Strong Woman Spotlight on Erica Ziel

By Belinda McCall, Editor-In-Chief

Erica Ziel has been a part of my life since 2018 and now I can't imagine where I'd be without her. It all started with her Knocked-Up Fitness Prenatal Program that prepared me for childbirth and made my core the strongest it had ever been.

After 30+ hours of labor, I ended up needing a c- section that totally ruined my core... but not for long! After 6-weeks of recovery and doctor approval, I started her Core Rehab Program and regained my strength within 1 week of starting the program!

Today, with a toddler running around me, Erica's Core Studio Program is the life-saver that is MADE FOR BUSY WOMEN! I am thankful to have met and work with Erica, her programs, and her philosophy on movement.

Erica’s ongoing support for moms-to-be and full-on moms is perfect for our Pregnancy and Motherhood Issue. And of course, who better to feature in this issue than our very own Resident Movement Specialist!

BELINDA: Thank you, Erica, for taking the time out to share your story with me and the WomanBeeWell Community!

For our readers that are unfamiliar, can you tell me about your company, programs, and how you support women's wellness?

ERICA: Absolutely! My company, Core Athletica® Inc is all about empowering a woman to heal her body through movement, intuition, and breathwork! I offer a prenatal program, The Knocked-Up Fitness® Membership, to give expecting women safe and effective workouts during pregnancy, group coaching support, birth prep programming, deep core training, and more.

My Core Rehab Program is known as the goto postpartum recovery program but also amazing for those who have grandkids, or even no kids at all. Core Rehab is a 6-phase lifestyle program designed to teach a woman how to properly strengthen her deep core (including the pelvic floor), to heal diastasis recti, say good-bye to peeing her pants, aches and pains, improve posture, confidence, and gain invaluable wisdom about her body!

Out of requests from my Core Rehab students I created my Core Studio workout membership + app. With over 90+ Pilatesinfused workouts to date, and more added monthly! The majority of workouts are 10- 15 minutes in length because I’ve found shorter, yet extremely effective workouts, help my members create a consistent movement practice that continues with my methods for safely and properly strengthening their core and body.

B: Before you became a “supermom”, what inspired you to become a trainer/coach, and what challenges did you face when you first started out? How did you overcome them?

E: I’ve been training/coaching since I was 19! I originally planned to double major in Exercise Science and Dietetics, but once I began I realized I wanted to focus solely on Exercise Science. I loved learning about the body and specifically was fascinated with how we can heal our body through movement.

As a child, I grew up with knee pain from the age of 5, was always injured, and never got the chance to be the athlete I knew I could be. Doctors just kept saying that it was growing pains but by the time I was 17 and still dealing with almost daily knee pain we knew it was more than that.

After a visit to the Mayo Clinic, I was informed that I needed to strengthen my quads (what a novel idea!) and that was what started my interest in exercise, specifically the power movement has to heal our body. By the time I was 21 I had rehabilitated my knees and have been knee-pain free ever since!

I went on to study Pilates and have just continued to deepen my knowledge about the body on both a physical and energetic level ever since.

As far as challenges, I’ve not been one who’s ever trained clients with the focus of weight loss – it’s got to be deeper than that. Once you discover there’s much more, the weight naturally comes off. I’ve definitely had clients over the years (more so in the beginning years) that weren’t the right fit for me.

As much as I want to help everyone and anyone who will listen, I’ve discovered that I can’t and I’ve (mostly) learned to be okay with that. I’ll be here when ready.

B: Wow, what a story! I think that we don’t always realize that other women in the wellness space almost always arrived there because of some kind of personal struggle that they were able to overcome and that it becomes what they teach.

And I TOTALLY relate to not making weight loss the ultimate goal. In fact, it’s one of the philosophies of WomanBeeWell that weight loss or weight gain is just one possible symptom or indicator of health, and it isn’t even the best one! Of course, this stemmed from my own frustrating experiences with “trying to lose weight”, which is no doubt why your programs are such a great fit for me and the WomanBeeWell Community!

B: You are an amazing coach. What is your favorite part of being a trainer/coach? E: Seeing the transformation in my students and clients! I’m not just talking about the physical results, there’s always deeper learning that my students and clients discover along their journey.

because it’s along the journey that my students are able to experience even better results… results they may not have even been looking for! So many times those results don’t just improve her life but they help transform her life!

