Women of the Well | Women's health, done differently

Vera Wellness
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Most women's health care starts by looking for something broken. This one starts by listening. Women of the Well is a podcast about what medicine looks like when it takes the whole woman seriously – her body, her history, her nervous system and her own knowing. Hosted by integrative gynaecologists Dr Peta Wright and Dr Thea Bowler with holistic counsellor Sam Lindsay-German, each episode explores a women's health topic from an integrative, nervous system informed perspective, alongside guests including physiotherapists, psychologists, researchers, healers and clinicians who are practising differently. If you've been told your pain is normal, your tests are fine and there's nothing more to be done, this is a podcast that will make you feel seen and give you somewhere to go next. If you're a practitioner who senses the standard approach isn't serving your patients, you'll find the thinking here that underpins how we work at Vera Wellness – and the training we run for clinicians who want to work this way too. This podcast is for information and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Topics we cover: Pelvic pain and endometriosis,Nervous system health and trauma informed care,Perimenopause and menopause,PMDD and premenstrual health,Fertility and reproductive health,Pregnancy, childbirth and matrescence,Hormonal and gut health,Mental health and self development,Somatic therapy and embodiment,Sexuality,Spirituality and intuition Recorded and produced by the team at Vera Wellness – verawellness.com.au. Follow @verawellness.com.au on Instagram, and find our courses for women and our training for practitioners at verawellness.com.au

  1. 2d ago

    Choosing your body wisdom – midwife Lauren Williams on meeting herself

    Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Send us a text here In our last episode, Peta and Thea talked about Vera's practitioner training, and why no one should have to do this work alone. This week, we're introducing you to one of the women who reminds us of that every day. Lauren Williams has been a midwife for most of her life. She'll tell you it's part of the thread of who she is. She's worked in birth suite, led research that changed how a large hospital cares for women in early labour, and built a new model of care from the ground up. By most measures, she'd made it. And then her body started telling her something she couldn't ignore any longer. In this episode, Lauren sits down with Dr Peta (one of her closest friends) and Sam to talk about the moment she chose her body wisdom over the executive ladder.  She shares what it took to walk away, what she learnt about herself as a mother, and why she now feels like she's meeting herself for the first time. In this episode, we explore: Lauren's path from nursing to birth suite, research and leadership, and why she kept coming back to being "with woman"The moment her body said no, and what it cost to listenMothering the mother – why a supported mother matters for the whole familyWhat Lauren wishes every new mother understood about her nervous system and co-regulationMatrescence, the word we need for the transformation of becoming a motherRites of passage across a woman's life, from adolescence to matrescence to perimenopauseBurnout in midwifery, and finding a way to do this work that doesn't cost you yourselfThis episode is for you if: You're standing at a crossroads in your work or your life, and you already know the answer but you're scared to act on it. Or you're a mother who's felt stretched too thin to be present. Or you're a practitioner wondering whether there's another way to do the work you love. About Lauren Lauren is our midwife at Vera Wellness and a private endorsed midwife. She offers pregnancy and postnatal care, including home visits, and runs her own practice, Tapestry of Life, where you'll also find her retreats for midwives and her Matrescence Matters T-shirts.  You can visit her website here: www.tapestryoflife.com.au ______________________ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for information and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

