Mom Strength

Let’s talk about sex, baby! Or in this case, dyspareunia or painful sex. We go over:

1. Find out what dyspareuia is and the different types and categories (superficial vs deep, primary vs secondary)
2. How common is dyspareunia and how many people are impacted by painful intercourse postpartum
3. How dyspareunia impacts mental, physical and sexual health
4. Learn why you do not need to rush to have sex at 6 weeks postpartum
5. How postpartum sexual health declines across all domains
6. Why painful sex is not just the responsibility of the woman or vulva-owner
7. Purchase the replay for my Reclaim your Pleasure workshop to help you release tension, pain and welcome in more pleasure (even if you deal with painful intercourse!)

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Links & Resources:

—Reclaim your Pleasure workshop replay: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca/reclaim-your-pleasure-workshop

—Need help managing pelvic floor symptoms? Book your virtual consultation: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca/book-with-surabhi

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Connect with Surabhi:
—Find Surabhi on Instagram or Facebook @thepassionatephysio
—Website: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca

Pleasure is defined as the feeling of happy satisfaction or contentment. If you want more pleasure in your life and in your sex life, we need to cultivate it. Here are 4 tips to cultivate more pleasure and have better orgasms:

1. Presence: being mindful and aware of the sensations in your body during daily activities can help you be more tuned in during sex

2. Breathe: your breath is your superpower and directly impacts your pelvic floor, blood flow and orgasms. Breathing can also help you relax and release tension, allowing you to fully feel the sensations in your body.

3. Foreplay: longer the better!

4. Belief: you have to believe that great sex and great orgasms are available to you. If you have a history of painful sex, trauma, or body image issues, this can be especially hard, but keep holding onto hope.

Reclaim your Pleasure workshop replay: practice presence and breath, release negative self-beliefs, and move your body to unlock more pleasure! https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca/reclaim-your-pleasure-workshop

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Links & Resources:

—Need help managing pelvic floor symptoms? Book your virtual 1:1 consultation: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca/book-with-surabhi

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Connect with Surabhi:
—Find Surabhi on Instagram or Facebook @thepassionatephysio
—Website: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca

Surabhi Veitch discusses the topic of shame surrounding pleasure and sex. The shame people feel when discussing sex is not uncommon and is often a result of societal taboos and cultural upbringings. I share my own experiences growing up in an Indian household where the topic of sex was never discussed and how being shamed by one of my first boyfriends impacted me long-term.

Reclaim your Pleasure workshop - purchase replay: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca/reclaim-your-pleasure-workshop 60-minutes of breathwork, visualization and movement to unleash the pleasure within you! 40-minutes of recorded Q&A about pelvic health, sexual shame, and more!

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Key points:

—The topic of sex and pleasure is still considered taboo and awkward in many households around the world.
—The shame that people feel when talking about sex and pleasure is not uncommon and is often a result of upbringing and cultural values.
—Many people struggle to comfortably use the proper names for body parts related to sex and pleasure.
—The lack of open and appropriate education about sex and pleasure contributes to the shame and discomfort people feel.
—The first step in dismantling shame around sex and pleasure is to educate ourselves and our children about the proper names for body parts and to talk about sex and pleasure openly.

Reclaim your Pleasure workshop replay: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca/reclaim-your-pleasure-workshop

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Links & Resources:

—Reclaim your Pleasure workshop Feb 23/23 at 8:30 PM ET (there’s a replay if you can’t make it live): https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca/reclaim-your-pleasure-workshop
—Need help managing pelvic floor symptoms? Book your virtual consultation: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca/book-with-surabhi

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Connect with Surabhi:
—Find Surabhi on Instagram or Facebook @thepassionatephysio
—Website: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca

Join Surabhi Veitch as she sits down with Dr. Jacqueline Sherman (aka Dr. Jac) to chat sexual confidence, how to discuss difficult topics with your partner, and ways to boost body image and intimacy after major life transitions, experiencing loss or miscarriage.

