Empowered Life Cycles

Home
United States
New York, NY
Empowered Life Cycles

Chantal Traub is a seasoned New York City birth doula, childbirth educator, and wellness coach. Disclaimer

©2022 Chantal Traub CD(DONA), LCCCE, CCCE, NBC-HWC.

In recent years, Traub has expanded her training and practice to serve the health needs of women navigating Motherhood, (Peri-)Menopause and beyond. All rights reserved. This document is for educational and informational purposes only and solely as a self-help tool for your own use. I am not providing medical, psychological, or nutrition therapy advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your own medical practitioner. Always seek the advice of your own medical practitioner and/or mental health provider about your specific health situation. For my full Disclaimer, please go to www.chantaltraub.com/disclaimer-policy

02/19/2026

☀️ This isn’t from now ☀️

Cumulative sun damage is real.
What was beneath this scar is decades old.
From a time when tanning was cool and sunscreen wasn’t the culture.

Midlife brings perspective.
Motherhood brings responsibility.

If you’re raising teens — prevention still works.

Sun care isn’t vanity.
It’s healthcare.
It’s protection.
It’s love.

02/17/2026

Solar Eclipse, Year of the Fire Horse and a New Moon in Aquarius.

A power portal is open, that brings a moment of reset, that offers an invitation to move through it with intention, to create an empowering change.

Today is a meeting of elements and energies.
A solar eclipse in Aquarius.
A new moon.
The Year of the Fire Horse.
And the wisdom of water.

This is not power that forces.
It’s power that flows.
Not becoming through striving —
but through opening.
Not transformation through pressure —
but through surrender.

Water teaches us rhythm.
Courage.
Expansiveness.
Authenticity.
Deep social bonds.
Life energy moving through us — not driven by us.

This is feminine power.
Like empowered birth.
Like midlife initiation.
Like the cycles that shape us, change us, renew us.

Not linear.
Not rigid.
Not harsh.
But cyclical.
Rhythmic.
Alive.

And to the Fire Horse women born in 1966 —
this is your second spring.
Your season of change.
Your visibility era.
Your time to be seen — not for what you produce,
but for who you are.

A fire that flows.
A power that opens.
A life force that moves through you — not from you.

✨🔥🌊🌑

02/14/2026

Still working on my 1-minute handstand, one breath at a time.
Small empowering shifts —spending time upside down.
🤸‍♀️✨

Handstand class with .brooklyn

02/11/2026

Another wonderful Pushing Power workshop 👶

🤰Thank you to all the mamas and papas in attendance learning how to push safely and effectively and protect the pelvic floor muscles during birth.

🤰Want to attend our next PUSHING POWER class:

Upcoming dates:
Tuesday, April 21
Tuesday, June 9th :

💚 To learn more or to register: www.chantaltraub.com/events

01/24/2026

Working toward a 1-minute handstand, one breath at a time. Progress isn’t loud—but it’s empowering.
🤸‍♀️✨

Handstand class with .brooklyn

01/20/2026

I often hear clinicians say that the vagus nerve goes down to the pelvic floor & in the birth world that the vagus nerve goes to the cervix.

My understanding is that the vagus nerve doesn't get as far down as the pelvis.

“Does the vagus nerve actually go to the pelvic floor?”

From a strict neuroanatomical perspective, the vagus nerve does not descend into the pelvis and does not innervate the pelvic floor or cervix.

In humans, vagal efferent fibers innervate thoracic and upper abdominal organs and generally terminate around the level of the transverse colon.

Below that point, parasympathetic innervation arises from the sacral outflow (S2–S4) via the pelvic splanchnic nerves, which synapse through the inferior hypogastric plexus to innervate the distal bowel, bladder, and reproductive organs.

The same distinction applies to sensory pathways. Pelvic floor and pelvic visceral afferents are not vagal afferents and do not travel via the vagus nerve or enter the brainstem through the solitary tract, which is the primary afferent pathway for the vagus.

However—and this is the key point that helps reconcile anatomy with clinical observations—pelvic afferent signals do reach the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) via spinal pathways (e.g., spinoreticular / spinosolitary routes). The NTS is the brainstem’s primary hub for visceral sensory integration. It receives vagal afferent input and non-vagal visceral input, including information originating from the pelvis.

