Fanny Chat

About Fanny Chat

Women's bodies were never designed for permanent survival mode. Reasonable women have done the therapy, the books, the pelvic floor work, and still do not feel a sense of home and belonging in their bodies. Vaginismus and vulvodynia are one example: a vagina that closes involuntarily. At the same time, vaginismus is just one way women brace. This podcast is for women who still feel numb, perform, over-function, hold it all. Hosted by Naomi Gale, a pelvic health educator, mother and author. Each episode moves between real conversations, named myths corrected with the evidence behind them, and the deeper question underneath: what happens when a woman stops trying to fix herself and starts trusting what her body's been saying all along. This isn't a conversation on self-help; it's a return to you: a reasonable woman in an unreasonable world. Naomi is the author of Ground Floor and The Reasonable Woman, published by nomestia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Naomi Gale

Category

health & fitness · health & fitness · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

9 Feb 2020

Latest episode

2 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

61 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   2 Oct 2026

   The Vaginismus-Friendly Partner: What TikTok Isn't Telling You

   "I found a vaginismus-friendly partner" is all over TikTok. But what does that actually mean? And why isn't a "vaginismus-friendly" partner just… a woman-friendly one? In this episode of Ground Floor, Naomi Gale takes apart the vaginismus partner fantasy. She explains why the right person won't magically fix painful sex, and why vaginismus can show up for the first time once you're finally with someone safe. Then she gives you the real list: the PVP (Perfect Vaginismus Partner) checklist, a word-for-word script for telling someone new you have vaginismus, and seven steps any partner can take to help you feel held, not tolerated. In this episode: What vaginismus is through a holistic lens, and why it's armour, not rejection Why 1 in 13 UK women find sex painful, and why that number is too low How vaginismus can start with birth, stitches, speculums, or childhood UTIs The 7-point PVP checklist for dating with vaginismus A script for telling a new partner, and what their face tells you Guilt, counting, and pressure when you already have a partner 7 steps for partners, from taking penetration off the table to "no need to rummage for the last Pringle" Why Botox and dilators sit outside the work that actually needs doing If you have vaginismus, this one's for you. If you love someone who has it, this one's especially for you. Send it to them. This podcast is free, and it stays free. If it helped, leave a rating or review. It's how this information reaches the people searching for it at 2am. This episode is educational and sits alongside medical care, not in place of it. Join our community emails ( https://naomigale.myflodesk.com/fridayportal) Free meditations, courses and talks on Insight Timer (https://insighttimer.com/naomigale/) Holding words over on Substack (https://substack.com/@naomigale) Pelvic Healing Journey Here (https://thisisnaomigale.co.uk/the-gold-standard-in-pelvic-floor-healing/) Postpartum Healing Journey Here (https://thisisnaomigale.co.uk/postpartum-pelvic-floor-journey/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   25 Sept 2026

