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One of the most amazing things about the womb is that it always, ever changing. Especially during our cycling years. It naturally expands larger than other organ in the body when it is carrying a child, and then contracts to its pre-pregnancy size. It grows an internal layer of tissue every month, and sheds it if no pregnancy occurs. It contracts, relaxes, produces cervical fluid, responds to hormones, and is just an overall powerhouse of creativity, intuition and wisdom that we hold in the center of our pelvic bowls. I'm not sure there is anything quite so miraculous as our wombspaces. Is there?? And according to today's guest, the "so-called womb" is considered a "curious" organ" in TCM partly because it has such a dynamic interplay of relationship with other organs like the kidneys, liver and even heart. Which is why, when someone comes into her abdominal massage practice with menstrual challenges, she may end up tending other organs, meridians or even parts of the body to support a healthy cycle. The ecology of the body is so tangible when we look at all of these relationships. And gosh, when we listen, more deeply, to the language of our bellies and wombs, so much is possible. Resources: Today's shownotes: Grab links to Caitlin's offeringsFree Meditation: 22 minute guided audio womb connection & clearingEpisode 56: Womb & Heart Connection?  If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns. Click here to send me a quick message :)

A couple weeks ago I received a DM asking for the "cooling chai" recipe because she had just listened to an episode where I mentioned it, so I sent it along and then posted it in my stories and got a reflection from a longtime listener that it should be a yearly thing to share it because it is such a great recipe. So today I decided to brew some of that chai up for myself and sit with you, sharing more deeply about each of the herbs in it, as well as how this kind of practice - the slowing, quieting and cooling - can help to prevent accumulation of longer term imbalances in our bodies, minds and spirits. I share about the concept of the exposome, and how living more seasonally and more deeply listening to your own unique body can support you to cultivate a healthier external and internal environment. I also speak to doshas, elements, and more than anything invite you to drink tea alongside me while we parse through some beautiful herbal allies that also taste good and are perfect complements to this seasonal transition into autumn. Resources: Today's shownotes: Get the cooling chai recipe hereEpisode 88: How to ease into AutumnEpisode 139: How to cultivate resilience in Autumn w Molly McConnellFree meditation: Womb Connection  Clearing If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns. Click here to send me a quick message :)

How many of us have journeyed through this life without some form of disordered eating patterns or an eating disorder?  My guess is, if we were honest, the answer is very few.  We live in a world constantly feeding us images of bodies that are desirable, even when trends change, they are often not realistic bodies that most of us live in. It is SO easy to fall into patterns or either restricting and/or binge-eating. Sometimes it's body image based, sometimes it's gut health based, sometimes it's even orthorexia (obsession with purity or healthy eating). I've personally experienced all three. So what can we do to both acknowledge these patterns in ourselves, and also find paths to a more harmonious relationship with them? How can cycle tracking (from a body literacy lens), herbal allies and the frame of harm reduction support us? This is what today's guest - student midwife and FAM educator Kaeleigh Terrill - speaks to from both an embodied and a professional perspective. It is SUCH a needed conversation. May we have many more of these. Resources: Today's shownotes: Grab Kaeleigh's zine on herbs for harm reduction etcFee Guide: Get started with Fertility Awareness Method cycle trackingEpisode 4: Tulsi herbal spotlightEpisode 21: Disordered eating, chronic illness & cycles w Lisa MaseEpisode 68: Milky oats herbal spotlightEpisode 75: Breathwork, body image & disordered eatingEpisode 86: Ashwagandha herbal spotlight If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns. Click here to send me a quick message :)

