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What They Don't Want You To Know About Your Menopause
30 Plays7 months ago
What if your menopause phase is not what you were taught it was: the end of it all, the ugly, the shameful and just straight uncomfortable stage? What if it soooooo much more than that? What if there are ways that you can tap into the magic and power that it actually is? OOOOOHHHHHH juiciness coming your way!
Today we're talking about
- The twisted way we’ve been taught to think about menopause
- Powerful Cultural ancient beliefs around menopause
- The cultural, historical, and magical power that connects belly dancing and menopause
- Why the Crone phase of womanhood is thought to be the most powerful in a woman’s life
With Vanessa Nixon, Author of Best Seller: Meno-Morphosis~Rituals, Spells and Natural Remedies for Peri, Mid and Postmenopausal Women. You can connect with the mid-life goddess at the links below.
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Natural Women who love Natural Makeup FB Group
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Transcript
Cultural Beliefs and Menopause
00:00:00
Speaker
And there are cultures that believe that a woman didn't come into her full psychic powers, her full magic powers until she was in menopause. wow You can imagine why that would be scary to the systems and the culture that we have today.
00:00:18
Speaker
Welcome to Freed and Powered Up. Here is where conscious female leaders who are taking their exit from the overly dominant male patriarchal energy, however you experienced it, can really start to break free from the energy that keeps us back from being who we came here to be and leaving the legacy we came here to leave.
00:00:45
Speaker
episode, I'm going to connect you to your inner power and awaken the divine feminine within you.
Empowering Women through Menopause
00:00:51
Speaker
I'm your host and your sister, Latoya Zavala. Let's go.
00:01:03
Speaker
Welcome, Phoenix's. Welcome, Goddesses. Welcome all who enjoy the juiciness of this podcast. Today is no different from any other episode where we are bringing you deliciousness in being free and empowered. ah Moving forward in your elevation,
00:01:20
Speaker
um and and the magic that you bring to the world. I am so glad to have my guest here today. And she just brings unusual magic and power into the world. Well, it's not that unusual, but it's unusual for the conventional. So I'm super happy for us to dive in to the goodness of this podcast. So Vanessa, come on in and let us know. Tell the good people who you are, where you are, and what you do.
00:01:47
Speaker
Oh, thank you so much Latoya for having me here. I'm really excited for this conversation. um And thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself. I'm Vanessa Nixon. I'm a traditional naturopath, herbalist, homeopath. And I specialize in helping to empower women to navigate their menopausal journey through natural health, natural, excuse me, natural movement and natural beauty.
00:02:17
Speaker
I love that. And i i so I really love, first of all, that The Collective is beginning to talk more about this stage of life. I don't feel like it has been talked about enough. And I just would really love to start there. And then I want to talk about you know how do we get to move through this
Societal Narratives and Menopause
00:02:38
Speaker
time? Because I feel like when I was growing up, the The story was basically, you just got to suffer it through, you got to suffer through the hot flashes, you got to suffer it through whatever withdrawal symptoms your body's having. And that's just the way that it is. And you get to suffer through it. And this is the way of life and, you know, comedians and males, they get to make fun of us and we get to joke about it. But the reality is, this is your fate. we And just welcome it in. And
00:03:11
Speaker
I feel like I am in that the pre-stages of this. and And I'm like, wow, we really were not prepared. we're we were we're with There's really not a lot of talk or a lot of storying around it. There there really isn't.
00:03:27
Speaker
because been Honestly, I didn't even know that I was experiencing symptoms of this, right? You know, you're experiencing whatever it is, but you don't know that combined, you could be entering this stage. So yeah, I would love to even just start there and the storing around it. And you know, how does one even know, oh, you're entering this stage.
