Celebrate Muliebrity with Michelle Lyons

Hello & Welcome to today's episode of the podcast! I'm delighted to share this conversation that I recently had with researcher Dr Lisa Pye, about 2 of her recent papers looking at strategies for understanding what really matters when it comes to the management of Endometriosis Associated Pain, beyond medical & surgical approaches, which we know are ineffective for approximately 40% off people with endo.
Lisa discussed her background as a PhD student at the University of Buckingham studying psychology and her personal experience with endometriosis, which inspired her research focus. 
In our conversation:
We discussed the importance of properly framing psychological interventions to avoid implying that pain is "all in the patient's head," with Lisa emphasizing the need for evidence-based, accessible explanations that treat women as intelligent and capable.
Lisa also shared insights from her qualitative research on how chronic pelvic pain can challenge personal identity and role functioning, finding that some patients try to maintain their previous sense of self while others adapt to their new reality.
We explored the concepts of pain self-efficacy and pain acceptance, with Lisa explaining that self-efficacy refers to confidence in managing activities despite pain, while acceptance involves recognising pain as a permanent condition and focusing on living a meaningful life despite it. Michelle suggested using acceptance as a launching pad for building resilience and discussed the importance of helping people identify their goals and break them down into manageable steps.
Our conversation explored how healthcare professionals can support patients with conditions like endometriosis in developing both acceptance and self-efficacy, and enhancing their quality of life (without gaslighting or implying it's all psychological or 'stress')
This conversation highlights the ongoing challenge of normalising discussions about menstrual and pelvic pain, noting generational shifts in attitudes toward these topics and the potential for improved help-seeking behaviors as societal stigma decreases.
Want to learn more? Make sure you're following Dr Lisa Pye on instagram and LinkedIn (and I'm there too!)
And for a deeper dive into a comprehensive evidence based approach to Female Pelvic Pain Rehab, you can find all of my online courses at CelebrateMuliebrity.com
Until next time, Onwards & Upwards, Mx #celebratemuliebrity

Hello & Welcome to this episode of the Celebrate Muliebrity podcast!
There’s been a lot going on in October - both Breast Cancer and Menopause Awareness month…BUT! It’s important that we don’t just leave that all behind as October ends!
And so I thought it might be timely to review our (evidence based) role in helping women live well from both of these perspectives, because they often overlap, and they have something else in common - too many women are told they just have to live with it
(Spoiler alert: they don’t, and even if hormone therapy is not an option, there SO MUCH we can do to help women live well as they navigate breast cancer AND menopause)

I'm finally (!) getting ready to publish a research update in the Breast Cancer Rehab course - what does the evidence say about:
Exercise
Education
Self-Efficacy
when we talk about a whole woman approach to living well after breast cancer treatment?
(and of course, I have to mention how pelvic health is the most overlooked aspect of breast cancer rehab...)

So in today's episode, I'm talking about musculoskeletal, metabolic, mental health as well as lymphatics, pelvic health...and maybe even decreasing the risk of recurrence?

Have a listen and see what you think - the new module will be live in the Breast Cancer Rehab course by Nov 11th - if you're already enrolled, you'll automatically get access AND if you join us before Nov 11th, you'll be saving because there will be a price adjustment with the new material
Want to learn more? All of the info on all of my online courses, from menstrual to maternal and menopausal health, the female athlete, female pelvic pain rehab, women and back pain, women's bowel health, female pelvic oncology rehab and more...
All of the info is at CelebrateMuliebrity.com
Until next time, Onwards & Upwards, Mx #celebratemuliebrity

Hello & Welcome!
October is Menopause Awareness month and the theme for this year's International Menopause Awareness Day (Oct18th!) is chronic pain at midlife - and I have some thoughts...
In today's episode, I'm exploring the intersection of menopause, disrupted sleep, pain, mental health, and bladder function.
These issues often overlap in a multi-directional relationship, where poor sleep can increase pain sensitivity and vice versa, and then we add some inflammation, insulin resistance, constipation, bladder frequency, urgency and nocturia...
As always, I'm emphasising the importance of clinicians acting as detectives to identify what is actually waking a woman up, rather than assuming a single cause. In this episode I describe the THRIVE model I'm developing (more soon!) covering tissue health, hormones, rest and recovery, integrated nutrition and gut health, values and goals, and exercise, as a framework for a whole-woman approach.
Its worth noting that while hormone therapy is the gold standard for vasomotor symptoms, lifestyle strategies like morning sunlight, consistent wake times, strength training, and mindful nutrition can also support recovery.
If you're a frequent flier here, you'll know I believe that the goal of treatment should be improving overall quality of life and capacity, not just reducing individual symptoms, and empowering women through evidence based education and interventions; in other words teaching women how to be experts in their own bodies and health experiences.
in this episode, I'm exploring the intersection of hormones, sleep, pain, mental health and bladder function; nighttime awakening factors, urinary symptom management, the mental health implications, sleep improvement strategies and more!
Discussion like this, where we explore the overlapping circles of different biopsychosocial systems going through menopausal changes and challenges, are drawn from the research I've been exploring and translating into clinical practice for my online course, Flourish! The Menopausal Toolbox, which gives women's health professionals the language and structure to navigate peri to post menopause WITH the women we work with. All of the details for all of my online courses can be found at CelebrateMuliebrity.com
Prefer live online (with access to the recordings & bonus material afterwards)? Join me Oct18th and Nov1 as I teach a Menopause Integrated Approach for Pelvic Health Solutions.
Questions about the courses? Send me a DM on instagram, where you can find me as @michellelyons_muliebrity
Until next time, Onwards & Upwards! Mx #celebratemuliebrity

