The Current Podcast

Maria Fefelova

"The Current" podcast - is a safe space online where Maria and her guests talk about society and culture, health and wellness, LGBT+ or surfing the waves of their 20s over a cup of beverage of choice.

  1. 22/06/2024

    Women's Reproductive Health Justice: a talk with Katy Bradbury

    Overprescription of hormonal therapy and antibiotics, under-researched health concerns that affect 5-10% of women in the world, never-ending gaslighting and dismissal of women trying to get to the root cause of their debilitating reproductive health concerns. The stigmatisation of women trying to get pregnant, and the medical view of pregnancy and motherhood as a panacea for any physical or mental issue a woman may be experiencing, ultimately undermining a woman's autonomy and reducing motherhood to a mere prescription. All of this stems from the patriarchal roots that medical research is currently functioning in. Current health research is labelling women as “little men” because there aren’t enough studies available. It wasn’t until 2023 that women’s period products started being tested with actual blood and not water, and the speculum hasn’t changed in design since the 19th century (some may argue that even since the Roman times). I say no more. In the long-awaited conversation, we bring up the women’s health concerns that aren’t talked about enough in the global setting. The more we talk about it, the less stigmatised it will be. It is so important to spread this message to raise awareness and highlight the strength of those who advocate for women’s health research. For this, I am joined by Katy Bradbury. She is a fertility and women’s health specialist. She is a registered nurse, health visitor, nutritional therapist, hypnotist and integrative change coach. She keeps busy with her private online practice and group programmes as well as student support, practitioner mentorship and clinical leadership. After a journey with infertility, Katy now has two young daughters and takes pleasure from educating and empowering women with their health. Katy shared her fertility journey, and the effect it has on her mental health. We discussed common reproductive healthcare issues like overprescription of hormonal therapy and antibiotics. How in modern medicine a woman’s health is not viewed as a whole, but instead making decisions only based on her reproductive organs. We explore how the patriarchal roots affect how women perceive themselves. How “there is something wrong with you” is heard more often than “let’s solve this together”. Katy and I want a better future for the women’s health. We highlight the advances in the latest research, and discuss often-met topics like endometriosis & adenomiosis, PCOS, UTIs, the vaginal and uterine microbiome and lots more. The more we talk about these stigmatised topics, the more women will be making their own informed decisions based on a holistic 360 approach, something that Katy is offering to her patients as well. This is a perspective I share through my reproductive health research and an approach to my own health overall. It was so important for me to hear Katy’s professional opinion on these pressing matters and be able to pose questions on behalf of my listeners. We both embrace the connection of mind and body, thanking our moon cycles and always breaking down the stigma surrounding women’s health. Katy and I are dedicated to using our platforms to continue educating and sharing knowledge. You can follow Katy Bradbury on Instagram @katybradburyhealth and learn more about her meaningful work! P.S.: Mention of women throughout also includes AFAB individuals.

    1h 25m
  2. 17/05/2024

    Part 1 of Spirituality: a talk with Marty

    In our conversation about a huge concept that is spirituality, Marty and I discuss our personal experiences with religion, current spiritual outtakes, out-of-body experiences, the concept of after-life, spirit guides and meeting “higher self”, vivid and prophet dreams and their significance, and astral projection. Marty’s journey through life has been interesting due to his self-described misspent youth, and the ultimate belief in the power of spirituality and alignment with the universe, as well as connecting with own spiritual self to achieve anything we desire.  I share about my upbringing and my mother explaining to me at a young age that spirituality is personal and can be found anywhere, without the limitation of the four walls of the church. Marty discusses his journey of understanding spirituality as a way to connect with the universe and his profound experience of an out-of-body encounter that shaped the course of his life.  We touch upon the normalisation of spirituality worldwide and the rise of women's and men's circles as spaces for connection and balance. The importance of dreams and the bigger plan, the thinning of the veil between the realities we live in and a societal shift towards being more accepting of inexplicable occurrences since the pandemic. Overall, our conversation emphasises the importance of self-reflection, healing, and embracing one's spiritual path, should that be their choice. You can follow Marty’s journey on IG @immartyparty and Twitter/X: @MediaSurgeZA.

    1h 33m
  3. 10/05/2024

    The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health: a talk with Ethan

    In this episode, Ethan and I explore the impact of social media on mental health. Ethan is a motion designer and video editor, he loves cinematography, gym, animation, typography and climbing. He is an avid listener of podcasts, including lil’ ol’ The Current and a BIG lover of cats. I wanted to get Ethan’s perspective on this for a long time, as he chooses to distance himself from social media in order to preserve his own emotional balance. I on the other hand, may not be chronically online, but I am on social media very often as it is a platform I choose to build my brand on. We are both working in the creative industry and both know what it’s like to struggle mentally, especially fuelled up by the online comparison culture. We got to discuss topics like social media addiction, pressure to conform to trends, and the rat race culture. We also touched upon the rise of anxiety and loneliness that stems from constant engagement with social media, and we have explored how negative and controversial content tends to get more engagement than positive, feeding off people’s subconscious anger. As well as the balance between true creative expression and when it is solely in the pursuit of likes. We discuss our personal experiences with online communities, idealised online relationships, overload of information stimuli, current online trends and our opinion on it, and how do we personally cope with limiting negative impact of socials on our psyche. You can find Ethan on IG @Ethan.Strudwick and follow his creative journey there!

    1h 10m

About

"The Current" podcast - is a safe space online where Maria and her guests talk about society and culture, health and wellness, LGBT+ or surfing the waves of their 20s over a cup of beverage of choice.