In this week's episode I had the great pleasure of chatting with Shannon Kiely, @herferalflow.

Shannon is the creator of the Feral Flow Diary for Women & Menarche Moon Journal for Girls.

We had a wonderful conversation about Shannon's own experiences through menstruation and free-birthing her babies at home.

She holds some unique perspectives on the menstrual cycle that I am thrilled to share with you also.

Working in women's holistic health it can be tempting to seek...

🌹A perfect chart that fits ALL of the optimal parameters

🌹Complete elimination of symptoms

🌹Optimal fertility right away

Shannon offers the perspective that perhaps we are obsessing over the ways in which we can continually improve, while missing out on embracing what is.

This doesn't mean that we don't need to eat healthy foods, prioritize sleep, reduce stress and engage in other health enhancing practices.

It is simply an invitation to soften around perfectionism when it comes to all things women's health - menstruating, pregnancy, birthing, mothering.

Connect with Shannon:

IG - https://www.instagram.com/herferalflow/

Website - http://feralflow.weebly.com/

Connect with Holly:

Mentorship - Use code NY2024 for $300 off

https://rosebudwellness.com/holisticfertilityawarenessmentorship-7779

In this week's episode, I am sharing why your app doesn't know what's going on inside of your body better than you do!

You CAN learn to track and chart your cycle without relying on technology.

Technology can be a wonderful thing, but when it comes to tracking your cycle there are limitations...

Apps I recommend -

Read Your Body

Kindara

Learning FAM -

In this episode, I share about some of the top endocrine disruptors in our environment today. It is not possible to completely avoid exposure to toxins, but we can control the foods we eat, what we use on our skin and in our homes.

Tune in to learn more about making healthier choices when it comes to the foods, body care products and household cleaning products you consume + use in your home.

Dirty Dozen (Buy Organic) - https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php

Clean 15 - https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/clean-fifteen.php

Non-toxic period products:

Re-useable cloth pads - https://gladrags.com/

Period Underwear - https://us.modibodi.com/ 

Connect with Holly:

Introductory FAM Session- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://link.tigertankmedia.com/widget/bookings/fertilityawarenessmethodsession⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode I share about why 'normal' sperm parameters may not be optimal for conception.

When it comes to concentration, motility & morphology of sperm, there is a significant difference between the WHO guidelines and the levels that are considered most likely to result in successful conception.

Tune in to learn more about what is optimal, when to get tested and what to do if there is an issue with sperm quality.

At home semen analysis:

https://www.givelegacy.com/

https://www.meetfellow.com/

Connect with Holly:

Introductory FAM Session- ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://link.tigertankmedia.com/widget/bookings/fertilityawarenessmethodsession⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this week's episode, I have a chat with one of my beloved mentors, Meghan Mahealani. She shares about a practice she has created called Amba. Amba offers women an opportunity to connect more deeply with their body using breath, movement + presence. We focus our conversation around how this work can be especially profound for women on a fertility journey.

Throughout the episode I also share some of the gems I received through working with Meghan prior to conception and during my own pregnancy as well.

There is so much to know an to analyze about our menstrual cycle, our fertility and out ability to conceive. Meghan offers an additional tool that doesn't involve analysis. The Amba method is about deep presence in the moment.

Connect with Meghan:

IG - https://www.instagram.com/meghanmahealani/

Website - https://ambamethod.com/

The Amba Community - https://ambamethod.com/amba-community/

Connect with Holly:

In this episode I had the great pleasure of chatting with Nora of Naturally Nora. She is a preconception coach, Fertility Awareness Method educator and holistic nutritionist.

Nora shares about optimizing your nutrition for fertility. We focus in this episode how the hormonal events that occur within the menstrual cycle impact the nutrition that is required in each of those phases.

Arvigo Abdominal Massage Episode: https://www.naturallynora.ca/blog/75

Connect with Nora:

Website - www.naturallynora.ca

FREE GUIDE - Learn how to eat for your menstrual cycle to help you get pregnant www.naturallynora.ca/eat

IG - @naturally_nora

Podcast - The Ultimate Pregnancy Prep Podcast

Connect with Holly:

Proov test - Use code Holly20 - https://proovtest.com/

In this episode I share about some of the most common diagnostic patterns of 'infertility' in Chinese medicine (TCM).

Like all things in Chinese medicine, there is never a one-size-fits-all approach to any western medical diagnosis. Although Western medicine may call the 'disease' PCOS, for example, this could be the result of many different Chinese medicine diagnostic patterns.

In this episode, I am breaking down some of the most common underlying patterns that can result in suboptimal fertility.

Connect with Holly:

https://rosebudwellness.com/holistic-fertility-awareness-course

This is by far THE most common concern amongst the women I work with when I first meet with them.

If you're not sure how to determine when (or if) you're ovulating, you are not alone & I am here to clear it up for you once and for all!

How to know when you're ovulating...

✨Signs you are approaching ovulation ✨

🌹 You are producing fertile quality cervical mucus: Clear, stretchy, lubricative. Many women have VERY limited mucus (especially if they are undereating and/or have been on hormonal contraceptives).

🌹 If you are using OPKs (aka LH strips): When you see a positive, this is an indication your body is approaching ovulation within the next 24-36 hours. Ovulation does not always occur and there can be both false positives & negatives. This is why having a trusted guide to help you interpret this is so important!

✨ Confirming you have already ovulated ✨

🌹 You have a sustained BBT (Basal body temperature) shift. This means that BBT cannot be used to determine a good time to have sex. Once your temperature has shifted - ovulation has already occurred.

It is essential that you are not only relying on ONE sign in order to truly confirm when/if ovulation is happening.

Connect with Holly:

Proov test - https://proovtest.com/?rstr=holly20

This week on the podcast I am diving into supplementation while on the journey towards consciously conceiving.

I always recommend starting with the foundational factors - nutrition, sleep, movement & stress relief. If these are not in place, supplementation may just be a waste of time and money.

Less is more when it comes to supplementation. Tune in to learn more about determining the right supplements for you.

Here are links to purchase the supplements that I mention in the episode -

Women's Conscious Conception Protocol - https://us.fullscript.com/protocols/hleever-women-s-conscious-conception-protocol

Men's Conscious Conception Protocol - https://us.fullscript.com/protocols/hleever-men-s-conscious-conception-protocol

Desiccated Liver Capsules - https://mothersbestliverpills.com?sca_ref=4198178.m3ItOtd5k9.

Connect with Holly:

In this episode, I chat with Bella of Studio Fertility about her personal journey through fertility challenges and her professional experience with the importance of mind set shifts on the fertility journey.

Connect with Bella -

Instagram: @studiofertility

Connect with Holly: