#3 Flipping the script on matresence, menopause and neurodivergence with CiCi Goktas

In this episode, I’m joined by CiCi Goktas – a holistic health coach, yoga teacher, and women’s circle leader. CiCi’s mission is to support women in building a strong mind-body connection. She helps women navigating the messy parts of life.

We dive into how CiCi uses storytelling to break down shame and create honest conversations around motherhood, menopause, and raising a neurodivergent child. She shares how showing up authentically online has helped her build deeper connections and why knowing yourself is the foundation for sharing your story with confidence.

We also talk about her experience of personal brand photography (and our Sex and the City-inspired photo shoot!) and why embracing who you are – at any age and stage – is one of the most empowering steps you can take in business and life.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Why CiCi started her coaching business and her powerful “why” behind it.

• How she shares deeply personal stories while staying true to her values.

• The importance of slowing down and tuning out the online “noise.”

• How to approach content creation authentically (and sustainably).

• Advice for building your personal brand story in a way that works for you.

If you’re navigating change, telling your story, or wondering how to show up online as your truest self, this conversation is packed with honesty, inspiration, and practical wisdom.

Read the episode transcript

Welcome to Uncover Your story, the podcast that empowers you to share your story with courage and joy, and increase your impact in the world. I'm your host, Sarah Oughton, and I'm a brand photographer, storyteller, and content creator. By drawing on my 20 years of experience and talking to guests, we'll be diving deep into the art of communicating through story.

I'm here to help you build your communications toolkit with actionable tips, strategies, and insights to uncover your full storytelling potential. Let's go. Today's guest is CiCi Goktas. She's a holistic health coach whose mission is to guide women in building a mind body connection, strong enough to dampen the noise of the modern world and elevate themselves into being the expert over their journey through womanhood.

I met CiCi about 18 months ago when she booked a photo shoot with me, and I have to say it was one of the most fun shoots ever, but we'll get to that later. CiCi's business is called The M Coach, and she's passionate about supporting women through matrescence, motherhood, and menopause. As the M Coach, she hangs out mostly on Instagram, where she shares personal and powerful stories that help other women feel seen and heard, as well as coaching.

She teaches yoga and she holds women's circles. Where she offers space for women to share their stories. CiCi is a powerful communicator who knows the power of sharing her own story. She's become a dear friend of mine over the past year or so, and I've attended her women's circles, and I'm so excited for you to hear from her today.

I.

CiCi: Thank you for having me. That's such a nice, that's such a nice intro.

Sarah: So we're going to go straight into our quick-fire questions. Are you

CiCi: Okay. I think so.

Sarah: Creative, change maker or big-hearted rebel? Which do you most resonate with?

CiCi: Mmm, Big Heart of Drabble. Definitely.

Sarah: I can see that. What words do you choose to live by?

CiCi: Authenticity, honesty, which I've, kind of interchangeable, I'd say. Um, real.

Sarah: If your life was a book, what would the title be?

CiCi: Ooh, this is tough. Um, keeping it real.

Sarah: What song gets you on the dance floor?

CiCi: Any. I, yeah, I don't need an invitation to get onto the dance floor. Um, if it's old school hip hop or, uh, even like blue, anything, anything at all,

Sarah: What's a daily ritual or habit you can't live without?

CiCi: I get myself ready before I help anybody else. Like my, my face is on before I even ask the kids what they want for breakfast.

Sarah: Right. Thank you for that.

CiCi: Hmm.

Sarah: uh, listen to have a bit of a flavor, but here you are. And now we're going to dive into the bigger, deeper questions. So as. Founders and business owners. One of the most important stories we can communicate with our potential clients is our why often said, people don't just buy what you offer, but they buy why you do what you do. So when you founded your business, the M coach, what was your why?

CiCi: Still the same thing. The why has always been quite consistent. And that is, I went through such a journey trying to find answers and help. And I just felt really alone. So my why is to, to make sure that other women don't feel so alone, but they feel like they've got somebody to turn to, to say, try this, or what about that, or have you, have you considered that this might be going on?

It's like when I was a little girl, I always wanted to have a bigger sister. I think a lot of us always wanted to have a big sister. Somebody to sort of just guide and lead us., So it's that, it's like being the big sister or just being the friend that I wish I had on my journey. That, that's my why.

