October 15, 2024 • 48 mins
Can understanding your menstrual cycle unlock new levels of personal and professional empowerment? In this episode, I chat with Renae Fieck, an occupational therapist turned cycle-syncing advocate, about how aligning activities with the phases of your menstrual cycle can transform productivity and well-being. Renae shares actionable tips for syncing your life with hormonal shifts and embracing your cycle as a tool for growth, energy, and creativity. Plus, learn more about her new book, Cycle Sync Your Busines
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Nika Lawrie (00:06):
Welcome to the Inspired with.
Nika Laurie podcast.
Renee Fick.
Welcome to the show.
I'm so excited to have you heretoday.
Thanks, I am so thrilled to behere.
Yeah, so we are going to talkabout something that I think is
really important, that mostwomen aren't aware of.
(00:26):
We're going to talk about cyclesyncing, and I'm really excited
to have you on the show becauseit's something I've talked
about with my clients, or I'veposted some on Instagram about
it, but I've never had an expertcome on the show and actually
talk about what it is and how itworks.
So I'm really excited to getinto that with you today.
But before we do, can you justtell me a little bit about
yourself, how you got into cyclesyncing?
(00:49):
What's your backstory?
Who are you?
Renae Fieck (00:52):
Yeah for sure.
Well, thanks for having me.
Yeah, I am an occupationaltherapist by trade, so I have
had years in the medical spaceand then the you know actual
science space and about I don'tknow.
10-ish.
Eight years ago, somewherearound there, my husband was
diagnosed with a brain tumor andso, yeah, I was working, I was
(01:14):
raising kids, I found out I waspregnant.
Literally everything happenedin the same month, which is not
how it always happens.
Yeah, it hits you witheverything at once, yeah, yeah.
So we went on this like journeyof really discovering like I
don't want to be working awayfrom the house all the time,
like I want to be able to raisemy kids.
We're never guaranteed tomorrow.
I think when you're faced witha real life or death situation,
(01:37):
like a brain tumor or cancer oranything like that, you kind of
it hits you different of likehow you want to live.
And so I started in networkmarketing trying to build a
business, and if anybody's outthere I've been in network
marketing probably knowsstarting there and even owning
your own business.
Running your own business it'sa lot of work, and sometimes
more work than actually workingyour job, and so I was the
(02:01):
hardest thing I think I've everdone in my life, and I've been
through some serious challenges,yeah.
Yes.
So, rather than getting thattime freedom back that I wanted,
I actually was spending moretime doing it, and I was
spending more of the things thatI was actually valued, Like I
wanted more time with my kidsand instead of putting them to
bed each night, I was likehaving my husband do it so that
(02:21):
I could get a few more postsdone or I could get whatever
done.
And a few years into it I gotto a point where I was like I
can't do this anymore.
This is not working.
I'm sacrificing the things thatreally mean the most to me.
And I reached out to my mentorat the time and she said
business is just a numbers game.
So if you're not getting thenumbers that you want, you just
(02:42):
need more.
You just have to do more.
And I was like there's nothingleft in me to do more.
I cannot physically do any more, and so that sent me on this
rabbit hole of time management.
And how can I become moreeffective with my time?
How do I be more consistent?
We hear so much aboutconsistency with our habits and
(03:03):
things, and I was just like whatdo I need to do?
And somebody told me aboutcycle syncing, and I had learned
about it in this mastermind Iwas in and it was very, very
spiritual based and, like I said, I've come from more of this
science background and so Iwasn't really sure if I was like
I don't know if I'm 100% intothis.
(03:23):
I'm not going to save mymenstrual blood and dump it
around the tree in the backyard.
I just can't.
That's not in me.
But it kind of was the gatewayand the spark for how do women
operate differently and how areour hormones operating and how
does that really impact us.
And since then I've just gone onthis massive journey of really
(03:44):
realizing and understanding howour hormones are so different
and how there just really hasnot been the science research
done to really teach us, yeah,and so most of it's more
anecdotal at this point in time,but this research that is
coming out is like illuminatingthat so much differently.
So I went all in on like howcan I become the most effective
(04:09):
in what I'm doing and how I'mworking and how I'm showing up,
but in a way that balances likethe things that really matter
the most to me and that give methat time off, and like give me
the spaciousness that I want andlike really just transformed
everything about how I waslooking at the way my body
performed and like what were theexpectations I was placing on
myself at business and justreally creating a much more
(04:31):
feminine way of doing it betweenmen and women and like how you
know, men's hormones fluctuatethroughout the day, but ours are
that monthly thing and I'm like, oh, it really is like we're
(04:52):
completely different beings.
Nika Lawrie (04:52):
So it was really eyeopening for me.
But before we get into all that, can you, for people who are
unfamiliar, can you just givelike a basic description of what
is cycle syncing?
How do you explain that tosomebody who's brand new to this
concept?
Renae Fieck (05:05):
Yeah, Well, I think for me, one of the things that
makes the biggest aha for you islooking at the research.
Studies that are coming out nowshow that where you are in your
cycle, so how your hormones areimpacting you, literally
changes the parts of your brainthat are active.
So there are different times ofthe month when different parts
of your brain that are active.
So there are different times ofthe month when different parts
(05:27):
of your brain are more active ornot and others are shifting and
changing.
So really, cycle syncing islearning where your hormones are
, at which part of your brain isactivated, what's actually
happening inside your body, andbeing able to align your life
with that.
So any area of your life couldbe really like matched up with
your cycle if you really wantedto go in depth with it.
(05:49):
But just looking at, like, whatare those things that make the
biggest difference for you?
Like, is it your food?
Is it your exercise?
Is it the way you sleep?
Right, like there are times ofmy month where I'm like I'm up a
buzzing bee at five o'clockready to go in the morning, like
getting so much work done,staying up way late at night,
and then other nights I'm like Ijust can't do that.
(06:12):
So it's like even looking atyour sleep, like where in your
life are you adjusting toaccommodate how your hormones
are showing up for you, and likehow your body is adjusting,
instead of seeing yourself asthe same, that you need to wake
up at the same every day, thatyou have to have the same
fitness routine every day, thatyou have to have the same, you
know, nutrition plan everysingle day, that you have to,
(06:35):
you know, be the happy, loving,happy mom or whatever it is like
every single day.
Like it's looking at where youare in that hormone cycle and
how do we accommodate and adjustbased on that.
Nika Lawrie (06:46):
Yeah, yeah.
So where are?
So, if you think of like thefour stages of our cycle, right,
so let's start with, like,menstruation and then move kind
of forward in that circle.
How you know, where do we startaligning things?
How do we even start withthinking about structuring this
with our day-to-day activities?
Renae Fieck (07:05):
Yeah, yeah.
So, like you talked aboutearlier too, like testosterone,
for men functions in this24-hour rhythm.
We as women have estrogen andprogesterone, so estrogen
typically is more dominant inthe front half of the month and
then progesterone is more in theback half of the month, and
they feel so very different, sothey create so very different.
(07:25):
They feel so different.
They create like four distinctphases as you move throughout
the month.
So, like you said, the firstone is your menstrual phase.
Most of us know what that oneis.
That's like when you'rebleeding.
I like to call that the rechargephase because that really kind
of categorizes like what it orcharacteristic of what it is for
.
It's like really focused onlike how do you recharge, like
(07:46):
what do you need to, like fillyour cup?
Like take that extra time foryourself, like a lot of women
struggle with a self-care andlike getting self-care in the
month because it's like we'rejust so busy, there's so many
things right, like I've gotthree, I've got three kids, like
and mine are all in differentsports, different places.
Like I'm a three kids and mineare all in different sports,
(08:09):
different places.
I'm a juggling or buzzing beeafter school gets out.
So I get it.
But that phase is really focusedon how do you recharge and what
do you need to create thatlittle bit of spaciousness, that
little bit of pick-me-up.
Plan out your month Plan.
Make sure like all your placesor things are in the right spot,
the kids have rides picked upat the right places, like all
that kind of stuff is reallyhelpful in that phase.
(08:30):
And then that estrogen startsto pick up and that's when you
enter into that follicular phase.
I like to call it theaccelerate phase, because it
feels like that right, like ifyou've ever noticed those times
where you're like on your periodand you just feel like, oh, I
don't feel like working out, Idon't feel like eating really
well and I don't feel like doinganything and then that point
(08:51):
turns and you're just like giveme all the HIIT workouts, give
me all the big things.
Like, let me go hard, you feelit right.
Nika Lawrie (08:59):
That's always my favorite.
I honestly like, when I startmy period, I'm like oh, like
just a few days away, and thenit's going to feel so good, like
I always have so much moreenergy and, yeah, same thing, I
get so much more done.
I really like to kind of planbigger projects or things that
I'm working in that time, justtotally like the.
It's like the superpower thatyou have.
Renae Fieck (09:19):
Yes, yeah, and so just like that, like you said,
it's a superpower.
But, like you know it, when yourecharge in that that phase,
right before that menstrualphase, like think about how much
more power you have.
It's like I kind of describe itas like a slingshot.
When we pull that slingshotback, it has way more power to
shoot farther and faster than ifwe don't actually ever pull the
(09:41):
slingshot back.
So that's where that rechargephase becomes the most powerful
part of your phase, because it'swhat's going to help you last
off in that next one.
So yeah, like you said, bigprojects, big things, things on
your list that you feel like arejust hard to do or that you
(10:02):
struggle with doing where youdon't really want to do, like
you're going to have the mostmomentum to get them done at
this phase and so, just like,tackling them and busting them
out is brilliant.
Then you reach the top of thatestrogen curve when you're
ovulating and your body isliterally like hey, make a baby
with me, Even if you don't wantto make a baby.
(10:24):
It is like glowing, Likethere's studies now that are
showing like you smell different.
You, your skin, actually yourfacial symmetry changes, which
is so incredible.
Nika Lawrie (10:36):
I know it's amazing yeah.
Renae Fieck (10:38):
Like how that actually happens, like your
symmetry, your, your skin, yoursmell, like literally everything
is changing to make you moreradiant, more beautiful, more
attractive, and so, even lookingat like the way you communicate
is different, the way you showup on camera is different, the
way you interact with yourpartner is different.
(10:58):
Asking for a raise, likeeverything like that, you're
going to feel the most confident, beautiful, magnetic, radiant,
like all of those types ofthings in that phase.
So it's a great time for all ofthat type of stuff, like going
on date nights and happy hoursand hanging out with your
friends and all of those socialtype of events, when you're
(11:18):
connecting with other people.
That's why I call it theconnect phase, because it's
about connecting and havingthose relationships with other
people.
I call it the connect phasebecause it's about connecting
and having those relationshipswith other people and then that
estrogen falls off.