We discuss:

—Dr Jac's experience with miscarriage and her call to become an intimacy coach
—Self-reflection, journalling and why the brain is where you start sexual self-care
—Having conversations around sex
—How body image and insecurities impact sex drive
—The orgasm gap
—How men feel about their partner's body-image struggles (in cisgender heteronormative relationships)
—Unlearning sexual scripts we've learned from society
—Spontaneous desire and responsive desire
—Making intimacy a priority again eg after taking a break in the postpartum phase or beyond
—Radical acceptance of body changes is work for each partner to do
—What is sexual confidence?
—Performing sex as an obligation even if it hurts or you don't want it
—Why faking it is so detrimental
—Surabhi's Self-Love and Pleasure Calendar
—Connect with Dr Jac, free guide and Sexfirmation Cards®
—Intimacy Coaching offered virtually worldwide
—Final Thoughts with Dr Jac (on self-care, passion and strength)

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Dr. Jac Bio

Dr. Jacqueline Sherman (aka Dr. Jac) is a licensed clinical psychologist, intimacy coach, and relationship expert based in Jacksonville, FL. She is passionate about helping women build confidence, and teaches couples all over the world how to have better relationships, and mind-blowing intimacy! In 2022, she released Sexfirmation Cards®, the first sexual wellness card deck for women. The deck helps women boost their sex confidence and enhance their intimacy by developing a practical sexual self-care practice!

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Connect with Dr. Jac & Important Links:
—Follow Dr. Jac on Instagram @drjacphd
—Shop Sexfirmation Cards®: https://www.drjac.co/shop 15% Discount - Use Code SURABHI15
—Visit Website at https://www.drjac.co/ for FREE GUIDE on 5 Ways to Have Better Sex
—Interested in 1:1 or couples Intimacy Coaching Visit https://www.drjac.co/oneononecoaching
—Contact Email: [email protected]

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Connect with Surabhi:
—Find Surabhi on Instagram or Facebook @thepassionatephysio
—Website: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca

Join Surabhi Veitch as she sits down with the extraordinary Selam Debs - a beacon of strength, healing and grace - for a heart-to-heart conversation about her personal journey as a Black single mother navigating the complexities of raising a Black son in a white supremacist society. Selam opens up about the struggles she faced, the power of owning her story and her journey towards healing. Together, we delve into the impact of adultification of Black children, the harm of white supremacy culture on body image and parenting, and the necessary pain and joys of waking up to the truth. We explore the transformative power of motherhood and how it has shaped Selam's healing journey and her unwavering commitment to creating a better world for future generations.

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We discuss:

—Selam growing up, from Ethiopia to so-called Canada
—Moving to Kitchener-Waterloo and facing racism
—Having her son at 21 was the greatest blessing
—Facing stereotypes as a young, Black single mother
—Selam’s journey to healing
—Raising her son to feel proud of his culture while surrounded by white supremacy
—Her Black son being targeted by teachers from a young age
—Stop adultifying Black children - see them as the children that they are
—The violent harm of white tears
—The transition and transformation in becoming a mother
—The power in owning every part of your story
—Body Image and harmful Eurocentric standards based on white supremacy
—White women co-opting Black features and traits while Black women are dehumanized for the same traits
—How parenting shifts as your child gets older
—How insidious white supremacy culture is
—The necessary pain you have to face when waking up to the truth
—The joy in Black, brown and Indigenous cultures
—How white supremacy culture and colonial violence makes people disconnected from humanity
—Things you need to teach a Black boy as a parent
—Healing practices and vision for a better future

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Selam Debs Bio

Selam is a Black Ethiopian queer woman, an antiracism educator, an anti-oppression coach, a social justice advocate, a student in dismantling anti-Black racism, an accomplice in dismantling anti-Indigenous racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and an advocate in 2SLGBTQ+ & disability rights through an intersectional lens. She is the founder of her recently closed studio, Juici Yoga, a yoga and meditation instructor, a restorative yoga teacher trainer, a holistic life coach, a reiki master, and a Lululemon Ambassador.

Selam is first and foremost, A MOTHER, a singer and a songwriter, a poet and a practitioner of self-acceptance, self-love, and radical compassion. Selam’s Antiracism work is rooted in the understanding that we must acknowledge and identify the insidiousness of white supremacy before we can dismantle colonial belief systems. The process of undoing, unlearning and re-educating is necessary for white communities to embark on, to support the healing journey for our racialized communities. Selam is also a board member of Project UP, Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region (SASCW) and Women's Entrepreneur Centre of Laurier University.

