Dr. Stephania Sciamano spent a decade practicing as a naturopathic doctor before realising that lab results alone couldn't explain why so many of her female patients weren't getting better. Underneath the hormone imbalances, she kept finding the same pattern: stuck anger, old grief, and a guarded, combative relationship to men in general — not just romantically, but with fathers, brothers, bosses, and colleagues. In this conversation, Stephania and Sarah unpack what femininity really is (hint: it's not lipstick), why a woman's cortisol rhythm can reveal exactly how safe she feels around men, and how softening that guard changes both a woman's biology and her relationships. They talk candidly about control, letting a partner love you in his own way and his own timing, why women so often have to "go first" energetically, and what's really happening beneath the surface during perimenopause and menopause. The episode closes with a short guided heart-opening practice. What We Cover - Stephania's path from 10 years in family and women's medicine, through a five-year shamanic apprenticeship, to focusing on the relational root of hormonal imbalance - Why treating hormones numerically often doesn't make a woman feel better — and what she found underneath the numbers instead - The direct link between a woman's stance toward men and her cortisol rhythm, including the classic signs of a disrupted rhythm (can't get up in the morning, second wind at night) - Defining femininity as an embodied intelligence — intuition, sensing, cyclical rather than linear energy — versus femininity as costume - The Chinese medicine frame of yin and yang as it relates to feminine and masculine energy - The difference between "nice" as a performance and real softness with a clear boundary underneath it - How a woman's presence — not her words — is what actually sets a boundary - What changes in men when women soften: standing taller, wanting to protect and provide, feeling inspired to build - A real client story: a successful business owner whose husband felt unwanted, and the humbling realisation of how much he'd already been trying to give - Why women often can't receive help, and what shifts when they can - Linking emotional openness directly back to cortisol and progesterone - What men experience when women lead with warmth instead of combat — and why "watching him chop firewood" hits differently than "watching him lift weights" - Practical starting points: noticing what spikes your adrenaline about men, and noticing the old grudge (dad, an ex, a boss) that's still running the show - Why women often have to go first energetically in a relationship — and why that isn't the same as doing all the work - The pitfall of expecting a partner's personal growth to look identical to your own, or to move at your speed - What's really happening in perimenopause and menopause beneath the physical symptoms: energy moving from "up and out" to "down and in," a return to lineage and roots, and why it can look like a midlife crisis when it's closer to a soul evolution - A guided heart practice: bringing scattered energy back into the body, expanding the heart in all directions, filling it with love, and sending that love out into the world - Stephania's definition of love: the presence of choice Dr. Stephania Sciamano (Dr S) is a naturopathic doctor and spiritual mentor to ambitious women worldwide who seek the feminine way to health, wealth, and love with men. She brings a rare synthesis of clinical experience and esoteric depth to her work, and her lifestyle is devoted to the union of men and women, with God at the helm. RESOURCES FROM DR STEPHANIA Dr Stephania Sciamano's free masterclass, *The Sexy Hormone Morning Routine*, available when you sign up to her Substack — https://drstephaniasciamano.substack.com/ https://stephaniasciamano.com/ https://www.facebook.com/stephaniasciamano RESOURCES FROM SARAH The Making Love Retreat for Couples, 12th - 18th October, 2026 https://sarahrosebright.com/making-love-retreats/ For a free e-book, How Relaxed Love Making Can Transform Your Sex Life and to explore Sarah's work - including private coaching, group programmes, courses, retreats and her podcast - visit www.sarahrosebright.com ABOUT YOUR HOST Sarah Rose Bright is an Erotic Embodiment and Intimacy Guide, authorised teacher of The Making Love Retreat®, and host of Making Love, a podcast on the evolution of love, sex, and relationships. She guides women and committed couples who feel stuck and unfulfilled in their intimate lives - and know this is the missing piece. Women come home to their bodies, awaken their desire, and reclaim their power. Couples create an erotic life of depth, passion, and love. Find out more: https://sarahrosebright.com/ MUSIC: Trust and Surrender by Ayla Schafer. You can explore more of her beautiful music here - https://www.aylaschafer.co.uk/
