Common But NOT Normal | Pelvic Floor Truth | Dr. Charu Chopra

0:00:13.200,0:00:18.720

Hey everybody and welcome back to Women of

Color Live, the live version of Women of Color,

0:00:18.720,0:00:26.240

an intimate conversation, a top 20 women's

empowerment podcast. We center and empower

0:00:26.240,0:00:31.840

women of color. We're here every Thursday

at 1 p.m. Eastern. You can always catch the

0:00:31.840,0:00:38.080

replay and or listen on your favorite podcast

platform. So before I welcome today's guest,

0:00:38.080,0:00:43.280

I want to shout out our production team at

the Leon Thomas Group and we have back this

0:00:43.280,0:00:48.800

week O. So O, welcome back and um thank

you for being here with us. So today's

0:00:48.800,0:00:53.760

guest was recommended by last week's

guest, Gia Warren. And if you recall,

0:00:53.760,0:01:01.920

Gia is very instrumental to and

in the dream lifestyle collective.

0:01:01.920,0:01:05.440

And also before before I go to today's guest,

0:01:05.440,0:01:11.520

I want to share something exciting that has

happened since last week. Let's check it out.

0:01:12.640,0:01:20.000

Hi, I'm Denino Garrett, a cultural alchemist who

shift shapes culture through storytelling, through

0:01:20.000,0:01:27.680

writing, through speaking, through my top 20

women's empowerment podcast. And if you're seeing

0:01:27.680,0:01:34.720

this, you're watching me on Women of Color Live,

the live version, the weekly live version of that0:01:34.720,0:01:42.000

podcast. I am coming to you to ask you to vote

for me. I am in the running to become entrepreneur

0:01:42.000,0:01:53.360

of impact and it's going to take all of us to

get me there. So check this out and stay tuned.

0:01:53.360,0:02:00.640

All right. All right. So today's guest is

Dr. Shahu Chopra. She is a healthcare leader,

0:02:00.640,0:02:07.280

entrepreneur, women's specialist physical

therapist, clinic director, and first generation

0:02:07.280,0:02:16.240

immigrant who moved from India to the US in 2007

and turned uncertainty into opportunity. She

0:02:16.240,0:02:23.840

believes that grit, growth, and gratitude can

transform anything and her life is proof. Dr.

0:02:23.840,0:02:31.040

Chopra, welcome to Women of Color Live. Thank you,

Janine. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.

0:02:31.040,0:02:39.840

And a huge shout out to you as well as women of

color out there who are giving voice to all of

0:02:39.840,0:02:48.000

us and empowering uh for this next generation

of women that we are going to raise. I have a

0:02:48.000,0:02:57.040

daughter myself. So, I was so excited and proud to

share this podcast with her. Um, so grateful for

0:02:57.040,0:03:02.480

what you're doing. Oh, thank you so much. And you

know what? Everything that you said is the reason

0:03:02.480,0:03:08.800

why this podcast exists, right? It's to give us

a platform to use our voices. It's to uplift us,

0:03:08.800,0:03:14.240to empower us and the girls who are coming um

behind us. So, thank you so much for recognizing

0:03:14.240,0:03:21.520

that. So, let's get into our conversation. So, who

were you before the physical therapist license,

0:03:21.520,0:03:29.680

before the clinic, before the title? And what was

the the decision that shifted how you saw yourself

0:03:29.680,0:03:39.280

as someone built to lead? Wow, that's a tough

one, Danine. I will say that. And the reason I

0:03:39.280,0:03:48.560

think it's tough is as women we are always taking

and identifying ourselves into the roles we have

0:03:48.560,0:03:58.400

given. We see always or identify ourselves as

daughters or sisters or wife or mom. But in

0:03:58.400,0:04:06.480

the whole realm of you know doing everything for

everybody we forget who we are. And your question

0:04:06.480,0:04:16.880

is just um you know questioning my identity apart

from those roles. So let me try and I think my

0:04:16.880,0:04:26.960

answer would be as a young girl without connecting

myself to these different roles. I was somebody

0:04:26.960,0:04:35.760

who always was curious, who always questioned

everything, whether it was disparities among

0:04:35.760,0:04:45.280

genders, uh whether it was financial disparities,

um I was born and raised in India. I was there for

0:04:45.280,0:04:56.160

my first 27 years of life. So it always bothered

me on why there is so much disparity back then.

0:04:56.160,0:05:05.200

The only thing that I knew is in order to change

something you have to be that change because0:05:05.200,0:05:13.280

very soon early in my life I realized if I don't

question these things nothing is going to change

0:05:13.280,0:05:21.680

because nothing changed for the generations above

me especially females in India and now I realize

0:05:21.680,0:05:29.600

it's a worldwide systemic issue and just not an

India issue. do. Um, so I knew something had to

0:05:29.600,0:05:41.680

be done. Uh, early on my tools were hard work and

uh, voicing myself. But, you know, as a young girl

0:05:41.680,0:05:48.080

when you're naive, you don't have that confidence

and you just don't know. It turns early on into a

0:05:48.080,0:05:55.360

little bit of rebel as well sometimes. So I would

agree that I was what you call as a rebellious

0:05:55.360,0:06:04.080

child back then. Uh but it was not a rebel for

small things. It was a rebel for a bigger things

0:06:04.080,0:06:13.600

that I could connect later in my life and coming

to this podcast really helps me give that voice to

0:06:13.600,0:06:22.880

women who are listening to us at the moment. And

gender equality is just not about women's rights.

