Finally Fearless with Dr. Mel

A question I get very frequently is "when should I see a physical therapist vs. a personal trainer?"

For many of my clients, they work with both at the same time!

In today's episode, we uncover when a PT might benefit you over a CPT, what the main differences are between CPTs and PTs, and why good physical therapy sometimes looks insanely similar to what you would see inside a training program written by your personal trainer.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Follow me on IG: dr.mel_pt

Send me an email: mcioffidpt@newquestpt.com

This episode is seasoned with a lot of salt! Today, we are touching on the new social media pastime of accusing people of "not supporting women" any time someone calls out trash behavior exhibited by a woman, how I've been called out multiple times for "not supporting women" (LOL), and the time I was actually called a misogynist on reddit. Shit is wild out there!

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

According to the CDC recommendation, we should be getting 150 min of "moderate intensity" exercise + 2 strength training sessions in each week in order to be fit & healthy. But what if you're just starting out? What if you're recovering from an injury? What if you're newly postpartum? What if you're leaking (especially if you're leaking with exercise)? What if you can't carve out 7 days a week of exercise?

This episode breaks these guidelines down into more manageable parts to offer some new ways to start approaching your body and your exercise routine, especially if just reading this guideline alone has you like "I can't fit that into my life, so what's the point??"

Cuz there is more nuance to exercise than we're ever taught: and neglecting to acknowledge this is partly why we equate working out with punishment...which can actually INCREASE your leaking, pain, and decrease your overall fitness levels.

There is a better way!

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Jenna J Podcast Episode:

Toxic Positivity Video on YouTube:

Follow me on IG: dr.mel_pt

Send me an email: mcioffidpt@newquestpt.com

Grifters are ALWAYS gonna grift. In today's (salty) episode, we are covering all the trash rhetoric surrounding (and preying on) people who have given birth. These range from, at best, things that waste your time, money, and energy and, at worst, compromise your health, both mentally AND physically.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

How many times do you feel like you're just coasting through your workouts or your life in general? We are oftentimes told what we "should" be doing, so we check out just to get the damn things done rather than check IN. In today's episode, we are talking all about how you can use your life experiences to check in with yourself to help improve your stress AND fitness levels: because your body and mind work together rather than independently of each other.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Pelvic organ prolapse happens in 35-50% of postpartum people, yet no one ever talks about it.

Even more mind blowing is people don't realize that it can also occur in those who've never been pregnant.

But it sounds scarier than it is! Today we are talking all things prolapse: what it is, what you can do about it (beyond surgery and wearing a pessary forever), and how you can prevent it in the first place!

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

"Are you eating enough?"

This is a question I ask most private clients, regardless of the body standing in front of me. Oftentimes, our healthcare system/providers perpetuate this idea that larger bodies = eating more (or too many) calories. That is hardly ever the case in my experience.

In today's episode, we explore exactly WHY eating "enough" is imperative when you're looking to heal your body: and that goes for people of both smaller AND larger sizes. Without proper macro/micronutrients AND caloric intake, it'll be pretty difficult to overcome things like pain, incontinence, constipation, prolapse, etc if your body is not being fed the nutrients it needs.

"Health" goes way beyond burning more calories than you take in, no matter what size/shape your body is in.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Who would've guessed that Rihanna's Super Bowl performance would have brought so many women's health issues to the forefront (and hence finally help me flesh out this topic of being "enough," something that's been brewing in my brain for almost 4 months now).

The constant go-go-go coupled with societal expectations placed on women may have us feeling like we are running around constantly with no rest in sight. But it doesn't have to be that way. Today we are talking about why it might feel like you're never "enough" and how to finally come to the realization that you're exactly where you should be.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

The Finally Floored Winter Cohort Is Here! https://finallyfloored.thinkific.com/courses/finally-floored-2023-winter-cohort

Ever wonder whether you "should" be doing planks or squats because you've heard they're bad for your pelvic floor? Today we are hashing out what exercises you might want to take caution with and how to work your way up to doing more difficult workouts while keeping your core and pelvic floor strong and resilient AF.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Ever feel like you're spinning your wheels when it comes to your workouts? Like, no matter how consistent you are, not matter how much you work, you just feel like you're never getting any stronger?

Back when I was a baby PT, if a new client came in and was a seasoned exerciser, I would want to poop myself because I thought that I couldn't teach them anything about exercise since they were already doing it. What I learned over the next 8 years, however, tells a different story.

Whether you're new to your exercise journey or have been working out for awhile, this episode is for you! We are talking all about the 4 reasons why you might be feeling less than "strong AF," despite your best workout efforts.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

If you've been on IG or TikTok over the past couple of months, you might have seen the hype videos circulating around a woman bodybuilder who was leaking on her lifts. Some used this asa way to normalize leaking with lifting, and other used it as a cautionary tale to infer that lifting "heavy" causes pelvic floor dysfunction.

Both are trash takes.

Today, we uncover why people are prone to leaks when navigating the weight room but ALSO why learning how to lift while keeping your core and pelvic floor in mind might actually help prevent pelvic floor dysfunction.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

I'm not really a resolution type of person; instead, I like to look back at thoughts and habits that didn't serve me very well in the current year and vow to work on leaving them behind as we head into the upcoming one. Then I started thinking: we can apply this to the pelvic floor too! There's no reason to continue to buy into BS, outdated rhetoric that isn't serving us. Join me in today's episode as we uncover the 5 thoughts to leave behind in 2022 in regard to our pelvic health!

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

How long should an "effective" workout be? We are talking all about it on today's episode!

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

You had a baby. Or tore your ACL. Or injured your back.

You still feel like a hot bag of garbage.

But your MD says all imaging and labs look great and you can just ease yourself back into your "normal" activities.

Except nothing about how you feel feel normal to you.

You ask if there's anything else that can help. "What about PT?" you say. "Nah, IDK what they would work on since it looks like you're healing fine, you're walking fine and you're not at risk of re-injuring yourself. Just take it slow."

If this sounds familiar, have I got the episode for you!

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Sign up for the Finally Floored Waitlist Here! https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/b1x9z9

Follow me on IG: dr.mel_pt

Send me an email: mcioffidpt@newquestpt.com

Ever follow a health & wellness "guru" on social media, only to find out, down the line, that what they were saying holds no merit?

I say it often: social media is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it allows us to connect with professionals all over the world in so many ways; however, because there isn't really a way to regulate the content accounts post and sell (especially if they skirt around the legalese of it all), it's difficult to know who's legit and who's full of...you know where I'm going here.

Today we are talking all about the parameters I personally use when vetting health and wellness professionals I'm considering hiring for myself or recommending for clients to check out, or when someone new comes onto the scene and gets a ton of hype.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

I was scrolling through my IG wall the other day; the two things I post about most are the pelvic floor (cuz, duh!) and the absolute nonsense that is diet culture. I started thinking "here I am, a physical therapist, talking about the harms of diet culture; do people understand how closely this intertwines in traditional healthcare?" The answer is, I'm not really sure.

After working in traditional healthcare for 4 years, there was a lot of brokenness that needed to be fixed; I couldn't change the systems already in place, so I decided to build my own system. On the flip side, I've also escaped diet culture and feel like that move alone afforded me SO much more than I ever could dream: I'm finally a participant in my life and no longer use exercise as a form of punishment or to "undo" everything I eat. Both worlds collide SO often and there is so much bullshit in the health and wellness space that is engulfed in diet culture that I don't think most people recognize.

