We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chanana McGarry a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Chanana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the story behind how you got your first job in field that you currently practice in.

The first job I got as a new Fertility Awareness and Holistic Sexual Health Educator was with an award winning telehealth platform, serving over 175 countries, which specializes in women and family health. I had recently graduated from the in depth 2-year program at The Well School of Body Literacy and been studying holistic health hands-on for almost 20 years at this point. Despite this robust background, and having full confidence I could make a real impact on the lives of women, I suffered from impostors syndrome when applying for this position.

I loved the mission of the company, and that their driving force was to make quality healthcare accessible to a wider network of women. I loved that they saw the value in quality Fertility Awareness and full-spectrum Holistic Sexual Health Education. I loved that they insisted on top tier educators who are certified through the Association of Fertility Awareness Professionals – a professional membership organization dedicated to establishing rigorous and uniform standards for educators in our industry.

At this point, I had also seen first hand how needed people in my profession are on the larger stage of healthcare, and the holes that we can help to patch. My goal was to help as many women as possible to feel empowered when it came to their sexual health. I still work part time for this platform, primarily helping women who are trying to conceive. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to guide women into deeper understanding of not only their bodies and it’s signs of fertility, but how this information can be useful in reclaiming optimum hormonal and sexual health.

There is so much essential information about our bodies that is simply not being taught in standard sex-ed. In general, women are only actually potentially fertile for around 7 days of their cycle. Simply being able to identify this fertile window with 99.6% accuracy can be the missing link in successfully conceiving or avoiding pregnancy naturally. This fact has been scientifically validated, however it is not widely know, which is where quality education comes in. In addition to this, our menstrual cycles have been dubbed our “5th vital sign” in addition to our pulse, temperature, respiration and blood pressure. This highlights the fact that we are able to understand so much about our overall reproductive health, simply by understanding our cycles, which in turn helps us be empowered in our sexual health and healing.

This experience has been priceless to me as I grow my private practice. I have received great feedback from clients about the positive impact working with me has had on their lives and journeys to motherhood, which is truly rewarding.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My 20 years of deep holistic living had given me tools to help naturally fix and repair any period or cycle issues that came up for me and my daughter over the last 2 decades. I learned more about proven and effective holistic tools along with other ancient womb care practices from around the world and began applying them to my life and the lives of those around me. The results I saw were profound, and in conversations over the years, I realized that there is a deep misunderstanding of the female body and yearning to reconnect.

So many women feel powerless when it comes to their most intimate healthcare – their sexual health. From wanting effective contraception options that align with a healthy lifestyle, to finding holistic relief from common ailments such as painful or heavy periods, PMS, and more, we find ourselves frustrated and confused.

The shift for me to specializing in holistic women’s health began as a result of my quest for an effective, natural birth control after my 2nd unplanned pregnancy. I began charting my cycles in 2018 using the fertility awareness method (FAM). Little did I know at that time that the 99.6% effective natural contraception it promised was just the tip of the iceberg. I learned that my fertility awareness charts, which take less than 5 minutes a day to create, actually serve as a monthly report card of my sexual health. With this in my tool belt, I was able to implement the ancient wisdom and holistic practices I had been perfecting over the last 2 decades and watched as my hormones optimized, and cycles shifted for the better.

This is when I realized I was on to something – women can reference their FAM charts to better understand their hormonal balance, thyroid health and other areas of their sexual health that could use extra support. This may look like using holistic or alternative remedies to treat symptoms at the root, or using the information to have informed discussions with our health care professionals.

I believe that learning to read and understand the messages from your womb is your birthright, and that embracing womb literacy will revolutionize how we approach sexual health. I offer education, online or in person, both 1-on-1 and in a group setting to help women understand their bodies, so that they can experience balanced, pain free cycles, effective natural birth control and deeply heal and connect with their wombs and femininity on the deepest levels.

I am a direct descendant of the Mujaji lineage of Rain Queens from Southern Africa. When I look at the connection between rain and fertility, and the way that the deep workings of water in my bloodline have blossomed into my life in magical ways, I am in awe. This deeper connection to water runs deep in my blood; my father was a Water Engineer, his mother was a healer and prophet who healed with water, and her side of the family were part of a select group of dancers who were chosen to go to the mountains to dance and pray for rain. I love to reflect on how this manifests in my current career – working with women, who are ruled by the element water, and working with the waters of the womb and healing the female body.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

It is essential to be comfortable speaking to a large numbers of people to begin to help them understand the work that I do. I do regular speaking engagements and teach classes to help begin to myth bust and open people’s minds to the possibility of getting in the driver’s seat of our sexual health.

There is so much essential info left out of sex-ed, it’s no wonder encounter so many challenges and confusion when it comes to our sexual health! There are many common ailments such as period pain, PMS, irregular cycles and more that can actually be treated effectively by holistic, scientifically backed methods, which would allow women to avoid going through unnecessary procedures, or consuming unnecessary hormones and drugs.

Don’t get me wrong, doctors have their time and place and can absolutely save lives, but what’s important is for us to get to a place where we can understand when serious intervention is needed, and when to use holistic methods that address the root cause of imbalance.

It’s also time we completely redefine birth control. Part of holistic womb care is utilizing a method of contraception which will not negatively impact your hormonal health, the way hormonal contraception can. Most people don’t realize, but the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified hormonal birth control as a class one carcinogen. This is the same level as other cancer causing toxins such as asbestos, lead and plutonium. On top of this, most people do not realize that the sympto-thermal fertility awareness method has been studied for over 40 years scientifically, and has been proven to be 99.6% effective with perfect use – that’s as effective as the pill!

With all that being said, it is clear that more widespread knowledge of the facts and alternatives is essential, and the only way to do that through information and reaching people!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In early 2020 I was faced with an opportunity to deepen my education in the fertility awareness method to enable me to educate others in the method. At the time my kids were 16 and 8, and I finally felt that they were old enough for me to begin to shift some of my focus onto building a business for myself.

As a single, homeschooling mother, I simply did not have time to get clarity on my purpose and build a business of my own in those early years. I was a very hands on mom, breastfeeding and raising TV and electronics free kids, so I did not have any spare energy leftover to focus my business. With my eldest on the cusp of college and my youngest becoming more self sufficient, I was able to better balance responsibilities, with bringing Womb Literacy to the world!

This pivot from working jobs that I did not always enjoy to keep my kids and I comfortable and well cared for, to working with clients I love has been much welcomed. I love feeling like I am making a difference, and that I am able to teach what I love. I am a believer in seasons of life, and am grateful to have been able to devote myself to motherhood in the most formative years, and now pivot into this new season of life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wombliteracy.com/
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