Episode Show Notes
Welcome to the third episode of this special short season of The Pilates Diaries Podcast created to support and promote the rebuilding of the business of industry colleague and long term Pilates teacher, Kimberley Garlick. Kimberley’s studio business, Northern Rivers Pilates in Lismore was completely submerged in the devastating floods that tore through the region in February and March earlier this year. In pursuit of getting their business back on its feet, Kimberley has reached out to her extensive industry network and along with studio manager and daughter, Madison have created the Teach to Preach Retreat that will run at their studio in Lismore, November 4th to 6th this year.
On this episode Kimberley welcomes Danni Gillham one of the Presenters at the Teach to Preach Retreat. Danni is a Physiotherapist and Principal Pilates instructor at The Wellness Boutique on the Gold Coast and as a mother of two, boys has a special interest helping women return to exercise postpartum in a safe and empowered way. Danni has extensive experience and postgraduate training in Women’s Health, Pelvic floor dysfunction, along with Pregnancy and Postnatal Physiotherapy. Danni’s presentation at the Northern Rivers Pilates Teach to Preach Retreat in November this year is called ‘Supporting the Postpartum Woman’ and will cover return to exercise considerations and screening in the postpartum period including pain, incontinence and prolapse, evidence based DRAM management, when to refer your postpartum clients on and how to easily and skillfully explain the pelvic floor to your clients. It will also cover how pregnancy and childbirth create prolapse and recommendations on C-section recovery. Enjoy
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Episode Transcript
Bruce Hildebrand: In the spirit of respect, The Pilates Diaries Podcast acknowledges the people and elders of the Bunurong people, members of the Kulin Nation, who have traditional connections and responsibilities for the land on which this podcast is produced.
Hi, I’m Bruce Hildebrand and this is The Pilates Diaries Podcast.
The mission of this podcast is to share the stories of the impact of Pilates. We’re inviting Pilates enthusiasts to share with us the notes they’ve taken down in their Pilates journey as we seek out the answers to the intrigue Pilates has been able to ignite inside millions all over the world. Our hope is that The Pilates Diaries Podcast goes some way to answering the question ” What is it that makes Pilates so special?”
Welcome to this special short season of The Pilates Diaries Podcast created to support and promote the rebuilding of the business of industry colleague and long term Pilates teacher, Kimberley Garlick. Kimberley’s studio business, Northern Rivers Pilates in Lismore was completely submerged in the devastating floods that tore through the region in February and March earlier this year. In pursuit of getting their business back on its feet, Kimberley has reached out to her extensive industry network and along with studio manager and daughter, Madison have created the Teach to Preach Retreat that will run at their studio in Lismore, November 4th to 6th this year.
Our presenter introduction on this episode is Danni Gillham. Danni’s a Physiotherapist and Principal Pilates instructor at The Wellness Boutique on the Gold Coast. And as a mother of two, boys has a special interest helping women return to exercise postpartum in a safe and empowered way. Danni has extensive experience and postgraduate training in Women’s Health, Pelvic floor dysfunction, along with Pregnancy and Postnatal Physiotherapy. Danni’s presentation at the Northern Rivers Pilates Teach to Preach Retreat in November this year is called ‘Supporting the Postpartum Woman’ and will cover return to exercise considerations and screening in the postpartum period including pain, incontinence and prolapse, evidence based DRAM management, when to refer your postpartum clients on and how to easily and skillfully explain the pelvic floor to your clients. It will also cover how pregnancy and childbirth create prolapse and recommendations on C-section recovery. Danni, welcome to the podcast.
Danni Gillham: Hi, Bruce.
Bruce Hildebrand: And of course, welcome to the show to you, Kimberley.
Kimberley Garlick: Thanks, Bruce- it’s great to be back here and it’s been exciting chatting to all of our presenters. Thanks so much for joining us, Danni
Danni Gillham: Pleasure. Thanks for having me!
