This Endolife

Dr. Stephanie Harrod is a doctor of physical therapy specialising in women’s health - in particular, endometriosis. In her patients, she often sees endo alongside SIBO and interstitial cystitis, but also hypermobility/EDS and POTS.Stephanie saw these patterns in so many patients, that she began developing protocols to support people with endo not just with their pelvic health and pelvic pain, but with all of these co-conditions, that often have an impact on endo and overall health.In today’s episode, Stephanie and I talk about her personalised approach for managing POTS/dysatuonomia with endometriosis and how these strategies differ from typical POTS treatment to better support endometriosis.In this episode we discuss: How managing POTS with endo differs from managing POTS alone and why. How to effectively use salt for POTS and dysautonomia management. The types of exercises that are better suited for POTS and how we can adapt them for endo. The lifestyle modifications and tools we can use to manage the day t

Did you know that ADHD has been linked to patients with joint hypermobility, pain and dysautonomia?Given that endometriosis is now being associated more and more with hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorders, as well as POTS and dysautonomia, that means that there could be a reasonable percentage of people with endo also living with ADHD.So today on the podcast, I’m joined by Adele Wimsett to discuss this topic further. Adele Wimsett is a Women’s Health Practitioner specialising in cyclical awareness, education, hormone balance and ADHD.After being diagnosed with ADHD at 41, Adele went onto discover the many ways in which hormones and the stages of the menstrual cycle can affect ADHD traits.In today’s episode, Adele shares with us her story, the ways in which hormones impact ADHD and how we can work with our cycles to improve our experience of ADHD.In this episode we discuss: What ADHD is Why it presents differently in females and cyclical people and what this means for diagnosi

Dr. Saru Bala is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor with a degree from Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington and prior to attending medical school, she received her Bachelor's degree in Neurobiology from the University of Texas at Austin. She has done extra training in the areas of women’s health and naturopathic endocrinology. Her passion area and primary focus with patients is managing chronic hormonal issues such as PMS, period pain, heavy bleeding, fibroids, endometriosis, Hashimoto's, fertility, and other hormonal health concerns.Not only is she a walking wealth of knowledge on hormones, she’s also hilarious and breaks down complex and confusing topics with ease on her Instagram. I actually first came across her watching one of her reels on period pain and it was so on point and so easy to understand that I immediately became a fan!In today’s episode, Dr. Saru Bala and I are talking all about PMS - why people have it, why it’s been normalised in society and some really easy steps to begin minimising your

Dr. Tara Morrison is Birth Trauma Specialist and Holistic Pelvic Floor  Physical Therapist who specialises in whole-person care for pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond. We actually met several years ago when we were both training at the Integrative Women’s Health Institute, so it was a real pleasure to have her on the show!Tara uses trauma-informed Somatic Pelvic Care to aid not just pain and pelvic floor dysfunction, but nervous system healing through mind-body based physical therapy tools, stress management, somatic emotional release, energy medicine, and mindful living. In today’s episode, Tara and I talk about how she uses somatic therapy for chronic pelvic pain.In this episode we discuss: The development of the nervous system and how childhood experiences can cause chronic nervous system dysregulation and pelvic pain Emotional experiences and patterns and their impact on symptoms. Poly-vagal theory and the chronic freeze state in endometriosis and other pelvic pain conditions. What somatic therapy is and

Dr. Sarah Dueffert is a doctor of physical therapy, a board-certified neurologic clinical specialist and health coach specialising in fatigue and POTS recovery. Not only does Sarah help others get their life back, but she got her life back too - after years of mysterious symptoms like brain fog and crippling fatigue. Now she supports people to improve their energy and enjoy life again, after serious chronic illness like endometriosis and POTS have left them exhausted and barely able to get through the day.In today’s episode, Sarah and I are talking about how to recover from chronic fatigue with endo and dysautonomia/POTS.In this episode we discuss: What dysautonomia means and what specifically what POTS is and how it affects the body. How to get diagnosed with POTS or dysautonomia and the challenges women and people with endo face when asking for help with symptoms like a racing heart, chest pain, exhaustion and dizziness. The personality traits associated with POTS and chronic pelvic pain, in both the litera

