A little over two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak on a panel called A Real Conversation on Women’s Health alongside Dr. Amy Novatt and Dr. Tylene Lizardi, moderated by Laura Pensiero at the Hudson Valley Women in Business Women’s Wellness Retreat. The event took place March 7, 2026 at Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Katie Nasherson therapist in Kingston NY speaking on women’s health panel in Hudson Valley — L to R: Laura Pensiero; Dr. Tylene Lizardi; Katie Nasherson, LCSW; Dr. Amy Novatt (photo by: Kristin Reimer/Photomuse)

And honestly?
It felt like one of those conversations that should be happening everywhere—but usually isn’t.

Because when it comes to women’s health, we’re still operating in silos (even in 2026!!).

Physical health over here. Mental health over there.
And the emotional load? Often invisible, minimized, or treated like it’s just “part of being a woman.”

This panel was different.

It was honest and it centered something I see every day in my work as a therapist:

You cannot separate mental health from physical health from the life you’re living.

It was so nice to be on a panel of incredible women who truly get it, and looking out onto the audience of women nodding along who also totally fucking get it. We are not alone. The systems in this world might be operating to try to keep us feeling alone (and we talked about this too, especially the big wellness industry), but we are not alone!

Why Women’s Health Conversations Still Feel Incomplete

One of the core themes that came up again and again was this:

Women are often treated as a collection of symptoms—not whole people.

You go to separate providers for your body (PCP, OBGYN). Another for your mental health. Maybe another for hormones, stress, or sleep. Sometimes a physical therapist if you can figure out how the referral system works.

But usually no one is really looking at the full picture.

And what gets missed?

The chronic stress that’s driving the anxiety
The emotional labor that’s contributing to burnout
The life transitions quietly reshaping identity
The pressure to “hold it all together” while falling apart internally

From a mental health perspective, this fragmentation matters. Because many of the women I work with aren’t just “anxious” or “overwhelmed,” they’re also navigating:

A breakup or major life change
Career pressure or identity shifts
The slow realization that their life no longer fits
Living in a world that is very literally on fire or blowing up every day
A nervous system that’s been running on overdrive for years

And yet, they’re often told to manage symptoms instead of actually understanding what’s underneath them. AND, all of this impact’s our physical health too!

Mental Health Is Not Separate From Your Life

One of the most important takeaways from the panel:

Mental health is not just about coping better. It’s about living differently.

Yes—tools matter.

But if your life is built around:

Over-functioning
Chronic stress
Self-abandonment
Prioritizing everyone else

Then no amount of coping strategies will fully fix that.

This is where the deeper work I do—like IFS (Internal Family Systems) and EMDR—can be incredibly powerful. Because we’re not just managing anxiety, we’re understanding:

The parts of you that learned to over-function
The protective strategies keeping you stuck
The deeper wounds driving patterns that no longer serve you

And from there, we start to rebuild.

What Women Actually Need (But Rarely Get)

If I had to summarize what came out of this conversation, it’s this:

Women don’t need more pressure to optimize themselves.

They need:

Space to be honest about how they’re actually doing
Support that sees the full picture—not just symptoms
Doctors that will actually listen to them
Permission to question the life they’ve built
Tools that go deeper than surface-level fixes
Community that reminds them they’re not alone

Sharing the stage with Dr. Amy Novatt, Dr. Tylene Lizardi and Laura Pensiero was such a wonderful reminder of the incredibly brilliant and powerful women doing the work each and every day to support other women.

The community that Hudson Valley Women in Business fosters and brought together in that room (and all their other events) is all the evidence we need to know we are not alone in this.

Hudson Valley Women's Wellness Retreat 3/7/26 — Hudson Valley Women in Business- Women’s Wellness Retreat- March 7, 2026 (photo by: Kristin Reimer/Photomuse)

Why These Conversations Matter—Especially Now

We’re in a moment where more women are:

Re-evaluating relationships
Questioning career paths
Navigating burnout
Facing perimenopause and hormonal shifts
Rethinking what they actually want their lives to look like
Talking about their wants/needs/desires more openly than ever before

And yet, the support systems haven’t fully caught up.

Panels like this matter because they start to bridge the gap.

They bring together physical health, mental health, and lived experience into one conversation.

Having these open conversations is just the begining. Dr. Amy repeatedly saying “vagina” and “vulva” into the microphone felt like a revelation. But why? It shouldn’t… but it was amazing to be in the room (and on the stage) for REAL & HONEST TALK about women’s health.

About My Fellow Panelists

Hudson Valley women’s wellness event panel on mental health and burnout — L to R: Laura Pensiero; Dr. Tylene Lizardi; Dr. Amy Novatt; Katie Nasherson, LCSW (photo by: Kristin Reimer/Photomuse)

Dr. Amy Novatt- an OB-GYN committed to empowering women with education and accessible information about their bodies and health. Through her podcast Gynocurious, she works to normalize conversations around reproductive and preventative care. Amy brings clinical expertise and clarity to discussions that too often go unspoken.
Dr. Tylene Lizardi, PT, DPT- a pelvic floor physical therapist dedicated to helping women feel strong, informed, and supported through every stage of life. Her work focuses on restoring confidence and function through specialized care that many women do not realize is available to them. Tylene brings practical insight and a compassionate approach to conversations about women’s physical health.
Laura Pensiero, RDN- is the chef & owner of Gigi’s Hudson Valley as well as a Register Dietician Nutritionist. She has spent more than two decades building community around food, health, and connection. Her work brings women together through thoughtful conversation, nourishment, and shared experience. As a moderator, she offers grounded, welcoming leadership that helps translate expert insight into practical, real-life understanding.

About My Work

I’m Katie Nasherson, LCSW, a therapist based in Kingston, NY, working with women across New York and New Jersey.

I specialize in helping thoughtful, capable women navigate major life transitions—especially when anxiety, burnout, or a major shift has made it clear something needs to change.

My approach is depth-oriented and practical. We don’t just talk—we work where patterns actually live, using approaches like IFS and EMDR to help you rebuild and grow into a life that fits.

If you’re curious about working together, you can reach out for a consultation.

Because you don’t need to keep doing this the hard way.

A Real Conversation on Women’s Health: What We’re Still Not Saying (But Need To)