She arrived in the U.S. at 27. Never been on a plane. Left her entire family in India. Faked her accent so no one would notice where she came from. Worked harder than anyone in the room — and learned the hard way that hard work without a voice is invisible.
Dr. Charu Chopra is a physical therapist of 17 years. For the past 7+, 100% of her patients have been women. She specializes in pelvic floor and breast rehab therapy — and she is one of the most honest, direct voices in women’s health working today.
In this episode of Women of Color: An Intimate Conversation, Deneen L. Garrett sits down with Dr. Chopra for a conversation that covers far more ground than expected: from the intersection of identity, immigration, and entrepreneurship, to the pelvic floor truths most women have never heard from a healthcare provider.
What Dr. Chopra covers in this episode:
- Urinary leakage, pelvic pain, pain with intercourse, and bladder urgency — common, but NEVER normal. Every woman deserves to know this.
- The Kegels myth — why doing Kegels with tight pelvic floor muscles makes things worse, not better.
- Black women’s postpartum mortality rate is 3 times higher than the rest of the population — and pelvic floor physical therapy is recommended for every woman after birth, regardless of delivery type.
- Sexual trauma as an unaddressed cause of pelvic floor dysfunction — and why Dr. Chopra is often the first healthcare provider who ever asked.
- Direct access states — in Arizona and many others, you don’t need a doctor’s referral to see a pelvic floor PT.
Dr. Chopra also shares the unlearning that shaped her leadership: how she moved from assimilation to ownership, from code-switching to speaking her full truth, and how she discovered that the same courage it takes to cross the world is the same courage it takes to advocate for yourself in any room.
This episode is for the woman who has been dismissed. Who has normalized pain. Who has been waiting for a green light that was never coming. Own yourself. Set your boundaries. Never doubt yourself.
Women of Color: An Intimate Conversation is a Top 20, 100 Best Women’s Empowerment Podcast. WOC Live streams every Thursday at 1:00 PM ET on YouTube.
📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DeneenLGarrett
Produced by The Leon Thomas Group: https://www.theleonthomasgroup.com
✨ GUEST SPOTLIGHT: DR. CHARU CHOPRA
Website: https://www.womenofcoloranintimateconversation.com/guests/charu-chopra/
👑 ABOUT YOUR HOST: DENEEN L. GARRETT
Deneen is a Cultural Alchemist, International Speaker, and the visionary behind the Dream Lifestyle™ Collective, the premier sanctuary for Black women 50+.
Join the Collective: https://www.skool.com/dream-lifestyle-collective-1653
Website: https://deneenlgarrett.com
Inquiries: Deneen@deneenlgarrett.com