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Katrina Fairhurst

PMDD and the workplace: can honesty and authenticity pave the way to inclusivity?

Updated: May 8

When you work in brand, what are the two words you hear most often? Brands want to be ‘authentic’ and ‘honest’. They want it for themselves, and they want it from the people working on their brand. As a freelancer, where your focus is not just on your client's brand but also on creating a personal brand that attracts and maintains clients, this demand for authenticity and honesty can feel doubly so. 



Flowers slowly opening over dark background


But can authenticity help us to promote inclusivity within the brand industry? I believe it can, and I have seen it in action when openly discussing my specific needs and limitations with clients about having PMDD and its impact on my working life. 


My story and PMDD 


As a freelance copywriter, being creative, authentic, and able to write copy quickly is part of my role. However, over the past three years of freelance life, I noticed that for ten days of a month, I am blocked, tired, depressed, and – at my worst – experiencing thoughts of suicide. As I started tracking my period, I then made the shocking discovery that I was experiencing PMDD or premenstrual dysmorphic disorder. 


Like PMS, it is a condition that occurs during my luteal phase, making me bloated, moody, and irritable; unlike PMS, PMDD also makes me break out into rages and deep depression, burning my finances, life, and relationships down, and lose all interest in doing anything other than crying and sleeping, causing me to fall behind in deadlines, communicating with clients and even looking for new ones.  


As I started a two-year battle of getting a formal diagnosis, I noticed that these symptoms were causing me to lose clients due to my inability to meet deadlines, the embarrassed excuses for why I wasn't performing, and even the lacklustre copy I was providing as I raced to get work done once I came out of my PMDD haze. 


Even once I had a diagnosis, I was ashamed and scared that my clients would see me being honest about my PMDD as me making excuses for being bad at my job. Then, I went on Citalopram, an antidepressant that has been proven to lessen the intensity of PMDD symptoms, and had to actively explain to a client that I needed a few days off because the side effects had made me ill. Holding my breath as I waited to be berated in the response, I opened my WhatsApp messages to see that my client had not only been happy for me to push back our deadline, but actively stated that if this would be ongoing, we could rework our working days to make this as painless as possible. 


Another client I had been under-performing for requested a meeting to touch base and ask me what was happening. I took a deep breath and explained the situation: that I had PMDD, which strips me of my writer's flow; that I was actively trying to tackle it; and that my new medication worked, but I was still finding the right dosage. A beat of silence followed where I was sure I was going to be told to suck it up and then my client thanked me for my honesty and told me that he had called less to berate me and more to check on me because he was worried. 


After these experiences, it felt like I was finally being seen and understood, and that, for the first time in years, I could find a way to work around my PMDD, not battle against it. But I also found another thing: being honest and authentic about my experiences helped me create an inclusive work schedule for my specific medical needs. 



pomegranate split open in a woman's hand


How to plan for PMDD? 


So, how do I plan for PMDD? Initially, it was less of a plan and more of a mad rush trying to meet all deadlines before it hit. 


However, as I learn more about PMDD, my cycle, and even the effects of being on SSRIs during this period of time, I have managed to create a freelance work schedule focused around the menstrual cycle that allows me to optimise my outputs for clients, nail deadlines, and also carve out time for self-care and rest. This allowed me to set clear boundaries and deadlines and even build a positive working relationship with clients as they know what they are getting and when. 


I am at my most creative the week before my PMDD hits, so I find it easier to tap into my client's brand voice and recreate it within their website landing pages, social captions, or blog copy. In the week my PMDD hits; editing any changes, wrapping up projects, and invoicing. 


So, why be honest? And do honesty and authenticity = inclusivity? 


Speaking truth to power


Although it was terrifying to do so, for me, honesty and openness are part of me as a chronic over-sharer with a loud personality; talking about my PMDD that I had started medication and the side effects I was dealing with was a no-brainer. I was also aware that, while I am happy to have these conversations and educate people on PMDD and why it's not as simple as “just feeling sad,” others are not and are scared to speak up. 


It can feel like asking for help or changes to your work life due to your menstrual cycle is asking to be treated differently, giving excuses for poor performance, or even looking for ways to shirk your responsibilities. In fact, being honest that during a specific time of the month, I feel ill and depressed and find it hard to work or be creative because my medication strips my creativity, actually helped me build trust with clients and set up deadlines that worked for the both of us.  


Can honesty and authenticity = inclusivity? 


Authenticity and honesty go hand-in-hand. You can't be authentic without being open and honest about your intentions, needs, and who you are. Being honest and authentic when talking about your needs, especially health needs, allows us to start the conversation on inclusive practices and the different needs and challenges women in the brand face in the workplace. 

 

By opening up and being honest about the specific needs that will help you be your best at work, you are working towards creating an inclusive workplace. 


Overall, by being open, honest, and authentic, we can open a dialogue within the industry on the specific needs women need in their working conditions. We can also advocate for ourselves in the space, paving the way for inclusivity on the whole. It takes one person to start a conversation, which can cause changes that ripple through the industry. 


This article was kindly contributed by one of our fantastic community members. You can find out more about her below!


Katrina Fairhurst is a freelance copywriter and content writer under the name “Satisfied Kat,” focusing on working with sex work, sextech, and femtech brands and influencers, creating creative product descriptions for sex toys, website copy, or writing blogs on subjects such as sex education, masturbation, and vaginismus. 

Katrina chose to go freelance after realizing there was a lack of diversity and queer voices surrounding the topics of PMDD, vaginismus, pleasure, and sex education. When not being a creative wordsmith, Katrina is either working on launching her own sex toy and creating a community for vaginismus sufferers to come together and talk about their experiences, fantasies, and pleasure, attending lectures at the Sex Tech School run by Bryony Cole, or swinging around a pole.

 


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