Life - An Inside Job

Our guide to the highly sensitive person, or HSP,  is ChaNan Bonser a therapist and healer, and a teacher and trainer based in Mid Wales. She is a highly sensitive person, and for many years has worked with sensitivity within her client base. She recently  developed an online course Self Care for Sensitives, helping folk who are highly sensitive to become more robust and resilient, and to learn how to harness their sensitivity as a super power.

We talk about:

• What does it mean to be a highly sensitive person
• What happens in the energy of a highly sensitive person
• Micro dosing and expanded states
• Energy states and how to manage your energy
• Perimenopause and high sensitivity
• How to care for yourself
• Practical tips to keep yourself well
• The gifts of being highly sensitive
• Great tips for healers and therapists

ChaNan’s links

Website www.chananbonser.com

Course https://courses.chananbonser.com/p/self-care-for-sensitives

Kinesiology www.kinesiologywales.com

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like ChaNan's take on care for sensitive souls at Christmas in this episode recorded December '24

High Sensitive Resources
Matter and Desire by Andreas Weber pub by Chelsea Green Publishing

The Highly Sensitive Person by  Elaine  Aron pub by Thorsons

Healing Trauma by Peter Levine pub by Sounds True

Quiet by Susan Cain pub by Penguin

Elaine Aron's HSP questionaire https://hsperson.com/test/highly-sensitive-test/ 

Uma Dinsmore- Tuli https://www.yoganidranetwork.org/

You can buy me a cuppa here - https://buymeacoffee.com/katecodrington
 The Perimenopause Journal and Second Spring are available from all good retailers
Kate's free resource library is here https://subscribepage.io/kates-resource-library  
Instagram @kate_codrington 
Perimenopause Starter Kit online course https://www.katecodrington.co.uk/perimenopause-starter-kit-online-course/

Music
Trust Me by RYYZN

Artwork
Kate's portrait by Lori Fitzdoodles

Tania Elfersy is a transformative coach, speaker and award-winning author, specializing in midlife women's health. Tania has spent years researching what causes and what can relieve symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause. She became free of her own physical and emotional symptoms naturally and simply, through insight alone.

 Tania set up The Wiser Woman project in 2015 to help women transform their experience of midlife change. Her new brilliant book The Wiser Woman’s Guide to Perimenopause and Menopause is available now. 

Tania explains how:

• The challenges of perimenopause might  not all be about your hormones
• Your body is not malfunctioning in midlife
• The challenges of perimenopause are not about your hormones
• The insights that released Tania from her menopause symptoms
• The potential toxicity of the beliefs and stories we tell ourselves and what to do about them
• How spiritual awakening can change the game at midlife
• How to learn what our body wants us to know
• How we can help ourselves in midlife

Tania's links:

The Wiser Woman course: https://www.thewiserwoman.com/course
Tania’s Website: https://www.thewiserwoman.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWiserWoman
Twitter: https://twitter.com/4TheWiserWoman 

You can buy me a cuppa here - https://buymeacoffee.com/katecodrington
 The Perimenopause Journal and Second Spring are available from all good retailers
Kate's free resource library is here https://subscribepage.io/kates-resource-library  
Instagram @kate_codrington 
Perimenopause Starter Kit online course https://www.katecodrington.co.uk/perimenopause-starter-kit-online-course/

Music
Trust Me by RYYZN

Artwork
Kate's portrait by Lori Fitzdoodles

The topic of purpose is enormously charged, we feel beset by inner critics, doubts, and overwhelm. Thank heavens for Fiona Buckland’s book Find your own path: how to create the life you really want. Like a life coach in your pocket, it offers a friendly step-by-step approach to finding your calling. Fiona is a life & leadership coach, facilitator, author, and speaker who has worked one-on-one with hundreds of clients and lead thousands in public and corporate workshops, trainings and events including the School of Life and the Guardian masterclasses.

 In this conversation with Fiona, I ask her:

•  Why it’s so hard to find our own path
• How we can track our way to more meaning and fulfillment in our lives
• How we can manage the obstacles that get in our way
• We dive into her creative process, the story of how she wrote the book, and how she’s letting it go into the world
• What it’s like bringing so much of her own story into the public realm
• How she’s caring for herself as this passion project is birthed into the world

 If you are engaged in a creative process, you’re likely to find something useful in this conversation. Here’s a tip: we’re ALL engaged in the creative process.

