Compression bras are so much more than just post-op garments — they’re critical tools for your patients’ comfort, healing, and confidence.
In this episode, Kayla Broderick (@PrairieWear) shares the design and development process behind the updated Hugger line-up, while Dr. Kelly Sturm (@CancerRehabPT) brings the clinician perspective on fit, function, and patient care.
Together, we dig into:
- Why compression is more than just support after breast surgery
- How the Hugger PRIMA, VIDA, LUMA, and ARIA meet different patient needs
- Real-world tips for clinicians recommending and fitting compression bras
This episode is the perfect mix of product insight + clinical application — and it might just change how you think about bras in cancer rehab.
Want to watch the episode instead?
Watch this week’s episode of TheOncoPT Podcast on our YouTube channel!
About Kayla Broderick
Kayla Broderick is the Marketing Coordinator for Prairie Wear, a Canadian, woman-owned company creating versatile, sustainable compression bras called Huggers – for good reason. Designed with surgeons, patients, and medical professionals, these bras deliver zoned compression with all-day comfort for recovery, active living, and beyond. Kayla is passionate about helping people, sharing education, and building genuine connections that inspire and empower.
Follow Prairie Wear on Instagram: @PrairieWear
About Dr. Kelly Sturm, PT
Kelly Sturm is a physical therapist who received her Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from the Mayo Clinic. She became a Certified Lymphedema Therapist (CLT) through Klose Training and is certified by the Lymphology Association of North America (LANA). In 2019, Kelly became one of the first Board-Certified Oncology Clinical Specialists in the United States.
Join The Cancer Rehab Community!
Follow Kelly on Instagram: @CancerRehabPT
Transcript
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (00:19)
Hey, Onco PT and welcome back to this episode of the Onco PT podcast. When I tell you that this episode has been a month in the making, I’m not exaggerating. I am so thrilled to finally bring you this amazing panel discussion between Kayla Broderick, who is the marketing guru at Prairie Wear, which you know and you know we love here on the Onco PT podcast, and our beloved Dr. Kelly Sturm.
who is the co-founder of the cancer rehab community. You also probably know her as Cancer Rehab PT on all the socials. We are going to have a really fun conversation today where we are bringing Kayla’s expertise of the ins and outs of the different huggers, those awesome compression bras that Prairie Wear makes, and the clinician perspective of Kelly and myself to ultimately come together and say, what is out there? What is available for your patients?
And these are the things that are actually working best in our practices with our own patients. So let me first welcome Kayla Broderick. Welcome to the Onco PT podcast. We are so excited to have you.
Kayla Broderick (01:28)
I am so happy to be here and like Elise said it’s been a little bit in the making to get here so I’ve been you know every night I go to bed and I’m like okay only like three more days until I get to do the Uncle PT podcast. So thank you for having me.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (01:48)
my gosh, you are so welcome. are so thrilled to have you. Kelly, welcome back to the OncoPT podcast. So exciting to have you on again.
Kelly Sturm (01:55)
Thank you. I feel like I haven’t been on for over a year or so too, so it’s just fun to be here.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (01:59)
It’s
been a minute. This conversation was overdue for many different reasons, and I’m so thrilled that it’s finally happening. So I’m going to turn the conversation first to Kayla. So Kayla, as we mentioned, you are the brains behind marketing at Prairie Wear. You’ve been with the company for a few years now. Can you tell us, because there are some listeners who may not be as familiar with Prairie Wear, can you tell us a little bit about Prairie Wear?
Kayla Broderick (02:28)
Yeah, that’s my favorite question actually. Who is Praeware? What are you guys up to on the Prairie? So Praeware came into fruition because our CEO and owner Holly Markwold was approached by a breast surgeon and she said, can you make this post-surgical bra better? Because it’s not good right now. And Holly said, 100%, yes we can. And so that’s how Praeware came to be and…
Now Prairie Wear is a woman owned company who makes high quality, doctor approved, certified skin safe compression bras that they’re designed for real bodies and real life. And so we’re talking from post-surgical to lymphedema management, getting back into your everyday movement to active recovery. And my favorite one is we make bras that you don’t want to rip off by lunchtime.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (03:26)
Mm.
Mm. I felt that in my soul.
Kayla Broderick (03:33)
So, yeah, we’re just here to ⁓ change how people experience support and compression. And that’s, I think we’re hitting that.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (03:44)
Absolutely. Absolutely.
