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Bria Gadd is an integrative nutritionist, holistic health coach, and certified personal trainer, who specializes in female hormones, helping women with weight release and energy gain in pre and post menopause, and finding clarity in hormonal chaos.

After helping thousands of women lose weight in their 20's and 30's, Bria recognized a difficult shift in women's ability to get results in their body during their perimenopause years. With more than 12 years of experience in the fitness and nutrition industry, Bria created a proven strategy to dramatically improve the challenges women are experiencing in weight release and energy.

Her podcast The Period Whisperer is a top 2.5% wellness podcast in the world, and you can follow her on insta HERE.

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Amanda Testa (00:02):
Hello and welcome to the Find Your Feminine Fire Podcast. I am your host, Amanda Testa. I am a sex, love and relationship coach, and in this podcast, my guests and I talk sex, love, and relationships and everything that lights you up from the inside out. Welcome.
(00:21):
Hey, what's up? It's Amanda. If you're enjoying this pod and you know are ready to say yes to more pleasure and you are just wanting to know, how the hell do I do it? Well, you are in luck because as of now we have spots available in the Pleasure Foundation, which is my pleasure membership, where twice a month you get an amazing practice that teaches you how to drop into your body to become more connected to yourself and to learn the art of sacred self-care. So if this is something you're interested in, go to amanda testa.com/tpf, as in the pleasure foundation, amanda testa.com/tpf, and we will see you there
(01:01):
If you feel like you're riding the perimenopause rollercoaster and are ready for feeling a little more grounded and balanced in it all, You are going to love this week's episode of the Find Your Feminine Fire podcast. In this week's podcast, I'm talking with Bria Gadd, the Period Whisperer. She's an integrative nutritionist, holistic health coach and certified personal trainer who specializes in female hormones and helping women listen to the whispers of their body. So today we're going to be diving into the impact of perimenopause on our hormones and what we can do to take more charge during this time of our lives. So welcome. Thank you with so much for being here, Bria.
Bria Gadd (01:36):
Thank you, Amanda. I'm so excited and super honored to be here. Anything that says Feminine Fire has got me.
Amanda Testa (01:41):
Yes. Well, I love the work that you do and I think it's so important because like you say, there's so many things that happen in midlife with hormones and everything else, and often people aren't even aware of what's happening in their bodies. And so I would love, if you wouldn't mind just even starting with a little bit about what led you to be so passionate about this and helping people in this Way.
Bria Gadd (02:02):
Yeah, thank you. Absolutely. I spent the first part of my career years I'd say, and when I was raising kids as an online trainer and nutrition coach. So I worked with thousands of women over about 12 years on finding space and time in their life to create, to work out, to eat healthy. And it was a real joy, it was a good piece for me to feel like I was grounded amidst those busy years of raising kids. But around 35, I started to notice a shift in my clients where most of my clients were around my age, which I find often happens, right? Because we can relate a little bit a lot to what they're going through. And I started hearing more and more from some of them that just things weren't working very well or they were just really tired. They were feeling more run down, they were having more intense periods or p m s, and it always gave me pause.
(02:54):
There was a couple years there where I was like, I don't get it. I don't understand. They must be missing something. And then around 37 for me, it was like it all just started for me, it felt like overnight it kind of started as this low grade fatigue, this exhaustion, this brain fog and then irritability and anxiety, which I'd never really experienced in my entire life. And I gained about 15 pounds without even really changing anything. And my periods started getting crazy. I had digestive issues. And the real kicker for me is I stopped sleeping well, and that's like I've always been my superpower. My whole life is to sleep well. And it's like if I can get a good night's sleep, I can handle just about anything. And when that started to go, I could just feel myself cracking. And I mean, not only was it impacting me, but I never felt like I could help anybody.
