Have you noticed the weirdness of this moment? Late Summer?
Not just in the weather—though that’s part of it. It’s the disjointed way our culture interacts with the seasons – and all the manufactured pressure that gets heaped on us.
Stores started stocking Halloween decorations back in July. Our phones are blowing up with “buy now!” notifications about fall fashion and Labor Day sales. We’re pressured to squeeze the last drops of fun out of Summer while simultaneously being pressured to get ready for Autumn.
It’s like the world is trying to rush us from one season to the next, one spending spree to the next. And it can feel like so much pressure … especially for women.
I don’t know about you, but when I was a little girl, I grew up with layer upon layer of pressure and expectations. Dress a certain way. Keep up appearances. Don’t push back or ask questions. Play nice, look nice, be nice.
Things are improving, thank goodness, but it still takes so much effort for women to resist the pressures of our mainstream culture – whether it’s the pressure to set the perfect Thanksgiving dinner table, to rush into “back-to-school season,” to attain the perfect BMI, or simply to buy, buy, buy.
Along the way, our inner voice gets quieter. It becomes harder and harder to know or even ask ourselves: What about me? What do *I* actually want?
Because—and I say this with so much love—we’ve been trained to trust everyone else’s voice more than our own.
Your doctor tells you that you need a certain screening at a certain age, so you schedule it without asking: Does this actually feel right for my body? A wellness influencer tells you which supplements will “fix” you, so you buy them. Your mother has opinions about how you should parent. Your workplace has expectations about your availability. Your family has ideas about which holidays matter.
It’s so easy to let these voices drown out our own inner wisdom.
These are prescriptions—recipes for how we’re supposed to live, handed to us by people and systems that benefit when we follow them. Not by us actually asking ourselves: What does my body need? What feels true for me? What actually nourishes me?
And the wild part? It’s so subtle, so powerful, so ingrained, you might not even notice you’re doing it anymore.
- Your body whispers: We need rest. But your programming disagrees: We have to go to that party. They’re expecting us.
- Your gut says: This doesn’t feel right. But your mind says: Everyone else is doing it, it’s fine.
- Your intuition knows: I need to slow down. But you tell yourself: I should be doing more.
It’s like we’re all walking around following other people’s scripts and calling it our own lives.
I’m not saying this to make you feel bad. I’m saying it because I see it, and I care about you, and I want to invite you to something different. Especially at this moment of Late Summer.
What Nature Is Showing Us Right Now
I don’t follow the calendar when it tells me what season it is. I follow the land.
Right now, I’m watching the aspens. Their leaves are at their fullest, most luminous green—casting deep, intricate shadows across the backyard. And suddenly one tiny little patch of yellow will appear – the drop that initiates the whole grove turning yellow. It’s magical.
The light has shifted, too: the angle of the sun has changed in a way that’s undeniable if you’re actually paying attention. And afternoon rains are still coming—that fresh, generous moisture that feels like a gift.
But I’m also watching the endings.
The cucumber plants’ leaves are turning yellow, then brown, as they give their last fruits. The calendula and echinacea are past their bloom—now they’re seeding, preparing for what comes next. The stream that roared loudly all summer has softened: the water level has receded. The crickets are at their peak loudness now, which means they’re about to quiet down. And in just a few weeks, we will get our first frost.
Nature isn’t rushing me. Nature isn’t trying to sell me anything. Nature is simply showing me: This is the threshold. This is the time to be present with the full glory of what is, before it transforms.
When I really sink into this – when I hold the final box of Colorado Palisade peaches in my hands and savor them knowing they won’t come again until next year—something happens.
I slow down.
And in that slowing, I notice so much. My own body. My own rhythms. My own needs.
Nature knows how to honor these transitions. And your body does, too. The weirdness happens when we start disconnecting from this deep, slow, wisdom.
What Your Body Already Knows – and an Ancient Medical System Still Honors
Here’s something that might surprise you: There’s an entire medical system—one that’s been refined over thousands of years—that understands exactly what’s happening right now in our bodies and in the world around us.
Classical Chinese Medicine recognizes that we’re not just switching from “Summer” to “Fall.” We’re moving through something called Late Summer: a distinct season unto itself.
Late Summer is the threshold. It’s the time between the fiery, expansive energy of Summer (all that heat, all that YES, all that outward movement) and the refinement and inward focus of Autumn. This threshold season invites very specific things: transformation, ripening, and a turn into deep nourishment.
Notice how that aligns with what Nature is putting on full display right now? The plants are ripening their last fruits. They’re putting their energy into seeds for what comes next. They’re preparing for the shift. They’re not fighting the transition—they’re embodying it.
Here’s the astonishing part: Your body knows this too. Your body is also in its own Late Summer transition. Your body knows exactly what to do.
How I Attune to Late Summer – And How You Can, Too
This is what I’m practicing now – along with invitations for you to honor this transition, whether you’re in the mountains of Wyoming or in the middle of a city.
I watch the light. Not casually—with deep curiosity and reverence. Right now, the angle of the sun has shifted. The quality of the afternoon light is different than it was in June. It’s softer, more golden, hitting things at a different angle. The shadows are deeper and longer. You can see this whether you’re looking at mountains or at the brick buildings in your neighborhood.