I'm honestly not even sure what people find "sexy" anymore.  Trends come and go. I think maybe we're back to ultra-thin being a desirable look. Thankfully we do have more body positivity movements, and finding our individual paths to self-acceptance and self-love is a beautiful, empowering thing. But whether it's ultra-thin, over-exercising or overweight, it's SO common for our body weight or activity levels to impact our cycles and hormones and you may not even realize it's happening. In today's episode, Adriana Zoutal shares her story of over-exercising, the impacts on her cycle, and how nutrition, more restorative strength training and deepening her relationship, with her body, her cycle, and even her self-talk have supported her own personal healing path. Resources: Today's shownotes: Get links to Adriana's offerings!Episode 73: Cyclical movement with Tara Lynn SteeleFree 10 Key Herbs for your Hormonal Health Free Womb Connection & Clearing meditation If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns. Click here to send me a quick message :) Click here to send me a quick message :)

What is late summer, actually? Like beyond the light on the horizon becoming more golden and the leaves starting to turn... How can we apply what we understand from the Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic lenses to our own bodies, and our cycles.  In this week's episode, I explore all of this and more, including some insights I personally have on what late summer might physiologically be in our menstrual cycles and why I see it that way.  I share basics on how to align with this season, and even an herbal ally that can be both supportive for our bodies in this transitional season as well as support a healthier luteal phase.  Resources: Free guide: Track Your Cycle with FAM Join the Natural Contraception 2027 waitlistToday's shownotes: Aligning late summer in your cycle Episode 82: Late summer medicine makingEpisode 88: How to ease into AutumnEpisode 139: How to cultivate resilience in Autumn w Molly McConnell If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns. Click here to send me a quick message :)

When we talk about menstrual, hormonal or even mental health, how often do we think of the thyroid? Actually for me, I'm always curious about it, I love when clients have had their thyroid levels checked so we can look at those as part of the picture - but I know in  many cases it is entirely overlooked. We think about ovaries, maybe even adrenals, blood sugar, minerals. But we don't always think of the thyroid as a potential key to unravel the tapestry of imbalances.  And actually for some people it can be! Today's guest, clinical nutritionist and health coach Kasia Wrobel, speaks to her own embodied experience of her thyroid as a core pillar of her own hormonal and mental health journey - after a history of debilitating periods, years on the pill, and a mental health journey that had her nearly diagnosed with bipolar. She is now a mama of two young children, her thyroid has regenerated and improved dramatically, and her cycles are generally feeling good - and she shares all about how she got here.  Plus, we muse on a bunch of other topics. I loved this conversation! Resources: Today's shownotes: Get links to Kasia's workEpisode 63: Hashimoto's? Nutrition and lifestyle wisdom for optimal thyroid with Kamila VeljkovicFree 10 Key Herbs for your Hormonal Health Free Womb Connection & Clearing meditation If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns. Click here to send me a quick message :)

Grief can be such a profound teacher if we allow ourselves to "apprentice to it" as this week's guest, Siobhan Asgharzadeh says. So many of us move through our lives barely touching our grief. Or if we do, we keep it quiet, hidden, placed on a shelf where others cannot see if because we live in such a grief-illiterate culture that asks us to fix or get over things. But the truth is, real grief, big grief, is not the kind of thing that fits neatly inside a box or disappears after some number of months of feeling it. It grows us, it changes us, it gives us a deeper sense of meaning and connection. And if we let it, it can help us expand our capacity to become more human, and perhaps even enhance our sense of belonging to this beautiful earth that is constantly speaking in seasons and cycles. Today's episode is an exploration into these topics, and covers several pillars that Siobhan incorporates into her yearlong grief pilgrimage program called Becoming an Offering.  It's a look at how we can bring more meaning, storytelling, seasonal living, and embodied practice into our own personal grief journeys. And what a gift it is to offer these elements into our healing path. Resources: Today's shownotes: Explore Siobhan's offeringsEpisode 135: Re-enlivening a wailing culture w SiobhanEpisode 233: Traversing the wild terrain of grief with herbal alliesFree Womb Connection & Clearing meditation If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns. Click here to send me a quick message :)

