We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Lauren Mandell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Dr. Lauren thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

I honestly believe I started Evolution Mom at the perfect time. The idea came to me when I was truly ready for it—ready to take the leap and believe it could be done.

I officially opened in January 2024, but the story starts much earlier. Before that, I worked as a physical therapist in a busy outpatient orthopedic clinic for almost 11 years. I loved that job—it felt like my second home and family. But during those years, life moved forward: I got married, bought a house 50 minutes from the clinic, and had three daughters—all while my husband traveled often for work. As much as I loved the clinic, it became harder to balance everything. I felt like I was missing out on too much at home, and the day-to-day grind was wearing me down.

So, I made the decision to move into home care PT for about a year. That gave me the flexibility to manage my family’s schedule while I worked behind the scenes to bring Evolution Mom to life. At the same time, I was taking courses in prenatal and postpartum exercise, building on my background in both physical therapy and personal training. (Fun fact: I actually got my personal training certification back in PT school and spent a few years training clients at my university gym.)

The more I learned, the more I felt pulled to work with moms specifically. Having gone through pregnancy and postpartum myself, I realized just how much support is needed, and how little is really out there for women in that stage. Without having my own kids first, I don’t think I would have felt such a deep connection to this work or recognized how strong the need truly is.

Looking back, if I had started sooner, I don’t think the vision would have been as clear. If I had started later, I might have missed the window when I finally had the courage to go for it. So, I really do think Evolution Mom was “born” at the exact right time in my life.

Dr. Lauren, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Lauren Mandell, a physical therapist, personal trainer, and mom of three. I’ve worked in outpatient orthopedics for over a decade, and while I loved that work, it was going through my own three pregnancies and postpartum recoveries that really opened my eyes to the huge gaps in support for moms. I felt it myself—the lack of direction, the struggle to find time for exercise, and the feeling that so many fitness options just weren’t built with moms in mind.

That’s why I started Evolution Mom in January 2024. My goal was simple: create a space that truly works for moms. That means breaking down the barriers that often keep us from taking care of ourselves. At the studio, you don’t need to pre-register for a specific class time—you can just come when it fits into your day. And the space is always baby- and kid-friendly, so you don’t have to choose between your child and your workout.

I’m most proud that Evolution Mom has become a safe, welcoming place where moms can come as they are—whether they’re expecting, they’re six weeks postpartum, years out from having kids, or anywhere in between—and find themselves again through movement. Yes, it’s exercise, but it’s also about community, mental health, and support in a season of life that can feel really overwhelming.

We do this through a few different services:

Mom Strong – is our ongoing group class program. It’s built for moms at all stages, with workouts designed by a “physical therapist brain” that focus on strength, mobility, and overall fitness, while always keeping the daily “mom life needs” at its core. It’s also where so much of the community connection happens.

Build After Baby – is a six-week, small-group series designed for women in those early months postpartum (about 6 weeks to 6 months out). It’s all about easing back into movement safely and confidently, while learning how to support your core and pelvic floor, rebuild strength, and lay the groundwork for long-term fitness.

One-on-One Physical Therapy is available for moms dealing with specific issues—like back/neck pain, diastasis recti, core weakness, any orthopedic issue, and/or recovery after delivery. These sessions allow me to dive deeper, evaluate, and create a personalized rehab plan.

One-on-One Personal Training offers tailored fitness programming outside of a rehab need. It’s for moms who want individualized coaching to get stronger, return to specific activities, or just have a plan built exactly for their lifestyle and goals.

What sets us apart is my background and how the programs are built. With a doctorate in physical therapy, years of clinical experience, and continuing education in prenatal and postpartum exercise, these aren’t just “fitness classes.” They’re evidence-based, rehab-informed programs designed specifically for moms’ bodies. Pair that with the built-in flexibility, the baby-friendly studio, and an amazing community of women cheering each other on—and that’s what makes Evolution Mom different.

At the end of the day, I love exercise, I know how powerful it is for both body and mind, and I believe moms deserve better support. That’s what Evolution Mom is here to do.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Honestly, my social media story is kind of funny because before Evolution Mom, I was never on social media. I didn’t even have an Instagram account! When I started laying the groundwork for the business, I knew I had to figure it out, so I started listening to a ton of small business podcasts. One thing that kept coming up over and over was: just put it out there. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be out there. That really stuck with me, and I committed to it.

In the beginning, I felt so awkward making videos and posting. But over time, I realized people weren’t watching to judge how the video looked—they were watching to hear the information and connect with the content. And if someone was judging based on how “polished” a post looked, then they weren’t really my audience anyway. That was a big mindset shift for me, and it made posting a lot less scary.

Along the way, I started to learn what kinds of posts caught people’s attention and which ones didn’t. I also learned how important it was to use Instagram’s tools to connect locally, since I’m a brick-and-mortar business. That meant paying attention to little tweaks that help your posts get seen in your community. It’s still very much a work in progress—the algorithms are always changing—but I’m proud of how much I’ve learned and how much more comfortable I am now compared to when I started.

Facebook has been another big piece of the puzzle. Local Facebook groups have been so valuable, not only for advertising my services when it’s allowed, but also for just getting involved—finding out what’s going on in the community and meeting other small business owners. That has been just as important for building trust and connections as the posts I put on Instagram.

My biggest advice for anyone starting out is this: don’t overthink it. Don’t wait until you have the “perfect” post or video. Just start. You’ll get better with practice, you’ll figure out what resonates with your audience, and you’ll build confidence along the way.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think my reputation has really been built through a mix of hard work, my clinical background, and the relationships I’ve made in the community. Having a doctorate in physical therapy and years of clinical experience definitely gives me credibility—I’m not just throwing together workouts, everything I offer is rooted in science and evidence. But I don’t think that alone builds trust.

What’s made the biggest difference is showing up consistently, putting in the work, and taking the time to really connect with people. I’ve made it a priority to get to know other small business owners in the area, not just for networking, but to truly build relationships. The same goes for moms in the community—I approach them as peers first, not just as “potential clients.” Part of the heart of Evolution Mom is fostering community, and I believe that has to start with me.

At the end of the day, I want to be known as the local go-to for moms’ exercise. But for that to happen, people need to trust me—not just my expertise, but me as a person. That’s why I spend time getting out into the community, meeting people, showing up for local events, and just being present. My goal has always been to be seen as a solid, caring human being first and a business owner second, and I think that’s what’s helped me build my reputation so far.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.evolutionmomnj.com
• Instagram: Evolutionmomnj
• Facebook: Evolution Mom NJ

Image Credits

All taken by myself – Lauren Mandell