Pelvic Health and Fitness

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In this episode, we get the exciting opportunity to chat with one of our colleagues (and fellow Canadian 🇨🇦), Teresa Waser (@rxphysio).

Teresa is an orthopedic and pelvic health physiotherapist based out of RX Physiotherapy, a non-traditional clinic in Leduc, Alberta, Canada, where she blends her experiences as physio, coach, and educator to empower people of all ages to achieve their goals in athletics and life.  She has coached running, as well as CrossFit for kids through to older adults.  She is a mother of 3 (including twins) and loves lifting heavy and running trails.

We’re so thankful for Teresa for sharing her passion and wisdom with us. We touch on a lot of topics in this episode including:

🔹 What initially got Teresa into physiotherapy as a career and then focusing on pelvic health
🔹 Her pregnancy and birth experiences with 3 kids (including twins)
🔹 How her exercise routine changed throughout her pregnancies and postpartum journeys
🔹 How her approach as a pelvic floor physiotherapist has changed over time
🔹 How she came up with her TIIPPSS-FC course
🔹 Helpful tips for people who experience leaking with skipping
🔹 Tips for fellow practitioners managing work life with motherhood
🔹 Details about Teresa’s TIIPPSS-FC course and where you can sign-up

We’re excited for you to listen to this episode and hope you get as much out of this conversation as we did.

Reach Teresa here:
Instagram
Website
Teresa’s courses including TIIPPSS-FC

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In this episode, we get the exciting opportunity to chat with one of our mentors, Brianna Battles! 

Bri specializes in coaching pregnant and postpartum athletes, as well as educating coaching professionals on how to help athletes navigate the physical and mental considerations of training during these chapters in a woman’s life. 

She is a relentless advocate and relatable resource for women who want training during pregnancy and make a sustainable return to performance, lifestyle, function, career, and activity postpartum (and postpartum is forever)! This effort is what led to her creating a curriculum for coaches and practitioners who also want to support athletes through this process.

Brianna has well established, successful online education, programs, and resources for both fitness professionals, practitioners, and athletes. She has built an international team of P&PA Coaches who are equipped to work with pregnant and postpartum athletes in their communities and online.

Bri has so much wisdom to share from her years working with pregnant and postpartum athletes. We touch on many important topics including:

🔹 Her journey as a strength and conditioning coach and her transition into motherhood
🔹 What sparked her interest in pre/postnatal fitness
🔹 Her journey with managing diastasis |
🔹 What athlete brain means to her
🔹 How her mindset shifted in regards to focusing less on her aesthetics after her 2nd pregnancy
🔹 How her focus has shifted over time in her fitness journey
🔹 Her shift into being a “coach mom”
🔹 Her biggest piece of advice for pregnant athletes

We’re excited for you to listen to this episode and hope you get as much out of this conversation as we did.

Reach Brianna here:
Instagram
Website
Practice Brave Podcast

Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism links (for coaches):
Instagram
Website

Follow Bri’s mom, Sharon here:
Instagram

➡️ Click here to learn more and purchase Rhonda’s 2 for $22 Strong at Home Membership Trial!

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In this episode, Rhonda and Dayna talk about all things SPD (symphysis pubis dysfunction, aka pelvis pain or lightning crotch)!

We discuss:

🔹 What is SPD and potential causes of it
🔹 Our own experiences with SPD in pregnancy
🔹 How can you continue to exercise with SPD?
🔹 Ways to roll in bed and get in/out of the car with SPD
🔹 Possible strategies to minimize pelvis pain

We’re excited for you to listen to this episode and hope you find some of these tips helpful.

Click here to learn more and purchase Rhonda’s 2 for $22 Strong at Home Membership Trial! (Doors open for purchase March 2).  Click here to get on the waitlist to stay in the know.

Find Dayna here:
Instagram
Website

Find Rhonda here:
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Website

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In this episode, Dayna and Rhonda talk about all things peezing!

We discuss:

🔹 What is peezing?
🔹 The most common strategy people have to avoid peezing, and why it might not be working
🔹 Helpful strategies to avoid peezing
🔹 Some tips to work on everyday to prepare your pelvic floor for allergy/ cold and flu season

We’re excited for you to listen to this episode and hope you find some of these tips helpful.

Find Dayna here:
Instagram
Website

Find Rhonda here:
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Website

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In this episode, Dayna and Rhonda welcome Inemesit Graham. Inemesit is a personal trainer and nutrition coach specializing in pre and postnatal fitness with a focus on diastasis recti, hernia, and prolapse management. Inemesit believes that your aesthetics don't determine your athletics and takes a decolonized approach to fitness based on body liberty and free of body oppression.

Inemesit is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. And we touch on many important topics including:

🔹Her journey with fitness and what led to her focus on the perinatal population as a coach

🔹 Her experience with diastasis throughout pregnancy and postpartum

🔹 How her approach to exercising with a diastasis has evolved over time

🔹 Her experience with surgery and symptom management with an abdominal hernia

🔹What decolonizing fitness means to her

🔹 Why it’s important to learn about the history of anti-black racism in relation to health, fitness and definitions of beauty

🔹 Her unique experiences as a black woman in the fitness space

🔹 Helpful suggestions from Inemesit about how we can all be better allies

We’re excited for you to listen to this episode and hope you get as much out of this conversation as we did. 

Reach  Inemesit here:
Instagram
Email

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In this episode, Dayna and Rhonda discuss some strategies you can try to minimize back pain postpartum. 

