This week on The Pain Gap, we sit down with Samantha Hadadi, women’s health and hormone coach and author of Hormone Goddess: How to Live in Harmony with Your Cycle, for a grounded, honest conversation about what hormone health actually looks like in real life. Samantha shares how years of heavy periods, cystic acne, insomnia, anxiety, miscarriage, and PTSD led her to connect the dots between chronic stress, trauma, and hormonal symptoms, and why “doing everything right” still isn’t enough when the nervous system is overwhelmed.

In this episode, we break down the infradian rhythm and why most wellness advice, built around male biology and circadian rhythms, misses the mark for women. We explore cycle syncing as a practical tool (not a perfection project), how hormonal needs shift across the four phases of the cycle, and why pushing through fatigue, pain, and burnout is often the very thing keeping women stuck. Samantha also speaks candidly about rest as a trauma issue, the power of micro-moments of care, why you can’t out-supplement sleep or safety, and how learning to say no can be one of the most radical health decisions a woman makes.

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To learn more about Anushay Hossain's work, check out Anushay's website or sign up for her substack. To continue the conversation, feel free to DM @anushayhossain or email me at thepaingap@gmail.com

This week on The Pain Gap, we sit down with trauma therapist Allison Kirvan, whose work centers on trauma, EMDR, complex PTSD, and the often invisible emotional patterns that shape our adult lives. Allison helps clients untangle childhood dynamics, understand their nervous systems, and rebuild a sense of safety and self-worth, especially for those who grew up navigating chaos, gaslighting, or emotionally immature parents.

In this conversation, we dig into some of the most misunderstood aspects of healing: why therapy isn’t for “broken people,” how two individuals can experience the same event but walk away with entirely different trauma responses, and what really distinguishes trauma, PTSD, and complex PTSD. Allison also breaks down EMDR in a way everyone can understand, sheds light on nervous system regulation, and shares how everyday “little-t” traumas, microaggressions, chronic criticism, and emotional dismissal accumulate over time. We also talk about identity, culture, and the ways our backgrounds influence how safe we feel in therapy. And Allison offers powerful guidance for anyone who’s tried therapy before and felt like it “didn’t work” and what it really takes to find the right fit.

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To learn more about Anushay Hossain's work, check out Anushay's website or sign up for her substack. To continue the conversation, feel free to DM @anushayhossain or email me at thepaingap@gmail.com

Dr. Sheryl A. Ross, aka “Dr. Sherry”—Ob/Gyn, author, and health expert—has been a fierce advocate for women’s health and reproductive rights for over 30 years. Her book, She-ology: The Definitive Guide to Women’s Intimate Health. Period and she-ology, the she-quel, Let’s Continue the Conversation, were all award-winning bestsellers in women’s health. She co-hosts the highly anticipated podcast Pair-a-Docs: Two Experts. Zero Filters with renowned sex therapist Dr. Tammy Nelson, launching Winter 2026. Dr Sherry is the Chief Medical Officer for Menopause Hormone Therapy for QuickMD, a telehealth platform that launched in October 2025. She is launching Oneself by Dr Sherry, an intimate skincare line, in 2026.

At the core of what Dr Sherry is most passionate about is educating, destigmatizing, and changing the narrative about how people take care of their bodies.

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Instagram @drsherryr @she_ology @control.menopause @oneselfbydrsherry

Twitter @DrSherylRoss

www.DrSherry.com

To learn more about Anushay Hossain's work, check out Anushay's website or sign up for her substack. To continue the conversation, feel free to DM @anushayhossain or email me at thepaingap@gmail.com