Free Bleeding and Period Poverty

In this episode I interview Gemma Ireland, director and co-founder fo BodyFlow. We talk about the benefits of bodyflow reflexology and how it can help you have a better cycle. Gemma Ireland has an incredibly extensive knowledge of the holistic body and has been working in alternative health for over 20 years full time. She believes that if we treat our bodies properly, we will be healthy, happy, confident and live long. Everything in moderation, a healthy balanced diet, exercise carefully, hydrate, breathe fresh air and visualisation will help you prepare for your days ahead. She has helped many clients over the years alter the way they lead their lives with superb life long results. Gemma trained and qualified as a reflexologist at the Self Centre in Harley Street in 1999 and specialises in helping couples balance their systems to promote fertility and natural conception. This combined with her extensive knowledge of prenatal health gained from her five years as a birth doula enables Gemma to accompany her clients on their journey through pregnancy to the birth of their child with holistic advice on nutrition, pain relief, exercise, breast-feeding and positive thinking. She is also an acupressure therapist. Gemma believes that many couples are encouraged to go down a 'medical route' (IVF) far too quickly without considering a holistic approach. She was told, at an early age, that she would find it terribly hard to conceive, if at all, which shattered her dreams of being a mother. She now has a wonderful son and reflexology helped her conceive like so many of her clients. This personal experience has motivated Gemma to specialise in fertility balancing and boosting amongst other reflexology ailments achieving remarkable results. She works with both the man and woman creating a healthy healed body. Over the years Gemma has worked with many clients suffering from cancer, helping them relax as well as restoring energy levels after chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions. Gemma's positive energy and treatments benefit her clients' well-being by making them feel lighter, more energetic and happier. She also works with a lot of sports injury problems, football teams, tennis players and running complaints...reflexology is so powerful, it opens the structural body, creating space and natural healing.  Reflexology works from within and continues to work after the treatment is given, providing outstanding results. Gemma has been told on many occasions that she has 'Healing Hands' and that her clients feel a new 'Lease of Life' has been opened after receiving treatments. She is very passionate about her work and loves to help her clients in any way possible. Each client is treated individually and personally. She specialises in fertility balancing, pregnancy, and postpartum care with amazing results. She treats men and women with any health concerns and has a very loyal and high profile client base, some of whom have given testimonials: Dame Kristin Scott Thomas, Felicity Kendal, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jamie and Jools Oliver, Phil Spencer, Alice Temperley, Nicola Elliot, founder of NEOM, Millie Mackintosh, Madeleine Shaw, Madeleine Thomson, founder of MT Cashmere, Rhiannon Lambert, Founder of Rhitrition, James and Christiane Duigan, Founders of Bodyism and many more... Find out more about BodyFlow Reflexology here Follow Gemma on Instagram

In this episode I interview, Ayurvedic practitioner Rachel Spillane.   We talk about her personal journey into Ayurveda and how it benefited her in regards to her cycle, and how Ayurvedic medicine looks and deals with the menstrual irregularities and how it understand the cycle and how some practises can improve and enhance a women's menstrual cycle on a monthly basis. Rachel Spillane is an Ayurvedic Practitioner, Yoga Teacher and Board Member of the Colorado Ayurvedic Medical Association. Her practice, Saraswati Ayurveda, empowers women with knowledge, tools and support to heal naturally and feel happy, healthy and balanced.  She offers Ayurvedic consultations and wellness coaching, Panchakarma, Yoga and the Heal Your Gut online course. She loves veggie tacos, gardening and spending time in nature with her husband and two dogs. https://www.instagram.com/saraswati.ayurveda/ https://www.facebook.com/saraswatiayurveda www.saraswatiayurveda.com

IN this episode I talk to Cassandra Wilder, also known as the Menstruation Queen.  Cassandra Wilder is a Naturopathic Doctor and the leading expert in women's cyclical health and menstruation.  Cassandra has spent the last 10 years of her life helping  women get to the root of their hormone and cycle-related imbalances to find wellness and a true sense of empowerment in their healing. Social media: www.cassandrawilder.com IG: @menstruationqueen

In this episode I interview Jasmine Alicia Carter about her journey into blood art.  We talk about her personal experience, the benefit of blood art, the technical side of it, the taboo around it, and the revolutionary aspect of it.  Jasmine Alicia Carter is a Period Artist, a Menstrual Mentor and Sexual Mystic devoted to empowering women to heal and reclaim their true feminine nature. Started as a healing and self-discovering journey, now she inspires and educates thousands of women all over the world to love and nurture their menstrual cycles and their sexuality. Her favourite way to express the feminine wisdom is drawing with her period blood, a sacred art that changed her life in 2016 and that is spreading across the globe. Videos of her work have gone viral and she has been featured on major online news platforms like NowThis and News.com." FOllow Jasmine on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasminealiciacarter/ or check out her website www.sacress.com

