OUR STORY
Envisioning a vibrant life for every body.
The big realization.
I’ve spent a lot of my life wishing I had the capacity to show up fully for the things I care about most—my community, my family, and this planet. There was seemingly never enough time, energy, or clarity to do more.
In all of that time spent wishing, I thought there was something wrong with me that needed to be fixed. This thinking is common among many of us with a menstrual cycle. But our sense of individual failing is actually a symptom of a collective problem: the systems we live in were never designed to support our unique rhythms.
My younger self was bursting with vitality. Silly, talkative, and very confident. The planet was that way, too. Diverse wildlife filled our lands, skies, and seas. Earth was more vibrant then.
But then I grew up. I took in all the cultural messages about what it would take to succeed. I learned to ignore my body. I pushed through pain, panic attacks, and depression. Chronic stress became my default mode. The result was never feeling like I belonged—to myself or to the world around me.
It’s a feeling nature is familiar with, too. Dams block a river’s flow, impeding regenerative life cycles. Cities occupy wetlands, slowly sinking as earth strains under their weight. Wildfires blaze stronger and stronger, as forests hope that this time their signal for help will be answered.
I don’t believe there is a golden era to return to. But I longed to bring forward these beautiful, bright aspects of myself that seemed lost, and to help the earth reclaim its shine, too.
Stuck in a vicious cycle.
Even as my vitality waxed and waned, my passion for our planet and people never wavered. Working in the nonprofit sector and then finding my way into corporate social responsibility, I felt like I was getting closer to my dream career and being able to make the impact I desired. But with each new job, I’d go through periods of intense overwork, followed by burnout and collapse, only to repeat the cycle.
In the natural world, there are periods of intense productivity. Like summer, when growth seems boundless. But nature also observes winter. It knows the time to pause is non-negotiable. We don’t learn that rhythm in our culture; we only find ourselves there when we’re too unwell to do anything but rest.
As I progressed in my career, I noticed so many other women around me were also unwell: burned out, yes, but also experiencing hormonal issues, like autoimmune conditions, debilitating PMS, and painful periods. I wondered, What would these women be capable of if they weren’t so preoccupied with their struggles? Yet we all just kept pushing ahead, because we had started to believe this state was normal.
Nature experiences this tension, too. When habitats are destroyed by development, birds will try to find another place to nest. Or when the spider’s web is destroyed, she’ll build it again. We are resilient—but these distractions keep us from doing what we’re each uniquely here to do.
Finding my “why.”
In 2014, I went outside of my comfort zone for an adventure in Glacier National Park. I was raised to see myself as separate from nature, and the result was that I was, well, scared of it. An irony that is not lost on me given that my intellectual interest in our environment goes back to middle school.
I was nervous to sign up for the trip, but I also thought it was “now or never” because of the park’s melting glaciers. It was heartbreaking to see how far they had retreated in this century, but the trip itself made me feel alive, connected, and small in the best possible way among enormous mountains.
When I later began a journey of bringing my period back after years of being on the pill, it wasn’t that different from the complex feelings of my Glacier trip: radical liberation, in awe of the power and intelligence of nature, shame for my naivete, and rage at what had been taken from me by extractive systems. Shaken awake by the intensity of these emotions, I felt like I belonged to myself again.
These transformative experiences showed me that my aliveness was interconnected with the aliveness of our planet.
Sister Seasons’ radical, joy-filled mission.
In my own lifetime, I’ve gone from fully vibrant to fully depleted. I’m still working toward expanding my capacity to show up fully for myself, my community, and our planet. But on this journey, I regained the well-being and vitality I thought was lost. A gift from nature that I’m committed to returning. I want to help other people with a menstrual cycle experience this, too.
Our parents’ generation got to see an earth we’ve never known. A humming planet that had more biodiversity and richness. What would that feel like? What can we do now so future generations can know this fully vibrant planet?
What would be possible if women and menstruators were bursting with vibrancy, too? How might we solve the climate crisis if all of us had the energy to put our passions for collective well-being into action? And how might this shift spark new systems that could form the foundation of a just future?
Sister Seasons was created to respond to these questions. It teaches us how to work with our bodies rather than against them. It offers a new way of moving through the world that builds momentum, flow, and energy, so we can have the capacity to care for ourselves and our world. It opens a radically different pathway to creating the future our hearts are longing for.
What’s your story?
We have all lived vastly different lives, in different bodies. And we all have beautiful wisdom to share. The Sister Seasons community reflects our many stories, gifts, and experiences. And we hope you’ll bring your whole self with you when you join us.
The truth is there’s only so much we can know about the possibilities of this work on our own. When you bring your piece of the puzzle into our community, the expansiveness of our emergent future becomes clear.
Sister Seasons depends on your unique knowledge and experience. And we like it that way. It’s exponentially more fun and powerful to do this together.
Rebecca Magee
Founder, Sister Seasons
Our Founder
Rebecca Magee (She/Her)
Rebecca Magee is a creative entrepreneur, facilitator, and teacher focused on the intersection of gender equity and climate justice. Her background blends the study of women’s leadership and health with an extensive career in environmental sustainability, social impact, and philanthropy. A skillful facilitator, she has created transformative learning experiences for social impact leaders around the world and led communities of women through life-changing retreats and peer groups. As founder of Sister Seasons, Rebecca guides women and menstruators to restore their well-being and our planet’s through cycle awareness practices, and partners with organizations seeking to empower menstruators to lead on climate without burning out.
-
Sister Seasons would not be possible without the thought leaders and guides who shaped us. Here are a few we want to thank:
adrienne maree brown, Tara Mohr, Sara Schley, Amy Hall, Eileen Fisher, Dr. Vasant Lad, Alisa Vitti, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Emily Nagoski, Nicole Jardim, Sebene Selassie, Amos Clifford, Dr. Claudia Welch, Heidi Swanson, Karen Brody, Janine Benyus, Joanna Macy, Nina Simons, and organizations such as the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN), Women’s Environment & Development Organization (WEDO), Women’s Earth Alliance (WEA), Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE), and Project Drawdown.
Our Founder’s Favorites
Read Rebecca’s go-to resources.
A Brief Guide To The Menstrual Cycle
Get to know your menstrual cycle beyond your period to build your body literacy.
How To Track Your Cycle
Cycle awareness is key to understanding your unique rhythms. Learn how to track your cycle so you can stay in tune.
A Cycle Practice For Opening To Receive Support
Asking for support enables us to show up for what we really care about. Learn how with this cycle practice.