Stef Williams: The Wellness Advice We Should All Stop Following

0:01Olivia Attwood:This episode is brought to you by SoFi, the all-in-one finance app. The sooner you start investing, the more potential you have to build your money. Even for beginners, SoFi makes it simple with an easy-to-use app to get you going. SoFi is offering up to$1 ,000 in stock when you open and fund a SoFi self-directed brokerage account. Learn more at SoFi.com slash Spotify. Brokerage offer through SoFi Securities LLC. Member FINRA slash SIPC. Terms apply. Queen Carvania stood haloed by the morning sun. An army hung on her every word. My champions, I have sold my chariot on Carvana. T 'was a lovely SUV, an inexplicably queenly offer.

0:48Olivia Attwood:They're even coming to the castle to collect it. Tonight, we feast. An offer you can feast on. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pick up fees, may apply. gray roots entering the chat uninvited garnier's got you garnier color sensation root retouch covers up to 100 of grays in just 10 minutes no ammonia no mess and the color lasts up to four weeks it's as easy to apply as shampoo plus it's vegan and cruelty free 10 minutes sensational color sensational price with those savings your next girl's night is basically free find your perfect match at walmart.com or at a store near you So I became a trainer, started posting workout videos.

1:34But obviously at the time it was very cringy. And the filters as well. I'm like, the sepia. What is that about? What's it like to be a fitness creator online as a woman? I mean, there's one guy who really trolled me and got all his little weird men people to come and troll me. My skin got really bad. I was so inflamed. Walking down the street, I'd be curled over on the floor in a ball, just crippling pain. vomiting, passing out, horrific pain during sex. So I was like, what is this? Am I going to die? For me, I think I felt like broken, almost like a little bit unlovable.

2:09Olivia Attwood:I appreciate you talking about it because I know that even though there's so much work to be done, these conversations make so many women feel like they're not alone, and they're not crazy. I'm convinced this is like a sex cult. I think you might be right. There's something adrift there. I was saying earlier, I DM'd him. Did he reply? No. So you love Tom Jett's? It's really, Tom, if you're watching.

2:38Hi, dolls.

2:40Olivia Attwood:Welcome back to Olivia's house. Today's guest is an entrepreneur, founder, author, and a new mum. Joining me in the house is Steph Williams. Hi, honey. Welcome to the house. Thank you. You are one of a very elite club that have sat on that side. No, I feel honoured. Thank you so much for having me. And I do not only let my favourite people sit on that side. How does it feel? Good. I'm already crying because we've been laughing. I'm like... Good. Good tears. Steph, before we start, I want to know what are you leaving at the door today? What am I leaving at the door? And my friends told me not to say this because they'll let Libby all think you're a fucking loser.

3:23And I was like, maybe I am a loser and that's just okay. I have to live with that. music with no lyrics like bang bang just bang bang bang wait

3:34Olivia Attwood:no I don't think you're a loser for that I fully support that thank you I'm trying to think where you mean like is it because you're in Ibiza is that what's made you think of it yeah and also like my husband's obsessed with house and I like the beat but like sometimes I'm like just one word give me like one just to okay so I think people think that And I have a radio show, so I really should pretend to be more into music than I am. I think because I go to Ibiza a lot, and I'm a party girl, you know, quote unquote. But I'm the same. Like, if I'm in Ibiza, like, when people are, like, listing off all the DJs, I'm like, I want to see David Guetta, Sunny Fodera.

4:11Olivia Attwood:Like, I want, like you said, I want to sing. I don't want to go, like, I don't, like, doom, doom either. Or, like, drum and bass, God forbid, like, just noise. I want to sing and just, like, yeah, David, not David. David Guetta. Yeah, Calvin Harris. It's like something where you just feel the nostalgia like wash over you. Yeah, exactly. The little joys we have as being millennials. We can get some like R &B in the mix of it. Perfect. Perfect. Yeah. So I'm leaving that bang, bang at the door. I'm very, I'm bang, bang is left at the door. Steph, you've got over 2.2 million followers online. You've created fitness content for over a decade.

4:46Yeah.

4:46Olivia Attwood:Tell me what was the pinnacle moment where the content and your life kind of became fitness orientated? In terms of just like fitness in general, I've always been like very sporty growing up. That was always part of your life. My thing like wasn't academic. It was like, well done, you can play sports. Like that's really just honing on that. When you're at school, you're not academic, but you can do sport. It's a really takes the pressure off. Oh, it does. Like you can just do something to quite, yeah. I failed everything, but they still let me through I forbid those poor fuckers that can't do either because they are like, they are screwed.

5:23Olivia Attwood:Like I was like, I can't even read, but I'm about to set like a 400 meter record. So it's chill. Like everyone's good. You're a runner? Yeah, run. Runner. Long distance. Do you know what to say? I was kind of sickening. At one point there was like a whole doping, an axiation on my family. Any distance. I was like a greyhound. Like I was just fast. That's amazing. At one point at sports day, they were the parents like, she shouldn't be able to enter all the races. my dad was like shut up let her run it's the only thing she can do that's so good I was like fast do you run now no oh no from my problems yeah from responsibility but no yeah I I think god I'm making this about me I always do this such a bad habit so I ran for county and I went through it got really like high pressure at one point I was like I know it's too much and then I I hit I think I had my midlife crisis at like 16.

