June 16, 2024 • 18 mins
Send Katie a Message with Your Questions/Thoughts! :)
Welcome back, eco-minded mamas! In Part 2 of our enlightening conversation with Cassandra Mulhern (mama of 2 and Cycling Syncing expert from Cycle Synced), we dive deeper into the transformative practice of syncing up your life with your menstrual cycle and its profound impact on family dynamics. If you missed Part 1, be sure to check it out to understand the basics of cycle syncing.
In this episode, we explore:
- Cycle Syncing for Happier Homes: How aligning your life with your menstrual cycle can bring more happiness and reduce stress for your entire family.
- Communicating Your Needs: Practical tips on how to discuss your cycle with your partner and kids to foster understanding and support.
- Tangible Steps to Start Today: Easy-to-implement actions to begin your cycle syncing journey immediately.
- Overcoming Mindset Blocks: Addressing the feelings of guilt and selfishness that may arise when prioritizing your well-being.
- Creating Supportive Environments: The benefits of making cycle syncing a normal part of family and workplace routines.
Cassandra shares her personal experiences and actionable advice on tracking your cycle, communicating effectively with loved ones, and integrating cycle syncing into everyday life. We also discuss how to use digital tools and shared calendars to keep everyone on the same page, making it easier to navigate the ups and downs of each phase.
Don’t miss this empowering episode packed with insights to help you and your family thrive through the power of cycle syncing.
P.S. Please subscribe and leave a review if you found this episode helpful. Share it with fellow mamas who could benefit from the life-changing practice of cycle syncing! 🌸
Resources:
- Download Cassandra's free Cycle Syncing Toolkit here
- Register for her live webinar on June 22nd and use the special discount code "ecosync" for our listeners to receive 20% off
- Follow Cassandra on Instagram @cycle.synced
- Join our Eco-Minded Mama Collective (below) for an exclusive Live Q&A with Cassandra, as well as several more perks!!
Pssst--
🌟 It's Jumpstart June! 🌟 June is my favorite month because there is so much I'm personally celebrating, and I'd love to spread the joy by gifting you ONE FREE month inside our Eco-Minded Mama Collective! ➡️ Use the code JUMPSTART at checkout to receive one free month and let's jumpstart your sustainable living journey with instant access to everything you need to start saving money & reducing your stress levels + carbon footprint!
⏰ code expires at midnight on June 30th, 2024
P.S. Be sure to subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode and follow us on Instagram & TikTok @ecomindedmama to stay connected! ✨
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Katie Kurpanek (00:00):
Okay, welcome back Mama's. So in part one of
our conversation with CassandraMulhern, we covered the basics
of what cycle syncing is and howit can benefit our lives. So if
you missed that episode, you aregoing to want to pause this
right now go back one and listento part one. So it sets up the
whole foundation for what we'regonna talk about today. So now
we're going to round out thisconversation by talking more in
(00:23):
depth about how cycles thinkingour lifestyle can impact our
family dynamics. And then we'llunpack more like specific steps
to start taking so you can startsyncing up your life with your
cycle today. I'm Katie, if wehaven't met yet, I'm a mama
coach and a podcaster focused onempowering eco minded mamas like
yourself to live sustainably, soyou can live with less stress.
(00:44):
So let's get into it. Cassandra,this is something that you
actually share a ton about onyour social media. I love
following you for that reason.
So what have you and your familyexperienced since you began
cycle syncing your routines? Andcommunicating about that with
them?
Cassandra Mulhern (01:00):
In one word, happiness, right? Don't we all
deserve to have a little bitmore happiness in our lives?
Absolutely. One thing thatreally stands out to me, it was
a statistic that I saw, like aweek or so ago about how many
people over the age of 18 are ona mental health medication. Of
that the rate for women is abouttwo times the rate of men. So
(01:25):
that stands out to me huge thatlike women are just mentally
feeling... What's the word I'mlooking for? Let down, right? We
try and keep up like I had saidin the previous episode in this
male driven society of go go go.
And we are not capable of doingthat. And that is affecting our
mental health. Right? Socyclical living and cycle
syncing has brought about a lotof happiness for both myself and
(01:46):
for my family, right learning tocommunicate my feelings has
reflected in less resentment inour household, more help with
the duties that's like sometimesslack for me during that luteal
phase, right? And that justelevates everyone. Like there's
less grinding, there's lessresentment, all of the things
which is again equals morehappiness.
Katie Kurpanek (02:09):
Hmm. Oh, I love that so much. So I don't know
about you, but I would guessmaybe it was the same way.