I don't want women to feel so alone.

Sarah: Yeah. And are you referring in particular to, so you, one of the things you do is, um, you support women in is matrescence, but not everyone may be completely familiar with that term. So do you want to just explain a bit about

CiCi: Yeah, matrescence is the transition into and through motherhood. So, there's a huge shift when you become a mother, and it might, you might feel it in, um, in sort of your social interactions, or in your relationship, or in your body, or in your identity, or in all of these things. , But there's a huge sort of shift that a woman goes through, and that is, that is matrescence.

So it has a name, and it's a really important thing, I think, for, for women to know, because if you don't, it's like, Why, why is this not so enjoyable as it was kind of painted out that it should be? Um, it's just, it's a journey.

Sarah: Mm hmm. And so that, and becoming a mother, that was for you, the, the big, thing that was your why. So it's going through that and how old are your kids.

CiCi: Yeah, so that was my first real sort of initiation, I'd say. It was like the step one of my journey. My kids are soon to be seven, and eleven.

Sarah: hmm.

CiCi: Yeah, now I've been in it and my matrescence continues because it's not just in those baby stages. They keep changing and so your matrescence journey continues along the way.

Sarah: Yeah. Great. So you, you've created an incredibly powerful personal brand, very much like. Around using, you know, you as a person to share your stories, your own life with openness, and especially when it comes to daily struggles, whether that be in dealing with your own menopause journey or in juggling life and the demands of career and motherhood and the importance of self-care, um, as well as the particular challenges of being a mother to a neurodivergent child. how do you find it sharing those deeply personal stories? And can you give listeners an example of a story that you shared that was Particularly resonated with your audience. Mm-hmm

CiCi: Yeah, I think I, like I said, I live by honesty and authenticity. I can't really be anything other than that. I'm kind of always been an open book. It's I don't have as much of a filter as maybe I should. Maybe that's my autism. Um, but it's just who I am and it's, it's how my energy is. So, I've never seen it as anything particularly.

special or different. It's just who I am., But in sharing my stories, I've been able to share the journey that I've gone through. And I think between being, becoming a mother, going through my matrescence initially to then with my second, I went from postpartum straight into perimenopause. So I was sort of hit with this onslaught of.

hormonal changes. Um, and then as my youngest, started to develop by about the age of two, we were quite thrust into the world of, I think there might be something more happening. And, comes to find out we've, you know, after Four years, finally have diagnoses of autism and ADHD. So he would be considered AuDHD the convergence of the two.

Um, so really kind of thrown into the deep end, like many parents into this neurodivergent world., And I think, you know, the M coach has sort of evolved along the way with me. It's really grown and it's shifted and, you know, my focus and my, my own healing and my own kind of support journey has. has evolved with that.

And I've let the M coach kind of go alongside me and whatever is going on., And so probably the message that has resonated the most or was also the hardest to share, which is the struggles that I have with my son., Because it's a very deeply personal thing. It's quite Emotive quite hard to come to grips with yourself as a parent and then to figure out how to share that for a long time.

I was keeping it quite secret because I didn't feel like it was my story to tell, until. I realize that my story is 100 percent entwined in his own story, , and I do still really try to protect my child and not share anything that, you know, he wouldn't want to have shared equally, you know, it is a journey that a whole family goes on and as a parent and as a mother, it's a, it's an incredibly challenging path to walk really.

So., I have felt very alone in that and I know that other women would feel that. So that, that's probably been the one that's resonated the most because I think people have recognized that it's a really hard story to share., But it's absolutely a story that needs to be told. So that we can, just like with menopause, just like with the transition into motherhood, these are all things that we, you know, innately want to kind of keep closeted.

But They have to come out. They have to be spoken about, in order to, to be navigated really holistically or like really like healthily, I guess is the word I'm looking for. If we keep it closeted in shame, then it takes on a life of its own within us.

Sarah: Yeah, absolutely. That's really, that point about the shame is I think that's so true. And it's the more we can be open, isn't it? The more we share; it takes that away and brave people like you. Being able to do that on social. Um,

CiCi: just to, just to be honest, at all times, you know, if somebody asks me, how are you? I, I don't always say I'm fine. You know, I'm not fine, but I'll be okay. You know, like, because life is hard.

