thank you.Thank you for that.You mentioned that you had, that was in May of 2020.And I was thinking of your 90 day, like your cycle is contingent on like the 90, the past 90 or a hundred days.I'm like, okay, that, that aligns with when you.
had got laid off and then you had to start your business and all those things that matches up with like the days in between.
That but also think about what's going on in the world in terms of not only just COVID but like that was also a lot of civil unrest with like George Floyd, the BLM movement and like I internalized so much stuff.
Actually I've gotten better but I've internalized so much stuff in the past and it's placed in my body.And I think as women of color, we have a tendency to do that.
I would say majority of women of color were never given that space to be safe in terms of like experiencing and expressing emotions. A lot of us had to like bottle everything up.And I know that's something I really, really struggled with.
I mean, my dad passed from cancer when I was 10.He was misdiagnosed and I didn't cry my first tears till I was 18. And me and my dad, that was my dog.That was my shooter.I felt everything in my body.
And I remember talking to my mom and just being like, you never gave me space to cry because you were so overcome with emotion.I mean, that's trauma, but everybody's trauma looks different. And like, imagine 2020 with collective trauma coming at you.
Like, I'm crying about George Floyd.Like, that was my friend.Because I just couldn't believe I saw this.Like, I was just so heartbroken.
So I, you know, I say that to remind everyone, like, you have to prioritize your peace and know what's for you to take on and what's not for you to take on.
There are days where my four year old stepdaughter is really having one of those like tantrums.Like I will be like, she's screaming for mommy and daddy and I'm not mommy.I'm not daddy.I can't do anything about it besides hold you.
And like, I don't love a tantrum, but I'm going to give you space to express yourself and then also say, Now that you're done, how are you feeling?What was that linked to?Because I don't want that emotion trapped in her body.
I'm so grateful I have these tools now because I know if the emotion is trapped in your body and you're an empathetic person, it gets trapped in your womb.
And I think that's why that's the one thing that like a lot of research won't talk about for women of color is all that is trapped in our womb space. There's the book.God, I'm such a dork.I'm sorry.This is such a long podcast, friends.
But the book Sacred Woman.What I love about this book is the emphasis on the womb space.And there's some things I align with.There's a lot of things I'm like, no, that's not for me.Yes, I've been colonized.Okay, I'm not gonna lie.
Like, I think I know what you mean.There's some things where I'm just like, that won't be me.But
It addresses our womb space because when we're looking from the lens of traditional Chinese medicine, when we're looking from the lens of the Vedas and we're looking at the chakra system, there's something called your root and your sacral chakra.
So your root chakra is attached to your sense of safety.Your sacral chakra is attached to your sense of creativity, purpose, power, and all these things.And then our solar plexus, which is literally your confidence.
This is all running up and down your vagus nerve.Your root chakra, like just imagine your root chakra is at the base of your spine.I'm pointing at my elbow because I'm not about to do that.But it's your root chakra is basically your tailbone.
Sacral chakra is essentially your ovaries.Your solar plexus is your gut.
How is it that women of color disproportionately
have so much trauma, one, but if we look at it from the medical lens, why are we having hysterectomies?Why are we having fibroids?Why do we have cysts?Why do we have all of this so much compared to like our non-melanated counterparts?
And this isn't just like white women, but Hispanic women or Asian women, Indian women, You know, um, I should say South Asian because technically Indian women are an Asian continent, but y'all get the point, right?Yeah.
Because as black women, we just carry weight differently.Right.Like I remember someone telling me a few years ago, it's going to be a black woman that heals the world.And I was like, yeah, hi, I'm here.I have arrived.
I'm here because what I've learned is we don't talk about what we're holding in our body.We haven't been given a space to release it and express it.
And if you do express, let's say sensuality and creativity, then it's like our community is like, okay, like we're either like very like, eh, we're with it or like, no, right.Because of the way that we've been conditioned.
So as black women, we're holding all of this discomfort. I want to encourage all of y'all, let it go.Just like Elsa.A lot of stuff is not for us to hold on to.
Allow yourself to expand and really flourish in fertility, because that's what abundance is.Fertility is overflow.Fertility is having more than enough.And I think we like to think of fertility only as getting pregnant.Girl, bye.
It is everything and then some.Like, I'm not mad at you.Don't be shy.It's going in and out.Bye.It really is that expansion.And once you can relax into the expansion in your body, truly,
And like, if you don't breathe from your diaphragm, highly recommend you do that.Expand outwards.You are going to feel this great release.Now, there's a lot of other stuff that goes into womb work and I just stick to the science.
