Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: All right today we have Coach Christine with time for brunch Productions. Christine is more than just a coach. She's a beacon of transformation, resilience and empowerment. Christine's Mission extends Beyond individual coaching. She's on a Relentless quest to inspire a world where women ignite the flame to Sprint tours their best lives with the spirit of an endurance Runner and the Heart of a grassroot Advocate this Christine engages our blend of motivational antidote and actionable insights. Thank you so much for joining us Ms. Christine. How are you?
Christine Hetzel: I am so excited to be here Ms. Tonya.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: Yes, and I think that is where we just start having this conversation about our health as women and what we experience to let other women know you're not alone.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: Absolutely, and what one of the stigmas which I think is very interesting when I was reading a little bit on your story you were talking about when your period started and I'm Gonna Let You definitely delve into that. I know you said it was at the age of 11, but you were very good at handling and scheduling your period, which I feel is that people don't really understand that we can do that even as women. We don't understand if we can control and understand when our period is going to happen and really gain control of our lives and I would really love to hear your experience. So you started getting your period when you were 11. How was that for you? Where were you
Christine Hetzel: My goodness. at that point. I guess there's a couple times in our lives where we probably do talk about things like this with other women, And I think getting your period was something that the girls all talked about because of course we could see who was developing but we didn't necessarily know who had started their period exactly. So I think it is from my friends circle. I was probably the first and then in my class I think was probably the second who definitely started much earlier than most and I feel like my parents are gonna give them big Kudos. We're phenomenal at breaking past the stigmas on educating Us in the household regarding these possible changes. So I was already looped in I was pretty aware that there was gonna be something happening and I'm not sure if this was something they did because they had seen that I developed so early and they probably could just sense that it was coming but the conversation with something that we actually talked about at the dinner table and it wasn't weird.
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Christine Hetzel: Or offer there wasn't anything. I guess I should say less than to talk about how it was very normalized and that transcended and probably is what led me into really wanting everyone to have this access to being able to communicate these kinds of things. So I was really tuned in all the way. I mean I had no idea what was going on, but I was still tuned in as I could talk about it with my mom. I could explain the symptoms and I think that's what really helped.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: Wow, and that's actually really good to know because some of us come where it's like that period talk is very shush, and I don't know. do you have any reason why this would happen some of us grew up in that household where it's pretty shush, talking about a woman's period
Christine Hetzel: Yeah, I think that culturally and socially we have been. if you even look back and sorry we can look at different texts and see that it was something that women were kind of told to take care of on their own without having that support and I could definitely get into all different aspects from Biblical aspects to Beyond where it was just kind of seen as maybe a time where women were not considered to be Clean or there was just a lot of concerns in a scared of mindset around it. But I think again for my parents they broke the mold because I do come from a Hispanic household, which usually is more conservative when it comes to these conversations and I believe that it was the fact that they had.
Christine Hetzel: They basically provided for me and my brother the conversations that they did not find in their own household so that we wouldn't have to go out and figure this out on our own so that really was a really big game changer for me and allowed me also to have these really difficult conversations Beyond period but just regarding reproductive health so that I could see a GYN earlier in life and I was comfortable coming to my mom to explain that I think that I was ready to potentially be involved sexually with my partner. So all of those conversations, I was very lucky I feel in so many regards because out of my friend group. I was also one of the few who didn't maybe have an unwanted pregnancy or who didn't get in any trouble with boys specifically because I did have the option of talking about it with my parents.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: That's very beautiful to understand that and you said something very special is where they instilled this in you at home so that no one else can put something else in because you already knew you already had that with you and that's very important even that period education. So I'm curious when you started your period at 11 what was going on did you?
Christine Hetzel:
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: experience like the Cramps the nausea how was your experience?
Christine Hetzel: Yeah, I'm probably gonna be a little bit different than many of your guests. I feel like I did have very heavy periods.
Christine Hetzel: And because I had a very heavy periods that cycled really frequently around about 20 to 21 days. They were very lengthy and time. I felt like I was menstruating all the time. It really is what it like for me. So in top of having a short cycle of 21 days typically and then having a heavy seven to 10 days. It really did put me in a needing to be prepared more often and I think the biggest difference of that is that I felt like I had to that time limit what I was willing to do from a physical standpoint in terms of maybe not going swimming or not getting involved in athletics and that as I've changed my life quite a bit since then I think was a bit more of a hindrance than I would have liked it to have been and now I do see that that may have been the missing piece that you don't have to quit being active. You don't have to quit Living your life because of your period.