   Smear Tests with Vaginismus, Vulvodynia and Fear

   If the thought of a smear test feels a world away from your reality, this episode is for you. On this episode of Ground Floor I talk about cervical screening when there's pain, fear, vaginismus or vulvodynia in the picture. I cover why so many of us avoid it, why the person holding the speculum often can't help, and the practical and somatic tools that let you go in on your own terms. This video shares holistic and somatic perspectives and personal experience. It isn't medical advice. Please speak to your GP or a qualified health professional about your own screening and care. I start with a quick word on choice. Whether you screen at all is your call, and this episode is for anyone who wants to go but is finding it hard. Then I share where I've landed with my own smear test after the reminder text reached me in Morocco. I talk about my family history of cancer and what it means to be a bridge between medicine and holistic care. From there we get into the body and the room: Why so many women cancel, and why a leaflet isn't the answer Why vaginismus and vulvodynia get glossed over at screening level, and why GPs and nurses often have little or no gynae training Vaginismus vs vulvodynia: bracing against a threat vs persistent, unexplained pain A dentist's chair, my eight-year-old and a flippant remark: how pain gets downplayed from childhood onwards, and how humming and the vagus nerve help us regulate Before the appointment: book unrushed time, ring ahead for the smallest speculum, time it for when your cervix sits lowest, and practise your words Mapping your vaginal opening like a clock face so you meet your own bracing before a stranger does In the room: what actually happens, asking for a female practitioner, agreeing a stop signal, grounding and breath Aftercare: vaginal steaming, journaling or voice notes, and treating a flashback as information, not a setback When it doesn't go to plan, and why it's never your body's fault I finish with support for anyone who has experienced sexual violence, including the My Body Back Project, and a reminder that asking for what you need isn't being difficult. It's taking an active part in your own care. CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome to Ground Floor 00:25 Your choice: a quick word on screening 01:45 "If everyone had a leaflet": why so many women cancel 02:46 My own smear test decision 05:57 Why avoiding it makes sense 06:47 Why vaginismus and vulvodynia get glossed over 10:02 Vaginismus vs vulvodynia 12:14 The dentist's chair: how pain gets downplayed 17:59 Before the appointment: practical tips 20:52 The clock face: mapping your own bracing 24:14 In the room: what actually happens 25:55 Aftercare and vaginal steaming 26:28 None of this is you being difficult 26:55 When it doesn't go to plan 29:41 Resources: My Body Back Project 30:52 Closing thoughts RESOURCES 📖 Ground Floor the Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1066910901 🗝 The Community Circle: https://thisisnaomigale.co.uk/vagina-workshop/ 🪶 My website: https://thisisnaomigale.co.uk/homepage/ 🎙️ Ground Floor, the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ground-floor-on-vaginismus-vulvodynia-and-other-ways/id1498365947 (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ground-floor-on-vaginismus-vulvodynia-and-other-ways/id1498365947) My Body Back Project: cervical screening for people who have experienced sexual violence: https://mybodybackproject.com/ Did this episode help? Leave a five-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and a comment earns extra points. Send it to a friend who's been putting hers off. You can also find me on Beehiiv. Join our community emails ( https://naomigale.myflodesk.com/fridayportal) Free meditations, courses and talks on Insight Timer (https://insighttimer.com/naomigale/) Holding words over on Substack (https://substack.com/@naomigale) Pelvic Healing Journey Here (https://thisisnaomigale.co.uk/the-gold-standard-in-pelvic-floor-healing/) Postpartum Healing Journey Here (https://thisisnaomigale.co.uk/postpartum-pelvic-floor-journey/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   17 Sept 2026

   Vaginismus Explained: What Actually Shifted for Elena

   Vaginismus, Explained: What Actually Shifted for Elena. Why the body sometimes waits until it's safe enough to finally speak A fictional case study, built from repeated patterns Naomi's seen in her practice: Eleanor, 34, eighteen months into the healthiest relationship she's ever had, whose body started saying no to penetration around month eight with no obvious trigger, and a partner who's patient, attentive, and safe. Why this timing isn't cruel or confusing, it's logical: vaginismus emerging inside a safe relationship is often the nervous system finally pausing long enough to let something it's been holding all along surface, not a malfunction caused by the relationship itself. Practical first steps that don't start with penetration: separating touch from "touch always leads to sex," and building felt safety outside the bedroom before addressing what happens inside it. It's the only vaginismus podcast episode you're going to need if you are feeling safe in your relationship but still have vaginismus. Join our community emails ( https://naomigale.myflodesk.com/fridayportal) Free meditations, courses and talks on Insight Timer (https://insighttimer.com/naomigale/) Holding words over on Substack (https://substack.com/@naomigale) Pelvic Healing Journey Here (https://thisisnaomigale.co.uk/the-gold-standard-in-pelvic-floor-healing/) Postpartum Healing Journey Here (https://thisisnaomigale.co.uk/postpartum-pelvic-floor-journey/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Who has been a guest on Fanny Chat

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Betty Sharpe
• Lindsey Isla
• Amber Topaz
• Alistair Gale
• Ali

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

68,015

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

4.2 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 44 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

46

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

31

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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