(03:47):
I can't help myself. I don't understand what's going on. I was trying to work out more. I was trying to do all the things that I had done. So I went to my healthcare practitioner who did all the blood work and she was really wonderful, but she's like, Bria, you're the picture of health. And I left there feeling you should feel relieved when none of the things you've Googled are actually true. You're like, what are all these symptoms and all these awful things come out? And I'm like, I should have felt relieved, but I felt really low, just really disheartened. I'm like, I was 37 when this was happening to me, and I was like, if I'm the picture of health at 37 and this is the best I'm going to feel, I don't know that I can do it. I just don't know that I have another 40 years in me.
(04:33):
That's how bad I felt. And that was what started me down this path of really thinking, okay, I'm not ready to wave the white aging flag here. I need to really understand what's happening in the body. And because my period was so wonky, I was like, I'm going to start here. And it was through that research, through those certifications of really specializing in female hormones where I started to understand what perimenopause is and the fact that 50% of women, and this is a statistic, don't know the difference between perimenopause and menopause. And I was one of them . And I had been working with women in the wellness industry for 10 to 15 years. So if I didn't know what it was and I have a mother as a nurse, I'm like, I don't know what it is. I mean, what help do other people have?
(05:20):

(05:20):
Yeah,
Amanda Testa (05:20):
It's interesting. I don't think young people don't talk about it.
Bria Gadd (05:23):
Yeah, don't, it's such a taboo topic. And I think the other statistic that always blows my mind is that 73% of women are struggling with symptoms in perimenopause so significantly that it's impacting their life and they're not getting help. I mean, look, I think you and I both believe that women are magic, and I'm like, if we're not able to be the magic we can, that's just not okay with me. So that's really how it was my unraveling and undoing and learning of my own struggle and finding healing that launched me down this path of really understanding what is going on in women's bodies and helping them really tune into the messages that our body gives to us. Because you also talk about we really share this, we've been trained not to pay attention, not to know or to hide them from ourselves or ignore them. And that was my mistake. That's where it was. Learning those messages again, that helped me find healing and feel better now in my forties than I ever did about my body in my twenties.
Amanda Testa (06:26):
That is so powerful. And you brought up a point that I would like to talk a little bit more about because I think so many women, they'll go to their doctor, they want support, they get the tests are like, oh, everything's fine. And I'm wondering, what is your thought? Why does the medical system and the way it's set up, why does it fail women in perimenopause? Why do you think it's not giving them the support they need?
Bria Gadd (06:48):
Well, first of all, it wasn't until the nineties when women of reproductive age were even required to be a part of research studies because of our hormone brethren, we were considered unpredictable. So they didn't keep us in the studies, which means that until the nineties and even after that, we know there's a transition time, and then nineties isn't that long ago. So all of our research in all the medical aspects and nutrition and wellness and fitness was assuming that we're all small men basically. So that I think is a big piece. First of all, there's just highly uneducated in general, women's research around women's bodies is just it's light years behind. So I think that's a big one. And then probably the other piece is just in general, we are in a bit of a microwave Amazon prime mentality now where it's like, what's the quick fix? What's the quick fix? And the reality is just connecting with our more deeper intimate selves. You cannot push a rope, you can't force something. You have to really create the space for healing and allowing in the body, and you just can't buy that in a pill.
Amanda Testa (07:58):
And I think that's what can be so frustrating. I know my clients also feel like with sexuality, but I want this fixed yesterday and that's just not how it works.
Bria Gadd (08:09):
Yeah, absolutely.
Amanda Testa (08:11):
I'm wondering too, I know if you wouldn't mind just sharing a little bit more, I know people that are listening, they're like, oh, yes, I understand the symptoms, I know what this is. But if you would just share a little bit more what are some of the main symptoms and complaints that people have during this time? And just to also clarify for those, the difference in perimenopause and
Bria Gadd (08:29):
Menopause
Amanda Testa (08:29):
Is because oftentimes people don't realize people can start perimenopause even in their thirties or sometimes even. So speak to all that please.