0:06:22.880,0:06:32.960

It's also giving equality and a better working

atmosphere and platform to men as well. Um that's

0:06:32.960,0:06:41.680

what I have realized and that's who I was and

that's who I am today. And I love everything that

0:06:41.680,0:06:46.720

you said, right? And you said a lot and so I do

want to kind of back into some of the things. So

0:06:46.720,0:06:53.120first of all um you became the change you wanted

to see right and that's what you know a reason

0:06:53.120,0:06:58.880

for this podcast to empower us to be that change

if something is not going the way that you wanted

0:06:58.880,0:07:05.200

to you know instead of waiting for someone else to

make the change it may be up to you to make that

0:07:05.200,0:07:11.200

change right and so that's what you did that's

what this podcast does and also I want those who

0:07:11.200,0:07:17.840

are watching or listening to pay attention to

the things that um Dr. Sherut is saying right

0:07:17.840,0:07:23.200

she's saying how she was rebellious but she was

rebellious in a way to make a difference to help

0:07:23.200,0:07:29.360

to change our lives and not just for one person

but for people coming behind her. She started

0:07:29.360,0:07:34.400

off by saying she has a daughter and she shared

the podcast with her daughter because she wants

0:07:34.400,0:07:39.280

to empower her daughter. She wants to give her

tools to live the life that she wants to live

0:07:39.280,0:07:44.320

and that's what we want to do for you as well. We

want to give you those tools to live the life that

0:07:44.320,0:07:49.040

you want to and get into good trouble. Right. As

you were speaking, I was thinking about getting

0:07:49.040,0:07:54.960

into good trouble. I was thinking about, you know,

quiet, you know, closed mouths don't get fed and,

0:07:54.960,0:08:00.640

you know, all those things um came to mind when

you were talking. And so, this podcast is truly0:08:00.640,0:08:07.440

about empowering others. is about giving them

those tools so that they can actually walk away

0:08:07.440,0:08:12.560

with, you know, something that they can do and

changing their life. And you made a great point

0:08:12.560,0:08:18.880

by saying that when we, you know, lead and make

things happen, it's not just for us. It's not just

0:08:18.880,0:08:29.120

for women. It's for everybody. Everybody benefits,

right? Everybody Yes. Yeah. And so if you are

0:08:29.120,0:08:35.920

watching right now, um please drop in dreamers. Um

if you're part of the dream lifestyle collective,

0:08:35.920,0:08:44.480

if you are a family member, uh give us a

heart. Um and all others, drop WC. We want

0:08:44.480,0:08:51.120

to know that you're out there. So what did you

have to unlearn as a first generation immigrant

0:08:51.120,0:08:58.240

woman? Balancing family, cultural identity, and an

entrepreneurial vision. And how has that changed

0:08:58.240,0:09:08.320

how you define success and visibility? Now h you

have very list of tough questions out here. Well

0:09:08.320,0:09:17.040

um thoughtprovoking thoughtprovoking. Absolutely.

Um definitely I would say as a first generation

0:09:17.040,0:09:27.440

immigrant uh you don't really have a road map

laid out. And I'll share you a story. When I first

0:09:27.440,0:09:34.560

uh came to US, it was I was 27 years old. I had

never seen an airport. I have never been on a

0:09:34.560,0:09:43.440plane before. But the pain of leaving my family

behind was so strong and it still is because all

0:09:43.440,0:09:53.520

my family still is back in India. I just knew that

this is my chance and I this is my only chance and

0:09:53.520,0:10:05.040

I cannot let myself lose at any point. So I worked

extremely extremely hard and I was trying to be

0:10:05.040,0:10:13.360

part of the system. I would try to notice oh how

is she dressed up? How does she say something like

0:10:13.360,0:10:22.080

this? because I just wanted to be in just be like

one of everybody. I would like fake my accent and

0:10:22.080,0:10:29.120

if somebody would say, "Hey, that's a beautiful

accent. I wonder where is that from?" You know,

0:10:29.120,0:10:37.200

people would tactfully try to ask me. I would get

so nervous and conscious of myself that god even

0:10:37.200,0:10:45.680

with all this fake that I'm putting out there they

are able to identify me and I have to unlearn that

0:10:45.680,0:10:53.200

hard work is great and it's extremely essential

but more than the hard work or I would say along

0:10:53.200,0:11:01.280

with the hard work a voice has to merge with it

because you can just keep working hard at what

0:11:01.280,0:11:07.600

you're knowing, but if you're not have a voice

with it, you're not going to have any visibility.

