The Not Your Mother's Pelvic Floor Podcast

In Episode 72 of the Not Your Mother's Pelvic Floor podcast, Aliya chats with Registered Dietitian Trista Chan all about periods, growing up as a first generation Chinese Canadian, celebrating lunar new year, and reclaiming cultural foods herself and with her clients. 

In this episode, you'll hear Trista and Aliya chat about:

• Whether Trista wants her mother's pelvic floor...or not!
• How Trista's grandmother still asks her about her period.
• Reclaiming our cultures of origin after rejecting aspects of it growing up.
• How food is such a huge part of our identities, culture, communities, and more.
• Why protein and fibre are so important for our overall health - Trista breaks it down for us!
• The challenge of navigating influencers and potentially harmful nutrition advice online, and Trista's tips on how to evaluate the information you consume on social media.
• What Trista calls her vagina!

About Trista:
Trista Chan is a Registered Dietitian who helps clients take charge of their hormones and gut health through science-backed, feel-good nutrition counselling. She believes that open, honest conversations about periods should be normalized, and that true nourishment isn't simply planning your next meal - it's about implementing sustainable nutrition practices that heal physical, mental and emotional health. Trista received a Master of Health Science in Nutrition Communication and Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Human Nutrition.  Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, CBC, Healthline, Shape Magazine, and more.

Find Trista on Instagram @thegoodlifedietitian, listen to her Podcast "Joyful Eating with PCOS and Gut Health" on all platforms and learn more on her website, www.thegoodlifedietitian.com

If you’d like to get in touch, Aliya would love to hear from you! Find her on Instagram at @boxwellnessco or send her an email at [email protected].

Thanks for listening!

About Aliya:
Aliya Dhalla PT, B.Sc, MPT is a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist in Toronto, Canada and the Founder of Box Wellness Co. You can learn pelvic floor exercises and tips from her on Instagram @boxwellnessco - this is where she likes to share some behind-the-scenes of her life, her clinic, and what she's eating these days.
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Check out boxwellness.co to learn more about Aliya + how she can help you through her online courses, programs, and more!

For FREE resources to help you along your pelvic health journey, check out https://boxwellness.co/free-pelvic-floor-resources

Follow along @boxwellnessco + @notyourmotherspelvicfloor for more fun.

More info on: The Pelvic Floor Mobility Program

More info on: Online Pregnancy Courses

If you've ever wondered if your pelvic floor muscles are weak, then this episode is for you! Today, Aliya chats all about how to tell if your pelvic floor muscles are weak.   

In Episode 71 of the Not Your Mother's Pelvic Floor Podcast, Aliya shares the pelvic floor muscles basics with you (where is the pelvic floor, what does it do for us, how does it work) and then, shares 4 signs of pelvic floor muscle weakness and why our pelvic floor muscles can become weak in the first place.

She mentioned a few other episodes that you might find helpful:

• Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Episodes 21, 43
• Tight Pelvic Floor Muscles: Episodes 41, 63

Be sure to follow the Not Your Mother's Pelvic Floor Podcast so you don't miss a future episode - Aliya will be sharing tips on how to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles in an upcoming episode!

If you’d like to get in touch, Aliya would love to hear from you! Find her on Instagram at @boxwellnessco or send her an email at [email protected].

Thanks for listening!

About Aliya:
Aliya Dhalla PT, B.Sc, MPT is a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist in Toronto, Canada and the Founder of Box Wellness Co. You can learn pelvic floor exercises and tips from her on Instagram @boxwellnessco - this is where she likes to share some behind-the-scenes of her life, her clinic, and what she's eating these days.
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Check out boxwellness.co to learn more about Aliya + how she can help you through her online courses, programs, and more!

For FREE resources to help you along your pelvic health journey, check out https://boxwellness.co/free-pelvic-floor-resources

Follow along @boxwellnessco + @notyourmotherspelvicfloor for more fun.

More info on: The Pelvic Floor Mobility Program

More info on: Online Pregnancy Courses

In Episode 70 of the Not Your Mother's Pelvic Floor podcast, Aliya chats with Family Doctor Dr. Sheila Wijayasinghe all about the topics that were on + off limits growing up, and the impactful work she does today. 

