Do more of what you love with cycle syncing featuring Audrey S. Geyer

Audrey S. Geyer is a High-Performance Women's Wellness Coach who teaches ambitious, health-conscious women how they can use the natural ebb & flow of their hormones to crush their personal, professional, & wellness goals-- without burn out, mood swings, & PMS.

Today, Audrey and I discuss Hashimoto's (we both have it), hormone syncing, and so many things surrounding women's health in this super informative episode.

CONNECT WITH AUDREY S. GEYER:
Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/audreysgeyer/
Website -  https://www.audreysgeyer.com/

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PACT:

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APPS MENTIONED:
Clue Period and Cycle Tracker: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/clue-period-cycle-tracker/id657189652
Tempdrop: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tempdrop/id1199061141

BOOKS MENTIONED...
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

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With so much love,

Jaclyn Steele

Transcript

Unknown: 0:00

Because thinking is it's adaptive, it's flexible. You don't have to cycle sink in the same way that another woman does. But it's essentially about taking different actions in your life, whether it's nutrition, whether it's sinking your work schedule, or your social calendar or your self care approach. And it's aligning those actions that you're taking with what your hormones are doing for your body. Anyway.

Jaclyn Steele: 0:28

Hi, I am Jaclyn Steele, and welcome to self discovery. Howard Thurman so beautifully wrote, don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive, coming alive. That my friends, is what self discovery is all. You were that man. Alright friends, Happy Wednesday to you. I have another luminous guest on the podcast today. My name is Audrey Guyer. And she is a high performance women's wellness coach. She leaves nothing unintentional, or uninspired. And she is a go to source for authentic relatable women's health coaching and content with a fresh perspective on what it means to live a balanced life. She teaches ambitious health conscious women, how they can use the natural ebb and flow of their hormones to crush their personal professional and wellness goals. Without burnout, mood swings, and PMS. I am all about this as someone with hashimotos, who has had all kinds of hormone imbalances. This is my kind of gal. So Audrey, thank you so much for being here.

Unknown: 1:59

Jacqueline, I am so excited to talk to you. And it's been a joy to get to know you from clubhouse and you know, just having this this virtual community of friends that we do now.

Jaclyn Steele: 2:12

Oh, it I think that's worth noting that you and I met on clubhouse in a room on hashimotos. I immediately was like, Who is this girl? I think I dm you on Instagram right after and I was like, we have to talk because a you're really knowledgeable be You were so open about sharing your wellness journey with hashimotos, which I feel like is such an important thing, because so many women who have low thyroid or hashimotos feel so alone, because it's still just not talked about in the mainstream. So I want to ask you this first question, which is, can you tell us a little bit about your background? And what led you to this line of wellness work?

Unknown: 2:59

Absolutely. So I grew up with a father who was an endocrinologist. But I never wanted to go into medicine. It was not an option, not on my radar. It was something that I really pushed away. But I was really interested in health. And the difference between medicine and health, which I think is important to note is that medicine is more related to monitoring or diagnosing, treating or curing a disease whereas health is not simply the absence of a disease, but it's about your holistic well being not only physically but also emotionally and mentally and socially. And so I really love the parts of health that aren't necessarily conversations that you would have in a doctor's office. Anyway, I really love that lifestyle piece. And my interest really took off when I was 22. And I was diagnosed with hashimotos. I has I had dealt with terrible PMS and terrible periods for years. I had horrible fatigue. Sometimes it was hard to get out of bed. I wasn't productive. I had struggled with a lot of anxiety and depression. I was also a woman with ADHD. So for a while I feel like my thyroid symptoms were dismissed. Because I was a woman who still had a cycle even though it was a regular and a bad one. who, you know, I wasn't I wasn't overweight. I had these kind of symptoms that are sometimes so common that we we normalize them. We say that

Jaclyn Steele: 4:54

and it's so damaging. Yeah, and so many Exactly. I don't mean to interrupt. But I think this is worth noting, so many women are struggling with fatigue, with weight fluctuations with feeling depressed and anxious. And it's being written off as well, that's just part of being a woman. And that's part of the world we live in. And we're overstimulated. But so often, it comes back directly to a hormone imbalance.

Unknown: 5:24

Absolutely. And I think that even if there is not a diagnosis, even if you were to go to the doctor and the doctor were to run lab work, and we're to say that at the time, your labs were not out of range, that doesn't mean that there isn't still an opportunity for education, and medicine separate, an opportunity to have more clarity and language. And my hope is that in the future, as doctors and health coaches, and different kinds of experts are now working together and will continue to work together more, my hope is that instead of dismissing a patient, especially a woman, when she comes into the office, and is told that her labs may not be out of range, that instead of just sending her home thinking, like, you know, am I supposed to feel this way is am I just gonna have to settle for

Jaclyn Steele: 6:27

this my life, am I crazy,

Unknown: 6:29

is to be my narrative, then instead, you can send her to someone who can educate her about her hormones, and give her an opportunity to have some lifestyle tools, even if that doesn't come with a diagnosis, because at the end of the day, a diagnosis is just medical coding, it was never to be a permission slip, or an identity or personality type it was so someone could have resources, and they might not need to go see a fancy specialist, but it doesn't mean that they don't deserve education about their body and their health.

