This is the 23W Project. 23W’s very own podcast to empower and educate the amazing women we serve to thrive with wellness, wisdom, and wonder. Your host, Ange, is on a mission to share evidence-based information that teaches women how to lift weights confidently, maximise their training results in the gym, nourish their bodies, and develop a growth mindset to realise anything is possible. Tune in to have your big questions answered.
Postpartum Recovery: What Every Mum Needs to Know
with Amy Reif
Six weeks postpartum doesn’t magically mean your body is ready to jump straight back into everything you were doing before pregnancy.
In this episode, Ange sits down with physio and mum of two, Amy Reif, to cut through the conflicting advice around postpartum recovery and talk about what rebuilding strength and confidence after having a baby can actually look like.
We cover:
The biggest misconceptions about returning to exercise postpartum
Why the six-week check isn’t necessarily a green light for everything
Pelvic girdle and SI joint pain- why it happens and what can help
What the first 12 weeks postpartum could ideally look like
Breathing, pressure management and rebuilding core foundations
How to gradually reintroduce load and strength training
The common mistake of doing too much, too soon - or becoming afraid to move at all
Why rebuilding capacity should come before chasing your pre-baby body
When pain or symptoms are a sign to seek additional support
How Amy’s own experience of motherhood has changed the way she works with postpartum women
Whether you’re newly postpartum, several months (or years!) down the track, pregnant and preparing for recovery, or simply want to understand your body better, this conversation is packed with practical advice to help you return to movement with more confidence.
Postpartum recovery isn’t about getting your old body back. It’s about rebuilding the capacity to do the things you want your body to do.
31 Aug 2026
Sustainable Fat Loss: The Part No One Wants to Market
We’ve been conditioned to expect fat loss to happen fast: six-week transformations, 30-day challenges and dramatic before-and-afters.
But what does successful fat loss actually look like when you’re also living a normal life?
In this episode, Ange zooms out on the weight-loss conversation and shares the reality of her own 10-month postpartum journey, including why losing almost 6% body fat has been less about chasing the fastest possible result and more about creating something she can actually sustain.
We unpack:
Why realistic fat-loss timelines are longer than most people expect
The difference between simply losing weight and improving body composition
Why strength training and protein matter when dieting
Why a bigger calorie deficit isn’t always better
Why the scales can fluctuate even when you’re making progress
The impact of training, your menstrual cycle, glycogen and water retention
Better ways to measure progress beyond body weight
How to survive the “boring middle” where motivation disappears
Why asking “Where do I want to be one year from now?” can completely change your approach
Because the goal isn’t to white-knuckle your way through six weeks.
It’s to build a way of training, eating and living that you can keep doing long enough to actually get where you want to go.
1 Jun 2026
Why You’re “Wired & Tired” — And Not Seeing Results With Alice Scotts
Why do so many women feel like they’re doing everything “right” — training hard, eating well, staying consistent — but still not seeing the results they want?
In this episode of the 23W Project Podcast, Ange Drake sits down with nutritionist and nervous system practitioner Alice Scotts to unpack the connection between stress, recovery, hormones, strength training and body composition.
We explore what’s really happening inside the body when women feel constantly exhausted, inflamed, stuck or burnt out — and why more intensity isn’t always the answer.
This conversation covers:
- What “wired & tired” actually means
- How chronic stress impacts fat loss, muscle gain and recovery
- Why the body needs to feel “safe” before it changes
- The role strength training plays in regulating the nervous system
- How under-fuelling and busy lifestyles can keep women stuck in fight-or-flight
- Blood sugar regulation, inflammation and metabolic health
- Why lifting weights is about far more than aesthetics
- Simple practical strategies to improve recovery, resilience and long-term results
Whether you’re a busy mum, navigating burnout, struggling with plateaus, or simply wanting to understand your body better — this episode offers an evidence-based and highly practical perspective on training smarter, not harder.
Connect with Alice:
https://www.alimentalhealth.com.au/ (https://www.alimentalhealth.com.au/)
@alimentalhealth
Follow 23W:
@23w_essendon @23w_preston
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Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Spotify
5.0 / 5
9 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 24 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
35
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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