We Go There Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Trigger Warning: Birth trauma, Mental Health Struggles, Suicide, and Sexual Assault

SOLACE (Severe Obstetric Laceration Awareness and Community Engagement) is a non-profit that was founded by Caroline Stadler in April of 2023. Caroline sustained a missed a 4th degree tear from a forceps delivery when giving birth to her daughter in 2022. She struggled both physically and mentally as she navigated care for her symptoms and recovery due to a lack of structured resources available in the United States. Caroline was then joined on the board of SOLACE by multiple women who had similar journeys and medical professionals who were passionate about making a change in the awareness and after care of severe tearing.

Caroline and Sepideh Share:

1. While obstetric data reports a 6-7 percent rate of Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injuries (OASI), looking at the ultrasound data shows that up to 40% of patients who have had a prior vaginal delivery have sphincter defects that were never diagnosed: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199312233292601 (Also: https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/uog.18827). In addition to OASIS, 20 to 35% of moms who have had a vaginal delivery will suffer from a LAM (Levator Ani Muscles) injury which predisposes them to prolapses and incontinence. While there are surgical and non-surgical options for both anal sphincter and LAM injuries, the success rates are low and women often suffer from symptoms for a life-time.
2. Vacuum and Forceps deliveries, especially forceps are major risk factors for an OASI.
3. Based on a recent survey by the MASIC Foundation in the UK, 45% of women with OASIS experience postpartum depression and 78% have traumatic memories of their birth experience.
4. An OASI (Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury) has negative impacts on many dimensions of a woman's life. 50% of women in medium-term studies experience anal incontinence and 54% state that their symptoms are unacceptable and cause them to alter their lifestyle: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7093361/
5. Obstetric training for the diagnosis and repair of anal sphincter injuries is inadequate in the US: https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/obstetric-anal-sphincter-injuries

Show Notes: 

For more of SOLACE, please visit  instagram.com/@solaceforwomenorg  on Instagram and https://www.solaceforwomen.org/   on the Web

For more of We Go There Podcast, please visit instagram.com/wegotherepodcast on Instagram and wegotherepodcast.com on the Web

*Warning- this podcast is completely unfiltered. If you are around young children, we suggest headphones.*

Darren G. Candow, Ph.D., CSEP-CEP, is a Professor and world-renowned creatine researcher. He busts myths and breaks down the science behind creatine supplementation - specifically for female bodies. 

In this episode, we discuss evidence-based creatine dosing protocols to minimize unwanted side effects like bloating, and we dive into the impact of creatine on female bone health, muscle mass, endurance improvements in exercise and even brain health. 

Dr. Candow is the Director of the Aging Muscle and Bone Health Laboratory in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina, Canada. Dr. Candow’s research program develops effective lifestyle interventions involving creatine monohydrate and resistance training which have practical and clinical relevance for improving muscle, bone and brain health/function.

Dr. Candow Shares:

1. How creatine is beneficial to females
2. What is the best protocol to use for women starting creatine to reduce side effects like bloating?
3. How does it impact muscle mass, bone health, and weight?
4. What kind of improvements women can expect to see if they start taking creatine
5. Creatine in pregnancy and breastfeeding
6. Who should NOT take it?

Studies Referenced: 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33800439/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37144634/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33557850/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25993883/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33759701/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33467377/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35688360/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35276903/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37368234/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30978926/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33670822/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24766646/

Show Notes: 

For more of Dr. Darren Candow, please visit https://www.instagram.com/dr.darrencandow/ on Instagram

For more of We Go There Podcast, please visit instagram.com/wegotherepodcast on Instagram and wegotherepodcast.com on the Web

*Warning- this podcast is completely unfiltered. If you are around young children, we suggest headphones.*

We’ll be chatting about…

• How we’re juggling work, travel, parenting, etc. 
• Our thoughts on taking time away from your kids 
• In turn, how to make the most of your time with your children
• Prioritizing yourself and small ways you can start doing that today
• Mom triggers: How to work through & overcome them

Show Notes: 

For more of We Go There Podcast, please visit instagram.com/wegotherepodcast on Instagram and wegotherepodcast.com on the Web

*Warning- this podcast is completely unfiltered. If you are around young children, we suggest headphones.*

Making big health decisions can be overwhelming..  It can challenge our personal values and beliefs and lead to internal conflict and unrest. It can cause rifts in families. We can wonder “what is the right thing to do?” and have uncertainty when there is more than one way to proceed. Dr. Rebecca Greenberg is a  bioethicist who works with families to help reduce the stress and burden of medical decision-making and provides the necessary support  to make a difficult  decision with confidence. A Bioethicist is a healthcare professional trained to guide people who are unsure about what is the best choice or the right thing to do.

