It’s the breast time of year again!
It’s that time of the year …. a month that is notorious for “Pinkwashing”.
Last year my friend and breast cancer survivor, Naomi Damask, called me to say she didn’t want another month of just awareness. She wanted women to be educated about how to live a preventative and healthy lifestyle.
You see the facts are the facts:
- Every 2 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer
- 1 in 8 will be diagnosed in their lifetime
- And less than 10% is genetic
Here’s the good news….. we do have the power to do something about it.
And this month I will be one of over 25 experts doing something about it by addressing topics like sleep, gut health, understanding hormones, detoxification pathways, mindset, nutrition and so much more to empower women during the Pink Ribbons event happening October 17th-20th.
Step aside AWARENESS….
And bring on EMPOWERMENT!
You can register to attend this FREE event with me to empower yourself and others here!!!
By attending this event, not only will you get access to the tools and resources you need to empower yourself, but you’ll be a source of support for others attending the event, AND for women who need access to hormone education and resources.
This year’s Pink Ribbons event will be donating a portion of its proceeds to my non-profit: H.E.R (hormone education and resources) for Women for Life
I don’t know about you, but the health education I received growing up was sub-par, to say the least.
Only one semester of health education was required during middle school and high school, but there were countless requirements for other courses – most of which I’ve hardly used post-high school, if ever in some cases.
Health is a topic critical for everyday life, so why isn’t more education being provided or required?
Knowing how your body works is life-changing. It takes the guesswork out of living your best life. It puts you in the driver’s seat and gives you the ability to create a life full of freedom instead of possible life-threatening limitations.
Think of how many breast cancer cases could be prevented with better health education.
It wasn’t until my 30’s did I really start to understand how my body worked as a woman.
Reaching rock bottom with my long-time hormone imbalance battle led me down the road to higher health education. Had I known as a teenager what I know now, I could have prevented the 17+ years of irregular periods, chronic fatigue, weight gain woes, allergies, brain fog, waves of depression and anxiety, Hashimotos, disrupting the precious balance of my body with birth control and experiencing numerous scary breast lumps.
A recent survey of 2,000 women (age 30 to 60) found that nearly half of them have experienced one or more symptoms of hormone imbalances that can increase the risk of breast cancer or other health issues, and 72% only later understood the causes of their hormone issues.
Some of the most common symptoms they experienced included:
- Low energy
- Weight gain
- Mood swings
- Sleep disturbances
- Urinary incontinence
- Memory loss and brain fog
- Anxiety, depression, and loss of interest in daily activities
I can only imagine how much money, time, and angst those 72% spent trying to find a fix for their health issues, not even realizing it was all related to their hormones because they don’t fully understand how their body works.
How many of those symptoms have, or do, you experience?
Just think what life would be like if we all received more education about health and hormones at a younger age, or had access to better resources throughout our lifespan.
In my functional health coaching practice, I’ve worked with too many young women struggling with the same issues I had; some fearful or frustrated about not being able to get pregnant.
Then there are the numerous pre and post-menopausal women I’ve worked with who are trying to untangle their hormone issues so they can prevent breast cancer, gracefully get through menopause, or restore the life they had once before their hormones got out of whack.
Something has to change.
We all deserve easier access to hormone education and resources so you can live your fullest life, and so you can give the generations to come a better quality of life too.
I’ll never forget what my client Dee (name concealed for privacy purposes) said about receiving her DUTCH hormone test results and data-guided recommendations for diet, rest, exercise, stress reduction, and supplements…
“It was like Christmas. I was so excited to hear the results because we tested for things no one else was interested in…how amazing would it be to give this gift to every woman.”
She had been on a diet her whole life trying to lose weight with limited success; trying everything from Beach Body to Weight Watchers and Keto. She even explored Cross Fit for a while.
As she entered her 40’s, she gave up on weight loss as her focus shifted to how she felt with menopause kicking into gear – which led her to uninsured hormone replacement therapy, expensive acupuncture treatments, and various other hormone therapies. None of which fully resolved her health issues and got her back to feeling like herself again. She felt helpless when it came to her hormone health.
For the longest time, it felt as though I didn’t have control over my hormones either; dating all the way back to my adolescence as my body shifted and my hormones seemed to rip through me emotionally and physically. A feeling both Dee and I shared, as I’m sure most women do.
A false feeling conjured up by a lack of understanding around our hormones.
I’m happy to report that after working together and getting access to the right lab tests and resources to better understand her body and hormones, Dee has lost weight, her hormones are balanced and she feels great!
Dee’s comment sparked an idea that could change the course of women’s hormone education forever.
What if every woman regardless of income, insurance coverage, demographics, or social status could have access to the right lab tests, resources, and education to:
- Gracefully get through menopause or any stage of hormone change
- Advocate for themselves and collaborate with their health professionals
- Formulate a lifestyle and health plan that worked for their unique body
Women all over would stop suffering, and start living fuller lives. They would be better daughters, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, moms, partners, leaders, and teachers – and the men in their lives would greatly benefit from this too.
This is the mission of H.E.R! – Hormone Education and Resources for Women for Life.
So this month, don’t just wear pink, join me and hundreds of others to do something bigger.
Attend the Pink Ribbons event to empower yourself and others, and support H.E.R all at the same time.
