PCOS Millennials

If you’re a woman navigating the often frustrating and confusing world of PCOS, you know the feeling all too well.

The endless cycle of unexplained weight gain, brutal mood swings, and that constant, draining fatigue that no amount of coffee can fix. You’ve probably been told to “just lose weight” or “take these pills,” but it feels like you’re just putting a band-aid on a wound that never really heals.

What if we told you that PCOS isn’t a life sentence?

What if it’s actually your body’s powerful, albeit difficult, way of getting your attention?

In a deeply inspiring and raw conversation for the PCOS Millennials podcast, we sat down with Marianne Guzman, the founder of Heartful Global and a wellness coach who has not only lived through PCOS but has transformed her diagnosis into a mission of empowerment for Filipina women.

This isn’t just another medical explainer.

This is a story of hope, healing, and the radical idea that to truly heal our bodies, we must first learn to listen to our hearts.

Meet Marianne Guzman: The Woman Behind Heartful Global

Marianne’s story will sound familiar to many of us.

Her journey with hormonal imbalance began in her teenage years, marked by the all-too-common symptoms: intense mood swings, relentless fatigue, weight struggles, and an irregular cycle that kept her guessing. It was a silent battle that eventually led to a formal diagnosis of PCOS, compounded later by type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

That moment of diagnosis could have been a breaking point. Instead, for Marianne, it became a turning point—a powerful call to take radical control of her health.

“I was able to shift from the person who’s struggling with the hormonal imbalance and then PCOS,” she shares. “I was able to heal that.”

But her story didn’t end with her own healing. She felt a profound calling to pay it forward. “I couldn’t just keep moving with my life without doing anything,” she explains. “I couldn’t matiis na wala akong magawa.”

While working a full-time 8-to-5 job in the data industry, Marianne founded Heartful Global, a company dedicated to supporting women through all phases of their hormonal lives—from puberty and fertility to perimenopause and menopause.

“Our work talaga is to make sure that all women who go through these phases of life are able to live a high quality of life,” Marianne emphasizes. “Meaning, they don’t have to go through the symptoms of imbalances in the hormones.”

What Does It Mean to Live “Heartfully”?

In a world that moves at a breakneck pace—especially in the hustle and stress of Filipino life—the name “Heartful Global” is a gentle but powerful reminder to slow down.

So, what does it truly mean to live and lead with a “heartful” approach?

Marianne explains that her own healing wasn’t just about diet and exercise; it was a profound journey inward. “What really healed me is going back into myself, and really knowing myself… to a point that you will be shown things that you don’t like, but you’re able to transform that into acceptance and really a radical self-love.”

Living heartfully means:

• Owning Your Experience: Moving through life in complete presence, moment by moment, without ignoring or withdrawing from your reality.
• Connecting to Your Intuition: Tapping into that internal guidance system we so often silence.
• Full Self-Expression: Saying what you want to say, wearing what you want to wear, and making choices that honor your pleasure, not just your responsibilities.
• Finding Joy in the Simple Things: Journaling, meditating, eating a meal alone mindfully, or simply walking barefoot in your garden. “Mga simpleng bagay, but really like feel the moment heartfully,” Marianne says.

It’s about putting yourself first, not out of selfishness, but out of necessity. “If uunahin natin ‘yung sarili natin, mas maganda ‘yung mood natin, mas maganda ‘yung emotional state natin,” she notes. This ripples out, creating better quality experiences with our children, partners, and friends.

The Unseen Roots of PCOS: It’s More Than Just Hormones

One of the most groundbreaking parts of our conversation revolved around the emotional and psychological roots of PCOS.

We often treat it as a purely physical condition, but Marianne brings a vital, often overlooked, perspective: our bodies keep score.

“Lahat ng sakit, lahat ng disorder or anything that happens in our body is actually a cause of our emotional state na constant for a long time,” she states.

Think about the common traits many women with PCOS share. Marianne identifies a key pattern: “One common trait among women with PCOS is a habit of holding things together, even if they can no longer do it alone.”

Sound familiar?

It’s the story of the strong woman, the rock of the family, the one who feels she must always be resilient and never show weakness. This constant state of overwhelm, pressure, and unexpressed emotion creates a fertile ground for hormonal imbalance. PCOS becomes the physical manifestation of this internal struggle.

“The more you feel na you have to be strong, you have to struggle in silence, losing self-worth, losing hope, the more you feel that way, the more lumalala ‘yung PCOS mo.”

Breaking the Cycle: From Silent Struggle to Empowered Support

This is often the hardest part, especially within the context of Filipino culture.

Many of us are raised to be matulungin, to prioritize our family’s needs above our own, and to avoid pagkukwento of our problems to avoid being a burden.

But what happens when the very family you’re supporting becomes your primary source of stress?

Marianne addresses this head-on. The inability to speak up is, in itself, an emotional root cause. “You really need to learn how to speak up,” she advises. “You just need to take care of yourself. And that’s very valid.”

