In chapter 1, you’ll discover the truth about the amazing female body and unlearn some of the misinformation that’s been keeping us confused, ashamed, and struggling with an array of health issues. You’ll hear about my own hormonal saga and understand why we’re so often misunderstood and misdiagnosed.

Chapter 2 will describe the differences between the 24-hour circadian clock and the 28-day infradian clock (yes, there are two!), offering you a new approach to time management, productivity, and success that will help you step off the proverbial treadmill and start living in sync with your natural rhythms.

Chapter 3 will explore the workings of the female system and show you how your hormones affect your moods, brain chemistry, immune system, energy, and more. The chapter will remind you that whenever negative voices pipe up to deny the power of your female system, it’s just cultural conditioning—not fact—that leads you to doubt the workings of your body. Science proves nature intended you to be in sync with your cycle, so you can be confident in embracing this new female-centered way of living.

In chapters 4, 5, and 6, you’ll discover how to apply the simple, female-centered Cycle Syncing Method™ around diet, fitness, and time management. This is where biohacking meets self-care. You’ll learn how to use food to support your hormones during each phase of your cycle, reveal the secrets to getting better results with less sweat, and introduce you to planning tools that will help you achieve more with less effort.

A Biohacking Tool Kit following chapter 6 introduces you to approachable steps to balance your uniquely female hormones and neurochemistry to troubleshoot period, fertility, and other hormonal problems to transform your cycle into a source of empowerment and wisdom rather than pain. I want to help you solve your period issues, so you can start accessing the amazing benefits of living in sync with your cycle!

Chapter 7 shows you how to navigate your work life and reenvision productivity and success through the lens of cyclical living and your four-part creative cycle, so you can work in a more sustainable way—whether you’re an entry-level employee trying to chart your career path, an entrepreneur in the trenches of the start-up phase, a corporate exec leading a team of hundreds, or a volunteer in the nonprofit sector trying to make a difference in the world.

Chapter 8 debunks the myths we’ve all learned about love and sex and delivers the ultimate guide to communication, connection, intimacy, orgasm, and foreplay—all based on your hormonal cycle.

In Chapter 9, you’ll find out how to let go of the pressure to be the perfect mom at all times and discover how to embrace the different emotional realities of all four phases of your cycle.

Chapter 10 encourages you to embrace your feminine energy and tap into your power, because your health, success, relationships, and daughters are counting on you.

The Cyclical Promise

This is more than a book. It’s a language and a model for female-centered living. It’s a reclamation and a positive galvanizing force for women today to truly embrace ourselves, making our point of view and our bodies the center point of our self-reference. This book will be the catalyst for an entirely new lifestyle for you regardless of your background, age, or stage in life. We’re not meant to be in perpetual productivity mode, pushing all the time for results. Nothing in nature works that way. We simply need to get back into sync with the four-part blueprint that our female body maps out for us. Then and only then will we be able to pursue the life we’re meant to live as women—liberated and free.

Once you discover this blueprint for yourself, you might wonder why we aren’t taught this as young women. Wouldn’t it be amazing to know all this from puberty onward? How much more strategically could you design your life with your best interests at the center? As frustrating as these revelations might be, they motivate us to work toward a better future for ourselves and for women and girls to come.

Now is a pivotal moment to seize this opportunity. Times are changing—we’re in the midst of a long overdue, much-needed shift in our perceptions of our bodies and in our expectations regarding our health care. In the past few years, in large part thanks to millennials taking to social media, we’re realizing some key things:

1. The taboos and myths surrounding menstrual periods are outdated, false, and a tool of patriarchal oppression that holds us back.

2. Hormones affect everything beyond our periods—our moods, creativity, energy, and more.

3. Our menstrual needs are not being effectively addressed by conventional health care services.

4. Our hormonal cycle is not being adequately factored into emerging conversations in functional medicine and biohacking, or medical research.

As we work to reduce gender disparity in the workplace and in society in general, this desire for adequate care for our hormonal needs might be the final frontier of smashing the patriarchy. After menstrual mainstreaming, women deserve more: more transparency in information about birth control side effects, more health care options for menstrual problems, more gender-tailored biohacking suggestions and research.

We deserve better.

We deserve to live on our own terms and on our own time.

PART 1

OUR BODIES, OUR TIME

It takes years as a woman to unlearn what you have been taught to be sorry for.

—AMY POEHLER

CHAPTER 1

Ending Your Mys-education

Girls are taught to view their bodies as unending projects to work on, whereas boys from a young age are taught to view their bodies as tools to master the environment.