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Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: And I'm glad you said that because I feel like it's the extreme, often it's like my gosh, I'm missing school and I'm missing work or if I'm gonna fight and plow through it and…
Christine Hetzel: right
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: it's one of those two extremes and it's like as women. We really have to find that balance and understand that you don't work the same way as men do it.
Christine Hetzel: right
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: We really need to stop trying. So when did that click for you when I would say that you realize this is not a hindrance. this is a beautiful part of my process or…
Christine Hetzel: Yeah.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: did that ever really happen,
Christine Hetzel: I feel like I started to celebrate being a female Pretty in a woman and all the things that come along with it because I don't think I ever looked at my period as this horrible experience again because of my household and how he grew up but I do think in terms of learning how to work with my cycle probably did not actually happen until my late 20s early 30s where I started to actually be able to realize and I should Cathy at this. I am very very fortunate not just because of how it was raised but also because of how my hormonal cycle I don't have anything like that. They would kind of maybe make for a very different experience. So I want to make sure that I'm saying that right out of the gate but because of that because I was so regular I was able to figure
Christine Hetzel: Out when I was going to be ovulating and when I had highs of energies, I started to learn really early. I started educate myself and learn that I was able to see that I would need less sleep right before my period started because hormonally you start to have some changes and I would just kind of go with the quite literally pun intended go with the flow of those energies versus absolutely fighting it every single way. So I know that when I'm gonna have a lull or when you're ovulating and you feel amazing and that's when you have the best skin day your best hair day and you're feeling energetic versus maybe when you're actually on your period and feeling bloated and cramped. So just kind of learning how to hone in as to how I actually felt from a hormonal cycle and
Christine Hetzel: looking at scheduling my life and making certain decisions based off of when I knew that I was going to have those highs or lows basically, so if I have an intense work project, I likely wouldn't do it. when it requires a lot of mental energy that I may be more of a brain fog because of being on my period so
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: That's beautiful. And that's really what it's about. It's about understanding our own flow, which is so unique to every woman. That's why I think it's beautiful for every woman to share their story and experience because it's like, not every woman goes through cramps, but that's the stigma that they put out there, a woman just rising in pain on the floor, every single time and…
Christine Hetzel: Yes.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: she has cramps we already know it associate that image with that. So that's very interesting and I also think I don't know if the listeners caught it but you started your period at 11 and it was like you're 20s and…
Christine Hetzel: Yes.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: 30s that time frame in is whoa, I can totally relate to that. It wasn't until 10 years later or more that really starting to understand.
Christine Hetzel: Yeah.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: So, no say…
Christine Hetzel: You nailed it.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: what you have to say.
Christine Hetzel: It's because we do have that preconception that this is the heart the camp cards you're dealt and you just have to deal with it. this is what it is. Right and it wasn't until I decided no this can't be it that I started to educate myself and started actually chart I started to notate certain foods would trigger certain symptoms. So I know that I need to kind of be more mindful of that or again different little feelings that you have it you usually are used to kind of just pushing through and trying to ignore it, but you could start to actually see it when you chart it and it really was a game changer for me.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: Wonderful, and that is perfect because I think we need to understand even someone younger, who's watching this and they're going through their period to NOAA understand that charting there their move their energy levels. this is important charting your Cravings, for me, I want sweets not just sweets. I want pancakes and give me all the syrup that you got baby. I'm in there with the carbs,…
Christine Hetzel: Yeah. right
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: and it's totally normal, Okay, and I think that we need to hear and understand that more and for young girls to start charting it better more to start getting in the habit of knowing a start learning this now about the flow of your body and help them be more productive in school, help them Excel and let them know you can still do athletics while your period is on if you guys do not know coach Christine. She is a runner. She's an avid Runner so she understands about
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Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: Women who have their periods while running and that's her specialty with athletes and their periods. So definitely make sure you guys, not just if you're an athlete but you want to remain active in your life and how to control that around your period coach Christine is there for you?
Christine Hetzel: I've
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: She is there for Yes, we're gonna take a small quick break and then we are going to be back to understand coach Christine's experience with Perimenopause. So stay tuned.
[Commercial Break]
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: All right. We are back with the lovely coach Christine and talking about Peri menopause which when we were talking a little bit earlier I was saying that's not something we really think about while we're on our period we go straight to menopause. We don't actually think about perimenopause and…
Christine Hetzel: Mm-hmm
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: I know that you said that you had some uncertainty with this and I really want to know and understand your story because you went from scheduling and understanding your period to all of a Boom perimenopause.
