Students on a Floating Rock 004: Realistic and Self-Compassionate Physical Activity for Postpartum Women

On today’s episode we have Megan Filiatrault, a Bachelor of Kinesiology student at the University of the Fraser Valley. She’s joining us today to talk about her research project with Dr. Iris Lesser, and how qualitative research has informed her work with postpartum women on realistic and self-compassionate physical activity goals.

Please note, this episode was recorded in summer 2025 and so minor details have changed since the time of recording.

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TRANSCRIPT:

Students on a Floating Rock voice-over 0:00
From UFV’s changemaking hub, this is Students on a Floating Rock, a student-run podcast dedicated to—

Regan Smith 0:07
—um, I actually think I can take it from here.

Students on a Floating Rock voice-over 0:10
Umm, okay.

Regan Smith 0:11
So if I had to describe it, then it’s basically engaging with changemakers to learn about the skills and mindsets needed to navigate these horrific times on this floating rock, also known as Earth.

Regan Smith 0:25
On today’s episode, we have Megan Filiatrault, a Kinesiology student and recipient of, wait for it, the 2025 Community Service Research Award. She’s joining us today to talk about her research project exploring physical activity, body image and self compassion in postpartum women.

Regan Smith 0:41
It’s a privilege to welcome Megan that we have here today. Would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself?

Megan Filiatrault 0:48
Yeah, my name is Megan Filiatrault. I just finished my fourth year of Kinesiology, specializing in exercise science, and I have another year left. So yeah, I’m just here today.

Regan Smith 1:02
One more year to go!

Megan Filiatrault 1:03
One more year.

Regan Smith 1:04
Awesome. Okay, so we always start off our podcast with a little bit of an icebreaker. So yours, so if you could hang out with any cartoon character, who would you choose and why?

Megan Filiatrault 1:17
So, like, I don’t really watch too many cartoons, but growing up, I loved The Incredibles, and, like, I had some pajamas that were The Incredibles, and I dressed up as them for Halloween. So, like, I love them, so I’d probably want to hang out with them, and I’d hope that their superpowers, like, rub off on me. Like, if Dash could teach me how to run fast, that would be great. Or if I could be strong, like the dad or like, or invisible, like the daughter, I just feel like I could learn so much from them.

Regan Smith 1:50
Oh my gosh, yes.

Megan Filiatrault 1:51
Yeah.

Regan Smith 1:51
I’ll also answer it too.

Megan Filiatrault 1:53
Oh yeah, what’s yours?

Regan Smith 1:54
Yeah, I think I don’t know mine came because yesterday, I saw a man walking down the street dressed up as the Joker, which is super odd.

Regan Smith 2:06
It was so real too. And he was like, I know it was anyways.

Megan Filiatrault 2:11
Were you scared?

Regan Smith 2:12
I mean, see, I don’t think I was, but I’m like, if I was a kid seeing that, I would be terrified. So I’m like, “oh my gosh, I’m living in Gotham, and I might die.” But no, I think I was fine.

Regan Smith 2:26
But it wasn’t the Joker that I would love but like, I think parallel to that, the Mad Hatter. Little bit crazy, just would love to hang out and see where his mind goes.

Megan Filiatrault 2:35
I feel like that would be super entertaining.

Regan Smith 2:37
Right? That’s why—

Megan Filiatrault 2:37
And a little bit weird, but in a good.

Regan Smith 2:40
Yeah, absolutely, we’ll have like, a tea party.

Megan Filiatrault 2:42
Yeah, I like tea parties, I like high tea.

Regan Smith 2:44
Yeah, absolutely. Is that what—yeah. He’ll love it.

Regan Smith 2:48
First thing though, I would like to say congratulations for winning an award on research day.

Megan Filiatrault 2:52
Thank you.

Regan Smith 2:53
Yeah, you won the community…

Megan Filiatrault 2:55
The Community Service Award.

Regan Smith 2:56
Yes, nice. Congratulations.

