Birth Healing Summit Podcast

What if the key to your client's persistent pelvic floor dysfunction isn't just the muscles – but the bones those muscles attach to?

In this episode, Lynn Schulte explores the often-overlooked pelvic outlet and why it deserves more attention in pelvic health assessment and treatment. From sacral flexion to splayed ischial tuberosities, Lynn explains how childbirth, falls, and other impacts to the pelvis may influence bony mobility, pelvic floor function, and recovery.

Through clinical examples and emerging research, she challenges practitioners to look beyond the sacroiliac joints and pubic symphysis to consider how the lower sacrum, tailbone, and ischial tuberosities may contribute to the symptoms their clients experience.

Key Discoveries from this Episode:

• Why the pelvic outlet is an often-overlooked component of pelvic health assessment and treatment.
• How childbirth and previous falls or impacts may influence sacral mobility and pelvic outlet function.
• What research suggests about changes in sacral slope and pelvic incidence following pregnancy and birth.
• How the position of the ischial tuberosities during birth may influence their mobility and alignment.
• Why unilateral ischial splay may contribute to a sensation of sitting unevenly or feeling unbalanced on a bicycle seat after childbirth.
• How assessing the pelvic bones may provide additional insight into pelvic floor muscle tension and dysfunction.
• Why pelvic outlet assessment matters not only for postpartum clients but also for people with pelvic pain, a history of falls, and pelvic floor dysfunction – including men.

Clinical Takeaway

The pelvic floor muscles attach to the bones of the pelvis, making the relationship between bony alignment, mobility, and muscle function an important consideration in clinical practice.

In this episode, Lynn encourages practitioners to expand their assessments to include the lower sacrum and ischial tuberosities, particularly when working with postpartum clients or anyone with a history of pelvic trauma. Learning to recognize potential restrictions or asymmetries in the pelvic outlet may reveal an overlooked piece of the clinical picture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should pelvic health therapists assess the pelvic outlet?

The pelvic outlet includes structures such as the lower sacrum, coccyx, and ischial tuberosities. These areas can be affected by childbirth and previous falls or impacts. Assessing their mobility and relationship to surrounding structures may help therapists better understand pelvic floor symptoms and identify additional treatment considerations.

How can childbirth affect the pelvic outlet?

During vaginal birth, the pelvic outlet accommodates the passage of the baby. The sacrum and ischial tuberosities may be influenced by the mechanics of birth, including the birthing position. Lynn discusses clinical observations of changes in ischial mobility and research examining sacral changes associated with parity and birth mode.

What symptoms might suggest that the pelvic outlet deserves closer assessment?

Consider a broader pelvic outlet assessment when clients report pelvic floor dysfunction, pelvic pain, or feeling uneven while sitting. Postpartum clients who struggle to feel balanced on a bicycle seat may also warrant further evaluation. These symptoms are not diagnostic on their own, but they can prompt additional clinical investigation.

Is pelvic outlet assessment relevant only for postpartum clients?

No. Although childbirth is a major focus of this episode, Lynn encourages practitioners to consider the pelvic outlet in clients of all genders who have experienced falls, impacts to the buttocks or tailbone, or persistent pelvic floor dysfunction. Previous trauma may be relevant to current symptoms, even when the original injury occurred years earlier.

Where can I learn more about assessing and treating sacral flexion?

Lynn has a short online course called the Sacral Flexion Pattern that teaches pelvic health practitioners how to assess for and treat this pelvic pattern as well as a more in-depth course called Treating the Postpartum Pelvis that goes into the movement of the pelvis during birth, the signs and symptoms of the 5 most common postpartum pelvic patterns, and how to assess for and treat these 5 patterns.

Listen In

Expand your approach to pelvic health assessment and discover why the pelvic outlet may be the missing piece in your clinical reasoning. Learn more about the sacrum, ischial tuberosities, and their potential relationship to pelvic floor function – and consider what you might be overlooking in your next assessment.

Listen to the full episode now and share it with a colleague who wants to deepen their understanding of postpartum recovery and pelvic floor dysfunction.

Visit Institute for Birth Healing to learn more about how to care for the pregnant and postpartum body: CLICK HERE

What happens when the body goes through birth, but tries not to connect with the baby? For pelvic health practitioners, this surrogate's story reveals an often-overlooked side of postpartum recovery – and why supporting the whole person matters just as much as addressing the physical symptoms.

Today’s episode offers pelvic health practitioners a deeper understanding of the physical and emotional experiences of surrogacy – and how those experiences can influence pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery. Through a candid conversation between Lynn Schulte, PT, and Kellyn Lesch, a mental health occupational therapist with a background in pelvic health, listeners explore the importance of body awareness, emotional connection, and individualized, trauma-informed care.