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Links/Resources

—Follow Selam on Instagram @selamdebs
—Selam’s website and Antiracism Course: https://www.selamdebs.com/antiracism-course

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Connect with Surabhi:
—Find Surabhi on Instagram or Facebook @thepassionatephysio
—Website: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca

Surabhi Veitch interviews repeat guest, fitness and nutrition coach, and anti-racism educator, Inemesit Graham, for a conversation all about healing, joy and returning to your authentic self. Inemesit lives Audre Lorde’s message: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” We get into how reconnecting to her beautiful Afro hair has been a way to celebrate herself and to heal from years of being bullied for her hair. We also discuss white supremacy and how it plays out with Karens, double standards, tone policing and immense pressures on Black, brown and racialized peoples.

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We discuss:
—How treading water can be just as hard as swimming against the current
—The history of white supremacy, slavery and arbitrary rules for segregating Black peoples
—Prioritizing self-care as an act of self-love
—Healing through reconnecting with and celebrating her Afro hair
—Connecting with her kids and herself via art
—How white supremacy culture shows up in clothing, loss of cultural languages, pressure to assimilate and double standards
—Queen Elizabeth’s death and why we don’t mourn it
—What the term “Karen” actually means and why any white woman can be a Karen
—The Civil Rights Movement, the violence of white women, and Emmett Till's murder
—Tone policing in the workplace
—Defining empathy and why so many people have trouble with it
—Being African is not a monolith. Being BIPOC is not a monolith. Being Asian is not a monolith.
—The pressure for exceptionalism as a way of survival

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Inemesit Graham Bio

Inemesit is a personal trainer and nutrition coach specializing in pre and postnatal fitness. Inemesit's goal is a decolonized approach to fitness based on body liberty and not body oppression.

Links/Resources:
—Follow Inemesit on Instagram @mummy_fitness
—Inemesit’s website: https://www.mummy-fitness.com/
—Sign up for Get R.E.A.D.Y: https://www.mummy-fitness.com/fitnessprograms/p/country-feast-set-3nybt-t73yr

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Connect with Surabhi:
—Find Surabhi on Instagram or Facebook @thepassionatephysio
—Website: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca

In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to do a pelvic floor self-examination and check if you’re doing Kegels properly. Contrary to popular belief, you do NOT need someone to insert their fingers inside you in order to confirm whether or not your pelvic floor works. Trust yourself and your body. Just like you don’t need someone to hold your elbow while you do a bicep curl, you don’t need someone to confirm that your pelvic floor is contracting properly. You can check for yourself using your senses! I teach you how to use your eyes to look, your nose to smell, your hands to feel, and your ears to listen while you breathe and perform pelvic floor contractions and relaxations.

For other pelvic physiotherapists and practitioners: I am not against internal examinations. While they can give you a lot of information, and are often considered the gold standard, we have to acknowledge that they are not accessible to most people. We can’t leave people without support just because they don’t live near an in-person pelvic physiotherapist, because they cannot afford care or because they don’t want an internal examination. We need to remember that many people don’t have the interest in getting an internal examination (cultural reasons, religious reasons, personal reasons, history of trauma etc.). And frankly, most people don’t need an internal check from someone else to tell them whether or nothing something works or hurts in their body. Let’s start trusting the humans we work with. Each person knows their own bodies the best. My philosophy is that we need to educate and empower our clients so they can be the experts of their own bodies.

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Links & Resources:

—Through virtual physiotherapy and coaching, I help you resolve pelvic floor symptoms like leaks, manage prolapse and pain, and return to exercise with confidence! Book your virtual consultation: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca/book-with-surabhi
—Are you a practitioner wanting mentorship? Book your mentoring session here: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca/book-with-surabhi
—If your pelvic floor feels tight or sore, and you want simple ways to release your own pelvic floor, buy my Release your Pelvic Floor e-guide: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca/release-pelvic-floor-e-guide

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Connect with Surabhi:
—Find Surabhi on Instagram or Facebook @thepassionatephysio
—Website: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca

This is a super special episode with Sharon Fan, who I have the pleasure of knowing for many years now, and also got to support her in her postpartum recovery and return to fitness. Sharon and I discuss her experience as an athlete, ultra-marathoner and runner, and having an unexpected C-section in the middle of the pandemic. We talk about burnout in motherhood, how being Type A actually drove her to being more chill as a parent, and the importance of adequate maternal and parental support and leave. We discuss how being career driven often takes away from the joys of motherhood, and why it is really difficult to “have it all.”