  2. Sep 24

    Medicine that starts with you – inside our first practitioner training

    Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Send us a text here A quick note: this is a conversation about our practitioner training, so we're talking clinician to clinician at times. But if you're living with pelvic pain, we hope it's a comfort to hear that there are practitioners out there learning to slow down, listen and work this way. If you've ever sat across from a woman in pain, done everything you were trained to do, and still gone home feeling it wasn't enough, we know that feeling well.  It's why we created our Transformational Medicine program – to help practitioners meet women in pain in a whole new way, starting with themselves. In this episode, Sam Lindsay-German sits down with Dr Peta Wright and Dr Thea Bowler as our very first Transformational Medicine cohort comes to a close. We talk about why we built this training with women's health physiotherapist Paula Hindle, and what it felt like to finally teach the way we practise. We also talk about why so much of the program begins with you as the clinician – your own nervous system, your body and your cycles – before it ever turns to the person in front of you. We can't offer someone a sense of safety we haven't found in ourselves first. That's where this work starts. In this episode, we explore: What we mean by transformational medicine, and the shift from fixing a symptom to listening to what it's telling youWhy the practitioner is the medicine first – co-regulation and the therapeutic use of selfZooming out from the pelvis to the nervous system, a person's life and their sense of meaningHow our first cohort's program worked – 12 weeks online, with two retreats held at VeraComing back to reverence for the womb space and our cyclical nature, starting with ourselvesThe community our first cohort has built, and why you don't have to do this work aloneThis episode is for you if: You work with women with pelvic pain – as a gynaecologist, GP, physio, psychologist, naturopath, health coach or anything in between – and you sense there's more to it than what you were trained to look for. Or you're tired of carrying the pressure to fix, and you're ready to show up differently: present, regulated and a little lighter. For practitioners: join our next cohort Our next Transformational Medicine cohort begins in early 2027. If this conversation stirred something in you, register your interest and we'll let you know as soon as dates are confirmed. Graduates get a certificate of completion and can join our new membership for ongoing check-ins, case discussions and community.  Our program is currently CPD approved with RACGP and RANZCOG: 24.5 hours with RACGP for the online program, 14.5 hours for the retreat, and 24 hours with RANZCOG. ______________________ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for information and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

  3. Jan 12

    What happens when you remember you're a Goddess

    Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Send us a text here What if the disconnection you feel from your body isn't because something's wrong with you – but because you've forgotten you're divine? In this episode, we explore the power of recognising the goddess within – not as a spiritual concept you have to strive for, but as the truth of what you already are. We talk about why goddess energy has been suppressed, shamed, and severed from our collective consciousness – and what happens when we reclaim it. This isn't about rejecting the masculine or declaring one better than the other. It's about remembering that the feminine divine deserves reverence, and that every woman is a living expression of the goddess in all her forms. If you've ever felt shame about your body, your cycle, your darkness, or your changing form – this conversation is an invitation to see yourself differently. In this episode, we explore: The Triple Goddess: maiden, mother, and crone – and why we fear the wild woman energy of the luteal phase and menopauseWhy we're culturally trained to say "God" but feel awkward saying "Goddess" – and what that reveals about patriarchy and disconnectionWhy society celebrates only the masculine aspects of women (productivity, sameness, control) and pathologises the feminine (cyclical nature, rest, darkness, rage)Goddess archetypes like Kali, Saraswati, and Aphrodite – and how they teach us to embrace every facet of ourselvesThe menstrual cycle as a sacred mirror of the moon's phases – and why we shame the fullness but revere it in natureHow women have been severed from their own sexuality – and whether we even know what true feminine sexuality is beyond the male gazeThe power of adorning yourself, dressing as a goddess, and worshipping your own templeYour goddess practice: Dress as a goddess every day for 40 days. Not for anyone else – for you. Adorn yourself. Notice what shifts. Tag us on Instagram @verawellness.com.au in your goddess pictures – we'd love to see you reclaim your divinity. Resources mentioned: 📚 The Other Goddess by Joanna Kujawa – exploring feminine divinity and sexuality  📚 Mary Magdalene books by Meggan Watterson – feminist theology and the sacred feminine  📚 Sharon Blackie's books – fables, archetypes, and goddess stories  🃏 Goddess oracle cards by various authors Upcoming event: Join us for a special goddess gathering with Dr Joanna Kujawa on Friday, 13 March 2026 at Vera Wellness. 🎟️ Get your tickets here and dress like a goddess. 🌿 ______________________ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for information and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

