The process of preparing for birth, giving birth, and recovering can be described in many ways. Some might say incredible, others might say life changing, and still others might say horrific. But whatever someone’s experience is, one thing is for sure. It always helps to know a bit about the process before the day you welcome your bundle of joy. Jen Buice joins us today for a deep and meaningful conversation around all things childbirth. Jen has been supporting families as a childbirth educator,...
Mar 02, 2023•36 min•Season 7Ep. 4
Pelvic floor dysfunction is present across all age groups and anatomies. Particularly during the pregnancy and postpartum time in a birthing person’s life, pelvic issues often don’t get the attention they need. And sometimes, too much attention may be given in certain areas! Our guest today is Rachel Parrotta, a pelvic health physical therapist in New York. Today she discusses how we don't talk enough about topics such as prolapse and pain with intercourse after birth. She feels there has been t...
Feb 23, 2023•35 min•Season 7Ep. 3
For too long, women’s health problems have been a mystery in the medical field. Often they are under-researched or just brushed off as part of the normal female experience. But with the help and expertise of our wonderful guest today, Dr. Andrew Goldstein, we are gaining massive insight and making large strides towards solving many of the issues that affect women’s bodies. Dr. Goldstein is the Director of the Centers for Vulvovaginal Disorders and is currently a Clinical Professor at the George ...
Feb 16, 2023•40 min•Season 7Ep. 2
Being human is more than just running your day-to-days. How can you find joy and meaning in it all? Well, maybe the answer lies in some confusion and… magic! Today we have the opportunity to chat with the renowned Mark Fisher, an international speaker, consultant, and entrepreneur. Mark is the co-founder of Mark Fisher Fitness (MFF), one of the most unusual gyms in the fitness industry. He’s also the co-founder of Business for Unicorns, a company that trains gym owners to achieve financial succe...
Feb 09, 2023•38 min•Season 7Ep. 1
We are busting some myths on pregnancy, postpartum, and fitness here folks! Tune in today to gain exclusive insights into what we really need to focus on moving forward to optimize pregnancy and postpartum recovery. Spoiler alert - it is not recommended that you are inactive during your pregnancy unless medically necessary! Our guest today is the Director of Education for PROnatal Fitness, Carolyn Appel. Carolyn is “the brain” behind the company’s innovative Performance-Based Education Programs,...
Dec 08, 2022•37 min•Season 6Ep. 22
Do you want to know the secret to long lasting fat loss? No, it’s not just dieting. No, it’s not just cardio. No, it's not just strength training. It is a combination of the three and strength training tends to need a bit more focus for most people! Our guest today is Sarah Currie, MS RDN CDN, a Registered Dietitian, personal trainer and co-owner of Physical Equilibrium, a gym and Pilates studio with locations in Midtown Manhattan and East Hampton. Sarah chats with us on how to lose weight prope...
Dec 01, 2022•37 min•Season 6Ep. 21
C-Section? Epidural? Hypnobirthing? Hospital gown? Midwife? Doula? Oh and hopefully the bassinet comes in time… Wait or is it better for the baby to sleep with me? So many thoughts, so many things, so many conversations to be had when it comes to pregnancy and birth! If you are overwhelmed or remember a time when you were, you are certainly not alone. Being a birthing individual in America today can be a lot. Well, maybe it was always a lot. And maybe we are just talking about it more now. Is so...
Nov 24, 2022•33 min•Season 6Ep. 20
You belong! Your body and the way you move belongs anywhere you want it to, whether it’s at a big gym, a small yoga studio, a group Pilates class, or a bootcamp-style intense training session. If you feel limited with your exercise because of fear of judgment, tune into today’s episode with Kirsten Adler. Kirsten is an interdisciplinary movement instructor and the founder of Explore Movement, an integrated yoga, Pilates, & Gyrotonic studio in Portland, Maine. Kirsten talks to us about how sh...
Nov 17, 2022•31 min•Season 6Ep. 19
There are different ways of looking at trauma, or the harm you have experienced in your life (physically, mentally, and/or emotionally). Sometimes it can feel like a long and daunting road to overcome this trauma, or various microtraumas, to live a fulfilling life. But what if we could shift our mental framework around trauma to serve us better? Instead of “overcoming” it, we could instead “understand” and “integrate” it. What if we were to step away from the concept of needing to “repair” ourse...
Nov 10, 2022•31 min•Season 6Ep. 18
It’s not just about knowing exactly what the diagnosis is, what treatment to provide, or in what dosage. In order to optimize a patient’s health, we must go beyond that. Whether you are a medical doctor, physical therapist, acupuncturist, or any other clinician that offers care to patients, there is a deeper level to patient centered care that involves mindset, communication and empathy. By becoming cognizant of this as healthcare practitioners, we can not only serve our patients better, but we ...