We go into detail with each of these tips below:

1️⃣ Make sure you’re resting enough

2️⃣ Change up your repetitive postures/ activities

3️⃣ Use pain-relieving positions to offset repetitive postures/ positions

4️⃣ Movement is good for pain

5️⃣ Manage your expectations of what your body is ready/able to do in a day

We’re excited for you to listen to this episode and hope you find some of these tips helpful.

Find Dayna here:
Instagram
Website

Find Rhonda here:
Instagram
Website

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In this episode, Dayna and Rhonda discuss some reasons you current exercise routine might not be sticking:

1️⃣ You’re not consistent enough. 

2️⃣ It’s boring/ too repetitive. 

3️⃣ It’s too hard or too easy. 

4️⃣ It’s making your pain/symptoms worse. 

5️⃣ Your sole focus is on weight loss.

We dive deeper into each point and give some helpful takeaways! 

We’re excited for you to listen to this episode and hope you find some of these tips helpful!

Find Dayna here:
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Website

Find Rhonda here:
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In this episode, Rhonda and Dayna welcome mental health professional Jessica Barnes to talk about postpartum mental health. 

Jessica is a passionate Maternal Mental Health Therapist and proud momma of two, soon to be three kiddos.  

A self-identified "birth nut" Jess is incredibly passionate about supporting moms (and dads!) with anything that could present challenges along our parenting path; fertility challenges, pregnancy loss, anxiety and depression, relationship challenges, birth trauma, and adjusting to life as a new parent in a society that doesn't always support us. 

Strengthening self-compassion and self-care, while challenging the systems that often lead to our burnout are the cornerstones of her work.

This was a very informative and validating chat. In this episode we talk about…

🔹What led Jessica to become a mental health professional with a focus on the perinatal population
🔹Common concerns that clients typically seek advice for in the postpartum period
🔹How equal and opposite emotions are common and valid in the postpartum period
🔹What is the difference between baby blues and postpartum depression/ anxiety?
🔹How the global pandemic has impacted her clients’ mental health
🔹Common presentations of postpartum anxiety
🔹Strategies to implement right away to mitigate postpartum depression and anxiety
🔹The importance of asking for help in the postpartum period
🔹Strategies to implement during pregnancy to prepare for a more supported postpartum period

…Plus so much more!

We’re excited for you to listen to this episode and hope you find some of Jessica’s advice helpful.

Find Jessica here:
Website
Psychology Today

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In this episode, Rhonda and Dayna welcome pelvic health physiotherapist, Laura Holland to talk about returning to intimacy postpartum. 

Laura Holland is a pelvic health physiotherapist practicing in Kitchener Waterloo.  After experiencing her own pelvic health concerns and feeling lost about how to navigate them, she discovered pelvic health physiotherapy as a patient and it changed her life.  

Now Laura is passionate about normalizing conversations about pelvic health and encouraging people to feel more comfortable talking about pelvic health and seeking care when they need it.

This was a very informative and thought-provoking chat. In this episode we talk about…

🔹What led Laura to become a pelvic health physiotherapist
🔹Possible causes of pain with sex (postpartum or not)
🔹What is vaginismus?
🔹Painful orgasms
🔹Changing your definition of sex and intimacy
🔹Painful sex post-Caesarean birth
🔹Pain with insertion of tampons/ menstrual cups
🔹How pelvic floor physiotherapy can help you if you are experiencing pain with sex

…Plus so much more!

We’re excited for you to listen to this episode and hope you find some of Laura’s advice helpful. Let us know in the comments!

Find Laura here:
Instagram
Website

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In this educational episode, Rhonda sits down with pelvic health physiotherapist Aliya Dhalla to revisit the important (and often misunderstood) topic of prolapse. Together, they break down what prolapse really is, common myths, and why symptoms matter more than grades. 

This episode is packed with compassionate strategies to help you feel confident moving your body again. Rhonda and Aliya share practical tips for managing symptoms, strengthening support muscles, and using tools like pessaries or support garments, all while reminding you that prolapse doesn’t have to hold you back from exercise, motherhood, or living fully.

💬 If you enjoyed this episode of Pelvic Health and Fitness, please consider:
 → Sharing it with a friend
 → Leaving a review on Apple Podcasts
 → Subscribing wherever you listen

🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned:

• Aliya’s website
• Book with Aliya online or in-person in Toronto @ Box Wellness Co.
• Listen to Aliya’s podcast: The Not Your Mother’s Pelvic Floor Podcast
• Follow Aliya on Instagram: @boxwellnessco
• Support options mentioned for prolapse: Poise Impressa, Uresta, Hem Support Wear

🌐 More Ways to Connect:

• Follow Rhonda on Instagram
• Rhonda’s Website
• Free Resource Library
• Pelvic Health and Fitness Podcast Page

📝 Episode Talking Points:

• What prolapse is (and what it isn’t)
• Why prolapse “grade” doesn’t always match symptom severity
• Common misconceptions and the emotional impact of an early prolapse diagnosis
• Symptom management through pelvic floor strength, breath work, and relaxation techniques
• The role of surrounding muscles (glutes, hips, core) in pelvic floor support
• Avoiding constipation and managing intra-abdominal pressure during daily life
• Returning to strength training, running, jumping, and other activities safely
• Using tools like pessaries, tampons, or supportive underwear to reduce symptoms
• Understanding how stress, cycle, and nervous system tension can affect symptoms
• Tracking patterns to better understand your body and build confidence
• How to gradually increase tolerance to load and pressure during exercise
• Post-surgical considerations and the ongoing role of pelvic floor physiotherapy
• Key message: prolapse doesn’t have to hold you back from movement or a full life