Episode #79: A little pep talk: The world feels heavy AND your needs still matter
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In this pep talk episode, Rhonda acknowledges the heaviness of the world right now, from global crises to the everyday demands of motherhood, and reminds you that your needs still matter.
This episode is packed with gentle, encouraging ideas to help you care for yourself without guilt or perfectionism. She offers compassionate reminders that all movement counts, joy is still allowed, and saying no is a powerful act of self-respect, all while affirming that you’re already doing enough.
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🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned:
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📝 Episode Talking Points:
Why it feels hard to “show up” in heavy times
Inspiration from Shanté Cofield’s words
A grounding breathwork exercise to release tension
Reminder #1: All movement counts
Reminder #2: Joy is still allowed
Reminder #3: Saying no is self-respect
How to take small, kind steps for yourself today
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Episode #79: A little pep talk: The world feels heavy AND your needs still matter
Welcome to Pelvic Health and Fitness, a podcast for moms who want real honest conversations about their body, their health movement, and everything in between. I'm Rhonda Chamberlain, orthopedic physiotherapist, pre postnatal fitness coach, and mom of two. I'm here to share practical tips, informed insights, and the kind of support I wish more women had access to.
Whether you're navigating pregnancy, postpartum recovery, perimenopause, menopause, returning to exercise, or just trying to stay strong through the chaos of everyday life, this space is for you. We'll talk pelvic health, fitness, and the emotional ups and downs of motherhood with zero focus on weight loss, and a strong focus on realistic sustainable movement that fits into your real life.
No, all or nothing mindset. No gimmicks, no quick fix. Is no bs. Just small, consistent steps that support your long-term health. A quick reminder, this podcast is for education and general information only. It's not medical advice, so please be sure to connect with your healthcare provider if you have specific concerns.
I'm so glad you're here. Let's do this.
Hey friends, and welcome back to another episode of the Pelvic Health and Fitness Podcast. So today going to change things up a little bit. I had another chat in mind for today with some practical tips. But I did feel compelled to name and chat about how I've been feeling lately, in case you feel this way too.
And I will say I was inspired to record this episode after receiving an email from one of my friends and mentors, Shante Cofield, the movement maestro. She has been very vocal and open about how she's feeling, um, with her values politically, and I've been very inspired by that. And I will say I have been pretty quote unquote vocal about my values and PO political thoughts on social media in that I share posts from other content creators that I respect and admire.
But I will say, I do still struggle with actually saying and naming these thoughts out loud. And part of that fear is maybe what people will think or say. But I also struggle with communicating in a clear way at times, um, without rambling. And so sometimes this leads to me being silent. And after receiving this email from Shante, I felt inspired to speak up, even if it's perfectly imperfect.
Um, I just wanna share, first of all, a little blurb from her email that really stood out to me. So it says, we try to stay informed and in doing so are bombarded by a litany of breaking news stories each more ludicrous than the last, that ignore the rules, mock the laws, and show that if you have enough money, you can literally do whatever the fuck you want.
Disheartening, I realize, keep talking about it. So that was the, um, inspiration for me to share my thoughts today on the podcast. Even if it feels scary and out of my comfort zone, I'm trying to do my best and lead by example and say the things out loud that I'm thinking and that I want to share, and I want to show my daughters an example of leading with my values and not be afraid to speak the things that keep me up at night, which I know probably some of you can relate as well.
So just to share a little bit about how I've been feeling as a business owner, it has felt really challenging to show up online, to show up on Instagram, show up on email, and on this podcast, um, with everything that's going on in the world and. I don't want it to feel like I'm ignoring the truth of what's happening in the world, and I understand I have to work and I have to make a living, and I have to exist in these systems that are very problematic at times.
So today's episode will be a little bit of a pep talk, and I'll sort of share how I found this pep talk and how I got to this pep talk. In trying to come up with what I wanted to talk about today in today's podcast, I just felt, again after reading Shante's email, like it's the elephant in the room that I haven't voiced out loud on this podcast.
So I went to chat GPT. Um, if you are out there and you've been using chat GPT for a while, you know how incredibly useful and usable it is. I know there's some problems with it, especially when it comes to energy consumption, and I will definitely continue learning, um, about that. But in the meantime, with being a business owner, a busy mom trying to organize the chaos of my life, I have been using and leaning into using chat GPTA lot more lately, and it's just such a extremely helpful tool when my brain feels like mush and I'm trying to process everything that's happening.
In the world and in my life. So this pep talk comes from a little conversation I had with chat GBT this morning. Basically I just asked chat GBT for advice on how to continue running a business and showing up online with the chaos of the world right now. And. A, I wanted it to tell me, I wanted it to acknowledge, um, and name what was going on in the world, and b, come up with self-compassionate solutions to keep taking care of myself during this challenging time and keep showing up.
So, because I struggled to keep my thoughts straight and organized, especially when it comes to sensitive topics like this, I'm going to actually read. This little pep talk to you. So I did find it so soothing and so helpful for myself. So typically, if that's the case and something helps me, there's more, most likely going to be other folks out in the world that would appreciate this little pep talk as well.
