MOODY MONTH IS THE MOST FEMINIST PERIOD APP AND HERE’S WHY

Why we’re partnering with Moody Month—the period app by women for women that believes the future is emotionally intelligent …

Moody App period The Numinous

Period apps are big business—but did you know that many of them are mining your data for profit? Hormonal fluctuations mean there are times during the month when you’re more likely to spend money … priceless information for advertisers. But Moody Month is different. Created by women for women, the mission at Moody Month HQ is to help users cultivate emotional intelligence, and to start using our feeling states to empower ourselves instead.

For this reason, we are super-stoked to announce that from next month we’ll be creating exclusive in-app content for Moody Month all about the lunar cycles, and how the motions of the cosmos impact our moods throughout the month. It’s a match, literally, made in the heavens! Check out our Q&A with co-founder Amy Thomson on how she uses her moods to her advantage, in business and in life, and why she thinks emotional intelligence is the future …

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Moody Month period app The Numinous Lola Ross Amy Thomson, Karla Vitrone,
Moody Month co-founders Lola Ross, Amy Thomson, and Karla Vitrone

The Numinous: When did you realize that our moods are our hidden superpowers?
Amy Thomson: As with many women, it was only when something went wrong. This is often connected to adverse effects from the contraceptive pill or illness, but my personal experience was that my periods stopped totally due to stress. The fact that something I had taken for granted was suddenly gone, was a massive sign that I hadn’t been listening to my body. The shock of this meant I experienced a new found love and respect for my moods and cycle.

TN: Which of our moods do you think is most misunderstood?
AT: Fear—which is an important barometer of people and environments to avoid. And fear can also be a huge asset in our decision-making about life, love and work. If nothing you’re doing makes you feel a little afraid, you’re not taking any risks in life, and therefore not pushing yourself to grow. Often, we are most fearful of the decisions that will be the most transformative.

TN: As a female founder, how has harnessing your hormones helped you?
AT: Knowing my highs and lows makes me a much better leader and decision maker. It allows me to know when I’m going to be able to make hard choices, or even when to raise money. Self doubt is a huge challenge for any person leading a business, and imposter syndrome is even more prominent in female founders and leaders. Knowing when in the month my body is going to be most vulnerable, and my moods most reflective, allows me to prepare for this flaring up, so I plan my month to manage the momentum of the business. Knowing my hormones makes me feel less guilty for moods and emotions that are all equally valid parts of who I am.

Outtake from the U.S. launch last month

TN: Other period apps harvest women’s data for profit. What’s that all about?!
AT: Women’s health, and reproductive health in particular, has been either stigmatized or monetized for centuries, and other period apps using data to target users with advertising at certain times of the month (when hormonal fluctuations make them more likely to spend money, for example), is simply more of the same. We started Moody, which is created by women for women, to change the system and write new rules for women’s health. Our technology is emotionally intelligent in its output and its ethics.

TN: We’re all about “manifesting the matriarchy”—how will more feminine models of leadership do you think will most impact the world going forward?
AT: Patriarchy is obsessed with ego and logic, and since AI and robots do logic better than humans now, the time has come for us to tap back into our human superpowers—our emotions. I see this happening in real time, and women’s—and men’s—emotional language and biological cycles are poised to give us prominent leverage in this pivoting world. The era of EQ over IQ is NOW, and it’s time for women to claim back our moods and emotions as the currency of the future!

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Check out Moody Month on Instagram and download the app to start boosting your emotional superpowers today.

6 WAYS TO STAY ZEN ON VACAY

Destination relaxation – but getting away from it all can bring its own stresses. Gabriela Herstik has 6 ways to stay zen on vacay…

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Yay, here comes vacay season! But as much as unplugging from the daily grind to recharge on life minus to-do lists, technology and Tinder is a necessary part of being human (word up, work-a-holic serial daters), getting out of your routine can also trip you out of your trusted spiritual practises.

Here are six ways you can stay zen, keep your chakras in check and your aura vibrating high vibes while you’re out of office…

1. Apps at the ready
Okay, so YES committing to some dedicated phone-free time is a vacay essential. But there are so many great apps to help you step back and realign, once you’ve decompressed a little how about using your downtime to recommit to a daily meditation practise? “Headspace” or “Breathe” are a great place to start, and just 5 or 10 minutes a day on the beach to check in and find some zen could be all it takes to get you back on track. But NO sneak peak at your email account, gottit?! (Check out Vogue’s list of meditation apps HERE too)

2. Stash Your Crystals
Fast access to international travel is undoubtedly one of the great privileges of the modern world…but it’s also the easiest way to get exposed to all kinds of gnarly energy. So bring your crystals along for the ride! Whether it’s a trusty chunk of clear quartz or some obsidian, grab a couple of your favorite stones (cleanse them before you head out) to help clear and protect your energy field while you’re on the road. The easiest way to make sure your stones stay with you? Wear them. If you’re heading somewhere sunny, you’ll even keep them charged on the go. (Find a list of stones for each chakra HERE)

3. Sage Yo’self
Clear out the bullshit, inhale the good shit, you know the drill – and when you think about the number of souls passing through hotel rooms and holiday rentals, regularly smudging your vacay space is a no-brainer. Same goes for campgrounds and hire cars; just please, don’t light up your bundle of sage in the aisle seat of Delta flight 111 to Nirvana. In fact, where smoke and sparks are inappropriate, there’s Florida Water for that. (Click HERE for a full guide to smudging your space)

SWIMMINGPOOL

 

4. Make A Vacay Mantra
So maybe you’re travelling with about ten of your dearest friends and / or family, who you really love…up until day three. We get it. Sometimes decamping to an alien environment with a bunch of people you usually spend two hours with MAX can be a little, shall we say overwhelming. So make a mantra to set a positive intention for your group before you go. Perhaps it’s as simple as “I am always calm, cool and collected”, or as specific as “There is a divine lesson in every crazy twisted thing my sister says”. If you’re travelling alone, it might be more along the lines of “I have all the information I need, and I got this.”

5. Yoga Every Damn Day
Yoga? Away from your regular studio? Okay, so we know it’s not the most original idea, but hear us out. Rather than working your asana off to continue your regular practise on the road or find a local studio, or indulging in a self-imposed guilt trip about NOT doing either of the above, remember you can still get the benefits when you practise a conscious shavasana on your sun bed, or take five to find a tree while you’re waiting in line for your lobster roll. If circumstances allow it, commit to get your flow on however and wherever you feel moved. Your body and your soul will thank you, we promise.

6. Breathe
Okay, so we know you’re breathing. But how many times in an average day do you slow down and listen to your breath? In yogic terms, breathing is called “pranayama” and there are lots of different ways to breathe, with lots of different purposes. A good one when you just need some quick grounding is called Ujjayi – when you breathe in and out of your nose, tensing the muscles at the back of your throat so it feels like you’re fogging up a mirror.

It should sound like an ocean, and it should feel smooth and soothing. After any time on the road, your senses will be overwhelmed (whether it feels like it or not after that first tequila cocktail). A few moments of conscious breath will bring you back into the present, all the better to enjoy your brand new view. (For more on different Pranayama techniques, click HERE)