Sometimes the best health practitioners are those that ended up in their field almost out of chance. Today Jeremy Quinby, a craniosacral therapist, chats with us on his interesting journey into integrative health. We talk about how manual therapy and movement are key to improving health and the importance of trauma-informed care. He focuses on pediatrics and how he uses his modalities to help children of all ages improve their development. Jeremy dives into the way he listens to his patients and uses his presence to create a space of healing.  Jeremy Quinby, is the host of Highway to Health Podcast. For more than 25 years, he’s helped improve the health of individuals, families and communities he’s served. He is at the intersection of manual therapies, mental health support, orthopedics, functional movement, pain management, and newborn and pediatric care. He has become known for his ability to build bridges between many fields of care. He is also involved in numerous health-tech and community health projects aimed at improving care coordination and quality referrals. With private practices in New York and Minneapolis, his goal is to continue to educate and improve the dialogue about a more integrative approach to care and the development of actionable ways we can improve our state of being. Connect with him:www.jeremyquinbycst.comwww.highwayto.health

There is more than one way to feed a baby. If you choose to pump and/or breastfeed, you better tune in! Today, we have Heather McFadden joining us on the show. Heather has over 10 years of experience as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She has a thriving private practice offering home visits, virtual consults, and prenatal breastfeeding classes.I am extra lucky to have Heather on the show because she was the IBCLC who saw me at the hospital hours after giving birth to my baby to answer all the questions I had! We talk about her journey from dance to motherhood to lactation. Heather is fiercely passionate about her work. She covers what to do for low milk supply, the role of an IBCLC, the reasons someone would want to end breastfeeding, and how everyone’s journey is different. In a world of information and misinformation online, it’s important to listen to your baby and your body and know that there is not a single approach to this. She loves helping every mom feel like they are doing a good job, letting them know they are not alone in their journey, as well as instilling a sense of calm in their relationship with their baby. With her dance training background, she finds it fun to observe the physical and mental connection between parent and baby, being a part of that moment when baby latches for the first time and encouraging instinctual parenting in a world driven by data and social media.In addition to her private practice, Heather currently works as an IBCLC in a New York City hospital and teaches prenatal breastfeeding classes for Columbia University's Work/Life program. She has led breastfeeding group clinics at multiple pediatric practices in New York City. Heather has a published article in the Clinical Lactation Journal, has been consulted by Parents Magazine and Today's Parent, and was a guest speaker at the NYC Breastfeeding Leadership Council Conference of 2019. She is a proud La Leche League Leader and member of the New York Lactation Consultant's Association (NYLCA). Connect with her:http://heathermcfadden.com/https://www.facebook.com/HeatherMcFaddenLactationConsultant

Pilates can look very different depending on who you talk to. When we view Pilates as a movement practice for healing the body, it nourishes the soul too!Joining us on this episode is Brittany Crosby, a mindful movement practitioner, instructor of contemporary STOTT pilates, witchy intuitive healer, and the founder of The Co Pilates. While her roots are in teaching Pilates her focus has shifted over the years to using Pilates as a launch pad into physical, emotional, and energetic awareness for clients and herself. She focuses on sexual and pelvic health through a somatic trauma informed lens. She discusses how she works with clients from a more somatic point of view, often integrating into the body what may be verbally processed in psychotherapy, for example, allowing people to more clearly see how their body is often shaped by their internal and external environments. With a long career in working with people one-on-one, which especially in NYC is an inaccessible way for a lot of people to "work" on themselves, she is deeply interested and passionate about reconfiguring the health and wellness industry to consider the individual and collective in a more balanced way.Brittany has been helping her clients connect the dots between their movement, discomfort, and body awareness to achieve more pleasurable movement for nearly 20 years. Her mission isn’t just to assist clients in achieving fitness results, but to invite them into a deeper connection with themselves. Brittany’s approach to movement considers the ideology, how you move in and relate to your body informs how you move in and relate to others and the world.Connect with her:www.thecopilates.comFB: The Co Pilates@thecopilates