Hello & Welcome to today's episode - all about supporting the young female athlete!
After a brief break while I was away at Pelvicon..getting ready to fly out to ICS in Maastricht but in the middle, I went to a Meath Local Sports Partnership conference - all about women in sport and leadership...lots of good stuff BUT worrying stats about the drop-off girls and women from sports and physical activity as they navigate adolescence and early adulthood
So - I was inspired to record my thoughts on how we can support body literacy, including pelvic health, in the young female athlete
I wanted to explore in this episode, the topics that are fundamental in their importance in supporting young female athletes, particularly those aged 11 to 13, to help them remain active and healthy through adolescence.
Remember, that girls are not small versions of adult women or men and require a development-focused approach rather than just a performance-focused one.
Key areas of discussion included:
Menstrual health, where I advocate for age-appropriate tracking and body curiosity rather than rigid cycle-based training.
I highlight the critical role of adequate nutrition, warning against calorie counting and the demonization of carbs, and linked low energy availability to REDs and increased injury risk.
I also covered the importance of iron and bone health, the benefits of supervised strength training for physical literacy, and the need to manage training load and protect sleep.
Unsurprisingly (!) a significant portion of this episode focuses on pelvic health, including normalising conversations about bladder leakage, bowel health, and the use of the PFD Sentinel screening tool, created by Dr Silvia Giagio.
I reference the NICE guidelines to support early pelvic health education and discuss the impact of breast development on sports participation.
Finally, I always want to stress the need for body literacy over body surveillance, and encouraging an environment where young athletes feel safe to discuss health concerns with coaches and parents, and you as the clinical at the intersection of pelvic health & sports medicine
and much more...
If you'd like to take a deeper dive, my online course, The Menstrual Detective, comes with free access to 'Pelvic Health for the Younger Female Athlete', focusing on the pelvic health needs of the adolescent athlete. All of the info on all of my online courses can be found at CelebrateMuliebrity.com - but if you have a course related question, send me an email or DM on instagram - @michellelyons_muliebrity
Until next time, Onwards & Upwards! Mx #celebratemuliebrity

Today is World GO Day!World Gynae Oncology Day, in my world,  focuses on the importance of pelvic rehabilitation for women after gynecologic cancer treatment. In today’s episode, I’m  discussing how pelvic rehabilitation extends beyond simple pelvic floor exercises to address comprehensive physical and psychological needs, including pelvic pain, bladder and bowel dysfunction, sexual health issues, and movement difficulties. 

I think there’s not enough emphasis on the fact that pelvic cancer treatment affects the whole person, not just the tumor, and I think we should use this opportunity to highlight the need for multimodal approaches that include exercise, manual therapy, and of course education about what’s happening, why it’s happening and the importance of consistent self-care. 
I’ve also introduced a new module on anal cancer rehabilitation in my online course, Female Pelvic Oncology Rehab!Female sexual dysfunction and bladder/ bone health issues after anal cancer treatment are common and often overlooked. 

My call to action is to urge us all as pelvic rehab providers to broaden our conversation with cancer survivors AND their medical, surgical and wider oncology teams, to include not just survival but quality of life, of course emphasizing that pelvic rehabilitation should be integrated into cancer care from the beginning, throughout the journey as our patients move from surviving pelvic cancer to thriving afterwards.

For more information on my Female Pelvic Oncology Rehab course, and all of my online courses, please visit CelebrateMuliebrity.com or send me a message about the coursework!

Biopsychosocial pelvic rehabilitation isn’t defined by the organ where the cancer originated, it’s defined by the person, the treatment they’ve received, and the functions they want to regain.
Surviving cancer matters. But living well after cancer matters too.

Until next time, Onwards & Upwards! Mx #celebratemuliebrity 💚💝