February's Monthly Muse: Bridget Paddon from GDNZ
February’s muse is non-other than Bridget Paddon, the gorgeous life-coach behind the online coaching service Goal Diggers NZ.
What Bridget’s followers and clients love about her is the energy she brings to her content (try and watch her dance party sessions and not smile, I dare you) but also her transparency when it comes to the ups and downs of being a modern female striving for her dreams. Bridget looks at the bigger picture when it comes to setting goals in life and encourages her clients to explore personal development, as well as professional, including health related goals.
It therefore comes as no surprise to Your Monthly that Bridget’s inquisitive mind found her challenging the idea that hormonal contraception was the only way and we chatted with her to find out more about her experience with coming off “the pill”.
You’ve written a powerful article about coming off the pill but can you tell Your Monthly readers more about your experience on hormonal birth control and what inspired you to eventually transition away from this form of contraception?
I started taking the pill while I was at high school, everyone was doing it and I had heard about how easy (and cheap) it was to get at Family Planning. I had started having sex with my boyfriend at the time and obviously didn’t have making a baby in the plans for the near future. I really wasn’t in tune with my body at all back then and as I’m writing this, I’m wondering how much the pill was affecting me without even realizing - I do remember I would get headaches all the time, but whether that was directly related I’ll never know. When I first went on it took a while for me to find the ‘right one’, I remember having months of non-stop spotting and wondering a) if that was normal or b) if it was always going to be like that but apart from that, didn’t really question what it was actually doing physically to my body. Then it was just normal to take a pill every day for 10 years without thinking twice about what it was actually doing.
I made the decision to stop taking the contraceptive pill about three years ago. I had become conscious of what I was fueling my body with as well as what products I was using on my skin transitioning to a natural based approach with my holistic health and overall lifestyle. I can’t pinpoint the exact time or moment but it just naturally occurred to me one day that the pill could not possibly be good for me - artificial hormones tricking my body into doing or more specifically not doing something that is a natural process was all I needed to know. Then I went and did and some research and wasn’t surprised at all by the facts and personal stories I found. I immediately stopped taking it and threw my spare packets away, avoiding any doubts or what if’s that had come into my mind, knowing that my intuition 100% knew what was best for me and my body, and it wasn’t daily little white pills (you can read more about Bridget’s contraception journey here)
Inspiring women to listen to their body is something we know you are passionate about (and rightly so!). Many women experience a change in mood and energy levels during their cycle. Since rediscovering your regular cycle have you introduced any self-care rituals in the lead up to your monthly?
I use the period app tracker called ‘Clue’ (more about that in the next question), and have a pretty good idea of my energy levels throughout my cycle. The couple of days before my period I can feel pretty low, get agitated easily or cry over little things, so I be incredibly gentle with myself and don’t push myself to do anything that isn’t flowing. Being really conscious and tuning in to how you’re feeling and then honoring that is one of the best self-care practices you can have in your toolkit. On the first day of my period I try to keep my workload to a minimum or ideally keep the day free and not put any pressure on myself so I can just be. I tune in to what is best for me on the day.
Coming off hormonal contraception seems like a no brainier for many women but a question on many minds is what should I use instead?! Obviously this comes down to individual, informed choice but would you share a little more about your own contraception choice now and how you came to land on this method?
This is a question I get asked a lot! When you come off the pill you open up space to get to know your natural cycle and you learn to trust your body (while your body learns to trust you right back!). As soon as you get your first natural period, which can take months for some while your body regulates itself, start tracking! It can be as simple as using a wall planner, like the GDNZ 2019 or there are a few great apps out there now too. I use the app mentioned above called Clue, which once you’ve been tracking your natural cycle for a few months, gives you a clear window of when you will be most likely to be ovulating. When you get to expert level of being in tune with your body, you’ll actually notice a difference in the consistency of what’s in your undies and some people can feel mild cramping the day of ovulation as the egg is being released (aren’t our bodies AMAZING, giving us all these natural signs!!).
Along with being conscious of when my fertile window is and when I’m ovulating, I use condoms. But, I highly recommend you look into the condoms you’re using and what ingredients and/or materials are used. There’s some pretty nasty stuff in the lubricant of your standard condoms like toxic chemicals and hormone disruptors. I looked into this a bit last year and I decided to start investing in condoms that I knew weren’t disrupting anything happening down there, even if it meant spending a bit more money.
Your Monthly aims to teach women that being “hormonal” is actually something to be celebrated rather than used as slander against women. Experiencing the up’s and down’s of Oestrogen and Progesterone during your cycle can be slightly different for women. Do you have a favourite part of your cycle or have you re-discovered something in particular about your cycle that you want to share?
I have so much energy the week following my period so I totally use this to my advantage to get through the to do list and push harder during my workouts. This week I always feel like a powerful boss babe and can handle everything that life throws at me.
But to be perfectly honest, I celebrate my cycle fully, from start to finish. There is so much to celebrate, especially that my body is in a healthy state and is ready to grow a human being in there if I wanted it too! Blows my freaking mind how incredible our bodies are and what they do for us without us even having to think about it. I challenge my friends way of thinking now when they bring up their period, it they’re moaning I try to flip it around and empower them to find the positives in it and practice gratitude. Not all women have the pleasure of having a healthy period or period at all, so you absolutely have to celebrate!! It’s pretty bloody special when you think about it.
We love the work you are doing, inspiring women to show up in life in whatever way that means to them. Can you tell Your Monthly readers where they can find out more about you and your coaching services?
It would be my pleasure!! There are a few different places to stalk me!
To see more about my coaching services and to work with me…
Goal Diggers NZ The GDNZ Gram Goal Diggers NZ Facebook
To see more about my personal experiences and how I show up in my daily life as I release what no longer serves me...
To see more of my freshly relaunch clothing label, focusing on community, connection and sustainability…
The GDNZ Store GDNZ The Label Instagram GDNZ The Label Facebook