In today’s episode, Jessie reflects on her 4-year journey (so far) into alcohol sobriety - what led her to the decision, mindset shifts, and her plans for the future. If this is something you have been thinking about, or have more questions around - this episode is for you! 

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If you liked this episode of To Birth and Beyond, tell your friends! Find us on iTunes and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show.

Want more? Visit www.ToBirthAndBeyond.com, join our Facebook group (To Birth and Beyond Podcast), and follow us on Instagram @tobirthandbeyondpodcast! Thanks for listening and joining the conversation!

Resources and References 

• Jessie’s Core Connection Workshop - NOW AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND!

Show Notes 

0:55 - Jessie’s Core Connection Workshop - NOW AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND!

2:34 - What Jessie is going to be talking about today!

3:35 - Jessie describes the time in her life 4 years ago, and what sparked her decision to become sober from alcohol

7:54 - Jessie shares the number one question she asked herself that set her on this path

10:13 - How Jessie approached her sobriety in the beginning (and how her body reacted)

11:41 - If you are considering taking a break from alcohol, or alcohol sobriety, it will be work

13:18 - There ARE times that Jessie has wanted to drink in the last 4 years - and how she works through it

14:35 - How Jessie feels now, sober realizations, and how she plans to move forward with or without alcohol sobriety!

16:59 - A question for YOU, and episode wrap up!

In today’s episode, Anita sits down with Amanda Banks and Eleanor Currie, both multi-hyphenates, and the documentary filmmakers behind “Born at Home”. We will be chatting all about home birth, including misconceptions and why our special guests have taken on home birth advocacy and education in their first film. If you are thinking about having a home birth, supporting someone in their homebirth, or you are curious to learn more, this episode is for you!

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If you liked this episode of To Birth and Beyond, tell your friends! Find us on iTunes and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show.

Want more? Visit www.ToBirthAndBeyond.com, join our Facebook group (To Birth and Beyond Podcast), and follow us on Instagram @tobirthandbeyondpodcast! Thanks for listening and joining the conversation!

Resources and References 

• Bump to Birth Method, on-demand
• Born at Home film on Instagram
• Born at Home film website (watch it here!)

Show Notes 

0:55 - Anita’s Bump to Birth Method, on-demand, available NOW!

2:48 - Anita introduces our special guests!

3:52 - Eleanor and Amanda share what led them to decide that now was the time to make this documentary

6:17 - Amanda and Eleanor discuss accessibility of home birthing around the world, with a focus on their home of Australia and its current barriers

10:41 - Amanda explains the general set up of transfer of care from home birth to hospital when necessary in Australia

12:48 - Eleanor discuss misconceptions around home birth that they ran into in the filmmaking process

18:29 - The filmmakers summarize what you can see and learn in their documentary

22:43 - The filmmakers recall premiering their film in front of an audience for the first time (after crafting the film completely independently, just the two of them)

27:48 - The filmmakers share where we can find, watch, and share the documentary

29:11 - The filmmakers recount their film tour and audience reactions

31:26 - Eleanor and Amanda share advice for those who are thinking of, or planning, a home birth

33:56 - Amanda and Eleanor share what they are working on now!

In today’s episode, Jessie sits down with friend and colleague, Carrie Moxley, to talk all things fitness and body image with the added layer of Carrie being a fitness and strength coach, like Jessie! Carrie discusses her journey through body awareness, disordered eating and exercise, to neutrality, and how body things can get complicated, even for fitness professionals!

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If you liked this episode of To Birth and Beyond, tell your friends! Find us on iTunes and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show.

Want more? Visit www.ToBirthAndBeyond.com, join our Facebook group (To Birth and Beyond Podcast), and follow us on Instagram @tobirthandbeyondpodcast! Thanks for listening and joining the conversation!

Resources and References 

• Check out Jessie’s Annual Birthday Sale!
• Carrie on Instagram
• Misfit Strength Website

Show Notes 

0:55 - Jessie’s Annual Birthday Sale is on NOW!

