Off With Your Coat

What happens when a woman’s body becomes evidence against her?In this episode of Off with Your Coat, Cat Duff joins Rachel Christ-Doane, Director of Education at the Salem Witch Museum, to explore the connection between women’s health and the Salem witch trials. From Rachel’s difficult postpartum experience to the devastating story of Sarah Good and her children, the conversation asks whose suffering was believed—and who had the power to decide.Beyond the familiar witchcraft legends are stories of motherhood, survival, and the consequences of living outside society’s expectations.In this episode:How becoming a mother changed Rachel’s perspective as a historian.Sarah and Dorothy Good’s experiences—and Rachel’s research into Dorothy’s life after the trials.How poverty, reputation, and gender shaped who became a target.The fear, instability, and courtroom practices that fueled the accusations.Common myths about property seizures and animals accused of witchcraft.The feminist connection between Matilda Joslyn Gage and L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.Reclaiming “witch” as a symbol of autonomy and speaking out.Explore more:A Storm of Witchcraft by Emerson Baker.Woman, Church, and State by Matilda Joslyn Gage.Salem Witch Museum for historical resources, research, and virtual programming.Connect with the Salem Witch Museum:Instagram · TikTok · Facebook · YouTube

Women’s health is shaped by distinct biology, changing life stages, and individual context. So what does it look like to put those differences at the center of our wellness decisions (and not a one-size-fits-all approach)?!Recorded live at Remedy Place Boston, this episode of Off With Your Coat, The Female Factor: Beyond the Male Baseline, explores the “why” behind wellness—helping women understand their options, ask better questions, and make informed choices about their long-term health.Cat Duff sits down with Remedy Place founder and CEO Dr. Jonathan Leary and preventive cardiologist Dr. Alyson Kelley-Hedgepeth for a conversation blending science, clinical experience, and personal stories. From heart health and bloodwork to sauna, cold plunges, and red light therapy, we ask how well the guidance accounts for women’s bodies, what the evidence can tell us, and where individual needs change the conversation. What deserves our time, money, and attention? What are we still learning? And how can we build a preventive-health toolkit that evolves with us?Dr. Kelley-Hedgepeth shares how her experience of early menopause changed the way she listens to patients, alongside the story of a fit, seemingly healthy 50-year-old whose coronary calcium score came back at 800. Dr. Leary explains the thinking behind social self-care and his approach to building resilience through everyday wellness practices.This episode also explores:● Women’s healthspan and why prevention deserves attention throughout our lives.● Becoming the CEO of your own health: understanding your baseline, tracking changes, and partnering with your clinician.● Heart health beyond appearances: cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), inflammation, and coronary calcium scores.● Bloodwork and supplements: understanding your individual needs before adding to your routine.● The why behind sauna, cold plunges, and breathwork—and the questions around women’s physiology, stress, and individual responses.● Hyperbaric oxygen and red light therapy: the guests’ experiences, their perspectives on the evidence, and the questions that remain.● Heart and brain health, plus where to start when time and money are limited.Come away with a clearer sense of what to ask, what to explore, and what you can stop feeling pressured to do.About our guestsDr. Jonathan Leary is the founder and CEO of Remedy Place, a social wellness club built around self-care and human connection. With a background in chiropractic and concierge wellness practice, he created Remedy Place to make caring for yourself a shared experience through thoughtfully designed spaces and various modalities.Alyson Kelley-Hedgepeth, MD, FACC, is a founding physician at VIM Medicine, where she practices Health Management Medicine—a comprehensive approach to guiding a patient’s health over time. Trained at Massachusetts General Hospital and Tufts Medical Center, she brings more than 20 years of experience in preventive cardiology and seven years teaching Harvard medical students. Her work helps women recognize risk earlier and make informed, evidence-based health decisions.Connect and learn more● VIM Medicine: vimmedicine.com● Remedy Place: remedyplace.com● Dr. Jonathan Leary: @drjonathanleary● Dr. Alyson Kelley-Hedgepeth: @kelleyhedgepeth● Remedy Place: @remedyplace● gen-well: @genwellofficialSubscribe to Off With Your Coat wherever you listen or watch, and follow @genwellofficial for more!

