Somatic Healing for Wellness-Focused Women

(#56) Cycle Syncing, Balancing Your Hormones, and Exhale and Unwind Event with Courtney Devanna

• Rae The Somatic Coach • Episode 56

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Our next guest expert joins on us on today's episode of The Raediant Life Podcast!

Courtney Devanna is a Hormone Health Coach who helps women manage their stress, support their cycle and implement simple lifestyle changes that make a big impact on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. She's a recovering people pleaser and on a mission to build community and create a safe space for women to truly live well.

Tune-in to today's episode to receive: 

  • An understanding of the four phases of the menstrual cycle and how they relate to each season
  • Tips for matching activities with your cycle to support optimal energy, hormone health, and pms symptoms 
  • Signs of hormonal imbalance and common indicators that could be a sign to address 
  • Simple stress management techniques to reduce stress and support hormone balance (like breathwork!) 
  • All of the upcoming event details for Exhale + Unwind !!

Connect with Courtney:


Register for Exhale + Unwind! Happening on Sunday, November 17th at 9:30am in Wantagh, NY


Upcoming Events Schedule:


Opportunities to Work Together 1:1: 

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Disclaimer: Please remember that the information shared on this podcast is intended to inspire, educate, and support you on your personal journey. It does not substitute for professional mental health advice. I am not a psychologist or medical professional. If you are experiencing distress, mental health challenges, or medical conditions, please seek help from a qualified professional.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Radiant Life Podcast. I'm your host, rae, the Somatic Coach, and I'm here to support you in healing your past, living in the present and creating your future so that you can become the most centered, embodied and happiest version of yourself. Each week, I'll be bringing you episodes to help you navigate life's challenges, ease stress and tension and learn more about holistic healing, spirituality and wellness. If you're interested in becoming the best version of yourself so that you can live the life of your dreams, then you're in the right place. Subscribe to the podcast and the monthly newsletter and follow me on Instagram and TikTok to know when new episodes are released each week. I am so happy that you've landed here. Let's dive in. Welcome back to the podcast. If you are new here, I'm Rae, I'm a somatic coach and breathwork facilitator, and if you aren't new here, welcome back. I'm so glad that you're tuning in for today's episode. Before we dive into today's episode with our next guest expert, I want to share with you some front desk items, some updates, some announcements. So yeah, let's dive in. So last night, I taught at Yoga Shack. It was absolutely amazing. I love teaching there. It's a beautiful community, great crew and it's right in Bethpage, new York. So if you're local to the Long Island area and you want to come the next time I'm teaching there, I'll be teaching there on Thursday, november 21st. Also in November, on November 9th it's a Saturday I'll be teaching breathwork for heart healing. It's an in-person event at Jamie's studio the guest expert that we just had on the last episode and that is in Pennsylvania. So it's a bit of a trip depending on where you live, but it's going to be an awesome weekend and awesome events and I'm really excited to be with Jamie and be at her new studio.

Speaker 1:

Breathwork of the month this is something that I host each month. It's a virtual event you can join from the comfort of your home. It's held on Zoom. That is going to be on Thursday, november 14th, and it is based around self-compassion, self-love, relationship with yourself. So it should be a very, very beautiful class and if you're on the monthly newsletter, if you receive the monthly newsletter, then you'll get you know the details to that right to your inbox on November 1st. One thing that I'll also mention is that on November 1st is when my books will open for the month of November for those one-on-one breathwork healing sessions. I've been absolutely, I've been absolutely loving these and having a really fun time connecting with you in this way. So if it interests you, check out the show notes. The link will be there, and I'll also be hosting a Black Friday sale for the month of November as well, so stay tuned for that.