Okay, I'm gonna be honest, I stick to the practical and the very tactical, but if you're looking to heal your womb, I would say start with the book Sacred Woman, because I think that can help.
There's so many things in there where she's talking about fibroids and endometriosis.She talks about a lot of other stuff too, stuff that I'm just like, I can't relate to, but I understand the importance of releasing it.
I'm so glad you mentioned that because I think of like generational trauma, you know, when it comes to women of color, especially black women, right?Like, I heard the term years ago, and it stuck with me that like,
It's like you're born with all the eggs or like your grandmother's eggs or something like that.
And I'm like, that's literally, whatever my grandmother experienced, and we don't have to go down that rabbit hole, but whatever she experienced, right, I'm experiencing it in some form.
If she didn't heal it, we experience it because of epigenetics.
And I didn't even meet her, but I'm experiencing what she's been through.
You know, it's so interesting because I also find that there's so much truth to that.
But I also find that sometimes, like, medical practitioners will use that as a cop out and say, like, the reason you have fibroids is because your mom had fibroids and your grandmother had fibroids.Don't project onto people, okay?
Yes, they could have had it.And so you may be predisposed, predisposed to it.Okay.But that doesn't have to be you.That doesn't have to be your story.My mom.Great.
No problems with like any of her like female parts, her ovaries or anything like her uterus, anything.My grandma had a hysterectomy. My grandmother is 82 years young and will comment on my Instagram and say, Bibi, I wish I had you around.
Like, grandma, stop me.Go away.Like, what are you doing here?But she will literally comment on my post and say, I wish I had this information.Your girl literally just got an ultrasound to make sure there was a heartbeat.Okay.
The lady, the nurse looked at me and was like, I have never seen this.I was like, what?She's like, not to be rude, but I've never had a woman of color sit in my chair who has this beautiful, like, just beautiful womb space.
I mean, what did you expect?Like, what? Like, I mean, well, and it was so, it was so eye-opening for me because she anticipated that, like, she just expected to see a fibroid.She expected to see, she expected to see something was off.
And then when she didn't see it, I was like, you know, like I knew nothing was off.I literally just wanted a comfort check and to make sure like a heartbeat was going, like, it was just like literally me being like, I've heard of blighted ovums.
I know miscarriages could happen.I just want to know from my light piece where we're at.And we're good.And so like to have this conversation with, there was a doctor in the room, but she wasn't the one like giving me the ultrasound.
It was just so interesting because I was just like, wow, you really do in the medical traditional Western medicine system.Y'all really do look at us like we're all the same. And then you get an outlier like me and you're like, so what are you doing?
What are you doing?Right.Yeah.And I guess I'm sharing this to say like, what our mothers and grandmothers went through, we can heal and our daughters will never go through it.
And I want to be, I will stand 10 toes down when I say our daughters, because I know there's a lot of changes happening. Our daughters never have to go through this.
My mission is to make sure every woman feels educated, equipped, and empowered to heal and help herself so she can heal and help the generations to come.That's what it's all about at the end of the day.
When you told me, you're like, my daughter, she's navigating changes.I was like, yes, freaking out because Nobody was excited for me.It's like, I remember getting my first period and telling my mom, I think I got my period.
And my mom was just like, here you go.She gave me this big old pad.And I was like, what am I supposed to do with this?There was no conversation.I was just like, is this a pamper?I hate it here.Like, oh my gosh.
No, because my mom had like the heavy flow.Like, girl, this look like a postpartum pad if I've ever seen it.No, ma'am, that's not my story. Because so many girls experience that.
But then you have people like me who are now coming out and just be like, girl, that's your power.OK, I know what your mama gave you.Get some period panties.Like, OK, I'm not going to have you go through what I went through.
And I'm also not going to let you not know how beautiful it is. To have an internal clock that tells you once a month, every month, it's time to rest and reset.
When you think about it, menstruation is just the release physically of all that and of all that happened emotionally and energetically.Let it go.Your body's literally telling you to let it go, but you'd be wanting to hold on so bad.Girl, let it go.
Let it go.Okay.It didn't work out.Okay.We're moving forward. That's why I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm on a tangent, but yeah, you get the point.
No, no, this was so good because I was about to get emotional because thinking about what I've been through, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, all my lineage, right?
