120 | From Holding On to Letting Go: Your Pelvic Floor in Midlife, with Lisa Fitzpatrick, Female Pelvic & Sexual Health Educator, Physiotherapist, & Author of Sexy Menopause

What if pelvic health is far more central to our overall wellbeing than we’ve ever been told? And why aren’t we being told that sex can be good for our pelvic health too? Our pelvic bowl holds our birth stories, our sexual experiences, our emotions, and even the ways we’ve learnt to hold ourselves together. And if we haven’t been listening to our bodies or connecting with our pelvis, menopause and midlife have a way of getting our attention. In this episode, I’m joined by pelvic and sexual health physiotherapist and educator Lisa Fitzpatrick, author of the upcoming book Sexy Menopause: The New Science and Soul of Midlife Desire, for a fascinating conversation about what our pelvic health can tell us in midlife, and why this might be the time to stop holding on and learn to let go. In this episode, we explore: • Why pelvic health is connected to our overall health, sexual health and wellbeing • What happens to our pelvic tissues through perimenopause and menopause • Why sex, pleasure and self-pleasure can play a role in supporting pelvic health • Why strengthening your pelvic floor can be harmful • What constantly sucking in your tummy can do to your breathing and pelvic floor • Pelvic organ prolapse, changes in vaginal tissue and some of the signs our bodies may be asking us to pay attention to • How our pelvis can hold our birth stories, sexual experiences, emotions and trauma • Finding the right pelvic health professionals and why you don’t need to stay with a practitioner who isn’t listening to you • How sex and pleasure can change throughout our lives • Why midlife can invite us to let things go rather than continually adding more Lisa has spent more than three decades working as a physiotherapist and brings together pelvic and sexual health, menopause, pleasure and the deeper emotional stories held within our bodies. Her book, Sexy Menopause: The New Science and Soul of Midlife Desire, launches on 27 October 2026. Pelvic Health Resources Lisa refers during our conversation to the anatomy of the pelvic bowl and the use of pessaries to support pelvic organ prolapse. If you'd like to see what we're talking about, these visual resources may help: Female pelvic cavity anatomy https://fity.club/lists/dp/pelvic-cavity-organs-female/ Types of pessaries – Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/urinary-incontinence/multimedia/pessary-use/img-20006056 What Are Vaginal Pessaries? – WebMD https://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/what-are-vaginal-pessaries Lisa has generously shared two free resources: Is It an Oestrogen Issue? – A free hormone checklist 10 Truths Every Woman Needs to Know About Sex After 50 Find them here: https://femininebodyspeaks.substack.com/ Pre-order Sexy Menopause https://www.sexymenopause.com/ Lisa Fitzpatrick https://www.lisafitzpatrick.com.au/ Instagram – Sexy Menopause https://www.instagram.com/sexy.menopause/ Instagram – Lisa Fitzpatrick https://www.instagram.com/thelisafitzpatrick/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-fitzpatrick-writes/ Facebook – The New Feminine Leader https://www.facebook.com/thenewfeminineleader/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@thelisafitzpatrick Substack – The Feminine Shift https://femininebodyspeaks.substack.com/ TikTok @sexy.menopause I’d love to hear what this episode sparked for you. Come and continue the conversation with me on Instagram, or explore more of my work and ways to connect on my website. Instagram: @pennyvandersluys Website: pennyvandersluys.com And if you know another woman who would benefit from this conversation, please share the episode with her. Leaving a rating, review or comment wherever you listen also helps more women discover the podcast and the wisdom my guests so generously share.