The Practice Brave Podcast

Alysia Montano is an Olympian, mom and co founder of &Mother Org. We talked about her career as a professional athlete, having babies while competing, and navigating the demands of both performance and motherhood. From how she manages time, to how she managed her diastasis rehab to her eventual choice to have surgical repair, we cover the spectrum of experiences she has had on and off the track th...

On today's episode, I interviewed Michaela North (you may know her at @hungryfitness on IG). She is a coach, athlete, mom of 4 and has navigated competing through motherhood, rehabbing her diastasis and ultimately choosing abdominoplasty surgery. We talked about competing and what rehabbing a diastasis after twins and 2 additional pregnancies was like, and how the fitness culture has evolved for a...

I interviewed Lisa Ryan, a coach and high-level athlete who rehabbed a significant diastasis (was able to do muscle ups and lift heavy etc), yet ultimately chose abdominoplasty surgery to improve both the aesthetic and tension of her midline. We discuss a lot of what we both expected, and what we were surprised about. This episode is a full disclosure of the good, the bad and the ugly that we wish...

Having an abdominoplasty is a significant choice, and it's typically multifaceted. Unfortunately there is a LOT of misunderstanding around the choice and/or circumstance to get one, and even more stigma and shame. On this episode, I'm sharing what circumstances led me to have this surgery in February of 2019, and what struggles I experienced prior and after. This episode provides context for the m...

Some of the most common questions I've been asked since sharing that I had my breast implants removed 2.5 months ago is, "what is recovery like?" "How do you feel?" "How was returning to exercise?" I cover these questions and themes in this episode. There's a lot of fear around surgery because of the recovery process. It can be intimidating and hard to know what to expect, from the early weeks (na...

I'm starting off 2021 with a confession!  I had my breast implants removed in November 2020.  I know I'm not alone in this choice and experiences that have accompanied the decision to get them (and get them out less than 2 years later).  I hope this episode helps continue a conversation around advocating for yourself, regardless of the circumstance! In this weeks episode, I hope to have an honest...

It's hard to know what information to believe when it comes to your skin and hair because of all the BS that gets shared on social media (just like the Fitness industry, honestly.) I asked board-certified dermatologist Dr. Samantha Ellis to come on the show to break down what we need to know about taking care of our skin and hair. Whether you're low maintenance or not, Dr. Sam shares how you can t...

Vanessa felt like if she COULD, then she SHOULD when it came to pushing herself in the gym while pregnant. She felt the pressure to be a "healthy role model" in her gym during pregnancy and postpartum even though she was tired, really tired. In this episode, Vanessa Long shares her journey through motherhood (so far) as an athlete with athlete brain. We hope that by having this conversation, we ca...

Have you trained or worked with a dancer before? Maybe you have, maybe you haven't but knowing this special population is important if you're a coach. In this episode I am chatting with physical therapist Danelle Dickson who works extensively with dancers. Danelle shares what is unique about working with dancers, why they don't seek help as quickly as other athletes, and how you can best connect w...

I'm sitting down with my mom in this episode to talk about her experience raising my sister and I as a single mom. We sat on my couch and talked through what life was like growing up with my dad as a drug addict, how my mom decided to divorce him, and what life has looked like since then. My mom, Sharon, also shares how she started working out in her 50s and what Crossfit has done for her. This is...

Have you asked yourself the question, "Why didn't anyone tell me about THIS?" when it came to pregnancy and postpartum? Menopause carries similar sentiments and that's why I am talking to my friend, Amanda Thebe, about menopause in this episode. We are talking about the many changes women go through during menopause, how we can be proactive and more from Amanda's book, Menopocalypse . Menopause ma...

Leaders have been tested this year and in order to be successful in our leadership roles (as coaches, as moms, as athletes) we must be adaptable. In this episode I am sharing how 5 leadership strategies that actually create influence. These are strategies that I use in my business to show up for my audience as a leader with integrity. We are covering why personal and professional boundaries are im...