Kellyn describes her own experience as a surrogate, and together, Lynn and Kellyn explore how the emotional complexities of surrogacy, protective responses, and a difficult birth experience may intersect with postpartum symptoms – and why these clients need more than a standard rehabilitation approach.

If you're a pelvic health therapist looking to better understand the relationship between emotional experiences, birth, and postpartum recovery, this episode offers a perspective you won't want to miss.

In This Episode You'll Discover:

• Why surrogacy requires a unique approach to pelvic health care.
• How emotional experiences may show up in the body.
• Why connection during pregnancy matters.
• What trauma-informed care looks like in practice.
• How pelvic health practitioners can support body awareness and self-trust.
• How to support clients who feel pressure to manage their emotions during pregnancy.
• Why advocating for your client’s autonomy matters throughout birth and postpartum care.

Clinical Takeaway

Postpartum recovery is not always a straightforward process of restoring strength and function. For some clients, the emotional experience of pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum transition may be an important part of the clinical picture. This episode encourages pelvic health practitioners to look beyond physical symptoms, explore the client's experience with sensitivity, and recognize when additional trauma-informed support may be beneficial.

Why You Should Listen

Surrogacy is an often-overlooked area of pelvic health practice, and the unique needs of these clients may not be addressed in traditional rehabilitation education. Kellyn's story offers a rare, personal look at the complexities of carrying a baby for someone else – and how those experiences can continue to affect a person long after birth.

🎧 Tune in now to discover how understanding the emotional complexities of surrogacy may change the way you assess and support postpartum clients.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can surrogacy affect postpartum recovery and pelvic health?

Surrogacy can involve unique emotional experiences, including navigating connection with the baby, preparing for separation after birth, and managing the pressures of the surrogacy process. In this episode, Kellyn shares her experience of postpartum pelvic pain, difficulty breathing deeply, disconnection from her body, and anxiety about returning to exercise. Her story highlights the importance of considering each client's individual physical and emotional experience rather than assuming every postpartum journey will be the same.

How can pelvic health practitioners provide trauma-informed care for surrogate clients

Practitioners can create a supportive environment where clients feel heard, respected, and in control of their care. This includes asking about their preferences, respecting their autonomy, validating their feelings without judgment, and avoiding assumptions about how they should feel about the pregnancy or baby. Kellyn's experience illustrates the importance of individualized care and helping clients explore their own needs and boundaries.

How can surrogacy affect postpartum recovery and pelvic health?

Emotional connection is one part of a person's overall pregnancy and birth experience. For surrogates, connecting with the baby while preparing to hand over care after birth can feel especially complex. Kellyn describes how protecting herself from potential emotional pain influenced her sense of connection, and how postpartum sessions helped her explore that experience. For practitioners, this is a reminder to approach each client with curiosity and compassion, recognizing that emotional experiences may be relevant to postpartum concerns without assuming they are the cause of physical symptoms.

Subscribe to the Birth Healing Summit Podcast

Don’t miss an episode! If you enjoyed today’s podcast and are interested in more topics to support your clinical practice and treatment sessions, find us on your favorite podcast app. Follow or Subscribe to the Birth Healing Summit Podcast on:

• Spotify
• YouTube
• Apple Podcasts
• Buzzsprout
• Amazon Podcasts

To learn more visit: InstituteforBirthHealing.com

About The Speaker: 

Kellyn is the co-founder and owner of Illuminate. She is a licensed, registered Occupational Therapist and a Clinical Trauma Specialist with expertise in the evaluation and treatment of mental health and chronic pain conditions.  She has specialized training in psychedelic medicine and is certified in Psychedelic Therapy and Integration (PTI) through Fluence.  As an experienced occupational therapsist, Kellyn practices with an emphasis on somatic experiencing and trauma integration, while incorporating core concepts of occupational therapy practice, including sensory processing, nervous system modulation and regulation, and the use of meaningful occupations to maximize integration into daily life.  

Visit Institute for Birth Healing to learn more about how to care for the pregnant and postpartum body: CLICK HERE

How does the work you do on yourself change the way you show up for the people who trust you with their care?

In this episode, Lynn Schulte sits down with two Birth Healing Intensive students, Charlie Watts, OT, and Anne Guist, PT, to explore how integrating somatic awareness, energetic work, and personal development has transformed their clinical practice. Through powerful patient stories, they share how exploring limiting beliefs, creating space for the body's responses, and asking the right questions can open new possibilities for healing – even when traditional approaches haven't worked.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• The practices Charlie and Ann have discovered that have helped them become more effective practitioners
• How to integrate additional approaches into everyday PT and OT practice during your existing sessions
• What can guide treatment when progress stalls
• The connection between trauma and persistent physical symptoms
• A tool that helps clients explore their experiences and create meaningful change
• How to create space for patients to process their experiences
• What has helped boost Charlie and Ann’s confidence in working with complex cases

Why You Should Listen

Charlie and Anne share compelling clinical experiences involving persistent hip restrictions, postpartum changes following traumatic birth, and difficulty breathing after surgery. Their stories highlight the possibilities that can emerge when practitioners look beyond the physical presentation and remain curious about the person as a whole.

