The Jen Lister Podcast

How to optimise your hormonal cycle, find your superpower & be more productive with Tedx speaker Danielle Howell, The HCO Coach

• Jennie Lister • Season 1 • Episode 25

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Ever wondered how to best support people who have periods, or how to navigate the complexities of your own hormonal cycle? This episode is packed with valuable insights and practical tips for both men and women, as I had the incredible pleasure of chatting with Danielle Howell, a hormone cycle optimisation coach, TEDx speaker, writer, and mumpreneur.

As The Hormonal Cycle Optimisation Coach, Danielle empowers women to achieve consistent clarity, confidence & productivity by aligning with their hormonal cycles.

As well as being a speaker (even a TEDx Speaker) and writer, Danielle is passionate about using various channels to spread the message of unlocking our superpower!

Danielle is growing her business around mumming her 16 month old daughter.

Danielle shares her journey from mindset and personal development coach to becoming a hormone cycle optimisation coach, revealing how she reinvented herself and used her own experiences to help others.

As we dive deep into the world of hormone cycle management, Danielle shares her signature three Cs framework for success – clarity, connection, and control. This powerful approach can help you better understand your motivations, shift your mindset around periods, and deepen your connection with your body. We also discuss how Danielle is bringing her expertise to corporate companies and schools to educate the younger generation on the importance of connecting with their cycles.

But this insightful episode isn't just for people with periods – it's equally valuable for men who want to better support their loved ones. Discover how to navigate the delicate balance of communication in relationships, and learn practical tips like using red and green dots on a shared calendar to indicate when a period is due or when someone is feeling energised. Don't miss this opportunity to expand your understanding and transform your approach to hormone cycle management.

You can find Danielle on Instagram @thehcocoach
Website www.thehcocoach.com

Follow me on social media, it's @jenlistercoaching on Instagram and LinkedIn.

My website is Jenlister.com

Click here to get my 7 mindset steps to starting or scaling your business

Music and production by the amazing Strike Productions

Podcast management by Dean at DBVirtual 

Jen Lister:

So let's not wait any longer to talk about this, because I want to talk about the fact that you are a TED speaker. What is it actually like? Tell me how it feels.

Danielle Howell:

If I'm honest, i can't still believe that I'm actually a TED speaker. This is something I always thought. Just you know really famous people did, and you know people that were absolute experts in their field. So to get that spot as a TED speaker is probably the most proudest moment of my career so far.

Jen Lister:

Hello and welcome to The Jen Lister Podcast. Here I will be chatting about life, business, growth strategies and sharing my personal journeys. Along the way, i will also be interviewing some incredible guests who are experts in their field. See it as my little black book of business. Hello and welcome back to the Jen Lister podcast.

Jen Lister:

I am really excited to have Danielle Howe, who is the hormone cycle optimization coach, as my guest today. So just to give you a bit of an introduction, danielle so I know that you empower women to achieve consistent clarity, confidence and productivity by aligning with their hormonal cycles, which is just incredible. And you are a speaker, and not just a speaker. You are a TEDx speaker. You're a writer, you're passionate about using all the different channels to spread your message of unlocking your superpower in terms of your hormonal cycle. And you're also a mumpreneur, because you're building your business around your lovely 16 month old daughter. That's right. Hello, thank you so much for being here and I'm so excited. I actually obviously got to listen to your TED talk, so I do know a bit about what you do, and I'm just going to say this now This is not just for the women, this is for the men too, because there's so many people in the world isn't there that either support people that are having periods or have periods themselves?

Danielle Howell:

Absolutely, yeah. So, fethi, thank you so much for having me on. It's an absolute pleasure. I always listen to your podcast and it's amazing to actually be a guest and join you. You're absolutely right, this is for everybody. I often have men ask me questions about how do I support people who have periods, because it's a real challenge for me. So, yeah, this is literally for anyone who can just benefit in any way.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, and thank you for saying you're a listener, because I am so grateful for every single one of the people that are listening and you just don't know who they are and I sometimes get these messages saying I love this episode. Thanks for that, and it genuinely makes my day, so thank you for saying that. So why don't we start talking about the men? because I think that is a really undervalued and important topic.

Danielle Howell:

Yeah, absolutely. I think the difference between a man and a woman's cycle is so underestimated and we kind of just assume that men should understand exactly how we're feeling all the way through the month and when they've not been through it themselves and perhaps not had the best education on it either, you know, it's challenging for them to be able to do that throughout the month. So, yeah, i think there's a whole gap in terms of educating men on how to support women throughout the whole month in different ways.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, absolutely, and I can definitely talk from my own experience in the sense that I definitely feel that just before I have my period, i am in such a different headspace. I feel more sensitive, i feel more emotional, i feel like I can't take this is what my husband says I can't take his jokes in that period of time. I just can't take the jokes that I can take throughout the rest of the month And he probably feels like he's treading on eggshells a little bit. So what can men actually do on a practical level to support their partners, would you?

Danielle Howell:

say Yeah, eggshells is a word that comes up a lot. I think the massive thing is communication, and this kind of comes back to the whole topic of periods. We really do struggle with talking about it generally, so to talk about it in a relationship can be really challenging. I mean, there's relationship and then there's also a different kind of relationship where perhaps you're a parent of a daughter who's got periods and you can't have that conversation either, or perhaps a colleague where it might be a little bit challenging or awkward.

Danielle Howell:

So I think communication is a huge part and that doesn't have to necessarily be sitting down having a real deep and meaningful conversation. It can just be look, this is going to be where I'm feeling XYZ. Maybe I need a little bit more support. Maybe I just need you to be a little bit more patient with me and maybe actually not just looking at the tough times but telling them that this week I'm actually going to be full of energy and bouncing off the wall. So be prepared for that as well. So having these conversations is just so critical and some people do it in different ways. Some people put like a little red dot on a calendar if they've got a shared calendar, just to let people know, or a green dot at the other end of the scale, or just different keys that people can understand between them so they don't have to have this conversation every single month. It's something that the men can be prepared for as well and just have that visibility.