Bria Gadd (08:36):
Yeah, for sure. So I love that question. Thank you. So menopause is really a day, a year after your last period when your menses pauses. So it's like when it's over. So after that you're kind of post menopause. So it's really just one day is menopause everything. Leading up menopause is what we call perimenopause or pre menopause or the menopause transition. So you might hear it called any one of these things just like puberty. It's a shifting time period of landscape. Obviously it's a lot longer than puberty, but it typically starts in women around 35. Now the big thing that I think is so important, well two things. One, it is as significant as puberty and pregnancy. And I think why I love talking about it, why I think we should all talk about it more is that we recognize puberty's a big deal. We can physically see our kids changing or see our bodies changing in puberty.
(09:33):
We recognize pregnancy is a big deal and postpartum because we can physically see the human being grown in the human. We can see these things. We cannot see the change necessarily in perimenopause, but it's huge. It's as significant and it deserves the same, I think awareness and education and compassion as those other times. But to try to make it really simple for everyone to understand that this is how I digest it is what's happening in this transition of perimenopause to menopause is that the job of your main sex hormones, which are what make us able to be fertile and reproduce, is being passed from our ovaries to our adrenals. And our adrenals are our stress managers, and they're already busy. And so the state of your adrenals when this job starts to get passed really determines how you experience perimenopause. And I find that to be like perimenopause is really, it's a bit of a first world problem because we live in a society where we're high consumptive, high output going, hustling, all of these things, and we don't have that same time and space. So in other cultures where they have a calmer more still, I'd say lifestyle, we don't see perimenopause there the same way.
Amanda Testa (10:50):
And I think that's interesting because even the word says pause, right? It's such a huge initiation time, and we are in our culture, we're just not taught to give it the space and time it deserves, which I think is
Bria Gadd (11:05):
Key
(11:05):
A hundred percent. And so I think recognizing first that that's what's happening and that that's a big deal has got to go a long way for self-compassion. And then again, thinking, well, if the job is now going to be passed to the adrenals, it's like if you do work a corporate job and someone goes on mat leave or temporary leave, and all of a sudden no one new gets hired, but you've got to handle all the extra stuff. You can only handle it for so long before things start slipping through the cracks. We can only do so much
Amanda Testa (11:35):
As
Bria Gadd (11:35):
Humans. The struggle is that the stress, any added stress to our life, and this is a high stress time in midlife, you're raising young kids, you're dealing with aging parents, you have peaking careers, you're thinking about your future. There's a lot happening at this time. So already kind of maxed, and now this shift is happening and really it comes down so significantly to stress and the stress management in the body, and not just how you handle things, but also is the food you're eating creating stress? Are the workouts you're doing creating stress? Are you sleeping enough to focus on stress? All these pieces, are you having enough sex to reduce the stress? Are you as connected there? So that's the physiological aspect of what's happening in the body. There is a really brain shift that happens, which I think is what connects me so much to what you're doing because in this phase, the shifting landscape of our hormones really impacts our amygdala, our hippocampus in our brain, which are our memory encoders and our memory retrievers. And what that shifting does is it almost creates more space for us to be aware of past trauma, to be aware of things that we've suppressed, and also be aware of things that really are bothering us that maybe we got really good at, pretending didn't bother us for a while. So it's kind of this perfect storm of time to deal with it, right, or not. Yeah.
Amanda Testa (13:04):
Yeah, it's so true. I mean, I think I've heard this before and it's true. It's like oftentimes when after midlife or when you're finally, you're maybe, and I'm not in this position, I still have a young kiddo, but a lot of times also maybe you're becoming an empty nester and all this and that, but when you finally have time to put to yourself, oftentimes that's when people get sick or have health problems arise because they've been just stressing themselves out for so long and they haven't taken care of themselves.
Bria Gadd (13:32):
Yes. Because if you're in that high stress life, you've got the cortisol and adrenaline pumping through you, and so when you no longer need it and it calms down as it should, that's when the body can become a little bit more susceptible to sickness or burnout.
Amanda Testa (13:46):
And so I'm wondering too, because another thing that I know is a big common complaint around this time is feeling that dip and libido.
Bria Gadd (13:54):
And
Amanda Testa (13:54):
I would love your perspective on that from a hormonal perspective, if you
Bria Gadd (13:58):
Wish
Amanda Testa (13:58):
A little bit more about why it may not be what people think.