The answer is nuanced—and way more interesting than a yes/no.

This distinction doesn’t invalidate clinical experience.

It grounds it in accurate neurophysiology.

Clarity changes practice.
🧠🫀🫶

Precision matters.
Language matters.

And when we get clearer—practice gets better.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

01/20/2026

If you’re in midlife and tired all the time, it’s probably not a motivation problem — it’s a nervous system one.

So many midlife women think they’re low-energy because they’re doing something wrong.

You’re not broken —you’re overloaded.

The goal is supporting capacity, not fixing flaws.

When we shift from pushing —to supporting, our energy returns.

This is where real change begins 🌿

💫 If you want help finding your starting point, take my free BURNOUT Self-Assessment Worksheet.

www.chantaltraub.com/menopause

01/20/2026

12/16/2025

The number one question that I get, is: “ How do I get this baby out of my body, without tearing ? “

While I want to listen, acknowledge and validate my clients and students’ concerns.

I want to reframe their question, that is not so much of how to get the baby out, rather how to let the baby out.

Getting the baby out —implies a mechanical extraction, a medical intervention.
Letting the baby out is a process of welcoming.
Consider the baby as our bio-behavioral choreographer, listening to their cues throughout the birthing journey.

The baby isn’t the result of the birth; the baby is part of the process.

It’s about feeling safe enough to let go and let the baby out

During the birthing process all participants need to feel safe, supported and connected to optimize birth and minimize trauma.

From the moment of our birth, we are inherently wired for connection. Rooted in a primal urge for survival, there exists within us a profound yearning to connect.

Polyvagal Theory proposes that the survival-related suck-swallow-breath-vocalize circuit matures to form the social engagement system that supports homeostasis and co-regulation.

🌟 A “safe” birth has the presence of connection!

Join me for one of my Pushing Power workshops. In Person, Live Online or On Demand

For more information or to visit me at https://www.chantaltraub.com

# #

12/10/2025

😴 What’s up with that 3am wake up?

Waking up at 3am in menopause is common and often signals to a lighter sleep stage, but persistent awakenings point to stress (cortisol spikes), poor sleep hygiene habits, blood sugar issues, a dysregulated nervous system or underlying issues like sleep apnea.

Your body’s temperature naturally drops around this time, making you more sensitive to sleep disturbances, and while brief awakenings are normal, staying awake signals an upregulated nervous system, often linked to cortisol.

Managing chronic stressors, keeping a consistent bedtime routine, and optimizing your sleep environment can help.

💎 I’ve found nourishing the nervous system key to a good night’s rest.

However I believe it’s important to test and not guess, so exploring a bit deeper as to what could be consistently waking you up, is essential.

😴 If you want my 7 simple habits that support deeper, more restorative sleep.

➡️ Send me a DM and I’ll drop you a link.

12/03/2025

✨ When birth feels safe, supported, and connected… everything changes. ✨

One of the greatest rewards of birth doula work is building trusting relationships over years — with clients and with the OB/GYN teams I collaborate with.

When everyone on the birth team feels safe, attuned, and respected, the nervous system settles… and birth can unfold with so much more ease.

This week, a repeat client said:
“The combo of you and Dr. Rogers was a dream team for us.”
My heart melted.

And yes — we were all thrilled when she pushed her baby into the world with her perineum fully intact. 🎉

Who says birthing in a hospital can’t be fabulous?!

When trust is strong, communication is clear, and the room feels truly safe… birth becomes powerful, connected, and sometimes downright magical.

If you’ve ever experienced a birth where the team felt like a true team, drop a 💖 below.
Or tag someone who made your birth experience unforgettable.

11/19/2025

Join us for my featured webinar talk on Managing Stress in Midlife: Menopause, Sleep and the Nervous System 🎙️

I'm honored to be part of the Stress and Burnout Summit again this year, I will explain the relationship between menopause, stress, sleep and our nervous system and show ways to work with your nervous system to develop greater resilience and improved wellbeing.

My talk releases tomorrow! Thursday, November 20th:
Learn More or Register here: https://www.chantaltraub.com/menopause

Address

New York, NY

Website

http://www.chantaltraub.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Empowered Life Cycles posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.