0:11:07.600,0:11:15.280

And it's extremely crucial, especially nowadays,

the world we live in, to have that visibility, to

0:11:15.280,0:11:24.800

have a bigger impact, not just around the people

you are around, but beyond that. So that was one0:11:24.800,0:11:34.400

thing that I had to unlearn that hard work is

essential but I have to marry the voice along with

0:11:34.400,0:11:43.920

the hard work. The second thing I had to unlearn

with was to be comfortable with myself. I am a

0:11:43.920,0:11:52.720

unique person. I have a very unique journey and I

should be proud of myself and I should own who I

0:11:52.720,0:12:02.480

am rather than being trying to somebody else. Um

so that is something that took me years you know

0:12:02.480,0:12:10.880

uh but now I am at the point where I'm like oh

I'm from India and I was born and raised there

0:12:10.880,0:12:18.480

and this is who I am. tell me more about yourself.

And opening that door helped me realize that more

0:12:18.480,0:12:25.440

and more people are opening their doors as well.

They are telling me about their vulnerabilities,

0:12:25.440,0:12:32.960

their backgrounds, their cultural beliefs, their

family beliefs and we are creating a more open

0:12:32.960,0:12:42.880

environment where people are not hiding behind

shells and trying to be somebody else. Yes. Yes to

0:12:42.880,0:12:48.240

all that. So, here are some things that um I wrote

down that kind of came to mind. So, owning it,

0:12:48.240,0:12:54.400

right? Owning who you are, your identity. Um you

mentioned about the hard work and right is not

0:12:54.400,0:12:59.760

just that. It's never just that. It's always an

and. Um and at end is the voice and again having

0:12:59.760,0:13:06.640a voice using your voice because when you do you

give others permission to use theirs and also you

0:13:06.640,0:13:12.720

know initially what you what I heard um and what

came to mind was assimilating um and also code

0:13:12.720,0:13:17.360

switching. So, I don't know if you know about code

switching, but it's something we talk about in

0:13:17.360,0:13:23.040

the black community, whereas, you know, we go into

the environments and we kind of shift how we talk,

0:13:23.040,0:13:28.160

right? Um, we're not using, you know, the the

comfortable vernacular that we have when we're

0:13:28.160,0:13:33.840

amongst family members, it changes. Or even

there's a a joke when um you know that it's

0:13:33.840,0:13:39.600

a a bill you know back in the day you knew that it

was somebody calling about bills or something like

0:13:39.600,0:13:44.800

that by the way you answered the phone or how you

spoke on the phone right u because you code switch

0:13:44.800,0:13:52.400

and and became you know how they say professional

um is you know that so those things came up

0:13:52.400,0:13:57.440

uh while you were speaking. Another thing that

I wanted to touch back on that you talked about

0:13:57.440,0:14:04.240

earlier and kind of came up just now as well is

intersectionality. The intersections of us. We're

0:14:04.240,0:14:10.800

not just one thing. Um we're multiple things. Like

you're a first generation um immigrant. You're a

0:14:10.800,0:14:16.320

woman. You're a mom. Um you are a physical

therapist. All the things all the different0:14:16.320,0:14:21.680

identities that make us up. And earlier you

were saying how oh man, how do I you know how

0:14:21.680,0:14:26.720

do I separate that? Right? because they're all

integrated. They're all part of me. And that's

0:14:26.720,0:14:32.720

fine. That's who we are. We're more than one

thing. Own every aspect of who and what you are.

0:14:32.720,0:14:39.840

And again, when you do, you give others permission

to do the same. Absolutely, 100%. And thank you

0:14:39.840,0:14:46.400

so much for uh summarizing it so beautifully.

You're welcome. You're welcome. All right. So,

0:14:46.400,0:14:53.440

one more question before we uh go to a break.

You specialize in pelvic floor and breast rehab

0:14:53.440,0:14:58.880

work that is deeply personal and deeply under

reppresented. What do you wish more women of

0:14:58.880,0:15:05.200

color understood about advocating for their health

and how does that connect to advocating for their

0:15:05.200,0:15:14.240

leadership? Thank you so much for asking this

question because that is truly something I'm

0:15:14.240,0:15:22.800

very very passionate about as well as gives me

the purpose of being in this fa in in this field.

0:15:22.800,0:15:31.920

I 100% of my patient demographics is for past

eight years has been just women. I have been a

0:15:31.920,0:15:40.480

physical therapist for 17 years and I treated both

men and women and now past seven years as I said

0:15:40.480,0:15:49.440majority of my patient population is women and

what I am learning is especially with women of

0:15:49.440,0:16:02.960

color I would say we are just suffering silently

dismissing our own symptoms of pain of urinary or

0:16:02.960,0:16:14.640

fecal incontinents and among everybody else among

our community we have normalized it unfortunately

0:16:14.640,0:16:25.520

that is that breaks my heart and I really really

want the listeners to understand that be a self

0:16:25.520,0:16:33.760

advocate of yourself if you have pain you truly

have been. It's not in your mind. No matter what

0:16:33.760,0:16:41.200

a health care professional tells you, you have

to stand up for yourself and question their

0:16:41.200,0:16:50.320

clinical reasoning. Um, as a pelvic floor physical

therapist, I would want every woman to listen to

0:16:50.320,0:17:01.120

me and understand leaking, urinary leakage at

no age is normal. It's never normal. It's very

0:17:01.120,0:17:09.600

common, yes, but common doesn't mean normal.

