Nearly a year ago, I flew up to Minnesota to attend the Cycle Show instructor certification course offered by Guiding Star Project. This was an intense three-day training with a group of women who came from all different parts of the country and various walks of life; but each one of us had one thing in common: a desire to make the next generation of young girls’ transition into womanhood a better experience in every way.

During the course of the training, we had a conversation about our own personal experience with our first cycle and I was struck by the various ways each one of us experienced this change. We shared stories of what was communicated by various figures in our lives, what was said or left unsaid, and how each one of us had felt about the whole experience in our youth. I shared my own story of learning about how and why menstruation occurs; it was a pretty casual conversation with one of my older sisters. I was curious about feminine products I saw in the bathroom and so I asked her what they were. She explained their purpose and the reason behind why there’s a new lining every month which needs to be released. I remember this conversation positively and am grateful for the way she simply explained menstruation. I hadn’t yet had my first period and so this short conversation served as a sort of inoculation for the fear and dread that many young girls experience as they approach their first cycle.

However, I still remember feeling very awkward and embarrassed about the way my body was changing. There was so much going on all at once both internally and externally and I felt insecure as I compared my own body to my peers’ development. This is of course a very common experience – whether a young girl’s experience of her first cycle is positive or a really difficult one. Navigating puberty is messy and that doesn’t make it bad or weird. On the contrary, we know that everything that is beautiful and good comes with its challenges and hardships.

Marriage, pregnancy, birth, motherhood, careers, and schooling – just to name a few – all have tension as growth and improvement are pursued. This tension is natural and normal and we know this now as women raising our own children. For this reason, the Guiding Star Cycle Show is a pivotal experience for young girls; it gives them the chance to have a felt sense of safety and goodness in their own body. They feel that amidst the messiness of growth and change, their body is a safe vessel because it is doing exactly what it is uniquely made to do. Of course there’s no guarantee that a young girl will have a positive experience as she experiences these changes but there is so much we can do to help that be a very real possibility. I do believe that because of that positive and non awkward conversation with my older sister I was much less bothered by my changing body than I otherwise would have been and, in turn, want to help young girls have a positive experience too, particularly when they are first learning about the why and how of their cycle.

“Now, I don’t have to be afraid anymore. There’s nothing to worry about.”

—Girl Attendee at Guiding Star Cycle Show Workshop—

Just a few weeks ago I officially passed my Guiding Star Cycle Show Instructor Certification Workshop. This required me to present the entirety of the 5 hour Cycle Show Workshop before a group of 9-12 year old girls with my supervisor observing (she flew to Kentucky from Arizona to watch—no pressure!) It was one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve had in all my years of working with youth in various capacities.

After the girls left, I read over their feedback forms. One of them commented: “Now, I don’t have to be afraid anymore. There’s nothing to worry about.” Another one shared that she would always treasure her body’s abilities. There were many comments like this and positive feedback from parents as well. I could see that the young girls felt valued and appreciated for who they were and that their body beautifully communicates that in its unique way, messiness and all! That’s what I call real girl power!

Apply to become a Guiding Star Cycle Show Instructor today and get prepared to start changing girls lives for the better. Apply here. Applications are due by October 1st, 2026.