This episode talks all about how I approach work with my clients in ways that are SO incredibly different from what's offered in the traditional healthcare space, taking into account the harm that diet culture also provokes in these types of spaces. My goal with this episode is to get you to start thinking of how it might not be you that's the problem when it comes to your performance or pain, but maybe it's the system in which you're stuck.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Today, I'm challenging how you go about your workouts, especially if you're doing them in the gym. In this episode, I am reviewing 3 of the most common mistakes I see in the gym that I wish more people were aware of: because your body will thank you for it!

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

This week, I ventured into one of the places I hate the most: the fitting room.

In the past, trips like these would send me into a spiral of striving to squeeze my body into the size I believed I "should" be, not being "successful" in doing so, then going down a spiral of self-loathing followed by shame followed by vowing to increase restriction in my diet and increase my workout efforts.

And guess what? It was anything but healthy.

Join me for story time today where we revisit what it's like shopping for a new holiday outfit when you're living a life ENTRENCHED in diet culture vs. what it's like to do so when you're healing yourself from that part of your life that just doesn't serve you, regardless of it being under the guise of "health." How can you get over those fitting room fiascos and instead use actual tools to assess your health and whether parts of it need to be addressed vs. just going on ANOTHER diet that has you striving to fit into a smaller size instead of actually improving your health?

Because I know how much life this thought process sucks out of you, especially around this time of year. And I want to ensure you never have to experience it again.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

"Once I lose 20 pounds, I'll go on that trip." How many of us create this compromise? That if we lose weight and reach a certain number on the scale, that THEN our life can really begin? How many times have we put off going on a life-changing trip, joining a gym, trying a new restaurant, buying a new outfit, all on this condition that IF we lose this arbitrary amount of pounds, that THAT will be when we can finally start living?

Sounds crazy, doesn't it? That we focus so much on some number we were told was this magical goal that will make all our dreams come true, so we basically put off our dreams in hopes of what? Fitting into a different size pant? See how awful this sounds?

What if we did things that weren't conditional on what the number on the scale reads? What if we gave ourselves permission to, GASP, live our damn lives and explore new things despite what we weigh? And, the hardest part, what if we actually realized we are still valuable human beings who deserve the best from life even if we NEVER lose those 20 pounds?

On today's episode, we are talking about all of this and more: so that you can finally stop living your life on the sidelines and actually start enjoying it. At any weight. At any size.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

You've skipped your workout for the 3rd time this week. Or you've eaten a slice of pizza instead of your usual kale salad for lunch. Does this make you "bad?"

Many of us "fall off the wagon" in regard to whatever plan we have for our eating and/or exercise and then go ahead and label ourselves "bad" for doing so. Did you know that doing so can actually make you less likely to follow through with health pursuits down the line? In today's episode, we dive into why slapping the "bad" label on to your approach to diet and exercise might actually be part of what derails you from your goals, and how we can approach this in a more efficient and helpful way so that you never feeling guilty for skipping another workout or eating another piece of candy.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Someone sent me a post from a very large social media account, spreading all kinds of misinformation about what pelvic rehab professionals do. No, we don't "finger" people. No, we don't have your legs up in the air. Not only was I upset that messaging like this deters new professionals from entering a field where we need more clinicians, but it also may be deterring people like YOU from seeking out help: because WTF actually goes on when you come to someone like me for issues like leaking, pain with sex, feeling like you have to pee all the time, prolapse, etc etc?

In today's episode, I'm diving deep into what my exams look like when we are trying to figure out how your pelvic floor is performing AND how it performs as you use the rest of your body. You'll see this is way different than what you get at the gyno: we literally look at your entire body, from head to toes, and try to piece together the puzzle that is pelvic floor conditioning. I go over how I work both virtually and in person, so that you know exactly what to expect and why I do things the way I do them.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

I'll often have someone reach out after following me for YEARS, finally asking whether working on their pelvic is "weird" because they're young or have never been pregnant. It's so dismissive that we've been led to believe that we are freaks for experiencing leaking, pain with penetration, pelvic pain, pressure in our pelvis, or back/hip pain that never goes away despite our imaging being "normal." The truth is, everyone who pees, poops, and farts has a pelvic floor, regardless of age or birth history (or lack thereof). Over time, our bodies learn ways to move and operate and once those patterns become familiar, even though they might not be the most efficient ways of working, it's difficult to come out of them on our own: and many times, these compensations affect your pelvic floor, causing it to not be as strong as you'd like it to be.

In this episode, we break down the trash belief that only pregnant and postpartum people would benefit from working their pelvic floor, and that you have to be a certain age or have a certain life experience in order to experience pelvic floor dysfunction.

Cuz that ain't how it works.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Have you ever felt guilty for calling in sick? Or forced yourself through a workout, despite not feeling your best? In today's episode, we are talking all about nervous system up-regulation, which is fancy talk for a body that constantly feels stressed out and doesn't know how to calm down. Remaining in this constant fight-or-flight state actually can keep us from getting over a sickness, and injury, and actually make us more susceptible to things like pain and leaking. Join me to learn more about what you can do as the ultimate form of self care for when life hits you hard + the main exercise I love to help down-regulate a nervous system (and body) that is stressed TF out. 

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Follow me on IG: dr.mel_pt

Send me an email: mcioffidpt@newquestpt.com

How many of us think of exercise as a way to get/stay "healthy," ie lose weight?

What if I told you we are going about it all wrong?

The reality is, if you're checking out and just going through the motions of a workout without actually paying attention to what's happening in your body, THIS is when we may start to see things like increased risk of leaking, prolapse, and overall injury. In today's episode, we are talking all about how our goal of getting smaller might actually be a hindering our ability to actually get healthy when it comes to exercise. How diet culture has conditioned us to believe that burning the most calories, sweating the most, and being the most sore is indicative of a "good" and worthwhile workout. And how we can better fuel our bodies with movement instead of forcing ourselves through something we view as a punishment.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Women are so afraid of lifting heavy shit for reasons that are all untrue, still feeding into the idea that...⁣

Today's episode uncovers all the TRUTHS about how lifting heavier loads actually helps prevent things like back pain, leaking, and prolapse (among other things) and why it's being demonized in a variety of settings.

Whether you're brand new to lifting or have taken a few laps around the barbell block, 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 will teach you how to navigate heavier loads to create less stress and strain on your pelvic floor, building (literally) total body strength from the floor up.⁣ Cuz, whether you realize it or not, you're lifting every fucking day of your life (think about it).⁣ ⁣ If you've heard (and fed into) any of the myths above, I want to see you inside the fall cohort!

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

I went on a trip recently and you know that whole spiel they do with the oxygen masks on a plane? The one where they tell you to put your child's mask on before your own? Well, that got me thinking: why are we always putting others' masks on before our own?

The truth is, if you're not filling your tank physically, mentally, and emotionally, burnout, stress, and injury risk go on the rise. Yet, we still continue these types of behaviors and wonder why we feel so damn unfulfilled. My recent 2-month hiatus from the podcast had me feeling all types of shame; I labeled myself "lazy," I told myself I was a terrible caregiver: and then I was like "how is this way of thinking helping anyone, let alone myself?"

Today's return to the podcast world talks all about what it's like to give yourself some grace, prioritize things in ways that fit into YOUR life (cuz we don't all have the same 24 hrs), and how to start thinking about constructive ways that being selfish actually pays off.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

When you hear the word "relationship," what do you think of?