Elisa Imperatori is a certified Iyengar yoga teacher and menstrual cycle and perimenopause educator. Combining yoga, body literacy and the phases of the menstrual cycle, she helps people turn their menstrual cycle into an ally so that they can go from menstrual pain, mood swings and not understanding their cycle to body harmony, reduced symptoms and a happier, healthier cycle.In today’s episode, Elisa and I are talking about how to use yoga to experience a better cycle and manage chronic endo pain.In this episode we discuss: What cycle synced yoga is and how it differs from the ‘typical’ yoga we practice in Western society. The evidence-based benefits behind yoga for endometriosis and chronic pain. How to practice cycle-synced yoga for endometriosis symptom management and hormone health. How to practice yoga safely with endometriosis and how to tailor poses appropriately to prevent flare ups. The specific poses Elisa loves for pain relief. If you want to be able to move your body in a way that supports your e

Today is a special episode, because my mentor, the woman who coached me through my coaching training, Susan Clinton, is joining us!Susan Clinton is a board certified women’s health physical therapist, a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Therapy, and a board certified health and wellness coach - to name just a few of her hats! She is also a Master Coach for the Integrative Women’s Health Institute, hence why she ended up being my coach and mentor!In today’s episode, Susan and I are discussing endometriosis and menopause - and how to experience a better one!In this episode we discuss: The difference between natural menopause and surgically or medically induced menopause. Myth-busting the lie that endo doesn’t affect those in menopause and the research on early menopause and endo. How menopause can affect endometriosis symptoms, plus the general symptoms that can occur with menopause. How to improve your experience of menopause and reduce your symptoms. This isn’t a topic we’ve ever covered bef

Today’s episode is with my tutor and world renowned endometriosis expert Dr Jessica Drummond.Dr Jessica Drummond is the founder and CEO of the Integrative Women’s Health Institute, where she trains thousands of practitioners and works with patients with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain conditions. She is also the author of the incredible book Outsmart Endometriosis.Jessica is hosting a free endo workshop Outsmart Endometriosis Workshop, “6 Strategies to Reclaim Your Life from Endometriosis” on Oct 25th 2pm at 2pm EST. Sign up here. You can attend live or watch the replay, but you must be signed up to receive the recording.In today’s interview, Jessica and I continue a conversation we’ve been having together for much of the year - and this is the connection between endometriosis, MCAS, dysautonomia and hypermobility.Something I love about this conversation is that we talk less about the diagnosis of these conditions, and more about how to think about these new conditions and how to approach healing withou

This week’s episode is a replay as my guest for this week has had to postpone (but they’ll be on very soon)! I thought I’d continue on the theme of improving your period pain with endo, and wanted to share some of the best foods for lowering inflammation and supporting a healthy cycle.Of course, please avoid the foods that you know you react to and don’t tolerate. Every body is different and so just because a food is shown to be anti-inflammatory, that doesn’t mean it’s right for you.As most of you will know by now, I lean towards making healthy choices to support us with endo all month long, but that doesn’t mean that focusing on foods to add in just before our period can’t be useful. In fact, if you’re struggling with where to get started with endometriosis management, I would start here and with my last episode.As always, these are just options - you don’t have to do them all nor do you have to do them exactly as suggested, tweak and tailor to your lifestyle and preferences. If you’re triggered by any of t

This week’s episode is a replay as I am busy welcoming my new course students!I’ve had some amazing client wins in the past week - three clients had a dramatic reduction in pain and an increase in cycle regularity, with two actually going out on Day 1 of their periods to parties and social dinners!So it inspired me to share with you all ways to improve your period, and one of the go-to techniques I use with clients is pulling together a little pre-period toolkit which helps them to reduce inflammation in the lead up to menstruation.So I thought I’d reshape this old episode where I share six tips for reducing endo pain in the lead up to your period…Perhaps we get through with a mix of pain killers or maybe nothing helps at all - whatever is going on for you, today I want to offer you six simple pain relieving strategies that can help alleviate your endometriosis pain when your period arrives. These methods are best begun seven days before your period so the effects build up and compound and I do totally recomm

