Ep. 632 Good Girl Identity and Autoimmune Health with Sara Hirsh Bordo | Menopause, Perimenopause, Autoimmune Health

Today, I’m delighted to connect with Sara Hirsh Bordo, an autoimmune-diagnosed, 15-times award-winning documentary filmmaker, the founder and CEO of Women Rising, and the author of Autoimmunity and the Good Girls. I loved Sara's book, and I love her work! I believe her message will resonate deeply with listeners with concurrent autoimmune conditions, and those who have grown up as people pleasers or have subjugated themselves over the course of their lives. Autoimmune conditions often tend to flare or first present during major hormonal transitions like postpartum, perimenopause, or menopause. So it’s important to understand the influence of chronic stress and how it intersects with our immune system function. In our conversation, Sara and I discuss how self-silencing makes us sick, and overgiving keeps us that way. We explore the influence of family and culture on our health and longevity, the effects of autoimmunity, people pleasing, good-girl conditioning, and authenticity versus dissociation. We also discuss Gabor Maté’s book, The Myth of Normal, liberation, the fear of disappointment, Sara’s research, her concept of the license to be sovereign, the act of receiving, the role of epigenetics and birth order, and Sara's framework of coherence, authenticity, epigenetics, and permission. Stay tuned for a wonderful conversation about autoimmunity, people-pleasing, authenticity, and permitting ourselves to be sovereign. Sarah's book, Autoimmunity and the Good Girls, will likely resonate deeply with many of you. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: How self-silencing, self-neglect, and self-betrayal can impact a woman’s health The connection between chronic stress, suppressed feelings, good girl conditioning, and autoimmunity What it feels like to reclaim your authenticity and be more aligned with yourself How the fear of disappointing others can make it difficult for some women to claim their power What Sara discovered about adverse girlhood experiences, birth order, and the caretaker role when compiling the research for her book How becoming more sovereign can help women advocate for their own needs Why receiving can be difficult for women who are accustomed to giving How stillness and silence helped Sara identify her needs and wants How girlhood experiences, self-silencing, and self-compromise can become epigenetic inputs, and what women can do to create more supportive environments Why permission is a key part of Sara’s framework for reclaiming authenticity Bio: Sara Hirsh Bordo Sara Hirsh Bordo (pronounced Bordeaux) is a 15-time award-winning filmmaker and Founder/CEO of Women Rising®, named "One of the Most Innovative, Interesting, and Purpose-Driven Women-Led Startups to Watch” by Inc. Magazine. Sara is currently directing short documentary films for Toyota and ESPN Women, and most recently, the executive producer of ConnectHer International Film Festival, consulting director for the Gates Foundation PitchFest Program, and the author and researcher behind the first proprietary quantitative survey at the intersection of female empowerment and health, Autoimmunity and the Good GirlsTM. Sara previously held positions in media and entertainment, including Executive Director of Interactive Marketing at Paramount Pictures, VP of Digital Marketing at MGM Studios, and CEO and Co-Founder of NowLive. Autoimmunity and the Good Girls is her first book. Connect with Cynthia Thurlow Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn Check out Cynthia’s website. Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow. Purchase Cynthia’s book, The Menopause Gut. Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book The Midlife Pause Supplement Line Connect with Sara Hirsh Bordo Website Instagram Autoimmunity & The Good Girls Book