In many cases, we automatically think of our significant others, our romantic partners: but is that all? Granted, these people are so prominent in our lives because, most likely, we share SO much of our life experiences with them. But what if we started thinking about other relationships that touch our lives and add quality and purpose to them? Relationships that may add more stresses than we can handle. That may take more energy than we anticipate. Relationships that we need to look at and think about how to set healthy boundaries around so that we can build the lives that we so deserve?

In today's episode, we are talking about how our relationships with friends, food, exercise, and ourselves are some of the most important ones to forge, but often go overlooked and their importance under-appreciated: yet they affect us (and, namely, our health) in SO many different ways.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Shoving your feelings down and "getting your therapy" by forcing yourself through a hard workout is the complete OPPOSITE of health. When trainers, physical therapists, etc are advising you to "get over it" for an hour so you can get your exercise session in, they are actually causing more harm than you (or even they) might realize.⁣
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Health and performance are multifaceted: your physical performance is SO closely tied to mental and emotional health. So if your nervous system is jacked up because the world has literally been on fire for the last 2 years and you feel like you can't catch a break, shoving your feelings down for an hour to get your workout on WILL NOT BENEFIT YOU. This is where potential injury, exacerbated pain, and leaking can all creep up.⁣
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And for a nervous system that can't calm down, this also increases your risk for stroke, high blood pressure, heart attack, etc.⁣
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Today we are talking all about how mental and emotional health play into your physical health, and why you should be paying attention to yourself as an entire damn human instead of just focusing on shoving your feeling down to get your workout in.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Follow me on IG: dr.mel_pt

Send me an email: mcioffidpt@newquestpt.com

Being a pelvic health specialist, I always ask my clients who is working on their care team; in many cases, they'll say they're working with a nutritionist which gets my brain wheels turning.

If you're dealing with stuff like chronic constipation, IBS, interstitial cystitis, leaking, Chron's Disease, etc, it's probably a good idea to check out whether any of your symptoms are diet-related: BUT, are you consulting the right person?

Literally anyone can call themselves a nutritionist and, in some states, you don't even need to have a background/education/training IN nutrition to do so. Insane, right?! But, there are ways to tell whether your nutrition consultant is actually qualified to help you with specific dietary guidelines that are individualized to YOUR needs: and we are uncovering what to look for today!

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Follow me on IG: dr.mel_pt

Send me an email: mcioffidpt@newquestpt.com

It's so easy to say "you need to advocate for yourself" when speaking with someone who is navigating a health situation. Heck, I say this stuff all the time! But it wasn't until I recently went through a scary and trying time with MY health where I actually had to do it in a realm I knew nothing about. Gimme all the muscle, joint, ligament, and nerve stuff: I know how to handle all of that. But when it comes to dermatological ish, I was like a deer in headlights.

I had no idea what to do, who to see, or what questions to ask.

It feels isolating. Lonely. Confusing AF. And it doesn't matter whether you're going through something seemingly small or an issue that's more intricate: attempting to get answers you deserve that are actually helpful is HARD and can be incredibly frustrating.

Today's episode will help to give you a head start on things you can consider when combating any health issue: whether it's navigating a chronic pain or figuring out how to stop leaking or trying to easy constipation or overcoming something like melanoma (which was the journey that got me thinking about all of this), there are things you can do and tools you can employ to ensure you're getting the answers, the support, and the care you need from your healthcare team. And we uncover 6 of those right here!

Check out the link below to download your free self advocacy guide!

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Have you ever started or done a workout program and had this out-of-body experience? Kinda like you blacked out during it but you're panting and sweaty and just standing there like "wtf just happened?"

A lot of us do exercise programs where we have similar experiences to this: we think we're getting in "the zone," yet all we are doing is going through the motions to just get through it and call it done. Which isn't necessarily bad: but it could be WAY better.

In today's episode, we are gonna look at the stories of 2 of my private clients who changed the way they approached exercise which wound up changing their life. Before working together, these women had no idea how to actually tell what was happening with their core and pelvic floor not only during exercise, but also when they were doing every day stuff like lifting their kids, climbing the stairs, and carrying laundry. Once they began learning more about how their bodies function and how to tell when they aren't functioning the most efficiently (aka compensating), they felt stronger and had less pain/leaks in a matter of 2-3 sessions. Am I the best pelvic floor physical therapist in the world? Hellllll NO! But I do know how to give people the tools they need to allow them to fix themselves instead of rely on me to do the fixing for them.

These super basic principles of core and pelvic floor engagement are what I cover inside the Finally Floored Foundations: Beyond Kegels workshop which is happening Sunday 3/13 at 10am EST! Signup information is in the show notes. We then take those basic fundamentals a step further inside the Finally Floored program, a 12-week total body conditioning workout program that starts with the core and pelvic floor and builds outward to get your body working as a complete power house instead of in bits and pieces that don't fit together! The waitlist for that is open now: check the show notes to grab your spot for that as well!

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

"Just do your kegels." Sounds simple enough, right?

And everyone loves simple solutions to complex problems. "Just do kegels" has been pushed as the "fix" for every pelvic floor woe: leaking or peeing yourself? Just do your kegels! Feel like your organs are falling out of your body? Just do your kegels! Sex isn't up to snuff? Just do your damn kegels!

Everyone, including your MD and OBGYN, are throwing this blanket anecdote at everyone and, while I do not think they have any ill-intent in doing so, I do think that they are doing a massive disservice to vagina owners everywhere in that not only are kegels NOT appropriate for everyone, but blanket statements like this dumb down the complexity and intricacy of conditioning the pelvic floor.

9 times out of 10, if someone is leaking or feels like they have to pee all the time, they'll tell me with the utmost confidence that they're doing their kegels and can't understand why it hasn’t been working.⁣

⁣And, 9x out of 10, those same people are either:⁣

…OR...⁣

⁣

This is why it grinds my gears when people are telling you to "just do your kegels" and your life will be sunshine and rainbows.⁣

⁣

Sure, kegels have a time and place: BUT do you actually know when that time and where that place are? Do you know how to tell if kegels are appropriate for you? Do you know what other factors to consider 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒄 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓 that are ALSO involved in the conversation?

⁣

"Just do your kegels" sounds so easy, but it only covers one part of a 1M piece puzzle.⁣

⁣

𝑷𝒍𝒖𝒔, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒆𝒈𝒆𝒍 𝒐𝒍𝒚𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑳𝑳 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈.⁣

⁣

If you've been led to believe that kegeling your way through life will spare your pelvic floor, I want to see you inside the 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐊𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐬 workshop. Together, we will uncover the super basics of how your pelvic floor works AND how to start working it other than lying around, kegeling til the cows come home (which is a huge SNOOZE FEST). More info plus a $10 discount will be offered to the waitlist next week, so make sure you're on there! Link in bio.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

You may have heard that high intensity/high impact exercise and heavy weight lifting lead to pelvic floor issues like prolapse, pain, and peeing yourself.⁣
⁣
It ain't true.⁣

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔? Our bodies are super smart and love predictability. Once they pick up on a pattern that works, that's their go-to: even if it's not the most efficient way of doing things.⁣
⁣
Let's take weight lifting for example. You're probably measuring your progress by how much weight you can put up (even if you're not a competitive body builder), right? In order to get that weight up there, if your deep core (abs, pelvic floor, lower back, and diaphragm) is not performing "optimally," you're probably gonna hold your breath to move that load. Over time, your body learns this pattern and further reduces the use of what SHOULD be kicking in (aka deep core). This compensatory pattern is what could potentially lead to pelvic floor issues, not the actual act of lifting weight.⁣
⁣
𝐓𝐋;𝐃𝐑: 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝.⁣

Take that one step further: even if you are currently suffering from pelvic floor issues, it does not mean that you have to stop doing the exercises you love forever. Pelvic floor dysfunction is not a life sentence.
⁣
Whether you're trying to prevent pelvic floor issues in the first place or overcome issues you're experiencing now, we need to think of better investigative questions when thinking about how we are gonna get you back to living your damn life. Questions like:

Stop allowing people who have no education or background in exercise programming scare you out of exercise programming that gives you life.