—GLORIA STEINEM

I remember it vividly—the day we were finally getting to the human reproduction section of our textbook in eighth-grade biology class. I loved my teacher, Mr. Bing. I loved school. And I loved biology most of all. For me, it represented the intersection of philosophy, art, and nature—I was perfectly suited to its study. I was expecting a banner day in class. We began as we always did, with Mr. Bing giving a brief introduction to the subject, followed by a fifteen-minute period to read the related section in the textbook, then discussion, questions, and a project assignment. In the past, these assignments included replicating a DNA model, making a cross-section of a cell, and dissecting cow eyeballs and frogs. One of my favorite projects involved selecting a tree to observe from winter to spring bloom and collecting samples of the development from bud to flower, pressing them, and sketching the components of the plants. The project taught me a lot about the natural rhythm of life—waiting for a tiny seed to grow, then watching it bloom and finally wither away. That lesson stuck with me, but as much as I liked that one, this day’s subject was on a whole other level. I sat at my desk, barely able to control my excitement as Mr. Bing introduced the topic—human reproduction. Then I got down to reading. It just so happened that, sequentially, we read about sperm production first. The language was potent—it read something like:

The testes are powerhouses of efficient production. They produce two to three hundred million spermatozoa daily. Each sperm itself is a perfect delivery system for genetic material to the egg—the shape, the tail, the nutrients that give the sperm its mobility and motility—all in perfect concert for its ultimate goal—getting to the egg first to share genes.

“Wow! Nature is brilliant by design, and if I had balls, I’d be proud,” I thought.

I moved on to the section about women’s reproduction. I couldn’t wait to read about the incredible inner workings of my own body. But what I got was something like this:

After the development and release of one egg from the ovary, the female reproductive process is twofold. In the case of conception, the lining thickens, the uterus grows, the placenta forms, and the miracle of life begins in the safe confines of the womb. If not, then the lining sheds and is lost and the cycle begins again.

“That’s it?” I thought.

I was struck by the change in tone, the light treatment of the process, and the glossing over of the major things we do—you know, bleed and not die, and—oh yeah—3-D print tiny humans. No biggie! The textbook hinted at disappointment if we didn’t conceive. It painted our hormonal process as belonging in value only to those outside of us—men for procreation, and babies for the 3-D printing. Sure, I was only fourteen—what did I know? But I was the girl who was so fascinated and excited about this phase of my life that I had started the “Period Club” with my three best friends a few years earlier after our very first sex ed class in sixth grade. The Period Club had two main functions: (1) to share guesses about which member would get her period first, and (2) to justify frequent trips to the bathroom during lunch and recess to see whether any of us had started bleeding. I was years into being awestruck by the thought of my approaching womanhood. I took the sex ed textbook’s lackluster description of the female system personally. I found it hurtful.

And the disconnect didn’t stop there. I would encounter this same weird tone and deeply disturbing oversight of the obvious power of our bodies in every context describing our biological process as my studies progressed over the years—from Mr. Bing’s biology class to the hallowed halls of Johns Hopkins University, where I went to college for my undergraduate degree. From the mechanical descriptions of how long a “normal” cycle should be, to the time frame given for dilation of the cervix during labor—all was presented in a dry, clinical way that was definitely not empowering for women. The insidious implication, of course, was that if we deviated from that standard performance, we were abnormal disappointments of nature and needed medical intervention.

What I read didn’t just make me feel hurt. I was pissed. Where was the description matching the positive view of sperm production? I wanted to see a description that read like this:

The female reproductive system is the crowning achievement of human evolution and reproduction. Efficient and highly adaptable, seven hormones work in symphonic relationship to cause four highly refined processes to take place in a given monthly cycle: the development of multiple follicles, ovulation, the building of the lining of the uterus (to prepare for possible conception), and the release of that lining when conception does not occur. When conception does occur, the process of gestation is absolutely breathtaking. The rate of growth of the fetus made possible by changes in the woman’s hormones, immune function, and metabolism is astonishing. And the fact that this process is also beneficial to the mother is remarkable as well. The process of labor and delivery—one that seems to pose extreme physical danger—is the peak example of how women’s bodies transform into a channel of power to safely deliver the baby and preserve themselves. The female body, biologically potent, supports this menstrual and reproductive process by being the more efficient extractor of micronutrients from food, by having the more developed immune system, by having a slightly slower metabolic system to retain nutrients for as long as possible before the elimination system gets to them, and by having more connections of nerve fibers between the two hemispheres of the brain. This biological precision ensures that a woman is sensitive to herself, her body, her community, and her environment, so she can make the best decisions for her well-being, as she is the one privileged by nature’s design to carry the intense responsibility of creating the next generation of humans. And when not creating a human, all of these same systems support her in being a strong and attuned leader in her community and in the world.

