This episode is Part 2 of a series on Erectile Dysfunction.

In this episode I discuss with Vancouver based Conselor Justin Paulsen:

• How mental and emotional factors play a role in ED
• How stress and the nervous system affect erectile function
• Porn use and its relationship to ED
• Masculinity and identity tied to erections
• Performance anxiety
• Relationship factors
• Pelvic floor patterns and physiotherapy
• Misconceptions about kegels
• How can therapy help? (sex therapy, couples therapy)
• Successful sex’ beyond penetration
• How can people rebuild confidence after repeated ED experiences?
• Medical red flags

Justin Paulsen (he/him) is a virtual Psychotherapist, Couples Counsellor and Clinical Sexologist based in Vancouver. He works with individuals and couples on mental health concerns, relationship and communication concerns, and sexual concerns. His research background is in penis complications such as erectile dysfunction and premature or delayed ejaculation.

Justin works from a holistic solution-focused approach as he works together with clients to take a look at thoughts, feelings, and the nervous system to help you manage stressors and build stronger relationships and fulfilling sex lives - almost like a personal trainer for your emotional, relational, and sexual health! Along the way you may laugh, cry, and celebrate as you work towards your goals

Be sure to check out Episode 127 with Urologist Dr. Chris Bitcon first which addresses:

• What is erectile dysfunction (ED)?
• At what point does it move from a temporary issue to a condition requiring a doctor's visit?
• Primary causes (prostate treatment, vascular, hormonal, neurological, psychological)
• What can you do before you go see a urologist?
• Treatment options

THANK YOU TO THIS EPISODE SPONSOR

SRC Health: Use the link below for a discount at checkout!

https://srchealth.com/?ref=PELVICFLOORPROJECT

Thanks for joining me!
Here is where you can find out how to work with me: www.pelvicfloorprojectspace.com/

mel@pelvicfloorprojectspace.com

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In this episode, I discuss with Kelowna based urologist Dr. Chris Bitcon:

• What is erectile dysfunction (ED)?
• At what point does it move from a temporary issue to a condition requiring a doctor's visit?
• Primary causes (prostate treatment, vascular, hormonal, neurological, psychological)
• What can you do before you go see a urologist?
• Treatment options

Dr Chris Bitcon is a practicing Urologist in Kelowna. Dr. Bitcon grew up in Kelowna and is the epitome of a BC boy: involved in every sport under the sun and loves being outdoors. He completed medical school at UBC’s Island Medical Program in Victoria and urology residency at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He went on to complete a co-fellowship through the University of Toronto, specializing in both minimally invasive/robotic surgery as well as pediatric urology. Though he has two sub-specialties, he remains passionate about being a true general urologist and treats all urologic conditions.

EPISODE 128 will be PART 2 of this episode with Justin Paulsen (Psychotherapist/Couples Counsellor/Clinical Sexologist)

THANK YOU TO THIS EPISODE SPONSOR

SRC Health: Use the link below for a discount at checkout!

https://srchealth.com/?ref=PELVICFLOORPROJECT

Thanks for joining me!
Here is where you can find out how to work with me: www.pelvicfloorprojectspace.com/

mel@pelvicfloorprojectspace.com

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In this solo episode, I talk about:

• What may happen in a pelvic floor appointment (specific to internal assessment)
• The importance of finding a therapist that feels right to you (we don’t all practice the same)
• My clinical practice process and how each patient influences this
• What happens when you have your period

THANK YOU TO THIS EPISODE SPONSOR

SRC Health: Use the link below for a discount at checkout!

https://srchealth.com/?ref=PELVICFLOORPROJECT

Thanks for joining me!
Here is where you can find out how to work with me: www.pelvicfloorprojectspace.com/

mel@pelvicfloorprojectspace.com

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In this episode, I discuss with fellow physiotherapist Carina Siracusa

• Explanation of our body’s bowel and bladder function
• At what level Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis and Stroke affect these systems
• Medication considerations and side effects
• How is the pelvic floor related and how it is NOT
• How we can help as physiotherapists
• How patients can advocate for themselves

Dr. Carina Siracusa has been a practicing physical therapist since she graduated from Ohio University with her doctorate in physical therapy in 2005. She has practiced in the areas of pediatric, neurologic, oncologic, and pelvic floor physical therapy in her tenure as a physical therapist. She currently works in the neurologic rehab department at OhioHealth in Columbus, Ohio, seeing patients of all ages and abilities with pelvic floor dysfunction. She also serves as the oncology rehabilitation coordinator and the wheelchair clinic coordinator in this hospital system. She has been teaching for the Academy of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy since 2010 in the pelvic health series. She has also taught as adjunct clinical faculty at several universities. She has given multiple presentations all over the world on the topics of neurologic and pediatric pelvic health. She also teaches several two-day courses on the subjects of pediatric and neurologic pelvic health.

Instagram: @carinadpt

Mentoring available through Carina: @SynapsePTMentoring

THANK YOU TO THIS EPISODE SPONSOR

SRC Health: Use the link below for a discount at checkout!

https://srchealth.com/?ref=PELVICFLOORPROJECT

Thanks for joining me!
Here is where you can find out how to work with me: www.pelvicfloorprojectspace.com/

mel@pelvicfloorprojectspace.com

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In this episode, I discuss with psychologist Kristy Money:

• Her experience growing up in a mormon community surrounded by purity culture and the difficulties of making the “switch” to sexuality and pleasure
• Sexual shame
• Mind/body connection
• Ideas for where you can start if you sense you could use some guidance

Kristy Money, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist, feminist advocate, and expert in women’s sexual health. She has written widely on trauma, consent, and purity culture in outlets like the Salt Lake Tribune and Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and has been featured in The New York Times, HuffPost, and The Guardian. Her podcast work—Healthy Mormon Journeys and Mormon Transitions—each garnered over 500,000 downloads in their first year, and her guest episodes on Mormon Stories remain among its most listened-to. Drawing on her academic training and personal experience with anorgasmia, Kristy offers compassionate, research-backed tools to help women reconnect with their erotic selves. Her voice resonates deeply with women navigating post-religious identity, sexual healing, and embodied self-discovery. She's the founder of Hill Country Neuropsychology and lives in Texas with her husband and five children.

