Vicki's Personal Journey to Empowerment
Vicki's dedication to women's health is deeply personal. After 18 years in social care, working in probation and prisons, she experienced firsthand the lack of support following the birth of her children. She was often met with dismissive responses like, "well, you've had a baby, what do you expect?" and "fobbing off" about "women's things".

After travelling nearly 50 miles to find someone who could successfully help with her healing and recovery, Vicki decided that women deserved better. When her son was just six weeks old, she decided to change her entire career to become a women's health coach, specialising in pelvic health to help women get back to the activities they love, such as running and CrossFit.

Comprehensive Services and Holistic Philosophy
Vicki's core work is based on fostering proactive life choices and rebuilding the vital connection and trust in your body that many women lose after difficult experiences. Her approach centres on overcoming the fear of movement that can make a woman's world feel very small.

Vicki’s services through Real Strong Women include:

• One-to-One Coaching: The main Strong Like a Woman program is tailored for women who are being held back by a pelvic health issue, such as stress incontinence. She addresses breathing mechanics, pelvic floor connection, pressure management, and movement to heal or manage symptoms.
• Small Group Training: These four-to-one strength training sessions are designed to support women who want to train and feel strong, but are hesitant due to pelvic floor issues. These groups build supportive, mini-communities for women to celebrate each other's wins.
• Scar Work: Vicki provides support for women dealing with scars from surgeries like C-sections, hysterectomies, or investigative procedures, addressing the resulting physical disconnection.
• Workshops and Education: Vicki runs workshops for women in gyms and workplaces, covering topics from periods and pelvic floors to perimenopause. She also delivers training to both male and female coaches to better serve women members.

Challenging the Taboo and Systemic Gaps
Vicki strongly advocates for proactive women's healthcare, similar to models in Europe where women receive six weeks of women's health physiotherapy as standard after giving birth. Here in Northern Ireland, a two-year wait list for a routine women's health physiotherapy appointment is common. Vicki is working to bridge this gap by establishing a referral process with GPs to ensure women can access support and conservative exercise while on the waiting list.

She also emphasises the importance of using proper language for female anatomy to dismantle the shame and guilt associated with pelvic health issues.

It is really common... To have a pelvic floor issue doesn't mean we need to put up with it. It's not gonna get better on its own.

The Future of Real Strong Women
Vicki's biggest project is working with GPs and health providers to support the many women currently waiting for appointments, helping them to move their bodies without fear. Her long-term goal is to see the creation of women's health hubs where all female health issues, from periods to pelvic health, can be dealt with comprehensively.

As mentioned in the interview, here is a link to Vicki's 6 Week Check list.

To hear all of Vicki's invaluable insights and learn more about stress management, pelvic floor connection, and redefining strength, listen to the full, exclusive interview with Vicki on Spotify or YouTube now!