Taq Kaur Bhandal
BIPOC Executive Search by Day / Menstrual Health Nerd by Night
IT ALL STARTED WHEN…
Founder, Taq Kaur Bhandal @imwithperiods (hi! Sat Sri Akal! that’s me!), went to therapy for the first time. I was in the second year of completing my Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia and on the outside seemed like I had my life together.
On the inside, 17 years of living in a fairly violent home + 7 years of being on the birth control pill (a.k.a not ovulating) = A Shitshow.
My amazing therapist recommended a book on the Fertility Awareness Method when I shared my desire to find a different method of birth control. In November 2017, I came off the pill and went on a life-changing trip to my homelands of India, where I got clear on my new mission to spread the WORLDWIDE LOVE OF PERIODS and support people with their mental and emotional health!
I’ll note here that we welcome everyone to our community, whether you: get a period; experience PCOS, endometriosis, and more; are taking the pill, the patch, the IUD; are in menopause; or don’t get a period. EVERYONE IS WELCOME. For me, the pill just kind of sucked. I felt emotionally unstable, nauseous, and depressed while taking it and so much better when I stopped.
From 2018 onwards, I directed my research towards learning everything on menstrual cycles and mental health I could find written in English. I also learned that the Punjabi word is Mahwari (you’ll read and hear me say ‘mahwari cycles’ A LOT). The Instagram account and blog for @imwithperiods was born.
In 2020, I published a guidebook with Simon & Schuster Press & Adams Media called Self-Care Down There. I also started the Mahwari Research Institute, an independent think tank studying periods, mental health, sustainability, and decolonization. I continue to work with an amazing team of consultants to share in the love of periods, mahwari cycles, and mental wellness all around the world! To give back to our communities, 10% of our proceeds are donated to Indigenous-led organizations.
-
What are you most proud of professionally? And who or why?
I am most proud of my professional ability to fall in love with process. Meaning that in the past, I would be proud of particular achievements on particular dates e.g. graduation day of my Masters, publication date of my book. These days, I am proud of the process that I undergo everyday to show up in my professional life.
What’s your vision for Atlantic Canada in 10 years? What’s our biggest opportunity now?
My vision: Atlantic Canada and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples have come to a mutually respectful and meaningful relationship with each other and the Land. Sustainable living with renewable energy is the norm. People and communities are happy, healthy, and wealthy. We are a region that exudes abundance in all forms, while being mindful of our impact on the Earth.
What was your greatest stage of growth? What made it a shift for you?
So many. Honestly the pandemic has been a great stage of growth when it comes to patience, turning inwards, self-love, and taking care of my health and wellbeing in new ways.
What’s your favourite or most read book or podcast? Now or at each of your greatest stages of growth?
BOOK: Lisa Nichols Abundance Now; PODCAST: The Model Health Show; SuperSoul Conversations
What’s your deepest learning from this past year? How did/will you apply it?
Sleep = very important for recovery & burnout prevention; Optimizing my sleep in terms of quality and number of hours.
Who’s inspired you, directly or indirectly? How have they inspired you?
My sisters. They inspire me to be super competent and confident in myself. Each one of them has persevered through so much in their life, yet they always show up as their authentic selves. This is create space for me to show up as myself as well and be super confident in who I am!
What would you have done differently?
Nothing. I feel that we are all being divinely guided on the exact right path.
What are the principles you live by?
Kindness, compassion, and living by my menstrual/mahwari cycles
How have you recovered from fractured professional relationships? What uncomfortable truths have you learned about yourself in those experiences?
I like to think that every challenge we encounter in life is a learning opportunity. So in that sense, I have recovered by doing inner work to see how I played a role in the fracturing and how I can become more self-aware or address some of my own triggers that may have contributed. I find myself being really mindful these days of how I show up in a professional relationship, and how I can keep it positive and full of love!
-
Recruiter, Researcher, Instagram Influencer; Dog Lady