Can you talk a little bit about what really sets Prairie Wear apart in this industry? Because, so I feel very comfortable and Kelly, I’d love to hear your perspective too. I’ve been in oncology, physical therapy long enough. I have seen kind of the spectrum of compression bras and frankly, bra support that’s available post breast surgery for our patients. And it ranges from amazing, obviously that’s why we’re here talking about Prairie Wear, to ⁓
Well, needs improvement is how I would grade it. And there’s a whole lot of stuff in between. And when I first started, it was kind of rough. There were not a lot of options out there. And this wasn’t even that long ago. So Kelly, can you tell me like, what’s been your perspective? And then we’re going to pivot back to Kayla on what really sets Prairie Wear apart
Kelly Sturm (04:35)
Absolutely. I think you hit it right on. So I’ve been a PT in oncology for, let’s see, 12-ish years now. And for the first five years, I use that exact phrase. There’s not a lot of great options out there with my patients, which is not ideal to say. Nothing was really comfortable. Nothing really felt like a compression brow. We were just trying to find what worked. And for me, it really was Prairie Wear that changed it.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (04:52)
Mm-mm.
Kelly Sturm (05:03)
definitely changed my excitement about what I could share with my patients. But also, I remember when I first got introduced to Prairie Wear, it’s been over five years now, ⁓ I had a patient who was very plus size and even what was out there, it wasn’t even that they were not great bras, it’s that nothing even fit her. And Prairie Wear was the first thing that I actually could get her in and she was so excited about it and it fit well.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (05:06)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah. Yeah.
Kelly Sturm (05:32)
It wasn’t that she could just squeeze in it, it fit her well. So yeah, I never looked back. Prerequisite still my all time favorite for lot of reasons.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (05:42)
So again, the love for Prairie Wear, very extensive here on the Onco PT podcast. So Kayla, can you tell us more about what really sets Prairie Wear apart in this industry?
Kayla Broderick (05:54)
Yeah, I mean a ton of things, but I’ll just hone in on my top three and I think this goes for the rest of the team. Our ⁓ first one I’ll start off with is we are just one measurement guys. Like you don’t have to sit there with a calculator and get your cup size, your band size and do all these different measurements. It’s just one measurement right above your chest, around your back and then you pop that size into our fit chart and there you go.
And we fit a ton of size, like a size range. So, ⁓ and there’s like this, ⁓ statistic that says 80 % of women are actually in the wrong size bra. And no wonder, yeah, no wonder we’re all frustrated because you have to do so many different conversions to get your right size. So that is a total game changer, I think in this industry. And the second one is that
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (06:27)
Mm-hmm.
I believe in.
Mm-hmm.
Kayla Broderick (06:48)
Our bras are doctor approved. you know, we work with medical professionals like Elise and Kelly. And when we were designing them, we spoke to a ton of surgeons and a ton of patients and even a world renowned breast movement expert who was actually the original founder of the jog bra. If you guys want to go look that up, like the first bra, it’s pretty interesting. ⁓ So a lot of ⁓ input and you know,
shows up in all the like every little detail in our huggers. It’s from talking to all these amazing people. ⁓ And then our third one is our bras are Oketec standard 100 certified skin safe guys. Like you can wake up from your surgery in our bra because they are OR ready. Like who wants to you know wake up from a surgery and have to fiddle with putting your bra on? I think it’s just
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (07:24)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Kayla Broderick (07:46)
waking up with it, you just feel a lot more secure. So ⁓ they’re antibacterial, they’re latex and velcro free. So you can wear them for several days after surgery and they’re not gonna stink, like which is a total game changer. I I play baseball and I had a tournament on the weekend and everything about me stunk, but my Luma, I smelled it and it was fine.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (08:11)
Absolutely, right.
Kayla Broderick (08:15)
So I can’t say it enough. Like it literally doesn’t stink. We’re also, you know, insurance eligible. And beyond that, we have zone seamless compression that, you know, supports you where you need it and eases up where you don’t. Our huggers aren’t digging into your scars. They’re not pinching. It’s a bra that works with your body. ⁓ So those are my top three. I could go on and on.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (08:21)
Mm-hmm.
There’s
a lot to love about Prairie Wear. again, kind of combining what Kelly and Keela have been talking about. So like Kelly, was a, so my experience, my first exposure to Prairie Wear was a patient came in with a hugger, like the very first generation of the Prima hugger. And I was like, what is this bra that you are wearing? Like, this is unlike anything that I’ve seen. And since then it was like,
that nothing compares at this point. And we actually have all of the huggers here today. So if you are listening to this, know that there is a YouTube video. You can go and watch the whole thing as we’re going through these different bras. But one of the things that I really appreciate underlying all of this is the intentionality behind every single detail of every single hugger. Kayla talked about these are doctor approved. These are not just
bras that someone came up with and was like, you know what, breasts need to be contained. This looks like enough fabric kind of situation. You know, we think about how traditional sports bras work. And again, going back to the jogger bra and the innovation that goes into creating these bras, most bras, whoops, my watch is talking to me. Most sports bras are going to compress if they provide any compression, anterior to posterior.