Sarah: And like you say, that's the healthiest way to deal with it, isn't it?

CiCi: Yeah.

Sarah: following on from that, so can you talk us through your process for developing content? So when you want to share your stories, do you, do you share very much in the moment or do you take time to reflect and craft your message or is it.

Does it change? You know, do you feel, um, you know, do you feel safe to be so vulnerable online? And what advice would you give to other people thinking of sharing very personal stories? What, whatever the nature it they, they be about.

CiCi: My process has. Always sort of been a bit of the same, but has refined, I guess, so I do try to have a little bit more of a strategy, not just openly, kind of share anything. It's not like a journal. , Equally, I've really tried to like do content well in advance and it just doesn't work for me. , I think because I'm like this every day, juggling a million things, and I can't really show up authentically unless I'm sort of pairing it to what the hell's going on in my life at the minute.

So, , I sort of go into every week with a little bit of a theme or an idea, , and I have You know, sort of things that I want to hit within that, , and if I can do it a couple of days in advance, I do, but my stories are always really off the cuff, really relatable, like, that is my journal, basically, , I, do I feel there is a vulnerability to being as open as I am online, equally, I'm of an age, I just don't care.

I don't care if I, uh, rub somebody the wrong way, they're not, you know, I'm not. everybody's cup of tea. That's okay. I don't need to make a million friends. I don't need a million followers. I don't need the accolades. I'm just, I'm just being real because there will be somebody out there and there have been other people out there who have messaged and be like, oh my God, thank you for saying that that is my life.

And I'm like, Yeah, it's mine too, and it's okay, and it's hard, but to feel like you're alone is, is harder. So, I think it's really important to just be real. And quite frankly, I think social media, people are over the scriptedness, the, the keywords, the, you know, the hashtags, the algorithm, like nobody wants to feed the monster.

They don't, they really don't. They're not, it doesn't feel real. So like how, that became a mission of mine about a year ago. Like, how can I make this really sustainable? How can I make this real? How can I make it feel authentic? Because I can't have this pressure to create all these big things.

So I've just simplified some systems and simplified the message as much as possible. But, um, been able to then see as I go through my day, I'm like, oh, I can see how that relates. And because I don't plan it super far in advance, it ends up being more authentic. So I'm sure that there's strategists out there that say this is a terrible idea, but it works for me.

Sarah: Yeah. No, absolutely. And thanks for sharing that. And that's what I want, to be able to do on this podcast is share people different ways of doing it, but in a way of, like you were just saying, it's about finding a way that works for you. You know, there’s so many people out on social shouting that you have to do it this way.

This is the best strategy. If you're not doing this, it's wrong, you know, but it's, you know,

CiCi: The noise is, it's just, it's deafening.

Sarah: it is, isn't it? And sometimes you just got to tune it all out and mostly I think it's the best advice generally to mostly tune it out and just go with, you know, gut your gut, follow your instinct, what works for you, find your way, but yeah.

CiCi: I think it's, it's great to listen to the noise that's out there. It's great to take things in, but the very, the strongest voice needs to be your own. Like full stop.

Sarah: Great advice., So my next question was, and that might be it, but what, what, what's your best storytelling tip? Is there any, what other advice would you give to

CiCi: Yeah. I think my best storytelling tip is to not just know what your, what story you're telling, but know yourself. Yes.

Sarah: Mm-hmm

CiCi: you can't actually tell a story if you don't know where it's coming from. So I think that one of the reasons I can be so open and honest and sort of vulnerable and no filter is because I really, really know myself and I really like who I am.

, And I think that is the foundation to any storytelling because it, it won't be authentic if you're not really, really honest and real. with yourself. So I don't, when I say being authentic and real, I don't just mean with other people. I 100 percent mean with yourself to begin with. I think it's the most important thing anybody can ever do in their life is.

Get to really know who you are.

Sarah: And is that part of the work that you do in your coaching or does that come into that?