Fiona's book is available here: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/find-your-own-path-a-life-coach-s-guide-to-changing-your-life-fiona-buckland/7364284?ean=9780241587294

You can find out more on her website here https://www.fionabucklandcoaching.com/
Her Instagram is here https://www.instagram.com/fionabucklandcoaching/
Her Linkedin is here https://www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-buckland-5259902/?originalSubdomain=uk
Her facebook is here https://www.facebook.com/fionabucklandcoaching

You can buy me a cuppa here - https://buymeacoffee.com/katecodrington
 The Perimenopause Journal and Second Spring are available from all good retailers
Kate's free resource library is here https://subscribepage.io/kates-resource-library  
Instagram @kate_codrington 
Perimenopause Starter Kit online course https://www.katecodrington.co.uk/perimenopause-starter-kit-online-course/

Music
Trust Me by RYYZN

Artwork
Kate's portrait by Lori Fitzdoodles

Have you ever struggled to explain to the men and non-menstruators around you what you need in your menstrual month? Or why you might seem to be an entirely different personality week on week?

 My friend Alyx Coble-Frakes did, and her experiences of frustration have resulted in what is to my knowledge, the first book about periods specifically written for cis-men.    
Alyx Coble-Frakes is a passionate social entrepreneur. She has 10 years of experience in business and 8 years of experience working in health and wellness. When she returned from the Peace Corps in 2015, she felt out of touch with her own health, so she began a path of healing. This led her to launch a health coaching company and, subsequently, the app The Agenda Period . She has recently authored a book called “Manstruation” which is opening up conversations around periods with men.

We chatted about:

•  What non-menstruators need to know about periods
• How they can support the people around them (and not just when they are menstruating!)
• How Alyx wrote her new book in just 6 weeks
• How Alyx discovered the power of cycle syncing 
• The problem and lack of safety with most period tracking apps
• The surprising power of celebrating your first period in retrospect
• How Alyx shifted away from perfectionism to self-compassion
• And much more!

Free sign up for Manstruation a field guide https://mailchi.mp/theagendaperiod/vjrwgryv9p

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theagendaperiod/

Website https://www.theagendaperiod.com/ 

You can buy me a cuppa here - https://buymeacoffee.com/katecodrington
 The Perimenopause Journal and Second Spring are available from all good retailers
Kate's free resource library is here https://subscribepage.io/kates-resource-library  
Instagram @kate_codrington 
Perimenopause Starter Kit online course https://www.katecodrington.co.uk/perimenopause-starter-kit-online-course/

Music
Trust Me by RYYZN

Artwork
Kate's portrait by Lori Fitzdoodles

My guest today is a proper badass hag.  Jane Hardwicke Collings is a grandmother, former homebirth midwife for 30 years, a teacher, writer and menstrual educator. She gives workshops on mother and daughter preparation for menstruation, the spiritual practice of menstruation, and the sacred dimensions of pregnancy, birth and menopause. Jane founded and runs The School of Shamanic Womancraft, an international Women’s Mysteries School.

I wanted to know how to be a fab elder, or hag or crone because there really aren’t so many positive role models or much signposting. We discussed:

o   What menopause taught Jane about being an elder. 

o   The importance of owning our language and how we name ourselves: hag, crone, elder, wise woman

o   How to balance following your passion with caring for being in an ageing body. 

o   How can we protect against the mental effects of ageing

o   How do we counteract the miserable narratives about older women

o   What Jane wished she had known in her 40’s

o   How Jane’s relationship with death illuminates her day-to-day living

You’ll notice in the conversation that though we both use a seasonal structure as a map for life, Jane and I do this differently. Jane sees one cycle through the seasons with the end of Winter announcing death, and I see two cycles, with a Second Spring starting postmenopause.

