Brain Fog, Responsibility & Reimagining Strength in Peri-menopause: Capricorn New Moon Wisdom (Ep. 53)

In this Capricorn New Moon episode, we slow things down and speak honestly about something so many women experience but rarely name  brain fog, hormonal shifts, and the quiet weight of responsibility carried through peri-menopause.

This episode weaves together science, astrology, nervous system wisdom, and trauma-informed insight to gently reframe what we’ve been taught about discipline, productivity, and strength.

You’ll hear why difficulty finding words, slower thinking, and decision fatigue are not personal failures but intelligent, cyclical responses from the body and how Capricorn energy invites us to build lives, legacies, and businesses that honour timing, support, and sustainability.

This New Moon marks the first New Moon of 2026, with a powerful Capricorn stellium activating long-term vision, boundaries, and responsibility while asking a deeper question: What is it costing your body to hold it all together this way?

✨ In this episode, we explore:

• The science behind brain fog, estrogen, and cognitive shifts in the luteal phase & peri-menopause
• Why hyper-responsibility is often a trauma adaptation — not a personality trait
• Capricorn as the Sea Goat: resilience that moves between structure and emotional depth
• Nervous system regulation and our relationship with time
• How to reimagine success, leadership, and responsibility without burnout
• New Moon reflections for planning from a grounded, regulated place — not pressure