Megan Filiatrault 2:59
There’s different awards for different departments that, like there was a Kinesiology Award so, but because my work has been, yeah, it’s been research, but it’s also been working with the community, we figured that, or at least my professor, Iris [Lesser], figured, I could be nominated for the Community Service. So I was super honoured to, yeah, be a part of that one.

Regan Smith 3:22
So I guess our first question is, can you give us a spark note version of the research that you’ve been doing with Iris on postpartum physical activity?

Megan Filiatrault 3:29
Yeah, totally. So we’ve been researching the relationship between postpartum weight retention and new mothers’ body image satisfaction, their exercise self efficacy and just their physical activity behaviours. So we’ve wanted to see how social media and the “bounce-back” culture, like these images of these really fit moms who’ve bounced back from giving birth, we’ve wanted to see how that impacts mother’s perceptions of themselves and their engagement in exercise.

Megan Filiatrault 4:01
So basically, we partnered with CHASI to create images of realistic mothers of diverse size and ethnicity doing these safe exercises. So I also researched some safe exercises postpartum and got them approved by a pelvic floor physio, and then we had our diverse models doing these safe exercises, and so CHASI captured those photos. So then we put those into a slideshow and compared our images with the stock images of the “bounce-back” mothers. And we wanted to see how new mothers, how that impacted their perceptions of themselves and their belief in their ability to be active.

Megan Filiatrault 4:42
So yeah, we just wanted to explore whether realistic, diverse images of physical activity can improve body image and promote healthier physical activity attitudes postpartum. So we also, with this, wanted to just inform more compassionate body inclusive messaging around physical activity postpartum, rather than this more clinical and daunting, “you have to bounce-back” sort of thing.

Regan Smith 5:06
I guess. What did you find with all that research? Like, was it better when I guess the mothers were given these like, non stereotypical…?

Megan Filiatrault 5:16
Realistic, yeah. So with the qualitative interviews, I interviewed each mom afterwards and asked them how they felt about the photos, like within the slideshow, and a lot of them had a lot of different things to say. So a main theme would be, “oh, I really like the realistic mom, but I prefer the look of the bounce-back mom.” So basically saying, “I love the realistic images, but for other people, not for me.” And so there’s sort of this, like “the body is a battleground.” So they they want to have that self-compassion and be proud of their bodies for all of it, all that it’s done, but at the same time, they wish that they could look like the stock image mom and that sort of thing.

Megan Filiatrault 5:57
So while we wanted it to create more self-compassion, and some mothers did feel that with the images we created, there’s still this almost subconscious like, you still want to look like the social media moms. But it was also good, because we got feedback too, and some of the moms would say how they loved the diverse images and like diverse ethnicities and body types, but they also wanted, like, a more realistic background.

Megan Filiatrault 6:26
So we took that and with CHASI, we then, instead of having our exercise images outside in this pretty environment on a sunny day, which is really not realistic and does not happen with our B.C. weather, we then got images in like, a messy-ish type of house with some like toys on the floor and the yoga mat just in the living room with some clutter around, which is way more normal postpartum. And so then we took some images like that too. So that was another step in trying to make them more realistic.

Megan Filiatrault 7:00
And then we also just got some other feedback, just about some moms, they didn’t like that the social media moms were wearing a matching set, or they had their hair done. So it wasn’t even really about looks. It’s like, “how does she have the energy to do that? I wish I had the energy to, like, change my clothes and wear something nice or do my hair.” So sometimes it wasn’t about how they looked, but like, how are they able to do that?

Megan Filiatrault 7:22
Or even the exercise types, “how are they able to do that hard position? I can’t even do an easier version.” So yeah, there was a lot of interesting findings. Sorry, that was a lot at once, but—

Regan Smith 7:33
—no, that was super cool.

Megan Filiatrault 7:35
Okay.

