Ep 9: What Happens When Women Witness Each Other Through Menopause

Ep 9: What Happens When Women Witness Each Other Through Menopause

What happens when women create a space to share their menopause stories? When we feel witnessed and get to witness others? Five women in midlife gather in circle to talk about our menopause transition journeys. We talk about rage and exhaustion, night sweats and brain fog, bleeding that wouldn't stop. We talk about being dismissed by doctors and diminished by a culture that sees menopause as the beginning of irrelevance. And two of us open up about experiencing depression during perimenopause. Midlife women are at the highest risk of depression than any other demographic group, yet we're expected to keep it all together.  But something powerful happens when women witness each other. When we stop minimizing our experiences and start honoring this rite of passage for what it really is... not a decline, but a journey to more wisdom, more inner power, more compassion, more self-knowledge, more self-love. We felt the power of holding space for and witnessing each other and see the opportunity to rewrite the story together. This is what healing in community looks like. Womb Tending Reiki Healing After recording this episode, I facilitated a Reiki healing session for the women in circle that focused on tending to the womb space. This healing experience is deeply supportive for women on their menopause journey, those who have had hysterectomies, women hoping to conceive or who've recently given birth, and those wanting to clear energies from previous relationships. The womb tending Reiki healing session is available on my website. I'm also facilitating ongoing Menopause Circles with Reiki healing—sacred space for women to share, be witnessed, and heal together and to receive Reiki healing Sign up for Menopause Reiki Circle (Wise Blood Collective): https://www.intrinsicly.com/wise-blood-collective Get Reiki for Womb Tending session: https://www.intrinsicly.com/reiki-sessions Connect * Instagram: @maridelleleyva * Facebook: maridelle.leyva * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maridelle-leyva-855358/ Keywords: perimenopause, menopause, midlife women, menopause symptoms, depression, menopause hormone therapy, women's health, healing circles, Reiki, womb healing, somatic regulation, nervous system regulation

Ep 8: What Happens When Menopause is a Spiritual Awakening

After hearing four women bravely share their menopause stories, I felt inspired to share my own journey in a deeper, more vulderable way than I ever have before. This episode is about what happened when my carefully built life started falling apart during perimenopause, and how that breakdown became the beginning of the most profound healing and spiritual growth of my life. I share how the hormonal changes of menopause diminished my ability to suppress difficult emotions and truths I'd been hiding from since childhood. From divorce and career upheaval to facing generational trauma and cultural shame, I explore how menopause became a doorway to discovering who I really am beneath all the roles I played and believed gave me value and worth. We start with a grounding practice, and I share the healing tools that supported me, including trauma work, Reiki, and nervous system regulation. If you're navigating menopause or midlife transitions and wondering if there's meaning in the chaos, I believe this episode may be supportive for you. Connect with Maridelle * Instagram: @maridelleleyva * Intrinsicly: intrinsicly.com [http://www.intrinsicly.com/] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maridelle-leyva-855358/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maridelle-leyva-855358/]     Tags: menopause, spiritual awakening, perimenopause, midlife transformation, women's health, spiritual growth, generational trauma, nervous system healing

