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Episode 65 - How to Unlearn Shame Around Our Menstrual Cycle
Manage episode 502887433 series 3600347
🐚Topics covered
- The difference between guilt and shame - guilt says "I did something wrong" while shame says "I am something wrong"
- How shame disconnects us from our true identity and wraps itself around who we are
- Understanding healthy shame vs toxic shame and recognizing the difference in your own life
- Shame is a learned behavior that only exists in relation to the outside world
- Why shame sits at the lowest frequency and vibration of human experience
- Cultural shame around menstrual cycles - hiding pads, not talking about bleeding, being called "too emotional"
- How toxic shame severs us from our cyclical power and ancestral knowing that menstruation is sacred
- The physical experience of shame in the body - dissociation, lightheadedness, feeling like fading away
- Why shame is used as a tool of control by oppressors and organizations
- How shame makes boundaries blurry because we dissociate from our bodies
- The antidote to shame: connection to truth, compassion, body, and community
- Practical reflection questions for identifying where shame shows up in your cyclical continuum
- Why repairing the connection to self is one of the most powerful things we can do
About the Host
I’m Iris Josephina, a functional hormone specialist, orthomolecular hormone coach, and entrepreneur. Through Cycle Seeds and The Inner Rhythms Podcast, I support people in reconnecting with their cyclical nature, deepening body literacy, and reclaiming hormonal harmony from a place of sovereignty and embodied knowledge. Most people know me from Instagram, where I share stories, tools, and inspiration on cyclical living, menstrual cycles, fertility, hormones and more.
Let’s stay connected:
📸 Instagram: @cycleseeds
📧 Join my newsletter: https://www.cycleseeds.com/
💻 Visit the Cycle Seeds website: https://www.cycleseeds.com/
📝 Check out the blog: https://www.cycleseeds.com/blog
🎓 Holistic Hormone & Cycle Coaching Certification Training: https://www.cycleseeds.com/hhcc-training-2025-selfstudy-vip
📚Join my courses: https://www.cycleseeds.com/courses-masterclasses
📊 Chart Your Cycle Masterclass: https://cycleseeds.plugandpay.nl/checkout/chart-your-cycle-97
Chapters
1. Episode 65 - How to Unlearn Shame Around Our Menstrual Cycle (00:00:00)
2. Introduction to shame and the cyclical continuum (00:00:52)
3. Why shame is sticky and misunderstood (00:01:28)
4. Different layers of shame we experience (00:02:36)
5. Defining shame vs guilt (00:03:37)
6. Shame as learned behavior (00:04:17)
7. Healthy shame vs toxic shame (00:05:25)
8. Personal example of vase incident with grandmother (00:06:33)
9. Healthy shame followed by repair (00:07:49)
10. Toxic shame as core identity (00:08:47)
11. Cultural shame around menstrual cycles (00:09:44)
12. Examples of menstrual shame in action (00:10:45)
13. Energetic perspective on shame's low frequency (00:12:04)
14. Why connection is the antidote to shame (00:13:01)
15. The painful realization of self-abandonment (00:14:46)
16. Deep patterns from young ageDeep patterns from young age (00:16:50)
17. Reflection questions about shame in your life (00:18:00)
18. Your cyclical body is not shameful (00:19:28)
19. Shame as tool of control (00:19:52)
20. How shame blurs boundaries (00:21:25)
21. Never leaving yourself behind (00:22:24)
22. Connection as antidote to shame (00:24:04)
23. Closing thoughts and connection invitation (00:25:07)
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