Painful periods, clots and rough PMS are common. But are they normal? Not according to today's guest.

Val sits down with Dr. Josephine "Josie" Sanders-Spencer, DOM, LAc, a Doctor of Oriental Medicine and owner of Yellow Door Acupuncture in Albuquerque, NM. Josie shares how acupuncture helped her heal through ballet injuries and led her to Chinese medicine. Then she breaks down what traditional Chinese medicine actually is, what an acupuncture appointment really feels like, and why your menstrual cycle is like a monthly report card for your health.

Whether you're trying to conceive, navigating postpartum, dealing with painful periods, or just curious but a little nervous to try acupuncture, this conversation is for you.

FREE Protein Snack Guide: 5 quick, high-protein snacks for busy moms. Grab it at http://wellnessbyval.kit.com/proteinsnackguide

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Josie's journey from ballet dancer to Doctor of Oriental Medicine
• What traditional Chinese medicine is, and why it looks at mind, body and spirit together
• Qi, yin and yang, and the five elements, explained simply through the seasons
• What acupuncture actually feels like, and what to expect at your first visit
• How acupuncture can help your nervous system shift from fight-or-flight to rest and digest
• Why acupuncture points aren't "push buttons," and how pulse and tongue diagnosis work
• How acupuncture can support fertility, and why preconception care should start months before trying
• Why painful periods, heavy clots and rough PMS are common but not normal
• Coming off birth control and giving your body time to find balance

Connect with Dr. Josie

• Yellow Door Acupuncture (Albuquerque, NM): https://www.yellowdooracu.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yellow.door.acu/
• Email: yellowdooracu@gmail.com

Resources & Links

• FREE Protein Guide: wellnessbyval.kit.com/proteinsnackguide
• Book a free 15-minute consult call with Val: wellnessbyval.com/call
• Leave a voice message: speakpipe.com/newsletter
• Core Comeback Challenge: wellnessbyval.com/core

Connect with Val

• Instagram: @wellnessbyval_
• Website: wellnessbyval.com

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized medical or nutrition advice. Always consult your healthcare provider with questions about fertility, breastfeeding, postpartum nutrition, or your individual health needs.

Clumps of hair in the shower drain. Hair all over your sweater. Hair wrapped around your baby's fingers. Is postpartum hair loss normal, or is your body trying to tell you something?

In this episode, Val breaks down what's really behind postpartum hair loss. She explains how the big estrogen drop after birth works like a "mini menopause," and how it affects not just your hair, but your skin, bones, and more. You'll learn why it's not just your sex hormones, and why your thyroid and nutrient status, especially iron, matter just as much.

Val also shares an anonymous client story: a momma who was exhausted, losing hair in clumps, and taking a pile of supplements that weren't helping. After the right bloodwork, a simplified supplement plan, and real food, her energy and hair started to turn around within a few months.

Functional Lab Review: Stop guessing. Val orders and reviews your bloodwork, tells you exactly what to ask your doctor, reviews your food logs to see your real nutrient status, and builds a realistic, food-first plan with smart, strategic supplements. Learn more at wellnessbyval.com/labs.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How the hair growth cycle works, and why shedding shows up months after baby
• Why the postpartum estrogen drop is like a mini menopause, and how it affects your hair, skin, and bones
• How postpartum thyroiditis works, and why "just TSH" isn't enough
• The new ferritin guidelines for iron deficiency, and why so many moms are told their iron is "fine"
• The postpartum hair loss timeline: when it starts, peaks, and stops
• Normal shedding vs. red flags that mean it's time to get labs
• The nutrients that feed your hair and thyroid (protein, iron, zinc, vitamin D, selenium, iodine) and realistic food sources
• Why biotin and hair gummies are often a waste of money, and the smart strategy for taking iron

Mentioned in this episode: Episode 119 | Postpartum Sex, Libido & Your Pelvic Floor with Lindsay Thorsen, DPT

Resources & Links

• Functional Lab Review: wellnessbyval.com/labs
• Book a free 15-minute consult call with Val: wellnessbyval.com/call
• Leave a voice message: speakpipe.com/newsletter
• Leave a voice message: speakpipe.com/newsletter
• Free Protein Guide: wellnessbyval.kit.com/proteinsnackguide
• Core Comeback Challenge: wellnessbyval.com/core

Connect with Val

• Instagram: @wellnessbyval_
• Website: wellnessbyval.com

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized medical or nutrition advice. Always consult your healthcare provider with questions about breastfeeding, postpartum nutrition, or your individual health needs.

You got cleared six weeks after giving birth. So why are you still peeing a little when you sneeze or jump, seeing your belly cone when you sit up, or feeling your back ache by the end of the day?

In this episode, Val joins registered dietitian Brooke Miller on the Nutrition for Mamas podcast for a real talk on postpartum core recovery. Think of it as your reminder. As moms, it's so easy to get distracted, and we forget the basic things that help our core heal after baby.