Estrogen is like now I'm done,I'm complete, and progesterone
kicks in, and progesterone justfeels so different.
It feels much more like I kindof described the estrogen phase
(11:40):
of like being your outward, yourextroverted phase of the month,
and your progesterone is anintroverted time.
It's like let me pull back in,I'm going to just recluse and
I'm going to maybe be superproductive.
Like sometimes people kind oftalk to me on social media like
that luteal phase is my mostproductive time.
Like, yeah, but what kind oftasks are you doing?
(12:00):
Yeah, because the luteal phasecan be incredibly productive.
You might be a mad woman on likebusting stuff out on the back
end of your computer or writingcopy or cleaning out your entire
refrigerator or any of thosetypes of things, but it's very
solo in your own little box typeof work.
It's not dynamic, interactive,it's not live on camera, it's
(12:26):
not, you know, making bigpresentations or like any of
these things.
It's like very detail oriented,it's very organizational and
very, um, sometimes emotionallyheavy.
So I was like writing this copyis a really great time because
you feel very emotionallyconnected to it.
So it can be very different.
But this is when a lot of womenthis was where I was like I
(12:48):
would get so angry at my husband, so angry, and I remember
vividly this one time I was likeI picked up my shoe off my foot
and I looked at him and I threwit at him, like standing down
the hallway, and he looked at melike are you freaking kidding
me.
You just threw a shoe at me andI was like yes, and like even
(13:10):
now I'm like I don't evenremember why I was so mad and I
don't even think in the moment Ireally felt all of why I was so
mad.
Like I just that emotionpopulated up so deeply that it
just like erupts and explodes.
It's like that is number one.
That was like I know your cupof tea.
My hormones were way out ofwhack at that point in time.
(13:30):
But even then, like you, inthat phase, you are going to
feel so much more.
You're going to feel like morelimiting beliefs, more fears,
more emotions, and so it's likeit becomes a really, really
powerful time actually forhelping women heal and grow and
learn.
But it can be very overwhelming, like I know that's a lot of
times.
(13:50):
A lot of women come to me andthey're like I just get so
overwhelmed.
We're like I feel like I wantto burn everything down.
I feel like I'm the world'sworst mom, I'm the world's worst
coworker, I'm the world's worstparent, like whatever.
It's just like everything feelslike it's crumbling and you're
doing a horrible job and it'sjust all of those feelings and
those fears and things thatpopulate up.
So when we know what each ofthe different phases are and
(14:14):
like what their superpowers areand how to really work with them
, that's when we really becomesuper effective.
Nika Lawrie (14:20):
Yeah, I love that too.
I think it's.
You know, there's such a kindof I don't know if
discrimination is there's stigma.
It's like a stigma around PMSor our you know, our anger that
we get as we're leading into ourperiod and those kind of hide
away or be ashamed of thosefeelings that we have.
(14:40):
But the more I think wecommunicate it as women, as a
group, as a culture, we starttalking about like look, this is
actually our hormones changing,this is why it's happening, and
we normalize that, then youfeel less of that stigma.
You actually probably will feelless of the anger because you
(15:02):
can identify what's actuallyhappening in your body and
you're like, oh, I'm annoyedwith my husband this week
because my hormones are changing.
You know, maybe he's stilldoing something that's dumb or
annoying, but likely is thatyou're likely more sensitive to
different things because yourhormones are in different, in a
different phase, than they wouldhave been a week before or a
(15:22):
week after.
Renae Fieck (15:23):
Yeah, yeah, I think even just that awareness right.
Like you're like, oh, it'sluteal phase, like that's why
I'm feeling this way and why I'mreacting to this, and then you
can adapt, you can be like, okay, what do I need?
Do I need more space?
Do I need to go for a walk?
Like the week or two ago when Iwas in that phase, my husband
was like dude, just go for awalk, yeah, get out.
(15:44):
Just like ramping all up, youknow.
Yeah, but I'd be curious toknow too, like what I've seen
and found is that for a lot ofwomen, that really drastic
extreme of the cycle likenoticing those drastics is
oftentimes because women areliving so out of congruence with
their cycle and that when theystart to live into their cycle
(16:07):
whether it be food, whether itbe sleep, whether it be exercise
, whatever it might be that thehormones are like oh, we can
breathe, this is how we'resupposed to be, and they become
less drastic.
So I'd be kind of curious tosee if you've had any experience
with that?
Nika Lawrie (16:21):
Yeah, yeah, that was actually going to be one of
my next questions is how do wehad any experience with that?
Yeah, yeah, that was actuallygoing to be one of my next
questions is how do we so?
You know, we've talked kind ofabout sinking our activities or,
daily, you know, ourexpectations or our, our job
tasks, those kinds of things.
But for me the big piece isreally sinking our food with our
cycle and sinking our exerciseor movement, those kinds of
(16:41):
things.
And then really, once we'vedone that, if we're still having
big issues, then we need tolook at maybe our hormones are.
You know, I don't really lovethe term out of balance, but
balancing the hormones for thisexample right, Making sure our
hormones are in the ranges thatare healthy for our body.
So can you talk a little bit?
(17:03):
Let's talk about food first,because I think exercise is a
whole, separate kind of circlethat we could go through.
So how can food?
How does food change throughoutthe cycle to match the phases?
Renae Fieck (17:15):
Totally Well, I think and, like I said, I'm not
the nutritionist like thatprobably be your area of
expertise in terms of like thenutrition.
But like, when we look at whatyour body's doing in each of
those different phases, it'sgoing to have different
nutritional needs, right?
So in that menstrual phase,you're losing so much blood and
so what happens is blood is veryiron rich, and so when you're
(17:39):
losing a lot of that iron, ironis part of what gives you energy
, it's like part of what makesyou feel alive, you know like.
And so if you're losing all ofthat iron, we got to make sure
that we're restoring that andeating foods that are very
nourishing, very iron rich, verysupportive to how can we help
your body replenish that ironstore, replenish that blood loss
(18:00):
, replenish and like, justnourish you.
And then, as you move into thatfollicular phase, you, that
blood loss, replenish and like,just nourish you.
And then, as you move into thatfollicular phase, you think
about it your body's trying tomake an egg that's going to
release.
It's going to release as anovum and like to be fertilized,
and so it's like it's creation.
It's like we're in creationmode.
We're like burning up a lot ofenergy, building something and
(18:22):
creating something.
And so in that phase I find thata lot of women really like like
I'm always the person like giveme all the salads and leafy
greens.
And like heavy proteins.
Like I will take anything greenIf you've.
Like.
There's been plenty of timeswhere I'm like I don't want a
salad at all and then this isthe phase I'm like I'll eat
salad for breakfast, lunch anddinner.
Just give it to me all.
(18:44):
But like lots of.
Like vegetables, lots ofprotein, lots of things that are
going to be that like fuelsource for you as you build up
to create that egg.
And then, as after that likethat, that ovulation time and
that progesterone kicks inprogesterone tends to you want a
lot more carbohydrates.
You probably aren't necessarilycraving the protein and the
(19:08):
vegetables that you were cravingbefore.
You still need some of it,right, like we don't want to
eliminate all of it, but youdefinitely are going to feel
more craving some of thestarches and some of the carbs
and some of those things.
And like honoring that I postI've been seeing going around.
That was like you know you'vegrown up when you actually allow
yourself the permission to eatlike dark chocolate during your
(19:30):
period realizing, or rightbefore knowing, that you need
more magnesium, and darkchocolate has magnesium or
whatever Like.
So it's just kind of that idea,too, of like, those cravings and
those things that you probablyfeel naturally but maybe we're
conditioned out of because youwere putting in a box of like
this is how we meal plan andthis is how we eat and this is
how we do it all the time.
If we came back to being more alittle bit intuitive, to like
(19:53):
what is my body actually cravingright now?
Yeah, chances are.
If we healed up some of thelike, beliefs and the emotions
and all the other things thatare clouding there, your body
would tell you exactly what youneed to eat?
Nika Lawrie (20:07):
Oh, absolutely, and this is a big reason why I
don't ever really talk about aspecific diet, even if it's like
a healthy you know, like peopleof paleo or something right and
there can be really healthyaspects to that diet.
But I really push against thatbecause so often we get, you
know, pigeonholed into this tinylittle category of food that we
(20:30):
eat the same every single dayand that's really not what's
most beneficial for our hormonesas they kind of ebb and flow
throughout the month.
One of the things kind ofmatching up with what you shared
was I tend to teach eating witha cycle, as in eating like you
would for winter, summer, springand fall, right, and so winter
(20:52):
would line up with yourmenstrual cycle.
Spring is going to be yourfollicular side of things, and
so you're going to want thosebrighter foods, right, you're
going to want the fruits andvegetables, the leafy greens,
those are starting to come out,and then, you know, as you move
into fall, you tend to eat thosemore root vegetables, the
(21:14):
starches, the heavier, you know,people tend to like the red
meat, so the heavier proteinsand that kind of phase, and so
eating as if it's, you know,spring, summer, fall winter in
that cycle.
Renae Fieck (21:26):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, which I mean this is a whole
area I could jam out on foreverbut how cyclical our world is
really and how we were reallydesigned to live, and when we
look at the cycles of mothernature like you said spring,
summer, winter, fall it totallymakes sense.
I've never thought about itwith food.
That was an aha for me.
(21:47):
You just sharing that because Italk a lot about like the
spring, summer, winter, fall inour cycle in what we're doing,
but I've never related it tolike, oh yeah, in the fall I
really want those like soup,like stews you know or like yeah
the casserole type of stuff.
You know that it makes totalsense, but we have these cycles
in our world.
Just even looking at ourmenstrual cycles, more follows
(22:09):
the movement cycle, the men'stestosterone cycles, more like
the daily sun cycle, like allthese layers that like we as
human beings.
They're much more cyclical thanwe really give ourselves credit
for.
Nika Lawrie (22:21):
Oh, absolutely, totally, Totally.
What about exercise with that?
How do we align exercise withthe cycle?
Renae Fieck (22:29):
So kind of same idea of thinking of like where
is my body at right now?
So in that menstrual phase it'sdefinitely in a space of more
recharging and recuperation.
So what does that look like?
For a lot of women that mightbe just enough of like going for
a walk or getting out.
Like going for a walk andgetting up, like going for a
walk and getting outside ismassive in so many different
(22:51):
ways.
Right.
Like it just moves your body.
It's it's movement in general.
But being outside likeyesterday I took my dog for a
walk while my son was doingsoccer and not in that phase,
but just like how replenishingit was to be out on a walk with
the breeze, with the sound ofthe birds, like seeing, like
just getting super present tolike your environment and your
(23:11):
space, like how much that has animpact on you.