When people hear the word "womb" it is more common than not to associate it with pregnancy, birth or postpartum.  And of course, that makes sense - it is where babes grow alongside the miraculous placenta in the ocean of amniotic fluid til birth. It expands in size far beyond any other organ in the body, and contracts to its pre-pregnancy size. No wonder the uterus is called a "curious" organ in TCM.  But the womb is SO MUCH MORE than just a baby-generating organ. And when we connect more deeply, listen to the rhythms, signs, symptoms and what it's telling us, we can learn so much throughout our entire lifecycle. In this episode, I share about how I came to center my life and work on the womb, and how I perceive its many faces to be a true gift to us, no matter what season of life we're in, or whether or not we ever have a babe. Resources: Free guide: Womb connection meditationJoin the Natural Contraception 2027 waitlistToday's shownotes: What are the many faces of the womb?Free PDF: Witches Midwives & Nurses Episode 89: A return to wholeness with the womb at the center w Robin Rose Bennett If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns. Click here to send me a quick message :)

It can be easy to overlook the importance of our digestion on our hormonal, menstrual or cyclical health... but actually it is foundational. Literally, the foundations of our organs, tissues and hormones are nourished via our process of digestion, and our "digestive fire" -- referred to as Agni in Ayurveda or Spleen yang in TCM -- is the internal warmth that helps us to actually absorb what we eat. We can eat the most high quality food and supplements, but if we are not absorbing and metabolizing it, what good does that do? According to today's guest, acupuncturist and TCM practitioner Helen Spieth, everything from chewing to how we prepare our food to the time that we eat during the day and our nervous system state all have impact on our digestive fire. She shares all about this, including the various organs involved in digestion, the importance of blood sugar regulation, the 24 hour TCM organ clock, intermittent fasting from a TCM lens, and addressing IBS and SIBO within this TCM nutrition framework and more. It's a packed episode with such depth and breadth. I hope you enjoy it! Resources: Today's shownotes: Get links to Helen's offeringsEpisode 147: Agni? The digestive fire in AyurvedaEpisode 159: What is a leaky gut + how it relates to hormonesFree guide: 10 key herbs for your hormonal health If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns. Click here to send me a quick message :) Click here to send me a quick message :)

Every culture has some relationship with bees, some stories, mythology, even deep reverence. There are goddess traditions centered around bees. Ancient Egypt considered bees to be keepers of the liminal space between life and death. In these ways, honeybees could be considered healers in their own right. We so often center humans when we think of "healers" but what if we include other-than-human beings too?  Today's guest, herbalist + beekeeper Allie Armstrong, speaks to bees as the original acupuncturists, and she even has some stories to share on how she's seen evidence of this in her own life. She also shares about medicinal hive products - from bee pollen to propolis to honey to royal jelly - and some on the ethics and sustainability of these products alongside the medicinal benefits. And beyond these practical realms, she also sees the bees as wisdom teachers, and shares some of the insights, and the energetic medicine she's received from them too.  This is such a rich conversation, I hope you enjoy it. Resources: Free guided womb connection meditation and clearing Today's shownotes: Get links to Allie's website and offeringsEpisode 82: Late summer medicine making If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns. Click here to send me a quick message :)

I think we forget sometimes that heart and cardiovascular disease is actually the leading cause of death for women and folks with wombs. Like, for real. And the thing about it is, there are some very simple things we can do that make a huge difference, and it's been shown that only between 3-12% of us are even doing those. Not to mention adding our herbal allies in.  In this weeks episode I cover the heart as an organ of the summer season from a TCM lens, simple ways you can make a huge impact on your heart health, and some beautiful medicinal plants we can call on truly as tonic herbs over time to prevent and even remedy cardiovascular conditions (on a physical and emotional/spirit level). You may be surprised by which herbs I chose. Resources: Free guide: Womb connection meditationToday's shownotes: Sensitive ecology of your heartEpisode 50: Adaptogens & your hormonal healthEpisode 56: Womb & heart connection?Episode 233: Traversing the wild terrain of grief If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns. Click here to send me a quick message :)