If you see your friends going to the restroom

0:17:09.600,0:17:18.320

every 10 minutes and saying, "Oh, I have a small

bladder." That is not normal. They need to seek

0:17:18.320,0:17:26.240

pelvic floor physical therapy. If you see somebody

crossing their legs while coughing or sneezing or

0:17:26.240,0:17:34.000

laughing, they this is not normal. They need

to come and talk to their provider and come

0:17:34.000,0:17:40.480

see pelvic floor physical therapist. No matter if

you have no kids, no matter if you have two kids,0:17:40.480,0:17:48.960

if you have 20 kids, no matter if you're 10,

if you're 60, if you're 90. I had a 94 year old

0:17:48.960,0:17:59.280

woman with 100% outcomes. She came to me. She was

completely dependent on wearing depens and diapers

0:17:59.280,0:18:08.400

past so many decades and she came got treated and

now she doesn't need them at all. So just because

0:18:08.400,0:18:18.080

you're old doesn't normalize leaking. So I want

all the women to remember that. The second thing

0:18:18.080,0:18:25.920

that I want to talk about pain with intercourse,

anytime we talk about especially pelvic symptoms,

0:18:25.920,0:18:32.960

there's such a taboo or shame attached to it.

One, you don't need there's no there should be

0:18:32.960,0:18:41.680

no shame. It's very natural. We all pee, poop,

and have sexual functions, right? That's that's

0:18:41.680,0:18:48.400

our that's part of our identity. So we don't need

to see it as shameful. So a lot of women don't

0:18:48.400,0:18:54.880

even ever bring their symptoms to the providers.

Especially when it comes to pain with intercourse.

0:18:54.880,0:19:03.840

They think oh it is something that I just have

to live about. Uh, unfortunately I have so many

0:19:03.840,0:19:10.800

women when I talk to them, they're like, "Isn't

it supposed to hurt during intercourse?" And I'm

0:19:10.800,0:19:19.360

like, "No, it is not supposed to hurt while you're

having a sexual activity." Again, just like how I

0:19:19.360,0:19:28.000said for leaking, pain with intercourse, pain

with sexual activity is never normal. again

0:19:28.000,0:19:36.560

come and talk to your provider. And the last one,

actually second last one that I want to talk about

0:19:36.560,0:19:45.840

um is something that is again extremely rare

to be talked about is orgasm. Women have every

0:19:45.840,0:19:52.720

right to have an orgasm during intercourse,

during sexual activity. In fact, I tell them

0:19:52.720,0:19:59.600

it's essential for both the partners to have an

orgasm. And again, going back to the same thing,

0:19:59.600,0:20:06.960

there's so much taboo attached to it. If you

are not having an orgasm during an intercourse,

0:20:06.960,0:20:16.800

common but not normal, come talk to your provider.

And my last one, breast cancer screening is

0:20:16.800,0:20:24.560

essential. If your doctor is not bringing it up,

I want you to be self- advocating for yourself and

0:20:24.560,0:20:32.240

telling them this is my family history. This is

not my family history. When can I start my annual

0:20:32.240,0:20:41.520

mamograms and taxes? Wow. Okay. So, I totally

didn't expect for us to go where we just went,

0:20:41.520,0:20:47.600

but it's needed. It is so needed. Pelvic floor

conversation. Never heard that. Yes. We, you know,

0:20:47.600,0:20:54.320

we talk about breast, we talk about breast cancer,

um, but the pelvic floor, never, I've never had

0:20:54.320,0:20:59.840

that conversation. Seen the, you know, the

commercials for depends, um, and things of that0:20:59.840,0:21:05.120

nature, but really never had that conversation.

So again, those that are watching or listening,

0:21:05.120,0:21:10.720

if you are experiencing any of that, if you are

experiencing having to urinate too often, uh,

0:21:10.720,0:21:16.240

every 10 minutes, if there's leakage, um, if you

are having pain and intercourse, if you're not

0:21:16.240,0:21:23.200

having an orgasm, have a conversation with your

doctor. And so like what what should they say?

