The Cyclical CEO: How to THRIVE in Your Work Life by Working in Alignment With Your Menstrual Cycle
IF YOU’RE A MENSTRUATING WOMAN, I’D BET A TUB OF BEN & JERRY’S THAT YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT’S LIKE TO HAVE A TON OF WORK TO DO, BUT YOU’D SOOOOOO MUCH RATHER JUST ROLL UP LIKE A BURRITO WITH A KILO OF CHOCOLATE & A HOT WATER BOTTLE ON YOUR BELLY.
Or you’d have huge surges of creative energy but be forced to focus on mundane tasks… so you’d wrap up the task-list but by then the creativity had disappeared?
Or be feeling super low energy and NOT in the mood to talk to people, but you’ve got to put your game face on for a presentation you scheduled 2 weeks ago, only for it to totally flop… then 2 weeks later you’re VIBING and know you’d have aced if is was scheduled for now instead!
The joys of being a cyclical woman in a linear world. NOT.
Women are not linear
We know this. We feel this. We live this.
We are wonderfully, magically cyclical, and this is our greatest superpower.
So let’s start with the basics, and then I’m going to teach you how you can use this wisdom to embody the Cyclical CEO and THRIVE in your work life.
As we move through our menstrual cycle, we’re actually shifting through four phases, which correspond with four distinct inner seasons.
You can read a full recap of the cycle phases & inner seasons in this previous article I wrote, but to summarise:
Your Menstrual Phase runs from the first day of your period, until your period has finished, and marks the beginning of a new cycle, where your hormones are at their lowest. This corresponds with your Inner Winter which, just like outer winter, is a time of rest, of turning inwards, staying warm and cosy. It’s a time where we’re at our lowest energy, most introverted, and most reflective.
Then comes your Follicular Phase, from when your period finishes, up until you ovulate, which is where a couple of hormones are doing their thing, most notably oestrogen, which is what gives that rise in energy, productivity, and sex drive. This reflects an Inner Spring, which is full of rebirth energy, a time of setting intentions and new beginnings, and full of emerging inspiration, and creativity. Your energy is rising and you’re starting to turn outwards.
Next up is your Ovulatory Phase, which is the time around ovulation (the peak event of your cycle). Both oestrogen + testosterone are peaking here, meaning peak energy, peak productivity, and peak sex drive. This corresponds with your Inner Summer, where your energy is at its highest, you’re fertile, radiant, expressive, confident, sexy, magnetic, and turned on by life.
And lastly comes your Luteal Phase, which runs from ovulation until your next period starts, where progesterone, another super-duper important hormone, is the star of the show (if you ovulated). This reflects an Inner Autumn, with your energy levels decreasing, your desire to connect waning, and there’s a deepening sense of winding down and turning inwards. Your BS detector is at its maximum setting, your intuition is at its highest, and your inner critic has a tendency to get pretty loud here.
RELATING ALL OF THIS TO YOUR WORK LIFE
You can already see how each of these cycle phases or inner seasons have different physical, mental, emotional and energetic characteristics, strengths + limitations, right?
Well, we can take this even deeper when it comes to our work life, and actually align pretty much every task or project we have with our cycle, playing to our strengths, and supporting or mitigating our limitations. Let’s break it down…
Let’s START WITH YOUR MENSTRUAL PHASE (INNER WINTER)
This, above all, is a time for rest.
Days 1 and 2 are especially important - if you can dedicate these two days to taking deep rest, you’ll be setting yourself up for the entire rest of your cycle. Look at it like an investment in energy - rest now, thrive later.
If you *absolutely can’t* do that, then do what you can. Take note of which day of your bleed (usually day 1 or 2) you feel the most tired and depleted, and create as much space as possible on this day to rest.
Say no to social engagements so you’re not burning the candle at both ends, if possible reschedule meetings for a few days later, and put the easiest, lowest energy tasks on your to-do list for this time.
Even if you feel energetic during your bleed, it’s important to pace yourself. I like the analogy of a marathon runner here - the faster you are to start, the slower you are to finish.
Taking things deliberately slow during your menstrual phase will truly set you up for more sustainable energy throughout the rest of your cycle.
Your Menstrual Phase is also a time of reflection - to look back on your previous cycle, and analyse how everything went. Some starters are - What went well? What didn’t go well? How did I show up in the best of me? How didn’t I? What do I want to carry forward into this cycle? What don’t I want to carry forward? Did I reach my goals & wrap everything up? If not, why not? How can I make my goals more realistic this cycle? etc.
And then as you reach the end of your bleed, you shift into more intentional energy. This is the time to get clear on what your goals and intentions are for this cycle based on what came up in your reflection.
Using all of this the “intel” you’ve received during your bleed, create your plan and schedule everything in for the rest of your cycle, following this cyclical alignment (we dive into the how to below!).
NEXT UP IS YOUR FOLLICULAR PHASE (INNER SPRING)
Your oestrogen is on the rise, your energy is rising, your brain power is increasing, and you’re experiencing more mental clarity and sharpness.
This is THE time to get moving on those goals you set at the end of your bleed; you’re equipped to multi-task here, opening multiple projects and having your fingers in multiple pies - just make sure you stay conscious of your capacity and don’t over-commit yourself.
This is also the perfect time to do that new thing you’ve been a bit scared of doing, and because we’re not in either a peaking hormonal state, nor at your lowest hormonal point, it’s also a good time to make big decisions and have big conversations without that “interference”! Those things you made a note of in your Luteal Phase? Now’s the time to look at them. (read the luteal phase section for this to make sense!)
And with creativity and inspiration brimming - especially if you rested during your menstrual phase - now is the time to birth your creative projects into the world - whether it’s content creation or creating your personal brand of art!