00:03:55
Speaker
Those are all such really great questions because you're right. We haven't been having this conversation. There hasn't been the dialogue around this whole phase of womanhood, which can be a third or even half of your life as a woman can be in the menopausal phase of life. And so when you think about that, that it's just crazy to think that half of our lives as women has been buried, has been invisible in our culture. And so yes, we're conditioned to to kind of just like, hush, hush, you know, we don't talk about it keep it, keep it under wraps. We don't want to talk about this time in our lives where you and our bodies change.
00:04:54
Speaker
Like we become new people, we we really do. but yeah And our culture doesn't value the wisdom and the changes of the mature woman. And I think that's really what it comes down to, is our culture is so focused on youth. And that particular kind of beauty and energy that we see in the maiden and mother phases of
The Crone Phase: Strength and Wisdom
00:05:29
Speaker
womanhood. But the crone phase, that's scary. yeah but Even the name itself in our society anyway. It's because there's a lot of power in that. And some of that power comes from this really deep, dark,
00:05:53
Speaker
wisdom that we hold from all of the the experience that we have gone through in our lives. And, you know, there are, there were ancient cultures that believed that a woman is not able to access her full power until she starts retaining her blood. In her believing years, she's, she's like giving her power away.
00:06:20
Speaker
And you know, and some of that is in good ways. You know, we give our, we give our blood, we give our energy to our families, to our children, but we're giving our magic, our power out to the world. wow And when we retain our blood, then we start retaining that power. And there are cultures that believe that a woman didn't come into her full psychic powers, her full magic powers.
00:06:48
Speaker
until she was in menopause. Wow. You can imagine why that would be scary to the systems and the culture that we have today. Absolutely. Absolutely. And I find it annoying.
00:07:04
Speaker
that this kind of um story around it isn't told. No, who talks about this? Who talks about this? Not at all, not at all. And I love how you're framing it in that
00:07:24
Speaker
in that, yes, it's lauded and put on a pedestal the earlier stages of our beauty, the earlier stages of what we have to offer in the world. And and so much so that the focus is retaining the youth, right keeping the youth, um getting back to the youth, extending the youth, as opposed to embracing this really powerful next stage of life.
00:07:53
Speaker
i it's That is so freeing and so empowering. And it really does bring a different, that's a different perspective, a different welcoming of this stage of life. So what are some of the ways in which you help women or advise women, hey, these are some of the things that we can do to reframe our own story. And that's the way that I'll say it. I think to reframe our own story for ourselves. That that the reframing, I love that you use that word, because that is a big piece of what I do. Because our culture tells us one story that um you know goes back to what you mentioned a couple of minutes ago about when you just have to deal with it. It's, you know, you're,
00:08:48
Speaker
It's over, you know, you're over. It's over. Yeah. Go get yourself a fan. yeah And that's it. it's Life is over. And right. Really? I mean, so many women come to me and they feel that way. They feel like that's what they've been told by the medical industry, by the culture.
00:09:07
Speaker
that this is the beginning of the end. you know your Your body's just going to start breaking down, and this is the the start of that. And what I want to say is no, and that's not what that's not
Menopause as Transformation
00:09:19
Speaker
what's happening. It's more like the caterpillar forming the cocoon, and that caterpillar's body turns into goo. And I'm sure the caterpillar at some points during that process feels like it's the end. And I don't even know what's going on with my body. Like, am I dying? What is happening? right But the caterpillar has no choice but to just trust the process. And then their body reforms into this magnificent thing that they probably could never have imagined before.
00:10:04
Speaker
And so that that transformation, that metamorphosis of the caterpillar into the butterfly is what I call the menomorphosis of the menopausal journey because it is very similar. Our bodies start changing and so many women say, i And this body doesn't even feel familiar to me. Like I don't even know what's going on with my body. The things that used to work for me don't work anymore. And I'm still presented to everything. And, you know, I'm a hot and then I'm cold and then I can't remember anything. And, you know, all of these things are happening and they're scary because
00:10:45
Speaker
we are are not taught, we're not told, we're not kind of brought into the fold of of old or wise women, you know, um yeah really bringing that knowledge into the younger generation saying, you know, this is part of the process and you can trust it and it's okay. And, you know, everything's not just going to fall apart, but it may feel gooey and messy and muddy for a while, while this new phase of life is being birthed.