6:16Olivia Attwood:And then I just literally, I smoked one cigarette once. And I was like, this is so much better than running club. And then like overnight, I just changed my whole personality. I was like, I want to smoke actually. And by then, fitness came back into my life in my like early 20s, which I'm glad of. But anyway, you're my guest. So you were... Love running. Congrats. you were sporty at school yeah and that so you always love being active yeah yeah yeah and then i think i stopped um because maybe similar to you i was like i don't want that to be my identity like my everything like i want to be something else and then i quickly realized um i'm not very good at my job maybe i should go back to that and then yeah i started my socials so i like became a trainer yeah and then i started like posting workout videos and I had clients and I was like if I post the work so you were like PTing people yeah exactly and you were like can I make content out of this yes yeah exactly because a few people doing it in America yes I feel like they're always so ahead yeah then I was like I'll just start doing it but obviously at the time it was very cringy like incredibly if you watch your old content what year would you say that was when you really started dedicate like properly posting 2017 okay so that was my Love Island year yeah well yeah the content I posted around that time I mean it's out there forever but it's horrific it's horrific it is bad like I mean I still do the workout videos now but the type of ones that I did then and the way it was filmed and the way the editing everything is just like and the filters oh my god as well I'm like the sepia like on a workout honestly like what is that about it's like just like going to town on it that is so funny because before you really like decide this what you want to do you actually have like quite a quite a list of ex-jobs you were makeup artist yeah nanny yeah nightclub hostess yeah what was being a nightclub hostess like oh i loved it which club was it uh mehiki oh my god remember mehiki that used to be like i've worked there yeah that used to be that you just took me really back yeah with the um you know the like was it knightsbridge um it was May, is it Mayfest?

8:33Mayfest, yeah, that used to be like, that used to be fucking fun. It was really, really fun. Yeah, I used to do my night shift and then get the bus home because I couldn't afford to, yeah, literally. But it was good. I used to finish at like, what, five? Not because I had to, because I would stay.

8:50Olivia Attwood:Yeah. Come back. It was actually when I was living with my sister. Okay. Not like, you know, I had a room, she had a room. I'm just sleeping out of bed for a bit. She would get up at like six. I would sleep in until like 12 I bet she loved you rocking in at 5 every day but that didn't cause any arguments at all No, literally Actually, she was actually very chilled about it to be fair to her I was quiet Are you older or younger? Younger Okay, so she has to kind of be somewhat tolerant Yeah, exactly, exactly But yeah, I actually really liked it and the tips were great It made some really good money Yeah, and I bet it was like I bet you saw some stuff Yeah, and that's actually where I met my husband Is it actually?

9:26Olivia Attwood:Yeah, yeah That's so cute Yeah, really cute My dad actually made a little like Mahiki bar for our wedding as well. No, stop. No, so yeah. Wait, no, I'm obsessed with that. And you got married at home, didn't you? Yes, yeah. That's so lovely. Okay, so then 2017, you start like posting properly, get really into it. You're like, right, I'm going to try and build something here. How long did it take to sort of build a following? I reckon six months. So you had quite rapid growth. Yeah. Once you were consistent. Yeah, I basically saw that the workout videos were like, one just took off one day and then this really big workout video page was like posting loads of my videos and it had like a million followers and at the time that was like a big page yeah and I was just getting loads of uplift from that I was like I'm just going to keep on hammering these workout videos and then um I was like oh that's actually quite exhausting yeah because I was posting them a lot and then I like switched it up a little bit because obviously I still love like fashion beauty and i wanted your page more like so i did drop followers by doing that but i was like oh i like can't keep posting just workout videos because it's mentally draining draining what's it like to be a fitness creator online as a woman like did you always get like a lot of love and support or is it like is it quite can it be quite a toxic sort of niche i think actually at the time in terms of my community it was really really nice I think because my body type I have thicker thighs and I used to get quite bullied about that and stuff and I think so a lot of girls resonated with like just being like short and thicker and not like the perfect Olivia I train I train in the gym to have thighs isn't it mad though you always think what you don't have like girls are just wired that way so I think that really brought in a nice safe space community and I think I was training to be strong yes which again I think like resonated with a lot of women um and then the men there there was yeah there was some yeah I mean there's like one guy who like really like trolled me and got all his little weird men people to come and like troll me because I did a workout video with a band right and it was also I was like well I'm just saying like use a band if you don't want to yeah it's good for like activation it wasn't like this is gonna give you the biggest ass in the world i was like if you're like short on time yeah like do this and i used to do workout videos well for like beginners it wasn't necessarily like what i was doing i'd very much be like if you're a beginner you can do this and stuff um and yeah he he told me because i can actually think i sometimes like i quite get quite a lot of fitness content on my algorithm because whenever I'm feeling like lack of inspiration I always would just go searching for like I don't know you know like a glute hit workout whatever I do see a lot of male fitness creators who like love to just like base their page like dragging yeah other fitness creators not just women to be fair like yeah and there are a lot of charlatans out there who like are obviously like spread like giving you know false information and making false claims and you do see the girl the BBL who's like selling and you're like sure babe yeah like no one believes that the thighs don't match yeah that ass used to be your stomach like a month ago like let's all just like yeah touch grass yeah and so that i kind of get and if you don't need to bully people but it does feel like that it is quite it can be quite a competitive space i think women absolutely kill it yeah women do so incredibly well and i think it's like credit to women uplifting each other and supporting each other and i do feel so lucky that that's the community of women obviously get some weird strays through you know whatever but i think with with i'm gonna get hate but like i do like men yeah but like with the men they can't grow and stuff like women so the only way that they can get traction is by showing a woman first and like getting the woman up there and being like oh yeah this is either really good workout yeah i really rate this or being like oh no i'm not gonna and then sketching the video that's how they get because if they just did the workout video themselves like we're not interested like i don't want to see dave with his yeah do you know i mean so that's how they get the traction um because if it was just them like no one would be interested yeah i think well what's something that you would say to any gals and guys listening to this podcast who are completely gym intimidated yeah i feel like the gym has always after my little you know sort of being an emo for like a year and refusing to like exercise when i find my way back to the gym I grew up with the example of my parents always worked out yeah so I always felt quite competent in the gym so it's never intimidated me as such but for a lot of people it's just completely freaks them out yeah what would be your advice to like someone's listening who's like I really want to you know over this winter period I want to like lock in I want to have the body that I feel good in for next summer like where do you start I think you need to start with having a plan you can't just like willy-nilly head in there although what I will say is have a plan but build your confidence by going into the gym like if you just want to go onto that treadmill yeah and assess like assess find your areas like go to the gym a few times like build the habit of actually getting in there yeah have your plan in your back pocket and then once you've like sussed it out a little bit like felt comfortable in that space then you can start to go okay I want to be like comfortable confident enough to go pick up that dumbbell yeah and make a little like corner for yourself I think that's just like the key and then slowly build on the confidence also there's PT's in the gym like go up and say hi like you're not doing anything can you help me I want to you know like learn how to use the squat rack please could you help me stack the weights or something like that because they're always going to be more than happy to help you I think it's just like having that confidence to because also now I still sometimes will be like stacking a weight or something because I'm short as well or like if I'm using the cable I'm like trying to like reach for it and I'm like oh god and you still get like embarrassed but you just got to be like oh whatever I've been going to gym for like 10 plus years I still make mistakes no one's a pro and everyone's also very just focused on themselves I was going to say I always feel like we all tell ourselves everyone's watching each other but like you say everyone's actually probably one of the feeling how you feel they're so obsessed with themselves what they're doing they're not concentrating on you no and I've literally been in the gym like on and off all through my life I've travelled around the world use gyms everywhere i'm the same like i the other day was in a gym in a hotel and i wasn't concentrating and i pulled the pin out and the whole rack thing just smashed and then not like i couldn't i was my ear was ringing and it was like yeah it was a bit embarrassing but also when i looked up i don't think anyone had even really lifted their head like yeah like you say i think and also it's like a fleeting moment everyone's like oh loud and move on and also equipment it's like it's developing so much and some new equipment it is like you look at you know what It's just a leg press, but what the fuck?

