I’m Kate, Fertility Awareness Educator, and this is the Earth Body Podcast, where I bring you the body literacy education most of us were never taught.

Each episode offers insights to help you read, trust, and work with your body’s natural rhythms.

Today, we’re talking about decolonizing birth control with certified Fertility Awareness Educator Chanana McGarry.

—

Chanana McGarry is a certified Fertility Awareness Educator. After two unplanned pregnancies and a decade of study, she teaches women to prevent pregnancy naturally with 99.6% effective, hormone and guesswork free contraception. As a direct descendant of the Mujaji Rain Queens of Southern Africa, she carries a living lineage of ancestral feminine wisdom, making her perspective unique in the natural birth control and holistic women’s health space.

• Decolonize Your Birth Control

—

Confused by your cycle? Let fix that.

Earth Body offers online classes & resources to support body literacy. To subscribe to our newsletter, check out our upcoming classes, and more, visit us online at HelloEarthBody.com.

• Get your free charting guide here

• Cycle Charting Made Simple with CycleSense

• IG: @helloearthbody

Theme song is by Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez

All content is is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The experiences and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not constitute medical guidance. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider who can evaluate your specific circumstances and provide personalized medical advice.

This month we’re talking about the New Moon in Gemini on June 14, 2026 at 10:54pm ET with astrologer Sam Manzella.

Subscribe now

—

Sam Manzella (she/they) is a queer writer, editor, and astrologer based in Brooklyn. A quintessential Gemini, Sam believes in the power of astrology as a tool to engage in honest self-reflection and move through life with more intention. She is the resident astrologer for The Malin Journal and writes a weekly astrology newsletter called Astrology by Sam. They're also a former staff writer for STAR/CHILD, the astrology app for families. Sam has a background in journalism and has won awards for her coverage of queer news and culture. Find them on Instagram, Threads, and Substack.

Kate is a Fertility Awareness Educator who is passionate about body literacy at all stages of life. She is the founder of Earth Body, an online hub for classes in cycle health for individuals and holistic professionals. She currently serves as the head of the Research Committee at the Association of Fertility Awareness Professionals and brings a multidisciplinary background to this work with training in bodywork and horticulture in order to center the wholeness/nourishment of a client and their local ecosystem.

• Get your free charting guide here

• Cycle Charting Made Simple with CycleSense

• IG: @helloearthbody

Confused by your cycle? Let fix that.

Earth Body offers online classes & resources to support body literacy. To subscribe to our newsletter, check out our upcoming classes, and more, visit us online at HelloEarthBody.com.

• Get your free charting guide here

• Cycle Charting Made Simple with CycleSense

• IG: @helloearthbody

Theme song is by Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez

All content is provided for general informational purposes only. It not medical advice, and should not be construed as such.

Subscribe now

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“Why didn’t anyone tell me this?”

They’re processing the accumulated weight of a lifetime of not knowing some cycle health essentials.

Because cycle charting isn’t just data for data’s sake. It reveals questions that you didn’t know you were missing.

Subscribe now

Here are some of the key questions that can arise for new charters:

“So that discharge in my underwear is actually telling me something?”

Yes! It’s not an infection or anything to be ashamed of (though charting can help you catch infections too - super useful).

When you learn how to read your cervical fluid (aka cervical mucus), you’re reading your estrogen levels in real time.

As estrogen levels rise in the body, we see the presence of cervical fluid - a discharge most of us were never taught to notice.

Your cervical fluid is also one the markers that can help you decode whether or not you’re fertile on a day to day basis.

“Wait - I’m not actually ovulating? But my cycle is regular!”

Ovulation isn’t just about making a baby. Ovulation is how our body produces a balance of the key hormones estrogen and progesterone.

Consistent ovulation is vital for long-term bone, breast, and heart health.

Bleeding regularly doesn’t tell you if you’re ovulating.

Neither can LH strips, ovulation cramps, or a predictive fertility app.

A true period is downstream of ovulation: the result of an egg that wasn’t fertilized, a corpus luteum that finished its job, progesterone dropped.

If ovulation doesn’t happen, the period you get isn’t quite the same thing: it’s called an anovulatory or withdrawal bleed, and it can look identical - but tells us something very different hormonally.

A temperature shift after a cervical fluid peak is the only way to know (retrospectively) if you’ve ovulated without bloodwork or ovarian ultrasound.