Talking about my period growingup was like taboo, you just
didn't do it. Or if you did, itwas like a girls only thing. And
I actually really want to changethis like I, in my home
currently, I have a son. And Iwant this kind of conversation
(02:34):
to be just just not taboo, Iwant to be normalized. All that
to say, I feel like this can benavigated so much better than
how we were raised with. So Iwould love to hear more about
like, how do you talk about thiswith your partner? And with your
kids? How do you talk about yourcycle and your own needs through
each of the four phases?
Cassandra Mulhern (02:54):
For sure.
Well, it definitely wasn't easy.
In the beginning, it felt weird.
It definitely felt weird. But itwas something that like a
discomfort zone, if you will,that I pushed myself through to
make it happen. And now likeoccasionally, my husband will
ask me like, What cycle day arewe on? Like, how's your luteal
phase going? What can I do tohelp out right? Well, it's my
kids like so for me, I take itas you know, during my
(03:18):
follicular phase, it's a lotmore about that serving and
giving and connecting. So I'mintentionally finding ways that
I can do things with my kids,show up for them, speak their
love languages, and just serve,right. And so they see that and
I'll speak about that in a wayof like, Hey, I'm feeling really
great today. Let's do somethingthat you want to do. But then
when I'm in my luteal phase, Idefinitely mention like mommy's
(03:41):
feeling a little grumpy. Today,I'm gonna need a little space.
And I always highlight it withif I'm yelling today, or feeling
extra mad, it's not your fault.
It's just how I'm feeling today,right? But in doing that, even
just mentioning that, they areless likely to aggravate me or
do the things like I'll ask themto do something, and they'll do
(04:02):
it the first time rather than onthe fifth time. So there's less
chance of me yelling, right? Andso communicating that just opens
that door for help andunderstanding. So that we're
grinding less, right. And so I'mjust I'm making sure that like
through each of the phases, likeeverybody knows, when I start my
period, we're taking the dayoff, I'm not making dinner. And
(04:24):
you know, my kids are bringingme stuff to lay down on the
couch and take a nap. Right? Andagain, they know that I am I'm
actively engaged during myfollicular phase. And so they
find that balance between like,Oh, Mommy is really here during
these two weeks, and then mommyreally needs some rest and like,
I'll take them to the kids tothe park, right? And they know
like, Hey, we're at the parktoday, but I'm enjoying the park
(04:47):
this time from the bench ratherthan running around playing tag
with you. So it's the way that Icommunicate about how I'm I'm
intentionally connecting withyou or Mommy needs some space.
Katie Kurpanek (04:57):
Hmm, that's amazing and I know I didn't send
you this question ahead of timebut I know that you touched on
it in your recent webinar. Doyou feel like you've had to work
on like your own mindset aroundthis with the idea of being
selfish or selfless? Becausewhen you're describing that, I
automatically notice in myselfthis little like, hesitation
(05:21):
that creeps up. And I, if Ithink about myself communicating
these kinds of needs, to mypartner, or my son, and like,
automatically, it's just thatfeeling of like, oh, that, like,
I don't know if I could do that.
I don't know if that feels likeit would be coming across as
selfish, right? Like the ideathat your kids would be gracious
and kind to you and bring yousomething to take a nap on the
(05:44):
day you start your period islike a dream to me. So did you
have to work through thatmindset at all?
Cassandra Mulhern (05:52):
It more just came like with the practice,
right of communicating how I wasfeeling. Yes, in a way, like you
always want to show up and beyour best and do all of the
things. But I also realized,like in doing that I'm depleting
my patience cup. And when you'reraising kids, like they're
depleting that like pretty quickregardless. So the more that I
can fill up my cup, the morethat I can be the mom that I
(06:15):
want to be, and walking the walkand talking the talk and showing
them how to be that woman aswell. And then, like, I don't
have boys, but the same thingfor boys for them to be raised
in a house where that type ofcommunication is normal and that
type of understanding is normal,was worth any sense of like
(06:35):
getting over that sense of beingso selfish all the time. Because
that's not what it is, like weare selfless as mothers around
the clock, right? So taking backthat sense of yourself so that
you can show up better next weekis well worth it.