Jane's links:
Website www.janehardwickecollings.com and   www.schoolofshamanicwomancraft.com

Instagram  @janehardwickecollings
Facebook  ‘Jane Hardwicke Collings’
 

You can buy me a cuppa here - https://buymeacoffee.com/katecodrington
 The Perimenopause Journal and Second Spring are available from all good retailers
Kate's free resource library is here https://subscribepage.io/kates-resource-library  
Instagram @kate_codrington 
Perimenopause Starter Kit online course https://www.katecodrington.co.uk/perimenopause-starter-kit-online-course/

Music
Trust Me by RYYZN

Artwork
Kate's portrait by Lori Fitzdoodles

Exploring how we can come to terms with the end of biological fertility and how creative fertility changes postmenopause. You’ll hear five different women, all in different circumstances and each story just blew me away. There is so much courage, healing, endurance and resilience in this coming to terms and I hope you’ll feel as inspired as I was. 

 You should know though, that many of life tragedies are discussed in this episode including baby loss, sexual abuse and suicide so if you’re having a fragile day of it, maybe come back to this episode later. 

Some of the interviewees wished to stay anonymous so they could speak more freely about their experiences, but they do include:

• Katie, a postgraduate literature student and farm hand
• Ginge Unhinged aka Victoria Hardy – author of My menopause, My Journal, My Rules https://www.instagram.com/ginge_unhinged/
• Marian, who lives in South London
• Wildflower, who helps women get back on track after pregnancy loss and reclaim their creative power so they can move forward with joy and purpose. https://peaceafterpregnancyloss.com/  
• Julia (Jools) Voce, a creator, a performing and healing artist, writer, clown, activist and childless/childfree mother based in Brighton and the South Downs.

You can buy me a cuppa here - https://buymeacoffee.com/katecodrington
 The Perimenopause Journal and Second Spring are available from all good retailers
Kate's free resource library is here https://subscribepage.io/kates-resource-library  
Instagram @kate_codrington 
Perimenopause Starter Kit online course https://www.katecodrington.co.uk/perimenopause-starter-kit-online-course/

Music
Trust Me by RYYZN

Artwork
Kate's portrait by Lori Fitzdoodles

Decent and Rising: women’s stories and the embodiment of the Innana myth is a book for anyone who has ever felt lost, a failure, that they’re getting sucked deep into dark places that most people would regard as mad. Written by Carly Mountain, a psychotherapist and women’s initiatory guide, who specialises in working with sexuality, relationships and embodiment. The book is published by Womancraft and I just loved it.

 I first came across this story through Angela Farmer, who you’ll remember from this earlier episode https://www.katecodrington.co.uk/angela-farmer-on-life-an-inside-job/ but Carly takes it to a deeper level. Last week I was lucky enough to have a conversation with Carly about this deeply layered myth and how we can use it to navigate and better understand the dark times of our lives. 

You can pre-order your copy from Womancraft at https://womancraftpublishing.com/product/descent-and-rising/  and find Carly at https://carlymountain.com/ on Instagram at @carly_mountain https://www.instagram.com/carly_mountain/

You can buy me a cuppa here - https://buymeacoffee.com/katecodrington
 The Perimenopause Journal and Second Spring are available from all good retailers
Kate's free resource library is here https://subscribepage.io/kates-resource-library  
Instagram @kate_codrington 
Perimenopause Starter Kit online course https://www.katecodrington.co.uk/perimenopause-starter-kit-online-course/

Music
Trust Me by RYYZN

Artwork
Kate's portrait by Lori Fitzdoodles

Laura Shuckburgh. Laura is is a Menopause Coach and an NLP Practitioner. She is the founder of  Menopause Unleashed Retreats  and  Marvellous Midlife and She has recently written a digital menopause awareness product for the ted Learning group. You can usually find her in her home on wheels in the French Countryside.

 We talk about the positive change and growth that menopause can bring, even though the challenges are present, we can rise. Though Laura had a tough perimenopause she shares the journey of:

•  How she became more authentically myself
• More positive about the next chapter
• To live in every precious moment 
• To be brave 
• The deeper community and collaboration possible postmenopause

If you’re struggling in peri right now, you definitely need to listen to this.

