The Dancer Mama Podcast

Ep 34: Baby’s First Eats and Postpartum Body Image

In this weeks solo episode Jenna chats about 2 completely unrelated topics: starting solids with her little one, and her postpartum body image. She talks about baby's first eats and all things baby led weaning- the trending way to start solids these days! As with everything in parenting, Jenna had found that starting solids has required patience, a sense of humor, and a big adjustment of expectations! 
In the second half of the episode Jenna changes gears completely and talks about her body image and how she is feeling about herself at 6 months postpartum. 
If you would like to skip the section on baby led weaning, here is the time stamp for the section on body image: 30:55.
 
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Connect with us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thedancermamapodcast/ 
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Cover Art by: https://www.instagram.com/craftymama.yyc/  

Ep 33: Jazmin Taylor: Working on the Road as a Single Mama

This week Jenna is chatting with accomplished touring dancer, competitor, and single mama Jazmin Taylor! Jenna and Jazmin chat about the way stage shows have changed over time in Western Canada, and about how stripper competitions provide the chance to channel those old school show girl vibes. Jazmin gives us some insight into her process when creating a competition show, and tells the story of her scariest moment on stage! She also talks about life working on the road as a single mama and having to navigate childcare challenges, making the most of her time at home, and considering the question “When to tell my kid what I do for work?”
This is a great episode that highlights the diversity of motherhood experiences and explores the ups and downs of dancing while your kids are young!
Connect with Jazmin at 
https://www.instagram.com/the.only.jazmin.taylor/
Cover Art Photo by @eliteambitionsphotography
If you are enjoying the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a rating or review!
Connect with us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thedancermamapodcast/ 
Email us at dancermamapod@gmail.com 
Cover Art by: https://www.instagram.com/craftymama.yyc/  
 

Ep 32: Baby’s First Trip: Vacation Recap!

In this week’s solo episode Jenna recaps her recent trip to Playa Del Carmen, which was baby’s first flight and the first trip as a family of three! Jenna recounts some of the adventures and misadventures they experienced on this trip, and gives her opinion on whether traveling with an infant is worthwhile. She discusses her experience doing Mexico “al la carte” vs staying at an all inclusive (spoiler alert: the food is better this way!) Finally, she looks back at the baby travel “must have” items she purchased in advance of the trip and gives her verdict on which ones were essential and which ones she could have done without!
This is a fun, light hearted episode with some entertaining stories and (hopefully) helpful product reviews and travel insights!
If you are interested in any of the travel items Jenn mentioned in this episode, please consider shopping using the affiliate links below! Jenna will earn a small commission, which helps keep the podcast going!
Grow with me Sun Hat: https://amzn.to/3SVXmLZ
Summer 3D Lite Travel Stroller: https://amzn.to/3yjOhTq
PeapodMat Waterproof bed mat: https://amzn.to/3L2hDgU
Disposable swim diapers: https://amzn.to/3ZDl7KY 
Mini Fan: https://amzn.to/3L5JqNl 

Ep 31: Amy Hazel: The Power of the Mind in Pole, HA Recovery, and Motherhood

This week Jenna was so blessed with the opportunity to talk to the iconic Amy Hazel! Pole dancers all over the world know Amy for her flexibility, athleticism, colorful style, and prolific competitive career, which includes titles from Miss Pole Dancer Australia, Aerial All Stars, Pole Theatre, and more!
In this episode, Jenna talks with Amy about her career as a professional pole dancer, what her lifestyle was like at the height of her career, and the changes she had to make in order to shift gears and make her dreams of starting a family come true. Amy talks us through her journey to recover from hypothalamic amenorrhea, and how she kept her new goals in mind in order to overcome the challenges that recovery presented. Finally, we chat about her motherhood journey, through her first pregnancy and postpartum experience, into her second current pregnancy, and what she is looking forward to in the future!
Amy is a true inspiration: she is mentally tough and her journey is evidence of the incredible power of a strong mind! She is also a delight: she every bit as kind and genuine as she seems on Instagram!
If you don’t follow her already, connect with Amy at:
https://www.instagram.com/amyhazel92/?hl=en 
 
*Please note: there is some discussion of eating disorders and hypothalamic amenorrhea in this episode.
Cover art photo of Amy Hazel by @poletheblacklight 
If you are enjoying the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a rating or review!
Connect with us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thedancermamapodcast/ 
Email us at dancermamapod@gmail.com 
Cover Art by: https://www.instagram.com/craftymama.yyc/  

Ep 30: Playing Flappy Birds With My Pelvic Floor: Perifit Review!

This week Jenna is providing a detailed review of the innovative pelvic floor trainer Perifit!
Perifit is a pelvic floor training system consisting of an internal sensor and an app that gamifies your kegel training, as well as providing coaching, education, and motivation to help individuals reach their pelvic health goals! Jenna was skeptical at first, but after over 6 weeks of consistent use, she can confidently say that, used in conjunction with pelvic floor physiotherapy, this is an innovative way to supplement your pelvic floor exercise program and improve strength, endurance, and improve pelvic floor symptoms!
In this review, Jenna talks about why she decided to purchase Perfit, then gives a detailed walk through of the app interface and the functionality of the device. She concludes by sharing her experience with the product and her results so far!
While this review is not sponsored, Perfit has kindly provided a discount code for the Dancer Mama listeners! If you decide to give Perifit a try, you can use the code dancermama20 for 20% off!
*This review does not contain medical advice and all listeners should consult with a trusted health care practitioner before implementing changes. 
If you are enjoying the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a rating or review!
Connect with us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thedancermamapodcast/ 
Email us at dancermamapod@gmail.com 
Cover Art by: https://www.instagram.com/craftymama.yyc/  