  4. 12/22/2025

    Transforming pelvic pain by listening to the nervous system

    Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Send us a text here A quick note: We recorded this at our practitioner event, so we're talking clinician-to-clinician in parts. But if you're navigating pelvic pain yourself, you might find it really validating to hear how we think about symptoms, nervous system states, and what actually drives lasting change. If you're a practitioner working with pelvic pain, you've probably felt the pressure to fix, the complexity of trauma and chronic symptoms, and the frustration of treatments that don't create lasting change. In this episode, we share the foundations of the Vera Wellness approach to pelvic pain – an evidence-informed, nervous-system-led framework that shifts care away from symptom whack-a-mole and toward genuine transformation. Recorded live at our online practitioner event on 30 October, this conversation includes practical tools, a powerful case study, and a clear reframe that changes everything: pain isn't the problem to eliminate – it's information.  And the nervous system is the foundation of both patient outcomes and practitioner sustainability. If you're craving a more grounded, embodied approach to pelvic pain care – one that supports your patients without burning you out – this episode is for you. In this episode, we explore: Why the nervous system is the foundation of pelvic pain care (and clinician wellbeing)A real patient case study – and what changed when care shifted from "fixing" to listeningThe Vera philosophy: no one is broken, and no one needs to be fixedPain as information – and what happens when we replace fear with curiosityPolyvagal theory: nervous system states and what they look like in the consult roomThe "alarm vs fire" reframe: why conventional care often tries to silence symptoms while the deeper drivers remainCatastrophising, overprotection and central sensitisation – and why these matter clinicallyCo-regulation: how your tone, pace and presence shape patient safety and outcomesGuided regulation practices you can use immediately (including pelvic and self-compassion-based tools)Why paradigm-shifting care requires paradigm-shifting ways of workingFor practitioners: If today's conversation resonates, you may be feeling the same shift we're seeing across women's health – a desire for care that is more embodied, integrative and nervous-system-led. In 2026, Dr Peta Wright, Dr Thea Bowler and holistic physiotherapist Paula Hindle are hosting Transformational Medicine: Alchemising Pain into Power with two pathways: 4-day in-person immersive retreat (17–20 April 2026)12-week online program (starts 4 May 2026)Explore the program here: https://www.verawellness.com.au/practitioner-program-intensive ______________________ For more information about us, visit VeraWellness.com.au.  We’d love to continue the conversation with you on Instagram @verawellness.com.au ______________________ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for information and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

  5. 12/15/2025

    What they don’t teach you about holding space for pain

    Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Send us a text here Today’s conversation is a little different. Dr Thea and Vera physiotherapist Paula Hindle take you inside the sauna at the end of a long clinic day – a place where their most honest reflections tend to unfold. This episode opens a deeper look at what it really means to hold space for suffering in women’s health.  Not with a rush to fix, but from a grounded, embodied place where practitioners learn to regulate their own nervous systems while sitting alongside their patients’ pain. Paula and Thea explore the subtle but profound shift that happens when clinicians start listening with curiosity. This is a conversation about attunement, presence and the reality that true transformation rarely begins with a medical intervention – it begins with being witnessed. If you’re a practitioner who feels called toward a more heart-centred, embodied, nervous-system-led approach to pelvic pain, this episode is for you. In this episode, we talk about: The art of sitting with discomfort – what happens in us as clinicians when we witness pain without immediately jumping to solutions.A powerful patient story and how healing unfolded when the focus shifted from pathology to nervous system understanding.Attunement in practice – how Paula recognised dysregulation the moment the patient walked in, and why she abandoned the “plan” to create space for grief, safety and connection.Letting the patient guide the process – the difference between algorithmic care and compassionate, responsive care in pelvic pain.Why clinicians must be regulated first – the capacity to hold another’s story is directly linked to the state of our own nervous systems.The truth is, real healing often begins long before hands-on treatment. It begins in the pause – the moment we sit with discomfort, listen deeply, and allow a patient’s story to unfold without rushing toward certainty or control. When practitioners regulate themselves, the whole room changes. Safety expands. Insight emerges. And the patient’s own wisdom becomes a central part of the therapeutic process. ______________________ For practitioners: Transformational Medicine – Alchemising Pain into Power  If today’s conversation resonates, you may be feeling the same shift we’re seeing across women’s health – a desire for more embodied, integrative, nervous-system-based care. In April 2026, Dr Peta Wright, Dr Thea Bowler and Paula Hindle will be hosting a 4-day immersive retreat and practitioner program designed to help clinicians: Understand their own nervous systemExperience regulation and embodiment tools firsthandLearn how to attune to complexity, trauma, and pain in the clinical roomDevelop a more grounded, compassionate and effective approach to pelvic painYou can find all the details here: https://www.verawellness.com.au/practitioner-program-intensive.  Early bird pricing ends on 31 December 2025 and payment plans are available. ______________________ For more information about us, visit VeraWellness.com.au.  We’d love to continue the conversation with you on Instagram @verawellness.com.au ______________________ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for information and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