For the first and only time, I’m doing a 5-day flash sale on all of my courses.You get a year’s access to all three of my courses, plus two extra bonus masterclasses on surgery and pain relief, for just £99. If you’ve ever wanted to dip your toe into healing endo, but money was a barrier for you, now is the time to invest (affordably) in your endo recovery journey!You get all of this: Live and Thrive with Endo – usual price: £350 The Endo Belly Protocol – usual price: £215 Live and Thrive with Endo: The Foundations – usual price: £160 Creating Your Natural Pain Relief Tool Kit for Endo – usual price: £29.99 Holistic Pre and Post-Surgery Recovery Protocol – usual price: £29.99 So, that’s £784.98 worth of content, for an entire year, for £99.Want to learn more or sign up? Click here.So, what do you get?Live and Thrive with EndoThis course is a step-by-step outline of my exact one-to-one coaching programme; a road map for reducing pain, bloating, fatigue, and brain fog (and all the other symptoms that come with

You may remember back in late August I was promoting an event I was speaking at; the wonderful IC Retreat, a virtual 3 day event hosted by Joana Bartlett - all about empowering IC patients with tools, knowledge and support.My presentation was a deep dive into the connection between interstitial cystitis, endometriosis and SIBO and how to manage these conditions together. I was so proud of this presentation and felt so passionately that everyone should have this info, that I asked Joana if I could share it all with you… So, here it is!In this presentation I discuss: The prevalence of endo in the IC and SIBO community and the current research and statistics. The definitions of endo and SIBO, the theories behind endo development and the two key causes of SIBO. How endometriosis can lead to interstitial cystitis or bladder related conditions - and how endometriosis can lead to SIBO! How SIBO can contribute to the development of endo and interstitial cystitis, and the complexity of the chicken or the egg scenario

Jo Lincolne is a certified holistic wellness coach for endometriosis and a womb hara massage practitioner.As an Endometriosis Wellness Specialist and educator, Jo provides natural endometriosis support and education to help endo sufferers find wellness again and manage their endo-symptoms.As a woman with endo herself, Jo set out to support herself naturally when she was diagnosed, as there were not many answers that doctors were able to give her or effective medical treatments. This has led her right to where she is today - helping people with endo holistically find relief, hope, vitality and the power to control their health again.In this episode, Jo and I talk about health coaching for endometriosis and the specific benefits of this type of wellbeing support.We discuss:What coaching is - and what it isn’t! Busting myths about coaching. How coaching can support someone with endo or a chronic illness and the research and evidence demonstrating its effectiveness. How having a coach compares to working with an

We are on the go again this week, preparing for our temporary return to the UK before we head to Sweden for December, so today’s episode is a replay - but one that I think is really relevant because I know so many of you struggle with this.Today I am resharing a very old episode about my story of beginning to change my diet and lifestyle for endometriosis when I first started on this journey, and how I went full throttle and burnt myself out - and then how I scaled back and made changes more sustainably to avoid overwhelm.And just as a heads up, this was recorded before I was finished with my training as a Women’s Health Coach, so I’m not as clued up on nutrition and lifestyle changes in this episode as I am now, but I’ve actually linked to some articles and episodes about nutrition for endo and the key pillars of healing I use with clients, in the show notes. So, let’s get to the show…Original text:It’s really easy, when you’re unwell, to want to fix everything as quickly as possible. When I started managing

Rachel Dutton a.k.a The Period Whisperer is pretty much one of the most knowledgeable women to grace this podcast. She is not only a women’s health coach, but a yoga teacher, reflexologist, aromatherapist and womb massage therapist to name just a few of her credentials. Rachel specialises in women’s health and fertility - including PCOS.As a PCOS warrior herself, Rachel knows first hand the struggle to get an accurate diagnosis, life with PCOS symptoms but perhaps most importantly, how to manage and even reverse symptoms.As this month is PCOS Awareness Month, I am giving you guys a little treat. Last month, Rachel came and delivered a private talk to the members of my Live and Thrive membership, and today, to celebrate PCOS Awarenness Month, I’m sharing it with you!Now, just as a heads up, some of this talk has been cut as I wanted to ensure my member’s privacy, and half the talk was a Q&A session. Additionally, Rachel’s talk was delivered with slides so you may hear her from time to time refer to somethi

