When Kathleen first experienced pelvic organ prolapse at 64, she felt scared, confused, and unsure of what life would look like moving forward. After eight pregnancies, nine children, and decades without pelvic floor symptoms, the sudden feeling of heaviness and bulging was alarming.

In this encouraging episode, Kelly sits down with Kathleen to talk about how she moved from fear and frustration to hope, confidence, and practical healing. After being offered only a pessary or surgery, Kathleen began working with The Tummy Team and discovered that her symptoms were connected to posture, core weakness, pelvic alignment, and everyday movement patterns.

Through e-sessions, Core Foundations, Functional Core, and simple daily strategies, Kathleen learned how to respond to her body's symptoms, reconnect to her core, reduce prolapse discomfort, and return to the life she loves—including camping, lifting her grandkids, going back to the gym, and moving with confidence.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why prolapse can feel like an emergency
• How core strength and pelvic floor support work together
• Why Kegels are not always the answer
• How posture and alignment affect pelvic organ support
• What to do when symptoms flare up
• Why simple, consistent tools can create powerful change
• How to move from fear to confidence in your body

Kathleen's story is a beautiful reminder that pelvic floor symptoms are personal, common, and often very treatable—and that there is hope beyond fear, surgery, or simply learning to live with it.

What happens when you've done the work, made incredible progress, but still have a few lingering symptoms holding you back?

In this first-ever Real-Life Rehab episode, Kelly sits down with Lucille, a longtime Tummy Team client and mother of ten children, to discuss the next phase of her healing journey. After years of pregnancies, postpartum recovery, and parenting demands, Lucille successfully reduced a severe diastasis and integrated functional core principles into daily life. Yet despite her progress, nagging low back pain and a recent hip injury were keeping her from fully returning to the activities she loves.

Together, Kelly and Lucille unpack what happens when healing enters a new season. Through a live coaching-style conversation, Kelly helps Lucille identify practical next steps, including improving neutral pelvis awareness, reducing compensation patterns, and building confidence through intentional movement.

This episode offers a unique behind-the-scenes look at what real rehabilitation looks like—not perfection, but ongoing progress, curiosity, and learning how to support your body through every stage of life.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why lingering pain doesn't mean you've failed
• How motherhood can create long-term compensation patterns
• The role of neutral pelvis in core and pelvic floor function
• Why healing often requires returning to foundational habits
• How walking can become one of the most effective core exercises
• The importance of self-compassion during recovery
• Why pain is communication, not punishment

If you've ever felt stuck between "better" and "fully healed," this episode will encourage you to trust the process and keep moving forward.

After years of unexplained back pain, muscle imbalances, physical therapy, chiropractic care, and even hip surgery, Jesika thought she had exhausted every option. As a former collegiate athlete and busy mom of three, she was determined to find answers—but nothing seemed to address the root cause of her symptoms.

In this inspiring conversation, Jesika shares how discovering The Tummy Team helped her connect the dots between her posture, breathing, core function, and chronic pain. What started as a search for pelvic floor answers led to a complete shift in how she understood her body. Through simple daily practices, increased body awareness, and the Family Membership, she regained strength, returned to teaching tennis, and finally found lasting relief.

Kelly and Jesika discuss why so many people miss the connection between functional core weakness and symptoms like back pain, hip pain, digestive issues, and fatigue—and how empowering it can be to take an active role in your own healing journey.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why chronic pain isn't always coming from where it hurts
• The surprising connection between posture, breathing, and core strength
• How an abdominal splint can support functional healing
• Why athletes and active moms often miss signs of core dysfunction
• The power of understanding your body instead of just treating symptoms
• How small daily changes can create life-changing results

If you've ever felt frustrated by conflicting advice, endless appointments, or a body that just doesn't feel like itself anymore, Jesika's story will remind you that there may still be a missing piece—and that healing is possible. 

Welcome back to The Tummy Team Journey Podcast! In the first episode of Season 5, Kelly Dean shares the story behind the evolution of The Tummy Team—from her own struggle with severe diastasis recti after pregnancy to building a global community focused on functional core and pelvic floor healing. With nearly 30 years as a physical therapist and a background in brain injury and stroke rehabilitation, Kelly explains how a brain-body approach transformed not only her recovery but also the way she helps thousands of clients reclaim their strength, confidence, and quality of life.

Kelly discusses why traditional fitness and rehab approaches often miss the root cause of core dysfunction, how The Tummy Team's philosophy has evolved over the years, and why the move from individual courses to a membership model better supports real-life healing. She also introduces exciting new features coming to Season 5, including real-life rehab sessions, inspiring client stories, expert interviews, and the return of some favorite episodes from the archives.

Whether you're brand new to The Tummy Team or have been following Kelly's work for years, this episode offers an inside look at the mission, heart, and future of a community dedicated to helping people feel connected to their bodies again.

In this inspiring and deeply practical episode, Kelly Dean sits down with Dr. Hilary Frescoln, a family medicine physician and homeschooling mom of seven, to explore how real-life functional core strength transforms not just bodies, but entire families.

Dr. Frescoln shares her personal journey—from college athlete to busy mom managing back pain and diastasis recti—highlighting the pivotal moment she discovered The Tummy Team’s approach. With a history of fast, sometimes unassisted deliveries (including twins born just 90 minutes from water breaking!), Hilary reflects on how even years of fitness training couldn’t substitute for true functional core use.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• True core strength comes from functional use in daily life, not isolated workouts.

