Girls With Guts
Follow the gutsy gals each week as they invite a featured guest do a deep dive into a challenging chronic illness topic. Each episode will provide insider tips and inspire you with personal stories of healing and perseverance, encouraging you to stay strong no matter your daily challenges.
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Lauren Nichols: Fighting for Advocacy for Long COVID Patients
07/05/2022
Lauren Nichols: Fighting for Advocacy for Long COVID Patients
On this week’s episode, Alanna and Nicole are joined by Lauren Nichols, whom Alanna found on Instagram via hashtags, in the middle of COVID lockdowns. Lauren suffers from and is an advocate for Long COVID – in fact, she is one of the first persons known to be suffering from this disorder. In this episode, she explains her optimal health prior to having COVID (she was healthy other than having insomnia). She shares with us how she was one of the first people in the country to be infected with COVID – and doctors didn’t take her seriously at first because she presented with severe GI issues and not respiratory symptoms. From there, she continued to get worse instead of better – and hasn’t been “normal” since. Her symptoms didn't start there. As the conversation builds, we learn about the consequences of her lingering symptoms, including her stroke, how it takes her hours just to get out of bed each day, and so much more. Lauren also revealed to us details about the toll that COVID takes on the reproductive system, especially in women, which many tend to ignore. This is a timely episode with summer gatherings and barbecues here for the ne If you want to learn more about the podcast and the hosts, visit our website at . Follow us on social media! Instagram: Twitter: Facebook: Alanna’s Instagram: Nicole’s Instagram: Lauren’s Socials: Instagram: Body Politic Socials: Instagram: Website:
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Leslie Jacobs Toole: I have the BRCA Gene - So I Got a Double Mastectomy
06/21/2022
Leslie Jacobs Toole: I have the BRCA Gene - So I Got a Double Mastectomy
On this week’s episode, Nicole and Alanna are joined by Leslie Jacobs Toole, a local Cincinnati momma with a story to tell. She had actually followed Alanna for a while on social media and once she learned of GWGP, she reached out to share her BRCA Gene story with the gals. Being a topic both Alanna and Nicole were not very familiar with, it was a no-brainer to have her on the show. In this episode, Leslie shares with us about her long family history with breast cancer - including her mother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at the young age of 34. After witnessing her mother's suffering, she recognized the very real possibility she could have the BRCA Gene and also develop cancer like her mother. Against her mother's blessing, Leslie got tested - and the test came back positive. Then, in 2012 at the age of 24, she took her own health into her hands and got a double mastectomy. We were so blessed that Leslie felt comfortable enough to share the vulnerable details of how cancer and BRCA has affected her life - and we think others who are in a similar position will feel comforted and seen by her kind testimony - including how neglecting her emotional healing led her down a path that eventually led to her sobriety (7 years now!) If your family has been touched by breast cancer and you're curious about the BRCA gene, then this is a wonderful conversation that you absolutely won’t want to miss! If you want to learn more about the podcast and the hosts, visit our website at . Follow us on social media! Instagram: Twitter: Facebook: Alanna’s Instagram: Nicole’s Instagram: Leslie’s Socials: Instagram: Bright Pink, A Supportive Community for Breats and Ovarian Cancer: Website: Instagram:
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Krista Deveau: My Pregnancy with an Ostomy
06/14/2022
Krista Deveau: My Pregnancy with an Ostomy
Our first-ever guest on the podcast is back and better than ever! If you haven’t listened to the first episode with Krista Deveau, now is a great time to do just that (note: it’s not necessary to listen to the first one to understand this episode, it will just give you more of an overview on Krista’s health story/background). In her second round with the Alanna and Nicole, Krista shares with us what it is like being pregnant with her ostomy bag. She tells us how she discovered she was pregnant, how her food tolerances have changed (i.e. she can eat A LOT MORE now!) and soo much more. If you have ever thought getting pregnant with an ostomy bag can’t happen, Krista is here to prove to you it absolutely can, without issue. This is a wonderful episode that you won’t want to miss, because Krista is just so darn likable! She makes everyone want to be her friend and we know you’ll leave the episode feeling the same. If you want to learn more about the podcast and the hosts, visit our website at . Follow us on social media! Instagram: @girlswithgutspodcast Twitter: @girlswithgutspodcast Facebook: Alanna’s Instagram: @alannamartella Nicole’s Instagram: @thenikkidee Krista’s Socials: Instagram: @my.gut.instinct
