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Inside The Cycle, a Bold New Beverage for Hormonal Support

Women's Journal Staff on December 23, 2025

By: Amanda Warner Perry

For decades, products designed to support periods and hormonal changes have existed quietly on the sidelines. They are often clinical, discreet, and easy to miss unless you are actively looking for them. Relief has been framed as something functional, private, and slightly inconvenient.

Anastasia Sartan noticed that pattern and questioned it.

Sartan is the founder of The Cycle, a ready-to-drink functional beverage created to potentially support PMS, periods, and perimenopause. Instead of treating hormonal support as something that belongs in a supplement drawer, she built it into a format people already understand and reach for every day.

That choice was not cosmetic. It was strategic.

Before founding The Cycle, Sartan worked in technology, building consumer-focused products. She was familiar with how categories evolve when design, accessibility, and user experience are taken seriously. Looking at women’s health, she saw a disconnect. The need was there, but the products often felt dated, medical, or removed from daily life.

The Cycle was built to challenge that separation.

By choosing a ready-to-drink format, Sartan placed hormonal support into the flow of everyday routines. A drink can live in the fridge. It can be poured, shared, and consumed without ceremony. That ease aims to change how support feels, especially in a space that has long relied on silence and discretion.

Each can of The Cycle delivers 375 milligrams of bioactive Omega-7 from Himalayan Holy Fruit, combined with cold-brewed herbs and adaptogens traditionally used to support hormones, digestion, mood, and inflammation. The brand offers two formulations aligned with different phases of the menstrual cycle, acknowledging that needs can shift throughout the month.

What The Cycle does not do is claim dramatic fixes. There is no language suggesting periods are problems to eliminate or bodies to correct. The messaging is measured and intentional. Support is framed as something that complements daily life rather than interrupts it.

That restraint feels deliberate in a wellness landscape crowded with extremes.

Many products aimed at women lean heavily on urgency or shame. Fix this now. Hide that symptom. Push through. The Cycle takes a different tone. Periods are treated as normal biological experiences. Relief is presented as something that can be integrated calmly and without apology.

The beverage itself is caffeine-free and non-sparkling, designed to be gentle and easy to sip throughout the day. It is not positioned as a replacement for medical care, nor as a catch-all solution. It is designed to sit alongside real life, not override it.

Design plays a central role in that philosophy. The Cycle does not look clinical. It does not resemble traditional supplement packaging. It looks like a modern wellness product, something that belongs on a kitchen counter rather than hidden away.

That visual language matters.

How a product looks influences how it is used and how it is talked about. By moving away from medical cues, The Cycle shifts the emotional experience of care. Support feels less like a chore and more like a choice.

There is also a broader cultural context at play. Conversations about periods, perimenopause, and hormonal health are becoming more open, but many products still lag behind that shift. The Cycle enters this moment quietly, without grand declarations, offering a practical alternative to what has come before.

Sartan’s approach assumes that women are informed and thoughtful consumers. Ingredient transparency is clear without being overwhelming. Education is available without being patronizing. The brand does not over-explain or make promises.

That trust-based approach reflects how many women now evaluate wellness products. Effectiveness matters, but so does tone. People notice when brands respect their intelligence and lived experience.

The functional beverage market is competitive, but The Cycle does not try to cover every wellness concern. Its focus remains specific. Hormonal and menstrual support, designed to fit into everyday routines. That clarity allows the brand to speak directly to an audience that has often been underserved and over-marketed at the same time.

As The Cycle continues to grow, its significance may lie as much in normalization as in innovation. Making it easier to care for your body without turning that care into a performance. Making relief visible, accessible, and unremarkable in the ideal way. Sometimes change does not arrive loudly. Sometimes it shows up quietly, in the form of a product that fits perfectly into your life without making you explain yourself.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. The product discussed may offer support for hormonal health, but individual results may vary. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making any changes to your health regimen, especially if you have any pre-existing conditions or are taking medication. The statements made have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Personal Adversity and Entrepreneurial Evolution – How Briana Hetherington’s Turning Point Informed a Purpose-Driven Career

Women's Journal Staff on December 23, 2025

For most entrepreneurs, building a successful business begins with identifying an idea or opportunity in the market. For more and more leaders, however, especially those embracing more purpose-driven and conscious models, personal growth begins first. The entrepreneurial world of today is more filled with tales not just of growth rates and scalability, but of identity shifts, soul-searching, and a desire to re-evaluate what success even means. It’s all part of a broader cultural shift toward mindfulness, authenticity, and the importance of self-awareness in leadership.

These self-transformation processes begin to affect outside outcomes, leading entrepreneurs to build more meaningfully and purposefully. Briana Beth Hetherington’s story represents a broader phenomenon here: the internal conflict that ultimately becomes the impetus behind remolded missions, company cultures, and community motivations.