But then combining that withyour menstrual phase and things
like that, like huge, such apowerful way to use exercise and
movement in that.
And then that follicular phasewe already talked about how much
we love getting things up offthe ground and hitting hard.
That is your time when youmight be like I'm ready, you're
(23:32):
doing a lot of weightlifting,maybe you're doing a workout
class with somebody, like abootcamp class, all that type of
thing.
(23:53):
And then as you transition tothat progesterone phase, I feel
it, I'm like, oh, I just want todo yoga, I just want to stretch
, I just want to move.
So looking at that impactreally is the biggest thing you
could probably look at.
It's like, what's the impactthat you're having?
Like if in that follicularphase maybe you love going for a
run, but in the progesteronephase, eludial phase, you're
(24:17):
just going to like I'm going tojust walk instead, or what is
that?
Cause you are definitely moreat risk of injury in the, when
progesterone is more dominant.
So lifting all those big heavyweights and pushing really hard
and doing all those cardio hitworkout things, you're more
likely to hit injury in thosephases than if you didn't.
So it's like really just kind ofsyncing up and leaning in, but
(24:40):
ultimately, at the end of theday, I always say just listen to
your body.
Like listen to what you want.
Because there's been times whenI'm in that menstrual phase and
I'm like I just want to go fora run.
I just feel like I need to justlike process something.
So like yeah, yeah.
So like let your body be thedictator.
Like I know, when I'm startingto do a workout and I'm doing a
(25:02):
HIIT workout and I'm likefeeling like I'm dragging, I'm
like, okay, I'm ready, Like I'mready to switch, Like I'm ready
to go back to the yoga right,Like you can tell you'll start
to feel that transition Once youstart doing it long enough.
And you're like I'm working out, I'm working out, I know that
I'm past my ovulation and Ishould be starting to dip.
It's like that day where you'rejust like, oh, I just can't,
(25:25):
like I'm dragging.
You're like, okay, we've madethe switch.
I'm like let's lighten it up alittle bit.
Nika Lawrie (25:30):
I think that's so huge too to listen to, like
listen to your body or yourintuition, because a lot of
times people will take that aslack of motivation, like they're
lazy or they don't want to getoff the couch or whatever, and
what it really is is just yourhormones changing couch or
whatever, and what it really isis just your hormones changing.
And so, instead of grinding itout in the gym or pushing really
hard, it's like no, the actualmessage that your body's sending
(25:52):
is let's still move our body,but do something that's a little
bit easier, softer, more gentlefor us.
Yeah, yeah.
Renae Fieck (25:58):
Yeah, I mean it is a fine line, right, like and
this is where it does take sometime of working with somebody
like a coach or mentor, somebodythat can help you kind of
decipher, because we do havethose limiting beliefs and those
things of like I mean I,there's plenty of things I don't
want to do that I know I needto do.
Right, like that, I like that'show we grow.
(26:20):
Like, if we even look at muscle, the way muscles build is by
tearing them apart and then thefibers reconnecting and building
stronger, and so they buildmore layers.
And so, even when we look atthat like growth doesn't come
from staying comfortable all thetime.
Growth does come fromstretching our limits and going
outside of our comfort zone andpushing past those limits.
(26:40):
I think the biggest differenceis, like you deciphering where
is that Like?
Is that coming from aphysiological thing or is this a
mental, emotional thing?
Like, how do I reallyunderstand?
Cause I think that even likegoing back, like most of us have
never really been taught tolisten to our bodies, right,
most of us if we just had abunch of women lined up and we
(27:02):
said like hey, are you feelingmotivated to work out today?
Or whatever.
It's going to come more from amental like conditioning,
society conditioning versus true, actual being able to listen to
our bodies, and so I thinklearning how to listen takes a
little bit of time.
Nika Lawrie (27:16):
Yeah, I'll take.
I mean, I'll take that even astep further.
I think a lot of us have beentold or conditioned, even you
know, I think about all thepharmaceutical ads that are on
TV or the different things thatwe see is that our bodies are
broken, yes, and that you knowwe need some type of outside
thing to fix us, whether that'sa pharmaceutical drug or you
(27:37):
know you need to eat better.
You know, because it's yourfault, that you don't have the
willpower Right.
We're always taught that ourbodies are broken and it's our
fault and really what it is islike we're just out of sync with
our bodies.
We're just haven't been taughtto like align with how our
bodies actually function Totally.
Renae Fieck (27:56):
Totally.
I mean that could go down awhole rabbit hole like
advertising and fast food andlike all the things.
Nika Lawrie (28:05):
Yeah, yes, you touched on it a little bit, but
can you talk a little bit abouthow syncing our cycles can
really help us work through someof those, the limiting beliefs
or kind of the fears, especiallyfor women who want to?
Maybe they're, you know,running a business or starting a
business or, you know, in theirprofessional field?
(28:25):
How does this help us workthrough some of those mental,
emotional, pieces?
Renae Fieck (28:30):
Yeah, totally.
So.
I think I love, like when Ifirst started cycle syncing,
like I hated my period phase andI hated that luteal phase
leading up to it.
And then I started to realizelike all of those emotions and
all those things are coming upfor a reason Right, and I know
one of the things like you and Ihave a similar business mentor
and things and learning aboutlike the greatest growth you'll
(28:53):
see in your business comes fromthe inner work, and like the
things that you do to healyourself.
Yes, and so I'm like looking,my dog is like chewing up when I
hit shin guards, but that'sokay, oh, no, so, but it comes
from this place of reallyunderstanding like those are the
times that you all of thosefears and beliefs and things
(29:14):
that need healing are going tocome up.
And so I think for the in thepast, a lot of women look at the
menstrual cycle as this likenever ending thing that just
happens monthly on this rotation.
And once I shifted thatperspective to seeing it as an
upward spiral, that every timeyou go through your radial phase
, it has the power to be able tohelp you clear out, release a
(29:36):
limiting belief, a block, a fear, a doubt, whatever it might be.
You have the opportunity tohelp heal yourself and then move
into that next menstrual phase,which is your most intuitive
time of the month to help reallycast that vision of where you
want to go.
So it's like let's clear someblocks, let's now cast this new
vision, let's step into that newidentity, that new version of
(29:56):
yourself.
Let's clear some blocks, let'sstep into a new identity.
So every single time you gothrough your period week or the
week before, like your wholecycle, it's like every time you
have this chance to up level,every single time.
So every time you come throughyour period and you enter into
that accelerate phase, you are anew version of yourself.
A lot of women aren't doing thatright.
(30:19):
We're just going through.
Each month it's just like thisis my PMS moody week.
It sucks, I have to put up withit, deal with it, and then we
get back to life and we'reproductive again.
Yeah, but really those twoweeks become your biggest
catalyst for growth and I thinkit's a really powerful way to
kind of look at that of how canI, whether or not you're in
(30:39):
business or not, just like inlife in general, like how can I
use.
This phase of, like this weirdthing is coming up.
Like every time I get so angryat my kids because they leave
their sock on the floor.
Like why am I getting so angryabout the sock?
Like, what is that telling meabout me?
Like, is there something thatneeds to shift?
Is there something like I'mmaxed out?
(31:02):
I need to ask for more help?
Is it that I need to, like,reduce my expectations of them?
What is it that needs to shiftand adjust?
And I think that awareness inthose phases has the power to
transform your entire life goingforward.
Nika Lawrie (31:17):
Yeah, I totally agree.
I think really giving yourselfthat space to tune in to what
you're feeling is so, so key toactually work through it too and
not just, you know, pushthrough it and just think of it
as an annoyance, but really turnit into a tool that's
beneficial for your overall life.
Yeah, definitely, yeah, okay.
(31:39):
So you know we've talked aboutall the benefits.
It's, it's amazing.
Women need to do it.
But how do we start?
How do we do?
Is there apps that we use?
How do we start tracking it inour calendar?
How do we align things?
Renae Fieck (31:52):
Okay, I'm going to put this out there.
I'm not a big app fan.
I'm all about the digitalpieces of it.
How can I make this simple andeasy?
The problem I see with a lot ofthe apps, like the tracking
apps, is that they will tell youwhat you should be feeling.
Right, you're on day eight.
(32:13):
You're probably feeling likeyour energy is rising and you're
going to feel amazing.
It's time to tackle those bigprojects.
Right, it's great.
It's great for you to likestart, maybe, and like start
learning and understandingwhat's actually happening.
But, at the core of it, like mymission is help women to learn
to listen to themselves andlearn to trust themselves.
Right, like, ultimately, likethat's my deeper mission and
(32:34):
vision is like, how can I getmore women learning to trust
themselves?
Right, right, like, ultimately,like that's my deeper mission
and vision is like how can I getmore women learning to trust
themselves?
And so, when we look at theapps, the apps kind of eliminate
that for you.
And it's funny is that, like,since I've started kind of
talking about this, like as Istarted like getting more vocal
about like stop using the apps,it's amazing how many women have
said yeah, I actually didn'tfeel like it was congruent, like
(32:56):
it didn't always match up withwhat I felt, but it's being.
It's like this is what you'resupposed to like.
Again, we're going back to likethis is what you're supposed to
do.
This is how you feel anyway.
So I love just tracking yourcycle, and tracking your cycle
does look like tracking morethan just your period, because
your period is just the encore.
Really, if we want to look atlike your ovulation is your main
(33:23):
player, like ovulation isbasically the thing that sets
the whole stage for the wholeshow.
So if you can start trackingovulation, that's great.
A lot of women don't want totrack ovulation because it does.
One of the best ways to do itis basal body temperature.
It's like checking yourtemperature every single morning
and some women are like I justdon't have the time for that.
So there are devices that youcan use.
I use the aura ring Great,it'll track lots of things for
(33:46):
you.
The new Apple watch theyoftentimes will track the basal
body temperature.
There's like a fem drop.
There's all kinds of devicesthat you can just wear at night
or wear throughout the day thatare going to track that
temperature for you and help yousee where that temperature
change is happening so you canknow where ovulation is
happening.
There's lots of other signs youcould watch for for ovulation,
(34:07):
but that one was like a huge,like just easy one to track.
So those would be the twothings that I would track for
sure ovulation and period track.
So those would be the twothings that I would track for
sure ovulation and period.
And then the rest of it, I think, really just depends on what
your goals are.
So for a lot of my clientsthey're in business.
We're looking at like where areyou most productive, where are
you most creative?
Like how much energy do youhave?
(34:28):
And then we look at those andwe say where in the cycle are
you feeling those things?
There's generals, like we talkedabout today, like what those
war phases are, and like kind ofwhat people most people will
feel, but everybody feels alittle differently.