In this episode I talk to Mandi Tembo about period poverty, education, culture, and her experience in free bleeding and what it entailed. Mandi Tembo is a PhD research fellow with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine doing a PhD in menstrual health and hygiene among young women in Zimbabwe. She has worked in implementation research for the past 5 years and holds an MSc in Global Health and Development from University College London and a B.A in Public Health (Biology) and Women Gender Studies. Most of her research work has been in sexual and reproductive health, community-based interventions, and women’s health. Mandi is also the creator and content creator for The Bleed Read - a dynamic and comprehensive website that covers all things related to menstruation. https://thebleedread.com/ http://instagram.com/thebleedread

In this episode I speak to Dr Purva Gupta,  about things that we can do to improve our skin according to where we are in our cycle. Dr. Purva is a DHA certified medical practitioner, certified by Sharjah University in Aesthetic medicine, with over 12 years of international experience in Aesthetic, Functional-Integrative, Geriatric and General medicine and healthcare management in USA, UAE and India. She is a member of American Geriatric Society and is practicing at Cocoona Center for Aesthetic Transformation, Dubai. Dr Purva has tremendous experience practicing skin care and cosmetic medicine combining her knowledge of medicine, dermatology and aesthetics to give the best possible results to her patients. Apart from this, she is a passionate mother, wife, daughter and friend. She holds other talents like freestyle singing and dancing including Indian classical dance, swimming, racing, and blogging/writing about social causes to be able to help humanity and kids, specially. You can follow or get in touch with Dr Purva on Instagram

In this episode we talk with Saskia Boujo, author of "This Period in my Life" and relationship and sex educator about her her journey which lead to the birth of her book. Saskia is a relationship and sex educator who has been teaching young people for almost 20 years. This Period in My Life is her first book. She was inspired and motivated by the many myths and misconceptions around periods that she battled with in the classroom, that seemed to reinforce a very negative narrative around menstruation. She believes that better education around menstruation is a right, but frustratingly it is squeezed into just a few theoretical lessons that are lacking in practical advice that young people are desperate for, and entitled to. Saskia continues to work closely with primary and secondary school children to try to reclaim the positivity around the menstrual cycles, as well as try to introduce an environmental element to their choice of menstrual product. Saskia has 3 children all born through IVF. She believes that had she had better education around periods she could potentially have avoided her infertility, caused by endometriosis. She continues to campaign to try to remove the stigma around fertility related issues, though her work educating young people is now her main occupation. You can order This Period in My Life : https://saskiaboujo.com/product/this-period-in-my-life/ Follow Saskia on instagram here

In this episode I speak to Natalie Hobbs, the founder of ModiBodi Middle East, a period proof underwear company that started in Australia. We talk about  the brand’s value, about the benefits of using Modibodi underwear and the story behind those beautiful life changing and sustainable  underwear. Modibodi period-proof underwear is underwear you can wear when you have your period, without having to use pads or tampons. The underwear has a thin (3mm) padded gusset, and is made from 3 layers of material. There are 3 styles of absorbency, with the heavy/overnight absorbency holding the equivalent of 3-4 pads or tampons. After wearing you simply rinse in cold water till the water runs clear, and then include in your next machine wash of delicates. As long as they are washed correctly, they’ll last 2-3 years. Modibodi wants to empower all women in our life and caters for all body shapes and sizes (sizes 4 - 26). Refusing to photoshop their models, you’ll see models that look exactly like they do in real life. Modibodi believes that cellulite, freckles and stretch marks are natural and should not be seen as ugly and erased. Links www.modibodi.ae https://www.instagram.com/modibodi_middleeast/ #modibodiuae

Jo has been practicing yoga for over 2 decades, and her practice has evolved through the years and today she finds herself focusing on the importance of cyclical wisdom in Yoga practice . Her belief is that our primary spiritual practice stems from our own body .  In this episode we talk about yoga, fertility, cyclical wisdom and how they all relate. Jo Shakti works as leader in the feminine rise, supporting and empowering women through Yoga and Ritual.  Through Return to the Self, Jo offers Yoga for the whole feminine life cycle, including blood wisdom, through her Awakening Shakti retreats and courses.  She also has an incredible passion for supporting women through Yoga to empower Pregnancy, Birth and Motherhood.  Jo is lead trainer of Spiritual Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training, a course setting a global standard as an in-person and online course. This follows her 5 year career supporting 200hr YTTs alongside Peewee Sanchez of Yogafirst. Jo is creatrix of Shakti Celebration, a global event of sisterhood and the feminine rise as well as her many years of work leading independent Yoga Retreats and Shakti Pilgrimages worldwide.  Jo is a Doula in training and lives with her young children Ananda, Caesar and filmmaker husband in Bali. https://www.instagram.com/returntotheself/ https://www.facebook.com/returntotheself/ returntotheself.co.uk

In this week's episode I talk to Clio, a sex positivity advocate and we talk about all things related to a woman’s body. As Clio said, it seems that we hide all the realness to abide unconsciously to societal expectation of what a good female body should look like Clio Wood @itscliowood is a Women's Health and Sex Positivity Advocate, also the Founder of &Breathe - award-winning wellbeing and fitness retreats for pre/postnatal, parenthood and peri-menopause. Clio created &Breathe following the birth of her daughter in 2014 and her experiences with trauma, postnatal depression, and painful sex/pelvic floor issues and is passionate about helping other women be their best selves. Come up for air andbreathepostnatal.com FB | T | IG