Kimberley Garlick: We’re excited to chat- first of all, a little bit about your experience and what brings you to the Pilates world
Danni Gillham: Yes. Gosh, where to start I guess going right back. I’ve always been in the health and fitness industry. My mum owned a gym, for 25 years – I feel like I pretty much grew up in that space. And my first, experience of exercise was actually through teaching group fitness at my mum’s gym. So I actually come from a Les Mills background, if you can believe that. And then from there went off to uni studied Physiotherapy. While I was there I also did my certificate three and four in fitness so I’m actually technically a qualified personal trainer as well. Not that I use that as much. I kind of stick to my Physio roots mostly. And after graduating I went into the hospital setting and was there for a couple of years and I I loved it- I learned a lot- I think it taught me a lot as a Physiotherapist, but I felt like I needed to get back to my roots of exercise and movement and dealing with people in that space, and I wanted a way to bridge those two worlds. I’d always known about Pilates, obviously, most Physiotherapists know about the world of Pilates and I thought, you know what, I’m just going to go and explore this for myself. And I actually signed up for the APPI Mat work and equipment courses, and did those and thought, yep like this, I loved it straight off- and thought this is the perfect way to blend those two worlds together. And I actually started planning my exit from the hospital system and started the wellness boutique in the morning and in the afternoon after my full-time job as a hospital Physio and that’s how that all transpired. I also had a real love of women’s health. I unfortunately couldn’t get into it in the hospital system because you are a bit of a Jack of all trades there mostly. And then went down the path of training in pelvic floor and helping, women with continents, pregnancy, postpartum. And I feel like those two things- the Pilates side of things, as well as the women’s health side of things I just loved the aspect of both of those combined modalities together and the results that I could get for my clients. So that’s actually how I got into Pilates!
Kimberley Garlick: Wow. It’s really interesting, Danni, because you’re actually amongst similar company with Bruce and myself because we also started in that sort of fitness world
Danni Gillham: Yes!
Kimberley Garlick: And I also hand in hand, I started alongside with my mum as well. So there you go. Yeah. It’s sometimes our history and our background without us even realizing it at the time we start to learn by osmosis from such a small and young age of these passions that grow with us, and then that just continues to grow and I’m so excited that you speak so passionately about women’s health and I think that’s probably why you are so brilliant at what you do. And also being a mom of two boys. Yes. You can speak from experience as well.
Danni Gillham: Absolutely
Kimberley Garlick: and that relationship with Pilates. How is that growing with you now in the Wellness Boutique- do you mainly concentrate on women’s health there or is it a mixed bag- bringing it all together?
Danni Gillham: Yeah. Oh, definitely a mixed bag. I mean, I would use Pilates every day in my clinic- every single day! Most women or people in general, won’t leave our clinic without some sort of homework, which we love to give. And a lot of of that does, revolve around Pilates. Sometimes it’s specific pelvic floor related if that’s what the woman in front of me needs, but we’re then trying to bring it back to a more- for lack of a better word- functional setting where it’s, about taking that into their everyday life and being able to transfer that over. So I definitely use it every day still and I actually do love a bit of a hybrid of Pilates as well as I have a bit of a background and strength training as well- so I actually like to fuse those two worlds depending on the woman in front of me, the person in front of me, what their goals are.
Kimberley Garlick: Amazing. And when you’re talking about pelvic floor, I think everybody’s hanging for that magic cue for pelvic floor. How would you explain pelvic floor for clients?
