Enlighten Physical Therapy: Conscious Care for Pelvic Health

CONCEPTION- The story of Willow’s birth actually starts a few months before Austin and I were even engaged. We were walking down the street one evening and I heard the word Willow come out of his mouth (he actually wasn’t talking about anything related to Willow, but that’s what I heard). Without pause or missing a beat my immediate response was... oh that’s going to be our daughter’s name. It was a clear message, a direct download that there was a little spirit girl named Wi...llow somewhere out there waiting for us to be her parents. We hadn’t been talking about having babies seriously, but nonetheless we both filed that moment away as something kind of strangely magical and meaningful. Cut to a few months later we were engaged and starting to plan a wedding for 2021. We had decided to do Whole30 clean eating for the month of August in order to help feel a little less inflamed and I was hoping that balancing my diet could help my cycle become more regular and to help clear my system from chronic yeast infections- both constant struggles I had had over the last 10 years since coming off oral contraceptives. We both felt great, I felt super clear and healthier than I have in years. We weren’t having sex regularly because of my infections, but we did two or three times that month- the last time being the day I should have started my period and after a very emotional event where I was shaken to my core, processing deep grief about my mom’s passing a couple years prior. I left for a weekend retreat with Tami Lynn Kent to study level 2 of Wholistic Pelvic Care with a feeling of excitement to continue my study of the sacred womb space and connect more deeply to my own pelvis and any wounds I held there. I had a couple of visions in that retreat and remember leaving feeling like I had a newly defined purpose and role in my work with women. I wrote in my journal that I didn’t feel ready to call in a baby yet and that I felt prioritizing work was the right thing to do for now. Well... the Universe had other plans. I came back from that retreat, still missing my period which wasn’t that unusual for my irregular cycles, but something told me I should take a (cont. below) See more

It’s taken me six months to feel like I might even want to share my birth story here in this platform. My pregnancy and labor and birth has felt intimately private and left me not know what to say in this space... which surprised me given that I started Enlighten PT by getting vulnerable and sharing all the dirty details about my own struggles with pelvic health. My own Instagram feed is full of other mothers’ birth stories, pics of new babes, and videos of labor and births ...posted by all my birth worker colleagues and friends, but sharing my own story hasn’t felt quite right until this point. Perhaps it’s the pandemic, perhaps it’s the social change rumbling under our feet, perhaps it’s the mess of 2020, but most likely my hesitancy has come from the fact that birth and the birth process and the journey of becoming a mother is A LOT to process. There are so many layers that need to be felt through, logistics to put in place, and blurry days and nights to weed through. While this is a continual process I’ve reached the point now where I feel my perspective and experience as a woman and a pelvic health PT (who has now undergone this massive transformation of mind, body, and soul) is valuable and worth sharing. It’s worth sharing because ultimately I want to connect with and help other people going through this journey. Over the next few days I will be sharing my pregnancy journey and birth story as well as some of my favorite tips and tools I’ve come across along the way. For now here’s a pic from the morning I became a mother... the longest and shortest six months of my life ago. See more

Hi ya’ll! It’s been a minute since I’ve posted on my work account as I’ve been fully immersed in the #fourthtrimester and my growing family. What a crazy time to be #pregnant and bringing a new little human into this world! I have lots to share from this experience including my #birthstory and all sorts of other #pelvichealth, #prenatal, #labor, and #postpartum reflections. I’m taking the next few weeks to gently glide into a little bit more activity and work while still nourishing my healing body and this time with baby Willow. Stay tuned for more posts, but for now enjoy the baby pics

Allow me to introduce one of my very favorite people and #pelvicfloor #physicaltherapists in the whole world, Dr. Sherine Aubert, DPT, PRPC, @drpelvicwhisperer.... (one of the few people I trust with my own pelvic floor and #vagina!). I have been seeing people via telehealth due to COVID-19 since March, but as we start to emerge from our quarantine cocoons my patients are requesting more and more medically necessary in person #pelvicfloorpt. I am currently 40 weeks pregnant ...and officially now on maternity leave, but luckily for all of my patients this is where Sherine comes in! I am incredibly grateful to have her help caring for my patients in my #santamonica clinic one day a week for the next couple of months. Sherine has an extensive background in treating and teaching #pelvichealth and not only are we great friends who have travelled the globe (see my Kenya highlights story) to teach together, we share very similar philosophies in how we help our patients. I feel confident focusing on my own #postpartum health for the next few months knowing that @drpelvicwhisperer will be holding down the fort! For more info about Sherine or to schedule a visit click the link in my bio. See more

Happy 4 year anniversary to Enlighten Physical Therapy and Retreat to Your Root! Today marks 4 years since I started seeing patients on my own terms, working from my own framework and philosophy, and putting my own spin on #pelvichealth. A LOT has happened in the last 4 years professionally and personally, but what stands out most are the people (mostly amazing womxn) who have supported me along the way... it truly takes a village. My friends, teachers, colleagues, family, a...nd partners have all cheered me on, supported me logistically, listened to my fears, openly shared their knowledge/wisdom/experience, and inspired me to continue growing and offering my holistic perspective of pelvic health. I’m so grateful for all of my patients, students, retreat participants, and for anyone who has asked me to come speak about pelvic health. I’ve had amazing opportunities to breakdown taboos from speaking at high school career days to teaching pelvic floor PTs in Kenya. I’ve witnessed countless tears, moments of healing, and beautiful heart opening connections through this work. Thank you to everyone who played even a small role along the way of this journey! Never did I think we’d be sheltering in place during a pandemic on this special day for my business, but it has allowed me time to slow down, reflect on what I love about my job and get creative in the ways I continue to serve. Sending gratitude and happy pelvis vibes out into the world today! @ Santa Monica, California See more