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Alyssa Sabo: Pursuing My Comedy Dreams After a Liver Transplant
06/01/2022
Alyssa Sabo: Pursuing My Comedy Dreams After a Liver Transplant
Whew. Be ready to laugh, to cry, to feel all the feels in this week’s episode! Alanna and Nicole are joined by Alyssa Sabo, Nicole’s friend, who is a comedian/actress/writer based in LA. What many people don’t know about Alyssa is that she received a life-saving liver transplant in 2011 because of Wilson’s Disease. Alyssa shares with us her wild story of the emergent diagnosis, how she was in a coma for weeks and her healing following the liver transplant. She discusses her lifestyle following transplant, stories of relapsing and so much more. You’ll leave this episode absolutely adoring Alyssa and wanting to root for her (and wanting to watch her on Gaslit). This is a can’t-miss episode! If you want to learn more about the podcast and the hosts, visit our website at . Follow us on social media! Instagram: @girlswithgutspodcast Twitter: @girlswithgutspodcast Facebook: Alanna’s Instagram: Nicole’s Instagram: Alyssa’s Socials: Instagram: Facebook: TikTok: Website:
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Megan Marsiglio: Bathroom Anxiety and Breaking the Taboo on Poo
05/24/2022
Megan Marsiglio: Bathroom Anxiety and Breaking the Taboo on Poo
This is probably the wildest episode yet. Truly. We get pretty raw about all things poop-related. It's even hard to type.....such a taboo subject! Alanna and Nicole are joined by Megan Marsiglio -- a mom, wife, entrepreneur, gut health advocate, and along with Nicole, a fellow Crohn-y. This episode gets real down and dirty! For years, Megan felt extremely isolated and humiliated about having a digestive issue - feeling like she was the only person who was anxious about making it to the bathroom "in time." As she slowly began opening up about her Crohn's Disease and what she was dealing with, she discovered how many others dealt with the same issues, and how many kept it to themselves due to embarrassment. It was then that she realized she had to do something to increase the conversation and push awareness - and became the founder of The Gut Gazette. In this episode we chat about bathroom anxiety when it comes to going at the workplace, when you’re dating, when you’re driving on a highway and have GOT TO GO NOW, etc. We even cross the lines of pooping your pants. This episode is not for the faint of heart, BUT it is so incredibly important to realize our bodies NEED to poop to survive and it should be something that is celebrated and not frowned upon! If you want to learn more about the podcast and the hosts, visit our website at . Follow us on social media! Instagram: Twitter: Facebook: Alanna’s Instagram: Nicole’s Instagram: Megan's Socials: Instagram: and Website:
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Lindsay Mitchell: Relief From Lyme & Other Symptoms Through Brain Re-Training
05/10/2022
Lindsay Mitchell: Relief From Lyme & Other Symptoms Through Brain Re-Training
This week’s episode is amazing! Nicole and Alanna are joined by Lindsay Mitchell, the creator of which is (as Lindsay puts it) an innovative approach to intentional brain re-training. After successfully healing herself from crippling chronic symptoms from Lyme disease, Lindsay invested all of her energy into creating this four-step method in order to help others who are suffering to find relief and achieve long-term results from all kinds of chronic illnesses - including arthritis, Crohn's disease, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, depression, Hashimoto's and more. In our conversation, Lindsay reveals the process that led her from her work as a certified physician's assistant to discovering and then fully investing in the power of neuroplasticity. We discuss how she created Vital Side to focus on neuroscience, mental exercises and visualization, which in turn helps to regulate the nervous system and calm symptoms. If you're looking for relief of any kind of ongoing ailment, you're going to want to tune in - this episode truly illustrates the connection of the body & mind and how our trauma and mental state can really affect our physical state. You won’t want to miss this! If you want to learn more about the podcast and the hosts, visit our website at . Follow us on social media! Instagram: Twitter: Facebook: Alanna’s Instagram: Nicole’s Instagram: Lindsay's Socials: Instagram: Twitter: TikTok: Company Website:
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Amy Suto: Ghostwriting Around the World with Rheumatoid Arthritis
05/03/2022
Amy Suto: Ghostwriting Around the World with Rheumatoid Arthritis