And the fact that my daughter isn't going to have to experience the inkling of that. It's like, it's rewarding.You're doing the Lord's work.Thank you.You're doing the Lord's work.
Listen, when, it's so funny.I've always said since I started this, your gift will make room for you.And whenever I'm too into my ego and my flesh, gotta let me know.It's a chin check real quick.It's a chin check so quick.
But the moment that I'm back in that space where I'm operating out of alignment and like really saying like, thank you for this gift.Like flourish, like truly harmony.
And like, it's so crazy because it's like the better I feel in my body, the better I do in business.
But the only reason I feel good in my body is because I'm prioritizing my relationship, not only with self, but like for me, I'm very like faith forward. I just don't like, I'm not one of those people who puts like a lot of scriptures out there.
I can, I can quote them all day long, you know, grew up in the church, you know, I can do, I can go toe to toe with the best of them.
I just don't, because I'm like, my calling is to serve women in this capacity and like teach them how to heal from these multiple lenses.
Because like, there's the science and there's the spirituality, but the true healing comes from the intermingling of the two.Like,
And a lot of women, I guarantee you, if you've done all the scientific stuff and you're not getting the breakthrough, that means you gotta do it through the spirit. But they don't want to hear that.
They do not want to hear that because that's not tangible.That's not tactical.How do I get a breakthrough in the spirit?What are you holding on to that's no longer yours?What have you internalized that needs to be released?
What literally needs to come out of you either through your mouth or through the vaginal canal?Like, what do you need to birth? My mom has held herself back from so many things.
And the moment I told my mom, like, mom, you got to get that thing out into the world.She's like, oh, I'm losing a little bit of weight.And she got some CMOS.I'm like, no, really?Are you, you know?She's like, I finally listened to you.
I was like, thank you.It only took you long enough.Like I'm 30.It took you long enough.Right.
Yeah. Oh my goodness.Oh my goodness.We can chat all day.I won't shut up.I'm going to shut up now, I promise.Oh my goodness.I'm like, oh, so many things, so many things.This was such a beautiful conversation.
Is there anything that you, that I should have asked or that you feel like you should mention as it relates to like having your cycle, regulating your cycle, especially with running your business?
I just want you to remember that you can have a period and a life, an enjoyable one at that.You know, this episode is a great place to start, y'all.I dropped a lot of gems, so go back through and, like, re-listen.
And when you're, like, ready to take the next step and you're just not sure what that next step should be, just slide into the DMs. I really am fun to talk to.If you can't tell from this podcast, I just be living and thriving.
So I don't mind directing you or sending you a link to this, sending you a link to that, or just saying, I actually know this is a really good question to talk to your doctor about.So yeah, that's it.
You can have a period and a life and an enjoyable one at that.
Yes, yes.I ask this to a lot of my guests.What is your definition of harmonious wealth? You know, that's interesting.
The reason I say it's interesting is because I think before we started recording, I was saying how I've recently heard that wealth is an identity. And because for me, health is an identity.It's easiest.
So I believe that harmonious wealth comes from the harmony within your health.Because you hear people talk about health is wealth all the time, but do you really understand what that means?So for me, the healthier I am, the wealthier I am.
And like, they go hand in hand.So I would, I don't really have anything deep, wonderful and spiritual to say on that one.You know, I know I've been preaching the last 10 minutes.I would have to say harmonious wealth is harmonious health.
They're, they're just together.
Love it.Oh, my goodness.Love it.Where can people find you?
So I would say, uh, the place that, you know, I used to be there a lot, but I'm not anymore.Instagram, berry on lberry on Instagram.
You can also come to my podcast in a phase because we always are in a different phase of our cycle and a different phase of our life.And I really feel like that's where we just get to kick it.Like I just have a lot of fun there.
And if you ever want to learn with me, join my monthly membership. called Period School.You can go to periodschool.com, and that's school spelled S-K-O-O-L.com, and we can connect.
And y'all, I gotta be honest with you, that's the number one place to be.Like, if you're looking for something that's community oriented, but it's gonna just transform you because it gets straight to the point, that's where the girls are.
And I'm gonna stick with the girls. Oh my goodness.I'm like, it's ending.I don't want it to end.I know, but you got to take care of the baby.You got to make sure y'all get y'all some Maine.
So I just want to say thank you so much for having me and just giving me the space to like, just vibe.
Yes.Oh my goodness.Thank you so much for coming on.You blessed all of us with your knowledge.I'm going to go back and take some notes.So much valuable information.Thank you so much.
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