CiCi: Absolutely. It's absolutely the work. And I'd say it's probably the only thing that's been sustainable. So it's looked like lots of different things, like, oh, I'm helping women through met resins, or I'm helping women manage their hormones with menopause. It's not. What it is, is getting to know yourself. And what I mean by that is I, because I go into like the health coach, the holistic health coach angle, I look at it very naturopathically.

Meaning I get to the root, and I want to look at who are you, like, your cells, your membranes, your triggers, your responses, like, what's your, what's your stress response? Like, how do you deal with things as they, you know, I call it birds flying at your face. How do you deal when the birds fly at your face?

Like, there are things that you will naturally turn to. Is that the best strategy, or is there another strategy we could find? So it is getting to know yourself. It's getting to know your values. It's getting to know what's important to you. It's getting to know what your triggers are. It's dealing with some of the stuff from the past so that we can maybe unload some of that and let it go.

And it's getting to know your body, like really building a deep connection to your body so that you know when you're feeling something in your body, what that is, why it is and what you need to sort of find that balance within yourself.

Sarah: That's really, really good advice. And, so now just thinking about when we first met and you contacted me about having a photo shoot, I'd love you, for you to share what prompted you to look into getting a photo shoot at that point? For your business. And can you talk listeners?

Through the experience of having your first personal brand shoot, including how we prepared for the shoot, and to make sure the photos really supported your messaging and your brand of storytelling.

CiCi: Right. I got a photo shoot because it's really quite embarrassing, if I'm honest. So, you know, I said I put my face on before I go deal with the kids. I don't, I don't mean that literally, like, I come out full makeup every single morning. My kids never see me without makeup, but there is a vanity element of 100%.

And you can see that in my branding because. You know, it looks amazing., Hopefully there's depth underneath it, but I felt that like to feel safe in sort of putting myself out there. I felt like it needed to be a polished look like, like any girl who puts on a red lippy, you know, she goes out, she feels confident.

She feels more empowered. She feels like ready to kind of take on whatever comes her way. That's sort of what the photos were. That's what the branding was. That's what. All of that and building that whole package up for me was quite important and I probably put that before some of the messaging and some of the understanding.

I was letting that other stuff develop quite organically, but I was like, I still need to put like a pretty image pity filter on this so I did. I did it and I because I knew kind of roughly where I was going and I, you know, in terms of how we prepped for the shoot, you know, I was just Again, pulling from who I am because I already knew all of that.

So I'm like, I'm a classic red lippy kind of girl., But I also, because I'm dealing with women in their forties and fifties mostly, I think it's really important that we remember that we're still super sexy. So don't know if you remember, but we had a lovely sex in the city style shoot.

Sarah: Totally, totally. Yeah,

CiCi: I grew up with those women feeling like they were the epitome of like sex, like they were what I aspired to be.

They were confident, they were out there and like, they're still super relevant and super sexy. And I think I want to remind, I always want to remind women that just because, you know, we've got some lines and you know, we haven't had Botox, so be it. We're still super sexy.

Sarah: yeah.

CiCi: maybe even sexier as we get older.

Sarah: Yeah,

CiCi: So, that’s what went into the prep, which was super fun, because you were well on board with that, which was cool.

Sarah: yeah, we were, we were both Sex and the City fans and yes, I was definitely well on board with that and I loved it. But you say, it was, you know, almost a bit sort of like, oh, I just wanted to put pretty filter on it. But it, but it wasn't though, because what you've just explained there and that's what I got from our first, chat about what you wanted to communicate. That's, that's an important message and that's why you wanted to look good in these photos, right? You

CiCi: Yeah.

Sarah: communicate that just because we're menopausal doesn't mean we're past it, doesn't mean we

CiCi: Yeah.

Sarah: baggy cardigans, although that is my favorite look, but no, but

CiCi: We can still feel and look sexy, and we can still put ourselves out there, and we definitely don't need to hide behind the camera, we can get in front of the camera, and, yeah, I, I felt Much more confident with you taking pictures of me than me constantly taking selfies because it just isn't the best angle.

So, and you captured me brilliantly because it was very natural and because we've now become So I chose you because you were a friend of a friend

Sarah: Yeah.