  6. 12/11/2025

    Welcome Back: Menopause, endings and the wisdom of change

    Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Send us a text here After a long pause, Women of the Well is back. In this conversation, Dr Peta, Dr Thea and Sam sit together in a very real season of life transition – talking about menopause, ageing, endings and the one thing most of us are trying to avoid thinking about: death. In this episode, we talk about: Sam’s real-time experience of perimenopause – still cycling at 51, noticing stronger bleeds, night waking and hot flushes that arrive like a clear “message” from her body.Listening instead of resisting – how tuning into symptoms (rather than fighting them) has helped Sam adjust her training, eating and lifestyle in ways that feel right for her.Why menopause isn’t just decline – the cultural story that says menopause “takes everything away” versus the reality of greater freedom, time, clarity and physical strength many women experience in midlife.Anxiety, mood shifts and the luteal phase – Peta and Thea share candidly about premenstrual anxiety, irritability and “existential dread”, and how naming these patterns with family helps.Ageing, fear and the medicalisation of menopause – a critical look at the booming “menopause industry”, the framing of oestrogen deficiency as a disease, and the idea that all women should be on hormones forever.Death as the unspoken backdrop – how our fear of mortality shows up in the obsession with trying to keep bodies the same, and why accepting change can soften this fear.Suffering, growth and feeling it all – the difference between caring for our bodies and micromanaging them, and why discomfort can be a portal to meaning and maturation rather than something to eliminate at all costs.From attraction to resource – shifting from needing to be sexually “attractive” to being valued for presence, wisdom, skills and contribution as we age.Competing, comparing and complaining – how these patterns keep us stuck in misery about our changing bodies, and what opens up when we practise acceptance instead.Soul, spirit and the unchanging self – returning to the part of us that doesn’t age, even as our bodies inevitably do.A reflective invitation as you listen to this episode: Where are you feeling pain, discomfort or resistance right now?If you treated those sensations as messages rather than problems to fix, what might they be asking of you?How could you allow what is happening – rather than trying to control or outrun it – and see what unfolds next?Resources mentioned: “The Thunder, Perfect Mind” – an ancient poem from the Nag Hammadi / Dead Sea Scrolls collection, often read as a voice of the divine feminine. Stay connected – the conversation doesn’t end here. If this episode brought up reflections, questions or stories of your own menopause experience, the Women of the Well team would love to hear from you. Share your thoughts or topic requests for future episodes via email to marketing@verawellness.com.au and let us know: What are you noticing in your own season of change – and what might your body be trying to tell you? ______________________ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for information and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

