​Heidi’s Lane with Heidi Powell

If you still pee when you sneeze (hello, me!)...if sex isn’t the same as it used to be…or if your hips, core, and really entire body doesn’t feel like it used to…

This conversation is for you.

Today I’m chatting with my friend Jana Danielson, movement specialist and creator of the Cooch Ball (yes, I said “cooch” and we’re going there!) to dive into these hard to talk about issues.

And you guys… this one blew my mind. -> Jana shares research showing that 90% of pelvic floor dysfunction is a fitness issue — not a medical issue. That means you are not broken. You are trainable.

In this ep, we talk about:
Why doing more Kegels might actually be making things worse
The difference between weak vs. hypertonic (too tight) pelvic floors
Why jaw tension, tight hips, and anxiety are connected
How breathing incorrectly can shut down your core
The “common vs normal” myth around aging
Why shame lives in this part of the body
And how just THREE minutes a day can start to rewire your system

We also get very real about:
Dribbling in my car (yes, I said it)
Doctors dismissing women
Changes in your 40s
Why we deserve education instead of resignation

This is not about pads or “just dealing with it.” This conversation is about understanding your body so you can support it.

Ready to support your pelvic floor and hormones? Here are the tools we discussed in this episode:

✨ Intimacy Bundle
https://bloombetter.life/pages/the-intimacy-bundle?bg_ref=y72MYLnTMe
✨ Perimenopause Bundle
https://bloombetter.life/pages/perimenopause?bg_ref=y72MYLnTMe
✨ Menopause Bundle
https://bloombetter.life/pages/menopause-funnel?bg_ref=y72MYLnTMe
✨ Cooch Ball
https://bloombetter.life/heidipowell

Key moments from the episode:
00:00 The Pelvic Floor Talk We Avoid
03:18 Common vs. Normal
08:09 Leaking Isn’t Just Aging
16:49 Why Kegels Can Backfire
23:27 The 3-Part Pelvic Floor Fix
28:45 Tight Hips & Pelvic Floor
35:21 Build Strength Without Clenching
42:37 Posture Mistakes That Cause Dysfunction
51:09 Men Have Pelvic Floors Too
56:44 Using the Cooch Ball Correctly
01:01:21 Pads Don’t Fix the Problem
01:08:17 Why It’s All Connected
01:09:46 When You’ll See Results

Connect with Heidi:
Website: https://heidipowell.net/
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @realheidipowell
Facebook: Heidi Powell
YouTube: @RealHeidiPowell
Train with Heidi on her Show Up App: https://www.showupfit.app/

Connect with Jana Danielson:
Instagram: @jana.danielson

About Jana Danielson:

Jana Danielson is a movement specialist, wellness entrepreneur, and Founder & CEO of Bloom Better, helping women build strong, pain-free, high-performing bodies at every stage of life. After overcoming chronic pain and pelvic floor dysfunction, she turned her healing journey into a mission to teach women how to move smarter, breathe deeper, and reconnect with their bodies. Creator of Terrain Fitness and the Cooch Ball— the first pelvic floor fitness tool. Jana empowers women to reclaim strength, confidence, and control over their health.

Okay ladies… this episode is for every woman who has looked in the mirror and thought:

“What is happening to my body?”

The weight that won’t budge.
The belly fat you’ve never had before.
The exhaustion doesn’t match your effort.
The cravings, anxiety, bloating, low libido, and inflammation.
Doing everything “right” — and nothing works.

And then the quiet thought:
Is this just aging… or is something actually wrong?

Today I wanted a woman on the couch with me because there are things we just don’t want to talk about with men. Things only another woman can understand, normalize, and validate.

So I brought on Lauren Douglas, Family Nurse Practitioner and longevity-focused women’s health provider at NuLevel Wellness. Lauren works with women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s who feel tired, inflamed, stuck, dismissed, and disconnected from their bodies — and helps them understand what’s happening beneath the surface.

This conversation covers perimenopause, menopause, hormones, metabolism, and aging — but it’s also about identity, trust, and learning to support your body instead of fighting it.

We talk about why women’s bodies change after 35, why “healthy” stops working the same way, and why so many women blame themselves for shifts that are not their fault.