Jaw pain, headaches, and facial pain are all common and can have a profound effect on our quality of life. Lucky for us, we have an esteemed guest speaker on the show today to break these topics down and help us understand how we can overcome this pain.Donald R. Tanenbaum, DDS, MPH, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978 and then received his DDS degree from Columbia University School of Dental Medicine, and his MPH degree from Columbia University School of Public Health in 1982. He has been practicing for over 40 years, providing guidance and care to patients with temporomandibular problems, facial pain, headaches and sleep related breathing disorders. Today he reviews some of the causes and treatments for these issues and explains their biopsychosocial nature. He also discusses the importance of identifying habits that can perpetuate pain and stop or modify them. He touches on bite plates, injections, PT, posture and ergonomics as all ways to alleviate pain.Dr. Tanenbaum has co-authored a book for the public entitled, ‘Dr, Why Does My Face Still Ache?” and continues to give lectures to dental students and residents, medical grand rounds and to numerous dental societies and study clubs. Dr. Tanenbaum currently holds several positions, including: Clinical Assistant Professor at the School of Dental Medicine at the State University of New York in Stony Brook where he is the Director of the Orofacial Pain Course given to the third year dental students.  He is also the Section Head of the Division of OrofacialPain/TMD/Sleep Medicine in the Northwell Health Department of Dental Medicine at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center; and Clinical Assistant Professor, Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine. Dr. Tanenbaum is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain, a Fellow of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain, and a past President of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain  Dr Tanenbaum currently maintains private practices in New York City and Long Island limited to the diagnosis and management of orofacial pain, temporomandibular problems and sleep related breathing disorders.Connect with him:www.nytmj.com

I couldn’t have asked for a better kick off this season on Fit As A Fiddle! I chatted with 2 of my dear colleagues and friends Leigh Welsh and Alicia Ferriere. What we have in common is that we are all Pelvic Floor Physical Therapists New York City, we are all business owners, and we all gave birth in 2023 to our first child! On this show, we talk about all things motherhood from our perspective having treated pregnancy and postpartum for years. With our combined over 22 years of experience as pelvic PTs, we share some things we would love for you to know!A bit on Leigh Welsh:Leigh is an orthopedic and pelvic health physical therapist, and she started her practice, Evexia Physical Therapy, in 2020. She does home visits, primarily seeing pregnant and postpartum people, and she also loves helping patients who are struggling with painful sex, bladder concerns, and prolapse. Leigh is also the Clinical Virtual Care Lead at Origin Physical Therapy. Origin’s mission to make pelvic health PT accessible and the standard of care for those that need it. Origin provides PT virtually in almost every state, as well as in person at a growing number of clinics throughout the country. Leigh is passionate about helping women of all ages learn about their bodies and feel in control of their physical well-being.A bit on Alicia Ferriere:Alicia is an orthopedic and pelvic health physical therapist and received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Columbia University. Growing up with a background in dance led her to seek a career in movement and physical medicine. She seeks to treat the body and person as a whole, and prioritizes building relationships to develop a unique plan of care for each patient. She seeks to educate patients on how to stay physically healthy so they can achieve their personal goals. Alicia is certified by the Postural Restoration Institute, which seeks to understand the primary factors of postural adaptations, patterns, and kinematic movement dysfunction. She is also recognized as a Fellow of Applied Functional Science through the Gray Institute. Alicia has been featured in fitness magazines such as Women’s Health Magazine, Dance Magazine and the Daily Burn.