The fact that this isn’t what young people—both girls and boys—are taught is tragic and JUST. SO. WRONG. As someone who has spent her life studying the female hormonal symphony and who has dedicated her career to helping women get in sync with their cycles, I can tell you that any less awe-inspiring description does not capture the truth—not even close.

Many years passed before I stumbled upon the reason that the female reproductive process wasn’t described in all its glory, the way it should be. What I discovered floored me. Quite simply, acknowledging the power of the female reproductive process would shift the power dynamics in our global culture. If we all agreed that, biologically, women are not the weaker sex, then pretty much everything about our societal norms would have to change to make space for women to have equal footing. And it seems the patriarchy hasn’t been interested in this happening. You don’t need me to tell you about the thousands of years of female oppression across every culture. But it’s eye-opening to realize that even the education we receive about our bodies—from how it’s described in textbooks to how it’s handled (or pejoratively represented) in the medical community—not only supports and deepens that oppression, but worse, also makes women complicit as self-oppressors. If we believe that we’re destined to suffer and that we shouldn’t expect our bodies to function symptom-free, we won’t believe that we have any power to improve our hormonal functioning.

When we do not know what is really going on with our bodies—when our biology is our blind spot—we don’t have our own legs to stand on. We don’t know who we are. We don’t grow up believing we are gifted by nature’s design to be fully equipped to lead. And because of that, we give away our power in a thousand ways every day—from denying our own nature by trying to fit into our male-dominated culture, to suffering needlessly due to rampant hormonal dysfunction, to holding back our potent life force because we’ve never been taught how to care properly for our beautifully complex system.

Let’s be real. Your sex ed class sucked. Media and advertising messages hammered it into your head that your period was something dirty you needed to hide. This mythology and lack of education keeps you from appropriate self-care. Our culture convinced us our bodies are projects to endlessly work on, while boys’ bodies are power tools that help them master their lives. Is it any surprise we’re out of sync with our bodies? Because of this faulty introduction to womanhood, we seek to suppress our biology because we believe it will help us be more successful. And it isn’t working. Everything you’ve tried to get rid of—your unwanted weight, PMS, and breakouts—is a bust. Your efforts to move up the corporate ladder or launch your own business compromise your health more than you’d like. In addition to being overextended with invisible work, actual work, and motherhood, we add our drive to be perfect to our wellness activities, too. What you don’t realize is that we struggle needlessly, drained of the energy we need to create, because we look for help from diets, healing protocols, and time management tools that leave the female cycle out of the equation. Most of the advice you’re following is intended for men with the assumption—and it’s a big one—that the same advice will translate to women. I’ve got news for you—it doesn’t.

Our mys-education runs deep. And it has to end now!

The Truth Behind the Most Common (and Harmful) Period Myths

Our mys-education is responsible for some very common myths about menstruation that make us feel bad about our hormonal cycles, our bodies, and about womanhood in general. It’s time to set the record straight.

Myth 1: PMS is just part of having a period

Mood swings. Bloating. Breakouts. We’re told these premenstrual symptoms are normal. News flash: They’re not. This myth about PMS is very harmful because it forces you to suffer unnecessarily. When you’re conditioned to believe that pain and problems are par for the course, you’re prevented from looking for solutions. The PMS myth does further damage, as it is used against women to dismiss our feelings, opinions, and judgments. People put us in the box of “being hormonal” (as if men don’t have hormones too!) as a way to devalue women.

The truth: Science shows us that PMS symptoms arise only when there is an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone during the luteal phase. This imbalance can be triggered by diet choices—such as coffee, sugar, dairy, dieting, juice fasts, and low-fat fads—or by the more insidious suppression of feminine energy—the energy of change. According to the National Institutes of Health’s BioCycle Study, the longer PMS goes unchecked and untreated, the greater the risk for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and dementia postmenopausally. When women live in tune with their cycle, eating the right foods and nurturing their feminine energy, PMS symptoms disappear. The premenstrual phase can actually be a time of insight, clarity, and direction. It can fill you with a can-do, get-it-done attitude and a desire to clean house—literally and metaphorically. I have renamed PMS “prioritizing my self,” and if more women did the same, we would have far fewer premenstrual symptoms.

