Meet Jade Radha | Menstrual Cycle Blogger

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jade Radha and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jade, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
What has ultimately come to my attention while learning about the Menstrual Cycle is that most of us don’t really know how the female body works.  Spreading awareness about the Menstrual Cycle through my blog and Instagram is my way of filling up that hole!

But it’s not our fault, really! It’s so common for women and people with wombs to pay attention to their monthly periods and stop there. Menstruating is definitely the more obvious/ noticeable indication of what’s happening in the body, but there are actually 4 different phases of the menstrual cycle that each have completely unique hormonal profiles. And in reality, ovulation is just as important as menstruation, but is often considered only relevant to people who want to get pregnant! Ovulation not only has a plethora of amazing benefits for the body, but it can also be a time we feel our most confident, magnetic, and energized. The same goes for other phases of our cycles, like our pre-menstrual phase, where its normal to feel more introverted, calm and tired, for example! This is a key difference between male and female bodies; Female bodies are much more like the moon, with a roughly 28 day hormonal cycle, while male bodies are much more like the sun, with a 24 hour hormonal cycle.

My goal is to make this information more accessible and offer a space for women and people to start reconnecting with their bodies in a way that they were never taught, but soulfully deserve. Sex-ed in schools often bypasses the menstrual cycle altogether, and there also tends to be an intra-generational silence around these topics, where the passing down of wisdom, ritual and knowledge from mother to daughter has eroded.

I’m also excited to participate in the collective healing from and reframing of menstruation stigmas. There is a long history of shame, embarrassment, and internalized patriarchy surrounding menstruation that continues to be reinforced daily. From hiding our tampons when walking to the bathroom, feeling awkward saying the word “period” openly, and obsessing over potentially staining our pants for everyone to see, thinking periods are gross, dirty, and embarrassing is something we can all fall victim to! I post a lot of free-bleeding content to try to normalize seeing it. The truth is, without periods, none of us would exist. It’s time to start honoring the very process that nourishes life itself, and there are a lot of people who are interested in doing that, including me. I often share a lot of my own emotional exploration with these topics, which I hope people can relate to.

In Her Form has also been a space for me to de-stigmatize hair on female bodies. I’m half Persian and half Irish, so my heritage and genetics have expressed themselves visually as dark hair on my face, armpits and legs. There is something contagious about the freedom you feel when you connect with your body, where you may feel inspired to question the boxes we put “women” into.

Under my Instagram profile, I put my page under the “community” category even though I’m a blogger because creating community always been my goal with my Instagram. When people look at my page, I want them to feel inspired, safe, validated, and part of something larger than themselves. We’re on our way to a better future, one that will be better for our daughters, sons, and the next generation.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
What sets me apart from others is that I’m not asserting myself as an all-knowing expert, but instead taking my followers along with me through my journey as an imperfect human experiencing life. My blog acts as a medium for readers to explore with me and learn with me.

Everything I am creating comes from my personal experience. Reconnecting with my reproductive system changed my life; it gave meaning to my emotions and made me feel more connected to the world around me. It allowed me to act as the sole decider in managing my fertility and has helped me create fertile grounds for creations in my life beyond getting pregnant.

In terms of my professional journey beyond my blog, I’m currently on track to becoming a fertility awareness educator (FAE), which is basically a certified guide to help women track their menstrual cycles. Simply put, I will be teaching the skills to interpret bodily signs (such as cervical mucus and basal body temperature) that provide information about where a woman is in her cycle and her state of fertility. (If readers don’t know, the female body isn’t fertile every single day!) People can track their cycles to avoid pregnancy, achieve pregnancy, simply know more about their bodies, or work with a fertility awareness educator to identify and remedy any menstrual issues (like painful periods, PMS, acne, etc.) with a holistic approach.

Of all, I’m most excited about this massive re-awakening that’s happening, I can feel it. I feel grateful to be a part of it and I feel really excited about building my own community to be bigger and more inclusive of all who want to be part of togetherness that so many of us are searching for.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite juice and lunch shop is Glowing Juices in Echo Park. Amazing woman-owned small business with the warmest energy and great juices, smoothies, snacks and sandwiches.

For dinner, Violet Bistro is a high-end french bistro in Westwood that will make you feel like you’re in France. Everything is organic and sustainably sourced and the food is unbelievable.

Although this is not necessarily a hidden gem, my favorite ice cream is the lavender flavor from Salt and Straw. My boyfriend takes me there whenever I’m in a bad mood and it’s instantly remedied.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

I’d love to first dedicate my shoutout to Toni Weschler, who is the author of the book “Taking Charge of Your Fertility.” This was the book that introduced me to the world of menstrual cycle tracking!

This book was what led me to the many moments of awe, inspiration, and motivation to share the knowledge I was learning with others. In fact, the same time I was diving into this book, I created my first ever Instagram posts on @in.her.form. Without her and without this book, I can’t say I would even have entered this field.

I would also love to shout out my family who have always given me the freedom to choose whatever I want to do in this life without any pressure or any script to follow. I’ve often identified with being a “good girl” who follows the rules, makes no mistakes, and does as she’s told, so I’m lucky to have grown up in an environment with conditions that helped me free myself from those chains. My field is somewhat unknown to the world, and I feel lucky that I can freely dive into it without feeling like I should be doing something more traditional.

My family also effortlessly encouraged artistic expression among all my sisters. I’m the youngest of three girls, and if you see baby photos we would always be drawing, painting, and dancing. I’ve found that poetry, drawing, and visual arts are a profound way to learn about the menstrual cycle and celebrate women’s bodies, beyond just the science. Seeing the menstrual cycle through metaphors like the 4 seasons, the lunar phases, and the weather cycle can integrate a deep connection between what we know about hormones and anatomy with the spiritual, to see how we are all so deeply connected with the world around us.

Website: inherform.com

Instagram: @in.her.form