In today’s episode, I am joined by therapist, author, and educator Tamie Gangloff to blow the lid off a massive blind spot in women's healthcare: the intersection of chronic illness and disordered eating.

When you live with chronic pain, inflammation, or conditions like endometriosis, adenomyosis, or hEDS, your relationship with food automatically gets complicated. We try so hard to control our symptoms through what we eat that we can easily slide into disordered patterns without even realizing it.

Tamie opens up about her own journey, from hearing the word "deformity" and it shaping her experience throughout life to her recent hysterectomy where Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) made recovery much longer and harder than expected, triggering intense post-surgical anxiety.

We dive deep into why the "sick enough" mentality is keeping you from getting the help you deserve and how to actually rebuild body trust when healing isn’t linear.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• The Intersection of Chronic Illness & Disordered Eating: Why living with a chronic condition automatically complicates your relationship with food and movement.
• Eating Disorders vs. Disordered Eating: Unpacking the crucial nuance between a clinical diagnosis and the survival-driven food anxieties that develop around chronic pain.
• The "Sick Enough" Trap: How internal gatekeeping and medical dismissal convince women their pain isn’t severe enough to warrant deeper lab investigations or specialist care.
• The Control Fallacy: How to use food as a supportive tool for your health without slipping down the slope of self-blame when a diet doesn’t "cure" your chronic illness.
• Weight Bias in Medicine: The dangerous assumption that thin equals healthy and heavy equals unhealthy, and how this bias delays care.

Connect with Tamie:

• Website: https://www.tamiegangloff.com/
• Book: Chronic Illness and Eating Disorders: Assessment, Clinical Skills, and Lived Experiences

As mentioned in class:

• National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders
• Free Medical Appt Pre-Planning Guide
• Insight Timer
• EDS Conference at University of Virginia

If you’ve ever been told that heavy bleeding, debilitating cramps, and "zombie-level" fatigue are just part of being a woman, you’ve been lied to.

This week, we’re joined by Amy Dave, a Physician Assistant of 25 years turned Women’s Wellness Coach. After decades in the medical field and a personal battle with severe PMS, Amy discovered that "normal" symptoms are often just signs of a body out of sync.

We’re adopting Amy's "Phoenix" mindset in this episode: burning down the old habits that drain you and rise stronger by working with your biology, not against it.

What we cover:

• Amy's Extended Education: Why 25 years in medicine still wasn't enough to solve her own hormonal crisis.
• Cycle Syncing 101: How to flexibly eat, move, and schedule your life around your four hormonal seasons.
• The Phoenix Metaphor: Learning to cycle with your internal seasons and rise stronger each time.

Connect with Amy:

• Podcast: This Incredible Mom Life
• Website: https://thewealthofwellness.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewealthofwellnessllc/

This conversation with Jessica Doto, APRN, ANP-C, BSN, MSN is a masterclass in what total care for endometriosis should actually look like. As the Medical Director at Elysara, Jessica brings her high-intensity background in ER and ICU medicine to the world of functional health, and the result is a no-nonsense, deeply compassionate look at how we untangle this complex disease.

We’re moving past the "what next?" gap that so many of us feel after surgery. We’re talking about the science of why your body feels the way it does and how to advocate for yourself in a system that often relies on outdated data.

In this episode, we dive into...

• The Post-Surgical Gap: Why surgery is just one piece of the puzzle and how Elysara builds a post-op roadmap for multidisciplinary treatment.
• The BHRT & Estrogen Myth: Breaking down the fear-based narrative around estrogen and why bioidentical hormone replacement is a game-changer for long-term health.
• Progesterone Resistance: Why so many endo patients feel "crazy" on synthetic birth control and why our blood tests show normal hormone levels.
• IVs: The science behind IV infusions for endometriosis and how they can be better for absorption.