Myth 2: Cramps are unavoidable

More than half of all women of reproductive age say they have some period pain for one to two days each month. Have you ever caught yourself thinking you’re supposed to have cramps, or that as a woman you were destined to be cursed with painful periods? When you’ve been told your whole life that period pain is just a reality to “deal with” or “get over,” you accept it and don’t expect it to be any better. It’s time for a reality check—you don’t have to suffer from cramps.

The truth: Yes, your body produces one type of prostaglandin—PgE2—that causes uterine contractions and in excess can lead to cramps. But did you know that your body also pumps out two additional types of prostaglandin—PgE1 and PgE3—that are antispasmodic in nature and counteract those contractions? Thanks to these natural painkillers, your body effectively has twice the capacity to relieve pain than to cause cramps. The good news is that when you consume the right foods for your cycle, you provide the building blocks your body needs to promote the production of the good prostaglandins that ease period pain.

Myth 3: Being on the pill helps you regulate your period

If you’re like most of the women I talk with, you probably believe that you still menstruate when you’re taking synthetic birth control pills. After all, many women on the pill bleed each month.

The truth: What you experience when you’re on the pill is not a real period. It’s actually a “withdrawal bleed” that bears no physiological resemblance to the natural period that comes at the end of your monthly hormonal cycle. You may be surprised to discover that the placebo week found in most birth control packs was created as a marketing ploy. In the early days of the pill, manufacturers thought women would be so disturbed by the idea of not bleeding at all that they wouldn’t want to use it. That’s how the placebo week was born. For real menstruation to occur, you need to be ovulating; but the pill prevents this critical phase of your cycle. Without ovulation, your gorgeous hormonal cycle gets stuck in a static low-hormone phase and can’t create a period. Furthermore, synthetic birth control does not correct hormonal imbalances; it merely suppresses your own hormonal function and allows you to go years or decades without addressing the root causes of symptoms, which makes your overall health worsen. And then there are all the nasty side effects to consider—and I don’t mean just the ones listed in the little pamphlet that comes with your synthetic birth control packet. In the upcoming Biohacking Tool Kit section, you’ll learn that there are many more downsides your gynecologist probably never informed you about—for example, that the pill depletes nutrients, disrupts your microbiome, and increases depression.

Myth 4: You don’t need to have a period

Every few years, an article will come out claiming that there’s no reason for modern-day women to have a period and that we would actually be better off and healthier if we didn’t bleed on a monthly basis. Some ob-gyns give their patients the green light to toss the placebos and take the active birth control pills continuously to skip bleeding indefinitely.

The truth: Yes, it’s amazing that as a species we’ve discovered how to outsmart our bodies by suppressing our cycle, but that doesn’t mean we should. Nature is infinitely more intelligent than we are and gave us the gift of the cycle as a way to protect our long-term health. Tampering with that system by intentionally skipping your period comes with real side effects and health dangers. Ovulation, and therefore menstruation, plays an important role in safeguarding our health for decades to come and protecting us from osteoporosis, heart disease, breast disease, and dementia. Every ovulation and cycle puts protective benefits into your health “bank account” for the years when you stop having a cycle. Our menstrual cycle is so critical to our overall health and well-being that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has decreed that menstruation is the fifth vital sign, just as important as pulse, temperature, breathing rate, and blood pressure. If your period has gone MIA, it is considered a sign of a health issue such as low estrogen levels, which have been linked to heart issues and bone weakness. If you’re missing periods due to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), or if you have irregular cycles, it’s a sign your hormonal system is off-kilter and will likely be accompanied by symptoms like acne, mood swings, or weight gain. A period that arrives like clockwork each month is just as important as having healthy blood pressure levels at your annual checkup. I recommend monitoring your period—tracking the color and consistency, duration, and intensity—to stay on top of your hormonal health. In the Biohacking Tool Kit section, we’ll take a deeper dive into menstruation to help you interpret the color of your monthly bleed, fix your specific period problems, and have a happier cycle.

Myth 5: If you have a bad period, there’s not much you can do

When you get a cold, do you just let it run its course, or do you take action to promote faster healing? Of course it makes sense to pop vitamin C, get more rest, and take better care of ourselves. It’s odd that when we’re having period-related symptoms—cramps, heavy bleeding, or spotting—we tend to ignore our problems. We believe it’s our lot in life to have painful periods, so we don’t do anything about it.

The truth: This way of thinking is the direct result of the paltry education we receive about our hormones and what kind of support they need, because the reality is you can do something. You can take action, change your hormonal reality, and have a better period. Just as you wouldn’t let your cold linger unnecessarily, you don’t have to put up with problem periods. With some simple cyclical lifestyle hacks—think food, exercise, supplements, and the way you manage your time—you could see results as soon as your next cycle.

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