From Capstone to Community: Building a Postpartum Podcast for Real Life

• Learn more about Level 1 Functional Pelvic Health Practitioner program
• Get certified in pelvic health from the OT lens here
• Grab your free AOTA approved Pelvic Health CEU course here.

Learn More About My Guest:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1J4tRM9U3F/?mibextid=wwXIfr 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/functionalfourthtrimester?igsh=cmQ3bWp3anJkdjBn

Blog: https://thepostpartumot.com/blog/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0yuF6uerJGVWdhgysa7Ug3?si=S7s_WZASQT-nGZ0sispJjg

Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/functional-fourth-trimester/id1881077069

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Transcript

Lindsey Vestal

Lauren, what a pleasure to have you on the OTs for Pelvic Health podcast. Thanks for joining me today.

Lauren Zatezalo

Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.

Lindsey Vestal

I loved meeting you at the recent AOTA Pelvic Health Community of Practice meeting where you got to jump on and tell us about a project that you've been working on that has to do with a podcast. Would you mind telling the rest of our listeners just a brief overview of your amazing project?

Lauren Zatezalo

Yes, I would love to.

So I am currently an occupational student in my third year, so I am currently an occupational therapy student in my third year. so I'm completing my doctoral capstone project right now. I go to Texas Women's University in Denton, Texas.

And I knew for my capstone project, I really wanted to do something within the postpartum field and really have been super interested in that topic over the last couple years.

And so I got in touch with Melissa who runs the postpartum OT and her and I kind of bounced ideas off of each other and ended up deciding to create a podcast series for new parents to kind of provide both education encouragement support

And her and I kind of bounced ideas off of each other and ended up deciding to create a podcast series for new parents to kind of provide both education, encouragement, and support for new parents on a variety of different topics that they're encountering within the postpartum space and really just be able to advocate for the role that OT can play in the postpartum field.

Lindsey Vestal

That is incredible. You already answered two of my questions, which is who are you hoping to reach and what gap are you trying to solve? That's incredible. I'm curious as to why you ended up choosing the podcast format.

Lauren Zatezalo

Yes, so my idea behind doing the podcast format is because the more literature I read, the more I talked to friends and families who were postpartum, the more it just became very clear to me that it is a very busy and chaotic time because I have not yet been postpartum myself really was relying on the research, and the literature, and hearing from people about their experiences. And a lot of new parents just really don't have time to sit down and read something, to find help on a particular topic. And so I was like, well, what if it's something that they could just listen to and be able to get information and hear from other people that way, whether, you know, they could do it, whether they're feeding their baby or out on a walk or doing the dishes.

I really wanted it to be something that was accessible to new parents and that fit into kind of the hectic, crazy lifestyle that is postpartum.

Lindsey Vestal
Spot on, and you know, I love that, you know, you can pop headphones in your ears, do it on a walk around your neighborhood, you know, while you're getting the baby ready. It's just such a, it's a type of format that just makes it so transferable driving in the car, you know, everything.

How did you decide the format? You know, whether it was questions and answers, interviews, solo episodes, sharing stories. How did you decide on the podcast format for this?

Lauren Zatezalo

So the format we're currently using is me and Melissa and a guest speaker for each episode, So each episode is on a particular topic. Like so far, we've done some on sleep and mental health and pelvic floor and infant massage.

And so I wanted the podcast to be equal parts like education and like real practical tools and strategies that if a new parent's listening to they have some little piece of advice they could take and try out to help make their daily life easier but I also wanted it to be encouraging and just like a reminder that they're not alone in their problem, that it's probably common and a million other people are experiencing it or have experienced it.

So that's how we settled on the kind of just casual conversational question to answer between Melissa and I and a guest speaker.

And, you know, Melissa and I tie in our little tidbits here and there and tie in some research here and there, But really the primary focus is on just having a conversation with somebody who has been through the experience themselves and or also works in that field and has clinical experience as well.