Speaker 1:

And then one other event that I will share with you, one other front desk item before we hop into our guest experts. Episode today is called Exhale and Unwind, and this is a collaboration event that I'll be hosting with Courtney, our next guest, and that is on Sunday, november 17th. It's in the morning, it's at 930 am and it's being held at Fire and Ice Wellness Studio in Wonton, new York. So I've facilitated at this studio in the past. It's really beautiful. What's fun about it is that we'll be doing breath work and meditation for the first hour of the event and then the second hour of the event you'll have access to the studio and it's fun. You know infrared saunas, an ice room, salt cave, so it's a really fun way to spend your Sunday morning before football. So come hang out, exhale and unwind with Courtney and I, all right. And so as we dive into this episode, I will share that Courtney and I met through a mutual friend, krista. She was on the podcast as well, and Courtney came to a Breathwork of the Month class and then we decided to collaborate on this event. So that's kind of how it all came together.

Speaker 1:

Courtney is a hormone health coach. She helps women manage their stress, support their cycle and implement simple lifestyle changes that make a big impact on their physical health, their mental health and their emotional wellbeing. She's a recovering people pleaser and on a mission to build community and create a safe space for women to truly live well. So I really enjoyed recording this episode with Courtney. She shares a wealth of information and I just had so much fun recording with her, and I hope that you enjoy the episode. Definitely check out the show notes.

Speaker 1:

If you have any questions, let either of us know, and I hope that you have an incredible rest of your day, an incredible rest of your week, and I will talk to you soon. I'm so excited for today's episode and to bring you our next guest expert, courtney, who is a hormone health coach, and I will pass things over to Courtney to introduce herself. But before I do, courtney and I met through Krista, actually, who was also a guest expert on the podcast. I think she was episode four and we're at like 50 something, so we are moving along. But, yeah, we met through a mutual friend and then Courtney came to one of the Breathwork of the Month classes and now we're here collaborating and I'm so excited to just talk with her about so many different topics that I know you will find helpful and valuable. And yeah, so let's dive in. Courtney, I'd love for you to share with us just a little bit about you, a little bit about your story and you know how you became a hormone health coach.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, of course. Well, thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited to chat with you tonight. I'm going to share a little bit about my why and how I got into health coaching to start. So where do I start? Okay, I've um.

Speaker 2:

I worked full time in public relations for more than 12 years and I put my job on a pedestal. I really prided myself on working myself into the ground. I worked really long hours, rarely took breaks, and at the time I wore that as a badge of honor, even though I was physically and emotionally drained. I also wore a people pleaser hat. I really did not know how to say no or set boundaries, hence me working all these long hours, and I can still remember how stressed and exhausted I was all the time and I would just burn and bear it. I never made time for the doctor or self-care, but at the time I was dealing with severe gut issues, really painful periods and anxiety, and it's only now that I'm realizing it was all connected. It took a while. After life got a little bit more in my face, with my own health and a few of my family members health, I ultimately quit my job. I had no plan at the time. I just was so over it and I needed to pause and just look inward.

Speaker 2:

I think it was maybe a month of honestly just rest and doing nothing, but I then decided to just for money obviously go do public relations in a freelance capacity, but I knew that I needed to get my health on track, and I always look back and think it's so interesting that it took family members to get sick and me wanting to help them to finally make a move to care about myself and not my own health. That has changed since, but it's something I always think back on. So during this time, I studied hormone health at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. I learned that holistic lifestyle changes can make the biggest difference on your overall health, and I've been applying my learnings to help heal my own hormones. I started going to therapy, slowly ditched, people pleasing, and the small shifts have truly made me feel like I can breathe again. Now it's my mission to help women do the same.

Speaker 2:

So I know you mentioned I'm a hormone health coach, but I specialize in helping women better understand and manage their cycles, reduce stress and make simple but effective wellness changes for their daily lives. I offer one-on-one personalized coaching. I just started doing workshops on topics like stress management, cycle syncing and fertility support, and then, lastly, I'm just really passionate about bringing women together to connect, share resources and focus on their well-being, so I'm exploring more ways to do this on Long Island. So that was a lot and a little all at the same time. I feel like I can share so many, so many things here.