You’re not broken or lost.

You just need a better road map.

And we are exploring how to get our hands on that map in today's episode!

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

The other day, I was talking with a new pelvic floor PT who wants to open her own practice.

"People keep saying I need 5 years of mentorship. That I should work for someone for 10 years first. That you need a lot of capital to start."

The list of shoulds and have tos went on.

"How many of these people actually own their own practice and do what you want to do?" I asked her.

The answer: ZERO.

One of the biggest mindfucks I had to get over as a new business owner was people telling me I can't:

Friends, I actually took some of these to heart; in the beginning months of starting my practice, I was so all over the place because I was trying to be and do what everyone around me told me I should be doing. Not that it was right, but that it was comfortable...FOR THEM.

But it wasn't FOR ME.

So, I said funk dis: and did what I wanted to do.

And this year, as New Quest hits its 2 year anniversary, I have a schedule that is filled to the brim with private 1:1 clients that I now have to build a waitlist 🥳

Listen, I am not saying this to blow smoke up my own ass: what I want you to take away from this conversation is, is there something you want to do in your life that people/people's comments are keeping you from doing? Stuff that they are telling you you can't do, you have to do it this way, your way will never work?

And it doesn't have to be something like starting a business. It could be starting a lifting program when you've never lifted weights before. It could be never peeing your pants even though you've had 4 kids and are over the age of 20. It could be never having your back scream in pain even though you have "arthritis everywhere." It could be learning how to play the piano even though you label yourself uncoordinated AF.

The point is, no one is you. Stop taking advice from people who are scared and locked into their own insecurities, because they will try to pass that shit onto you. Every good idea stems from some sort of nuance; your personality, values, lifestyle factors, and life experience all play a part in making that idea come to life.

Stop letting other people hold your map when they have no idea where you're going 💜

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Do you know how your insurance plan works? Like really know how it works??

Lemme tell you: as a healthcare professional, even I get confused about this stuff! Copays, co-insurances, out of pocket maxes, deductibles, premiums: it's enough to make anyone's head spin!

Today we are going over the VERY basics on what to be aware of when using your insurance, especially as it pertains to your physical therapy care: what to look for, what to ask, and what goes on behind the scenes. While this may not be the most riveting topic I've done, it's one of the most important. You absolutely need to be involved in the conversation when it comes to your health and healthcare, otherwise you will be spending valuable time and money chasing outcomes that will never materialize because you didn't know what to look for. This episode is NOT me convincing you to pay out of pocket for PT: it is me educating you on what you need to know before signing with someone who "takes your insurance," because it may be costing more than you think!

The more you know and the more you involve yourself in the conversation, the quicker you will be to getting your damn life back! 

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Join the Finally Floored Waitlist: https://bit.ly/FF_Spring_2022

Follow me on IG: dr.mel_pt

Send me an email: mcioffidpt@newquestpt.com

Have you ever had an injury sideline you from doing the things you love? What about pain in general?

If you've ever had knee (or hip or back or any kind of pain), you know how much it sucks to have it interfere with your life. It sucks even more when you go to your doctor (or even your physical therapist) and are basically told that it is what it is, just deal with it.

Maybe it's your age?

Maybe you have high expectations?

Maybe your body is just not up to par?

Maybe the advice you've been given is shit and you were never actually given the chance to see what your knee (and your body as a whole) are capable of.

Maybe you can climb that mountain or hike 10 miles or go backpacking again.

Maybe you can get some sleep the night before a big adventure instead of losing it over whether you'll be crawling back to your car.

Maybe you were just never given the answers you deserve!

In this episode, I am chatting with Dr. Michael Stranges, a physical therapist who knows all too well the garbage advice people like you have been given and refuses to let you settle for a less-than life. Dr. Mike's passion is keeping clients on the trails worry and pain-free, which is why he created his Tenacious Knee program. Join us as we talk about better exercises, better training, and better ways to handle your knee pain so that you can continue experiencing amazing adventures well into your later years!

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Have you set your new year's resolution goal?

I haven't: and here's why....

I find waiting until the new year to set a "resolution" goal (or any goal for that matter) to be extremely stressful and a huge disservice to so many people, especially women. Why do we wait around 364 days of the year, and then expect this ONE day to change our lives forever? We wind up making up these (probably) arbitrary goals that we feel we should be making, only to fall short in reaching them and totally giving up by March.

Because there's always next year to ride the try--fail--shame rollercoaster, right???

In today's episode, we are taking a deep dive into looking at why the way you've been setting your new year goals has actually been setting you up for failure, and how to set meaningful goals that you'll actually stick to: not only at the start of a new year, but throughout the year itself. Life doesn't happen in one day, so how can we expect to change ours on that same time frame?

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Your hip has been nagging you for YEARS and you finally decide to do something about it. You go to your orthopedist who takes an xray and tells you that minus some arthritis, everything looks good. Cool. He also tells you that because you do Pilates every day, you're pretty fit, so you don't need physical therapy.

So not cool!

Listen, doing Pilates (and really any activity) is super beneficial to your health: I will not deny that. What I do have an issue with is that something down the chain is affecting how your hip feels: whether that be while working in Pilates or living your life in general:

It could literally be a bazillion reasons as to why your hip isn't feeling the best, despite you working out all the time.

So, until we investigate all of these things (which is what good physical therapists do), it's not enough to just workout "all the time." And I bet your ortho or big box/mill PT never asked you any of those questions, did they?

Today we are talking all about why, especially if you're experiencing things like chronic discomfort and tightness, pain, leaking, etc, "working out all the time" and gentle walks/stretching/swimming ain't gonna cut it. It's like putting a bandaid on a gaping, gushing wound. We literally have to check out what is going on behind the scenes to ensure that you are able to do things you love (like Pilates) well into your later years!

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Follow me on IG: dr.mel_pt

Send me an email: mcioffidpt@newquestpt.com

It's tough asking for help, right? So when you're struggling with stuff like pain, leaking, even fitness and getting healthy in general, you're gonna trust the person in front of you who's the supposed professional, right?

Not so fast. Unfortunately, there is a lot of money (and ego) to be had in the health and wellness realm, and guess what: doctors are not exempt. I don't know if it's an ego thing or an ignorance thing, but I do know this: your personal trainer, physical therapist, even your doctor may be overstepping their bounds when they give you things like exercise and even diet and meal plan advice.

Today we are talking all about what things to look for when we are looking for guidance on our health and wellness journeys: the questions to ask and the bullshit to be mindful of that will save us time, money, and energy down the line.