And what this allows, I’m giving you a crash course in like bra work right now, that is going to compress the breast inward (posteriorly), but then also is going to, depending on how much tissue you have outward. And a lot of my patients, when they get swelling, a lot of it is going to hang out in this axilla area where that is just being pushed by regular sports bras. So if you’re thinking, you know, I think I can just get by with a regular sports bra to achieve that compression. My friend, that is not the case.
So let’s bust that myth right now. Let’s now walk through because there is a whole lineup of huggers available for patients and the different not only phases of their treatment that they’re going through, but also the different experiences, maybe even different impairments that they’re working with. So Kayla, can you start us off with the hugger prima, which is like the flagship gold standard.
that started this whole thing for Prairie Warrant and our love.
Kayla Broderick (11:13)
Yes, of course I can. yeah. So this is the Hugger Prima. And you know, we like to call this our power horse, our workhorse, the does everything ⁓ bra. It is ⁓ full coverage, full compression, you know, you’re going to get like Elise said, the high coverage on the sides, all around the back. And
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (11:18)
my God, I love the pink. my God.
Kayla Broderick (11:43)
We always recommend this bra for like post-surgery lymphedema management. ⁓ you know, if you just had a breast reduction lift, you can wear this bra. It’s also great for, you know, like high impact workouts. it’s going to hold you in. And, ⁓ so I’ll just go over a couple of the features. Like it has the hook and I shoulder straps. I I’m on camera, so I can’t obviously do that.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (11:57)
Mm-hmm.
Hehehehe
Kayla Broderick (12:13)
And ⁓ it has also the bottom G hook and a middle G hook as well. sometimes after surgery, you’re kind of having a little bit of a hard time getting the bra on. So you can put these fasteners in place and so it holds you and then you can just easily zip it up. So, ⁓ yeah, that is the ⁓ Prima.
Kelly, if you wanted to kind of add in the union.
Kelly Sturm (12:44)
Yeah,
I think for clinicians it’s best to know that this bra has really the highest sides laterally that I have found. So we know a lot of women have that kind of pocket that tends to sit there and we all know how much they hate that pocket. Also we know that with the scars there, there’s usually more fluid there so we really need that good coverage. So it does come all the way up without digging in to the axilla which is really nice and that’s one of the features that I really love. One thing that
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (12:52)
Mm-hmm.
Yep. Yep.
Kelly Sturm (13:13)
is asked a lot is a lot of the bras on the market are really for post mastectomy with reconstruction or lumpectomy. They’re not for mastectomy without reconstruction. So this bra will form to whatever your patient had. So it will form for a lumpectomy. It will lay flat for a bilateral or even unilateral mastectomy. So this bra can work for anyone and that’s really important. It’s something that’s
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (13:32)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Kelly Sturm (13:43)
really, really hard to find. So I love that. ⁓ I will go on the side too. If someone is a therapist here is also a pelvic floor therapist or works in women’s health, you’re women who are postpartum. I did not think about this when I was trying to get back into exercise after having my babies of how uncomfortable that was to exercise. And it took me a solid two months to realize like, put your prima on.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (13:45)
Mm-hmm.
oooo
Kelly Sturm (14:12)
So the only bra that I could work out in after postpartum. So again, pelvic floor therapist, women health therapist, this is also a bra for your patients as well for that reason.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (14:17)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah. Go ahead, Kayla.
Kayla Broderick (14:23)
Sorry, I also
forgot to mention that there’s also, we have these really cool extender pieces. So sometimes when you’re just coming out of surgery, you’ve got a lot of padding. Maybe you want to add like a chip pack or something, nice pack to your one side and you need a little bit more extra room. So you can insert your extender piece, which will bring you up a size. And then when your swelling goes down or you take your bandages off,
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (14:44)
Mm-hmm.
Kayla Broderick (14:52)
take the extender out and it’ll bring you down a size. So instead of having to buy two bras, which who wants that? You can just have the extender pieces in there. So that’s another.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (14:59)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Kelly Sturm (15:05)
And that has
come in clutch, because we all have patients with lymphedema, chronic lymphedema, who fluctuate like crazy. And so that is really almost necessary. So if a patient either is early on in their treatment or at post-surgical, you know they’re going to drop in size. Go ahead and go down a size and get the extender so they can start with the extender and then come down. Or again, you know those people who just have always fluctuated for years.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (15:11)
Yep. Yep.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Kelly Sturm (15:32)
So it’s nice again, go down one size with the hugger and get the extender so they now have two sizes to go through.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (15:38)
Yep.
