Hello, My Dear,
Welcome to The Haven — Your guide to Women’s Holistic Health & Education. We’re so glad you’re here.
You have some vibrant goodness in store for you this month:
Hot Off The Press: Evergreen’s USA Today Feature & Safe Space Saturdays
June in The Haven:
Meditation & Journal Prompts: Summer Energy Abounds, but It’s Still Okay to Slow Down
Recommended Women’s Health Book of the Month: The Cycle by Shalene Gupta
Active Duty & Veteran Women’s Corner: Join the Trauma Survivor Webinar Series, “Exploring Moral Injury” on Tuesday, June 10th, 7–9 p.m. EST
Hot Off The Press
Women’s Health, Women’s Health Education, and Safe Spaces for Women are on the RISE!
Last month, I felt so blessed to be one of three veterans highlighted in USA Today’s article, Inspiring veterans who founded their own businesses.
I’m so grateful to both USA Today and the journalist Sarah Sekula for highlighting Evergreen, Women’s Health, and our give-back Safe Space Saturday offering to Active and Veteran Women.
I can now say, “As featured on USA Today!”
If you are an Active Duty or Veteran Woman in San Diego, you have a safe space to experience the healing power of somatic massage — for free.
At Evergreen, I hold one complimentary 60-minute integrative massage session open for Active Duty and Veteran Women to support them in their health, healing, and coming home to self.
If you missed us last month or are new to The Haven —
READ:
June in The Haven
Summer energy: It’s vibrant, bold, and busy. The sun invites you to be outside and match its vibe.
If it feels good to you and aligns, lean into that — embrace the season, the invitations, the energy.
At the same time, you may feel the desire to slow down, to invite balance between self and the season.
I say, yes and yes!
Here are three main prompts to guide you — either through journaling or meditation — to support the exploration of what aligns with you in this vibrant season.
1. Where am I now?
Ask: “How am I feeling emotionally?”
Identify and explore the 3 primary emotions you’ve been feeling.
Explore why you’re feeling these emotions. What is their origin?
Ask: “How am I feeling in my body?”
Take three deep breaths through your nose into your belly and exhale out through your mouth. Fully settle into your body and listen.
Identify the 3 primary sensations you’ve been consistently feeling in your body.
Explore what your body is trying to tell you based on these sensations.
2. Where do I want to be?
Ask: “How do I want to feel emotionally daily?”
Explore this with no limitation, as if you were able to live in your perfect dream world.
Ask: “How do I want to feel in my body daily?”
Envision your perfect day (again, no limitations here).
3. What is one thing I can change?
Doing one thing consistently every day can change your life — it can slowly bridge the gap between your current experience and your desired, dream outcome.
Ask: “What can I change today to improve my mental or physical health?
Explore what you can add to your life to achieve this.
Explore what you could perhaps remove from your life to achieve this.
These changes can be large or small. The goal is to discover whatever is manageable for you that you can sustain long-term. Here are a few examples to get you started:
Emotional Changes:
Make fewer plans so you have time for self and independent processing.
Say no when you don’t want to do something (you don’t need a reason).
Take a step back from a person who does not feel good to you.
Express a need you have been holding in.
Schedule that therapy session.
Bodily Changes:
Take 10-minute daily walks (Tip: Center it around another habit. For instance, take your daily walk first thing while drinking your coffee in the morning or in the evening right after dinner).
Join a yoga studio and sign up for weekly classes.
Get that massage.
Drink more water throughout the day (Lining this up with other habits works great here, too).
Prioritize nutritionally dense foods, like berries, avocados, and leafy greens.
Set a boundary with your bedtime to support your hormonal and mental health.
Identify what safety feels like to you and adhere to that when choosing the places to spend time in and the people you spend time with.
Coming This Month —
Tuesday, June 17th: Endometriosis — There’s Hope Series: Get the Nutrition Your Body Needs by Alana M. Abernethy
Tuesday, June 24th: Supporting Hormone Health While Traveling by Mira Hansen
Sunday, June 29th: Grounding Guided Walk Meditation by Alana M. Abernethy
🗓Mark your calendar!
Recommended Women’s Health Book of the Month
Something about me? If I see a bookstore, I’m going to stop in.
And I did on a beautiful, slow day after a much-needed matcha, lunch, and chat with a dear friend. After walking that friend and her sweet daughter to their car, I spied with my little bookworm eye a discount book cart. You could otherwise miss the storefront at Camino Books easily — but the moment I saw the cart, I found the door, and I took it as my invitation in.
I’ve never been in a bookstore I didn’t like, and this one was no different. What stood out to me most was the prominently labeled women’s health section. It should come as no surprise that I found myself lingering there a good while.