Speaker 1:

I love all of the topics that you talk about and I mean I learned so much from what you share, so I'm excited to just, yeah, learn from everything that, all this knowledge that you've obtained over these past few years of just your own journey and everything. One topic I know we wanted to chat about was cycle syncing, which is something that you mentioned. Cycle syncing, which is something that you mentioned, and for anyone that is new to the concept, can you maybe just explain like what it is and how it's helpful?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, of course. So I feel like the simplest way to put it, cycle syncing really just means working with your body's natural rhythm to feel your best. It's really all about tuning into your body and syncing your lifestyle, like workouts, nutrition and even how you approach your work life and social life, and to do it it's really based on the four cycles of your menstrual cycle. So you have the menstrual phase, follicular phase, ovulatory phase and luteal phase, and each of these phases brings different hormonal shifts that affect your energy, your mood and, ultimately, what you need at that time. So by syncing activities with these natural fluctuations, you can reduce stress on your body, boost energy and improve your productivity. And it's really powerful because it allows women to work with their bodies instead of fighting against it and ultimately leads to better overall health and a greater sense of balance. I love that.

Speaker 1:

I love that for so many reasons because it really is an avenue to get in touch with your body and get in touch with what is really happening in your, in your personal body. You know everyone has a different cycle. I know for me personally, I use the flow app F-L-O flow app and it's like a game changer.

Speaker 1:

I'm like I go in there. I'm like, oh well, this day makes a lot of sense. Definitely, having that education and that like awareness definitely helps to work with your body, and that's something that I think is really important.

Speaker 2:

Just having that somatic background, definitely.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I completely agree. What are some ways? If someone wanted to maybe get started with the cycle syncing or really just start listening to their cycle, like, what are some ways that they might be able to do that?

Speaker 2:

So I love that you mentioned the Flow app, because I think the first thing would be to start tracking your cycle, really just paying attention to how you're feeling during each phase, especially your energy, your mood and appetite. I also like the natural cycles app. I personally, I use my aura ring to track my cycle because it syncs with the natural cycles app. I personally, I use my Oura ring to track my cycle because it syncs with the natural cycles app. So that's really nice. And then there is so much I can say about cycle syncing, but I do think it's valuable to touch on each of the phases a little bit.

Speaker 2:

I know it can feel overwhelming, so I just want to start off with saying this is a guide, does not need to be followed to a T, and just because I'm saying it doesn't mean you have to do it, just something. It's really been helpful for me and I think it's very valuable. So I think, to make it really easy, I like to think of each phase of the cycle as a season and that really helps. So for the menstrual phase, it's our inner winter. I'm going to ask you how do you feel? Or like, what do you like to do in the wintertime, just like what's your vibe. Me personally, yes, yes, like in the winter, in the winter, like every feeling.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, winter is like cup of tea, fireplace on cozy blanket. It might be like the holiday season. There's definitely like also like a romance to it, but it's super permissioning around, like relaxation and hibernation.

Speaker 2:

Yes, Okay, like you are on it because that is the menstrual phase. I feel like that is exactly what I think about when I'm thinking about this vibe for the menstrual, the menstrual phase. Like I want to be in my sweats. I definitely want soothing soups and drinks, to be cozy, and that's exactly what it's all about. When we're experiencing our menstrual phase, we're at our lowest energy. It's a good time for introspection, rest and low-impact workouts so walking or stretching, if your body feels up to it. In terms of nutrition and food, it's a good time to focus on mineral-rich bone broth, iron-rich foods, soups and stews to help your body really replenish the lost nutrients while you're on your period. And then the next phase is the follicular phase, which is our inner spring. This is when our energy begins to rise. It's a good time to start a new project or learn a new skill to rise. It's a good time to start a new project or learn a new skill. It's a good time for cardio and HIIT workouts. When I think of spring, I think of like going outside and doing things. So that's what I feel brings like. This is the type of energy this phase brings, and, just in terms of food, it's also good to add in more healthy fats, focus on salmon, eggs, fermented foods, whatever it just will bring help that energy and feeling good.

Speaker 2:

Ovulation is our inner summer, so we are at our highest energy here. This is a time when we're feeling the most confident. We have a higher sex drive, we're having increased energy. I really feel like the vibe here is like hot girl summer. It's a good time for networking, group activities and scheduling dates. And then it's a really good time to focus on cruciferous veggies to help the body with metabolizing excess estrogen at this time.

