What is the Guiding Star Cycle Show?
The Guiding Star Cycle Show is an engaging and age-appropriate workshop designed specifically for girls ages 9–12. It helps them understand and celebrate the amazing changes taking place in their changing female bodies—building confidence and a sense of wonder about how beautifully their bodies are designed.
Through stories, symbols, and hands-on learning, the Cycle Show pulls back the curtain and gives the girls a deeper look at what’s going on “behind the scenes” inside their bodies during puberty. Paired with an intricate “floor show” of the female reproductive system—they discover that their menstrual cycle is not something to feared or hidden—it’s simply their body’s amazing way of practicing and preparing for the possibility of welcoming a “special guest” (a baby, far in the future, of course!) as they mature into womanhood.
This positive, age-appropriate experience helps girls understand the natural rhythms of their female cycles, recognize fertility codes, and practical tips for managing their first period with confidence. The Guiding Star Cycle Show celebrates the beauty of becoming a woman—helping each girl see her body as something good, wise, and wonderfully designed.
What is the Guiding Star Cycle Show?
The Guiding Star Cycle Show is an engaging and age-appropriate workshop designed specifically for girls ages 9–12. It helps them understand and celebrate the amazing changes taking place in their changing female bodies—building confidence and a sense of wonder about how beautifully their bodies are designed.
Through stories, symbols, and hands-on learning, the Cycle Show pulls back the curtain and gives the girls a deeper look at what’s going on “behind the scenes” inside their bodies during puberty. Paired with an intricate “floor show” of the female reproductive system—they discover that their menstrual cycle is not something to feared or hidden—it’s simply their body’s amazing way of practicing and preparing for the possibility of welcoming a “special guest” (a baby, far in the future, of course!) as they mature into womanhood.
This positive, age-appropriate experience helps girls understand the natural rhythms of their female cycles, recognize fertility codes, and practical tips for managing their first period with confidence. The Guiding Star Cycle Show celebrates the beauty of becoming a woman—helping each girl see her body as something good, wise, and wonderfully designed.
Why Choose the Guiding Star Cycle Show?
Today, more than ever, young girls need to build a strong sense of self-worth and confidence in their bodies—starting well before puberty begins. The early stages of sexual maturation are the perfect time to help girls understand and appreciate the amazing changes taking place within them. Participation in the Guiding Star Cycle Show fosters a healthy respect for the female body and helps girls learn to understand, embrace, and love their natural design as they grow into their teenage years and beyond. After all, a girl can only protect what she values and respects.
What To Expect During a Guiding Star Cycle Show Workshop
Through engaging visuals, creative metaphors, and hands-on activities, girls discover that their bodies aren’t random or messy — they’re beautifully designed. The 5-hour workshop unfolds like a theater show told from inside the female body. In two acts, the girls hear the “story” of a woman’s cycle — from ovulation to fertilization to menstruation — and see how every part of the process works together in harmony. In Act 1, the girls are introduced to the “Equation of Life” (sperm + egg = new life). Taking on the roles of hormones, they learn how the “Control Center” (the brain) sends messages that prepare the body for the possible arrival of a “special guest” — a baby! Through interactive games, they follow the adventurous journey of the sperm and discover that it only takes one sperm and one egg to create a new life. Each girl walks away knowing she is a Double Champion — gaining a deeper understanding of the dignity of her own life and the lives of others. The focus shifts to what’s happening inside each girl’s own body in relation to puberty. They learn how their bodies lovingly prepare a “Luxury Suite” (uterine lining) each month for a potential guest — and how it’s perfectly normal when one doesn’t arrive. Along the way, they decode fertility signs like “magic potion” (cervical mucus) and explore menstrual products so they can manage their first period with confidence and care.
Why Choose the Guiding Star Cycle Show?
Today, more than ever, young girls need to build a strong sense of self-worth and confidence in their bodies—starting well before puberty begins. The early stages of sexual maturation are the perfect time to help girls understand and appreciate the amazing changes taking place within them. Participation in the Guiding Star Cycle Show fosters a healthy respect for the female body and helps girls learn to understand, embrace, and love their natural design as they grow into their teenage years and beyond. After all, a girl can only protect what she values and respects.
What To Expect During the 5-Hour Guiding Star Cycle Show Workshop
Through engaging visuals, creative metaphors, and hands-on activities, girls discover that their bodies aren’t random or messy — they’re beautifully designed. The 5-hour workshop unfolds like a theater show told from inside the female body. In two acts, the girls hear the “story” of a woman’s cycle — from ovulation to fertilization to menstruation — and see how every part of the process works together in harmony. In Act 1, the girls are introduced to the “Equation of Life” (sperm + egg = new life). Taking on the roles of hormones, they learn how the “Control Center” (the brain) sends messages that prepare the body for the possible arrival of a “special guest” — a baby! Through interactive games, they follow the adventurous journey of the sperm and discover that it only takes one sperm and one egg to create a new life. Each girl walks away knowing she is a Double Champion — gaining a deeper understanding of the dignity of her own life and the lives of others. The focus shifts to what’s happening inside each girl’s own body in relation to puberty. They learn how their bodies lovingly prepare a “Luxury Suite” (uterine lining) each month for a potential guest — and how it’s perfectly normal when one doesn’t arrive. Along the way, they decode fertility signs like “magic potion” (cervical mucus) and explore menstrual products so they can manage their first period with confidence and care.
Parent/Guardian Info Webinar
Held on the LAST TUESDAY of every month (6PM PT / 7PM MT / 8PM CT /9PM ET)
The Parent/Guardian Info Webinar offers an overview of the Guiding Star Cycle Show and provides parents with the language, concepts, and tools used in the workshop. This helps parents feel confident continuing these important conversations at home with their daughters. It’s also a lot of fun—parents often leave saying they’ve learned new things about their own bodies, too!
