Episode Details

If you have ever crossed your legs before you sneezed, skipped a workout because something felt off, experienced pain during sex and assumed it was just part of life — this episode is for you.

Jenn and Laura sit down with Dr. Allea Francis, pelvic floor physical therapist and co-founder of Tonic and Phasic in Costa Mesa, California, for a conversation that is long overdue on this show. This is a topic that touches nearly every woman — and almost nobody is talking about it honestly.

Dr. Allea shares her own decade-long journey with chronic pelvic pain before discovering pelvic floor physical therapy — a field she has now dedicated her career to. Jenn opens up about seeing Dr. Allea as a patient herself: what began as debilitating back pain she was convinced required a neurologist turned out to be a pelvic floor issue. One session brought relief she hadn't felt in over a year.

This conversation covers the pelvic floor in full — anatomy, symptoms, hormonal connections, and the exercises that actually help. Whether you have classic symptoms or none at all, you will leave this episode understanding your body in a way you likely never have before.

What You'll Learn

• What the pelvic floor actually is — and why it is so much more than Kegels

• The full range of symptoms that indicate a pelvic floor issue (many will surprise you)

• Why back pain, hip pain, and sciatic pain can all be pelvic floor problems in disguise

• How leakage is common — but not inevitable — and what you can do about it

• How hormones across every life stage (pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, menopause) directly affect pelvic health

• Why strength training and flexibility are equally important — and which muscles most moms are unknowingly neglecting

• What to expect at your first pelvic floor PT appointment

• How to find a qualified pelvic floor physical therapist near you

• Why it is never too late to address pelvic health — even in your 80s

• The specific blood work Dr. Allea recommends and why timing in your cycle matters

Links & Resources Find Dr. Allea Francis

• Tonic and Phasic — Practice Website

Costa Mesa, California | Also offering virtual appointments

Find a Pelvic Floor Therapist Near You

Dr. Allea recommended these two accredited directories:

• PelvicRehab.com — Practitioner Directory

• Pelvic Guru — Practitioner Directory

Mentioned in This Episode

• Listen Now