So it's really just valuable tokind of like notice those
things.
But if you're like I'm a stayat home mom and I am just trying
(34:49):
to get through my day with mykids, and like, whatever your
goals may be different, it mightlook like, hey, you know what?
It's more about energy.
So like, what does my food looklike.
What does my exercise look like?
What does my sleep look like?
Like?
How am I tracking those things?
So really, just looking at whatare those goals for you, what
are the beginning key indicatorsthey're going to make a big
difference in tracking that foryou.
Nika Lawrie (35:10):
Yeah, yeah, um, for when we track them.
Are you so, if we're not usingthe apps, are you putting things
into calendars?
Are you writing down notebooks,like how do people kind of keep
track of the actual dates orkind of how how it's moving
throughout the calendar?
Does that make?
Renae Fieck (35:26):
sense, totally, totally.
So I, I like doing it by paper,so like at least a start.
So I have a paper tracker.
If people want to go grab it,they can grab a free tracker.
It's just like a circle and youcan kind of fill in like what
are you feeling on what days,and be able to, or like what
things are you craving or whatthings ways you're exercising,
(35:47):
and so you can kind of start tosee a trend.
As you lay the paper pages,single pages, side by side by
side, you can see if you're likeoh, day eight, I always was
wanting this.
Or pages side by side by side,you can see like oh, day eight,
I always was wanting this, or Ialways felt this way.
So that can be really helpful.
I personally have gotten to theplace where I like putting it
into my Google calendar, likeit's in there, I'm consistent
enough that it's like in myGoogle calendar it says what
(36:10):
phase I'm where.
So for me that's like how Itrack it and how I stay
consistent.
So, but it took the likelearning about yourself first.
So just like, start with kindof where you're at If you want
to put it into an app, like likethe Apple, you know, like your
Apple app, they have like acycle tracking spot that allows
(36:31):
you to track those symptoms.
That's the big thing.
I think it is like trackingyour symptoms rather than an app
that's telling you where youshould be.
Yeah, so I think Clue was onethat I used in the past that you
can put in their differentmoods, you can put in their
different exercise feelings,different libido ratings, like
an app that would allow you toput in those things so that you
(36:52):
can see those trends over time,rather than one that's like
predictive, like hey, we'reguessing you're on day 10 today.
This is what you should befeeling.
Nika Lawrie (37:01):
Yeah, what I found with some of the apps that I've
tried out is that the predictionof like when my next menstrual
cycle.
It's usually off by a couple ofdays and I'm a fairly regular
cycle, but it always kind of isoff, and so I found that it was
just easier, you know, just tokeep track of when my
menstruation was happening sothat I could see long term what
(37:23):
was going on.
Yeah, yeah, for women who aremaybe, you know, birth control
is a big factor there.
So women who are on hormonalbirth control or maybe moving
into perimetopause that don'thave, they may have an irregular
cycle.
Do you have any suggestions forthose women of how to get into
sync with their cycle?
Renae Fieck (37:43):
Yeah, for sure, I think one.
It kind of brings into questionlike two of the things we
talked about already.
One is just listening to yourbody.
I think learning to listen tothat makes a huge difference, no
matter where you're at and whatspectrum you're at.
And then the second thing is islike looking back at that idea
that we are all cyclical andthat women just in general are
(38:03):
cyclical and so, whether or notyou're pregnant or on birth
control or whatever, your bodyis really smart and it picks up
and it learns to adapt to thecycle, like the habits that we
give it.
And so for most women we'reprobably living more in this
masculine rhythm of the dailyrhythm and so it's trying very
hard to like match up with thatrhythm.
(38:24):
What I found not a hundredpercent across the board, but
for a lot of women is that whenthey start to try to actually
use, say like, the moon cycle,when they're in that variability
space and they say like, okay,this is the cycle, I'm going to
live this, this rhythm, thisrhythm of the moon, to help kind
of create that external justlike guide, their body tends to
(38:46):
learn that right.
It's like if you were wantingto wake up at five o'clock in
the morning but you're an eighto'clock waker and you set the
alarm for five o'clock, like thefirst couple of weeks you're
going to be like snooze, snooze,snooze, like not getting up.
And then you know, a few weeksinto that, after a while, your
body's going to be like, okay,we're awake at five o'clock
(39:06):
before the alarm even goes off.
Right, Because it's you'vereset that circadian rhythm,
like that rhythm that your bodyhas, and so your body is,
thrives off rhythms, and so it'slike what rhythm are we giving
it?
Are we helping to supporthabits and rhythms that are in
alignment with that cyclicalrhythm, of that monthly rhythm
that most women have?
So I find that when you, ifyou're in one of those spaces
(39:30):
where you don't have a cycle,your cycle is super irregular,
you can try it, Try like usingthe moon.
You don't have to be like superwoo, like moony person, you
know, just like, oh, this is thefull moon, this is where I
should be scheduling my stuff,Right, To be like I'm still
leaning into that.
And what I've found is thatover time, women tend to get
very predictable, even in someof those other like areas like
(39:53):
pregnancy, Like I've had clientsgo through their entire
pregnancy like spot on how theircycle would have was before
they were pregnant, because theywere so used to living that
cyclical rhythm that their bodyeven though they were maybe a
little bit more tired or theywere feeling a little bit more
moody or they still had all thefluctuations of their pregnancy
(40:14):
they still like they'd get on acall and I'd be like I know
exactly what phase you're inright now and it was very
predictable.
So it's like we just womenthrive in that cyclical rhythm.
Nika Lawrie (40:25):
So that would be my suggestion I think it's so key
to to really make sure we drivehome the understanding kind of
touched on.
It is that we live in apatriarchal world based off of
that 24-hour man hormone cyclewhere we are women functioning
on, let's say, a 28 or 30-daycycle, right in a world that was
(40:48):
not designed for how our bodyworks, and so, unfortunately, it
is now our job to learn howthis actually works, because all
the research is coming out nowto prove that this really is
what's going on with us and thisis how our body is functioning
and figure out how to thenadjust our own lifestyle, the
best we can living in thissociety, to really match up with
(41:12):
that cycle to support ouroverall health.
Yeah, so, yeah, really match upwith that cycle to support our
overall health.
Yeah, so, yeah, so I have.
I have one more question for you, but before I get to the last
question, two things one, wherecan everybody find you?
And then, more importantly, canyou talk about the new book
that you have coming out?
Super exciting.
I'm so glad you've put thisbook together, cause I think
(41:33):
it's really, really importantfor women to have all of this
information.
Renae Fieck (41:36):
For sure.
So I am just at my name, reneeFick, which is like weird
spelling, so maybe you'll haveit linked up or whatever.
Nika Lawrie (41:44):
I'll put it on the show notes.
Renae Fieck (41:44):
Yep, on Instagram.
Facebook, like Instagram isdefinitely my favorite place to
hang out, so, like, find methere.
And then my website's the same.
And then, yeah, I have a bookcoming out called Cycle Sync
your Business that goes in-depthinto each one of these
different areas of really likehow do you optimize your
business and the way you'reworking so that you are able to
create more income and createmore impact in your business,
(42:06):
and the way you're doing it withtaking way more time off, like
working way less hours.
So, definitely, even if you arelistening and you're like I
don't have a business, it'sstill really effective.
If you think about, like I comefrom an as an occupational
therapist, like we talk about,like the OTs focus on the job of
living, like everything ourwhole perspective is looking at
(42:28):
like everything is an occupation, everything is a job.
So there's a little gray areawhen I talk about work in that
way, but really anything thatyou do in your life, whether
it's taking care of the kids anddoing the dishes, it all could
be categorized as a job task andso you could look at how that
applies, but definitely reallygeared towards business owners
(42:51):
and really helping them amplifywhat they're doing.
Because, like you said, most ofwhat we're doing is very
masculine, especially in thebusiness space, and so if
there's more feminine leaderscreating like heart centered,
impact driven businesses, like I, think that we're going to see
a profound impact and ripple inthe world.
When more women can startaligning and getting that
message that they have out therein the world, cause, like most
(43:14):
of the women I work with,they're not doing it just about
the money.
They're doing it because theywant to make a big difference,
and so that makes such a hugedifference of empowering them to
be able to do that in a waythat fits for them.
So, yeah, the book comes outOctober 17th.
I'm super excited.
You can go toCycleSyncYourBusinesscom and get
all the details on that.
Nika Lawrie (43:41):
Awesome.
I'll make sure thateverything's in the show notes
too, but definitely pick up herbook.
This is so, so important.
Every woman should know how toincorporate this into their
lives and even, like you said,even if you're not a business
owner, I think getting the basicunderstanding of how to use
this like a skillset really tomanage your life and even in
your professional world, it canhelp you set big meetings or ask
for a raise on a specific dayor whatever it is.
(44:01):
I think that's so key there,definitely.
Well, renee, my last questionfor you before I get to that, I
just want to recognize the workyou're doing.
Like I mentioned, I thinkgetting this information out
there is so key and I reallycommend you for doing the work
because I think you're going tohelp support so many women and
help them, you know, reallyimprove their health.
But also your past work as anoccupational therapist my mom
(44:22):
was an OT for a lot of my life.
Yeah, and I know how importantthat work is to help people.
So I just want to commend youand say thank you for the work
that you're doing.
Renae Fieck (44:32):
Thank you.
Nika Lawrie (44:32):
Yeah, appreciate that, that you're doing so.
Thank you, yeah, I appreciatethat.
Yeah, so my last question I askevery guest is what is
something that you've eitherlearned or experienced that
inspired you, that you wouldlike to share with the world?
Renae Fieck (44:44):
Well, the first thing that comes up is like
looking at everything in thislike play curiosity sort of way.
So anytime like I remember wewere I was talking to somebody
recently, like when my husbandwas like having his brain tumor
and in surgery I rememberthinking like okay, this is just
part of the story, like what isthis here for Right?
So like any sort of obstacle orstruggle or anything that we're
(45:07):
going through, like when we canapproach it from that place of
like this is just all a part ofthe game.
This is all part of like thelearning opportunity.
Like how can I be more curiousabout?
Like what is this teaching me?
Or what is this for?
What can this do for me?
Or like how can I use this?
(45:28):
Like I think it takes thepressure off in such a big way
and also just makes things likeit makes us more willing to take
bigger risks because we're likewho cares?
Like it's all just part of thegame.
So I think that's part of that.
Nika Lawrie (45:36):
That's what came up .
I love that so much.
I couldn't agree more.
I think you know letting go ofour expectations and really just
putting that good work forward.
You know having those positive,putting that positive energy
forward and just kind of, youknow, having a vision but
allowing it to play out the wayit's going to play out is so key
(45:58):
to growth and overall happiness.