Nov 03, 2022•32 min•Season 6Ep. 17
Today we hear the personal journey of a dear friend of mine, John Arthur Greene, an actor, singer and songwriter. John reflects on the impact that the pause during the pandemic’s lockdown had on his career and mindset. John walked away from the entertainment industry after 26 years, performing on Broadway for 8 shows a week, and more. He talks about how difficult his career has been on his body, not always in a healthy way. John and I crossed paths during my time intensively treating Broadway pe...
Oct 27, 2022•37 min•Season 6Ep. 16
Anxiety and depression are prevalent across cultures and across time. It manifests in unique ways in the 21st century and particularly in America where technology and information is widespread. Our guest today is Allison Beck, a psychotherapist and pregnancy, postpartum and parenthood coach in private practice, specializing in reproductive psychology, parenthood and anxiety and mood disorders across all life stages. We begin our discussion with what anxiety and depression are and the difference ...
Oct 20, 2022•44 min•Season 6Ep. 15
If you’ve ever felt like you don’t belong, that you don’t deserve to be where you are or go where you are going, or that you aren’t fit to provide the service you are expected to deliver, you’re definitely not alone. Star athletes, larger-than-life celebrities, and big business owners experience these feelings and thoughts from time to time. And so do pre-med students! My cousin Trinith Radhakrishnan chats with us today about his experience through high school, college, and medical school applic...
Oct 13, 2022•36 min•Season 6Ep. 14
It’s true. A bomb sets off, school children get shot, and an innocent man is murdered, and THEN we all rally to fight for justice. But we don’t always think of how we can prevent violent actions from happening in the first place, let alone invest time or money to get to the bottom of solving these issues. To commemorate Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday this week, Mandar Apte joins us to tackle these tough conversations. Mandar is a former chemical engineer and Shell executive who started off helping bu...
Oct 06, 2022•43 min•Season 6Ep. 13
Everything in the human body is connected in some way. One type of tissue that provides structural integrity to our bodies, that we discuss today, is called “Fascia.” Our guest, Leslie Daley, is an occupational therapist using John Barnes Myofascial Release, a gentle, effective technique which provides consistent results in reducing pain, restoring motion and improving quality of life for her patients. She discusses how manual release work can be subtle and more superficial and how this can some...
Sep 29, 2022•28 min•Season 6Ep. 12
Kenna Bouvet is a Licensed Acupuncturist and Co-owner of Earth + Sky Massage and Acupuncture in Long Island City, NY. Kenna joins us to share with us about the integrative work acupuncture can offer from conception to birth for a birthing individual. She explains how nutrition, what you wear, mindset, movement, and energy can affect pregnancy. She encourages patients that she works with to be on board with a comprehensive plan, not just one that involves needles. Kenna touches on the latest evid...
Sep 22, 2022•32 min•Season 6Ep. 11
After a bit of a break, we resume season 6 on our podcast on Fit As A Fiddle! Today I give you a deep dive into some of the raw conversations I have with my patients regarding expectations from physical therapy, how movement (of some kind) is ALWAYS the answer, why it’s important to know the why behind what you are given to do during your course of care, and… “negative space.” Negative space is the time you don’t think you have, but it literally pops out of thin air when you start paying attenti...
Sep 15, 2022•16 min•Season 6Ep. 10
When you don’t have the answers from trusted sources, or the answers seem to conflict, you often turn to Dr. Google and social media for advice. But when it comes to pregnancy and postpartum, everyone’s journey from conception to menopause is so unique. Instead, we can draw from ancient cultures that often have almost the same advice: trust your intuition and evidence based research (what tends to work!). That’s exactly what we do on this show with Dr. Patricia Ladis, PT, CBBA, a licensed physic...
Jun 09, 2022•47 min•Season 6Ep. 9
Whatever type of parent you are, the world often categorizes you and you are set to behave and see the rest of the world through lenses that have already been created for you. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Our guest, Justin Batt, joins us today to talk about the real meaning of parenthood, specifically, fatherhood. Justin is the founder of Daddy Saturday Foundation, a 501(c)(3), and The Fatherhood Institute, LLC. He is a husband, a father of 4, TEDx international speaker, author, and an at...
Jun 02, 2022•33 min•Season 6Ep. 8
With the wonders of technology in healthcare come tremendous improvements in patient outcomes and quality of life. On today’s episode, we have two phenomenal guests chatting with us about osseointegration in the field of prosthetics, which helps individuals with limb deformities such as amputations move and function more optimally. Haris Kafedzic is an American Board Certified Prosthetist and Orthotist and Eschen’s lead Manhattan Prosthetist and Residency Director. Dr. Robert Rozbruch is an orth...