Bria Gadd (14:01):
Yes, absolutely. I hear this too, of course, I've been there myself, and I think when I started to talk to my clients about it, my first question is always like, well, is there a lubrication issue? So if it's a lubrication issue that is often indicative of, okay, our hormones are lessening. So in the process of the hormones going from ovaries to adrenals, we're having, we're going to have less of them because we don't need as many of them to ovulate, to menstruate anymore or to create life. So there is a reality to the fact that if we're feeling dry in life and we're not actually able to lubricate, then there's that piece. But that is where lubrication can come into play for people to buy it. If it's a drive, sometimes I am like, well, if you are alone, if you went on vacation, if you have time, is the drive there?
(14:49):
And more often than not, it is, it's really more the hustle and bustle and exhaustion of our day where libido is more of an energy issue. We just don't have the energy to create the space to even find desire. And this is a generalization, but women aren't built men. We can't have a stiff breeze blow past us and turn us on the same way. So we need that space to feel attractive or feel sensual or we need that, and if we don't have that space or energy. So I find nine times out of 10, it has a lot more to do with just the taxing and the stress on the system. Then it actually does with not having the hormones to have a libido. Does that make sense?
Amanda Testa (15:32):
Yes, it does because it's interesting too, because that you're saying with the drive, there's a lot of things that come into play there. Not everyone has that desire where it just pops up, the wind blows, and you're like, yay.
Bria Gadd (15:46):
Right. The response don't rushes back to you the wrong way. We're
Amanda Testa (15:49):
Very lucky. But most people have, they need to make the time and space, like you say, and put themselves in the mood. And especially I think as we age, like you're saying that stress relief is so key
Bria Gadd (16:01):
Because
Amanda Testa (16:02):
To be able to get into a mode of receptivity can be even more challenging.
Bria Gadd (16:08):
And I find perimenopause or the challenges in it is a real energy supply and demand situation because of this transition happening because of all that's going on in our life, our energy demand is really high in supply is low, and that's when we run into trouble with libido because it's like, well, there's just no space. This is not a critical function in our daily life. And yet it'd be interesting to hear your thoughts on this intimacy and sexual connection with oneself at least has got to be a key part of our health, of our overall fulfillment of life.
Amanda Testa (16:44):
I agree there. Of course, I'll say that because I believe our sexual wellness is overall part of our overall health and how our sexual function is very relative to our overall health and everything you're saying with things that can happen, you can have lower lubrication, the tissues can thin all of these things, but that still doesn't always affect your ability to
Bria Gadd (17:07):
Feel
Amanda Testa (17:07):
Turned on and to have great organisms that can continue. And I think that's something that we are not taught. We're not taught that it can still be great.
Bria Gadd (17:16):
Yeah, absolutely. It
Amanda Testa (17:17):
Goes away
Bria Gadd (17:18):
For years and years,
Amanda Testa (17:20):
So that's why I'm saying use it or you lose it. So you're even saying yes. What are the things that you, so I'm curious from your perspective, what are some things that we can do to support ourselves during this time so we can feel the way we want?
Bria Gadd (17:32):
Yeah, I love that. And I really look at this, there's almost like three phases of healing I like to call it when it comes to our hormones in this perimenopause transition. If you are struggling immensely with digestive issues or really irregular frustrating periods or anxiety or low mood or if it's debilitating what's happening in your life, you're in what I like to call the inflammation response. So all the stress, there's been too much stress, and really the path back is we first need to really reduce that inflammation and then we can shift into a healing and repair phase. So if you're just feeling stuck in a little lackluster, you might be there. And then finally, once we understand how to move with our cycle, that's kind of our third phase. It's like optimize your hormones, which will maximize your libido, maximize your energy, and all of these things.