0:21:23.200,0:21:30.320

Give us an example of what you would want um, a

woman to come to you and say if she's experiencing

0:21:30.320,0:21:38.080

Yeah. So as a so our function of our pelvic floor

is mainly three things bowel bladder and sexual

0:21:38.080,0:21:46.400

function. If frequency of urination is higher than

two to four hours come see us. If you're having

0:21:46.400,0:21:54.480

any kind of leakage with sneezing, coughing,

jumping, laughing, come see us. If you have pain

0:21:54.480,0:22:01.760

with intercourse or not having the ability to have

an orgasm, come see us. Again, another thing that

0:22:01.760,0:22:10.880

you can come and see us is during your prepartum

and postpartum care. American College of OBGY wine

0:22:10.880,0:22:19.280

recommends every woman regardless of vaginal

delivery, regardless of C-section has physical

0:22:19.280,0:22:28.000

therapy as part of their fourth trimester. That

means which is after the baby is delivered. So

0:22:28.000,0:22:34.880pelvic floor physical therapy essentially every

woman needs it. Even if you have never been

0:22:34.880,0:22:42.160

pregnant, if you have never been sexually active,

if you have any issues with bowel, bladder, with

0:22:42.160,0:22:51.360

bowel, constipation, hard stools, straining during

pooping, straining during peeing, all these are

0:22:51.360,0:22:59.920

symptoms that are not normal. Talk to your doctor,

come see as pelvic flow physical therapist. Um,

0:22:59.920,0:23:07.040

also I just want to add there are a lot of states

who have a direct referral to physical therapy.

0:23:07.040,0:23:14.400

For example, I'm based in Arizona. Arizona has a

direct referral. So, you don't even need to go to

0:23:14.400,0:23:19.920

a doctor. It'll be great because then they can

run some diagnostics and rule out some things.

0:23:19.920,0:23:26.080

But you can come directly to a pelvic floor

physical therapist. Whether you're pregnant,

0:23:26.080,0:23:32.480

whether you're postpartum, whether you have any

issues with uh bowel, bladder or sexual function,

0:23:32.480,0:23:38.320

you can directly come to us and we can help

you. And so what's like one of the things

0:23:38.320,0:23:43.840

that a person would do? So yes, they're they're

having these issues. they come to the pelvic floor

0:23:43.840,0:23:49.840

um therapist, physical therapist and then what

what's happening like the things that you have

0:23:49.840,0:23:57.120

them do to correct this? Okay, great question.

So, as a physical therapist, we specialize in0:23:57.120,0:24:04.480

muscularkeeletal system and our pelvic floor has

the same kind of muscles that the rest of the body

0:24:04.480,0:24:12.320

has. So when you go to see your OB/GYN, they are

looking at your uterus, your ovaries. When you go

0:24:12.320,0:24:19.280

to your endocrinologist, they are looking at your

hormone levels. When you're going to a urologist,

0:24:19.280,0:24:26.480

they are looking at your bladder. Similarly, as

pelvic floor physical therapist, we are looking

0:24:26.480,0:24:34.160

at the muscles in pelvic floor. And the symptoms

I mentioned to you, Denine, that indicates that

0:24:34.160,0:24:40.720

there's something not working right with these

muscles and that's why you're leaking or having

0:24:40.720,0:24:48.000

increased frequency or constipation or not being

able to have an orgasm or pain with intercourse.

0:24:48.000,0:24:55.840

We work on these muscles. Now, practically what

it looks like is I spend one-on-one time with

0:24:55.840,0:25:04.880

my patients in a very uh comfortable enclosed

setting. I take a very thorough subjective of

0:25:04.880,0:25:11.200

everything that I mentioned along with their

past medical history, any surgeries they had

0:25:11.200,0:25:18.720

in the past, what are their goals, what are their

beliefs and then after that we do a thorough exam.

0:25:18.720,0:25:25.520

I check my patients from head to toe all the way

if they have any TMJ joint issues to their neck

0:25:25.520,0:25:33.920issues because believe it or not a TMJ joint can

h relate pain as well as issues with your pelvic

0:25:33.920,0:25:42.480

floor. Then I do an internal and an external exam

and I tell my patients I understand getting an

0:25:42.480,0:25:50.320

internal pelvic floor exam is intimidating. you're

not prepared for it because they're like physical

0:25:50.320,0:25:58.800

therapy and pelvic floor exam just doesn't you

know uh connect but I explain them I use models

0:25:58.800,0:26:05.120

I show them I give them time I said if you are

not comfortable with an internal exam today I

0:26:05.120,0:26:12.240

totally understand let's give it few visits

there's more that I check and then based on

0:26:12.240,0:26:19.840

if these muscles are tight we work on breathing we

work on stretching we work on relaxation exercises

0:26:19.840,0:26:27.120

and if these muscles are just normal tone but

have weakness we work on their strengthening.

0:26:27.120,0:26:35.920

Um so based on what the findings are we come

up with a very individualized plan of care. We

0:26:35.920,0:26:42.480

also talk about healthy bladder habits. Uh you

know what are some of the bladder irritants. Uh

0:26:42.480,0:26:49.760

I even talked to them about their posturing with

peeing and pooping. A lot of women especially in

0:26:49.760,0:26:55.840

public restrooms slouch and do not comfortably

sit on the commod. And I explained them what's

0:26:55.840,0:27:01.600

it doing to your pelvic floor. Muscles are not

completely relaxed. And I understand the hygiene0:27:01.600,0:27:08.800

aspect for it. But you can have disinfectant

wipes, sprays, toilet paper covers. But see

0:27:08.800,0:27:14.720

when you sit down completely on a camo how your

muscles are getting relaxed and you're able to be

0:27:14.720,0:27:23.600

comfortably reduce your chances of UTI. So there's

a lot of education that goes along with what we

0:27:23.600,0:27:32.400

are doing in just terms of exams. Then I also um

see them follow for follow-ups two to three times

0:27:32.400,0:27:40.960

sometimes based on what's needed. Um we include a

lot of exercises as well along with that because

0:27:40.960,0:27:46.960

our pelvic floor never works in isolation. It

works with our back muscles, our abdominals,

0:27:46.960,0:27:54.000

our hip muscles. So we want to make sure

everything is being treated. I tell my patients,

0:27:54.000,0:28:03.680

I treat a whole person. I don't treat body parts.