Jaclyn Steele: 7:06

I am just nodding my head over and over and over, because I agree with you so, so wholeheartedly. And I feel like in my experience, when I was diagnosed with hashimotos, last August, it was scary. But also the information that I got from my endocrinologist was, diet doesn't matter. Just use this pill, and you'll be fine. And that did not ring true for me. And now having connected with you having connected with Alex, having connected with Dr. Ryan, who literally wrote the book on hashimotos, I have learned so much. And the tools in my toolbox now are so vast, but for the women who are finding themselves in these situations, and they don't have the tools yet, they don't have the resources and they don't know where to look. That's why I'm so passionate about having podcast episodes like this and having people like you on to share your brilliance and share this education because these women need hope. We can't keep living like this. I lived with diagnosed undiagnosed hashimotos for I don't even know how long, I would say, probably most of my 20s. But it started to really take effect in my 30s as far as fatigue goes, and then weight fluctuations. And we don't have to live like this. And on top of that women are far too brilliant, far too talented, have far too much to offer to be hampered by something that is solvable.

Unknown: 8:50

That's so true. And I think that most of the time, women are conditioned to believe that at best female hormones are inconvenient, and disadvantageous. Hmm. Center, hormones are amazing. They can do incredible things for us. And we may talk about this a little bit later. In fact, I

Jaclyn Steele: 9:14

will add leads into I think that leads in perfectly to my next question,

Unknown: 9:18

our hormones or even pro thyroid or cycles have, you know, these incredible, these incredible superpowers that we can really choose to learn about so that we have the opportunity to take advantage of them and Oh, yes, a box. This is normal.

Jaclyn Steele: 9:38

Yeah, I love this so much because I feel like women you know, we're living in an age where women now have probably more power than we have ever had. But I feel like we don't quite understand our power yet as a whole as a collective. There are many of us who are doing what we are meant to do here and then there are many of Because I think who, and I've been in this camp to, who don't recognize how powerful and amazing we are. And there's such an imbalance between the masculine and the feminine. We live in a world that has historically leaned far more masculine, and women because we are adaptive. We have made that work. But I think now, we are realizing medically holistically that that way of life just isn't the way women are created to live. So I want to talk to you about cycle sinking, because this is like your jam. And I understand a little of it, but not all of it. So I know it's becoming a hot topic. But I also know that a lot of women are still in the dark on this powerful method of wellness, that being cycle sinking, can you decode it for us a little bit? What does it mean?

Unknown: 10:56

So I'll start here earlier, you just mentioned masculine and feminine, and how women have been trying to fit themselves into a way that men operate. So I'll start by talking about the difference between the male and female hormonal cycle. Men also have hormonal cycles, they don't have a period, they don't have menstruation, of course, but their

Jaclyn Steele: 11:22

hormones do change them have PMS for a couple days a month, I can prove this.

Unknown: 11:30

For the most part, on a daily basis, so every morning men wake up, but with peak levels of testosterone and cortisol, women also have a cortisol peak in the morning, or, you know, we should if there's not, then that can be an imbalance that some people have as well. Throughout the day, we know that our cortisol levels should gradually taper down so that by the time we get to the evening, our bodies can go into rest. Testosterone also tapers down throughout the day, but some of that is converted into estrogen. That is true for both men and women. But men again, have this daily pattern where that testosterone that peaks in the morning then converts into estrogen. So for a lot of men, that is going to mean that during the morning, they're interested in very physical activities, exercise that can be of a romantic or sexual nature for some that what might also explain why a lot of male CEOs and entrepreneurs swear by their really intense morning routines, hmm. And why we might try that too. But after a couple days, it doesn't sound that appealing to us anymore. No, or,

Jaclyn Steele: 12:53

or I'm falling asleep by noon. If I do that, I remember doing a hot yoga class. It was a Bikram yoga class, it

was like a 5: 13:00

30am class. And not only did I throw up afterwards, but at like 11am, I was done for the day, just so exhausted.

Unknown: 13:14

Absolutely. And so every night met male hormones reset, whereas our hormones operate on a monthly basis. And most of us have only been taught to pay attention to one phase, which is the period or menstrual phase, maybe we've been taught to also pay attention to ovulation. But usually that's only when a woman is trying to conceive or trying to avoid pregnancy. And we are told absolutely nothing about what happens in between. So just a mini version of this is that phase one of our cycle starts with our period. That's just because it's easiest for us to start tracking. We are generally very aware of when that happens, and lasts usually about three to seven days. And during that time, our hormones are actually at a low point. And they think that this is very important to note because there is this myth or stereotype that when a woman is on her period, she is so hormonal, and that means she's Moody, or rational or you know all of these horrible stereotypes we have about what it means to be a woman. But in fact, this is when you are the least hormonal. As you finish your menstrual phase, you go into the second phase, which is called the follicular phase. And this is named after follicle stimulating hormone. So your hypothalamus, which is in your brain tells your pituitary gland to start releasing follicle stimulating hormone. And that means that your cycle doesn't start in your ovaries or uterus. It starts in your brain, which is really cool and that follicle stimulating hormone communicates with your ovaries because hormones are messengers, hormones are always networking and communicating with each other all over your body. Anything that has endocrine effects something in a distant part of the body. And so it's telling your ovaries to start producing estrogen. And estrogen is a fabulous hormone. She makes us outgoing. She is anabolic. She's a growth hormone. So she's responsible for our feminine curves, as well as helping us grow lean muscle. She helps light up those communication centers in our brain. And day by day that follicle stimulating hormone works with our circadian rhythms. So it kind of pings or pulses every day, and our estrogen rises day by day, and usually our mood and our energy rise with it. Approach ovulation. And once again, that hypothalamus tells the pituitary gland to release a hormone this time it's luteinizing hormone. And luteinizing hormone is responsible for an egg maturing during ovulation and egg matures, we release an egg were most fertile during this time. But we are also the most social, the most energetic, the most eloquent and communicative and resilient to stress that we will be all month because nature wants us to be an ideal partner. But I want to say that even if you're not trying to conceive, that doesn't mean you can't also use those things.

