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Curious about herbal and holistic approaches to womb wellness (i.e. periods, infections, libido, pleasure, pain, PMS, hormones, body confidence, fertility, PCOS, cycle irregularity, etc)? No matter what phase of life you are in, or what you've been told is - or isn't - possible, if it's related to your wombspace, it's covered here. Clinical herbalist and integrative health educator Kay'aleya Hunnybee will guide you through a range of topics by combining traditional wisdom, embodied practice, ...
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How to create new pathways of embodied possibility (aka behavior change) in your cyclical life
44:12
Click here to send me a quick message :) The truth is that behavior change is NOT easy. Most of us can't just say we want to do something, and then just do it. Especially if it's something we're trying to incorporate into our lives for a long period of time, regularly. We have rhythms and patterns we are accustomed to. Sometimes they're healthy for…
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Click here to send me a quick message :) What herbs are must-have remedies for every home apothecary? I think every herbalist would probably answer that differently. But there are certain foundational herbs that are not-to-be-missed, partly because they are safe, gentle, and versatile. Those are the kinds of herbs we cover in today's episode. Clini…
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Click here to send me a quick message :) Fire. The energy of light, of transformation, digestion, metabolism, creation, vitality, radiance. In Ayurveda, the concept of Agni (which is akin to digestive fire) is a key to digesting, metabolizing and absorbing both food and information. It's not solely related to the gastro-intestinal tract but relates…
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Click here to send me a quick message :) Well hey my loves, it's a freaking wild time in the world. Full of uncertainty. Who knows what's coming this week, this year, in the next decade, and on and on. There is so much we have no power or control over. But one thing we DO is our own bodies and ideally also, our choice of what to do with them. But w…
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Click here to send me a quick message :) I don't know how else to say it... we are in times of collective, regional, political, global and personal upheavals that somehow feel more unraveling than previous generations. Is that true? Are there people who've faced so much all at once previously? Yes, probably. The reality is that it's likely that hum…
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The transformational power and healing potential of "reclaiming circle" with Danielle Catherine
1:05:53
Click here to send me a quick message :) There is power in circles. Both the actual shape, reminding us of our cycles, the ways the seasons move, the shape of the sun and the full moon. But also, there is power in creating spaces to share and grow in the form of circles, and perhaps even more potency when we gather as women (or folks with wombs) in…
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Click here to send me a quick message :) If you're newer to body literacy, cyclical living and cycle tracking, you might be wondering what the heck FAM (Fertility Awareness Method) is. Or maybe you've read about it and kind of know, but you haven't started practicing it. Or maybe you are already practicing it but you're not sure how to tell what yo…
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Reclaiming ancestral folk traditions from your womb lineage: On herbal brewing, music, mythology + ritual with Heather Wolf
1:36:20
Click here to send me a quick message :) So many of us have all but lost connection with our ancestral lineage traditions. Especially those of us living in westernized, industrialized cultures... and even more so if we live in the United States (or somewhere far from our lineage homelands) where so many of us have been cut off from the threads of d…
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Uterine unwinding? A multi-layered, integrative approach to womb healing with Dr Kathryn Kloos
1:06:18
Click here to send me a quick message :) We hold so much in our wombspace. Stories, trauma, imprints, births, losses, past sexual experiences, and even more energetic qualities like our creative energy or feelings of safety. So, even if we aren't experiencing any issues "down there" we could still benefit from some regular caretaking just to tend o…
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The medicine (& magic) of mugwort: An herbal ally for menstruation, mood, mind, digestion + dreams
1:05:56
Click here to send me a quick message :) If you've heard of mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), I bet the primary action you've heard about it is that it can enhance dreams. And mayyyyybe that it has an affinity to bring on menstruation? But this herb is so much more dynamic than that. I've often heard of people adding mugwort to sleep blends (with names…
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How to cultivate resilience this Autumn using Ayurvedic wisdom (and rest) with Molly McConnell
1:08:42
Click here to send me a quick message :) It's Autumn equinox time! Well, almost. Technically, it's this weekend (Sunday, 8:47 am eastern time). So, it feels fitting to offer an episode on how to align with the season through foods, herbs and lifestyle practices that can support the transition into Fall. And from the lens of Ayurveda, this seasonal …
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How can "anchors" support your menstrual and mental health? On the Cycles Journal + Embodied Ecosystems Tarot Deck with Rachael Amber
1:06:45
Click here to send me a quick message :) If you're reading this, my guess is you're likely already aware that your menstrual cycle is something you can cultivate a generative relationship with. In the process of getting to know our cycles (whether through pure observation, actively tracking signs and symptoms and/or embodying cyclical living practi…
