#62 - Built Through Movement Mini Series (Pain Rules — Should You Train Through Pain or Stop Exercising?)
12/03/2026 | 21 mins.
Welcome back to the Built Through Movement series inside The Athlete Mom Project podcast.
If you’ve ever asked yourself:
• Should I workout with pain? • Is it safe to run with knee pain? • How do I know if this is an injury or just soreness? • Am I making my pain worse by continuing to train?
This episode will change the way you think about pain and decision making when it comes to exercise.
Inside this episode, we break down the Pain Rules — a simple framework I use with my coaching clients to help them make smarter decisions when pain shows up during training.
Because most people fall into one of two traps:
They either push through pain and make the injury worse, or they stop moving completely and lose strength and capacity.
Neither of those options actually helps the body recover or become more resilient.
In this episode we talk about:
• The difference between pain and injury • How to know if it’s safe to continue training with pain • When you should modify exercises instead of stopping completely • When pain is a signal to change the load or movement pattern • How athlete moms can stay consistent with training without constantly re-injuring themselves
Learning how to interpret pain correctly is one of the most important skills you can develop as an active woman. Because the goal isn’t to avoid movement. The goal is to build a body that can tolerate more movement, more strength, and more life.
Movement Assessment Application If this episode sparked some lightbulb moments for you, the next step isn’t guessing what exercises you should be doing. The next step is understanding your specific movement capacity.
I offer a Movement Assessment Application where you can tell me about:
• pain or injuries you’re experiencing • movement limitations • hormonal frustrations • pelvic floor symptoms • training goals • performance goals
From there, I’ll help you determine whether you would benefit most from:
• a personalized movement assessment • the Built Through Movement program • a different coaching approach based on your body and goals • or I will refer you to someone inside my world who would be better suited to support you.
Together we assess, we don't guess.
Movement Assessment Application: [Fill It Out Here]
I personally review every application and will point you toward the best next step. It only takes about 3 minutes! You will also receive a free movement resource upon filling out this short form.
More Resources 🎙️ Subscribe to the podcast If this episode helped you, please rate, review, and share it with a mom who’s trying to lift while raising kids.
🔗 Resources & Links
🏔️ Join the Athlete Mom Project Course Training that fits motherhood — without burnout, all-or-nothing, or sacrificing family life. 👉 [ Learn More Here ]
📲 Learn More About Coaching Programs
👉 Inquire About Coaching Programs Here
🏃♀️ Movement Assessment Application
👉 Fill Out The Movement Assessment Application
💪🏻 Connect with me on Instagram 👉 [@withchanyoucan]
#61 - Built Through Movement Mini Series (Load vs Capacity - Why Injuries and Pain Actually Happen)
10/03/2026 | 21 mins.
Welcome to the Built Through Movement mini-series inside The Athlete Mom Project podcast.
In this episode, we break down one of the most important concepts for understanding pain, injury, and long-term performance:
Load vs Capacity.
If you’ve ever experienced recurring pain while training — knee pain while running, shoulder pain while lifting, back pain during workouts, or pelvic floor symptoms during exercise — this concept explains why it happens.
Most people believe injuries are random. But in reality, injuries occur when the load placed on the body exceeds the body’s current capacity to handle it.
Inside this episode, we cover:
• Why pain doesn’t always mean injury • How training load affects tissue stress and recovery • Why active women and athlete moms often get stuck in injury cycles • How to build a body that can handle strength training, running, hiking, and mountain sports without constant setbacks • The difference between pushing through pain vs intelligently building capacity
This framework is one of the foundational principles I use with my coaching clients to help them move better, train consistently, and build resilient bodies. Because the goal isn’t just to get out of pain. The goal is to build a body capable of the life you want to live.
If you’ve been struggling with recurring pain, injuries, or feeling like your body can’t keep up with your goals, this episode will completely change how you think about training.
Movement Assessment Application If this episode sparked some lightbulb moments for you, the next step isn’t guessing what exercises you should be doing. The next step is understanding your specific movement capacity.
I offer a Movement Assessment Application where you can tell me about:
• pain or injuries you’re experiencing • movement limitations • hormonal frustrations • pelvic floor symptoms • training goals • performance goals
From there, I’ll help you determine whether you would benefit most from:
• a personalized movement assessment • the Built Through Movement program • a different coaching approach based on your body and goals • or I will refer you to someone inside my world who would be better suited to support you.
Together we assess, we don't guess.