Kayla Broderick (15:39)
Yeah.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (15:40)
I also like having extenders for if I have patients who, you know, need to be, want to be in compression at night, but not as much compression, zipping in an extender to just give them a little extra room ⁓ for nighttime comfort is also a really great option. ⁓ Kelly, Kayla, can I actually have you hold up the bra with the back facing me, please? Okay. So we’re still on the prima right now.
Kelly Sturm (16:03)
yeah.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (16:07)
So right now I have a patient who has ⁓ upper extremity lymphedema secondary to breast cancer treatments. And she tends to have a lot of fluid that pockets kind of in her, like yes in her side, but also in her back area, sometimes up kind of by her shoulder blade or down around the traditional bra line. And what I love about the Prima is it comes up high enough and it’s not just.
fabric that’s there. This is something that Kayla mentioned previously. want to make sure that we pull out. think the term is, Oh no, I’m totally going to forget it, but it’s like 360 zone mapped compression. I totally butchered that. I’m so sorry, Kayla. I’m going to turn it back to you on that. But this garment has compression built in all the way throughout every square inch of this garment.
Kayla Broderick (16:47)
Yeah.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (17:00)
I know that when my patient is wearing their Prima bra, that swelling that’s in their upper back that isn’t targeted by anything else that’s on the market, that is going to help with that compression because we all know there’s no sleeve that fits on your upper back to help with swelling like that. So, Kayla, would you mind correcting that terminology because I know I totally tripped that up.
Kelly Sturm (17:22)
you
Kayla Broderick (17:23)
You were close. It’s we call it 360 zoned gradient compression. So. ⁓
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (17:27)
Oh, I was so close. I’ll work on that.
So, biggest bang for your buck as far as like we said, kind of early on in the process, whether that’s recovery. I use this a lot for patients who are dealing with a lot of truncal swelling, whether that’s after surgery. A lot of my practice right now is very lymphedema heavy. And so this is where I really see a lot of this used with patients. ⁓ Kelly, what, you you mentioned a lot of different patient populations. Can you talk about what are some of the like impairments and whatnot that you’re using?
this bra the prima with your patient population.
Kelly Sturm (18:06)
Yeah, I think the Prima is really my main go-to when it comes to the clinical setting. It’s the first thing they try ⁓ because it is full coverage. So anything lymphedema, anything post-surgical swelling, anything with swelling. That also includes seroma. So I will use the Prima for seroma. We might have to put a chip bag or something in there as well if it’s a really localized seroma, but the compression is sometimes not for those smaller seromas.
⁓ I think it’s helpful to put over any scar areas after as well, just so you don’t fill up in those areas or cause a saroma. ⁓ And then anything that they’re doing for exercise. I also really like it. I have found it because it is that really soft fabric that anyone with nerve sensation issues or post-infection pain syndrome,
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (18:32)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Kelly Sturm (18:57)
It is the most tolerable garment that I have found. I know everyone varies a little bit on what does not feel good, but I have had individuals who are like, I don’t know. ⁓ I don’t, know, nothing really is comfortable for me. And then I can think of one patient in particular who just, she couldn’t touch anything to her whole arm and her whole chest, but she could wear the Prima. And it was actually shocking to us all that she tolerated because she tolerated nothing else. So.
Something to think about as you’re working with patients, but it’s definitely the go-to, the first thing I would try if you are new to anything with oncology and breast cancer rehab.
Kayla Broderick (19:37)
so after our prima, we can kind of transition into what we call, ⁓ you know, our second phase medical care bra, which is the Vida. She is, ⁓ medium compression. She’s got a little bit lower coverage than the prima, all the same great features, zipping up in the front.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (19:46)
Yeah. Yeah.
Kayla Broderick (20:03)
She doesn’t have the hook closure on the shoulders, but the straps are padded, which are chef’s kiss because nobody wants straps digging into you that aren’t padded. That’s just really uncomfortable. ⁓ And another cool thing is that, you know, it’s pocketed so you can put whatever you want in there. It’s dual layered. It’s going to wick moisture away.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (20:16)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Kayla Broderick (20:30)
So I also like to say this bra is really versatile like you could wear it like I said the second phase ⁓ Medical bra, but you can also wear it every day, you know, whatever you’re doing. It’s It’s kind of like yeah go to Love this one
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (20:30)
Yes.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
So same material as when we were talking about the prima, it’s still got that compression, especially throughout the chest area. ⁓ Right now I have a patient who was really resist like, and again, there’s so many pros to the prima, the one con, and this is like not even a con for me, but I understand for my patients.