Jaclyn Steele: 16:35

Yeah, and harness

Unknown: 16:38

a business goal or having a TED talk talking on a podcast, reaching a PR a personal record in the gym, you know, whatever it is, you can still use those really high energy milestones and try to schedule them around that time after you ovulate. Estrogen then lowers day by day and progesterone rises. And progesterone is less outgoing, less of a social butterfly, then her sister estrogen, but she is really this unsung hero, and she is very anti stress. She wants us to change the way we work. She wants us to decrease the amount of stress in our life. She's very detail oriented, she is profyre droid, she increases our basal body temperature. So she increases her thermogenesis she is pro metabolic. And so if a woman is pregnant, progesterone continues to rise throughout the rest of the pregnancy. Whereas if a woman is not pregnant progesterone drops, and that will trigger the onset of her next period. That is,

Jaclyn Steele: 17:57

I feel like I just learned so much. And one of the things that I was thinking about as you were explaining the miracle that occurs within a woman every single month, literally a miracle. It's like a symphony of all of these amazing hormones. But what I was thinking about is, when I am in tune with my body, when I'm paying attention when I'm asking my body, what it needs. Everything that you described in each cycle is what I want. Like, especially before I have my want to draw back, I want to be alone. I want to do my tasks, I want to read books, but like during the ovulation phase, I am like a social butterfly, I want to have my phone calls, I want to do all of that stuff. So it's just incredible to me that we are such wildly intelligent beings. And we can if we choose harness, like you have recommended, harness our hormones to enhance lives instead of blaming them for being a disrupter. They really are like superpowers. So let's start viewing them like superpowers.

Unknown: 19:13

And men in their own way already work with their hormonal cycle, it's just a bit easier because we've had it built into our lives, that we should operate on this daily basis and essentially feel the same. It's the same all the time. Whereas cycle thinking is it's adaptive, it's flexible. You don't have to cycle sink in the same way that another woman does. But it's essentially about taking different actions in your life, whether it's nutrition, whether it's sinking your work schedule, or your social calendar or your self care approach. And it's aligning those actions that you're taking with what your hormones are doing for your body anyway, that way you're flowing with them. And you're working with that ebb and flow instead of bumping up against it and causing this resistance that leads to more stress, more inflammation and less happy cycles.

Jaclyn Steele: 20:12

Yeah. Talk about this at the end, too, but just quickly, for the women that may feel intimidated by this idea of cycle sinking, what is your website? Let's drop it right now so that they can get in touch with you and book your services.

Unknown: 20:29

Absolutely. It's www adrie s guier.com. So my last name is jii why er, and I have my button to where you can find out different ways to work with me whether that's one on one or group program,

Jaclyn Steele: 20:45

and I will put all hooks in the show notes as well just want to make sure everybody knows beyond a shadow of a doubt they do not have to try and figure this out on their own. You're there to help them through the process. Okay, by now you guys know that I love a sustainable brand. And today I am so proud to say that this episode is powered by pact. Their mission is to build Earth's favorite clothing company in addition to their mission which is reason enough itself to buy from packed here's why I love them so much. Everything they make it packed starts with Earth's favorite fiber. organic cotton. growing cotton organically saves vast amounts of water and uses no toxic chemicals. Packed also partners with Fairtrade certified factories, so they ensure care for both people and the planet. Thank you very much. Their organic cotton items are bomb you guys. I love their socks and pennies. In fact, I'm wearing them right now. There's so so so comfortable and such a high quality. This is how I like my knickers made soft and sustainably sourced Thank you very much. They also offer the option to offset the carbon footprint of your shipment. And their range of goods is vast, organic sheets. Check organic t shirts, check organic undergarments for men and women check organic dresses, check organic yoga pants check and I feel like I'm just getting started. I have a bunch of their panties and socks and a tank top and when I went to purchase their organic King sheets, they were sold out but fortunately for me I have been monitoring their website and I got my paws on their organic kingsize sheet I'm telling you these sheets are fantastic. Go to web pack.com and use code Jaclyn 24 20% off your first time purchases not including sale and cannot be combined with other offers the link in Kotor in the show notes and you can also visit Jaclyn Steele comm slash pact to see some of my favorite packed pics. Now back to the episode. Okay, next question is how do we eliminate PMS, bloating and irritability? Because I know so many of us experience that I personally experience a little bit of bloating, I don't really get moody. I do have waves of anxiety, though, that I have noticed around my period that I do not experience during other parts of the month.

Unknown: 23:20

Yeah, mood swings can look so different for so many different women. I think we have an idea that mood swings mean that you're rapidly changing from feeling one way to another whereas they feel like that's better used as this catch all phrase that can really income in lots of different moods. I've noticed for a lot of women that can feel like imposter syndrome. For someone like e dysmorphia for son. Oh, I've

Jaclyn Steele: 23:49

definitely experienced that. Yeah,

Unknown: 23:52

absolutely. Me as well or needing more reassurance from your partner where you know, it can mean a variety of things. And I think having that anxiety is something that definitely comes up for a lot of women. When it comes to PMS, I think it's important to know that you can't spot treat it. We're taught that when you get to PMS, which happens during the luteal phase that a it's normal. So not much can be done about it anyway, which is a lie. That's a myth. And B we're told that all there is to do or do things like take might all grab a hot water bottle, you know, just cry it out, eat some ice cream, not that you can't do those things, but they will never prevent the issue from or

Jaclyn Steele: 24:49

it's not solving anything.