Having the occasional anovulatory cycle may be normal, but if it’s frequent, there may be an underlying cause - which could be anything from PCOS/PMOS, perimenopause, coming off hormonal birth control, undernourishment, and more.

“So my luteal phase is actually short? Can I change that?”

The luteal phase (the period between your ovulation and your next period) needs to be sufficient for implantation and also overall health.

If you’re trying to conceive (now or in the future), an adequate luteal phase is necessary for a fertilized egg to successfully impact.

If you’re not trying to conceive now (or ever!), an adequate luteal phase is still important for your body to receive enough progesterone - because ovulation is the way our body creates progesterone.

Regular progesterone (created through ovulation) reduces inflammation, regulates immune function, and supports the thyroid, brain, bones, and breast health.

I work with clients holistically on supporting progesterone and regular ovulation, and charting can tell us if those methods of support are working!

“So my period is actually heavy? I’ve bled like this my whole life!”

This is one of the most vital pieces of education I offer in my practice: cycle red flags that are worth deeper investigation.

These include:

• Heavy bleeding

• Light periods

• Absent or irregular bleeds

• Spotting before your bleed

• Menstrual pain

• …and much more.

Heavy bleeding, for instance, can be pointing towards issues like fibroids, endometriosis, or hormonal imbalance that can use support.

Menstrual education typically doesn’t cover this, so my clients often don’t have an informed sense of their cycle in context and what it might be telling them.

What charting reveals

Many clients come to me because they’re learning to chart for a practical reason like conscious conception or natural contraception - but then realize that this is actually a layered resource about their overall health that has been available to them their entire cycling years.

This is a resource that requires only 5 minutes a day, a $10-15 thermometer, and an education.

Charting can support you in identifying issues like thyroid dysfunction, PCOS/PMOS, perimenopause, and more (not to mention a Fertility Awareness Educator can often help point you in the direction you need for more bespoke support).

Charting gives you physiological evidence about your unique cycle. It’s not just data for data’s sake - it’s a real tool that you can use to make informed decisions about your reproductive health.

And when these questions about your cycle arrive, there is grief for the lost years…

…but also a clear and powerful step forward.

Yours in cycle clarity,
Kate

—

• Get your free charting guide here

• ​Charting to Conceive - Learn to navigate your fertility journey with precision & confidence

• ​Natural Birth Control & Hormone Health - Learn to read the signs of your body so you can know your cycle, trust your body, and own your reproductive health choices

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I’m Kate, Fertility Awareness Educator, and this is the Earth Body Podcast, where I bring you the body literacy education most of us were never taught.

Each episode offers insights to help you read, trust, and work with your body’s natural rhythms.

Today, we’re talking about navigating mindset during the fertility voyage with coach, writer and speaker Alice Rose.

—

Alice Rose is an internationally recognised coach, writer and speaker on fertility, mindset and wellbeing. Her trademarked Fertility Life Raft® system has transformed the experience of thousands of fertility patients and people trying to conceive globally through her podcast, instagram, courses and membership; helping them find calm, clarity and confidence in an often overwhelming journey.
Her work grounds people amid the flood of medical, nutrition and lifestyle advice, cutting through the noise so they can make the best choices, stay connected with friends and family, cope with triggers and manage work with greater ease.
Commissioned by BBC Radio 2 to produce a national week of fertility content — later extended to BBC 5 Live — Alice served as the BBC Fertility Communications Consultant, ensuring that language and resources were sensitive, accurate and empowering. Alice’s award-winning work has been featured across BBC, Stylist, The Telegraph, Red and Harper’s Bazaar, and she has consulted for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, ESHRE, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, and B Corp company OVUM, whose pregnancy tests featuring her meditations are now stocked in Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

—

Confused by your cycle? Let fix that.

Earth Body offers online classes & resources to support body literacy. To subscribe to our newsletter, check out our upcoming classes, and more, visit us online at HelloEarthBody.com.

• Get your free charting guide here

• Cycle Charting Made Simple with CycleSense

• IG: @helloearthbody

Theme song is by Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez

All content is is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The experiences and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not constitute medical guidance. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider who can evaluate your specific circumstances and provide personalized medical advice.

This month we’re talking about the New Moon in Taurus on May 16th at 4:00pm EST with consulting astrologer Caitlin Adams.