HOW TO CONTACT KRISTY

Website: www.kristymoney.com

THANK YOU TO THIS EPISODE SPONSOR

SRC Health: Use the link below for a discount at checkout!

https://srchealth.com/?ref=PELVICFLOORPROJECT

Thanks for joining me!
Here is where you can find out how to work with me: www.pelvicfloorprojectspace.com/

mel@pelvicfloorprojectspace.com

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In this episode, I discuss with founder of Menopause Chicks, Shirley Weir:

• Certain brands of Menopause hormone therapy are now covered in BC as of March 1st as part of the new National PharmaCare program
• What we know about benefits to using menopause therapy
• The surge in information and physician education
• AND most importantly, how you can feel empowered to talk to your provider and pharmacist to ensure you are doing what is right for you

Shirley Weir introduces herself as a "menopause chick" and is here to remind all of us: we deserve to feel amazing! This is a significant pivot from how most of the world thinks about perimenopause, menopause & postmenopause, and Shirley is leading this important paradigm shift.

She is 59 years old, reached menopause at 49, and for the last 12 years has been educating, advocating, and answering thousands of women's health questions via MenopauseChicks.com and its popular private online community, with over 60,000 members. Shirley's vision is for everyone to have access to evidence-based health information in order to navigate perimenopause-to-postmenopause with confidence and ease! And her goal today is for you to walk away from this session thinking, "Hmm... I never thought about menopause that way before!”

LINKS MENTIONED

www.menopausechicks.com

Facebook

THANK YOU TO THIS EPISODE SPONSOR

SRC Health: Use the link below for a discount at checkout!

https://srchealth.com/?ref=PELVICFLOORPROJECT

Thanks for joining me!
Here is where you can find out how to work with me: www.pelvicfloorprojectspace.com/

mel@pelvicfloorprojectspace.com

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In this episode, Occupational Therapist Dr. Quiara Smith and I discuss:

• Potty learning vs potty training
• What do we need to see in our kids to know they are ready to potty train?
• Ideal age?
• How does the pelvic floor relate to potty training?
• What is required for night time continence?
• Tips
• How childhood habits can translate to adult symptoms
• Should we reward?
• Constipation

Dr. Quiara Smith, OTD, MOT, OTR/L, CEIM has been practicing as an Occupational Therapist for over 15 years in both California and Hawaii working in various settings including hospitals, schools, an equine center providing hippotherapy as a treatment tool, and outpatient clinics. Her pediatric experience encompasses serving neonates through adolescents with various medical conditions and diagnoses. Dr. Smith began working with pediatric pelvic health patients in a Children’s Hospital in the SF Bay Area in 2015 and found her passion in OT in this area of practice.

Realizing the social, emotional, and psychological challenges that pelvic floor dysfunction places on children and families, Dr. Smith decided to create the very first boutique private pediatric pelvic health occupational therapy clinic of its kind in the US in 2020. Her private practice, Aloha Integrative Therapy , exclusively treats children and adolescents with pelvic floor dysfunction and toileting challenges. Dr. Smith utilizes a holistic and integrative approach to pediatric pelvic floor dysfunction. She partners with her canine assistant, Nelly, a Labrador/golden retriever cross, in guiding children toward continence with confidence. Dr. Smith currently serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program at Hawaii Pacific University.

LINKS MENTIONED

Course: A Holistic and Integrative Approach to Pediatric Pelvic health

Instagram @alohaintegrativetherapy

Tinyhood Courses:

Potty Training Prep: Setting Your Toddler up for Success

Potty Training: The Stress-Free Guide to Success

THANK YOU TO THIS EPISODE SPONSOR

SRC Health: Use the link below for a discount at checkout!

https://srchealth.com/?ref=PELVICFLOORPROJECT

Thanks for joining me!
Here is where you can find out how to work with me: www.pelvicfloorprojectspace.com/

mel@pelvicfloorprojectspace.com

Support the show

In this episode, I discuss with fellow physiotherapist and researcher, Gráinne Donnelly, the effect that social media has on diastasis rectus abdominis:

• The recent study published that evaluated Instagram content related to DRA, exercise, and sports, and explored its perceived impact on the behaviours of women with DRA.
• The majority of diastasis related content on Instagram is not evidence based
• Fear based vs empowering based information

Gráinne Donnelly is an Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner in pelvic health with over 15 years of experience spread across the public health, private practice and clinical research. She is on the Board of Trustees for the Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy (POGP) professional network and charitable body where she is the Editor for the Journal of Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy. She is currently completing her PhD at Cardiff Metropolitan University and her recently edited book “Sports Medicine and the Pelvic Floor: Science to Practice” was released by Elsevier in November 2025 and will be officially published in April 2026.

HOW TO CONTACT GRÁINNE

Instagram

Website

LINKS MENTIONED

#diastasisrecti: a mixed-methods analysis of Instagram posts and their influence on women's exercise and sports participation

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40618057/

Lead researcher: @silviagiagio.physio

THANK YOU TO THIS EPISODE SPONSOR

SRC Health: Use the link below for a discount at checkout!

https://srchealth.com/?ref=PELVICFLOORPROJECT

Thanks for joining me!
Here is where you can find out how to work with me: www.pelvicfloorprojectspace.com/

mel@pelvicfloorprojectspace.com

Support the show