Dr. Rebecca Greenberg is a nurse and bioethicist who has been working in healthcare for the past two decades with a particular focus on pediatrics and women’s health. She guides clients through making difficult decisions about their own health and  that of their loved ones. She approaches each unique situation with compassion, no judgements and supports people in getting to the right decision for them. 

Rebecca’s aim is to help all those struggling with medical decision making so they can reach  “lasting moral peace” in the face of tough choices. 

Dr. Rebecca Shares:

1. Making an ethical decision doesn’t always ‘feel good’ - how can we come to terms with this? 
2. How to find clarity in making complex medical decisions
3. How to navigate your own ethical dilemma about your health (i.e. should I have more kids, fertility treatment planning, should I have an abortion, do I want another round of chemo for my cancer) 
4. How to make medical decisions on behalf of a loved one (i.e. child, partner or parent)
5. How to manage conflict in families making difficult medical decisions (i.e. parents making decisions for children, or adult siblings making decisions for parents)

We discuss the following topics that can be especially challenging: 

• conflict within your family about your health planning
• pregnancy termination decisions 
• healthcare decisions pertaining to your baby while pregnant and as a newborn
• medical decisions for children and minors
• fertility treatment considerations

Show Notes: 

For more of Dr. Rebecca, please visit  greenbergconsulting  on Instagram and https://www.greenbergconsulting.ca on the Web

For more of We Go There Podcast, please visit instagram.com/wegotherepodcast on Instagram and wegotherepodcast.com on the Web

*Warning- this podcast is completely unfiltered. If you are around young children, we suggest headphones.*

Trigger warning: This episode covers body image and weight loss. 

Lucia Hawley is a women's weight loss expert living in Portland, Oregon. She helps women ages 30 and older end yo-yo dieting and weight loss resistance with the principles of mindfulness and self-compassion and scientifically-backed nutrition science. Society one minute tells us to be smaller then flips to love the body we’re in! It can feel like whiplash and Lucia is sharing her journey with weight loss in hopes of empowering other women to work towards a body they love. 

Lucia Shares:

1. Lucia’s personal journey  with weight loss as an obese teen
2. Overcoming embarrassment and embracing wellness
3. How to drop the shame about wanting to change your body and how you feel
4. “Love your body” messaging and how it can sometimes be harmful
5. How to overcome a negative relationship with the scale
6. Mindfulness in the health journey
7. Social media’s role in body image
8. Taking the urgency of weight management

Show Notes: 

For more of Lucia, please visit luciahawley_  on Instagram and www.luciahawley.com on the Web

For more of We Go There Podcast, please visit instagram.com/wegotherepodcast on Instagram and wegotherepodcast.com on the Web

*Warning- this podcast is completely unfiltered. If you are around young children, we suggest headphones.*

Jill Miller, fascia expert, has 30 years of corrective movement expertise that forges links between the worlds of yoga, massage, athletics, and pain management. Her signature self-care fitness programs, Yoga Tune Up® and The Roll Model® are found at gyms, yoga studios, hospitals, athletic training facilities and corporations worldwide. She is the author of The Roll Model: A Step-by-Step Guide to Erase Pain, Improve Mobility, and Live Better in Your Body, and a contributing author on self-myofascial release in the text book Fascia, Function and Medical Applications.

In this episode Jill breaks down the basics for connecting with your body, using Yoga Tune Up® balls, her personal experiences, and all the info we need to heal using movement. Jill tells us where to focus in our bodies, how to breath through it, and how to become aware of our journey. 

Jill Shares:

1. The importance of diaphragm 
2. All about rib flare -what can we do about it? 
3. Jill’s daily practice for self-care (and her advice if you’re just starting on your self-care healthcare journey!)
4. What’s missing from the mental health conversations - How is the body involved? Self-massage?
5. How Jill juggles it ALL with a young family, book writing, and running a business
6. The importance of the BODY in breathwork and how self-massage is key to accessing a bodyside response
7. How to trigger a parasympathetic response
8. The importance of singing in Jill’s life & the significance of her relationship with it

Show Notes: 

For more of Jill, please visit @thejillmiller @tuneupfitness on Instagram and tuneupfitness.com on the Web

For more of We Go There Podcast, please visit instagram.com/wegotherepodcast on Instagram and wegotherepodcast.com on the Web

*Warning- this podcast is completely unfiltered. If you are around young children, we suggest headphones.*

Harry and Amanda are 2 of the 5 co-founder's at Othership. They have designed and built the first emotional training classes in North America combining beautiful social spaces built around saunas/ice baths and the leading Breathwork mobile app. They are creating spaces that encourage openness to the awe, belonging, and interconnectivity that animates the human experience.

In this episode, Harry and Amanda cover the benefits of connecting to your mind and body. They also take us on a guided breathwork from their app. 