So yes, full transparency. I, I did put my thoughts and, uh, like a structure into chat, GBT of what. I wanted this talk to be about, but Chache, EPT did do a lot of the legwork to make it sound smooth and beautiful and flowing. So just wanted to make sure to, you know, say that out loud, be fully transparent that, um, the.
Bare bones of it was my thoughts and ideas and chat. GBT did help to bring it together for me. So before we start, this is a little exercise I like to use with my clients to ground ourselves and get some of that stress anxiousness out of our bodies. We're going to do a couple deep breaths together. So I want you to work on an inhale through your nose and an exhale through your mouth, through purse lips.
On the inhale, we're gonna do a four second breath. On the exhale, we're gonna exhale for eight seconds. Okay? So let's do this together. Inhale for four,
exhale for eight.
Let's do that again in for four
out for eight.
Great job. Okay, friend, let's get into a little pep talk from me to you. Hey, friend. Wow, the world feels like a lot right now. There's no way to start this pep talk without naming what's true. What's happening in Gaza is a genocide. What's happening across the US feels like a dismantling of basic human rights.
And in the day-to-day grind of motherhood, it's painfully clear that this world, this system, was not designed for you to thrive. It's all too much, and yet you're still expected to keep going. Pack lunches, show up at work. Be patient with your kids. Care for others, all while your heart is breaking, while you're exhausted and while you're trying to stay informed and not completely unravel.
So if you're feeling overwhelmed, heartbroken, numb, pissed off, or all of it at once, I just want to say me too. You're not broken for feeling this way. You're human. And in the midst of all of this, I want to gently offer a few reminders, not fixes, not solutions, just gentle nudges to keep taking, taking care of you because your needs matter.
Number one, I want you to remember that all movement counts. When the world feels heavy, our bodies feel it too. Tension in your jaw, your shoulders, your belly, your hips. That negative energy gets stored there. Movement can help to shift that stuck energy, but it doesn't have to be a big workout or a perfect routine.
A leisurely walk around the block rolling your shoulders every hour while you sit at your computer to work doing some squats while you wait for your coffee to brew. Gentle stretches while you watch TV at night, lying on the floor and taking three deep breaths. It all counts. It all matters. Gentle movement is still movement.
Short movement is still movement. Slow movement is still movement. The goal isn't to fix your body, it's to reconnect with it, to listen to it, and honor what it needs. To remind yourself that you're here, you matter, and you deserve to feel good in your body. Number two, I want to remind you that joy is still allowed when they're suffering in the world.
Joy can feel selfish, like How dare you laugh, rest, play while others are in pain? But here's the truth, joy doesn't mean you've turned away from the world. It means you're still of the world. You still care. You still feel joy is resistance. Joy is survival. Joy is fuel. So let yourself have it sing in the car.
Hug someone for an extra second. Watch a TV show that makes you laugh. Read a fluffy love story. Eat yummy foods just because they taste good. Small joys are not distractions. They're reminders of what you're fighting for and why you're here. And number three, I want to remind you that saying no is self-respect.
You don't need to do it all. You don't need to carry everything. This system will run you ragged if you let it, especially if you're someone who cares deeply. Say no to the extra commitment. Say no to the doom. Scroll before bed. Say no to people who dream you. Say no to the voice in your head telling you that you're not doing enough.
That voice, it's lying. You're already doing more than enough. Boundaries are not barriers. They are bridges back to yourself. So wherever this lands with you today, I just want you to know you are not failing. You are living through systems that were never designed for your wholeness, and yet here you are, still showing up, still caring, still trying that matters, you matter.
So today, take the next kind step for your body. The next quiet moment for your nervous system. The next small, rebellious act of joy. I'm so glad you're here and I'm rooting for you always. All right, friends, let's close the stress cycle by finishing with a couple deep breaths again. So we're gonna do that.
Inhale, exhale exercise. So let's do an inhale through the nose for four
and through the mouth for eight.
One more time in for four
and out for eight.
Great job friends. Thank you so much for being here and listening to my thoughts and my values and expressing it in a way that feels good for me. I wish I could just say these things off the fly, which I, some things I can, but I am the type of person and I recognize my strengths. Um. If I can have a structure to follow and to read from, I can get my point across that much more clear.
So. I'm thankful we live in a world that chat, GPT can help me do that, and I really hope that this pep talk helps you today. I know it really helped me. I read through it probably three or four times this morning and felt almost like teary-eyed reading it and just reading it to you all today. It really landed again for me, so I hope it has the same effect for you.
Feel free to go back and listen to it multiple times if that feels good. And thank you for allowing me the space to speak up and share my values in a way that feels safe and comfortable for me. It definitely still feels a little bit out of my comfort zone, and I know the only way to make change in the world is by stepping out of your comfort zone and saying the scary things out loud.
Um, so yes, thank you for being here and holding space for me, and I hope I can hold space for you as well. And I'll chat with you all next time.
Thanks so much for tuning in today. I hope you picked up something helpful or encouraging. If you enjoyed this episode, I would be so grateful if you could share it with a friend. Leave a review or subscribe to anywhere that you've listened to your podcast.
Your support helps this message reach more moms who need it. Thanks for being here.
