This week, we sit down with Ottawa clinical psychologist Dr. Mel Arias-Valenzuela, founder and clinical director of Uprise Psychology & Wellness, whose work focuses extensively on eating disorders, body image, and helping people heal their relationship with their bodies and food.

Together, we explore how body image develops, why so many people struggle with shame and self-criticism, and how our relationship with our bodies is shaped by culture, expectations, and lived experience. Dr. Mel shares how these patterns show up clinically—and more importantly, how they can change.

We talk about perfectionism, control, and the quiet ways body image can affect mental health, relationships, and daily life. This conversation offers a compassionate, evidence-based perspective on how to move toward greater self-acceptance without toxic positivity or oversimplification.

This episode is not about loving your body all the time. It’s about understanding it—and learning to treat yourself with the same kindness you offer others.

This week, we sit down with Ottawa physician Dr. Sam Hetz to talk about one of the most requested topics: skincare and aging.

In a world filled with endless products, conflicting advice, and powerful marketing, Dr. Hetz breaks down what actually makes a difference—and what doesn’t. We discuss how skin ages over time, the role of sunscreen, retinoids, and medical-grade skincare, and when treatments like neuromodulators, lasers, and other procedures can be helpful.

Most importantly, we talk about how to approach aging in a way that feels intentional and empowering—not reactive or fear-driven.

This episode is about cutting through the noise and understanding how to care for your skin with clarity, confidence, and evidence.

In honour of Endometriosis Awareness Month, we’re joined by Jess Packman—Ottawa-based hairstylist and funny-girl —who shares her deeply personal journey with this often-misunderstood disease.

From her very first painful period to years of unanswered questions, delayed diagnosis, fertility struggles, and ultimately the difficult(ish) decision to undergo a hysterectomy, Jess speaks candidly about what it’s really like to live with endometriosis. This is the side of medicine you won’t find in textbooks—the uncertainty, the grief, the resilience, and the strength it takes to keep advocating for yourself when your pain is dismissed.

Raw, honest, and—true to Jess—often funny, this conversation is a powerful reminder that endometriosis is not “just bad cramps,” but a life-altering condition that deserves recognition, research, and better care.

Listen in to Jess’s story—and to the reality so many women live every day.

After our powerful conversation with Dr. Nathalie Gamache on menopause care, we knew we had to go deeper—this time into one of the most misunderstood and overlooked hormones in women’s health: testosterone.

In this episode, Dr. Gamache—school teacher turned OB/GYN and menopause specialist—breaks down the real role of testosterone in women, far beyond the outdated myths. We discuss its impact on sexual desire, energy, motivation, cognitive function, and overall sense of vitality, and why so many women are never told it’s even an option.

Dr. Gamache shares when testosterone therapy is appropriate, how it can be used safely and effectively, and why thoughtful, individualized care is essential.

After our unforgettable conversation with Dr. Ardelle Piper, we knew we wanted to continue bringing you the voices of clinicians who are redefining menopause care. This week, we sit down with Dr. Nathalie Gamache—school teacher turned OB/GYN and menopause specialist—to explore her thoughtful, evidence-based, and deeply patient-centered approach to this transition. Dr. Gamache shares her perspective on hormone therapy, symptom management, and the importance of listening to women’s lived experiences—not just their lab values.

Do you know every bathroom location within a 3-km radius of your house? Do you sit down to pee… and then pee again 12 minutes later? Welcome. You are among friends.

In this episode, we talk about the very under-glamorous, very real question so many women whisper to themselves daily: why am I peeing this much? Is it my bladder? My pelvic floor? My hormones? My coffee addiction? My anxiety? My perimenopause? My blood sugar? (Spoiler: sometimes… yes.)

We break down what’s actually normal, what’s not, why “just drink less water” is terrible advice, the difference between urgency and frequency, and how your bladder might be reacting to things you’d never suspect. From UTIs to overactive bladder, pelvic floor tension to insulin resistance, this episode connects dots you didn’t know were related.

GLP-1s are more than a headline or a celebrity trend.
On the episode Beyond Ozempic, Dr Rebecca Chase and Lisa Flanders, PT look at what these medications actually do in the brain and body, who benefits most, how to use them responsibly, and how they fit into modern metabolic medicine—especially for women.

This is not a “new year, new you” pep talk. It’s a realistic conversation about why going HAM rarely works, how perfectionism sabotages progress, and what to do instead. Think fewer rules, more sustainability, and goals that survive real life.