Jen Lister:

Yes, i always have it on my online calendar, but I try and put it on ours as well, and it's quite funny because normally it happens the other way around. My husband can actually project because of my mood before he's actually even looked to the calendar. I'm like damn it, you know, because you know that I'm acting differently and I can't even tell.

Danielle Howell:

Yeah, absolutely.

Jen Lister:

He recognizes it first.

Danielle Howell:

That's so common. I experience exactly the same thing with my other half. He knows, and that's the thing. If they can tune in to you, then that's just a bonus for you and makes it so much easier.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, and the other thing that I say which I do have to say it every time because it's easy to forget these things It's like I do need some more help around the house. Not that we don't both do stuff around the house, but I just need to rest more. I think I just feel so knackered at that time of the month as well, and I can't be doing the same level of social activities. I need to be reminded to say no to stuff more. and, yeah, just try and clear my diary a little bit.

Danielle Howell:

This is kind of the whole principle of what I do with my clients is looking how we can put into place proper strategies, practical tools to actually help you to do that in advance, rather than being reactive, trying to be a bit more proactive.

Danielle Howell:

And once you have that, you're able to be empowered to actually make those decisions. And the more you practice doing that as well, it does become easier. It's not always easy to say no to things when you know at the time someone's asking you to go and have a party or go out for a girls night, you're like, yeah, that sounds amazing, but when it comes to that day you just might not have the right energy, you might not be feeling it at all, and then you only have to say no then as well. And it's harder then because you're feeling then probably a little bit guilty. You know you feel like you should be doing something and there's pressure. So to be able to actually just plan it in advance and make that call when you're in the right headspace means you can go out and enjoy the nights when you're feeling like you really should be doing that.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, definitely, and I think we always feel that social pressure, don't we, of saying yes to everything. But actually, even if we have said yes, sometimes it's okay to go around and say no if we've got a situation, we've got our periods come early or something like that, and we're just just not feeling it Absolutely.

Danielle Howell:

And a couple of years ago, i set myself a mantra and it changed my whole year, if I'm honest, and it was me first and then make it happen Oh, i love that. In fact, when I first wrote it down, i thought this sounds a bit selfish. I feel a bit guilty about saying this, but at that time I was putting other people before me and I was focused on just helping other people in different ways and it was impacting me and I felt actually I do need to focus on me because I'm not progressing and things that I want to be doing. This was actually when I first started learning about coaching and started to qualify as a coach and it was part of the training. so I set this mantra and I'm not joking, it literally changed my whole year.

Danielle Howell:

It's that whole analogy, isn't it, of the lifejacket on the plane. You know you've got to put yours on first before you help anyone else. So it's so cliche, i know, but it honestly has made a massive difference to me and I do still now. Even though it's not my mantra, i do still have it pop up in my head and think no, you do you and then make things happen and you will then be able to help other people in so many different ways, and it's powerful when you can do that.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, and I think that pressure comes even more when you're a parent. Putting yourself first is you're so often putting your child first, or your partner first, or family or friends or whatever it is, and you, you look after yourself last for some reason. But i love that. I need to use this.

Danielle Howell:

Yeah, absolutely.

Jen Lister:

I've had to remind myself much more of this mantra since having my daughter, i have to say yes, so tell me how, tell everyone listening how you got into being and coming up with a name even of the hormone cycle of optimization coach. and i know you shortened it to the mouth to hco coach on instagram I am in your branding now because it is a bit of a mouthful, but it is so important to get those words in there.

Danielle Howell:

It's really hard, isn't it? coming up with business names and i know i've spoken to so many people on their journey to entrepreneurial world where coming up with business names really challenging. I know you got to have a new.

Jen Lister:

So original. You can see how creative i am but you know what the thing is.

Danielle Howell:

Your branding is you and people buy from you because they love you and the energy that you have and all that. So i decided to go with something that wasn't me. But it is really hard to get across to people what is you doing and how you can help people. So i went through a million different names. So i actually started out as a mindset and personal development coach once i qualified. That's where i started out And this was at the start of coven. I decided to become a coach and that's where i wanted to be and i had a lot of Fitness background as well. So people always just thought i was a pt, without even asking. That is what they thought. So it took a bit of work for me to really educate people around me on what coaching really was. And i worked with people and i loved it. I loved what i did.

Danielle Howell:

Coming from corporate world into this. It was quite a shift and i really was so happy i made the right decision. But one of the things i felt coming up all of the time all of the people i was working with We're talking about hormones in one way or another and it was maybe they hadn't done the actions for the week that we'd set. They, you know, just didn't even show up sometimes for sessions because they just didn't feel like it. A number of things were coming up and i thought there's something here, because people are struggling with just managing their life around their cycle, and i started tracking my own cycles probably about four years ago, and i know the difference that made my own life and i thought i can help more people here By focusing on this specifically.

Danielle Howell:

So i've been doing the coaching and i was actually maternity leave at the time having my daughter, and it's quite good sometimes, isn't it just to step back And do it more retrospective, looking at, yeah, what's working and what's not. And i was doing that whole process and just had this light bulb moment where i just thought this is it, this is what i have been put on this to do, and so, yeah, i decided that was it. I was going to come up with this name. So my original company name is actually new veda and that also took a long time to come up with. But that means new life And it's not too dissimilar. But i had so many people asking me new leader, what does that even mean, how do you even say it? because it's spelt quite funky, as well as a Spanish version. So yeah, honestly, business name most challenging decision of opening business.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, and also, how was it reinventing yourself? because if you were known to be the pt and then you wanted to be known as mindset Coach, but then you want to be known as the hormone coach, like it's how you found that, because it's quite difficult thing sometimes to put yourself out there and say i'm not that anymore, i'm now this.