Katie Kurpanek (06:51):
Yeah, yeah. And I feel like I want to have like,
I want to push myself in thisway because I want to have
conversations with you know, myson, and if we have any future
kids, like about self care andwell being and like advocating
for yourself in a more powerfulway than I think what we grew up
(07:12):
with in you know, our earliersociety. And I think that it
definitely shouldn't be seen asselfish to speak up for your
needs, like if you are extratired or grumpy on a day, like
people are not the same all thetime. So we should be able to
talk about that. So I love thatyou are sharing this and that
you are coaching people in howto do all of this. So I'm
(07:35):
curious, what are some of thetangible steps that our
listeners could take as soon astoday to begin their own cycle
syncing journey, like, theydon't have to have this all
figured out yet. They could, youknow, download your resources
that are linked in the shownotes, and they can get in touch
with you or in The Eco MindedMama Collective. But just after
listening to this episode, whatare like a couple things that
(07:56):
they could just start rightaway?
Cassandra Mulhern (07:57):
The number one thing that I tell women to
do, even off of my webinars,anything, like the best thing
you can do for yourself is juststart tracking. There are
hundreds of apps out there. Sodownload like 10 of them and see
which one really speaks to you.
But the most important thingsthat you want to be tracking are
your cycle day and how you feel.
Because I am a feelings expert,right? I'm not like a bio
(08:20):
expert. So tracking yourtemperature and all of that
stuff definitely is anotherfacet of knowing your body and
your cycle. But we're trackingfeelings here and managing our
emotions. So the best thing thatyou can do is be able to
correlate like, Oh, I'm on cycleday 27 that correlates with this
feeling consistently month tomonth, or I'm on cycle day 10
(08:40):
that correlates to this feelingpretty consistently, month to
month. And the more that you canjust be on top of like, oh,
cycle day 10 feels likeenergized. Cycle day 27 feels
like tired, moody. And just likeknow that, the more that you'll
be able to be on top of planningand having the foresight and
using that toolkit to planaccordingly to your schedule.
Katie Kurpanek (09:02):
Yeah, that's huge. And I know that that I
mean, that takes a level ofcommitment, right? Because
you're gonna have to wait for atleast a few months to start
actually recognizing patterns.
So I know when I first startedout a few years ago, and I had
my you know, just basic journal,and started tracking. Like I was
doing something similar to you.
(09:23):
I was checking like, what day ofthe cycle it was. So what season
or phase was I in? And how did Ifeel that day? And then I tried
to check in with any likephysical symptoms, like am I
cramping? Am I feeling bloated?
Or like what are those things?
But I mean, really, like, if youare listening right now and
you're feeling like Ooh, that'sa commitment. I would just
encourage you like, you're in itfor the long game anyway, like,
(09:45):
this is your this is your bodyand you're going through this
cycle month after month anyway,so you might as well be in tune
with it. And that cycle syncingtoolkit that you created, like
I'll just re emphasize Is thatagain, like download that in the
show notes, because it's areally cool tool I'm planning on
printing mine now. And you hadmentioned like, you could even
(10:08):
laminate it so that you can usewhiteboard markers, put it on
your fridge, and just, you know,reuse that week after week. I
absolutely love that idea, too.
Cassandra Mulhern (10:16):
And then I also encourage people that do
download that and laminate itand make it a regular thing, put
it up on your refrigerator,right? So if you're that type of
person that feels a little ickyabout talking about your period,
it's just slapped there in thepublic for people to walk by and
read and see, like, generallyspeaking, where your energy
levels are going to be or whatcycle day you're on, right? Or
(10:38):
what types of meals we're havingduring that week. So just keeps
us all in alignment without youhaving to speak up every day.
And I don't speak up every day.
But I try to check in at leastonce, maybe twice a week, and
just just remind everybody wherewe're at.
Katie Kurpanek (10:52):
Yeah, well, it's so funny, because even a couple
of weeks ago, I was having thethought that like, I was on my
period, and I was like, Man, ifI could just have like a signal,
some kind of like red flag greenflag. These are the
conversations or the topics thatI am open to having with my
husband right now. And these arethe things that I do not have
the capacity to talk about rightnow. I was like mentally
(11:14):
thinking about how nice it wouldbe to just have some sort of
signal that like I didn't haveto try to explain. Because when
you are in your menstrual phase,or even like your luteal phase,
you might not have like theemotional capacity or even the
brainpower to like really getinto all those tough
conversations. So this toolkitkind of provides that like if
(11:35):
it's up on your fridge, and yourpartner knows, like, Okay, this
is the phase or the cycle daythat she's in, like, you know,
this is what her mood is like,it may not be a good day to
broach this subject.
Cassandra Mulhern (11:48):
Yeah, don't tell me about what you're
annoyed with right now. Right.