She offers a powerful truth: if we don’t set boundaries and care for ourselves, our bodies will force us to. “Your body will ask for a reason… Gagawa siya at gagawa ng paraan para ma-focus mo ‘yung attention mo sa kanya.”

You don’t have to wait until you’re severely sick to justify prioritizing yourself. The goal is to manage it now—to communicate, to set boundaries, and to listen to the subtle signs your body is giving you before they become screams.

A Message of Hope for the Hopeless and Unseen

For anyone feeling defeated, unseen, or trapped by their PCOS diagnosis, Marianne offers a beacon of hope.

First, she dismantles a pervasive and damaging myth: “It’s not true that PCOS cannot be healed. Do not be trapped and get stuck with the story na hanggang diyan ka na lang, ima-manage mo na ‘yan forever.”

She shares powerful testimonials from her own practice:

• A client who had 24 cysts saw them reduce significantly in three months and eventually clear up entirely.
• Marianne herself healed her own myoma. “After a year na I focused on healing myself… clear talaga. As in no sign, sabay-sabay lahat.”

This healing is possible, but it requires a belief in your own potential for wellness. “You have to believe that it can be healed,” she urges.

Secondly, she emphasizes the power of community—like the one we’re building at PCOS Millennials—but also the importance of internal validation. “You don’t really need anyone else to see you or give you hope to validate your experience or journey… Only you can give this to yourself, ‘yung validation, ‘yung pat on the back as you go through your journey.”

Your First Step: Understanding Your Emotional Triggers

To help women begin this journey of self-awareness, Marianne offers a free e-book that dives into the 6 Emotional Triggers of PCOS. This isn’t just a list of symptoms; it’s a roadmap to understanding the why behind your stress.

The e-book explores triggers like:

• “I Am Never Enough”
• “I Am Broken and Incomplete”
• “I Must Stay Silent to Be Safe”
• “I Carry the Weight to Feel Safe”
• “I Have to Be Masculine to Feel Safe”
• “I Can’t Digest Life”

As Marianne writes in the e-book, “PCOS isn’t just hormonal—it’s your body’s response to stress and unhealed wounds. Address the core issues to help manage weight, improve fertility, and release stress. Your body isn’t broken—it’s telling you to take action. It’s ready to thrive.”

The goal is a powerful mind-shift. By identifying these subconscious stressors, you can consciously choose to release them, reducing the very stress that fuels hormonal chaos.

Your Invitation to Heal: A Free Discovery Call

Understanding the triggers is the first step. Actively healing them is the next. Marianne invites you to take this deeper step with a free 30-minute discovery call.

“We’ll work on one of your root causes para matanggal, mabawasan natin ‘yung stressor sa buhay,” she explains. “We’ll heal that.”

This is a chance to experience her transformative coaching method firsthand and take a tangible step toward releasing the emotional baggage that PCOS may be carrying for you.

Connect with Marianne Guzman and Heartful Global

Ready to start your heartful journey? Here’s how you can connect with Marianne and access her resources:

• Instagram: Follow @heartfulglobal and her personal account @marianguzman.heartful
• Facebook: Like the Heartful Global Facebook Page
• Website & Email: Visit her website at marian.heartfulglobal.com
• YouTube: Check out her channel for masterclasses, including a powerful womb meditation activation.
• Get Your Free E-Book: Reach out to her on any platform to get your copy of “The 6 Emotional Triggers of PCOS.”

Final Words of Wisdom from Marianne

As we wrapped up our conversation, we asked Marianne for her final piece of advice for our Ka-Sisters struggling with PCOS.

1. Get Your Information from Professionals: “I see a lot of discussion sa Facebook. Sobrang stressful because people don’t know what they’re talking about.” She advises connecting with communities built on professional and correct information, like PCOS Millennials.
2. It’s Not a Death Sentence: “It’s a lifestyle disease… Once parang ‘pag ano ka, na-diagnose ka, don’t think about it. Just love yourself and do the necessary things to change your lifestyle.”
3. You Are Not Alone: The statistic is real—1 in 10 women are affected globally, and many more are undiagnosed. But within that statistic is a community ready to support you.

A New Chapter in Your PCOS Journey

Talking with Marianne Guzman wasn’t just an interview; it was a reminder that our bodies are not our enemies. They are wise, communicative partners. PCOS, in this light, is not a curse but a catalyst—a call to embark on the most important journey you’ll ever take: the journey back to yourself.

It’s a journey from silence to expression, from overwhelm to boundaries, and from self-criticism to radical self-love.

Your healing is possible. Your story is still being written. Let this be the chapter where you turn your struggle into your greatest strength.

Ready to continue the conversation? Follow PCOS Millennials on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, X, Threads and Spotify. You can also email us at pcosmillennials@gmail.com. We’re here for you, every step of the way.

Love, Reese ❤️

Free eBook for Every Millennial Woman with PCOS: Your Ultimate Guide to Thriving with Hormonal Imbalance