Yeah, yeah, well, renee, thishas been phenomenal.
Thank you so much for coming onthe show.
I really appreciate it.
Thanks so much for having meAbsolutely.
Welcome to the Inspired with.
Nika Laurie podcast.
Renee Fick.
Welcome to the show.
I'm so excited to have you heretoday.
Thanks, I am so thrilled to behere.
Yeah, so we are going to talkabout something that I think is
really important, that mostwomen aren't aware of.
(00:26):
We're going to talk about cyclesyncing, and I'm really excited
to have you on the show becauseit's something I've talked
about with my clients, or I'veposted some on Instagram about
it, but I've never had an expertcome on the show and actually
talk about what it is and how itworks.
So I'm really excited to getinto that with you today.
But before we do, can you justtell me a little bit about
yourself, how you got into cyclesyncing?
(00:49):
What's your backstory?
Who are you?
Renae Fieck (00:52):
Yeah for sure.
Well, thanks for having me.
Yeah, I am an occupationaltherapist by trade, so I have
had years in the medical spaceand then the you know actual
science space and about I don'tknow.
10-ish.
Eight years ago, somewherearound there, my husband was
diagnosed with a brain tumor andso, yeah, I was working, I was
(01:14):
raising kids, I found out I waspregnant.
Literally everything happenedin the same month, which is not
how it always happens.
Yeah, it hits you witheverything at once, yeah, yeah.
So we went on this like journeyof really discovering like I
don't want to be working awayfrom the house all the time,
like I want to be able to raisemy kids.
We're never guaranteed tomorrow.
I think when you're faced witha real life or death situation,
(01:37):
like a brain tumor or cancer oranything like that, you kind of
it hits you different of likehow you want to live.
And so I started in networkmarketing trying to build a
business, and if anybody's outthere I've been in network
marketing probably knowsstarting there and even owning
your own business.
Running your own business it'sa lot of work, and sometimes
more work than actually workingyour job, and so I was the
(02:01):
hardest thing I think I've everdone in my life, and I've been
through some serious challenges,yeah.
Yes.
So, rather than getting thattime freedom back that I wanted,
I actually was spending moretime doing it, and I was
spending more of the things thatI was actually valued, Like I
wanted more time with my kidsand instead of putting them to
bed each night, I was likehaving my husband do it so that
(02:21):
I could get a few more postsdone or I could get whatever
done.
And a few years into it I gotto a point where I was like I
can't do this anymore.
This is not working.
I'm sacrificing the things thatreally mean the most to me.
And I reached out to my mentorat the time and she said
business is just a numbers game.
So if you're not getting thenumbers that you want, you just
(02:42):
need more.
You just have to do more.
And I was like there's nothingleft in me to do more.
I cannot physically do any more, and so that sent me on this
rabbit hole of time management.
And how can I become moreeffective with my time?
How do I be more consistent?
We hear so much aboutconsistency with our habits and
(03:03):
things, and I was just like whatdo I need to do?
And somebody told me aboutcycle syncing, and I had learned
about it in this mastermind Iwas in and it was very, very
spiritual based and, like I said, I've come from more of this
science background and so Iwasn't really sure if I was like
I don't know if I'm 100% intothis.
(03:23):
I'm not going to save mymenstrual blood and dump it
around the tree in the backyard.
I just can't.
That's not in me.
But it kind of was the gatewayand the spark for how do women
operate differently and how areour hormones operating and how
does that really impact us.
And since then I've just gone onthis massive journey of really
(03:44):
realizing and understanding howour hormones are so different
and how there just really hasnot been the science research
done to really teach us, yeah,and so most of it's more
anecdotal at this point in time,but this research that is
coming out is like illuminatingthat so much differently.
So I went all in on like howcan I become the most effective
(04:09):
in what I'm doing and how I'mworking and how I'm showing up,
but in a way that balances likethe things that really matter
the most to me and that give methat time off, and like give me
the spaciousness that I want andlike really just transformed
everything about how I waslooking at the way my body
performed and like what were theexpectations I was placing on
myself at business and justreally creating a much more
(04:31):
feminine way of doing it betweenmen and women and like how you
know, men's hormones fluctuatethroughout the day, but ours are
that monthly thing and I'm like, oh, it really is like we're
(04:52):
completely different beings.
Nika Lawrie (04:52):
So it was really eyeopening for me.
But before we get into all that, can you, for people who are
unfamiliar, can you just givelike a basic description of what
is cycle syncing?
How do you explain that tosomebody who's brand new to this
concept?
Renae Fieck (05:05):
Yeah, Well, I think for me, one of the things that
makes the biggest aha for you islooking at the research.
Studies that are coming out nowshow that where you are in your
cycle, so how your hormones areimpacting you, literally
changes the parts of your brainthat are active.
So there are different times ofthe month when different parts
of your brain that are active.
So there are different times ofthe month when different parts
(05:27):
of your brain are more active ornot and others are shifting and
changing.
So really, cycle syncing islearning where your hormones are
, at which part of your brain isactivated, what's actually
happening inside your body, andbeing able to align your life
with that.
So any area of your life couldbe really like matched up with
your cycle if you really wantedto go in depth with it.
(05:49):
But just looking at, like, whatare those things that make the
biggest difference for you?
Like, is it your food?
Is it your exercise?
Is it the way you sleep?
Right, like there are times ofmy month where I'm like I'm up a
buzzing bee at five o'clockready to go in the morning, like
getting so much work done,staying up way late at night,
and then other nights I'm like Ijust can't do that.
(06:12):
So it's like even looking atyour sleep, like where in your
life are you adjusting toaccommodate how your hormones
are showing up for you, and likehow your body is adjusting,
instead of seeing yourself asthe same, that you need to wake
up at the same every day, thatyou have to have the same
fitness routine every day, thatyou have to have the same, you
know, nutrition plan everysingle day, that you have to,
(06:35):
you know, be the happy, loving,happy mom or whatever it is like
every single day.
Like it's looking at where youare in that hormone cycle and
how do we accommodate and adjustbased on that.
Nika Lawrie (06:46):
Yeah, yeah.
So where are?
So, if you think of like thefour stages of our cycle, right,
so let's start with, like,menstruation and then move kind
of forward in that circle.
How you know, where do we startaligning things?
How do we even start withthinking about structuring this
with our day-to-day activities?
Renae Fieck (07:05):
Yeah, yeah.
So, like you talked aboutearlier too, like testosterone,
for men functions in this24-hour rhythm.
We as women have estrogen andprogesterone, so estrogen
typically is more dominant inthe front half of the month and
then progesterone is more in theback half of the month, and
they feel so very different, sothey create so very different.
(07:25):
They feel so different.
They create like four distinctphases as you move throughout
the month.
So, like you said, the firstone is your menstrual phase.
Most of us know what that oneis.
That's like when you'rebleeding.
I like to call that the rechargephase because that really kind
of categorizes like what it orcharacteristic of what it is for
.
It's like really focused onlike how do you recharge, like
(07:46):
what do you need to, like fillyour cup?
Like take that extra time foryourself, like a lot of women
struggle with a self-care andlike getting self-care in the
month because it's like we'rejust so busy, there's so many
things right, like I've gotthree, I've got three kids, like
and mine are all in differentsports, different places.
Like I'm a three kids and mineare all in different sports,
(08:09):
different places.
I'm a juggling or buzzing beeafter school gets out.
So I get it.
But that phase is really focusedon how do you recharge and what
do you need to create thatlittle bit of spaciousness, that
little bit of pick-me-up.
Plan out your month Plan.
Make sure like all your placesor things are in the right spot,
the kids have rides picked upat the right places, like all
that kind of stuff is reallyhelpful in that phase.
(08:30):
And then that estrogen startsto pick up and that's when you
enter into that follicular phase.
I like to call it theaccelerate phase, because it
feels like that right, like ifyou've ever noticed those times
where you're like on your periodand you just feel like, oh, I
don't feel like working out, Idon't feel like eating really
well and I don't feel like doinganything and then that point
(08:51):
turns and you're just like giveme all the HIIT workouts, give
me all the big things.
Like, let me go hard, you feelit right.
Nika Lawrie (08:59):
That's always my favorite.
I honestly like, when I startmy period, I'm like oh, like
just a few days away, and thenit's going to feel so good, like
I always have so much moreenergy and, yeah, same thing, I
get so much more done.
I really like to kind of planbigger projects or things that
I'm working in that time, justtotally like the.
It's like the superpower thatyou have.
Renae Fieck (09:19):
Yes, yeah, and so just like that, like you said,
it's a superpower.
But, like you know it, when yourecharge in that that phase,
right before that menstrualphase, like think about how much
more power you have.
It's like I kind of describe itas like a slingshot.
When we pull that slingshotback, it has way more power to
shoot farther and faster than ifwe don't actually ever pull the
(09:41):
slingshot back.
So that's where that rechargephase becomes the most powerful
part of your phase, because it'swhat's going to help you last
off in that next one.
So yeah, like you said, bigprojects, big things, things on
your list that you feel like arejust hard to do or that you
(10:02):
struggle with doing where youdon't really want to do, like
you're going to have the mostmomentum to get them done at
this phase and so, just like,tackling them and busting them
out is brilliant.
Then you reach the top of thatestrogen curve when you're
ovulating and your body isliterally like hey, make a baby
with me, Even if you don't wantto make a baby.
(10:24):
It is like glowing, Likethere's studies now that are
showing like you smell different.
You, your skin, actually yourfacial symmetry changes, which
is so incredible.
Nika Lawrie (10:36):
I know it's amazing yeah.
Renae Fieck (10:38):
Like how that actually happens, like your
symmetry, your, your skin, yoursmell, like literally everything
is changing to make you moreradiant, more beautiful, more
attractive, and so, even lookingat like the way you communicate
is different, the way you showup on camera is different, the
way you interact with yourpartner is different.
(10:58):
Asking for a raise, likeeverything like that, you're
going to feel the most confident, beautiful, magnetic, radiant,
like all of those types ofthings in that phase.
So it's a great time for all ofthat type of stuff, like going
on date nights and happy hoursand hanging out with your
friends and all of those socialtype of events, when you're
(11:18):
connecting with other people.
That's why I call it theconnect phase, because it's
about connecting and havingthose relationships with other
people.
I call it the connect phasebecause it's about connecting
and having those relationshipswith other people and then that
estrogen falls off.
Estrogen is like now I'm done,I'm complete, and progesterone
kicks in, and progesterone justfeels so different.
It feels much more like I kindof described the estrogen phase
(11:40):
of like being your outward, yourextroverted phase of the month,
and your progesterone is anintroverted time.