We discuss:
—Giving birth during the pandemic in Taipei, Taiwan
—Why 6 weeks postpartum is just the start
—Pressure to bounce back and hating her body
—The unexpected benefits of motherhood in the pandemic
—How she went from Type A to super chill after experiencing burnout
—Outsourcing parenting
—Social judgement for taking maternity and parental leave
—How a society treats their mothers and why USA is failing moms
—Unsupportive jobs and unfair preference for men
—Why women treat each other like sh*t
—Forgiving yourself for making mistakes
—Our work together through virtual physiotherapy
—Sharon’s advice to the average or high achieving athlete
—Choosing career vs parenting

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Sharon Fan Bio:

I'm a stay-at-home working mom with a 15 month old and a lover of spontaneous adventures, either in the mountains or in career. Motherhood has been THE greatest challenge of my life and I am still learning every day about myself, my relationships with my partner & family, and the world at large. I am Taiwanese-Canadian and my husband is Iranian-German, so we are also keen on exposing our child to as many cultures, languages, and perspectives as possible.

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Links/Resources:
—Follow Sharon on Instagram @shFantastic

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Connect with Surabhi:
—Find Surabhi on Instagram or Facebook @thepassionatephysio
—Website: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca

Come join this conversation where Emma Jack & I discuss burnout in healthcare, what self-care looks like, why no one else is thinking of you (because they're too busy thinking about themselves), and what soulful business means. We also discuss how to inject more fun into your life!

We discuss:

- Introducing Emma Jack and how we met
- Why Emma became a physio
- Hitting burnout, anxious and not wanting to go to work
- How clothing impacts how you feel
- How your environment sets the tone and mood
- Fear of failure and fear of judgement (from yourself)
- Most people are thinking about themselves
- Soulful business
- Why self-care is integral
- Why labels like business coach aren't fully accurate
- Evaluate your life every quarter
- How pole dancing helped her tap into her feminine energy

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Emma Jack, Physiotherapist and Coach

Emma is a sport and orthopaedic physiotherapist and own her own practice Press Play Physiotherapy and Pilates in London, Ontario, Canada. She holds a Masters of Physiotherapy as well as a Masters of Clinical Science, has her Sport Physiotherapy Diploma, is a Fellow of the Academy of Manual and Manipulative Physical Therapy and is a lead therapist with the Canadian National Women’s Hockey Team.

Sounds pretty cool, right? While those accomplishments and credentials do bring a sense of pride, Emma also recognizes that many of those things are ultimately what left her feeling intense anxiety, chronic stress, overwhelmed and burnt out. Her credentials may span two lines on a business card but in recent years Emma has totally transformed her practice and life in order to ensure that her accomplishments no longer define her. Now, much of her time is spent working as a Co-Active coach helping other women show up fully for their lives and careers in a way that feels authentic, sustainable and most importantly, fun!

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Links/Resources

Follow Emma on Instagram @PressPlayPhysio

https://www.emmajack.com/

Emma’s journalling guide is a great option for anyone! https://emmajack.ck.page/products/press-play-journaling-guide

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Connect with Surabhi:

Find Surabhi on Instagram or Facebook @thepassionatephysio

Website: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca

Surabhi Veitch interviews dietician Anika Dhalla on diet culture growing up as the only Indian family within a rural Canadian community. They discuss how diet culture impacts communities, how fat or weight isn’t the whole picture when it comes to health, and why genetics need to be considered in chronic conditions.

We discuss:

- How genetics plays into chronic health conditions like diabetes
-Why weight isn’t really the issue
-Why a “decolonized” approach to food is important (healthy doesn’t equal salads)
-How diet culture comes out in Canada and in India
-Anika’s experience doing her senior thesis in India
-Are sugar-sweetened beverages the problem?
-Colorism in India
-How to respond to family and friends making self-depreciating or fat-phobic comments?
-How diet culture and misogyny also impacts men

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Anika Dhalla, Registered Dietician

I’m a Registered Dietitian out in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. My practice focuses around chronic illnesses from diabetes out to Crohn’s disease. I work a lot with individuals who have IBS and perceived food fears. My ultimate goal for my clients regardless of their condition is to heal their relationship with food, and find food freedom.

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Links/Resources

Follow Anika on Instagram @Nourishingbalance.peskyveggies

https://nourishingbalance.ca/ for workshops, resources, our blog, and if you want to book an appt!

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Connect with Surabhi:

Find Surabhi on Instagram or Facebook @thepassionatephysio

Website: https://www.thepassionatephysio.ca