During our chat, we used some heavy-hitting clinical terms. Here is a quick breakdown of what they mean:

• BHRT (Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy): Hormones that are chemically identical to those your body produces naturally, used to restore balance without the side effects of synthetics.
• Neurosteroid: Steroids produced in the nervous system that act rapidly to regulate the brain. These play a huge role in mood, anxiety, and how you perceive pain.
• Mast Cells: Type of white blood cells in your immune system that releases chemicals (like histamine) during an inflammatory response. In endo patients, these are often overactive.
• Angiogenesis: The creation of new blood vessels. Endo lesions use this to "feed" themselves and grow.
• Prostaglandins: Hormone-like substances that are over-produced in endometriosis patients. They can sensitize nerve endings to signal pain.
• N-acetylcysteine (NAC): A powerful antioxidant that helps the body produce glutathione. Research shows it can help reduce the size of endo cysts and lower systemic oxidative stress.

Connect with Jessica & Elysara Medical:

• Website: https://elysarawellness.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elysaramedical/

About This Series: This is part three of our collaborative series with Elysara Medical & Wellness. We are dedicated to bringing you the experts who are filling the gaps in endometriosis care and helping you move out of survival mode for a healthier, happier life.

Listen to the Nicoletta's episode
Listen to Dr. George's episode

Why does society expect women to "shrink" just as they are reaching their most powerful years?

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Blake Myers, a licensed naturopathic doctor and graduate professor, to dismantle the "taboo" around perimenopause.

We dive deep into why anxiety is often the very first indicator of hormonal shifts, the way our bodies adapt (or struggle) with modern stressors, and why picking up heavy weights is a radical act of self-love and feminism.

• The ND Difference: Why Naturopathic Doctors are the "Systems Biology" experts your healthcare team might be missing.
• The Anxiety Connection: Why the brain often reacts to hormonal shifts before your period ever changes.
• Homeostasis: How our bodies adapt to stressors in our 20s and 30s, and why that can change so drastically during perimenopause.
• Identity Reclaimed: Navigating the spiritual and emotional "ego death" that happens during the menopausal transition.
• Muscle as Resistance: Why strength training is about so much more than aesthetics: It's about metabolic freedom and fighting back against a system that wants women to stay small.
• Normalizing the Conversation: How to talk to the next generation so they enter midlife with clarity instead of fear.

Even if you're years away from these key hormonal shifts, it's important to know what they are, how they can show up in the body and brain, and how to best take care of your hormone health now to make the transition as smooth as possible later.

Whether you're a young person who wants to prepare for their future or someone currently in the throes of perimenopause, this episode has a lot to offer.

Dr. Blake's Website: https://www.thebridgesystemmethod.com/

Follow Dr. Blake on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebridgesystem

Is a sexless marriage just an inevitable part of getting older, or is it a sign that something deeper is going on that can be reversed?

In today’s episode, I’m sitting down with Xanet Pailet, a former high-powered healthcare attorney turned sex and intimacy coach. After spending 26 years in a marriage that was lacking true intimacy, Xanet transformed her life to figure out why desire actually disappears and how to rebuild it.

We dive into the "roommate syndrome" that so many of us fear, the difference between a trauma response and a gut feeling, and why your Type A analytical brain might be the very thing blocking your pleasure.

Whether you’re single and looking for a long-term love or in an established partnership trying to find that spark again, this conversation is a masterclass in reclaiming pleasure as your birthright.

• The Sexless Marriage Epidemic: Why sex is the ultimate "canary in the coal mine" for the health of your relationship.
• The Analytical Trap: Why high-achieving, "Type A" women struggle to drop into their bodies and how to train the brain to find pleasure.
• Roommate Syndrome: How to identify the warning signs of a fading connection before your relationship becomes devoid of intimacy.
• The Safety Factor: Why emotional safety is the most important prerequisite for desire (and how to create that safety).
• Pleasure as a Practice: Using self-touch, sexy playlists, and "micro-pleasures" throughout the day to heal your relationship with your sexuality.

Xanet wants us all to remember—pleasure is our birthright. If you've been feeling disconnected from the pleasure, sexuality, and magic of life, this episode is for you.

• Order Xanet's new book: The Sex & Intimacy Repair Kit
• Read the bestseller: Living an Orgasmic Life
• Work with Xanet: Passionate Intimacy Retreats
• Follow Xanet on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xanetpop/

Endometriosis is a systemic disease requiring a multidisciplinary approach.

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. George Yiachos, a board-certified integrative cardiologist who's answering the question: What does cardiology have to do with endo?