Danni Gillham: Yeah, so I have models and all kinds of things in the clinic that I do because I think some people are such visual learners, I do try to really show them that the pelvic floor is it’s muscles as well as ligaments, as well as fascia that all sits at the base of the pelvis. And we know that there’s a more superficial or a closer to the surface layer, and then there’s a deeper layer as well and they both have slightly different functions. So the superficial layer has more of a squeezing action and the deeper layer has more of a lifting action. So I guess some of the cues you can use are talking to those two things. So I want you to try and create this sensation between the vagina and the back passage of a squeeze and a lift internally. I think some people forget that the pelvic floor actually wraps around the back passage so to cue because a lot of people go “Oh, you just wanna feel the squeeze around the vagina, which isn’t 100% correct and sometimes you can actually get a better contraction if you cue them to do the back passage as well. So often if the squeeze and lift isn’t connecting with someone, you can also try imagine you’re stopping wee and wind at the same time. So you’re going to get that anterior and posterior cue coming in and then based on what I’m seeing, I have obviously the ability to do an internal exam to check all of these things- so depending on the cue, I will, get that client to continue with that cue in their homework depending on what I find, but there are two sort of cues that you can play around with whether it’s, someone kind of hones more to the action or whether it’s more of that stopping wee stopping wind version. But that’s something I want to go through on the retreat is I actually want to go into a bit more detail of the pelvic floor and the anatomy of the pelvic floor because I think if you know more about it, you can visualize it, conceptualize it, and then actually explain it a lot easier.
Kimberley Garlick: That’s fantastic cause I was just actually about to lead into that, about your presentation for the Retreat- what exactly are you wanting your students to walk away with? .
Danni Gillham: Hopefully more knowledge for one thing about the pelvic floor and about the impacts of pregnancy and the postpartum period, because I think it’s such a transformational time in a woman’s life and being able to cater to that I think will benefit Pilates instructors for one thing. Having more knowledge and awareness of what the body actually goes through- as well as hopefully bringing in from an evidence based approach. I think there are quite a lot of- I don’t know if myths are the right word- but like common issues that pop up around things like DRAM and diastasis rectus abdominus and I hopefully want to shed some light and hopefully some clinical pearls on how to best treat the woman in front of you
Kimberley Garlick: Even that terminology, Danni, for some people might be new because a lot of the time people are taught about pelvic floor and the importance of pelvic floor. But even the fact that you are talking about the front and back passage and the different layers of the pelvic floor-
Danni Gillham: Yes
Kimberley Garlick: -is so important, and then coming more aware of all of that terminology so that when people are discussing the pelvic floor, it’s such an easy conversation for them. And I feel that that’s something not only useful for our students, but for anybody that you meet, that conversation needs to be more eloquent and available for everybody.
Danni Gillham: Absolutely and I think that builds confidence when you’re discussing these topics with your clients, if you can come from a place of confidence and know, oh, this person knows what they’re talking about, that’s always great from a therapeutic alliance perspective as well. I think a lot of what I do is actually education for my clients and Pilates instructors can, have that as well and be able to share that. And I hope something else that comes from this is being able to build a relationship with other allied health professionals so that Pilates instructors feel confident approaching women’s health Physios, because we love to talk about this stuff- we will talk about this stuff all day with anyone that wants to listen to us. Being able to have that conversation and even ask questions, like, is there anything you want me to, bear in mind when programming for this person and building a bit of a referral network and I think the start to that is actually delving into the world a little bit so you’ve got a better grasp on it and then, I guess reaching out to women’s health Physios and letting them know that actually you’ve done some training in this area and you’d love to support their clients because not all women’s health clinics are set up the way mine is with full studios of Pilates equipment, strength equipment- sometimes they’re just clinical rooms and, to send the woman on to somewhere that can then continue their exercise progression, I think is really advantageous. Yeah, and I think that would be just the start of that relationship.
Kimberley Garlick: You’ve already started it within the Pilates world and many other women like you have already started to bring that bridge much closer together. Since you’re talking about that, bringing Pilates movement, and the women’s health component, remember years ago, there was a lot of backlash about how pelvic floor was being hindered with Pilates and we felt that we needed to increase our student knowledge on understanding how it activates with our breath. Are you going to be chatting about that component of bringing movement of Pilates with the pelvic floor?
Danni Gillham: Definitely- I’m hoping to essentially start with the building blocks of actually knowing the anatomy, but then also how we can exercise and train for abdominal separation, otherwise known as diastasis rectus abdominus, as well as for pelvic organ prolapse cause I think that’s something that people probably don’t even possibly know about but that has implications for exercising, but I actually think Pilates is probably one of the best things that you can do for that, especially your higher risk women and then also things like incontinence and those sorts of things.