In this episode, you'll hear Dr. Sheila and Aliya chat about:

• Whether Dr. Sheila wants her mother's pelvic floor...or not!
• The story of their first periods and how Dr. Sheila's period was celebrated within the Sri Lankan culture.
• How normalized painful periods are and how much shame continues to exist around menstruation, leaking onto clothes, and more.
• Why both Aliya and Dr. Sheila love their IUD's!
• How teaching body boundaries, bodily autonomy, and consent are the first steps to talking about sex with small children.
• How Dr. Sheila's fertility treatment journey changed how she practiced medicine with her patients undergoing their own fertility treatments.
• The systemic problems that exist within the Canadian health care system including long wait times, short appointment times, racism, discrimination, doctor burnout and more.
• The "why" behind Dr. Sheila's public work educating on patient rights and self-advocacy.

Be sure to stay tuned for another conversation where Dr. Sheila will come back on the Not Your Mother's Pelvic Floor Podcast to talk all about perimenopause.

Resources:
Dr. Sheila mentioned two books she loves and recommends when it comes to talking about sex with children: Boys In Sex and Girls In Sex by Peggy Orenstein.

About Dr. Sheila:
Dr. Sheila Wijayasinghe, Dr. Sheila to her patients, is a family doctor in Toronto, practicing at St. Michael’s Hospital. She is the Medical Director of Primary Care Outreach at Women’s College Hospital, where she advocates for equitable and accessible healthcare for all individuals with a special focus on individuals with mental health and addiction conditions and from BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. She has been the health expert on CTV's The Social for 11 years and was a previous columnist with the Globe and Mail.  Dr. Sheila's goal is to help people to know their rights and be able to advocate for themselves and loved ones in navigating the healthcare system.

Find Dr. Sheila on Instagram @drsheilaw, listen to her new Podcast "The Doc Talk Podcast" on all platforms and on Instagram @thedoctalkpod

If you’d like to get in touch, Aliya would love to hear from you! Find her on Instagram at @boxwellnessco or send her an email at [email protected].

Thanks for listening!

About Aliya:
Aliya Dhalla PT, B.Sc, MPT is a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist in Toronto, Canada and the Founder of Box Wellness Co. You can learn pelvic floor exercises and tips from her on Instagram @boxwellnessco - this is where she likes to share some behind-the-scenes of her life, her clinic, and what she's eating these days.
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Check out boxwellness.co to learn more about Aliya + how she can help you through her online courses, programs, and more!

For FREE resources to help you along your pelvic health journey, check out https://boxwellness.co/free-pelvic-floor-resources

Follow along @boxwellnessco + @notyourmotherspelvicfloor for more fun.

More info on: The Pelvic Floor Mobility Program

More info on: Online Pregnancy Courses

It's officially 2025! Join Aliya on Episode 69 of the Not Your Mother's Pelvic Floor Podcast where she reflects on last year, shares some of her 2025 goals and the "why" behind them, and outlines 4 neuroscience backed tips to help you succeed in your goals this year. She also shares 4 simple wellness "goals" that will have a positive impact on your emotional, physical, and pelvic health.

If you'd like to share your 2025 goals with Aliya, send her a note at [email protected] or on Instagram at @boxwellnessco - she will write back and be your accountability partner!

Be sure to come back for next week's episode where Aliya sits down with a guest to unpack how they were raised, the conversations that were (or weren't) had in their childhood home, and how that has influenced their life and work today.  

If you’d like to get in touch, Aliya would love to hear from you! Find her on Instagram at @boxwellnessco or send her an email at [email protected].

Thanks for listening!

About Aliya:
Aliya Dhalla PT, B.Sc, MPT is a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist in Toronto, Canada and the Founder of Box Wellness Co. You can learn pelvic floor exercises and tips from her on Instagram @boxwellnessco - this is where she likes to share some behind-the-scenes of her life, her clinic, and what she's eating these days.
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Check out boxwellness.co to learn more about Aliya + how she can help you through her online courses, programs, and more!

For FREE resources to help you along your pelvic health journey, check out https://boxwellness.co/free-pelvic-floor-resources

Follow along @boxwellnessco + @notyourmotherspelvicfloor for more fun.