B: I first met you through Knocked Up Fitness and it was the best decision EVER for me and my baby!

Tell our readers a little more about Knocked-Up Fitness. What makes it such a unique and complete prenatal program?

E: Belinda that’s so wonderful to hear! As you know it’s more than just a fitness program. I say that about everything I do. Initially, on the outside, it can look like that but the truth is it’s so much more than that!

Movement is healing, it’s nurturing and amazing at preparing a woman for her pregnancy, for birth, and for an easier recovery postpartum!

In my Knocked-Up Fitness® prenatal program, I teach deep core foundations that I carry throughout all the workouts and the movements I teach.

I always encourage an expecting mom to focus on her deep core foundation training and then do just 1 or 2 moves that feel good for her. The next thing she knows, she feels stronger and more energized for her day.

The program is full of pregnancy health topics and interviews with myself and other experts, birth prep, my push prep method (teaching her how to better prepare for the pushing stage of labor, which can help with decreasing time pushing and severity of tearing), plus group coaching calls offered each month! Women are sure to get the support they need and questions answered.

Even for expecting mamas who are planning a cesarean, or not, the deep core training is extremely important! I hear incredible testimonials from our C-section mamas, and their physicians, who say how much easier their recovery is because of the deep core training she did during her pregnancy.

B: Yes! I can attest to the power of your program for C-section recovery. Mine was unplanned and even my doctor was amazed at how quickly I was able to get my core strength back afterward!

So I’m dying to know… How do you juggle being a mom, running your coaching business, podcast, and everything else that you do?!

E: Patience, grace, and flexibility! It’s a juggle for sure. I’m not going to sugarcoat it for anyone because it’s a constant juggle. With three kids it means I need to ask for help some days, whether I want to or not, sometimes I just physically can’t get 2 kids to different places at the same time. My kids also are learning that mom has to say ‘no’ more because I need to prioritize what I’m doing, but I also want them to recognize there are many other times that I’m more than happy to do whatever they want to do.

Some days go much smoother than others. Some days I feel amazing and other days more tired than I’d like. Sometimes I don’t get my podcast recorded until the day before it’s supposed to go live! I don’t love it, but that’s my reality right now. Somedays I crush it and get a ton done, other days I just need a break. Thankfully I’ve got an amazing team – I’m so grateful for them!

When we can learn to live in the moment and be present as much as possible, give ourselves grace, and be more flexible with our days – stress decreases and life is more enjoyable! Remember we aren’t here to live a “perfect” life... so stop and reflect on things that you may be spending time doing that just aren’t in alignment with your priorities

B: Yes, that’s so true. Words spoken from arealistic mom for sure!

What is one part of your own wellnessroutine that you would recommend ourreaders to try, and why?

E: Just one? I have so many, but intuitively I feel I need to share that sleep is what I would recommend. I finally prioritized my sleep almost 3 years ago and it changed my life! Not just getting more sleep, but creating a routine around sleep is key.

We can be doing everything else right (exercise, nutrition, supplements, etc.) but if you aren’t getting good quality sleep your body is not recovering the way it needs to. It’s also extremely important for our brain to function at its highest!

B: I totally agree with you! Sleep is my absolute JAM. We don’t realize how important it is until we start losing some of it, or the quality is diminished. For me, it’s one of the main facets of whole-body wellness.

I want to thank you again for taking the time out to speak with me today and let the WomanBeeWell Community get to know you better!

Is there any departing wisdom that youwould like to share with our readers?

E: Never accept a diagnosis as a final – I like to say that a diagnosis is a symptom of what’s going on in your body. If you believe that your body can heal, it will with the right guidance, tools, and techniques.

Interview by Belinda McCall, Certified Holistic Nutritionist and the Founder of WomanBeeWell.com and WomanBeeWell Magazine. She believes that wellness looks different for every woman and strives to help each woman uniquely shine her brightest. Subscribe to WomanBeeWell Magazine for free, get nutrition and mindset tips, plant-based recipes, and more at her website: http://womanbeewell.com/