(18:21):
But the first step for all of them is really just making sure you have a solid foundation of health. And it doesn't matter whether you listen to me or listen to anyone else in the health and wellness space. The reality is if you look at your health like a dining table with four legs, each leg kind of represents a key health pillar. We have rest and sleep, we have nutrition, we have functional movement, and we have pleasure. Yeah, pleasure. And within pleasure, within each pillar there's things, but how if you have one of these a little rickety and loose, it kind of becomes a frustrating dining experience. Someone sticks their elbow on the table and the dining you, you're affected by it, but you can manage if two of them are loose, I mean, you're down on the floor, you're folding up, you're Jimmy rigging this table, you're trying to make things happen, but it's frustrating and you probably leave feeling like that wasn't a great experience.
(19:13):
And if three are loose, your food's on the table. And the same goes for our health again, at any stage, at any age, but especially in perimenopause, we need to make sure at the very least in your day, you're sleeping or creating space for seven to nine hours of sleep. You're getting in 30 to 60 minutes of functional movement. So just walk when our bodies are so exhausted. Trying to do a hard workout is maybe not the ideal thing. So just walk, stretch, release, things like that. Having our nutrition to be anti-inflammatory 80% of the time, so trying to keep alcohol, sugar, processed flowers, things like that out of the diet for 80% and finding space for either pleasure or stress release to create space for pleasure. So those four steps really need to be a part of our foundational aspects of our health. Otherwise, your health's going to be on the floor and we really can't build anything on that foundation.
Amanda Testa (20:14):
I think that is so huge, and I love the way that you explain it so well, but those pillars, because I think that is so interesting to think about and I love too, you were mentioning
Bria Gadd (20:23):
The
Amanda Testa (20:23):
Sleep part is so key and the ease of movement. And I think that's an interesting thing to note because as you are always encouraging people to really listen to what their body's saying. And I remember, I don't know, about four years ago, I used to do a lot more intense athletic endeavors. I was a triathlete and I ran all the time. And then my body was just kind of like, I think we're done with this
Bria Gadd (20:44):
And
Amanda Testa (20:45):
I was still doing a lot of hit workouts and this and that. And then for some reason my body was like, let's just do yoga every day or let's just walk. And
Bria Gadd (20:54):
It
Amanda Testa (20:55):
Was just so interesting to feel that shift of what my body is, we're done, you're stressed out enough, we need to slow it down a little bit. And also in doing more weights, but just interesting how, I'm curious what other advice you have for women of ways they can do listen to those little nudges or be more honoring of what their stress release level.
Bria Gadd (21:18):
Yeah, I love that question. And I think what's always really important to understand is a tantruming child, if you have kids and your child's losing their mind over something and you don't know who hit who or what happened or what's going on, you kind of have to calm that right before you can actually get to the root of the issue. If you're dealing in inflammation, so in any of those symptoms I was talking, you almost can't even hear what your body, so the first, you have to sort of calm that piece down so we can start to hear these pieces. And when you start to notice, it's like, Hey, I'm tired. So often our joints hurt or we're tired, and yet we're still out there hitting the pavement on a long 10 K run or doing a HIIT workout. So really listening again and honoring that piece while you heal and recover. I think we're so scared that if we don't do this workout, we're going to gain weight, but really our body needs this rest. So any whisper that you hear in terms of joint pain or muscle stiffness or cravings in the afternoon or fatigue or dips in energy or digestive issues, or you're not even going to the bathroom every day, those are all whispers of our body. That's something bigger is going on and the sooner we listen, the faster we'll be able to fix it. Does that help?
Amanda Testa (22:38):
That does. I think that's so huge. And I'm wondering too, because I know when it comes to hormones, it's interesting. I do so appreciate how things have changed over the years. I was talking to my mom about this, I was like, do you remember going through menopause? And she's like, I don't know. That was so long ago. I blocked things up. She also, she's like, I don't know, they just put everyone on hormones back then. And so that's always the thing though, because for some people it can be helpful obviously. I'm curious your thoughts on hormones, Harmon replacement therapy, if you wouldn't mind speaking to that a little bit. People are always asking about that.