Hetherington’s contemporary public story now includes her as an author, strategist, and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Within Me™ and Altruistic Advisory, as well as a co-founder of Finish Line Strategies. Her work spans a diverse range of initiatives, all rooted in the belief that personal transformation drives professional success. These foundations were not built in boardrooms or business strategy meetings, but through an emotionally-disorienting experience of betrayal in a relationship. The experience, one that she has since shared in coaching circles and personal development spaces, served as the provocation to initiate a change that would become the cornerstone of her professional transformation. Rather than putting the experience into a box, she used it as a launching pad to begin shifting what she calls subconscious programming—deep-seated assumptions regarding value, love, and self that are established in infancy and childhood.

This internal preparation, in Hetherington’s opinion, served as the launching pad for the building or expansion of her purpose-driven businesses. It was during this time of reflection and rebalancing that the seeds of her businesses were sown. In particular, Altruistic Advisory grew from her awareness of the constraints that many entrepreneurs face—not so much from outside forces, but from entrenched internal mindsets. By 2025, the firm has begun gaining momentum as it offers leadership models, consulting, and strategic guidance to the home improvement industry, helping entrepreneurs navigate both personal and professional growth.

In addition to Altruistic Advisory, Hetherington’s learning is further enriched by resources such as the Orange Frog Workshop and the Jay Shetty Life Coaching Certification, which have influenced her approach to leadership. These tools, alongside her own lived experience, helped to shape the foundation of her other initiatives.

One of Hetherington’s standout contributions to the entrepreneurial space is her approach to linking internal growth with group progress. Rather than isolating individual development, her programs emphasize how personal transformation leads to enhanced team performance, stronger company culture, and refined strategic direction. Her mastermind groups reflect this holistic model. EmpowerHer supports women in the home improvement and consulting industries, emerging from her discovery of gender-specific challenges women face within high-performance environments. Elite Mastermind offers strategic coaching for successful businesspeople seeking to expand their leadership without compromising integrity or health. RockStar Insights gathers over 100 visionaries and contractors to share challenges and co-create solutions to grow their businesses, while Tech Advanced: The Innovators Alliance brings together technology leaders in home services to explore AI and innovation.

These groups collectively illustrate how Hetherington’s approach connects personal growth with broader organizational success.

Her public platforms, including her podcast under the Conscious Creator Community umbrella, convey her belief that leadership today is deeply intertwined with inner transformation. These conversations continually challenge traditional notions of leadership, asking what it means in an age when inner work is increasingly seen as a prerequisite for outer success.

Looking back on her professional trajectory, Hetherington has come to see that the pivotal moment in her career wasn’t when she launched her first business, but when she stopped trying to succeed by conventional standards. That shift—away from traditional yardsticks of success—has now become the conceptual foundation of her brands. It also informs how she advises others. Rather than starting with productivity hacks or income targets, her programs often begin with internal audits: What beliefs are still driving the bus? What fears are making decisions? From there, systems and strategy are built on what she refers to as an “internally sourced clarity.”

By 2024, Hetherington’s collective enterprises had already worked with several entrepreneurs through mentorship, strategic planning, and internal leadership development. These numbers continue to rise, as more and more individuals seek structures that allow them to integrate personal meaning with business success. While Hetherington’s face might be more familiar in entrepreneurial and self-help circles, the focus of her work remains on congruence—a thread tracing back to the emotional struggle that forced her to re-examine the foundations of her work.

Briana Beth Hetherington’s story, as an entrepreneurial narrative in the present day, reflects a broader trend toward business models built on inner knowing, rather than market demand. Her journey from personal breakdown to intentional leadership highlights how breakdowns, when navigated with innovative thinking and audacity, can serve as blueprints for greater leverage. It also raises repeated questions about what leadership truly means in an age when inner work is increasingly seen as a prerequisite for outer success.

Turning Grief Into Grace: How Daneault Transformed a Memory Into Modern Luxury

Women's Journal Staff on December 23, 2025

Discover how Daneault’s patented reversible handbags blend innovation, emotion, and timeless craftsmanship, redefining what luxury means for today’s women.

From Loss to Legacy: The Moment That Sparked a Revolution

It began with a moment of quiet reflection. After losing her father, Penny Crook found herself drawn to her mother’s vintage handbag, its leather softened by time, its stitching still strong. It wasn’t just a bag; it was a vessel of memory. That tactile moment, fingers tracing its well-worn seams, became the spark for Daneault, a brand that would redefine luxury not as excess, but as endurance.

For Penny, the question wasn’t what’s next in fashion, but what lasts? In an industry obsessed with the new, she envisioned something timeless, something that could evolve alongside the women who carried it.

Penny Crook’s Journey Through Cancer Treatments

Penny’s journey took another profound turn when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. During her treatments, she found strength in unexpected places, like the quiet moments she spent with her mother’s old handbag, a connection to her roots. After completing her treatments, Penny rang the bell to mark the end of her chemotherapy, a moment of triumph over adversity.

