Bladder leaks, dryness, and low libido aren’t exactly dinner table topics… but maybe they should be. These issues are way more common than we think, especially during and after menopause, and they have a huge impact on how we feel day to day. That’s why I sit down with Dr. Rena Malik, a Board-Certified Urologist and Sexual Medicine Specialist who’s made it her mission to talk about the things most people won’t.

We talk about everything from pelvic floor problems to how hormones like estrogen and testosterone affect our sexual health and bladder function. Dr. Rena shares why stress makes things worse (yep, even your bladder feels it), and how simple things like breathing or pelvic floor therapy can help you get back in tune with your body. She also breaks down what options are really worth exploring—like vaginal estrogen, testosterone therapy, and a few new treatments you may not have heard of yet.

If your body’s been sending signals you’ve been ignoring, consider this your sign to tune in and start listening. And hey, if you’re in the mood to give your body a little extra support, I’ve been loving the new Mighty Maca Mango lately. It’s refreshing, light, and packed with all the superfood goodness—plus, it tastes amazing in sparkling water (or turned into a popsicle). You can check it out at dranna.com—it’s been my go-to pick-me-up lately!

Key Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction.

[00:06:28] Improving quality of life.

[00:08:15] Pelvic floor health issues.

[00:10:45] Bladder health myths debunked.

[00:13:48] Neuromodulation treatments for bladder issues.

[00:19:17] Hormones for pelvic floor health.

[00:22:06] Restoring sexual function and orgasm.

[00:26:22] Testosterone's role in women's health.

[00:33:10] Effects of stress on the bladder and how to reverse it.

[00:36:27] Clenching during orgasm.

[00:39:47] Enjoying the journey in sex.

[00:42:08] Scheduling intimacy for connection.

Memorable Quotes:

"One of the other myths is that incontinence is normal or leakage is normal. Like everyone just leaks after they have babies. That's a normal thing. And it's not. And same thing with UTIs. They're not normal." [00:11:45] – Dr. Rena Malik

"I would argue that scheduling intimacy is probably one of the underrated tools that people use. We schedule date night to go have dinner and talk. We should schedule time for intimacy." [00:41:58] – Dr. Rena Malik

Links Mentioned:

Mighty Maca Mango: https://drannacabeca.com/products/mighty-maca

Sexual CPR: http://sexualcpr.com/

Connect with Dr. Rena Malik:

Website: https://www.renamalikmd.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/RenaMalikMD

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RenaMalikMD

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RenaMalikMD

Connect with Dr. Anna Cabeca:

Website: https://drannacabeca.com/pages/show

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca

Produced by Evolved Podcasting: www.evolvedpodcasting.com

Hormonal shifts in perimenopause and menopause can do more than throw off your cycle—they can actually stir up inflammation, spark strange symptoms, and even trigger immune responses that leave you wondering, what is going on with my body? If you've ever felt like your symptoms don’t quite “fit in a box,” this conversation is for you. I sit down with Dr. Tania Dempsey—a brilliant MD and expert in complex, multi-system diseases—to talk about Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), why it’s often missed in women, and how hormones can play a huge role in triggering it. This episode connects the dots between your immune system, your hormones, and all those mystery symptoms no one’s been able to explain.

Dr. Tania breaks it down—how mast cells work, what happens when they go rogue, and why midlife women are seeing a rise in things like histamine intolerance, inflammation, and post-viral flare-ups (yes, COVID included). She shares what to look out for, what testing often misses, and how therapies like low-dose naltrexone and even ozone can make a difference.

You’ll also love hearing Dr. Tania’s heart for educating both patients and physicians so women can finally get the answers they deserve. And speaking of support, I’ve been sipping on my new Mighty Maca Mango lately, and it’s a summer fave. Light, zesty, and still packed with all the hormone-balancing goodness of the original, it’s perfect over ice or made into popsicles. Check it out at dranna.com—you’ll be hooked.

Key Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction.

[00:01:28] Mast cell activation syndrome.

[00:06:51] Mast cell activation syndrome prevalence.

[00:08:12] Immune system and estrogen dominance.

[00:09:44] Symptoms of MCAS

[00:12:08] Hormonal impacts on mast cells.

[00:15:42] Long COVID and mast cell activation.