It's common for us to orient more to the parts of ourselves we love, feel proud of, or see as lighter or brighter. But what about the parts that are messier, less easy-to-love, more challenging? We ALL have them, btw. Most of us hide those parts where we can, we've learned how to move through the  world without outwardly expressing them a lot of the time, unless something comes up that triggers them. Often this kind of trigger happens in intimate relationships but it can happen anywhere.  In today's episode, Dani Granaroli speaks to the profound transformation she's experienced since incorporating shadow work practices largely  inspired by Carolyn Elliot's work with existential kink. We explore her personal journey, and some ideas of what shadow work even is, some insights on a different way of viewing "healthy" relationships and why radical acceptance is key to all of this - including potentially your own healing path. Resources: Today's shownotes: Grab links to Dani's workFree guided womb connection meditation and clearing Book: Existential Kink by Carolyn ElliotEpisode 197: Somatic practices for healing childhood wounds with Kristen Stake If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns. Click here to send me a quick message :)

A couple months ago my childhood bestie told me she was hosting a period party for her daughter, and I knew immediately I wanted to reach out to the facilitators to have them on the podcast. Turns out, these two are the real deal.  Erica Evans and Darcie Black are both Fertility Awareness Educators that work in the reproductive health field in different niches. Together, they host these "Body Talk" period parties for children 8-12 years old. They are actual parties, with gift bags and balloons and decorations, and they also teach all kinds of practical topics like vulva anatomy, "red and white flow," menstrual product options and so much more.  My vision is for more and more of these "period parties" to exist, so I am honored and excited to have these ladies on the podcast to plant the seeds of possibility for all of us.  Maybe you'll start a period party in your community, too? Resources: Today's shownotes: Grab links to Erica + Darcies offeringsFree guide: Track Your Cycle Naturally with FAM Click here to send me a quick message :)

Summer is often characterized by buoyancy, expansion, joy, creativity, vitality. But there are times in our lives when we are feeling this life-giving energy of warmth around us and simultaneously navigating a deep season of grief. This is what I speak to in today's episode. Some ways we might caretake our tender hearts in the peak of summertime, herbal allies for the journey, and more. Resources: Info & registration for July 14th class: Herbal Healing after Pregnancy LossFree guide: 10 key herbs for your hormonal healthToday's shownotes: Traversing the wild terrain of griefEpisode 65: Grief & pleasure postpartum & beyond with Stacey RamsowerEpisode 112: How to tend grief with the earth w India ElynEpisode 135: Re-enlivening a wailing culture w Siobhan Asgharzadeh If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns. Click here to send me a quick message :)

One of the core pillars hormonal health - the dynamic healthy dance of our hormones - is a resilient nervous system. I don't love using the word regulated, because that sounds like we're trying to neutralize or dampen our nervous system response, when what we really want is to grow our capacity to feel all the things fully, and complete the waves. So what can we do yo cool and calm our frazzled, anxious, agitated systems? Herbs can be amazing allies for this, really it's one of the places they shine. In today's episode, I share about motherwort as a relaxing, antispasmodic, cooling nervine; milky oats as a deep restorative nervous system tonic; and schisandra as an incredible ally for stress resilience as well as nourishing our qi and retaining fluids in the body. Hopefully these glimpses feel supportive in this summer season that tends towards heat, intensity, drive and excess activity. A time when we would do well to incorporate some cooling and calming herbal allies alongside. Resources: Free 10 key herbs for hormonal health (incl. 5 herbal pillars of hormonal health) guideToday's shownotes: Herbal allies to cool + calm the nervous systemEpisode 17: How stress messes with your hormonesEpisode 32: Herbal spotlight on motherwortEpisode 40: Herbal spotlight on schisandraEpisode 68: Herbal spotlight on milky oats If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns. Click here to send me a quick message :)