16:32Olivia Attwood:They make it so... So like you say, there's no embarrassment in being like someone, I don't, I haven't used this particular brand of equipment before, like, can you show me how to set it up? Yeah, because no one's an expert ever. No. Like, you always learn more, like you say, so just... And like you say, I think there's like two really good things that you have the option to do depending on your comfort level. Like, there's what you have with your platform, like, you don't have to have that in-person trainer. There are so many options now where you can, like, be trained virtually by someone. on yeah or that money that you might you know go and spunk on something like you know you could just put aside for like three or four sessions just get yourself started and then you're in there yeah exactly and you're on a roll yeah and it's the habit like the building the habit of just showing up so that's sometimes the hardest part isn't it like actually physically getting yeah 100 % and also think that like I and I'm always like really transparent about this but we'll get onto this because like you are a new mom it's like people's got my god how do you work out every day all the rest of it one it's like i'm only looking after myself so it's like i make i for me i have to do it first thing if i don't do it first thing never gonna happen some people are different i see like my gym in my building is like absolutely rammed like eight nine o 'clock at night i'm like no no i'm in my pajamas couldn't imagine worse so it's like finding your time but also sometimes i go in for like literally 20 if i have 20 minutes i will like get like a range of dumbbells and i'll set a timer and i'll set like five exercises and i'll just do it round as many times i can until 20 mixed up yeah you don't need no hours no no like no no also if you think to yourself i've got to go for two hours i'm not going no like no like 20 minutes just feels like so doable i'm like that as well i'm like something is always better than nothing and again it like keeps that habit and the mentality that like okay today is 20 minutes but maybe like tomorrow i can do 40 or 100 yeah as we just mentioned you are you are a new mom i mean luca's you just told me five and a half Yeah, almost six months.

18:27Olivia Attwood:Does that feel like it's gone quickly, slowly? I think to start with, they always say the days are long. And then all of a sudden you're like, whoa, how is this happening? And you look back at the pictures, I'm like, oh my God. He's like, we were so small. Yeah. But no, it's gone at a nice pace. What is the relationship like with your body post-pregnancy? it's like I think it's such an interesting thing to ask someone who has such a great physique like you're you know you are a fitness content creator so much of what you do is around physique and the way you look because I know for myself it's like I'm incredibly hard on myself and I can imagine over the years you have been too and when I speak to my friends that have had kids they're like they're like it's cliche but there's this newfound respect you have for your body have you experienced that yeah I think like you say that beforehand you know I'm like oh my god I'm so sorry body pre-pregnancy I was so mean to you yeah like sometimes like you pick yourself apart and you're like for what like what are you picking at like it's it's ridiculous um and then now like I think adjusting to yeah that post but even now still that postpartum body has been a journey but I do definitely feel like I was in just such awe of my baby and I was Like so, I was very lucky.

19:51Like instant, like love, like overwhelming. I literally felt like it was a drug. Like it was like amazing. And it still is like that. And so I was just like, I'm so busy trying to keep him alive as well. And, you know, I didn't have time to consume myself with that either. I think that was also like so nice. To just like it not be about anything else other than him. and I really enjoyed that time so much um and I had a c-section as well so I had to just completely rest um like don't get me wrong exercise is my mental clarity I need it for that and I started to be like right I need to like get back into it um but yeah I think I just like really started