Speaker 2:

And then, lastly, is the luteal phase, and this is our inner fall. This is when our energy starts to decline again and I always think of like getting back into hibernation mode before your period. It's a good time for a simple task journaling, doing light yoga and Pilates, and then eating complex carbs like sweet potatoes you got the B6 nutrients in there and then magnesium rich foods like chocolate to help ease the PMS symptoms that you might be feeling at this time. So I feel like it's just a really nice way to think about each phase as the as the season don't worry so much about like all the details, but I think it really helps us tune in and check in with ourselves when we're thinking about it like that.

Speaker 1:

I absolutely love that analogy. It's oh my goodness, it's so good. I'm so like connected with you, know nature and elements and the seasons, and to be able to connect those is so much easier to understand and so like digestible. So I really like that analogy. What would it look like for someone if they were maybe out of sync or not listening to their body, not listening to the seasons? Great question.

Speaker 2:

Um. So I always like to say when one hormone is out of balance, it is likely that all the rest of the hormones are out of balance. Um. So some signs that you may be dealing with a hormone imbalance or really living out of sync maybe fatigue, even though you're you feel like you're getting enough rest. Irritability Um, you may have irregular cycles. They may be too short, too long, too heavy, um, you may notice increased belly fat even though you feel like you're doing all the right things, or feeling tired and wired.

Speaker 2:

I find that women often push through without realizing that certain phases of our cycle call for rest or different types of support. So I feel like it's important to think about realigning and just start by honoring how you feel in each phase. Um, just because it is, for example, you might have a little bit more energy in your luteal phase sometimes than others, you know. So just honor yourself. Don't push yourself to do an intense, intense exercise If you feel like you're low on energy. I think it's important to prioritize stress management techniques, getting quality sleep, um. And then I always think about, you know, making sure you have enough healthy fats, carbs and protein, um, at each meal, and then just really listening to your body's cues for rest and activity and allow yourself to slow down Again. I think it's just so hard for us women to not be doing all the things, but I think we really need to fill up our own cups to feel holistically well.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so that makes so much sense. It's like when we are going so fast and not taking a chance to pause and really check in with our bodies, we can become out of alignment. We can be experiencing all different sorts of side effects of not really listening to our body and our cycle. So that makes a lot of sense. And I know you mentioned managing stress earlier in the episode than also just now, and what are maybe some signs that we could be stressed, that we're overlooking or we're dismissing and thinking that it's just normal?

Speaker 2:

I think that's a great question. I feel like just because something is common doesn't mean it's normal. So I think that constant tiredness and pushing through or difficulty concentrating, anxiousness and nervousness those could all be signs that we're really stressed. Painful periods again may be common for women, but these aren't normal. Painful periods again may be common for women, but these aren't normal. It might be signs that you might not think are correlated with stress, but stress really does impact all of these things. Changes in appetite, digestive issues. The mind and gut are so connected so if one is not working well or feeling right, it's likely impacting the other. So I think things like bloating if you're just not feeling your best generally, it could be due to the stress. It's frequent illness, due to weakened immune system those can all be indicators that stress is impacting your body.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and if somebody wanted some you know easy strategies to manage stress. How might they be able to start incorporating some easy techniques into their life?

Speaker 2:

So I think you would agree with this first recommendation. But breathing exercises or short meditation sessions are really quick ways to reset your nervous system. I find that even five minutes of deep breathing or breath awareness can really help lower cortisol levels. As a recovering people pleaser, I also like to set a daily no. Um, it's helpful to start setting one boundary by saying no to something that's not serving your wellbeing each day. So it could be an extra commitment or just an internal pressure you're putting on yourself. Um, I also think a brain dump is really helpful. It's just really spending three to five minutes writing everything out that's in your mind. Um, I find doing this before bed can be helpful to clear clutter and reduce nighttime anxiety.