Healthcare is a difficult territory for women to navigate, as many of us are left feeling dismissed and unheard, our concerns being chalked up to being a "crazy woman" who just needs to lose weight (BARF). That shit ends here and now. Today, we take back our health and speak up: because no one else is gonna do it for us.

Follow me on IG: dr.mel_pt

Send me an email: mcioffidpt@newquestpt.com

Are you approaching your fitness (and life) goals based off of fear or caution? WTF is the difference anyway?

As we approach the end of the year and a fresh start to a new one, we will be bombarded by all sorts of products and services that basically scare us into handing over our money. But how does this response feed into a cascade of responses that are actually doing our health and fitness a disservice? How do these responses keep us stuck on the "rollercoaster of shame?" And how can we avoid this in the first place?

Today's episode talks all about how fear responses are sneaking up on you when making decisions for your body's health and wellness, how these responses are holding you back, and how you can respond to these situations in ways that actually decrease your stress levels instead of contributing to them.

Did you know that how you go affects your pelvic floor health and peformance?

Whether you're experiencing issues with leaking / feeling like you have to pee "all the time," or just want to prevent these from happening in the first place, getting good bladder habits down is one way to get started on any (and every) pelvic health journey! If you pee, poop, and fart, have a penis or a vagina, have kids or not, you're not gonna want to miss this one!

Ever feel like you "should" be at a certain point in your life by a certain age?

How do you feel if you aren't there yet?

Ever feel like you don't do things the ways in which you're "supposed" to?

How do you feel when other people question that?

In today's episode, we are chatting all about meeting expectations as a woman: who are we listening to, who should we actually be listening to, and things to think about so that you're not spending your life just going through the motions, waiting it out until retirement.

Did you ever think about how we go from the most care-free, celebrate-your-inner-child holiday (ahem, I'm talking about Halloween) to this stressed AF, I hate everything about myself and my body minefield as we head into (and through) the rest of the year? I was thinking about this over the weekend, and it's really unfortunate that, during what should be a time when we make happy memories and enjoy each others' company, we are shoulding all over ourselves the entire way, bringing that energy into the new year.

What if we decided to stop doing that? What would that look like? Where do we even begin???

That's exactly what we are talking about in today's episode!

Waitlist for the Spring 2022 Finally Floored Cohort: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/b1x9z9

Follow me on IG: dr.mel_pt

Send me an email: mcioffidpt@newquestpt.com

How do/did you honestly feel about being pregnant? About having kids in general? About your body changing during the process?

Did you ever feel guilty for not having the flashy reveal parties or the elaborate pregnancy photos? Did you ever feel guilty because you weren't riding a wave of elation throughout your pregnancy and post-partum journey despite what you're seeing on social media?

If you answered "yes" to any of these, you need to stick around for today's episode! Jenna Jozefowski is with us to share how she felt once she found out she was pregnant and once she became a mom, and what she does to ensure she takes care of herself so that she can take care of Baby J.

I loved this episode with Jenna, and I know you will too!

Social media is a blessing and a curse; in today's episode, we are talking more about the curse side of things. This past weekend, my fiance brought my attention to some dude (with a very large following) who was posting about how you're diseased if you have a period. Look, I have limited tolerance for idiots spewing trash for the sake of selling their product/course, BUT I really have no tolerance when they start capitalizing on pelvic health, taking a realm that not many are well-versed in and spinning it to scare you.

Today is a plethora of info including:

Pushing your body and mind on an 8 hour hike in a downpour while falling over rocks into a stream really gets the brain going lol!

In all seriousness, though, there are 5 lessons that I learned on this hike that I think are pretty relatable to all of us, whether we are hikers or not. In today's episode, we are looking into what happens when we get into our own heads too much, try to cut corners in various ways to "save time" when in fact this just winds up wasting even more of our time and effort, and how the comparison game keeps us stuck.

"How long will I need PT?" This is a question I get asked very often, most times before I even evaluate the person. The thing is, so many factors play into how long you'll be a participant in PT.

Today, we will be diving in to the top 3 things that will play in to how long your PT stay is. And if you take away anything from this episode, I want it to be that YOU also absolutely have a say in your recovery timeline and should be involved in that conversation...and this episode explains just how to do that!

"Try PT and if it fails, you can get surgery."

The famous words uttered by almost every MD when referring someone to see a PT. There is so much wrong with this statement, including setting you up to believe you'll fail before you even get the ball rolling (self-fulfilling prophecy, anyone)? But on the flip side, sometimes you don't fail PT: PT fails you.

As our healthcare system becomes more profit- and less outcome-driven, it's a no brainer why you've probably spent 6 weeks to 6 months in physical therapy and saw ZERO improvement. You're still in pain. You're still leaking. You're still missing out on activities you love doing but sit out on cuz your body is just too broken.

But is it your body that's broken, or the entire rehab system? Today we will uncover why physical therapy actually failed you and how you can ensure it never happens again. Because when it's done well, PT is an amazing resource for anyone looking to avoid surgery, meds, and injections: you just need to do a little digging to find it!

"5 Stretches to help with lower back pain!"

"3 Top stretches to combat neck pain FOREVER!"

God, make it stop!!! These headlines are circulating everywhere on social media from fitness and movement professionals (unfortunately, physical therapists included). However, stretching the crap out of your hamstrings or your neck isn't actually doing what you think it is.

Today, we are talking all about why knowing the difference between flexibility and mobility is so important when it comes down to your workouts, how the strength of tight muscles comes into play, and what that pesky sciatic nerve might be doing to contribute to your tight hamstrings!

We all know that exercise adds years to our lives and staves off (some) disease...but, when a "good" exercise program is deemed so because of how much weight you lose while on it, this may actually be damaging to not only your physical health, but your mental and emotional health as well. Personal trainers and physical therapists are awesome in that their main job is to get people to experience the benefit of exercise; however, when these providers equate your "health" to what you look like and/or weigh, they may be doing you (and others like you) a HUGE disservice.

Today we dive into how to not only vet your coach, but look at better ways to navigate how you're approaching your fitness so that you're healthier physically AND mentally. This is for anyone who's ever thought "what's the point of exercising" if you haven't lost "enough" weight doing so or "don't have weight to lose."

I know you've been there: you're doing all the crunches, all the sit-ups, all the planks and it seems as though you're not getting any stronger. You feel like you're expending all this energy smashing away at your abs and spending so much time on your fitness, but for what?

Today we dive into the top tips that I give nearly all of my clients when it comes to working their core. Some of these people have been working out for decades, and when we dive deep, we discover why it seems as though their abs never get anywhere. First, we cover the 3 basic things you should be paying attention to when it comes to working your core, and then we expand that so that you know exactly how you should be progressing your fitness program and why.

"How are you so confident?"

I get this question a lot via emails, DMs, and speaking with people 1:1. 

The cold hard truth: I'm not.

At least not always.

One of the things I value in life is transparency: and that is exactly what you're gonna get in today's episode. Just like you, I'm not always 100% happy with what I see in the mirror. I have used workouts and diets to try and control my body when I could not control what was going on in my life. I thought that there was something wrong with how I looked and kinda glanced over the fact that there was something wrong with how I was responding to life.

Today, we are taking a deep dive into my most recent body image hangup. In real time. In real words. This isn't something that you ever "get over," but with the right tools, you can help get into why these may be happening and how to combat them to make them a little less painful each time they do happen. Because the truth of the matter is, sometimes we can't avoid things like these.