Unknown: 24:51

And so our cycle really has to be looked at holistically and we have to know that if something is going wrong in luteal phase it's probably because something's started going wrong earlier in this, I can't just compartmentalize PMS as being this thing that we can put a bandaid on and call it a day. So the first step is going back early earlier in our cycle and starting to track our entire cycle. So if someone is listening to this, and they're already tracking your period, maybe they're using an app to do that or their calendar, I would encourage them to not only track those symptoms that they are seeing in it during their period, or in the days with the week before their period, I would encourage them to continue tracking after their period and to get a gauge on what their energy is like, what their mood is, like. digestion is a big one, a lot of women will have changes in their digestion. You know, there's no such thing as TMI when it comes to women's health, but how we excrete excess hormones throughout the month can play a huge role in that. So tracking those symptoms, even recommend if you use a planner or an agenda, book initial of the phase of the cycle you're in, in the corner of the day you're in on your planner, or your calendar, and take a look at those activities you're doing and see if they actually resonate with your energy or not.

Jaclyn Steele: 26:34

This is all just calling us to pay attention to ourselves. I love that. I love that. And for those listening, are there any apps that you recommend as far as tracking your cycle, any favorites,

Unknown: 26:47

I love the clue app. And I really love temp drop if our woman who is not on hormonal birth control, and wants really great insight about your hormones, and temperature up has an app and is an armband. So it's a device that you can wear at night on your upper arm, and it will track your basal body temperature throughout the night. And this will work if you have irregular sleep patterns, it works if a woman is breastfeeding, if she has pcus irregular cycles, it is very, very inclusive. And it will help give you insight on what is going on with your cycle. As far as basal body temperature goes. And I definitely if you are not on hormonal birth control, then you need more, you need to do more to track than just counting the days. So that's a really phenomenal app that gives you that insight. I love

Jaclyn Steele: 27:45

that I love that. And I've never heard of it either. It's called my temp drop,

Unknown: 27:49

temp drop, yes, temp drop, you can track basal body temperature there. You know there are other devices that do that as well. And you can also use a basal body temperature thermometer has to be able to track to the 100th of a degree so as an ethical space more so than a regular thermometer would. But traditionally, if you're just using a regular thermometer, and you would have to take your temperature at the same time every morning, and you would not be able to get up or rolled over it before taking that temperature. So by wearing an armband, it gets easier if you forget, you go to bed at a different time. You know, you don't have to worry about it because it's taking your temperature for you about every 10 seconds. So really easy. And then you know if you're a woman with an irregular cycle, or you're trying to conceive and you know, maybe you don't ovulate right at day 14, which most women actually don't, then it's giving you that extra information that is so valuable and that you could even take with you to the doctor if needed. So I think those apps are great. So you know, getting that tracking in and then going back to progesterone, which is the dominant hormone during the luteal phase, which is that phase right before your period. progesterone is truly an amazing and underrated hormone. And when it comes to these PMS symptoms that occur such as experiencing problems with low mood or anxiety, experiencing pain, experiencing bloating. progesterone wants us to be calm is a natural muscle relaxer and is a natural diuretic. Wow. So I think Wow, it's kind of mind blowing to know that the dominant hormone during this time is actively trying to work against all those PMS symptoms we're having anyway. So usually things that cause PMS are a stress. Stress is basically the number one cause Have any kind of Bourbons or imbalance in our cycle as women, we, you know, again, going back to what we were talking about earlier, we believe that we have to perform the same way all the time. So how many women are just trying to push through their luteal phase. And me, since I started getting my period, they're exhausted, they have brain fog, they're maybe feeling irritable. And yet they think that they just have to push and more, because that's what's productive, when really what would be more productive is giving ourselves some grace, changing the strategy that we're working with. So you can still be productive. But the same activities that served you when your estrogen is higher, are not going to be the same activities that serve you when your progesterone is higher.

Jaclyn Steele: 30:56

I love what you just said about giving ourselves some grace, I think that is such an important piece to pull out. We are not men, and we're not called to be men, I love them. And I don't want to knock them in any way, shape or form, they are so vital to the human race. But I'm tired of the pressure to perform like a man, we just don't need to and we need to be active, getting that pressure from our own lives. And again, I love what you said about grace, like, ladies, if you're listening to this, and you're like I'm exhausted before I have my period, give yourself some time to rest. And don't apologize for it and don't feel bad for it. This is what our bodies need. And we are responsible for carrying on the human race. Our periods really are a gift, humanity would end if we didn't have our periods, it really is a miracle. And so to celebrate that instead of dread it, I feel like perspective that has to be brought into the light and encouraged.

Unknown: 32:01

Absolutely. And I think that another piece that we really have to look at when it comes to looking at the root cause of PMS, and addressing that other than stress, which is hugely important because your environment does have an effect on your hormones and what's going on in your outer world really can trigger hormonal imbalances and cycle disturbances that is the number one cause. And another one is, has to do with how we metabolize estrogen. So first of all, in order for our bodies to make enough progesterone, we have to oscillate because ovulation is what triggers progesterone being made anyway, some women have in abila Tory cycles, and so they might have their cycle missing. And that can prevent enough progesterone from being made. And some women might be on hormonal birth control, which is suppressing ovulation and therefore actually stopping the cycle. Other women may be having a cycle, and they're oscillating. But they might not properly metabolize that estrogen. Estrogen has to be metabolized first by the liver. Our liver has these enzymes that turn estrogen into estrogen metabolites, and sends them down different pathways. And basically in a nutshell, these enzymes are responsible for making them water soluble, and then allowing us to literally flesh them out when we go to the bathroom. Men, actually that cycle men have an opportunity to do that every day. Whereas women have a window of time where this is extremely important because that's when our estrogen is high. If there is a disturbance, like if a woman is experiencing constipation during that time, or alcohol can be a big trigger to because it is a toxin to the body that the livers not able to process anything else until it's out. So that would mean that estrogen gets up to the back of the line or a lot of stress or certain nutrient deficiencies, and it's possible that isn't being fully and properly excreted. And that can lead to problems not just the next day. You might still feel great during that time, but days or even weeks later.

