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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

This week’s episode is amazing! Nicole and Alanna are joined by Lindsay Mitchell, the creator of Vital Side 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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. What many people don't know is that Stevi is a cervical cancer survivor. In this episode, she discusses her rare form of cervical cancer and how it shifted her outlook on parenthood and well, life itself. If you're needing inspiration to change the narrative and write your own story - this one is for you.

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.

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! Isn't it crazy that the people who look like they're thriving might just be fighting something...

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! At age 14, Cody was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer – and was told he'd never walk again. However, with a heavy dose of faith and a strong support system, he was able to overcome the odds. Now, he runs a nonprofit called Champions Do Overcome, and boy, is he living up to that!

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. Lauren discusses how EMDR therapy works, how many sessions are typically needed, and even gives us real-life examples of cases in which this form of therapy has worked (Note: not all cases are human!)

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!) In this episode, Meredith shares a piece of her past – reflecting on how her childhood behaviors revealed major clues to her eventual celiac disease diagnosis. She chronicles how she and her parents constantly missed the distress signals, which finally reached a pinnacle with the stress and challenges of college...

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! 

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...

This one is longer, but TOTALLY WORTH EVERY MINUTE! If you need some inspiration (and let’s be real, who doesn’t?!), this week's episode is PERFECT for you. Today, we chat with Nicole’s pal Danny Gomez, a Los Angeles-based actor, model and disability advocate – who is paralyzed from the waist down. We chat about his life before the accident, the actual accident (wow this story is WILD), and his life after. Danny also reveals the ways the accident has impacted his life, surprisingly, for the...

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...

Have you noticed that whenever you feel bad physically, your mental health also tends to go in a downward spiral? In today’s episode, the Girls With Guts are joined by Britt Turpack, a mental health advocate and keynote speaker, who discusses the correlation between mental and physical health. She educates us on her model for the mental health Endurance Cycle,  leads us through breath work exercises you can do from anywhere, shares free resources and much, much more!

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...

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...