More info on: The Pelvic Floor Mobility Program

More info on: Online Pregnancy Courses

In Episode 68 of the Not Your Mother's Pelvic Floor podcast, Aliya chats with Pediatric Pelvic Health Physiotherapist Lauren Rudko all about bladder + bowel problems that often show up in children - like daytime and nighttime accidents, difficulty with potty training, and constipation.

In this episode, you'll hear Lauren and Aliya chat about:

• Whether Lauren wants her mother's pelvic floor...or not!
• The types of conversations Lauren had about "body stuff" growing up.
• How Lauren got into her work as a Pediatric Pelvic Health Physiotherapist
• What is Pediatric Pelvic Health Physiotherapy and what kinds of issues can be treated?
• The one thing that needs to be addressed before potty training your child.
• Lauren's professional opinion on using sticker charts, treats, or other incentives for potty training.
• What causes daytime accidents and nighttime bedwetting - and how to fix it! 
• Lauren's best tips for avoiding constipation in your children, for addressing bedwetting, and for potty training success!

About Lauren:
Lauren Rudko is passionate about pelvic floor physiotherapy and started out working with adults after completing her post-graduate pelvic floor level. When a few children with bowel and bladder issues came into her caseload, Lauren dove head first into how to best work with them. Lauren works with children experiencing issues including encopresis (fecal soiling), constipation, enuresis (bedwetting), daytime urinary incontinence, and pelvic pain. Treatment techniques range from breathing and core exercises to body awareness techniques and biofeedback. Lauren has taken courses in autism spectrum disorder and postural work for kids with exceptionalities, to better assist children with a wide range of diagnoses. She works out of Paediatric Physiotherapy Associates and the Proactive Pelvic Health Physiotherapy Center in Toronto. Find Lauren on Instagram @peds_pelvicphysio

If you’d like to get in touch, Aliya would love to hear from you! Find her on Instagram at @boxwellnessco or send her an email at [email protected].

Thanks for listening!

About Aliya:
Aliya Dhalla PT, B.Sc, MPT is a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist in Toronto, Canada and the Founder of Box Wellness Co. You can learn pelvic floor exercises and tips from her on Instagram @boxwellnessco - this is where she likes to share some behind-the-scenes of her life, her clinic, and what she's eating these days.
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Check out boxwellness.co to learn more about Aliya + how she can help you through her online courses, programs, and more!

For FREE resources to help you along your pelvic health journey, check out https://boxwellness.co/free-pelvic-floor-resources

Follow along @boxwellnessco + @notyourmotherspelvicfloor for more fun.

More info on: The Pelvic Floor Mobility Program

More info on: Online Pregnancy Courses

If you've got a busy holiday season coming up, you might experience a flare up of annoying pelvic floor symptoms like bladder urgency, constipation, pelvic pain, and more.  

In Episode 67 of the Not Your Mother's Pelvic Floor Podcast, Aliya shares helpful tips to help you survive the stressful holiday season and keep your annoying pelvic floor symptoms under control. The tips she shares are simple yet effective ways to prioritize good bladder + bowel habits, manage stress, and practice true self-care during a time of year when you're likely creating a lot of magic + memories for others. 

If you’d like to get in touch, Aliya would love to hear from you! Find her on Instagram at @boxwellnessco or send her an email at [email protected].

Thanks for listening!

About Aliya:
Aliya Dhalla PT, B.Sc, MPT is a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist in Toronto, Canada and the Founder of Box Wellness Co. You can learn pelvic floor exercises and tips from her on Instagram @boxwellnessco - this is where she likes to share some behind-the-scenes of her life, her clinic, and what she's eating these days.
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Check out boxwellness.co to learn more about Aliya + how she can help you through her online courses, programs, and more!

For FREE resources to help you along your pelvic health journey, check out https://boxwellness.co/free-pelvic-floor-resources

Follow along @boxwellnessco + @notyourmotherspelvicfloor for more fun.

More info on: The Pelvic Floor Mobility Program

More info on: Online Pregnancy Courses

In Episode 66 of the Not Your Mother's Pelvic Floor podcast, Aliya chats with Nadine Araksi all about growing up in an Armenian-Canadian home, raising children, neurodivergence, and perimenopause.

*Trigger warning: this episode contains discussion about violence against women and suicide.