BUT we can absolutely do something about how we respond to them!

A few months ago in my IG story, I reposted something saying how kids should know about the pelvic floor...and people lost their absolute minds. I was attacked in the DMs, saying how I was perpetuating teenage sexual activity and increasing incidence of early promiscuity. Blew my mind.

Then I got to thinking about the teenagers I've worked with in the past, how they were finally heard...and finally helped! I took it a step further and thought about my adult clients who had been dealing with pelvic health issues since they were teenagers and how much work we did together to overcome decades of suffering in silence.

From all of that thinking, this episode was born. I think we need to reframe how we think about parts of our bodies like the vagina, the vulva, and the pelvic floor. A lot of us fear what we don't know or understand, and it's no secret that the pelvic floor is a topic of conversation that not many "get." We end that today!

This episode is not meant to tell you how to raise your kids but it IS going to challenge you about how you think, talk, and approach issues with your own body so that your kids do not have to suffer with things for longer than they need.

Does any of this sound familiar?⁣⁣

FACTS: your body losing strength and resilience after having a baby isn't because of the birthing event itself. It's because you were never taught HOW to use the structures that are used and injured during that birthing process.⁣⁣ You know the term "use it or lose it?" Yeah, that's kind of where we are going with this.

Childbirth, no matter how you slice it, is a certain type of injury for which we are not physically prepared. Seriously. Have you ever been taught how to use your pelvic floor other than doing a bunch of kegels? Have you ever been taught how to relax it? How to use it with your deep abdominals, deep back muscles, and diaphragm? Have you ever been taught how to coordinate all of that with the rest of your body?

No, didn't think so.

Today, we are talking all about why so many people are worried that having kids ruins their bodies...and let you all know that it doesn't have to be this way!

I'm seeing "women's health" products and "pelvic floor physical therapy" clinics popping up everywhere; with "pelvic floor" being the new hot topic, it was only a matter of time before companies (and yes, even medical providers) started preying on people's pelvic pain points. These companies' claim to fame are often biofeedback devices, aka machines that "help you do your kegels," or, even worse, "do your kegels for you" so that you don't even have to think about what's happening. But do these devices even help? Is it worth looking into? And what can you do to ensure that you aren't wasting your time and money on a machine that may not be right for you?

We are covering all of that and more in today's episode!

As things slowly start going back to "normal" (whatever that means), you may be starting to feel ready to tackle your career and your workouts. Let's go into this new phase with a plan of attack instead of just going through the motions, ensuring that we are actually contributing to our best lives instead of navigating away from it.

Today's podcast episode will outline 3 ways you can stop "failing" at work and in your workouts...and how to think about failure in a new way entirely.

Stress is a way of life for many of us; sometimes, we equate being stressed out and busy as being "successful." Sure, some amounts of stress are totally normal and actually help us build resilience; however, when that stress becomes chronic and we don't know how to mitigate it, if could have some serious repercussions on our overall health and yes, even our pelvic floor!

If you're like "well, I'm always stressed and I have no clue what to do about it," this episode is for you. We will talk about ways you may be able to mitigate that stress and reduce urgency when it comes to your professional, personal and pelvic lives.

"Just love yourself, no matter what."

Let's get it straight: I love a lot of what has come out of the body positivity movement. More people are comfortable with wearing what they want when they want, not apologizing for what they look like, and fearlessly flaunting the ish out of themselves. I LOVE IT!! But, there is a mark that the entire body positivity movement is missing that may actually be hurting the exact people it's looking to empower. We're covering that and more in today's episode!

We all know that issues like leaking and pelvic pain can warrant a trip to the pelvic floor PT. But what if you aren't having any glaring issues down there? Do you need to worry about your floor? And if so, is there anything else involved besides kegels?

We are talking about all of this and more in today's episode!

Diastasis recti, or DRA, is something that happens in appx 2/3 of postpartum people. If you're postpartum, you've probably heard of this and wondered if it's something you should be concerned about. You've probably also considered buying an off-the-shelf fitness program that promises to get your "pre-baby body" back 🤢🤮.

But what exactly is diastasis recti and is it really a big deal? What are some ways that you can recognize whether this is an issue for you beyond what your belly looks like? And what is some better advice to start with that isn't sold by some fitspo who's trying to shame you into buying their (probably trash) workout program?

It's all on today's episode!

It's no secret that our postpartum aftercare has something left to be desired: add to the mix the abysmal ways we treat folks who have undergone a cesarean section and it's like "HOW IS THIS REAL LIFE?!?"

If anything, postpartum folks get told to rub some vitamin E on their scar...and that's about it. We are led to believe that we can go back to doing all the things 6 weeks post-op: but is this really sound advice? Why do we learn how to navigate our bodies after orthopedic surgeries (think ACL tear) and not a c-section? 

And if you do undergo a c-section, your pelvic floor should be spared, right?

Not necessarily.

Today we are talking all about aftercare for your c-section, whether you're 2 weeks or 20 years out, as well as other ways to care for your body after having this surgery. Cuz despite what you've been led to believe, what you went through was anything but "easy."

Toning workouts are all the rage with women.

"I just wannabe toned."

WTF is a toning workout anyway?? Usually, "toning" is used to describe a workout program that uses very light resistance and has you doing a bajillion reps of the same exercise so that you can "sculpt lean muscles."

Sounds great, doesn't it? But why are these workouts probably not all that they're cracked up to be and what can you do to supplement them to get the most out of your body and its performance now and in years to come?

We've got it all in today's episode!

You know the feeling: after carrying around a child for what seems like forever, you've finally given birth and FINALLY got cleared for exercise from your OBGYN. But what exactly should you be doing? "Exercise" means a billion different things to a billion different people: what you think of as "exercise" could mean something totally different to your OBGYN. So what gives?!

Today we are talking all about better ways to go about exercising after you've given birth once you get the green light, and how we need to be thinking differently in regard to how we "get our bodies back" after having kids!

Womxn with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, or EDS, are oftentimes given very lack-luster advice in regard to their health and wellness. Because of the nature of EDS, a connective tissue disorder, pelvic floor dysfunction is very common. I want you to know that if you have EDS, you don't have to grin and bear things like pain with sex and leaking when in fact there are way better answers out there!

I was given the amazing opportunity to speak with Rebekah James about how EDS affects the pelvic floor and what we can do about it! It's not all just shoving dilators inside and settling for a sub-par sex life.

Womxn everywhere are constantly being told that a "normal" part of life, especially after giving birth, is that sex can be "a little painful." Like, forever.

This couldn't be further from the truth.

Taking into consideration that you've been cleared for vaginal penetration after giving birth, sex should never be a painful endeavor. And if trash "advice" like "just relax," taking a drink before doing the deed, and shoving dilators inside of you hoping for the best never worked, you're in the right place.

Today, we are talking all about why you may be experiencing pain with sex and what you can do about it! There is help out there whether you've had your child 2, 12, or 20 years ago.

The most common question I get is "Do you take my insurance?" Because we pay so much into our medical insurance plans, most of us believe that using it is in our best interest regardless of what service we are seeking: however, because physical therapy is such a nuanced service, same issue will NOT be treated the same way depending upon who you see. And insurance for sure plays a role in that.

This episode dives into most of the reasons why I do not participate with insurance companies, and the answers may surprise you. Find out why asking whether a physical therapist takes your insurance probably isn't the best question to ask when you're looking for someone to help you reclaim the life you so deserve.

