Fitness Expert Stef Williams: I Thought I’d “Bounce Back” After Birth — Then Everything Changed.

About this episode

<p>What happens when your career is built around fitness and, after having a baby, you realise you don't actually want to rush to get your old body or routine back?</p><p>This week, Zoe is joined by fitness expert, entrepreneur and WeGLOW founder Steph Williams, just four-and-a-half months after becoming a mother, for an incredibly honest conversation about postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, exercise, body image and the enormous identity shift that happens when you have a baby.</p><p>Steph shares the reality of breastfeeding and why stopping to return to work left her feeling unexpectedly emotional and guilty. She also opens up about the pressure she felt to “bounce back” after birth — particularly as someone whose career has been built around fitness, strength and her body.</p><p>But motherhood changed her perspective. Instead of rushing back to the person she was before, Steph realised that exercise would always be there — these first months with her baby wouldn't be.</p><p>We talk about how to return to exercise after having a baby without falling into an all-or-nothing mindset, why a 10-minute workout still counts, and what “listening to your body” actually means. Steph shares how she's learned to adapt movement depending on what her body needs rather than forcing herself through a rigid training plan.</p><p>Steph also shares her experience of endometriosis, being dismissed before eventually receiving a diagnosis, and how that experience led her to learn more about women's hormones, menstrual cycles, nutrition and exercise. We explore how understanding your cycle can help you adjust the way you move and eat — and why women deserve far better education about their own bodies.</p><p>This is a conversation about fitness, but it's really about something much bigger: letting go of who you thought you'd be after having a baby and learning to work with the woman and body you are now.</p><strong>💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:</strong><ul><li><p>How to approach exercise after having a baby without “bounce back” pressure</p></li><li><p>Why 10 minutes of movement still counts when you're exhausted or short on time</p></li><li><p>How Steph navigated breastfeeding guilt and returning to work</p></li><li><p>How to move away from all-or-nothing thinking around fitness</p></li><li><p>How your menstrual cycle can influence your energy, appetite and approach to exercise</p></li></ul><p><strong>Watch every full episode on </strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Zoe-Blaskey"><strong>YouTube</strong></a><strong> and subscribe.&nbsp;</strong></p><p><strong>Loved this episode?</strong></p><p>Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.</p><p>If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Zoe’s conversation with <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ultimate-realistic-guide-to-fitness-in-motherhood/id1295306961?i=1000728339927"><strong>Elizabeth Davies - The ultimate (realistic) guide to fitness in motherhood</strong></a></p><p><strong>Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your</strong> <a href="https://course.motherkind.co/the-matrescence-podcast-epiodes-cheat-sheet">FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet</a></p><p><strong>Connect with Zoe:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Follow Zoe on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zoeblaskey/">Instagram</a><strong>, </strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoelevings/">LinkedIn</a> and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@zoeblaskeymotherkind?lang=en">TikTok</a></p></li><li><p>Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Motherkind-happiest-fulfilled-empowering-podcast/dp/0008650829/ref=zg_bsnr_g_books_d_sccl_2/260-9943622-5435716?psc=1">'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’</a></p></li></ul><p><strong>This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at <a href="http://wildnutrition.com/motherkind">wildnutrition.com/motherkind</a>. Ts and Cs apply.</p></li></ul><strong>Key topics</strong><p>Postpartum exercise • Postpartum fitness • Exercise after having a baby • Postpartum recovery • Post-baby body • Bounce back culture • New motherhood • New mum • Matrescence • Breastfeeding • Breastfeeding guilt • C-section recovery • Returning to work after maternity leave • Working motherhood • Mum guilt • Motherhood identity • Women’s fitness • Women’s health • Hormones • Menstrual cycle • Cycle syncing • Exercise and your menstrual cycle • Endometriosis • Endometriosis symptoms • Pilates • Strength training for women • Postpartum workouts • Body image after pregnancy • Steph Williams • WeGLOW • Period Proof • Motherkind</p>