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Transcript

0:00

Yes. Welcome to the Holistic Health Sisters podcast of Wellness and Real Life Sisters Hannah Carr and Sarah King from the Holistic Health Collective. In this podcast, we're going to be sharing our passion for, of course, holistic health, but also spirituality, healings, hormone, plant medicine, seasonal living, our love of nature, and our love of community. So we are gonna invite you to take a pause and take a nice deep breath. And join us on a path of healing, of self-discovery and self-love, and of stepping into the brilliance of who you really are. This is a podcast for the seekers out there. Those of you who know there's more to life than just surviving or going through the motions, and you want more, more health, wealth, happiness, love, compassion, connection, trust, surrender. And more faith. And you want that for others too. So we can make this world a better place for us all. So go and grab a cup of ceremonial grade cacao and join us as we explore what moves through us, that which is divinely led, so we can all move from fear to walls. More faith. Thank you so much for being here with us today. So really warm welcome to this Capricorn New Moon episode. Before we go anywhere today, I wanna just name something honestly and gently. I'm recording this podcast and I mention it because we teach a lot about cycles, seasons, and perimenopause. I'm very premenstrual and in a perimenopausal body. During a Capricorn New Moon that is asking for clarity, language decisions, long-term vision. And I'm gonna be honest, my brain is a little bit slower than usual, so I'm gonna share some science on that and also get into this Capricorn New Moon energy. But just to kind of validate in case this has ever been the truth for you, if you've ever found yourself searching for words or rereading that same sentence again and again, and you feel capable and wise can't quite grasp it. Can't quite get those words. Isn't anything with you that's wrong? It's not motivation, it's not discipline, it's not personal failure. It's really normally related to hormones, nervous system, and brain chemistry. And they're doing exactly what they're meant to in this phase of the cycle. And I'm sharing that because many of you listening, especially those of you on your perimenopause journey, you experience this too. We call it brain fog, right? Often we just embody in silence or often with shame and embarrassment and while still holding everything together for everyone else, and this is a bit of a Capricorn energy, this res responsibility or the ability to respond, which kind of lessens at this point in the cycle. So in today's episode, as an invitation to understand what's happening, to soften our self-judgment. Maybe to even reimagine success and strength and responsibility and of course I give it through a trauma informed lens under this deeply meaningful Capricorn new Moon, this lovely point in the cycle we can connect with and set intentions. So let's take a breath and ground. A really beautiful way to ground is through a longer exhale, and as you. Bring the awareness through to the breath. See if you can bring the exhale down into the pelvis. Capricorn are connected to the lower half of the body. So as you exhale, just see if you can drop that exhale down through to the tailbone. Maybe that doesn't make any sense. Maybe it does, and just be playful with it. Okay, let's see how we're doing. I am gonna ground you into the science for a moment because understanding can bring a bit of relief around, perimenopause symptoms or health struggles in general. So in the one or two weeks before menstruation, that's the bleed part of a woman's cycle, what we call the luteal phase or the inner winter. Levels of, our hormone called estrogen and progesterone, they fluctuate and then they drop. So estrogen in particular, plays a role in things like verbal fluency, memory retrieval, cognitive speed, and language processing. So when estrogen dips, the brain can feel foggier and words kind of just feel out of reach. Thoughts feel slower to organize and decision making can feel like a task. So I just wanna remind us that as cyclical folk, this isn't regression and it's not decline. It's not you losing yourself or just getting old. It is just a temporary shift in how the brain is resourced. Hormones also interact with neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. And these really influence our mood, our focus, and our motivation. And we know we can get disrupted sleep, especially at this point in cycle. So we've got high stress sensitivity. And the emotional load that most of us are carrying, and I know you listening, you really probably are really carrying a big load without realizing. So things suddenly, like writing an email, recording a podcast, or making a plan can feel suddenly monumental. And if you are in the perimenopause, fluctuations can be more intense and less predictable, which can make you feel like you can't rely on yourself the way you used to. I wanna say this clearly your wisdom's still there, your intelligence is still there, your leadership's still there, but your body is just simply asking for a different pace, different timing, maybe more support, different resourcing. So I hope that bought some validation, some understanding, and just to invite you to check your cycles. It's winter and I'm in inner Autumn, and I find my inner winter more challenging. In the season of winter, I find it a little bit easier perhaps in spring or autumn, and this is why cycle tracking can be such a beautiful practice. And we actually link our cycle tracking up with our moon practice. So if you've been to one of our circles, live of Your're, interested to. You can just drop in for one, but you're not gonna gather the wisdom that you could if you say, joined us for three months or a year, or, most of the women that come in have been with us for around five years because they get a lot of value from using this system to know themselves. So let's get a bit more into Capricorn. The Capricorn New Moon lands with us on Sunday, the 18th of January at 7:51 PM in New York on Sunday, the 18th of Jan at 2:51 PM and in LA Sunday the 18th again at 11:51 AM. So it's right at the end of Capricorn season. We've already been through our January four moon. This is our first new Moon of the year of 2026, and there's a lot happening. Astrologically takes place with a stellium in Capricorn, so there's a whole bunch of planets. The Sun, the Moon, mercury, Venus, and Mars are all gathered together in Capricorn. So there's a lot of energy focused on structure, responsibility, decision making, communication, long-term planning, so a big emphasis on that and commitment and the body parts under influence. Capricorn being an earth sign, they're connected to the really tough, hard parts of us. So that will be our bones, our joints, our knees, our teeth, and the lower half of the body. So it really governs what holds us, what holds us together, what binds us, and as an earth sign healing in these, parts of the body can be a little bit slower, deep and cumulative. Everything is built to last in Capricorn. And the ruling planet of Capricorn is Saturn, and this is really connected to the energy of boundaries, discipline, time, limitations, and wisdom. learned through experience we can all learn from a book, but there is nothing like really learning it for experience. So this isn't a quick win, new moon, this is a seed for years from now. So yes, dream, plant the seeds, set intentions, and trust, and be open, to the timeline. Try not to rush it, but know that what you're building here is really important. It's the beginning with roots so deep, it unfolds slowly through patience, trust, devotion, and respect for timing, both cosmic timing and bodily timing. I have to say my relationship with time has changed so much. I have been working on it for many moons, and it really shifted when I went to India, which when you go to other countries and you immerse yourself in other cultures, you often find that the, the pacing of things are very different. And for me, through my studies of the nervous system, it really is when we're activated, when we're in our sympathetic nervous system, when we're hyper aroused, that. Time can be rushed. We can want things done yesterday. We can feel like we've got too much on our plate to get done. And then if we are living like that and embodying that mindset, those stories, living by that, we can really put ourselves into shutdown where we are, like, can not take any time pressure anymore. And it puts us into a spin. So a regulated nervous system is really important to have a good relationship with time. Talk about the architect type of. Capric, it's an interesting one. It's the sea goat. So what is the sea goat? It's a