Besides both being incredibly awesome (ha!), Jenna J and I have one thing in common: after both trying a popular elimination diet, we both finally said F*** you to diet culture. 

I had the amazing opportunity to chat with Jenna on her IG all about our experience and why aesthetic pursuits of weight loss over actual health in regard to elimination diets was not the best choice for either of us. This episode is not meant to shame any of you who have tried and/or are considering trying an elimination diet: it is mainly meant to be a cautionary tale. Everyone's journey is unique and has to be experienced by the person embarking upon it: we are just here to lend a navigating hand if and when you ever need it.

During the last weeks of December, I asked my Instagram followers to hit me with all their questions regarding health, wellness, and everything in between. There were so many great questions that I didn't want to miss, so I turned this into 3 episodes to cover them all!

Today we are covering all things pelvic floor (my favorite!!). I can't even tell you how excited I am that you are all so interested and want to learn more about the part of our bodies that most of us had no clue existed, let alone how to condition it! The questions I will be addressing today include:

During the last weeks of December, I asked my Instagram followers to hit me with all their questions regarding health, wellness, and everything in between. There were so many great questions that I didn't want to miss, so I turned this into 3 episodes to cover them all!

Today I am covering all of your questions related to "general" physical therapy, meaning categories of PT that do not fall under a speciality like pelvic floor (that's next week!). This episode will cover answers to the following questions:

If you are in the market in finding a physical therapist, make sure to check out episodes 3&4 for the tools you'll need in deciding which PT is best for you!

During the last weeks of December, I asked my Instagram followers to hit me with all their questions regarding health, wellness, and everything in between. There were so many great questions that I didn't want to miss, so I turned this into 3 episodes to cover them all! 

Today I am covering your questions that have everything to do with weight loss and fitness. 

-Why don't you promote weightloss as a health behavior? 

-If you were an MD and had an overweight client come to you about knee pain, what would you suggest they do instead of lose weight? 

-Why do you hate ::insert popular fitness program here:: so much? 

We are talking about all that and more in today's episode! 

If we can guarantee anything (yes, even during a global pandemic), it's that shamey messaging and marketing comes in hard and strong in December and lasts pretty much into January. Most fitness professionals and diet-toters are so ready for you to make that resolution to start a new workout program or lose weight, banking on you basically screaming  "Here, take my money."

Not Jen Borruso. Jen is a personal trainer in AZ who refuses to take on new clients between the months of December and January. Why? Tune in to find out!

We've all been there: trying new workout after new workout, only to quit about 6 weeks in. Then, December rolls around with something else, complete with the promise of changing your life for good. So what happens: you buy it, you try it, you stick with it for 6 weeks, and then you stop. You chalk it up to not having enough discipline BUT it's probably more likely that this workout wasn't for you to begin with. You bought it on the whim of a brand new body and a brand new you.

Before you jump onto the next fad workout and repeat the same cycle you've been repeating for YEARS, listen to this episode. We are never honest about what our starting point is and what we ACTUALLY want from an exercise program beyond aesthetics. In return, we give up and make ourselves believe that exercise sucks.

You CAN absolutely fall in love (or like) with exercise: you just need a guide in how to do so. And I've got that for you right here in this week's episode.

We all know the drill: come December and January, there is always a new workout program or gym offering SOME kind of special. But you have to act NOW or else you're gonna pay out the ass if you wait another second!

Stop. Breathe. Listen. Operating out of a sense of urgency without actually diving deep and realizing what we REALLY want is what keeps us stuck at best, or keeps us from reaching any type of goal at worst. There is a lot more to fitness and exercise than what infomercials and ads lead you to believe. In fact, I bet you that you have a shelf of workouts or workouts saved all over your computer that all promised something incredible, yet you actually stuck with it for what? A month? Two? Only to let it die and collect dust. Soooo what makes this workout any different?

Before you hit "save" on that new Pinterest post or swipe your credit card for the newest workout come January 1st, give this a listen. I guarantee you will learn why "nothing" ever stuck and how you can make decisions now that will affect the way you approach your new year and fitness a little bit more efficiently.

Seeing the shit storm marketing throughout 2020 that preyed on people's shame and insecurities for the sake of making a buck, I'm anticipating this will be even more exacerbated leading up to and through the first month or so of the new year. This "new year, new you" messaging is SO detrimental to how we view ourselves and our self-worth, and just needs to die with the rest of the garbage that is 2020.

Because I feel so strongly about this, I've decided to create a miniseries throughout the month of December: kinda like an auxiliary for you to be stronger in your convictions in who you are as a person and a whole ass human being, rather than fall victim to garbage messaging that makes you feel less-than.

Today's episode is all about setting boundaries: around your body, around your time, and around your bullshit tolerance level.

Questions/comments/concerns? Reach out to me via any of the platforms listed below!

Douches, vaginal rejuvenation surgeries, bleaching creams, razors, waxes...when it comes to issues "down there," what is actually normal?!

I've drilled it into your brain that when it comes to womxn's pelvic health, no matter what age you are or how many kids you've had, peeing/pooping yourself, having pain with sex/penetration, feeling a heaviness in your vagina, and always feeling like you have to pee are all COMMON complaints but NOT normal. 

But what exactly IS normal? There are so many products and services that claim they are to benefit our vaginal health and wellness, but what exactly is normal when it comes to taboo topics like vaginal discharge, pubic hair, how our vaginas smell, what our vulvas are supposed to look like, and how are we supposed to clean these things, exactly?

We are talking all about things you've always wanted to know but were too embarrassed to ask on today's episode!

I know you've seen those posts on Facebook, all like "Did you do your billion kegels today?" Your MD prescribed kegels because you can't stop peeing your pants when you cough, sneeze, and exercise. But do you really need to be doing kegels? 

Are you even doing them right? 

What are you supposed to be feeling down there, anyway? 

And what does your kegel program actually look like (and yes, there SHOULD be a kegel program)?

If you've never thought about any of this and thought that sneaking in quick "pelvic floor" contractions at a stop light meant you were on the right track, you may be missing something.

In this episode, we are talking all about what kegels are, how to properly do one, what goes into a kegel program, and when they might not be the best exercise for your pelvic floor conditioning.

Being well-versed in your body and its capabilities is so important when embarking upon a fitness journey: yet, we are never instructed on what to look for or what to pay attention to when we are navigating exercise (there is a LOT more to it than you think!). It goes WAY beyond aesthetics and what your instructor looks like. But what SHOULD we be mindful of when putting together a fitness program?

Today, Morganne Frazier and I are discussing some myths and fallacies that are placed upon us in the health and wellness realm in regard to exercise, why it is important to be your own advocate when it comes to your health, and why balls-to-the-wall workouts are not always the best solutions.

With the most important presidential election just around the corner, it's imperative that we stop being garbage humans to each other and actually learn how to LISTEN. I am seeing so much hate and disrespect towards each other and the main question I keep posing is "How the fuck did we get here?!"

One skill which many people seem to be lacking is empathy: this is what divides the children in adult-sized bodies from actual adults. It is what helps check our egos at the door for the sake of actually taking someone other than ourselves into account when making a decision to act, speak up, or remain quiet.

Grab your headphones and do not miss this very critical, very real episode.