Speaker 2:

Um, in that same vein, I'll say prioritize sleep, and I know this is hard. Um. So some things you could do is just set a consistent bedtime routine or a wind down routine, something that will signal to your body that it's time for bed, like tea or reading a book, something just that says I'm ready to slow down. I think good quality sleep is one of the most effective ways to combat stress, and something that I know is a struggle for many people. Um, and I'll just say two other quick tips just that people can start today is just try scheduling something short.

Speaker 2:

A short daily break throughout the day, like go for a walk outside, stretching, can release tension. Just daily breaks throughout your workday it can. I like to call them micro-rests, but they can really make a big difference. And then I think, finally, just setting boundaries around technology, Less screen time, especially in the morning and before bed, will make a really big difference. So just try to replace that with doing things that you enjoy. Try to cut it down. At least that will really help reduce stress Also a hard one, I will say yes, yes to all of that.

Speaker 1:

I love all of that. I'm a big fan of a mid mid day walk or even just like a walk at the end of the day if the middle of the day doesn't work, but big fan of just taking a walk every day. It is so helpful. And definitely having better boundaries around our phones I know for me personally, a large part of my work is being on my phone. Having you know different things that I'm using my phone for for work, so definitely having those boundaries is really, really helpful. When it comes to stress and also just like sleeping better. I think that makes a huge difference. I know you mentioned like when you wake up and when you go to sleep, and I think that makes a huge difference. I know you mentioned like when you wake up and when you go to sleep and I I think that's right on.

Speaker 2:

Definitely it's hard, but it just I feel like if you can't do before bed or when you first thing when you wake up, can you try one of them? Um, just see how it feels for a few days, and I think that's that'll help start small.

Speaker 1:

And one last topic before we we close here. Um, I wanted to chat with you about balancing hormones and for someone that is just starting on their journey, Uh yeah, what does that look like? What is balancing hormones look like? How do they get started? How do they even know if they like need to do something like that? What does that?

Speaker 2:

look like. Yeah, I think some of the signs and symptoms that we talked about earlier you know just constant fatigue, irregular periods, difficulty losing weight and increased belly fat that just doesn't seem to go away, and digestive issues the gut is really impacts hormones as well. So those are just some signs that if you're not feeling your best for prolonged periods of time, it's definitely worth checking out. Um, there are um. There's something I like to call the Dutch test, um it. You can go to your um provider or um ask a functional dietitian um to run these tests for you and they can check your hormone levels. Um, that's something to consider. But I would say, before even testing, you can just start with the basics. So again, that's really prioritizing sleep, managing stress and focusing on nourishing foods.

Speaker 2:

I think when you're just starting out to you know it's one thing to say eat healthy and it's another thing to do it right. So I always like to tell clients to focus on adding in versus subtracting. So, for example, if you want a slice of pizza and you're trying to eat healthy, can you add a salad to that? What's something that you could add to your plate or to your day that makes it feel more doable and less restrictive in the beginning. A few other things are consider upping your water intake and try to add electrolytes or Celtic salt Minerals are so important for hormone balance.

Speaker 2:

And then, instead of, I think one thing that's important to think about is getting sunshine or using a light lamp in the morning. That's hopefully easy enough to just step outside, even just for a few minutes, or you can get a light lamp on Amazon, and this will help with your mood and your sleep wake cycle, so it'll help you rest better at night and help you feel more energized during the day. And then, lastly, I truly believe that wellbeing um and connection are really tied together, so connect with loved ones, new friends and yourself more. I think really um making sure you're spending time with people that lift you up and feel good will make you feel um holistically well as well.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, everything that you mentioned about balancing hormones just sounds so important and so valuable, and I feel like if we were more mindful about our hormones and our cycles and our bodies, it would make a big difference. I get horrible period cramps personally, so I'm very gentle with myself when I'm in my, like, winter, and so all of this information has been so helpful for even myself as well. And so, yeah, thank you so much for sharing all this, and I'm excited because part of, like, our journey of meeting each other and being in each other's spaces brought us this event that we're going to be doing together, so I'd love for you to kind of just share more about what we have coming up in November.