creature that moves between worlds. It does climb mountains. Think of that steady determination of Capricorn, but it also descends down to the deepest depths of the ocean. So deep emotional waters. It's got a resilient energy, stoic, enduring. And many of you listening, you embody this archetype. You reached out to me on the full moon in Capricorn after the episode called Softening the Strong One, and you really resonated with it because you do feel like the one who has to keep going. You feel like the one who's always figuring it all out. You are carrying most of the responsibility, whether it's in your job, your family unit, your household, or even your community. You feel like the only one who really cares and takes action on things. You are the one that's holding the long-term vision, so kind of seeing the consequences of our decisions and choices, and you definitely don't ask for help. You don't fall apart publicly. You probably hardly admit to yourself that you're having a hard time, and if you do, you probably like, and I'll just crack on with it, but resilience without softness eventually becomes exhaustion and burnout. And Capricorn season asked, not just what are we building, but also what is it costing your body and nervous system to build it in the way that you are, especially business owners. Really feel into that one. Why is it so hard for us to ask for help? Then let's talk about this gently and honestly, You folk that resonate with this Capricorn energy, enduring, hardworking responsible, especially women, especially those in midlife. You learn that early, you know, it didn't just come upon you in midlife. You maybe felt being responsible, kept you safe. Being capable, earn love or approval. This one being low maintenance, reduced conflict. I don't really need much. I'll be okay. I'm all right. And being strong meant survival. So this isn't personality, this is adaptation in a trauma informed. language, hyper responsibility is often a protective strategy. It is kind of that belief that if I don't hold it all together, if I don't need anything, if I don't burden anyone, then I won't be disappointed, abandoned or overwhelmed. But here's the truth. Your nervous system might not have caught up yet. You no longer have to earn safety by over functioning. And often, perimenopause our cycles crack us open because the body will no longer cooperate with the old story. With the old survival strategy, what used to be possible through sheer willpower and white knuckling becomes absolutely unsustainable. And that's not failure. That's initiation. Initiation into a more honest, regulated, interdependent way of living. So let me cast your mind back to that beautiful, soft, watery emotional cancer full moon, which that opposite Capricorn. Remember, cancer says, stay safe, rest,, feel your emotions be held, belong. And then Capricorn says, come on, move forward. Take responsibility, build, strategize, commit. So this new moon at the end of the cycle asks us to integrate both, you know, bring forth all the wisdom from Capricorn season and that beautiful full Moon insights. So move forward without abandoning ourselves. To succeed without self neglect, to build legacies. I mean, definitely legacy energy is really connected to Capricorn, like long-term strategy that also includes care, rest, support, not just output input and output. So let's just pause here. You might place a hand on your body here or simply breathe a little bit more fuller. So here's the inquiry that I wanna offer you. What would the most grounded, regulated version of me plan and execute? Not the most pressured, living in fear or depleted version that just wants to show up. So just really fill into that. I'll say it again. What would the most grounded, regulated version of me plan and execute? Not the most pressured, fearful, or depleted version. And I'd love to know, what would you build if you trusted time? Where could you ask for help without collapsing your identity of the strong one, the independent one? And what rhythm would your body choose? If you put the body first, you know the bones of you. And what would 2026 look like for pacing? So see if you can let yourself listen longer than usual.'cause Capricorn asks for maturity, and maturity includes self-compassion. This is where we'll take you deep into this inner wisdom, folks on our Capricorn new Moon circle. So we love to sit live, because when we sit live, we can answer your questions, we can feel into the collective energy. We can hold ourselves accountable as we set intentions and we can celebrate our progress as we look back and see what we've been achieving or what we've been letting go of. We also always do a live Oracle card pull, which I think is often one of your favorite points in the circle. And we'll be doing some live coaching. So if you've got any questions, we'll be choosing one person to stay on at the end and do live coaching with. So I just have a few more words on Mercury being active in Capricorn in this Capricorn Seum. We're invited towards clear language naming things, precisely honest self-talk, but this. Honesty doesn't have to be harsh. Clarity doesn't have to be harsh. You can say, this will take longer than I thought. Or I need support with this. Can you help me please? What's your capacity? And this season requires a different pace. So this isn't vagueness. We can't have vagueness with, mercury under the influence of this moon. It is integrity. So this new Moon is not asking you to hustle harder. We've been in hustle culture for so long. It's asking you to devote yourself to what truly matters over time. So I've been stopping and pausing as I've been catching myself, spinning around a little bit or, perhaps turning to my phone and asking, will this really help me fulfill my life purpose today? What really truly matters in this moment?'cause you're a steward of creation and a weaver of future into present, and this moon stands with its arms stretched out and asking, when you look ahead, what is it you desire to see? And when you touch the ground beneath your feet, what do you really want to offer to the world? When you listen to your body, what kind of world are you willing to build for others and for yourself? So lemme remind you, you don't have to do this alone. Really feel into 2026 being the year of support, collaboration, and standing shoulder to shoulder with your tribe, your soul tribe. We know that consciousness is really waking up and. It's really hard to do things alone, so step forward. My loves, remember that our circles are pay what you feel is right. Recommended 20 pounds, and a few of you signed up to be inside the healing portal this year. So you get all your moon circles, and you get all the benefits of. Sessions inside the portal. So you've got two of us experts, trauma informed, somatic coach, breath coach, Ayurvedic and yogic teacher, and Hannah, who's trained in shamanic healing and naturopathic nutrition., Energy healing and we've just put together the most beautiful healing portal, it's filled to the brim of a library of supportive sessions for preventative health, but also curative health. So think breath work, think movement sessions, think sessions for your soul. We've got, Aquarius season coming up very soon and we've got, beautiful recordings of what it means to make a difference in the world through your community, through your friendships. And I put in a breath work, which. I feel like it's one of my favorite breath works that I've ever recorded. So it is called a Breath Work for Aquarius season, and it really asks you to look at your individuality and then integrating that into the collective. It's a really beautiful breath work. I highly recommend, and I'll be taking you through a live session as well for the body parts that are under influence. In Aquarius season. So really helping you to mobilize your body to stay healthy, to stay well. So we would love to have you inside the portal and otherwise just drop into the moon circles and enjoy this new moon while I, I hope there's been some wisdom there for you. Thank you a million times, Ava, for joining us on this podcast episode. You can support the show by giving us a follow on any podcast platform you're listening to this on. If you already follow up, then thank you so much and maybe share this episode. If you think of someone, someone comes to mind where you think they'd really benefit from listening to this. This is one way that we like to spread the love with our friends, is sharing podcasts or playlist. So let them know that we are thinking about them. So just send it on to them with a few words about why they might enjoy it. And if you'd like to check out any of our in-person events or retreats or our online offerings, head over to our website, www.holistichealthcollective.co uk. We'll see you in the next episode.