As it turns out, everything. (Please note: There are a few minutes in this episode where Dr. George pulls up slides. It is not necessary to watch; the audio is sufficiently explanatory! If you'd like, find the podcast on YouTube for full video.)

Dr. George breaks down the cellular mechanics of endometriosis as a whole-body inflammatory disease and explains why removing the lesions is only half the battle. If we don’t address the "inflammatory fire" happening in the blood and the cells, we aren't truly healing.

In this episode, we dive into:

• The Inflammatory Triggers: Dr. George shares his framework for what actually induces chronic inflammation and how these components act as a catalyst for endo symptoms.
• Endo as a Whole-Body Disease: Understanding the intersection between chronic inflammation, cardiovascular health, and long-term Health Span.
• Dampening the Fire: A deep dive into cutting-edge therapies used by Dr. George at Elysara to regulate inflammation from endometriosis:
  • Ozonotherapy: The role of pelvic plexus injections and blood oxygenation in reducing systemic inflammation.
  • Targeted Supplementation & IVs: Why high-dose antioxidants like green tea (EGCG) and quercetin are game-changers for cellular repair.
  • Peptide Therapy: How we can guide the body to heal itself at a mitochondrial level.
• Reframing Endo: Why the medical system is failing patients by keeping endometriosis strictly in the gynecological "bucket" and ignoring its systemic impact.
• The Future of Care: Why Dr. George has hope for the future of endometriosis care.

Connect with Dr. George

• Website: https://wprmedical.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wpr_medical/
• Listen to Decoding the Health Matrix: https://open.spotify.com/show/5TI4oNb4RVnyNqrv4EZ291
• Get Dr. George's book: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Matter-Preventing-Reversing-Cardiovascular-ebook/dp/B0GHQRBCJ2

About This Series: This is part two of our collaborative series with Elysara Medical & Wellness. Our goal is to provide you with a comprehensive, integrative roadmap for managing endometriosis. Stay tuned for our upcoming episodes where we continue to explore the missing gaps in care with the rest of the Elysara expert team.

I’ll be honest: for a long time, I thought aerial yoga was just a fun, circus-y way to do yoga. But after sitting down with Jo Stewart, Senior Yoga Teacher and author of Eight Limbs of Aerial Yoga, I realized I had it all wrong.

For people living with chronic pain, neurodivergence, or PTSD, the hammock isn't just a prop, it’s a sanctuary.

In this episode, Jo and I unpack why the Westernized, "fitness-first" approach to yoga is actually doing us a disservice and how we can reclaim movement as a tool for nervous system regulation, chronic pain (from endometriosis or something else), and our overall health.

We dive deep into the specific benefits for female-bodied health, from managing mental health to autonomic balance to finding representation for conditions like endometriosis in the movement world.

What We Discuss:

• The "Weight Loss" Myth: Why chasing a "yoga body" actually dishonors the practice’s history, disregards accessibility, and keeps us trapped in toxic diet culture.
• A Safety Net for the Nervous System: How the hammock acts as a co-regulator for those with PTSD or sensory processing needs.
• Chronic Pain & Endo: Jo shares the benefits of aerial yoga in particular for chronic pain and inflammation, and how it offers a bridge to movement when your body feels like it’s betraying you.
• Neurodivergence: The sensory benefits of deep pressure and why "traditional" yoga cues can be confusing for neurodivergent or structurally diverse bodies.

Connect with Jo:

• Website: Garden of Yoga
• Book: Eight Limbs of Aerial Yoga: Adapting Practice for Neurodiversity, Accessibility and Physical Support
• Podcast: The Flow Artists Podcast
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gardenofyoga/

Endometriosis, adenomyosis, infertility, and a messed up medical system—Amanda’s story is a heavy one, but it’s the reality for so many of us navigating the endo world.

After eight surgeries (ablation and excision surgery) and the emotional rollercoaster of failed fertility treatments, Amanda finally opted for a hysterectomy. She bravely and candidly tells her story from cancer to cysts to endo, shedding so much light on what living with this disease actually looks like.

In this episode, we get into the mindfuck of dealing with fertility issues and endometriosis. Despite specifically asking not to be there, Amanda was placed in the maternity ward post-hysterectomy, which apparently happens more often than you'd think. (Cruel, right?)