20:37Olivia Attwood:like an operation they've cut through all those layers of tissues muscle so like you say you can't even put strain on your stomach no you can't a considerable amount of time yeah you can't so you've got to take it slow and I think I just like enjoyed that I'm so like fast paced all the time anyway I was like I'm just gonna enjoy being this but don't get me wrong I would still sometimes look in the mirror and go fuck like is it quite like and my tits obviously was like breastfeeding yeah it was all just like but I wasn't like I'm a small human yeah and also I think like people get so caught up it's just like it's just like i was just a bit fat okay like as in it's not the end of the world no it's just like really not and also it's just a phase of your life and i was like this is just this phase yeah like it's not like my body is like this because i've been like you know i've not moved i literally just birthed a child like keeping this like fetus alive what a beautiful amazing thing um and like my tummy was like so squidgy i remember once um actually when on our first holiday with him and we've only had one holiday with him um first oh yeah if you go um and he was like putting his feet into my belly and I'd felt like a bit self-conscious I've got to be in a bikini I was like I'm still gonna wear the bikini I'm still gonna wear the thong yeah like do you know what I mean I was like just because I'm not like I'm still gonna be me it's just like a different body and he's putting his feet into my tummy and my tummy was so squidgy and I was like but how lovely I was like his little feet into my like squidgy tummy right now I was like that how could I be mean about that yeah um and I genuinely like didn't expect that from myself at all I really was like oh god like you know but I also at the same time did think you know a week later I'd have my six-pack back um I was like this is rude um so I think yeah I didn't expect that I think which is quite a nice that's good yeah and I think all women have to just give be like yourself grace that you've just done such an amazing thing i think the focus as well on women after they had a baby like what you're gonna look like you've actually just like how do you feel i mean it's so toxic in itself but like what is your feeling about bounce back culture and like you know people with profiles celebrities in particular like you said there's so much focus and i actually just think that's such a gross term anyway like the bounce back thing where are we bouncing it I feel such a 90s thing to be like, are you going to look, you've just done this incredible thing for nine months.

23:04Olivia Attwood:Yeah. Are you now, how could you look like you didn't do it? Yeah. It is quite, it's so fucked up when you actually think about it. It actually is. Like, let's see how, yeah, like you didn't do it. It's like, I just did that. Like, it should be like, raised and like, it's beautiful. You know, you spoke on Wednesday's podcast a bit about like that feeling of like, is that, what, are you laughing? No, I'm like, what did I say? I was like, oh, for fuck's sake, because everyone's. I've got a quote here where you were saying that because you're a fitness influencer, you did have that feeling of like, are my audience looking at me to go, oh my God, look, my six hours back in two weeks.

23:37Yeah. No, I didn't. I think actually, like you said, like from what I actually saw online, that's what I actually also thought. Oh, I'll just, you know, not bounce back, but, you know, it'll be easy and, you know, it'll be gradual, but I'll start to like feel like me, look like me quite quickly because it's what I was consuming. It's what I was sold. And then when it didn't happen, I actually put on weight when I was breastfeeding. Which, again, what the internet tells you. Which the internet tells you that doesn't happen. I was like, sweet. I just, you know, just double that. You're like, I'm a medical marvel.

24:10I'm doing the exact opposite of everyone else. Yeah, literally, lucky me. Yeah, but again, I think that's fine. And I was breastfeeding and that was okay because I'm literally providing for another living being. So, yeah, I did feel oppression. but then I also did share like very candidly like what my body did not candidly but like what my body did look like and which is it wasn't like a six-pack but also like I said it's fine it's just

24:38Olivia Attwood:and also your your version of postpartum body might let you say it would be someone's dream and then it feels like unfair but that's just reality and also like you know there's lots of credit to say like you say you've trained for how many years that you have that muscle memory you have all those things that are i trained during my pregnancy as well so i didn't have like a massive separation it's like basically had nothing in my stomach so like some women really suffer with that and then it is going to be a lot harder like say if you are breastfeeding for a year or longer then you have to give yourself like grace because it's going to be harder because you are literally providing for another human and so you just got to do like show up for yourself in a way that feels good and just know that that chapter is like it's okay that you're not like maybe feeling completely like yourself because you will get there it's just a time thing like in time like you will you'll feel like you again um the muscle separation there's actually there is a medical term for it because i've watched mummy makeovers on my documentaries like in theater when they've like literally lifted the skin up like literally the two pieces of muscle are like just floating like there's no and then they you know surgically if it because for some women it becomes a functional issue when it's there's that much separation they actually sew it back together it's kind of insane to watch but yeah the impact you're going to have on your body is mind blowing yeah yeah so it's diastasis recti but I've seen it like I've been I've seen it it's it's it's what women's bodies go through to carry babies is insane yeah like it's remarkable well talking about babies you are an endometriosis sufferer yes my sister yeah and you were told oh you're going to struggle to get pregnant because of endo that wasn't the experience for you no um like so lucky the first time like the first month we tried and did you expect to get pregnant so quickly i guess no been told so you were like i've got time it could be like six like a year whatever and then like boom you're like right okay we are we are this is happening yeah

26:53Olivia Attwood:this episode is brought to you by hex clad dolls you know i love to throw a party and when it comes to hosting i want to be the best but unpacking my new apartment i realized i was hanging on to some mismatched very scratch pans for way too long and if you're listening to this and thinking same then take this as your sign to finally upgrade summer may be winding down but there's still time to sort your kitchen out before the alfresco season ends whether you're hosting a party or cooking for one this is the cookware you need hexclad combines the performance of stainless steel with the convenience of non-stick so you don't have to choose the dishes are safe and super easy to wipe clean so you can spend less time over the sink and more time at your party And dolls, the best bit, all Hexclad products come with a lifetime warranty.

27:40Olivia Attwood:It's literally the last set of pots and pans you'll ever have to buy. Autumn is the perfect time to make home cooking feel easier with Hexclad. For a limited time, our listeners get 10 % off through our exclusive link. Just head to hexclad.co.uk forward slash Olivia's house. That's H-E-X-C-L-A-D dot co dot UK forward slash Olivia's house. Offer excludes bundles and other items already on sale. Support our show and let them know we sent you.

