Leading HER Way’s Post

This taboo topic needs to lose its power, so let’s start by addressing it openly! What’s perimenopause and why is it crucial that we raise awareness, especially for women in business? Perimenopause is the transitional period before menopause, leading up to when estrogen and progesterone levels begin to fluctuate and diminish over the course of years. As we women approach our 40s and 50s, we can begin to enter perimenopause, which prompts significant changes in our bodies, but also emotional and mental states. For some women, this shift can begin as early as 35 which is also the age bracket during which women are likely to move into higher leadership positions. If we want to continue to move the needle on the number of women in leadership roles and maintain their valuable contributions to a company’s bottom line, it is crucial to be more open about what perimenopause is and raise awareness how it affects women at the workplace. Symptoms may vary but most women experience hot flashes, mood changes, sleep problems, anxiety, just to name a few. So what can we already do now? It starts by simply talking about it, bringing the topic to daylight! Active leadership support, offering flexible work schedules, options to work from home and providing company information sessions, can make a significant positive contribution for women in business. If you are a female leader going through perimenopause, try to normalize your challenges, so that other women can feel empowered to speak up in the future. Like and share! Let’s break the glass ceiling together, one step at a time ❤️

No gate keeping around here! THIS is the 3-2-1-0 wind-down routine of successful women: “True strength is in the ability to take a step back so your body can repair and your mind relax.” - Easier said than done when your head is spinning after a rough-day! This is our step-by-step guide on how to prepare yourself for a night of optimal sleep: 3 hours before bed - No food: Eating late at night can disrupt your circadian rhythm (sleep-wake-cycle) because muscles that digest and metabolise food have to keep working instead of resting. 2 hours before bed - No more work: Whether it’s mental or physical work, your body and brain need time to relax and prepare for a night of sleep. If you can’t switch off mentally, write down what’s on your mind and make a list of pending tasks for the next day. 1 hour before bed - No more screens: It’s not just your work laptop and phone that you should avoid before bed, it’s all screens. Why? The blue light emitted by screens reduces the production of melatonin which controls your sleep cycle. What’s 0? The number of times you hit snooze in the morning after you had a good sleep 😉 What’s your best tip to wind-down?

A (realistic) morning routine nobody tells you about: To-do list never ending long? “Morning routine what?? I need every minute of my 24 hours in a day that I can get.” Sounds familiar? A solid but realistic morning routine for Leading HER Way, focuses on setting the tone for the rest of the day AND is sustainable for the long run when it comes to our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Here are 3 habits which you can apply, even BEFORE you get out of bed, tomorrow morning: 1. Rise and shine! Open the blinds and get sunlight in as soon as you can. This signals your body that it’s time to wake up. Morning light also boosts cognitive performance and focus. 2. Mindful minute(s): We get it, a full morning meditation would be ideal but doesn’t work for everyone, especially when you have kids. But believe us when we say, 2 minutes are better than no minutes! Sitting straight in your bed, in a comfortable position, connecting to your breath or physical sensations for a couple of moments, grounds your body and calms the nervous system. 3. Set an intention: After a couple of mindful moments, ask yourself “How do I want to feel when I go to sleep tonight?” Grateful? Content? Accomplished? Whatever it is, cultivate the feeling already in the morning! This involves consciously directing your thoughts and energy towards your desired outcome of ending the day, with the aim of increasing the likelihood of achieving it. And that’s that! No need to over-complicate your morning routine. Now, time to make yourself a nice cup of coffee, hydrate with lots of water and enjoy a healthy breakfast. PS: Pro-Tip: One thing that helps to get all this done and have a mindful start to your day: Not looking at the phone - unless it’s to turn on some relaxing music or a quick meditation 😉❤️

Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus - the Corporate Edition: Did you know that the famous system, Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm, was created by Henry Ford after the Industrial Revolution? Main reason being to use the natural rising and falling body energy patterns of men in a way to be most productive while keeping in sync with the body clock. This worked well back then when women stayed home with their family as primary care giver. Is it effective nowadays for women in the corporate world? Not so much! And here is why: While men are mainly driven by one hormone which peaks in the morning and drops in the evening (aka best for the 40hours work week), the process is much more complex for women. From week to week, the energy levels are different depending on where we’re at in the cycle. During one single cycle, there are three hormones, that rise and fall during the month in specific patterns. So here we are, women trying to fit in the 40hours work system, while still living with the societal mindset that they are the uncompromising caregivers at home, which is creating constant judgment for women wanting to give 100% at the workplace AND family commitments. It gets worse when we compare our performance to the way men function at the workplace. The solution? We can go from “something is wrong with me” to truly understanding our body. By doing so, we finally honor our body just doing its job. Leaning into bodily awareness is crucial to understand how our female body biochemistry works. Leading HER Way is all about celebrating the differences and leveraging it to our advantage to create more sanity in our work place AND home life ❤️

Leading HER Way is 3 months! Your support means the world, thank you for your engagement, messages and spreading the word. Here's to creating more meaningful connections together and raising awareness about wellbeing of women in the workplace ❤️

Just another manic Monday? Safeguard your mental & emotional reserves this week! HOW do people have access to you? Establishing boundaries with your phone is already a game changer. There are apps like Opal where you can block notifications or main distractors like social media for a chosen time per day - it works wonders! And do you really have to reply immediately to this text or voice note? Set up a limited time per day where you engage with others via your phone - this might not work ALL the time but by putting the intention & simply limiting your accessibility, you are able to take your power back - you choose when & how someone has access to you, not the other way around. WHO is an energy vampire in your life? Engaging with someone and feeling exhausted afterwards? Chances are high that you’ve dealt with an energy vampire. Try as much as possible limiting interactions with negative influences who drain your spirit. Workplace gossip? Just avoid it, it’s as easy as that. Give your attention to people who uplift you, make you feel good and don’t demand from you to hide your authenticity. Protecting your energy is all about preserving your valuable mental resources - cutting out the clutter so you can stay focused on what really matters ❤️

5 signs that you are deeply committed to your personal growth: 1. You know your WHY: You understand why personal growth is important to you. You clarified your values and what you hope to achieve through your personal development. This clarity provides a strong foundation for your commitment. 2. You are able to embrace discomfort: Growth often involves stepping out of your comfort zone. You are down to embracing discomfort as a sign of progress rather than an inconvenience. You are willing to push yourself to try new things and challenge your current limits. 3. You developed a good amount of self-empowerment:  Cultivating habits and routines that support your growth are your thing. You are practicing self-discipline by consistently following through on your commitments, even when your mind tries to convince you otherwise in the moment, you are not settling for instant gratification. 4. You are aware of your ego and approach setbacks as a learning curve: You learned to view setbacks as opportunities for learning and growth. Instead of criticizing yourself and analyzing what went wrong, you extract the lessons from the experience and adjust your approach accordingly. 5. You are self-aware and practice self-reflection: You are not afraid to sit with yourself and your thoughts. You regularly reflect on your progress and experiences through meditation or other mindfulness tools like journaling to stay present and aware of your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Drumrolls please! Can we all agree that growth involves a profound dedication and mindset that permeates every aspect of your life? Share your tips below how YOU stay motivated! ...and don’t forget to celebrate your milestones along the way! ❤️ 

This is 💯 your sign that you can be a fantastic leader, even when you think, you are not “tough enough”!

Energy Givers vs. Energy Takers - Comment your favorite energy GIVERS 👇 #elevate #selfcare #ConsciousLeadership