This episode is for pelvic health PTs, OTs, and birth professionals who want to expand their clinical perspective, feel more confident with complex cases, and explore how their own personal growth can influence the care they provide.

🎧 Tune in to hear how two practitioners are bringing their whole selves into their work – and having more fun as they discover new ways to support their client’s healing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can inner work help pelvic health practitioners improve their clinical outcomes?

Inner work helps practitioners become more aware of their own responses, beliefs, and nervous system, allowing them to approach clients with greater presence, curiosity, and confidence. In this episode, Birth Healing Intensive graduates share how this awareness can help practitioners recognize when a client’s body may need a different approach beyond traditional hands-on techniques.

How can somatic awareness and body listening help when a client isn’t responding to treatment?

Rather than immediately adding more techniques, practitioners can learn to slow down, listen to the tissues, ask open-ended questions, and explore what might be contributing to a client’s protective responses. The guests share clinical experiences illustrating how exploring a client’s sense of safety and underlying beliefs can lead to meaningful changes in movement and function.

How does the Birth Healing Intensive differ from traditional continuing education courses?

Unlike a regular pelvic health continuing education course focused primarily on learning new clinical techniques, the nine-month Birth Healing Intensive combines clinical learning with personal growth and self-awareness. Graduates describe this deeper approach as having a profound impact on their clinical confidence, their ability to navigate complex cases, their relationships, and their capacity to remain present with clients without feeling responsible for fixing everything. 

Interested in the Birth Healing Intensive? → Click here to learn more

About Today’s Speakers

Charlie Watts, OT

Dr. Charlie Watts is a pelvic health occupational therapist, birth doula, and mother whose work lives at the intersection of science, somatics, and the ancient wisdom of the body. With advanced training through the Institute for Birth Healing, she approaches pelvic health as a process of reconnection.

Charlie blends hands-on bodywork, fascial release, nervous system regulation, and movement to support pregnancy, birth preparation, and postpartum healing, with a particular passion for helping hyper-mobile bodies. She believes the body is not something to fix, but something to listen to.

Charlie sees clients at Super Human Therapy in Atlanta, helping birthing people rediscover strength, sensation, and trust in their bodies.

Learn more about Dr. Charlie at: https://www.superhumantherapy.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/thepelvicwitch

Anne Guist, PT

With over 25 years of experience as a Physical Therapist and Athletic Trainer, Anne Guist specializes in pelvic health, pregnancy and postpartum care, osteoporosis, and sexual dysfunction. Her whole-person approach integrates body, mind, and spirit, incorporating QiGong Core Centering to support nervous system regulation and healing.

At Fitness Matters, she is passionate about empowering individuals to overcome pain, restore function, and improve their quality of life. She holds certifications in pelvic health and obstetric physical therapy (CAPP-Pelvic and CAPP-OB).

Learn more about Anne Guist at: https://fm2us.com/our-team/anne-guist/

Visit Institute for Birth Healing to learn more about how to care for the pregnant and postpartum body: CLICK HERE

What does listening have to do with your pelvic health practice?

Today, Lynn Schulte shares what she presented at the Pelvicon conference about bringing intuition and spirituality into manual therapy practice. Through powerful clinical stories, she explores how listening to the body's signals, trusting intuitive insights, and approaching tissues with curiosity rather than force can transform the way we work with clients.

From an unexpected discovery during a pelvic floor assessment to helping a client release long-held emotional tension, Lynn challenges practitioners to expand their understanding of what healing can look like.

Key Discoveries from this Episode:

• How intuition can show up through knowingness, visual images, auditory messages, and bodily sensations.
• Why following intuitive nudges can deepen your clinical awareness and manual therapy skills.
• How curiosity, rather than force, can help tissues release.
• The importance of recognizing the emotional experiences that may be connected to physical tension.
• How consent, discernment, ethics, and humility guide the use of intuition in clinical practice.
• Why developing your own therapeutic presence and inner work matters when supporting clients through healing.

Clinical Takeaway

In this episode, you will learn a question you can ask that is a must to add to your toolbox for your next session. This question can be the key to creating shifts when techniques are not working in a session.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I use intuition in a pelvic health session without stepping outside my scope of practice?

Intuition can be used as a clinical nudge – not a diagnosis or directive. If you get a feeling, image, word, or knowing, use it to guide curiosity and investigation within your existing anatomy, assessment, and treatment skills. Slow down, explore gently, stay within your scope, and reassess the client’s response.