00:11:23
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, it's kind of like pregnancy, you know, we fortunately now are, you know, have this conversation around pregnancy and what's happening with the body. But can you imagine if you didn't know anything about pregnancy?
00:11:40
Speaker
And everything that's happening in your body just starts happening and you have no food. Can you imagine how scary that would be? Definitely, definitely. And you would think you were dying during the birthing process. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely. It's similar in some ways. It is a rebirth. In traditional Chinese medicine, they call menopause the second spring.
00:12:08
Speaker
And I think that's a really apt name for it because it is like a rebirth. And it's like, it's kind of like adolescence also, you know, it's like pregnancy, it's also like adolescence, all of these major initiations.
00:12:26
Speaker
of womanhood have so many similarities. And so it's like we are coming into a second lifetime with a new body that if we just kind of lean back and allow these changes to happen naturally and go with the natural flow of our bodies and use all the gifts of nature that we have available to us,
00:12:57
Speaker
then that transition, that process can be a really, really beautiful one instead of a scary one. Right, instead of a scary one, unknown, it's one that you feel ashamed of, one that you're trying to um delay, right? Which is what I feel a lot of the messaging is.
Belly Dancing and Empowerment
00:13:22
Speaker
So beautiful, so beautiful, so
00:13:29
Speaker
belly dancing.
00:13:33
Speaker
but Is this a part of your method? Hey, infinitely expanding soul. How could I let you leave this podcast episode without knowing about an amazing opportunity to know yourself deeper and fall so madly in love with yourself that you ooze it out in everything that you do. To know your life path for certain and erase the doubt. To know your soul's purpose and what it came here to work out and the cycle it came to complete. To know where your major energies are aligning in your talents and your gifts. and where your major energies are aligning with your wealth consciousness. Yes, more money. And maybe most importantly, how to integrate it all into your life so that we stop spinning in circles trying to figure all this shit out in a world that hopes that we don't.
00:14:20
Speaker
in a super tight container with some energy clearing, laser coaching, and a vortex of women who are about not only their transformation, but they're about yours too so that there's no room for leaving this space without getting what you came for.
00:14:36
Speaker
Welcome to the new and enhanced Goddess Collective, a 90-day journey into yourself and your infinite potential, your purpose, your prosperity, and your power embodied now. Click the link in the show notes to reserve your seat for the next cohort and do not delay.
00:14:57
Speaker
Belly dancing is a part of my method. um Not all women are gonna resonate with belly dance in particular. And I really broaden that to helping women understand that because our hormones are changing, our bodies change and our movement needs to change along with it because our bodies have different needs than they did when we were in our 20s and 30s. And we really need natural movements.
00:15:27
Speaker
And the reason I love belly dancing, ah besides the fact that it's just really fun, is that it is an ancient traditional dance that was actually designed for a woman's body to help her navigate the different phases her body goes through. Really? So all of the movements are designed for a woman's physiology.
00:15:54
Speaker
Wow. They help open the heart space. They help strengthen the core, strengthen the pelvic floor, create more flexibility, create more strengthening, not only of the muscles, but you know, it's if if you look at it in terms of of fitness terms, it's weight-bearing exercise. um It's you have a little bit of resistance training in there. And so it's exactly what we need at this phase of life. It's great for women in any phase of life, but particularly for us, it's the perfect form of movement that helps our body to just naturally go through this process that we're going through. And what a lot of people have never heard and don't understand about belly dance because
00:16:45
Speaker
in Western culture, it has been sexualized, right is that it is a very sensual dance because it it awakens your senses. However, it was a dance that traditionally was performed only by women, only for women audiences.
00:17:10
Speaker
ah And the the choreography of a traditional belly dance tells the story of womanhood. The first part of the dance represents the childhood maiden phase, and then the middle part of the dance represents coming of age and motherhood. And then the last part of the dance, which I just love, it's the the music, the tempo is very upbeat, and it's a celebration of the mature wise woman.