Movement Assessment Application: [Fill It Out Here]
I personally review every application and will point you toward the best next step. It only takes about 3 minutes! You will also receive a free movement resource upon filling out this short form.
More Resources 🎙️ Subscribe to the podcast If this episode helped you, please rate, review, and share it with a mom who’s trying to lift while raising kids.
🔗 Resources & Links
🏔️ Join the Athlete Mom Project Course Training that fits motherhood — without burnout, all-or-nothing, or sacrificing family life. 👉 [ Learn More Here ]
📲 Learn More About Coaching Programs
👉 Inquire About Coaching Programs Here
🏃♀️ Movement Assessment Application
👉 Fill Out The Movement Assessment Application
💪🏻 Connect with me on Instagram 👉 [@withchanyoucan]
#60 - Why You Keep Self-Sabotaging Your Goals (Even When You Want Them)
05/03/2026 | 35 mins.
Why can’t I lose weight — even when I’m doing everything “right”?
Why do I keep starting over with fitness as a mom?
Why does motivation disappear after a few weeks?
If you’re struggling with weight loss, consistency, or self-sabotage in motherhood, this episode of The Athlete Mom Project breaks down what’s really happening beneath the surface.
Most moms think they lack discipline. But the real reason you can’t stick to your fitness goals, lose weight postpartum, or stay consistent with workouts often has nothing to do with willpower.
It’s subconscious protection.
In this episode, we dive into:
• Why you keep self-sabotaging your weight loss goals • Why postpartum weight loss feels so hard • Why you lose motivation after starting a new workout plan • How identity shifts in motherhood affect consistency • The psychology behind “starting over” again and again • How surface-level fitness goals create burnout • Inner child work and shadow work in fat loss • The difference between forcing results vs flowing toward aligned goals
We also talk about jiu-jitsu, pregnancy, and how learning to stop forcing outcomes in movement reveals where we force outcomes in life.
If you’ve ever said: “I know what to do, I just can’t stick with it,”
This episode will help you understand why — and what to do differently.
Because maybe you’re not lazy. Maybe you’re misaligned.
And when your goals are aligned with your authentic self, consistency becomes natural — not forced.
🎙️ Subscribe to the podcast If this episode helped you, please rate, review, and share it with a mom who’s trying to lift while raising kids.
🔗 Resources & Links
🫁 Start The Capacity Project A 6-week program designed to improve stress tolerance, recovery, sleep, and performance through breath and nervous system training. This is where you "build your base." 👉 [ Learn More Here ]
🏔️ Join the Athlete Mom Project Course Training that fits motherhood — without burnout, all-or-nothing, or sacrificing family life. 👉 [ Learn More Here ]
📲 Learn More About Coaching Programs
👉 Inquire About Coaching Programs Here
💪🏻 Connect with me on Instagram 👉 [@withchanyoucan]
#59 - Jaw Clenching & Pelvic Floor Problems: The Connection You’re Missing And It's Not What You Think
03/03/2026 | 37 mins.
Are your jaw tension and pelvic floor symptoms connected?
If you struggle with pelvic floor tightness, leaking when lifting, urinary urgency, heaviness, or postpartum core dysfunction — and you also clench your jaw or grind your teeth — this episode will change how you understand your body.
In this episode of The Athlete Mom Project, we break down:
• The jaw–pelvic floor fascial connection (deep front line explained) • How jaw clenching increases pelvic floor guarding • Why kegels and “suck up a blueberry” cues often make symptoms worse • The role of the diaphragm in core and pelvic floor coordination • How breath timing affects pressure and leaking under load • Why pelvic floor tightness is often nervous system driven — not weakness
If you’re pregnant, postpartum, or an athlete mom lifting heavier than bodyweight, this episode will help you understand how the jaw, breath, core, and pelvic floor function as one integrated system. You don’t need more isolated squeezing. You need coordinated strength.
Inside The Athlete Mom Project and Stronger Through Pregnancy, we teach you how to build capacity, manage pressure, and train heavy without leaking or guarding.
Listen now to learn how to stop over-gripping and start building resilient, integrated strength.
🎙️ Subscribe to the podcast If this episode helped you, please rate, review, and share it with a mom who’s trying to lift while raising kids.
