Ever notice how one week you’re smashing it and the next, you’re doubting everything?
You didn’t change. Your hormones did!
In The Career Elevator this week, one brilliant woman shared something that stopped us all in our tracks.
She’d just had two incredible weeks and was flying at work. Things felt calm at home. She even hit a personal best in her fitness goals! She was on fire ?
But this week? She felt flat and like she couldn’t be bothered. Her PB at the gym had dropped to her worst ever performance.
It shook her, and with that she shared her biggest fear…that this dip would trigger a full downward spiral, something she’d experienced before that had knocked her confidence hard.
What we unpacked was this:
It wasn’t failure. It wasn’t self-sabotage. It was probably her cycle.
Coaching Room Insight
Your hormones are shifting throughout the month, and instead of accepting and looking after ourselves in the dips, we can go into blaming and shaming ourselves when we don’t feel ‘on it’.
This normal hormonal drop-off had triggered her internal Judge and Hyper-Achiever saboteurs, and the spiral started not with the performance dip, but with the meaning she attached to it.
The interesting thing is, when we’re aware of it we can react and respond differently.
Golden Tip
Track your cycle: not just for physical symptoms, but for your mental performance patterns.
Start asking:
When do I feel most confident and energised each month?
When do I tend to doubt myself, procrastinate, or get overly self-critical?
How can I use that insight to plan high-stakes meetings, rest days, or creative work?
This knowledge of your physical, mental, and emotional state can be game changing!
Imagine proactively planning your diary so that you make the most of the highs, and nurture yourself in the lows.
Latest Research Nugget
Studies now show that women’s cognitive function, verbal fluency, and emotional resilience fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle.
In the follicular and ovulatory phases, many women report higher energy, clearer thinking, and better verbal recall.
But during the luteal phase (especially the late luteal), anxiety, irritability, and brain fog can increase.
And in perimenopause? That predictability can vanish. Hormone levels spike and crash erratically, turning even the most accomplished leader’s brain into a battlefield.
It’s not in your head. It’s in your chemistry.
But once we understand the patterns, we can stop blaming ourselves and start managing with compassion.
It also might be helpful to know (in case you didn’t already), men’s hormones are released in a much more consistent way, meaning they don’t experience the dramatic shifts that we have!
Win of the Week
One of my clients shared this in our session this week – I’m not going to lie, I nearly cried! She was telling a new joiner what it had done for her:
“I started this programme because I wasn’t sure where I was going, and I was over it! I really didn’t expect what’s happened. I’d tried lots of stuff before and it felt like a sticking plaster, but this has helped me love and accept myself as I am. I’m so happy with how I’m managing myself now – I work with my energy and I’ve improved my mental health – as well as my confidence!”
She’s designed her own role, and is operating differently; using her high-energy weeks for visibility and big decisions, and her lower-energy ones for strategy, reflection, and boundaries.
Call to Action: Join the Leadership Reset Mastermind
If you’re ready to lead with more confidence, ease and impact—and want the tools, support and strategy to make it happen – join me for the Leadership Reset Mastermind (formerly the Impactful Leader Mastermind).
This is my ultimate programme, designed for women in senior roles who are ready to create lasting change from the inside out.
Spots are limited and doors close soon.