Bria Gadd (23:10):
Absolutely. I love this question and I think western medicine is miraculous. It does miracle things and it really should be our last resort because it's really designed to help us in the most necessary moments. So I don't think people should suffer. And I think that if you don't do the underlying work, it won't really matter what you take At the end of the day, it either won't work, won't work to its full potential, or it'll impact your body. If the reason you're suffering is because you need to heal these foundational pieces, this underlying, then taking the hormones really isn't going to help you at the end of the day. So I look at it very much just like if you needed to go on antidepressants, you really go on the antidepressants and you should be going to therapy to heal the, so we're not on antidepressants for the rest of our life. Same thing with H R T. If you need to go on it to bridge the gap, great, but do the underlying work. Otherwise you're never bridging the gap and you'll never reach the potential that you need. So you can't really avoid that foundational piece. And then if you do the foundational piece and you're suffering, yeah, take the hormones feel better.
Amanda Testa (24:20):
Yes. I love that so much. I know my doctor, I don't know, he was once saying it's a performance enhancing drug. Like anything you got to, just like you were saying, there's so many things at play, so it is kind of an individualized thing. That's what I so appreciate about people like you that really support on a one-to-one, like let's see what's going on with you so we can figure out what you need. And I think that's important to note too because I think sometimes there's just so much blanket information out there and I feel like the perimenopause time is very unique to each individual. I'm curious if you would speak to that a little bit.
Bria Gadd (24:52):
Yeah, absolutely. Like I was saying, I definitely find that the reduction of inflammation, what's causing the inflammation in your body or what's causing the taxing on your adrenals is going to be different from woman to woman. We can create an overall protocol that likely helps with that. But the individualized piece that I think is so important is once you calm that chaos, usually we look at the other areas of our life, like the connection with our partner, the connection we have with our career, the connection we have with our kids, these other areas of life that are big faucets can be potential faucets of stress. And that's where it gets really individualized, where you can't just write out a protocol to say, Hey, this is going to heal your life. Because ultimately once you deal with the chaos in your body, we still have to make sure we're turning off the faucets of stress in our life and managing them. And what I do know from my own experience is that when you calm the chaos, you kind of have nothing left. We often fixate as humans on small problems to avoid big ones. And midlife is a time where you're going to be faced with the reality of the things that you're are maybe not ideal for you in life. And you need to start to deal with those things. And that's where it gets unique. I think
Amanda Testa (26:13):
That is so true. It's like the reckoning time.
Bria Gadd (26:16):
It's the reckoning. That's a great word. The unraveling. I heard Brene Brown call. It's the midlife unraveling, and it's true. It's a time where it's like, and you want to unravel it now because we still have decades. We have decades, and you don't want to spend the rest of your life being raveled in a way. You don't want to be raveled, I guess.
Amanda Testa (26:38):
And I do want to speak to that a little bit. I don't think people talk enough about how it can be. And so just to normalize all that can come up,
(26:48):
It can be a very challenging time and it's very normal that you have all kinds of fluctuations in your mood. I mean in your mood. Something that I wasn't aware of that one of my friends mentioned is that oftentimes it's very common as well for people to have suicidal ideation and all kinds of things. I was not aware of that. That's a common thing. And so speaking to this to just know that if people are listening to the podcast and there's support for you, you don't have to suffer through these things. Also around you're saying is that reckoning, just the challenge of being with the changes was so hard. The challenge of looking at yourself as you are aging, the challenge of finding compassion and love for yourself when your body changes, all these
Bria Gadd (27:32):
Things.
Amanda Testa (27:33):
And so I just want to mention that too, because I think that's what could be so supportive of about getting help from an expert, right? To know you don't have to move through it alone. And so often when I'm in gatherings of I'm just turned 50 this summer, so when I'm in gatherings of friends and just the complaints and this that and the other, but there doesn't have to be like that,
Bria Gadd (27:53):
Right? No, you're right. That is one of the biggest mistakes we make and I have made and have to remind myself not to make, is to not get the support that you need, not ask for help, not invest in yourself because again, we have one wild and precious life, and midlife gives us the gift of no longer minimizing the things that are bothering us. So it's time, I think, to get the help that you need. It's time to take seriously the things that are bothering you and heal.
Amanda Testa (28:24):
I'm curious too, just from all the people that you've served over the years, what are some of the most favorite things that the women on the other side of this, what is on the other side that they have to look forward to? You could share a little more about that.
