Shemika Whiteside, MSSW, CSW is the co-founder and executive director of Zora's Cradle, a nonprofit organization in Louisville, Kentucky that provides essential services to expectant mothers through a holistic approach. Shemika earned her Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Louisville, and her research interests include maternal morbidity of Black and Latinx expectant mothers and dual-diagnoses. In this conversation, she shares her powerful personal story of giving birth prem...
Jan 16, 2023•47 min•Season 2Ep. 2
I share updates for Season 2, introduce this season's them on breast health, and tell my own story of dealing with recurring breast cysts and benign breast lumps in my 30s. Contact Femammal: Email femammalpodcast@gmail.com Follow the podcast on Facebook at Femammal Podcast If you have feedback or want to be a future guest, please get in touch! Logo design: copyright Darragh Hannan
Jan 04, 2023•23 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In the final episode of Season 1, I share what I learned this season about how to create safe spaces where we can have more open conversations about women's embodied experiences. I offer seven tips for better dialogue, and I look ahead to Season 2, premiering in January. Contact Femammal: Email femammalpodcast@gmail.com Follow the podcast on Facebook at Femammal Podcast If you have feedback or want to be a future guest, please get in touch! Logo design: copyright Darragh Hannan...
Nov 09, 2022•16 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Shalah Bottoms is a Self-Care Coach and Founder of Shalah B Coaching. She earned a Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Kentucky and has over 9 years of experience supporting other women as they create visions of their best selves and work toward making it a reality. As a coach, Shalah empowers women who do it all to prioritize the peace, joy, and structure they need to thrive. In this interview, Shalah dismantles the commercial trappings of self-care and returns us to the found...
Nov 02, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 10
This week's guest is Haley Smith, who is a mother of two and has worked professionally as a childcare provider. In this conversation, she opens up about her experiences with depression, ADHD, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She reflects on the challenges of misdiagnosis, finding interventions that help, and where the joy is in prioritizing her health and her family. Please be aware that suicidal ideation is a topic that comes up in this conversation. If you are having thoughts of suicide, pl...
Oct 26, 2022•40 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Callie Allison, RN shares her stories of dealing with a diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) as a teenager, as well as undergoing surgery for an imperforate hymen. She reflects on navigating health issues as a teen athlete, what she wishes she had known as a teenager, and how she could have better advocated for herself. She now works as a nurse in Louisville, Kentucky. She has worked in healthcare for the past seven years in a variety of roles. Contact Femammal: Email femammalpodcast@...
Oct 19, 2022•31 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Jessica Mannen Kimmet shares her perspective as a birder, a gardener, and a mother on how to become more attuned to the changing seasons and what our bodies need in each season to live in a more integrated way. Contact Femammal: Email femammalpodcast@gmail.com Follow the podcast on Facebook at Femammal Podcast If you have feedback or want to be a future guest, please get in touch! Logo design: copyright Darragh Hannan...
Oct 12, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Allison Jones, a long-time contra dancer, shares her story of developing body confidence through dance, and how that has enhanced her social confidence on and off the dance floor. We talk about nonverbal cues for setting physical boundaries, body sovereignty, and body positivity. Allison has been contra dancing for almost a decade. She has taught the lesson for beginners at community contra dances for six years, and she is a past president of the Board of Louisville Country Dancers, the nonprofi...
Oct 05, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Catie Eichhorn shares about her diagnosis of endometriosis, undergoing multiple surgeries and finding hormonal medications to improve her symptoms. She opens up about how it has impacted her sense of self and her definition of family, and her joyful resilience in the face of a chronic diagnosis. The Empowered Health podcast also has an endometriosis episode: https://empoweredhealthshow.com/2019/07/21/ep-19-opening-up-about-endometriosis/ My Endometriosis online support group: https://www.myendom...
Sep 28, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 5
A conversation with Kristen Drahos, PhD, about the challenges and benefits of eating an anti-inflammatory diet. She offers these resources for more research: Autoimmune and AIP (Auto-Immune Protocol) specifically: https://www.thepaleomom.com/start-here/the-autoimmune-protocol/ The Paleo Approach ( https://www.ebay.com/itm/274389831320?chn=ps&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1Aqkk_6GkR5W0MucUknEBzA32&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-213727-13078-0&mkcid=2&itemid=274389831320...
Sep 21, 2022•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 4
Christina Valenzuela, who is a certified instructor in the Boston Cross Check method of Natural Family Planning, shares insights into the patterns of energy, mood, and social personality that women experience throughout the monthly menstrual cycle. She shares tips on how to use this cyclical energy pattern to our advantage, and red flags for when symptoms deserve medical investigation. She also shared these resources: Dr. Lara Briden https://www.larabriden.com The Hormone Repair Manual The Perio...
Sep 14, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Melissa Hennessy, a health coach and new mother, discusses being diagnosed with interstitial cystitis, a painful bladder and pelvic condition. She shares her health journey from getting a diagnosis to advocating for treatment and the quality of life she has now thanks to pelvic floor physical therapy and dietary changes. She also dives deep into how this diagnosis impacted her sense of self and her dreams for the future. This is an incredibly vulnerable and honest conversation about pelvic pain,...
Sep 07, 2022•51 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Introducing Femammal, the new podcast dedicated to holding space for women to explore what it means to live well in our bodies. We will look for the joy in our experience of being female mammals through frank interviews with women about our bodies, life cycles, communities, and families. Here is the article mentioned in the show, which is how this podcast came about: "Catholics Need Better Conversations about Women's Health. Here are Three Places to Start" Contact Femammal: Email femammalpodcast...
Sep 07, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 1
