We recently connected with Leslie Rodriguez and have shared our conversation below.

Leslie , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I was a new Mom, taking care of a newborn, recovering from childbirth, and lost about how to help my body recover. Having worked as a trainer for many years, exercise during the early postpartum season was brand new to me. After giving birth, my body no longer felt the same, the workouts that once felt great no longer did and I was struggling. I remember going for walks the first few weeks and just waiting for the six week mark so I could get clearance to return to exercise. After getting cleared by my doctor to resume exercise, my first activity was to go for a light jog. Feeling excited about getting back into it, just a few minutes into my jog I felt this heaviness in my pelvic floor, my hips felt off, my core was weak and after one loop around the block I walked back home.

As I researched exercises I could do, I found little to none conflicting information on the internet on how to recover after giving birth, so I began a pre/postnatal certification course. Through this process I got to learn how to ease my way back into exercise while keeping in my mind my core and pelvic floor. I also learned about the many symptoms and injuries that show up during pregnancy and postpartum, such as diastasis recti, urinary incontinence, low back pain, pelvic girdle pain, pelvic organ prolapse and more. All of which are issues that can be addressed through proper training, pelvic floor physical therapy and education. Had I known prior to my jog how to recover properly, I would’ve done so many things differently to rehab and strengthen my body first. I knew there were moms out there that were having a similar experience and needed this information, so I began my journey with Empowered Fit and Wellness. I now help women feel empowered during their pregnancy and postpartum recovery through exercise and education.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I moved to Colorado from Tucson, AZ in 2012 when my husband and I were looking for a change in our lives. Since then, we’ve had a son and now call Colorado our home. I enjoy the outdoors, staying active and spending time with family. I have been in the fitness industry since 2014, working as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. After the birth of my son in 2017, I became a certified pre/postnatal fitness coach and started helping women reach their fitness goals.

As a pre/postnatal fitness coach, I enjoy helping new and expecting mothers find balance and set realistic fitness goals that work with the season they’re in. As opposed to an all or nothing mentality, I like to focus on creating habits that will last a lifetime while celebrating the small wins along the way. Whether that is building strength during pregnancy, preparing for childbirth, or recovering postpartum, for me it is an honor to support them in their journey. My hope is that I can help inspire women to continue exercising so that they can experience a more enjoyable pregnancy and postpartum journey, feeling strong and empowered.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I started my small business having no business background and not knowing where it would go. There was no big start up, no mentor, just me sharing what I knew about pregnancy and postpartum fitness, while teaching mommy and baby workout classes with my 6 month old in tow. I learned about website creation, SEO, social media, marketing, how to create an online subscription, and became a better coach in the process. Throughout the past 5 years of doing this I have had many challenges and moments where I wanted to quit. It was discouraging when a project didn’t have the turn out I expected or when no-one would show up to a class. When I had to shift my entire business to online services during 2020, it was hard. During these challenging times of running my business, I would ask myself why am I doing this? And I would come back to the same answer, to help women feel better and stronger during pregnancy and postpartum. So here I am, pushing through the challenges and continuing to support women through their fitness journey.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

My website and google search engine. Although it has taken many years, making sure I share my blogs and content among all social media channels has helped my website rank and make it easier for potential clients to find my services.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.empoweredfitandwellness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empoweredfitandwellness/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Empoweredfitandwellness/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJU7XODHkKO99zhR4Km5NSg
• Other: https://empoweredfitandwellness.vhx.tv

Image Credits
KW Designs Photography