Things My Mother Forgot to Mention

Jan Bergstrom and Patti Meyer
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Health & Fitness

Things My Mother Forgot to Mention is the podcast for every woman who’s ever said, “Wait—why didn’t anyone mention this to me?” Join Jan and Patti—two outspoken, curious, outrageous women—as they dive headfirst into the messy, magical, and often WTF realities of aging, health, and womanhood. From rogue chin hairs and vaginal thinning, to mental status, perimenopause, and scalp cancer (yes, really)—nothing is off limits. It’s funny. It’s raw. It’s real talk your mother definitely skipped.

  1. Mushrooms, MDMA, and Mental Health: Our Personal Stories

    Jul 2

    Mushrooms, MDMA, and Mental Health: Our Personal Stories

    In this episode, we go a new direction that some people may feel uncomfortable with, but we feel is an important conversation. We talk about drugs. Specifically, psychedelics, and what they've meant for mental health, including our own. We share our personal stories, dig into some research, and have the kind of conversation we probably should have had with someone years ago. This isn't a "just say no" episode, and it's not a "do whatever you want" episode either. It's a real, honest look at what these substances are, what they can do, and why intention matters more than most people realize. Here's what we get into: The history of psychedelic research and why it went underground for decadesWhat the latest clinical trials are actually showing for depression and PTSDPatti's personal experiences with MDMA and psilocybin, and the lasting shifts they left behindJan's experiences, which were considerably less transformational and considerably more funThe line between self-medicating and self-growth (and why it's worth knowing the difference)Ketamine therapy, what it is and who it's helpingWhere to start if you're curious and want to learn more before deciding anythingWe are not here to tell you what to do. We are here to have the conversation nobody had with us, so you can make informed, intentional choices for yourself. Find resources mentioned in this episode here. Learn more about this podcast here. Submit your 90-second lesson/experience here. Apply to be a guest here. Stay updated on new episodes here. *Information shared on this podcast is not medical advice. If you have a concern about your physical or mental health, please seek support from a proessional.

    43 min
  2. A Dentist Walks Into Our Podcast with Dr. Zakary Yermolenko

    Jun 18

    A Dentist Walks Into Our Podcast with Dr. Zakary Yermolenko

    We've all had a dental horror story or two, and after sharing ours in a recent episode, we figured it was time to bring in an actual expert. This week we're joined by Dr. Zakary Yermolenko, a general dentist, Army Reserve major, and owner of Vernon Valley Dentistry in New Jersey, who somehow also finds time to coach his five-year-old's soccer team. Dr. Zak has a lot to say about what we're getting wrong, what we're finally getting right, and why "I don't have any pain" is not the green light we think it is. He also drops a few things we genuinely had never heard before, which, honestly, is exactly why we're here. Here's some of what we cover: Why no pain absolutely does not mean no problem (he compares it to high blood pressure, and it lands)The gold standard for home care, and why an electric toothbrush might actually be worth itWhat tooth resorption is, and why Jan had a surprise diagnosis on a tooth that already had a root canal and crownHow diet, stress, and even sleep apnea can show up in your mouth before anywhere elseThe concept of "premedication" before dental work, and why it matters if you've had any kind of joint replacement or surgeryWhy dental anxiety is so common, and what a trauma-informed dentist actually looks likeWhat to look for when choosing a new dentist, beyond just Google reviewsHow the mouth is the most sensitive part of the body (look up "homunculus" and prepare to be fascinated)Dr. Zak's whole approach is built around prevention, communication, and actually listening to his patients. He doesn't want to do more work than necessary; he wants you to not need it. That philosophy came through in everything he said, and we think it's a really refreshing way to think about dental care and honestly, about healthcare in general. If you've been putting off going to the dentist or feel like nobody ever really explained any of this to you, this episode is going to feel very overdue. About Dr. Zakary Yermolenko Dr. Zakary Yermolenko is a general dentist and owner of a family practice known as Vernon Valley Dentistry. He is a Major in the US Army Reserve, where he serves as a general dentist as well. He is married with two children, and the family has two dogs, two cats, and ten chickens. He enjoys watching, playing, and coaching soccer. Dr. Zak's Website Find resources mentioned in this episode here. Learn more about this podcast here. Submit your 90-second lesson/experience here. Apply to be a guest here. Stay updated on new episodes here. *Information shared on this podcast is not medical advice. If you have a concern about your physical or mental health, please seek support from a proessional.