This week is the 1 year anniversary of the last released episode on Fit As A Fiddle! So much has happened since then, particularly the birth of little Jiya Baby in May 2023. Please excuse the coos and occasional screams of my child in the background during this season. I truly did my best to be a mom, wife, business owner, physical therapist, and podcaster.This is a health and wellness podcast and health and wellness begins with basic human necessities. So many episodes on this show talk about a quality-of-life improving service including yoga and pilates, mental health, birth justice, mindfulness and meditation, physical therapy, acupuncture, orthotics, minimally invasive surgeries, orthodontics, or massage therapy. But we can’t really have any of that, not a single thing, unless we have fundamental human rights. We have the right to live in a world where we have a safe space to sleep, food to eat, clothes to wear, water to drink, and a roof over our heads. How can you imagine staying fit by doing a workout while you are being bombed, tortured, starved and displaced?We are trapped in grief and immense loss throughout various ethnic and religious groups across the entire globe at the moment. I’ve held my daughter in my arms and ugly cried enough times in the last several months after witnessing genocides happening right on my phone. I recognize my immense amount of privilege when I can hold my child at night knowing she is safe in our little home in New Jersey.  It’s hard to move on sometimes, but I know I have to otherwise I am fully and entirely consumed by the grief. I sometimes even feel selfish to experience this grief when I am so privileged to be safe.Political forces, leaders of the world, and big businesses all have monetary and religious interests which are currently destroying families all over the world. No matter what way you cut it, no matter what you have to say to justify it, no one has the right to take the life of even one single innocent person. To justify killing children is the most sinister thing ever, let alone doing it in a mass manner. In GAZA, SUDAN, CONGO, UKRAINE, and more, murder is happening on a mass scale.I understand I’m going to lose a lot of followers and I’m beyond okay with that. I have only used my personal social media platforms to voice my opinions on the humanitarian conflicts in the world. In terms of politics, I have used Sneha Physical Therapy only to speak about reproductive justice. This relates to me personally as a woman and professionally as a pelvic floor physical therapist who treats pregnancy and postpartum. I don’t relate to the conflict particularly in Gaza. I am neither Palestinian nor Muslim. But I am human. I think I wanted to keep these worlds separate for fear of offending anyone. But this never was a game of who feels sorry for themselves and gets offended. This is black and white. This is good versus evil. This is right versus wrong. The only thing is, the evil side truly thinks what they are doing is right and are justifying it at all costs. Murder of innocent lives for ANY REASON, I repeat, ANY REASON, is pure evil. Those with only the blackest of the black hearts say they are defending “Their people” and that civilian casualties are expected or are being dramatized by the media. This is not a drama. These are real people with real lives.  I pray for a world where we don’t kill each other because of what/who we pray to, the color of our skin, the language that we speak, or anything else that differentiates us. We all live in this world with the same fears and same needs. We all want to be loved and feel safe and every single person deserves that.

During pregnancy, the physical changes come in fast, and sometimes, furious! A great way to tune into these changes and create more body awareness is through “yoga asanas”, which are movements and poses from the ancient Indian tradition that promote physical & mental wellbeing. Prenatal yoga is becoming more popular these days as research and science points to the immense benefits of healthy and safe movements for birthing individuals. Not only can it help pregnant people throughout each trimester, but it can also assist in a smoother birth as well!In the show today, we have Deb Flashenberg, the founder and director of the Prenatal Yoga Center in NYC. Deb advocates for how yoga poses can help create more balance in the body so that birth flows better and there is less obstruction for the baby. She talks about “mock contractions” in her yoga classes that help her clients prepare for 60-seconds of physical and mental challenge during labor and delivery.Along with being a prenatal yoga teacher, Deb is also a labor support doula, Lamaze childbirth educator, mother of two and self proclaimed "birth and anatomy geek”. Deb received her first vinyasa yoga certification with Shiva Rea and then added to her education by completing the OM Yoga advance yoga teacher training with Cyndi Lee. After the challenging birth of her first child, Deb became incredibly interested in pelvic health and has since earned her Pelvic Floor Yoga Certification with Leslie Howard. For the past 7 years, Deb has also greatly enjoyed being the host of the podcast,  Yoga | Birth | Babies, where she speaks with some of the world’s leading experts in pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and parenthood. Currently, Deb is knee deep in Dr. Sarah Duvall’s Pregnancy and Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist program and pursuing the Spinning Babies Parent Educator certification and loving every minute of it! Connect with her:@prenatalyogacenterprenatalyogacenter.com

