Everyone has a Story

By Caroline Hutchins, 22nd June 2026

Stories form a big part of my work. Clients come into the therapy room with a story to tell. Stories of love and loss, feeling pain or misunderstood, or how they came to this place with me. Our lives are made up of stories, some that feel easier to tell than others. I feel so very privileged to be trusted with all the stories clients share with me. Some of my work involves helping piece those stories together or make decisions in writing the next chapter.

I love stories. You’ll often find me with my head in a book. So not only do I get to hear people’s stories, but I get to read the real and fictional ones in my time outside of therapy. I like to get lost in other worlds and stand beside the characters in all that they go through.

Stories create places to escape to, characters to relate to, feelings to connect with and to feel part of a new experience. Stories can also create community. Shared experiences or passions, places where people feel understood when someone else says ‘me too’.

As I begin to share my interest in menstruation, I’m finding more people with different stories to tell:

Vivid recollections of someone’s first period; how old they were, where they were, how they felt and how others responded.

As we age, the stories continue, accounts of uncomfortable, fearful smear tests or dismissive and shaming doctor’s appointments.

Trials and tribulations of finding the contraceptives that have the least severe side effects.

Terribly heavy and painful periods that are chalked up to just being ‘part of being a woman’.

Chronicles of the years spent fighting to get a diagnosis for PMDD, endometriosis or adenomyosis (just to name a few).

Sagas of the massive transition that the menopause brings.

These stories shared with me aren’t just of their own experiences, but that of other women and those assigned as female at birth (AFAB). Mothers, daughters/children, friends, cousins, grandchildren, grandparents, work colleagues, students at school or those you follow on social media.

Everyone will know or have met someone who will, does or has menstruated, and yet these stories are often withheld.

These stories are everywhere and are happening every day, but I feel as though I’m only hearing them out of this invitation I’ve given. It’s as if sharing my passion is the permission for these stories to be told. I’m interested and passionate about this topic of menstruation, ready and invested in hearing each one of these stories, and it can feel like I’m one of a small group that’s hearing them.

Each story showcases how little these people have felt seen, heard and supported in these experiences. The taboo around menstruation means that these aren’t common and comfortable conversations that people are having.

Whilst I’m grateful for the growing awareness around menstruation and people feeling able to be more open about it, there’s still little understood widely around key issues within it and there is still a lot of shame and embarrassment around it.

I would love a world in which a woman and AFAB’s know more about their experiences and that part of that knowledge has come from others’ open and honest stories. Stories that mean that we don’t feel alone, disgusting, crazy, dramatic or hysterical. (Hysteria has its own menstrual story to tell!) Where we can feel normal and validated in our experiences, as well as having the awareness when something isn’t the norm and we can seek the support we need. A world where women’s cyclical experiences aren’t used to disregard our thoughts or feelings, but utilised and respected. Where the power that the cycle can hold could be harnessed and celebrated.

So, how do we start working towards that world?

Well, one story at a time.

Why not start with yours? Who could you share your story with?

I’ll share mine in the next post.

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