It's like let me pull back in,I'm going to just recluse and
I'm going to maybe be superproductive.
Like sometimes people kind oftalk to me on social media like
that luteal phase is my mostproductive time.
Like, yeah, but what kind oftasks are you doing?
(12:00):
Yeah, because the luteal phasecan be incredibly productive.
You might be a mad woman on likebusting stuff out on the back
end of your computer or writingcopy or cleaning out your entire
refrigerator or any of thosetypes of things, but it's very
solo in your own little box typeof work.
It's not dynamic, interactive,it's not live on camera, it's
(12:26):
not, you know, making bigpresentations or like any of
these things.
It's like very detail oriented,it's very organizational and
very, um, sometimes emotionallyheavy.
So I was like writing this copyis a really great time because
you feel very emotionallyconnected to it.
So it can be very different.
But this is when a lot of womenthis was where I was like I
(12:48):
would get so angry at my husband, so angry, and I remember
vividly this one time I was likeI picked up my shoe off my foot
and I looked at him and I threwit at him, like standing down
the hallway, and he looked at melike are you freaking kidding
me.
You just threw a shoe at me andI was like yes, and like even
(13:10):
now I'm like I don't evenremember why I was so mad and I
don't even think in the moment Ireally felt all of why I was so
mad.
Like I just that emotionpopulated up so deeply that it
just like erupts and explodes.
It's like that is number one.
That was like I know your cupof tea.
My hormones were way out ofwhack at that point in time.
(13:30):
But even then, like you, inthat phase, you are going to
feel so much more.
You're going to feel like morelimiting beliefs, more fears,
more emotions, and so it's likeit becomes a really, really
powerful time actually forhelping women heal and grow and
learn.
But it can be very overwhelming, like I know that's a lot of
times.
(13:50):
A lot of women come to me andthey're like I just get so
overwhelmed.
We're like I feel like I wantto burn everything down.
I feel like I'm the world'sworst mom, I'm the world's worst
coworker, I'm the world's worstparent, like whatever.
It's just like everything feelslike it's crumbling and you're
doing a horrible job and it'sjust all of those feelings and
those fears and things thatpopulate up.
So when we know what each ofthe different phases are and
(14:14):
like what their superpowers areand how to really work with them
, that's when we really becomesuper effective.
Nika Lawrie (14:20):
Yeah, I love that too.
I think it's.
You know, there's such a kindof I don't know if
discrimination is there's stigma.
It's like a stigma around PMSor our you know, our anger that
we get as we're leading into ourperiod and those kind of hide
away or be ashamed of thosefeelings that we have.
(14:40):
But the more I think wecommunicate it as women, as a
group, as a culture, we starttalking about like look, this is
actually our hormones changing,this is why it's happening, and
we normalize that, then youfeel less of that stigma.
You actually probably will feelless of the anger because you
(15:02):
can identify what's actuallyhappening in your body and
you're like, oh, I'm annoyedwith my husband this week
because my hormones are changing.
You know, maybe he's stilldoing something that's dumb or
annoying, but likely is thatyou're likely more sensitive to
different things because yourhormones are in different, in a
different phase, than they wouldhave been a week before or a
(15:22):
week after.
Renae Fieck (15:23):
Yeah, yeah, I think even just that awareness right.
Like you're like, oh, it'sluteal phase, like that's why
I'm feeling this way and why I'mreacting to this, and then you
can adapt, you can be like, okay, what do I need?
Do I need more space?
Do I need to go for a walk?
Like the week or two ago when Iwas in that phase, my husband
was like dude, just go for awalk, yeah, get out.
(15:44):
Just like ramping all up, youknow.
Yeah, but I'd be curious toknow too, like what I've seen
and found is that for a lot ofwomen, that really drastic
extreme of the cycle likenoticing those drastics is
oftentimes because women areliving so out of congruence with
their cycle and that when theystart to live into their cycle
(16:07):
whether it be food, whether itbe sleep, whether it be exercise
, whatever it might be that thehormones are like oh, we can
breathe, this is how we'resupposed to be, and they become
less drastic.
So I'd be kind of curious tosee if you've had any experience
with that?
Nika Lawrie (16:21):
Yeah, yeah, that was actually going to be one of
my next questions is how do wehad any experience with that?
Yeah, yeah, that was actuallygoing to be one of my next
questions is how do we so?
You know, we've talked kind ofabout sinking our activities or,
daily, you know, ourexpectations or our, our job
tasks, those kinds of things.
But for me the big piece isreally sinking our food with our
cycle and sinking our exerciseor movement, those kinds of
(16:41):
things.
And then really, once we'vedone that, if we're still having
big issues, then we need tolook at maybe our hormones are.
You know, I don't really lovethe term out of balance, but
balancing the hormones for thisexample right, Making sure our
hormones are in the ranges thatare healthy for our body.
So can you talk a little bit?
(17:03):
Let's talk about food first,because I think exercise is a
whole, separate kind of circlethat we could go through.
So how can food?
How does food change throughoutthe cycle to match the phases?
Renae Fieck (17:15):
Totally Well, I think and, like I said, I'm not
the nutritionist like thatprobably be your area of
expertise in terms of like thenutrition.
But like, when we look at whatyour body's doing in each of
those different phases, it'sgoing to have different
nutritional needs, right?
So in that menstrual phase,you're losing so much blood and
so what happens is blood is veryiron rich, and so when you're
(17:39):
losing a lot of that iron, ironis part of what gives you energy
, it's like part of what makesyou feel alive, you know like.
And so if you're losing all ofthat iron, we got to make sure
that we're restoring that andeating foods that are very
nourishing, very iron rich, verysupportive to how can we help
your body replenish that ironstore, replenish that blood loss
(18:00):
, replenish and like, justnourish you.
And then, as you move into thatfollicular phase, you, that
blood loss, replenish and like,just nourish you.
And then, as you move into thatfollicular phase, you think
about it your body's trying tomake an egg that's going to
release.
It's going to release as anovum and like to be fertilized,
and so it's like it's creation.
It's like we're in creationmode.
We're like burning up a lot ofenergy, building something and
(18:22):
creating something.
And so in that phase I find thata lot of women really like like
I'm always the person like giveme all the salads and leafy
greens.
And like heavy proteins.
Like I will take anything greenIf you've.
Like.
There's been plenty of timeswhere I'm like I don't want a
salad at all and then this isthe phase I'm like I'll eat
salad for breakfast, lunch anddinner.
Just give it to me all.
(18:44):
But like lots of.
Like vegetables, lots ofprotein, lots of things that are
going to be that like fuelsource for you as you build up
to create that egg.
And then, as after that likethat, that ovulation time and
that progesterone kicks inprogesterone tends to you want a
lot more carbohydrates.
You probably aren't necessarilycraving the protein and the
(19:08):
vegetables that you were cravingbefore.
You still need some of it,right, like we don't want to
eliminate all of it, but youdefinitely are going to feel
more craving some of thestarches and some of the carbs
and some of those things.
And like honoring that I postI've been seeing going around.
That was like you know you'vegrown up when you actually allow
yourself the permission to eatlike dark chocolate during your
(19:30):
period realizing, or rightbefore knowing, that you need
more magnesium, and darkchocolate has magnesium or
whatever Like.
So it's just kind of that idea,too, of like, those cravings and
those things that you probablyfeel naturally but maybe we're
conditioned out of because youwere putting in a box of like
this is how we meal plan andthis is how we eat and this is
how we do it all the time.
If we came back to being more alittle bit intuitive, to like
(19:53):
what is my body actually cravingright now?
Yeah, chances are.
If we healed up some of thelike, beliefs and the emotions
and all the other things thatare clouding there, your body
would tell you exactly what youneed to eat?
Nika Lawrie (20:07):
Oh, absolutely, and this is a big reason why I
don't ever really talk about aspecific diet, even if it's like
a healthy you know, like peopleof paleo or something right and
there can be really healthyaspects to that diet.
But I really push against thatbecause so often we get, you
know, pigeonholed into this tinylittle category of food that we
(20:30):
eat the same every single dayand that's really not what's
most beneficial for our hormonesas they kind of ebb and flow
throughout the month.
One of the things kind ofmatching up with what you shared
was I tend to teach eating witha cycle, as in eating like you
would for winter, summer, springand fall, right, and so winter
(20:52):
would line up with yourmenstrual cycle.
Spring is going to be yourfollicular side of things, and
so you're going to want thosebrighter foods, right, you're
going to want the fruits andvegetables, the leafy greens,
those are starting to come out,and then, you know, as you move
into fall, you tend to eat thosemore root vegetables, the
(21:14):
starches, the heavier, you know,people tend to like the red
meat, so the heavier proteinsand that kind of phase, and so
eating as if it's, you know,spring, summer, fall winter in
that cycle.
Renae Fieck (21:26):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, which I mean this is a whole
area I could jam out on foreverbut how cyclical our world is
really and how we were reallydesigned to live, and when we
look at the cycles of mothernature like you said spring,
summer, winter, fall it totallymakes sense.
I've never thought about itwith food.
That was an aha for me.
(21:47):
You just sharing that because Italk a lot about like the
spring, summer, winter, fall inour cycle in what we're doing,
but I've never related it tolike, oh yeah, in the fall I
really want those like soup,like stews you know or like yeah
the casserole type of stuff.
You know that it makes totalsense, but we have these cycles
in our world.
Just even looking at ourmenstrual cycles, more follows
(22:09):
the movement cycle, the men'stestosterone cycles, more like
the daily sun cycle, like allthese layers that like we as
human beings.
They're much more cyclical thanwe really give ourselves credit
for.
Nika Lawrie (22:21):
Oh, absolutely, totally, Totally.
What about exercise with that?
How do we align exercise withthe cycle?
Renae Fieck (22:29):
So kind of same idea of thinking of like where
is my body at right now?
So in that menstrual phase it'sdefinitely in a space of more
recharging and recuperation.
So what does that look like?
For a lot of women that mightbe just enough of like going for
a walk or getting out.
Like going for a walk andgetting up, like going for a
walk and getting outside ismassive in so many different
(22:51):
ways.
Right.
Like it just moves your body.
It's it's movement in general.
But being outside likeyesterday I took my dog for a
walk while my son was doingsoccer and not in that phase,
but just like how replenishingit was to be out on a walk with
the breeze, with the sound ofthe birds, like seeing, like
just getting super present tolike your environment and your
(23:11):
space, like how much that has animpact on you.
But then combining that withyour menstrual phase and things
like that, like huge, such apowerful way to use exercise and
movement in that.
And then that follicular phasewe already talked about how much
we love getting things up offthe ground and hitting hard.