It’s a lot of fabric. And so they don’t like that it peeks out of like their blouses or whatnot. And so usually if my patients are hesitant on that, I can at least get them to go with a Vida right? Because it does have a little lower, I don’t even, neckline, I guess is what we would call it. But it’s very much almost that transition to out of the, know, high levels of compression that the Prima offers into more of
Kayla Broderick (21:28)
Thanks guys.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (21:39)
kind of an everyday look while still achieving that compression that is so necessary. I really love, and this is one of the things that my patient who I did get agreed to, Avida, it doesn’t, so most bras, little, you know, show and tell here, most bras, like typical bras, are going to cut right underneath that breast tissue. But one of the things I love about the Prima, excuse me, the Hugger bras is that they have more fabric that sits below that in from mammary,
fold, think is what we call it, so that it’s not going to ride up and dig in, which is especially important for our patients who have breast scars from surgery right in that area. Kelly, anything you’d like to add on the Vida so far?
Kelly Sturm (22:27)
agree with you 100%. I can think of a patient too. She has the Prima and the Vida and the Vida is her go-to for out and about when she was wearing a certain article of clothing she doesn’t want covered. She still feels supportive, ⁓ but it’s less coverage. And again, it always comes down to what they can wear with clothing with that. But other than that, it is, it’s a really good transition bra, someone who has mild swelling or swelling that just comes on occasion. They don’t want the full bulk of the Prima.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (22:54)
Mm-hmm.
Kelly Sturm (22:57)
they don’t need it, they just need a little bit of support. I think the vidas are really good in between for that.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (22:58)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Kayla Broderick (23:04)
Yeah. And then when we’re kind of transitioning into active recovery and you know you’re out and about moving and grooving a little bit more, ⁓ you could totally wear our hugger, Luma. I think this is what, she’s a fan favorite.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (23:17)
⁓ my god,
absolute fan favorite here on the podcast, yes.
Kayla Broderick (23:24)
Well, yeah, definitely more of a sporty look still the same great front zip so, you know, even if you’re you’re restricted arm movement all of them you can you can step into it if you wanted to ⁓ pocketed and the back is You know Yeah such a cute look and ⁓ Yeah, like I said, I wear this one to my baseball tournaments
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (23:37)
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
gorgeous.
Kayla Broderick (23:53)
antibacterial, it’s not going to stink, it’s wicking moisture away. ⁓ If you guys follow us on socials, you might have seen ⁓ a firefighter who was wearing our Luma. she did, yeah, she did a complete workout, like all the firefighting things and they’re sweating, they’re working hard guys. And she panned down to her shirt and you could just see the outline of our bra, which was, it was dry and everything else was
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (23:58)
Mm-hmm.
Yes, yes!
Kayla Broderick (24:23)
was soaking wet with sweat. So it’s, I think that just speaks for itself. It’s she’s wicking moisture away.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (24:23)
Incredible. Incredible.
Mm-hmm. And
you know, one of the things, Kayla and Kelly, that I hear about a lot, so I’m here in Texas, it gets really, really hot in the summers and other times of the year because summer is just getting longer. And that is one of the biggest barriers that I come across with my patients when it comes to compression in general. It is hot outside, my compression doesn’t feel good, I get too warm with it and then I have to rip it off.
⁓ And that’s a battle that we face all the time, especially when we’re managing lymphedema. This line of garments is dependable in that I really do feel like I don’t get that same complaint from my patients of, get so hot, I can’t tolerate it, or it gets all goopy because it is just like soaking up all the sweat that I can’t stay in it because then I feel gross. I do not get those complaints from my patients who are wearing
the Prairie Rare Hugger line. Kelly, I know it gets hot in Minnesota, so talk me through your experience with that.
Kelly Sturm (25:36)
We don’t get anywhere near your level at least, but I’m pretty sure Kayla’s in Canada, so I know she doesn’t either. One thing that I do like though that I don’t think we talked much about, and I don’t even know that Prairie talks much about, is the adjustable strap on the bottom of the luma. So obviously you can adjust the short straps, there is a hook, but the bottom one…
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (25:38)
Hahaha!
Kayla Broderick (25:42)
No.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (25:43)
Hahaha!
⁓
Mmm.
Kelly Sturm (26:00)
It really does feel different. So some women who have issues around the rib cage or just feeling like it doesn’t fully hold in, even around the back, can kind of feel it peek out a little bit. It’s adjustable. And I don’t really know that there’s another one out there that does this, just even sports bras in general, but really don’t do this. But I definitely feel a difference. I work with your patient to make sure it’s adjusted for them too. So that one’s sneaky, but I think that one’s more important than people think.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (26:10)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Yeah, that’s awesome. Very cool. This one, you saw me on the video, this is probably like, I love the other ones. This one is my personal favorite that I love to wear. And it is replacing all of my sports bras because it is so comfortable. I love that when I do get sweaty in my workouts, everything else feels gross, but I know that I’m very supported and not like,
just sitting in my sweat when I wear the luma. So big love here from TheOncoPT podcast for that one.