Kimberley Garlick: Danni, you talking about bringing Pilates in with the importance of developing your pelvic floor knowledge and exercises to support them- when you are teaching, are you teaching that more one on one small group classes? What would you suggest for people that are going through pre and postpartum?
Danni Gillham: Yeah, I think if you’ve got the ability to, I think that one on one personalized approach to start with is always ideal- just to better cater to any symptoms or any issues that may be popping up in that session. You might be screening for things like, are you getting any pain? Are you getting any heaviness or are you getting any leakage? That’s very hard to do in a group setting. So I think, making sure that you at least built them up through that one-on-one find out where their tolerance is, make sure they’re not getting any symptoms. In an ideal world, if you do have a client, that these things are popping up for, sending them off to a women’s health Physio would be fabulous so that then they can send them back with some recommendations in a bit more, guidance around, where they’re at and where you should be progressing with their exercise.
Kimberley Garlick: And Danni, the difference between Studio versus Mat for pelvic floor issues makes a big difference as well. Would you agree like having that support of the spring?
Danni Gillham: Yes. I love using the Reformers and the equipment to make it really supportive. I think that’s the beauty of some of it you can go really supportive starting that rehabilitation right through to incredibly challenging for your more proficient Pilates goers. But I think if that support and being able to use the equipment to your advantage to offload certain structures can be really beneficial.
Kimberley Garlick: Danni, as a mum of three myself and now a grandmother and seeing my own daughter navigate all these issues as well. And, as a Pilates practitioner, I’m always searching for people like yourself that have boundless amounts of information that I want to sit down and put my conduits into your brain and absorb everything out of it so I can then try to pass that into my clients. Do you have a story about what made you become so passionate about doing women’s health?
Danni Gillham: Yeah. As a mum as well, I think that was a real, turning point in the last couple of years- I’ve got a nine month old and a almost three year old and I feel like that transition was huge- having actually walked through- but at times I struggled through two pregnancies and then two births of my children and coming out that postpartum side, that experience in itself, I think it just really opens your eyes
Kimberley Garlick: Exactly what you were saying then is people may say until you’ve actually experienced it- no one can prepare you for it!
Danni Gillham: Yes, that’s so true!
Kimberley Garlick: So you can be the most brilliant practitioner and still have all that knowledge, but then to have also experienced it yourself is adding another dimension to your teaching.
Danni Gillham: Definitely. I think you can really relate to what that body and what that human is going through and come at that from a more holistic approach having walked that. And to then have that experience and then add on the training and everything else that I’ve done through the women’s health field.
Kimberley Garlick: Danni, I want a little bit of your advice on this, or even just your information, because about 10 years ago I started to bring that relationship of having my children with the constant sacro-iliac joint pelvic pain that I was having and that was 15 years after I’d already been teaching Pilates for a long period of time and also seeing many health professionals along the way, trying to figure out how I can balance this and make it work better. And it was actually speaking to health professionals like yourself that help me understand that it’s probably coming back from when I had the kids. What’s your take on that? And that information that’s coming too late?
Danni Gillham: Yeah, I think it’s such a crucial point in a woman’s life where they need to get that care and that support and it’s in that early postpartum period to try and mitigate these issues that can then become more long term, such as, pain around the pelvis, low back pain abdominal weakness all of those things that show up later in life or just continue on that postpartum period and it stops them from doing the things that they love, not being able to pick up your kids or go for your run or do your exercise. So I think seeing professionals and I think Pilates instructors are a really key factor here where they need to know how to manage this population and how to best serve them. And if you don’t have the information and how to do that, then that’s what Teach to Preach is all about and that’s what my session is going to be all about- it’s going to be about educating you and helping you to know more about this part of a woman’s life and how you can help them, because that is what I do every single day and we get great results from it and this is something that I think every postpartum woman should have access to.