Danielle Howell:

how did you navigate that? Yeah, if i'm honest, that stopped me from making those changes a number of times. yeah, because you do. You think are people going to Question whether i really know i'm doing. I don't want to be seen from the outside is someone who just keeps changing the mind and what they're doing? yeah, i think it is very much a mindset thing of You know, by doing this i can help more people and i can channel my messaging to the right people. So somebody's looking at my instagram, they can see really specifically how i can help them and if that resonates with them, then they're gonna say you know what? actually, let's work together, cuz this can be amazing. Why the thing before personal development? it's still great, but it's quite vague. Sometimes people didn't really appreciate what i was actually doing and what i can help them with.

Jen Lister:

Did you have like a trigger point? cuz i feel like, what's the people i know? you've got corporate background as well. it's a massive shift to go from corporate to being an entrepreneur. what was that thing that triggered you? was there something in particular? was it Family? or yeah, what was that journey like for you? cuz i really want to inspire others by sharing these moments, cuz i feel like there are people in corporate still that want to do that, want to shift.

Danielle Howell:

Absolutely. If i go back to pre covid, i do remember being on a corporate Christmas lunch with my team and there was one particular guy talking to me and he was talking about stuff that i was doing in my personal life, like I used to be a triathlete and did i'm and wow, all sorts things like that and i remember him saying to me you're so inspirational, motivational, that you should be doing something like this for a job. And i just thought, yeah, okay, maybe you're right, but am i gonna make that leap? probably not right now. At the time i was, i was actually a contractor and i would go into law firms and professional services firms and i would advise on business change management. So There probably was an element of coaching, but it was in a different environment. If i'm on this, i was one of these pandemic moments Where the pandemic came and i was actually out of contract at that time and i was volunteering with a triathlon coaching company in New Yorker.

Danielle Howell:

I was living the life. I was cycling every day in the sunshine and meeting some amazing people on that journey and it was just unreal. But when the pandemic hit, we had to come home and i was obviously out of work and getting work at that time was challenging and i just had that moment where you just sit and think what do i really want to be doing here, what skills do i have i can help people with? And i came across coaching somehow, just looking on the internet, and thought, yeah, i love this, this is for me. So i spent a lot of time during coven just training, learning and qualifying as a health and a life coach And just decided you know, if i can't get corporate work, then why don't i just give this a shot?

Danielle Howell:

i've got nothing to lose right now, and that did, to be honest, make that decision a little bit easier for me. Whether i would have made that decision if i hadn't had the pandemic is a big question. I'm, if i'm honest, i'm not sure i would have done. Yeah. I'm really grateful to the pandemic for giving me this push that i really needed.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, absolutely, and i love that you are doing the volunteering before, because i kind of feel like When you dig deep into, like the things you're passionate about and you surround yourself by, that does give you a bit more headspace to think about the next day.

Danielle Howell:

So maybe that was a stepping stone to your Journey to absolutely, and i was very fortunate that i was able to do that as a contractor i could go into businesses, work for a year, two years and then take time out when i needed to. So grateful for all of these opportunities i've had throughout my life. I've just grabbed and taken and gone with it until the next thing yeah, absolutely so.

Jen Lister:

Let's not wait any longer to talk about this, because i want to talk about the fact that you are a Ted speaker. What is it actually like?

Danielle Howell:

tell me how it feels if i'm honest, i can still believe that i'm actually a Ted speaker. This is something i always thought just in a really famous people did, and you know people that were absolute experts in their field. So to get that spot as a Ted speaker probably the most proudest moment of my career so far. I do keep forgetting to shout about it so much. I joined a group the other day and i was introducing myself and i didn't mention that and someone else jumped in and said and by the way, she's a Ted speaker. You're not getting away without saying that i shouldn't. Really, it's just something that happened and it was amazing experience and i learned so much about myself on that journey of becoming a Ted speaker.

Danielle Howell:

The biggest learning for me was actually just putting yourself into those opportunities. The fact to me becoming an entrepreneur i wasn't aware of how much power there was in networking And the fact of actually the opportunity of this Ted spot came up because somebody that i knew within the business world had Mentioned it to me and said this would be perfect for you, otherwise i would never have known about it and i probably wouldn't have just gone and hunted for it myself. So that's the first thing. And then for me taking the opportunity and just thinking, yeah, i'm gonna apply, didn't even think i'd get a spot, and then to go through the interview process and actually get that spot and say, yes, we really want you, it was massive for me. It really helped me to believe that people out there want to listen to me and what i've got to say and The message i'm trying to deliver is so powerful that the stage is there for that kind of thing, which is amazing yeah, and i must say that, what number one.

Jen Lister:

You are absolutely an expert. You can't look at experts. You've got so many qualifications. I have seen your list. You absolutely are an expert. And also i always use Ted when i'm working with my clients, when i do vision and mission work with them, and i know their mission statement by heart because it is literally spread ideas. That is the mission statement and The work you do is absolutely something that needs to be spread. It is a newer concept. You should be so proud of the fact that you are helping them on their mission to spread those ideas. Yeah, thank you, i'll take that And i'm guessing you're doing some more speaking stuff off the back of the Ted speaking yeah, it's been great actually as a platform for me to be able to leverage that in other work that i'm doing.

Danielle Howell:

I'm doing some work with Corporate companies are back in corporate, but slightly different. I can relate to the experience i've had working in corporate world to be able to share how people in that world can actually leverage Their hormonal cycles to become more effective in the workplace, but also, as you said at the start of this, not just for people who are having periods, but for other people in how they can support those in the workplace with having their periods and having their fluctuations of emotional, mental and physical experiences. I'm also doing a little bit of work in some schools, which is amazing and for me, that really gets me because something I always wanted to do was to give back and to be able to educate the younger generations on this whole new concept. It's so powerful for me to give them the opportunity to start connecting with their cycles as early as possible, give them the best chance to be able to unlock that superpower from as early as possible, and that's just amazing for me.

Jen Lister:

Wow, that is incredible. I think working with that upcoming generation is so rewarding and it's so important, isn't it? Absolutely? So tell me about your. I know you've got a signature framework and I want to talk about that, so talk to me a bit about it.