Christine Hetzel: Yeah. …
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: What was your experience with this?
Christine Hetzel: there's a few choice not suitable for work words that came to mind when I first started experiencing it because again, it was a conversation that we don't have very often, I do want to let folks know right here as we're going through this if you're in your mid 30s and you're thinking your doctors are gonna tell you don't have to worry about this yet. But usually we'll start to have some perimenopause symptoms that you don't even recognize this period menopause as early as your mid 30 of course some people later now as I mentioned, I did start menstrating at a very early age. We only have a finite amount of our eggs. So it makes sense that I would probably go into menopause a bit earlier than most because of that early period I first started to have.
Christine Hetzel: A skipped period And I remember going to my GYN thinking this is so not like me again. Remember I used to be able to know exactly when I was going to menstruate like I could say it Tuesday at 2 pm. I should start about then and I know all my symptoms and that was when I first learned that because I was getting older I was starting to get into the point where stress would actually impact my menstrual cycle as your body's really wonderful way of saying right now is not a viable time for you to
Christine Hetzel: A reproduce and of course, that's what the body's entire function is so it would try to kind of hold on to those really viable eggs. So I would have these skipped periods a little bit later on I get through that stressful period of my life my life gets a bit more normal and start to have really heavy periods. And I mean I had had heavy periods when I first started menstruating but out of the blue and it actually even has a phrase that you'll become more familiar with when you get into perimenopause. It's called a Super Soaker times and by that, I mean it transported me back to when I first started in terms of I'll never forget sitting in a meeting with my boss and thinking my God, I don't know if I can get up because I think I have soaked right through and I had not only soaked through my actual dress. I'd soaked through her chair during this meeting. So it was absolutely mortifying and…
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Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: What?
Christine Hetzel: yet something that happens and I couldn't figure out where we're coming from. My moods were a little bit different. I felt a lot more breast tenderness than I had experienced in quite some time so much so that I wasn't even sure if I had something wrong and it wasn't until I started to actually research it because my doctor kept telling me at that time that I was too young to go into menopause or perimenopause. So I did find an incredible book by the Dr. Stacy Sims and it's called Roar in the book is dedicated specific.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: for the it's
Christine Hetzel: Quickly two women who are going through not just their periods. But also when they start to turn into that perimenopause and menopause and I started to see quite a bit of information that was relating at that time. Not just my symptoms but also as to what was happening with some of the choices that maybe while they may have been fine in my early 30s were no longer able to serve me quite so much in my late 30s or my early 40s.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: wow, that is Wow, that is just so crazy to me because as women were going to these doctors for help. And to get a brushed off, and we get brushed off because we're women not to be hating because I mean, I love men I'm here because of a man, and a woman,…
Christine Hetzel: Yeah.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: I love men but when it comes to our health, it really does get brushed off, just like you said, your period just deal with the pain. it's we're just pop. Advil but with perimenopause like you said, we really don't know much and there's really not much even in the media that talks about hearing menopause. It goes straight to menopause so
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: Basically, you're learning about everything that's happening here. So when it comes to perimenopause, what advice do you have for women who are going through this do you recommend a certain type of tampon…
Christine Hetzel: Yeah. Yes.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: because you mentioned the flow so understanding that, and today I think that what do you recommend that for women?
Christine Hetzel: that is funny that you say that again in time for brunch and where we did an entire series regarding our periods and products that we can use and again trying to reduce the stigma. We did anything from free bleeding which due to menstruation poverty is something that people have to make sometimes as a choice and some people choose it actually a little bit differently just because they feel like it works best for their body all the way to cups and everything in between. One of the things that I can't say is that if you have to be menstruating right now is probably the best time in your life because there are so many products available to us. Diva cups in terms of that option where it does allow you to potentially collect more of the blood without having to change it quite so often or I am a huge fan of period underwear. again that came out a little bit toward where my cycle became very
Christine Hetzel: unpredictable due to being impairment and pause but I do want to also roll this back a little bit and say that it's really interesting that we only focus on menopause because we actually do experience paramenopause for quite a few years before we get into our ause State menopause actually doesn't happen until we have a cessation of our period for 12 months and at that point once you do that you could pretty much say that you went through menopause and you are now officially host menopausal. So it's interesting that we focus on menopause because it does kind of have an umbrella but truly a majority of us are going to be in that parent menopause state for quite some time and we're gonna live a majority of our life post menopausal. So it's really interesting that we don't necessarily bring. hopefully with of course a lot of us getting older and having better access to healthcare. We will live at least half of our lives in a post been a puzzle state. So it is really important to open up these conversations about our menstruation cycle from start to finish and realize that we do have the
Christine Hetzel: Options of learning more the doctor we can't rely on the medical community. I'm going to give credit to the wonderful medical community for when they do try to educate themselves, but we have to advocate for ourselves. So learning more about our cycles and advocating for ourselves with doctors not necessarily taking their first answer as our only response and I remember hearing a really great little antidote on that. It was that we call it practicing medicine because it's none the exact science and they can't have the exact answer for every person that presents to them. This is where your cycle getting to know what feels right for you in your skin is absolutely pivotal before you move forward and presenting information to your doctor.