00:17:41
Speaker
So it is really a beautiful art form that is a celebration and empowerment of woman ah womanhood. And so that's another reason why I think it is a perfect, um sacred practice for those of us in the menopausal phase of life, because it really celebrates who we are as women.
00:18:09
Speaker
I am obsessed. I'm in love with what you just said. I had no idea. I had no idea. First of all, I didn't even have an idea that ballet dancing had choreography. um But what it puts me in mind of is write some of the tribal dancing from the Polynesian cultures that have such deep, beautiful stories and meaning and there is a beginning and there's a middle and there's an end.
00:18:41
Speaker
um which you know we really get to be immersed in, we get to vibrate, we get to um you know feel with our bodies and ah have a dance that is designed for us um and to be able to take us through the story of our own bodies um and and the different faces. Wow, so beautiful, so powerful.
00:19:12
Speaker
I love it and it makes me want to do it, of course. I love it. It makes me want to do it. It makes me feel like everyone should be going, every woman should be going through this dance. Yes. And, you know, I,
00:19:28
Speaker
I see my students go through this process when they first start dancing with me. um And you know this is only one part of what I do, but it's so powerful because I see women come into belly dance and they're not very confident. And you know you you can tell they're not a lot of times really connected with their bodies.
00:19:53
Speaker
And sounds right because it's been sexualized, right? And so for us, it is very uncomfortable. Oh, yes, yes. and And, you know, when I tell women, you know, that I'm a belly dance instructor, a lot of times, you know, they kind of shy away because they're like, Oh, you know, that's, I'm not into that kind of thing. rapid if If they do, you know, have the confidence to come and just see what it's about, you know, they're very hesitant. And and then after a couple of months,
00:20:24
Speaker
you can see that their bodies just move more fluidly, and they're so much more connected, and they're so much more confident, not just in class, but in their lives, because they're connecting with their body. And when you connect with your body, and you're able to use your body um as as's a sacred practice, as like a form of meditation,
00:20:49
Speaker
you become tapped into your inner wisdom, to your in intuition, to your source. who And then that just flows out into every area of your life. And so I just, it's a beautiful process to witness.
00:21:06
Speaker
I just can, I can only just imagine, it just, it just feels so good to my soul. um How beautiful, how powerful. I,
00:21:20
Speaker
Vanessa, I'm so grateful um for your light and your magic in the world. Thank you for what you do and um and for what you bring to the female collective. Really, thank you.
Unique Powers During Menopause
00:21:34
Speaker
I'm really to all collective, right? Because what's better, what what's what's good for us is good for the whole, right? apps The better that the more us that we are, right, the more connected that we are to ourselves, to our true nature, to our true power, the better the whole is. So I'm really eternally grateful for what you do.
00:22:01
Speaker
Well, thank you so much for saying that and that really is why I do what I do because I truly believe that this phase of life is when women can make the biggest impact in the world. Like if you want to make a difference in the world, this is when you have the opportunity to put your most potent magic out there into the world and and make it a better place in your unique way that you can do that. And so I want women feeling really healthy and strong and vibrant through throughout their entire lives, but especially during this phase because it is such a portal into into your authentic power and into the opportunity, the
00:22:54
Speaker
the ability to bring your unique magic into the world? I'm 100% in alignment, 100%. When I do um the Vedic astrology readings, oftentimes we talk about o I'll just say different combinations, right? The burudeti or the rahu, where it's positioned, different positionings. A lot of times we're talking about raw power, we're talking about real true inner power. And where the position is, it doesn't, it's not coming to fruition until this phase of life. And so I think because of the society that we have come up in,
00:23:40
Speaker
We're made to feel like, like you said, like it's late, especially now we're coming into, we're coming to new ideas. We're coming into creative, you know, creative juices are flowing and we want to make a different impact. and We want to do different things and we feel late. We feel, you know, we hear some of the motivational speakers and we're like, oh, you know, 30, 35 is already pushed. It's already late.
