Another Bloody Podcast

Lisa Pierce Flores Heather O’Neill
  • 5.0 (13)
  • Health & Fitness

Welcome to Another Bloody Podcast, hosted by Heather O’Neill and Lisa Pierce Flores. We’re longtime friends who found ourselves constantly talking about women’s healthcare, thanks to the twists and turns of our own medical adventures. Here, we invite you to eavesdrop on conversations about everything from brain fog to vagina drama—and every taboo subject in between—examined from a different angle: one that draws on our decades of experience as journalists and our personal health journeys. Think of us as the friends who say out loud all the things your doctor should have mentioned—but somehow didn’t. Join us for a public conversation about our private parts.

  1. 21h ago

    RIP Gloria Steinem: The Truth Will Piss You Off

    Feminist icon Gloria Steinem spent decades talking about sex agency, abortion, and what we now call medical gaslighting. Steinem, who died last week at 92, spoke and wrote about previously taboo healthcare topics in ways that were accessible and in a voice that was sincere and sprinkled with humor. In this episode, we trace her surprising path from an unstable childhood caring for her mentally ill mother to her success as a freelance writer in New York City to almost accidentally becoming the face of Second Wave feminism. We unpack why her beauty and warmth made her message land even as it made her a target. Along the way we connect her decades of advocacy to expand sexual and reproductive agency and funding on women's health to the healthcare battles women are still fighting today. It's a conversation that turns personal fast, as we reflect on growing up with Steinem as a radicalizing presence and resonate with her theory that women often grow angrier, not quieter, with age. Sources "Our Bodies Ourselves Mourns Feminist Champion Gloria Steinem (1934-2026)" https://ourbodiesourselves.org/the-latest/gloria-steinem "Gloria Steinem, Personification of the Women’s Movement, Dies at 92," New York TImes https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/us/politics/gloria-steinem-dead.html Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, Third Edition, by Gloria Steinem https://www.amazon.com/Outrageous-Acts-Everyday-Rebellions-Third/dp/1250204860/ Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem, by Gloria Steinem https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Within-Self-Esteem-Gloria-Steinem-ebook/dp/B007RJ9I0A Education of a Woman: The Life of Gloria Steinem, by Carolyn G. Heilbrun https://www.amazon.com/Education-Woman-Life-Gloria-Steinem-ebook/dp/B00589AXVE/ Gloria: In Her Own Words, directed by Peter W. Kunhardt https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2036377/

  2. Sep 3

    GLP-1 Pills vs. Injections: Jenny’s Lili Zargami Returns

    We're bringing back a fan favorite — Lily Zargami, editor and co-founder of Jennie, whose first appearance on Another Bloody Podcast (our most-downloaded episode ever) chronicled a brutal reaction to injectable Mounjaro. Since then, the GLP-1 landscape has changed fast: an oral Wegovy pill hit the market with record-breaking uptake, Eli Lilly's own oral option is racing toward approval, and both drugs are being studied for benefits that go well beyond weight loss — heart failure, artery disease, liver disease, and more. Lily joins us to talk about what's different this time around on the oral version, how she's learned to manage reflux and eat more intentionally, and the complicated, often unspoken feelings that come with going back on a drug after it once landed you in urgent care. We dig into disordered-eating red flags, the real cost differences between injectables and pills, the "Wild West" of compounded versions, and why neither of us feels guilty anymore about needing long-term medication — for this or anything else. Content note: this episode includes candid discussion of disordered eating patterns, body image, and weight — listener discretion advised.   Show notes: You can read Lili Zarghami's essay series, "A Month of Mounjaro" at Jenny Magazine, https://jennymag.com/2024/01/14/mounjaro-diary-part-1/ FDA Approves Novo Nordisk's Wegovy® Pill, the First and Only Oral GLP-1 for Weight Loss in Adults Novo Nordisk (PR Newswire) https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fda-approves-novo-nordisks-wegovy-pill-the-first-and-only-oral-glp-1-for-weight-loss-in-adults-302648344.html First GLP-1 pill for obesity from Novo Nordisk launches in the U.S. CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/05/first-glp-1-pill-for-obesity-from-novo-nordisk-launches-in-the-us.html Novo's Wegovy pill hits over 18,000 US prescriptions in strong debut week Reuters https://www.marketscreener.com/news/novo-s-wegovy-pill-hits-over-18-000-us-prescriptions-in-strong-debut-week-ce7e5bdada88f023 Wegovy® Pill Prescriptions Surpass 3 Million Novo Nordisk (PR Newswire) https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wegovy-pill-prescriptions-surpass-3-million-1-filled-roughly-every-5-seconds-bringing-glp-1-therapy-to-people-with-obesity-previously-untreated-while-novo-nordisk-unveils-new-data-at-ada-2026-302793337.html FDA Approves Lilly's Foundayo™ (orforglipron), the Only GLP-1 Pill for Weight Loss That Can Be Taken Any Time of Day Eli Lilly and Company https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/fda-approves-lillys-foundayotm-orforglipron-only-glp-1-pill Wegovy Global Regulatory Status: FDA Approval, EMA Authorization, and Worldwide Access in 2026 HealthRX https://healthrx.com/regulatory-wegovy/global-regulatory Novo Nordisk's CagriSema Demonstrated Significant Reduction in HbA1c and Weight Across REIMAGINE Program (ADA 2026) Novo Nordisk (PR Newswire) https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/novo-nordisks-cagrisema-2-4-mg--2-4-mg-demonstrated-significant-reduction-in-hba1c-and-weight-across-multiple-studies-in-the-reimagine-program-presented-at-ada-2026--302793443.html Coadministered Cagrilintide and Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity New England Journal of Medicine https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2502081 If this episode brought up anything difficult around food or body image: the National Alliance for Eating Disorders helpline is available at 1-866-662-1235.

