INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS THE DOWN THERE? It’s not just what’s in our proverbial pants. Its a space to share personal stories. Where candid conversations about all types of bodies are normalized, in order to remove the stigma from talking about what we keep “down there”.
Join our host Caitlin for her story that inspired this podcast, and hear from some of our storytellers about what TheDownThere means to them.
EPISODE 1: GEMMA
WHAT IS A NORMAL PERIOD? Are periods meant to hurt? For a decade, Gemma sought answers from medical professionals about the cause of her heavy and irregular cycles. Unsatisfied and underwhelmed with the options presented to her, Gemma took matters into her own hands. In this episode, Gemma Barry founder of the Well Woman Project discusses how her work as a menstrual mentor, herbalist, and mizan massage therapist empowers period havers to take charge of their own menstrual health.
PERIODS, MENSTRUAL HEALTH, ENDOMETRIOSIS, ADENOMYOSIS, MENOPAUSE, PERIMENOPAUSE, HORMONES, HERBAL MEDICINE
EPISODE 2: K
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE A BRCA MUTATION? When K found out that she is a carrier of a genetic mutation of the BRCA 1 gene, which is correlated with a significant risk of breast and ovarian cancer, she opened up to her community and asked her friends for help as she underwent risk management surgery. In this candid conversation, K shares her story about learning she is BRCA positive and her physical, mental, and emotional journey with a double mastectomy with reconstruction, and hysterectomy.
BRCA-GENE MUTATION, BRACA, FIBROIDS, PREVENTATIVE MASTECTOMY, HYSTERECTOMY, OOPHRORECTOMY, SURGERY
EPISODE 3: Calvin & K
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TOP SURGERY AND MASTECTOMY? Just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to these similar surgeries done for very different reasons. In this episode Calvin who identifies as queer and trans-masculine talks with K, a cis woman who is BRCA positive, about the differences between top surgery and mastectomy, their hysterectomy experiences, living in radically changing bodies, the power of language to other or affirm one’s identity, and so much more.
HORMONES (TESTOSTERONE AND ESTROGEN), CHEST BINDERS, BREAST IMPLANTS, TRANS IDENTITY, GENDER AFFIRMATION, SCARS, SEX AND PLEASURE POST SURGERY, VAGINAL CUFFS, COMMUNICATION WITH INTIMATE PARTNERS, AND ONE APOCALYPSE OVARY.
EPISODE 4: Valérie and Jen
What are IVF and IUI? Assisted reproductive technology is a common reality for many who are trying to conceive, though it’s rarely talked about in public, or even among one’s closest confidants. In this episode, we talk with Valérie and Jen about each step of their journeys with IUI and IVF, what to expect from the process, and how to keep self-care at the forefront when things get clinical.
IVF, IUI, INFERTILITY, REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, CONCEPTION, TTC, PREGNANCY, INFERTILITY AWARENESS, FERTILITY TREATMENT
What the Mayo Clinic has to say about IVF:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/in-vitro-fertilization/about/pac-20384716
and IUI:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/intrauterine-insemination/about/pac-20384722
VOTING:
Decide when and where you’ll vote this year at howto.vote
Your one stop shop to get out the vote and volunteer votesaveamerica.com
Everything you need to vote and get election reminders at vote.org
Souls to the Polls is a black lead organization that unites ministers and their congregations in Milwaukee’s central city to strengthen the voting power of the Black community.
Learn more at https://actionnetwork.org/groups/souls-to-the-polls
EPISODE 5: Torrie
What do storytelling, the healthcare industry and HPV all have in common? For Torrie Fields, Founder and CEO of Votive Health, the personal is political. Torrie designs serious illness programs for insurance companies and healthcare providers, and has dedicated her life to helping people get what they need out of healthcare. Torrie talks with host Caitlin about how serious illness has shaped her life, work, relationships, and why cervical cancer was the best thing that ever happened to her.
Also in this episode: finding health insurance, getting healthcare professionals to listen to you, HPV, dating after a serious illness, a sexual awakening, and asking yourself what you want from your vagina.
HPV, SEXUAL ASSAULT, CERVICAL CANCER, VAGINAL CANCER, HEALTH INSURANCE
EPISODE 6: Molly
Why is weight-inclusive care important? Molly Hennighausen first remembers engaging in disordered eating behavior at age 9. Molly discusses Health At Every Size, the racist and sexist history of BMI, their treatment experience, how doctor's treated them differently in a larger body, and how to curate their world to prevent intrusive thoughts from sneaking in.
While we do discuss eating disorders, specifically bulimia and anorexia, we do not go into detailed behaviors other than defining the diagnosis criteria. Also mentioned are GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), Barrett's Esophagus, and how to push for more weight-inclusive care at the doctor's office.
Read Molly’s accompanying essay about shopping for a wedding dress and getting married while in recovery for an eating disorder HERE.
BULIMIA, ANOREXIA, DISORDERED EATING, WEIGHT STIGMA, GERD, BARRETT’S ESOPHAGUS, HAES (Health at Every Size), BMI, DIET CULTURE
EPISODE 7: Pirronne
A Unique First Period for a First Generation American
Pirronne tells us about her upbringing as a first generation Iranian American, being the only middle eastern kid in predominantly white schools, a uniquely defining first period, and how those experiences shaped her relationship to her body and her menstrual cycle. Also in this episode: conservative Jewish ideology and practices, publicly embracing the power of your period, and not dimming your shine to make the dominant culture comfortable.