Most hormone advice assumes you control your day. Get morning sunlight. Eat on a schedule. Go to bed at the same time every night. But what if you are on hour 10 of a 12-hour night shift, standing at mandatory PT at 6 a.m., or living on a ship where you have not seen the sun in weeks? Cycle Syncing® was never about having a perfect life. It was about knowing what your body needs in each phase and using every choice you do have, even when there are not many.
In this episode of The Ovary Club, I sit down with two women who have lived this in one of the most extreme ways possible. We get into how shift work shows up in your cycle, why your ovaries care what time it is, how to eat well when you do not control the menu, and the simple framework that makes cycle care realistic when the mission has to come first. We are releasing this one the day before Veterans Day on purpose. To every woman who has served, and every nurse and first responder working the shifts the rest of us depend on, this one is for you.
Jayden Davey is an active-duty Naval Information Warfare Officer. She enlisted in the Navy in 2018, served in the Reserve while in college, earned an NROTC scholarship, and commissioned in 2023 from Miami University. She deployed with Carrier Air Wing 17 aboard the USS Nimitz and now works shift work in a supporting role for operational commands across the Department of the Navy.
Angela Bento-Swass is a retired U.S. Air Force master sergeant who served more than 20 years across active duty, Reserve, Guard, and contractor roles. She worked in operational and shift-work environments, deployed multiple times, spent more than five years managing the publication of technical orders for her airframe and weapon system, and later served as a First Sergeant and Resilience Integrator. She founded the Women's Initiative Team at Creech Air Force Base, and in 2021 she organized a three-day Women's Health Symposium where I was the featured speaker.
What's Discussed:
(5:50) How shift work shows up in women's mood, energy, cycles, and family planning.
(10:35) Why "go outside and get morning sunlight" falls apart on a ship or a night shift.
(21:24) Why your ovaries care what time of day you are working.
(41:15) Why eating imperfect food beats skipping the meal.
(52:31) The minimum, available, and optimal framework for cycle care when you cannot control your day.
(1:00:47) How to talk to leadership about family planning and shift work.
(1:21:36) My four-part plan for biohacking shift work: light, blood sugar, temperature, and supplements.
(1:37:05) What I would pack for a 12-hour shift with no fridge and no cooking.
If you have ever felt like you are failing at your health because your schedule will not cooperate, this conversation will change what you think "doing it right" looks like.
The Shero's Program
If you are a woman serving in the military, a nurse, or a first responder, you now have lifetime access to my products and programs at a special discount, built to support your hormones through the shift work that keeps the rest of us safe.
Join the Shero's Program: [LINK TO COME]
Resources Mentioned
My shift work guide (light, meal timing, and sleep setup for night shifts): [LINK TO COME]
My shelf-stable food and product list for long shifts and deployments: [LINK TO COME]
Thank You to our Sponsors:
FLO Living (supplement): Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com
Slow Down Hormonal Aging
Want to be more proactive about your hormones as you get older? Start with Alisa's Slow Down Hormonal Aging resource and learn what you can begin paying attention to now: alisavitti.kit.com/77c59f219c
Learn more about Alisa Vitti:
Instagram: alisa.vitti
Website: alisavitti.kit.com
Jayden Davey and Angela Bento-Swass appear in a personal capacity. The views they share are their own and do not represent the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force, or the Department of Defense.
