The Athlete Mom Project | Pregnancy Workouts, Postpartum Exercises, Meal Plans, Diastasis Recti, Back Pain, and Mindset Tips

At 38 weeks pregnant, I can honestly say this pregnancy has been a completely different experience than my first. In this episode of the The Athlete Mom Project, I open up about: severe pelvic pain and overtraining during my first pregnancy why pregnancy is a physiological adaptation — not an injury pain science, hypnobirthing, and nervous system regulation adrenaline vs oxytocin during labor load...

Welcome back to the Built Through Movement series inside The Athlete Mom Project podcast. In this episode we shift the conversation from biomechanics and training principles to something just as important for long-term progress: Identity. Because the way you see yourself directly influences the way you train, the habits you build, and the results you experience. If you’ve ever struggled with: • st...

Welcome back to the Built Through Movement series inside The Athlete Mom Project podcast. In this episode we’re talking about one of the most important skills for long-term training success: Learning how to manage fatigue and adjust training intensity. If you’ve ever wondered: • How hard should my workouts feel? • What is RPE in strength training? • Am I pushing too hard in my workouts? • How do I...

Welcome back to the Built Through Movement series inside The Athlete Mom Project podcast. In this episode, we explore one of the most important and misunderstood aspects of performance, health, and longevity: Breathing and VO₂ max. VO₂ max is one of the strongest predictors of long-term health, cardiovascular fitness, and endurance performance. But most people focus only on workouts and ignore one...

Welcome back to the Built Through Movement series inside The Athlete Mom Project podcast. In this episode, we talk about something that is often completely overlooked in fitness conversations: Joy. Because the truth is — if your training feels like punishment, restriction, or constant pressure… it becomes almost impossible to stay consistent long term. And for many women, especially athlete moms,...

Welcome back to the Built Through Movement series inside The Athlete Mom Project podcast. If you’ve ever experienced things like: • tight hips that never seem to loosen up • knee pain when squatting or running • shoulders that feel unstable or weak • constantly stretching but still feeling stiff • strength training that still leads to recurring injuries This episode explains why that happens. Insi...

Welcome back to the Built Through Movement series inside The Athlete Mom Project podcast. If you’ve ever felt like: • you’re working out consistently but still dealing with pain • you keep getting injured when training harder • your body feels tight, unstable, or constantly fatigued • strength training alone isn’t fixing the problem This episode explains why. In this episode, we break down the Mov...

Welcome back to the Built Through Movement series inside The Athlete Mom Project podcast. If you’ve ever asked yourself: • Should I workout with pain? • Is it safe to run with knee pain? • How do I know if this is an injury or just soreness? • Am I making my pain worse by continuing to train? This episode will change the way you think about pain and decision making when it comes to exercise. Insid...

Welcome to the Built Through Movement mini-series inside The Athlete Mom Project podcast. In this episode, we break down one of the most important concepts for understanding pain, injury, and long-term performance: Load vs Capacity. If you’ve ever experienced recurring pain while training — knee pain while running, shoulder pain while lifting, back pain during workouts, or pelvic floor symptoms du...

Why can’t I lose weight — even when I’m doing everything “right”? Why do I keep starting over with fitness as a mom? Why does motivation disappear after a few weeks? If you’re struggling with weight loss, consistency, or self-sabotage in motherhood, this episode of The Athlete Mom Project breaks down what’s really happening beneath the surface. Most moms think they lack discipline. But the real re...

Are your jaw tension and pelvic floor symptoms connected? If you struggle with pelvic floor tightness, leaking when lifting, urinary urgency, heaviness, or postpartum core dysfunction — and you also clench your jaw or grind your teeth — this episode will change how you understand your body. In this episode of The Athlete Mom Project, we break down: • The jaw–pelvic floor fascial connection (deep f...

If you feel like you’re doing everything—saving workouts, following 30 different “hormone” accounts, bouncing between programs, Googling symptoms, trying to be a great mom and chase big goals—this episode is your permission slip to stop adding more. In today’s episode of The Athlete Mom Project, I’m pulling a few key concepts from The 4-Hour Workweek (Tim Ferriss) and applying them to the athlete...