Are you the person who finds themselves feeling the opposite of grounded and centered during a movement class, yoga, or meditation? Are you the type who can’t quite relax during a massage or a pleasant walk? You’re not alone!Today we have Dan Rindler GCFP, P-SEP, chatting with us today on his approach to trauma which draws on Somatic Experiencing and Feldenkrais Methods. Difficulty relaxing can be manifested in many ways. He encourages bringing awareness to this feeling and understanding that one is never stuck in this state!He talks through strategies for what one might do if they feel overwhelmed in class or what PTs and other practitioners might do when their client is having a threat response during a session.Dan suggests ways people can redirect this feeling to be productive during sessions. He also discusses when a practitioner might refer out to a trauma specialist, or when someone might choose to try somatic trauma healing sessions.Dan is certified as a practitioner of both the Feldenkrais Method and Somatic Experiencing, with a private practice in-person in Brooklyn, and online. Dan's focus is on supporting clients who have both unresolved trauma and chronic pain or other physical challenges or limitations. Through a weaving of Feldenkrais and Somatic Experiencing, he helps support people in their learning and healing process, moving towards more well-being, connection with others and a new-found sense of resilience.  Dan has created “The Roots of Resilience,” a 16 week trauma-aware online program for adults which helps people to feel more grounded, centered and connected.  In addition to his work with adults, Dan created “We Grow Together,” a program for babies and new parents, which fosters co-regulation through touch and movement and has been attended by over 2,500 families. Dan’s program was the subject of a study sponsored by Vassar College, with results showing its efficacy published in the Infant Mental Health Journal. IG: danrindlerSEPFacebook.com/brooklynfeldenkraisWebsites: www.brooklynfeldenkrais.com  (adults)www.wegrowtogether.com   (babies)

Inflammation in the body can manifest in many ways and ultimately exists to protect us. However, excessive inflammation that lasts a long time, or “chronic inflammation”, can be associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other disease states.Robin Randisi is a functional nutritionist helping people improve their health using a holistic, root-cause approach. In today’s chat, Robin shares her personal story of how she used food to heal interstitial cystitis and how this led her to study nutrition. She talks about what inflammation is, how to incorporate more anti-inflammatory foods into your diet, and how quick-fix diets never work! She creates a framework to provide solutions to common barriers to eating a nutrient-dense diet, including: assessing your energetics, going slow, keeping it simple, emphasizing techniques and flavors over recipes, planning your meals around protein and fiber, and stocking your pantry strategically. Robin emphasizes that health is about more than just food or movement but lifestyle and mindset.Robin’s specialties include digestion, autoimmune conditions, and what’s commonly referred to as “women’s health,” i.e. period problems, pelvic pain, hormone imbalances, fertility issues, PCOS, endometriosis, and more. She has an online private practice where she works one-on-one with clients from all over the country, of any gender. Robin is Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition and is also certified as a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Restorative Wellness Practitioner. She believes that a truly holistic understanding of health and wellness not only recognizes and cultivates an individual’s capacity to heal, but also acknowledges the necessity of collective healing and liberation given the complex interplay between our environment and our physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.Connect with her:www.robinrandisi.com@robinrandisi on IG

There is a lot to think about when finding support for your baby’s birth. The first thing to understand is the different roles that people play in a birth setting. What is the difference between a doula and a midwife anyway? And what about a baby nurse?!We sat down with Stephanie Heintzeler, a German educated midwife and acupuncturist as well as US-educated doula and Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She is the founder of the New York Baby where she puts expecting parents/mothers in touch with doulas and baby nurses. Stephanie educated us on the importance of care by doulas and other support people during labor and delivery. She shares that doula-supported births result in 40% less rates of cesarean intervention and 70% increased likelihood of the baby being breastfed!Stephanie is a proponent of staying educated and making decisions that are right for you, your baby, and your family. She discusses how preparing for birth with conservative treatment from PTs, acupuncturists, chiropractors, and more, allow for better births overall. She also chimes in on how things are done differently in the birth space in Germany compared to America.Stephanie cares for women with all kinds of births- whether her clients choose a hospital birth, birthing center or home birth; she wants them to follow their own intuition about which birth place feels best. Stephanie has seen it all- breech births, many successful VBACs (Vaginal Birth after Cesarean), planned and unplanned c-sections, vaginal twin births and LGBTQ-families.With her “former midwife-approach” her clients feel taken care of from a holistic-medical perspective. She uses breathing techniques, TENS and positions to open the pelvis as well as her acupuncture background and massage techniques to make birthing as comfortable as possible- whether it is a natural or medicated birth. Using evidence-birth-techniques she and her doula-partner Alice (who is a midwife from the UK) make sure their clients have continuous support during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum weeks. As of 2022 Stephanie has delivered over 2,500 babies and attended over 3,200 births. Connect with her:@the_newyorkbabyhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-heintzeler-303a39/

