Wellness Big Sis: The Pod

Two things are happening simultaneously right now: America's 250th birthday and the World Cup on American soil. And the intersection of those two things raises a genuinely interesting health and wellness question — what does the research actually say about shared experiences across cultural lines? In this episode Dr. Kelsy Vick brings her honest, all-angles approach to one of the most talked-about...

There's a new headline going around claiming Ozempic might help with fertility — so Dr. Kelsy Vick (board-certified Doctor of Physical Therapy) went straight to the source: the actual research presented at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society's annual conference. In this episode, we break down two separate findings — one in women with PMOS (formerly known as PCOS) and one in men — and what they actual...

Crash dieting before your wedding is not the answer. And today's guest has the evidence-based framework to prove it. Dr. Kelsy Vick sits down with Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Integrative and Functional Nutrition Certified Practitioner Bayleigh Wessel — founder of Balance Blue Collective — for the most practical, sustainable, and science-backed bridal nutrition conversation you are going...

Your skin on your wedding day is not something you want to figure out last minute. And according to today's guest — it's also not something you want to experiment with close to the date. Dr. Kelsy Vick sits down with Claire — a Columbia-trained, board-certified nurse practitioner and cosmetic injector — for the most practical, honest, evidence-based bridal skin prep conversation on the internet. F...

Nobody puts this in the wedding planning timeline. But it might be the most important tool you have. In this episode of the Science-Backed Wedding Prep Series, Dr. Kelsy Vick breaks down how learning to read your menstrual cycle as health data can transform your engagement season — from how you schedule high-stakes wedding moments to how you train, fuel, recover, sleep, and show up emotionally on...

Forget the 6-week bridal crash plan. There is a smarter, more sustainable, and more science-backed way to look and feel your absolute best on your wedding day — and it starts right here. In this episode, Dr. Kelsy Vick — board-certified orthopedic DPT and pelvic floor physical therapist — kicks off the Wedding Prep Series with the real framework for body recomposition: losing fat while building or...

On May 12th, 2026, a landmark paper published in The Lancet officially renamed polycystic ovary syndrome to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome — PMOS. The result of 14 years of work, 56 international organizations, and 22,000 voices from around the world. This is not a cosmetic rebrand. This is a clinical correction — and it changes how this condition affecting 170 million women worldwide wi...

Welcome to the Hottest Version season. Dr. Kelsy Vick is pulling back the curtain on her most personal health journey yet — optimizing her body, mind, relationships, and spiritual health in what she's calling "trimester zero." In this episode she shares her real DEXA scan results from 2015 vs. April 2026, breaks down exactly what the numbers mean, and gets honest about what she's working on — from...

Dr. Kelsy Vick interviews Dr. Abigail about pregnancy and postpartum mental health. They discuss common struggles like first-trimester fatigue while trying to function normally, body comments, and the sudden shift from “not pregnant” to pregnant—often kept secret early on—which fuels comparison and self-doubt. Dr. Abigail explains how she helps moms challenge comparison by questioning its purpose...

Dr. Kelsy Vick introduces a live bonus episode recorded at Erin’s April book launch for Do The Thing, following Erin’s earlier Wellness Big Sis The Pod appearance about behavior change and habit formation. Erin explains why she became an author after years of coaching clients who struggled to follow through outside sessions, leading her to study behavioral science and co-found Habit Coach Professi...

Miranda Priestly didn't just stress Andy out emotionally. She was actively dysregulating her HPA axis. And if you've ever worked a job — or lived a life — that felt anything like that, this episode is for you. In honor of Devil Wears Prada 2 hitting theaters, Dr. Kelsy Vick is breaking down one of the most misunderstood hormones in women's health: cortisol. Not to demonize it — but to completely r...

Your brain's dopamine system wasn't designed for infinite scroll, autoplay, and variable notifications. It was designed for earned rewards — and social media is engineered to exploit the gap between those two realities. In this episode, Dr. Kelsy Vick closes out the April Spring Cleaning Series by breaking down what dopamine actually does in the brain, how social media platforms are specifically b...