Danielle Howell:

Okay, yes, so I have a new signature framework called the 3Cs, and this is basically a success framework for people to start from scratch, from no tracking of their cycle whatsoever to getting to the point where they are totally aligned and they are optimizing their cycle in every part of their life. So the 3Cs are clarity and this is about understanding your motivation. First of all, why is it that you actually want to connect with your body? What is that going to give you? What is that going to change in your life? Looking at mindset we have a lot of beliefs and sometimes cultural influences about how we think about periods and how we talk about periods. So being able to unlock some of those beliefs and sometimes being able to do some mindset shifting is very powerful in helping people to move forward in their journey. And then, looking at data, so starting to actually track cycles. This can be done in so many ways and it's connecting getting those messages that your body is sending to you to really understand what's going on inside. So that's clarity. Then we move on to connection, and this goes deeper than the data itself. This goes into how do you connect with your body. There are even deeper signals that your body is sending you and how do you become aware of those, how do you observe those and how do you appreciate them? How do you actually really connect with that?

Danielle Howell:

Then the last one is control, and this is about putting those systems in place for you to actually regain control of your cycle rather than it controlling you. So this is the part that really makes a difference and makes that transformation from A to B. Within control, there's also that commitment to consistently following the process, because this is not something that's going to change overnight. This is something that needs you to commit and to trust that that process is going to work out for you and transform you over time. And the last point on control is to refine, because you may be putting something into place which actually isn't working 100% for you, because, at the end of the day, everyone's cycle is somewhat different to each other's. So, whilst you might try something that works for me, you might find, jen, that actually that doesn't work for you. So it's about revisiting, going back through that cycle and refining it every single time. Every single cycle is another opportunity to refine and you just keep going and you just keep optimizing that cycle all the way through.

Jen Lister:

I literally love that. You just said that, because I've just written down, as you were talking, try again each month. And I think I was about to say isn't it beautiful that we get to try again each month? I knew that you already said it.

Danielle Howell:

So yeah, i think we have something like 450 periods in our lifetime, so that's 450 opportunities to optimize that cycle and be the best person that you can be.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, that is a beautiful thing, isn't it? So there's an obvious answer to this next question, which is who would benefit from this work, and I'm guessing it's anybody that has a period. But is there any more specific things you can give us in terms of who you're working with and who you want to be working with?

Danielle Howell:

Yeah, so obviously, for I'm going to say menstruators, which is the kind of more formal word for people who have periods, because it's important to bear in mind that that's not always women. We do have people who identify as transgender, who perhaps are having that cycle, but they're not identifying as a woman, and that's really important as part of an awareness piece, because we don't want to make assumptions And, if I'm honest, i talk about women a lot and that's purely because, actually, the majority of people I do work with are women. So I'm very conscious of trying not to exclude anybody and be as inclusive as possible. But, yeah, the opportunity for anybody to learn about this, to be able to just support people better, whether it is your partner, whether it's your children, your friends, your colleagues there is opportunity for everybody to learn in different ways.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, absolutely, and what would you say? so someone that goes through your, goes through the experience of working with you or goes through your program, whatever you want to call it, what are they going to? how are they going to feel at the end? What are they going to get out of it Like? what's the transformation that you've seen from your clients?

Danielle Howell:

So a great way to describe it and I think I said this in my TED Talk actually is, if you're not living in alignment with your cycle, it's like swimming against the tide. So you are putting in so much effort, you're really trying, you've got the best intentions and you're doing so much, but you're just not getting anywhere. That's heartbreaking sometimes because it can really mess with your mind in terms of your confidence and your ability to push yourself forward and take those opportunities that come at you. Instead, if you are aligned with your cycle, it's just literally like you're swimming with the tide.

Danielle Howell:

So what you'll be doing is each phase of your cycle is doing the right things, and that can be down to how you eat, how you exercise, how you manage your to-do list, your social calendar. It can literally be every single aspect of your life, and once you start making all of these changes, everything just feels so much easier. You don't have that time where you sit down to do a piece of work and you're just procrastinating and you're thinking, oh my God, i can't do this. This is not right for me. You just sit down and you're like this is what I'm doing today, because this is exactly what I should be doing today. My mind is ready for it, my body feels ready for it and I know I'm going to be productive when I do it. And that is just so powerful.

Jen Lister:

Definitely. And how would you advise someone? Because I know you and I have both been in the corporate world for a period of time. You go to work and you're not in the right headspace. you've got the feelings of maybe imposter syndrome. you're not feeling like the vibes of what you've got to do, whether it's a presentation And, yeah, you're on your period or you're due on your period. How do you manage that? Is there a way that you can advise people? because I feel like whether it's people getting headaches, whether it's their feeling more stressed, not sleeping as well, whatever it is, we have to try and push through. we feel like I know I did when I worked in corporate. Is there any advice you'd give someone that was struggling with that on a monthly basis?

Danielle Howell:

Yeah, it's a really good point actually, because sometimes there are things that are put into the diary on a date when just doesn't work for us, but we still have to do it. Particularly if you are in corporate, if you're an entrepreneur, you've got a little bit more control over it. So it's interesting because actually, what you are doing in the phase before the one that you're talking about is where it's critical. Yeah, so the more you can prepare for this kind of thing to happen and actually look at what you can control outside of that thing that you can't control, you have the opportunity to try and improve how you're presenting yourself at that presentation or that event, whatever it might be. Yeah, so there's definitely things.

Danielle Howell:

Eating the right foods at the right time is quite critical and helping you to be able to sleep better and to be calmer. And if you're doing the right exercise, so it's say it's your period. let's not go to the gym that morning and go and spike your cortisol levels by going and doing a HIIT workout. Instead, go and do a yoga workout just to try and relax your body, bring it into a calm state where it feels it's safe and it's not going to go into that fight or flight mode, it's going to think I'm safe, this is okay, i can control this. Then you're doing all of these little things that can help you to just make those changes without still being in control of that. Unfortunately, that piece that you can't control.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, and I can definitely relate to that, because we normally do a park run on a Saturday and I know when I'm due on. I really want to do the park run still, but I know that I shouldn't because I get menstrual migraines days before my period. I'm more susceptible to getting those migraines and if I go for a run and I sweat loads and I'm really dehydrated, i just can't get myself back to hydrated state again and I end up with a migraine which wipes me out. And I think what you said makes a lot of sense.