    47 min
  3. The Messy Reality of Leaving a Long-Term Relationship

    Jun 4

    The Messy Reality of Leaving a Long-Term Relationship

    This week we got into something we know almost everyone has struggled with: what it actually takes to walk away from a long-term relationship. We both share our personal experiences of leaving long relationships, including the whys, the good and bad things, and the parts we felt less than proud of. Here's what we dig into: Why "just cut it off and let go" is terrible advice when you've shared half your life with someoneThe difference between leaving because you're afraid to be alone and leaving because you've outgrown the relationshipHow addiction becomes a person's "first love," and why their choices were never about your worthThe myth that you have to be fully healed before you're allowed to be in a relationshipWhy staying together "for the kids" usually backfires (they absorb everything, every time)Jan playing devil's advocate on marriage and commitment, and Patti the self-described commitment-aphobe meeting her halfwayThe reframe that helped Patti most: what if this is as good as it gets, and you stopped waiting for permission to be okay anywayThe throughline is simple and a little maddening: love is not something you have, it's something you keep doing. And if you're struggling, get help. There is zero shame in it. Find resources mentioned in this episode here. Learn more about this podcast here. Submit your 90-second lesson/experience here. Apply to be a guest here. Stay updated on new episodes here. *Information shared on this podcast is not medical advice. If you have a concern about your physical or mental health, please seek support from a proessional.

    45 min
  4. Mama Trauma with Stephanie Baker

    May 21

    Mama Trauma with Stephanie Baker

    In this episode, we're joined by Stephanie Baker, a licensed trauma counselor, Army veteran, and EMDR therapist who knows firsthand that birth doesn't always go according to plan. What started as a near-perfect pregnancy took a sharp turn, and what followed was a crash course in things nobody had prepared her for. Jan also pulls back the curtain on her own birth story, one she rarely shares. Let's just say it involved more than one emergency, more than one surgery, and a phone call from her mother that was... a lot. We laugh. We wince. We say "oh my God" a lot. Because sometimes that's the only appropriate response. Here's what we covered: The warning signs during pregnancy that are easy to dismiss as normalThe grief of losing the birth experience you planned for, and why that grief is validWhy guilt and shame sneak in even when none of it was your faultThe isolation that can come after a complicated birth, and why community matters more than most people realizeHow to choose your birth team and actually feel safe with themDoulas, breastfeeding pressure, and asking for help without feeling like a burdenThe generational thread of moms who carried their own birth losses without ever having words for themBirth is wild, unpredictable, and body-hijacking, and someone really should have warned us. That's why we're here. About Stephanie: Stephanie Baker is a licensed trauma counselor and coach out of Mason, Ohio, who runs her own practice called Change Heals, where she helps clients untangle the kind of pain most of us were taught to just power through. She's a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, EMDR-trained, an Army veteran who served in Iraq, and she's a certified trainer and a member of the leadership group at the Healing Our Core Issues Institute. If you've read Gifts from a Challenging Childhood, you've actually already met a piece of her work — one of her original techniques is in there, in the 2025 edition. So she's not just teaching the model. She's helping shape it. Stephanie is the therapist a lot of us wish we'd had earlier. She's deeply relational — human first, clinician second — and she shows up in the room as a real person, not a role. What she does so beautifully is help clients understand themselves in ways they were never given permission to before. The patterns, the protective parts, the why underneath the behavior — she helps her clients see all of it with curiosity instead of shame. She works with people healing developmental trauma — the stuff our mothers definitely forgot to mention- and she does it with humor, heart, and zero pretense. Stephanie’s Links: Stephanie’s Website Intensive Workshops Stephanie’s Instagram Find resources mentioned in this episode here. Learn more about this podcast here. Submit your 90-second lesson/experience here. Apply to be a guest here. Stay updated on new episodes here. *Information shared on this podcast is not medical advice. If you have a concern about your physical or mental health, please seek support from a proessional.

