When puberty hits, it doesn’t just change your body - it rewrites how you feel in it. For teens (and their parents), those early period years can feel like a storm of questions: Is this normal? Am I the only one feeling like this? How do I even talk about this stuff?
That’s where Tara Ghosh comes in. Tara is a certified hormone coach and women’s health advocate dedicated to helping women and teens embrace their cycles - without shame, silence, or confusion. Through her workshops, including her popular “Period Ready” sessions for pre-teens, she gives families the tools to tackle PMS, acne, irregular periods, and body confidence - all with a foundation of science, empathy, and practical steps.
Inspired by frameworks like the “four seasons” model of the menstrual cycle, Tara teaches girls how to work with their hormones instead of against them. She lives in London with her husband and two daughters, and she’s on a mission to make cycle awareness part of everyday life - in schools, homes, and everywhere in between.
You work closely with mums and teens - what do you find are the biggest confidence-wreckers when girls hit puberty?
Let’s start with what really knocks confidence during puberty. Between boobs, moods, and the waiting game that is “when will I get my period?”, puberty can be a messy mystery. Tara breaks down the biggest fears and unknowns that cause teen confidence to wobble - and why reassurance matters more than perfection.
“There’s a huge amount of change that happens with girls’ bodies and moods during a short space of time in puberty. I find that it’s all the unknowns that can shake their confidence - why is everyone in my class wearing a bra already and I don’t need one yet; when will my period start; why does my period just keep turning up when I least expect it? “
Your work uses the four seasons model to explain the hormone cycle - can you talk us through how that can help teens actually feel at home in their bodies?
Imagine if you knew your feelings had a rhythm - and they were all valid. That’s the power of the four seasons model. Tara explains how framing your menstrual cycle as “winter, spring, summer, autumn” helps teens stop feeling like they’re all over the place, and start seeing their shifting moods and energy as totally natural.
“I’m forever grateful to The Red School and other wonderful people in the cycle awareness space who have given us language to describe how our changing hormones affect our mood and motivation, using the inner seasons model. “Winter” being your period, “spring” the week or so after your period, “summer” around ovulation and “autumn” the week before your period.
"For the first few years it can be tricky for teen girls to identify those shifting inner seasons as there’s so many external factors and noise shaping their day-to-day life.
“But when girls are given the knowledge that our naturally shifting hormones will make us feel like a different person each week of our cycle and the framework of the seasons, it is often a light bulb, aha moment! Finally, they can understand why they feel so extrovert some weeks and want to be alone others. It also helps them identify not just the tougher phases of their cycle (often the week before their period) but also their superpowers.”
Many girls drop out of sport once periods start. Why does this happen - and how can we help them stay in the game, both physically and emotionally?
Sport should be empowering - not something girls feel pushed out of. But the stats say otherwise. Tara shares why so many teens give up physical activity once periods hit, and how we can change that story with comfort, choice, and confidence.
"Women in Sport’s research found there is a complex mix of reasons which affect why teen girls fall out of love with sport. Body image and puberty are significant factors with 78% saying they avoid sport when they have their period and 68% say a fear of feeling judged by others is a barrier to doing sport. This is heart breaking, because we know of the myriad of positive effects that sports have on our mental and physical health.
“Thankfully there are some simple practical things we can do to encourage girls to stay in the game - ensuring they have comfy kit is the start. Allowing girls to wear any combo of skort, leggings or tracksuit bottoms, rather than mandating skorts at school and sports teams, has been shown to be very helpful; also a well supporting sports bra is essential and of course, period pants so they feel confident they are ready whenever their period shows us.
"Offering a range of sports, like yoga, rock climbing, social swimming, rather than sticking to just netball and hockey in schools can show girls they can be sporty and active in many ways.”
You help mums and daughters have the period chats they never got growing up. Why is that generational connection so powerful - and how does it boost teen body confidence?
Let’s be real - most of us didn’t get The Talk in a way that actually helped. Tara explains why open, awkward, imperfect conversations between parents and teens can be powerful confidence-builders. Spoiler: you don’t have to know everything to be helpful.
“When mums speak openly about their periods without embarrassment it gives their daughters the message “this is normal”. It can be hard for mums to start those conversations, as we didn’t have that modelled to us. Even if we don’t have the right language or find some questions tricky, we will be signalling to them, you can talk to me.
"A helpful thing for mums to share is a time when they leaked - on their white trousers on holiday, when they stayed at their in-laws for the first time - to normalise that leaking is just part of life, it will happen at some point and there is nothing to be ashamed of”
A lot of teens are taught to just push through cramps or pretend they’re fine. What would you say to a girl who’s struggling with period pain - and doesn’t feel like her body’s on her side?
Cramps aren’t a character flaw. And pain isn’t just something to “push through.” Tara shares what she’d say to any teen who feels let down by their body, plus some simple lifestyle tweaks that can actually help ease the pain.
“Period pain is the worst and can be so debilitating, especially for teens. While mild pain or cramping is normal, anything which stops you doing your usual things like going to school or work, or is really affecting your quality of life, needs attention.
“Period pain can often mean there is an underlying inflammatory response going on in your body. Thankfully there are lots of simple, natural steps you can take to help ease period pain - like prioritising your sleep and calming your nervous system every day, making sure you have a daily bowel movement, changing to non-toxic period products like WUKA, and making sure you are eating a healthy, balanced diet, including ginger and turmeric."
Final Thoughts
If you're raising a teen - or are a teen - going through puberty, periods, or the hormonal rollercoaster, remember this: you are not behind, not broken, and definitely not alone.
With people like Tara Ghosh in your corner, the conversation around periods is shifting. No more silence. No more shame. Just real tools, honest talk, and the reminder that your body is powerful - even when it’s confusing.
So let’s keep talking. Keep learning. And keep creating a world where the next gen feels at home in their bodies - from period one and beyond.
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