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Copper IUD's, barrier birth control, your fertile window + the benefits of progesterone! {episode medley}
39:51
Click here to send me a quick message :) Well late summer is here, and between medicine making, food preservation and family visits, life is full. So today I'm bringing you a medley full of juicy past episode snippets all about understanding your cycle and your choices. First you'll hear about your choices of non-hormonal birth control -- specifica…
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The Herbal Doula: An inclusive exploration of herbal care in the childbearing years & beyond with Marie White
1:15:45
Click here to send me a quick message :) How do you find resources you can trust around perinatal herbal care? Whether you're a birthworker, an herbalist, or on your own fertility/pregnancy/postpartum journey, it can feel confusing to sort through all the information on herbal safety and efficacy in pregnancy, birth and postpartum (especially if yo…
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Re-enlivening a wailing culture: How grief can help us feel more alive with Siobhan Asgharzadeh
1:09:10
Click here to send me a quick message :) As humans, grief is an unavoidable part of life. Loss, illness, unexpected upheavals internally and externally, in relationship to others, self, the earth, our wombs, the cycles and seasons of life, and on and on. There's no poverty of opportunities to face grief, but there is a poverty of grief literacy -- …
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Herbal baths, sitz baths + compresses for pelvic health & beyond (+ my Bartholin’s cyst story)
50:53
Click here to send me a quick message :) Last week I had some discomfort "down there." I felt a slight tinge of pain when I walked, and a little itchiness, and it felt like something was growing on my vulva. I took a mirror and a headlamp and checked it out. (Yes, you can do that too. If you've never looked at your vulva, please do. It's a treasure…
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Herbs for surgery? How to safely + effectively work with herbs to prepare for and recover from surgery with Elaine Sheff
1:19:52
Click here to send me a quick message :) Herbs for surgery? Something commonly overlooked is how many surgeries women and folks with wombs encounter in their lifetime. From high cesarean rates and hysterectomies to endometriosis excision surgeries to hip or knee replacements post-menopause, we experience a LOT of surgical intervention and we're oft…
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The roots of a fertile body (and healthy hormones): '9 Months is Not Enough' with Alexandria DeVito
1:04:14
Click here to send me a quick message :) Fertility is a reflection of your overall health, wellbeing, vitality, capacity. I think it's common to pigeonhole "trying to conceive" as all about hormones, but actually our body's reproductive resilience is a mirror of what else may be going on in our bodies. There are so many factors at play, from nutrit…
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The lost art of gentleness: Herbs and practices to soothe, tend + restore your body, mind + spirit in stressful times
55:00
Click here to send me a quick message :) What comes up for you when you think of offering yourself gentleness? I think for many of us, we don't feel time for things like slowness, soothing, gentleness, tenderness, caretaking our own selves. We're often preoccupied with any number of other roles and responsibilities in life, and as women and folks w…
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How "body neutrality" led to a breast reduction + changed everything (& what to know if you're considering this, too) with Kali Perry
1:11:54
Click here to send me a quick message :) What's the difference between body positivity and body neutrality? I think this is a really important distinction that today's guest - strength coach Kali Perry - gives insight into surrounding her own journey in her body as she eventually found her way to finally having a breast reduction she'd been conside…
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"Vaginal steaming is a remembrance": From unexplained irregular bleeding to deep womb connection with Jessica Birnbaum Pratt
1:18:39
Click here to send me a quick message :) What does it mean to connect to your womb, anyway? I mean, is that a practical thing or totally intangible? It's a fair question, and one I would have asked many years ago when I was completely and utterly disconnected from the part of my body "where the sun don't shine." It took me many years to find my way…
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Click here to send me a quick message :) The energy of peak summer is upon us. It's been HOT and the speed of the everything-all-at-onceness with all the plants coming in, the quickening energy of social time, long days, short nights, holidays, travel, adventures, and so much more. How can you better navigate all these energies by connecting with t…
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Interstitial cystitis? Herbs, nutrition + clinical wisdom on this often misdiagnosed bladder pain syndrome with Jillian Bar-av
47:30
Click here to send me a quick message :) If you haven't ever heard of Interstitial Cystitis (IC) aka Bladder Pain Syndrome, you're not alone -- but it's actually a lot more common than you may think. IC might look like all the symptoms of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTI's) though it lacks the bacteria that cause those infections. But becaus…
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The many layers of herbal care for the fertility journey + beyond [interview with me from That Fertile Feeling]
1:17:30
Click here to send me a quick message :) What happens when we look beyond the basics of "herbs for fertility?" Because let's be honest that quite often folks who are on a fertility journey, trying to conceive, are experiencing far more than a simple hormonal imbalance. Though of course, some folks are... and we can look in that direction too. The t…