Lindsey Vestal

It's such a beautiful mixture of, you know clinical expertise with just really hearing it directly from someone who, someone who's experiencing it currently. I think that was really beautiful. It's relatable, but also really supportive with answers to real problems or real dilemmas that new parents are facing. That sounds incredible.

I'm sure this episode is going to inspire a lot of other students to do something similar And I would imagine one of the questions they would have is kind of about your workflow. Like, how did you guys go about picking the topic, you know, possibly, like, a you know, developing the questions, doing the editing, the publishing? Could you just walk us through that process?

Lauren Zatezalo

Yes, absolutely, And I feel like this process for me is kind of like continuing to be fine-tuned with the more episodes we do. Like at this point, we've done recorded eight, And so i feel like with each episode, I kind of would get a little bit more efficient in the process, which has been great because like it's a learning experience for Melissa and I as well, and the fact that we've never started a podcast before this.

But at the very start, I did a lot of research about how to start a podcast, like the logistics of it, the steps to it, and watched a lot of videos of other people who have started podcasts to kind of get a sense of the general flow.

And so then on our end, We kind of initially put out a survey and kind of connected with some people about, hey, does anybody have interest in being a guest speaker on this podcast?

Is there anything in particular that you would want to talk about on our podcast? And kind of just opened it up in that sense and then got a ton of great feedback and responses of people being like, yes, I'd love to talk about this or I'd love to talk about this, And so from there, i connected with each of the individuals more about the specifics of what they'd want to talk about, and so from there i connected with the individuals more about the specifics of what they want to talk about, And then I formed the topics for each episode based on that, So like we found someone who really had a lot of experience with like sleep and so we formulated an episode to talk to her about sleep and so the next thing I would do is just kind of write a brief outline of, hey, here's maybe some questions we'll ask.

Here's kind of some background on the guest speaker as to why they're talking on this topic and like to demonstrate their, I guess, expertise in this area and their experience in this area.

And then from there, we obviously scheduled a time to meet with them and to do, we're doing our episodes via Zoom to record that way.

And have just kind of been formulating the topics based off of kind of the interest that we've been getting.

And have just kind of been formulating the topics based off of and the interest that we've been getting so like as of now, there's some topics that we definitely want to do and then we're just looking to fill the guest for each of those episodes and so you know melissa has a lot of connections to her facebook group the postpartum OT so that's been a big way that we've been able to kind of recruit people to be on the podcast and have really just been looking to do topics that are relevant and I also did at the very beginning of my capstone, so in January I did a needs assessment via a Google survey and just tried to get feedback from real parents about their postpartum experience.

And I got responses from people who were, you know, one month postpartum all the way up to like gave birth 20 plus years ago, And so I used a lot of that feedback to kind of formulate some of the topics.

You know obviously some of the key ones were mental health, sleep, feeding, identity you know, a new identity, a new role transition, So I really wanted all of our topics to be something that new parents actually want to hear about and that are applicable and needed so kind of have a combination of these are the topics that I know we want to talk about. 

And now let's see if we can find a guest speaker that could speak on that specific topic. And then from there, we kind of just schedule the interview and go from there.

Lindsey Vestal

That's awesome. And I definitely can tell that Melissa was a big, a big champion for you and a big part of the process. And I know you got a lot of guest speakers and topic ideas from her Facebook group. Were you able to get information from anywhere else?

Lauren Zatezalo

So other than the needs assessment Google survey, I mean I also just did a lot of talking with family and friends, connecting to other people in the area.

I also followed and like joined a bunch of Facebook, just like new mom, new parent groups. And, you know, would put stuff out there about like, hey, what kind of stuff are you looking, you know, for help with?

But also just I learned a lot just from scrolling through some of those new mom, new parent Facebook groups and just reading, hey, what are people posting about? Like, what are things that they're wondering and needing help with that maybe an OT could kind of speak into?

So most of it has definitely been like social media related things, which I think has been a ah huge plus of the social media side of things. But then also just talking to people in my life and people that I know about what they're experiencing.

Lindsey Vestal

Yeah, I think there are mom groups, new parent groups everywhere across the country, and I think that was such intelligent way to really get it directly, and that was a really raw way like not scripted way.