Val breaks down what leaking, coning, doming, low back pain, and pelvic heaviness are really telling you. You'll learn how to know where to start, why diastasis recti is a normal change (not a reason to panic), and how to build real strength in just 10 to 20 minutes at home. And yes, a core that works well helps with weight loss too, because it lets you move more, lift more, and stay consistent.

Core Comeback Challenge: Cleared at 6 weeks but not sure where to start? The Core Comeback Challenge is a 4-week program that walks you through rebuilding your core step by step. Just 20 to 30 minutes, 3 times a week, at home or at the gym with minimal equipment. Bonuses include a workout and habit tracker, a hormone snack guide, and more. Join at wellnessbyval.com/core.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why the 6-week clearance is not the same as being ready for running, jumping, or heavy lifting
• The simplest way to know if you should start with breathing, walking, mobility, or strength work
• What leaking, coning, doming, low back pain, and pelvic heaviness are really telling you
• Why diastasis recti is a normal postpartum change, not a reason to panic
• Why strength training often does more than cardio alone for energy, confidence, and long-term function
• What progressive overload looks like when you only have 10 to 20 minutes at home
• How to ditch the all-or-nothing mindset that turns exercise into one more source of guilt

Brooke and Val also get real about the emotional side of postpartum fitness: comparison, pressure, guilt, and the urge to "bounce back" before your body has had time to heal.

About Brooke: Brooke Miller is a registered dietitian and host of the Nutrition for Mamas podcast. Follow her on Instagram @nutrition.for.mamas and listen to her show here.

Related episodes: Ep 104 | Stop Jumping Back Into Workouts Postpartum and Ep 113 | What Nobody Tells You About Getting Strong After Baby

Resources & Links

• Core Comeback Challenge: wellnessbyval.com/core
• Book a free 15-minute consult call with Val: wellnessbyval.com/call
• Leave a voice message: speakpipe.com/newsletter
• Free Protein Guide: wellnessbyval.kit.com/proteinsnackguide

Connect with Val

• Instagram: @wellnessbyval_
• Website: wellnessbyval.com

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized medical or nutrition advice. Always consult your healthcare provider with questions about breastfeeding, postpartum nutrition, or your individual health needs.

Pelvic floor physical therapist and sex educator Lindsay Thorsen, DPT joins the show for an honest conversation about sex, libido, and your pelvic floor after having a baby. Heads up, momma: this episode is explicit.

This week's episode is a different kind of conversation. Val sits down with Lindsay Thorsen, DPT — a pelvic floor physical therapist and sex educator — for an open, honest conversation about what actually happens to your body, your libido, and your pelvic floor after having a baby. Heads up, momma: this episode is explicit and not one for the carpool line — grab your headphones for this one.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Meet Lindsay Thorsen, DPT — pelvic floor physical therapist and founder of Sex and Sensibility
• Why Lindsay calls postpartum a "mini menopause" — and what that actually means for your body
• What's normal (and not) about sex feeling different after having a baby
• When pain, leaking, or other symptoms are a sign to seek help vs. something that resolves on its own
• Where your libido actually went — and how the mental load of motherhood plays into desire
• One thing you can do this week that isn't "just relax"
• How partners can better understand what's happening for a new mom, physically and emotionally

Conversations like this one are exactly why Val built the free Start Strong Workshop — a 25-minute, on-demand workshop covering the foundation every postpartum momma needs: a quick diaphragmatic breathing practice, adding protein to every meal, and picking ONE small habit to build real momentum. It's free at wellnessbyval.com/workshop, and it's also how you get on the waitlist for Val's next group coaching round, opening in January (her current cohort has already started).

• Book a free 15-minute consult call with Val: wellnessbyval.com/call
• Leave a voice message: speakpipe.com/newsletter
• Connect with Val: Instagram @wellnessbyval_
• Free Protein Guide: wellnessbyval.kit.com/proteinsnackguide
• Core Comeback Challenge: wellnessbyval.com/core

How to Connect with Lindsay!

• Social Media: @sex.and.sensibility
• Email: lindsay@sexandsensibility.co
• Website: lindsay@sexandsensibility.co

• Instagram: @wellnessbyval_
• Website: wellnessbyval.com

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized medical or nutrition advice. Always consult your healthcare provider with questions about breastfeeding, postpartum nutrition, or your individual health needs.

Last week's episode was about GLP-1s. This week, Val walks through the other real path — an anonymized client who lost over 20 pounds of fat and gained muscle postpartum, without medication. No shortcuts, no crash plan. Just three real phases, over about two years.

In This Episode:

• The other side of last week's GLP-1 conversation — what's possible with time, consistency, and the right foundations, no medication involved
• Meet the client: 4 months postpartum, second baby, not breastfeeding — and why that timing mattered
• Phase 1: starting with awareness, not restriction — food logging, daily walks, ~100oz water, protein + fiber focus
• Phase 2: the slight ~200-calorie deficit at 8 months postpartum, 120g+ protein, progressive overload training — and why her gym performance went up, not down
• Phase 3: freedom at 1+ year postpartum — maintaining results without white-knuckling, now about two years into maintenance
• The athlete "training season" analogy — why you're not meant to be in a fat-loss phase forever
• The blood work scare that turned out fine — why one flagged lab number isn't the same thing as an answer
• 4 takeaways you can borrow from her story starting this week

Ready to Go Deeper?