Amanda and Harry Share:

1. Cold plunge/ice bath benefits (the actual benefits vs. what you see on social media) 
2. The importance of saunas
3. How to focus on and implement breath work into your everyday life
4. How all of these experiences help break down trauma and can encourage healing
5. Emotional regulation 
6. How breathwork can help your relationships and intimacy

Show Notes: 

For more of Amanda and Harry, please visit @amandalaine111 / @harrison.z.taylor / @othership / @othership.app on Instagram and http://www.othership.us on the Web

For more of We Go There Podcast, please visit instagram.com/wegotherepodcast on Instagram and wegotherepodcast.com on the Web

*Warning- this podcast is completely unfiltered. If you are around young children, we suggest headphones.*

Forceps assisted birth increases the risk of OASI (obstetric anal sphincter injury) significantly. Dr. Muraca breaks down her doctoral research on instrumental assisted birth to help provide informed consent for everyone giving birth. Being informed can help decrease the risk of injury. 

Dr. Guilia Muraca is a perinatal epidemiologist and an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Health Research Methods, Evidence & Impact at McMaster University. 

Her research uses epidemiologic approaches to identify optimal intervention rates in birth  (e.g., cesarean delivery rate, induction rate) that minimize the frequency of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes (e.g., postpartum hemorrhage, obstetric anal sphincter injury, maternal sepsis, neonatal sepsis, birth injury). 

Dr. Muraca’s research program at McMaster University aims to produce evidence to support enhanced safety and satisfaction in the care of pregnant individuals and their children, with emphasis on care quality, accessibility and equity.

Dr. Muraca Shares:

1. How commonplace are forceps births? 
2. What is the impact on the pelvic floor and long term issues with prolapse and incontinence after instrumental assisted birth? 
3. Dr. Muraca’s research has discovered that rates of trauma after Operative Vaginal Deliveries is higher than previously reported - let’s dive into that. 
4. What are some changes that could be made to make operative vaginal deliveries safer? 
5. What are your thoughts on our rising cesarean birth rates? Factors at play? Concerns you may have, if any? 
6. What do you wish more people knew about birth and recovery? 
7. What are the biggest changes you would like to see made to the current state of obstetrics in Canada? 
8. Asian-White disparities in obstetric anal sphincter injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis: 39% of women experience fecal incontinence after 3rd or 4th degree tearing (aka Obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI). Your research showed that there is an increased risk from women who identify as Asian race vs White. Let’s talk about why.

Show Notes: 

For more of Dr. Muraca, please visit www.giuliamuraca.com

X handles: @giuliamuraca1; @PERLLabMac

Tia is a parenting coach, teacher, business owner, best-selling author and most importantly a MOM. 

In this episode, Tia is sharing amazing tips that will help us parent with purpose and sitch the guilt. Listening, teaching, and getting on the same page as your child will help put an end to many problems parents face. Tune in for strategies that work (and that you can start using today!) 

Tia is the founder of Tia Slightham- Parenting Solutions and The Parenting With Purpose Method, where she works with parents to teach them positive ways to decrease the daily struggles we all encounter as parents. 

Tia Shares:

1. How to parent without anger and guilt 
2. Parenting with purpose vs. with battles
3. Breaking generational cycles
4. Tips and tricks for working with your child (while still keeping boundaries)
5. Age appropriate boundaries
6. How to guide your kids through decision making
7. Cell phones and social media guidance

Show Notes: 

For more of Tia, please visit instagram.com/tiaparentingcoach on Instagram and www.tiaslightham.com on the Web

For more of We Go There Podcast, please visit instagram.com/wegotherepodcast on Instagram and wegotherepodcast.com on the Web

*Warning- this podcast is completely unfiltered. If you are around young children, we suggest headphones.*

Dr. Jen Fraboni, PT, DPT, is an internationally-renowned physical therapist who specializes in helping people overcome chronic pain and maximize physical performance. She’s also a c-section mom herself who understands gaps in c-section recovery. In this episode we cover it all from how to prepare for a c-section (even if you aren’t planning on having one), what to expect after having a c-section, best practice for early rehab, mobilizing your scar, and scar massage. Jen shares her personal journey and easy to follow advice for fellow cesarean moms.

Check out Jen's free postpartum guide for cesarean births here: https://docjenfit.com/postpartum 

Dr. Jen Shares:

1. The biggest gaps in cesarean recovery
2. When to start recovery
3. Jen’s own cesarean recovery journey
4. Things you can do to prepare for a cesarean
5. How to find the right amount of movement after a cesarean birth
6. C-section shelf - what to do about it
7. When and how to start mobilizing the scar
8. How to practice scar massages
9. Getting back to movement safely
10. The healing journey and how it looks different for everyone

Show Notes: 

For more of Jen, please visit Instagram.com/docjenfit on Instagram and https://jen.health on the Web

For more of We Go There Podcast, please visit instagram.com/wegotherepodcast on Instagram and wegotherepodcast.com on the Web

*Warning- this podcast is completely unfiltered. If you are around young children, we suggest headphones.*