Um and that is essential to their best outcomes.

0:28:04.320,0:28:09.760

Yeah, absolutely. So, what we're talking about

right now is definitely a needed conversation.

0:28:09.760,0:28:14.320

I'm sure that there's plenty who are watching

or listening who probably never considered

0:28:14.320,0:28:19.760

this at all and probably can say, "Yes, I

have at least one of those things." Like,

0:28:19.760,0:28:24.480

I'm experiencing at least one of those things.

Never thought what to do with it. Just decided,

0:28:24.480,0:28:28.480oh, I'll just live with it. You know,

it's it's common. Um, but as you said,

0:28:28.480,0:28:33.920

it's common doesn't mean normal. And so, that's

again the reason why we're here. That's why the

0:28:33.920,0:28:40.560

women of color and intimate conversation podcast

exists is to share this type of information to

0:28:40.560,0:28:46.880

again do what? Empower us. Empower us to live

our best lives, our best selves. And part of that

0:28:46.880,0:28:53.120

is being healthy. So I do want to ask like two

more questions around this before we go to the

0:28:53.120,0:29:02.400

um to the break. So the first question is um what

is the common reason a woman experiences this?

0:29:03.760,0:29:10.480

That's the first question. What is the problem?

Say that again. Sorry. Yeah. So, um a woman who

0:29:10.480,0:29:16.480

comes and you know she's having um she's having

these issues with her pelvic floor. Like what is

0:29:16.480,0:29:23.920

the common number one reason women are having

this pelvic floor issues? I wish there was

0:29:23.920,0:29:35.760

just one reason that I can lay out. Uh but I hm

that's a tough one but I feel especially I would

0:29:35.760,0:29:47.760

say with women of color unresolved stress is one

of the things that brings in the symptom a lot.

0:29:47.760,0:29:56.240

There are multiple other reasons for it. Yeah.

And I'll give you an example. Girls who are in

0:29:56.240,0:30:04.480

middle school and high school right now do doing

cheerleading and being part of so many sports,0:30:04.480,0:30:13.520

their exercise programs are just so focused

on agility or arm strength or leg strength,

0:30:13.520,0:30:23.360

but often their pelvic floor is ignored. And this

continuation of ignorance over the years and the

0:30:23.360,0:30:30.960

pelvic floor stress it goes through whether it's

hormonal changes during puberty, during pregnancy,

0:30:30.960,0:30:39.040

during childbirth, during sexual activities,

it all just adds up. If there's I wish I had

0:30:39.040,0:30:46.240

one reason that I can say, okay, this is the top

reason. Unfortunately, no. And especially Denine,

0:30:46.240,0:30:57.920

in women of color, one of another neglected topics

is sexual trauma. It's never talked about. It

0:30:57.920,0:31:07.120

is something that's unresolved. There are women

who come see me and they cannot just stop crying

0:31:07.120,0:31:14.160

because I was the first healthc care provider

who talked about any history of sexual trauma.

0:31:14.720,0:31:21.440

Sometimes they have not even told their

family about it. Forget about the health

0:31:21.440,0:31:30.160

care professionals. So, uh that also adds to

their pelvic floor muscle guarding and they

0:31:30.160,0:31:36.560

don't know until they start having these symptoms.

Yeah. And even though you said there's not like

0:31:36.560,0:31:41.360

one thing that you can pinpoint, you still shared

something that I I'm sure a lot of people are not

0:31:41.360,0:31:46.720thinking about because again I thought nothing

about pelvic floor period, right? Um that has

0:31:46.720,0:31:54.320

never been anything that has been you know top of

mind for me. And so you shed a light on a lot um

0:31:54.320,0:32:00.320

you know a lot for us to think about and consider

and to advocate for ourselves. And so the other

0:32:00.320,0:32:06.640

thing that I wanted to the other question that

I wanted to ask is there like one thing that you

0:32:06.640,0:32:11.520

uh recommend as preventative like I'm thinking

keigos right I'm thinking oh this is kind of

0:32:11.520,0:32:18.080

what keos are for whether you know you have a you

know you get pregnant or not um is is that what

0:32:18.080,0:32:25.600

you would recommend as far as preventative I am

so glad Denine you said that because I hear this

0:32:25.600,0:32:36.000

every day and I'll tell you eagle has a place but

it doesn't land in everybody's pelvic floor first.