  3. Aug 27

    What is Menopausal Rage? Dr. Sarah Berg, M.D. Explains

    Menopausal rage doesn't look like garden-variety irritability — it feels like a ticking time bomb, and almost no one is talking about it. This week, Heather and Lisa sit down with Dr. Sarah Berg, a board-certified OB-GYN, Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, and founder of Selfority, a platform offering menopause education courses and workplace training, to unpack the symptom she first wrote about for TIME.   Dr. Berg explains why rage gets missed in the exam room, why it's costing women their careers at the exact moment they're hitting their stride, and why the medical system's failure to identify less common menopause symptoms carries a steep financial and emotional toll for women. She also digs into the layer that didn't get enough attention in her original article: how bias shapes the way women of color's anger is perceived and treated differently in the workplace. It's a candid, validating conversation for anyone who's ever lost it on a family member, friend or colleague and then spent days wondering what was wrong with them. Sources: The Menopause Conversation Still Has One Major Blind Spot, TIME https://time.com/article/2026/07/09/the-menopause-conversation-still-has-one-major-blind-spot/ Selfority — Dr. Sarah Berg's platform offering menopause education courses and workplace training Selfority https://selfority.com Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN), University of Michigan https://midlifescience.umich.edu The (Un)Managed Heart: Racial Contours of Emotion Work in Gendered Occupations, Aida Harvey Wingfield, Annual Review of Sociology, 2021 https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-soc-081320-114850 H.R. 9273: A Bill to Direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to Require Public Institutions of Higher Education That Receive Grants Under the Medical Student Education Program to Include Training for Medical Students Relating to Menopause in the Curriculums of Such Institutions, and for Other Purposes. 119th Congress, 2nd session, introduced by Rep. Valerie P. Foushee, 11 June 2026, www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9273.