When I was in the trenches of being pregnant and postpartum, I couldn't find any relatable information for someone like me who wanted to continue pursing fitness. I knew I wasn't the only woman like me and from that place, Pregnancy & Postpartum Athleticism started! In this episode, my friend and colleague, Heather Osby, is interviewing me on what that period of time was like and how the brand Pre...

Athlete brain can help us and it can present roadblocks in our lives if we don't know how to leverage it. In this episode I am chatting with my friend and fellow Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism Coach, Carla Nunes da Costa, about how she has leveraged athlete brain in her personal and professional life. Carla and I talk through our experiences with athlete brain and being competitive in all th...

We're diving deep into everything that is taboo when it comes to women's bodies in this episode with Pelvic Health Physical Therapist, Juan Michelle Martin. You guys tell me often how you are confused with what your body is doing and aren't sure what is considered "normal" or not. I hope that episode connects you to resources and answers some of your questions on your own body. If you're a postpar...

This is the conversation you need to hear if you're looking for balance with food, training, and motherhood. I am chatting with my friends, Jen & Annie of Balance365 about dieting versus a healthy lifestyle and how our relationship with food and training influences us as moms. Jen & Annie do a great job at sharing how we can adapt to different seasons of life, why restricting what we eat doesn't w...

How do you pivot from coaching or being a practitioner to serving the online world with your message? In this episode, Dr. Shanté Cofield, physical therapist turned online business coach shares how she did exactly that. We cover how to take the leap into serving people online, what practice Shante attributes to her own success, and her tips on putting content out for your audience. If you're consi...

This week my second son, Chance, turns 3 and in celebration of that I decided to record this episode for you on the decision and journey to have him. This is a very vulnerable episode that wasn't easy for me to record but I believe it's an important topic to discuss. Themes I cover are why the decision to have a second baby was so hard for me, what I considered before making that decision with my...

Experiencing pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood as an athlete with athlete brain is really unlike anything else. In this episode I am talking about what athlete brain is and how we can use it to our advantage as we experience the life changes that occur through pregnancy and beyond. Understanding how I was experiencing things differently because of my athlete brain was the driving force of star...

Inemesit Graham, a Postpartum and Pregnancy Athleticism Coach, shares her story of navigating Diastasis Recti and two hernias and how that affected her body image in this episode of Practice Brave. We also cover her experiences as a black women working in the fitness industry and her heart for helping women in fitness. If you are also working towards a positive body image, you won't want to miss I...

Physiotherapist Munira Hudani is on the show today to talk about the technical and tactical of Diastasis Recti. We're talking about how to understand Diastasis Recti with so much misinformation floating around, why there are different opinions of what to do with Diastasis, and how to help yourself and clients with the information we know today. Munira Hudani received her Masters of Science in Phys...

Alexa Smith founded the bootcamp franchise, Stroller Strong Moms , out of a need for community and movement. Since then, it has now expanded into 21 states plus the UK! In this episode, Alexa is sharing how she started Stroller Strong Moms - also known as SLAM (Sweat Like A Mother) - and how she has developed a program that is both challenging and fun for moms. We talk about how Alexa found hersel...

When I found Dr. Alice Pickering on Instagram I thought, "Wow, this women gets it!" Dr. Alice is a licensed clinical psychologist who focuses on maternal mental health and what she shares is relatable and deeply resonates with me and so many pregnant and postpartum women. In this episode, Dr. Alice and I talk through the different mental health considerations from pregnancy to postpartum and beyon...

As the awareness and diagnosis of Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) increases, more and more women are searching for answers on how to continue pursing athleticism while managing their POP symptoms. That is why today I am speaking with my friend and colleague Haley Shevener, co-founder of Pop-Up and Pop-Up Pro , on this episode of the Practice Brave Podcast. We cover what POP is, what to do if you have...

I'm answering all your questions on what a pregnancy and postpartum athleticism coach is in this episode of Practice Brave! I'm covering how this program was created, why educating yourself on this information is critical, who this curriculum was designed for, and how it's being implemented into communities. The conversation among Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism coaches goes beyond exercise m...