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How becoming a mother led to advocacy, autoimmunity & the healing power of nature connection with Andrea Dole
1:22:28
Click here to send me a quick message :) Becoming a mother or parent is transformational - no matter what- and there is growth with every pregnancy and birth along the way too. But the journey of meeting, acquainting with and then navigating the world of complex caregiving when your new baby is born with special medical needs is likely hard to unde…
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Take the speculum back! Empowered gynecologic exams + fertility wisdom with Françoise Molenaar
1:03:27
Click here to send me a quick message :) Okay, wait what!? Is it actually possible to experience an empowered pelvic exam? If you've ever laid on an exam table with your feet in stirrups awaiting a cold speculum from a practitioner who's giving dozens of pelvic exams each day, you'd probably answer, 'hell no.' Almost every part of a gynecologic exa…
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Q&A with me! Hormonally active herbs through cycle phases, herb-drug interactions, sleep support & more
44:06
Click here to send me a quick message :) This is a first my friends. I can't always answer Q's, especially in my DM's and emails, from listeners so I thought this would be a great way to share my answers (which always tend to be more nuanced than a quick response, let's be honest). If someone is asking these questions, my guess is that many more of…
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How can entheogens + meditation help heal pelvic pain, jaw tension and anxiety? with Allison Avalon
1:14:40
Click here to send me a quick message :) I'll be the first to admit that it irks me when people use the term "plant medicine" to refer to psychedelics, or what perhaps could be more properly termed "entheogens." First of all, half of those are isolated compounds that are created in labs (perhaps originally derived from plants, but not always) and o…
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Handbook for the Heartbroken: Navigating heartbreak, uncertainty & the gradual path to healing with Sara Avant Stover
59:54
Click here to send me a quick message :) We all know loss, grief, heartbreak. But how many of us know how to tend it in ourselves or in those we love? Once we've made it into adulthood, many of us have experienced heartbreak -- a total shattering -- at least once, if not multiple times. And as we move onward into midlife and beyond, the heartbreaks…
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Click here to send me a quick message :) Herbs and pregnancy. Let's just say this is a topic with all kinds of perspectives depending on who you talk to. Or what link you click after your google search. So, how do you know what's safe, what's not, and who to trust when it comes to herbs, like for instance red raspberry leaf, in pregnancy? Well, it'…
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Click here to send me a quick message :) What does it mean to hold trauma in the wombspace? And what are some signs that indicate that womb trauma may be present? The topic of "womb healing" is a bit of a buzz these days and sometimes I wonder what people mean by that. I see social media profiles of "womb healing practitioners" and "womb healing" p…
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How can cyclical living inform your yoga, breathwork or movement practices? with Rebecca Rankin
1:12:49
Click here to send me a quick message :) Follicular, Ovulatory, Luteal, Menstrual. Inner spring, Inner summer, Inner Autumn, Inner Winter. Waxing Moon, Full Moon, Waning Moon, New Moon. The cycles of nature are tangible in ourselves, and especially for those of us with wombs while we're in our cycling years, we have the option to align ourselves wi…
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What's constipation got to do with it? How your elimination impacts hormones, skin, mood & mind
48:23
Click here to send me a quick message :) Well, today I decided to go for it and talk about everyone's favorite topic... poop. 😂 But for real, the quality and regularity of our elimination has a huge impact on our overall health. And unfortunately, we've all but normalized constipation. Most folks go to the doctor and when they're asked, "Do you hav…
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Click here to send me a quick message :) When you think about the menopausal transition, what comes up? I'm genuinely curious actually... Is it the end of the cycling years, no more bleeding? Or the hot flashes, low libido, dry vaginal tissues, maybe even need to focus more on bone or heart health? Does it feel liberating or like something you're d…
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No One Told Me: All the things we don’t talk about from postpartum to bringing the village back with Zulilah Merry
1:08:14
Click here to send me a quick message :) Something that always surprises me is how powerful it is to share stories, especially when they relate to "things we don't talk about." It's pretty easy for us to share stories about how our day went awry, or something funny about what our kids did when trying to get them to eat their dinner. But what we don…
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Click here to send me a quick message :) As humans, we love stories. And sometimes physiology can be boring and heady and unpalatable. But what if we tell the story of what's happening instead? What if we see the primordial germ cell that may become an oocyte and may ovulate and then travel from the ovary through the uterine tubes and beyond as an …
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Springtime in your body? Herbs + practices for gentle detox and seasonal connection with Kelley Riviere
1:09:50