2:18 - Jessie introduces our special guest and topic for the day!

3:15 - Carrie explains how her profession evolved as she grew an in-person gym space and community

7:49 - Carrie takes us through her journey from becoming aware of her body, through disordered eating and exercise compulsion, to finding strength training to help heal her body image

15:58 - What made Carrie change her mantra AWAY from “every woman needs to lift to feel better” 

18:10 - What Carrie did when her oldest son approached her with an interest in strength-training - and how it ultimately got her back in the gym, herself

21:00 - How Carrie returned to strength training with the truly neutral and nonjudgmental coaching style she needs in this season 

24:07 - Why Carrie would choose neutrality ANY day of the week - and processing her previous body shame that she thought, at the time, was care

28:31 - Carrie relives her recent first-time experience wearing a sports bra as a shirt in the gym without attaching any meaning or judgment to it - at the age of 44

30:06 - The loneliness of disordered eating, and how community can help heal 

33:53 - On finding just the tiniest bit of self-compassion, and allowing space for yourself to make mistakes

34:59 - What we hope for people who are listening today

37:28 - Episode wrap up

In today’s replay of episode 345, Anita talks with Rachel, who went through the Bump to Birth program when preparing for her first birth. We’ll discuss Rachel’s pregnancy journey, birth experience, and where she is today!

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If you liked this episode of To Birth and Beyond, tell your friends! Find us on iTunes and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show.

Want more? Visit www.ToBirthAndBeyond.com, join our Facebook group (To Birth and Beyond Podcast), and follow us on Instagram @tobirthandbeyondpodcast! Thanks for listening and joining the conversation!

Resources and References 

• Bump to Birth Method (self-study) is open for enrolment!

Show Notes 

0:55 - Bump to Birth Method Self-Study is open for enrolment!

2:48 - An introduction to today’s replay - and why we chose it, and who it’s for!

4:20 - Anita introduces her special guest, Rachel Spillman!

6:00 - Rachel shares more about herself and her family

7:42 - How did Rachel feel physically, mentally and emotionally in her pregnancy?

13:56 - What were the steps Rachel took to prepare for giving birth?

17:40 - Mobility as a complement to strength in birth prep

19:55 - What types of birth stories and recommendations/suggestions was Rachel subject to?

24:05 - Changing your experience through decreasing fear, naming things what they are, and hiring a team

25:32 - How all the pieces fit together into Rachel’s birth experience - and zoning in vs zoning out

34:07 - How was pushing for Rachel?

39:28 - Nobody knows what your body wants except you - and movement in birth

41:08 - How was after birth recovery, initially? (including conversation around tongue tie)

56:03 - Wrap up - with some advice for expecting (and soon-to-be) expecting parents out there!

In today’s episode, Jessie and Anita are covering something they’ve not covered on the podcast: PAP EXAMS! We will cover tips for patients and care providers regarding this not oft talked about subject to minimize pain, negative experiences and trauma from PAP exams. We are aiming for consent, understanding, and less discomfort around the procedure, so the patient feels more in control over what is happening to their body.

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If you liked this episode of To Birth and Beyond, tell your friends! Find us on iTunes and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show.

Want more? Visit www.ToBirthAndBeyond.com, join our Facebook group (To Birth and Beyond Podcast), and follow us on Instagram @tobirthandbeyondpodcast! Thanks for listening and joining the conversation!

Resources and References 

• Custom Coaching with Jessie - ONE SPOT ONLY!

Show Notes 

0:54 - Custom Coaching with Jessie (one spot only!)

2:38 - What we are talking about today!

3:56 - Jess shares a bizarre and uncomfortable PAP experience she had at age 18

6:40 - Anita shares that there are ways to eliminate that and other discomforts from the patient and care provider sides

8:58 - Step #1 to make PAP Exams more comfortable: Explain the technique and what is involved in a PAP exam, keep communication clear during exam, and leave room for questions (clients/patients: request your care providers do this for you!)