• Tiny, stacked habits and celebrating small wins build sustainable change.

• Awareness (mirrors, posture checks, body feedback) is 50% of the solution.

• Movement, gratitude, and community nourish both physical and emotional health.

• Parents modeling healthy habits can shape an entire family’s lifestyle.

Additional Resource:

• Mom & Kids Workout / Christian Scripture & Encouragement / Core Exercises

• 10 Minute Quick Mom Workout / Core and Pelvic Floor / Scripture / Kids / Diastasis Safe /SET 1of 3

In this heartfelt and deeply personal episode, Kelly Dean reconnects with her longtime friend and colleague, Beth Learn of Fit2B Studio, for a powerful conversation on the transitions of life, aging, fitness, and self-discovery.

Both Kelly and Beth find themselves in a season of change—letting go of hands-on parenting, navigating the care of aging parents, and questioning the next steps in their careers and personal growth. Their conversation centers on the very real and relatable question: “What now?”

This episode is for anyone feeling like they’ve reached the “end” of a chapter—postpartum recovery, career burnout, caregiving exhaustion—and are wondering what comes next.

Key Takeaways:

• Life’s Transitions: Aging, empty nesting, and caregiving require adapting to new seasons with flexibility and self-compassion.
• Smarter, Not Harder: Progress in fitness and life comes from sustainable, individualized choices, not always pushing for more.
• Embracing Liminal Spaces: The in-between moments of uncertainty are opportunities for growth, even when progress isn’t visible.
• Resilience Through Choice: Voluntarily facing challenges, like a tough workout or life decision, builds strength and confidence.
• Permission to Pivot: It’s okay to say no, try new things, or step back to find balance in fitness and life.

Additional Resources:

• Learn more about Beth Learn and her online fitness studio at ⁠Fit2B.us⁠

• Explore core and pelvic floor resources at ⁠TheTummyTeam.com

In this deeply informative and encouraging episode, Kelly Dean is joined once again by physical therapist Christina Trautman to explore the critical importance of core and pelvic floor care during pregnancy—not just after. Together, they shed light on why prenatal support is often overlooked, and how proactive care can radically change the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Don’t wait until postpartum to seek help—pregnancy is the best time to begin.

• You don’t need symptoms to benefit from care—prevention is powerful.

• A supported core improves birth outcomes, postpartum healing, and emotional regulation.

• Education and alignment should be part of standard prenatal care.

• Even one visit or one online course can be transformational.

This episode is for first-time moms, fifth-time moms, and every birth worker committed to changing the narrative from reactive recovery to intentional preparation.

In this mind-expanding episode, Kelly Dean welcomes Dr. Neel Bulchandani—a chiropractor specializing in airway, fascia, and feeding—to explore the deep and often overlooked connection between tongue ties, diastasis recti, and whole-body function.

Dr. Bulchandani shares how his clinical path was transformed after his daughter was born with a tongue tie. This personal experience launched him into an intensive journey of exploring how restrictions in the floor of the mouth can profoundly affect posture, breathing, digestion, nervous system regulation, and core strength across all ages.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Tongue ties aren’t just about breastfeeding or speech—they can disrupt nervous system function and core alignment in adults too.

• Diastasis recti is not a cosmetic issue; it impacts organ support, breathing, and regulation.

• The mouth, core, and pelvis are deeply connected through fascial and neurological pathways.

• You don’t have to know exactly what’s wrong to start healing. Trusting the body’s feedback leads to transformation.

• Body tension often stores unresolved emotion—releasing one can release the other.

  
  

  Related Links: ⁠⁠neelbulchandani.com⁠

In this eye-opening episode, Kelly Dean welcomes fellow core rehabilitation specialist Megan Miller to discuss a frequently overlooked topic: diastasis recti in men. Though often seen as a “women’s issue,” core dysfunction is surprisingly common among men—and it’s time we talk about it.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Diastasis recti affects men more often than people realize.

• Symptoms often include back pain, belly bulging, hernias, and poor posture.

• Cultural stigma keeps many men from seeking help.

• Core rehab is not gendered—it’s about functional, daily strength.

• Healing is possible at any age with the right support and tools.

🎓 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞: https://thetummyteam.com

Find more information about Megan and her practice here. 

Book an eSession with Kelly

How we help men at The Tummy Team

In this vulnerable and honest episode of The Tummy Team Journey Podcast, Kelly Dean is joined again by pelvic floor physical therapist Christina Trautman for a candid discussion about pelvic floor challenges that arise during times of illness, stress, and overload — even for professionals.

💡 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬

✔ Pelvic floor symptoms during illness are common — not a sign of failure.

✔ Inflammation and fatigue can disrupt muscle function, even in trained bodies.

✔ Leaking, heaviness, or prolapse flares are a message, not a catastrophe.

✔ Your capacity changes — listen to your body without self-judgment.

✔ Give yourself grace and focus on small, functional support strategies.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who’s felt like their progress has unraveled during illness or high-stress seasons — and a reminder that healing is never a straight line. You are not alone, and setbacks are part of the process.

🎓 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞: https://thetummyteam.com

𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐊𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐧, 𝐌𝐏𝐓

Kelly is a licensed physical therapist who has helped thousands of parents understand and support functional core healing. She specializes in providing practical, safe, and effective strategies to help families build strong foundations — starting in infancy.