What should I do when a pelvic floor muscle or tissue won’t release?

Instead of forcing the tissue to release, try asking, “I wonder what needs to happen here for this tissue to let go?” Then pause, listen to your own intuitive response, and pay close attention to what your client says or experiences. The goal shifts from making the tissue change to becoming a skilled, attentive partner with the body.

How can I tell whether I’m actually receiving intuitive information?

Intuition may show up differently for different practitioners. You might hear a word or phrase, see an image, feel a sensation in your body, or simply “know” something without knowing how you know it. Start by noticing which pathway is most natural for you and paying attention to the subtle nudges you already receive during your sessions

Is there a way to further develop intuition in my clinical work?

Yes – check out the Birth Healing Intensive 9-month coaching and development program to learn how to deepen your intuition, develop therapeutic presence, shift limiting beliefs, and do your own inside-out work to better support the deeper healing your clients need. Available as an annual cohort.

Listen In

Explore a different dimension of whole-person care and discover how bringing intuition into your practice may change the way you approach manual therapy, trauma, and healing. Listen to the full episode now.

Connect With Lynn

Have a comment or question about today’s episode? Message Lynn on Instagram or Facebook, or Email Lynn.

Subscribe to the Birth Healing Summit Podcast

Don’t miss an episode! If you enjoyed today’s podcast and are interested in more topics to support your clinical practice and treatment sessions, find us on your favorite podcast app. Follow or Subscribe to the Birth Healing Summit Podcast on:

• Spotify
• YouTube
• Apple Podcasts
• Buzzsprout
• Amazon Podcasts

To learn more visit: InstituteforBirthHealing.com

Visit Institute for Birth Healing to learn more about how to care for the pregnant and postpartum body: CLICK HERE

Are we missing a big piece in postpartum rehabilitation by focusing on the pelvic floor muscles?

In today’s thought-provoking episode of the Birth Healing Summit Podcast, Lynn Schulte is joined by physical therapist, strength and conditioning coach, and 2026 Strength and Conditioning Association Personal Trainer of the Year, Rachel Selman, to discuss a concept that's beginning to change how clinicians think about postpartum rehabilitation and athletic performance: overcoming isometrics.

If you're looking for fresh clinical ideas that bridge pelvic health, strength and conditioning, and sports performance, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

Key Discoveries from this Episode:

• How principles commonly used to treat tendinopathies may have exciting applications for postpartum athletes experiencing heaviness, pressure, prolapse symptoms, or urinary leakage. 
• Why overcoming isometrics differ from traditional isometric exercises – and why that distinction matters.
• How to safely introduce pressure into rehab rather than avoiding it altogether.
• Clinical reasoning for treating endurance athletes versus power athletes with pelvic floor symptoms.
• Why postpartum runners may leak despite having "normal" pelvic floor strength.
• The engineering principle of creep and its potential role in pelvic floor dysfunction.
• Why collaboration between pelvic health therapists, strength coaches, athletic trainers, and researchers is essential for advancing athlete care.
• An exciting discussion on future research exploring pelvic alignment, passive tissue changes, and return-to-sport guidelines.

Clinical Takeaway

Sometimes the limiting factor isn't muscle strength – it may be the passive tissues responsible for force transfer and support. This episode challenges clinicians to think beyond isolated pelvic floor strengthening and consider how collagen, fascia, bony alignment, and graded loading may influence long-term outcomes in postpartum and athletic populations.

This isn't simply another discussion about pelvic floor strengthening. Rachel and Lynn challenge conventional thinking while exploring how sports science, biomechanics, and pelvic health intersect. Their conversation raises important questions about how we assess postpartum recovery, prepare athletes to return to sport, and translate emerging research into meaningful clinical practice.

Whether you treat postpartum clients, runners, CrossFit athletes, or women with prolapse and urinary incontinence, you'll leave this episode with new ideas – and likely a few new research questions of your own.

Listen now and discover why overcoming isometrics may become one of the next frontiers in pelvic health rehabilitation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are overcoming isometrics, and how might they help with postpartum pelvic floor rehabilitation?

Overcoming isometrics involve producing force against an immovable resistance rather than simply holding a position. While traditionally used in strength and conditioning and tendon rehabilitation, Rachel Selman discusses how they may offer a new way to load and strengthen the passive tissues that support the pelvic floor. This approach shifts the conversation beyond muscle strength alone to consider fascia, collagen organization, force transfer, and tissue resilience.

Why might someone experience pelvic pressure, prolapse symptoms, or urinary leakage even when their pelvic floor muscles are strong?

