14. Cassidy Skelton: Spicy Stories & Mental Health

Do you struggle in your luteal phase? Are you curious to deepen your understanding of the language of menstrual cycle awareness? This week on Āio, I am honoured to welcome Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer, co-founders of Red School and co-authors of the iconic and hugely celebrated books Wild Power: Discover the Magic of the Menstrual Cycle and Awaken the Feminine Path to Power and their latest offering, Wise Power: Discover the Liberating Power of Menopause to Awaken Authority, Purpose and Belonging. Trailblazers in the emerging field of menstruality, Alexandra and Sjanie are pioneering a new language and approach to women's health and wellbeing, creativity, leadership and spiritual life, rooted in the power of the menstrual cycle and the initiatory journey from menarche to menopause and beyond. Bringing a collective 60 years of experience, they teach worldwide on the psycho-spiritual process of maturation that unfolds throughout our menstrual lives and are devoted to training the menstruality leaders of the future. They say don't meet your heroes - well, I'm SO glad I did! I have been a devoted student of their work for years. Their teachings have profoundly shaped the way I work with my own cycle, and the intimacy I've cultivated with myself through menstrual cycle awareness has truly changed my life. Wherever you are on your menstruality journey, this conversation is an invitation to deepen your understanding, cultivate greater compassion and build a more loving, intimate relationship with your cycle. What we cover: The cycle check-in: cultivating a new language for our inner experience

What becomes possible when we learn to meet the full spectrum of the masculine and feminine within us? In this episode I sit down with Dan and Jenny Abdelnoor for a rich kōrero on the four quadrants of masculine and feminine energy - and how understanding each of them can bring greater harmony to our inner world, our relationships and the way we move through life. We explore the many expressions of the masculine and feminine, the parts of ourselves we've learned to favour or suppress, and what happens when these energies begin to work together rather than against one another. A deeply alive conversation about relationships, polarity, self-awareness and becoming more fully ourselves. What we cover: The four quadrants of the masculine and feminine, and the archetypes that live within the

What does it really mean to come home to yourself? In this episode I sit down with author, coach and beautiful human Tracy Manu for a kōrero on identity, self-worth, healing and the stories we carry. We talk about Tracy's journey reconnecting with te ao Māori, learning to meet our own needs, the beliefs that quietly shape our lives, self-worth in relationships and work, and what it looks like to choose a different story. A warm, honest, easeful kōrero about knowing ourselves more deeply, meeting the parts of us we've left behind, and finding our way home.

This might be one of the deepest wānanga we've ever had on Āio to date.⁣ ⁣ Humbled and honoured to welcome teacher, mentor and friend Pā Shaquille Shortland to the podcast.⁣ ⁣ Pā is an Indigenous knowledge holder from Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Terino and Te Orewai. He is a cultural leader and facilitator with more than 15 years of experience offering kaupapa Māori wānanga, reaching more than 25,000 people.⁣

There comes a moment in many of our lives when everything we thought was certain begins to unravel. In this deeply personal episode, I step out from behind the interviewer's seat and into the hot seat myself. Joined by one of my besties, somatic and narrative therapist Robbie Fear, I share the story behind my year-long pause from Āio. We explore the heartbreak of grieving a future that never came to be, navigating the end of a loving relationship, losing friendships, rebuilding community, and what it means to begin again when every foundation beneath you has shifted. I also speak candidly about my journey with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), the impact it had on my mental health, and the practices, support and healing that helped me find my way back to myself. This conversation is an invitation into the messiness of being human. It is about learning to use our voice, asking for what we need, embracing community, and trusting that even in seasons of uncertainty, something beautiful is quietly being rebuilt. In this episode we explore: My year away from Āio and why I stepped back