• Get your free charting guide here

• Book a session with Caitlin Adams at a Substack exclusive discount rate here

Subscribe now

—

Based in NYC, Caitlin Adams is an artist, choreographer, director, producer, performer, writer, and consulting astrologer. Her work emphasizes an expansive commitment to collaboration and community creating worlds that subvert individual experience within a vibrant collective ecosystem. Adams’ work has been presented internationally, and as a director/producer, she's brought countless large-scale visions to life. She officially launched her consulting practice after nearly two decades of studying astrology and the birth chart, a journey that began at age 10 and has intuitively unfolded ever since. She now works with over 300 clients globally and recently launched her podcast AVENUES, inspired by her widely shared moon-phase newsletters.

Kate Douglas is a Fertility Awareness Educator who is passionate about body literacy at all stages of life. She is the founder of Earth Body, an online hub for classes in cycle health for individuals and holistic professionals. She currently serves as the head of the Research Committee at the Association of Fertility Awareness Professionals and brings a multidisciplinary background in bodywork and horticulture to this work in order to center the wholeness/nourishment of a client and their local ecosystem.

• Get your free charting guide here

• Cycle Charting Made Simple with CycleSense

• IG: @helloearthbody

Confused by your cycle? Let fix that.

Earth Body offers online classes & resources to support body literacy. To subscribe to our newsletter, check out our upcoming classes, and more, visit us online at HelloEarthBody.com.

• Get your free charting guide here

• Cycle Charting Made Simple with CycleSense

• IG: @helloearthbody

Theme song is by Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez

All content is provided for general informational purposes only. It not medical advice, and should not be construed as such.

Subscribe now

Share

I’m Kate, Fertility Awareness Educator, and this is the Earth Body Podcast, where I bring you the body literacy education most of us were never taught.

Each episode offers insights to help you read, trust, and work with your body’s natural rhythms.

Today, we’re talking about authentic expression over “nervous system regulation” with somatic coach, teacher and mentor Rachel Cruickshank.

—

Rachel Cruickshank is creator and founder of soma school - a somatic facilitation training school. Rachel is a somatic coach, teacher and mentor with roots in naturopathic nutrition, yoga teaching and meditation. The core invitation of Rachel’s work is to fully embrace the aliveness our soul seeks to create and express in this life. Both her private mentorship work and accredited teachings through the soma school venture into the world within us to unlock the doorways to freedom and possibility in a co-creation with the world outside of us.

—

Confused by your cycle? Let fix that.

Earth Body offers online classes & resources to support body literacy. To subscribe to our newsletter, check out our upcoming classes, and more, visit us online at HelloEarthBody.com.

• Get your free charting guide here

• Cycle Charting Made Simple with CycleSense

• IG: @helloearthbody

Theme song is by Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez

All content is is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The experiences and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not constitute medical guidance. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider who can evaluate your specific circumstances and provide personalized medical advice.

Welcome to Cycle Sessions, a new series on Earth Body podcast featuring real voices navigating the lived experience of reproductive health.

I’m Kate, certified Fertility Awareness Educator, and I believe that individual stories can help us honor the nuance and complexity behind diagnoses.

Each episode, I sit down with someone navigating a cycle and fertility challenge. They’ll tell you what it’s really like, from symptoms and appointments to moments of clarity. Whether you’re experiencing your own challenges, supporting someone who is, or simply want to understand what patients go through beyond the clinical picture, you’re in the right place.

Today, we’re talking with Kara Duval, founder of Range, about her experience returning to movement after her endometriosis excision surgery.

Share

Subscribe now

KEY MOMENTS INCLUDE:

-The essentials Kara needed in the initial days after surgery

-Kara’s experience rebuilding a relationship to movement post-surgery

-On the role of compassionate self-talk during recovery

-What surprised Kara most about this period post-surgery

-Additional tools Kara relies on in the years since the operation

This is part two of our conversation with Kara. Click here to listen to part one!