Danielle Howell:

So I would say, you know, still do the park run because they can be so enjoyable, but maybe walk it And maybe you know, when you head to the back of a park run, there's a lot of motivation that can be found at the back of a park run People who have been through all sorts of journeys and who are struggling and that for them, is a massive achievement to go and walk with somebody and just talk to them. Firstly, you could meet amazing people and you can also help motivate them to keep going and maybe distract them from thinking about what they're trying to do and actually get them to finish that line, And that will make you feel so much better. And you're still doing exercise. But yeah, you're just doing the right thing at the right time.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, that's so true, i need to get back into my park runs because I've slept a little bit recently, so do.

Danielle Howell:

I The sun's coming. It's always easier, it is.

Jen Lister:

It should be. So you've kind of alluded to those phases a little bit, and I don't think I've come across anything quite so powerful as the four phases and how it's described in the work that you do. So please tell us, because I think it might just give light bulb moments to a few people that haven't heard of it before.

Danielle Howell:

Yes. So a really good way of looking at it is if you think about the four seasons of the year, rather than talking about the sciencey jargon that you can be presented with sometimes. So if you think about let's start with winter and that's your period time, ok. So if you think in winter it's a bit cold, you want to wrap up cosy and warm and eat some comfort food and watch a movie. It's no different when you have your period. So at that time you might feel lethargic, you might have a low mood and you might feel a bit emotional, a bit more emotional than usual.

Danielle Howell:

So I work with three different areas in the work that I do with people, and it's eat, move and do So. If you were to look at what to eat, it would be iron to replenish the iron that you're losing through your period. Look at eating healthy fats and you're going to love this one dark chocolate. I say to people you know, stick away from the chocolate because you know the sugary content and it's not great at that time, even though it's what you're maybe craving. But dark chocolate actually has lots of anti-inflammatories in it. So when you're feeling bloated it can really help with removing that. I genuinely have had dark chocolate every single day for probably years now and I absolutely love it. And if you're not a dark chocolate eater, just try and gradually go to dark chocolate, gradually get the percentage higher and higher. And now, if I ever eat normal chocolate, i'm like, oh my God, that's so sugary.

Jen Lister:

And it can be done.

Danielle Howell:

But, yeah, dark chocolate. Tell me your brand of chocolate that you would choose. Am I allowed to mention particular supermarkets in this? Of course you are. It's not really a one, so I would actually just go for the. I go for the. Is it Sainsbury's or Tesco, i can't remember, but they literally have their own brand. But 90% chocolate, 90%, wow, yeah, i'm going to say 100% for me is just that little bit too much. You've got to enjoy it. There's no point doing something so drastic. You really don't enjoy it And the fact that I get to eat chocolate every day for me feels amazing. So, 90%, just their own brand, and I've tried lots of different ones. For me, i just go for the. You know it's slightly cheaper And I don't feel the need to spend more on brands that to me don't taste any better.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, no, absolutely. I definitely like a 70% dark chocolate. But yeah, maybe I need to try and up my game a bit.

Danielle Howell:

Oh, you said you're already on the journey. That's good.

Jen Lister:

My husband goes to the corner shop and he buys me a big, buy a galaxy. I'm like, oh, i'm such a psycho for a galaxy.

Danielle Howell:

I have to say I used to love a galaxy, but I don't think I can handle it now. When it's Christmas and you have the celebrations tin, i find that, yeah, it gives me a headache actually now if I have too much of that.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, that makes sense. That's a good thing It is.

Danielle Howell:

It is A keeping hydrated is really important as well. Just to again think about bloating, it helps you to to keep that blow down. So, moving I would recommend really low impact cardio, i said earlier yoga, pilates, things that aren't going to spike your cortisol, to keep you feeling nice and calm, breathing, and a bit of mind fullness as well in that. And then in terms of what you're actually doing, if you think about easy tick list tasks, things you can do with your eyes closed, so you haven't got to use too much brain power, but it's a really good time for reflection, you actually have a power at that time of having a heightened sense of intuition. So if you can sit and do some reflection and look back at your previous cycle, look at what went well, what didn't go so well, what do you maybe want to do differently this month, this is when you can set those goals And when you're hiring energy. Later on, further down the month, you'll be in the right place to just get that stuff done. You haven't got to think about it. So then you go into spring And so you know, in spring the sun starts to shine and your energy rises And it's exactly the same. So your estrogen levels are rising and you're going to feel more energetic. So a bit more positive, motivated kind of thing. For, in terms of eating, highly recommend protein and more of those healthy fats. I'm going to say healthy fats, if anyone doesn't know, that's salmon, avocados, nuts and seeds. There's loads of information on there. And then, in terms of moving high intensity, this is where you are probably going to start getting towards PBs. If you're doing lifting of weights or if you're doing running, if you want to get that park run PB, this is the time to head down there and focus on that. You'll have the right mindset, first of all, to go and attack it in the right way, but physically, your body will also be able to respond to that push In terms of what you do at that time. This is when you can start focusing on tougher tasks.

Danielle Howell:

I'm always really I just have loads of ideas at this time of the month And I want to start new project. In fact, I want to start about 10 new projects. I have to contain myself, but I want to research new ideas and learn new skills, and that's when I'm open to doing that. Then you go into summer And that's when you are really late. So in my TED talk I gave an analogy of like a bird, which you see on David Attenborough shows And it's ready for mating. So it kind of puffs itself up and does this dance And that's how you're going to feel. You're going to feel confident and capable In terms of eating. Eat lots of fiber at this time And, again, keep hydrated. Some people bloat at this time as opposed to their period, or sometimes both. So, again, trying to keep that bloating down, it just helps us to feel better if we're not bloated all the time.