    56 min
  5. Open Wide: Horror Stories From the Chair

    May 7

    Open Wide: Horror Stories From the Chair

    Teeth. The thing nobody warns you about until you're crying in the dental chair with half your face numb and a stranger drilling into your mouth for the third time that visit. This episode is Jan and Patti getting brutally honest about their dental horror stories—the bad dentists, the botched procedures, the money spent, and the hard-won lessons that came out the other side. Spoiler: we both came out stronger (and way more committed to flossing). What we get into this episode: Jan's childhood dentist, who did fillings with zero Novocaine (yes, really)Why the dentist's chair can trigger real anxiety and panic, especially if feeling trapped is your thingPatti's multi-year nightmare with a dentist who was charming, attractive, and genuinely bad at his jobThe very expensive lesson in people-pleasing and not trusting your gutWhen to see a specialist vs. letting your general dentist handle itTeeth grinding, Invisalign, and Jan's $12,000 smile glow-upMedications, dry mouth, and tooth loss — something no one talks about enoughThe real reason so many of us go years without seeing a dentistBottom line? Trust your gut, get referrals from someone who's had real work done, and for the love of everything — brush and floss twice a day. Your future self will thank you. Find resources mentioned in this episode here. Learn more about this podcast here. Submit your 90-second lesson/experience here. Apply to be a guest here. Stay updated on new episodes here. *Information shared on this podcast is not medical advice. If you have a concern about your physical or mental health, please seek support from a proessional.

    35 min
  6. Hip Replacements, Leukemia, and Learning to Advocate with Nicole Grose Ph.D

    Apr 16

    Hip Replacements, Leukemia, and Learning to Advocate with Nicole Grose Ph.D

    Nobody sat us down and said, "Hey, one day your hips might just stop working." And yet here we are. In this episode, Jan and Patti are joined by the brilliant Nicole Grose, a retired professor, Gen X middle child, leukemia survivor, and now the proud owner of two brand-new hips. Nicole brings her background in anatomy and physiology (and a whole lot of hard-won personal experience) to a conversation that is equal parts eye-opening and deeply real. We talk about what it actually looks like to navigate joint replacement surgery, from the frustrating search for the right surgeon, to recovering mid-COVID, to the very specific math of being told your new hip will last 40 years when you have leukemia. This one's for every woman who's ever been waved off by a medical professional, told to push through the pain, or simply never given the full picture of what her body might need someday. About Nicole Grose Ph.D: Nicole obtained a Ph.D. in Quantitative Biology, studying the relationship between the nervous and immune systems. She is a recently retired professor who spent nearly 2 decades teaching college-level anatomy, physiology and animal physiology from 2003 to 2021.Her academic expertise and personal experience brings a unique perspective to conversations regarding joint replacement and long-term health. Living with chronic leukemia, Nicole understands firsthand the challenges and realities of navigating complex medical decisions, procedures and subsequent recovery. A GenX middle child of five and longtime educator at heart, Nicole now enjoys splitting her time between Dallas and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Nicole is developing an academic success/tutoring business with the goal of assisting STEAM students in developing the skillset to succeed academically as well as in the workplace. Find resources mentioned in this episode here. Learn more about this podcast here. Submit your 90-second lesson/experience here. Apply to be a guest here. Stay updated on new episodes here. *Information shared on this podcast is not medical advice. If you have a concern about your physical or mental health, please seek support from a proessional.