On this week’s episode Nicole and Alanna are joined by Amy Suto, who was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis during the pandemic. This conversation is extremely interesting, as Amy is in her 20s and most people with RA are diagnosed between the ages of 30 to 50. Like the common experience of many women with chronic illnesses, her college clinic doctors didn't take her early RA symptoms and pain seriously -- which caused her symptoms to go undiagnosed for several years until they became full-blown. In this fast-paced, honest, motivational conversation, Amy discusses her early challenges in functioning and healing with RA. Besides inflammatory food, she also reveals the most common cause for a flare up -- you guessed it -- stress! (Being that Amy is always out conquering her business world, stress is something that is tricky for her to manage -- so she shares her tips with us!) She also shares how she handles her RA while traveling (she is a freelance writer, ghostwriter and founder so travels A LOT), the importance of having an understanding/supportive partner while battling a chronic illness, the reality of losing friends during the healing process, changing our relationships to food, and SO MUCH MORE! *Pass me the castor oil liver packs* This conversation is so interesting and you will learn A TON! If you're a productive go-getter who struggles with the daily handicaps of having a chronic illness... this episode is going to make you feel so seen. --------------------- Show Amy and the podcast some love by giving us a listen and downloading this episode! And don’t forget to leave us a review on – we love to hear from you! If you want to learn more about the podcast and the hosts, visit our website at . Follow us on social media! Instagram: Twitter: Facebook: Alanna’s Instagram: Nicole’s Instagram: Amy's Socials: Instagram: TikTok: Blog: Amy's RA Website: Bonus: Amy's Nutritionist, Katie LeBlanc:
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Vanessa Bighinatti: Using Food As Medicine
04/26/2022
Vanessa Bighinatti: Using Food As Medicine
In this episode, the Gutsy Gals are joined by Vanessa Bighinatti, a holistic health and wellness coach who takes pride in helping others heal their bodies naturally through nutrition and mindset. Vanessa was only in her twenties when she received her Lyme diagnosis, and she revealed to us the debilitating symptoms she lived with for YEARS (and how she was even bound to a cane at one point!) Then, one day she decided enough was enough. She changed her diet and witness dramatic results - and the rest is history! In this conversation, she explains to us how food can be medicine for any ailment (sweet potatoes to help with depression?!), the importance of being your own advocate, even the importance of mindset. Vanessa also adds in a little chat about Reiki, which Alanna is a BIG advocate of! This is one of the most educational episodes to date! We hope you feel inspired to try changing your relationship with food after this conversation, and maybe move towards eating for a better life and healing <3
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Moyna John: Healing Through Sharing My MS Journey
04/19/2022
Moyna John: Healing Through Sharing My MS Journey
Our next guest, Moyna John, is a writer and popular content creator living with Multiple Sclerosis. In this week's episode, Moyna shares with us her journey since being diagnosed – which happened relatively recently – and how it has impacted life with her then-fiancé/now husband (hint: not much has changed!) After receiving her diagnosis, Moyna sought out an MS community to learn and heal with; however, she was unable to find people close to her age or with much diversity at all. Thanks to her creativity, skill and realness, Moyna was able to blow up in the digital space and carve a path of her own, chronicling her journey battling a chronic illness as a POC and encouraging young people of all backgrounds to come together and learn about their MS. In this episode, she gets real on the struggles of balancing flare-ups with being a mom, and she even reads us excerpts from her most popular published articles that discuss various tips and tricks for living and thriving with MS. You’ll leave this episode feeling as if you just listened to a close friend - because Moyna is SO DARN RELATABLE! Show Moyna and the podcast some love by giving us a listen and downloading this episode! And don’t forget to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts – we love to hear from you! If you want to learn more about the podcast and the hosts, visit our website at . Follow us on social media! Instagram: Twitter: Facebook: Alanna’s Instagram: Nicole’s Instagram: Chloe's Socials: Instagram: TikTok: Blog: Pinterest:
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Chloe Temtchine: Finding My Voice After Double Lung Transplant
04/12/2022
Chloe Temtchine: Finding My Voice After Double Lung Transplant
