Real Life Rehab: Learning to Trust Her Body Again | Amanda’s Journey, Part 1

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Season 5 | Episode 8 | August 18, 2026

About this episode

Amanda remembers what it felt like to be strong.

She grew up as an athlete, ran cross country and track, and was always ready to be active. But after two pregnancies, abdominal separation, disconnected core muscles, and years of unpredictable aches and pains, that confidence slowly disappeared.

Eventually, Amanda realized she had spent nearly a decade being afraid to run and protecting her body from activities that might leave her hurting the next day.

Now, with two active boys entering the same stage of life when Amanda used to run with her own dad, she’s ready for something different.

Headshot of Kelly Dean, MPT—founder of The Tummy Team and expert in functional core rehabilitation and pelvic floor therapy.

Kelly Dean, MPT

Kelly has a Masters in Physical Therapy and focuses her career on Diastasis Recti and core related issues.
In this Real Life Rehab episode, Kelly invites us into the beginning of Amanda's rehab journey. After their first eSession together, they talk honestly about what's working, what's getting in the way, and what it really looks like to rebuild functional core strength in the middle of a busy life. Amanda shares her struggles with perfectionism and the temptation to push through workouts, while Kelly explains why slowing down now can ultimately help her do more later. They work through practical strategies for reconnecting with the transverse abdominis, using breath during strength training, improving sitting posture, releasing tension around the pelvis, and learning to recognize the difference between healthy core engagement and bracing. Most importantly, they're working toward something Amanda deeply misses: trusting her body enough to say yes again.

In this episode:

  • How pregnancy and diastasis can affect your sense of connection to your body
  • Why fear of pain can slowly make your world smaller
  • The emotional side of missing the strong body you remember
  • How perfectionism and an "all or nothing" mindset can interfere with rehab
  • Why your core needs to keep pace as the rest of your body gets stronger
  • How to use breathing and transverse activation during strength training
  • The difference between functional core engagement and bracing
  • Simple ways to reconnect with abdominal muscles throughout the day
  • Why neutral pelvis stretches can help release accumulated tension
  • How "pit stops" can help you stay active without continually pushing past your body's limits
  • Practical ways to make rehab habits fit into real life
Amanda isn't at the end of her story yet—and that's exactly why we're sharing it. This is Real Life Rehab: not a dramatic before-and-after, but an honest look at what happens in the middle. We'll follow Amanda as she learns to listen to her body, rebuild her foundation, and work toward the strength and confidence to say, "Yes, let's do it."

Do you have a Tummy Team story to share?

You don't have to be perfect or even done with your journey to have something powerful to share. We want to share your story. We all learn from one another and can be encouraged to learn we are not alone on this journey to heal and be strong for the lives we were meant to live.
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