Embody Physical Therapy & Wellness

Maybe you can do it all, but at what cost?

I offer this thread as a source of journal prompts + reflection points!

Is doing it all serving you?

Or maybe, you aren't even doing it 'all', but you know you aren't living in alignment with your true desires & needs.

Get curious.

Curiosity is a super power✨

(We talked all about curiosity in today's love letter, in email form, to my newsletter community)

DM, comment, or head to scoop a freebie on my profile to add yourself to the Embody fam🌻

No spam, promise.

Rooting for you always, Em🫶🏻

This has been on my heart as I progress through my pregnancy.

I'm not quite sure I articulated my thoughts, or included everything I wanted, as they exist in my head- but, I hope this message resonates or, even better, sparks some curiosity in you.

I have felt a strong shift in my work as a women's health/pelvic floor PT- one that is not only focusing on supporting women's physical bodies, providing pain relief measures, movement/exercises prescription and strategies...

But also, and I believe perhaps even more importantly, caring for the mental, emotional health. Including, and encouraging, curiosity.

Always providing the gentle reminder that you are not broken, you do not need fixing. This is so very true in pregnancy.

In and outside of my sessions with women- We work not only to develop physical resiliency, but mental, emotional, spiritual resiliency.

I want to empower you to come back home to your body. To see all your body is doing FOR you, especially during her most beautiful and creative endeavor of creating a human.

I want to spark and develop curiosity.

I would love to hear- from other practitioners and non-practitioners alike- what are your thoughts here?

Women deserve better.

Let's continue to make efforts towards this reframe, one step at a time.

Rooting for you, always🫶🏻 Em

*p.s. check out my stories today where I'll go into more detail about my personal discomforts through pregnancy and thoughts on this topic*

For the sake of your mental/emotional health, nervous system, menstrual health, fertility, pelvic health, physical health, & well-being...

Can we normalize slowing down, prioritizing your needs, and saying 'no' to urgency culture?

Can we normalize bringing more feminine in, to balance the masculine?

Can be normalize our cyclical nature & changing needs, wants, desires, capacities on a daily and monthly basis?

Is slowing down hard for you? Are you a victim to hustle and urgency culture?

Let me hear your thoughts below↓

Body image🫶🏻🌊

↓Would love for you to share reflections on your own body image journey in the comments!↓

It feels impossible to consolidate all of my thoughts on body image, and my own personal body image & healing journey into one thread...

But, here's a start.

Our world, society, conditioning makes it really, really hard to feel safe, accepted, and loved in the body and skin you live in.

Wouldn't it be freeing to be able to simply BE in your body? Without the shame, the hate, the disgust, the guilt?

Though there are no "actionables" to take away from this post- I hope it inspires you, offers up some journal prompts, or reflection points.

P.s. I am human, and no where near perfect. I shed light on this in the post- but I do have moments where fleeting thoughts and feelings come in. The true hurdle overcome, is that they no longer cause extreme distress & result in action that disrespects my body.

Rooting for you, always🫶🏻 Em

HA and pelvic floor dysfunction🤯

⬇️is this news to you?⬇️

Hitting you with some of the research behind pelvic floor dysfunction, low energy availability, eating disorders/disordered eating, RED-S, and HA🔥

When I first discovered this connection it was MIND blowing to me, yet, it made so much sense.

A ~very~ common symptom/report for women with HA is increased urgency...meaning they have to p*e 15+ times a day, multiple times an hour, etc.

It's often thought that this is simply due to drinking a lot of water!💦 but, there's actually more behind this than water intake.

We also see increased urgency, and incontinence (involuntary leaking), in postmenopausal women.

The connection? The hormonal profiles between that of a woman with HA and a post-menopausal woman can look quiteeeee similar🥵

And many women are filled with fear when they hear from their doctor that they are "post-menopausal" but are only in their 20s/30s!

Not to worry...you are NOT post-menopausal and there IS a way to restore your cycle and normalize your hormones...

And the cure lies within you🫶🏻 with the appropriate lifestyle and behavioral modifications, HA (and the unpleasant symptoms like p*eing your un**es, going to the bathroom 10x every hour, painful s3x) is completely reversible.

Let me help you recover your period (and more importantly- restore OVULATION), get pregnant naturally, and kick pelvic floor symptoms to the curb.

If summer 2024 is your time to say YES to recovery, DM me "🩸" and let's chat!

Or, you can book a free call w/ me directly at the link in my bio!