So kudos to you for that. I think that was awesome. Would you mind sharing a little bit about what tools you used for like editing or hosting or mics or anything like that for someone who might be interested in starting something like this?

Lauren Zatezalo

Yes, definitely. And I will say, too, before starting the podcast, I feel like I thought it was going to be a ton of work. But in reality, it actually ended up being more simple than I was expecting.

So, you know, you have the recording portion of the episode, and so we do it on Zoom.

And so we have we do have the like one more up from the free version because sometimes our episodes go over the 30 minutes or whatever it is, 40 minutes.

And then we, I use a microphone, but and then Melissa just uses like a little clip to your shirt microphone. But most of our guest speakers don't have fancy mics, so it's not something that's necessarily needed.

And then for actually editing the audio, I use Audacity is what it's called. It's like ah it's a free editing app. So far I've found that it's very easy to use, easy to learn how to use.

And then for actually posting on to Spotify and Apple Podcasts, we do that via Buzzsprout, which is our hosting platform.

Basically, you just post your episodes on there, and then Buzzsprout posts them on whichever sources you want.

So for us, we chose to do Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

And then we are actually currently in the process of trying to launch a YouTube channel as well, just to try to make one more way that somebody could access the podcasts and see it.

And so for editing the video component of things I have been using it's called CapCut and it's just another free resource so I was surprised to see how many like free resources there were out there for being able to make a podcast and create it which I think is really exciting and awesome that you don't have to get a bunch of expensive equipment and stuff to be able to do it and like Melissa and I this whole time have been saying like done is better than perfect in the sense that like we you know we're learning how to make this podcast we're learning how to have these conversations better and edit better and sense that like learning how to make this podcast post things that people are going to really want to listen to but it's not necessarily going to be perfect at the start and we would rather just have those episodes out there so people can start hearing them and accessing them versus waiting till it was like super perfect so yeah

Lindsey Vestal

That's a great message for our listeners to hear, not only if they want to start a new project, like a podcast, a YouTube channel, social media page, whatever, but also for them to extrapolate into their client care.

You know, I think that so many of us, especially when we're entering a new specialty, really think we have to be experts and have all the answers. But this, you know, mantra of, better done than perfect, I think is what you said, is such a good one to apply to every area of our life.

So I hope that our listeners can take that into areas of their life where they really need to hear it because I think that we need more pelvic floor therapists. We need more OTs in this field.

And so to take on that mindset, which I think is something I talk about with my kids all the time and I have to remind myself of, is so incredibly inspirational.

So I love that you guys were having those conversations and that you were embracing that. How did you guys, or how are you currently measuring, measuring success on this project?

Lauren Zatezalo

This is definitely something that we're still kind of fine tuning and figuring how to like measure success because especially like from the capstone side of things, you know, I'm writing a paper that will have results and conclusions and I'm presenting about that.

So there does need to be in a sense like some you know, tangible results to it. And so for us, we're obviously looking at like amounts of downloads, and which is nice because that's something that like Buzzsprout just posts about, And I was actually looking at it today and it will tell you like on you know, in the on the first day how many downloads you had and now in the past 30 days how many you've had and where, like which countries and states are people downloading from. So that's been really interesting to see kind of where are people listening from.

And then also too, I just am in the process of creating like another Google survey basically to get feedback.

Pretty just like open-ended feedback from people who maybe watched one episode, more than one episode.

So just simply like what things you like, what are things you need to add.

Just simply like, what are things you liked? What are things you think we could add? Just really, like I said, trying to fine tune it and make it something that is going to resonate with new parents and actually be helpful and beneficial.

And so we're going to use social media to distribute that, like emailing people, texting people, so we're in the process of starting to do that to really be able to kind of get some feedback and measure like what was successful? What could we maybe change for next time?

Lindsey Vestal

That's awesome. And do you mind sharing how many, one of your most highest podcasts got downloaded?