Start with the free Start Strong Workshop at wellnessbyval.com/workshop — it's on-demand, and it's how you get on the waitlist for Val's next group coaching round opening in January (her current cohort already started). This is exactly the kind of transformation built inside that program.

If you want results like this and you want someone in your corner, Val has a few private coaching spots open right now. Book a free call at wellnessbyval.com/call and let's see if you're a good fit.

Resources & Links

• Book a free 15-minute consult call with Val: wellnessbyval.com/call
• Leave a voice message: speakpipe.com/newsletter
• Connect with Val: Instagram @wellnessbyval_
• Free Protein Guide: wellnessbyval.kit.com/proteinsnackguide
• Core Comeback Challenge: wellnessbyval.com/core

Connect with Val

• Instagram: @wellnessbyval_
• Website: wellnessbyval.com

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized medical or nutrition advice. Always consult your healthcare provider with questions about breastfeeding, postpartum nutrition, or your individual health needs.

Everyone's talking about GLP-1s right now — but almost nobody is talking about what YOU actually need to know before considering one. No fear-mongering, no hype, no "you should get on one" pressure. In this episode, Val breaks down what these medications actually are, why timing matters more than people realize, and the questions to bring to your doctor instead of Google at 11pm.

In This Episode:

• Why this conversation isn't just for "5-months-postpartum" moms — it's for any mom in the thick of motherhood
• What a GLP-1 actually is (the hormone your body already makes every day) vs. what's in the injection — explained simply, no jargon
• The foods that naturally boost your own GLP-1 (hint: it's the same protein-and-fiber-forward eating Val already teaches)
• Weight loss vs. fat loss, and why postpartum fat retention is often your body doing exactly what it's designed to do
• The "recovery window" nobody talks about — why timing this decision matters as much as the decision itself
• The exact questions to ask your doctor before considering one (not Google at 11pm)
• Why protein and strength training aren't optional if you're on a GLP-1
• An honest, non-directive conversation about disordered eating history — and Val's professional take

Ready to Go Deeper? Start with the free Start Strong Workshop at wellnessbyval.com/workshop — it's on-demand, and it's also how you get on the waitlist for Val's next group coaching round opening in January (her current cohort already started).

If you want someone to actually look at what's going on in YOUR body, Val has a few private coaching spots open this fall. Book a free 15-minute call at wellnessbyval.com/call — let's figure out what you actually need.

Resources & Links

• Book a free 15-minute consult call with Val: wellnessbyval.com/call
• Leave a voice message: speakpipe.com/newsletter
• Connect with Val: Instagram @wellnessbyval_
• Website: wellnessbyval.com
• Free Protein Guide: wellnessbyval.kit.com/proteinsnackguide
• Core Comeback Challenge: wellnessbyval.com/core

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized medical or nutrition advice. Always consult your healthcare provider with questions about breastfeeding, postpartum nutrition, or your individual health needs.

You've tried fasting. You've tried cutting carbs. You've tracked every bite and cut your calories way down. And the scale hasn't budged. In this episode, Val breaks down a piece of postpartum weight loss that almost nobody talks about: slow gut motility — and why it might be the real reason you're stuck, bloated, and exhausted, even when you're "doing everything right."

In This Episode:

• Why "eat less, move more" isn't working — and why it's probably not a willpower problem
• What slow gut motility actually does to your hormones, inflammation, and fat loss (explained with a trash-pickup analogy that makes it click)
• Why "used up" hormones like estrogen get reabsorbed instead of cleared when things back up — and how that keeps you stuck
• The sneaky symptoms of slow motility most moms never connect to their gut: bloating, skin flare-ups, afternoon energy crashes, bigger mood swings
• A real client story — how we fixed what months of dieting couldn't
• 3 simple things you can start today to get things moving again (no supplements, no cleanses required)

Ready to Go Deeper? Start with the free Start Strong Workshop at wellnessbyval.com/workshop — it's on-demand, and it's also how you get on the waitlist for Val's next group coaching round opening in January (her current cohort already started).

If you want someone to actually look at what's going on in YOUR body, Val has a few private coaching spots open this fall. Book a free 15-minute call at wellnessbyval.com/call — let's figure out what you actually need.

Resources & Links

• Book a free 15-minute consult call with Val: wellnessbyval.com/call
• Leave a voice message: speakpipe.com/newsletter
• Connect with Val: Instagram @wellnessbyval_
• Website: wellnessbyval.com
• Free Protein Guide: wellnessbyval.kit.com/proteinsnackguide
• Core Comeback Challenge: wellnessbyval.com/core

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized medical or nutrition advice. Always consult your healthcare provider with questions about breastfeeding, postpartum nutrition, or your individual health needs.