And one of the other things I dothat I didn't even mention at
the webinar that you were on isI create a digital, like a
shared calendar between myhusband and myself. And I
literally make a calendar eventfor each of my phases, so that
my husband can tap into thatcalendar event and read the
notes and know exactly what arethe expectations for where I'm
(12:10):
going to be. And so forinstance, that cycle day 19 or
20, that I tend to speak aboutquite a bit, when your
progesterone is rising the most.
And your mood tends to be themost unstable, right? It
actually says in the notesconversation, like don't bring
up difficult conversations withme today, I need help with
dinner, I need help withbedtime, like, please be nice to
(12:31):
me, let me nap, you know, thattype of stuff. So it just keeps
him there. And again, it's justautomatically on his calendar.
So that's another great tip thatI recommend is just creating a
digital calendar for each of thephases of your cycle.
Katie Kurpanek (12:45):
I am so all about that right now. Like if I
could describe the level of joythat I just like am experiencing
because I'm such an organizedperson. And I have no idea how I
didn't think to do this before,but I'm totally going to do it
now. And I think about even likeif more workplaces were to
acknowledge first of all, thatthis is even a thing and to
(13:06):
make, you know, some I don'twant to say accommodations
because it's not like somethingnegative that you have to
accommodate, but like if we hadthis sort of shared calendar or
a note system, you know, withinlike your circle of coworkers,
How amazing would that be? Andhow much like workplace conflict
would that resolve or just avoidaltogether? Right?
Cassandra Mulhern (13:27):
Oh my gosh, yes, girl, like we both just,
the light bulbs. You know, whenI was first starting out with
this, I was like, Oh my gosh, Icould bring this to everywhere,
I could bring it to the gyms,like trainers need to know how
to train their clients better. Isee so many male trainers
teaching female, you know,athletes, things when it's like
they could be more in tune withtheir cycle. And also with the
(13:49):
workspace. I fully agree withthat. And I was like, what if
there was just like a little redand green flag that you could
just stick on your desk like redflag, please do not have
difficult meetings with me thisweek. Like I need to just sit
down and do my emails and get mywork done to myself. Or green
flag like, Yeah, let'scollaborate, let's work
together. I am all for it. Likehow can I help you out? Right?
(14:09):
So I fully agree about like theworkspace and just the
understanding right of thatculture of understanding that
women are different. And so ifmen can be more on that same
page, they would have moreempathy and compassion for our
capabilities, those superpowers,right? Yeah.
Katie Kurpanek (14:25):
Oh, that's huge.
And there's, man, there's justlike so many more questions that
I have for you. But you know,for the sake of time, we're
gonna have to wrap this up here.
But this I definitely want tohave you back on the show at
some point. But also, this iswhy like, you do what you do.
There's just so much depth tothis topic. And so you offer
live webinars, you offer morepersonalized coaching, do you
(14:48):
want to speak a little bit aboutthe variety of resources that
you have to offer?
Cassandra Mulhern (14:52):
For sure. A lot of it is just through the
webinars and workshops. Ifyou're here locally in Denver, I
do plan in person workshops. Andthose are kind of great to get a
feel for multiple women and whatthey experience and how we can
manage a variety of things. Theonline webinars are great, but
we're obviously limited withtime and doesn't have like quite
(15:13):
the community vibe. And then Ido offer one on one coaching, I
can do a one month consultation.
But ultimately, I recommend thatwe do three cycles, right. So
the first cycle, I'm reallywalking you through it, the
second cycle, you're reallygetting to know it. And by the
third cycle, you have masteredthis technique of managing
everything, so that you can justtake off and increase your own
happiness on your own.
Katie Kurpanek (15:35):
That's amazing, like investing three months,
essentially three cycles worthof your lifetime, into your well
being. And then overall, likewe've talked about, your
family's well being because yourrelationships are going to be
better off. That's just a nobrainer to me. That's amazing.
So I will be sure to link all ofyour information below, how
people can get in touch withyou, how they can download that
(15:58):
free cycle syncing toolkit. Sothat's awesome. I also want to
re emphasize two importantthings. I said these in the
previous episode as well. ButCassandra will be hosting a live
webinar more in depth on thistopic on Saturday, June 22. And
she has created a specialdiscount code just for our
listeners. So if you go to theshow notes for this episode, you
(16:20):
will find that there and you canregister. And then she will also
be featured as one of ourexperts as a guest inside The
Eco Minded Mama Collective. Thisis the online membership program
that I've created for eco mindedmamas just like you who are
wanting to support each other inall the different facets of
living sustainably, month aftermonth, week after week. So we
(16:42):
are going to have a Live Q&Awith Cassandra the week after
her her webinar in June. So ifyou need a space for like more
personal questions, that wouldbe where you want to go. So you
can check that out in the shownotes. And that leads me to my
second and final thing tomention, which is that this
month is Jumpstart June, I amhonoring my birthday, my wedding
(17:05):
anniversary, Father's Day allthese exciting things in June.
