The challenges of being a woman in medicine and a woman treated by the medical system are real. Dr. Somi Javaid shares her experience working in gynecology and sexual health, opening HerMD, and the dire need for better education, representation, and resources for women’s health.

Dr. Somi shares the challenges of balancing motherhood, working at a medical practice, and being a part of a broken healthcare system, which led her to quit her job. Though a frustrating trajectory, this path led her to open HerMD, an incredible comprehensive women’s healthcare practice specializing in menopause, sexual health, and advanced gynecology.

We discuss the major issues in women’s healthcare today, which consistently result in a lack of funding and disparity in research. The need for education is critical. Most women don’t know the difference between perimenopause and menopause, how their bodies change after pregnancy, or that hormones are good for them! We then talk about normalizing libido fluctuations, pelvic floor health, and testosterone therapy. Reducing the stigma around sexual health and women’s healthcare conversations is deeply important work!

Topics Covered:

• Quitting medicine to open HerMD
• The state of women’s health and sexual healthcare
• Perimenopause and menopause symptoms
• Sex is an intimate conversation
• Women’s health double standard
• Testosterone therapy
• Confusion around hormones

Guest Info

• Instagram: @somijavaidmd
• Website: drsomi.com
• Website: hermd.com

Follow Me:

• Instagram: @afinehuman
• Shop Dame: dame.com

This podcast was produced by The Wave Podcasting

Matthew Stefanko shares his journey from struggling with mental health and substance abuse to founding the company Manual. Manual helps young men aged 15-25 with mental health, sexual health, career planning, personal finance, and more. For Matthew, it's the organization he wishes he had had when he was that age.

We talk about avoiding burnout, being a leader with anxiety, and recognizing one’s own strengths. Matthew reflects on the hyper-masculine environment he grew up in and how that manifested in him later on and in other men. Ultimately, young men are experiencing a crisis of not being heard or understood and not knowing what to do about it, which can have negative long-term consequences.

Though it's sometimes easier said than done, being honest with yourself about your mental health struggles and seeking appropriate support is so important to learn how to deal with them and access a state of thriving.

Topics Covered:

• Balancing entrepreneurship and well-being
• Serving yourself to serve the mission
• Male disconnection and loneliness
• The male crisis
• Substances and social anxiety
• Rise of erectile dysfunction
• Men’s roles in partnerships

Guest Info

• website: manual.care

Follow Me:

• Instagram: @afinehuman
• Shop Dame: dame.com

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This podcast was produced by The Wave Podcasting

Ready to deepen your healing capacity? Sarah Seely, a somatic bodyworker, and I discuss interconnectedness, the power of touch, and the wisdom of grief.

Sarah explains the importance of somatic work. We discuss ways to honor the interconnectedness of mind and body, including her primary offering, Thai massage. She shares her journey through trauma and realizing what she didn’t want from her work. Boundaried evaluations of purpose, such as this, tend to bring transformative results.

Sarah describes Thai massage as a form of communication, a healing mechanism, an intimacy practice, and even a yogic guide. Bodywork has the power to support the nervous system's return to realignment and address touch-related traumas through safe touch practices.

Sarah shares what it was like to lose her fiancé. The experience illuminated what self-care practices she had and which she actually needed. Ultimately, her grief led her to reevaluate her career and focus on somatic work. We discuss how powerful healing in community can be and the many shapes it can take. She concludes by sharing her favorite, juiciest pleasure practice: mindfulness.

Topics Covered:

• What is somatic work?
• Becoming a healer
• Flight, fight, and fawn
• The language of touch
• Massage, trauma, and safe touch
• Grief and healing in community
• Mindfulness as a pleasure practice

Resources Mentioned:

• The Heart Speaks by Mimi Guarneri
• Hardwiring Happiness by Rick Hansen

Guest Info

• Website: thaibkny.com
• Instagram: @thaibrooklyn

Follow Me:

• Instagram: @afinehuman
• Shop Dame: dame.com

Title Options:

This podcast was produced by The Wave Podcasting