Speaker 2:

Um, yeah, yeah, of course. Well, I just want to say before I jump into that, um, thank you again for having me. Um, just to you and all the listeners I will say when you're starting on your hormone balance journey, it is important to just give yourself grace. Every step you take is progress and we don't have to worry about perfection. So start small and don't try to overhaul everything at once. And then I'm so excited to share our event details. So on November 17th, from 930 to 1130, we are hosting a wellness event at Fire and Ice Wellness Lounge in Wanchaw on Long Island, and it is a morning designed to help you de-stress, balance your hormones and create meaningful connections.

Speaker 2:

As I said and I'm sure I sound like a broken record I do believe that connection and community are a huge part of wellness. So this event really came to life from a passion to create a space for women to come together, focus on their well-being and build connection. I've been seeing a need for more of this on Long Island and really excited to bring this community together. And after doing our breathwork session, I knew I needed you as my co-host. So, for the listeners, just some of the details. So we will have Rachel guide us through a 60-minute breathwork session and then afterwards, byron Ice will allow us to access their facilities, so we'll have access to their saunas, salt rooms they have ice rooms and red light therapy and we'll have an opportunity to hang out. You can ask me questions about hormone health, we can talk about breath work, and it's really just an opportunity to exhale and unwind and spend some time connecting with other women.

Speaker 1:

Thank you, thank you, thank you. That was perfectly said. I'm really looking forward to our event and it's going to be so beautiful Fire and ice I've been there before and their wellness space is so fun. There's so many different rooms that you can go into, so it's going to be just like a really fun, really fun event. So we'll put all the information for that in the show notes. And then is there also anything you would like to share, if someone wanted to connect with you individually or work with you individually or just kind of be in your world.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, of course. So you can find me on Instagram. My handle is at Courtney dot Devana. I share daily tips on hormone health and wellness, and if you're interested in a one-on-one coaching or upcoming events, or simply just want to say hi, you can just message me and I am here for you.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and definitely do it. That's how we connected just through Instagram message Look at where we are now. Exactly so. The last question that I always ask our guest experts is just in general. This could be anything. It could be something you mentioned, it could be unrelated to anything we've talked about. What is one thing that is lighting you up right now in life? What is one thing that is inspiring you?

Speaker 2:

So I want to say two things. I have found, um, so I've just gotten back over the past few months into reading. I put that I felt like that was such a luxury. Um, I never felt like I had time to do that. Um, but before bed I try to read a little bit.

Speaker 2:

Um, and I've focused so much in the beginning on you know, um, hormone health and um, reading on self and self-development and things like that, and I want to say that taking a break from healing books almost has really been like what I needed. So now I'm reading I'm not sure if anyone has reading like Iron Flame and those series, but just reading a little bit of fantasy has been really nice to decompress and it's just nice to carve out that time where I'm away from my phone and just, you know, having a little quiet time. And then I will say, um, the other thing that's really inspiring me is just connecting with like-minded women, um, having space to just be. I find that I'm learning so much when I'm around other women, so I think that's just something that's really been lighting me up and inspiring me.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's so beautiful. I could not agree more. Being lost in like a fiction book is one of the best feelings, and it brings me back to when I would go and visit my grandparents in Florida and they had this Florida porch like a screened-in porch, and I would sit out there and just like read a fiction book and I just feel so relaxed. It's one of the best feelings. So, um, yeah, I agree.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, well, thank you, courtney, for sharing all of this information. I've learned so much myself and I'm really um thankful that you, you know you are here to share your expertise with us. So, thank you. If you were moved or inspired, please share with me by leaving a rating and review on apple podcast. It means the world to me and I am so appreciative for your support in helping my podcast grow. If we aren't already connected on social media, head over to instagram and tiktok and follow me at ray the semantic coach. Make sure you check out the show notes of today's episode for links to freebies, opportunities to work with me and ways we can stay connected outside of the podcast. I'm so happy that you're here and I cannot wait to talk with you on our next episode of the Radiant Life podcast.