Lauren Zatezalo

Yeah, I think I just had it open, actually. I believe the one that we just posted a couple weeks ago about we talked with a mom who had triplets and did an episode all about multiples, like twins and triplets.

That one got, like, so far, like 40 or 50 downloads, which is a little bit more than some of the other ones.

So that was kind of a fun little surprise to see because I was like, oh, I would expect that one maybe to not have as many because not everybody has twins and triplets. Yeah. But that one had a bunch.

And then the sleep episode also had a bunch, also had around like the 50 mark, which makes sense because sleep is such a big thing.

Lindsey Vestal

Absolutely, And kind of like another question and this isn’t about you assessing it objectively like downloads, But what episodes do you,are you the most proud of?

Lauren Zatezalo

We actually just did one, just recorded one talking about the pelvic floor and physical recovery, and It's going to launch here in a couple weeks. It's not actually live yet, but I had a lot of fun doing that episode because a lot of our conversation with our guest speaker that day centered around just the obvious need for more support and how like giving birth, whether it's vaginal or C-section and now taking a baby home, it's just such huge transition and such a huge, like we talked about how it was like trauma to the pelvic floor and yet you're just at home without very much and we don't want it to be a figure it out as you go.

Like we want parents to feel supported and have resources and know what to do and where to go when they're struggling.

And so a lot of our episode really just focused on the need for OTs to be in this field, like what benefits we can offer in this field to new parents.

And so I think it was just one of those episodes where I left feeling very like hopeful and encouraged that there's other people in this field, there's other people working, working towards this, which was just really exciting.

Lindsey Vestal

That's awesome. I love hearing that do you ever incorporate pointing listeners to resources like screening tools, how to find a pelvic health provider, you know, support groups, things like that?

Lauren Zatezalo

Yes, absolutely, So sometimes our guest speakers will mention resources in the episodes or I'll find some like in my own research.

And so with each episode, we have a blog post attached to it that's on the postpartumot.com website.

So each of the blog posts kind of gives a little summary of the episode, but then also we'll provide links to resources, like for example, our mental health episode.

provided links to resources for like postpartum support international, different support groups, like the emergency hotline number. And then we also will provide things like groups that are relevant to the topic, more resources.

So like if a parent's listening and it's like, oh, this is definitely a topic that I'm struggling with.

The blog post is kind of that place to go to get more information to maybe, you know, like some of the episodes I'll put like videos or articles or fact sheets about the different things just so it's there if they want to learn more about that topic or if they're looking for like a particular group or resource that they're needing help with.

Lindsey Vestal

That’s Perfect. I love that. If someone is listening to our chat right now thinking, I want to do something similar, what's the next step you recommend for them?

18:52.25

Lauren Zatezalo

Like for a student who or like somebody wanting to create a podcast.

18:52.62

Lindsey Vestal

Yeah, exactly. Student or or even like a seasoned practitioner, but just like what's the one next step you would suggest?

Lauren Zatezalo

I would say just start doing some research and like getting to know your target audience.

That's kind of where I started is like just diving into talking with new parents, you know, going in and reading all the Facebook posts about new moms and new dad groups and stuff.

And just like really getting to know the audience that I wanted to reach

And finding out what are their needs, what are the gaps in care that are currently available.

And then just kind of going from it from there, like Melissa and I chat, we're in like laugh about this all the time that she was wanting to start a podcast for like years.

And just like never really was like, yes, okay, I'm going to go for it. I'm going to start it. And so you kind of just have to be like, okay, yep, I'm going to do this and I'm going to start it and we're going to trial and error it as we go.

And it might, you know, like I said, it might not be perfect at the start, but yeah, I would say just like really start getting to know the people that you're trying to reach and what they actually need so that whatever you're creating, whether it be podcast episodes or not, is going to be relevant to them and actually beneficial.

Lindsey Vestal

That's great great. Great advice, Lauren, My last question for you is what's what's next for you What do you either hope to to build next if there was more time and funding or even like beyond that, where do you see yourself going over the next couple years?

Lauren Zatezalo

Yeah, so I have four more weeks technically of my capstone project and then graduation in May, of course, and the NB Cot and all that fun stuff.