28:11Olivia Attwood:Talk to me and like my audience about your endometriosis and how you managed to get diagnosed. So around 2017, actually similar time to when I started my Instagram page is when I got diagnosed. Okay. And then prior to that, I basically had like mild symptoms, like tiredness, pain during sex sometimes. and then it basically just got um like progressively worse and worse and like my skin got really bad I was like so inflamed um I like walking down the street I'd be like curled over on the floor in a ball just like crippling pain like shooting pains up my bum um and then like you know vomiting passing out like horrific pain during sex and orgasming orgasming um don't know if you orgasm orgasmic are you orgasming yeah but like all basically like anything just to do with that area like it was just like like going to the toilet as well sometimes just like literally bent over just like crying like in pain like why do I feel like this and I think as women you're kind of told not actually a lot about women's health at all and then that just that like it's painful yeah yeah but it shouldn't be like that painful how was it difficult to get diagnosed so do you have this this kind of struggle that we hear so many women talk about yeah so i went to my gp um who was like a older woman i just went with my mom because she was like so dismissive like there's nothing wrong with you're just being dramatic but you know in your gut you're like something's something's wrong um so then went to another gp again like just dismissed whatever and then eventually had to go to a gynecologist um privately exactly the same as my sister yeah and then I went with my mom again just to like have so bad isn't it it's like you're in your 20s but like mom because you want the backup yeah exactly and say like no like she isn't like this isn't normal yeah and then he basically like whatever blah blah and then said you have endometriosis and fibroids and I'd never like heard of endometriosis um and so I was like what is this like am I gonna die like like all the things that just kind of go go through your head and they go like and it's not curable and you're like oh no like I that's like I'm that's it like I'm just gonna be in pain for the rest of my life am I and then obviously the options are um operations yeah and so like quite quickly after that I then did get a operation um but I also massively a little bit before my operation and after my operation like changed my lifestyle like hugely because I just did loads of research online and I was like what do you mean there's like no cure and obviously it's an inflammatory disease as well so that's like massively to do with like your diet and the exercise that you're doing so I really looked at that as a whole as well so I think with the operation and then like lifestyle changes I started to feel like so much better but I was still in pain and then a few years later I basically had another operation for my fibroid removal.

31:24Olivia Attwood:So the first operation, you had two operations. The first one, was it like where they just basically, they sort of scrape out lesions and like the tissue. Yeah. And then you got, when you went back the second time, it was a fibroid. That's when they become bigger. Yeah. And that's when it becomes even more problematic because they burst. Yeah. Because I basically got my coil removed because we were thinking about babies. Yeah. And he was like, do you want like babies anytime soon? And I was like, well, you know, know how soon but at some point yeah and he's like okay well you've got these quite big fibroids now and so they will like cause complications and I would like suggest taking them out now um so that's what happened there but then actually after those were removed is when I was then like completely pain-free and I feel like for literally almost like 10 years I was living and like so many women just like with constant pain and all of a sudden I was like oh my god this is how I should be um how i should feel how i should feel like and be functioning i literally know about this all secondhand for my sister yeah and it's like the state of women's health care in terms of these conditions is it's like actually appalling when you really pull back and my sister's same as you like it like being taken to a &e by her husband doubled over sobbing yeah like bleeding like you know and literally she was asked by a doctor once in a and e like after they'd done all that the generic testing like she hasn't got appendicitis but no one had checked her like cervix or ovaries or anything it was all like generic stuff you haven't got appendicitis you haven't got like you know salmonella food poisoning they was like is there anything else this could be like have you you stressed at work like they tried to you know like my sister was like the sort of medical gaslighting she experienced like she always talks about she's had a terrible journey she sounds like five ops now they the endo traveled to her bowel like it's been a whole thing but she was like maybe the mental side of like not being believed yeah just as makes you feel like you're going yeah insane yeah just as much as the physical side yeah and when i share her story on my socials i i get thousands of dms like i could just scroll and it's just women and girls with the same, very similar stories.

33:41Olivia Attwood:And a bit like you, having the access to private healthcare. I said to her the other day, we were talking, and it's like the bit that you shouldn't really, I said to her, I want to be careful in my position to say this bit out loud because it's never in a situation where I'm like dissing the NHS. And it's with huge awareness that like if you have the option to have private healthcare. I was like, what do you think you would have done if like you couldn't afford it to go and just take this and chose? she's like Liv I honestly think I would have died she's like because one of the cysts you have removed was so big that like if that had burst at any time you're talking sepsis blood poisoning like it's so serious at it's high yeah no it is and I think also it's like women literally are the creators of life and like and the fact that there's like such limited research on women's health when it should be like the top priority because it is like obviously that's not you know the be all end all if you don't want children and stuff but like that's the most it is kind of insane it's like i think there's more i think there is like i hope there's a slight revolution pending around it because i just think that women are getting louder and research is is slowly coming yeah it's like i had a friend that worked at a pharmaceutical company and she was like literally like drugs or a testing or developments you put into women's healthcare issues would like get brought to the table and everyone would like in terms of like investment and they're like i just don't know oh another viragra drug yeah that's like do you know i mean like how much there just isn't there wasn't a medical interest in because women also for decades and decades just got on with it just got on with it just suffered because we've been told that suffering is part of the human the female experience yeah yeah which is crazy and like your period obviously is painful but it shouldn't be so painful that you can't like function yeah and it shouldn't obviously like all month and stuff you might get headache a bit of cramping one or two days if it's anything more then like you should probably go and look into that and like you say like I think that not enough is talked about in terms of inflammation and lifestyle because I feel like I now weirdly it surprised people but anyone listens to this pod knows I am the most weirdest person because like i but come out of my like hyper oxen chamber like once every three weeks and have like a bender and then the rest time i'm the crunchiest person you've ever met in your life like i've never my house has never seen a plastic cutting board like i don't even like plastic cups i don't know who she is like i it's literally like i'm that person that's like organic on non-organic meat you're fucking insane but then on a saturday i would drink from a puddle yeah like it's the contrast of who i am is so embarrassing yeah and i'll own it like you know i'm like oh my god cheeky sig after like you know yeah but then i think it's but then the rest of my existence is so crunchy so i and i fully put my hands up but i feel like i'm looking at this in my overall existence i try and because our life our modern day world and this is not saying that anyone has caused themselves endo or any other chronic disease because so much more goes into it and some people they can do everything my sister has done every single type of lifestyle in the book and she's just one of those people like with stage four when it's just so aggressive yeah but our whole world we live in is so inflammatory oh it's insane it's actually like wild how making us ill yeah it is and to be honest with you like i know you said like it wouldn't cause endometriosis and stuff but like when my endometriosis got really bad was when I got into the fitness industry and I was like oh I'd always been like pretty healthy my mom dad really healthy like whole foods like all the rest of it um and I was like oh it's like protein shakes that you must be like gym bro kind of vibe and like protein bars which are actually full of a lot of crap full of so much shit and like make your skin terrible like if there's that many ingredients on the back then I really like Like think about what it is and if you actually need to consume it.