0:32:36.000,0:32:42.960

So think about let me give you an descriptive

example on why Keele is not for everybody and

0:32:42.960,0:32:53.280

that's one of the uh myths that I want to bust

out today. Women think oh I am having leaking

0:32:53.280,0:33:00.560

let me just start doing keull and it'll fix on

its own. For some women, it might, and for the

0:33:00.560,0:33:07.760

majority of women, it won't. And here's why. Just

for a second, think about, as I said, our body is

0:33:07.760,0:33:14.640

covered with muscles, and so does our pelvic floor

also has muscles. So, just for a second, think of0:33:14.640,0:33:22.560

my neck muscles right here. Okay? My neck muscles

right now, as you see, has a normal tone. They are

0:33:22.560,0:33:29.920

not tight. They're not loose. They're just relaxed

right here. If I start going to the gym and start

0:33:29.920,0:33:38.400

doing some strengthening exercises, it would work

perfect. It would start strengthening me, right?

0:33:38.400,0:33:47.040

Yes. Now, let's say if these muscles are tight

and I give you a dumbbell, I give you a kele,

0:33:47.040,0:33:54.080

what is it doing to your pelvic floor muscles?

Nothing. In fact, it's going to start hurting

0:33:54.080,0:34:00.240

you and you're getting more frustrated that,

oh, I'm doing keigull all day long and I'm

0:34:00.240,0:34:08.800

still leaking. Nothing is helping. And that's the

reason Keele is not the answer for everybody. A

0:34:08.800,0:34:15.520

lot of women have a lot of pelvic floor muscle

tightness, a lot of pelvic floor guarding.

0:34:15.520,0:34:22.960

So the first thing that needs to be done is bring

these tight muscles to a normal tone before we

0:34:22.960,0:34:30.960

start doing keigull. Got it. Does that make sense,

Denine? Yeah, it does. Thank you so much for that.

0:34:30.960,0:34:39.440

And so we're talking right now specifically about

um health, right? Um Dr. Sheru is talking about

0:34:39.440,0:34:46.000

her expertise, a focus of hers, um, specializing

in pelvic floor and breast rehab. And so that's

0:34:46.000,0:34:50.560what this part of the conversation has been

about. What another part of the question that

0:34:50.560,0:34:58.560

I asked Dr. um, Shahu is how does that connect

to advocating for your leadership? And it does,

0:34:58.560,0:35:04.640

right? Advocating, speaking up for yourself

in any situation is a form of leadership.

0:35:04.640,0:35:10.080

So whether you're in corporate, whether you're an

entrepreneur, whether you're a stay-at-home mom,

0:35:10.080,0:35:15.360

whatever the situation is, when you're speaking

up for yourself, that is a form of leadership.

0:35:15.360,0:35:21.680

And so that is a takeaway here when it comes

to leadership. But again, another takeaway um

0:35:21.680,0:35:28.800

that I didn't expect at all is here specifically

advocating for yourself when you're having certain

0:35:28.800,0:35:33.360

um things happen to your body that you just take

for granted and think, "Oh, that's just common.

0:35:33.360,0:35:41.120

Oh, that just happens. True. Um, and it um may

not be normal and it may be, you know, cause or

0:35:41.120,0:36:00.480

be need for you having a conversation with your

doctor. So, now let's take that break. Okay.

0:36:00.480,0:36:07.600

I'm Leon Thomas with the Leon Thomas

Group. Podcast, virtual events, webinars,

0:36:07.600,0:36:23.200

streaming shows, and so much more. We want

to be your partner in all things virtual.

0:36:23.200,0:36:27.360

All right, welcome back to Women of

Color Live. Today we're talking about0:36:27.360,0:36:34.000

what it takes to build from grit, growth,

and gratitude with Dr. Sheru Chopra. So,

0:36:34.000,0:36:39.360

um, Dr. Shimmeru, for the woman watching

who was holding everything, her family,

0:36:39.360,0:36:46.320

her culture, her ambition, her health, and

wondering if there's space for all of it,

0:36:46.320,0:36:55.440

what permission would you give her? Well, I

would say yes, there is a space for everything.

0:36:56.000,0:37:06.160

And my friend, you do not need a permission

from anyone ever. That's what I would say.

0:37:06.160,0:37:18.240

It's going to be a tricky situation to handle

everything. I just want women to one realize

0:37:18.240,0:37:27.840

that feel confident in what you're doing, but at

the same time don't feel guilt about if something

0:37:27.840,0:37:35.920

is left out. It's never perfect and it's never

meant to be. You are being intentional for what

0:37:35.920,0:37:43.200

you're doing right now in the moment. Just give

your best to that. You don't need to feel guilty

0:37:43.200,0:37:50.800

about it. Janine, in the past uh just few minutes

ago, we talked about self advocacy. What I've also

0:37:50.800,0:37:58.560

learned over the years is there are certain

times or certain people who just don't have

0:37:58.560,0:38:08.400

confidence in themselves, sometimes being their

self advocate. And until then, it is okay to ask

0:38:08.400,0:38:18.080or a friend or a family member to help you out and

be your voice. And meanwhile, invest in yourself.