Rooting for you, always🫶🏻 Em

pockets of JOY over the last couple of weeks🫶🏻

↓what has brought YOU joy lately?↓

I utilize this platform to educate, empower, & inspire...

and part of the way I show up here is sharing bits and pieces of MY life, because I'm the human behind this page & I'm more than just a PT, coach, healthcare provider.

I'm a human- with an amazing husband, cute (& chatty) pup, the best support system...

with emotions, experiences, challenges, joys, interests, thoughts, passions both within and outside of the work I do.

(I feel very grateful to be in a particularly joy-filled season, but even so I still have my battles)

one of the greatest things for my own health, nervous system & life experience over the past year has been finding joy and purpose outside of work- expanding my identity.

and, doing so has only further expanded my capacity and passion FOR the work I do.

so, sharing these pockets of ✨joy✨ and ✨peace✨ to inspire and remind you to embrace life and all of its twists, turns, & challenges.

to slow down from time to time.

to question how much of your identity is tied to what you DO, rather than who you ARE- and allow time for reflection on this.

to practice being present, where your feet are planted.

I still practice this daily- and don't always succeed.

and that, my friends, is also part of the human experience- imperfection.

sending you light & rooting for you, always🫶🏻 -Em

we should be provided menstrual cycle education early & often🩸

📤SHARE this if you agree, also didn't receive much education surrounding your cycle, or know a momma/younger women that could benefit from learning more📤

when we know better, we do better!

we do better not only for ourselves, but for those around us- including our daughters, nieces, & the younger generation of women✨

here are some messages I wish I had received.

why? aside from the fact that maybe I could've prevented and/or dealt with my hormonal condition a decade earlier, I also would've been a heck of a lot more educated on HOW my body works & in tune with my cyclical nature.

no more taboo. no more uninformed consent. no more shame. no more band aids.

if you're dealing with unwanted menstrual cycle symptoms, fertility challenges, pelvic health concerns- reach out. I'm here to support ya🫶🏻

rooting for you, always- Em

it's National Infertility Awareness Week.

did you know that approximately 1 in 8 couples in the US will face fertility challenges (I prefer to use the term fertility challenges over infertility).

that is a staggering statistic. look around your circle of family & friends- chances are, one of them if not more have or will face challenges on their conception journey.

it doesn't have a "look". it doesn't discriminate. and for those impacted by it, the despair, fear of the unknown, & pure sadness is so very real.

supporting women on their fertility journeys has been the most rewarding endeavor in my career, yet my heart has never hurt so deeply hearing so many stories of loss, uncertainty, dwindling hope.

I'm so very fortunate to provide a beacon of light & hope for couples. and I'm sending all of that light and hope to individuals and couples on their own fertility journeys.

shame & despair grow in silence. if you feel comfortable, share a piece of your journey below or send me a DM and I will share anonymously in my stories. you are not alone🫶🏻

rooting for you, always. Xo- Em

↓MINDSET SHIFTS↓

Here I share some mindset shifts for➡️ diet/nutrition, movement, work, mornings. These are common areas I find women struggle with the most.

And when I say struggle, I mainly mean they're the hardest areas for women to address & make impactful shifts.

‼️And, this doesn't just go for women I support with hypothalamic amenorrhea. It's a common theme amongst -all- women I support, & can impact their health and fertility, too‼️

I think this comes down to a few things, but something that's undeniable is the society we live in & our conditioning🧠

Where it's praised to/we get messages like...

—Be the thinnest, strongest, fittest, most muscular, skinny, skinny but big b***y(?), b***s and butt but no waist woman

—Be the epitome of "health"...wake up, crush a workout, eat "clean", limit "bad foods"

—Be a strong, boss-ass woman. Get s**t done. Answer calls, emails, texts regardless of the day or time. Be ✨reliable✨

—Wake up and GO. You don't have time for a slow morning!! Who do you think you are?! The world is waiting!!

—Bread? NOPE! How about egg white/cauliflower thins instead...

Of course I'm poking fun to lighten the mood, but in reality our society and the unsustainable ideals have really set many women down a path of poor relationships to food, their body, exercise...

Where they become disconnected from themselves. From their intuition, their feminine, their nurture/play.

Here's your invitation, your permission, to adopt some of these mindset shifts. To look inwards. To come back home to you🤍

Rooting for you, always🫶🏻

Xo- Em

↓CONTROL↓

A topic that comes up ~frequently~ in client sessions, & that has been something I’ve worked through for myself many-a-times.