Ep 29: Eddy Brianne: Retiring from the Club Postpartum, plus Creativity in Motherhood

Today Jenna is chatting with Eddy Brianne: a retired stripper, visual artist and crafter, and mama of one with another on the way! They chat about Eddy's dancing career, what she loved about it, and why she transitioned into being a stay-at-home mom once her daughter arrived. She talks about her various creative endeavors, and how motherhood offers yet another, highly rewarding avenue to express her creativity and share it with her daughter! 
This is a great episode, highlighting a different approach to motherhood and dancing: not everyone has the goal of returning to the club, and the way Eddy has whole heartedly embraced motherhood while nurturing her various talents is inspiring to hear!
Connect with Eddy at
https://www.instagram.com/craftymama.yyc/ 
https://www.instagram.com/eddylaynebrianne/ 
https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/CraftyMamaYYC 
 
If you are enjoying the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a rating or review!
Connect with us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thedancermamapodcast/ 
Cover Art by: https://www.instagram.com/craftymama.yyc/  
 

Ep28: Consumer Mama: Organic Sleepers, Targeted Ads, Email Marketing, and Groceries

Targeted ads for organic cotton baby sleepers? Influencers selling solutions to problems you didn't know you had? Responsible for ALL the household purchases, from diapers to dog food?
This weeks solo episode is a social commentary (grounded in Jenna's own experience of course) on the world mama's find themselves in regarding money, marketing, spending, and consumption. After a recent exorbitantly expensive grocery shop, and a week filled with back to back Amazon deliveries, Jenna was once again asking herself: "Is this just me?? Do I have a spending problem?" Maybe she does, but if so, it is not occurring in isolation from the broader forces at play. 
Pulling in content from some excellent books, Jenna explores the topics of "mother as consumer", "ecommerce and the quest for perfection" and the "capitalist impulse to solve every problem with money". She also laments the cost of pole wear and the struggle to resist buying new Pleasers... #relatable.
Books mentioned in this episode:
How Not To Hate Your Husband After Kids by Jancee Dunn (Pamela Smock is quoted in this book)
Baby Unplugged by Sophie Brickman
 
If you are enjoying the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a rating or review!
Connect with us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thedancermamapodcast/ 
Email us at dancermamapod@gmail.com 
Cover Art by: https://www.instagram.com/craftymama.yyc/  

Ep 27: Expert Series: Elina Viola- Pilates for Pole Dancers and Mamas

In this Expert Series episode, Jenna is chatting with Elina Viola: Pilates instructor and osteopath. They talk about Elina’s background as a competitive and professional touring figure skater, her coaching experience, and the life skills she has gained and been able to pass on through her skating and coaching career. Then they switch gears to chat about what drew Elina to Pilates, what exactly Pilates is anyway, and how practicing Pilates can benefit the pole dancer as well as the postpartum mama. They wrap up by touching on the newest addition to Elina’s extensive education and expertise, osteopathic manual therapy, which has proved to be the perfect complement to Pilates and enables to help her clients on an even deeper level! 
Elina has lived a fascinating life, and the combination of her personal experience, deep anatomical knowledge, love of movement, and sincere desire to help makes her a fountain of insight and inspiration!
Connect with Elina at:
https://www.instagram.com/violapilates/?hl=en 
https://violapilatesbydesign.com/ 
Covert Art Photo by Kevin Stenhouse
 
If you are enjoying the podcast, please consider leaving a rating or review!
Connect with us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thedancermamapodcast/  Cover Art by: https://www.instagram.com/craftymama.yyc/   

Ep 26: Back at it! Plus awkward postpartum problems...

Hey Dancer Mamas! This week Jenna is recounting her first couple classes back teaching in the studio, as well as a brief pelvic floor update (if you’ve been following along with the saga!) and a general update on her approach to fitness in this postpartum season. Then Jenna gets real with some unexpected, slightly embarrassing #postpartumproblems, in an effort to normalize and bring some humor to some of the less-than glamorous aspects of new mom life! Some notable mentions here include: jaw clenching, achy joints, body odor, and flatulence from both the front and back! There’s no such thing as TMI when we are trying to normalize the postpartum body (or at least there shouldn’t be).
If you are enjoying the podcast, please leave us a rating or review!
Connect with us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thedancermamapodcast/  Cover Art by: https://www.instagram.com/craftymama.yyc/  

Ep 25: Sasha Belle: Returning to the Club Postpartum

This week Jenna is talking to title-winning exotic dancer, Sasha Belle!
Sasha Belle is a stripper, former fitness competitor, makeup artist, and mom of 2 young kiddos. In this episode, Jenna and Sasha talk about stripper competitions and what it takes to put on those amazing, high production value shows. Sasha shares her pregnancy experiences and how she navigated working in the clubs as long as she felt comfortable, as well as her postpartum return to the club. Finally, Sasha shares some of her postpartum mental health challenges and how she has learned to give herself grace and compassion. 
Sasha sharing her story is very valuable for exotic dancer mamas, who may often feel isolated in their experiences and unique challenges. This is an amazing conversation with insightful takeaways for dancers in any season of their life!
If you want to connect with Sasha Belle, you can find her at https://www.instagram.com/itssasha.b/ 
If you are enjoying the podcast, please leave us a rating or review!Connect with us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thedancermamapodcast/  Cover Art by: https://www.instagram.com/craftymama.yyc/