  4. Aug 20

    Shots Fired: Trump and RFK Jr. Take Aim at the Current Vaccination Schedule

    Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Donald Trump marked National Immunology Month by cutting the CDC's recommended childhood vaccine list from 18 diseases to 11, sorting remaining shots into risk-based tiers. State mandates and insurance coverage will not immediately be affected, but the policy shift may embolden a growing number of parents to question their doctors and refuse vaccinations for their children, further eroding herd immunity. As he signed the executive order last week, President Trump mentioned a link between vacccines and autism, a theory based on a 1998 study that has been soundly debunked. We decided to take a look back at the discrediterd tudy that got the lethal ball rolling and its author, Andrew Wakefield, who has since been stripped of his medical lisence. If you haven't heard about it before, you won't believe just how bad the study was. Based on just 12 children, using falsified data, and motivated by undisclosed financial conflicts of interest, it would be comical if it had not claimed the lives of so many unvaccinated children since its publication (it was later retracted). We also share personal stories of family members affected by preventable diseases like polio and Lisa talks about her infant bout of rubella, anecdotes that underscore how vaccines have dramatically reduced childhood mortality and disability. We hope you'll honor National Immunology Month by consulting vaccination recommendations from the American Medical Association and American Academy of Pediatrics, and at least for now, ignoring the CDC. Sources:  American Medical Association, "Vaccine Recommendations" 2026 https://www.ama-assn.org/public-health/prevention-wellness/vaccine-recommendations American Academy of Pediatrics. Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule for Ages 18 Years or Younger, 2026 https://downloads.aap.org/AAP/PDF/AAP-Immunization-Schedule.pdf "Immunizations." HealthyChildren.org, American Academy of Pediatrics, July 2025 www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/immunizations/Pages/default.aspx "Trump Signs Executive Order With Plan to Reduce Number of Recommended Childhood Vaccines," The Guardian, August 10, 2026 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/10/trump-vaccines-executive-order-measles  Calling the Shots: Tracking Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Moves on Vaccines." U.S. News & World Report, updated 10 Aug. 2026 https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/calling-the-shots-tracking-robert-f-kennedy-jr-s-moves-on-vaccines Scott, Kristan, et al. "Trends in Vitamin K Administration Among Infants." JAMA, 2026 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2842444 Fattah, M., et al. "Trends in County-Level Childhood Vaccination Exemptions in the US." JAMA, vol. 335, no. 6, 2026, pp. 546–49 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2843870 Shattock, Andrew J., et al. "Contribution of Vaccination to Improved Survival and Health: Modelling 50 Years of the Expanded Programme on Immunization." The Lancet, vol. 403, no. 10441, 25 May 2024, pp. 2307–16 https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)00850-X/fulltext "Revolutionary Medicine: The Importance of Child Vaccines." American Lung Association, 4 Apr. 2025 https://www.lung.org/blog/child-vaccine-history "Why Experts Have Concluded That Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism." Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 19 Mar. 2025 https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/vaccines-do-not-cause-autism Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes, hosts. "RFK Jr. and The Rise of the Anti-Vaxx Movement." Maintenance Phase, 18 July 2023 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rfk-jr-and-the-rise-of-the-anti-vaxx-movement/id1535408667?i=1000621494286 Evans, Robert, host. "Part Two: Andrew Wakefield: The Worst Doctor Alive." Behind the Bastards, iHeartPodcasts/Cool Zone Media, 20 Feb. 2019 https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/part-two-andrew-wakefield-the-worst-doctor-alive/id1373812661