A brush with death can completely change your entire way of thinking! On this week’s episode, Nicole and Alanna are joined by Chloe Temtchine, an award-winning singer, songwriter and speaker who is one of the most inspiring and positive people that has ever graced the waves of this podcast. Seemingly out of nowhere, Chloe was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension/PVOD - and was given little time to live. However, with oxygen tank in tow, she sang through her 12 year struggle that resulted in cardiac arrest and a coma... which ultimately resulted in her having a double-lung transplant. In this uplifting episode, Chloe tells us how her lung transplant has impacted her life and career, how she copes with the unknowns following a transplant, and how very little can shake her after all she’s been through. This is definitely one episode you do NOT want to miss. You’ll leave feeling in awe of the way Chloe views life and her illness and will be inspired to live the same - no matter where you are in your journey. If you want to learn more about the podcast and the hosts, visit our website at . Follow us on social media! Instagram: Twitter: Facebook: Alanna’s Instagram: Nicole’s Instagram: Chloe's Socials: Instagram: TikTok: Website: YouTube: and
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Spina Bifida & Dismantling Ableism
04/05/2022
Spina Bifida & Dismantling Ableism
Welcome back to season two, everyone! We hope you are happy, healthy and as excited as we are to launch this next chapter of our podcast! To kick off season two, Nicole and Alanna are joined by Andrea Lausell – a Los Angeles-based actress, influencer and social activist who was born with Spina Bifida. In this episode, Andrea discusses the role Agent Orange played in her disability and how she has used her platform on social media to create videos featuring tips and tricks to thrive despite the challenges stacked against her – (hint: check out her YouTube & Instagram/TikTok…she is incredible!) Andrea reveals to us the challenges of being an influencer for the disabled community and the pressures that coincide, as well as how she has made it her mission to dismantle ableism. She also touches on how she was told at an early age she won’t make it to 30 – something she talks about openly and jokingly. This is an episode that will shed new light on being born with a disability and will pull at your heartstrings – Happy Season 2, everyone! If you want to learn more about the podcast and the hosts, visit our website at . Follow us on social media! Instagram: Twitter: Facebook: Alanna’s Instagram: Nicole’s Instagram: Andrea’s Socials: Instagram: TikTok: Website: YouTube: Ko-fi:
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Stevi Gable Carr: Cervical Cancer and the Toxic Productivity Link
10/19/2021
Stevi Gable Carr: Cervical Cancer and the Toxic Productivity Link
This week, we're joined by Alanna’s friend and certified badass Stevi Gable Carr, Founder & CEO of WISe Wellness Guild, a platform that works to advance women through whole-self wellness.
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Sam Abel: No, Extreme Period Pain is NOT Normal
09/28/2021
Sam Abel: No, Extreme Period Pain is NOT Normal
Alanna and Nicole are joined this week by Endometriosis Warrior Sam Abel, who is taking initiative and sharing her journey with this debilitating disease on social media. Sam tells us about her symptoms – which severely impacted her life – and how she had to deal with these symptoms for SIX YEARS before one doctor finally took her seriously. She talks about her various surgeries, the importance of advocating for yourself and how she is now inspiring others to speak up and speak out.
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Brittany Baldi: The Scary Side of Allergies
09/14/2021
Brittany Baldi: The Scary Side of Allergies
This week on the podcast, we have an EXCLUSIVE! Nicole & Alanna are joined by Alanna’s friend Brittany Baldi – a Boston-area native, social media influencer, podcast host & former reality TV star! Recently, on Britt’s podcast (The BosBabes), Britt shared something shocking with Alanna: that she suffers from allergies so severe that she's been hospitalized multiple times throughout her life!
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Cody O'Connor: Traversing the USA After Ewing's Sarcoma
09/07/2021
Cody O'Connor: Traversing the USA After Ewing's Sarcoma
This week, the Gals are joined by Alanna’s friend Cody O’Connor, who is having a rest day at the time of recording – while embarking on a journey WALKING ACROSS THE COUNTRY to raise money for cancer research!
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Lauren Berberich: Healing Trauma with EMDR
08/31/2021
Lauren Berberich: Healing Trauma with EMDR
In this episode, Nicole and Alanna are joined by Lauren Berberich, a mental health professional in Alaska, to talk about EMDR - and how this form of science-based therapy can help enable people to heal from symptoms and emotional distress that are a result of a triggering experience.