CiCi: I didn't know you that great before the photo shoot. You've now since become quite a dear friend but I think that familiarity that kind of feeling like you know, you were just like another woman, just like me,

Sarah: Yeah.

CiCi: really disarming.

And I felt, and that I could just, I ended up just making a bit of a laugh and kind of poking fun at myself of the absurdity of how

Sarah: Yeah.

CiCi: full of myself I kind of was by taking photos, making up myself.

Sarah: fun though. Pretending that we were Carrie and Miranda and whoever for the day, loved it.

CiCi: And that's fun.

Sarah: so, you wear several hats in your business. Like I said, you're a yoga teacher, you're a health coach, matrescence guide. now taking on more as well a role as a leading voice on neurodivergence and mothering a neurodivergent child., If you were only allowed to tell one story through your business. What would it be? What's the most important story for you?

CiCi: This is tough. This is a lot of stories I'd like to tell.

Sarah: know.

CiCi: I think it is really getting, getting super foundational. Getting really to the core of who you are., Because it doesn't matter which hat you're putting on. Doesn't matter if you're a mom, doesn't matter if you're menopausal, doesn't matter if you have a neurodivergent kid.

Every single one of us has got to know who we are. And I think, you know, we go out when we're young and we're like, you know, we're going to find ourselves. What we end up doing is finding partners and settling down and buying houses and getting jobs and having kids. And at some point, we forget that we're sort of this evolving person.

And I think once we get to like, especially I think our forties and into our fifties. We're not the same person we were back then, so the idea of who we were is not who we are now and we have to sort of regenerate that and we have to, you know, reevaluate it and remodel it because I don't want to be who I was in my 20s.

I'm much more confident now than I was back then., So I, I think that that's the foundational story is it's who are you and what are you about and allowing that to change because the other message is to really embrace aging rather than fear it. Um, you know, do I wish that I had less wrinkles and these cheap gels?

No, of course I wish my face looked younger, but. It doesn't. I'm, you know, nearly 48 and it is what it is. Um, but I've lived an amazing life and that shows and that's okay. I'm not afraid of what I'm going to look like because I know deep inside that I'm fantastic. And I think every woman deserves to feel that.

Sarah: absolutely. And it's about reframing the narrative in our culture, isn't it? To say, embracing our age. It's a privilege to grow old. And, you know, as elders, there's a certain respect that should come with it, which some cultures are much better at doing than perhaps than, than ours really. But we, yeah, there's work to be done on reframing that, I think, to help us

CiCi: Yeah, you know, the thing is, also besides just getting older, I think what I learned through this journey of neurodivergent mothering, Is it's incredibly triggering and you get to know a whole other layer of yourself and a whole other layer of your extended family because you'll start to look back on your life and sort of see where things kind of have lived and where they've kind of come from.

And. You have to get really, really honest and I've had to get very honest about some ableism, some own prejudices and, and judgments that I had going into this, I was really fearful and again ashamed that my kid wasn't quote unquote normal. , Whereas you know when I can grieve all of that and I can really get down to the root of it of like, I know why I'm his mother now.

And I know why he's my kid, and I'm not going to cry, but like when you get past all of the smoke and mirrors and the facade and all the things that it should be,

Sarah: Mm-hmm

CiCi: and you get really real, it just makes sense. And then you don't just accept it, but you love it and you, you can face any challenge that comes your way then.

Sarah: That's really encouraging. Thank you for sharing that. So, with all the changes that you've been going through in your life and your business, who right now is your dream clients? And when it comes to connecting with them, what challenges do you face and what has been your biggest learning so far?

CiCi: Yeah, this is the, all of it has been a challenge for me. , My ideal client is a woman in her 40s, uh, early 40s to sort of early 50s, really. , Maybe even 35 to 55, we'll say that. , She's starting to recognize that she's, uh, not that happy. That she's a bit irritable and snappy. She's, , Overwhelmed, more than she'd like, doesn't have enough time for herself, , and because of that, isn't all that excited about the day to day, it's become a little bit mundane, and, you know, when things kind of happen, like her car breaks down, or her kids having a breakdown, like a, a meltdown in Tesco's, you know, she's like, doesn't know how to cope.