37:49Or like could you just make yourself like a little snack or like another meal?

37:54Olivia Attwood:If someone's listening to this and they're on a protein maxing, everyone's like literally freaking out about protein right now. What are some of your like favorite hacks to get protein in during the day? I happily eat a cold boiled egg. But when I say that to some people, they're like, like I could never, or I would happily just like throw a tin of tuna down my neck. That doesn't bother me. No same. But when you say that to people, I almost think that what I want to say and I don't know if I and Rachel were saying this like you kind of have to be grown up right like sometimes the good thing is not okay it's not going to taste as good as the bar that's got 95 fucking reads or like the low calorie it's so low calorie but I'm like it's got so much shit can you pronounce anything that's on the back no but I also think that and I don't know if you agree with this because I still like my nice tasty foods like if I go to cinema I'm not taking a bag of almonds like I'm going to eat the popcorns or whatever.

38:44Olivia Attwood:But it's like you almost have to change your palate. You have to be a little bit more grown up and be like, okay, sometimes you don't get to eat the thing that's in a big sparky bracket. What's going to make me actually like feel good, like not give me like a dopamine hit like for a minute and then make me feel like shit after I've eaten it. And that's the thing sometimes it's like, sorry, but yeah, it might be a little bit boring. But what's really boring is being in a shitload of pain. And I think that's something that you have to kind of like get your head around. and yeah having I love like me I'm like sweet corn tuna yeah bit of mayo ram it in like that's me or like okay a little bit of turkey oh my god like I literally sorry but this is a turkey around like a gherkin and just like yeah honestly gurg but it's things like that where it's like it's made me yeah it's hit what it needs to hit like I now have energy and like until my next meal or whatever and it's not made me feel like super sluggish or any of those things yeah like that i have or like a pepper like it's like for example like tuna like bowl of tuna and then i'll just get my pepper cut it in half and just like bam like it's not fancy and also and time you just need things that are going to be quick i've gone through stages in my life especially when i'm filming tv shows and the way your your palate and i don't just tell you this you this is what you fucking you fucking do for a living it's like the way your palate adjusts is insane i've gone through periods when I've been on location filming, I've eaten a lot of shit.

40:10Olivia Attwood:And then when I get back and I'm like eating tuna, I'm like, ugh. Like this is, your palate then, that shit's addictive. And then I've done the opposite. I've gone around back on a really nice, clean, really balanced lifestyle. And then I stopped at a service the other week and just grabbed some random takeaway. And within a few bites, I'm like, this is fucking disgusting. Yeah. It's so funny how quickly your, that stuff becomes addictive. And when you actually have a little cleanse from it, it doesn't taste as good as it used to. No, it doesn't actually at all. And you feel shit after the hangover.

