Women's Health Q&A with Stephanie McLeod-Estevez
Women’s health is an important topic that is receiving more attention every day. Nutrition, stress, sleep, and avoiding diseases like cancer and heart disease are on the forefront of the news and women’s interest. Creating effective health goals and including strategies that make a real impact is the answer to stronger, more radiant health.
Wellness expert and psychotherapist, Stephanie McLeod-Estevez, LCPC, provides the inside report on this crucial topic and shares the trends and background on how women’s health is ever-evolving.
Q: Stephanie, the interest in women’s health has picked up a great deal of momentum in recent years. Can you share some insights on why that is occurring?
I’ve observed a genuine cultural shift towards holistic living and health. This means women are shifting their mindset away from their self-worth being defined by diet culture towards radical self-acceptance for who they are and how they can be strong and independent. As a result, many women are proactive about learning how to care for their body, mind, and spirit. We need to tend to our whole self to live well.
Additionally, women are much more likely to speak openly about their health challenges. This is a shift from generations that tend to be more private, and therefore women today are finding solutions and a sense of community. This removes the shame that comes from hiding or isolating yourself. Instead, women feel empowered by sharing what’s real and true for them. Being honest and authentic means that you can better advocate for yourself, which is a crucial part of embodying radiant health.
Q. That’s fascinating. We are also seeing an upswing in daily living habits as a powerful tool. Are they really that important in preventing and treating disease?
Yes, radiant health is cultivated by the accumulated impact of those daily living habits. This is a mindset that speaks to the influence you have in your life. It’s about recognizing and accepting that while you may not be able to control what happens to you, you do have agency over how you show up in life.
A personal example from my life is how I continued to take vinyasa yoga classes during my chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer. Despite being physically weakened, I still arrived on the mat and rested as I needed. My mantra was “what feels possible today?”. This helped me to feel a sense of normalcy and connection to myself and my body despite the chaos of treatment.
When my breast cancer treatment ended, I realized that I needed to be very mindful of pressure. There was urgency to reclaim my life and to prevent cancer from returning. This meant that I needed to begin by revising expectations so that my daily living habits would attend to what I needed in the present moment. This enabled me to slowly reclaim myself bit-by-bit.
When you’re worried about your health, it’s easy to feel caught between the extremes of being consumed by wanting to be in control or feeling so incapable that you give up. If this is happening to you, it’s a sign that you would benefit from working with a therapist or health coach to help you work through those fears and pressures.
Q. How do you see women responding to this upswing in prioritizing women’s health? Are women receptive?
They are receptive. I see women learning how to advocate for themselves. This starts by women trusting their intuition about what their health concerns and needs.
However, intuition needs context, and this is why education and awareness campaigns are so valuable. Knowledge is a fundamental part of power, so the more that we can do to reach women, the more effective they can be in attending to the needs of their body, mind, spirit, and self.
There’s also greater awareness about health disparities, especially with women of color, and how bias can prevent women from receiving the care they need. While this is concerning and problematic, I find that awareness is crucial for improvement and one benefit to social media is that women can share their stories and how they overcame barriers and obstacles. These personal stories help other women to be mindful and improve their capacity to advocate for themselves.
Q. Tell us a little about why this is a central focus for you in your work in the wellness space?
I became an art therapist after losing my mom to breast cancer. As her caregiver, I learned about the courage you need to face your deepest fears and to do everything you can to stay alive. This left an incredible impression on me about how to set yourself up in life to handle the curveballs that are thrown your way. I also became attuned to the importance of working through trauma and grief to live an emotionally healthy life.
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer myself at 40, I became abundantly aware of how little I understood as a caregiver despite my best intentions. It’s incredibly difficult to confront your mortality, to see the impact it has on your loved ones, and to go through life-altering treatments. This further motivated me to figure out how to heal fully from the experience. I didn’t want my life to be hijacked by trauma. I was so grateful to be able to lean on my expertise as an art therapist.
What I bring to the table is the powerful blend of expertise as a psychotherapist and my lived experience with breast cancer. I have an incredible passion for helping myself and others live their best lives while loving and accepting oneself completely.
Q. What is the single most important tool you recommend women incorporate in their daily routines and overall approach to wellness?
The single most important tool I recommend women incorporate in their daily routines is to start small by doing something you love. Choose an act of self-care that you’re eager to dedicate time to do. This practice of committed action helps you sustainably cultivate your radiant health, because you’re built a loving relationship with yourself. This generates the enthusiasm and ease you need to make a plan and carry out caring for your body, mind, and spirit.
Thanks to a genuine cultural shift towards holistic living and health, women are more proactive about their own health and wellness needs. Radiant health is cultivated by committed action, which is the daily living habits that influence your health over time. Start small by doing something you love every day, and you’ll see improvements in your life.
Stephanie McLeod-Estevez, LCPC, is an art therapist and a breast cancer survivor. Her unwavering passion lies in empowering women to embrace life boldly, through connecting to their innate creativity and resiliency. To learn more about her coaching services and story, visit www.stephaniemcleodestevez.com. Subscribe to her free newsletter, "Spark Curiosity, Live Radiantly," for complimentary Art Therapy Guidebooks and exclusive access to enriching workshops.