Under the Hood

When Dr. Katie Radermacher, pelvic floor physical therapist at Boston Pelvic PT , became pregnant for the second time, she was so sure she knew what to expect that she told her husband (a fellow PT) he could just skip the 12-week ultrasound. He moved his patients around and came anyway. Good thing…because then two heads appeared on the screen ("You guys didn't know that?" the US tec...

What does it take to be true friends with your romantic partner…and not just partners in bills, parenting, schedules, and the rest of daily life? Relationship & sex therapist Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy and pelvic floor physical therapist Dr. Alex DiGrado explore the kind of friendship that helps a relationship feel safe, supportive, and connected over time. This conversation is a reminder that cl...

Yes, time management and the mental load are everywhere right now, and so it’s easy to tune out yet another conversation about how to do more with less. But we promise you, this episode isn’t a list of productivity hacks or a scorecard for who’s doing more. Our special guest today is Kelly Nolan , an attorney-turned-time-management strategist. Kelly left her career as a patent litigator to build t...

Long-term relationships can offer trust, security, inside jokes, and the comfort of a partner you can count on...but the routines and daily logistics that come along with them can often bury the spark that first brought you together. In this episode, sex & relationship therapist Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy and pelvic floor physical therapist Dr. Alex DiGrado explore why feeling bored in your relat...

If you’ve been told a genital rash or intense itching is “just a yeast infection,” but the typical treatment hasn’t worked, this episode is for you. Pelvic floor physical therapist Dr. Alexandra DiGrado and relationship & sex therapist Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy sit down to talk about lichen sclerosus , a chronic inflammatory skin condition that causes patches of skin to become thin, white, crink...

When a relationship is struggling, the real question might be less "How do we fix this?" and more "What's the best next step?"  Inspired by an essay from a writer who felt couples therapy prolonged a failing marriage instead of helping her see it was over, Dr. Rebecca and Dr. Alex take a hard look at the expectations around relationship counseling. Is “success” defined by...

You cough and your belly button doesn't go back in after it pops out. Or you’re lifting heavy at the gym and suddenly feel a weird bulge in your groin. Both can be signs of a hernia, when fat or part of an organ pushes through a weak spot or opening in the muscles or connective tissue of the abdominal wall (it may look or feel like a soft lump under the skin). When a hernia needs repair, surg...

Content note: this episode includes brief references to sexual assault. "Arousal non-concordance" is the nerdy, clinical term for when your physical arousal signs (like blood flow, lubrication, or erections) don't line up with what you're actually desiring. In real life, that can look like feeling super turned on mentally while your body shows zero physical signs of it...OR you...

You snapped at your kid, felt bad, and then “apologized” with, “I’m sorry, but you should have listened the first time.” Or your partner says, “I’m sorry you feel that way” mid-argument, and it makes things even worse…. In this episode, couples & sex therapist Dr. Rebecca Howard Eud y and pelvic floor physical therapist Dr. Alexandra DiGrado talk through why so many apologies miss the mark and...

Just hearing the word "prolapse" is enough to make many people panic because it sounds like their organs are going to just fall out. Thankfully, that's not what's actually happening. In this episode, pelvic floor physical therapist Dr. Alex DiGrado and couples & sex therapist Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy discuss what pelvic organ prolapse is and isn't; the different types,...

If you live with IBS, you already know it's not "just" a stomach issue. It's the mental math of always knowing where the bathroom is, the trips you don't book, and the memories you miss out on. In this episode, pelvic floor physical therapist Dr. Alex DiGrado and relationship/sex therapist Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy sit down with Megan Mountcastle , a licensed social worker w...

Humans are wired to make meaning out of what happens to us, so when something feels bad, we go looking for a reason (in an effort to avoid it next time). In relationships, that search often turns into blame…which devolves into criticism instead of the actual result we're hoping for. In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy (relationship & sex therapist) and Dr. Alex DiGrado (pelvic floor...

Many people think hemorrhoids are just a fiber and Preparation H problem, but there's a lot more going on. Dr. Alex DiGrado (pelvic floor physical therapist) and Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy (sex and relationship therapist) talk through the different causes, from chronic stress and jaw tension to how you're sitting and pushing on the toilet. Alex explains why your hemorrhoids keep coming back...