15:07 - Step #2: Words matter, so please choose them wisely with clients (and what to do if an off-hand comment slips)

16:20 - Step #3: An explanation of the flower bloom breath, and how you can provide suggestions of breathing relief for patients

17:16 - On respecting the responsibility you have as a practitioner working with populations in this way when you hold power

In today’s episode, Anita and Jessie answer the VERY popular client question: can you prevent diastasis recti during pregnancy? They discuss why someone might want to prevent diastasis, what additional issues diastasis might set off, and just how important the way we talk about peoples’ bodies is.

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If you liked this episode of To Birth and Beyond, tell your friends! Find us on iTunes and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show.

Want more? Visit www.ToBirthAndBeyond.com, join our Facebook group (To Birth and Beyond Podcast), and follow us on Instagram @tobirthandbeyondpodcast! Thanks for listening and joining the conversation!

Resources and References 

• Custom Coaching with Jessie (1 Spot Only)

Show Notes 

0:55 - Jessie has ONE space available for a custom fitness coaching client!

2:40 - What we are talking about today!

3:32 - Why might someone want to prevent diastasis recti in pregnancy? What might be coming up for you!

6:00 - If someone has heard that diastasis recti can set off a cascade of other physical issues for the core and pelvic floor - where does Anita start with the myth busting?

9:40 - How we talk to people about their bodies informs so much about how they feel in their bodies

10:57 - CAN we prevent diastasis recti in pregnancy, though?

14:12 - Episode conclusion!

In today’s episode, Jessie talks with Naush Ansari - fitness and nutrition coach, pregnancy and postpartum fitness specialist, engineer, wife, and mother of 3 - about how we, as humans, run our businesses while the world is a very difficult place to exist in. When there are events happening in the world that are so horrific: what are we to do? How do we exist as fitness and health professionals, business owners and CEOs amidst it all? Naush talks with us about everything from communication and social media activism, to incorporating personal values into your business and marketing.

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If you liked this episode of To Birth and Beyond, tell your friends! Find us on iTunes and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show.

Want more? Visit www.ToBirthAndBeyond.com, join our Facebook group (To Birth and Beyond Podcast), and follow us on Instagram @tobirthandbeyondpodcast! Thanks for listening and joining the conversation!

Resources and References 

• Custom Coaching with Jessie (1 Spot Only)
• NaushFit Website
• NaushFit Instagram

Show Notes 

0:59 - Jessie has a space open for one custom coaching client!

2:33 - An introduction to today’s special guest, and what we will be discussing!

6:47 - On understanding that people have different lived experiences, how Naush has adjusted her practice and communication with her clients during this time, and what she is learning in the process

15:08 - To all fitness and health professionals: we need to learn how to run our businesses from an intersectional perspective and speak up

19:15 - Why Naush left her previous mentorship/coaching program, and joined Jessie in Coach Collective

25:08 - On celebrity and social media activism (or lack thereof)

27:36 - Did Naush always feel she was trying to integrate personal values into her business? Or has that strengthened more recently?

34:15 - How and why Naush is showing up and presenting herself authentically in her business

36:39 - How it feels when you are so clear in who you and your work are for, and who you are not for

40:36 - What kind of advice does Naush have for anyone who is really struggling to incorporate personal values into their business and marketing?

44:14 - Where you can find more of Naush on the internet!

44:32 - Episode wrap up

In today’s episode, Anita talks with Rachel Ollivier, PhD NP(F) all about sexual health after birth. We cover why Rachel chose this area of research and what is being found, as well as tips to navigate pain, intimacy, and body image postpartum.

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If you liked this episode of To Birth and Beyond, tell your friends! Find us on iTunes and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show.

Want more? Visit www.ToBirthAndBeyond.com, join our Facebook group (To Birth and Beyond Podcast), and follow us on Instagram @tobirthandbeyondpodcast! Thanks for listening and joining the conversation!

