Press/Media
PRESS
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![Six women gathered in a well-lit room, smiling for a group photo. They are casually dressed, one sitting on a fitness step, others sitting or standing nearby. The room has a mirror, wall art, a clock, and a window with blinds. There are small workout weights and a large exercise ball visible.]()
Greenpoint at Work: Marlene Handler, Founder & Pelvic Health Occupational Therapist at The Lifted Lotus
“We spoke to Marlene Handler, founder of The Lifted Lotus (202 N. 4th St.) in Williamsburg. The Lifted Lotus specializes in pelvic floor therapy, and the business recently celebrated the grand opening of its new space!”
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![A woman sitting on a hospital bed holding her stomach and a healthcare professional standing beside her holding a blue clipboard, in a medical setting.]()
SLATE: Women Are Struggling With Sex, Pooping, and Even Sitting. You Can Guess How Insurers Are Reacting.
“Trying to get pelvic floor therapy covered was, for one patient, harder than getting her Ph.D. in computational cognitive science.”
PODCASTS
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Mornings with Megan: Your Pelvic Floor Is the Missing Piece in Your Perimenopause Care (ft. Marlene Handler) PART ONE
In Part 1, Marlene and I cover how she got dismissed as a practicing OT and what that means for the rest of us, why the OT lens is different from the PT lens, what the pelvic floor actually is and what it governs, why women moving from postpartum into perimenopause are being failed by a fractured system, why leaking and painful sex and prolapse have been normalized to the point where women think they are broken, and the shame piece. The one that keeps women from making that first phone call.
If any of this is landing: the leaking, the pain, the shame, the withdrawing from intimacy and exercise and friendships. You do not have to live with this. It is not normal. And as Marlene told us: so much of it is treatable and preventable.
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Mornings with Megan: What Actually Happens in a Pelvic Floor Therapy Session (ft. Marlene Handler) PART TWO
This week we get into what to actually do about it. In Part 2, Marlene walks us through what really happens inside a pelvic floor therapy session: something I wish someone had explained to me before I walked into mine years ago and left more confused than when I arrived. She covers the full arc of a first appointment, the intake, the movement assessment, the external evaluation, and the internal assessment, and she explains exactly how consent and communication are built into every step, so nothing happens without your full understanding and agreement.
This is the episode for anyone who has been putting off that first phone call because they didn’t know what to expect. In the Perimenopause Matrix, the Regulate pillar covers how your nervous system holds tension and processes stress in the body. The Connect pillar covers intimacy, pleasure, and sexual health. Pelvic floor therapy sits directly at the intersection of both, and Marlene’s trauma-informed approach is the bridge between them.
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The Healing Core Podcast: Pelvic Floor Therapy Explained
Is pelvic floor therapy only for pregnancy and postpartum? Or is it the missing piece for chronic pelvic pain, intimacy issues, and whole-body healing?
In this episode of The Healing Core, Dr. Maria is joined by pelvic floor occupational therapist Marlene Handler, founder of The Lifted Lotus in Brooklyn, to break down a truly holistic approach to pelvic health.
Together, they explore how chronic pelvic pain, nervous system dysregulation, stress, and lifestyle factors all connect, and why traditional, symptom-focused care often falls short.
Marlene shares her unique occupational therapy perspective, focusing on therapeutic listening, nervous system regulation, habit stacking, and individualized care to help patients finally feel safe and supported in their bodies again.
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Earth Body Podcast: Save the Pelvic Floor with Marlene Handler
Welcome to Earth Body Podcast. I’m Kate Douglas, Fertility Awareness Educator and founder of Earth Body. Each week, we feature conversations, stories, and essays exploring cyclical wisdom in the modern world.
Today, we're talking about the pelvic floor with occupational therapist Marlene Handler.
KEY MOMENTS:
0:50 - What is the pelvic floor?
2:39 - How common are pelvic floor issues?
5:11 - The importance of understanding your baseline
6:45 - Body literacy & body gratitude
7:54 - Common misconceptions about pelvic health
10:02 - Working with clients on pain during penetration
13:59 - How is pelvic health tied to other aspects of well-being?
15:50 - The pelvic floor doesn’t exist in isolation
17:11 - What is the most nourishing aspect of your work?
18:53 - Save the pelvic floor! -
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The Functional Pelvis: Live Podcast on Pelvic Health OT Advocacy
Join us for a powerful conversation on how to get state position papers approved—from lessons learned to best practices that actually work.
Whether you're just starting or already deep in the process, this free event will offer the tools, insight, and encouragement you need to move forward with confidence.