And so I am gifting you all onefree month for The Eco Minded
Mama Collective. So if you'vebeen kind of on the fence about
whether or not you should join,if this is even for you, you
should use the code JUMPSTARTthat's linked in the show notes
at checkout. And you willreceive one month for free. The
code expires at the end of June.
So midnight on June 30. And ifyou use that, you will have
(17:29):
instant access to our digitallibrary of video courses, any
previous Live Q&As that we'vehad those are recorded and
saved, and then you could joinlike the Live Q&A with
Cassandra. We have a mom friendscommunity, it's just really
amazing. So check out the shownotes for all these different
resources. And Cassandra, thankyou so much again for your time
(17:50):
and sharing your expertise withus. This is such an important
topic and I'm so glad that youdo what you do.
Cassandra Mulhern (17:57):
For sure, my pleasure. I could talk periods
until I'm blue in the face. So Iappreciate you having me. Happy
birthday and Happy anniversary,all of the things.
Katie Kurpanek (18:06):
Thank you. I appreciate that!
Okay, welcome back Mama's. So in part one of
our conversation with CassandraMulhern, we covered the basics
of what cycle syncing is and howit can benefit our lives. So if
you missed that episode, you aregoing to want to pause this
right now go back one and listento part one. So it sets up the
whole foundation for what we'regonna talk about today. So now
we're going to round out thisconversation by talking more in
(00:23):
depth about how cycles thinkingour lifestyle can impact our
family dynamics. And then we'llunpack more like specific steps
to start taking so you can startsyncing up your life with your
cycle today. I'm Katie, if wehaven't met yet, I'm a mama
coach and a podcaster focused onempowering eco minded mamas like
yourself to live sustainably, soyou can live with less stress.
(00:44):
So let's get into it. Cassandra,this is something that you
actually share a ton about onyour social media. I love
following you for that reason.
So what have you and your familyexperienced since you began
cycle syncing your routines? Andcommunicating about that with
them?
Cassandra Mulhern (01:00):
In one word, happiness, right? Don't we all
deserve to have a little bitmore happiness in our lives?
Absolutely. One thing thatreally stands out to me, it was
a statistic that I saw, like aweek or so ago about how many
people over the age of 18 are ona mental health medication. Of
that the rate for women is abouttwo times the rate of men. So
(01:25):
that stands out to me huge thatlike women are just mentally
feeling... What's the word I'mlooking for? Let down, right? We
try and keep up like I had saidin the previous episode in this
male driven society of go go go.
And we are not capable of doingthat. And that is affecting our
mental health. Right? Socyclical living and cycle
syncing has brought about a lotof happiness for both myself and
(01:46):
for my family, right learning tocommunicate my feelings has
reflected in less resentment inour household, more help with
the duties that's like sometimesslack for me during that luteal
phase, right? And that justelevates everyone. Like there's
less grinding, there's lessresentment, all of the things
which is again equals morehappiness.
Katie Kurpanek (02:09):
Hmm. Oh, I love that so much. So I don't know
about you, but I would guessmaybe it was the same way.
Talking about my period growingup was like taboo, you just
didn't do it. Or if you did, itwas like a girls only thing. And
I actually really want to changethis like I, in my home
currently, I have a son. And Iwant this kind of conversation
(02:34):
to be just just not taboo, Iwant to be normalized. All that
to say, I feel like this can benavigated so much better than
how we were raised with. So Iwould love to hear more about
like, how do you talk about thiswith your partner? And with your
kids? How do you talk about yourcycle and your own needs through
each of the four phases?
Cassandra Mulhern (02:54):
For sure.
Well, it definitely wasn't easy.
In the beginning, it felt weird.
It definitely felt weird. But itwas something that like a
discomfort zone, if you will,that I pushed myself through to
make it happen. And now likeoccasionally, my husband will
ask me like, What cycle day arewe on? Like, how's your luteal
phase going? What can I do tohelp out right? Well, it's my
kids like so for me, I take itas you know, during my
(03:18):
follicular phase, it's a lotmore about that serving and
giving and connecting. So I'mintentionally finding ways that
I can do things with my kids,show up for them, speak their
love languages, and just serve,right. And so they see that and
I'll speak about that in a wayof like, Hey, I'm feeling really
great today. Let's do somethingthat you want to do. But then
when I'm in my luteal phase, Idefinitely mention like mommy's
(03:41):
feeling a little grumpy. Today,I'm gonna need a little space.