[00:20:51] Perfect storm of infections.

[00:23:41] Plasmapheresis for mast cell activation.

[00:29:04] EMF sensitivity and health effects.

[00:30:11] EMF shielding devices and methods.

[00:34:44] Fatigue in mast cell activation.

Memorable Quotes:

"My mission is really to figure out how can we get it to the point where this could be potentially, quote-unquote, cured. " [00:25:16] – Dr. Tania Dempsey

"I'm going to help the world, one patient at a time, by giving them this information so they can help themselves." [00:37:11] – Dr. Tania Dempsey

Links Mentioned:

Mighty Maca Mango: https://drannacabeca.com/products/mighty-maca

Connect with Dr. Tania Dempsey:

Mast Cell Matters Podcast: https://drtaniadempsey.com/podcast/

Website: https://drtaniadempsey.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtaniadempseymd/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taniadempseymd/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taniadempsey/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrTaniaDempsey

Connect with Dr. Anna Cabeca:

Website: https://drannacabeca.com/pages/show

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca

Produced by Evolved Podcasting: www.evolvedpodcasting.com

Growing up with a mom struggling with severe mental illness, Karena Dawn learned early what it meant to carry heavy things in silence. That experience shaped so much of her life—including the dark years she rarely talked about. In this episode, she shares her journey from that painful silence to healing, forgiveness, and ultimately, purpose. We talk about how fitness became her lifeline and how she found her voice by telling the truth in her powerful memoir, The Big Silence.

You may know Karena as the co-founder of Tone It Up, a wellness community that’s inspired millions of women—but behind the fitness empire is a woman who's walked through deep grief, trauma, and recovery. She shares what it was like to care for her mom after a stroke, how she’s working to break the stigma around mental illness, and why mental wellness is now at the heart of everything she does—including her work with The Big Silence Foundation and the board of NAMI. She opens up about how trauma can sneak into our health—especially during perimenopause—and the things that actually helped her feel like herself again. You’ll also hear how she’s now using her story to help others speak up and get the support they need. Her honesty is refreshing, and her heart for mental wellness is contagious.

This one will move you, especially if you’ve ever carried pain quietly or felt like healing was out of reach. Karena’s story reminds us that there’s always a way forward—and it doesn’t have to be perfect to be powerful. And before you go, I’ve got a new favorite to share: Mighty Maca Mango just dropped, and it’s the zingy summer pick-me-up I’ve been loving lately. Throw it in sparkling water or popsicle molds… it’s a delicious way to feel good from the inside out—check it out at dranna.com.

Key Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Welcome to The Girlfriend Doctor.

[00:02:05] The Big Silence.

[00:03:14] Living with a parent with mental illness.

[00:06:40] Fitness becoming a therapy.

[00:08:59] Micro challenges build self-confidence.

[00:12:42] Mental health and perimenopause.

[00:15:36] Oxytocin and mental health.

[00:21:36] Food is medicine.

[00:24:18] Grieving a lost mother.

[00:28:25] Motherhood's diverse definitions.

[00:32:34] Preventing and healing from mental illness.

[00:35:06] Maiden, Mother, Magi and empowerment.

Memorable Quotes:

"I even have changed the story of being a victim of my mom's illness... I said, Mom, don't regret it because I love the woman I've become. And I became that woman because of what you had to go through. " [00:29:47] – Karena Dawn

"I believe our society is getting better at recognizing the different types of mothers... motherhood is such a bigger term now, and I think that's such an important thing to get out there is you can be a mother in so many ways. And to recognize Mother's Day is not a happy day for everyone." [00:39:06] – Karena Dawn

Links Mentioned:

Mighty Maca Mango: https://drannacabeca.com/products/mighty-maca

Listen to The Big Silence Podcast: http://www.thebigsilence.com/listen

Buy the memoir, The Big Silence: https://thebigsilence.com/pages/memoir

Connect with Karena Dawn:

Website: http://www.karenadawn.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenadawn/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenaDawn/

The Big Silence Foundation: https://thebigsilence.com/

Tone It Up: https://my.toneitup.com/

Connect with Dr. Anna Cabeca:

Website: https://drannacabeca.com/pages/show

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca

Produced by Evolved Podcasting: www.evolvedpodcasting.com