How to stop overriding your inner rhythm and why doing so will cost you more than time. every high-functioning woman I know is running on two calendars: the external one everyone sees and the internal one they’ve been trained to ignore.

There’s a kind of woman I meet again and again.

She runs departments, raises children, navigates crises, leads teams, and makes it all look like grace under pressure.

But behind the controlled performance is a truth rarely spoken: she feels out of sync.

This post is for her. And for you, if you recognise even a shadow of her story.

Not because you’re failing.

But because you’ve been trained to ignore the signals of your own body — and call that strength.

The Hidden Timekeeper: Your Forgotten Calendar

Long before Slack and schedules, the female body kept time by the moon.

A 28-day tide.

Ovulation at the full moon.

Menstruation with the dark.

In ancient cultures, this wasn’t “time off.”

It was time in.

Women withdrew not because they were weak. Because they were wise. They turned inward to recalibrate. It was sacred, not soft.

Then came the modern world where the measure of success became linear output.

And with it, the suppression of cycle.

The COO Who Blank-Spaced Mid-Pitch

Clare ran operations like a Swiss watch.

Her nickname was “The Iron Clock.”

But behind the glass? Monthly migraines. Mood swings. Quiet rage.

She booked investor meetings on day one of her bleed — proud of her “nothing stops me” mantra.

Until one day… it did.

Mid-sentence, her mind blanked.

Five full seconds.

No thought. No words.

That was her system whispering: “You forgot me.”

It wasn’t burnout.

It was a rhythm revolt.

What Your Performance Culture Doesn’t Want You to Know

The pressure to “lead like a man” has created a false metric of flatline productivity.

But women are not linear. They are cyclical.

Creative, focused, fierce but not all on the same day.

Learn your tides, and you unlock:

Peak performance days for visibility and vision

Quiet windows for inner strategy

Rest periods that renew rather than deplete

It’s not about softness.

It’s about timing.

How One CMO Reclaimed Her Spark

Maya didn’t need a new team. She needed a new tempo.

Her creativity had dulled. She was efficient — but numb.

At a retreat, someone asked if she tracked her cycle. She laughed.

Then she tried.

Three months in, a pattern emerged:

Days 1–3: fog, fatigue

Days 10–14: electric focus and flow

So she blocked deep work around her peak. Delegated admin on her lows.

The result? Same output.

But a very different Maya.

Present. Intuitive. Whole.

FAQs: Rhythm in Leadership

Q: I’m menopausal — does this still apply to me?

Absolutely. Your rhythm shifts, but it doesn’t vanish. You move in seasons now, not weeks. Honour the tides in a different key.

Q: What if I can’t control my schedule?

Start small. 15 minutes of non-linear time can shift everything. Even a breath between meetings is a step toward rhythm.

Q: Isn’t this just luxury wellness talk?

No. It’s operational intelligence. The best leaders don’t just time decisions. They time themselves.

Q: I’m trans / non-binary / male — does this apply?

Yes. Everyone has rhythms: hormonal, emotional, creative. This isn’t about biology. It’s about learning to listen inward.

The Crone in the Boardroom

Angela, 58, stopped bleeding.

But she started speaking.

She saw patterns others missed.

Called truth when younger colleagues hesitated.

She wasn’t done. She was arriving.

Her cycle had become seasonal intelligence.

She no longer chased output.

She forecasted timing.

Reclaim your rhythm.

Whether you lead, parent, create, or carry others, you are not a machine.

You are a tide. A signal. A cycle.

✅ Download the rhythm-tracking template for executive women

✅ Browse the FAQ if you’re unsure how to begin

✅ Schedule your next project with awareness, not assumption

The rhythm is still there.

You just haven’t been taught to listen.

And once you do

you stop grinding… and start flowing.

PS You can download a calender to help you manage menstral cycles here.
And if you've become a wise woman (crone) there's one for your cycle here too.