THEN YOU ARRIVE IN YOUR OVULATORY PHASe (INNER SUMMER)
This is where you get to experience the peak state of your hormones - namely oestrogen and testosterone - which manifests as a greater willingness to take risks, so it’s a time of leap and the net will appear!
That said - you’ve also got a healthy dose of rationality and logic, so it’s a great time to look at things more objectively, address any problems head on & find solutions.
You’re most extroverted, confident and expressive at this point in your cycle, so this is THE time to get out there, be seen, and build community… Network! Socialise! Collaborate!
This is your most magnetic state - so get super clear on exactly what you want to attract and receive and beam it out to the world!
You also excel in articulation and eloquence at this time in your cycle, so it’s a great time to communicate - have the important conversations, schedule the big meetings, do your public speaking gigs, host the masterclass or workshop, and create video content! If there’s a job interview you really want to nail, or a big pitch you’ve got to make - do it now!
In your Ovulatory Phase, feel emboldened to enter ‘hustle mode’ and get sh*t done - this is the only time in your cycle I really say GO FOR IT GIRL.
Just make sure to stay conscious of your energy levels so you don’t burn out - schedule plenty of white space into your calendar and take regular breaks to rest, nourish, move and play!
AND LAST UP IS YOUR LUTEAL PHASE (INNER AUTUMN)
This can actually be separated into two parts; In part 1, you’re still riding that Ovulatory high, so just enjoy it while it lasts and use the energy to get as much done as you can, while staying tuned into yourself, and being prepared to accommodate the shift in energy that’s inbound.
In part 2, it’s all about slowing down and welcoming the shift in energy. The Luteal Phase is dominated by the hormone progesterone, which is a calming hormone that naturally invites you into a slower pace of things.
You become more introverted and introspective, and at the same time less tolerant and less patient, so this is the perfect time to focus on more solo tasks. You’ve also got great attention to detail, so it’s the time to finally get those admin tasks done, work on your finances and accounting, and organise all your files & to-do lists.
A second uptick of oestrogen in the mid-point of the Luteal Phase can bring a surge of creativity, which combined with the heightened intuition of this phase, makes it a great time to make space to receive those intuitive hits that tell you what’s next.
It’s a good time for more white space in your schedule in general - less back to back tasks, and more time for rest and moving slowly and intentionally from task to task.
The end of your Luteal Phase is the time for wrapping up all your tasks and projects, and either completing them, or bringing them to a point where you can take a pause over your Menstrual Phase, and re-visit them in your Inner Spring.
And perhaps most importantly, your inner critic can be especially loud at this point in your cycle, which can really impact how you feel about yourself, your work & your colleagues or team - so this is not the time for big conversations or big decisions - make a note of what’s coming up, and return to it in your Inner Spring.
…And then your bleed begins, and it’s time to take rest, reflect on the previous cycle, and set your new intentions for the cycle ahead.
HOW TO USE THIS WISDOM TO EMBODY THE CYCLICAL CEO
If you really want to embody the Cyclical CEO, it requires that you’re tracking your cycle.
Cycle tracking helps you to get to know yourself and the way you change throughout your cycle; it will help you tune into your own physical, mental, emotional and energetic shifts, and how much capacity you have for what, at which points.
In short, this is going to give you the intel you need to decide what to do, when.
If you’re not tracking yet, you can download my incredible Free Cycle Tracking Bundle which will teach you exactly how to do this, along with print outs to get started immediately!
Then all you’ve got to do at the start of every cycle (I love to do this on day 3 or 4 of my cycle), is do a huuuuge brain dump of all of the tasks and projects you have to complete within this cycle.
Then allocate each task or project into the inner season that it would suit the best, using the information above! So for example… reflections + goal setting would be put in your Inner Winter; creating content for Insta would go in Inner Spring; hosting a live masterclass would go into your Inner Summer; and doing those website updates would be put into your Inner Autumn!
Then simply follow the flow of your new cyclical schedule as you move through your cycle!
It deserves a mention that if you don’t currently experience a menstrual cycle (for example due to hormonal birth control, pregnancy, breastfeeding, or being peri or post-menopausal), and you’re reading this feeling major FOMO - have no fear! You can still tap into the flow of this practice and experience it for yourself using the Lunar Cycle!
The moon & our wombs go way back, so you can use her 29 (ish) day rhythm in place of menstrual cycle - using the new moon in place of day 1 of your cycle, and therefore assuming the full moon to be day 14 (or ‘ovulation’).
You obviously won’t be tapping into the hormonal changes & their related benefits & limitations, but you’ll still be able to align your life + bizz to this cyclical rhythm that holds a time for everything!
Whichever way you do it, I’d recommend that you commit to this for at least 3 full cycles because it can take a minute to really get into the swing of things, and experience it working for you.
Especially if you’re someone who’s used to trying to do everything at once, it can take time to build the trust that everything will get done on time, and to trust that the ‘right’ time WILL come back around.
That’s the beauty of living (and working) cyclically - there is a time for everything, and that time will always come back around.
And sometimes things just ARE time sensitive, and you’ve just gotta get them done ‘out of alignment’ - that’s life, and it will always happen!
So drop the need to get this perfect, and make it about doing as much as possible in alignment with your body & cycle, in a way that’s honouring your energy and capacity, which ultimately will leave you far more resourced to deal with the rush-stuff when it does come up.
Give this a go for a few cycles, and watch how much more intentionally you use your time and energy, and how much more flow and ease you experience in your working life.
I’m in my Cyclical CEO era, hbu?
with love,
WHATS UP NEXT …