Kayla Broderick (27:05)
That’s awesome. And then the last and our newest is the Hugger Aria. So this is our lightest, lowest coverage hugger. ⁓ She’s a little bit different because she does have that hook and eye closure on the back. So more like a traditional bra, the zips not in the front. You still have the great adjustable padded straps.
And you know, the ruching on the side is, I think, quite nice. ⁓ So yeah, she looks good. And like you said, Elise, when people are complaining, or not complaining, but they want to wear a different cut shirt, this is great, because it still has that compression that you need, ⁓ but lower coverage. And it’s also, you know, we’ve heard a lot of ⁓ moms say that they love it for nursing.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (27:49)
Mm-hmm.
Kayla Broderick (28:03)
in the early stages of like breast tenderness, they say that this is the only bra that they can wear. And we’ve had so many moms say that. So yeah, she’s a really good everyday light bra that you can wear going to walk the dogs, going to yoga, picking up the kids, you name it.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (28:25)
So exciting. ⁓ Kelly,
what has been your experience so far with the Aria? Because this is, y’all, this is brand new, like new to the market. Like it’s been really exciting to see the hype around it. So tell me more, Kelly.
Kelly Sturm (28:41)
All right, so the Luma is Elise’s favorite and the Aria is 100 % mine. I am slightly obsessed. Yes, the Prima is, ⁓ as a clinician, Prima is my go-to. But I did not realize until like three years into using Prairie Roar bras that I can use the Prairie Roar bras. They’re great, they truly are great for everyone. Like, I don’t understand why they sat in my sample closet as long as they did.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (28:54)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Kelly Sturm (29:11)
⁓ first off, if you are listening and not looking at YouTube right now, I’m showing this new color, their rose color. I’m obsessed. It’s gorgeous. But anyways, the Aria, I have said this over and over since the start, since I first got this, it feels like you’re wearing nothing. And I don’t know how…
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (29:22)
gorgeous.
Kelly Sturm (29:36)
They did it that you have, feel supported and you feel that slight compression, that mild compression, but you also feel like you’re wearing nothing. And I don’t know how they did it, but they did it. And I genuinely like put it on and try it. I’m serious. I am a new mom. Well, two times mom now. I did not have this bra on my first baby, but I did have it for my second. And moms who decide to nurse.
Know that at nighttime, like you have to wear something. That’s how it works. This is the most comfortable bra to sleep in I have ever tried. And I think I have bought six or seven different ones of what moms talk about, but this one is extremely comfortable. Because again, you feel like you’re wearing nothing, but you also have that support. So again, pelvic floor therapist, women’s health therapist, definitely keep this one in your back pocket to talk to your patients about in their postpartum world.
but try it for yourself. Seriously, it’s so good. Also, I don’t think I really realized this until Alex, Alex Hill, shout out Alex, talked about it, but the padded straps are highly underrated. I didn’t think much about it until she brought it up. I’m like, wow, that really does make a difference. I just didn’t notice them because they’re that good. So anyways, yes, I could go on and on about this one. It is truly my personal favorite, but as far as patience goes, it is very light, very mild support.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (30:36)
Mm-hmm.
my, yes.
Kayla Broderick (30:53)
Yeah.
Kelly Sturm (31:02)
great every day. If they don’t want the bulk but they want to feel a little support, this is fantastic. And then again, I would definitely consider this if anyone you work with that is in the postpartum world as well. try it yourself if you’re listening or give it to your spouse if you don’t wear bras yourself.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (31:06)
Mm-hmm.
Nice. Nice.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Kayla Broderick (31:21)
how that happened. Yeah, I mean, it’s just great because our bras truly go through you ⁓ or throughout your journey with you like, you know, starting off with the Prima, transitioning into the Vida. When you’re back into active recovery, you can wear the Luma and then just on chill days, pop on your Aria. So there’s a hugger for every, every point in your life, but there’s only four. That’s great.
Kelly Sturm (31:22)
Yeah.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (31:42)
Mm-hmm.