, And she's probably feeling a bit hormonal., She feels stressed, unable to sleep, has gut issues., Basically she's tired and she's sick. And she wants to feel a little bit better. She definitely doesn't feel sexy. And, I want to help her feel a lot better, because it doesn't need to be that hard, but it is when you're in it.

, So my biggest challenge is actually been whittling down what it is that I, how it is that I, I help women. So I know that it's a little bit of matrescence. It's a little bit of menopause. It's a little bit, you know, if you're a neurodivergent mother, mother of neurodivergent kid, a hundred percent, I've got you.

But It's taken me a while to really accept that what I've been talking about is not hormones. It's not identity. It’s, it's stress and it's your nervous system and it's understanding how we can get to know ourselves on that sort of foundational cellular level, so that we can support ourselves and build more capacity, build more resilience.

So my hardest thing about connecting to these women has been my own journey of figuring out how am I helping you? And that continues to still evolve. And I think again, I wanted that polished look. I wanted it to sort of be packaged and put together and then I can just go out there and we all kind of want to do, do, do.

And I've really had to learn to embrace the, the messy. The organic sort of evolving and now I'm just sort of sitting in that like it's going to come to fruition and it's going to evolve and it's going to be what exactly what I feel like it's almost something that I'm having a birth.

Sarah: Yeah,

CiCi: that's kind of coming into shape on its own.

Sarah: beautiful. So, if you could give, your younger self, one piece of advice, what would it be?

CiCi: Have yourself a break. And slow down,

Sarah: Mhm. Mm.

CiCi: The F down, because I don't think that we realize until we kind of get a little bit to, you know, my age where we're at of like, how quickly we're going, we're going, we're going, we're going, we want to get to tomorrow. We want to get to this next thing. And like, what exactly are we rushing towards?

Because there's only one finish line and it's not one that I want to rush towards.

Sarah: Yeah.

CiCi: What are we rushing towards? Like, just slow down

Sarah: Yeah.

CiCi: and, and let things just, like, get out of your own way a little bit.

Sarah: hmm. Slowdown is, yeah, such a good mantra to have, like, life just seems to get faster and faster and faster, it? It's just like, it's just breathed.

CiCi: Yeah, I mean, the powers that be want us to just keep going on that hamster wheel.

Sarah: Yeah.

CiCi: takes a real conscious sort of radical effort to say, No, I'm not going to do that. Um, and just, you know, stay grounded in your own feet and figure out what it will be when it wants to figure out what it's going to be.

Sarah: mm-hmm and so for people just starting out with their businesses though, and wanting to grow their personal brand, advice would you give them?

CiCi: Same advice. It's advice. I wish somebody had given me just slow down and just. Just take a minute

Sarah: Yeah.

CiCi: there is definitely foundational stuff. The other thing I would say is stop listening to all of the noise. Stop listening to all of the business advice and the marketing device because quite frankly, it's all helpful if you want to create a cookie cutter business just like anybody else.

Sarah: Mm-hmm

CiCi: nobody wants a cookie cutter business anymore. They want you. And so you can't know what that is if you're following the same path that everybody else has taken. You'll end up with the same business as everybody else. What is it that you, who are you? And what do you have to offer? And that's, should be your foundation.

Human design has really helped me., Sort of give me a bit,

Sarah: what, what is that? What does that mean?

CiCi: I'm not perfectly placed to explain it, except to say my understanding of it, which could be completely wrong, is that it's sort of like numerology and astrology and all of these sort of systems sort of mushed into one. But what it's, it's, you know, it's based around your time, date and place of birth.

Sarah: Oh, I didn't know this.

CiCi: So it sorts of looks at all of this stuff and sort of intersects it, but it really is like a blueprint of who you are and like what you're here to, how you're here to show up. So I think it speaks energetically, which is why it really works for me because it has given me the permission slip, that's hard to say, to just be even more honest and even more, you know, provocative, because that's what I'm here to do.

I'm here to make people think, I'm also here to make people like get down to the foundational level and just think really Like building blocks. What builds that foundation? We all take the earth for granted like we need it to stand on. So what is your earth? What is your foundation of who you are?

