Hey, I’m Vicki

Thanks for reading!

The inspiration for Real.Strong.Women stems from my journey of recovery along the rocky road of fitness and childbirth. I’m a mum of two wonderful kids, but wow, they really did a number on my vagina! And now I’m heading into perimenopause territory…

I found it SO hard to get any sort of useful or effective advice on what I should and shouldn’t be doing both pre and post-birth and realised there must be other women like me.

This is my story…

Fit Mama…or was I?

I didn’t develop a love of fitness until i was an adult really, and when I fell pregnant with my daughter, I saw no reason to stop. In fact, I had just completed the London Marathon and I was keen to carry on training but couldn’t find anyone who would give me any solid advice on what I could and should do. The only advice I got was “you’ll be ok if you were already doing it”, so I pretty much carried on as normal, with no thought to my poor pelvic floor or core and the demands on my body.

I applied the same attitude to my second pregnancy, though by now I was really into Crossfit and throwing heavy weights around.

As soon as my baby boy was born, I knew something wasn’t right, it felt like my insides were really heavy and falling out and, in desperation, I booked to see a Women’s Health Physio.

Argh! Pelvic Organ Prolapse!…

I have no qualms now in telling you I was diagnosed with a prolapse (Pelvic Organ Prolapse) but at the time I cried for weeks thinking that a) it would always feel like my insides were falling out b) I would never be able to lift weights again and c) if things were ‘falling out’ would anything be able to go ‘in’ again?!

It was such a low time in my life, thinking that I had to give up everything that made me happy to get back in control of a body that had really let me down.

But actually, the diagnosis of POP was an absolute game changer.

Once I was over the shock I started to look into how I could help myself and was fascinated by the many ways I could help heal my body- not just the exercise- but all the elements of well-being that can sometimes be harder to change like; sleep, stress management, hormone balance, nutrition, hydration and so much more!

I was amazed to feel myself healing and told my story to many fellow mums who were going through similar things…unsurprisingly, the standard post-natal care system was failing them too and something sparked in my head!

Following my passions…

It was this utter failing of women at their most vulnerable time that made me decide to pursue female health and wellbeing as a career, bringing educated empathy and practical solutions to what seem like irreparable issues.

Now I spend my days helping women realise that whatever their diagnosis may be, there is ALWAYS hope and there is ALWAYS a way forward.

Real.Strong.Women is a culmination of my personal experience of having a body that didn’t conform; 1000s of hours of learning from incredible educators; much exploration and experimentation; learning from all the amazing real women I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the last 7 years; and lastly, really challenging some of the bullshit myths and stories that society feeds us about what it is to be strong like a woman!

My Qualifications

  • TrainFitness Level 3 Personal Training

    OPEX Coaching Certificate Programme

    Holistic Core Restore Coach (Burrell Education)

    Pelvic Floor & Core Foundations

    Empowered Performance Programme (Katie StClair)

    The Female Athlete (Antony Lo)

  • POP UP: An Uplifting Guide

    POP UP Run

    SNATCH: A Female-Inclusive Approach to Kettlebell Training

    Bulletproof your Body Series

    StrongFirst Weightlifting Course

    StrongFirst Kettlebell Course

    POPUP (LIFT)

  • Strong First SFG1 Kettlebell Instructor Certification

    The 3rd Age (Burrell Education)

    Body Massage VTEC

    Diploma in Maternity Massage

    Pregnancy & Post Natal Massage

    C-Section, Hysterectomy & Abdominal Scar Immersion

    Kineseotaping in Pregnancy & Post Birth