Pelvic floor function depends on more than muscle strength. Passive tissues – including fascia, tendons, ligaments, and other connective tissues – also contribute to support and force transfer. Rachel explains that factors such as tissue resilience, collagen organization, pelvic alignment, and how the body manages pressure may help explain why some athletes continue to experience symptoms despite having "normal" pelvic floor strength.

Should postpartum athletes avoid pressure and loading if they have pelvic floor symptoms?

Not necessarily. The goal may be to develop the capacity to tolerate and manage pressure rather than avoid it altogether. Rachel discusses the importance of graded loading and individualized clinical reasoning, particularly when working with different types of athletes. Endurance athletes, power athletes, runners, and postpartum athletes may place very different demands on the pelvic floor, making an appropriately dosed return to loading an important part of rehabilitation and performance.

About Today’s Speaker

Dr. Rachel Selman is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and NSCA Performance and Sport Scientist specializing in pelvic health and athletic performance. She is the owner of a multidisciplinary wellness facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she works with athletes across the lifespan – from youth competitors to postpartum and perimenopausal athletes.

In 2026, Rachel was named the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Personal Trainer of the Year. She is an international educator, author of the forthcoming book Floor It: Using the Pelvic Floor to Power Athletic Performance, and a national conference speaker on the integration of pelvic health, performance, and sports medicine.

Rachel’s mission is to help athletes, clinicians, and coaches rethink the pelvic floor as a critical component of performance, resilience, and long-term health.

Link for the book to pre-order: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Floor-It/Rachel-Selman/9798994780121

Connect With Lynn

Have a comment or question about today’s episode? Message Lynn on Instagram or Facebook, or Email Lynn.

Subscribe to the Birth Healing Summit Podcast

Don’t miss an episode! If you enjoyed today’s podcast and are interested in more topics to support your clinical practice and treatment sessions, find us on your favorite podcast app. Follow or Subscribe to the Birth Healing Summit Podcast on:

• Spotify
• YouTube
• Apple Podcasts
• Buzzsprout
• Amazon Podcasts

To learn more visit: InstituteforBirthHealing.com

Visit Institute for Birth Healing to learn more about how to care for the pregnant and postpartum body: CLICK HERE

What happens when you keep finding the same pattern in your postpartum clients – but you can’t find an explanation for it in the research?

In this special 10-year anniversary episode, Lynn Schulte, PT shares the unexpected journey that led to the creation of the Institute for Birth Healing – from working with postpartum clients and noticing recurring pelvic patterns, to developing courses, launching the Birth Healing Summit, navigating the pandemic, and continuing to push for research into what happens to the pelvis and the pelvic outlet after birth.

This episode is both a celebration of the past decade and a look at where this work is headed next.

In This Episode, You’ll Hear About:

• The postpartum patterns that started it all
  How hands-on assessment of postpartum clients led Lynn to notice recurring asymmetries and question what was happening mechanically to the pelvic outlet after birth.
• Following the patterns beyond the research
  Lynn shares how observation, palpation, clinical experience, and curiosity shaped her understanding of the postpartum pelvis – and ultimately led her to investigate questions that weren't being answered in the existing literature.
• The evolution of her understanding of sacral mechanics
  Why sacral flexion became such an important clinical pattern in her work and how emerging research has begun to investigate changes in sacral slope following childbirth.
• The very personal beginning of the Institute for Birth Healing
  The story of launching her first course in 2016 during an incredibly intense and emotional period of her life.
• From live courses to online education – and back again
  How the courses evolved from two-day and three-day trainings to online learning combined with hands-on practice, creating more space for clinicians to learn and integrate the material.
• The surprising international connection that helped launch the Institute
  How an unexpected message from a practitioner in Russia helped Lynn realize that her work needed to reach beyond her own clinical practice.
• Why the Birth Healing Summit became practitioner-focused
  Lynn explains why she ultimately shifted the summit toward practitioners – and why educating clinicians can create a much larger ripple effect for postpartum clients.
• What the pandemic changed
  The unexpected disruption of 2020 and how it pushed the Institute to experiment with different ways of teaching and ultimately refine its current educational model.
• Going beyond physical techniques
  Why some tissues don't simply respond to mechanical techniques – and Lynn's perspective on the deeper layers that may be held within the body.
• The future of research
  Lynn discusses her desire to investigate changes in sacral slope and ischial tuberosity distance and eventually bring this clinical work into published research.
• The evolution of the Advanced Postpartum program
  From a four-day live course to a nine-month experience designed to give practitioners more time to integrate the work, both professionally and personally.
• A vision for the next 10 years
  Lynn shares her hopes for expanding the Institute, continuing research, reaching more practitioners, and finding someone who can carry this work into future generations.

A Bigger Question for Pelvic Health Practitioners

What might change in postpartum care if practitioners were taught to look at the pelvis differently?

This episode is an invitation to think beyond simply restoring strength or treating symptoms – and to stay curious about the patterns we repeatedly see in our postpartum clients.

