Lipoedema Empower You Podcast

Lipoedema surgery isn’t the finish line.

In this episode, Vanessa Armstrong and Carrie Reedy are joined by Germany-based physiotherapist and Manual Lymphatic Drainage therapist Tanja Bröse-Kronz.

Tanja brings both professional and lived experience with lipoedema. She works with women receiving MLD and supports patients before and after liposuction and other surgical procedures.

In Part 1, we talk about:

• Tanja’s own lipo...

In Part 1, Vanessa shared how she went from “I don’t need surgery”, to becoming curious, researching her options and eventually developing her own Surgery WHY.

In Part 2, Carrie and Vanessa continue the conversation with what happened after the decision was made, as well as how you can begin to research and be aware of RED FLAGS.

Vanessa shares her personal experience of travelling from Australia to Germany for lip...

When Vanessa Armstrong was first diagnosed with lipoedema, surgery was not on her radar at all.

She had already lost around 45 kg, was active, playing tennis, managing inflammation through nutrition and lifestyle, and felt she had a strong conservative-management toolbox.

So how did she go from:

“I’m not having surgery.”
to
“I’ll get curious about surgery.”
to
“There’s no way...

A holiday should not become another full-time lipoedema management project. Vanessa and Carrie share what genuinelyhelped—and what they deliberately let go—during recent trips through Canada and Europe. How do you travel with lipoedema without spending the entire holiday worrying about swelling, food, compression, clothing or getting out of your routine?
After recent trips through Canada, Europe and a Mediterranean c...

P2: Not Your Fault… What You Can Do

In Part Two of our conversation with Siobhan Huggins from The Lipedema Project, we move from the science into the practical, emotional and empowering side of living with lipoedema.

If Part One helped explain why lipoedema is not simply “just fat” or a personal failure, Part Two asks the next question: what can we actually do with that knowledge?

Vanessa and Carrie talk with Siobha...

Vanessa and Carrie are honoured to be joined by Siobhan Huggins, Research Specialist for The Lipedema Project and an independent researcher with a special interest in metabolic health, inflammation, cholesterol metabolism, therapeutic carbohydrate reduction and lipoedema. Siobhan is a ROCK STAR in our community! Working so hard to help drive the research. This is a two-part POD a must listen...
This is Part 1 of our co...

A gentle note before listening: Carol Nelson's story is powerful, vulnerable and very individual. Her experience is not a typical early-stage lipoedema story, and not everyone with lipoedema progresses in the same way. Carol’s symptoms were advanced from a young age, which is rare, and her journey includes more than lipoedema alone. If you are newly diagnosed or feeling overwhelmed, please listen with self-compassion. This ep...

Feeling Alone with your Lipoedema? This episode, as part of our Lipoedema Awareness Month, is for you. Meet Marianne Pedersen, a leader in the community. Learn how 28 years ago she was diagnosed and how she was told she was RARE and the Only one in Western Australia. Learn what her top 4 tips are, what her personal experience with Lipedema is and how she lives the best version of herself at every stage. Want to find a supportive co...

In this episode of the Lipoedema Empower You Podcast, Vanessa and Carrie are joined by Rosemary “Rose” Kendell from Lymph Scar Occupational Therapy in Perth, Western Australia, for a deeply practical and reassuring conversation about lipoedema diagnosis.

Many women first discover lipoedema through social media, Google, Facebook groups, TikTok, Instagram, or even by entering their symptoms into ChatGPT. While online infor...

Bec Allen, a hypermobility physiotherapist with a special interest in hypermobility disorders, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, dysautonomia, POTS, adolescent care and complex invisible illness, joins Vanessa and Carrie on this episode of the Lipoedema Empower You Podcast.

Bec works through Biio and is available Australia-wide via telehealth.

We recorded this conversation during EDS and Hypermobility Awareness Month, because many women in the...

Compression for Lipoedema: Where to Start Without Overwhelm

In this episode, Vanessa and Carrie are joined by Dr Leslyn Keith, known for her valuable contribution and leadership through the Lipedema Project and Lipedema Simplified, to have a gentle, beginner-friendly conversation about compression.

Compression can feel overwhelming, especially when women are told they need expensive, custom, high-grade garments before they have even ...

In this episode, we go deeper into keto and low carb — beyond the noise, the rules and the overwhelm. We are dedicating a second episode to the nuances of eating styles for lipedema/lipoedema because you deserve the details!

We go deeper to unpack:
• The difference between keto and low carb
• How to know which approach may suit your body and lifestyle
• Why some women don’t see results (and what’s really ...

For many women with lipoedema, the word exercise can bring up frustration, pressure, and even shame.

In this episode, we reframe that conversation.

This is not about pushing harder or doing more —
This is about movement… and building a toolbox of options that support your body at any stage, age, or size.

Because the best form of movement…
It's the one you will put on repeat... so it helps to like it and conne...

What if there wasn’t just one “right” way to eat for lipoedema?

In this episode, we break down anti-inflammatory eating in a way that feels simple, flexible, and achievable — without the overwhelm.

This is about building your toolbox, not following strict rules.

In this episode, we cover:

• What anti-inflammatory eating actually means

• Different approaches (low carb, keto, Mediterranean, whole foods)

• What they al...

What is lipoedema — really? And why does understanding it change everything?

In this foundational episode, Carrie Reedy and Vanessa Armstrong break down Lipoedema 101 in clear, simplified language so you can move from overwhelm to informed action.

We explore what lipoedema (lipedema) actually is, how it presents, what the staging system means (and why it doesn’t define you), and why inflammation may play a central role in...

Whether you’ve recently discovered lipoedema (lipedema), have lived with it for years, or feel stuck in confusion and overwhelm — this conversation is for you.

In this first episode, we lay the foundation for what this podcast is here to be: a simplified, hope-focused, education-driven resource grounded in both professional expertise and lived experience.

Hosted by Vanessa Armstrong, health and mindset coach, and Carrie R...