Stand at your window. Notice where the light is hitting. Notice how it’s different from two months ago. That shift? Your body feels it too, even if you’re not consciously aware of it.
I honor what’s ending. Walking through my garden, I see the cucumber leaves are turning yellow and browning as the plant gives its last fruits. The calendula and echinacea are past their peak bloom—now they’re seeding.
If you’re in a city, such things are noticeable at your farmers market. Go and look at what’s abundant right now … and what’s disappearing. The stone fruits are finishing their season. The summer greens are becoming less available. The root vegetables are starting to appear. This tells you something about what your body needs to eat right now.
I actually taste what I’m eating. I have one box of Colorado Palisade peaches left for the season. I’m not just eating them—I’m savoring them. I notice the sweetness, the texture, the way they nourish me. And I remind myself: these won’t be here again for almost a year. This creates a kind of presence.
Find the last seasonal thing available to you—whether that’s peaches at the farmers market or fresh berries or heirloom tomatoes—and really taste it. Let your body recognize: this is the end of something. This is the time to receive it fully.
I listen. Right now, the crickets are at their peak loudness. I take a moment here and there to sit outside and listen to them. I can also hear the stream on the other side of my neighbor’s property, though it’s lower than it was in summer.
If you’re in a city, can you hear birds? Are you able to witness any migratory birds passing through heading south? (I can definitely see this where I live- it’s really cool). Can you hear wind in the trees in the park and notice that if the leaves are in full bloom the sound of the wind is very different than when they are bare? Is there rain falling near you now — and does it feel different to your body from rain other times of year? Where I live, we get afternoon rains and lightning storms and they are so incredibly special. Sit down for five minutes and really listen to what’s alive around you.
I notice my own body’s response. As I notice all these things—the light, the finishing plants, the last peaches, the crickets, the shifting water—I pause and check in with my body. I ask: How does it feel in my body right now? What is my body telling me? Do I need to slow down? Do I need warmer, more nourishing foods? Do I need more rest? Do I need to spend a little time outdoors – maybe take a few last favorite hikes before the snow arrives? I’ve already noticed my digestive system is starting to shift—summer lettuce is disappearing from the farmer’s market, and my body is naturally asking for less raw, light salads and more warming, nourishing fall foods are starting to call to me. Keep in mind, I’m not feeling like I’m “supposed to” eat seasonally – I’m checking in with my own body and noticing what it’s asking me for, as it’s preparing for this seasonal shift.
Why All of this Matters
When we practice this kind of presence – when we slow down and notice what nature is doing and how our bodies feel – a profound shift can happen. We remember: we’re not in nature. We are a part of it. And that makes our bodies – our selves – deeply trustworthy.
Your body knows what it needs in Late Summer—usually that’s nourishing, warming foods and more rest.
But your body also knows what it needs when someone asks you to cross a line that’s important to you. Your body knows what it needs when you’re exhausted. Your body knows what it needs when something feels off—medically, relationally, spiritually.
Your body is not broken. Your body is not confused. Your body is trying to tell you the truth.
You don’t have to do anything my way. Or even the Classical Chinese Medicine way. My invitation for you is to ask your own body – your own womb wisdom – what self-care looks like for you during this precious season.
Whatever you choose – one more barbecue, an earlier bedtime, gently ending a draining conversation – make it conscious and loving. Remember, this miraculous season comes but once a year. Savor it, beautiful.
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
There are other women practicing this too.
Women who are tired of following prescriptions. Women who are learning to trust themselves. Women who are rebuilding their relationship with their own bodies and their own knowing. Women who are choosing themselves and discovering that the world doesn’t actually end when they do.
And if you want to join us, we’re creating something new.
FREE Sister’s Call — First Thursday of Every Month
September 3rd at 12:00 PM Mountain Time
(That’s 2:00 PM Eastern | 1:00 PM Central | 11:00 AM Pacific)
We’ll gather to ground into the season, explore how to honor our own YES in the face of external pressure and manufactured “prescriptions,” and create space for the medical decisions we’re navigating, pressures from external “systems” or relationships and more.
This is a new offering—flexible, evolving based on what the group needs. Some calls might include journaling, meditation, or practices to help you touch into your own knowing. Other calls might be about dismantling the indoctrination around medical decisions, or reframing and reclaiming experiences where you felt gaslit or coerced by healthcare systems. What we do together depends on what you bring.
No perfection required. 60-90 minutes. Just women gathering to honor where we are and practice coming home to ourselves on our own perfectly designed Health Creation Journeys.
To sign up, CLICK HERE
Because sometimes, the most revolutionary thing you can do is sit with other women and say: I’m learning to trust myself. And hear them say back: Yes. Me too.
One More Thing …
If you spend some time grounding into your body and learning to recognize and honor what self-care truly looks like, for you, moment-to-moment, you’ll be much more prepared for the contradictions and pressures of the Winter Holiday Season, which will be here before you know it.
In our next article, I’ll be including a guided meditation to help you figure out what YES and NO feel like in your body. It’s the exact right time of year to do this.
… BTW, make sure you’re subscribed to our newsletter so you don’t miss our next blog post, which includes a guided meditation to help you find what YES and NO feel like in your body. SUBSCRIBE HERE
