Wholly a Woman

Did you know that your body changes throughout your cycle and that these changes are not just limited to your female reproductive system? Your energy also changes throughout your cycle. Keeping track of when you ovulate (because this changes from cycle to cycle!) can help you be aware of when you are best suited for certain activities, including certain types of exercise. Johnna Wilford, personal...

I want to share what I went through because I know it helped me to hear from others who went through their own experiences. I do not pretend to think that because I went through this situation that I understand anyone else’s situation. We all have our own experiences and we handle those experiences differently. If you have gone through something like a miscarriage or difficulty conceiving, I can p...

“You can have great sex until the day you die.” Yep, we are going there this week, and I am so thankful to Susan Bratton for guiding us. Intimacy expert to millions, best-selling author, and content creator, Susan shows you how to transform having sex into making love. Having great sex is so much more than just physical skill, and Susan and I really dive into how you can communicate with your spou...

What do you think of when you hear the word “power”? Do you feel that fire burning inside you, that voice you know is waiting to be let out? The truest version of yourself? That is the power author and speaker Christian de la Huerta talks about in this week’s episode of the Wholly a Woman podcast. Listen in to our conversation and learn to awaken the soul of power. Take-aways: -We want power, but...

Could you really CRAVE vegetables? What if, instead of worrying about restricting and avoiding, you were INDULGING in foods you enjoyed AND were good for your body? Nagina Abdullah, health coach, talked to us all about switching our mindset around food and learning to choose foods that nourish our bodies. Take-aways: -Switch how you think about eating from restriction to indulgence (from a negativ...

How many kids should you have? When should you avoid pregnancy and when should you be open to the possibility of another child? What do you do if you and your spouse are not on the same page when it comes to family size? Even if you are not Catholic, you can find some value in the teachings of the Catholic Church, which are based on what the Bible says about God’s plan for marriage and families. T...

Are you feeling stuck? Like you’re trying to do the right thing but you’re just not getting to where you want to be? Or have you lost hope completely? Anita Bastian is trained in a number of techniques, including brain integration and nutrition response testing, to help you get to the root cause and find out what your body really needs to heal. Here are the take-aways from the episode: -”Even if w...

Have you ever felt stress or anxiety? Silly question, I know. Of course you have. Have you ever considered yoga as a tool to help relieve stress or anxiety? This week, Monica Delius, yoga instructor, talked about how she helps women through functional yoga. Here are the take-aways from this week’s episode: -Yoga can help with physical and mental strength -Listen to your inner voice -Functional yog...

Can you truly increase your performance, relieve your pain, and/or avoid surgery just by changing the way you breathe? My guest this week, Dr. Amy Novotny, physical therapist and founder of the PABR institute, teaches us the power of our breathing. She even walks us through a breathing exercise in the episode! Here is some of what you will hear in this episode: -Stress causes our muscles to tighte...

What is it like to use the Marquette Method of natural family planning? This week, I brought on my husband Ben to discuss just that. Natural family planning (NFP) has definitely strengthened the communication in our marriage and helped ensure we are on the same page regarding intimacy and family planning. Here is some of what you will hear in this authentic conversation about using natural family...

Did you know that the foods we eat, containers we use, candles we burn, and personal care products we use can all be hidden sources of toxins that can lead to health problems? Courtney Warday, dietitian, came on the podcast this week to teach us about endocrine disruptors and steps we can take to limit our exposure. Courtney is passionate about women’s health and fertility health and I am so glad...

Did you know that the red blood cells that serve as the building blocks for baby are formed in the mom 120 days prior? Said another way, what you were doing 3-4 months ago affects the health of your baby. Dr. Liz Berg at Nourish Family Wellness in New Brighton, MN is a chiropractor and lactation consultant who specializes in helping women with optimizing their health BEFORE baby (preconception hea...

Can we talk to girls about natural family planning? Of course! Natural family planning is NOT just for family planning. It’s a tool that every cycling woman can use to identify where she is in her cycle and to know herself and her body better. Are we talking to girls about anything more than the bleeding of their period? Are girls/teenagers making informed choices when they are offered birth contr...