Regan Smith 7:35
I think it’s also, it’s super interesting, too of like, also thinking of when most of the time you’re fed, as you say, like, the bounce, bounce-back, moms, yeah, like those images, and then you get a little bit of a realistic version. You’re like, “okay, that’s nice,” but you’re still, like, you’re fed, like, 10 times more, I guess, the bounce-back, mom, so it’s hard to, like, accept — I’m also basing this off of my own experience of, like, body image and everything, but like, accept that this is realistic and what’s—

Megan Filiatrault 8:05
Exactly.

Regan Smith 8:06
—happening.

Megan Filiatrault 8:07
Because you see so much more of the bounce-back, you still have that idea in your head that that’s normal and that’s what you should look like. And you even have just other people in society, like maybe comments from other women or, like, partners, or that sort of thing about how other people bounce-back, or maybe that you haven’t yet, and you’re infiltrated with this ideal that, “oh, you’re supposed to look how you did before you had your baby.”

Regan Smith 8:30
Yeah, mhm.

Megan Filiatrault 8:32
Yeah, everyone wants their pre-baby body, but you will never have your pre-baby body again, like you’ve already had the child. So it shouldn’t really look the same, so just trying to make it known that it doesn’t have to. Yeah.

Regan Smith 8:44
Yeah, I also think it’s super interesting, too, how you were saying, like, the, I don’t know, I always see a day in a life video and, like, especially, like, if it was a mom doing it, and everything’s so perfect. The kids are at school on time. But I’ve, like, I’ve had experience, like, babysitting or something, and the mom was just like, rushing out the window being like, “I need my earrings. We got to get to the dinner,” and asking the Dad, “did you call the Uber?” and I’m standing there as the baby started being like, “nice,”

Megan Filiatrault 9:16
Like, the baby’s crying, yeah.

Regan Smith 9:16
And they’re trying to just get out of the house and be like, “you got it, you got it.” And I’m like, “okay, cool.”

Megan Filiatrault 9:20
Yeah. Yeah, it again, it’s, I’ll use the word realistic a lot, because it’s just not but that’s what we’re aiming for.

Regan Smith 9:27
So you did mention that you did some workshops with, you partnered with CHASI and Archway, and you did some workshops with the postpartum moms. So can you tell us a bit about the experience you have taking your research into the community?

Megan Filiatrault 9:41
Yeah, totally. So with these images that we created with CHASI, of the more diverse moms, diverse body types, and with the safe, approved physio, pelvic floor physiotherapy exercises, I then created a workshop that, again, I led at local libraries and Archway Community Services Best for Babies. And so these moms were able to be taught simple, safe exercises that are sustainable, that they can easily do. And we also gave them options to do them with their babies and different progressions so that they know how to exercise with their baby, or if they want to just take a minute for themselves. So that was another way.

Megan Filiatrault 10:21
We tried to do it from a lens of self-compassion, like, if you don’t get to exercise that day, it’s okay, just try again the next and then we also introduced these things called “exercise snacks,” which are small bursts of movement throughout the day. So we really encourage that, rather than, you know, 60 minutes in the gym, because moms don’t really have time for that.

Megan Filiatrault 10:40
So it was all about creating, like, accessible exercise. And that was another challenge we had as well, because we needed accessible locations. And at the, we tried doing some workshops at UFV, and we had, like, no attendance, I think we had one person, and so figuring out where moms can easily get to, what time of day best fits for them and their busy schedule, if we need an online option. There was just so many things that I learned about community engagement, with partnering with CHASI and doing our research. So yeah.

Regan Smith 11:16
Were you nervous at all taking it, I guess out of—I mean, because it started with just you and Iris, right?—like taking it out and presenting it to the moms?

Megan Filiatrault 11:27
Yeah, I always get a little bit nervous presenting or doing workshops, and Iris would come and she would watch too. So maybe I was just nervous for that, because I’m presenting her work and her research, and it’s based off of her Mother’s Moving Forward guidebook. So I want to do it justice, of course, but I wasn’t nervous with the moms at all. They seemed super happy to be there. Their babies were there. Some babies were crying. Sometimes I’d be talking and nobody would listen because babies are crying, but I don’t really care, that’s, they’re doing their best, of course, and I felt like I didn’t need to have this perfect presentation. I was just giving them information, and they felt that it was valuable. So that was super validating. So I had a great time actually working with the moms, and so it’s made me realize that’s something I would like to do in the future is continue to work with moms and babies.