We are switching gears today with an interview with one of my favorite people in the world, Kaitlin M. Brazil! Kaitlin is a mom of 2 boys who experienced urinary incontinence with her first child about 5 years ago. Symptoms worsened over the years and she was eventually referred by her urogynocologist to receive a urethral sling, which brought on a slew of other issues that Kaitlin continues to face today.

Come join us for this very real, very candid interview and hear Kaitlin's story about how surgery may not always be the best option. If her story sounds like yours, know that conservative measures ARE OUT THERE for you: we just have to know where to look.

Questions/comments/concerns? As always, reach out to me via email or DM me through IG (links below).

In honor of Bone & Joint Health Week, this episode is all about one of the most common diagnoses out there: osteoarthritis (OA), or normal wear and tear on your joints.

I know what you're saying: "But Dr. Mel, I'm only 28. I don't have to worry about arthritis yet." Did you know that OA can be apparent in people as young as 19?

Most importantly, however, I want you to know that OA isn't this scary diagnosis that predicts a joint replacement in your future. Women are too often dismissed for what's ailing and paining them, having their symptoms chalked up to arthritis; do they have OA? Probably. Is it bad enough to cause debilitating pain? Not always.

In this week's episode, we are talking all about what OA is and what you can do to prevent its progression to the point of giving up doing the things you love.

In this VERY transparent episode, I dive deep into how I gained the COVID 20, and what I did about it. And the answer might surprise you.

As a health and wellness professional, I felt shame around the fact that I gained 20 lbs during quarantine: I should know better, I should do better. But what does this type of thinking actually afford anyone? In this episode, I wanted to be as transparent as possible, letting you all know that even as healthcare practitioners, we are not perfect. However, how we go about treating ourselves in spite of things like weight gain and not having the healthiest of habits is the most important thing we can do for our actual health and wellness. Shaming ourselves into a smaller body is never one of them.

Check out my tips and make sure to grab your free journal prompts below!

Grab Your Journal Prompts: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GipzGvKPsjg3OoqNY9hQaNgmJ8HhiKxd/view?usp=sharing

September is National PCOS Awareness Month and given that womxn aren't really given much info when it comes to their reproductive health, we are bringing this topic to light!

PCOS, or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome affects 3-15% of womxn aged 12-51, affecting more BIPOC womxn than white womxn (Side note: I always say "Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome" because it sounds more grammatically correct to me, so that's why you'll hear me say that in the episode). It is one of the most common issues affecting the endocrine system (the control center of our hormones) in womxn. HUGE DEAL!

While PCOS does not have a known cure, there are ways to mitigate the symptoms and help you gain a better quality of life. Having a phenomenal team of providers including a well-versed, empathetic OBGYN, a mental health provider, a registered dietician, and, of course, a pelvic floor physical therapist can all help you reach your goal of living a strong, fulfilled, and fearless life regardless of your diagnosis.

We are getting to it all in today's episode!

Today is all about how being authentic with yourself affects your mental, emotional, and physical health. This episode is purely anecdotal: I am not nor do I claim to be a mental health professional. But, I do believe that authenticity and sticking to our values and boundaries throughout our professional and personal lives is a great way to stave off stress and live lives that are actually worth living!

So wtf am I talking about and how can you implement this in your everyday life? I gotchu. We are talking about all of that and more in today's episode!

(Also I said the hustle culture episode was last week...it wasn't! That's in E5 so make sure to check that out also)

I know you've been told that because you're a woman, have given birth, or are of a certain age, things just "are what they are" and it's "normal" to be racing to the bathroom being that you might piss yourself. Ladies, THIS IS NOT NORMAL!

But it is very common

And there is also help!

Today we are talking about why urinary incontinence happens, the different types, and what you can do about it!

Link to my Pelvic Pride DIY course: https://www.yournewquest.com/pelvic-pride-diy

We are taught to wear busyness as a badge of honor. That if we are busy, it means we have finally made it: WE ARE SUCCESSFUL!

But why is this actually doing us more harm than good?

We are getting down to it in today's episode (and, spoiler alert: I might belt out a tune in this one. BTW I was totally sober, so that's who you're dealing with).

Despite what many people think, not all physical therapists are created equally. You also might be surprised to know that choosing a clinic based of whether they take your insurance OR its proximity to your house are probably not the best metrics off which to base where you should go.

I gotchu. This episode Has everything you need to knowing when choosing who to hire as your PT (and yes, this should be a hiring process!!!). You take the time to research what car you're gonna buy, what phone you're gonna get, but why don't we EVER research who is in charge of our damn bodies? That is actually something we need to be more involved in.

As healthcare becomes more profit-driven in the current business model, you need to be SOOOOO active in the process. Don't be taken for granted and make sure you're demanding what you deserve. This episode is one way to help you do just that.

If one thing is clear regarding physical therapy, it's this: no one knows wtf we do! 

When someone asks me what PT can help with, I always give this answer: I can help you overcome anything physical that's keeping you from living your damn life. I know: SUPER broad!

That's because PT is a very broad discipline. We don't just help people who've had surgery or who are older. We literally help all ages, all injuries, basically all gripes with what's physically going on. These problems can range from overcoming vertigo or dizziness, balance issues, joint pain, back and neck pain, pelvic floor issues, cardio and lung ailments, general fitness...the list goes on.

For the sake of not only brevity but also expertise, the bulk of this episode entails orthopedic and women's pelvic floor issues since those are the areas with which I am most familiar. 

If this episode hit home with you and you are thinking about hiring a physical therapist, don't miss the follow up episode where you can learn what to look for in a PT (and it's not just someone who takes your insurance).

I am so tired of seeing shameful social media posts focusing on those who've gained weight during COVID: you are surviving a pandemic. You're wearing a TON of different hats now (wife, mother, girlfriend, teacher, colleague, staff member, HUMAN). Stress is at an all-time high. So it really grinds my gears when fitness coaches, "gurus," and yes, even physical therapists are capitalizing on this and shaming you into losing weight.

Besides your weight being the least interesting thing about you, being shamed into a crappy exercise program does a few things: it sets you up for immediate failure, it increases your risk for injury, and it trains you to absolutely hate exercise. While these coaches, gurus, trainers, and PTs claim to be helping you, they may actually be hurting you.

We get into it all in today's episode!

One of the most frustrating things I encounter as a physical therapist is when a client/prospective client receives an imaging report (xray, MRI, CT scan) and is basically scared to move due to the "findings." There is a TON of fear mongering going on in the medical profession, for what reasons I'm still unsure. We are told never squat if you have "bone on bone" arthritis, never do crunches if you have a herniated disc, never move in ways your body was intended. 

But why is this probably awful "advice?" Why might these diagnoses and reports be doing more harm to your health than anything else? Why do I, as a healthcare professional, not really give a crap if your x-ray shows anything (we are NOT talking traumatic or acute injuries here, NOR red flags)? What do x-rays actually show? What should you be mindful of when receiving these imaging results? And why do words matter SO much when we receive these?

We are talking about that and more in today's episode!

For the past few months, I have been doing a YouTube/IGTV series called Fearless Fridays; every Friday, I would release a video exposing some BS that the health and wellness industry was perpetuating all for the sake of making a buck...at your expense.

Things were great...until I realized I absolutely HATE being behind a camera.

My passion for giving women the tools they need to live the lives they deserve did not diminish: my desire to be on camera did. I'm still educating, still informing, still getting salty...except now you can listen as you go to work.

This episode is a quick intro into who I am and what you can expect from the show moving forward. Episodes will be released on Fridays!