Joana Bartlett is an interstitial cystitis warrior, who is thankfully in remission after spending years researching and training in a holistic approach to IC management. She is now a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, specialised in interstitial cystitis and takes a multi-faceted approach to reduce IC symptoms, addressing the whole body, not just the bladder alone.In this episode, Joana and I discuss…Here’s what we cover: Her story of interstitial cystitis and why her journey motivated her to help others experiencing the same chronic pain. The typical symptoms of IC, how it can manifest differently for each person and the various tests for diagnosis. The new subtypes of interstitial cystitis - bladder centric, pelvic floor and chronic overlapping pain conditions - and where endometriosis patients fit into this new type of categorising. The common causes of IC that Joana sees in her practice including low oestrogen, gut health problems, nervous system upregulation and pelvic floor conditions. Why Joana’s approac

Cheryl Woodman is a scientist, award-winning skincare formulator, acne expert and creator of Honesty For Your Skin; a safe space where you can find science-based skin help and where Cheryl also runs her online Acne Clinic. She’s been featured as an expert by Yahoo style, Byrdie and The Huffington Post and with good reason. Cheryl isn’t about quick fixes or skin fads, she’s all about root cause resolution and understanding the science behind skin. In this episode, Cheryl and I discuss hormonal and inflammatory acne and how it can be related to chronic conditions like endometriosis and PCOS, and what the hell we can do about it…Here’s what we cover: The difference between hormonal acne and inflammatory acne and how to know which one is the culprit behind your skin challenges. The key hormonal imbalances behind hormonal acne (testosterone, we’re looking at you) and their common root causes, plus how to resolve them. Some of the key causes behind inflammatory acne including gut health problems, changes to the ski

Dr. Linda Bluestein is a board-certified anesthesiologist, integrative pain medicine physician and former ballet dancer who specialises in coaching and educating dancers and other athletes and individuals at increased risk of hypermobility disorders.Dr Linda’s own experience with h-EDS eventually led her down a career path change that has seen her help countless others to live well with hypermobility and avoid chronic pain development. She is widely published, considered an expert on hypermobility disorders, and has lectured internationally.In this episode, Dr Linda and I sit down to discuss the link between Hypermobility spectrum disorders, hypermobile-Ehler’s Danlos syndrome, mast cell activation syndrome and endometriosis.Here’s what we cover: What we mean by generalised hypermobility, hypermobility spectrum disorders and hypermobility-EDS, and how they differ. What are the signs and symptoms of these conditions. The link between h-EDS and menstrual disorders, bladder dysfunction and pelvic pain and Dr Lin

We have just arrived in France after a 10 hour journey in 34 degree heat! Wow, was that intense!We’re now getting into our work routine but because we’ve been journeying, I have to squeeze my clients into one day, so can’t record a new episode this week. Instead, I’m reshaping an old episode which is literally providing you with my step-by-step protocol for endometriosis management and healing.I’ve developed this approach after spending seven years working with the endo community and on my own healing journey, and studying with leading specialists such as Dr Jessica Drummond and Dr Allison Siebecker. I hope by sharing some of my core steps, it’ll help you navigate your own healing journey and give you a foundation on which to build your own plan.It’s the 100th episode! To celebrate I’m sharing the foundation steps I take with my clients to create their personalised holistic healing plan for endometriosis.In this episode I share some of my main areas of focus when creating an endo healing plan: Nutrition for e

We are moving (to France!) and so today’s episode is a replay of a very early episode, that some of you may have not yet listened to!I see chronic stress and nervous system dysregulation a lot in our community - so I really encourage you to listen to this episode because healing is more than nutrition and supplements.If you were eating a totally anti-inflammatory diet but you were experiencing chronic stress, would that have an impact on your pain levels?My answer? It’s very, very likely.There are two key factors that cause further inflammation in our bodies when it comes to our lifestyle. Stress, tension and danger signals are often experienced in two places in the body: the neck and shoulders, and the pelvic floor. The body is trying to protect the vital organs in the pelvis and abdomen and so in response to stress, our body believes there’s danger and clenches and tightens the pelvic floor. This creates further pain, nerve sensitivity, muscle and organ dysfunction and distortion and ultimately up-regulates