You don’t have to walk into the gym knowing exactly what you’re doing. But where do you start—and how do you build the confidence to keep going?In Part 2, Cat Duff welcomes back Danielle “Coach Dannie” Bartlett, a trauma-informed strength coach, military veteran, competitive powerlifter, and overall incredible human. After sharing her personal story in Part 1, Danielle gets practical: navigating gym intimidation, starting without a personal trainer, and understanding when—and how—to challenge yourself. Together, she and Cat unpack common fears about lifting and explore the role of strength training in supporting the body during GLP-1 use.They also go deeper into what trauma-informed coaching looks like. Danielle shares how choice, communication, and attention to your body’s signals shape her approach—and what to ask a coach before putting your trust in them.Whether you’re picking up weights for the first time or finding your way back, this conversation is an invitation to get curious about your body and what it can do.In Part 2, we cover:Moving past gym fears: Unpacking concerns about “bulking up,” injury, and feeling out of place.Starting simply: Danielle’s approach to beginner workouts, using machines, and finding support without a personal coach.Building your challenge over time: What progressive overload means, including changes to weight, repetitions, sets, and tempo.Strength training and GLP-1s: A conversation about muscle preservation, fueling, and strength during weight loss.Training with body trust: How trauma-informed coaching makes room for autonomy, check-ins, and adapting a session to the person.Finding the right coach: Questions to ask about training, qualifications, and how they respond when a client feels overwhelmed.Plus, Danielle shares when she feels strongest, what she hopes to pass on to her son, and why The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel is on her reading list.Meet Coach DannieDanielle Bartlett helps women build physical strength and develop a more confident, connected relationship with their bodies. Her coaching brings together her experience as a military veteran, competitive powerlifter, and trauma-informed strength coach.Connect with DanielleInstagram: @coach_dannieLearn about her training approach and coaching options.Keep listeningMissed Part 1? Go back for Danielle’s story of foster care, military service, motherhood, and finding her way back to herself through lifting.Follow Off With Your Coat for more honest conversations about our bodies, and join Cat and the gen-well community on Instagram @genwellofficial.

What does it mean to feel strong and safe in your own body?In the first of this two-part conversation, Cat Duff sits down with Danielle Bartlett—a trauma-informed strength coach, military veteran, and competitive powerlifter whose story deserves your time. Danielle speaks bravely and candidly about growing up in foster care, serving in Iraq, and living with PTSD. She shares how lifting became part of her healing and helped her reconnect with her body, alongside the grief, fertility challenges, and transitions that have shaped her experience of motherhood. Together, Cat and Danielle explore why strength training deserves a place in women’s lives: building muscle, supporting bone health, and learning about the body that carries you through every season. They also talk about making room for yourself when life asks a lot of you—and discovering that you don’t have to feel strong to begin.Come for the conversation about why & how we should be lifting. Stay for Danielle’s honesty, perspective, and what it really means to be a freaking badass.In Part 1, we cover:Danielle’s childhood experiences and her path into military serviceServing in Iraq and navigating being a woman in a combat environmentThe role lifting played in her personal recovery from PTSDNavigating grief, IVF, and motherhoodFinding space for herself through martial arts and movementWhy strength training matters for women’s bone health, muscle mass, and longevityMeet Coach DannieDanielle Bartlett is a trauma-informed strength coach, military veteran, and competitive powerlifter with more than 13 years of coaching experience. She has helped hundreds of women build strength and develop a more confident, connected relationship with their bodies.Follow along and learn more about her training approach.  Keep listeningFollow Off With Your Coat so you don’t miss Part 2, and join Cat and the gen-well community on Instagram @genwellofficial.

What does healthcare look like when safety, trust, and patient choice come first? Shouldn't this be our standard of care?! This conversation is paramount for patients AND providers. Cat Duff joins physician, medical educator, and trauma-informed care expert Dr. Sadie Elisseou to explore how our experiences shape the way we receive—and deliver—care. From gaps in postpartum education and advocating for bone-density testing to navigating sensitive exams, this conversation explores practical ways to help patients feel heard, respected, and supported.In this epsiode:Women’s health blind spots, postpartum education, and advocating for bone-density testing.Understanding trauma through the “Three Es”How trauma and systemic stress can intersect with clinician burnout.The six principles of trauma-informed care—and what they look like in everyday practice.Small changes in language, permission-seeking, and communication that can make medical exams feel safer.Patient advocacy, consent framework, and asking providers how they accommodate trauma-related needs.Resources mentioned:Dr. Sadie Elisseou’s website — speaking, consulting, and trauma-informed care education.Request for Trauma-Informed Care card — Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.Also discussed: Glucose Revolution by Jessie Inchauspé and food-ordering strategies.Bone Density: Ask for a clinical hip-and-spine bone-density DEXA with an interpreted report —not just a fitness/body-composition scan. Get a copy of your full report and review it with your care team, including which score is appropriate for you.Connect with gen-well:Follow @genwellofficial for more conversations about women’s health.Subscribe to Off With Your Coat wherever you listen, leave a rating or review, and share this episode with someone who deserves to feel more empowered in their care.