LEARN MORE:

• Endometriosis

• Adenomyosis

• Dr. Keith Isaacson, MD

• Stephanie Nosco

• Dr. Kyla Walker

Kara Duval is the founder of online movement platform, Range. Lovingly referred to as a “movement medicine cabinet” by thousands around the world, Kara has woven the arts of Pilates, strength training, functional training, mobility, perinatal work, and somatic practices to explore the breadth of what it’s like to exist in a human body. Range is thoughtfully designed to increase our physical capacity by developing a sense of friendship and deeper communication within ourselves. Together, we nourish our nervous systems, expand our movement potential, and tend to past, present and future versions of ourselves by reminding ourselves that we are woven into Nature. Range is often described as a “quiet yet roaring rebellion” and a “breath of fresh air” in an otherwise emotionally complex fitness industry.

• Range by Kara Duval

• Kara’s Substack

• Instagram

—

Confused by your cycle? Let fix that.

Earth Body offers online classes & resources to support body literacy. To subscribe to our newsletter, check out our upcoming classes, and more, visit us online at HelloEarthBody.com.

• Get your free charting guide here

• Cycle Charting Made Simple with CycleSense

• IG: @helloearthbody

Theme song is by Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez

All content is is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The experiences and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not constitute medical guidance. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider who can evaluate your specific circumstances and provide personalized medical advice.

I’m Kate, Fertility Awareness Educator, and this is the Earth Body Podcast, where I bring you the body literacy education most of us were never taught.

Each episode offers insights to help you read, trust, and work with your body’s natural rhythms.

Today, we’re talking about low-tox living with Christina Walpole.

KEY MOMENTS INCLUDE:

-Approaching low-tox living without becoming overwhelmed
-Vetting brands & products
-Some of the most surprising places that endocrine disruptors hide in our everyday lives

—

Christina Walpole is a mother and multifaceted creative entrepreneur based in regional Tasmania, and the founder behind multiple purpose-led businesses. She’s known for her grounded, intuitive approach to low-tox living, hormone health, nervous system support, and cyclical rhythms blending science, practicality, and real-world motherhood.

Balancing homeschooling, business, and family life, Christina speaks honestly about building a life and body of work that works with your physiology, not against it. Her conversations centre on energy, leadership, and doing less better without burnout, hustle culture, or pretending it’s all easy. Her work is for women who are deeply capable, quietly powerful, and ready to live softer, smarter, and more in tune with themselves.

—

Confused by your cycle? Let fix that.

Earth Body offers online classes & resources to support body literacy. To subscribe to our newsletter, check out our upcoming classes, and more, visit us online at HelloEarthBody.com.

• Get your free charting guide here

• Cycle Charting Made Simple with CycleSense

• IG: @helloearthbody

Theme song is by Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez

All content is is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The experiences and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not constitute medical guidance. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider who can evaluate your specific circumstances and provide personalized medical advice.

I’m Kate, Fertility Awareness Educator, and this is the Earth Body Podcast, where I bring you the body literacy education most of us were never taught.

Each episode offers insights to help you read, trust, and work with your body’s natural rhythms.

Today, we’re talking about PCOS with naturopathic physician Dr. Sam Murphy.

KEY MOMENTS INCLUDE:

-Why PCOS so misunderstood + misdiagnosed
- The different types of PCOS + why these distinctions matter for treatment
-The connection between PCOS + insulin resistance, stress, and the gut microbiome

—

Dr. Sam Murphy is a Naturopathic Physician based in British Columbia and co-founder of The PCOS Circle, a community rooted in holistic, evidence-based education and support for PCOS.

Her work takes a root-cause approach to gut health, hormonal balance, and nervous system regulation, honouring the body as an interconnected whole. Guided by the belief that symptoms are the body’s way of communicating unmet needs, she helps individuals understand these signals, rebuild trust in their bodies, and move from frustration towards resilience and long-term wellbeing.

—

Confused by your cycle? Let fix that.

Earth Body offers online classes & resources to support body literacy. To subscribe to our newsletter, check out our upcoming classes, and more, visit us online at HelloEarthBody.com.

• Get your free charting guide here

• Cycle Charting Made Simple with CycleSense

• IG: @helloearthbody

Theme song is by Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez

All content is is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The experiences and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not constitute medical guidance. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider who can evaluate your specific circumstances and provide personalized medical advice.

This month we’re talking about the new moon in Aries on April 17, 2026, 4:51 am PT with astrologer .

