By now, many of us have seen the Instagram reel of the woman absolutely terrifying her kids by coming around the corner with a red light therapy mask on her face. If your reaction was also to jump and think something along the lines of "What the heck could that possibly be for?!", then this episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast is for you.

As it turns out—and as we learned from interviewing midwife, doula, and red light therapy expert Tracy Donegan in this episode—red light therapy is about so much more than gimmicky face masks, and it has a surprising amount of data to back it up, especially for women's health and fertility.

Better known as "photobiomodulation" (PBM for short) in the scientific literature, the science of light therapy has everything to do with how much our mitochondria love sunlight—and how little of it they get nowadays. And don't worry, if all you remember about mitochondria is that they're "the powerhouse of the cell!" Tracy explains the science of PBM in a way that's clear, convincing, and—best of all—actionable (and, spoiler alert, you don't need a fancy laser to take advantage of many of the benefits of red light—just more time outside, and less time under artificial lights staring at screens).

You don't want to miss this timely, fascinating episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast. (P.s.: Do yourself a favor, and listen to this one outside!)

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We've all been there before: You laugh a little too hard, and you pee yourself. A hard run leaves you damp in more areas than your armpits. The lingering cough from the cold you had last week has you dribbling. Or maybe you went to a trampoline park with your kids, only to find yourself peeing a little with every jump. That's all normal, right? Wrong.

While all the above scenarios are incredibly common, they're not normal—and they're certainly not optimal! So what's the solution for women who want to live their lives without fear of constantly peeing themselves? Is the best way to treat incontinence—as a recent article from The Guardian suggested—really to get an injection of a plastic-based goo into your urethra every few months for the rest of your life?

Pelvic health expert Dr. Kayla Borchers doesn't think so, and she's back on The Natural Womanhood Podcast to talk with Grace about the healthy, holistic ways women can truly treat incontinence, stop peeing themselves, and get their lives back (and no, it's not about doing your kegels).

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts!

Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode.

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Some pregnant women run marathons, and some barely have the energy to get off the couch.

Some women can hardly wait to return to their normal physical activities after having a baby, and others like to take their time getting back into the swing of things.

Who's got it right? How much should we be exercising while pregnant? Are there any kinds of exercise pregnant women absolutely shouldn't be doing? And just how important is postpartum exercise, and how much should women be aiming to get in the year after having a baby?

In this episode, Natural Womanhood's Editor in Chief, Grace Emily Stark, interviews pelvic floor physical therapist Dr. Kayla Borchers on all these questions and more. In this episode, you'll learn about:

• Trimester-specific exercises and focus
• What kinds of exercises to do when you just don't want to do / don't have the energy to do anything while pregnant
• What to do /where to go when dealing with pregnancy aches and pains
• Any exercises you should absolutely avoid while pregnant
• The importance of exercise postpartum: How to do it safely!
• When and how to begin exercising again postpartum (and how to fit it in!), and how much is too much?
• What problems can postpartum exercise help mitigate (back pain? PPD? Diastasis recti?)
• When to know you need more help healing postpartum, and where to go
• How to play "catch up" if you didn't have / weren't able to have a very physically active pregnancy
• Preparing better for your next pregnancy

Want to watch this episode on YouTube? Click here!

Want to work with Dr. Kayla? Click here.

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts!

Find us on the web at naturalwomanhood.org and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an article, video interview, or podcast episode.

Follow us on X @naturwomanhood
Follow us on Instagram @naturalwomanhood

Want to support The Natural Womanhood Podcast and the rest of our work? Make your tax-deductible donation, here.