Michelle Lyons
Women's Health Physiotherapist. Founder of Celebrate Muliebrity
Michelle Lyons is a Women’s Health Physiotherapist with over 30 years of experience. Her toolbox has expanded over the years to include postgraduate qualifications in health coaching and wellness, yoga, pilates and mindfulness as a therapeutic intervention. As founder of Celebrate Muliebrity, Michelle is passionate about women’s health, with a special interest in menopause and oncology rehab issues. She teaches on these topics, on courses and conferences nationally, internationally and online, and is fervent about spreading the word about pelvic health.
“The Menstrual Detective: Why the ‘5th Vital Sign’ might be the Missing Link in MSK Health for Female Athletes”
Saturday Sep 20th: Main Theatre
15:55 – 16:35
Why is the Menstrual Cycle the 5th Vital Sign when it comes to working with female athletes? Does understanding REDs or HMB influence how you assess and rehab injuries? Should we be training differently at different phases of the cycle? Do we have a role in managing menstrual pain (would you recognise the red flags of menstrual health?!) What’s the best way to track and educate your clients (and their coaches) about the MC and injury prevention/recovery? All of this and more in ‘The Menstrual Detective’ session with Michelle Lyons.
Three key principles you’ll take away:
✨ Always ask about a person’s MC (even if they’re not coming with a MC issue) and understand what’s ‘normal’ for the MC (Pain that disrupts your life is not normal, neither is missing periods and HMB is very common and very disruptive to physical & mental health).
🍲 Teach them how to track their MC and how to recognise patterns & problems, so they can optimise their training and performance using a bespoke approach.
💛 Fill their toolbox with evidence based self-care strategies, including manual therapy, modalities & movement but also empower our patients to advocate for themselves if they need further care.
“WomenKind Collective Panel”
Sunday Sep 21st: Main Theatre
9:45 – 10:25
From Stigma to Strength: Breaking Taboos and Building Collaborative Care in Women’s Health. Women’s health remains surrounded by silence and stigma. From the menstrual cycle and menopause to pelvic and gynaecological health, breasts, hormones, and neurodivergence, these topics are often avoided, trivialised, or misunderstood, sometimes by clinicians themselves. This can lead to delayed diagnoses, mismanagement, and women who feel unseen or dismissed.
In this panel, Jinty Sheerin & Lou Hockings-Thompson, hosts of Womenkind Collective Spill The Tea Podcast, will be joined by Michelle Lyons, Women’s Health Physiotherapist & Founder of Celebrate Muliebrity, and Siobhan O’Donovan ‘The Booby Physio’ & founder of PostureFitting, to explore how language, bias, and cultural taboos shape women’s health experiences — and how clinicians can play a pivotal role in reframing these narratives. Drawing on expertise in physiotherapy, posture and body confidence, pelvic health, menopause, and neurodivergence, our speakers will highlight how we can move from stigma to strength by naming what is often left unsaid, joining the dots across disciplines, and building more inclusive, collaborative care.
Three key principles you’ll take away:
✨ Name it to normalise it: Learn how the language we use (or avoid) shapes stigma, and how using correct anatomical terms and open questions can create safer, more empowering conversations in clinic.
🍲 Step back and join the dots: Discover how recognising connections across the menstrual cycle, posture, pelvic health, hormones, and neurodivergence can help therapists move beyond symptoms and support whole-person care.
💛 Challenge your biases: Reflect on your own assumptions around gender, weight, hormones, or “typical” patient presentations — and explore practical ways to foster collaboration across disciplines for better outcomes.