Jaclyn Steele: 34:40

So it really is. It's a holistic approach. It's stress, it's diet. It's paying super quick. And this may be a touchy subject for some women. I'm willing to share my experience but what are your thoughts on hormonal birth control because my experience was truly awful. It made me depressed, I didn't feel good. And it made me really tired. And I tried several different kinds. I went on, like a normal estrogen level one. And then my doctor kept putting me on different hormonal birth controls that had less estrogen, because I was being affected so acutely by it. And it just got to the point where I was like, This isn't worth it. This is negatively impacting my life so greatly that I can't do it.

Unknown: 35:39

Yeah, I always start off by saying, I'm not anti birth control, I am so grateful that exists. And I believe that every woman should have access to it and should be able to make her own choice. That being said, I am so pro informed consent, and for me informed consent is not Oh, I love that again. So to me, we didn't give women informed consent from the very moment that we didn't teach them that their cycle was capable of all of these things to begin with. And birth control is often used to quote unquote, regulate a woman cycle or regularly. But really, it doesn't regulate anything. It can work in a couple of different ways. There can be combination birth controls, which which have both synthetic estrogen and synthetic progesterone and their progestin, which is the synthetic progesterone only birth controls. Now about 40% of women on progestin only birth control pills, still oscillate most don't. And women on combination birth controls that works specifically by suppressing ovulation, which therefore stops the cycle. And something important to know about this is that when that happens, all that you're doing is essentially it's like turning turning a water faucet down, nothing is being regulated, just being quieted. Hmm. It's being suppressed. And during that time, many women will many women will feel better for a time. Because whatever was going on with their hormones is no longer. But that doesn't mean the problem is resolved. And almost always, when a woman comes off birth control if she got on birth control, because she was experiencing frustrations, with PMS problems to their cycle, when she gets off that birth control. She the problems are still going to be there. Mm hm.

Jaclyn Steele: 37:45

And because it's a it's a bigger problem, it's not something that can just be covered up. Yeah, yeah. And it's not going to go away with birth control. It's something that needs to be addressed with stress diet, paying attention, which makes so much sense to me. Absolutely. And,

Unknown: 38:00

you know, a lot of women still think that they're having a period with well being on hormonal birth control. And I know this might be hard to hear for some people. But the reality is that your period is a result of ovulation. And is a result of ebb and flow that your hormones have and sense oscillation. And those same changes in your cycle are not occurring when you're on hormonal birth control, the bleeding that happens for many women on a monthly basis who are taking those oral contraceptives, or, you know, there are other various versions of hormonal birth control is just a withdrawal bleed, and happens from a change in the hormones. And it was actually invented. So my gosh, this is really, it's really crazy. But essentially, when hormonal birth control was invented, it was extremely controversial. And it was actually before they had a dial pack, before they even had an in pill form, it would come in these vials. And at one point, women would even need permission from their partners to take birth control that these scientists who created it would essentially tell women that after a certain number of weeks of these vials of birth control, that they could take half where they can skip that one to trigger the withdrawal bleeding that way, either they would still feel like they were getting a period or so that their partners would still think that they were getting one.

Jaclyn Steele: 39:37

Oh my gosh,

Unknown: 39:39

it was invented by them to create that pseudo period. Yeah. And so they're prescribed it for that reason, because you know, they might have endometriosis or pcls. And their doctors might feel that having that breakthrough meeting is important, but it still won't address the root.

Jaclyn Steele: 39:59

Oh, it's not flushing out the Yeah, it's it's not flushing out the natural hormones that we're supposed to be flushing out. So my next question is this, do we know anything about the long term birth control? Because obviously, women were created for many wonderful things, one of those things being to create and carry and birth children. So if we are suppressing that system, year after year, after a year, what do we know about and I don't want to scare anybody or anything along those lines. But I feel like one of my missions with this podcast is to share really valuable information. And so I do want to ask this question, because I'm sure there are listeners who are wondering, do we know the long term effects? And is it safe to be on hormonal birth control,

Unknown: 40:48

year after year? So as far as what research says, which all go by what research says, because again, this is not to scare anyone This is to talk about the information that is available. There's no study or research that suggests that, for example, birth control would cause infertility, okay, we do know is that if there is a hormone imbalance that was underlying and went untreated, and then it was masked by birth control, that could still progress and could still come up after. And that is very common, especially if, if a woman gets on birth control, very young, she's not looking to have kids at that time. You know, we're taught to view virtuality as this very separate thing, instead of being an indication of health and part of the bigger picture of our hormones. And then later, she gets off birth control and the problems is either still there or worse. So that that is, you know, there's no again, there's no indication that it's going to originally cause that infertility, though. Another thing that I think is really interesting, especially for those of us who have dealt with thyroid disease is that especially combination birth control, and birth control that contains estrogen can raise our thyroid binding globulin ns, which can be a version of T four to T three. Now, researchers limited, it doesn't suggest that that alone would cause thyroid disease. But I do think that's interesting to note that they have been able to research that that is still true, it would probably take a variety of factors to create thyroid disease. But considering there's very little research that's done on female bodies, men are traditionally viewed as this gold standard for what we do research on. And for years and years, women have just gotten these hand me down results on a variety of studies, even though we're not told all the time, upfront that this was only done on men that are hormones are very different. I think that blows my mind, know the research. We have to consider it. And we have to push for more research to be done because we know now that this it's been dangerous for now everything from studies on pharmaceuticals, to diets to you know, all these different things left women out of the equation, and if we were considered that our results are often very different. You're always told that

