Determinants of Her Health

In this episode, I talk with Ingrid Harm-Ernandes, pelvic floor physical therapist and author of The Musculoskeletal Mystery: How to Solve Your Pelvic Floor Symptoms. We explore the pelvic floor and why dysfunction can cause symptoms far beyond urinary incontinence and sexual pain, including pain that can extend from the lower back to the knees. Ingrid explains the difference between weak and over...

Menopause can have a significant impact on women’s careers, yet many women feel unsupported or misunderstood in the workplace. Symptoms like brain fog, mood changes, and rage can be met with judgment rather than understanding. Dr. Sarah Berg, a board-certified OBGYN and menopause-certified practitioner, created Selfority to educate and empower women around menopause and women’s health. Gina Thomas...

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Teni Brown, a board-certified urogynaecologist, pelvic reconstructive surgeon, and researcher. We discuss overactive bladder, a condition affecting roughly one in three women, and the impact it can have on quality of life. Dr. Brown shares why she is passionate about breaking the stigma surrounding pelvic health and educating women about their pelvic floors. We als...

In this episode, I recap ProPublica’s documentary Before a Breath , which explores the stillbirth crisis in the United States. After my son Hank was stillborn in 2020, I became an advocate for stillbirth prevention and served as Policy Director for PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy, where I worked to advance legislation and raise awareness. The conversation around stillbirth is beginning to change. Pre...

Andrea Giancanteri, founder and CEO of The Whiny GYNie, joins me to discuss lipedema, a chronic connective tissue disease that affects millions of women yet remains widely misunderstood. Andrea shares how both she and her mother spent years searching for answers before finally receiving a diagnosis, highlighting the challenges many women face when healthcare providers mistake lipedema for obesity...

More than half of women have dense breast tissue, yet many are never told what that means for their breast cancer risk or screening options. In this episode, Lisa Malia, founder of For the Love of Cups , explains why dense breast tissue is both an independent risk factor for breast cancer and a challenge for detecting cancer on a mammogram. We discuss the barriers many women face after receiving a...

In this episode, Dr. Lillian Medhus explains perimenopause and why this transition into menopause can feel as significant as puberty. We discuss the hormonal changes behind common symptoms like sleep disturbances, anxiety, brain fog, hot flashes, heavier periods, and the often-overlooked feeling of simply "not feeling like yourself." Dr. Medhus shares why comprehensive hormone evaluation...

In this episode, Phoebe Williams, founder of the PMDD Project, shares her journey to being diagnosed with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and discusses why so many people struggle to receive an accurate diagnosis.  We discuss how PMDD can affect mood, identity, relationships, and daily life, as well as the importance of symptom tracking, finding knowledgeable healthcare providers, and explo...

In this episode, licensed psychologist Dr. Shelby Kittinger explores the origins of purity culture, its connection to high-control religion, and the lasting impact these belief systems can have on mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. We discuss how purity culture fosters shame around sex, body distrust, rigid gender roles, and the belief that women are responsible for men's thoughts, be...

In this episode, Allie and Brenda explore the lasting impact of purity culture and growing up in high-control religion. They discuss how messages about virginity, sexuality, and women's worth shape relationships with our bodies, our instincts, and ourselves. The conversation examines the shame surrounding sex, the connection between purity culture and conditions like vaginismus, and the ways r...

Content Warning: This episode briefly discusses suicide and child abuse. In this episode, Dr. David Clarke shares how an unexpected patient case led him to specialize in neuroplastic symptoms. These are real physical pain and illness caused by the brain's response to stress and trauma rather than an underlying physical condition. We discuss how trauma, anxiety, and depression can manifest as c...

Michelle learned she was intersex, having XY chromosomes, when she was 15 years old. This led to a lot of confusion about her identity and sexual expression in a time with limited resources and cultural understanding about intersex variations. Michelle went on to have surgery to reduce the perceived risk of cancer. She later learned that the risk was negligible, and these surgeries are often perfo...

In this episode, I’m joined by Jaye Wilson of Melinated Moms to discuss the Black maternal mortality crisis and the urgent need for accountability, advocacy, and systemic change. We explore how implicit bias shapes maternal healthcare experiences and outcomes, and why listening to and believing Black mothers is essential. With 80% of maternal deaths considered preventable, these conversations are...

I am so excited to begin this journey with you! Each week, we will examine a different aspect of women’s health with topics ranging from black maternal health to PMDD, chronic pain, purity culture, and more. We’ll chat about specific examples, then zoom out to see the systemic issues driving them. This gives both a bottom-up and top-down look into the structures that determine our health and well-...