Throughout her battle, Penny was supported by her dear friend Laura Payne, who not only accompanied her to radiation sessions but also helped form a powerful bond of sisterhood. Today,

Laura, a professional photographer, is involved in creating Daneault’s imagery, contributing her talents to the brand’s photoshoots. Together, they have celebrated their shared resilience.

Turning Grief Into Grace: How Daneault Transformed a Memory Into Modern Luxury

Photo Courtesy: Penny Crook

In honor of her experience, Penny also spearheaded a Cancer Drive, offering makeovers and photoshoots for cancer survivors, sponsored by Daneault. This initiative allowed survivors to embrace their strength, with the added touch of a Daneault handbag to complement their transformation.

The Art of Reinvention: When Innovation Meets Emotion

Luxury, Penny realized, needed a new narrative, one that embraced change without sacrificing craftsmanship. That insight led to Daneault’s patented reversible handbag, a creation that does what no other bag truly could: transform with its owner.

In one effortless motion, Daneault handbags reveal two distinct designs, allowing women to shift their look without emptying a single pocket. It’s more than a clever trick of design; it’s a metaphor for resilience, transformation, and the dualities every woman carries within her: strength and softness, elegance and practicality, ambition and grace.

Each bag is crafted from LWG Certified Leather, sourced and produced under the highest sustainability standards. Yet, it’s not just the materials that set Daneault apart; it’s the emotional intelligence behind the design. Every detail honors the story of women who balance countless roles while never losing themselves in the process.

Quiet Luxury, Bold Innovation

In the fast-changing world of fashion, “quiet luxury” has become more than a trend; it’s a statement of values. But while others use the term loosely, Daneault embodies it. Every reversible design is meticulously engineered to provide two luxury experiences in one, offering women freedom, flexibility, and lasting value.

This approach has quietly disrupted a luxury market long ruled by predictability. While established houses like Louis Vuitton or Gucci sell status, Daneault sells substance. The brand offers something even the icons have yet to perfect: a handbag that evolves with the woman who owns it.

Daneault doesn’t chase trends; it creates solutions. It offers modern women a way to streamline their wardrobes, reduce waste, and invest in pieces that outlive seasons and styles.

Strength Sewn Into Every Stitch

Daneault’s innovation didn’t come easy. Behind its sleek silhouette and seamless functionality lies a deeply human story of perseverance. Penny Crook developed the patented design for her handbags while undergoing treatment for breast cancer, a journey that would test her resilience and refine her vision for the brand.

During that time, she drew inspiration from her mother’s handbag, the same one that had sparked Daneault’s inception. It reminded her that true strength isn’t loud or showy. It’s quiet. It’s found in endurance, in stitching that doesn’t fray, in craftsmanship that outlasts crisis.

That philosophy is now sewn into every Daneault creation. Each piece stands as a tribute to women who rise, adapt, and keep moving forward, gracefully, powerfully, beautifully.

Penny’s Mother’s Bag: A Timeless Legacy

Turning Grief Into Grace: How Daneault Transformed a Memory Into Modern Luxury

Photo Courtesy: Penny Crook

Penny’s mother’s handbag, which endured the tests of time, served as the true inspiration for the prototype of Daneault’s Reversible Bag. The leather, softened by years of use, and its strong stitching became a symbol of resilience, motivating Penny to create a product that would reflect both durability and emotional connection.

Redefining Luxury for a New Generation

Today, Daneault is not just a brand; it’s a mindset. It challenges the notion that luxury must come with a four-figure price tag or a logo that shouts. Instead, it invites women to experience luxury that’s authentic, sustainable, and deeply personal.

Its patented reversible handbags allow wearers to double their wardrobe possibilities without compromising on design or ethics. The craftsmanship rivals the world’s leading fashion houses, but with a soul rooted in meaning, not marketing.

For modern women navigating full lives, balancing boardrooms, motherhood, creativity, and self-expression, Daneault offers something refreshingly real: a handbag that adapts to you, not the other way around.

Where Elegance Meets Empowerment

In a world of fast fashion and fleeting trends, Daneault stands as a quiet revolution, proof that innovation can come from empathy, that luxury can be thoughtful, and that design can carry legacy.

Penny Crook’s journey from personal loss to visionary success has inspired a generation of women to see luxury not as status, but as self-expression through endurance and grace.
 For those seeking handbags that move as effortlessly as they do, Daneault offers more than an accessory; it offers a philosophy of living beautifully, sustainably, and boldly.

Experience the Transformation

Explore the world of Daneault and discover how one patented design is revolutionizing modern luxury. Visit www.shopdaneault.com to experience firsthand how innovation seamlessly blends with elegance. Follow Daneault on TikTok,  Instagram, and Facebook to watch the transformation in motion and become part of a community redefining what it means to carry luxury with purpose. The collection is also available on Amazon.