    43 min
  7. The Joint Adventure: Hips, Knees, and Everything Nobody Told You

    Apr 2

    The Joint Adventure: Hips, Knees, and Everything Nobody Told You

    So Jan's basically building a new body one joint at a time, and we figured it was time to talk about it. As of recording, Jan is eight weeks out from her fourth joint replacement, a knee this time, and we got into all of it. The parts they don't put in the brochure. The stuff your surgeon forgets to mention. The real experience of living in a body that needs a little extra hardware to keep going. If you have a joint replacement in your future, or your mom does, or you're just trying to figure out how to stay mobile as you age, this one is genuinely useful. We promise. Here's what we covered: How to know when it's actually time for a joint replacement and what the road there typically looks likeWhy the surgeon you choose matters more than you think, and what Jan learned the hard way from her first hipHow robotic surgery has changed everything, making procedures more precise and often fully outpatientScar tissue, fascia, and why rehab is non-negotiable for some bodies more than othersWhy strength training before surgery is one of the best things you can do for your recoveryWhat those first days home actually look like and why having someone there is not optionalHow to protect the joints you've already had replaced so they actually lastIf you've been through a joint replacement yourself, or you're heading into one, you already know this conversation was a long time coming. And if you haven't, consider this your heads up that your future self will thank you for listening now. Find resources mentioned in this episode here. Learn more about this podcast here. Submit your 90-second lesson/experience here. Apply to be a guest here. Stay updated on new episodes here. *Information shared on this podcast is not medical advice. If you have a concern about your physical or mental health, please seek support from a proessional.

    36 min
  8. Obesity, Eating Disorders & the Shame No One Names with Melinda J Watman

    Mar 19

    Obesity, Eating Disorders & the Shame No One Names with Melinda J Watman

    This week, Jan connected us with Melinda Watman, a woman who has lived inside the obesity and eating disorder world since she was two and a half years old, and who somehow turned that into a career that's literally changing how pharmaceutical companies and clinical trials treat patients. We had a feeling this conversation was going to be good. We had no idea. Melinda is a patient advocacy consultant, a former CEO, a French restaurant owner (yes, really), and a person who has had bariatric surgery, survived three concurrent eating disorders, and came thisclose to not being here. She's also as honest as we love our guests to be! We talked about: Why obesity is a disease, not a character flaw.The food noise.Bariatric surgery and what nobody prepares you for.How Melinda ended up with three eating disorders at once.The moment something shifted.GLP-1 medications, the real talk.Weight bias in healthcare.Her "village" approach to recovery.Why childhood obesity and eating disorders are rising together, and why the cruelest bullying still goes unchecked.The line that stayed with us: "I thought my goal was to be the skinniest girl in the room. It took me a long time to realize I was actually the sickest girl in the room." If you've ever felt shame around your body, your eating, or your weight, or if you love someone who has, this episode is for you. You are not weak. You are not broken. And you are not alone. About Melinda: Ms. Watman is the founder of Weighty Decision, a patient advocacy consultancy partnering with pharmaceutical companies in the anti-obesity medication space. She provides both internal and external stakeholders patient-centered frameworks that improve engagement and outcomes. Drawing on 15 years of clinical experience and an MBA-driven entrepreneurial career, she bridges healthcare delivery, policy, and innovation. Ms. Watman is a compelling and trusted voice on the lived experience of obesity, healthcare bias, eating disorders, and patient-centered innovation. In addition to her clinical practice, her background includes founding two successful consulting firms, serving as CEO and co-founder of a medical device company, working with both startups and established organizations to bring novel healthcare technologies to market, and owning a French restaurant. She is a strong believer in giving back and is a mentor with the MIT Venture Mentoring Service and Innovate@BU. She also is an Emeritus board member of the Obesity Action Coalition. Melinda will be speaking this year on eating disorders with obesity at two upcoming professional conferences: the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the World Obesity and Weight Management Congress. She is also involved with an advocacy effort to maintain coverage for anti-obesity medications for MassHealth/Medicaid patients in Massachusetts. Connect with Melinda on LinkedIn. Find resources mentioned in this episode here. Learn more about this podcast here. Submit your 90-second lesson/experience here. Apply to be a guest here. Stay updated on new episodes here. *Information shared on this podcast is not medical advice. If you have a concern about your physical or mental health, please seek support from a proessional.

    56 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Things My Mother Forgot to Mention is the podcast for every woman who’s ever said, “Wait—why didn’t anyone mention this to me?” Join Jan and Patti—two outspoken, curious, outrageous women—as they dive headfirst into the messy, magical, and often WTF realities of aging, health, and womanhood. From rogue chin hairs and vaginal thinning, to mental status, perimenopause, and scalp cancer (yes, really)—nothing is off limits. It’s funny. It’s raw. It’s real talk your mother definitely skipped.

Information

  • Creator
    Jan Bergstrom and Patti Meyer
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Things My Mother Forgot to Mention
  • Show Website
    Things My Mother Forgot to Mention

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