In our society today, we don’t quite learn how to breastfeed by observation as we once did in the past. You might think that it is completely natural for you and your baby, which it is to some extent. However, without coming into contact with the techniques involved with breastfeeding, it can truly be a foreign concept to most of modern society. And the unknown can often be scary! This is why it’s always beneficial to take a breastfeeding class prior to giving birth.LaShanda Dandrich, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and co-founder of the Lactation Learning Collective, joins us today to talk about all things breastfeeding. LShanda talks about the significant mental and physical aspects involved in breastfeeding “success” and what “success” even means in this situation. She dives into topics like latching, clogged ducts, mastitis, yeast infection and more. She discusses how lactation consultants can help people with under or over supply of milk due to hypothyroidism, diabetes, breast surgery, etc. LaShanda advocates for creating your “village” of people to help you stay nourished and take care of you and your home so that you can focus on breastfeeding. Especially in the early days, breastfeeding can be a round-the-clock activity as newborns have tiny tummies and need to feed often. After the birth of her daughter in 2009, LaShanda’s passion for breastfeeding and supporting mothers and families in the postpartum period blossomed. She became a trained postpartum doula while pursuing her IBCLC credential. LaShanda currently provides lactation support prenatally and postpartum via virtual visits and in person support groups. She has supported families of all diverse, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds throughout NYC. She also works closely with other perinatal professionals, teaching lactation support for doulas to mentoring those on the Pathway to IBCLC. She currently resides in Harlem with her daughter, and they continue to travel the world together!Connect with her:IG: @LactationLearningCollective

When it comes to sexual health for women, there always seems to be a “hush hush” about it. But what might seem to be a quiet topic or a funny joke to some, for others it can be crushing and life altering. Today we have Dr. Bat Sheva Marcus joining us to talk about how important it is to clinically look at women’s sexual health closely and provide actionable tools to make people feel more empowered in their lives. She discusses how hormones and psychological issues of pain can affect low desire. She dives into how vibrators and fantasies work and why she advocates for women to become more aligned with themselves through various strategies.Dr. Bat Sheva Marcus, a certified sex therapist, is the author of Satisfaction Guaranteed : How To Have the Sex You’ve Always Wanted. She has spent her life helping women reclaim pleasure in their bodies and spirit and her career has been dedicated to bridging the gap between the medical and the psychological in women’s sexual health. For nearly 25 years she served as the clinical director of one of the largest sexual health centers in the US. Dr Marcus earned a master’s in public health as well as a Ph.D. in Human Sexuality at the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality. She also holds master’s degrees in social work from Columbia University and a masters in Jewish Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary. In addition she is a certified bariatric counselor.In the past Dr Marcus has served as executive director of not-for-profit institutions and corporations, medical practices, and laboratories. She has lectured internationally on women’s issues, has given frequent Grand Rounds to health care providers, as well as lecturing to sex therapists around the world. She has been a guest on numerous radio and television shows, including CNBC, CBS News, Huffington Post Live, and NPR and been profiled in the New York Times Magazine, Time Magazine, and Westchester Magazine, among others.Connect with her:Drbatsheva.comTikTok: @TheDrBatShevaIG/FB: @DrBatSheva

Maternal mental health cannot be stressed enough folks. Sometimes it’s just referred to as “postpartum”, which is sad because it emphasizes how common perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) are.We have a riveting episode here for you today with the wonderful Dayna Kutrz, LMSW, CPT. Dayna is a psychotherapist and author with a subspeciality in perinatal mental health. She touches on how birthing individuals are not supporting in America the way they should be from a political standpoint. She pulls from her years of experience working with families of all kinds to emphasize that TIME and SPACE are two important factors in getting to a better place with your mental health postpartum. She dives into the “Motherhood Spectrum,” a term she coined to describe the psychological and physiological impacts of maternity, including contemplating motherhood, the decision to become or not to become a mother, and the transition to being a mother. She also touches on how to parent with a partner and the impact on marriage and domestic partnerships in your postpartum journey. This podcast has had a few episodes highlighting this topic and it will never have too many because PMADs are one of the biggest reasons for maternal mortality in the US. Don’t be a “Mother Martyr” and reach out to a professional if you need help.Dayna is the former Director of the Anna Keefe Women's Center in Manhattan. She has facilitated psycho-educational support groups at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center and The Hospital for Special Surgery. She earned her Masters in Social Work from Columbia University, and her undergraduate degree from Brandeis University, and completed postgraduate studies at The Training Institute for Mental Health. Dayna is the author of Mother Matters: A Holistic Guide to Being a Happy, Healthy Mom (Familius Press) and The Total Body Cure for Women (Hearst,) and is a contributor to The Doctor's Book of Natural Remedies (Rodale). Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post and The Huffington Post and she has been an expert-consultant for media outlets including The Boston Globe, The Today Show and Sirius XM radio. She lives in New York City with her family.Connect with her:daynamkurtz.com