I love this quote from Glennon Doyle’s book “Untamed”. Highly recommend, btw📚

I remember reading it, and then reading it over, and over, and over. Writing it in my journal. Continuing to come back to it. And recently, I stumbled upon it when re-reading my journal, wrote it on a sticky note, and it’s been sitting on my laptop since.

Though, if I recall correctly, Glennon wasn’t necessarily speaking on control in the light I am with clients. I think the beauty of reading is that the words can be interpreted however we, the reader, want them to be.

When I read this, I think of the intimate & most important relationship we will ever have– the one with ourselves.

I see control come up in a variety of ways in the work I do:

– Trying to control every single symptom
– Trying to do everything perfectly: nutrition, sleep, stress, movement, relationships
– Trying to control body weight, shape, size
– Trying to control weight gain (I’m looking at you, HA girlies)
– Trying to control the rate at which we heal
– Trying to control pregnancy, and control every outcome
– Trying to control exactly how your birth will play out
– Trying to lose all of the baby weight ASAP

But, have you ever thought of WHY you are always trying to control all.of.the.things?

It usually stems back to fear, lack of self trust, a protective response (to keep us safe, if we can control the outcome, nothing to fear– right?)

But, control can rob us of self trust. It often doesn’t leave room for establishing trust. Trust in our bodies, our innate wisdom…leaning into surrender.

Releasing some of the control, leads to more surrender, less protection.

A body that feels less need to protect at all costs, is a body that feels SAFE🕊️

✨A safe body, is a body that can reclaim vitality, fertility, and heal✨

So where is control coming up for you? I invite you to journal on this. Every time I do, I’m left with 🤯revelations.

Rooting for you, always🫶🏻 -Em

Let's improve that body literacy, shall we?!👏🏻

Because when we do this, we take back the power.

We become more connected.

We strengthen our intuition.

SAVE + SHARE to educate your friends and partners!🔖

Many of the women I work with haven't even looked at/know what their v***a looks like...

And this is typically multifactorial! But simply understanding your anatomy can be a good first step to become more in tune with this sacred region of your body.

Did you learn something new here?

Did you learn about your anatomy in school?

Let's make the answer to this a YES for current & future generations💗

If you want to become more empowered in your body, address unwanted symptoms, restore ovulation/your period through a gentle approach free of fear, shame, + guilt...I'm your girl👋🏻

***a

Just because you can...
Does it mean you should?

Where may shame, fear, judgment and past conditioning be coming into play with your day to day decisions?

The lifestyles we lead?

The habits we adopt?

The things we feel we MUST do, for xyz reason.

Working in the women's health space I hear so many stories, have many discussions, get a glimpse into many women's lives...

And a very common theme?

Feeling (and being) overworked, a constant "need" to over perform, so much guilt over what we "should" be doing, endless angst and fear, and most of all...

An inability to slow down and just ✨be✨

And aside from the women I work with in my practice, I also see this time and time again from other entrepreneurs, family members, friends.

It's no wonder we see so many women's health issues, reproductive health issues, metabolic health issues, mental health issues, gastrointestinal issues (I could keep going) rampant.

So I encourage you to ask yourself...

Just because you can, does it mean you should?

And if you're still unsure. If you're still feeling light years away from having any deep intuition. If you may know deep down there's a better way...seek support.

Rooting for you, always🫶🏻

dear younger me,
a letter to your younger self...in honor of eating disorder awareness week🫶🏻

"I hope you know you are enough...just as you are."

rooting for you, always- Em

Hard truths delivered with ~lots~ of compassion.

Often times HA recovery requires us to step into the fear, to feel the fear yet decide to keep moving forward, to get comfortable w/ being a bit UNcomfortable.

It's hard to do it alone. It can feel REALLY scary and lonely.

After recovering from HA myself, I knew I wanted to support women through the same journey. I knew I could bring unique perspectives in with my background and expertise as a doctor of PT.

And I'm so fortunate to be doing just that through my coaching services.

Helping women get their periods back when they thought it would never be possible.

Supporting them on their journey to getting pregnant, naturally.

Working through the deepest of deep rooted beliefs and behaviors that no longer serve them.

The transformation is just so. damn. beautiful.

If you want this for YOU, I'd love to support you🫶🏻

Rooting for you, always.

a letter to your recovering body heading into 2024🫶🏻

rooting for you, always.

Xo, Em

Bringing you some compassionate real talk, ladies (I like the sound of that!)

I've been getting more questions from women lately surrounding weight gain & HA recovery.

I remember in the beginning of my journey it was SO hard for me to accept the changes to my body weight, shape, and size.