That is your time when youmight be like I'm ready, you're
(23:32):
doing a lot of weightlifting,maybe you're doing a workout
class with somebody, like abootcamp class, all that type of
thing.
(23:53):
And then as you transition tothat progesterone phase, I feel
it, I'm like, oh, I just want todo yoga, I just want to stretch
, I just want to move.
So looking at that impactreally is the biggest thing you
could probably look at.
It's like, what's the impactthat you're having?
Like if in that follicularphase maybe you love going for a
run, but in the progesteronephase, eludial phase, you're
(24:17):
just going to like I'm going tojust walk instead, or what is
that?
Cause you are definitely moreat risk of injury in the, when
progesterone is more dominant.
So lifting all those big heavyweights and pushing really hard
and doing all those cardio hitworkout things, you're more
likely to hit injury in thosephases than if you didn't.
So it's like really just kind ofsyncing up and leaning in, but
(24:40):
ultimately, at the end of theday, I always say just listen to
your body.
Like listen to what you want.
Because there's been times whenI'm in that menstrual phase and
I'm like I just want to go fora run.
I just feel like I need to justlike process something.
So like yeah, yeah.
So like let your body be thedictator.
Like I know, when I'm startingto do a workout and I'm doing a
(25:02):
HIIT workout and I'm likefeeling like I'm dragging, I'm
like, okay, I'm ready, Like I'mready to switch, Like I'm ready
to go back to the yoga right,Like you can tell you'll start
to feel that transition Once youstart doing it long enough.
And you're like I'm working out, I'm working out, I know that
I'm past my ovulation and Ishould be starting to dip.
It's like that day where you'rejust like, oh, I just can't,
(25:25):
like I'm dragging.
You're like, okay, we've madethe switch.
I'm like let's lighten it up alittle bit.
Nika Lawrie (25:30):
I think that's so huge too to listen to, like
listen to your body or yourintuition, because a lot of
times people will take that aslack of motivation, like they're
lazy or they don't want to getoff the couch or whatever, and
what it really is is just yourhormones changing couch or
whatever, and what it really isis just your hormones changing.
And so, instead of grinding itout in the gym or pushing really
hard, it's like no, the actualmessage that your body's sending
(25:52):
is let's still move our body,but do something that's a little
bit easier, softer, more gentlefor us.
Yeah, yeah.
Renae Fieck (25:58):
Yeah, I mean it is a fine line, right, like and
this is where it does take sometime of working with somebody
like a coach or mentor, somebodythat can help you kind of
decipher, because we do havethose limiting beliefs and those
things of like I mean I,there's plenty of things I don't
want to do that I know I needto do.
Right, like that, I like that'show we grow.
(26:20):
Like, if we even look at muscle, the way muscles build is by
tearing them apart and then thefibers reconnecting and building
stronger, and so they buildmore layers.
And so, even when we look atthat like growth doesn't come
from staying comfortable all thetime.
Growth does come fromstretching our limits and going
outside of our comfort zone andpushing past those limits.
(26:40):
I think the biggest differenceis, like you deciphering where
is that Like?
Is that coming from aphysiological thing or is this a
mental, emotional thing?
Like, how do I reallyunderstand?
Cause I think that even likegoing back, like most of us have
never really been taught tolisten to our bodies, right,
most of us if we just had abunch of women lined up and we
(27:02):
said like hey, are you feelingmotivated to work out today?
Or whatever.
It's going to come more from amental like conditioning,
society conditioning versus true, actual being able to listen to
our bodies, and so I thinklearning how to listen takes a
little bit of time.
Nika Lawrie (27:16):
Yeah, I'll take.
I mean, I'll take that even astep further.
I think a lot of us have beentold or conditioned, even you
know, I think about all thepharmaceutical ads that are on
TV or the different things thatwe see is that our bodies are
broken, yes, and that you knowwe need some type of outside
thing to fix us, whether that'sa pharmaceutical drug or you
(27:37):
know you need to eat better.
You know, because it's yourfault, that you don't have the
willpower Right.
We're always taught that ourbodies are broken and it's our
fault and really what it is islike we're just out of sync with
our bodies.
We're just haven't been taughtto like align with how our
bodies actually function Totally.
Renae Fieck (27:56):
Totally.
I mean that could go down awhole rabbit hole like
advertising and fast food andlike all the things.
Nika Lawrie (28:05):
Yeah, yes, you touched on it a little bit, but
can you talk a little bit abouthow syncing our cycles can
really help us work through someof those, the limiting beliefs
or kind of the fears, especiallyfor women who want to?
Maybe they're, you know,running a business or starting a
business or, you know, in theirprofessional field?
(28:25):
How does this help us workthrough some of those mental,
emotional, pieces?
Renae Fieck (28:30):
Yeah, totally.
So.
I think I love, like when Ifirst started cycle syncing,
like I hated my period phase andI hated that luteal phase
leading up to it.
And then I started to realizelike all of those emotions and
all those things are coming upfor a reason Right, and I know
one of the things like you and Ihave a similar business mentor
and things and learning aboutlike the greatest growth you'll
(28:53):
see in your business comes fromthe inner work, and like the
things that you do to healyourself.
Yes, and so I'm like looking,my dog is like chewing up when I
hit shin guards, but that'sokay, oh, no, so, but it comes
from this place of reallyunderstanding like those are the
times that you all of thosefears and beliefs and things
(29:14):
that need healing are going tocome up.
And so I think for the in thepast, a lot of women look at the
menstrual cycle as this likenever ending thing that just
happens monthly on this rotation.
And once I shifted thatperspective to seeing it as an
upward spiral, that every timeyou go through your radial phase
, it has the power to be able tohelp you clear out, release a
(29:36):
limiting belief, a block, a fear, a doubt, whatever it might be.
You have the opportunity tohelp heal yourself and then move
into that next menstrual phase,which is your most intuitive
time of the month to help reallycast that vision of where you
want to go.
So it's like let's clear someblocks, let's now cast this new
vision, let's step into that newidentity, that new version of
(29:56):
yourself.
Let's clear some blocks, let'sstep into a new identity.
So every single time you gothrough your period week or the
week before, like your wholecycle, it's like every time you
have this chance to up level,every single time.
So every time you come throughyour period and you enter into
that accelerate phase, you are anew version of yourself.
A lot of women aren't doing thatright.
(30:19):
We're just going through.
Each month it's just like thisis my PMS moody week.
It sucks, I have to put up withit, deal with it, and then we
get back to life and we'reproductive again.
Yeah, but really those twoweeks become your biggest
catalyst for growth and I thinkit's a really powerful way to
kind of look at that of how canI, whether or not you're in
(30:39):
business or not, just like inlife in general, like how can I
use.
This phase of, like this weirdthing is coming up.
Like every time I get so angryat my kids because they leave
their sock on the floor.
Like why am I getting so angryabout the sock?
Like, what is that telling meabout me?
Like, is there something thatneeds to shift?
Is there something like I'mmaxed out?
(31:02):
I need to ask for more help?
Is it that I need to, like,reduce my expectations of them?
What is it that needs to shiftand adjust?
And I think that awareness inthose phases has the power to
transform your entire life goingforward.
Nika Lawrie (31:17):
Yeah, I totally agree.
I think really giving yourselfthat space to tune in to what
you're feeling is so, so key toactually work through it too and
not just, you know, pushthrough it and just think of it
as an annoyance, but really turnit into a tool that's
beneficial for your overall life.
Yeah, definitely, yeah, okay.
(31:39):
So you know we've talked aboutall the benefits.
It's, it's amazing.
Women need to do it.
But how do we start?
How do we do?
Is there apps that we use?
How do we start tracking it inour calendar?
How do we align things?
Renae Fieck (31:52):
Okay, I'm going to put this out there.
I'm not a big app fan.
I'm all about the digitalpieces of it.
How can I make this simple andeasy?
The problem I see with a lot ofthe apps, like the tracking
apps, is that they will tell youwhat you should be feeling.
Right, you're on day eight.
(32:13):
You're probably feeling likeyour energy is rising and you're
going to feel amazing.
It's time to tackle those bigprojects.
Right, it's great.
It's great for you to likestart, maybe, and like start
learning and understandingwhat's actually happening.
But, at the core of it, like mymission is help women to learn
to listen to themselves andlearn to trust themselves.
Right, like, ultimately, likethat's my deeper mission and
(32:34):
vision is like, how can I getmore women learning to trust
themselves?
Right, right, like, ultimately,like that's my deeper mission
and vision is like how can I getmore women learning to trust
themselves?
And so, when we look at theapps, the apps kind of eliminate
that for you.
And it's funny is that, like,since I've started kind of
talking about this, like as Istarted like getting more vocal
about like stop using the apps,it's amazing how many women have
said yeah, I actually didn'tfeel like it was congruent, like
(32:56):
it didn't always match up withwhat I felt, but it's being.
It's like this is what you'resupposed to like.
Again, we're going back to likethis is what you're supposed to
do.
This is how you feel anyway.
So I love just tracking yourcycle, and tracking your cycle
does look like tracking morethan just your period, because
your period is just the encore.
Really, if we want to look atlike your ovulation is your main
(33:23):
player, like ovulation isbasically the thing that sets
the whole stage for the wholeshow.
So if you can start trackingovulation, that's great.
A lot of women don't want totrack ovulation because it does.
One of the best ways to do itis basal body temperature.
It's like checking yourtemperature every single morning
and some women are like I justdon't have the time for that.
So there are devices that youcan use.
I use the aura ring Great,it'll track lots of things for
(33:46):
you.
The new Apple watch theyoftentimes will track the basal
body temperature.
There's like a fem drop.
There's all kinds of devicesthat you can just wear at night
or wear throughout the day thatare going to track that
temperature for you and help yousee where that temperature
change is happening so you canknow where ovulation is
happening.
There's lots of other signs youcould watch for for ovulation,
(34:07):
but that one was like a huge,like just easy one to track.
So those would be the twothings that I would track for
sure ovulation and period track.
So those would be the twothings that I would track for
sure ovulation and period.
And then the rest of it, I think, really just depends on what
your goals are.
So for a lot of my clientsthey're in business.
We're looking at like where areyou most productive, where are
you most creative?
Like how much energy do youhave?
(34:28):
And then we look at those andwe say where in the cycle are
you feeling those things?
There's generals, like we talkedabout today, like what those
war phases are, and like kind ofwhat people most people will
feel, but everybody feels alittle differently.
So it's really just valuable tokind of like notice those
things.
But if you're like I'm a stayat home mom and I am just trying
(34:49):
to get through my day with mykids, and like, whatever your
goals may be different, it mightlook like, hey, you know what?