Pubic symphysis pain during pregnancy (SPD) can feel like your pelvis is splitting in half — rolling over in bed hurts, walking hurts, getting dressed hurts… and the most common advice is still: “rest, stop single-leg work, take Tylenol, it’ll go away after birth.” In this episode of The Athlete Mom Project, I’m telling my SPD story from my first pregnancy with my oldest — what made it worse, what...

Watching the 2026 Olympics hit different—especially if you’re an athlete mom navigating injury, postpartum changes, or that “my body feels unfamiliar” season.   In this episode I break down Lindsey Vonn’s 2026 comeback, the pre-Olympic ACL rupture, and the downhill crash that led to a complex tibia fracture and multiple surgeries.   But this isn’t a recap for gossip—it’s a masterclass on identity,...

Have you felt emotionally heavy, disconnected, unmotivated, or like your life is destabilizing lately — and you can’t even explain why? In this episode of The Athlete Mom Project, I’m sharing what’s been happening in my own body (I’m 25 weeks pregnant and I cried for four days straight 🙃) and what I’m hearing from so many athlete moms in weekly check-ins: “My soul feels heavy.” We’re talking abou...

The episode's theme - capacity over burnout: Strength training, nervous system health, and motherhood If you’re an athlete mom trying to juggle strength training, endurance performance, weight loss, and motherhood, this episode will change how you think about fitness—and yourself. In this deeply honest conversation, Chandler sits down with longtime client Lauren to unpack their 15-month coaching j...

🫁 Join the Capacity Project A 6-week program designed to improve stress tolerance, recovery, sleep, and performance through breath and nervous system training. This is where you "build your base." 👉 [ Learn More Here ] If you feel like you’re doing everything “right” but you’re still exhausted, sore, wired, or stuck in a constant go-go-go loop… this episode is for you. In today’s Athlete Mom Pro...

🫁 Join the Capacity Project A 6-week program designed to improve stress tolerance, recovery, sleep, and performance through breath and nervous system training. This is where you "build your base." 👉 [ Learn More Here ] You exercise, eat well, and try to take care of yourself—so why do you still feel anxious, exhausted, and constantly “on edge”? In this episode, we break down why so many active m...

Training during pregnancy, postpartum, injury, or chronic pain doesn’t mean stopping — it means understanding how your body actually adapts. In this episode, movement and nutrition coach Chandler Sommerfeldt breaks down how to train safely and effectively through pregnancy, postpartum, injury, and pain using the same science-based framework professionals use in injury rehab and performance trainin...

Your kid is already strength training. They climb. They jump. They carry heavy things. They explore their body in space every single day. So the real question isn’t should kids get strong? It’s how do we introduce strength training safely, progressively, and without turning movement into a chore? In this episode, I cover: 🧠 What the science actually says about kids lifting weights Why the idea th...

If you’re an athlete mom who wants to stay consistent, reduce stress, and actually see results without burning yourself out, this episode is meant to feel like a deep exhale. In this episode of The Athlete Mom Project, we redefine what success really looks like for athlete moms — through the lens of nervous system health, sustainable training, and the minimal effective dose. Instead of pushing har...

Navigating food during the holidays doesn’t have to feel stressful, complicated, or guilt-ridden — especially if you’re a busy mom trying to balance family, traditions, travel, and your own health goals. In this episode, I break down a stupid-simple holiday nutrition strategy that helps you enjoy your favorite foods, hit your protein goals, and avoid the guilt-binge-resentment cycle so many women...

In this episode, I get real about the pressure moms carry—especially during pregnancy/postpartum and the holiday season. If you’ve been battling mom guilt, pregnancy body image struggles, and the never-ending mental load, this conversation is going to feel like a deep breath. We dive into why most moms live in constant “giving mode”, trying to create the magic for everyone else while running on em...

If you’ve ever felt like no amount of sleep, coffee, or training fixes your fatigue — this episode is your wake-up call. In this episode of The Athlete Mom Project, we break down the hormone–movement connection and explain why breathing sits beneath recovery, hormones, and capacity in the Athlete Mom Hierarchy of Needs. You’ll learn how breath directly influences your nervous system, hormonal bala...

In this episode of The Athlete Mom Project, I sit down with Shannon — a lifelong athlete, mom of twins, and working professional — to talk about what it really takes to rebuild trust in your body after motherhood, injury, and pain. After a major knee injury, recurring back pain, and being told by her doctor never to squat again due to arthritis, Shannon could have given up on her athletic goals. I...