The Women Doing Their Thing Podcast

My Wild Woman Month: Fibroids, Qi Gong & Learning to Trust My Body

Freddy records an early morning update from her kitchen in Margate, overlooking the sea, sharing a wild month of health discoveries. After finally getting a comprehensive private ultrasound of her uterus, she received confirmation of adenomyosis and fibroids. However! Instead of defaulting to allopathic solutions, she dove deep into a Qi Gong healing protocol, hypnotherapy, and an embodied art process drawn from her Tamalpa training. She reflects on the empowering shift of taking ownership of her own healing, the shocking statistic that nearly 60% of hysterectomies are fibroid-related, and her growing vision of a community art project to honour women's unheard health stories. She also muses on perimenopause, feminine power, fear-based living, and what it really means to believe "I am enough." Connect with Freddy Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/freddyjohnstonxox/?hl=en-gb] Website [https://www.fredereka.com/] Free Meditation [https://www.fredereka.com/inner-smile]

Dr Julie Millour: What if perimenopause isn't something to dread, but a portal?

In this episode, Freddy is joined by Dr. Julie Millour PhD cellular andmolecular biologist, Chinese medicine practitioner, nutritionist, and somatic guide - for a rich and honest conversation about what perimenopause really is, and what it can be. Together they explore why "don't freak out" might be the mostimportant advice nobody gives us, how perimenopause mirrors the autumn season in Chinese medicine (a time of letting go before the second spring), and why the hormonal rage, the grief, and the sleepless nights aren't new - they're just old, unresolved emotions finally demanding to be heard. They also get into the shift from womb energy to heart energy, thesurprising statistics around women entrepreneurs in their 40s, the highest divorce rates at menopause, and how slowing down - truly slowing down – might be the most radical and rewarding thing a woman can do in this season of life. In this episode: * Why perimenopause is a portal, not a problem * The link between unresolved emotions and physical symptoms * How grief is part of the transition - and why that's actually reassuring * Changing your rhythm and learning to trust it * Chinese medicine's "second spring" framework * Dr. Julie's free perimenopause talk [https://learning.juliemillour.com/courses/] and her upcoming embodiment programme [https://www.juliemillour.com/the-perimenopause-immersion/] Connect with Julie Website [https://www.juliemillour.com/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/julie_millour/?hl=en-gb] Connect with Freddy Website [https://www.fredereka.com/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/freddyjohnstonxox/?hl=en-gb] Free meditation Inner Smile Activation [https://www.fredereka.com/inner-smile]

Fibroids, Gut Instinct & Why I Refused the Mirena Coil

In this episode, Freddy opens up about finally getting a scan that revealed a uterine fibroid, after years of doctors pushing the Mirena coil without ever doing a scan to see what was actually there. Rather than rushing into medical intervention, she shares how she's written a bespoke qigong program to work with her body from the inside out and activate her inner apothecary. Along the way she reflects how old habits of self-deprivation die hard, on learning to receive support, the power of the inner child, and why dancing and painting are just as important as any "protocol". She also teases an exciting upcoming episode on perimenopause recorded with TCM practitioner and molecular biologist Dr. Julie Milleur. If you've ever been dismissed, given a vague diagnosis, or talked yourself out of trusting your own body — this one's for you. Ready to watch your radiance rock and roll? Go to the website to download the inner Smile meditation, your portal awaits https://www.fredereka.com/inner-smile [https://www.fredereka.com/inner-smile]

Waking Up

This week, an embarrassing admission: I used to judge people who live at their own pace. I thought they were out of touch, oblivious to the world's suffering — away with the fairies. Turns out, I was the one who was missing out. In this episode, I'm getting honest about the martyr matrix I grew up in, why I quit working for other people (spoiler: I just wanted to chew my food), and what's happened since I decided to make waking up my one practice this year. We're talking slow mornings, dark bedrooms, Wei Qi fields, and compound interest for the soul. If you've ever felt like enjoying your life was somehow a betrayal of everyone who's struggling — this one's for you. Also: Qigong in Margate, my upcoming Paris pilgrimage, labyrinths, and butterfly masks for the third eye.

Even When You're Feeling Rubbish: Staying Connected to Your Work and Yourself

This week, Freddy opens up about navigating a flare-up of chronic symptoms linked to her menstrual cycle — and asks a question that's been on her mind (and her students' minds): Does feeling terrible mean you have to stop doing the things you love? (Answer in podcast) She shares 20 years of experience being dismissed and gaslit by doctors, the profound moment she came off the pill and felt like "a different woman," and her ongoing journey to get answers — including a private consultation she's finally booked in London. But this episode isn't just about struggle. It's about finding the entry points back to yourself — painting, gong meditation, teaching qigong, running workshops — and why, when the calling is strong enough, you show up anyway. She also reflects on going self-employed and making a commitment to only share work that "turns on the lights" — and what it means when your work nourishes you instead of costing you.