Kimberley Garlick: So much! And I cannot wait to be that sponge that’s going to sit there and absorb everything from you because let’s face it I don’t think there is a week go by where we don’t have at least two people coming in and asking us about pelvic floor issues. And we need to be able to not only explain to them, because sometimes they’ve just been told that by a doctor and they don’t even understand what their pelvic floor is!
Danni Gillham: Yes!
Kimberley Garlick: So we not only need to understand what it is, but then how we can make it better for them and people like yourself are great, Danni, you have passion and you have power to make change for us and for the community of women’s health.
Danni Gillham: I think if you’re seeing postpartum women and even pregnant women, I think, it’s your responsibility to know how to work with and how to best manage, people going through that stage of their life because if you don’t then it’s possibly worth sending them on to a healthcare professional or a Pilates instructor that does. And so Pilates instructors if you’re listening, this is definitely for you and you need to come and join this session if you want to know more!
Kimberley Garlick: Danni, I had an elderly lady who had been coming actually for some time, but because she was in her sixties and had never even mentioned anything about pelvic floor, it wasn’t something we’d discussed. And one day she actually came out of the toilet and said to me there is something odd happening around the base of my vagina- I can feel something protruding out of my vagina. She didn’t even, God bless her, know what was happening and then we actually, researched somebody that was local for her to go and see in her town and we had to actually educate her right then and there, what was even happening to her. And that was someone in her sixties and this was probably left over from the four children that she had and had probably been living with this for a very long time. It actually absolutely really saddened me that this had occurred for this woman who was so out of touch of that part- that age group probably is a little lost there.
Danni Gillham: Definitely, and I think that’s where we’re trying now to bring the issue forward to when they’re immediately postpartum, where we can make the most amount of difference instead of letting it get to, menopause, or older age when then, oh, and now I’m gonna try and deal with my pelvic floor issues when you’re probably a little bit past the point of, I mean there are definitely things we can do, but it’s much easier to help them in that early postpartum period- and we’ll actually be talking in my session- what are the key things that you need to ask your postpartum women- are there any red flags popping up things like a vaginal bulge, a heaviness, leakage, and why those things are so important to know so you can, get the help or refer them on if necessary to someone like myself so that we can help, in a joint collaborative way, manage this person for their benefit- not only now, but into their future.
Kimberley Garlick: So Danni not long now and we will be seeing you face to face in our new studios at Northern Rivers Pilates in Lismore back to back with amazing presentations. Your commitment to women and Pilates is evident and we are really excited that you’re coming on board. We’re very grateful that you’ve actually chosen to be a part of the Teach to Preach and share your knowledge and being in our special corner of the Pilates world. So thank you so much- we can’t wait to hear the whole presentation.
Danni Gillham: Thank you. I’m excited as well.
Kimberley Garlick: And Danni, I don’t know if you know, but we’re going to have this available online so we’re able to have other people join us. We kept it very close so there’s only 30 people on our Retreat- a lot of hands on information face to face, but now we can offer this for people online, from the comfort of their home. Thank you so much for joining us- we really appreciate it and sharing your passion with us, your enthusiasm!
Danni Gillham: Thanks for having me. Can’t wait.
Bruce Hildebrand: We hope you enjoyed this episode of The Pilates Diaries Podcast. Drop us a comment online at the links in the show notes, and be sure to subscribe and rate the podcast to keep updated with episode releases and hear more stories from our guests’ Pilates Diaries. This podcast is made possible by the following sponsors- keep an ear out for exclusive Pilates Diaries Podcast listener discount codes. Thanks for listening. The Pilates Diaries Podcast is a proud partner with TRIMIO. TRIMIO is a much needed space and time utilization booking system for the Pilates industry. With TRIMIO you can return your focus to delivering the highest value to your customers. No longer be lost to the encumbrances of inefficient interactions and experience a new level of working freedom with the power of technology automation doing what it should. Maximize your profitability by optimizing the utilization of your time and physical space with TRIMIO. Find out more at www.TRIMIO.app.
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