What does it mean to live healthy? There are so many messages out there about eating “right” or doing the “right” exercises. Is that what health comes down to? Denise Stegall, founder of Living Healthy List ( www.livinghealthylist.com ) and I discuss what health really means (hint: there is no one “right” thing!). Here are the take-aways: -Living Healthy List is here to help you find credible info...

What if it was the doctor’s main role to keep people from getting sick? To help their patients be strong? This the perspective of traditional chinese medicine. Instead of focusing on just caring for people when they get sick, this methodology is about keeping people well. In this week’s episode of the Wholly a Woman podcast, Allie Xu, PharmD, chinese medicine pharmacist practicing in Australia, di...

Pharmacists are all about medications, right? When I was in pharmacy school I thought it was so cool to tell people I was a “legal drug dealer.” The average number of medications a person is taking at the end of life is FOURTEEN. That is ridiculous. In this week’s episode of the Wholly a Woman podcast, Dr. Veronica Riera-Gilley hosts a discussion with myself, Dr. Emily, the natural family planning...

Are you connected with the power and wisdom of yourself and of your creator? In this week’s episode, Sandy Vo, meditation teacher and host of the podcast Prosperous, talks to us about our womb wisdom. Here are the take-aways: -Self-realization has 2 levels: your lower self and your higher Self -Surrender is ascending human effort met with descending grace -Start by acknowledging your thought patte...

Helen Helgeson is my friend, an advocate for Crunchi and she is passionate about non-toxic skincare. The tagline for Crunchi is “you no longer have to compromise your beauty for your health, or your health for your beauty” Here are the take-aways: -It takes 26 seconds for topical products to get into your bloodstream -”Green-washing” is a term that refers to a label that looks healthy and natural,...

Today I am celebrating a year’s worth of episodes! So what I want to do is highlight the top 5 most downloaded episodes of the Wholly a Woman podcast. The 5th most downloaded episode is Episode #1, with yours truly, What is NFP? The 4th most downloaded episode is Episode #12, Giving You Options with the Marquette Method of NFP with Sara Flood, RN, and NFP instructor The 3rd most downloaded episode...

What do you think about your own fertility? Can you be grateful for this even if you are not intending to have a baby right now, or maybe even if you are struggling with infertility? According to my podcast guests this week, restoration is an attitude. Are you trying to cover up your signs of fertility and/or your ability to bring forth life? Or are you learning WHY you are having these signs and...

Which “brand” of fertility awareness is right for you? You can think of different fertility awareness based methods / natural family planning methods as different brands. All will help you identify your body’s natural signs of fertility and then use those signs to achieve your family planning and/or health goals. It’s just about figuring out what method makes the most sense for you and your situat...

Feminism is advocating for women’s rights based on equality of the sexes. And that is exactly what I see natural family planning / fertility awareness as being. Women deserve to know about their bodies, to work with their bodies, and, when used for family planning, to work in equal cooperation with their spouse. Women have been told birth control is their key to freedom. In reality, they have had...

Two of the most common things women tell me when I tell them about natural family planning / fertility awareness is either “I don’t need that. I’m done having babies” or “I don’t need that. I’m not in a relationship.” The thing is, family planning is only one small part of what fertility awareness can help with. Every menstruating woman can benefit from the knowledge that comes from her own body a...

Your body is made of energy, and this energy moves through channels in your body like rivers. But what happens when one or more of these channels gets blocked? Acupuncture has been around for centuries and is effective for opening your body’s natural channels. At Full Circle Acupuncture, Brianna is committed to alleviating “common” symptoms (stress, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, etc.),...

Dr. Emily gets real and gives an overview of your female anatomy. Natural family planning helps you know your body better by paying attention to your body’s natural signs of fertility. Knowing the different parts of your body and their functions can also be very helpful. I want us to empower each other and empower our daughters to use anatomically correct terms to talk about their bodies. Take-awa...