How I went from frustrated young mom struggling with relentless diastasis, core dysfunction, and GI discomfort;
To healing my body and helping women restore their cores, activate their strength, and unashamedly adore their bodies...
Before the life-changing, nervous-system-mindful prenatal and postpartum fitness programs
Before all of the stronger, more confident, and empowered women
There was a young, pregnant, "fit" mom who couldn't sneeze without leaking
Who couldn't get up from the floor or bed without her abdominal wall looking like it was snapping in two.
She felt weak and disconnected from the core muscles that used to work without a conscious thought
And she was scared to death that she would never feel or look or BE the same again
And this time, giving birth didn't resolve these issues. Weeks passed, then months, and months, but still she looked pregnant and felt like a stranger in her own body.
#fitpregnancy fallacy
During my first pregnancy, I felt empowered by and fell in love with pursuing a praise-garnering "fit pregnancy."
After having life-changing back surgery just a few months prior to the positive pregnancy test, and being pain-free for the first time in over a year, I was eager to start healing my body with movement under the guidance of an experienced personal trainer. I was lifting weights, and feeling great! You see, I believed the fallacy that feeling good was a fail-proof indicator of doing what was best for my body.
After all, with 25 years of experience under my belt, my pre-pregnant self was skilled at “listening to my body.” But what I failed to realize is that pregnancy was transforming my body’s language.
Looking back, I so clearly see that my body was showing me signs of diminished core responsiveness and function during specific movements and exercises - but I was clueless, because you can’t interpret a language that you don’t understand.
I was ignorantly, blissfully living my best #fitpregnancy life, and really missing the mark when it came to proactively caring for my pelvic floor and abdominal wall during the most taxing and transforming life experience for these crucial, sophisticated muscles and connective tissues.
I gave birth to my first son, and “bounced back"...
Meanwhile, my body and nervous system were quietly hurting from the hidden, raw wound of birth trauma, foods I had once loved started making me sick, and I had no clue how badly my Deep Core needed attention...
Fast Forward:
It wasn't until my second pregnancy that my physiological symptoms led me to re-evaluate my beliefs and understanding around prenatal fitness...
And then, after my second son's birth, my misconceptions about postpartum recovery and fitness came crashing down, too...
Wyatt
This time, postpartum life was heavy, and I felt lost
Breastfeeding a newborn and a seventeen-month-old, feeling like my body wasn't my own;
Baby blues and intense stress and anxiety, sleep deprivation and deep exhaustion due to baby's struggle with acid reflux, and my own nutrition depletion;
A closet full of clothes that didn't fit, and that served as an ever-present reminder that I was a new, larger size ("maybe permanently?" I quietly wondered);
Frustration and embarrassment when I couldn't fasten the dress I had been planning to wear to my brother-in-law's wedding;
Living in stretchy leggings and baggy shirts trying to hide my tummy;
Burdensome external and internal pressure to "bounce back;"
Brief, judgmental gazes, and the thoughts that I imagined accompanied them:
“Wow, she has not bounced back well this pregnancy.”
“She still looks pregnant.”
“Wait, she isn’t pregnant again already, is she?”
“Finally, she knows how it feels to lose her body to motherhood”
I felt a disconnect from my body: a body I didn't recognize and couldn't control or predict in the same ways I used to; a body I didn't know how to take care of and help heal given all of the changes and variables...
So I made a commitment to myself that changed my life...
I discovered that I had the capacity to gently restore my body after pregnancy and childbirth while nurturing it with acceptance and grace
I soon realized this was about so much more than simply working out more or eating less or doing more crunches (this is the WORST advice, by the way)...
I dug deep
I started to study and practice and specialize and study some more, and in so doing, I learned:
>>How to progressively retrain and restore core function and strength
>>How to improve or resolve diastasis rectus abdominis
>>How to use my core throughout the day in such a way that promotes rather than hinders healing
>>How to "listen" to prenatal and postpartum bodies, identify potentially harmful movements, and make modifications when needed
>>How to, over time, enable SUBSTANTIAL changes to the function and appearance of my core, not with long, intense gym sessions or tummy-tuck surgery, but with simple changes and practices applied consistently
And after all that was dialed in...
I learned how to apply my knowledge to catalyze massive changes for my own body,
And best of all…
I have had the incredible honor of coaching women with very unique pregnancy and birth histories and in various stages of pregnancy or postpartum recovery, so that they, too, could experience the freedom I have found.
How?
An authentically holistic approach + clear education + simple, actionable steps
I have developed a reputation for being the go-to expert on holistic prenatal and postpartum functional core + strength training.
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Are you ready to take the real, life-changing, specific-to-you action steps to nurture or restore your body and core?
If I hear one more fitness "guru" or fit mom influencer (BIG yikes) drop the phrase,
“get your body back after baby”
I'm going to lose it!
Because I know that you realize that your body has gone NOWHERE and, therefore, needs to be retrieved from nowhere. It has been refined and transformed by the miracle for which it was the perfect vessel.
And now it’s right here, brightening and enlightening the world with your unique brand of beauty.
I know you are incredibly proud of your body.
So no, "getting your body back" isn't the real reason you're here.
Because you're not looking back; you're looking AHEAD.
You're looking ahead to adventures, passions, hobbies, and quality time with your family, and you don't want to be held back. You want to take care of your body so that it can take care of you.
That’s why you are on your smartphone or computer diligently trying to learn what the heck is going on with your core, and what to do about it.
That’s why you're here, reading this page to the end (you superstar, you!)
By reading this, you've proven that you're ready and willing to do the work so that you can show up for yourself, your family, and your passions as your most confident, most vibrant, strongest self - you just want to be absolutely sure that you're doing the right stuff to get you there.
I've got you!