Jaclyn Steele: 43:28

Yeah, so we need to advocate for our own health. I think that's a really, really important common denominator lesson and everything that I'm learning about health and wellness is like if you are feeling off, and only you can know, only I can know we are worth advocating for. We're worth asking questions. And if one specialist says you're fine, and you still don't feel well don't stop there because you are worth feeling vibrant and healthy and alive. This episode is supported by rise superfood mushroom coffee, loaded with adaptogenic mushrooms rise coffee blend delivers calmer energy, sharper focus and immune support for a balanced body and clear mind. The taste is smooth, creamy and earthy, all with less than half the caffeine of normal coffee so you don't get the jitters or that inevitable post caffeine high crash. It has quadriceps for stamina and increased oxygenation Lion's Mane for focus concentration and neuron growth reshi for stress and restful sleep, Turkey tail for gut health chronic fatigue and cancer fighting properties should talkie for immunity and bone density, King trumpet for inflammation, antioxidants and heart attack and stroke fighting properties. Yes, yes, yes. I have been drinking this coffee personally. Now for months. I mix it into my regular coffee for a superfood boost and then I add my collagen powder and a little bit Remer or I drink it on its own for a little bit of extra energy when I need it. This is what I call a conscious company. And one that genuinely cares about its customers head on over to rise superfoods calm that spelled RYZ, e, Su p e r f o ods.com. To grab a bag now and enter code Jaclyn j, AC Li n at checkout for 15% off. Now back to the episode. You speak so much on energy on Instagram, and elsewhere. And as someone with hashimotos, because I know what it feels like not to have any, what are your tips for creating sustainable energy in a holistic way?

Unknown: 45:52

The first step is incredibly unsexy. And I'm thrilling, but it's first we have to lean into our fatigue. Yeah, and now we have an underlying condition like hashimotos, thyroid disease, those things need to be treated. So get that medical care, get that medical attention, it's okay to take medication for things like that, it doesn't mean that's all you're doing. There many times becomes this big medication shaming that occurs in the wellness community, I don't believe in that at all, I never make the assumption that all someone is doing is one thing, whether that's taking medication, or working on nutrition, or you know, fitness or what have you, I really believe that most people are trying the best that they can and are absolutely in their own way to the best of their ability. So

Jaclyn Steele: 46:52

with limited information, because some of this is just so in the gray.

Unknown: 46:58

Absolutely. And then I think you have to listen to your body and part of that is going to be pulling that energy back. And allowing yourself to in whatever capacity you are able to, to do less. And that can be very difficult. Especially if you have kids, you have a job, some people have multiple jobs, and people are taking care of other family members. So I like to think of taking just one thing, what is one thing that you can delegate to someone, or that you can take off your plate, or that you can give yourself permission to let go undone today. That might mean that today, the dishes don't get put away, or the laundry doesn't get done. Or that you say you know what I told so and so that I was going to do this, but I'm going to let them know that I'm not feeling up for that anymore. And just try to find that one thing that you can take off your plate, and that you can give back to yourself in your schedule and in your energy.

Jaclyn Steele: 48:07

I love that because it's doable.

Unknown: 48:10

Absolutely. And if you can try to schedule some time for yourself. For example, I scheduled time out in nature for myself, I literally write it on my calendar and save this at 7am. On this day, this is when I'm going outside. And all my exercise for that day is going to be just taking a walk and enjoying being outside. Beautiful. So do these little things like that, that help you take your energy back, even if it's small, don't say to yourself, because I can't take a week off work and check into a spa that I'm not going to do enough what you what you do is enough because your body is intelligent. And well thank you for taking that step. And then I would also go back and look at track your cycle. You know, I'm I'm saying this for a reason. So I'm, I'm repeating that advice and start thinking about those activities that you're doing, and how you can schedule them in a way that works for your body. So I, for example, I scheduled this podcast interview series intentionally into time when my estrogen is high, because I know I'm going to feel like talking and I'm not going to feel depleted after I get off this interview. I'm still gonna feel great. They love that

Jaclyn Steele: 49:37

so much.

Unknown: 49:39

And then you know, for example, if I'm doing a lot of writing, if I'm doing a lot of deep work where maybe I'm not doing something as high energy or I'm doing something right get to be a little more in my head. Organizing is great for this too. I like to schedule that in my luteal phase when progesterone is higher because progesterone is d Tell oriented, she's less stress. So during that luteal phase, I tried to give myself more time to do less activities, in turn, will get to be just as productive, because I'm still doing things that move the needle forward for me. But instead of say, batch working, where on Mondays I do this. And in Tuesdays, I do that and kind of lengthening it out a little bit more, where I'm giving myself a full week to focus on certain types of activities. There's still a good variety in there. And then the next week, I'm allowing myself to do something else. And that really helps. I also used cycle sinking to ditch my coffee habit. listeners are like me, and we're big caffeine addicts. I'm half Cuban coffee is practically a blood type. For me, it was a very and I know I still love it. But I I said, You know, I, a we all know when we're diagnosed with thyroid disease, that one of the first things you cut back on are stimulants. Hmm, for sure. And, and taking that medication in the morning, taking it on an empty stomach. And you know, not with not within 30 minutes, sometimes even more of other substances was a big deal for me for somebody that was not getting out of bed in the morning without stimulants. And so I used cycle thinking to ditch my caffeine habit. And I needed to do it in a way that didn't cause a lot of withdrawals. So I would always hear people say, you know, oh, you just quick, Turkey. And yeah, you have headaches, and it sucks for a couple weeks, but then you're fine. I was like, Well, I don't that's not an option for me, taking, taking a couple weeks to feel exhausted and have headaches. On top of the symptoms I was already experiencing was a No, no, I was never. I was.