In this episode, you'll hear Nadine and Aliya chat about:

• Whether or not Nadine wants her mother's pelvic floor.
• How her mother celebrated Nadine's first period and later on, addressed pre-marital sex.
• The types of conversations Nadine is having with her 17 and 20 year old children about puberty, sex, bodies, and porn and how she uses AI to help!
• Nadine's late-in-life ADHD diagnosis and how medication, therapy, and coaching help her function and feel her best.
• Nadine's perimenopausal experience so far and her recent love-affair with her progesterone pills.

Nadine will have to come back for another episode where we talk about life after divorce and...sex!

About Nadine:
Nadine Araksi is an Armenian-Canadian writer, coach, and mom. Featured in Canada's leading media outlets, her work explores identity, culture, parenting, neurodivergence, midlife, and personal growth. With a background in media leadership and coaching, Nadine helps empower women to rewrite their personal narratives and navigate life transitions with grace and understanding. Whether writing or coaching, she brings authenticity and humour to her work on transformation, from managing late-diagnosed ADHD to dating post-divorce. Nadine is currently working on her first book of personal essays about Gen-X motherhood and a rom-com novel (because ADHD brains can't focus on just one thing). Her essay "Dede's Dream" appears in the anthology Back Where I Came From (Book*hug Press, Nov. 2024), proving you're never too old to chase your dreams. You can follow along on her personal Substack, I Heart Stories, or catch her sweaty robe rants on Instagram @nadinearaksi.

If you’d like to get in touch, Aliya would love to hear from you! Find her on Instagram at @boxwellnessco or send her an email at [email protected].

Thanks for listening!

About Aliya:
Aliya Dhalla PT, B.Sc, MPT is a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist in Toronto, Canada and the Founder of Box Wellness Co. You can learn pelvic floor exercises and tips from her on Instagram @boxwellnessco - this is where she likes to share some behind-the-scenes of her life, her clinic, and what she's eating these days.
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Check out boxwellness.co to learn more about Aliya + how she can help you through her online courses, programs, and more!

For FREE resources to help you along your pelvic health journey, check out https://boxwellness.co/free-pelvic-floor-resources

Follow along @boxwellnessco + @notyourmotherspelvicfloor for more fun.

More info on: The Pelvic Floor Mobility Program

More info on: Online Pregnancy Courses

If you've experienced leaks when you cough or sneeze, then this episode is for you.  

In Episode 65 of the Not Your Mother's Pelvic Floor Podcast, Aliya talks all about why we commonly leak with coughs and sneezes and shares 5 helpful tips to stop stress urinary incontinence with coughs or sneezes. 

Resources:
Aliya mentioned a neat product called URESTA that provides internal support and helps stop leaks. You can check out URESTA here and use the code BOXWELLNESSCO to save 15% off a Starter Kit.

She also mentioned how helpful her online pelvic floor exercise program is when it comes to improving leaks and bladder control. Aliya's PELVIC FLOOR MOBILITY PROGRAM is an online program filled with follow along pelvic floor exercise videos designed by Aliya, a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist and based on the exact exercises she teaches her patients. To date, this program has helped hundreds of women fix their pelvic floor problems through a whole-body approach that includes breath work, stretching, mobility, pelvic floor + core strengthening, and stress reduction. Learn more about it HERE! **Use the code 2024 for 20% off until the end of the year**

If you’d like to get in touch, Aliya would love to hear from you! Find her on Instagram at @boxwellnessco or send her an email at [email protected].

Thanks for listening!

About Aliya:
Aliya Dhalla PT, B.Sc, MPT is a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist in Toronto, Canada and the Founder of Box Wellness Co. You can learn pelvic floor exercises and tips from her on Instagram @boxwellnessco - this is where she likes to share some behind-the-scenes of her life, her clinic, and what she's eating these days.
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Check out boxwellness.co to learn more about Aliya + how she can help you through her online courses, programs, and more!

For FREE resources to help you along your pelvic health journey, check out https://boxwellness.co/free-pelvic-floor-resources

Follow along @boxwellnessco + @notyourmotherspelvicfloor for more fun.

More info on: The Pelvic Floor Mobility Program

More info on: Online Pregnancy Courses

In Episode 64 of the Not Your Mother's Pelvic Floor podcast, Aliya chats with Certified Sex Coach Sofia Ashley all about how to get your libido back after having kids. 