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Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: That is five. So Just a little kind of side note when you were talking about that. I was on and I work in the film and TV industry and I had the fortunate experience of working on periodical. It is a documentary about women in their periods. And this is what changed like My world when it came to women's health is we had a scientist there and she was giving the example of how a doctor will actually to bring in your dog's poop sample, right? but she was like a sample of a woman's menstrual cycle can show you the condition of her uterus. She was like, why aren't more doctors telling women to bring in samples of their menstrual cycle to see what's going on internally inside the body before just going invasively in and I was just like Wow dogs are getting better treatment than us,…
Christine Hetzel: my plan my blown Yes,…
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: like what?
Christine Hetzel: That's so fascinating because again, there's not a stigmat attached to that. we know the dog can't tell us what's going on. So we're okay with casing it and picking up a sample and taking it a baggie in and taking it in yet with us. It's expected for us to be able to know our symptoms but don't know your symptoms. So well that your doctor thinks that you can't vocalize it in a way where they think that you're just Exaggerating it's so interesting. We do have an absolute parallel that you have to advocate for yourself in a way that you're still heard because unfortunately, there's a lot of doctors who will just ignore whatever say. So again finding this information another really great resource for folks that maybe considering this is the menopause Manifesto but Dr. Jen Gunter, so there's a lot of resources to be able to arm ourselves equip ourselves. So when we go
Christine Hetzel: We're not seen as just emotional when we're presenting our information.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: I love what you said about being emotional. I feel that's Emotional intelligence which is coming out more and more. people are realizing is a huge benefit in strength, to have but that's stigma about being emotional being weaker, or something being wrong with it is really the issue because just statistically when you look at the crime globally it not mitted by women statistically in numbers is committed by men what cannot control their greed if they cannot control very emotions,…
Christine Hetzel: and their emotions and their emotions Yeah. Yeah.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: but that's put on women that we cannot control our emotions and that's the exact opposite and I'm like, that's a problem.
Christine Hetzel: Absolutely. That's why again, I do feel like having these podcasts available having your services available having the opportunity to talk with other women about these situations and almost kind of starting to go back into the mentality of having our people around us and opening at these conversations. So thankfully this is a conversation that me and my girlfriends do have so I've heard anything from women in my circle who have started hormone replacement therapy to women who are choosing to go with Edibles to help them manage their symptoms and also a much more sense of empowerment the
Christine Hetzel: Higher way where it's not that they are willing to just say, I'm going to start closing down my life. I'm past my Bloom. They're starting to really see it as an opportunity to kind of Empower themselves as they move forward with just eight different season of their life. So I think that it's a beautiful conversation regardless if we're starting our season because our period is just starting or we're seeing our season Bloom into a different time of year Time Of Our Lives. It is really pivotal for us to have these conversations.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: That is absolutely beautiful. And I love the way that you said to bloom, and that season in the change because that's what life is about. It's about change and the more we fight that change the more we make it on ourselves the more we make that struggle and it's like if Go with the flow of our body our body knows what it's doing and knows what it should do and we just follow it as women. We are just going to excel in all aspects every season of our life.
Christine Hetzel: I so love that. You said that I feel like you need to put it on our shirt because I really do think that when it comes to this conversation is about learning how to go with our flow and go with the flow and kind of create that as our pathway.
Ms Tonya Productions, LLC: Yes, thank you so much coach Christine. It was wonderful having you here on the podcast. I am looking forward to having more of these conversations with you.
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Christine Hetzel: Thank you so much.