May 26, 2022•37 min•Season 6Ep. 7
Tameka Mclean, a former foster youth and Motivational Speaker, joins us today in a heartfelt conversation about how she has built an organization to support individuals to thrive no matter their background or life challenges. Tameka shares her story and tips on how she was capable of sustaining herself while having to endure the weight of a heavy load (trials, tribulations, turmoil, and trauma). Tameka is the author of the book “11 Steps to Self Sufficiency” and the Founder/Executive Director &a...
May 19, 2022•30 min•Season 6Ep. 6
While it’s easy for some of our listeners to understand that there is inherent social injustice in the public school system in America, it is still a topic that is fraught with intense political, economical and ethical conversation. What we do know for sure is that there is always room for improvement at schools to progress our future society. Teacher burnout is real and so are statistics that point to increased detention, suspension, and dropout rates amongst children from communities of color....
May 12, 2022•52 min•Season 6Ep. 5
Music is often a powerful medium for promoting healing and creating activism of all kinds within popular culture. As we move more and more into a world of technology, we can sometimes lose sight of how vast the nonhuman world still is and our impact on our diverse biosphere. On today’s episode, we have Priya Parrotta, a writer, musician and activist dedicated to promoting environmental consciousness across borders. She composes, sings and produces music to convey the magic and power that is poss...
May 05, 2022•43 min•Season 6Ep. 4
The last 2 years shed light on how lack of childcare acutely hurt working mothers. It showed there is no gender equality. It showed that 2 million women left the workforce. But none of this is new. The US has policies that do not support working mothers. We have no universal childcare, and women still do most of the physical and mental work of parenting. Half of the gender pay gap is due to motherhood. Fathers still get a pay bonus while 1/3 of US births result in trauma and 1/4 of women experie...
Apr 28, 2022•40 min•Season 6Ep. 3
You’ve probably come across an orthosis at some point in your life, whether it was an insole for your shoe or a brace for your knee. But there is so much more to the world of orthotics and prosthetics in helping people function and move optimally. On our show today is Andrew Myers, a Certified Prosthetist and Orthotist with over 35 years of clinical experience. We discuss different types of orthoses, both for the upper and lower limbs, and their uses. Andrew dives into his unique experience work...
Apr 21, 2022•43 min•Season 6Ep. 2
If you think of “physical therapy” and immediately think of a massage, hot pack, or exercises, then this episode is for you! There are many flaws in the healthcare system, particularly due to insurance policies, paperwork requirements, and most importantly, the money-making outlook that often overpowers quality patient care. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Physical therapists in particular can make massive changes in the healthcare industry by just taking a few simple steps. I had the great ...
Apr 14, 2022•38 min•Season 6Ep. 1
We all experience some level of stress and worry throughout our lives. But when these thoughts begin to interfere with our daily activities and lead to anxiety, it’s important to analyze why and come up with solutions! Today we are joined by Dr. Terri Bacow, a clinical psychologist and cognitive behavioral therapist, to discuss ways that you can tackle your anxiety head on. Dr. Bacow shares her new book, Goodbye Anxiety , a guided journal with evidence-based strategies and interactive writing se...
Mar 10, 2022•31 min•Season 5Ep. 19
If you think it’s a workout, well my dear, it most certainly is not. And the reason you might think so is because of the misuse of the word in the money-making Western world. Yoga is a broad term that originates from the Indian spiritual tradition well before 1000 BC that simply cannot be boiled down to a paragraph or even a book, let alone a word. The ancient Hindu texts written in Sanskrit and archeological evidence from South Asia suggests that our ancestors have been practicing aspects of “y...
Mar 03, 2022•40 min•Season 5Ep. 18
How important is it for you to be able to move around in your environment and do the things you love, and with less pain? I hope the answer is “very much!” The art and science of movement is fascinating and complicated. Physical therapists (PTs) dedicate their lives to optimizing movement and improving quality of life. But there are lots of things that people misunderstand about PTs, and the field itself has evolved so much over the years that we don’t blame the world! Today on the show we are v...
Feb 24, 2022•32 min•Season 5Ep. 17
Today we experience the spiritual journey of Sej Saraiya, an award-winning ethnographic and fine-art photographer and filmmaker who has spent the last several years traveling to the deep interiors of Asia and the Americas, capturing images that tell stories of remote cultures. Sej and I join together in an enthralling conversation about her journey understanding the role of women in indigenous communities where resilience, environmentalism, tribal coexistence, and faith become themes of her new ...
Feb 17, 2022•40 min•Season 5Ep. 16
