Emma Jack & Surabhi Veitch discuss burnout in physiotherapy and healthcare, what self-care looks like, why no one else is thinking of you (because they're too busy thinking about themselves), and what soulful business means. We also discuss how to inject more fun into your life!

Come and join this conversation where Anika Dhalla shares her passion for advocating for clients to find their freedom with food and ditch diet mentality. Anika and I discuss her experience with diet culture growing up as the only Indian family within a rural Canadian community, how diet culture impacts various communities around the world, how fat or weight doesn’t give you the whole picture, why decolonizing your food is important, and why genetics needs to be considered in chronic conditions like diabetes.

Sophia Dhrolia (she/they) and I discuss their journey into parenting, including IUI, challenges with fertility, IVF, C-sections, postpartum pre-eclampsia and so much more. From meeting their wife (on Plenty of Fish!) to their Bollywood romance, we talk about how they had kids as a queer couple. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll learn so much from this incredible human. This is an absolute must-listen and one of my all-time favourite interviews.

Kegels, or pelvic floor contractions, are a strength exercise often recommended for people with pelvic floor concerns like leaks, prolapse or pain. The problem is, Kegels often make these symptoms WORSE, and can be really problematic. Kegels can worsen pain with seggs, exacerbate leaks and even create more symptoms of heaviness.

Tune into this Mom Strength episode so learn why NOT to do Kegels!

Are before and after pictures representative of a person’s health? Should we celebrate someone when we see these pictures? Does it make you feel less than or ashamed of yourself? What are we not seeing when we see these photos? Do health and fitness coaches also show photos of their clients who don’t have drastic changes in their body?

Check out this episode to hear my thoughts on why I think before and after pictures are sad. Especially if you’re postpartum or a new mom, please don’t assume that a smaller body is healthier either. Health is not determined by your size and neither is happiness.

When someone asks if you’re pregnant and you’re not, when someone points out you must be going out for a run because you’re trying to lose weight, when someone says you’ve put on a lot of weight, what do you do? How do you respond?

If you’ve been shamed for your body or had inappropriate comments from family, friends or perfect strangers, this episode is for you.

Remember this is not a YOU problem, this is a THEM problem. The problem is not your body, it’s the systems that enable people to constantly objectify women and our bodies. It’s the systems that enable white woman more power and privilege over Black, Indigenous, Brown, Asian and other racialized folks.

Listen to this episode to hear 2 body-shaming incidents that happened in the past couple days, my thoughts around it, and 12 truths I want you to know about your body. Lots of love to you, and remember that the power is within you.

Surabhi Veitch interviews occupational therapist, Sarah Putt, where they discuss OT, working in early intervention, the challenges of being a mom and her experience into a pregnancy complication!

We discuss:

Sarah’s pregnancy journey

Working in occupational therapy

International travel (with young kids!)

Starting a podcast

The power of embracing our fears

Self-care and relationships as mom

Surabhi Veitch interviews Dr. Whitney Baxter, naturopathic doctor, on practical strategies to improve your digestion and gut health while providing methods to help understand where your symptoms may be coming from. We know this can be an awkward topic for some, but the conversation needs to be had, so join us and learn about this common and surprisingly interesting issue!

We discuss:

Symptoms of unbalanced digestion

Importance of tracking your system

Impacts of social eating

Ways to improve gut health

Tips to deal with constipation

How unbalanced hormones affect your gut health

Getting comfortable talking about poop

Surabhi Veitch interviews Breanna Naccarato on how to navigate life after a tragic loss, strategies to conceive after loss, and trigger-free training programs after stillbirth. We dive deep into pregnancy loss without sugarcoating anything, providing practical wisdom for all women. Whether you have experienced loss of this form or not, this discussion will provide you with words of encouragement to help navigate through this situation or care for others experiencing loss.

We discuss:

Breanna’s personal experience of stillbirth

What’s life is like after stillbirth

How to support someone who has experienced stillbirth or loss

Trying to conceive after loss

Strategies to minimize physical and emotional pain

Trigger free programs and exercise after stillbirth

Surabhi Veitch interviews Christa Gurka, physical therapist and 7-figure business owner. We chat strategies to start a business while being a mom, growing your business to the next level and parenting tips that make sure your kids get their best start. As a successful business owner and mom to older children, Christa shares valuable lessons, words of encouragement and empowerment for newer moms and entrepreneurs.

Surabhi Veitch interviews Dr. Whitney Baxter, naturopathic doctor, on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), including symptoms, treatments and tips for living with PCOS.

We discuss:

What is PCOS?

What are the main symptoms of PCOS?