Ep 7: What Happens When You Learn to Work with Your Nervous System

What Happens When You Learn to Work with Your Nervous System Your nervous system protects you from danger, but it can't tell the difference between real threats and everyday stress. When chronic stress becomes your default, it affects your health, relationships, ability to think clearly, and your overall wellbeing and happiness. The good news? You can learn to work with your nervous system through somatic regulation: listening to your body's signals and responding in ways that help you return to balance. Somatic regulation isn't about eliminating stress from your life. That's neither possible nor healthy - we need some stress to grow, to care about things, to take action when it matters. Somatic regulation is recognizing what state your nervous system is in, moment to moment, and having tools to guide yourself back to balance. It's about building a conscious relationship with your body rather than being at the mercy of automatic reactions. And ultimately, it’s about honoring your body’s innate wisdom and intelligence. In This Episode * Discover how working with your nervous system can transform your wellbeing, increase resilience, deepen your relationships, and live in alignment with your values and purpose * Understand why your stress responses aren't personal flaws but intelligent adaptations your body created to protect you * Explore the three states of your nervous system and how they show up in daily life * Learn practical somatic regulation techniques that help you build autonomic flexibility and return to a sense of safety to engage in life more fully Resources Mentioned If you’re living with the effects of trauma, know that you’re not alone. These resources offer support and guidance: * National Center for PTSD – ptsd.va.gov [https://www.ptsd.va.gov/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * SAMHSA National Helpline – samhsa.gov [https://www.samhsa.gov/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Mental Health America – mhanational.org * RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) – rainn.org * 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Call or text 988 if you’re in immediate crisis. Connect with Maridelle * Website: www.intrinsicly.com [http://www.intrinsicly.com]  * Instagram: @maridelleleyva * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maridelle-leyva-855358/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maridelle-leyva-855358/]  #SomaticRegulation #NervousSystem #StressManagement #Resilience #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #AutonomicFlexibility #NervousSystemRegulation #Thriving #wellbeing

Ep. 6: What Happens When You Experience Reiki Through a Podcast

What Happens When You Receive Reiki Healing Through a Podcast? This is part two of the episode called What Happens When Reiki Finds You. Instead of waiting until next week to drop the episode, I wanted to get it to you all so you can experience the benefits of Reiki as soon as possible. Come back to this whenever you need to find a sense of peace. The benefits of Reiki are cumulative, so do this is as many times as feels right for you.  I’ll guide you through a Reiki healing experience intended to help you find a sense of peace. If you want to understand how Reiki can work virtually and through a recording like this podcast, you can listen to episode 5. The best way to experience Reiki is either lying down or sitting comfortably with back supported. If you choose to sit, I find it’s helpful to have a pillow on your lap to rest your arms. We’ll start with some breathwork, so you ground, relax, and connect with your body. Then we’ll do a guided visualization for a couple minutes. I’ll then stop speaking and you’ll just hear music for about 15 minutes as you continue to receive Reiki energies. I invite you to open to receiving whatever you need right now. After the session, remember to drink a lot of water throughout the rest of the day.  In the coming weeks, I'll be offering other recorded Reiki healing experiences focused on rest and resilience, confidence and empowerment, creativity, abundance, and joy and hope. Learn more at www.intrinsicly.com [http://www.intrinsicly.com].

Ep 5: What Happens When Reiki Finds You

What Happens When Reiki Finds You What if an ancient healing practice could help you process emotions you've been avoiding and break patterns that keep you stuck? Reiki is now validated by research and used at major medical centers, but for me, it became the key to moving through fear and recognizing how I'd been trying to fix everyone but myself. In This Episode: * My experience with Reiki during the pandemic when I was stuck in fear * How leading hospitals like Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins use Reiki * The science behind why virtual Reiki works * Research showing Reiki's effects on stress, anxiety, and pain * How Reiki helped me recognize and work through old patterns My Story: After leaving a company I'd been with for 19 years, the pandemic hit and I found myself frozen in fear—not just about COVID, but about my future. Remote Reiki sessions helped me process emotions I'd been suppressing and see patterns around codependency and trying to fix others that went back to my family of origin. What's Next: Part II drops tomorrow - a 20-minute guided Reiki healing session where you can experience this for yourself, wherever you are. In the coming weeks, you'll also be able to access recorded Reiki sessions focused on recovery and resilience, confidence and empowerment, inner child healing, freedom, and body wisdom. Go to www.intrinsicly.com [http://www.intrinsicly.com] to learn more. Citations and Studies: 1. Liu, K., et al. (2025). Effects of Reiki therapy on quality of life: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Systematic Reviews, 14(1), 1-10. https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/integrative-oncology/overview/ovc-20542190 [https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/integrative-oncology/overview/ovc-20542190] 2. Cleveland Clinic. (2024). Reiki: How Energy Healing Works. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/reiki 3. Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing. (2024). What Does the Research Say about Reiki? https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/what-does-research-say-about-reiki 4. Verywell Mind. (2024). What to Know About Reiki Healing for Self-Care. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-to-know-about-reiki-healing-for-self-care-8665540