Bria Gadd (28:38):
Yeah, I think that a couple things. One, I think when you do the work and you work on healing, I think that you can untap energy and sleep quality and connection that you didn't even know were possible. And connection with sexuality for sure. I mean, this is a really powerful time for women when you do that healing, to open that up and on the other, I heard you call it, we were talking earlier about calling your menopause your second spring. And I just think that that term just kind of blew my mind because, because we are no longer primarily driven to reproduce, I mean that opens up a lot of space for us to be bold, be strong, be real, be confident, be creative in whatever way that is for you. That might be just being super present in the lives of the people around you, or that might be you creating massive success in a business somewhere and impacting lives. Whatever it is, it's available to you in perimenopause and beyond. Just do the work to create that space.
Amanda Testa (29:51):
Yeah, I love it. It's so true because I love that term. Second spring, we don't think about that, and I like to just give that to people that this is a really cool transition. This is an initiation, and any initiation, there's depths and darkness to it. But on the other side, there is expansion in that energy and freedom to do what you want.
Bria Gadd (30:14):
And I
Amanda Testa (30:15):
Like because like you're saying, we have long lives ahead of us.
Bria Gadd (30:18):
Whenever things get hard for me, I think about riding up a hill as a kid on a bike, there's that burn in your leg and you're like, oh, it's so hard. But then you get to the top and you have a view and you crest that thing and you just fly down on the winds in your hair and such a beautiful, delicious feeling. And this is what this is like. You're climbing a mountain right now. If you're struggling in perimenopause, it can feel like a mountain. So make sure you have the right equipment, make sure you bring some good friends along with you, make sure you appreciate the view along the way and take some breaks and know that the top is going to be epic and the downhill even more worth it.
Amanda Testa (31:00):
And I'm wondering too, when it comes to helping women connect to that feminine fire again, or if there's any additional tips you'd want to share around that, or maybe there's a different question that you wish that I would've asked that I didn't
Bria Gadd (31:11):
Ask. That's a good point. I think when it comes to our feminine fire, I just think we hit this point in our life right now where there's something inside of you. Anyone who's struggling knows there's something there that is, I don't want to say unresolved, but undiscovered, untapped. I think you can feel that in your gut, and I want to remind you, whatever that is, whether it's a sexuality thing or whatever that is for you, don't ignore it. This is the time to begin to explore that, get the help to explore that because you're intuition is very powerful. And I think part of the messaging we've muted is to ignore that. And I just don't think our gut and intuition is okay with being ignored.
Amanda Testa (32:02):
Yeah, we can't ignore it. Thank you so much.
Bria Gadd (32:05):
Yeah, thank you so much for having me.
Amanda Testa (32:08):
And I'm wondering too, where can everyone find more about you and also share about your podcast? That's amazing too. Share all the good things. Thank
Bria Gadd (32:16):
You so much. Yeah, so my podcast is called the Period Whisper podcast where we discuss all things perimenopause and so come check us out there anytime you can find me on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/bria_period_whisperer/. I have a daily hormone checklist that I just put together out there that if you are struggling with this area and you want a place to start, you can start there or you can come find me at briatheperiodwhisperer.com on my website. So come and check me out and talk. Let's reach out. I love talking to people.

Amanda Testa (32:47):
Thank you so much again, Bria. And also everyone listening, make sure to for sure check out her pod. It's so good. I am in this phase of my life as we speak too, so I love all the wisdom and just easy, digestible tips that you share. So thank you so much again for all you do.
Bria Gadd (33:03):
Thank you, Amanda, same to you. I love what you do and I appreciate so much being on here.
Amanda Testa (33:07):
And thank you all for listening. I'll also make sure to put all this info in the share notes as well, and we'll see you next time. Thank you for listening to the Find Your Feminine Fire Podcast. If you love this episode, please go ahead and forward it right now to someone who you know would love it. And if you've not yet had a chance to leave us a rave review on Apple Podcasts, please make sure to rate and review if you enjoyed the podcast, as well as make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next week.