Failing Forward When It Comes To Hormone Health
The truth about setbacks, trust, and unlocking your body’s map to healing
If you’re new here, hello! Welcome. Here you find essays and musings on the feminine, menstrual health and all things related to the womb. It’s a place for self exploration, reclaiming, unravelling, and uncovering inner knowings.
I’m oh-so grateful you’re here.
We should not feel forced to pick and choose between science and spirit. This is why I love the ‘holistic’ approach. We can dance in both worlds, weave together the scientific evidence-based recommendations and spiritual practices which nourish the womb. Personalise it.
My hope is you will come dance with me. Together let’s read, mull over, read again, question, weave, and create.And should you like what you read I would be honoured if you shared it.
I love the concept of failing forward. Especially when you’re on you’re healing.
It’s almost like this permission slip that healing isn’t linear, nor does it need to be perfect. In fact, it’s that perfectionism that often paralyses us and keeps us stuck where we are.
Healing can feel at times as though you’re not getting anywhere.
I get it.
I have been there. It sucks.
You're doing all the right things, so progress should be happening—right?
Yet, with each bleed, while things might be improving, symptoms still linger.
As much as we want things to happen instantly, it takes time.
Both energetically and physically, the amount of time that you have been experiencing a particular symptom for, can indicate how long it will take for that symptom to heal. Simply, the longer you've been dealing with something, the more time it may take to restore balance.
The body needs time to recalibrate.
For me, this looked like 18months of putting my health and wellbeing first after an incredible stressful time of my life. In 2018, in the space of 6 months, I gained 15kg, moved cities, completed my first university degree and experienced heartbreak with the closing of my relationship with my partner at the time. He was my first love and we had been together for close to five years. Needless to say I was stretched to my limit, experiencing stress in a way I had never felt before, and it took me a long time after this for my nervous system to recalibrate, to know that I was safe.
It was months of up and down, letting my body know on a subconscious level that I was safe.
After all stress is generic to the body. Our bodies operate off ancient wisdom, and fail to see the difference between the modern stressors that can’t kill us, and the tiger who can.
It was hard to see and feel the way my body changed. I had no energy, and no resilience to stress. I experienced extreme burnout, adrenal fatigue, and menstrual issues for the first time in my life. But this experience also gifted me gratitude for what it is to have my health.
With diet and lifestyle shifts, my body eventually settled into the parasympathetic state of healing. I found the weight fell off and my hormones began to once again function optimally.
This, in itself, was a sigh of relief, like the first breath of spring after a long, cold winter.
And no, it wasn’t constantly repeating affirmations and mantras about safety that made the difference. It was nutrition, gentle movement, and making small changes in my daily life to reduce and manage stress. To be honest, during that time, I really struggled to meditate or sit in stillness. While those practices can be incredibly helpful, at that point in my life, they just weren’t what I needed.
What I learned during this time was the catalyst for where I am now. It eventually led to an entire career shift, the beginning of Wild Flow, and the deep passion I have for helping other women navigate their own healing journeys. Experiencing firsthand how the body responds to stress, how symptoms are messages rather than inconveniences, and how true healing requires both time and trust shaped everything I do today.
It showed me that healing isn’t just about the right diet, supplements, or protocols—it’s about feeling safe in your own body, honouring it’s signals, and making space for deep restoration. Looking back, what felt like a breakdown was actually a breakthrough, guiding me to the work I now feel so deeply aligned with.
And with it I discovered how the concept of failing forward brought the most peace of mind of all on my healing journey.
"Failing forward" is the idea that setbacks, mistakes, and missteps are not roadblocks but stepping stones toward growth and success.
It flips the idea of failure. Rather than seeing (perceived) failure as something to avoid or as proof that you’re not on track, it’s reframed as a necessary and valuable part of learning and progress.
In healing, this these little stepping stones remind us that our journey is unique.
You learn that each symptom flare-up isn’t a setback— it’s information.
You find that each protocol tweak isn’t starting over— it’s refining.
And in moments of frustration you come to know these aren’t proof of failure— but nudges toward patience and trust in your body.
Failing forward means recognising that healing isn’t about getting it perfect every time—it’s about discovering, uncovering, adjusting, and continuing. Each step, even the frustrating ones, is bringing you closer to balance.