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Meredith Barack: Unlocking the Clues to My Celiac
08/24/2021
Meredith Barack: Unlocking the Clues to My Celiac
This week on the podcast, the Gutsy Gals chat with Alanna’s Friend/News Reporter/Celiac Warrior Meredith Barack (well, Nicole does most of the talking since Alanna lost her voice!)
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Conor Daly: Full Throttle Despite Type I Diabetes
08/03/2021
Conor Daly: Full Throttle Despite Type I Diabetes
This week, the Gutsy Gals chat with Alanna’s friend Conor Daly, an Indianapolis-based professional INDYCAR driver who lives life full-throttle - despite living with Type 1 Diabetes. We chat about his diagnosis, how he manages a high-intensity sport with his condition, his discipline with diet and exercise, how he doesn’t let his condition get in the way of living a normal life, and so much more! And Conor is hilarious, so you won’t leave this one without cracking up!
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Tamara Paquette: Curing My "Incurable" Cancer w/ Gerson Therapy
07/27/2021
Tamara Paquette: Curing My "Incurable" Cancer w/ Gerson Therapy
Originally, when we booked Nicole's friend Tamara for this conversation, we planned on discussing her battle with Stage 4 HER2+ Metastatic Breast Cancer - and the success she's found in beating it NATURALLY with Gerson Therapy. But we got so much more! Tamara reveals to us that she had kept the cancer a secret from her friends and planned to make it to one more big bash before she kicked the bucket - but as her "death day" approached, something unexpected happened that reignited her will to live...
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Danny Gomez: Paralysis & the Power of YES
07/20/2021
Danny Gomez: Paralysis & the Power of YES
This one is longer, but TOTALLY WORTH EVERY MINUTE!
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Dr. Abby: Stress-Induced Hair Loss & Regrowth Tips
07/13/2021
Dr. Abby: Stress-Induced Hair Loss & Regrowth Tips
Have you ever dealt with excessive hair shedding? Not just your standard "losing hair in the shower" type of hair shedding -- we're talking “hair coming out in clumps” type of hair shedding! It can not only be scary but can also take a major toll on your emotions. This week on the podcast, we speak with Dr. Abby Waldman, a dermatologist in Boston, Massachusetts, about Telogen Effluvium - a very common phenomenon of temporary hair loss which happens after some sort of stress, trauma or shock to the body.
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Britt Turpack: Active Tools for Managing Your Mental Health
07/06/2021
Britt Turpack: Active Tools for Managing Your Mental Health
Have you noticed that whenever you feel bad physically, your mental health also tends to go in a downward spiral?
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Dr. Towfigh: Hernias & the Problem with "Bikini Medicine"
06/29/2021
Dr. Towfigh: Hernias & the Problem with "Bikini Medicine"
Have you ever been blown off by doctors about pain or symptoms you are experiencing? If yes, this episode is for you! In this week’s chat, we welcome Dr. Shirin Towfigh, a Board-Certified General Surgeon at the Beverly Hills Hernia Center in Southern California. Dr. Towfigh isn’t only Nicole’s literal lifesaver, but she is also world-renowned for her treatment of hernias and hernia-related complications - and is sought out by patients across the globe for help when it comes to unknown abdominal pain.
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Krista Deveau: Can I Wear a Bikini w/ an Ostomy?
06/22/2021
Krista Deveau: Can I Wear a Bikini w/ an Ostomy?
YES YOU CAN! A kindergarten teacher from Alberta, Canada, Krista Deveau is known on IG as a passionate Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) & body positivity advocate. After being diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in 2001, she had no choice but to undergo multiple bowel resections. She tried every medication to treat the illness - with little/no relief. Then, in April 2018, Krista had a final surgery to remove what was left of her diseased colon - and as a result, her stoma was born - which changed her life :)
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That One Time Alanna Died
06/15/2021
That One Time Alanna Died
Welcome to the podcast everyone! In this first episode, Alanna and Nicole introduce themselves and explain their cross-country production experience before jumping into the nitty gritty. Alanna reveals her volvulus story - how she died from it - and how she lived to thrive as a Cincinnati newswoman. Nicole reveals her more recent experience with a cecal volvulus and why it took her so long to get surgery.
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