This is not a quick-fix episode.
It’s a you’re not broken episode.

In this episode, we talk about:
Why weight gain, belly fat, and insulin resistance show up in midlife
Cravings, food noise, and nighttime hunger
Deep exhaustion — even when you’re eating well and exercising
Muscle loss and protecting strength as you age
GLP-1 medications and peptides — where they fit (and where they don’t)
Chronic inflammation, joint pain, and “mystery symptoms”
Gut issues and bloating during hormone shifts
Cortisol, stress weight, and wired-but-tired sleep
Libido changes, dryness, and relationship impact
How to know whether you need hormones, peptides, GLP-1s, lifestyle shifts or none of the above

Most importantly, we talk about agency — advocating for your health, asking better questions, and refusing to accept “this is just how it is.”

This season isn’t a decline.
It’s a transition.
And transitions deserve education, compassion, and real support.

Gentle content note:
Hormonal changes, weight gain, sexual health, anxiety, inflammation, and medical dismissal are discussed.

After listening:
Notice where you’ve been blaming yourself instead of listening to your body.
Ask: What if my body isn’t failing — it’s asking for something different?
Start one conversation you’ve been avoiding.

You’re not crazy. You’re not broken. You don’t have to navigate this alone.

Key moments from the episode:
00:00 When You Don’t Recognize Your Body
03:20 Why These Changes Feel Sudden
07:05 Early Signs of Perimenopause
10:45 Why Weight Won’t Budge
14:40 Belly Fat & Insulin Resistance
23:55 Hormones, BV & the Gut Link
28:20 When Healthy Eating Stops Working
37:10 GLP-1s for Women Explained
45:55 Brain Fog & Hormones
50:10 Libido & Dryness
58:50 Inflammation & “Mystery” Symptoms
1:03:20 Gut Issues & Hormones
1:11:05 Choosing the Right Support Path

Connect with Heidi:
Website: https://heidipowell.net/
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @realheidipowell
Facebook: Heidi Powell
YouTube: @RealHeidiPowell
Train with Heidi on her Show Up App: https://www.showupfit.app/

Connect with Lauren Douglas:
Website: https://nulevelwellness.com/
Instagram: @laurendouglas_fnp (https://www.instagram.com/laurendouglas_fnp/)

About Lauren Douglas:
Lauren Douglas, FNP-C, is a Family Nurse Practitioner specializing in longevity, hormone, and metabolic health. After beginning in primary care, she shifted her focus to helping women navigate perimenopause and menopause with informed, compassionate support. As part of NuLevel Wellness, she helps patients restore energy, balance hormones, and improve vitality. Her approach bridges science and real life — so women feel informed, empowered, and supported.

Last night, I scrolled all the way back to 2016.

Not to reminisce. Not to brag. Not to cringe.

But to meet her.

The woman who was strong, visible, admired, and constantly performing.
The woman who finally felt desirable.
The woman who thought perfection would make her safe.
The woman who had no idea what was coming.

This episode began as a light conversation about the “2016 is the new 2026” Instagram trend. It became something else entirely.

It became a mirror. A reckoning. A soft, emotional reunion with every version of myself I’ve ever been. And man… it wasn’t an easy reunion.

In this episode, I share (through some tears) what it felt like to scroll through old photos, old captions, and old identities, feel the pain my past caused some, and realize how far I’ve traveled from the life built on validation…to this new life built on peace. <3

This is not an episode about social media. It’s an episode about facing and outgrowing who we once were and learning to love the versions of you that you might’ve struggled to be proud of.

In this episode, I talk about:

Why seeing old versions of ourselves can feel emotional, painful, or embarrassing
The 2016 version of me who lived for validation and performance VS the 2026 version of me who lives for peace and presence
What it feels like to realize you were powerful and powerless at the same time
How I really hurt my last marriage. Ouch.
The grief that comes with outgrowing your former identity
When confidence was actually insecurity in disguise
Perfectionism, OCD, and needing control to feel safe
The cost of external validation
The relief of letting go of the masks we thought we needed
How pain, rupture, and failure shaped the peace I feel now
Why embarrassment about your past self is actually proof of growth
Meeting the woman you used to be with compassion instead of shame

Gentle content note:

This episode includes discussion of body image, perfectionism, marriage rupture, emotional vulnerability, and self-reflection.