It is also a reminder that clinical innovation often begins with a practitioner asking a simple question:

“I wonder why this is happening?”

For Practitioners Who Have Taken Institute for Birth Healing Courses

Lynn also invites alumni to share their experiences and case stories – particularly examples of how the work has influenced their clinical outcomes and their clients' experiences.

If you've taken an Institute for Birth Healing course, this is an opportunity to share how the work has affected your practice and contribute to documenting the ripple effect of this approach.

Listen In

Whether you've followed the Institute for years or are discovering this work for the first time, this anniversary episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at how a clinical observation grew into a decade-long educational movement – and where we’re heading in the next 10 years.

Connect With Lynn

Have a comment or question about today’s episode? Message Lynn on Instagram or Facebook, or Email Lynn.

Subscribe to the Birth Healing Summit Podcast

Don’t miss an episode! If you enjoyed today’s podcast and are interested in more topics to support your clinical practice and treatment sessions, find us on your favorite podcast app. Follow or Subscribe to the Birth Healing Summit Podcast on:

• Spotify
• YouTube
• Apple Podcasts
• Buzzsprout
• Amazon Podcasts

To learn more visit: InstituteforBirthHealing.com

Visit Institute for Birth Healing to learn more about how to care for the pregnant and postpartum body: CLICK HERE

What happens when a patient walks into your pelvic health clinic carrying not only physical symptoms, but profound grief and trauma from pregnancy or infant loss?

In this powerful conversation, Lynn Schulte, PT, talks with Noelle Moore, founder of the Finley Project, about what providers need to understand when caring for families after loss – and how our presence, language, and hands-on care can make a lasting difference.

Key Discoveries from this Episode:

• Why grief and trauma can show up in the physical body. 
• The power of giving a client permission. 
• How to communicate when you don't know what to say. 
• Why compassionate detachment matters for providers. 
• Why grief isn't linear – or finished after one session.
• The importance of listening to the whole body. 
• Why ongoing support matters.

Clinical Takeaway

For pelvic health practitioners, this episode is a reminder that our treatment room can become an important part of a patient's healing experience after loss. The goal isn't to fix grief. It's to create enough safety, compassion, and permission for the patient to have their experience while receiving the physical care they need.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can grief and trauma show up in the body?

Grief and trauma aren't experienced only as emotions – they can also have physical effects. Patients may notice changes in tension, sensitivity, or sensation in the C-section scar, pelvic tissues, or other areas of the body. For pelvic health providers, this is a reminder to listen to the whole body rather than assuming the pelvis is the only place trauma is expressed.

What can providers say or do when a patient is grieving?

You don't need the perfect words. Slowing down, acknowledging what happened, and simply being present can be deeply supportive. Small statements that give a patient permission to cry, rest, pause, or stop treatment can help her feel safe, seen, and heard. Compassionate detachment is also important: providers can hold space for grief without taking it into their own bodies or trying to carry it for the patient. 

Does grief have a timeline, and what kind of support is needed?

Grief isn't linear, and it doesn't necessarily end after one session – or even after many years. It can resurface unexpectedly, which is why ongoing support matters. Families may need a combination of physical, emotional, practical, and community support rather than simply a referral to counseling and a quick return to “normal.”

About Today’s Speaker

Noelle Moore is the heart and strategic vision behind The Finley Project, a national nonprofit providing holistic support to mothers following the loss of an infant.

After the devastating loss of her newborn daughter, Finley, Noelle recognized the lack of practical support available to mothers navigating life after loss. She founded The Finley Project to bridge that gap, creating a holistic 7-step program that supports mothers from hospital discharge through long-term healing.

Based in Winter Park, Florida, Noelle serves mothers nationwide with compassionate, practical strategies for navigating trauma, grief, and healing.

The Finley Project Programs: https://www.thefinleyproject.org/programs-all

Ways to Get Involved: https://www.thefinleyproject.org/donate

More Than I’m Sorry Book and Care Guide: https://www.amazon.com/More-than-Sorry-Step-Step/dp/1939237920

Connect With Lynn

Have a comment or question about today’s episode? Message Lynn on Instagram or Facebook, or Email Lynn.

Visit Institute for Birth Healing to learn more about how to care for the pregnant and postpartum body: CLICK HERE

What if the tissue you’re treating isn’t simply “tight” – but is holding onto an emotional or traumatic experience?

In this episode, Lynn shares two clinical case studies that highlight the potential connection between emotions, trauma, the nervous system, and the physical tissues of the body.

One case begins with something as seemingly straightforward as shoulder tension. But when Lynn follows what she feels in the tissues, the story takes an unexpected turn.