, And then in that there is like, you know, how do you speak and share your messaging? How do you what frustrates you? How do you interact with people? How do you share? And understanding my human design has really helped me to be able to speak my truth a little bit better. And like I said, it's the permission slip to just be a bit more me and stop having to feel like I had to be everybody else.

Sarah: Mm. Fantastic. Thank you. We are at the last question. So what what's a short story from your work that brings you joy?

CiCi: Oh, um, hmm. I gave a talk not that long ago, actually, at my local gym on stress and nervous system and resilience. And I take, I like taking these big sorts of scientific concepts. Science fascinates me. I love to understand how our body actually works, like the nitty gritty of it. But it's quite hard to wrap your head around.

A lot. And, take these big concepts and break them down into really practical sort of terms. And so I use a lot of analogies., And in that talk, I was just, you know, speaking to normal, everyday people in my gym. And they, they walked away and it seemed like for the next week, anybody who had come was kind of spreading the message to anybody else who was there in the gym.

And I kept getting this. Feedback from people of like, Oh, my God, I heard how you talked about your nervous system as like a bathtub. And I'm like, yeah, did it make sense to you? They're like, yeah, and I just that it's, it's just been so validating for me because I think. I think understanding these kind of concepts on a daily life, like with, when you're in the midst of, of all flying at you, it's, it's what's really helped me, and I hope it's what could help anybody else, because we can pull yourself back from that burning hot scalding bathtub to be in a more lukewarm, happy one that you kind of want to soak in.

So, um, yeah,

that's my story.

Sarah: Thank you. Thank you so much for sharing CC. Thank you for giving your time for us today. I know you've got lots of exciting things planned for your business. You're developing a course and things, but in the meantime, you work with people one to one, don't you? And you can work with people online., So I can share your website in the show notes and yeah. Is there anything else you want to?

CiCi: Perfect.

Sarah: people if they want to get in

CiCi: Yeah. Yeah, no, I'd love to give talks. I love to give workshops., I love to help people rest and slowdown., So if it's a talk on perimenopause or how stress and hormones kind of intersect, but follow me on Insta and come and join the journey of the M coach and see where it goes.

Sarah: Oh, beautiful. Thank you so much, CC.

CiCi: Thank you so much for having me, Sarah.

Sarah: You're welcome.

I just love the way you CC shares stories about matrescence, menopause and neurodivergence with zero filter and all the heart. Her message really shows that it's not about being perfect. It's about being real. Okay, here are my three takeaways. Number one, align with your inner truth. Cocci’s Power in storytelling comes from her unfiltered authenticity and deep self-awareness.

She emphasizes that knowing who you are at your core. Your beliefs, triggers, and values are the foundation for honest, resonant narratives that engage others. Number two, tell the stories that matter. Whether it's navigating matrescence, menopause or parenting a neurodivergent child, it’s the brave sharing of lived experience that helps connect and heal.

Opening up about experience of stigma, shame, and loneliness. And sharing with vulnerability creates real impact. It can empower others to share their story and feel less alone, and it's such a powerful way to connect with and build a community. Number three, slow real and sustainable wins. Instead of chasing the next big trend, CC advocates for slowing down, tuning into your own rhythm and using content that mirrors real life

authentic off the cuff sharing, aligned with your weekly theme is better for your audience and your sanity than a polished solar strategy. Thank you for being such a natural storyteller and for reminding us that vulnerability, bravery, and self-awareness make for the most compelling narratives. If you resonate with CiCi's work, you can find her on Instagram at with cc.

She offers one-to-one coaching workshops and conversations for women navigating the messy parts of life, whether it's perimenopause, neurodivergent, parenting, grief, or burnout. Her work centers nervous system capacity, emotional honesty, and learning how to meet yourself when life feels like a lot or won't slow down.

 If today's episode got you thinking about the stories you are telling or not telling, and you'd like support in uncovering the soulful, powerful moments within your brand, that's exactly the work I do.

You can find more about my brand storytelling and photography over at my website, sarahoughton.co.uk, or come and say hello on Instagram at Sarah Oughton photos. And if you enjoyed this episode, it means the world. When you subscribe, leave a review or send it to a friend who might need it to. Until next time, keep telling your story real raw and rooted in who you are.

Thank you for listening. And remember, uncover your story, own it, share it, and shine.