Subscribe now

—

Natalie Labriola is a Los Angeles–based writer, artist, and consultant whose work explores tarot and astrology as tools for living symbolically. With a background in fine art and over a decade as a visual artist, she weaves myth, symbolism, and image-based thinking through her writing and teaching. In 2020, she founded Talis Studio, a hub for her consultations, classes, and visual projects. She publishes essays on Substack at Born At The Right Time. Her first book, Tarot: Timeless Secrets for the Ancient Mirror, was published by Wooden Books in 2025. Website / Instagram

Kate is a Fertility Awareness Educator who is passionate about body literacy at all stages of life. She is the founder of Earth Body, an online hub for classes in cycle health for individuals and holistic professionals. She currently serves as the head of the Research Committee at the Association of Fertility Awareness Professionals and brings a multidisciplinary background to this work with training in bodywork and horticulture in order to center the wholeness/nourishment of a client and their local ecosystem.

• Cycle Charting Made Simple with CycleSense

• IG: @helloearthbody

Confused by your cycle? Let fix that.

Earth Body offers online classes & resources to support body literacy. To subscribe to our newsletter, check out our upcoming classes, and more, visit us online at HelloEarthBody.com.

Theme song is by Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez

All content is provided for general informational purposes only. It not medical advice, and should not be construed as such.

Subscribe now

Share

I’m Kate, Fertility Awareness Educator, and this is the Earth Body Podcast, where I bring you the body literacy education most of us were never taught.

Each episode offers insights to help you read, trust, and work with your body’s natural rhythms.

Today, we’re talking about the emotional landscape of fertility with herbalist and acupuncturist Elaina Greenberg.

KEY MOMENTS:

5:33 - The “controlled chaos” of trying to conceive
10:04 - The connection between emotional + physical health
12:03 - Common emotional patterns Elaina sees in her practice
13:54 - Slowing down the cyclical thought patterns
24:06 - Going beyond lab results with clients
27:24 - Advocating for our patients

Are you a practitioner looking to integrate fertility literacy into your practice? Join the waitlist for Earth Body’s upcoming course CycleScience, a science-backed training that will transform how you work with TTC clients.

—

Elaina Greenberg has been licensed and in private practice for over 20 years, with nearly 30 years as a practicing herbalist. She is nationally board certified in both Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine from the National Certification Board for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (NCBAHM) and licensed in the states of California and Washington to practice acupuncture and East Asian medicine. Elaina weaves together the depth of her academic pursuits with her explorations of Heart in all the care she provides.

—

Confused by your cycle? Let fix that.

Earth Body offers online classes & resources to support body literacy. To subscribe to our newsletter, check out our upcoming classes, and more, visit us online at HelloEarthBody.com.

Theme song is by Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez

All content is provided for general informational purposes only. It not medical advice, and should not be construed as such.

Read more

I’m Kate, certified Fertility Awareness Educator, and I believe that individual stories can help us honor the nuance and complexity behind diagnoses.

Each episode, I sit down with someone navigating a cycle and fertility challenge. They’ll tell you what it’s really like, from symptoms and appointments to moments of clarity. Whether you’re experiencing your own challenges, supporting someone who is, or simply want to understand what patients go through beyond the clinical picture, you’re in the right place.

Today, we’re talking with Kara Duval, founder of Range, about her experience with endometriosis & adenomyosis.

KEY MOMENTS INCLUDE:

0:40 - Kara’s history cycle history
11:45 - How Kara’s provider supported her
15:21 - Kara’s journey to surgery
18:03 - Setting a boundary before surgery
22:24 - “Dancing with pain” in the moment with movement
26:31 - The impact the Range community has had on Kara
33:37 - Kara’s present tense
36:57 - The importance of pleasure & “more!” as medicine
40:48 - On cycle tracking as a resource for dialoguing with the body in the present tense
43:17 - What is the most nourishing aspect of your work?

LEARN MORE:

• Endometriosis

• Adenomyosis

• Dr. Keith Isaacson, MD

• Erin Kenney/Nutrition Rewired

Kara Duval is the founder of online movement platform, Range. Lovingly referred to as a “movement medicine cabinet” by thousands around the world, Kara has woven the arts of Pilates, strength training, functional training, mobility, perinatal work, and somatic practices to explore the breadth of what it’s like to exist in a human body. Range is thoughtfully designed to increase our physical capacity by developing a sense of friendship and deeper communication within ourselves. Together, we nourish our nervous systems, expand our movement potential, and tend to past, present and future versions of ourselves by reminding ourselves that we are woven into Nature. Range is often described as a “quiet yet roaring rebellion” and a “breath of fresh air” in an otherwise emotionally complex fitness industry.