This shift in perspective reminds us to embrace the way that health and healing should reflect the individual. Which is often the permission slip needed to avoid total perfectionist paralysis.
Symptoms are Feedback
Continuing to experience symptoms during your healing journey is not a setback— it’s information. Symptoms are the body’s ways of communicating with you. Rather than seeing lingering symptoms as a failure, recognise them as signals from your body, guiding you toward deeper healing. They are the roadmap.
Often your symptoms are shifting. Even if you can’t see or feel it immediately. They might not be as intense, or as frequent, or maybe you’re finding that new symptoms are replacing the old ones. This is all feedback from the body about how the step you’re taking to heal are working, or not working.
Especially when you’re healing menstrual issues, it takes time.
On average it takes 100 days for an egg to mature and be released at ovulation.
Thats 100 days to nourish your body. Approximately 300 balanced meals to fuel your body. Hundreds of hours of deep, restorative sleep. It’s the small daily choices you make that creates lasting hormone harmony.
Because when you know this, you know that supporting your egg health to improve your menstrual symptoms such as PMS (as PMS is usually caused by low progesterone which is linked to low egg quality), it can take a couple of months to see the shift.
To feel the change.
So don’t stop before the magic happens.
Adjust, Don’t Abandon
That incredible biofeedback you’re receiving is the information you need to adjust your protocol. These tweaks are not starting over— it’s refining. If a certain approach isn’t working as expected, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed—it just means it’s time to adjust, refine, and continue.
This mindset shift can be such a powerful way to reduce stress, reminding you stay patient and trust the process rather than feeling discouraged.
Especially as what works really well for one person in healing their hormones, may not work for you. Taking a personalised approach to healing is vital. Healing isn’t about following a one-size-fits-all approach—it’s about listening, adapting, and making it work for you.
When you personalise the protocol and make changes to it as needed, not only can you speed up your journey you will often find it far less frustrating. Having that personalisation means working with your body rather than against it, allowing for adjustments that suit your unique needs. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by rigid guidelines, you create a flow that feels sustainable and aligned with your lifestyle. This builds confidence, helping you trust your choices rather than second-guessing every step.
It’s also an incredible opportunity to truly tune into your body. What is your womb telling you? What messages is she whispering?
Progress Isn’t Linear
Healing isn’t linear. It can be a full spectrum of emotions. Bleeds that feel like steps back, and yet can be cycles of wild growth, unruly recalibration, or raw transformation. Each moment of frustration isn’t proof of failure— it’s a nudge toward patience and trust in your body.
Some cycles may feel like setbacks, but they’re often a recalibration rather than regression.
Each step, even the frustrating ones, the challenging ones, brings you closer to balance. If you’re taking a holistic approach to your healing there is no bandaid or one-size-fits-all fix. It can mean sitting in the seat of discomfort, getting real about the changes that need to be made, and committing to lasting change, so you can experience optimal health.
But it’s worth it.
A healthy menstrual cycle— and happy hormones— as a woman is a superpower.
It is the key to vitality.
Healing is a beautiful, winding journey—one that doesn’t always follow a straight path.
But your body will give you the map.
The symptoms are the signs. You just need to tune into your body and listen to what it is trying to communicate with you.
Setbacks, bumps in the road, maybe even a little side quest or two, aren’t signs you’re off track. Instead, they’re part of the ebb and flow of growth and healing.
With time, patience, and a willingness to adjust, you begin to feel more in tune with your body. A healthy menstrual cycle is more than just a physical state—it’s a true vitality and wellbeing. A profound connection to your womb and inner feminine power, and intuitive knowing. Embracing the process of healing means embracing yourself, imperfections and all, as you move toward a more balanced and vibrant life.
And while your womb whispers may not make any sense to the logical mind, it may murmur for you to take a leap of faith that you feel totally unprepared for, that makes no sense, but somehow feels right. Know that is your body, your womb, your intuition giving you the map.
And darling, I promise, magic awaits when you learn that you can trust it.
Love, Yen
P.S If you want to learn more about stress, adrenal health and its interconnectedness to your bleed, I invite you to read this:
Stress and Why It's Messing With Your Period
I have such a deep desire to meld together the science and the spiritual in the world of the womb. The intention behind the articles I share here was always to explore both the science and the spiritual when it comes to wombs and womanhood. So it brings me such joy to bring to you a new series of posts within my writing here on