Regan Smith 12:21
It’s super cool. When did you start doing this research? Has it been like, a year long process?

Megan Filiatrault 12:26
Yeah, so it started with the faculty/student research grant with Iris, I think, last May [2024], and then we partnered with CHASI, got some images over the summertime, and then we recruited some moms, and they did a survey first, so we have some quantitative findings from that, and then I did interviews with them, and we got the qualitative findings. And then in the midst of that, I took a course with Iris that was just her and I, and it was about work in the community.

Megan Filiatrault 12:59
And so that’s when I started doing the workshops, and that’s when we sort of were getting some of the qualitative findings from the interview, so it was like everything all together. And then did the interviews, got the information, what do we want to apply to the workshops? Used images for the workshops, which was really beneficial. And then afterwards, we did all of the statistics stuff. So that was probably in the winter time by then, and then I started just, or now, the paper is written, and it’s in review right now, so it should be published soon.

Megan Filiatrault 13:33
So it has been a year long process, and we’re actually trying to work with CHASI again to get even more images of, again, diverse moms, but a wider range. We sort of had a certain body type, but we want to have a variety. And then we want to have them doing progressions of exercise, not just one, and then have them at different months as well. So like, six weeks postpartum, three months postpartum, six months postpartum, that sort of thing. So moms can see or maybe have a more realistic comparison. So it is like a year long process, at least it’s been a year now, so we’ll see if it continues the next year in my degree. But yeah, it’s been a steady progression for sure.

Regan Smith 13:56
I guess, so were you, you were doing all this though, while in school, like, were you taking courses as well?

Megan Filiatrault 14:22
Yes.

Regan Smith 14:22
Was it a hectic kind of..

Megan Filiatrault 14:24
It was, because I also have two other jobs and volunteer as well. So it’s interesting because, yeah, I don’t work a lot of hours a week, but because there’s so many little roles in there, it just feels like a lot extra. And then with the research, it feels like an additional course. So while I might only be in three or four courses a semester, with the research, it feels like I’m in five. And I know some people take like six, seven courses, I could not handle that.

Megan Filiatrault 14:51
So it’s just trying to see how much I can handle, and then also learning to say no when things get too much or I’ve, like, bit off more than I can chew. So, yeah, but so far, that hasn’t happened yet, which I’m grateful.

Regan Smith 15:02
Yeah, it’s really good.

Megan Filiatrault 15:05
Just trying to say yes to all the opportunities. I was told one time in my degree, you have to be uncomfortable to grow. And so I feel like that’s all I’ve ever been since, is just uncomfortable saying yes to new things.

Regan Smith 15:16
I mean, yeah, I think that’s so true. Yeah, great. People who take six or seven courses, that’s a lot.

Megan Filiatrault 15:22
I could never.

Regan Smith 15:23
No. It’s also like, when you’re doing research, I guess, because you were so much involved, there’s also just so many pieces to think about, and like, you’re constantly thinking about it too sometimes. So it takes up, like, quite a big, like, chunk of your brain.

Megan Filiatrault 15:37
It does, and then they’ll be like, “oh, like, do you want, do you want to do a presentation, or do you want to do this?” And then I’m like, stressing about my research more than my courses, so it’s all about finding that balance. But I do feel like the research that I’ve done with Iris is super important to me, so that helps me prioritize it as well, even though I have other courses going on.

Regan Smith 15:58
Yeah, I think it’s also just great experience, just from the research I’ve done with CHASI. It’s also, I guess not, that school is not real life, but it’s also like experience that you don’t exactly get in the classroom yet.