And I always highlight it withif I'm yelling today, or feeling
extra mad, it's not your fault.
It's just how I'm feeling today,right? But in doing that, even
just mentioning that, they areless likely to aggravate me or
do the things like I'll ask themto do something, and they'll do
(04:02):
it the first time rather than onthe fifth time. So there's less
chance of me yelling, right? Andso communicating that just opens
that door for help andunderstanding. So that we're
grinding less, right. And so I'mjust I'm making sure that like
through each of the phases, likeeverybody knows, when I start my
period, we're taking the dayoff, I'm not making dinner. And
(04:24):
you know, my kids are bringingme stuff to lay down on the
couch and take a nap. Right? Andagain, they know that I am I'm
actively engaged during myfollicular phase. And so they
find that balance between like,Oh, Mommy is really here during
these two weeks, and then mommyreally needs some rest and like,
I'll take them to the kids tothe park, right? And they know
like, Hey, we're at the parktoday, but I'm enjoying the park
(04:47):
this time from the bench ratherthan running around playing tag
with you. So it's the way that Icommunicate about how I'm I'm
intentionally connecting withyou or Mommy needs some space.
Katie Kurpanek (04:57):
Hmm, that's amazing and I know I didn't send
you this question ahead of timebut I know that you touched on
it in your recent webinar. Doyou feel like you've had to work
on like your own mindset aroundthis with the idea of being
selfish or selfless? Becausewhen you're describing that, I
automatically notice in myselfthis little like, hesitation
(05:21):
that creeps up. And I, if Ithink about myself communicating
these kinds of needs, to mypartner, or my son, and like,
automatically, it's just thatfeeling of like, oh, that, like,
I don't know if I could do that.
I don't know if that feels likeit would be coming across as
selfish, right? Like the ideathat your kids would be gracious
and kind to you and bring yousomething to take a nap on the
(05:44):
day you start your period islike a dream to me. So did you
have to work through thatmindset at all?
Cassandra Mulhern (05:52):
It more just came like with the practice,
right of communicating how I wasfeeling. Yes, in a way, like you
always want to show up and beyour best and do all of the
things. But I also realized,like in doing that I'm depleting
my patience cup. And when you'reraising kids, like they're
depleting that like pretty quickregardless. So the more that I
can fill up my cup, the morethat I can be the mom that I
(06:15):
want to be, and walking the walkand talking the talk and showing
them how to be that woman aswell. And then, like, I don't
have boys, but the same thingfor boys for them to be raised
in a house where that type ofcommunication is normal and that
type of understanding is normal,was worth any sense of like
(06:35):
getting over that sense of beingso selfish all the time. Because
that's not what it is, like weare selfless as mothers around
the clock, right? So taking backthat sense of yourself so that
you can show up better next weekis well worth it.
Katie Kurpanek (06:51):
Yeah, yeah. And I feel like I want to have like,
I want to push myself in thisway because I want to have
conversations with you know, myson, and if we have any future
kids, like about self care andwell being and like advocating
for yourself in a more powerfulway than I think what we grew up
(07:12):
with in you know, our earliersociety. And I think that it
definitely shouldn't be seen asselfish to speak up for your
needs, like if you are extratired or grumpy on a day, like
people are not the same all thetime. So we should be able to
talk about that. So I love thatyou are sharing this and that
you are coaching people in howto do all of this. So I'm
(07:35):
curious, what are some of thetangible steps that our
listeners could take as soon astoday to begin their own cycle
syncing journey, like, theydon't have to have this all
figured out yet. They could, youknow, download your resources
that are linked in the shownotes, and they can get in touch
with you or in The Eco MindedMama Collective. But just after
listening to this episode, whatare like a couple things that
(07:56):
they could just start rightaway?
Cassandra Mulhern (07:57):
The number one thing that I tell women to
do, even off of my webinars,anything, like the best thing
you can do for yourself is juststart tracking. There are
hundreds of apps out there. Sodownload like 10 of them and see
which one really speaks to you.
But the most important thingsthat you want to be tracking are
your cycle day and how you feel.
Because I am a feelings expert,right? I'm not like a bio
(08:20):
expert. So tracking yourtemperature and all of that
stuff definitely is anotherfacet of knowing your body and
your cycle. But we're trackingfeelings here and managing our
emotions. So the best thing thatyou can do is be able to
correlate like, Oh, I'm on cycleday 27 that correlates with this
feeling consistently month tomonth, or I'm on cycle day 10
(08:40):
that correlates to this feelingpretty consistently, month to
month. And the more that you canjust be on top of like, oh,
cycle day 10 feels likeenergized. Cycle day 27 feels
like tired, moody. And just likeknow that, the more that you'll
be able to be on top of planningand having the foresight and
using that toolkit to planaccordingly to your schedule.
