I recently drenched myself in an article from NPR called, “The Period Talk You Never Got” which had me both hysterically reliving awkward after-school tutorials in my elementary school auditorium and feeling completely mortified by how little I actually knew about something that happens to my body every single month.

What bothered me even more than my naivety was the fact that menstruation still seems to be this red veil of shame. Sure, we complain about the symptoms to our inner circle of girlfriends and our spouses may look to tread a bit more lightly at certain times of the month, but besides the obligatory “welcome to womanhood” chat during our pre-teen years and the exhaustive tracking that comes along with getting pregnant, menstruation really kind of flies under the radar - much like so many other vital components of women’s health.

So today we’re going to do a deep dive on periods with a really cool expert who believe it or not, loves her time of the month. With me today is Heather Allmendinger, a former corporate administrative manager who hated her cycle and struggled with the pain that came with it every month. After earning her certifications as a Health Coach focused on conception and pregnancy, Heather saw the challenges others were experiencing and decided to go all in. She quit her corporate job and started her business, Vivydus, as a Menstrual Cycle Consultant, teaching workshops and coaching others on how to embrace the ovulatory cycle and use it as a tool for self-care, empowerment, fertility, productivity, and inclusive emotional leadership.

From mental health and managing relationships to raising changemakers and advocating for support, freemom is a podcast dedicated to ensuring that every mom feels heard. You can find us on the gram at @freemomcast or on the web at www.freemomcast.com. You can also support the show and help fund production with a sweet little five-dollar donation right here. Thanks for listening!