Jaclyn Steele: 52:08

I did that before I was diagnosed. Yeah, with hashimotos. I did that last March. So a little over a year ago, I thought my symptoms were from adrenal fatigue, which was, that was part of my issue before my hashimotos diagnosis. So I thought, okay, if I have adrenal fatigue, then I will give up coffee. And I gave up coffee and felt horrible, and almost immediately, and I don't say this to scare anyone, because this was part of the underlying hashimotos, that body started to rest, the hashimotos really started to become more evident because I was covering it up with the stimulants. And so right after I gave up coffee, I felt terrible, but I also gained weight. And so it was a very jarring experience for me. But also it was vitally important. Because I realized, without the stimulation, something was really off. And that's what led me to go get tested for thyroid.

Unknown: 53:14

Absolutely. And I'm not anti coffee, or caffeine, you know, like I said, I love it. But when you get to this point where you say, I don't want my energy to come from an outside substance, I want my energy to my body with it, and

Jaclyn Steele: 53:35

yeah, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. Yeah, I totally, absolutely, completely agree. Yeah,

Unknown: 53:42

it is a tool. I still believe that, you know, you can have coffee with a friend. And that can be a beautiful way to still partake in this cultural staple that so many of us love

Jaclyn Steele: 53:57

her. And I feel like for me, I allow myself to have one cup a day. But I also use mushroom coffee, which has less caffeine and a bunch of superfoods. And I found for me in monitoring my body that has worked really well I don't get jitters I don't get crashes. I don't feel awful. But I do have the caffeine for the four months that I did let go of it was a really telling process. And I'm so glad that I did

Unknown: 54:29

definitely Yeah, I love I love mushroom coffee too. And I love matcha and matcha actually wasn't so good. All of that. Yeah. And because of you know, both the tryptophan and l theanine, it's actually not not cortisol spiking in the way that coffee is not that you you can still have a cup of coffee and that is not going to instantly lead to adrenal fatigue or anything like that. So I definitely don't I want to scare anyone or sensationalize anything but I think matcha is a really great alternative as well. And if there is anyone,

Jaclyn Steele: 55:09

and so delicious,

Unknown: 55:11

yeah, it's so good, very light and earthy. And there's anyone listening to this who wants to do a little cycle thinking, self practice and quit their coffee habit, then see how it feels to drop down the amount of caffeine you're consuming every day, starting a few days until your follicular phase when the estrogen and energy is rising. You have all this time as you approach ovulation where you're going to be consuming that smaller amount and your energy is still going to be getting higher. And then by the time you're entering luteal phase, you'll have already adjusted that's so cool, you'll be break your body out of the fatigue and the withdrawals that you would otherwise experience and you can repeat that as many times as you need to.

Jaclyn Steele: 56:03

Are there any macho brands around? Oh,

Unknown: 56:07

I think I'm using mighty leaf right now. I go to sprouts and I'll just look behind and ceremonial matcha

Jaclyn Steele: 56:15

so right now do you get the powder kind or like the tea? There's the tea bag kind. I do the powder kind and you mix it with milk or water. Okay, perfect. I just want to I just want the listeners to be able to have something special. And for me when I was initially giving up coffee, just replacing it with tea didn't feel quite as juicy. So I chicory root and then a milk alternative. And I loved that and chicory root is really good for gut health too. So that's another alternative. But that is zero caffeine. There's nothing that a lot of people can do, as well. dandelion, yes. And it's delicious. Okay, so I want to be respectful of your time for coming up on the hour. Mark, I want to wrap this up with a couple of questions. And I don't want to rush you. But again, I want to be respectful of your time, what are your best tips to stop stressing about body image so we can feel amazing in our own skin. I am so tired of worrying about how I look. I know other women who are listening to this feel the same way. And I'm so ready for us to embrace each other and to embrace ourselves and to walk in worth in this world. So what are your tips for that? You know,

Unknown: 57:36

I think that one of the best things that happened to me even though it was really hard at the time is one time I was with a friend in my early 20s. And she looked at a photo of a girl and she criticized that girl's body. And it really hurt me because I had the same body type as the woman in this photo. And I thought if she's saying that about her, what does she think of me. And then I also had to look at myself. And I had to realize that I was contributing to that problem for other people, especially people who are in more bodies, who are black, who are plus sized who are disabled, who, you know, we all have so many different traits and features. And I realized that I was not making their body safer by criticizing mine. And they'll make some really harsh scarring. But it was a really eye opening experience. For me. I also think this is why body neutrality is so important. Because some days we might not wake up and love everything about our body. Some days, we might look in the mirror and not be happy with what we see. I really the word neutrality is you know, it's it's a neutral. It's kind of it's a bit block. So I like the word peace. How can I make peace with my body? How can I not be by my body? I'm trying to change all the time and trying to fit myself into someone else's mold is violence for my body. So how can I at the very least not engage in that battle today?