How does a PCOS diagnosis work?

The main causes of PCOS

Is there treatment for PCOS? (short answer - yes!)

Which is better? - Natural vs Medical Treatments

Importance of nutrition in treating and preventing PCOS

The healing benefits of movement

Birth can be magical, beautiful and powerful. With negative birth stories and horror stories shared widely, I have been hesitant to share my very positive, beautiful birth story. However, I realized that in sharing my story, it doesn’t take away from anyone else’s story. Every birth is different. And I know the importance of hearing positive stories when media is quick to portray long, arduous and painful labours ending in emergency surgeries. While those can happen, I also know that I needed to hear positive birth stories during my pregnancies, and so I gift you this reading of my 9-page birth story of my first baby.

Struggling to connect with core postpartum?

Difficult to strengthen your core?

Core just doesn't feel the same after having a baby?

With all the abdominal stretching and diastasis recti that happens during pregnancy, it is common to have difficulty connecting with your core in those early weeks postpartum. But why do so many have trouble 3 months, 9 months, 2 years and even 5-10 years after having kids?

If this is you, listen to this episode to find out which of the 7 reasons applies to you.

BASE fitness membership for quick & effective home workouts that you can do with the kids or baby around, before or after work, or whenever is convenient for you! BASE helps to decrease the barrier to entry, so you’re actually able to get consistent workouts in without having to think about which combination of exercises to do or how to make it work for your body.

Michelle Lyons and Surabhi Veitch talk about hormonal changes during postpartum, strategies for navigating perimenopause and how to maximize healing postpartum! Learn whether you can really blame it on hormones, what is at fault, and how to test for hormonal imbalances.

We discuss:

Importance of celebrating muliebrity - the art of being a woman

How and why do hormones change in postpartum?

How to maximise healing with quality sleep - even if you have trouble sleeping

Tips for hormonal changes in postpartum and perimenopause

Nutrition’s close link to hormones

How much should you eat to maximise postpartum recovery?

The truth about blood testing for hormonal imbalances

The importance of understanding our biological differences

Why we need to listen to our bodies

Surabhi Veitch interviews Amanda Vecchiola about surrogacy, parenting through a surrogacy journey, and common misconceptions about the surrogacy process. Whether you’re considering surrogacy, have never considered it, are pregnant or plan to be pregnant, listen to this extremely inspiring and affirming episode.

We discuss

Amanda’s own journeys into motherhood

How did she know she wanted to do a surrogate journey?

How did she meet the intended parents?

What are the biggest misconceptions about surrogacy?

Does she get paid to be a surrogate?

How did she find your agency?

How did she match with her intended parents?

What goes into the screening process?

Amanda’s tips for the pregnancy process

Surabhi Veitch interviews amazing teacher, yoga instructor, and human, Wini Linguvic. We discuss how yoga is a tool that can be used to make us feel better, and how it is for everyone - even if you are not flexible, injured or feel like you don’t have enough time. We explore how yoga can be used to reach a state of meditation, where our mind is clear, focused and attentive to our bodies. We highlight that comparing yourself with others and accepting negative labels only hinders your progress in yoga, pregnancy and life. Wini also gives insight into the connection between all humans, and how this can be amplified through yoga.

We discuss:

Three main goals of a yoga class

Shortcomings of the ‘all or nothing’ mindset

How to incorporate yoga into your life

How meditation is NOT a verb but a noun.

Who is yoga for? (spoiler: everyone!)

The issue with comparing yourself with others

The dangers of accepting negative labels

How yoga can connect us with others and ourselves

Transitioning to having any number of kids is hard! In this episode, I share my personal experience and my honest perspective on the transition from 1 to 2 kids. In a society that conditions you to want to have at least 2 kids, I challenge that and invite you to consider whether more kids is something you truly want. I reflect on other common concerns, the mixed feelings (let’s normalize that, ya?), and why the “right time” doesn’t exist.

I also share my experience with transitioning to 2 kids, strategies that helped my older child with the transition, and some of the challenges that I was not prepared for.

Surabhi Veitch interviews pelvic physiotherapist, runner, mom, and former-APTA president, Dr. Carrie Pagliano, on returning to physical exercise postpartum. We bust common myths in the postpartum community that may be stunting your progress. Carrie also explains how ‘experts’ don’t always have the answers, and provides tips to get the most out of your consultation. We explore the importance of personal, and holistic treatment for postpartum issues, as we all have different goals and lifestyles.

We discuss:

Do ‘experts’ have ALL the answers?

A holistic approach to prolapse

Common myths in spread in the postpartum community

Returning to run and exercise postpartum

The importance of collaboration in our communities