I tried to think of ALL the ways I could be the unicorn. Surely I could get my period back without my body changing. ___ just posted on a FB support group that she got her period back without gaining weight and maintaining a six-pack, why not me?!🤷🏼‍♀️

well, the fact of the matter is that everyone. Is. Different. You are not her, and she is not you. Your history, genetics, physiology, stress load, personality, support system, access to support, etc. is not the same as anyone else!

one of the hardest things to do is to relinquish control. I mean, isn't that one of the things that got us here in the first place? A need for ✨control✨

once you can learn to...

〰️trust your body
〰️trust she knows best
〰️allow her to feel safe again
〰️release the chokehold you have on controlling every aspect of your being
..everything changes. But,
no one said it would be easy!

And only you get to make the choice to do so.

If 2024 is the year you take the leap, I'd love to support you. My unique perspective as an Ortho/Pelvic Doctor of PT, continued education in the HA + fertility space, and lived experience lends to a holistic approach to care to support and hold space for you on your journey🫶🏻

DM me "HA" to inquire and learn more🩸

have you ever heard someone say "trust your intuition" and thought, HAAAA...right...

or maybe you've even felt like it was a load of 💩, woo-woo, or a waste of time.

why would you look inwards when you can get the answers you want in a quick chat GPT search? a quick email to your doctor, provider, or coach. a quick scan of google...

listen, I feel you. I WAS you. I still to this day find myself leaning on people + sources outside of myself to find answers at times.

and for me, and probably many, this serves almost as a protection strategy. whenever I catch these behaviors in my own life, I can usually tie it back to a sense of ~fear~.

to uncertainty, unpredictability, feelings of loss of control.

this really showed up for me during my HA recovery journey.

I consistently sought out all of the information: the research, the books, the blogs, the social media accounts, the discovery calls, the appointments.

but it wasn't until I sat with all of this. I pressed pause, reflected inwards, and learned to LISTEN to my body and what she needed/was asking for that the needle really shifted for me.

I see this in the clients I work with & the DMs I receive all of the time.

"How much weight will I have to gain?"
"How do I know if I overshot my weight gain?"
"Should I try X procedure/fertility treatment next?"

and I receive and hold space for these questions with so much softness...and I also use my expertise, clinical knowledge + experience, evidence informed guidance where appropriate...

but very rarely is my response ever a concrete answer.

because only ✨you✨ and your body know what is right for you. I help you to re-establish and re-invigorate that deeper knowing.

I always make sure YOU are in the drivers seat. YOU hold the power.

because at the end of the day, your journey is yours. you always have a choice. you always have an inner knowing.

and if we just allow space for that inner knowing to come through...some pretty magical things can happen.

and man...how beautiful is that?

rooting for you, always🫶🏻

Let's improve that body literacy, shall we?!👏🏻

Because when we do this, we take back the power.

We become more connected.

We strengthen our intuition.

SAVE + SHARE to educate your friends and partners!🔖

Many of the women I work with haven't even looked at/know what their v***a looks like...

And this is typically multifactorial! But simply understanding your anatomy can be a good first step to become more in tune with this sacred region of your body.

Did you learn something new here?

Did you learn about your anatomy in school?

Let's make the answer to this a YES for current & future generations💗

If you want to become more empowered in your body, address unwanted symptoms, restore ovulation/your period through a gentle approach free of fear, shame, + guilt...I'm your girl👋🏻

***a

Human first, clinician second.

Always remember the power of your words.

Ask yourself, "if I were to hear this from my doctor, how would it make me feel? How would it make my loved one feel?"

Know that your clinical skill set, your knowledge, your expertise is important...but having compassion is just as, if not more, important.

The hard skills can be taught, the compassion & soft skills can't.

Sometimes, all you have is one opportunity to make a lasting impact on the human in front of you.

Make it a positive one🫶🏻

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oh yessss, talking cervical mucus today!

I often find women, and really everyone, get so uncomfy when I bring up cervical mucus...

but that certainly doesn't stop me from talking about it! CM is a beautiful thing and completely ✨normal✨ and NEEDED when it comes to natural conception.

I remember being disgusted by my "discharge" as I liked to call it when I was younger, and I hear the same sentiment from women I work with.

CM plays a crucial role in fertility as it not only influences the environment of the female reproductive tract, but it also supports s***m:

➡️survival (nutrients and pH balance)

➡️transport (through cervix, into uterus, to fallopian tubes)

➡️fertilization (CM guides s***m towards the awaiting egg in the fallopian tube)

CM is also a great progress indicator in HA recovery. I use charting with my clients working on HA recovery for this reason.

if any of the below resonate with you...

