Have you been told you shouldn't lift weights because of your hypermobility or EDS? Are exhausted by all the conflicting information about what's safe for your joints and what isn't?

In this episode, Nikki chats with Dr. Taylor Goldberg, a chiropractor turned virtual hypermobility coach who specializes in working with people with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD). Together they dig into how to build strength, manage flares, and move with less fear.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why the advice to "avoid heavy weights" often makes hypermobility symptoms worse
• How to use flare tracking to identify triggers and warning signs
• When manual therapy helps vs. when it may create more instability
• Why hEDS is not a progressive disorder and why that's important to know.
• How to start strength training if you have symptomatic hypermobility and are concerned about pain and injury.
• Pilates vs strength training and why understanding the differences matters.
• How to find a tolerable entry point for exercise.

Episode timestamps:

00:00: Intro to Dr. Taylor Goldberg and episode overview

05:13: Considerations for hypermobility, manual therapy, and neck adjustments

10:53: Best practices for navigating tightness and flare-ups

26:16: Hypermobility fitness myths & Pilates vs strength training

34:12: How to start strength training safely when you're concerned about pain and injury

48:21: Resources, building a care team, how to connect with Taylor

Connect with Dr. Taylor Goldberg:

• Instagram: @thehypermobilechiro
• Website: https://thehypermobilechiro.com
• Hypermobility Clinician Course: https://thehypermobilechiro.com/clinicians/

Connect with Nikki:

• Instagram: @naablevyfitness
• Website: naablevy.com
• Take this quick quiz to get your FREE personalized strength plan: https://naablevy.com/find-your-perfect-strength-plan-quiz/
• Get your free macros and calories calculator + guide: https://naablevy.com/macro-guide/

In this episode, Nikki chats with nutrition, exercise, and behavior change coach Sarah Grajeda about the intersection of food, politics, and body image and how the online culture of food wars and nutrition misinformation have made it harder to take care of ourselves.

They discuss:

• What you should know about processed foods when it comes to your health.

• Why the social determinants of health matter more than food dyes.

• The predatory nature of influencer marketing and supplement sales.

• Why nutrition can often feel so overwhelming and complicated.

• Perimenopause, brain fog, and why habits matter.

• Skinnytok and the influence of social media on how we view ourselves.

Connect with Sarah

• Instagram: @sarah.grajeda_

• Website: https://sarahgrajedafitness.com/

Connect with Nikki

• Instagram: @naablevyfitness

• Website: naablevy.com

Learn more about nutrition coaching and save $300 + get your early action bonus! https://naablevy.com/nutrition-coaching-black-friday/

Are you constantly being told to fix your posture, but still dealing with chronic pain?

Do traditional physical therapy exercises feel ineffective or even make your hypermobile joints feel worse?

What if joint instability was only part of the story, and your nervous system was the key to finding pain relief?

If so, that's exactly what we get into in this episode where strength and nutrition coach Nikki Naab-Levy chats with Kate Bacigalupo, a physical therapist who specializes in hypermobility and scoliosis and co-founder of the Elements Collective about navigating pain with hypermobility and scoliosis.

Topics covered:

• Why the "traditional" physical therapy model is often poorly suited for individuals with complex chronic pain and hypermobility.
• The role of proprioceptive feedback, closed-chain exercises, and strength work in creating a sense of safety and stability in hypermobile bodies.
• The difference between a hypermobile joint and an unstable joint, and why treating hypermobility as solely instability often fails patients.
• The correlation between hypermobility and scoliosis and what we currently know.
• Why pain management with scoliosis is more than trying to achieve "perfect" posture.
• How central sensitization and medical trauma contribute to the chronic pain experience and strategies to support your body if you have chronic pain.

Connect with Kate

• Instagram: @thehyperphysio_kate
• Website: https://www.elementscollectiveny.com/

Connect with Nikki & Resources Mentioned

• Instagram: @naablevyfitness
• Website: naablevy.com
• Take the 1 minute quiz to get your free personalized strength workouts
• Get your free macros and calories calculator + guide