0:38:18.080,0:38:24.960

Whether it's listening to podcasts to grow your

knowledge, if it's reading books, if it's going to

0:38:24.960,0:38:34.400

the gym, whatever it takes. If your glass is not

filled up, you won't be able to pour into others.

0:38:34.400,0:38:42.080

Be it your family, be it your culture, be it

your community, be it your professional life. So

0:38:42.080,0:38:51.520

investing in yourself is critically important to

elevate that level of empowerment, education, and

0:38:51.520,0:39:01.760

leadership. And what I've also cha seen a shift in

is women are doing everything and they're getting

0:39:01.760,0:39:09.360

into these leadership positions which is great

but we also need to keep a purpose and a vision

0:39:09.360,0:39:18.640

in mind that we need to create the next generation

of leaders as well. A true leader is somebody who

0:39:18.640,0:39:28.240

gives the space sustainability to other upcoming

leaders. So if you see a woman around you that

0:39:28.240,0:39:35.280

who's struggling, don't shy away from tapping

her on her back and said, "Let me help you with

0:39:35.280,0:39:44.720

this." Meanwhile, give her strategies to empower

herself. It's it's work in progress. But I really

0:39:44.720,0:39:51.840

appreciate Denine on what you are doing. You are

being seriously a true leader in empowering other

0:39:51.840,0:40:00.560

women listeners who are watching. If you're not

there, if you think you don't have that leadership0:40:00.560,0:40:07.680

skill yet, it's okay. But don't give up. It's

always something that you can develop if you're

0:40:07.680,0:40:17.040

committed to it. And that's what I want to say is

all we need is commitment from women. Just adding

0:40:17.040,0:40:27.840

one thing Denine, I was a guest speaker at a

postpartum uh talk that is specifically for bipac

0:40:27.840,0:40:38.240

women. U so black, indigenous and people of color

and looking at the statistics on what kind of care

0:40:38.240,0:40:49.600

bipok women are getting, the numbers are extremely

low. extremely low. The disparity is extremely

0:40:49.600,0:41:00.400

high. Just to give you a reference, a black

woman's postpartum mortality rate is three time

0:41:00.400,0:41:08.080

rest of the population. Three times higher.

That's a huge number right there. So, what I

0:41:08.080,0:41:15.600

want women to get out of this is start working

on yourself. if you don't feel you have a voice

0:41:15.600,0:41:23.520

and then work on developing a voice and when you

have one don't shy away from helping others. Yes.

0:41:23.520,0:41:30.720

And one of the key things that you said is ask

for help. Um we don't ask for help enough and

0:41:30.720,0:41:36.480

um it's it's definitely a missed opportunity. So

kind of just kind of recapping a little bit of

0:41:36.480,0:41:42.800

what you just shared Dr. Shiru is that self-

advocacy, right? Advocate for yourself. And

0:41:42.800,0:41:47.600if you're not comfortable with speaking up for

yourself, that's fine. Ask someone else to do it

0:41:47.600,0:41:53.360

for you, but make sure you get what you need for

yourself, right? And the only way to do that is

0:41:53.360,0:41:59.520

to speak up. And again, use somebody else's voice

to get there. So you don't wait for permission,

0:41:59.520,0:42:05.840

you become it. And when you become it, everything

rises to meet you. That's the dream lifestyle

0:42:05.840,0:42:11.600

standard. If you're ready to not just hear it,

but live it, that's what we build inside the Dream

0:42:11.600,0:42:17.680

Lifestyle Collective. Strategy, sisterhood,

and structure for your next chapter. So,

0:42:17.680,0:42:23.120

Dr. Sherro, before we wrap, what would you like

to leave those watching or listening with? Like,

0:42:23.120,0:42:27.600

you've you've I mean, you've dropped some nuggets,

right? But I'm I'm sure you can pull something

0:42:27.600,0:42:37.680

else out that you want like to be your final word.

Own yourself, set your boundaries, and never,

0:42:37.680,0:42:45.040

never, never doubt yourself. Love it. Well,

thank you all for watching Women of Color Live,

0:42:45.040,0:42:51.440

the live version of Women of Color, an intimate

conversation, a top 20 best women's empowerment

0:42:51.440,0:42:56.880

podcast. We're here live every Thursday at

1 p.m. Eastern, and you can always catch

0:42:56.880,0:43:04.240

the replay and or listen on your favorite podcast

platform. And also don't forget to uh vote for me0:43:04.240,0:43:12.080

um in the entrepreneur of impact contest. Vote

daily. And final thanks to Dr. Shahu Chopra.

0:43:12.080,0:43:17.520

And shout out again to the Leon Thomas group for

production. If this resonated, share it with a

0:43:17.520,0:43:24.080

woman who was building from nothing and needs to

be reminded that grit, growth, and gratitude can

0:43:24.080,0:43:30.880

transform anything. And if you're ready to expand

with intention and community, stay connected.

0:43:30.880,0:43:52.800

We're building something lasting. Next week,

we'll have Dr. Brandy Pier. See you