• Range by Kara Duval

• Kara’s Substack

• Instagram

—

Confused by your cycle? Let fix that.

Earth Body offers online classes & resources to support body literacy. To subscribe to our newsletter, check out our upcoming classes, and more, visit us online at HelloEarthBody.com.

• Get your free charting guide here

• Cycle Charting Made Simple with CycleSense

• IG: @helloearthbody

Theme song is by Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez

All content is is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The experiences and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not constitute medical guidance. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider who can evaluate your specific circumstances and provide personalized medical advice.

This month we’re talking about the New Moon in Pisces on 9:23pm EST on March 18th with Fertility Awareness Educator Kate and astrologer Sam Manzella.

Subscribe now

KEY MOMENTS:

0:28 - A new moon with a full moon vibe
3:10 - Co-present with Mercury in retrograde
4:15 - Breaking down Pisces in your chart
5:34 - Ovulation & creativity as our natural state of being
11:12 - The approaching astrological new year
13:29 - Our bodies as “ritual machines”

—

Sam Manzella (she/they) is a queer writer, editor, and astrologer based in Brooklyn. A quintessential Gemini, Sam believes in the power of astrology as a tool to engage in honest self-reflection and move through life with more intention. She is the resident astrologer for The Malin Journal and writes a weekly astrology newsletter called Astrology by Sam. They're also a former staff writer for STAR/CHILD, the astrology app for families. Sam has a background in journalism and has won awards for her coverage of queer news and culture. Find them on Instagram, Threads, and Substack.

Kate is a Fertility Awareness Educator who is passionate about body literacy at all stages of life. She is the founder of Earth Body, an online hub for classes in cycle health for individuals and holistic professionals. She currently serves as the head of the Research Committee at the Association of Fertility Awareness Professionals and brings a multidisciplinary background to this work with training in bodywork and horticulture in order to center the wholeness/nourishment of a client and their local ecosystem.

• Cycle Charting Made Simple with CycleSense

• IG: @helloearthbody

Confused by your cycle? Let fix that.

Earth Body offers online classes & resources to support body literacy. To subscribe to our newsletter, check out our upcoming classes, and more, visit us online at HelloEarthBody.com.

Theme song is by Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez

All content is provided for general informational purposes only. It not medical advice, and should not be construed as such.

Subscribe now

Share

I’m Kate, Fertility Awareness Educator, and this is the Earth Body Podcast, where I bring you the body literacy education most of us were never taught.

Each episode offers insights to help you read, trust, and work with your body’s natural rhythms.

Today, we’re talking about the estrogen-histamine connection with naturopathic physician Dr. Sam Murphy.

KEY MOMENTS:

1:32 - What are histamines?
3:13 - Histamines & the cycle
5:02 - Common patterns with clients with estrogen-histamine imbalances
6:47 - What is “Estrogen dominance”?
9:14 - Symptoms to track if you suspect you may have an estrogen-histamine imbalance
10:46 - Other lifestyle & dietary interventions
14:40 - The tricky aspect of labs in this clinical context
17:06 - What is the most nourishing aspect of your work?

—

Dr. Sam Murphy is a Naturopathic Physician based in British Columbia and co-founder of The PCOS Circle, a community rooted in holistic, evidence-based education and support for PCOS.

Her work takes a root-cause approach to gut health, hormonal balance, and nervous system regulation, honouring the body as an interconnected whole. Guided by the belief that symptoms are the body’s way of communicating unmet needs, she helps individuals understand these signals, rebuild trust in their bodies, and move from frustration towards resilience and long-term wellbeing.

—

Confused by your cycle? Let fix that.

Earth Body offers online classes & resources to support body literacy. To subscribe to our newsletter, check out our upcoming classes, and more, visit us online at HelloEarthBody.com.

Theme song is by Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez

All content is provided for general informational purposes only. It not medical advice, and should not be construed as such.

Read more

I’m Kate, Fertility Awareness Educator, and this is the Earth Body Podcast, where I tbring you the body literacy education most of us were never taught.

Each episode offers insights to help you read, trust, and work with your body’s natural rhythms.

Today, we're talking about holistic nutrition and menstrual health with nutritionist and fertility awareness educator Mariah Berendt.