Katie Kurpanek (09:02):
Yeah, that's huge. And I know that that I
mean, that takes a level ofcommitment, right? Because
you're gonna have to wait for atleast a few months to start
actually recognizing patterns.
So I know when I first startedout a few years ago, and I had
my you know, just basic journal,and started tracking. Like I was
doing something similar to you.
(09:23):
I was checking like, what day ofthe cycle it was. So what season
or phase was I in? And how did Ifeel that day? And then I tried
to check in with any likephysical symptoms, like am I
cramping? Am I feeling bloated?
Or like what are those things?
But I mean, really, like, if youare listening right now and
you're feeling like Ooh, that'sa commitment. I would just
encourage you like, you're in itfor the long game anyway, like,
(09:45):
this is your this is your bodyand you're going through this
cycle month after month anyway,so you might as well be in tune
with it. And that cycle syncingtoolkit that you created, like
I'll just re emphasize Is thatagain, like download that in the
show notes, because it's areally cool tool I'm planning on
printing mine now. And you hadmentioned like, you could even
(10:08):
laminate it so that you can usewhiteboard markers, put it on
your fridge, and just, you know,reuse that week after week. I
absolutely love that idea, too.
Cassandra Mulhern (10:16):
And then I also encourage people that do
download that and laminate itand make it a regular thing, put
it up on your refrigerator,right? So if you're that type of
person that feels a little ickyabout talking about your period,
it's just slapped there in thepublic for people to walk by and
read and see, like, generallyspeaking, where your energy
levels are going to be or whatcycle day you're on, right? Or
(10:38):
what types of meals we're havingduring that week. So just keeps
us all in alignment without youhaving to speak up every day.
And I don't speak up every day.
But I try to check in at leastonce, maybe twice a week, and
just just remind everybody wherewe're at.
Katie Kurpanek (10:52):
Yeah, well, it's so funny, because even a couple
of weeks ago, I was having thethought that like, I was on my
period, and I was like, Man, ifI could just have like a signal,
some kind of like red flag greenflag. These are the
conversations or the topics thatI am open to having with my
husband right now. And these arethe things that I do not have
the capacity to talk about rightnow. I was like mentally
(11:14):
thinking about how nice it wouldbe to just have some sort of
signal that like I didn't haveto try to explain. Because when
you are in your menstrual phase,or even like your luteal phase,
you might not have like theemotional capacity or even the
brainpower to like really getinto all those tough
conversations. So this toolkitkind of provides that like if
(11:35):
it's up on your fridge, and yourpartner knows, like, Okay, this
is the phase or the cycle daythat she's in, like, you know,
this is what her mood is like,it may not be a good day to
broach this subject.
Cassandra Mulhern (11:48):
Yeah, don't tell me about what you're
annoyed with right now. Right.
And one of the other things I dothat I didn't even mention at
the webinar that you were on isI create a digital, like a
shared calendar between myhusband and myself. And I
literally make a calendar eventfor each of my phases, so that
my husband can tap into thatcalendar event and read the
notes and know exactly what arethe expectations for where I'm
(12:10):
going to be. And so forinstance, that cycle day 19 or
20, that I tend to speak aboutquite a bit, when your
progesterone is rising the most.
And your mood tends to be themost unstable, right? It
actually says in the notesconversation, like don't bring
up difficult conversations withme today, I need help with
dinner, I need help withbedtime, like, please be nice to
(12:31):
me, let me nap, you know, thattype of stuff. So it just keeps
him there. And again, it's justautomatically on his calendar.
So that's another great tip thatI recommend is just creating a
digital calendar for each of thephases of your cycle.
Katie Kurpanek (12:45):
I am so all about that right now. Like if I
could describe the level of joythat I just like am experiencing
because I'm such an organizedperson. And I have no idea how I
didn't think to do this before,but I'm totally going to do it
now. And I think about even likeif more workplaces were to
acknowledge first of all, thatthis is even a thing and to
(13:06):
make, you know, some I don'twant to say accommodations
because it's not like somethingnegative that you have to
accommodate, but like if we hadthis sort of shared calendar or
a note system, you know, withinlike your circle of coworkers,
How amazing would that be? Andhow much like workplace conflict
would that resolve or just avoidaltogether? Right?