Menopause unleashed retreat https://www.marvellousmidlife.co.uk/menopause-unleashed-retreats 

Laura's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/marvellous_midlife/

Laura's Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/lshuckburgh/

Hot Flash inc Substack https://hotflashinc.substack.com/
Rowena Health https://rowenahealth.co.uk/
MenoClarity https://menoclarity.com/

You can buy me a cuppa here - https://buymeacoffee.com/katecodrington
 The Perimenopause Journal and Second Spring are available from all good retailers
Kate's free resource library is here https://subscribepage.io/kates-resource-library  
Instagram @kate_codrington 
Perimenopause Starter Kit online course https://www.katecodrington.co.uk/perimenopause-starter-kit-online-course/

Music
Trust Me by RYYZN

Artwork
Kate's portrait by Lori Fitzdoodles

Suzanne Yates is an acclaimed international therapist, teacher, author, researcher, and innovator, author of 3 books and now working on the 4th, she works with people at all stages of their lives: from babies and pregnant mothers to the elderly. 

Her specialty is women’s health. A published author and expert in the field of pre and postnatal shiatsu and bodywork, she has been teaching parents, doctors, midwives, shiatsu therapists, and massage practitioners worldwide for the past 30 + years. She taught me pregnancy shiatsu back in the naughties.

 Suzanne shares:

• Chinese Medicine view of menopause
• Totally different and positive narrative 
• What the extraordinary vessels are and how they support us
• The most important thing you need to do in menopause
• Why our wounds get triggered at this time 
• Why it’s actually easier to change in menopause
• Finding better names for our reproductive organs
• How Chinese Medicine theory sees no decrease in libido in menopause
• We ponder on what happens to the 1,000’s of eggs that are not released in a female body and the dead sperm
• The relationship between conception, birth, puberty menopause and death

The episode closes with a beautiful practice Suzanne created for us.

Suzanne's work can be found at:
Website: https://www.wellmother.uk/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Wellmother
Substack: https://suzanneyates.substack.com/rewritingyourlife
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzanneyateswellmother/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wellmother/ 

You can buy me a cuppa here - https://buymeacoffee.com/katecodrington
 The Perimenopause Journal and Second Spring are available from all good retailers
Kate's free resource library is here https://subscribepage.io/kates-resource-library  
Instagram @kate_codrington 
Perimenopause Starter Kit online course https://www.katecodrington.co.uk/perimenopause-starter-kit-online-course/

Music
Trust Me by RYYZN

Artwork
Kate's portrait by Lori Fitzdoodles

This episode focussed on debunking the narrative that claims menopause is a deficiency that requires fixing with oestrogen, instead of a normal, healthy life event that ushers us into a vibrant, engaged maturity.  I feel that if menopause is asking us to love ourselves better, to deepen our relationship to ourselves, then HRT can really help with that, allowing us to put ourselves first. But though HRT can be a lifesaver, when it’s used for a long time to continue to push through when our resources are already depleted, without making any lifestyle changes, it is just saving up problems for later. 

Rachel Lankester, midlife disruptor, author of Magnificent Midlife,  founder of The Mutton Club and host of Magnificent Midlife podcast explores:

• The faulty menopause research that’s endlessly repeated
• What symptoms HRT is helpful for
• The latest research into HRT and dementia
• Menopause and mental health
• Why language matters
• Rachel’s new project MenoClarity that’s offers free-to-access clear information and evidence-based research 

Rachel’s website is https://magnificentmidlife.com/ and you can find her book Magnificent Midlife: Transform Your Middle Years, Menopause and Beyond at all good bookshops.
Her podcast, also called Magnificent Midlife is also available on all your favourite platforms. 
You can find her on Instagram as @magnificentmidlife
MenoClarity website is: https://menoclarity.com/

Here are some links we refer to:
Low-down on the BUPA workplace research: https://themuttonclub.com/900000-women-have-left-work-menopause/
NICE guidelines for HRT: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG23
Study on dementia in nuns: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9127971/
Kate's Second Cycle role models Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/KateCodrington/second-spring-summer-inspiration/
Low-down on suicide stats: https://themuttonclub.com/menopause-and-suicide-do-the-stats-add-up/
Tania Elfersy's website The Wiser Woman is https://www.thewiserwoman.com/
Twyla Tharp on aging https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfNd8a6eDDo

You can buy me a cuppa here - https://buymeacoffee.com/katecodrington
 The Perimenopause Journal and Second Spring are available from all good retailers
Kate's free resource library is here https://subscribepage.io/kates-resource-library  
Instagram @kate_codrington 
Perimenopause Starter Kit online course https://www.katecodrington.co.uk/perimenopause-starter-kit-online-course/

Music
Trust Me by RYYZN

Artwork
Kate's portrait by Lori Fitzdoodles