KEY MOMENTS:

0:54 - Mariah’s story
7:56 - Common deficiencies Mariah sees in her practice
12:33 - Ovulation & nourishment
16:15 - Working with clients with PCOS, endo & fibroids
24:33 - Talking about cycle health in context
24:40 - Menstrual health on the Internet
30:22 - On cycle syncing & seed cycling
45:58 - Breakfast as a pillar of Mariah’s practice
52:40 - What it the most nourishing aspect of your work?

—

Mariah is a nutritionist and menstrual cycle educator who combines the power of nourishing food, a balanced lifestyle, and body literacy to help women support their menstrual health and fertility - holistically.

• Instagram: @nourishyourcycle

—

Earth Body offers online classes & resources to support body literacy.

To subscribe to our newsletter, check out our upcoming classes, and more, visit us online at HelloEarthBody.com.

Episode recorded, mixed, and produced by Kate Douglas

Theme song is by Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez

All content is provided for general informational purposes only. It not medical advice, and should not be construed as such.

“The creative life force is a fact. It is not an ideology. It is not something you earn. It is a biological imperative.”
-Clarissa Pinkola Estés*

As I write this, I am nearing a threshold of altered consciousness - not through ceremony or psychedelics, but through my body gearing up for ovulation.

I’ve previously written about ovulation as a drug (Lorde called ovulation “the best drug [she’d] ever done), but I want to get into ovulation as a threshold experience: the measurable, dramatic hormonal shifts that can alter perception, creativity, social bonding, and sense of self.

Threshold consciousness

During peak fertility, studies have linked ovulation with:

• Heightened empathy, such as accurate reading of emotional cues

• Heightened senses like smell

• Interest in variety

• Increased connection with their bodies such as sensitivity to pain

• Increased creativity

All these seem to paint a portrait of increased openness, which is mirrored in the body: this is the point in the cycle in which the portal of the cervix literally opens (potentially to conceive a baby).

Biologically, ovulation is a threshold where the boundaries between self and world become more permeable.

But beyond reproduction, ovulation seems to be linked to receptivity and possibility. How can we understand and ride that wave?

The Neurochemical Journey

Ovulation is the release of an egg from your ovary, and it is a carefully orchestrated hormonal dance that actually starts in the brain.

Your cycle is orchestrated by a conversation between your hypothalamus (in your brain), your pituitary gland, and your ovaries - aka the HPO Axis.

And hormonally, a natural menstrual cycle looks something like this:

***A reminder that just because you’re bleeding doesn’t mean you’re ovulating!

Several of the hormones that ovulation have different potentially psychoactive connections:

• Estrogen interacts with serotonin, dopamine, and BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which is essential for learning and memory

• Testosterone also spikes around ovulation, which studies have linked to bumps in mood, cognition and libio as well as assertiveness and independence.

Then there’s the LH surge (not pictured on the graph), that sharp spike of luteinizing hormone that triggers ovulation, which researchers have tied to cognition & neuroplasticity, though there’s not a lot of research out there on premenopausal cases.

Much of the research in this area is connected to LH and aging, showing that a decrease in estrogen combined with increases in LH levels may negatively affect learning and memory.

The more fertile, the more creative

Some studies suggest that ovulation not just a fertile time physiologically, but for ideation as well. A 2022 study found participants’ ideas were more original during peak fertility compared to other parts of their cycle using hormone-informed cycle tracking (saliva + urine tests).

Another small study published in Psychoneuroendocrinology in 1994 on 17 women not taking oral contraceptives found that divergent thinking & creativity were higher when estrogen (E2) and luteinizing hormone (LH) were highest: in the ovulatory period.

Those on hormonal contraceptives didn’t see this kind of preovulatory bump.

Why might this happen? The 2022 study builds on the sexual selection hypothesis: enhanced creative potential during ovulation is linked to a signal of reproductive fitness.

Creativity may be linked to novelty that stimulates the senses and attracts attention.

Ovulation & the brain

Now before we get carried away, 2025 meta-analysis argues that there is no evidence of cognitive shifts across the menstrual cycle… but does note that participants in these studies report subjective differences throughout the cycle.

Brain imaging may complement this self-reporting: although the total volume of grey matter in the brain doesn’t change across the cycle, localized regions show fluctuations that seem supportive.