00:24:02
Speaker
Right? 335 is always already like, right? And the the magazines, oh, the you know, the top business people under 40, you know, that kind of thing. So we're kind of made to feel like, ah, we're late in life when the truth is, we're not we're right on.
Resources for Navigating Menopause
00:24:19
Speaker
aye
00:24:22
Speaker
So Vanessa, if this, there's a goddess, listening to this episode right now. And they are like, they're feeling, yes, I feel the confirmation. I am right on time. I am coming into my power. I am coming into that. And I want to do it with with grace and with flow and with, you know, divine feminine energy. And I want to do it with, um,
00:24:51
Speaker
you know just the more natural ways. And I think Vanessa is my person. Talk about you know how can they get in touch with you if you have anything coming up. Well, thank you for the opportunity to talk about that. Yes, I um i do have some things coming up that I want to talk about, but um anybody can ah get in contact with me through my website, herbsofgracehealingarts.com.
00:25:16
Speaker
And, um you know, just to email me, I'm happy to talk about what's going on for you and how I might be able to help. And I also and have just written my second book. I wrote my my first book two years ago. On my 52nd birthday, it was launched. And it's meno morphosis, ritual spells and natural remedies for peri, mid, and post-menopausal women. and um And it kind of goes through my whole process. And I love having this resource for women who are not able to work with me personally. They can get the book and go through
00:25:58
Speaker
all of the you know nutritional, herbal, homeopathic, you know all of those strategies and modalities that I use with women, all of the information is in the book. And then I just completed writing a companion piece to go along with that. And it's so new, I don't even have my author copies yet. um They'll be here tomorrow, I hear.
00:26:26
Speaker
um if the tracking is right. And um in two weeks, that book will launch. And it is called the Menamorphosis Playbook. It's kind of a workbook, but I don't want it to feel like work. I want it to feel like play because that is, that's what we do. That's how we can make it more joyful. And it's just, it's um it's a way that women can actually work through the initial book.
00:26:53
Speaker
in ah ah container in a container. I take all of the practices and the exercises and the journaling prompts and i and I've created a ah new space so that women can actually go through everything that's in the book in a way that flows but is also um structured a little bit.
00:27:17
Speaker
um So I'm really excited about having this companion piece to the book. I think it's really going to be helpful for women to actually do the things that are going to help them to feel more vibrant and healthier and be able to to navigate this phase, as you said, with more grace and ease.
00:27:36
Speaker
I think that that is beautiful. It sounds like a beautiful um women's circle tool that I could see coming online for lots of women's circles too um to create that that village feed that village um energy again and hold each other in this space. so Absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing that. i um For the listeners, the link for the book, the link to Contact Vanessa will be in the show notes. And if you are feeling called and this feels and um um in this feels an alignment for you, please reach out to Vanessa and um and connect with the light and connect with your own light and thus making this world a better place.
00:28:29
Speaker
So with that said, Vanessa, thank you so much. Thank you for being here, for sharing your energy, for sharing your light, for sharing your magic, um and just gracing us with your time and what you're doing for the world. Thank you so much. Oh, you're
Taking Action for Empowerment
00:28:45
Speaker
so welcome. And thank you for having me here and for what you do and what you bring to the world.
00:28:54
Speaker
Listen, this is not just for you to listen to. This is for you to take action, change the trajectory of your life and live in your power. If you're liking what's happening here, hit that subscribe button so you do not ever miss a powerful episode and definitely share it with that sister who you know needs this power in their life. if you are not yet living in your power, if you are not yet loving yourself completely and deeply, trusting yourself and using your intuitive tools, knowing undoubtedly who you are and why you are here, being yourself unapologetically, head on over to LatoyaZavala.com. That's LatoyaZavala.com. You don't have to wait until you're ready to unlock your next level. You are ready now.