In this fascinating episode, Lauren sits down with Dr. Melissa Oleson aka “The Poop Lady” to teach us how to breathe, sit and use the bathroom (because you are likely doing it all wrong). As a physical therapist and content creator with thousands of thousands of followers, Melissa walks us through the surprising links between pelvic floor tension and hip pain, back aches, constipation, and even painful sex.
Melissa shares how a years-long battle with debilitating hip pain that doctors had given up on led her to discover the world of pelvic floor health. Her passion for running meant she was ready to try anything and apparently the answer was…breathing? Melissa’s discovery that pelvic floor issues are caused by tension, not weakness, motivated her to share educational videos on YouTube and Instagram.
Lauren and Melissa also get into the realities of building an online presence from scratch, the slow grind behind seeming like a success, and what it looks like to build a business while creating a beautiful life with your partner.
Key Takeaways
- Why in three women struggle with pelvic floor issues
- The biggest misconceptions in pelvic floor health and why kegels are probably making your pain worse
- Why it’s possible to breathe “wrong” and how Melissa can help you fix it
- Why stress and chronic fight-or-flight mode keeps your pelvic floor permanently switched on, creating the tension that causes full-body health issues
- How Melissa went from 4,000 followers to 300,000+ in YEARS
- Why couples therapy is more than just a last resort
- Defy by Dr. Melissa, the app she built to navigate men and women from overwhelmed to okay, step by step while in genuine community
New episodes every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Subscribe and if a conversation inspires you, share it with a friend who would love these insights too.
Dr. Melissa Oleson is a Doctor of Physical Therapy specialising in pelvic health, and the creator behind the wildly popular YouTube channel and Instagram account that earned her the title "the Poop Lady." After healing her own chronic hip pain through pelvic floor work, Melissa went all-in on educating the world about a part of the body that most would never guess is the root of their chronic pain and/or bathroom issues.
She now reaches over 400,000 people and hosts a wonderful community on her app, Defy by Dr. Melissa. This membership programme guides people through her signature breathing, posture, and pelvic floor approach. Listen to this episode to learn more about how to breathe and discover what Melissa has learned in Hindsight.
Connect with Dr. Melissa Oleson
💚 THE APP: Defy by Dr. Melissa - defybydrmelissa.com/join
📹YouTube - @DrMelissaOleson
📱 Instagram - @drmelissaoleson
🖥️ Website - defybydrmelissa.com
📖 Book Recommendation - The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can’t Stop Talking About by Mel Robbins
Connect with Lauren Dudley
📱 Instagram - @bylaurendudley
🖥️ Website - Purpose-First Social Media at theauxo.com
📖 Poetry Collection - Phoenix: Rising from the Ashes by Lauren Marie Dudley
