See How I Keep Myself Accountable in a Non-Regulated Industry
The hormonal health coaching world is highly unregulated - especially on the international scene.
A lot of things are allowed (toxic trends on the rise, complex hormonal imbalances simplified in the name of marketing, fake or pseudoscience, pyramid schemes, etc). As a result, a lot of women have been burned, and taken advantage of.
So to avoid setting Spotless Girl and its clients up for failure, here are the ways that I keep myself accountable, to serve you at the best of my capacity.
My Credentials
On the About page, you can see the courses, studies, and teachers I have been mentored by in relationship to women’s health and health in general. They are linked, so you can feel free to go and explore these particular studies and/or teachers. This section will keep on growing, as I commit to staying updated and educated on the topic.
My Scope of Practice
I can be really clear about the things I can and can not do.
I can offer suggestions, but the client is always free to agree or refuse to put them into practice and is entirely responsible for their own health.
I am not a doctor, nurse or medicine professional. This means that my work does not go against theirs, but in partnership with them. When it comes to my clients’ health, their doctor will always have more authority than me. I can not pose or cancel a diagnosis. I might suggest to ask your doctor about some things, but these are only suggestions. For example, I have suggested to two of my clients to ask their doctor about their liver health. One of them had a perfectly fine liver, which allowed us to feel safe on that end, while the other ended up being very close to a non-alcoholic-liver-disease that required a procedure. Looking at hormonal health can sometimes bring up other things, and in this case the help of a doctor or other professional is welcome.
We might chose to look at blood tests or results given by doctors, but I myself do not give such tests, as I am not equipped or trained for it.
I am not a therapist, psychologist or mental health professional. Again, my work never goes against theirs, but in partnership. Any exercises or suggestions I offer that are linked with stress, neuroplasticity (change of thoughts), and wellbeing, are coming from the studies I have made and tools I have gotten in my coaching toolkit. they do not replace the services of other professionals.
Since I use somatic tools, and include the body in my coaching, I have often heard my clients make comments such as: “this helped me so much more than therapy”. I believe that the reason this worked is BECAUSE they have done so much beautiful work in therapy that they were able to connect with their cycle and body in deeper ways, therefore allowing themselves to receive new levels of support that they gave themselves (not me). It’s important that I mention this, so no one has the idea that working with the body works better than therapy. On the contrary, I believe both work much better when worked on together. Since the body and the mind are connected, when both are tended to, results can be immense. I do not replace or do the work of therapy.
Continual Education
To keep myself updated, I commit to continually learning about women’s health and menstrual science. I commit to doing research from real people (AI will not be teaching me about the new discoveries and updates) who have authority in the research field.
I do this by reading books, women’s health scientific journals, attending workshops and panels, and taking extra classes on the subject.
Personalized means personalized
The things we work on together need to apply to the clients’ lives, and feedback on this is always welcome.
One of the things that I have heard is that some women haven’t followed protocols to a T, and then have been blamed for the lack of success and results they are seeing. For example, I heard of a woman who was told that “Well of course it doesn’t work for you if you keep eating cake.”
First, there should never be blame on a woman’s habits. Second, there are multiple layers and depths to any habits, so one can’t reject one without exploring it first.
In my world, if a client can’t put into practice what we have talked about during a call or course, it means it’s not a good match for her lifestyle and current needs. Of course, the client is responsible for her choices an decisions. But she is allowed to come to me and say: I didn’t apply this because this isn’t working for me. Then, it is up to US to find ways to work solutions into her lifestyle, in ways that resonate with her.
This means that the methods used need to be loose, so we can tweak them and reject them if they do not work. And this means that all of my clients are welcome to come to me, if suggestions I have offered do not apply to them. The protocols are not the center of my work. My clients are.
I Surround Myself With Other Professionals
I get on calls with professionals in other fields to hear their thoughts and comments about my work and industry. Such professionals include pharmacists, doctors, psychologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and midwifes.
What I think Makes a Good Coach
If my best friend wanted to hire a period coach that wasn’t me, this is what I would tell her to look for in a coach, to know she’s not being scammed or taken advantage of.
They’re not attached or affiliated with a specific brand they want you to buy from
They don’t offer or try to sell the idea that one framework, one product, or one solution will work for everyone
They are willing to and capable to explain some of the medical and scientific terms they’re using
They’re listening to you - are willing to explore what it looks like for you, so that they can give you better advice
They don’t recommend plants or solutions without first having heard your situation (because they know not all plants or solutions work for everyone)
They sometimes have to check their reference books or studies, because they are aware that hormones are complex and won’t just throw an idea at you if they’re unsure
The support they are offering you was not made by AI (therefore personalized, not made with statistics)
If the ideas they are giving you aren’t working, they are willing to try other things to see what will stick and what will work, because they know people are unique, and are here to help you find something that works for you
They will not try to make you believe that hormone imbalances are 100% your lifestyle’s fault, because they are aware that society (in the form of work schedules, available food, stigmas, racism, sexism, support available, family systems, mental health, etc) is not always women-friendly
They will help you make decisions on your own, not tell you what to do
They’re not trying to force you to buy from them, they’re trying to see if they can actually help you or not. If they can’t, they tell you as it is. If they can, they offer it in ways that feel respectful
Therefore, these are the the principles that I apply to my coaching work. If you see things that do not match or correspond to these, feel free to ask about it, but please remain compassionate and respectful.