  7. 04/29/2025

    On 'Wintering' and taking a podcast pause

    Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Send us a text here We didn’t plan for this to happen… but when we sat down to talk, something shifted. This week's episode is not a conversation about a particular health topic or a deep dive into hormones or cycles… It’s an honest reflection on where we’re at, and an invitation to pause. After more than 30 episodes, we’ve arrived at a natural winter – a moment to slow down, reassess, and honour the cycle of this podcast project. We didn’t plan this in advance. But when we sat down to record and felt our energy shift, we realised it was time to listen to our bodies and our inner knowing, just as we always invite you to do. This may not be a forever goodbye… but it is a “pause for now.” 🎙️ In this final episode for now, we reflect on: 🌿 Why it’s okay to rest, and how we can honour the natural seasons and cycles of life 🌿 The truth behind why we started this podcast (and what we never wanted it to become) 🌿 How constantly striving to optimise our health can become another form of self-judgement 🌿 Why letting go, embracing stillness, and trusting our own inner knowing is the most powerful healing we can do Whether this is a short pause or a more permanent ending, we’re so grateful you’ve been with us. The full library of episodes will remain available, so you can return to them whenever you need support, insight, or a gentle reminder to come back to yourself. 💬 If this podcast has impacted you, we’d honestly love to hear from you. Send us a message on Instagram @verawellness.com.au or email marketing@verawellness.com.au. Thank you for being here. Thank you for listening. And thank you for honouring your own rhythms, too. ______________________ Additional resources to support you: 🧘‍♀️ Heal Your Pelvic Pain – Our live online program delivered by leading women's health experts to help you alchemise your pain, reconnect with your body, and reclaim your life. 🌕 Unlocking the Power of Your Cycle – a self-paced course to help you understand and work with the phases of your cycle for more vitality and clarity. 📖 Healing Pelvic Pain by Dr Peta Wright – A comprehensive guide on managing pelvic pain. ______________________ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for information and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

  8. 04/22/2025

    Victim Consciousness and how it keeps us stuck (Part 2)

    Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Send us a text here This week, we’re continuing the powerful conversation we started in Episode 32 about victim consciousness – and how it shows up in our lives in ways we might not expect. But this time, we go even deeper. Dr Peta and Sam explore the unconscious patterns that keep us stuck – from our beliefs about who we are to the stories we tell ourselves (and others) about our pain. Together, they unpack: 🌿 Why victim, rescuer and perpetrator roles always co-exist – and how we can move beyond this triangle 🌿 The subtle ways women are taught to bond over suffering (and what to do instead) 🌿 How shame, superiority and saviour-complex behaviour keep us disempowered 🌿 Why our language matters (and how to stop casting spells like “I have to…”) 🌿 How our beliefs about our body, our past, and our identity shape our suffering This episode isn’t about blame or denial – it’s an invitation to start recognising your own patterns and beliefs, and gently shifting them so you can experience more joy, peace, and presence. 🎧 Listen now to part 2 of this raw, transformative series – and let us know how it lands for you. Resources mentioned: The Wheel of Consent by Betty MartinThe Four Cs Practice (Don’t complain, compete, compare or criticise – from yogic tradition)The Power of Now by Eckhart TolleTeachings from Caroline Myss and Byron KatieQuestions and topics: Do you have a question about this episode or a topic you want us to explore on the podcast? Send us a text (link above episode description), a message on Instagram or email us at marketing@verawellness.com.au. ______________________ For more information about us, visit VeraWellness.com.au.  We’d love to continue the conversation with you on Instagram @verawellness.com.au ​​To stay in the loop with every new episode of Women of the Well and gain first access to special resources and events – join our Podcast VIP Club here. ______________________ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for information and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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About

Most women's health care starts by looking for something broken. This one starts by listening. Women of the Well is a podcast about what medicine looks like when it takes the whole woman seriously – her body, her history, her nervous system and her own knowing. Hosted by integrative gynaecologists Dr Peta Wright and Dr Thea Bowler with holistic counsellor Sam Lindsay-German, each episode explores a women's health topic from an integrative, nervous system informed perspective, alongside guests including physiotherapists, psychologists, researchers, healers and clinicians who are practising differently. If you've been told your pain is normal, your tests are fine and there's nothing more to be done, this is a podcast that will make you feel seen and give you somewhere to go next. If you're a practitioner who senses the standard approach isn't serving your patients, you'll find the thinking here that underpins how we work at Vera Wellness – and the training we run for clinicians who want to work this way too. This podcast is for information and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Topics we cover: Pelvic pain and endometriosis,Nervous system health and trauma informed care,Perimenopause and menopause,PMDD and premenstrual health,Fertility and reproductive health,Pregnancy, childbirth and matrescence,Hormonal and gut health,Mental health and self development,Somatic therapy and embodiment,Sexuality,Spirituality and intuition Recorded and produced by the team at Vera Wellness – verawellness.com.au. Follow @verawellness.com.au on Instagram, and find our courses for women and our training for practitioners at verawellness.com.au

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