40:43Olivia Attwood:You literally feel hangover. Yeah, that kind of food. And so puffy. And as an adult, I know as someone that's like suffered from ADHD, anxiety, like quite moods can be variable. As soon as I didn't start my day with like a croissant, but went for like the protein and the fat, my whole day is different. Oh, 100%. I go for like a sugar grab at breakfast. I am a fucking **** by 10 o 'clock like I am honestly because that I go up there and I'm bouncing off the walls and then by 10 I'm like I'm down down in this glucose crash and I don't want to know anyone yeah no it is like such a thing and I'm the exact same I can't have sweet for breakfast no if I have something sweet for breakfast then it's over and I want to eat shit all fucking day long as well I'm like I'm like a crackhead yeah all day I'm like I've had that taste of it and now I'm just chasing it all day and that's the thing because I have ADHD as well and um I'm saying so if I have sugar as well like it's like a addiction and it's like because it gives you like the dopamine and it gives you the the hit um and I actually went through a really bad stage of bulimia because I was getting the dopamine getting the dopamine and then it was like this and then it became like um more than that it was almost like it's like it is a form of self-harm yeah like it's terrible um but I do just think like people don't understand the the impacts of like how bad i don't know it sounds like oh god how boring but like how bad sugar like really really is it can affect your life like so horrifically like your diet can literally change your entire world around for the better like it truly can like you say you're you're a better person on the days that you like start off with something healthy like of course because your body's you're giving your body something that actually needs yeah i think it's and obviously like you say like i'm saying if i go to a nice restaurant like I love pudding like if I go to cinema I'm not gonna go oh my god I'm not gonna have anything obviously like here and there where if I'm with my friends like we're gonna have an ice cream together that's lovely yeah but like it's actually managing the sugar in that way I think yeah something my sister always talks about is also like people don't understand how much it can affect your relationships with your friends with your partner when you feel like you're letting them down all the time yes because she feels like she's she's at her friends and her family her husband's amazing but that feeling of like I've oh my god am I having another flare-up and I'm like I've got cramp and I'm like now I've got diarrhea and I'm meant to go out for dinner and now I'm gonna let my friends down again yeah that is a heavy thing for people who live with any kind of chronic illness yeah did you experience a lot of that yeah I think also just the thought of making plans then becomes like quite a stressful thing in itself and like the worst thing to be called is like flaky and I think as well when I didn't have the diagnosis or people didn't really understand it's like you're so for me like the tiredness was such a thing it was like i would get to like four o 'clock i'm like whoa you're almost like drunk with it yeah you're just absolutely exhausted thought of like going out and then at like 8 p.m was this absolutely like off the cards and like sometimes i'd feel absolutely amazing it would be great other times not i think yeah having to like let your friends down i think there was a point and they were like are you gonna like are you gonna come are you even gonna make it tonight and i'd be like yeah feel the kind of irritation yeah and they would get annoyed 100 % would be annoyed at me and I think that they did for a while yeah definitely think I was flaky and I absolutely hate that because I don't like to like be late to things like I want to be like turn up and be present exactly so I hate and I want to be a good good friend and so I think that is something really hard um in itself I actually did a endometriosis event when I first got diagnosed and um which is one of the best things like i've ever done like girls with like endo pcos etc but like only half the people showed up because they were you know and it was like and also i think it's that anxiety when you don't feel good as well like oh my face is buffy or like you know i've just so many like i'm spotty and you're insecure and everything i think like combines into one and then i think yeah in a in a relationship i think as like women you're kind of told that like obviously like sex is like super important and like children yes and so I think you kind of like for me I think I felt like broken almost and almost like a little bit like unlovable um obviously my husband's like amazing he he's come to like so many appointments with me like he's done so much research like even like now we had a baby like he's literally like a freaking midwife like that's just like honestly the amount of information he knows about women's health and stuff is like insane because he really wants to like understand and like he's been on that education journey with you so he has the the knowledge and stuff but I think like also like a part of me um in the like I think I'm like quite a strong like person but the endometriosis I felt like made me like weaker I think because I felt broken or like not worthy of like a relationship and always kind of worry like oh well what if like I can't have children or like if when we have sex like it's so painful like I wouldn't blame him like if he wanted to be with someone else because like I'm broken how could anyone like love me and I think that is such a massive thing I spoke to a woman the other day and she said she didn't tell her partner for ages that she had endometriosis and that she was in so much pain during sex she would just like grit and bear it because she was so terrified to say like i'm in pain because she's so like fearful that he would leave and also i was with him before my symptoms got really bad so he already loved me and was trapped um but like you know if then like he decided that i actually can't deal with this that she's in pain and the the the thought that she can't have children he's never been like he's that's not him at all but i'm like exactly and then i'm like if he does break up with me like in a new relationship like how is anyone ever gonna love me like imagine like you're in a new relationship and then you've got to go like oh by the way like when we have sex it's like I might throw up because I might actually pass out because of the pain so like just preempt that like oh like it's not exactly like sexy so it's I think there was like that which I think is it's a lot of weight to carry and then i think you almost become like oh my god i'm like so lucky that you actually want to be with me which i hate that energy and then it kind of i guess shifts the the the balance of the healthy relationship because you shouldn't like you say no one should be feeling that way in a relationship male or female or whatever exactly but what you say echoes so many conversations i've had with people with endometriosis pcs one like you say it's like if they're with a long-term partner and their sex life is impaired they feel you know why i feel guilty that they we don't have a full sex life yeah on the second that you say if you start dating someone like you no one wants to have to be like okay like i say this is what i give them a biology lesson because like yeah i know let's be honest like everyone wants to be like well you know it's the modern world and men but you don't want to talk about your periods of the guy you just started dating you just don't no maybe some people and it's just it's not like it doesn't like create a sexy vibe does it no exactly and they're gonna be like god that's a bit heavy it is and then to be in pain and not be able to enjoy an intimate part of your relationship is so horrific yeah and then to also feel on top of that well no one's giving me an answer to this no one's giving me a like a solution yeah like oh this is this my life yeah exactly and i'm obviously like one of the lucky ones that now i am like pain free and like living how i feel like i should always have been living as a woman um but obviously like not everyone is yeah gets that i think that's like such a heavy thing to carry and it definitely takes like a type of person to support you so i'm sure your sister's husband's amazing he's amazing but i mean i've had those and she went when i sent those conversations with her and she's like i you know why why does like she's literally why does he love me so much like this is a fucking nightmare like i've been ill on and off for like four years like do you know what I mean and I'm like because he literally adores you like you say but it's that's and I think it goes obviously it goes wider than just endo it's you know anyone dealing with chronic illness probably has that feeling of the weight that it puts on the people around them that's that I think that guilt and that that is very dark I think yeah to deal with alongside feeling physically terrible yeah you're dealing with two yeah mentally and physically yeah I appreciate you talking about it because i i know that even though there's so much work to be done these conversations make so many women feel like they're not alone and i think crazy and they're not and that if there's something there's there's solace in knowing that this is a thing that a lot of women are dealing with yeah 100 i think to try and be positive with it as well because i think you can really like talk yourself down i know it's like horrific and painful but i think if you can And just try and be like, I don't know what everyone's situation is.