  5. Aug 13

    Older, Wiser, Unwanted: Why No One Wants to Hire GenX Women

    If you've ever wondered whether you're imagining a shift in how you're treated at work in midlife, we're here to hand you the receipts. In this episode, we dig into why women vanish from the workforce right as they hit their stride. From the "broken rung" that stalls women when they aim for that very first promotion, to the burnout crushing senior women and blocking them from entering the C-suite, the data is eye-opening, and kinda depressing. And to cap it all off, here comes the menopause penalty, draining $150 billion in lost productivity worldwide and ending many women's careers for good — years before we qualify to access our retirement benefits. We're not happy about it, but we do have some data that should change employers minds.   Sources: Workplace & Economic Impact of Menopause Sauer, J. et al., The Economic Impact of Menopause: A Survey of Women 35+ and Employers, AARP Research, January 2024 https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/work-finances-retirement/employers-workforce/menopause-workplace/ "Research reveals women take 'substantial' earnings hit during menopause." Crawford, Krysten, Stanford Report, March 24, 2025 https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2025/03/menopause-earnings-economics-study "Women's Earnings Are Being Hit with 'Menopause Penalty,'" SHRM, April 25, 2025 https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/benefits-compensation/menopause-penalty-affecting-workplace-hitting-womens-earnings- "Viewpoint: Understanding the Impact of Menopause in the Workplace." SHRM, December 21, 2023 https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/inclusion-diversity/viewpoint-understanding-the-impact-of-menopause-in-the-workplace "Menopause, women and the workplace." Climacteric (International Menopause Society journal), April 9, 2025 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13697137.2025.2480591 "United States – The Health and Economic Impacts of Menopause," Impacts of Menopause (Bayer/FP Alliance case study), July 31, 2025 https://impactsofmenopause.com/bayer-fpa/case-study-united-states/ Weir, Shirley (Menopause Chicks). "Menopause at Work: A 2025 Rallying Cry." Women's Health Research Cluster, March 25, 2025 https://womenshealthresearchcluster.com/learn/womens-health-blog/menopause-at-work-a-2025-rallying-cry/ WebMD Health Services / PR Newswire, 2025 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/study-finds-two-in-three-women-expect-workplace-menopause-supportyet-most-say-its-lacking-302574334.html Women in Leadership / Older Workers Women in the Workplace, LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company, 2025 https://leanin.org/women-in-the-workplace "Women in Leadership Face Ageism at Every Age," Harvard Business Review, 2023 https://hbr.org/2023/06/women-in-leadership-face-ageism-at-every-age "Why More Companies Are Recognizing the Benefits of Keeping Older Employees," Stanford Center for Longevity https://longevity.stanford.edu/why-more-companies-are-recognizing-the-benefits-of-keeping-older-employees/ Culture / Commentary "Ladies, We're Entering Our Crone Era. It's About Time," Tressie McMillan Cottom, New York Times, July 13, 2026 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/13/opinion/menopause-influencers-womens-health.html Julie Delpy on Marc Maron's WTF https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-1267-julie-delpy/id329875043?i=1000537443976 "On the Verge," Julie Delpy's series about mid-life women https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5540990/

  6. Aug 6

    Hot (News) Flash: Meet the Two RI Lawmakers Who Banned Menopause Discrimination

    A little over a year ago, Rhode Island became the first state in the country to legally protect menopausal workers, amending its Fair Employment Practices Act to place menopause and perimenopause alongside pregnancy and childbirth as protected categories. In this episode, Heather and Lisa talk with the two lawmakers behind that shift: State Senator Lori Urso and State Representative Karen Alzate. Urso opens up about the breaking point that inspired the bill — heart palpitations, panic attacks, and brain fog so severe she nearly resigned from a job she loved before finding a doctor who took her seriously. Alzate shares what it took to get an all-male committee to sign on, and the moment a colleague worried the bill would make women look "weak." They walk through what the law actually requires, from flexible scheduling to temperature control, why they built it as an amendment rather than a standalone bill, and why more than a dozen states have since reached out for their playbook. This is a conversation about what happens when one lawmaker who's lived through it, and another who's smart enough to listen, decide silence isn't good enough anymore — and why the rest of the country (and the Bravophere ) is paying attention.

  7. Jul 30

    The Great Estrogen Debate: Debunking HRT Myths with Jennifer Nathanson, MSN, NP

    Hormone replacement therapy is having a moment in the press and on social media. Often all we hear about are the success stories of women whose hot flashes and night sweats have been cured by HRT. But what about those women who have been told that they aren't candidates for hormone replacement? This week, Heather and Lisa sit down with Jennifer Nathanson, nurse practitioner at Flourish Marin, to talk about hormone replacement therapy: what it actually is, who's a good candidate, and the lesser-known symptoms of perimenopause that rarely make it into the doctor's office conversation. Lisa, a two-time cancer survivor, asks the question so many women in her position are told they can't ask: is there any safe path to hormone support after a breast or endometrial cancer diagnosis? Jennifer walks through the current (and shifting) research, why bone health becomes the priority when HRT isn't an option, and why vaginal estrogen is considered safe for nearly everyone regardless of cancer history. They also dig into the long shadow of the 2002 Women's Health Initiative study, the difference between bioidentical and synthetic hormones, and why finding a provider who actually listens might be the most important part of the whole equation. Guest: Jennifer Nathanson, MSN, NP, Flourish Marin — www.flourishmarin.com Sources referenced in this episode: Reappraising 21 years of the WHI study: Putting the findings in context for clinical practice ScienceDirect https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378512223003584 Risks and Benefits of Estrogen Plus Progestin in Healthy Postmenopausal Women: Principal Results From the Women's Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Trial JAMA https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/195120 A Controlled Trial of Intravaginal Estriol in Postmenopausal Women with Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections New England Journal of Medicine https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199309093291102 Hormone Replacement Therapy Does Not Increase Breast Cancer Recurrence, Mortality in Survivors Contemporary OB/GYN https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/hormone-replacement-therapy-does-not-increase-breast-cancer-recurrence-mortality-in-survivors Hormone Replacement Therapy: An Increased Risk of Recurrence and Mortality for Breast Cancer Patients? Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4677805/ Hormone Replacement Therapy in Endometrial Cancer Survivors: A Meta-Analysis Journal of Clinical Medicine https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8303659/ Frozen Shoulder and Menopause: What Is the Estrogen-Collagen Link? Alloy https://www.myalloy.com/blog/frozen-shoulder-and-menopause-what-is-the-estrogen-collagen-link Estrogen Inhibits Frozen Shoulder Fibrosis via GPER Through the PI3K-Akt Pathway ScienceDirect https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960076025000299