Ayurveda is an age-old tradition originating from India around the 2nd millennium BCE (a very very long time ago!). “Ayur” in Sanskrit means “Life” and “Veda” means “Science” or “Knowledge”. The Vedas, or Hindu scriptures, are one of the oldest pieces of text on the planet that contain scientific knowledge that is gradually only now being proven by modern empirical methods. Ayurveda is a practice that is deeply studied by scholars, scientists, and practitioners today and is rooted in the spiritual philosophies of balance and how to optimize your life force.We are honored to have Shweta Parmar join us today to chat about this incredible science and explain the ancient cultural wisdom of Ayurveda and how it relates to spirituality and energetics. As an Ayurveda practitioner at GutsierLiving, Shweta supports wellness freaks and disembodied spiritual seekers who feel they are doing all the "right things" but still feel shitty. On the show she discusses how to shape one’s day and life with wisdom of longevity and not just prevention of disease states in one phase of your life. She excavates the missing links for lasting energy, hormonal harmony, and joyful living. After an assessment of one's own unique mind/body constitution to embody higher consciousness, specific diet, lifestyle and herbal plans are created via Nature-based principles of Ayurveda, Yoga, Tantra Ancient Wisdoms.As a birthworker at Mama The Baby/Baby The Mama, Shweta specializes in “wombens wellness” - from hormonal harmony, infertility, conscious conceiving, complication-free pregnancy, easeful labor/postpartum, and subconscious repatterning for babies before/in/after the womb. She strongly feels that the root of injustice and war is due to a lack of consciousness of the Divine Creation Energy at the individual, community and society levels.Connect with her:www.gutsierliving.com@shweta.parmar.ayurveda @gutsierliving

What is birth justice anyway? Sometimes it might feel like there are too many voices in that room and the birthing individual’s wants and needs aren’t heard. It may seem at times like it’s medicine vs. parent. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Today we talk to Janel Feliz Martir, a AAPI birth worker who has both medical school training in obstetrics as well as holistic prenatal wellness training that makes her one of the best birth doulas in all of New York City. Janel specializes in evidence-based birth education and lactation support and has attended over 350+ births in the US and abroad. She draws upon her vast experience in medical education, clinical training, and movement as a prenatal yoga teacher to support families in the birth space. Janel shares with us how care centered around the birthing individual should be the main focus in all births while discussing the intricacies of medical risk, cultural expectations, personal beliefs, and more. Having seen births in various hospitals, birth centers, and home births from people of all cultures, along with her unique experience with births in Uganda, Janel shares her experiences and thoughts on what birth justice means. She highlights how even different hospitals a few blocks away from each other have different cultures that they are unaware of because they think every hospital works that way! Janel’s personal experience with loss and seeing other patients experience loss of all kinds drives her to do the work that she does daily.Connect with her:janeldoula.com

Hello folks! Today's episode is a bit unique as it's my birthday and I'm 34 weeks pregnant! On the show I share a little bit about my journey over the last few months experiencing pregnancy after treating pregnant people for years and learning so much from all of the guests here on Fit As A Fiddle.