In this episode, you'll hear Sofia and Aliya chat about:

• Where Sofia learned about periods, tampons, STIs and sex
• What it was like to feel disconnected from her body growing up
• What happens in our body (and our pelvic floor) when we have an orgasm
• The surprising things that can impact our sex drive after having a baby
• What "libido" is and what influences our arousal
• Spontaneous vs scheduled sex - is it ok to schedule sex?
• Sofia's recommendation of "naked sexy fun time" as a way to play with your partner without any pressure
• How much sex is "enough" in a relationship?
• Tools such as simmering, setting the stage, and soothing the nervous system and how these work to help restore connection + intimacy in a relationship
• Why sex is a social skill!

About Sofia Ashley:
Sofia Ashley is the founder of the Happy Vagina Project. She is a certified sex coach and educator with over 10 years experience teaching adults, teens and tots about sex and she is your totally TMI buddy who has been giving sex advice since high school. She is a mom and step mom living in a neurospicy household and a blended family just trying to keep her libido alive in this busy world while parenting three kiddos. Sofia spent her twenties at war with her vagina and searching for the grand orgasm. Along the way she found out that the keys to better sex are the keys to a better life and that listening to my V (ahem that’s code for vagina) was the key to it all. She supports moms and couples with her Light Your Fire Five Day Challenge and her 9 month signature program - Sex After Kids.

Find her on Instagram @thehappyvproject or on her website at www.thehappyvaginaproject.com - you can find Sofia's "Solve Your Sex Drive" quiz there!

Thanks for listening!

About Aliya:
Aliya Dhalla PT, B.Sc, MPT is a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist in Toronto, Canada and the Founder of Box Wellness Co. You can learn pelvic floor exercises and tips from her on Instagram @boxwellnessco - this is where she likes to share some behind-the-scenes of her life, her clinic, and what she's eating these days.
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Check out boxwellness.co to learn more about Aliya + how she can help you through her online courses, programs, and more!

For FREE resources to help you along your pelvic health journey, check out https://boxwellness.co/free-pelvic-floor-resources

Follow along @boxwellnessco + @notyourmotherspelvicfloor for more fun.

More info on: The Pelvic Floor Mobility Program

More info on: Online Pregnancy Courses

If you've been holding tension in your body - like your jaw, neck, shoulders, or pelvic floor, then this episode is for you.  

In Episode 63 of the Not Your Mother's Pelvic Floor Podcast, Aliya talks all about 3 ways to release tight pelvic floor muscles and explains how to figure out how and why you might be holding tension in your pelvis to begin with. 

Other episodes you might like:
Aliya mentioned a few other episodes that you might find interesting. Check out  Episodes 41 (is your pelvic floor tight?), 35 (why you should stop sucking in your belly), 27 (your pelvic floor + your breath), 13 (stress + your pelvic floor).

**Today's episode is sponsored by THE PELVIC FLOOR MOBILITY PROGRAM.  This is an online program filled with follow along pelvic floor exercise videos designed by Aliya, a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist and based on the exact exercises she teaches her patients. To date, this program has helped hundreds of women fix their pelvic floor problems through a whole-body approach that includes breath work, stretching, mobility, pelvic floor + core strengthening, and stress reduction. Learn more about it HERE! **Use the code PODCAST for 10% off**

If you’d like to get in touch, Aliya would love to hear from you! Find her on Instagram at @boxwellnessco or send her an email at [email protected].

Thanks for listening!

About Aliya:
Aliya Dhalla PT, B.Sc, MPT is a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist in Toronto, Canada and the Founder of Box Wellness Co. You can learn pelvic floor exercises and tips from her on Instagram @boxwellnessco - this is where she likes to share some behind-the-scenes of her life, her clinic, and what she's eating these days.
_____

Check out boxwellness.co to learn more about Aliya + how she can help you through her online courses, programs, and more!

For FREE resources to help you along your pelvic health journey, check out https://boxwellness.co/free-pelvic-floor-resources

Follow along @boxwellnessco + @notyourmotherspelvicfloor for more fun.

More info on: The Pelvic Floor Mobility Program

More info on: Online Pregnancy Courses