As a practicing medical professional in Sweden, I was drawn to the FAE field because I felt like us doctors schooled in conventional, Western medicine have a large gap in knowledge regarding women’s reproductive health issues. I felt we more often than not, do not actually help cure our patients but rather cover up symptoms. Hearing the testimonials of so many women feeling let down by their health care provider, who’d gotten their life back through working with a fertility awareness educator, the Justisse program offered me a way to learn not only a method of fertility awareness, but how to think like a Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner. Now I’m learning more than I ever imagined possible. Entire paradigms of health and disease have changed for me, and I now relate to both patients and myself in a completely different way. It has changed the way I practice medicine and given me a deeper respect for the body. I truly believe the concepts taught in the Justisse program are things that everyone – women, men and health care practitioners – should know about, and I hope, in the future, they will.

I was introduced to Fertility awareness at the age of 23 and was shocked that 10 years of my reproductive life had already passed without me knowing a single thing about my fertile body. Anger and excitement drove me towards learning more and I ended up finding my way to Justisse college. It intrigued me with its depth and the vast knowledge it keeps. The years that followed took me to a place of reverence for the female body as well as a painful understanding of how bad this miracle had been treated. The school does not only provide a thorough understanding of how to support, treat and optimize fertility in humans, but restores a deep understanding of the actual sacredness that it holds. Fertility Awareness is your birthright, and with every woman/person that learns body literacy and to understand her cyclical body, ground is gained for the future generations to thrive. The ripples on the water that I see in my clients is amazing, because I give them more than just Fertility Awareness. I give them freedom through access to knowledge and the right to love their bodies just the way they are. Nowadays I´m savouring every day of all the different seasons of my body since it gives me so much joy to be nourished by my hormones AND know that this type of cyclical life has an end. I will meet menopause with dignity and grace after praising my cyclical body for at least half of my fertile years! I´m beyond grateful to have been given the keys to both walk and guide people on the path of body literacy, and the relationships that have formed through the years with Justisse create a root network that gives me courage and strength to carry out my work.

The journey of this training, as I’ve experienced it myself and seen with many students over the years, is very cathartic. The students entering this program already have a passion for this work, and they are open to meeting themselves in their menstrual cycle charts. Not only do they get to delve into all of their favorite topics within this program, they are also confronted with hundreds of years of women’s wisdom – alongside new science – as well as centuries of patriarchy and what that has meant for women’s lives, medicine and well-being. Having to reflect on all of this personally and academically, and actively integrate it into our pioneering profession, does things to you as a person. You change, your worldview changes, and you see the patterns in both yourself, society and nature so much clearer. Even after nearly 15 years of being with Justisse, I’m still a student of the human body and our fertility, and perpetually touched by the impact our work has.

As a functional and physical medicine doctor specializing in reproductive health, my training with Justisse College International has led to a deeper understanding and more effective assessment of menstrual cycle and fertility challenges. Teaching my clients to chart and understand their cycles not only directs our care but also informs us as to what works and does not work. This personalized data is invaluable and facilitates quicker and more profound healing. My Justisse education has shed light on so many areas of reproductive health that are often poorly understood; even in functional medicine. This education has provided me with unique tools to better serve my patients and alleviate their suffering.

When I was 18, I got pregnant with my IUD in. I was shocked, to say the least. I didn’t feel like I could trust hormonal birth control anymore, which created a lot of internal conflicts because I had been taught that the only responsible way to avoid pregnancy was by using some form of hormonal birth control. I began to study mindfulness, yoga, and energy work and it became very clear to me that hormonal birth control wasn’t in alignment with me. I began to research and learned more about the risks that I was unknowingly exposing myself to just to prevent pregnancy. A friend of mine mentioned that I should learn more about cycle tracking. Back then, it was incredibly challenging to find any information about it. The information I could find was confusing and did not seem very reliable. At the time, I was teaching tween menstrual workshops and more and more questions were starting to arise about birth control. I felt overwhelmed in my personal and professional life. I was absolutely not open to pregnancy at that time, so I started to dig. Who is actually teaching this stuff? I found Justisse as one of the few certified schools in the work to train Fertility Awareness Educators. The program was in depth, but since it was online I could do it from anywhere in the world. I also loved that I would have opportunities to self-reflect as well as get access to a mentor from the school. The two years that I spent studying and training to teach were jam-packed with hard work, epiphanies, several existential crises, learning about myself, and becoming a stronger and more compassionate educator. I graduated 2 years ago and I still regularly attend continuing education events and am able to receive support from my fellow students and from the faculty at the college. This program was incredibly challenging but I am so grateful for the support I continue to receive and all that I have learned.

I graduated in 2023. As I worked full time while studying, I took an extra 6 months to complete the program, but taking my time was absolutely worth it. The program took time, energy, and dedication, but it’s given me so much back. The courseware is thought-provoking and thorough, integrating history, science, culture, and politics, and a large emphasis is placed on academic discourse and counselling.

My passion for fertility and reproductive justice has grown deeper and richer than I ever could have imagined, and the work I do because of it is the most important work I’ve ever done. Between the Justisse faculty and my fellow alumni, I now have an international network of treasured colleagues to share with and lean on.