Cassandra Mulhern (13:27):
Oh my gosh, yes, girl, like we both just,
the light bulbs. You know, whenI was first starting out with
this, I was like, Oh my gosh, Icould bring this to everywhere,
I could bring it to the gyms,like trainers need to know how
to train their clients better. Isee so many male trainers
teaching female, you know,athletes, things when it's like
they could be more in tune withtheir cycle. And also with the
(13:49):
workspace. I fully agree withthat. And I was like, what if
there was just like a little redand green flag that you could
just stick on your desk like redflag, please do not have
difficult meetings with me thisweek. Like I need to just sit
down and do my emails and get mywork done to myself. Or green
flag like, Yeah, let'scollaborate, let's work
together. I am all for it. Likehow can I help you out? Right?
(14:09):
So I fully agree about like theworkspace and just the
understanding right of thatculture of understanding that
women are different. And so ifmen can be more on that same
page, they would have moreempathy and compassion for our
capabilities, those superpowers,right? Yeah.
Katie Kurpanek (14:25):
Oh, that's huge.
And there's, man, there's justlike so many more questions that
I have for you. But you know,for the sake of time, we're
gonna have to wrap this up here.
But this I definitely want tohave you back on the show at
some point. But also, this iswhy like, you do what you do.
There's just so much depth tothis topic. And so you offer
live webinars, you offer morepersonalized coaching, do you
(14:48):
want to speak a little bit aboutthe variety of resources that
you have to offer?
Cassandra Mulhern (14:52):
For sure. A lot of it is just through the
webinars and workshops. Ifyou're here locally in Denver, I
do plan in person workshops. Andthose are kind of great to get a
feel for multiple women and whatthey experience and how we can
manage a variety of things. Theonline webinars are great, but
we're obviously limited withtime and doesn't have like quite
(15:13):
the community vibe. And then Ido offer one on one coaching, I
can do a one month consultation.
But ultimately, I recommend thatwe do three cycles, right. So
the first cycle, I'm reallywalking you through it, the
second cycle, you're reallygetting to know it. And by the
third cycle, you have masteredthis technique of managing
everything, so that you can justtake off and increase your own
happiness on your own.
Katie Kurpanek (15:35):
That's amazing, like investing three months,
essentially three cycles worthof your lifetime, into your well
being. And then overall, likewe've talked about, your
family's well being because yourrelationships are going to be
better off. That's just a nobrainer to me. That's amazing.
So I will be sure to link all ofyour information below, how
people can get in touch withyou, how they can download that
(15:58):
free cycle syncing toolkit. Sothat's awesome. I also want to
re emphasize two importantthings. I said these in the
previous episode as well. ButCassandra will be hosting a live
webinar more in depth on thistopic on Saturday, June 22. And
she has created a specialdiscount code just for our
listeners. So if you go to theshow notes for this episode, you
(16:20):
will find that there and you canregister. And then she will also
be featured as one of ourexperts as a guest inside The
Eco Minded Mama Collective. Thisis the online membership program
that I've created for eco mindedmamas just like you who are
wanting to support each other inall the different facets of
living sustainably, month aftermonth, week after week. So we
(16:42):
are going to have a Live Q&Awith Cassandra the week after
her her webinar in June. So ifyou need a space for like more
personal questions, that wouldbe where you want to go. So you
can check that out in the shownotes. And that leads me to my
second and final thing tomention, which is that this
month is Jumpstart June, I amhonoring my birthday, my wedding
(17:05):
anniversary, Father's Day allthese exciting things in June.
And so I am gifting you all onefree month for The Eco Minded
Mama Collective. So if you'vebeen kind of on the fence about
whether or not you should join,if this is even for you, you
should use the code JUMPSTARTthat's linked in the show notes
at checkout. And you willreceive one month for free. The
code expires at the end of June.
So midnight on June 30. And ifyou use that, you will have
(17:29):
instant access to our digitallibrary of video courses, any
previous Live Q&As that we'vehad those are recorded and
saved, and then you could joinlike the Live Q&A with
Cassandra. We have a mom friendscommunity, it's just really
amazing. So check out the shownotes for all these different
resources. And Cassandra, thankyou so much again for your time
(17:50):
and sharing your expertise withus. This is such an important
topic and I'm so glad that youdo what you do.
Cassandra Mulhern (17:57):
For sure, my pleasure. I could talk periods
until I'm blue in the face. So Iappreciate you having me. Happy
birthday and Happy anniversary,all of the things.
Katie Kurpanek (18:06):
Thank you. I appreciate that!
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