🫣 Divorce, Period Pain Supps + Outdoor Squeamishness: Radical Honesty April Q+A
This was the one question I hoped nobody would ask.
THANK YOU (and also ahhh I’m scared😨) to the folks who’ve submitted an anonymous Q+A to help me flex my “radical honesty” muscle in this newsletter! I’m collecting your nosiest questions via this form and will be answering at least a few per month here on Substack.
Today, I’m answering these 3 Q’s:
“What do you think about divorce?” ← LOL okay heavy hitter
“What is your own opinion about period pain supplements e.g. Monthlies?”
“I want to work in the outdoors. Like, the real outdoors. Feet wet, sunburned face, dirt under my nails. Not just typing away behind a screen wearing a Cotopaxi vest. But here’s the catch: almost every job I see in the outdoor world requires some kind of wilderness medical certification. Which makes sense, except… I’m the kind of person who gets lightheaded at the sight of a skinned knee. If someone broke a bone in front of me, I’d probably need a medic myself. So I guess my question is: is there space for someone like me in this world? Or is being ‘outdoorsy’ but squeamish just a contradiction that doesn’t fit?”
^ First of all, obsessed since these 3 happen to fall within my “BLOOD, SWEAT + FEAR” categories. We understood the assignment. 😎 Let’s go.
Q1: “What’s your opinion about period pain supplements?” 🩸
A: Long opinion short? The #1 action anyone can take around period pain is to deeply get to know their cycle by regularly tracking its symptoms. I personally wouldn’t f around with new supps unless I’d collected enough data myself to hone in on what may be causing my period pain.
Long opinion longer: Period pain is common. But common doesn’t always mean normal. If pain gets in the way of enjoying your everyday life, there’s a reason, whether it’s hormonal (e.g. low progesterone) or structural (e.g. endometriosis). And if you don’t know the reason, you could spend a lot of money to try products that might not even help.
ENTER: My Cynical Side. IMO, a lot of companies are banking on the fact that menstruators are desperate for relief and will try anything to feel better. It's fairly easy to slap "science-backed" or "hormone-friendly" on a bottle, price it at $40+ a month, and sell it to someone who’s been dismissed by doctors or told for years that period pain is “just part of being a woman.”
Instead of finding real medical solutions, many menstruators end up lost in the wellness Wild West: buying supplements, tinctures, and "miracle" chocolate bars with adaptogens because the healthcare system left them hanging.
I'm not saying all supplements are scams. Some could absolutely support your body! But the industry thrives on the hope that you won’t pause and ask yourself, “What’s actually in this thing? Do I even need these ingredients? Do I have data that I’m deficient in this? Is this treating a root cause or is it a temporary bandaid?”
While I won’t pick on any single company, I’m weary of the supplement industry as a whole. It can be hard to differentiate between relief and exploitation when you’re desperate to feel better.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. If you’re experiencing period pain that gets in the way of life, find a doctor who will listen and help you collect data. If they don’t listen, fire them and find another. (You’re allowed to do that.) - This conversation from over 3 years ago has tips to help you feel empowered at the doctor! 🎧
And in the meantime, track your symptoms deeply. Take notes on your food, caffeine intake, sleep quality, stress, and how they affect certain days of your cycle. The Read Your Body app is secure and customizable to track whatever the heck you want:
Q2: “Is being “outdoorsy” but squeamish just a contradiction that doesn’t fit?” 🥾
A: Whoever wrote this, damn, I’m rooting for you. And you totally do fit in the industry. You just might have to get creative. Let me answer this in a few reminders:
Reminder 1: Most of outdoor medicine (and overall leadership) is prevention, not treatment.
It’s noticing the little things before they become big things: helping someone stay hydrated, catching a case of mild hypothermia before it becomes life-threatening, knowing when to turn around instead of pushing to a summit at all costs. You don’t have to be the person Macgyvering a femur splint in a thunderstorm. You can be the person who notices the early warning signs that keep the whole group safer. That matters just as much (if not more). There are a BUNCH of roles for group members during an emergency. You could make a big difference in a wilderness medicine response without even seeing the patient or their injuries.
Reminder 2: There’s surprisingly little gore involved in many wilderness medicine courses.
I’m actually recertifying my NOLS Wilderness First Responder this week! It’s my 10 year anniversary of holding the cert. And for a while, I was certified to teach the Red Cross Wilderness & Remote First Aid curriculum. (And CPR; I still have some terrifying dummies in the garage.)
And in my now decade of both being a student and an instructor, I have always been surprised at how tame the courses are. That’s not to say you won’t be completely unaffected, but the in-class scenarios include a lot more ankle tape and arm slings than fake blood.
Yes, getting a rad outdoor, in-the-field job may require you to get a WFA or WFR cert. But if you can contact your instructor ahead of time to let them know your concerns, I’m confident they can work with you to have a not terrible experience, and then you’ll have the training to respond to an emergency in a way that fits your skillset (see Reminder 1).
Reminder 3: You can invent your own job.
If you’re like “nah Angie, you still don’t get it,” and you can’t land an outdoor job with an employer without facing your squeamishness with outdoor medicine… Maybe you don’t find the job. Maybe you make the job?
What are the elements you love about the potential of working outdoors that you could honor without the likelihood of witnessing bad injuries? What draws you outside and what skills do you have that could turn into work (freelance or a small biz)? Outdoor education for beginners? Conservation storytelling? Backcountry art? If “traditional” outdoor job descriptions aren’t hitting for you, find the gaps in your community and build something new… If ya want. ;)
(Other perspectives? Chime in by leaving a comment!)
Q3: “What do you think about divorce?”
This one made me smirk, since it was a specific topic I’d secretly hoped wouldn’t come up. Also, it’s vague. I mean, what do I think?! What do I know?
To protect folks, I’m limiting this one to paid subscribers. Feel free to join the group for a month if you’d like.
I know: That I got married at 23 and divorced at 28. And I still feel waves of shame arise here and there, about both pieces…