Megan Filiatrault 16:11
Totally, I found that being able to apply my research in the community was so valuable because, yeah, we’ve got these findings, but they don’t really feel like anything. It’s just all on paper. Like, this is the quantitative findings. This happened. This is the qualitative findings. This is what they felt. But now, okay, how can we put that into practice in real life settings? How can we apply what we’ve learned? And so that has been super rewarding, I guess, or even just helpful to see. And there’s been so many like, bumps on the road, like, okay, do this differently, do that differently, but it’s really helped me figure out how to apply my work in the community, and what things work and what doesn’t.

Regan Smith 16:54
Yeah, because I guess that’s the stuff that you don’t get in class. Like, I know from my school experience, it’s like, okay, we can do everything to prepare for what the study could be, and, like, trying to figure all that out. And like, we can do bunch of lit reviews and everything, yeah, but like, actually, I guess applying it to the community and then also getting that feedback—

Megan Filiatrault 17:15
Totally

Regan Smith 17:15
–and then trying it again can never happen in like, one semester.

Megan Filiatrault 17:19
Yeah, the hands on experience is so valuable here at UFV, like, if you just put yourself out there, you can find it so easily.

Regan Smith 17:28
Yeah, I think that’s a big part. Just putting yourself out there and seeing what happens. You might have already touched on this one, but what have you taken away from having the opportunity to work with Iris in the Fraser Valley community?

Megan Filiatrault 17:44
Yeah, so working with Iris has been super interesting, because she has a very empathetic approach to research, doing more activities of daily living and what works in the community. It’s super valuable because a lot of people do exercise science research, and you know what is the most optimal way to do a certain exercise, but that only helps the people that are already being active, and that have probably been active their whole life. But we want to get those people who aren’t active to start moving more, just to live a healthier lifestyle and just doing things that are sustainable. Nothing crazy, just daily movement.

Megan Filiatrault 18:21
And so working with Iris has really allowed me to see a different lens of physical activity and the ways that we can get everyday people to start engaging in it, and then also just being able to do a community-based approach, like working with people, not on people, has been really interesting. So yeah, working with her has really deepened my understanding of postpartum health, beyond just statistics, I’ve got to see like the different stories of moms and their struggles. And just Iris has a great or a deep understanding of postpartum women, of course, like that is her main area of research, and so learning under her has really showed me how to, or different approaches to getting women at a vulnerable time to be more active.

Megan Filiatrault 19:08
And so this has also allowed me to start research in other areas as well. When I was interviewing a different mom who’s also a professor, she got me involved in her line of research as well, which is with like pediatric cancer patients. And so it’s a different vulnerable population to work with, but it’s also about okay, given this population and their needs, how can we apply physical activity in a different way or tailor it to them? And so working with different types of populations, and starting with the postpartum women was a great place to start, because they do have unique needs. Yeah, I just think it’s provided me a lot of opportunities. I hope that answered the question.

Regan Smith 19:46
That did.

Megan Filiatrault 19:47
Okay.

Regan Smith 19:48
Oh, that’s so cool. I think, yeah, I’ve, I guess I’ve never really thought about that either too, just about how vulnerable populations getting back into physical activity or, any just, like anybody to just trying to get into physical activity, it’s hard when you want to go from like, 0 to 100.

Megan Filiatrault 20:07
Yeah.

Regan Smith 20:07
Because you want that perfection—

Megan Filiatrault 20:09
—that all or none approach.

Regan Smith 20:10
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Megan Filiatrault 20:10
Which doesn’t really work for many people. Or it works for like a month, and then you stop, and then, yeah.

Regan Smith 20:16
I definitely think, like, what you were saying with, like, be, have being empathetic, I guess, to yourself, and then also as you’re looking at other people, is, like, a really important step, like, to everything, but like, especially applying it to this is…

Megan Filiatrault 20:32
Exactly and that whole self-compassion piece has been huge. And I guess everything I’ve done with Iris, she’s really promoted self-compassion, especially for new mothers. And so that’s like the whole reason that we’ve done this is just, how can we get images that make moms feel more self-compassionate towards themselves, and how can we do exercises that aren’t daunting, aren’t too hard, so they can feel more self-compassionate because, “oh, I’m doing this. I’m capable,” and it makes you feel good, and you’re not like disappointed in yourself that you’re not able to do it. And then even just doing the exercises with them in the workshops, just promoting self-compassion. If you’re not doing the exercise, that’s okay. Try again another day. So like, the self-compassion piece just brings itself up in every single aspect I feel like, which is really important to me, at least.