There’s always a distinct moment for me in a bookstore when I know I’m going to buy something. For this visit, that moment happened right there, in the women’s health aisle.
Do I judge a book by its cover? Well, no — not exactly. But is it the cover that calls to me to pick up a book in the first place? Absolutely! The colors, design, and title of one book in particular kept pulling my attention. I picked it up, read the back, thought, Yep! and snapped a photo (because who doesn’t love an aesthetic book-in-a-bookstore moment?).
The Cycle by Shalene Gupta, which confronts the pain of periods and PMDD, was definitely coming home with me.
I’m several chapters in and already want to share it with you. Gupta’s deep dive into the cultural history and stigma surrounding menstruation — while also exploring the mental health challenges menstrators experience throughout their cycles — is at once illuminating, empowering, and healing.
As I read, the information and research unlocked corners of awareness I hadn’t experienced before. It gave me a deeper understanding of my own experience and, more importantly, a sense of grace toward myself.
I hope this women’s health resource resonates with you in the same way!
Active Duty & Veteran Women’s Corner
As you navigate the demands of service or prior service and how it has challenged your health, we want to ensure you know the resources available to you to learn more about your body, support your health, and help you heal.
You Are Not Alone — Join Us for a Healing Conversation
2025 Trauma Survivor Webinar Series: Exploring Moral Injury
Tuesday, June 10th | 7–9 p.m. EST | Virtual
For many women who serve or have served, the effects of military sexual trauma (MST) can linger far beyond the event itself, impacting their sense of self, trust in others, and spiritual well-being. If you've ever felt the deep, often silent burden of moral injury — when an experience violates your core values — this webinar is for you.
The Survivor Advocacy Network (SAN) invites you to an evening of understanding, validation, and healing. This webinar, led by Major (USAF) Latetia Bland-Thergood, MSW, will explore how MST survivors can begin to navigate the complex wounds of moral injury with compassion, practical insight, and solidarity.
This space is open to you if you are:
An active duty or veteran woman officer
A woman who attended a military academy or any commissioning source (regardless of graduation)
A survivor of sexual assault or other harmful sexual experiences in the military
This session is confidential, free of judgment, and led by someone who truly understands life in uniform. Major Bland-Thergood brings over 12 years of active duty service and a deep commitment to trauma-informed care, advocacy, and healing work.
I’m honored to MC this event to continue creating and supporting safe spaces for women.
Let this be a step forward — for your voice, your story, your healing.
Presented by the Survivor Advocacy Network (SAN), a program of USNA Women, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit not affiliated with the Department of Defense. Participation is completely confidential.
Questions?
Email: Stefanie Goebel — stefanie.goebel@gmail.com
Text: 520-955-3370
Please share with fellow sisters-in-service who may benefit from this space. Healing starts in community.
How Evergreen Women’s Holistic Care Supports Your Health as a Woman (Our Offerings)
Evergreen specializes in Women’s Health Focused Integrative Massage & Holistic Cycle Health & Endometriosis Management Consultation in San Diego. This includes:
Cycle-synced massage therapy
Mobility support and stretching
Nervous system regulation
Postpartum care, including abdominal massage for postpartum healing, gut healing, pelvic floor and diaphragm relaxation, lymphatic flow, and more
Sound healing, personalized guided meditation, and breath work
What clients had to say:
“I instantly felt seen, safe, and cared for by Alana.”
“Alana reestablished my body as a safe space.”
“As soon as I met [Alana], the shield of my heart melted away.”
“I was so relaxed and comfortable, I fell asleep during my session with Alana.”
“The sessions were a combination of a release and a therapeutic healing session.”
“Bodywork with Alana has been crucial for my postpartum recovery and reconnection with my body.”
Evergreen also offers Women’s Holistic Health Consultations nationwide, specializing in:
Balancing Hormones
Cycle Health
Gut Healing
Endometriosis education and care
What clients had to say:
“[Alana] made learning easy and supportive.”
“[Alana was] refreshing, kind, and so knowledgeable.”
“[Alana’s] aura was so refreshing and genuine … would recommend in a heartbeat.”
"Alana is kind, knowledgeable, and truly passionate about helping women understand their bodies in a meaningful way."
Beyond consultations and body work, Evergreen provides ongoing women’s health education support through our Safe Haven Workshops and The Haven Newsletter.
Haven Housekeeping
The Haven is for you.
If there are topics, subjects, or information you’d like to see or learn in upcoming newsletters, please send us your thoughts so we can serve you in the way you need.
We hope this The Haven newsletter served you well and gave you valuable tools and perspectives to support your health and healing journey.
In the meantime, and until next time,
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