Imagine trying to heal from losing your fertility while a chime plays over the loudspeaker every single time a baby is born. It’s a level of systemic negligence that is hard to wrap your head around.

We’re talking about:

• Ablations & Bad Surgeries: Why burning endo tissue (ablation) is often a band-aid (kinda?) that causes more harm than good, and why you need to hold out for an excision specialist.
• The "Whiny Woman" Myth: Amanda opens up about being labeled a "difficult" or "whiny" patient by hospital staff and how that gaslighting and bias impacts recovery.
• The WTF Moment: Amanda shares an all-too-common experience of learning via the internet that her surgeon performed the wrong surgery for endo. We should be able to trust our surgeons over a Facebook group, yet that community was what led her to an actual endometriosis excision specialist.
• Finding Peace: How Amanda is finally sharing her story on her own terms and what her health looks like today.

If you’ve ever been told that ablation was your only option, or if you’ve been told a hysterectomy is a "simple cure," this episode is for you. Amanda is living proof that we have to be our own loudest advocates.

Today we’re welcoming Chelsea Jambo, the founder and CEO of OURbody, a hormonal wellness brand that is fighting period pain, supporting menstrual wellness, and drawing a line in the sand for women’s healthcare.

This conversation with Chelsea felt like a collective exhale. It was raw, it was cathartic, and it touched on the exact reasons why "The Health Class She Deserves" exists in the first place. (Period pain is not normal!)

Chelsea’s journey started in corporate boardrooms where she was expected to "power through" debilitating period pain, and it reached a breaking point when she was denied a basic breast cancer screening at 24 because she was "too young, "despite her family history.

If you’ve ever been told your pain is "normal," been dismissed by a doctor, or felt like you had to shrink your physical needs to succeed in a male-dominated career, this episode is your permission slip to demand more.

Our conversation highlights:

• The "too young" trap: Chelsea shares her frustrating experience of being refused breast cancer screening and how she advocates for her health.
• The abnormality of pain: Why we have normalized suffering for so long and how to reframe the narrative that "pain is just part of being a woman."
• The corporate sacrifice: A look at the invisible toll women pay when leading in male-dominated spaces while navigating hormonal health.
• The pillars of OURbody: exploring how transparency, community, and radical self-kindness became the foundation of her brand and her teas.

Chelsea’s story is a powerful reminder that we have to be the change we want to see in the world. OURbody isn't just a wellness brand: It’s a movement rooted in the belief that you deserve a balanced, pain-free life.

OURbody website: https://www.ourbody.ca/shop-all

explore the certified organic herbal blends for menstruation, perimenopause, and menopause discussed in the episode.

follow OURbody on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopourbody

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, and today’s episode is a heavy hitter.

We are continuing our Her Story series with the incredible Maddie, and let me tell you, this conversation is a rollercoaster. Maddie isn’t just dealing with "painful periods," she’s navigating a complex alphabet soup of diagnoses including Endo, EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome), PMDD, and PCOS.

But the core of Maddie’s story is a wake-up call: We’re diving deep into her traumatic surgery experience, the absolute nightmare of not being taken seriously for breast and lymphatic endometriosis (yes, it can grow anywhere!), and the medical negligence that nearly cost her her life.

Maddie is turning her pain into power by advocating for young girls so they never have to face the gaslighting she did. We talk about:

• The Overlap: How EDS and Endo often travel together and complicate everything.
• The Trauma: A raw look at her surgical experience and the "doctor misrepresentation" that led to a life-threatening situation.
• The "Rare" Reality: The struggle to get diagnosed when endo shows up in non-traditional places like the breasts and lymphatic system.
• Medical Menopause: The physical and mental toll of being forced into menopause and the lack of support for women in the thick of it.
• Advocacy: How Maddie is using Her Story to change the future for the next generation of girls and endo warriors.

⚠️ A QUICK HEADS UP: During this episode, Maddie shares some of her actual surgery photos. If you are squeamish or triggered by medical imagery, please use discretion.

Maddie’s strength is infectious, and her story is a reminder that we HAVE to be our own biggest advocates. Grab your heating pad, get cozy, and let’s get into it.

Find an excision specialist near you:
https://icarebetter.com/

Follow Maddie on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@endopains__