✨feeling lost in HA recovery, wondering if your period will EVER come back

✨reading all of the IG posts, following all of the social media accounts on HA recovery & fertility, piece making your own recovery protocol to see what sticks

✨seeing others recovery journeys, listening to the podcasts, feeling like you're doing ALL the things and still no period

✨ready to get your period back yesterday, and willing to completely surrender to recovery

I can support you🫶🏻

I have a few openings for coaching as we head into December and 2024. I would love to support you on your journey back home to you, reclaiming your fertility💫

My dear friend, exposure therapy🫶🏻

Exposure therapy played an ✨integral✨ role in healing my relationship with my body.

It was extremely confronting at first, but the more I practiced, the more I leaned INto it, the more healing that took place.

I can still remember my therapist sharing how it may be helpful for me to NOT grab for the towel immediately after getting out of the shower and running past my husband, covering every inch of my naked body, because of the deep discomfort and shame I felt.

You want me to WHAT?! Walk by my husband...naked...(safe to say he wasn't complaining😂)

This small, yet huge thing to me at the time, completely helped to shift the power my body image had over me.

From there, I started to touch my belly. To look in the mirror. To gently grasp my arms, my legs, my hips.

I wrote up a long Instagram post sharing my journey with my personal IG community. I poured out vulnerability. I exposed myself, and confronted my deep rooted fear of judgement head on.

Needless to say, this opened more doors for me than I could have ever imagined. But the greatest door of all has been releasing the chains that body image and fear of my body changing held over me.

No more laying in bed sobbing over new dimples and stretch marks.

No more feeling unbelievably uncomfortable and ashamed in tight clothing that exposes my new curves.

No more feeling shame and disgust over my body, allowing it to bleed into intimacy with my husband.

No more criticizing my body, or feeling anger/resentment towards her.

I continue to weave exposure therapy into my life in many forms, extending beyond body image.

I bring it into practice with my patients and clients, and hope it helps them as much as it has me.

And, I hope this post inspires you to try some exposure therapy for yourself. I hope you can lean INTO the discomfort, recognizing that the only way out is through.

Rooting for you always💗

A big mix of haunted houses here inspired by both personal and patient experiences.

Not only are these spooky, but just downright saddening & so wrong.

Let's all put in the work to do better by women🫶🏻

Take what you need this Saturday🫶🏻

You are enough just as you are.

Your greatest struggles will soon be your greatest successes.

It's never too late to rewrite your story.

The only way out, is through.

Your thoughts are not fact.

You can acknowledge the parts of you that are scared, while deciding to forge onwards despite the fear. Those parts are there to protect...but we can show them compassion and whisper "there's no need to protect, we are safe"

Things scream loudest when they are dying. This goes for old behaviors, old mindsets, old narratives...

The moments you feel like you can't go any further, are often the exact moments that result in the most progress if you can stay the course.

The most important relationship you will ever have in life is the one with yourself.

If you constantly seek validation outside of you, you will never achieve TRUE happiness.

Freedom is possible.

You're doing your best, give yourself grace💗

📧Share this post with a friend or loved one who needs some 💗
🔐Save it for later when you need a gentle reminder.
👋🏻Follow along for more.

Trying to get pregnant but your period is MIA?!🥵

You should know, if your period is missing and you are NOT pregnant, you're not ovulating...

If you're not ovulating...you can't get pregnant naturally!😞

The things we don't learn in school, right?!

Here are 3 questions to ask yourself if your period is MIA and you want to get pregnant.

Not all doctors or healthcare providers are well versed in some of the conditions underlying missing periods, including HA.

OR they may slap a common diagnosis on ya like PCOS (this is the case for some of the women I work with).

If you're trying to get pregnant, have missing periods, don't want to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on fertility treatment...I can help🫶🏻

Reach out down below, in my DMs, or visit the link in my bio to set up a time to chat about your unique experience!🤰🏼

Which one hits the hardest for you?

I frequently ask my clients questions like these👆🏻

Sometimes they're unsure.

Sometimes it's rubbed off.

Sometimes there are tears.

Sometimes there's relief...relief to get what they've been feeling out into words.

Sometimes they need more time to think. To journal. To reflect on their own.

And that's what I hope you can do with 1, 2, 3 or even more of these.

Dig deep. Get to the root of what's keeping you stuck.

You got this🫶🏻