Regan Smith 21:20
So based off of everything we talked about, if you were to give a one minute TED talk on the change that you want to see in regards to your work, what would you say?

Megan Filiatrault 21:28
I’ll see if I can do this in one minute. So basically, I’d like to see more realistic postpartum imagery, or even just exercise imagery in general, doesn’t have to be postpartum. We have all of these fit models posting, but what I’ve learned in Kin is that physical activity is for every body. Like, how are we or how are people that don’t fit the esthetic ideal supposed to feel like they belong exercising or in a gym? It’s very daunting. So yeah, I guess just promoting realistic and sustainable physical activity of daily living, rather than that all or none approach, 60 minutes of exercise in a gym.

Megan Filiatrault 22:02
So yeah, I just want to see more accessible, community-based options, rather than clinical. And I’d like to see more human-centered so that should account for the timing of exercise to meet the needs of the people, the location, having online options, maybe. And this is regarding like exercise programming, and same with postpartum women, like giving ways to involve the baby or to not involve the baby, and just different progressions based off levels. So I would just like to see a nice, individualized approach to whatever population or person you’re working with, rather than this one size fits all approach that is pretty popular in fitness.

Regan Smith 22:40
So in Kin, you were saying that you learned a bunch of stuff, and part of that included that, I guess, activity is meant for every type of body. Is that something that they really drill into you, I guess, during, throughout your kin program, or is that something that you kind of came on to yourself or with your work with Iris?

Megan Filiatrault 22:59
I’d say, specifically with my work with Iris, that it really became apparent then, and some profs will, like, push that more than others. I mean, some courses, like with anatomy and physiology, or even just exercise physiology, sometimes you’re just talking about, like, athletic performance and that sort of thing. And so you do get both sides. You get, you know, exercising for, like, top athletic performance, or you’re getting it: “how can we get everyday people being active?” So we do get both sides, but I really do appreciate the lens that Iris approaches it at, which is for every body.

Megan Filiatrault 23:35
And we have other profs doing that as well. I could list a whole bunch of other profs that do that as well, because Kinesiology is a study of human movement, not just, like, specifically, how can you be the best athlete ever? So it really is just about, how can we get people moving their bodies? Like, because a lot of people in Kinesiology have athletic backgrounds, they’ve done sports, they’re competent, they’re confident in physical activity, and so, of course, they’re doing it.

Megan Filiatrault 24:01
And so I think it’s good for especially all of us who are in Kin to see that it’s not that easy for everyone else, and it’s going to take different approaches for other people. And there’s a lot more people who aren’t active than are. So like, it’s our job to help those people, but not in our Kin bubble, which is our lens of, “oh, it’s easy for us. It should be easy for them too” or “I can do this, they should be able to,” no, it’s you have to meet them where they’re at. And again, have that self compassion and a non-biased stance, which I do think the profs have done a really good job at pushing in this degree as well.

Regan Smith 24:41
Yeah, that’s super interesting. Because also, I guess in my mind, I see Kin people, and I’m like, “oh my gosh. They’re just so fit and it’s crazy, and they’re just wild people who go to gym at 5am or twice, twice a day.” And I’m like, “oh wow.” But yeah, I guess. Like, probably, like, 90% of the population is not that and trying to get into movement.

Megan Filiatrault 25:04
Yeah, just movement to, like, help with daily living, just so they can function properly or limit their risk of disease. Or just, it really does help with a lot of aspects in life. And we learn that too. It’s like, it’s not just physical benefits, there’s mental benefits, there’s even social benefits as well. There’s a lot of areas of your life that it can help. So, yeah.

Regan Smith 24:41
It was lovely to have you here Megan, and I just wanted to say thanks again for coming in.