There are many stages of womanhood, but few reshape you as profoundly as motherhood. Before becoming a mother, I understood strength in a familiar way: physical capability, consistency, discipline. I was strong because I trained regularly. Because my body could perform. Because I knew how to push through discomfort. Motherhood didn’t take that strength away. It redefined it.
A New Relationship With My Body
Pregnancy was the first time my body stopped being just mine. It became a shared space. One that was growing, adapting, sometimes slowing down, and asking for trust rather than control. As someone who works in fitness, that shift was deeply humbling. I had to release timelines, aesthetics and expectations. Instead, I learned to listen more closely:
When to move.
When to rest.
When “enough” truly was enough.
Strength during pregnancy was not about lifting heavier or doing more.
It was about supporting my body through change and respecting what it was capable of that day.
Postpartum: Strength Looks Different Here
After birth, I met a version of myself I didn’t fully expect. A body that had carried life, yet felt unfamiliar. The nervous system is learning how to settle again. A mind holding joy, fatigue, identity shifts and responsibility — all at once.
Postnatal recovery taught me patience in a way nothing else ever had. Progress was not linear. Some days I felt strong and confident. Others, I felt fragile and slow. Both were valid. Rebuilding strength postpartum is not about getting your body back. It is about building a new relationship with it — one rooted in respect, function and compassion.
Womanhood Is Not One Phase. It Is Many.
Motherhood did not replace who I was before. It added layers. As women, we move through many seasons:
Pre-pregnancy
Pregnancy
Postpartum
Menopause
Times of growth.
Of loss.
Of rebuilding and reinvention.
Each phase asks something different of us. And each deserves its own kind of support. What motherhood taught me most is this: womanhood is not about bouncing back or pushing through. It is about adapting, listening, and choosing the kind of strength that serves the season you are in.
Strength as a Form of Self-Respect
Today, strength means being able to carry my children — physically and emotionally. It means having the energy to show up for my family and for myself. It means moving my body not to punish it, but to support it.
This philosophy is at the heart of ActiveWomen; creating space for women to build strength that feels supportive, realistic and aligned with their lives. Training is not about chasing a version of ourselves from the past. It is about feeling capable and confident in the body we live in now.
A Message for International Women’s Day
This International Women’s Day, I want to honour women in every phase — whether you are preparing for motherhood, deep in it, beyond it, or choosing a different path entirely. Your body is not behind. Your journey is not late. Your strength counts, even when it looks quiet. When women are supported through every stage of life, strength becomes more than physical. It becomes self-trust. It becomes self-respect. Womanhood is not one version of strength. There are many. And all of them matter.
Featured Contributor:
Active Women
Active Women, founded by Danielle, is dedicated in helping women integrate health and fitness into their lives. Active Women especially focuses on pre- and postnatal fitness. Other specialisations include weight loss, strength training and functional fitness.
A mum to three daughters, Danielle helps other moms and moms-to-be to stay healthy and strong during this special phase of their life. She wants you to experience the strength that comes from fitness, both mentally and physically, through personalized fitness coaching. Danielle’s aim is for you to feel amazing about yourself and to make well being, balance and positive mindset a priority.
Connect with Active Women on their website, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Core Collective is home to over 100 fitness, wellness, beauty and lifestyle and medical professionals who can help you live your best life. Book a tour to get started today!