Danielle Howell:

In terms of moving, do things that are fun. Maybe do dance classes or just something different. If you want to try something different, something that you're going to really enjoy, maybe you could do a group class at this time rather than going to the gym on your own, because you'll just feel more open to having a bit of fun with other people If you are in the gym. Strength work and high intensity is also going to be good for you at this time If you're to focus on something you do group work, collaboration, working with other people. I know exactly without even tracking now, i know exactly when I'm on my relation, because I reach out to loads of people and I want to do stuff. But if you can preempt that and get those meetings in your diary before it happens, then that's perfect because you know you're going to be open to doing that work at that time. But just have fun.

Danielle Howell:

This is the fun phase. It's also a phase to have some tough conversations. So what often happens when you have your period, you have that intuition and you see something coming and you think I'm not happy about it. Maybe I need to talk to somebody about it, but it's probably not the right time to have that conversation because you're a bit more emotional. So if you can put that conversation to one side and come back to it when you're relating, you will be able to speak more eloquently. You'll be able to think clearer and get your message across, probably without offending the other person like you would have maybe done a couple of weeks ago. It's a really good time to just have those difficult conversations.

Jen Lister:

So this is time when you'd be thriving by speaking, doing speaking events and all things like that. Put yourself out there more doing video content on your social media and stuff like that.

Danielle Howell:

Absolutely. I mean social media creation. I've got a whole framework around that that work with clients on. Because if you're an entrepreneur and you're doing that and you often go to create content and you think I'm just rubbish, i can't do this, and you go down that whole route of imposter syndrome And then another week you're on it and then you're posting like 10 times a day but your clients are seeing that massive fluctuation and it just doesn't come across consistent. So if you can actually focus on planning at the right time and then going in and creating written content at a time, video content at a time and that reflection and analysis, that's massively game changing for you in your Instagram or whatever social media platforms you're using.

Danielle Howell:

And then finally, you go into your autumn. So your energy levels are going to drop And this is where you got to be realistic. You are going to start to feel a bit more introverted. You are probably going to be self critical, probably going to be a bit moody. So this is where having that awareness as to why something is happening is powerful, because you just accept this is what it is at this time And you can then deal with it rather than thinking oh my God, why am I feeling like this? So, in terms of eating, you actually do need to eat more carbs at this time. Your body needs about 300 extra calories at this time to prepare for what it's about to do.

Jen Lister:

Oh, I did not know that. That's interesting.

Danielle Howell:

And when I say 300 calories, don't go and think you can eat loads of donuts. You know healthy foods, but you do need carbs. So people who go on low carb diets probably struggle with this, and if they eat anything sugary they're just going to do a massive spike. The hormones are going to spike like a roller coaster. So you'll have a massive short term hit of energy and feel amazing, but you'll only drop in about 20 minutes. So try and balance that and eat just a little bit more regularly. Grazing at this time is good And then in terms of moving strength work is still quite good, but don't expect you're going to hit PBs. Something like hiking or some light cardio is good. Hiking is quite good at this time because you want to be a bit more on your own as opposed to a group class in the gym. You want to go and get some fresh air and see some amazing scenery and it will help you to be in the right headspace.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, kind of like surround yourself with nature, kind of thing.

Danielle Howell:

Absolutely. Nature is so powerful, isn't it? In many different ways and it can just help you to ground yourself and bring yourself back to a place of safety and comfort. And then, finally, in terms of what you do in that phase, this is not I repeat, not the time to go and do a new project or a launch. If you're thinking about running a launch of a new product, not the time, because you're just not going to feel energetic enough to do yourself justice.

Danielle Howell:

I would, at this time, just focus on stuff you can do by yourself. Lock yourself away in somewhere comfortable on the sofa or even in bed sometimes, however flexible you can be get yourself into that comfortable space and again doing stuff. That's sort of repetitive and easy tasks you don't have to think too much about. And what I certainly experience is that, as I'm coming to the end of that cycle, i'm looking back at my to-do list for that month and I'm ticking off the things that have been on there all month, because you're physically coming to the end of the cycle, so you're physically feeling like bringing everything to an end, closing it all down, ready to start again.

Jen Lister:

I love that. I've literally written so many notes. That's so helpful. And I think if anyone is listening, when anyone's listening just kind of listening to that again, even maybe in and pausing it throughout and just reflecting on their own cycle and thinking what does that mean for me? What can I do differently next time?

Danielle Howell:

I think it's really important to mention that this is a typical template of a cycle, and what I've seen with working with different people is that, yes, the majority of people are aligned to this, but that actually sometimes people are actually very different to how the typical template looks. So the critical thing here is about connecting with yourself, but being aware of what the different possibilities are throughout the month and starting to work out for you when you do feel most creative, when you do feel most confident, and once you get your own template, you're then able to plan around that.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, no, definitely. That's such a good point, because not everyone is that 28 day cycle, are they Some people? and also sometimes it changes from month to month, which must make it hard to kind of adapt.

Danielle Howell:

Absolutely. I certainly noticed that after having my daughter, when obviously I didn't have periods for a while. It took a good six months for me to get back into a routine and I track my temperature every morning so I can know when I'm ovulating. And that day shifted quite a lot in those first six months where obviously my body was just getting back into a cycle. So it's about connecting with your own body to understand what is going on inside for you.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, absolutely, and that is just all of that information you've just given us is so, so valuable, so thank you for sharing all of that Pleasure. So we just talked about having a baby and that kind of stuff. You just mentioned that, so it's a good time to ask you about the boundaries. So I just wanted to understand, from your perspective, what is your view when it comes to juggling everything that's going on, like the career, the family life, your business, whatever it is that's going on at home. Have you got any tips or ideas for people?

Danielle Howell:

Juggling is a tough one And if it was easy, we would all be doing it and not even talking about it. Right, my view of it is it is 100% critical for you to have some boundaries in place for you to be successful at anything, and this can come down to such simple things. But obviously I see it where people are trying to implement cycle alignment into their life And sometimes people do struggle with setting that boundary, saying no to things. We talked a bit about that earlier. You're saying no is hard.

