Meet Aleta Wagner

We recently connected with Aleta Wagner and have shared our conversation below.

Aleta, so glad you were able to set aside some time for us today. We’ve always admired not just your journey and success, but also the seemingly high levels of self-discipline that you seem to have mastered and so maybe we can start by chatting about how you developed it or where it comes from?

I’ve always had drive and determination as long as I can remember. I grew up in a family with 5 brothers and we were all very competitive. I also started studying martial arts at a young age, becoming an instructor in my early teens, competing several times per year, and also trained, traveled and performed with the Ernie Reyes World Action Team throughout high school and college. With my busy schedule, working, studying, training and competing, I had to compartmentalize and get things done. My parents never forced perfection on me, but I developed my own sense of focus and self-discipline to succeed in all of my endeavors.
My master instructor, Ernie Reyes, Sr., taught us to have an intense burning desire and an indomitable spirit, not necessarily to win, but to be the best we could be. I trained at a very high level with some incredible martial artists and fighters for half of my life. To reflect on what that meant to me, I can attribute a lot of my discipline to studying with and being surrounded by an amazing family of martial artists who inspired, challenged, encouraged, and pushed me to always be better than a previous version of myself. That self-discipline and grit has continued into my career as an OT, my marriage, and motherhood, and ultimately helped me to start my own pelvic floor therapy practice.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m a pelvic floor occupational therapist, but also a wife, mama of 3, homeschool teacher, nature lover, worship vocalist, and community educator. I received my Masters in Science in Occupational Therapy in 2008 from San Jose State University. I have an extensive background in orthopedics, pain science and body work, and have spent the past several years educating myself in the assessment and treatment of women’s core and pelvic health. I support women experiencing symptoms of pelvic floor and core dysfunction through transitional times such as adolescence, pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause. I also have a passion for teens with hypermobility, EDS, pelvic pain, and pelvic floor symptoms.

I launched Mountain Mama Pelvic Health because I wanted to work with women who may have lost confidence in their bodies because of pelvic floor dysfunction, just as I had experienced in my own body after the birth of my daughter 8 years ago. I love continuing education and learning as much as I can about the female body, hormones and sleep, breathwork, body work, and how everything is connected to the pelvic floor! I am a certified Prenatal & Postpartum Exercise Specialist, and am currently completing my Pelvic Floor Trauma Certification this spring.

I provide a more holistic approach to pelvic floor therapy that many women may not be finding through traditional methods and the typical medical route. A lot of my clients come to me wanting to avoid surgery or medication to manage their symptoms, and this is the only option they have been given by their doctor. Some of my clients reach out to me as a “last resort” and have seen multiple doctors and specialists, including other pelvic floor therapists, but just haven’t found a solution to what they are experiencing in their bodies. Mountain Mama Pelvic Health takes a functional movement based approach to pelvic floor therapy. I love educating women and teens about their bodies, learning more about the intricacies of our nervous system, and teaching my clients how to develop a deeper understanding of the core and pelvic floor. I do community workshops, and am constantly networking to find opportunities and spaces to share all about pelvic floor and core as it relates to pregnancy, postpartum, and even into menopause.

I’m currently mostly seeing clients and doing workshops in person, but hope to start doing online workshops this year, expanding my virtual wellness services, diving into postpartum trauma after miscarriage or infant loss, and continuing to serve the women in my community.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Be curious – keep learning. There is so much that we are still figuring out about the human body and how we can use holistic care to treat just about anything. Knowledge is power. I am required to take continuing education for my OT license, but for me it’s enjoyable to find courses I’m interested in and to continue learning.

Be passionate – find what you love and dive into it. I realize that not everyone loves their job, but find something you love to do and let the passion flow from you. It can be a hobby, volunteer work, or something you do with your family. I have been an OT for 17 years, and have had seasons of passion and seasons of difficulty. I’m currently in a season of passion for treating women in pelvic floor therapy, leading worship at my church, and sharing my love of nature and that outdoors with my children.

Be in community – find your people. I was invited to a women’s entrepreneur group (Cara Kelley’s RAW Entrepreneurs) a little over a year ago and felt so much love, support, and camaraderie within that group of women. It doesn’t have to be a large group. It can be just a couple of people who get you, support you, and encourage you. I’m also part of a wellness collaborative,WellnessWorks, owned by my friend Katie Bair. We support wellness from a root cause perspective and want to provide a different path to health and wellness.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I enjoy educating women in my community, and this happens through workshops and collaborative classes with others in the holistic space: midwives, doulas, yoga teachers, crossfit boxes, pilates and barre studios, small fitness centers, women’s groups or mom’s groups, even just a woman who wants to invite some friends for a pelvic floor Q&A night. I love it all!

They can connect with me through:
IG: @mountainmamapelvichealth
email: aleta@mountainmamapelvichealth.com
website: https://mountain-mama-pelvic-health.kit.com/82b398ca93

Contact Info:

Image Credits

The only pictures that were not my own – the personal image of me with the pelvis (credit: Sandra Elliot) and the last one with me talking to the woman in the red sweater (credit: Alison Colvin, Bright Pink Media)

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