Here’s a bold statement. Dancers, while extremely great at moving their bodies, sometimes don’t actually know how to do it optimally. Getting injured on and off the stage is not uncommon for dancers. Oftentimes these aches, pains and sometimes broken or torn tissues are directly a result of improper, overused movements.Our passionate and incredible guest today is Jesse Barnett, a New York City-based dancer, Pilates instructor, and Personal Trainer. He talks about how to prevent injuries in the first place and how cross training is crucial for every performing artist. Jesse busts some myths by highlighting how stretching is not the only important part of training and how repeating the same asymmetrical movements can lead to overuse injuries. Jesse grew up studying dance in his hometown of Yorktown, Virginia, and moved to NYC to attend Marymount Manhattan College where he graduated with a BFA in Dance. After graduating, he completed his Pilates certification through The Kane School, a contemporary Pilates program including movement anatomy, biomechanics, touch techniques, and special populations training. He then completed his personal training certification through the NSCA as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). Jesse has also completed training programs in pre/post natal fitness and TRX Suspension Training and has experience working alongside physical therapists in a post-rehab facility.Connect with him:@jessetbarnett

You might think a strong core is the most important thing when it comes to physical fitness. You might also think that age dooms you to weakness and that there’s not much you can do about it. Think again! Our guest today, Irene Donahue, a fitness expert and personal trainer in NYC, teaches us that the whole body needs to work together throughout life to make us feel supported and empowered in our movements. Irene starts off with her personal story of pelvic floor dysfunction, which was unfortunately and unethically brushed off by her obstetrician 15 years ago. Since then she has been able to understand how her own core and pelvic floor functions along with all her other body systems to allow her to live a fulfilling life. She trains others to do the same.Irene is deeply passionate about bridging exercise, athletics and core health. Her experience with pelvic organ prolapse and core issues postpartum led her to a deep dive into core-pelvic health education. This informs her work with clients whom she helps navigate fitness through the profound transitions of pregnancy, postpartum, peri-menopause/menopause and post rehab.Connect with her:www.irenedonahue.cominstagram.com/irenedonahuenyc

Some people think physical therapy is all about getting massages. Others might think it’s about doing a few exercises. Still others (SADLY!) think it’s about getting a hot pack and ultrasound to their knee. Oof!Although my guest, Dr. Julia Rosenthal, and I are both physical therapists, we are not biased in knowing the truth that physical therapy is one of the only therapeutic professions that addresses physical and mental resilience, mindfulness, capacity building, trauma, pain management, and lasting changes to quality of life without the use of any kind of pill or invasive technique.Dr. Julia Rosenthal is a pelvic floor and orthopedic physical therapist and founder of Empower Physical Therapy in DUMBO, NYC. In our discussion today, we touch on how important it is to show our patients how strong they really are and how moving is safe since everything we do as physical therapists affects the nervous system. Julia helps people build habits, and movement habits promote longevity. She also bridges the gap between strength/fitness and pelvic PT. Julia has extensive clinical experience in treating people with both orthopedic and pelvic conditions in a variety of settings including multiple outpatient physical therapy practices in New York City, backstage on Broadway, and with multiple professional dance companies. She earned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) at Columbia University, and went on to complete an orthopedic residency through NYU, where she specialized in Dance Medicine at the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries. Following her residency, she obtained board certification as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties and became a certified Pelvic Health Practitioner through the Herman and Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute. Julia is also an RKC and DSPCC certified kettlebell coach, and a certified pregnancy and postpartum strength coach through Girls Gone Strong. Julia is completing a certification in functional nutrition coaching and plans to launch those services spring 2023. Connect with her:www.empowerpt.nyc@empower_physical_therapy

The ambiguities and the “gray space” of birth and parenthood can often make it difficult for people to process and articulate emotions. But while you would think to enroll your toddler into art class and not yourself, it might be worth it to consider the power of art therapy.Our guest, Sharon Itkoff Nacache ATR-BC LCAT PMH-C, is a Perinatal Mental Health Certified Art Psychotherapist. Sharon chats with us today on what creative resilience means and how art therapy can address reproductive mental health. She touches on how powerful the brain-body connection is and how one might underestimate the use of art initially until they truly experience it themselves. She writes, “whether it's through verbal psychotherapy, an active creative process, or combination of the two, the lens through which we explore concerns is focused on self discovery, healing, and empowerment.”Sharon supports those who identify as caregivers in cultivating creative resilience. Her psychotherapy approach is grounded in principles of cultural humility, humanism, and the healing power of an empathic creative process. She has a special focus on maternal, parental, and reproductive wellness using creative clinical approaches grounded in principles of cultural humility, humanism, and the healing power of an empathic creative process.Connect with her:@cocreatearttherapyCocreatearttherapy.com