Lately, it feels like the world is running on adrenaline.

Everything is urgent. Everything needs fixing now. We’re praised for pushing through exhaustion, rewarded for over-functioning, and quietly shamed if we slow down, rest, or say no.

And honestly?
It’s no wonder so many women feel burnt out, disconnected, resentful, or like they’re constantly holding everything together.

This is why I keep coming back to the idea of conscious femininity; not as a trendy concept, but as a way of living that brings us back into balance.

Where the idea of conscious femininity comes from

I first came across the phrase in Sharon Blackie’s book If Women Rose Rooted, where she references the work of Jungian psychologist Marion Woodman, who coined the term decades ago.

Woodman observed that many women were living “from the neck up” — highly intellectual, hyper-capable, endlessly adapting — but deeply disconnected from their bodies, instincts, and inner truth.

She called this unconscious femininity.

Not because women are less than, but because we’ve been conditioned to survive in systems that value logic over intuition, productivity over presence, and pushing through over listening in.

Unconscious vs conscious femininity

Unconscious femininity often looks like:

• Living on autopilot
• Outsourcing your self-worth
• Over-adapting to keep the peace
• Over-functioning for everyone else
• Ignoring your body’s signals until burnout forces you to stop

Conscious femininity is something very different.

It’s not about being soft all the time, floating around in a goddess dress, or rejecting structure and action. And it’s definitely not about man-bashing; the patriarchy is a system, not a gender.

Conscious femininity is about waking up.

What conscious femininity actually looks like in everyday life

A consciously feminine woman:

• Lives in her body, not just her head
• Listens to her emotions without being ruled by them
• Pays attention to her energy levels and cycles
• Trusts her intuition and acts on it
• Sets boundaries kindly, clearly, and firmly
• Chooses honesty over harmony-at-all-costs
• Notices where she over-functions and stops rescuing
• Allows other adults to be responsible for themselves
• Receives support instead of doing everything alone

It’s about being in right relationship; with yourself, with others, and with the natural world you are a part of.

Because when we stop bulldozing our own inner signals, we’re far less likely to bulldoze everything outside of us too.

Feminine and masculine: it’s not either/or

We all carry both feminine and masculine energies within us.

Healthy feminine energy is intuitive, empathetic, embodied, compassionate; but it is not weak.
Healthy masculine energy provides structure, boundaries, direction, and action.

We need both.

Without the feminine, masculine energy becomes aggressive, greedy, and destructive.
Without the masculine, feminine energy can get stuck in endless feeling, waiting, and introspection.

Conscious femininity is about balance.
It’s about structure with feeling.

You can sense what’s right and take aligned action.
You can care deeply without self-sacrifice.
You can lead with empathy and hold firm boundaries.

Burnout isn’t a personal failure — it’s a signal

So many women I work with say the same thing:

“I just can’t function at the pace I used to.”

That’s not weakness.
That’s wisdom trying to get your attention.

We are cyclical beings living in a cyclical world, but we’ve been taught to expect linear, machine-like performance from ourselves. Conscious femininity invites us to work with our rhythms instead of overriding them with caffeine, grit, and self-criticism.

It brings regulation instead of reactivity.
Presence instead of urgency.
Care without collapse.

And yes; sometimes it ruffles feathers.
Sometimes people don’t like it when you stop over-giving, stop fixing, or stop shrinking.

But it is a far more honest — and sustainable — way to live.

Want to experience this work more deeply?

🌿 Join me for Weaving a New Way — a weekend retreat for women

If you know something in your life needs to change — a relationship, a work situation, a boundary pattern, or the constant self-doubt that keeps you stuck — this weekend is for you.

14–15 March | Johannesburg (Fourways)
Over two days, we’ll work with the four directions of the Andean Medicine Wheel to:

• Shed old stories and beliefs that no longer serve you
• Understand what’s really keeping patterns stuck
• Reconnect with what your soul is calling for
• Create a grounded, practical plan for change that actually sticks

This is deep work — but it’s also practical, embodied, and designed to translate into everyday life.

👉 Find the retreat details and book your place HERE.

✨ Explore shamanic healing sessions with me

If you’re looking for a more individual, focused way to work, I also offer 1:1 shamanic healing sessions, blending shamanic journeying with grounded coaching and integration.

These sessions help you:

• Listen to what’s happening beneath the surface
• Shift unconscious stories and belief patterns
• Reconnect with your inner wisdom
• Create meaningful, embodied change

They’re a powerful way to begin — or deepen — this work.

👉 You can find out more about shamanic healing sessions HERE.

A question to sit with

What would change if you stopped living from the neck up — and started listening to your body, your energy, and your truth?

This is the work I live.
This is the work I guide women through.
And it really is a much better way of being.

Watch the YouTube Vlog that accompanies this piece here.