🔗 Resources & Links
🫁 Start The Capacity Project A 6-week program designed to improve stress tolerance, recovery, sleep, and performance through breath and nervous system training. This is where you "build your base." 👉 [ Learn More Here ]
🏔️ Join the Athlete Mom Project Course Training that fits motherhood — without burnout, all-or-nothing, or sacrificing family life. 👉 [ Learn More Here ]
📲 Learn More About Coaching Programs
👉 Inquire About Coaching Programs Here
💪🏻 Connect with me on Instagram 👉 [@withchanyoucan]
#58 - The “4-Hour Week” Reframe for Moms: Stop Consuming, Start Implementing
26/02/2026 | 34 mins.
If you feel like you’re doing everything—saving workouts, following 30 different “hormone” accounts, bouncing between programs, Googling symptoms, trying to be a great mom and chase big goals—this episode is your permission slip to stop adding more.
In today’s episode of The Athlete Mom Project, I’m pulling a few key concepts from The 4-Hour Workweek (Tim Ferriss) and applying them to the athlete mom life through my favorite framework: capacity vs load. Because most of the time, it’s not a motivation problem or an information problem… it’s a capacity problem.
We talk about:
Why information overload keeps you stuck (and dysregulated)
What a “low-information diet” actually looks like in real life
How the 80/20 rule applies to training, nutrition, recovery, and motherhood
Why “busy” feels productive… but often isn’t moving you toward your goals
How to stop the start-over Monday cycle by eliminating what doesn’t work
The difference between random programming and a real system built for your season
Your takeaway: Clarity builds capacity. Noise drains it. So here’s the question I want you to sit with: If you only had 4 hours a week to move your goal forward… what would you eliminate?
If you’re ready for structure and implementation (not more chaos), check out the links below.
🔗 Resources & Links
🎙️ Subscribe to the podcast If this episode helped you, please rate, review, and share it with a mom who’s trying to lift while raising kids.
🔗 Resources & Links
🫁 Start The Capacity Project A 6-week program designed to improve stress tolerance, recovery, sleep, and performance through breath and nervous system training. This is where you "build your base." 👉 [ Learn More Here ]
🏔️ Join the Athlete Mom Project Course Training that fits motherhood — without burnout, all-or-nothing, or sacrificing family life. 👉 [ Learn More Here ]
📲 Learn More About Coaching Programs
👉 Inquire About Coaching Programs Here
💪🏻 Connect with me on Instagram 👉 [@withchanyoucan]
About The Athlete Mom Project | Pregnancy Workouts, Postpartum Exercises, Meal Plans, Diastasis Recti, Back Pain, and Mindset Tips
Are you an active mom who wants to keep exercising during pregnancy, recover fully postpartum, and move your body without pain — but feels overwhelmed by conflicting advice, limited time, and a body that doesn’t feel the same anymore?
The Athlete Mom Project is a podcast for moms who want to stay strong, pain-free, and confident in their bodies through pregnancy, postpartum, and real life — without burnout or compromise.
Hosted by Chandler Sommerfeldt, a movement and nutrition coach, endurance athlete, and mom, this podcast breaks down how to exercise during pregnancy, return to movement postpartum, and train sustainably as a busy mom using evidence-based principles, pain science, and real-life experience.
You’ll learn about pregnancy workouts, postpartum exercises, and strength training that supports motherhood instead of competing with it. Episodes cover core exercises during pregnancy, first trimester exercises, heart rate zones, losing strength during pregnancy, and how to safely continue running while pregnant. Postpartum topics include running after baby, exercise after a C-section, pelvic floor exercises postpartum, diastasis recti, and how to heal your core after pregnancy without fear or confusion.
The Athlete Mom Project also addresses common pain points like back pain, knee pain, and hip pain, explains why pain does not always equal damage, and explores the difference between mobility versus stretching so you can move with confidence instead of avoidance. You’ll find guidance on quick workouts for busy moms, sustainable strength training, and realistic routines that fit into real life.
Nutrition and mindset are central to the conversation. We talk about what to eat before workouts, how to eat for long runs, meal plans for moms, hormone health, recovery, and the mindset shifts needed to rebuild trust in your body, understand capacity and bandwidth, and create long-term, pain-free movement.
If you believe movement is medicine, that your body is adaptable, and that motherhood shouldn’t mean giving up your athletic identity, you’re in the right place.
Welcome to The Athlete Mom Project — where strong, capable, pain-free moms are built for life.
Listen to The Athlete Mom Project | Pregnancy Workouts, Postpartum Exercises, Meal Plans, Diastasis Recti, Back Pain, and Mindset Tips, The Jefferson Fisher Podcast and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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