The second case involves a woman preparing for another pregnancy after significant reproductive and surgical trauma. What Lynn discovers while working with her pelvic tissues raises some intriguing questions about how the body may continue to respond to an experience long after the event itself has passed.

What You’ll Discover In This Episode:

• The link between emotion and changes in tissue tension and mobility
• The power of acknowledging an emotion or experience
• A profound case involving pregnancy, surgery, trauma, and the uterus
• The impact of past experiences in how we perceive and treat the pelvic tissues
• The importance of getting curious about the tissues
• What we can do as therapists to help the body feel safe enough to let go

These cases invite us to look beyond the traditional question of “What structure is tight?” and consider another possibility:

What is this tissue holding onto?

If you work with pelvic health clients, especially those with birth, reproductive, surgical, or other significant trauma histories, this episode will give you some other ideas for what is impacting the body and what you can do about it.

🎧 Listen to the full episode to hear the details of these cases and what happened when the tissues finally began to release.

Connect With Lynn

Have a comment or question about today’s episode? Message Lynn on Instagram or Facebook, or Email Lynn.

Subscribe to the Birth Healing Summit Podcast

Don’t miss an episode! If you enjoyed today’s podcast and are interested in more topics to support your clinical practice and treatment sessions, find us on your favorite podcast app. Follow or Subscribe to the Birth Healing Summit Podcast on:

• Spotify
• YouTube
• Apple Podcasts
• Buzzsprout
• Amazon Podcasts

To learn more visit: InstituteforBirthHealing.com

Visit Institute for Birth Healing to learn more about how to care for the pregnant and postpartum body: CLICK HERE

As pelvic health therapists, should we be focused on “How big is the gap?” or on “What can this person's abdominal wall do?”

In today’s episode of the Birth Healing Summit Podcast, Dr. Nina Theodorsen, associate professor at the University of Bergen in Norway, practicing physiotherapist, and diastasis recti researcher, shares the latest on what current research tells us about exercise, pregnancy, and postpartum recovery.

Her research discoveries challenge what practitioners have been taught to focus on with abdominal health, and she provides new insights on how we can better support clients to become stronger and more confident in their bodies after birth.

Key Discoveries from this Episode:

• Diastasis during pregnancy may be adaptation – not pathology.
• We may be blaming exercise for something exercise doesn't cause.
• IRD measurements and “doming” do not tell the whole story.
• Large persistent diastasis may have less to do with what they did – and more to do with who they are.
• The clinical goal should shift to what can this person's abdominal wall do.
• Exercise should be encouraged, not restricted.
• You don't necessarily have to “close the gap” to improve strength and function.
• Using better language and updating your practice.

Clinical Takeaway

Treat the person, not the centimeter measurement. A large IRD does not automatically mean weakness, pain, dysfunction, or injury risk. Conversely, a relatively small separation can be highly distressing or functionally significant. 

Clinical decision-making should be driven by symptoms, strength, function, goals, and patient concerns – not IRD or abdominal appearance alone.

Today’s conversation challenges the fear-based approach many women have been given around lifting, abdominal exercise, and movement with pregnancy. Instead of treating a measurement, we can help women become stronger, more capable, and more confident in their bodies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does abdominal exercise cause or worsen diastasis during pregnancy? 

Current evidence does not support the idea that normal abdominal exercise causes or meaningfully worsens pregnancy-related diastasis. Nina's research found no significant difference in diastasis development between women who performed abdominal exercises and those in a control group. Exercise should generally be encouraged rather than restricted solely because of concern about diastasis.

Should clinicians measure interrectus distance?

IRD can provide useful information, but it shouldn't be the primary measure of whether someone has a clinical problem. A measurement alone doesn't tell us whether someone has pain, weakness, functional limitations, or distress. The more important question is: What is this person experiencing, and what do they want to be able to do?

What should postpartum rehabilitation focus on?

For people with persistent symptoms or functional limitations, progressive strengthening and loading may be more valuable than trying to mechanically “close” the separation. The goal is to improve capacity, strength, confidence, and function. Persistent large diastases also warrant more research into who may benefit from rehabilitation, surgery, or a combination of both.