What to do after listening:

Scroll back—not to judge, but to witness.
Notice what your past self was trying to survive.
Ask yourself: What masks am I finally ready to release?
Remember: Peace is louder than performance, even when it looks quieter.

Here are the key moments from the episode:

00:00 Recording bare-faced and what being seen really triggers
04:15 Why I avoid seeing my own face on camera
09:40 The 2016 trend and why I decided to scroll back
14:30 Meeting the woman I used to be
18:45 The year everything was built on validation
23:40 When gratitude and insecurity lived side by side
27:50 The identity built on perfectionism
31:10 Realizing the pain I caused and holding compassion
36:20 Outgrowing performance-based worth
41:00 “Even when I was off track, I was on track”
46:10 The peace I never knew I was missing
49:40 What 2016 Heidi would think of 2026 Heidi
52:00 Closing reflections: Choosing presence over perfection

Connect with Heidi:

Website: https://heidipowell.net/
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @realheidipowell
Facebook: Heidi Powell
YouTube: @RealHeidiPowell
Train with Heidi on her Show Up App: https://www.showupfit.app/

This conversation isn’t really about rules.

It’s about the moments we don’t look… because looking would require us to choose.
In Part 2 of this opening 2026 conversation, I’m back with my best friend, Keira Brinton, and we talk about what happens when awareness replaces avoidance — in love, money, faith, intimacy, and self-trust.

This episode is raw. It’s quiet in places. It’s honest in ways that feel slightly uncomfortable — and deeply freeing.

We talk about grief that lives in the body, the loneliness that success doesn’t protect you from, the fantasies we fall in love with, and the power we unknowingly give away when we don’t trust ourselves enough to see clearly.

Nothing here is polished.
Everything here is real.

In this episode, we talk about:
The subtle ways we give our power to outside authority — and why it feels safer than trusting ourselves
Avoidance as self-protection… and how it quietly costs us intimacy and truth
“Anything measured improves” — and what happens when we stop measuring because we’re afraid of what we’ll see
Touch, grief, and the kind of healing the body does without asking permission
The loneliness that can exist inside success
Fantasy vs. reality in love — and why both can keep us stuck
Power, worthiness, and the stories we tell ourselves about being chosen
Judgment, compassion, and what changes when we let people be human
Faith without dogma — truth, love, and integrity as lived experiences
What reclaiming your power actually feels like (hint: it’s not loud)

Gentle content note:
This episode includes discussion of intimacy, grief, sexually transmitted infections, and emotional vulnerability.

What to do after listening:
Notice one place you’ve been avoiding — not to fix it, just to see it.
Ask yourself: Where have I been giving my power to something outside of me?
Let one truth you already know guide a single decision this week.
Remember: softness and strength are not opposites.

Here are the key moments from the episode:
00:00 This Isn’t About Rules — It’s About Power
04:10 Awareness vs. Avoidance (and Why Not Looking Feels Easier)
08:55 “Anything Measured Improves”… Until We Stop Measuring
14:20 Exhaustion, Success, and Losing Touch with Yourself
19:40 Touch, Grief, and the Body’s Memory
26:10 Loneliness Isn’t Fixed by Achievement
31:45 Fantasy vs. Reality in Love
37:30 When Not Knowing Becomes a Choice
43:05 Power, Worthiness, and Being Chosen
49:50 Judgment, Compassion, and Letting People Be Human
56:35 God as Truth. God as Love.
1:02:10 Calling Your Power Back Without Hardening
1:08:40 Choosing Reality — Even When It’s Harder
1:13:30 Closing Reflections: What Changes When You Trust Yourself

Connect with Heidi:
Website: https://heidipowell.net/
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @realheidipowell
Facebook: Heidi Powell
YouTube: @RealHeidiPowell
Train with Heidi on her Show Up App: https://www.showupfit.app/

Connect with Keira Brinton:
Website: https://www.keirabrinton.com/
Instagram: @keirabrinton

About Keira Brinton:
Keira Brinton is the CEO & Founder of JOA Publishing, host of the Sacred Wandering podcast, 7x author, and creator of the Book Activator method. She helps visionaries bring their truth into form — blending strategy and spirit, devotion and discipline — and is known for making the impossible feel inevitable.

