This episode is a beautiful mix of understanding the foundations of strength training and unpicking complex social constructs around working out. Allison Tenney is a professional coach who talked to me about compassion, expectations, and motivations around strength training, and she shared many practical tips ideal for anyone who wants to start their journey with weights.

If you want to stay connected you can check her website, follow her on Instagram, and listen to her podcast.

This week me and my guest Nicole Cooley are filling in an unexpected vital gap - financial health. So much of our well-being depends on the good state of our finances, and with gaping holes in financial education, we wanted to cover the basics of understanding your budget, spending habits, and making more money.

If you want to learn more about Nicole and the work she does visit her website at: https://nicole-cooley.com/

Plus here's the budgeting tool she mentioned:
https://www.ynab.com/

In this episode, I'm joined by Meghan Mills who specialises in helping people recover from a relatively unknown pelvic floor dysfunction, vaginismus.  She covers the causes for it to happen, how to look for help, and how to approach the complex emotional burden vaginismus can cause.

If you want to know more and reach out to Meghan you can check her website for more details

This is the guest I am the most excited to bring onto the show! I talked to Liv Townsend, the expert on movement, about all things that allow our bodies to move better. We divided it into 4 main categories: flexibility, mobility, strength, and balance. Our conversation led us to some unexpected places and took longer than anticipated so I thought it would be best to split it into two separate episodes. This is part 2 focusing on strength training and balance.

You can find Liv as LivinLeggings on Instagram, YouTube, or her website

This is the guest I am the most excited to bring onto the show! I talked to Liv Townsend, the expert on movement, about all things that allow our bodies to move better. We divided it into 4 main categories: flexibility, mobility, strength, and balance. Our conversation led us to some unexpected places and took longer than anticipated so I thought it would be best to split it into two separate episodes. In the first one you will hear about flexibility and mobility and Part 2 will cover strength and balance.

You can find Liv as LivinLeggings on Instagram, YouTube, or her website

In this episode of Vital Gaps we are shifting gears away from hormones to focus on the gut microbiome. There is, however, a surprising connection between the gut and female hormones. Nimisha Gandhi, a certified nutritionist and she holds a B.S. in pre-med Psychobiology from UCLA tells us all the foundations we need to know about the microbiome and how best to support it.

To learn more check Nimisha's website and Instagram

This episode is a continuation of the conversation with Dr. Nicky Keay. They shift focus from the reproductive years and discuss what happens to our bodies during perimenopause and menopause, and how to manage unwanted symptoms through diet, exercise and HRT.

If you'd like to get in touch with Dr. Keay or read more of her work check her website and Instagram 

In this episode, Daria chats with Dr. Nicky Keay about all things hormones. This is part 1 of the conversation and it’s focused on reproductive years (while we are still menstruating). They talk about the importance of the menstrual cycle, how our behaviours impact our hormones, and the dangers of losing periods. Dr. Keay touches on nutrition, the importance of a balanced diet, and the need for protein and carbohydrates.

If you'd like to get in touch with Dr. Keay or read more of her work check her website and Instagram

Welcome to Vital Gaps, a podcast that aims to show you data and research on female physiology, bring the understanding of how different our bodies are, what are our unique needs and challenges as women. By filling in your vital knowledge gaps you will be equipped with the relevant and applicable information to make the best choices for you and your body. 

Vital Gaps cover women’s physiology spanning across a wide range of topics from hormonal health, sports, gynecology, nutrition and occasionally venturing into psychology.

In this episode Daria talks to Lea Denata, a certified physiotherapist specialising in pelvic floor health. They start off by explaining how the pelvic floor works, what functions it has, and how to identify when something is not quite right. Later they focus on one type of common dysfunction: incontinence. What are the causes, types of incontinence, how to mitigate it, and when to see a specialist.
Essential listen for everyone with a pelvic floor, regardless if you've had children or not.

Additional respources:
1. Pelvic floor guided meditation by Lea:
https://open.spotify.com/show/4zbzNIwlIhH6pafcHdiiPa?si=nNu5JQdHS1C7dPVu5OkOOw