You know that feeling when something is so good - your career, your relationship, a perfect spring afternoon - that almost immediately your brain starts bracing for when it ends?? In this episode, sex & relationship therapist Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy and pelvic floor physical therapist Dr. Alex DiGrado explore this concept (coined by research professor and author Brené Brown ) and unpack why so...

Dr. Rebecca had two nine-pound babies 18 months apart, and was told by a pelvic floor PT a few years back that her diastasis recti was pretty much just going to be that way. Dr. Alex respectfully disagrees (yes, even though the “babies” are now 10 and 11). In this episode, Dr. Alex and Dr. Rebecca dig into what diastasis recti is (and isn’t), why so much of the advice floating around online makes...

A listener asked Dr. Rebecca and Dr. Alex to do a "big sister chat" — the kind of honest, no-filter conversation that most of us never got growing up. They cover a lot of ground: tampon embarrassment, the myth of mutual orgasm, see-through yoga pants etiquette, and what not to do when you’ve been ghosted. Plenty of it is funny. All of it would have saved them a lot of confusion and heart...

(Prefer to watch our talk? We’re now on YouTube! ) At least one in ten people experiences tailbone pain after childbirth, and many don't know that pelvic floor PT is an incredibly effective treatment for it - we hope this episode changes that. Our guest today is Kathy Seim, BPPT Practice Manager and Under the Hood podcast editor. She joins Dr. Alex DiGrado and Dr. Rebecca Eudy to talk about h...

Most men have never thought about their pelvic floor (or knew they had one). But those muscles are doing critical work every single day for bladder control, bowel function, sexual health, and athletic performance. In this episode, Dr. Alex DiGrado and Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy talk through what the male pelvic floor is, what happens when it stops working as it should, and why so many men are sufferi...

Most of us were never taught how to fight fair. We absorbed habits, patterns, and a fair amount of defensiveness from our own families and brought it all into our relationships. In this episode, sex therapist + couples counselor Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy and pelvic floor physical therapist Dr. Alexandra DiGrado get into the mechanics of conflict. Dr. Alex gets personal about her own tendencies as a...

You tested positive for a UTI, took the antibiotics, and felt better. But then the symptoms returned (the burning, the urgency, the constant feeling you need to pee but can't fully empty ughh)…except that the culture came back negative this time, and no one can explain why you still feel awful. In this episode, pelvic floor physical therapist Dr. Alex DiGrado and sex & relationship therap...

Many couples find it easier to have sex than to talk about it. In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Eudy and Dr. Alex DiGrado explore why conversations about pleasure and “what’s working” (or not) can feel so awkward—even in trusting, long-term relationships. Drawing on clinical experience and real-world examples, they focus on the “supreme courage” of saying what you actually want, hearing your partner w...

In this episode, Dr. Rebecca and Dr. Alex dive into the “Oldest Daughter” archetype. Drawing on personal reflections, therapy insights, and Brené Brown’s work, they explore the fine line between being helpful and chronically over-functioning. From running point on family vacations to navigating communication clashes with their Southern husbands (we’re not rude - we’re direct!), this honest and fun...

Prostate cancer has a remarkably good prognosis…but what happens after treatment? In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Eudy and Dr. Alex DiGrado discuss the common challenges that often follow prostate cancer surgery, including urinary leakage, erectile dysfunction, and the heavy emotional toll these symptoms can have on self-confidence and relationships. They explain why these symptoms happen, how pelvic...

Many people wait to seek help—whether it’s pelvic floor PT or couples therapy—until things feel so “catastrophically bad” they can’t ignore them anymore. But by then, you’re not just dealing with a symptom or a disagreement,you’re dealing with months (or years) of built-up stress and a life that’s been reshaped around the problem instead of addressing it.  In this episode, Dr. Rebecca and Dr. Alex...

Most of us know we’re tired (…that’s not breaking news). What we don’t realize is that the kind of rest we’re getting might not actually reach the parts of us that need it most. In this episode, Dr. Alex and Dr. Rebecca sit down with Ali Schmidt , social worker, therapist, yoga teacher, and certified Daring to Rest coach, to talk about yoga nidra: what it is, how it differs from meditation, and wh...