Jaclyn Steele: 59:22

Hmm. And taking it day by day? Yeah,

Unknown: 59:25

yeah. Take it day by day and find things that do make you feel good, even if they're not about how you look. So I love to dance. I love other kinds of workout too. But for me, what I really like about dance and also Yoga is that you're not counting reps. So I wasn't having to get through a workout closing my eyes and trying to picture what I would look like in a different body. And instead I was doing a movement that was either to a breath or To a beat that felt really good. And it became about something other than what I looked not that you can't still go to the gym that you can't still weightlifter, take a Pilates class or whatever. But there was something so incredibly special about participating in types of physical exercise that weren't rep based, and that we're with instructors and trainers, that use wasn't just about what the body looks like. And that was really fun for me. And that's something I still do. And then, you know, I also I wear things that I that make me feel good, I used to have outfits in my closet that I thought that I would wear when I got to a certain size, and when I got to fit into them, they're no longer in my closet anymore. But I

Jaclyn Steele: 1:00:55

yes, love

Unknown: 1:00:56

and that are beautiful, and I love the texture, and I love the color. And I love how I feel in them. And so I I mean, it sounds so simple, and it's certainly not a cure all. But I wear those I do things that make me it's so

Jaclyn Steele: 1:01:13

important to do what we can with what we have right now, and stop waiting for a future date. And on top of that our bodies really are a miracle, I find that when I'm feeling self conscious of a certain body part, one of the things I'm trying to do is to speak into it and speak over it and say, ah, thighs, you are so incredible, I was able to do squats yesterday, you walk me to all these destinations, I get to travel the world because of you. And that shifts my perspective so quickly to whatever body part I feel like I'm dogging on in that moment. And it shifts it to a perspective of appreciation. We humans in general, but women specifically because we are so so so hard on ourselves, we have to say with the miracle, literal miracle of what our bodies are capable of doing, which is bringing in brand new life into this world. And we don't need to be perfect. We're not called to be perfect. And that's okay. And no one is perfect. You know, having that kind of standard is an unachievable goal. So let's wear stuff that makes us feel beautiful. Let's wear makeup if we want to or not, or not wear makeup if we don't want to, let's speak, let's have our bodies that we are feeling self conscious about an honor them. The time has come to shed this old narrative of trying to be like so and so whatever hot model it is in that moment. And I really do not like the phrase real women, because all women to me are real women. So I think we need to normalize the women that are naturally very thin. And we also need to normalize the bodies that are not naturally thin. And we need to honor everything in between and love on ourselves on each other

Unknown: 1:03:15

in the best ways that we can. I'm hearing nodding, amen. I think that and we have this opportunity where we can end the shame around our bodies, we can end diet culture, we can end this cycle right in our own homes. And a big kick right now is you know, ending those generational cycles. And I think that we're doing it in so many ways we are giving future generations the opportunity to grow up learning what we wish that we were told and knew all along.

Jaclyn Steele: 1:03:54

Yes, let this be a sacred moment in which you let go of unrealistic expectations that would cause you to hurt your own body and also, like a holy doorway over your home. Walking into your house. I see this as like a ritual that we could do every single day in our homes where we say there is no diet culture here. There's only health and vibrant burger nourishment. I want to treat my body well. That does not mean it's okay for me to eat pizza three times a day. But it does mean that I get to treat myself and love myself and stop obsessing over what I look like in the mirror.

Unknown: 1:04:36

Absolutely. And it means you can say for my health today I'm taking this rest. For my mental health with my family. I am celebrating over this pizza. For my health. I've been myself this beautiful breakfast in the morning with lots of vegetables. You know that can mean such a variety of things and then it doesn't limit us To what will make our bodies look a certain way, which then sacrifices are

Jaclyn Steele: 1:05:07

because it no limits for Yeah, exactly. Oh, amen, sister, amen. Okay, so now we're in the rapid fire portion of the podcast episode. I'm just going to ask you several questions and whatever comes to mind first the perfect answer. Okay, are you ready? Got it. Awesome. What do you take comfort in?

Unknown: 1:05:30

I take comfort in knowing that at any point, I have thought that I had to have the answers to something. The answer and what the outcome was ended up being greater than what I ever thought it could be anyway, so it's totally fine if I don't have the answers, because the possibilities are always greater.

Jaclyn Steele: 1:05:51

Yeah, it's a faith walk. What instantly brings you joy by my dogs? Yes. Mine two, who are what has been your greatest teacher?

Unknown: 1:06:01

My dad is so patient and kind and never pushed the interest of hormones or anything on to me, he just saw potential in me and has been there. Oh,

Jaclyn Steele: 1:06:13

beautiful. Favorite book, Alchemist. Of course. It's so beautiful. I made two. Yeah, I think New every single time, every time, every time. best piece of advice you've ever been given? Ooh.

Unknown: 1:06:29

This is a tough one. I think the best advice I have ever been given is it's a Mark Twain quote that my dad also used to tell me, just don't let school interfere with your education. Oh, be right, was that come from different sources? And know that you can learn anywhere?

Jaclyn Steele: 1:06:53

What do you want our dear listeners to take away from this episode?

Unknown: 1:06:57

I would love for them to feel more empowered about their bodies, and more inspired by the possibilities of what their health can be.

Jaclyn Steele: 1:07:08

Hmm. You're doing that sister? Okay, where can folks find you online and connect with your services.

Unknown: 1:07:14

You can find me on Instagram at Audrey s guier. And you can also find me on my website at Audrey s Guyer calm. And I have both a one on one as well as occasional group programs that open up and I would love to

Jaclyn Steele: 1:07:29

connect with you. Perfect and I will link all of those in the show notes. My dear, thank you so much for your time. Thank you for being here.

Unknown: 1:07:36

Thank you so much, Jaclyn, this was amazing and I'm so proud of and so inspired by you. I think this podcast is just a phenomenal gift this this community in this world. I received that. Thank you. Absolutely. I will talk to you soon my friend