49:53But obviously there are moments where you feel better and stuff. And it's like control what you can control. And have those honest conversations with yourself. Like am I actually doing everything I can to make myself feel better? And, you know, like say if you're like having problems with your relationship or friends, like is there someone else you can maybe like moan to? Yeah. Like because, you know, like you can't have your like, you can't expect your partner to be your everything. thing so i think that's something i would also have let's say yeah and like you say lean on

50:21Olivia Attwood:lean on people in your life you can trust outside maybe just your you know relationship like if you have a sister a friend a cousin who can go with you to doctor appointment and help advocate for yourself yeah then it's like i think it gives you you feel the support in numbers yeah exactly i think doctor appointments can be intimidating regardless of what you're going in for you know and I don't think that any doctor ever I don't believe that no doctor gets into being a doctor because they want to make people feel that way but no especially the NHS they're strapped do you know what I mean they are literally working at the absolute threshold of their capabilities and it's like they're doing the best they can for their patients but unfortunately up until well still now women's health care has just been very low on that list of things that they have budget for hopefully it'll be hopefully we're making enough noise that there'll be some change amongst all of your achievements you did write a book period proof eat, train, thrive by your cycle what's insane and I'm actually I'm woman enough to admit that even now my understanding of my cycle and probably because I'm lucky enough to have not suffered any of these like female illnesses my understanding of my cycle is ridiculously bad and I'm a good girl I go for my smear I go for my checks every year like I know you know my periods are regular that's my knowledge starts when it's there like I really like and I we weren't taught it like younger you don't get pregnant you don't get pregnant that was it yeah but then when you turn like 30 they're like oh you should get pregnant soon or you maybe never will yeah and you will die alone with 100 cats you've given me a very short window here it's like you get pregnant and your life is over and then it's like oh if you don't get pregnant the next two years your life is over it's so much fun yeah it's crazy being a woman yeah Can I just ask you some really...

52:10Olivia Attwood:Okay. Yeah. I know this is like very like, it might be slightly different for everyone, but when are we supposedly meant to feel the best in our cycle? Ovulation. And that's like when you could get pregnant with an ovulation. And that's meant to be like when we feel most optimal. Yeah, like exactly. When you're kind of feeling like more confident, your skin's maybe growing more, but that's because you've got more estrogen, like all these like little things, like that's kind of where you're meant to feel your best. but also some people that's not necessarily like the case this is like a very generalised sort of yeah like for me actually ovulation I feel good but like my boobs would always get like so sore the amount of pregnancy test I've taken in my ovulation period is insane because I'm like this is pregnancy this is pregnancy I've heard about this no but 100 % but yeah that's when you're going to feel good but also it can feel for like different people like slightly different I think it's always just to take things with like a pinch of salt what is the period what is the period of your cycle where most people feel like that rage, where they're like, I hate my boyfriend.

53:13Olivia Attwood:You literally wake up and you look at your boyfriend, you're like, oh my God, have you always been this ugly? Right. This is like, you are just filled. You are disgusting. And then you look at yourself and I'm like, God, you're fucking ugly as well. Like, we're all ugly in this house. But you are uglier. You actually are uglier in this space. Because you are not. Because of your, yeah, because of the hormones. I mean, you're not, but like, yeah, you kind of technically are. And that's all. We're all ugly and fucked. You're PMS, they call it. Yeah, so that's your luteal phase. So the edge is left.

53:40Olivia Attwood:Yeah, so that's just before your period. Yeah. And that's when you can feel... Yeah, you're just like low in energy. So like right now I'm in my luteal phase. And I was like, fucking great. Like get me here. I'm just doing my makeup. I'm like, it's disgusting. Being a woman is so great. Yeah, obviously. I tried on active wear this morning. I was like, ugh. I think where am I in my cycle right now? I think I'm also probably am just coming up to my period. And I was just saying before we started rolling, I literally had an inch cut off my hair yesterday. And I looked at the mirror and I was like, my God, you ugly fucking pig.

54:18Olivia Attwood:Like you've got some nerve going and sitting in front of a camera today. But like you say, I know in a few days time I won't feel that. No, I think that's it as well, which is why it's quite good to know as well, like just where you're at. Because actually more than anything for me, I'm like, no, like I know I'm in my luteal phase. like I'm not actually the most hideous person on the planet like I actually look pretty much the exact same as I always do every month every day it's just in this phase I'm like and then in a few days I'll have my period and then I'm going to feel really good again so like we're good and I think it's just those little cues and reminders whereas I think when I had like no idea about any of it either and if I was feeling like this I would be like and like I'd put myself into like a whirlwind of and then I would probably end up like eating shit because I feel like shit so I'm like uh and then I'm like and then you get into an even worse cycle whereas now I'm like okay I'm in my like luteal phase I'm like feel a little bit like bloated I'm gonna have like more fiber in my diet I know that I'm not like you know a fat pig today just because I got off an inch of my hair like you know it's just kind of like that's and that's it's good to just acknowledge that every like I've always real online every woman is slightly different but for you training in the gym when do you feel strongest um do you know what just after my period but which is which is about like right and like it's meant to be though like that's like your follicular phase and then like when you're ovulating which is like like two days that's when you've got to go and smash those things and i'm like oh it's just too intense yeah that's not like it's not actually like if you feel like that and you are aware that you're ovulating like yeah maybe like try and like push for like a pb or go for a longer run or you know go socialize and things like that but um i think it's all just to like have awareness and like for me like fit the book like the periods at the very end because it's about the whole month i think there's so much emphasis like put on the period like oh my god doom actually like when you get your period like for me yeah okay i feel like cramps and a little like whatever but actually that's what i know i'm about to feel really good again but only if I've like set myself up in a good way for the rest of the month like you want to set yourself up for your period so that you're ready yeah that's such a like it's such a smart thing to write a book about like you say in that sort of way because there isn't really a a clear kind of not many guides out there which is a very digestible I guess like it's very there's so much information out there it's just like easy to understand there's no like fluff it's like this is like the recommended diet you can have in during this time and also it's like slightly about my own personal journey and like how I've like found like how to thrive my best I feel my best in my every day um and like about endometriosis and I think also like for me it's to bring more awareness to women's health and a book that you can like gift your best friend or like something be like oh have you seen what she wrote here yeah like have you experienced that like to open up conversations I think the more we talk about women's health, the better, because I want women to be able to catch these things early as possible, because that's where we can stop, hopefully, getting to your sister's stage four.