Studies Mentioned

• Theodorsen, N.-M., Donnelly, G., &. Bø, K., (2026). Diastasis Rectus Abdominis: Time to Reconsider Our Approach. A Scoping ReviewJournal of Women's & Pelvic Health Physical Therapy https://doi.org/10.1097/JWH.0000000000000383
• Theodorsen N-M, Moe-Nilssen R, Bø K, Haukenes I. Associations with the inter-recti distance at gestation week 37: a prospective cohort study among healthy pregnant women. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2025 May 29;25(1):630. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-025-07741-7. PMID: 40442641; PMCID: PMC12123851.
• Marander V, Råheim M, Haukenes I, Theodorsen N-M. Mothers` experiences living with diastasis recti abdominis-an interview study. BMC Women`s Health. 2024 24-292. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-024-03131-x
• Theodorsen N-M, Bø K, Fersum, K V, Haukenes I, Moe-Nilssen R. Pregnant women may exercise both abdominal and pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy without increasing the diastasis recti abdominis: a randomised trial. J Physiotherapy. 2024/03/11 2024; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphys.2024.02.002
• Theodorsen N-M, Moe-Nilssen R, Bø K, Haukenes I. Effect of exercise on the inter-rectus distance in pregnant women with diastasis recti abdominis: an experimental longitudinalstudy.Physiotherapy.2023/12/01/2023;121:13-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2023.08.001
• Theodorsen, N., Strand, L-I., Bø, K. Effect of pelvic floor and transversus abdominis muscle contraction on inter-rectus distance in postpartum women: a cross-sectional experimental study. Physiotherapy 2018;https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2018.08.009

About Today’s Speaker

Dr. Nina Theodorsen, PhD, is a physiotherapist, researcher, and Associate Professor at the University of Bergen in Norway. Her work focuses on women’s health, with expertise in pregnancy, postpartum care, pelvic floor dysfunction, and musculoskeletal health. Her PhD research on diastasis recti has challenged common misconceptions about exercise during pregnancy and helped shape evidence-based clinical practice. Nina is an internationally recognized educator and speaker passionate about translating research into better care for women.

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What’s the connection between ribcage and diaphragm tension when it doesn’t originate in the ribcage?

In this episode, Lynn Schulte, PT walks through a recent pregnancy case where she saw just how interconnected the growing uterus, uterine ligaments, diaphragm, and ribcage can be – even before the baby is large enough to physically push upward into the ribs.

A pregnant client of approximately 17 weeks presented with a painful, “vice-like” sensation around the left anterior ribcage. As Lynn assessed her body, she discovered something unexpected: the uterus was growing significantly toward the right side.

Key Discoveries from this Episode:

• How looking for connections rather than isolated restrictions can help you find the cause of pain and dysfunction
• Why the position and direction of uterine growth may be an important clinical clue
• What to watch for when comparing ribcage mobility side-to-side
• Why pregnancy can reveal or amplify pre-existing movement and tissue restrictions
• The importance of re-assessment after every meaningful intervention

Clinical Takeaway

Sometimes the ribcage restriction you feel may be responding to what is happening much farther down in the pelvis. An expanding uterus may be contributing.

When you find a rib cage or diaphragm restriction in a pregnant client, don't automatically treat it as a rib cage problem. Check what is happening below it.

If the uterus is growing or being pulled toward one side, assess the tissues that may be influencing that position – including the uterine ligaments and surrounding abdominal/fascial tissues.

Then reassess the rib cage after addressing the pelvic restriction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the uterus affect the rib cage before the baby is large enough to reach it?

Potentially, yes. The uterus begins expanding well before the third trimester, and its changing position can alter tension through its supporting tissues and surrounding abdominal structures. 

This case suggests that uterine position and tissue tension may influence rib cage and diaphragm mechanics earlier than we typically expect.

Why would the uterus grow more toward one side?

There can be many reasons for uterine asymmetry, including the position of the uterus, surrounding soft-tissue tension, ligamentous restrictions, abdominal/fascial relationships, and fetal positioning. A uterus favoring one side isn't automatically pathological. The clinical significance comes from the overall pattern – pain, restriction, asymmetry, tissue tension, and how the body responds when those restrictions are addressed.

Why assess the rib cage when a pregnant client presents with pelvic or uterine restrictions?

Because the pregnant body is an interconnected system. Changes in the position and mobility of the expanding uterus can influence tension through the abdomen and trunk, while diaphragm and rib cage mechanics can also influence how the client moves and breathes. Assessing both regions can help you identify which restriction may be driving the other – or whether they're responding to a shared underlying asymmetry.

How can I learn to work with the uterus and the pregnant body?

If you want to expand your clinical toolbox for treating the uterine ligaments, abdominal tissues, ribcage, and diaphragm, check out the Holistic Treatment of the Pregnant Body live training or online course.

Connect With Lynn

Have a comment or question about today’s episode? Message Lynn on Instagram or Facebook, or Email Lynn.

Subscribe to the Birth Healing Summit Podcast

Don’t miss an episode! If you enjoyed today’s podcast and are interested in more topics to support your clinical practice and treatment sessions, find us on your favorite podcast app. Follow or Subscribe to the Birth Healing Summit Podcast on:

• Spotify
• YouTube
• Apple Podcasts
• Buzzsprout
• Amazon Podcasts

To learn more visit: InstituteforBirthHealing.com

Visit Institute for Birth Healing to learn more about how to care for the pregnant and postpartum body: CLICK HERE