Danielle Howell:

I always work on the assumption Whatever you're saying no to, you're saying yes to something else. And it's often flipped the other way around what you say yes to, you say no to something else. But actually, yeah, what do you want to be doing? and really comes back to that clarity piece I talked about in my framework Why? Why do you want to be doing something? What is that going to mean for you in the future? What is that going to do for you in the future? And I have lots of. I talk about them as anchors, so different things, prompts that are around my house or in my world, so on my phone, or different sometimes it's a song that could be on a playlist different ways in which I can remind myself of what that goal is And it keeps me on track to have that confidence, to keep those boundaries.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, it's literally as if you've got my notes in front of you, because my next question was going to be about goals for the future. Sometimes I have been peaking Such a good segue, thanks. So, with that in mind, where do you like? what are those goals for you? Where do you see yourself in, say, three years time? Have you thought that far ahead? If you haven't, please don't worry. But yeah, i just love for you to share with people that listening someone that's a writer, an entrepreneur, now a TED speaker Like where do you go from here? What's the next thing?

Danielle Howell:

So if you were to ask me that when I was in my spring phase, i would probably tell you a million things, because I had so many ideas. How long have we got? I have so many ideas, and this is the thing with something that's quite new.

Danielle Howell:

I've got all these different directions that I could take this business in, and just being able to listen to a bit of your advice and focus on my strategy is really quite critical for me Because, as I said, i want to keep starting all these new projects. I've got to make sure I finish them as well. But I think, in terms of kind of my identity, how do I want to be seen in those few years? I really want to be seen as somebody recognised as making a real difference in empowering other women.

Jen Lister:

Yes, I love that. That sounds like you just nailed your vision statement Right.

Danielle Howell:

This is where I want to be In order to do that. There's a lot of things on my radar, so I haven't yet launched my group program and I definitely want to do that so that I can just firstly, help more people at any one time, But also I love seeing women empower other women.

Danielle Howell:

And so for me, creating a community is something I really want to do quite soon.

Danielle Howell:

I love to see that we all have different experiences and I can obviously talk about mine, but to be able to see women helping each other through some of their challenges and being able to give each other tips on how they've optimised their own cycle is great, because it also just gives us all ideas and how to do that better. I love that We've talked a bit about men and people who don't have periods, and I really want to do more work on that as well. Honestly, i can't tell you the number of times that I've had people say to me Oh, do you do a course? from where the half? because it would be really helpful. And obviously, when I go into corporate organisations, i do talk to both men and women and all sorts of people who can relate in different ways. So I absolutely do want to do something for the men out there, just to give them the education, but not in a sciencey way, in a real practical way. That's something that they can actually relate to, with tips and tools that they can actually use and take forward.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, and make everyone's lives happier. Ultimately, because it should, it should genuinely help.

Danielle Howell:

Absolutely. This is something that we just kind of put up with and we have put up with for so long And it does cause I mean, sometimes it can cause serious issues in relationships. You know, people can actually break up once a month because they literally can't live with each other. Yeah, and you know, drastic as it may sound, perhaps there's actually something there in that these people should not be together on certain days of the month to avoid that happening. I mean, that's quite drastic, obviously, but it's working out what's right for you as a couple, for you to be able to get through this and for you to have the best possible relationship that you can.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, such an important and interesting point. So, yeah, i think maybe it should be that both the male and the female, or whoever is in the relationship, come together and it's a bit of therapy, isn't it? I don't want to be a marriage counselor.

Danielle Howell:

But absolutely Yeah, and I've already wrote to my other half to do some of this stuff, because I think men can relate better to men and if he can come and share some of his experiences and some of the tips that we've put in place, then I think they'll be able to take that a bit better from him than they would from me as well.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, absolutely. If you want another volunteer, i'm sure I can drag my husband. Okay, so we're going to wrap up now. I'm really conscious of your time as well, so, before we do, i'd love you just to share with us your if you can, somehow to steal all this amazing information down into three top tips for our listeners.

Danielle Howell:

That's a real challenge, isn't it? Yes, okay. So obviously, i think number one has to be start tracking your cycle. Yeah, yeah, you can't do any of this stuff without tracking your cycle, and I do mean more than just knowing when your period is. I do have a lot of people that say, yeah, i track my cycle, i know exactly where my period is, and I said, you know when you are relating, and they say, no, i have no idea. It's deeper than just that. So I do actually have a guide that breaks it down and makes it really simple. If people want one I don't know, maybe they DM me with the word J en Lister to podcast and then I can share it with them.

Danielle Howell:

But I'm talking about taking your temperature every morning before you even get out of bed. It makes a difference. When you get out of bed, you shift your body position, you shift your surroundings and the environment can make a change to your temperature. So literally building that into your routine before you even get out of bed is the first thing. There's other things you can look at as well. I'm going to say it It's cervical mucus. It's a horrible word And I wish there was a better word for that. Basically, you know the fluid that does come out and you might see in your knickers or you might see it when you wipe. That is a massive signal to tell us what's going on inside And, honestly, i'd never even realized any of this until I started tracking. I just ignored it, but it's giving you some massive intelligence as to what's going on. So once you start to understand what that should look like, that can really help.

Danielle Howell:

And journaling daily And I'm talking about all of this takes what? five minutes a day, every day And once you start to get that data, that then leads on to so much. So that's going to be number one start tracking the cycle. Wow, yep, got it. Number one. Number two, i think, has to be to start talking about periods. Yeah, it's a massive taboo still. Obviously, i'm quite comfortable talking about it because that's what I do every day And I know some people find it more challenging, absolutely. So you have to start somewhere and I would say, start small, you know. Start bringing those conversations. Perhaps we talked earlier about your relationships. Or if you've got children, you know, start having conversations with them. Again, the earlier we can bring them up with that open discussion, the better.

Jen Lister:

Yeah.