But Melissa and I actually have been talking about continuing podcast post capstone.

And so that's definitely something that's kind of in the works and like figure out logistics of, but I definitely want to continue it, And, you know, it might look a little different once I graduate.

But her and I have been talking about wanting to kind of continue that. And really, like in terms of being a new grad, like I'm sure I'll still work in the hospital or clinic.

But I want to like, eventually the dream would obviously be to work within this postpartum care field.

And I'm not sure exactly like what that looks like yet.

But I definitely I think like staying up and doing the podcast and kind of doing some other things in in conjunction with Melissa as well, will help me kind of like keep one foot in this field while I'm kind of trying to figure out exactly how to you know, fully get into it just because it's not something that you can just go and get a job super easily and find one as postpartum OT, especially in the area I'm i'm in. There are pretty limited like resources in this field. And so I'm not exactly sure.

you know, obviously first step is to finish Capstone and graduate and pass Embicot. But after that, I'm just really looking forward to seeing what opportunities I can kind of find and get presented with.

Lindsey Vestal

So do you eventually see yourself being in some sort of role of maternal health or pelvic floor health?

Lauren Zatezalo

Yeah, I would love to.

I think like if I could make my dream job, it would be like half in a hospital, like actually getting to talk to my moms who are on the postpartum unit, just gave birth and like provide resources and education about, hey, if you start experiencing X, Y and z like here are some places you can go, things you can get.

But then also half like actually getting into actually getting to go into people's homes and provide OT services.

Whether that be pelvic floor specifically, whether that just be looking at their environment and what can we change to help make your life easier.

I would love to do like kind of a little combination of both of those things.

Lindsey Vestal

That sounds amazing. Well, I'm excited to stay in touch with you and see where things go. You've got amazing things on the horizon with finishing up your capstone and graduation. So thank you so much for taking the time to share just a really thoughtful exploration into this project that you and Melissa worked on together and just kind of sharing your experience with it. I hope it inspires somebody listening to do their own version of this because you just made it seem so approachable and it seems like you learned so much along the way and experienced so much joy. So I can't thank you enough for taking the time to share this with us today.

Lauren Zatezalo

Yes, absolutely. Thank you so much for having me.

And I will say one more thing, too, especially if it's like a student listening or somebody who's kind of early on in their OT career.

I feel like one of the things I initially was struggling with was like not knowing very much about this field. And like I'm like, well, I don't really have the knowledge yet and the clinical experience yet in this field, but I just don't want that to be something that stops people because like the only way you're going to actually start learning and getting the knowledge and clinical clinical experience is by actually jumping in and just doing it.

And there's so many OTs that are passionate about this area. So just get connected with somebody.

And, you know, I just feel like I've just been trying to be like a little sponge and soak up all of Melissa's knowledge about this and all the other guest speakers I talk to. And so I would say just just to put that out there is, you know, don't be afraid that you don't have enough information or knowledge to be able to jump into this area.

Lindsey Vestal

Yeah, I'll just piggyback on that because another important part of what you're saying, and you actually said it a little bit earlier, was that you yourself are not a parent. And i want to bring that to light because i I have a lot of OTs who reach out to me through my Facebook facebook page or directly on email saying,

Can I still support new parents? Can I still do this? And I say things like, well, have you experienced a stroke when you've supported stroke clients? Or have you experienced a burn when you were on the burn unit? And the answer is usually no to that question and say, it's the exact same thing in pelvic health and new parent health. Like this is not a topic you have to have personal experience in yet. to be able to support. And so I think that goes hand in hand with what you just described. You don't need to be an expert or even have experience in it to know and identify that it's a gap in our society and that we as OTs are so uniquely equipped to be able to task analysis, co-regulation, trauma-informed lens come in and really support these clients who are so in need of our support. So thank you. Thank you for highlighting that, Lauren. And Wishing you all the best. I can't wait to see how your career continues to grow.

Lauren Zatezalo

Thank you so much. I appreciate it.