Click here to send me a quick message :) It's Equinox time! Finally, spring is showing its face... or is it? Depends where you live, honestly. Regardless, those of us in the northern hemisphere are likely noticing longer days, and with that increased light, we're reminded that spring is either here, or coming soon. Here in the Wabanaki lands of Mai…
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Click here to send me a quick message :) There are so many reasons to grieve right now, on the planet, in our personal lives. Whether it's part of our womb stories or not. Loss is everywhere. We can't escape it, it's part of being a fully living human. So instead of trying to minimize it or rush through it, as our modern world would love to have us…
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Click here to send me a quick message :) I woke up this morning feeling the spark of spring, and simultaneously felt the excitement of plants popping up. Maybe soon, maybe not. In those moments, I started to reflect on the multitude of ways we can "be an herbalist." And how I'm really a blend of so many, depending on the day, and how my personal he…
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Healing chronic pelvic pain: A journey from helplessness to empowered liberation with Julia Dyer
1:04:53
Click here to send me a quick message :) As humans, we are storytelling creatures... but I think we often overlook how powerful hearing stories of others healing can be. Especially when they include facing profound debilitation and hopelessness. And show us how we are ALL capable of finding our way from the darkness to the light. To vitality, vibra…
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On enhancing arousal and pleasure with herbs, yoni eggs & psychedelics [ft Usha Rose, Juliana Rose Goldstone + myself]
51:05
Click here to send me a quick message :) Your pleasure is a superpower. Not metaphorically. Actually. And I'm not just talking orgasms and clitoral stimulation, though that's certainly a huge pathway to pleasure. Instead I mean, connecting to what feels good - uniquely, in your body, to you. And that's different for everyone. But in starting to pay…
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Click here to send me a quick message :) Tea is a foundational form of herbal medicine. Partly because it's the epitome of how "plant medicine is people's medicine" because it's so accessible, inexpensive, and familiar. But also because it's a way we can cultivate real, lasting relationship with the plants. Especially when we work with bulk dried h…
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Click here to send me a quick message :) I think it's easy to pigeonhole our health - whether that's hormonal, sexual, menstrual or overall health - to being something physical. Like, yes, we need certain foods, lots of fiber, healthy fats, good protein. And yes, we need to be hydrated. And move our bodies. And get outside. And make sure we're poop…
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Click here to send me a quick message :) I think it's easy to dismiss the importance of core strength as something only for those who are young or oriented to body image. But the truth is, your core is the center of your body. And it's actually a place where a lot of your whole body strength (and overall wellness) radiates from. According to today'…
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Click here to send me a quick message :) 6 days. You're fertile for only 6 days of your entire cycle every month. That's it! I imagine you may have heard that before somewhere, especially if you've been on a fertility journey or practiced Fertility Awareness / cycle tracking in any form. It's probably the most important part of the cycle to be awar…
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Click here to send me a quick message :) What if your womb was a portal? Well, my beautiful friend... it is. Our wombs (and wombspaces - even if you no longer have a womb) are power centers in our body. In many ways, they are the literal seat of our embodied power. And they are also where we create life, experience the life-death-life cycle repeate…
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Growing herbs, garden dreaming & the healing power of tending your ecology with Xenia D'Ambrosi
1:04:14
Click here to send me a quick message :) It's deep winter now. The time of quietude, slow movement, deep nourishment, and dreaming and visioning. And in the case of gardeners, this is often the time of choosing seeds, planning gardens, considering any shifts or changes you might be considering for your landscape, maybe even learning new skills that…
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Body Literacy + Birth Control 101: The path to an empowered choice [episode snippets ft Gabrielle Jansen & myself]
56:06
Click here to send me a quick message :) There's a term - body literacy - that's thrown around a lot in Fertility Awareness circles. And it may seem vague, "like, what part of our body are we talking about?" And it's true, you can become literate in any system of your body, technically. BUT your menstrual cycle is a window into your whole health - …
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Womb tending, clearing + healing [with Chaya Leia Aronson, Sondra Hamilton + Dr Emily Wilson]
54:45
Click here to send me a quick message :) Your womb is a place of power, pleasure and possibility. AND it's also a place where we tend to hold deep seated fears, imbalances and trauma - whether physical or energetic. I've decided to take a couple week break on new content creation for the podcast, and instead of just ghosting you, be more creative a…
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Click here to send me a quick message :) Okay, so most of us DO honor pregnancy and birth in a way that could be considered to be a rite of passage. We have blessingways, baby showers, even postpartum care. But what about all the other pivotal moments of our womb story that we pass through? The truth is, honoring these transitional times is part of…
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