Danielle Howell:

And maybe in the workplace, start talking about it. Just try it once. And if you try it once and it goes horrifically wrong, then tell me because something needs to change there. But I promise you you talk about it once and I'm sure that nothing bad is going to happen. Yeah, And the more you practice talking about it, the easier it will get And the more we can open up this whole discussion and allow people to just feel more comfortable talking about it generally.

Jen Lister:

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, my three year old daughter has definitely found my moon cup and the odd tampon here and there And she's like what's this, mummy? Yeah, and she starts playing with it and I'm like, yeah, i do tell her, i genuinely do tell her whether she takes on board. And obviously there's many more conversations to be had down the line, but yeah, I think you're right.

Danielle Howell:

Talking about it is good. Yeah, my daughter likes to use my and towels as cleaning products, so she wipes the floor with. You're like oh god, she's cleaning. I'm not going to tell her to stop. Yeah, exactly, it's fine.

Jen Lister:

You do that Brilliant. So we've got tracking and talking. What's your number three? Have you got the three T's as well?

Danielle Howell:

Oh, three C's and the three T's. Yes, I'm going to find a three T's. So tiny changes. Oh, I love it.

Jen Lister:

I love it. So this we've just done this live on the podcast. right, you've got to use this, yeah honestly, that really wasn't prepared.

Danielle Howell:

There is a phrase that really sticks with me in a lot of stuff that I do, and it's small hinges swing big doors. Oh, i love that. So we often think about making massive, significant changes in our lives, and sometimes there is a need for that, but actually just making really tiny changes can make that shift, can swing that door open for you, and the reason I say that is because hormonal cycle optimization is not something that's going to happen. If you start today, you won't see a result tomorrow. This is something that you do have to commit to and you do have to try.

Danielle Howell:

I generally say to people you need around three months worth of tracking to then start to see patterns and to be able to start making significant changes in your life. You can start making small changes from day one, but you really need that data is behind you to make educated changes. So it's sort of trusting, like another T there, trusting the process. Oh, trust that process that it will work for you, commit to it And it will pay back dividends in the future. I love that.

Jen Lister:

So we've kind of got four tips. Then we've got for talking, talking tiny changes and trusting in the process.

Danielle Howell:

I love it. This could be my new framework. I think it could be.

Jen Lister:

I think it has to be somewhere. Wow, i love it. I love it Amazing. Thank you so much for sharing those And I really hope that this episode helps people. Before we say goodbye, can you share with us your website, your socials This will all be on the show notes, of course and how people can get in touch with you and work with?

Danielle Howell:

you, absolutely So. Website is the HCO coachcom, because, as we said, it's a hormonal cycle optimization coach was far too long a domain, so the HCO coachcom. I'm also on Instagram, and that's again the HCO coach, and LinkedIn as well. I do use Facebook, but not so much. So generally I would go to Instagram. Yeah, if people want to work with me, you'll see this stuff on the website about what different kind of thing I do. But I'm really open to just chatting on Instagram DMs. I love just chatting to people about this kind of stuff, so feel free to reach out. I'm doing some offers that you might see on there at the moment. So one thing that I've just launched this week is coaching for two people at the same time, not actually talking about what we've talked about. This could be men or women, men and women together, yeah.

Danielle Howell:

But, my thinking behind it was I have a lot of people who sometimes find coaching a little bit daunting And they're quite nervous to take that leap on their own. They feel like it might be quite stressful process. And now, honestly, my coaching sessions are just fun. We often we're often laughing more than we are focusing on what we're meant to be doing. So, instead of being one to one session, i basically allow two people to come on to coach together And this creates a bit more fun. But it also allows you to have that accountability support. So if you go away from a session and you've got actions to do, it can help if you're doing it together to keep you on track and to keep you doing those tasks that you need to be doing. So if that's something you're interested in, reach out to me. I am charging the same price as I would do to coach one person to coach two, so you could either gift it to somebody or maybe you want to split it between you. It's highly up to you.

Jen Lister:

So could this be like you and your best friend, or you and your mum, or you and your partner, like we were saying earlier.

Danielle Howell:

Absolutely, or your daughter, yeah, literally, whatever you want it to be. It's just changing the format of coaching from one to one to have two people in session.

Jen Lister:

Love it. I absolutely love that idea. What genius that was.

Danielle Howell:

Brilliant. Also, obviously, corporate. We've talked about me going into corporate. So if you work for a company or you have a company and you'd like me to come and talk, i love doing that. I can either do just talking, presentations, or I can also do workshops, or I can do both. So sometimes just to come and talk and then do a workshop a couple of weeks later, where people can really get to groups with their own cycle and start to put actions into place and take that forward, can be really powerful than just hearing a presentation. Yeah, knowledge isn't always power.

Jen Lister:

I always say No, i'm such a big fan of workshops and just practical advice. I think it's just much better than all the theory, all the time, absolutely.

Danielle Howell:

And then, finally, i am going to launch my group program later this year. So if you're interested in that, you can actually pre-register for it on my website. Just go in and sign up to the HCO club And that means you'll hear about it before anyone else And you'll also get just other updates on anything that I launch, or just some motivation and tips as you go as well.

Jen Lister:

Oh sounds amazing, excellent, okay, and that stuff will all be in the show notes. I know you've given me all your websites and your socials and things like that, so people can find that all on your website. Wow. So we've talked all sorts of things today. We've covered your TED Talk. My personal favorite part was probably the Four Seasons framework, because I just think explaining the kind of eat move do was just phenomenal. And you've given us your view on the men, which again, is something I'm really passionate about, because it might not just be the man, but the partner supporting the person who is menstruating. So, thank you so much. I'm genuinely so grateful to have you and want to thank everyone that's listening as well. And, yeah, look forward to seeing people on the next episode of the Jen Lister podcast. Thank you so much for listening to the Jen Lister podcast. I truly appreciate every single one of you. If you'd like to leave me a review on your podcast app, i would love that, and if you'd like to follow me on social media it's @jenlistercoaching on Instagram and LinkedIn.