This 60–90 minute session gives a concise walkthrough of the 5-hour Cycle Show workshop for girls ages 9–12 with a suggested Donation of $10 for adults or organizations attending only the webinar. For those who are registering a girl or have already, the webinar is complimentary.
Check out the Cycle Show FAQs section to see if the workshop is a good fit for your daughter or community.
PLEASE NOTE: Monthly webinars are also open to adults and organizations interested in hosting a Cycle Show workshop and on location, Parent Presentations are typically limited to parents of registered girls unless otherwise approved by the hosting organization or instructor.
Parent/Guardian Info Webinar
Held on the LAST TUESDAY of every month (6PM PT / 7PM MT / 8PM CT /9PM ET)
The Parent/Guardian Info Webinar offers an overview of the Guiding Star Cycle Show and provides parents with the language, concepts, and tools used in the workshop. This helps parents feel confident continuing these important conversations at home with their daughters. It’s also a lot of fun—parents often leave saying they’ve learned new things about their own bodies, too!
This 60–90 minute session gives a concise walkthrough of the 5-hour Cycle Show workshop for girls ages 9–12 with a suggested donation of $10 for adults or organizations attending only the webinar. For those who are registering a girl or have already, the webinar is complimentary.
Check out the Cycle Show FAQs section to see if the workshop is a good fit for your daughter or community.
PLEASE NOTE: Monthly webinars are also open to adults and organizations interested in hosting a Cycle Show workshop and on location, Parent Presentations are typically limited to parents of registered girls unless otherwise approved by the hosting organization or instructor.
History of the Cycle Show
The Cycle Show began with a simple but life-changing discovery. More than 30 years ago, medical student Dr. Elisabeth Raith-Paula wrote one of the first doctoral dissertations in Germany on fertility awareness and Natural Family Planning (NFP). In the process, she uncovered what she called the “secret codes” of a woman’s body—signs of fertility that most women were never taught to recognize or understand.
This discovery inspired a lifelong mission: to make this knowledge accessible to every girl and woman. Dr. Raith-Paula began giving university lectures titled “My Body’s Silent Language,” using symbols, stories, and vivid imagery to make the science of fertility simple and engaging. Her students—many of them hearing this information for the first time—responded with amazement: “Why were we not told this ten years earlier?”
That reaction planted the seed for something bigger. Dr. Raith-Paula wrote a book called “What’s Going On In My Body?: All About the Female Cycle, Periods, and Fertility”, to help mothers teach their daughters about the beauty of their developing bodies. The response was overwhelming—women were moved to tears by finally understanding how intricately and wonderfully their natural female bodies were designed. They asked her to share this same message with their daughters.
To meet that need, she created a five-hour, interactive workshop designed for girls ages 9–12 called “The Cycle Show: Looking for My Body’s Secret Code.” This program combined art, science, and storytelling to help girls approach puberty with confidence, curiosity, and respect of their female bodies.
From that first workshop, the idea spread quickly. What began as one small project in Germany grew into the MFM (My Fertility Matters) Project, the nation’s largest and most awarded reproductive education initiative—with more than 70,000 participants each year. Today, the Cycle Show is presented across Europe, Africa, China, the United States, Mexico, and beyond, inspiring a new generation to see fertility as something good, natural, and worth celebrating.
In 2019, the Guiding Star Project partnered with MFM Project to bring this transformative program to the United States under the name, Guiding Star Cycle Show. Since then, workshops have been hosted in 11 states and counting—with a goal of reaching all 50 states soon.
About Dr. Elisabeth Raith-Paula
Dr. Elisabeth Raith-Paula is a German physician, author, and the founder of the MFM (My Fertility Matters) Project. Her groundbreaking work has reshaped fertility and puberty education around the world.
Dr. Raith-Paula earned her medical degree and wrote her dissertation on female fertility—one of the first academic studies on Natural Family Planning (NFP) in Germany. She has since published multiple medical books on women’s health and continues to speak internationally on fertility awareness and holistic education.
Married and the mother of two children, Dr. Raith-Paula is deeply motivated by the conviction that every woman and girl deserves to understand and appreciate her natural female body. Her innovative approach to education has been recognized globally: she became an Ashoka Fellow in 2012 and received the German Federal Cross of Merit for her contributions to public health and education.
Today, her vision lives on through the hundreds of trained instructors and the ongoing expansion of the Cycle Show worldwide—helping girls everywhere discover that their bodies don’t have to be a mystery, but a rather a masterpiece of value that deserves to be protected and respected.
Meet the Guiding Star Cycle Show Instructors
CLICK ON EACH INSTRUCTOR’S PHOTO TO READ BIO
Kari Beadner
National Cycle Show Coordinator
Twin Cities, MN
Elessa Marker
Orange City, IA and Prescott, AZ
Linda Jacobs
Marshalltown, IA
Stephanie Winters
Duluth, MN
Beth Sheets
Medford, OR
Amber Adrian
Mitchell, South D
Teresa Arguelles
Frisco, TX
Lisa Fuchs
Blountsville, AL
Kari Beadner
National Cycle Show Coordinator
Elessa Marker
Orange City, IA and Prescott, AZ
Linda Jacobs
Marshalltown, IA
Stephanie Winters
Duluth, MN
Beth Sheets
Medford, OR
Amber Adrian
Mitchell, SD
Teresa Arguelles
Frisco, TX
Become a Cycle Show Instructor
PLEASE NOTE: Anyone interested in becoming a Guiding Star Cycle Show Instructor must also attend the Women’s Cycle Show Workshop or else a girl’s workshop led by a certified instructor.