Resources and References 

• Rachel’s Searchgate Profile
• Find Rachel on X
• Rachel at the University of British Columbia
• Rachel at the Women’s Health Research Institute

Show Notes 

0:59 - Introduction to today’s special guest

2:48 - What encouraged Rachel to dive into this area of research?

4:39 - What came up in Rachel’s research around the blanket 6-weeks postpartum as a milestone to have intercourse?

9:17 - What did Rachel encounter in her research regarding pain postpartum?

14:07 - What has Rachel found regarding how stress internalizes in the body and can affect the postpartum experience?

17:06 - Rachel shares some practical tips around navigating sex and intimacy postpartum

23:30 - Rachel discusses some of the differences she found in her research between first time birthing people and someone who has given birth multiple times

28:00 - What did Rachel come across in her research regarding postpartum body image?

32:48 - Anita and Rachel discuss the unnecessary pressures around returning to pleasure

35:23 - What is some advice Rachel would give a pregnant person around postpartum sexual health?

37:40 - What kind of research is Rachel up to now?

39:00 - Where you can find Rachel online!

In today’s replay of episode 287, Jessie and Anita talk about running and pelvic floor symptoms! We’ve spoken about this in past episodes, but want to revisit and really zoom in on: is your pelvic floor the main reason for leaking when you are running?

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If you liked this episode of To Birth and Beyond, tell your friends! Find us on iTunes and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show.

Want more? Visit www.ToBirthAndBeyond.com, join our Facebook group (To Birth and Beyond Podcast), and follow us on Instagram @tobirthandbeyondpodcast! Thanks for listening and joining the conversation!

Resources and References 

• Jessie’s ‘Ready, Get Set!’ Postpartum Running Program

Show Notes 

0:55 - Jessie’s ‘Ready, Get Set!’ Postpartum Running Program

2:55 - What we are talking about today!

6:45 - What we are looking at when checking someone’s pelvic floor

9:08 - Does Jessie find her clients are having issues with breath holding and clenching?

11:10 - On clenching or tightening your core for an entire run

13:29 - Posture cues for running

17:39 - Addressing torso rotation - and feeling sensations in your body

21:29 - Balance

23:48 - Lower body mechanics: landing and alignment

27:12 - Wrap up!

In today’s episode, Jessie talks with Amanda Fisher all about C-Section scare mobilization: what it is, how to do it (as a patient OR practitioner), and when! This is the audio of a special webinar, that until today, was only available to Jessie’s PFSA clients. Enjoy!

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If you liked this episode of To Birth and Beyond, tell your friends! Find us on iTunes and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show.

Want more? Visit www.ToBirthAndBeyond.com, join our Facebook group (To Birth and Beyond Podcast), and follow us on Instagram @tobirthandbeyondpodcast! Thanks for listening and joining the conversation!

Resources and References 

• Grab the replay of Jessie’s Core Connection Workshop
• Find Amanda on Instagram
• Amanda’s Website

Show Notes 

0:55 - Grab the replay of Jessie’s Core Connection Workshop!

2:14 - An introduction to today’s special guest!

5:58 - How Amanda’s approach to training C-Section moms and parents has changed over the last few years

10:14 - What IS C-Section scar mobilization?

14:00 - On rewiring the brain post C-Section

15:24 - Is there research on C-Section scar mobilization? Or are we using research from other parts of the body?

17:28 - Signs or symptoms that someone might experience post C-Section that scar mobilization would be helpful for

21:41 - Is there anyone that Amanda would NOT recommend scar mobilization to?

24:20 - Amanda talks through some of her workflow and techniques she uses when working with clients

29:28 - 6 weeks does not automatically heal you from a C-Section (it’s major abdominal surgery!)

32:40 - Healing vertical incision scars

34:00 - When we talk about C-Section scar mobilization, we are also talking about body movement! (for all of our exercise professionals out there)

37:58 - How does Amanda recommend fitness/exercise professionals work with their clients to heal their C-Section scars if they can’t be hands on the body?

42:18 - Episode wrap up!