Coffee Connections: The Science of Stress Through a Gendered Lens

78% of autoimmune disease sufferers are women. Rheumatoid arthritis strikes women three times more often than it does men, lupus afflicts women by a disproportionate factor of nine, and the female-to-male ratio of multiple sclerosis has been rising for decades. ~ Dr. Gabor Maté, The Myth of Normal

Why is this happening? What’s going on?

❌ Patriarchal/colonial Western medicine has linked women’s over-representation in autoimmune disease to sex chromosomes and genetics.

✅ Equity-informed scientific research shows that social injustice, intergenerational oppression, and trauma impact our genetics.

Guess what? Social injustice, intergenerational oppression, and trauma, are also all stress-inducing. The good news? “Experiences that build stress resilience can [improve our genes]…by learning about the impacts of adversity, we can also find pathways toward healing.” (Maté, The Myth of Normal).

Corporate workplaces tell us to “manage” our stress. Trauma-informed care helps us acknowledge our stress, recognize the sources, and complete the stress response cycle.

In this session, we’ll explore what stress is, how it’s been stigmatized, and steps we can take to normalize and recover from stress – all through a trauma-informed, equity-based lens.

Rosie Yeung is an award-winning Certified Trauma Recovery Coach, Certified HR Leader, and Chartered Professional Accountant, with over 20 years of leadership experience. She coaches at the intersection of social justice, mental health, and career growth, a unique methodology she calls Un-Executive Coaching™.

Rosie supports equity and inclusion by providing culturally relevant, trauma-informed coaching based on neuroscience, HR and psychology. She accepts clients from all backgrounds and identities, and specializes in helping Asian and racialized women to Elevate their Leadership, Liberate their Life, and Amplify their Impact.

As an Asian-Canadian, immigrant, cis-het woman living with mental illness and recovering from cPTSD, Rosie wears intersecting lenses of trauma care, decolonization, anti-racism, and anti-oppression. She leverages ALL her skills and lived experiences to help you Change Your Lens, See Your Worth, and Be Your Self!

You’re welcome to contact her onLinkedIn or her website: www.changinglenses.ca.