Dr. Kelsy Vick continues the spring cleaning series by focusing on the liver and how alcohol uniquely affects female physiology. She explains that women experience more severe alcohol-associated liver disease at lower levels than men due to differences in first-pass metabolism, estrogen-related sensitivity to liver damage, and immune activation in the liver. Regular drinking can raise estradiol wh...

Dr. Kelsy Vick continues the April “spring cleaning” series on Wellness Big Sis The Pod by revisiting the glymphatic system—discovered in 2012—which functions as the brain’s waste-clearing system and works primarily during deep, non-REM sleep. She explains how cerebrospinal fluid helps transport and remove metabolic waste into the venous system, and notes animal research suggesting brain cell spac...

Dr. Kelsy Vick kicks off a body “spring cleaning” series by explaining the lymphatic system’s role in waste clearance, immunity, fluid balance, and puffiness, and why many wellness trends (like gua sha and dry brushing) are often done incorrectly. She breaks down lymph fluid, vessels, nodes, and organs, emphasizing key traits: the system runs throughout the body, is low pressure with no pump, lies...

Vibration plates are all over everyone’s feed, so Dr. Kelsy Vick (board-certified orthopedic doctor of physical therapy and pelvic floor PT) dives into what they actually are, why people are buying them, and what the research on “whole body vibration therapy” really examines. She walks through how studies test different positions and exercises on the plate, explains why systematic reviews matter,...

This podcast episode aims to help us understand the changes that occur in our bodies during perimenopause and menopause. We wellness girl chat about the importance of being preventive rather than reactive, emphasizing early education on the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause. The episode covers the common symptoms, hormonal shifts, and the metabolic impact of perimenopause and menopause. It...

In this investigative “Wellness Girl chat,” Dr. Kelsy Vick breaks down how fitness trackers estimate caloric expenditure—and why those numbers can be misleading for assessing workout effort, effectiveness, or weight loss. She defines calories (including the difference between food-label “calories” and kilocalories), explains total daily energy expenditure, and outlines what wearables typically mod...

With the Lunar New Year, Olympics, and Traditional Chinese Medicine practices on social media right now, Dr. Kelsy Vick revisits her June convo with TCM practitioner Dr. Felice Chan and pulls out the most practical takeaways. We cover core TCM ideas (qi, blood, jing), how imbalance can show up like missed periods in hard-training athletes, and easy ways to apply TCM day-to-day: more warmth for dig...

Dr. Kelsy Vick closes out the Goalchella Podcast Festival with self-selected highlights from expert interviews recorded from November through early February, created around common New Year’s goals for women. She revisits key moments from: Dr. Sam Moore on female physiology, menstrual-cycle awareness, resilience in training, energy availability, and the importance of carbohydrates and progressive s...

Why do New Year goals fail — even when motivation is high? In this Goalchella finale, we dive into the neuroscience of habit formation with expert Erin to unpack what actually happens in the brain when we try to build new habits or break old ones. We explore why motivation fades, how discipline is built, and whether forming a new habit is harder than breaking an existing one. This episode breaks d...

​​Travel can be one of the most empowering ways to invest in yourself — but it requires intentional planning, smart saving, and creative strategies. In this Goalchella episode, we explore how women can prioritize travel in 2026 while strengthening their financial wellness. We discuss actionable steps to turn travel dreams into reality, from setting up dedicated travel savings accounts and budgetin...

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are all around us — in everyday products, food packaging, and even the environment — yet their effects on our hormonal systems and overall health are often overlooked. In this Goalchella episode, we sit down with Dr. Emily to explore what EDCs are, how they interfere with hormonal communication, and the systems in our bodies they impact — from the gonads and t...

Quality relationships are one of the most powerful — and overlooked — drivers of long-term health. In this Goalchella episode, we explore the softer side of wellness with Dr. Lisa, breaking down the science of how relationships impact our physical, emotional, and psychological well-being across the lifespan. We discuss research showing how supportive friendships, family bonds, and romantic relatio...

​​Wellness isn’t just about workouts, nutrition, or sleep — it also includes financial health. In this Goalchella episode, we explore the softer side of wellness : building money habits that support your goals, reduce stress, and allow you to live a life aligned with your values. We dive into practical strategies for improving your finances in the New Year, including budgeting, automating savings,...