It's more about energy.
So like, what does my food looklike.
What does my exercise look like?
What does my sleep look like?
Like?
How am I tracking those things?
So really, just looking at whatare those goals for you, what
are the beginning key indicatorsthey're going to make a big
difference in tracking that foryou.
Nika Lawrie (35:10):
Yeah, yeah, um, for when we track them.
Are you so, if we're not usingthe apps, are you putting things
into calendars?
Are you writing down notebooks,like how do people kind of keep
track of the actual dates orkind of how how it's moving
throughout the calendar?
Does that make?
Renae Fieck (35:26):
sense, totally, totally.
So I, I like doing it by paper,so like at least a start.
So I have a paper tracker.
If people want to go grab it,they can grab a free tracker.
It's just like a circle and youcan kind of fill in like what
are you feeling on what days,and be able to, or like what
things are you craving or whatthings ways you're exercising,
(35:47):
and so you can kind of start tosee a trend.
As you lay the paper pages,single pages, side by side by
side, you can see if you're likeoh, day eight, I always was
wanting this.
Or pages side by side by side,you can see like oh, day eight,
I always was wanting this, or Ialways felt this way.
So that can be really helpful.
I personally have gotten to theplace where I like putting it
into my Google calendar, likeit's in there, I'm consistent
enough that it's like in myGoogle calendar it says what
(36:10):
phase I'm where.
So for me that's like how Itrack it and how I stay
consistent.
So, but it took the likelearning about yourself first.
So just like, start with kindof where you're at If you want
to put it into an app, like likethe Apple, you know, like your
Apple app, they have like acycle tracking spot that allows
(36:31):
you to track those symptoms.
That's the big thing.
I think it is like trackingyour symptoms rather than an app
that's telling you where youshould be.
Yeah, so I think Clue was onethat I used in the past that you
can put in their differentmoods, you can put in their
different exercise feelings,different libido ratings, like
an app that would allow you toput in those things so that you
(36:52):
can see those trends over time,rather than one that's like
predictive, like hey, we'reguessing you're on day 10 today.
This is what you should befeeling.
Nika Lawrie (37:01):
Yeah, what I found with some of the apps that I've
tried out is that the predictionof like when my next menstrual
cycle.
It's usually off by a couple ofdays and I'm a fairly regular
cycle, but it always kind of isoff, and so I found that it was
just easier, you know, just tokeep track of when my
menstruation was happening sothat I could see long term what
(37:23):
was going on.
Yeah, yeah, for women who aremaybe, you know, birth control
is a big factor there.
So women who are on hormonalbirth control or maybe moving
into perimetopause that don'thave, they may have an irregular
cycle.
Do you have any suggestions forthose women of how to get into
sync with their cycle?
Renae Fieck (37:43):
Yeah, for sure, I think one.
It kind of brings into questionlike two of the things we
talked about already.
One is just listening to yourbody.
I think learning to listen tothat makes a huge difference, no
matter where you're at and whatspectrum you're at.
And then the second thing is islike looking back at that idea
that we are all cyclical andthat women just in general are
(38:03):
cyclical and so, whether or notyou're pregnant or on birth
control or whatever, your bodyis really smart and it picks up
and it learns to adapt to thecycle, like the habits that we
give it.
And so for most women we'reprobably living more in this
masculine rhythm of the dailyrhythm and so it's trying very
hard to like match up with thatrhythm.
(38:24):
What I found not a hundredpercent across the board, but
for a lot of women is that whenthey start to try to actually
use, say like, the moon cycle,when they're in that variability
space and they say like, okay,this is the cycle, I'm going to
live this, this rhythm, thisrhythm of the moon, to help kind
of create that external justlike guide, their body tends to
(38:46):
learn that right.
It's like if you were wantingto wake up at five o'clock in
the morning but you're an eighto'clock waker and you set the
alarm for five o'clock, like thefirst couple of weeks you're
going to be like snooze, snooze,snooze, like not getting up.
And then you know, a few weeksinto that, after a while, your
body's going to be like, okay,we're awake at five o'clock
(39:06):
before the alarm even goes off.
Right, Because it's you'vereset that circadian rhythm,
like that rhythm that your bodyhas, and so your body is,
thrives off rhythms, and so it'slike what rhythm are we giving
it?
Are we helping to supporthabits and rhythms that are in
alignment with that cyclicalrhythm, of that monthly rhythm
that most women have?
So I find that when you, ifyou're in one of those spaces
(39:30):
where you don't have a cycle,your cycle is super irregular,
you can try it, Try like usingthe moon.
You don't have to be like superwoo, like moony person, you
know, just like, oh, this is thefull moon, this is where I
should be scheduling my stuff,Right, To be like I'm still
leaning into that.
And what I've found is thatover time, women tend to get
very predictable, even in someof those other like areas like
(39:53):
pregnancy, Like I've had clientsgo through their entire
pregnancy like spot on how theircycle would have was before
they were pregnant, because theywere so used to living that
cyclical rhythm that their bodyeven though they were maybe a
little bit more tired or theywere feeling a little bit more
moody or they still had all thefluctuations of their pregnancy
(40:14):
they still like they'd get on acall and I'd be like I know
exactly what phase you're inright now and it was very
predictable.
So it's like we just womenthrive in that cyclical rhythm.
Nika Lawrie (40:25):
So that would be my suggestion I think it's so key
to to really make sure we drivehome the understanding kind of
touched on.
It is that we live in apatriarchal world based off of
that 24-hour man hormone cyclewhere we are women functioning
on, let's say, a 28 or 30-daycycle, right in a world that was
(40:48):
not designed for how our bodyworks, and so, unfortunately, it
is now our job to learn howthis actually works, because all
the research is coming out nowto prove that this really is
what's going on with us and thisis how our body is functioning
and figure out how to thenadjust our own lifestyle, the
best we can living in thissociety, to really match up with
(41:12):
that cycle to support ouroverall health.
Yeah, so, yeah, really match upwith that cycle to support our
overall health.
Yeah, so, yeah, so I have.
I have one more question for you, but before I get to the last
question, two things one, wherecan everybody find you?
And then, more importantly, canyou talk about the new book
that you have coming out?
Super exciting.
I'm so glad you've put thisbook together, cause I think
(41:33):
it's really, really importantfor women to have all of this
information.
Renae Fieck (41:36):
For sure.
So I am just at my name, reneeFick, which is like weird
spelling, so maybe you'll haveit linked up or whatever.
Nika Lawrie (41:44):
I'll put it on the show notes.
Renae Fieck (41:44):
Yep, on Instagram.
Facebook, like Instagram isdefinitely my favorite place to
hang out, so, like, find methere.
And then my website's the same.
And then, yeah, I have a bookcoming out called Cycle Sync
your Business that goes in-depthinto each one of these
different areas of really likehow do you optimize your
business and the way you'reworking so that you are able to
create more income and createmore impact in your business,
(42:06):
and the way you're doing it withtaking way more time off, like
working way less hours.
So, definitely, even if you arelistening and you're like I
don't have a business, it'sstill really effective.
If you think about, like I comefrom an as an occupational
therapist, like we talk about,like the OTs focus on the job of
living, like everything ourwhole perspective is looking at
(42:28):
like everything is an occupation, everything is a job.
So there's a little gray areawhen I talk about work in that
way, but really anything thatyou do in your life, whether
it's taking care of the kids anddoing the dishes, it all could
be categorized as a job task andso you could look at how that
applies, but definitely reallygeared towards business owners
(42:51):
and really helping them amplifywhat they're doing.
Because, like you said, most ofwhat we're doing is very
masculine, especially in thebusiness space, and so if
there's more feminine leaderscreating like heart centered,
impact driven businesses, like I, think that we're going to see
a profound impact and ripple inthe world.
When more women can startaligning and getting that
message that they have out therein the world, cause, like most
(43:14):
of the women I work with,they're not doing it just about
the money.
They're doing it because theywant to make a big difference,
and so that makes such a hugedifference of empowering them to
be able to do that in a waythat fits for them.
So, yeah, the book comes outOctober 17th.
I'm super excited.
You can go toCycleSyncYourBusinesscom and get
all the details on that.
Nika Lawrie (43:41):
Awesome.
I'll make sure thateverything's in the show notes
too, but definitely pick up herbook.
This is so, so important.
Every woman should know how toincorporate this into their
lives and even, like you said,even if you're not a business
owner, I think getting the basicunderstanding of how to use
this like a skillset really tomanage your life and even in
your professional world, it canhelp you set big meetings or ask
for a raise on a specific dayor whatever it is.
(44:01):
I think that's so key there,definitely.
Well, renee, my last questionfor you before I get to that, I
just want to recognize the workyou're doing.
Like I mentioned, I thinkgetting this information out
there is so key and I reallycommend you for doing the work
because I think you're going tohelp support so many women and
help them, you know, reallyimprove their health.
But also your past work as anoccupational therapist my mom
(44:22):
was an OT for a lot of my life.
Yeah, and I know how importantthat work is to help people.
So I just want to commend youand say thank you for the work
that you're doing.
Renae Fieck (44:32):
Thank you.
Nika Lawrie (44:32):
Yeah, appreciate that, that you're doing so.
Thank you, yeah, I appreciatethat.
Yeah, so my last question I askevery guest is what is
something that you've eitherlearned or experienced that
inspired you, that you wouldlike to share with the world?
Renae Fieck (44:44):
Well, the first thing that comes up is like
looking at everything in thislike play curiosity sort of way.
So anytime like I remember wewere I was talking to somebody
recently, like when my husbandwas like having his brain tumor
and in surgery I rememberthinking like okay, this is just
part of the story, like what isthis here for Right?
So like any sort of obstacle orstruggle or anything that we're
(45:07):
going through, like when we canapproach it from that place of
like this is just all a part ofthe game.
This is all part of like thelearning opportunity.
Like how can I be more curiousabout?
Like what is this teaching me?
Or what is this for?
What can this do for me?
Or like how can I use this?
(45:28):
Like I think it takes thepressure off in such a big way
and also just makes things likeit makes us more willing to take
bigger risks because we're likewho cares?
Like it's all just part of thegame.
So I think that's part of that.
Nika Lawrie (45:36):
That's what came up .
I love that so much.
I couldn't agree more.
I think you know letting go ofour expectations and really just
putting that good work forward.
You know having those positive,putting that positive energy
forward and just kind of, youknow, having a vision but
allowing it to play out the wayit's going to play out is so key
(45:58):
to growth and overall happiness.
Yeah, yeah, well, renee, thishas been phenomenal.
Thank you so much for coming onthe show.
I really appreciate it.
Thanks so much for having meAbsolutely.
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