Truly. One of the things
too that I wanted to pull out, so Kelly mentioned at night when nursing needing some kind of that. I also find for my patients especially who are newer ⁓ after having breast surgery, breast reconstruction, they also want some kind of support during the night, but something that’s gentle. Maybe they’re not looking.
for that compression, maybe they don’t necessarily need compression, but having that support early on, this is a really good fit for that. Again, it’s soft, it’s lightweight. If this is something that your patients are looking for, this could be a really good option for that as well. So, I mean, truly, Kayla, the whole spectrum, the whole journey Prairie Wear has covered. I love it. my gosh.
Kayla Broderick (32:39)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (32:44)
I also
feel like on that note, one of the things that I’ve appreciated is Prairie Wear I feel like does a really good job of reaching out to their community, the clients obviously who are purchasing these, wearing them themselves, but also the team of healthcare professionals who are informing and helping to ⁓ provide their perspective and their experience into this. I feel like that is very apparent in
the current lineup that is available of every iteration of Huggers, know, starting with the Prima and then with the advent of the Vida and then the Luma and now the Aria. These have all come from the input that Prairie Wear has received from their community that says, you know what I would really love? You know what would be super great? You know what I think Prairie Wear should do next? And it’s not a coming out with new things all the time to be like, we heard that you want this. It’s like,
How can we take what you’ve said, the input that we have received from our community and make an outstanding product that we stand behind and we’ll back up 100 % of the way? I feel like that has been one of the coolest things. Like all of these amazing, like love all the bras. But like I mentioned at the top of this episode, the intentionality behind each of the products in why is it
built the way it is to do what it’s supposed to do and then how it’s made is very, very clear throughout the whole time that I’ve been using Prairie Wear huggers for both me and my patients.
Kayla Broderick (34:24)
I’m so glad you feel like that because we truly do like, we take feedback to heart. So whenever we get feedback and you know, we take it to the team and we say, how can we make this better or where can we improve? And you know, how can we better educate people? Because I think that’s a huge thing too, is we’re not just here to sell bras, we’re here to help people and support them. If that is pointing them in a direction of talking to their medical professional or…
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (34:45)
Mm-hmm.
Kayla Broderick (34:52)
going onto our education center, which has a ton of hugger information, guys. Like anything you need answered, it’s on there. ⁓ And just creating that circle of support. you know, that’s the Prairie Circle. That’s what we call it. And yeah, we’re here beyond the checkout. We’re always gonna support you.
Kelly Sturm (35:17)
I think too as a clinician, know there’s a lot of clinicians, especially if you’re in the lymphedema world, we know how challenging it is to work sometimes with DME’s, vendors, brands, anything like that, sometimes to get products, you know, then don’t even get us started on the insurance piece of like all the work that we do. And we know that takes time. We know we’re not paid for that time. And so what makes our life easy, who’s easy to work with, Prairie Wear geniunely has been easy from the start.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (35:35)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Kelly Sturm (35:45)
at least in my experience and
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (35:47)
Yep.
Kelly Sturm (35:47)
I’ve been doing it for many years. And what I also appreciate as a therapist is, you know, if you have a patient that you’re like, you don’t know what to do, like reach out. They are extremely supportive and helpful to walk you through it. And I I started as I know at least was the same way I started at clinics when we were the only therapist treating in this population at the time. You kind of feel like you’re out on the island. Sometimes it’s hard to connect. But
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (35:59)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Kelly Sturm (36:15)
get reach out and you can’t say that about every brand, but you can definitely say that about Prairiewear and something I’ve always appreciated from the get go. The other thing that I’ve always loved is if I ever like, oh, I really like, you know, this piece, whatever, think patients really would also love this. been years in the making. You can feel and hear that they take that feedback genuinely. And, you know, that makes you feel like you are a part of this as a team.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (36:43)
Mm-hmm.
Kelly Sturm (36:43)
And we
know we need that team approach feel as well when we’re working with our patients. So, so many positives I could talk all day about Prairie Wear, but it’s another reason why I feel like I stick to recommending them all the time. They are fantastic products, but it makes it a lot easier when I really believe in the brand that they have as well.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (36:51)
Mm-hmm.
Kayla Broderick (37:04)
I always say that like what we do, it’s not just a job for us. It’s like, it’s personal because I think a lot of the women on our team, we’ve all been in, you know, like the dressing rooms and in those recovery chairs. And it’s like, in those moments of, okay, what now? Like, what do I do now? And that’s where that circle of support comes in because we will genuinely help you.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (37:28)
Mm-hmm.