It’s the first episode of 2026, and we’re flipping New Year’s resolutions on their head. I’m joined by my best friend (and the woman who helped bring this podcast to life), Keira Brinton, on the pod today, where we talk about WHY January pressures set so many of us up to fail!! In this conversation, Keira and I talk about how to start this year in a way that actually matches real life, real energy, and real healing. We go deep on integrity, self-trust, cycles (in nature + in your body), and the mindset shifts that turn “starting over” into steady momentum.

In this episode, we talk about:
Why “New Year, New You” hits hardest in the coldest, darkest season—and why that matters
The idea that a 500-year-old calendar system isn’t a good blueprint for motivation (Gregorian calendar history) Encyclopedia Virginia+2HISTORY+2
Why most people quit early—and how to stop making that mean something about you.
The real foundation: integrity with yourself (and why overcommitting breaks self-trust)
“Your pace is allowed to be your pace”—and how cycles apply to reinvention
A mindset experiment that shows how your brain “fills in the gaps” based on what you focus on
Prayer/gratitude as a frequency shift (moving from “please help me” to “thank you, it’s already here”)
The rules that shaped my life (Bob Parsons’ “16 Rules”) and the ones that still guide me today Bob Parsons
The line I swear by: a good plan executed today beats a perfect plan that never happens

Gentle content note: This episode includes discussion of suicidal ideation and mental health struggles.

What to do after listening (simple action steps):
Instead of a January overhaul, choose one tiny “Kaizen” move you can repeat daily. Wikipedia+1
Write your version of: “Thank you for…” (safety, health, support, strength)—and sit in it for 60 seconds.
Pick ONE decision you’ve been dragging out and execute a “good plan” today.

What’s coming next: Keira is back for Episode 80, and we’re continuing the rest of the 16 Rules (plus some real-life stories that usually stay in our voice memos).

Watch this full episode on YouTube here or head to https://www.youtube.com/@RealHeidiPowell.

Here are the key moments from the episode:
00:00 Why This New Year Needed a Different Conversation
02:05 The Origin Story of Heidi’s Lane—and the Woman Who Helped Start It
06:45 “Lonely at the Top”—What Success Doesn’t Protect You From
10:55 A Raw Conversation About Mental Health, Darkness, and Being Seen
14:01 The Night Everything Almost Ended
18:12 What Actually Saved Her Life
24:45 Winter Is for Rest—Not Reinvention
29:40 You Are Literally Not the Same Person You Were Years Ago
34:35 Letting Your Ex (and Yourself) Be New
37:55 The Mindset Experiment That Proves Focus Shapes Reality
40:45 Why Gratitude Changes What You Attract
45:30 The Rules That Quietly Shaped My Life
49:05 Comfort Zones, Perseverance & Being 10 Feet from Gold
54:07 Integrity, Self-Trust, and Lasting Change
59:20 A Good Plan Executed Today Beats a Perfect Plan Someday
1:04:40 How to Do 2026 Differently—Without Burning Out

Connect with Heidi:
Website: https://heidipowell.net/
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @realheidipowell
Facebook: Heidi Powell
YouTube: @RealHeidiPowell
Train with Heidi on her Show Up App: https://www.showupfit.app/

Connect with Keira Brinton:
Website: https://www.keirabrinton.com/
Instagram: @keirabrinton

About Keira Brinton:
Keira Brinton is the CEO & Founder of JOA Publishing, host of the Sacred Wandering podcast, 7x author, and creator of the internationally known Book Activator method. She is “The People’s Publisher,” helping visionaries channel, write, and launch the books they were born to lead with. Through her retreats, webinars, TV show Writer’s Island, and her publishing house, Keira has activated thousands of authors into their life’s work. She blends strategy and spirit, business and devotion, and is known for making the impossible feel inevitable.