  8. Jul 23

    Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: How Aging Affects Our Hair

    Show Description Turns out gray hair is just the opening act. Heather and Lisa dig into why hair thins, dries out, changes texture, and slows its growth cycle with age — and where menopause, HRT, GLP-1s, and even undiagnosed illness fit into the picture, plus what hair products dermotologists say are worth spending your money on. They discuss when hair loss is just aging, and when it's time to call the doctor, their bad perm experiences, and that time Heather was convinced she was balding. Show Notes Topics covered: Why hair changes accelerate around menopause, and what's happening to the follicle The difference between normal age-related thinning and female pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia) Medical causes of sudden or severe hair loss worth getting checked out by a medical provider: PCOS, thyroid disorders, alopecia areata, lupus How HRT and GLP-1 medications can affect hair, for better and worse Scalp cooling caps for chemo-related hair loss and other causes, and the real cost range Why sudden hair shedding or brittleness can be a lagging indicator of illness, sometimes showing up months after onset Dermatologist-recommended daily care tips: scalp-only shampooing, brushing habits, ponytail tension, heat styling, and wash frequency The products Heather and Lisa actually use, including a stovetop coconut oil treatment passed down from her longtime hairdresser Products and ingredients mentioned: Nutrafol (supplement) Minoxidil Ouai leave-in conditioner and shampoo/conditioner line Aesop shampoo Aveda Nutriplenish treatment and Smooth Infusion Aveda dry shampoo (powder) Coconut oil (stovetop deep-conditioning treatment) Ingredients to look for: biotin, keratin, jojoba oil, argan oil, avocado oil, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, citric acid Sources: Tips for Healthy Hair, American Academy of Dermatology https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/hair-scalp-care/hair/healthy-hair-tips 10 Hair Care Habits That Damage Hair, American Academy of Dermatology https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/hair-scalp-care/hair/habits-that-damage-hair Menopause Can Wreak Havoc on Your Hair, NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/select/shopping/menopause-hair-rcna198644 The Chemistry of Hair and Hair Care, University of Virginia, Department of Chemistry https://chemistry.as.virginia.edu/chemistry-wellness-hair-and-hair-care Your Guide to Aging and Hair, UCLA https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/your-guide-aging-and-hair Best Products for Menopausal Hair Loss, National Council on Aging https://www.ncoa.org/product-resources/hair-loss/menopausal-hair-loss-treatments/ The content in this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. If you're noticing sudden or severe hair loss, please talk to your doctor or a dermatologist.

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out of 5
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About

Welcome to Another Bloody Podcast, hosted by Heather O’Neill and Lisa Pierce Flores. We’re longtime friends who found ourselves constantly talking about women’s healthcare, thanks to the twists and turns of our own medical adventures. Here, we invite you to eavesdrop on conversations about everything from brain fog to vagina drama—and every taboo subject in between—examined from a different angle: one that draws on our decades of experience as journalists and our personal health journeys. Think of us as the friends who say out loud all the things your doctor should have mentioned—but somehow didn’t. Join us for a public conversation about our private parts.

Information

  • Creator
    Lisa Pierce Flores Heather O’Neill
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Another Bloody Podcast

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