Kayla Broderick (37:31)
with whatever we can.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (37:37)
So I mentioned this off air before we hit record, but like I said, my patient was who first introduced me to like Prairie Wear. And then when I went to in 2020, which was literally a couple of days before the world shut down, I went to the Power Lymphatics Conference in Las Vegas and I was in the exhibit hall and I watched the rep from Prairie Wear put on the Prima like a vest overhead. And it was the wildest thing, but it really just showed
how much they believe in this product and its versatility. again, and Kelly mentioned this, I think Kelly mentioned this ⁓ earlier when we were talking about the bras specifically, but being able to, know, like, yes, you can use the zipper and you can use the hooks. You can also put it on overhead, like the intentionality behind every single thing. And I actually have, I think one of the first generations of the Prima, which was the first bra that we went over in this episode. And
going to what Kelly said, the prima that I have, I think doesn’t have one of the hooks that were later incorporated because of feedback from patients and clinicians that said, hey, we really need this thing. ⁓ And so it does make me laugh every time I put on my prima, because I’m like, this is the old one. And the fact that it’s still works, y’all. This bra is five years old and I wear it week in and week out.
I am working out in it, sweating in it, and it is still just as fresh as when I pulled it out of the package five years ago at this point. It’s incredible. And again, I know that we’re talking about a lot of new stuff and whatnot. The durability of these products is unparalleled. If nothing else from this episode has convinced you of just how amazing these products are, knowing that they’re going to last for your patients,
Kelly Sturm (39:13)
He
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (39:34)
who oftentimes are really just put through the wringer. There is a lot of stuff happening. They are having to deal with a lot, knowing that they can depend on this bra line to carry them through and support them through all of the ups and downs that come with this crazy oncology world we’re a part of absolutely is something that I absolutely just treasure about Prairie Wear. And the customer service I know that my patients can count on that I can count on.
sets Prairie Wear apart even amongst everything else that we’ve talked about. So cannot say enough good things about Prairie Wear. ⁓ Kayla, Kelly, is there anything else that you would like to share or talk about in today’s conversation? We’ve covered a lot, but I also know I’ve probably missed a couple things.
Kayla Broderick (40:25)
There are, like I said at beginning, probably a million and two things I could talk about, but I think we hit a lot of really great points. And like I said, if there’s something in this conversation where you’re like, I want to know more about that, or I have a question, send us a message, DM us on Instagram, you know, we’re here for you guys. Like we’re just a click away.
You know, we often get messages, you know, this might be a little bit TMI. We’re here for it. Okay. We want to know how can we help you? How can we support? yeah, just message. We’re here to help.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (41:04)
Right?
TMI means tell me immediately for Prairie Wear. Like, let’s go, let’s go.
Kayla Broderick (41:14)
you
Kelly Sturm (41:15)
Yeah, I think the big thing is for clinicians is, you know, if you’ve been around the podcast for a while or as we talk about Prairie Wear a lot or at least does as well. And we genuinely really, really love this product. It’s worked for so many of our patients. need tools in your toolbox. Absolutely. But these are our go-to tools that we use often. So if you haven’t tried them out, reach out to Prairie Wear. I know they would love to share more about you, maybe share a sample so you can share with your patients or test it out. ⁓ because it, it,
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (41:34)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Kelly Sturm (41:45)
Not everything works for everyone, but Prairie Wear works for a lot of your patients. So it’s definitely something that you want to have in your toolbox if you don’t already.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (41:50)
Mm-hmm.
Absolutely. ⁓ Kayla, where can people get connected with and follow and learn more about Prairie Wear?
Kayla Broderick (42:02)
Yeah, you can. So our website, prairiewear.com, that’s where a lot of our education lives. You can send us an email to, like we said, our amazing customer support team. It’s your support at prairiewear.com. You can find us on socials, at prairiewear, pretty simple. So yeah, you can message us anywhere that’s easiest for you and we’ll get you the help that you need.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (42:28)
Fantastic. Kelly, where can people follow and connect with you?
Kelly Sturm (42:33)
⁓ You can first off, I would say join us the cancer rehab community. Just still be as clinicians that we can continue conversations. We sit down there on Circle and talk about patient cases, help each other out. What would we try to do? What products would we use? What treatments should we try? That’s the first place that I think that if you feel like, I want to dive in more, that’s where I would ⁓ join us first and foremost.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (43:00)
Mm-hmm.
Kelly Sturm (43:00)
I’m
also a cancer rehab PT on socials.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu (43:04)
Fantastic. We will be linking to, course, all of the links mentioned ⁓ and handles mentioned in today’s episode. Kayla, Kelly, thank you so much for coming on today’s episode. It was really fun to break down one by one each of these amazing huggers, what we’re using them for in our own practice, and the features that you can know and depend on for your patients to support them throughout their entire journey. So I really, really appreciate your time, y’all. Thank you so much for coming on.
And until next time, this is Elise with the Onco PT. And remember, you are exactly the physical therapist that your patients with cancer need. So let’s get to work.