One study found the grey matter volume in the hippocampus (associated with memory and greater connectivity to surrounding regions) increased in the follicular phase. Easier to make creative associations, perhaps?

Another study found increased grey matter in the amygdala in the premenstrual phase compared to the follicular phase, which may be linked to increased sensitivity to stress in that time. If you’re more susceptible to stress, perhaps you’re not feeling at your most creative (I know I’m not).

We definitely need more independent, large-scale, cycle-literate research in this area… and for me, I’m comfortable accepting that some aspects of creativity may always bioindividual and subjective.

And on the other side?

So just like any portal experience, there’s the journal in and the journey out.

The drop in estrogen and testosterone post-ovulation, followed by the rise and fall of progesterone in the luteal phase, creates another profound neurological shift.

For some, this feels grounding. For others, it’s a crash that our culture often pathologizes as PMS.

I’d also argue that we live in a culture that prioritizes growth over all else: the generative process, beginning new work, moving onto the next thing. One might say we live in a culture that worships the growth/estrogenic phase of our cycle and not the aspects of integration, reflection, or withdrawal.

But the journey requires all its phases.

This is why I love cycle charting as a way to build bioindividual awareness - you begin to recognize shifts in your energy, mood, creativity, and more as part of a pattern: from opening - maximum possibility - to integration and reflection.

It’s a contemplative practice. It goes beyond collecting data into a deeper intimacy with yourself in your ever-shifting states.

You’re becoming intimate with transformation as a monthly rhythm.

Absolutely you’re tracking your cervical fluid and basal body temperature, but perhaps you’re also checking in with your appetite for risk, your social bandwidth, your emergent ideas, your relationship to time.

If ovulation is a portal, are you paying attention to when it opens?

Gratefully,
Kate

P.S. Thank you for sharing this with me on the Leo full moon!

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Join us for Dr. Walker’s upcoming virtual class on Treating Endometriosis with Chinese Medicine next month

Confused about your body? Let’s fix that.

I’m Kate, Fertility Awareness Educator, and this is the Earth Body Podcast, where I bring you the body literacy education most of us were never taught.

Each episode offers insights to help you read, trust, and work with your body’s natural rhythms.

Today, we're talking about getting specific with fertility clients with Dr. Kyla Walker.

KEY MOMENTS:

0:40 - Kyla’s journey to working with fertility clients
1:53 - How acupuncture supports fertility
4:04 - Working with clients TTC in NYC
6:32 - The menstrual cycle through a TCM lens
9:39 - Cycle charting & acupuncture
11:27 - “Coming at…health with a softer eye”
12:47 - Perfectionism around pregnancy
16:05 - Acupuncture & ART
18:45 - What is the most nourishing aspect of your work?

Are you a practitioner looking to integrate fertility literacy into your practice? Join the waitlist for Earth Body’s upcoming course CycleScience, a science-backed training that will transform how you work with TTC clients.

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Dr. Kyla Walker is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist in New York City. Kyla received her master’s and doctoral degrees from Pacific College of Health and Science. Her practice is rooted in patient empowerment and cultivating a deep connection to your nature within. With a focus on reproductive health, Kyla supports patients with conditions such as endometriosis, PCOS, painful or irregular menstruation, hormonal imbalances and through all phases of fertility, pregnancy and postpartum. Through individualized care and original modalities of healing, she collaborates with her patients to achieve sustainable and attainable health.

• kylawalker.com

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Earth Body offers online classes & resources to support body literacy.

To subscribe to our newsletter, check out our upcoming classes, and more, visit us online at HelloEarthBody.com.

Theme song is by Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez

All content is provided for general informational purposes only. It not medical advice, and should not be construed as such.

“We are a team: we work independently. One per side, one at a time, exploding with joy, exploding with life, we burgeon, we burst.”
-Susan Weed on the ovaries*

I’ve worked with several clients who have experienced sudden, stabbing pelvic pain that rushed them into an ER… only to be told that it’s “just an ovarian cyst.”

While many are benign, ovarian cysts can lead to complications like pelvic pain, blood loss, rupture, requirig prompt intervention (about 4% of women are admitted to the hospital for ovarian cysts before the age of 65).

That’s why as Fertility Awareness Educator, I want to share a bit more about cysts and how we can holistically support and look to prevent them.

Read more